Asus Reveals ROG Maximus VIII Formula With Integrated EKWB Cooling Block, RGB Lighting

[kcarbotte]

The latest edition to Asus's Maximus Formula motherboard series includes RGB lighting, protective armor and all the modern connectivity options you could ask for.

Asus Reveals ROG Maximus VIII Formula With Integrated EKWB Cooling Block, RGB Lighting : Read more

 

[jimmysmitty]

I know it is mostly for show but man that board just looks nice. I have the Maximus VI Formula and it is just a very pretty board.

If pricing is similar then this will probably be a $300 dollar board.

 

[Matt_550]

It's in direct competition with the MSI Z170 Gaming M9 ACK. It'll most likely be closer to the $400 range. If it is cheaper that would be great. Good looking board though.

 

[jimmysmitty]

It's in direct competition with the MSI Z170 Gaming M9 ACK. It'll most likely be closer to the $400 range. If it is cheaper that would be great. Good looking board though.

Possibly. All I know is my Maximus VI Formula (same minus the RGB lighting) was around $300.

 

[Matt_550]

Hard to say but since Asus already has the WS and the Deluxe at $320 and $350 this board slots right above them. If Asus cuts prices across the board and starts some competition in this segment it would be welcome. I just don't see it happening.

 

[eklipz330]

ahh yeah. who remembers the original maximus formula se? that thing was a disaster.

 

[M0j0jojo]

That looks hella good

 

[Mac266]

Hard to say but since Asus already has the WS and the Deluxe at $320 and $350 this board slots right above them. If Asus cuts prices across the board and starts some competition in this segment it would be welcome. I just don't see it happening.

The Formula rarely slots above the WS board. But yeah, Asus's lineup this season is whacky.

 

[Matt_550]

Hard to say but since Asus already has the WS and the Deluxe at $320 and $350 this board slots right above them. If Asus cuts prices across the board and starts some competition in this segment it would be welcome. I just don't see it happening.

The Formula rarely slots above the WS board. But yeah, Asus's lineup this season is whacky.

Agreed. The WS has the realtek alc1150 that seems to be fairly common and a plain Jane exterior compared to this board. I guess we'll have to see where everything lands.

 

[ssdpro]

I am going to guess $369. The recently released Maximus VIII Hero Alpha ($300) has M.2 and U.2, Supreme FX 2015, and wifi, but lacks the full LED customization, pretty armor shield, and EK cooling block. Those bonuses sound like $70 bucks to me.

 

[f-14]

This series has always included hybrid cooling for use with air or water

mmmm NO
ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131227
ASUS Maximus II Formula LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131319
ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131482

i've personally been using these boards for awhile

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Loved the look when the built in WB / armor combo came along with the VI and did a new WC build as soon as I could get my hands on a 2nd stepping board. Shuda waited longer as much of the Asus Z87 series was plagued with BIOS clock freeze issues that remain to be resolved.

The board was however gorgeous, easily customizable and led to some great looking builds

The Z87 version was $300 and wasn't rated very well by board owners on newegg (17% 1 egg / 7% 2 eggs)
The Z97 version was $310-320ish and was rated significantly worse board owners on newegg (26% 1 egg / 17% 2 eggs).

I'd like to do another Formula build but I need to see the above trend to reverse before I delve into another RoG based build. The older Rampage builds were a pleasure to own but I've been disappointed with every RoG build thru Z87 / Z97. The Sabertooth and WS boards have been much better.

Performance wise, Asus Z170 boards seem to have returned to form; no more being 5 - 10% behind in performance than the much lower priced competition. I expect this VIII to be in the $349 - $369 range. But so far, Asus RoG boards still fairing poorly in the user satisfaction department.

Z170 Hero - 15% 1 egg / 15% 2 egg
Z170 Ranger - 16% 1 egg / 16% 2 egg
Z170 Gene - 17% 1 egg / 4% 2 egg

To be fair, other than several of the Gigabyte G! series, it's not as if many Z170 boards from other manufacturers are faring much better. Gonna sit back and watch to see if later board steppings improve on these numbers.

Aesthetics wise, I love the MSI XPower Titanium and would love to see an EK MonoBlock in nickel for the board. However given the extensive collaboration between EK and Asus this round, I don't think we are going to see many MoBo blocks this year for MSI / Gigabyte.

