Hey, have you guys heard about Intel’s awesome new Haswell-E processor and the X99 platform? You know, the cheap six-core CPU with an unlocked multiplier that drops into a big, fat LGA2011-v3 socket with oodles of PCI Express lanes and almost infinite memory bandwidth thanks to quadchannel DDR4?
Kind of makes the idea of dropping a ton of cash on a board with Intel’s mainstream LGA1150 socket look like folly. Enter the Asus Maximus VII Formula, a bleeding-edge Z97 board for LGA1150 chips that’s yours for just $400. Whoops!
In fairness, a $400 LGA1150 board was always going to be a non-starter as a value proposition. That Haswell-E comparison is a little unfair too, especially when you consider the erratic pricing of DDR4 memory right now. Until that normalises, any properlyconfigured Haswell-E rig is going to be pretty pricey.
In that context, let’s put thoughts of Haswell-E and LGA2011-v3 aside and assess the Maximus VII Formula’s chops as something akin to the ultimate LGA1150 solution. First up, we’re really pleased to see full body armour à la Asus’ Sabertooth series.
We can’t fully justify it objectively; at best, it probably only prevents a little dust build up in critical areas, and it probably helps to prevent distortion from thermal cycles over the years, too.
But it just makes the thing feel so much more substantial. It was always a little hard to swallow the pricing of high-end Asus boards that lacked it, while the Sabertooth was fully clad for a lot less cash.
Anyway, the overall spec is pretty hot. There’s a water block for the VRMs, a pair of SATA Express ports (oh, okay, you’ll probably never use ’em), isolated audio circuitry, a metric tonne of USB 3.0 ports, an LED debug, power, reset and clear CMOS buttons, M.2 and, well, you get the idea.
Dented armour
Actually, on the subject of M.2, that’s one area where Asus has cocked things up, or at least where the body cladding comes at an unexpected price. Due to the layout constraints imposed by the armour, Asus has gone with an mPCIe Combo riser module to deliver M.2 and Wi-Fi in one teensy board.
Unfortunately, the armour impinges on its space and prevents the use of full-length M.2 cards, which in turn will limit your choice and maximum capacity of M.2 SSD. D’oh.
We’ve seen a similar solution before on Asus boards, but that was a vertical solution that allowed full-length M.2 cards. The need to locate the card on the back of the board for the Wi-Fi functionality has necessitated a rotation of the M.2 socket by 90˚, and that’s where the problems kick in.
It’s a pity, because the Maximus VII Formula knocks out some kick-arse numbers in our benchmarks. It overclocks our 4770K to 4.7GHz effortlessly, and it comes with all the usual Asus refinements, including a lovely BIOS menu.
But at this premium price point, a detail like the M.2 card length limitation becomes a major issue. If you’re unloading $400 on a board, you’re hardly likely to be happy with a puny SSD, after all.
Specs:
Manufacturer: Asus
Web: www.asus.com
Form factor: ATx
Chipset: Intel Z97
Socket: LGA1150
Memory: Dual-channel DDR3
Storage: M.2, 2x SATA Express, 6x
SATA: 6Gbps
Extras: LED debug, Wi-Fi, DisplayPort (integrated graphics)
Verdict
The arrival of Haswell-E has made pricey LGA1150 boards like this look sadly pointless, and that M.2 port is borked.
Where to Buy
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