A couple of months ago, Asus announced the arrival of the Maximus IV Extreme motherboard based on the Intel P67 chipset, this enthusiast model has been designed to be used together with the LGA 1155 Sandy Bridge processors that were launched on January 5th.These processors being primarily the unlocked Intel Core i7 2500K and Core i7 2600K for maximum overclocking potential and fun !
Today we have one of the first high end P67 based boards with us, the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme. With the Maximus IV Extreme , ASUS wants to deliver a board which exceeds anything else on the market today. This fact is evidently clear by just looking at the spec sheet of this awesome motherboard , but more on that later.
As this is a Republic of Gamers (ROG) motherboard the box features the same iconic style and quality packaging as a number of other ROG ASUS boards. Inside the box the familiar Republic of Gamers experience continues as we find an accessory bundle which exceeds pretty much anything on offer by other manufacturers. We start with the usual manual, software CD etc and ASUS then add multi-GPU bridges, SATA 3 certified cables, wiring stickers, case stickers, thermal probes, voltage reader wires and a Bluetooth 2.1+EDR module. In addition to this, we also find bundled a USB cable for the ROG Connect remote management console which provides complete control of the board on a portable device such as another laptop or even a Desktop. Also included is a I/O shield and wiring blocks with stickers which make the system building process as quick and simple as possible.
Preliminary specification of Asus Maximus IV Extreme mother board:
* Supports Intel Core processors with LGA 1155 Socket
* UEFI Bios
* PCIe support via NVIDIA NF200 and PLX PEX8608-BA50BC controllers
* 8-channel integrated audio codec ALC889
* Bluetooth V2.0v2.1 +EDR
* Extended ATX form factor
* 4 x PCIe 2.0 x16 supports NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX (x16 / x8 + x8 / x8 + x16 + x16)
* 1 x PCIe 2.0 4x
* 1 x PCIe 2.0 1x
* 2 x Intel Gigabit LAN (Intel 82579)
* 2 x SATA 3 (Intel P67)
* 2 x SATA 2 (Intel P67)
* 2 x SATA 3 (Marvell 88SE9128)
* 2 x External SATA 3 (JMicron 362) connectors
* 8 x External USB 3.0 /2.0(2 x NEC D720200F1, 2 x VIA VL 810)connectors
* 2 x Internal USB 3.0 / 2.0 (2 x NEC D720200F1, 2 x VIA VL 810)connectors
* 8 x Internal USB 2.0 (Intel P67)connectors
* 1 x External USB 2.0 ROG Connect (Intel P67)connector
Back panel I/O ports:
* 2 x SATA 2
* 8 x USB 3.0 / 2.0
* 1 x PS/2
* 2 x LAN (RJ45)
* 1 x USB 2.0 / 1.1
* Audio ports (8 channel)
* 1 x S/PDIF optical output
* 1 x RC Bluetooth switch
* 1 x Clr CMOS switch
In addition to all that , the motherboard also comes with eight USB 3.0 ports thanks to the inclusion of two NEC D720200F1 USB 3.0 controller chips that are split via the VIA VL810 controller.
On the IO panel we find a PS/2 connector, eight USB 3.0, 2x JMicron eSATA, Dual Intel Gigabit LAN, Realtek 7.1 audio with optical out and a single USB 2.0 port which is used for ROG Connect. A clear CMOS button is also present on the back panel to assist in recovering from any system issues. There is a separate button which enables ROG connect but also lets us flash the motherboard BIOS in standby mode from a USB stick (USB BIOS Flashback) without requiring CPU, RAM or GPU.
Apart from these options, we get all the amazing Remote Overclocking+Monitoring features that everybody has now come to expect from a top of the line ROG motherboard, including ROG Connect, ROG iDirect, RC Bluetooth.