 

[UKmadman2]

what id like to know, is that, is there no need to liquid cool the chipset? is there any advantage to cooling the chipset? will Asus release a water cooled gfx card to compliment this borad? apart from that it does look like a nice board and would love to see the full spec

 

[toddybody]

Sweet looking board...I always love "thermal armor", wonder why more manufacturers don't make them.

Aside from the "neat factor"...how does MOSFET cooling translate into practical benefits? Do folks get better/more stable CPU clocks by it's supplemental cooling?

 

[eklipz330]

This series has always included hybrid cooling for use with air or water

mmmm NO
ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131227
ASUS Maximus II Formula LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131319
ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131482

i've personally been using these boards for awhile

water cooling iterations for the formula have ALWAYS existed, since the original x38

google maximus formula SE.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Loved the look when the built in WB / armor combo came along with the VI and did a new WC build as soon as I could get my hands on a 2nd stepping board. Shuda waited longer as much of the Asus Z87 series was plagued with BIOS clock freeze issues that remain to be resolved.

The board was however gorgeous, easily customizable and led to some great looking builds

The Z87 version was $300 and wasn't rated very well by board owners on newegg (17% 1 egg / 7% 2 eggs)
The Z97 version was $310-320ish and was rated significantly worse board owners on newegg (26% 1 egg / 17% 2 eggs).

I'd like to do another Formula build but I need to see the above trend to reverse before I delve into another RoG based build. The older Rampage builds were a pleasure to own but I've been disappointed with every RoG build thru Z87 / Z97. The Sabertooth and WS boards have been much better.

Performance wise, Asus Z170 boards seem to have returned to form; no more being 5 - 10% behind in performance than the much lower priced competition. I expect this VIII to be in the $349 - $369 range. But so far, Asus RoG boards still fairing poorly in the user satisfaction department.

Z170 Hero - 15% 1 egg / 15% 2 egg
Z170 Ranger - 16% 1 egg / 16% 2 egg
Z170 Gene - 17% 1 egg / 4% 2 egg

To be fair, other than several of the Gigabyte G! series, it's not as if many Z170 boards from other manufacturers are faring much better. Gonna sit back and watch to see if later board steppings improve on these numbers.

Aesthetics wise, I love the MSI XPower Titanium and would love to see an EK MonoBlock in nickel for the board. However given the extensive collaboration between EK and Asus this round, I don't think we are going to see many MoBo blocks this year for MSI / Gigabyte.

You have to be very careful of the Newegg reviews. For the Formula VI one guy gave it one egg stating it did not have the 4 way optimization because there were only 3 OC options in the BIOS (pre-setup ones) while another guy said he was unable to get it stable with the 4 way optimization.

Another guy claims that he got the board with bent pins. I can tell you that after working as long as I have in repair and how many boards I have gone through, even low end ones, the chances of a board shipping to you with bent pins and it not being the consumers fault is almost 0%.

Then another for some reason can't get it installed in a Corsair 750D yet it fit perfectly in my smaller 500R.

Another gave it 2 eggs because the WiFi and NIC do not work "out of the box". Oh no, it requires drivers you say? How dare Asus not make them just "work".

I just don't trust Newegg as a fully reliable source of reviews because a lot of idjits will break the board but then blame the company or something that is not controlled by a company, such as a OS needing drivers for components, causes them to get a bad review.

 

[ssdpro]

JimmySmitty has wise advice. Anytime someone points out the realities of such "customer reviews" you have to keep in mind the variables in effect First, Newegg and Amazon allow unverified reviews which encourages fanboy, hater, and competitor spam. In looking through Newegg reviews, one user even gave the board 1 egg because Newegg shipped it a day later than promised. That has nothing to do with the product yet is approved by Newegg and listed under the product reviews. Newegg doesn't take responsibility so they ding the product.

 

[jasonelmore]

i guarantee asus ask $400 for this board.. And the formula is supposed to be a much cheaper version of the extreme.

 

[fgcmedia]

All are wrong.

$484 at Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132637&cm_re=MAXIMUS_VIII_EXTREME-_-13-132-637-_-Product

 

[blazorthon]

This series has always included hybrid cooling for use with air or water

mmmm NO
ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131227
ASUS Maximus II Formula LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131319
ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131482

i've personally been using these boards for awhile

water cooling iterations for the formula have ALWAYS existed, since the original x38

google maximus formula SE.

"This series has always included hybrid cooling for use with air or water" is not true if not all models of the series include it.