ASUS Maximus V Extreme Review
Introduction and Technical Specifications
Published: 31st July 2012 | Source: ASUS | Price: £317 |
Introduction
The Maximus range from ASUS has been around for a long while. Indeed the Maximus II came with Socket 775. It says a lot about the relative speed with which Intel have gone from the 870 to the 3770K that we've swiftly arrived at the Maximus V. Today we're taking a look at two variants of the Maximus V, and we'll begin with the full-fat, all singing and dancing monster that is the ASUS Z77 Maximus V Extreme.
Whereas the Rampage IV Extreme was a cut above the Maximus IV when it came to features, there is no such divide any more. The Maximus V Extreme is stuffed with so many cutting edge technologies and all the latest bells and whistles, that if you've even a passing desire to futureproof yourself as much as is realistic, then we think you're covered.
There is a lot to get through, so let's dispense with the preamble and get straight down to business.
Technical Specifications
The first thing that will catch your eye is the inclusion of the Intel Thunderbolt architecture. This has twice the speed of USB 3.0, full duplex, and thanks to some fiendishly clever work from the boffins in the Intel labs, you can daisy chain your devices without losing any bandwidth. Being so new we haven't yet got anything to test it with, but if the market takes it up with the same hunger that USB was adopted, then you're looking at the future.
PCI Express lanes are handled with a combination of the native Z77 chipset, and a PLX chip which helps provide plenty of lanes to keep your GPUs running hard. Beyond that it's everything you'd expect from a Flagship ASUS motherboard. Loads of tweaking capabilities, support for LN2 cooling, all of the Republic of Gamers goodies and bagfulls of connectivity options.
| CPU | Intel® Socket 1155 for 3rd/2nd Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors Supports Intel® 22 nm CPU Supports Intel® 32 nm CPU Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 |
| Chipset | Intel® Z77 |
| Memory | 4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2600(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory Dual Channel Memory Architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) |
| Thunderbolt | VGA output support Data transfer rate up to 10 Gbps Daisy-chain up to 6 Thunderbolt devices |
| Graphic | Integrated Graphics Processor Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DisplayPort/Thunderbolt ports - Supports HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz - Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz - Supports Thunderbolt with max. resolution 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz Supports Intel® HD Graphics, InTru™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider™ |
| Multi-GPU Support | Supports NVIDIA® 4-Way SLI™ Technology Supports AMD CrossFireX™ Technology Supports LucidLogix® Virtu™ MVP Technology *1 |
| Expansion Slots | 5 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8 or x8/x16/x8 or x8/x16/x8/x8) *2 1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 1 x mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 *3 |
| Storage | Intel® Z77 chipset : *4 2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red 3 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), black 1 x mini-SATA 3Gb/s port(s) , black Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology, Intel® Smart Connect Technology *5 ASMedia® PCIe SATA controller : *6 4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red |
| LAN | Intel®, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s) |
| Wireless Data Network | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Supports dual band frequency 2.4/5 GHz |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth V4.0 Bluetooth V3.0+HS |
| Audio | Realtek® ALC898 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC - Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking Audio Feature : - Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection - Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel - Optical S/PDIF in port(s) at back panel |
| USB Ports | Intel® Z77 chipset : 4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board) Intel® Z77 chipset : 8 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, black+white, 4 at mid-board) ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller : 4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board) |
