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We tried: ASUS Maximus 5 Extreme and Formula: killer pair

In the introduction to our latest article, we reported a raging heatwave and some stagnant water in the world of hardware, half of which is still true. The heat is still raging, but the summer calm is starting to disappear in the market, the school start promotions, the big promotions are starting, the novelties are coming. However, in this article, we’re looking at two more summer hits brought to life by ASUS ’careful hands, and are among the best tuning motherboards on the Ivy Bridge / Sandy Bridge line. The name is not unknown, as the Maximus series started back in X38, and the two LGA77-based variants of the Z1155 era are Maximus V Extreme and Maximus V Formula. Let's see what they know!
 

4-way SLI_CFX-b


Maximus V Extreme
 

m5e included1

The paper is, of course, one of the newest members of the Republic of Gamers family, with packaging, garnish and color scheme typical of the product line. The portrait format box is divided into two drawers, one with the tab and the other with a ton of accessories: SATA cables, WiFi and BT 4.0 module (mini PCI Express Combo card, with mSATA interface and wireless controllers), mounting plate sticker, WiFi antennas , backplate plate, SLI bridge, stickers for cables, Q-connectors, ROG Connect cable, “I’m playing, don’t bother board!”, etc.
 

m5e included2

The PCB is Extended ATX standard, measuring 30,5 × 27,2 cm, ie not recommended for small houses. We get the standard ROG design, black PCB, with black connectors, red inlays. Now, as always, the sight is impressive. Following the tradition, the phases of the Extreme Engine Digi + II power supply are arranged in an L-shape around the LGA1155 socket. The CPU had 8 phases, the iGPU 4, and the memories had 2 phases. Thus, in addition to the 24-pin ATX power connector, an additional 8- and 4-pin socket has also been integrated so that we can send the right amount of power to the board.
 

Maximus V_Extreme_2D

Extreme Engine Digi + II
Optimal power efficiency with premium components and an intelligent digital system. The Extreme Engine Digi + II function has been further developed and the best quality Japanese-made 10K Black metal capacitors have been used in the production. And the digital VRM solution with controllable CPU and memory power management frequencies helps you get the most out of your performance. Precise control provides greater efficiency, stability, longer life and greater performance for the entire system.
 
Extreme Engine_Digi_IIplx
The memory slots rest on the right side of the LGA1155 socket, 4 DIMM slots with two-channel DDR3 support, up to 32 GB capacity and 2800 MHz (OC) speed, so we can extract the maximum from our RAM modules, if we don't cut it with some "noname" pieces for the adventure. Of course, it is also possible to use XMP profiles. If we are already here, it is worth looking further towards the edge of the printed circuit board, as there are still a lot of interesting things here, although most of them were already visible on previous ROG models. Such is the debug LED, which consists of two 7-segment displays, and thanks to the codes, we can find out everything about the current status of the system.
 

Maximus V_Extreme_with_OC_Key

Then there are the physical control buttons, the power on and reset, the microswitch for manual switching of the PCI Express busses, the MemOK / GO button and the LN2 / slow mode switch, as well as the output measurement points. Next to them, the 24-pin ATX power connector was moved, and then the red pin terminal could be used for a USB 3.0 panel. The SATA section consists of 8 pieces. The 2 pieces are black 77 Gb / s ports from the Z3 PCH, next to which there are 2 red ones at 6 Gb / s, and there is also a SATA2 interface and a mini-SATA connector at the bottom of the page. The remaining 4 red buckles also support the newer standard, but their presence is due to the ASMedia controller.
 

