ASUS Maximus VII Hero Review

Other Highlights

We’re so used to the excellent PCI Express release switch and single-sided DIMM clips that we’ve almost forgotten how useful they are. If you’ve ever removed all the skin from your knuckles on a heatsink whilst trying to remove your GPU from the first slot, then the ASUS Q Slot is a boon. Power delivery will be one of the biggest areas of change with the 5th Generation Intel CPUs and the Extreme Engine DIGI+ III with a total of 13+2 phases could really make a difference to the overclocking potential and system stability of the Maximus VII Hero.

      

The new UEFI BIOS is even sleeker and faster than it was before, and it was already excellent. Everything is where you expect it to be, and clearly laid out. Going back to a regular BIOS is like returning to the days of AGP and Serial Ports such is the difference. The Maximus VII Hero also allows full fan control on every connector. No longer do you have to make careful note of which fan should go where to maximise its potential.

      

The SSD Secure Erase feature is one that we’re sure certain members of the audience will be glad to have. Certainly it allows you to clear out an OS drive without fear that it is recoverable, or without having to go through the hassle of creating a boot stick/floppy/CD.

Lastly the ASUS KeyBot should allow you to rescue that dusty old keyboard and bring it screaming into the 2000s with media controls and macro functionality. Okay we confess that we don’t know of anyone who has a keyboard which doesn’t support these features, but maybe you have a favourite you’ve been loath to move on from and, at the very least, an extra feature can’t hurt.