The Maximus IV Extreme is an Extended ATX ( E-ATX) motherboard. It uses the same mounting hole layout as a regular ATX but more width. So a roomy case is recommended. On three sides of the processor socket we find huge copper heat pipe based aluminium heatsinks . These are meant to cool the Digi+ VRM’s along with other critical system components. I am also very happy to see a separate South bridge heatsink that is quite meaty itself too. This design helps prevent heat from the hotter running CPU power delivery components from reaching the relatively cooler South Bridge and making it run hotter.
Good to see that there’s ample room around the CPU socket area for even the largest cooling solutions available out there- the design has been kept clean and simple although the motherboard is packed to the gills with features. All of the socket 1155 CPUs are supported by this board and it is capable of holding 32GB of DDR3 with 1600MHz supported without issue, and speeds above this easily selected in the BIOS.
I am also extremely pleased to see that a BIOS debug display is also included, this is a great addition to the included voltage Monitoring points and to those PCI-e DIP On-Off switches that enables the PCIe x16 slots to be disabled or enabled according to a user’s needs and also helps with troubleshooting when we have multiple GPUs installed. And of course we have the power/reset buttons.There is a dedicated switch for LN2 mode for hardcore overclocking, This helps one get past some of the nasty Cold Boot Bugs that the Intel Processors seem to have. There is also the MemOK! GO button for booting incompatible DDR3 memory. We have the same suite of power connectors on this P67 board as on every other Asus board, a standard 24/8-pin configuration is present
Taking a closer look at the motherboard , reveals that in addition to CrossFireX compatibility this motherboard also comes packed with Nvidia SLI support, as the Maximus IV Extreme uses a NF200 chip that divides the PCIe lanes in order to allow for up to three GPUs to be used in SLI in a x8/x16/x16 configuration. Beneath the slots we can see the main reason the board is able to offer this connectivity, a PLX branded PCIe controller/switch which adds lanes to those already available on the P67.There is also a Molex connector for use with high power multi-GPU SLI/CrossFire configurations.
Over to the right , we find the USB headers and two BIOS chips which make easy recovery from failed overclocks and corrupt BIOS very easy. The board has a twin BIOS design with bios switching capability by pressing a button, as well as the EFI BIOS that is common on all ASUS P67/H67 and upcoming motherboards.
On the edge of the board are eight SATA ports with the black signifying SATA 3GB/s, first two red 6GB/s (Intel) final two red meaning 6GB/s on the Marvell 9128 controller. RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 are all supported by this board.
Also spread all over the PCB are a number of components which are a part of ASUS's own power design circuitry. This includes a couple of IROG chips which monitor power consumption, along with other internal board functions to help maximising efficiency. Along with this ASUS use a new VRM design (DIGI+) which has an 10 phase CPU, 3 phase memory architecture to enhance efficiency, reduce heat and improve reliability and stability. TPU, which stands for TurboV Processing Unit, is another on-board processor which allows users to overclock/fine tune the board automatically and also helps with overclocking in general.
Well to end Part 1 of my review, all i can say is with the Maximus IV Extreme, ASUS have taken the platform to an entirely new level. Essentially this board, from a design and build quality perspective, is the result of the ASUS engineers sitting down and throwing the kitchen sink at the P67 platform. The adoption of tried and tested Republic of Gamers technology, they offer a board that they hope is second to none !
As noted, ASUS has also made sure that we get all of the features we would expect from their ROG family of motherboards, such as 3-way SLi and Crossfire with the use of the Nf200 and the PLX chip , support for DDR3-2133+ memory , enhanced power design and then of course there are eight on-board USB 3.0 ports with two more available on the front panel... and four SATA 6GB/s connectors. All of these combine to give a board which doesn't disappoint on any level at all based on the Spec sheet !
Now to find out what this monster can really do when i put it to the test under water for some 5ghz Action
So stay tuned guys …..
I would like to thank ASUS India for making this preview/review possible. Thank you !
The Asus Maximus IV Extreme Review Part 1
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