Subzero Sense

The black "box" next to them is the Subzero Sense, which we mentioned earlier: two temperature sensors can be connected to this, one between the CPU and the LN2 block that cools it, and the other between the GPU and the LN2 block that keeps it cold. this way we can know exactly how many degrees minus we are going (measures between -193 and +135 degrees) without spending on an expensive digital thermometer (unfortunately the cables and the thermometers on them are not part of the package, they have to be purchased separately). At the bottom of the PCB, you will find additional pin terminals for front connectors, buttons, and expansion panels in the usual places. A little further in is the Z77 PCH, which has a robust but low enough, not weak in appearance rib, which is connected to the smaller rib through a nickel-plated heat pipe, on which the ROG logo and inscription glow red during operation. This little rib cools the PLX accessory PCI Express controller.
 
overview m5e
If you already have PCI Express, there is definitely something to talk about about the M5E in terms of expansion rails as well. All 6 PCI Express rails on the PCB came into our possession, of which 5 are full width. No wonder, then, that ASUS has used PLX chips to get enough PCI Express cable, and with so many full-width PCI Express busses, it’s clear that building Quad-SLI and Quad CrossFireX systems is a routine task for the M5E. To make sure there was the right amount of cocoa, engineers also placed an additional 6-pin PCI Express power connector on the top left corner of the front rail where additional “fuel” could flow in for operation.
So much for the PCB surface in a nutshell, let's see the back cover offer! The line starts right away with the fresh Thunderbolt connector, of which we get a piece.
 

Back IO

Intel Thunderbolt
Capable of bidirectional speeds of up to 10 Gbps, Thunderbolt is twice as fast as USB 3.0 and up to twenty times faster than USB 2.0. And by having up to six devices connected in series, without a separate hub or switch, a much more tidy desktop environment can be created. For example, you can connect multiple native thunderbolt storage devices, an HD video recorder, and even an HD display into a single Thunderbolt chain while maintaining maximum transfer speeds.
Thunderbolt
This is followed by the location of the miniPCIe Combo card, which you can connect to get more valuable interfaces as well as Blutooth and WiFi. This is followed by two microswitches, BIOS Flashback and ROG Connect, for the latter we get the connection in the lowest person in the next column of 4 USB 2.0 ports. The sequel shows the RJ45 LAN connector accompanied by two pieces of USB 3.0, followed by the multimedia interfaces: digital optical audio output, native HDMI and DisplayPort. In this regard, it should be mentioned that Lucid Virtu MVP is supported.
LucidLogix Virtu MVP
Enhanced with HyperFormance technology, LucidLogix Virtu MVP Technology can throw up the performance of a separate graphics card by up to 60 percent, as evidenced by the 3DMark Vantage test. Designed for graphics processors built into Intel processors and Windows 7 PCs, the solution perfectly combines the benefits of a separate graphics card and fast processing iGPU. And with the new Virtual Sync technology, the game can be smoother by eliminating hacking phenomena.

Lucid PIC

LucidLogix Virtu MVP dynamically assigns tasks to the best available graphics resources, taking into account aspects such as power, performance, and system load. This way, you can convert videos up to 3x faster with Intel Quick Sync Video 2.0 technology while maintaining high-end 3D rendering and gaming performance, whether on NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards. When a separate graphics card is not required, its consumption is automatically reduced to close to zero, so the system consumes less. For those looking for the perfect solution, the LucidLogix Virtu MVP offers great graphics performance and efficiency. 
In the sequel, we are delighted to see a combined PS / 2 connector, which is closed by two USB 3.0, and finally the analog jacks and an optical audio input (!).
 

mPCIe Combo__Dual-band_WiFi_Bluetooth_V4.0-1

OC Key
What we haven't talked about in terms of monitor outputs is the OC Key, which has two things associated with it, OSD TweakIt and OSD Monitor. What is OC Key? This is an auxiliary device that ASUS called an "overdrive key", which can also be called correct, based on its shape, it reminded us of a model car at first glance. Of course, what it can be used for is much more important than its appearance. The device must be connected to a DVI port of our VGA. The consequence of this will be that a small OSD screen appears on the monitor (with an overlay), and in it we can immediately see the most important values ​​of the system: voltages, multipliers, clock signals, temperatures - this is the OSD Monitor itself, in real time. There is also a USB port on the OC Key, and if you connect a keyboard to it, these parameters can not only be viewed, but can also be changed using the keyboard, this is OSD TweakIt. Overall, OC Key provides a similar service to ROG Connect, but does the same thing in a different way.


Full specification:

m5e spec
We have eliminated Maximus V Extreme, let's get to the Maximus V Formula and the differences between the two cards!
 

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