| Overclocking Features | mPCIe Combo™ (mPCIe/mSATA combo card) ROG OC Key - OSD TweakIt - OSD Monitor ROG Connect : - RC Diagram - RC Remote - RC Poster - GPU TweakIt Extreme Engine Digi+ II : - 8 -phase CPU power design + 4 -phase iGPU power design - 2 -phase Memory power design ROG Extreme OC kit : - Subzero Sense - VGA Hotwire - Slow Mode - LN2 Mode - PCIe x16 Lane Switch - EZ Plug ProbeIt UEFI BIOS features : - ROG BIOS Print - GPU.DIMM Post iROG Extreme Tweaker Loadline Calibration USB BIOS Flashback Overclocking Protection : - ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall) |
| Special Features | ASUS TurboV EVO : - TurboV ASUS EPU : - EPU ASUS Wi-Fi GO! - Wi-Fi GO! Function: DLNA Media Hub, Smart Motion Control, Remote Desktop, Remote Keyboard & Mouse, File Transfer, Capture & Send ASUS Exclusive Features : - AI Suite II - Ai Charger+ - USB Charger+ - USB 3.0 Boost - Disk Unlocker ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution : - ASUS Fan Xpert 2 ASUS EZ DIY : - ASUS O.C. Profile - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 - ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS Q-Design : - ASUS Q-Shield - ASUS Q-Code - ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED) - ASUS Q-Slot - ASUS Q-DIMM - ASUS Q-Connector |
| Back I/O Ports | 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s) 1 x Thunderbolt port(s) 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 4 x USB 3.0 4 x USB 2.0 (one port can be switched to ROG Connect) 1 x Optical S/PDIF out 1 x Optical S/PDIF in 5 x Audio jack(s) 1 x Clear CMOS button(s) 1 x ROG Connect On/ Off switch(es) |
| Internal I/O | 2 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.0 port(s) 2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s) 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s) 3 x SATA 3Gb/s connector(s) 2 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 -pin) 3 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 -pin) 3 x Optional Fan connector(s) (4 -pin) 1 x S/PDIF out header(s) 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s) 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x 6-pin EZ_PLUG Power connector(s) 1 x 4-pin EZ_PLUG Power connector(s) 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP) 1 x System panel(s) 1 x OC Key header(s) 2 x Subzero Sense connector(s) 2 x VGA Hotwire(s) 1 x Slow Mode switch(es) 15 x ProbeIt Measurement Points 7 x ProbeIt cable connector(s) 3 x Thermal sensor connector(s) 1 x Power-on button(s) 1 x Reset button(s) 1 x ROG Connect switch(es) 1 x LN2 Mode switch(es) 1 x Go Button(s) 1 x BIOS Switch button(s) 1 x mPCIe Combo header(s) |
| Accessories | User's manual I/O Shield 2 x SATA 3Gb/s cable(s) 6 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s) 1 x 3-Way SLI bridge(s) 1 x 4-Way SLI bridge(s) 1 x SLI bridge(s) 1 x CrossFire cable(s) 1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1) 1 x 2-port USB 2.0 and eSATA module(s) 1 x ROG Connect cable(s) 1 x ProbeIt cable set(s) 1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label(s) 1 x mPCIe Combo card(s) with dual band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n module + Bluetooth v4.0/3.0+HS module 1 x 2-in-1 RF Cable(s) 2 x Wi-Fi Ring Moving Antenna(s) 1 x OC Key(s) 1 x OC Key cable(s) |
| BIOS | 64Mb UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI2.0a Multi-Language BIOS |
| Manageability | WfM2.0, DMI2.0, WOL by PME, PXE |
| Support Disc | Drivers Kaspersky® Anti-Virus DAEMON Tools Pro Standard ROG CPU-Z Mem TweakIt ASUS AI Suite II ASUS WebStorage ASUS Utilities |
| Form Factor | Extended ATX Form Factor 12.0 inch x 10.7 inch ( 30.5 cm x 27.2 cm ) |
| Note | *1: LucidLogix Virtu MVP supports Windows 7 operating systems. *2-1: PCIe3.0 speed is supported by Intel® 3rd genernation Core™ Processors. *2-2: Native x8/x8 mode is available when only PCIE_X16X/X8_1 and PCIE_X8_2B slots are in used. *3-1: The mini-PCIe slot is on mPCIe Combo™ expansion card. *3-2: The mini-PCIe slot is pre-installed with an Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module. *4-1: 1 SATA 3Gb/s port at mid-board is reserved for eSATA. *4-2: A 2-port USB 2.0 and eSATA module is bundled for 1 x eSATA port at rear. *4-3: The mini-SATA slot is on mPCIe Combo™ expansion card. *5: Supports on Intel® Core™ processor family with Windows® 7 operating systems. *6: These SATA ports are for data drives only. |
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You can be certain that a new chipset will mean a new ROG board, and today we look at both Maximus V models. First, the Extreme.
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