ASUS Maximus Formula Special Edition

Rob Williams · 10-23-2007, 10:33 PM

We took a look at the Blitz Formula and Extreme boards from ASUS just over two months ago, and now we have the X38 version of those boards on the bench today. In addition to featuring a Northbridge waterblock, it also has "extreme" overclocking ability and a great bundle.

You can read the full review here and discuss it here.

MakubeX · 10-23-2007, 11:53 PM

Great review Rob.

Very sexy board. Love the included watercooling, good overclocker and the layout its pretty nice (not the best, but still quite good).

It's in the list of options for last DDR2 board I might eventually get.

NicePants42 · 10-24-2007, 09:22 AM

I would like to know how the heat sink is attached to the board - in some pictures it looks like typical black plastic push-pins with springs, but on the NB block it looks like actual screws may have been used - can you clarify this?

Also, (this may seem overly paranoid) how sure are you that the heat sink is made of copper? I only ask because the Abit IP35-Pro uses an all-aluminum heat sink that is painted to look like copper. I hope that ASUS wouldn't have done this with an enthusiast board, but it never hurts to be sure.

Thank you for noting the large number of fan headers, which I also appreciate; why spend $100+ on some fancy-ass BigNG or Aqua Computer bling when your motherboard can do the same job? Aside from the fan headers and impressive array of temperature and voltage readings, I'm also very interested in those OPT1 through OPT3 Temperature readings! It looks like users can attach up to three temperature sensors right to the board, (ambient, water/GPU, GPU/HDD, etc.) which would be great, especially if you can use OPT Q-fan and Power fan menu to configure fan speeds based on those temperatures. Can you elaborate a bit on those features?

Also, with the abundance of temperature and voltage readings available in the BIOS, I would think that a program (like Abit's uGuru) that displayed that information while in Windows would be extremely useful for monitoring temps/volts under load - does ASUS include any such program with the motherboard?

10-25-2007, 08:37 AM

Thanks for the review. I did got hold off the motherboard yday and spend few hours setting up.
Using a Noctua for the time been. My question is : the temperature on an E6600 at 2.4Ghz and at 2.8Ghz to run at 62+C idle and the mobo is aprox 50C at the same time.
i took it down to stock levels 2.4Ghz and even then the cpu runs at 1.3xxV 60c+ degrees!!
Any ideas you can share with me?
Iam about to goto to a quad q6600 or q6700 but just now the temperatures do seem high . Is the case that the new mobos run 50C plus?

NicePants42 · 10-25-2007, 08:49 AM

I can't comment on the motherboard, but it sounds to me like you need to remount your heat sink. When you say 'using a Noctua' what exactly are you talking about - a full HSF assembly made by Noctua or some other heatsink with a Noctua 120mm fan?

10-28-2007, 07:12 PM

I was having the exact same problem with my E6750 running at 60+c idle. Like the guy above me said, you probably need to remount, thats what I did. I don't know how your heat sink attaches but if it's the push pin design like mine, I had to put firm pressure directly to the top of the heat sink while I pushed the pins in. The problem I had before was I was to gentle during my first mount and didn't get good contact. Now I run at about 45c under load.

Just my experience, may not be the same for you.

11-04-2007, 04:23 PM

Hi!
I have a Maximus board but cannot get 4GB of 1066 Mhz memory to work.
Anyone that have tried?
It should work, but it just doesnt...

/john

Merlin · 11-04-2007, 07:54 PM

Set it up in the Bios
By the way, get the latest Bios first

Greg King · 11-04-2007, 11:01 PM

"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi!
I have a Maximus board but cannot get 4GB of 1066 Mhz memory to work.
Anyone that have tried?
It should work, but it just doesnt...

/john

What do you mean when you say that you cannot get it to work. Does the PC boot with the RAM installed or does it not get out of POST? What operating system are you using?

11-10-2007, 09:36 PM

why is it that all fusion block mobos are ati based? im still waiting for a striker with fusion block.. ne1 kno if theres even going to be 1?

Rob Williams · 11-11-2007, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered

why is it that all fusion block mobos are ati based? im still waiting for a striker with fusion block.. ne1 kno if theres even going to be 1?

nVIDIA, as far as I know, does not currently natively support the latest Intel processors (1333FSB, 45nm, etc) so ASUS sees no need to release another 680i board with the Fusion block. I would assume that once the 7x nVIDIA chipset hits, we will begin seeing more robust boards from ASUS and others.

12-13-2007, 07:39 PM

try thermalright 120 exteme heatsink and flex fan 120mm. temps at idle on a q6600 were 24c.

01-20-2008, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi!
I have a Maximus board but cannot get 4GB of 1066 Mhz memory to work.
Anyone that have tried?
It should work, but it just doesnt...

/john

This may be due to your operating system. 32 bit operating systems support, on average, 3GB at most. This can be increased by a couple hundred MB depending on components and settings; however, if you want to run 4GB + of Ram, you will need to use a 64 bit OS.

Google it.

Wender · 02-01-2008, 04:47 PM

Hey guys....i wondering if is possible to use the new ati's radeon hd 3870x2 in a Maximus Formula Especial Edition ???

02-07-2008, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wender

Hey guys....i wondering if is possible to use the new ati's radeon hd 3870x2 in a Maximus Formula Especial Edition ???

I don't think that there'll be a problem. It should work, without any problem. Also as i know, (hd3870x2)s doesn't require any other spec comparing a hd3870.

10-23-2007, 10:33 PM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	ASUS Maximus Formula Special Edition We took a look at the Blitz Formula and Extreme boards from ASUS just over two months ago, and now we have the X38 version of those boards on the bench today. In addition to featuring a Northbridge waterblock, it also has "extreme" overclocking ability and a great bundle. You can read the full review here and discuss it here. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

10-23-2007, 11:53 PM	#2
MakubeX Partition Master Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 277	Great review Rob. Very sexy board. Love the included watercooling, good overclocker and the layout its pretty nice (not the best, but still quite good). It's in the list of options for last DDR2 board I might eventually get. __________________ HP LP2065 20.1" S-IPS LCD \| Lian Li PC-7077A case w/window \| Asus P5Q Deluxe \| Intel Q9650 4.2GHz - 1.33v 4GB G.Skill PI PC2-8800 \| Asus HD 4870X2 \| Ultra X3 1KW PSU \| X-Fi Fatal1ty w/ Front Panel\| Logitech Z-680 THX 5.1 Speakers EK Supreme \| EK FC-4870X2 block \| Enzotech SNBW-SLI \| Swiftech MCW30 \| DDC-2 w/ XSPC Top \| Laing D5 \| Thermochill PA120.3 \| Weapon Heatercore

10-24-2007, 09:22 AM	#3
NicePants42 Partition Master Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 369	I would like to know how the heat sink is attached to the board - in some pictures it looks like typical black plastic push-pins with springs, but on the NB block it looks like actual screws may have been used - can you clarify this? Also, (this may seem overly paranoid) how sure are you that the heat sink is made of copper? I only ask because the Abit IP35-Pro uses an all-aluminum heat sink that is painted to look like copper. I hope that ASUS wouldn't have done this with an enthusiast board, but it never hurts to be sure. Thank you for noting the large number of fan headers, which I also appreciate; why spend $100+ on some fancy-ass BigNG or Aqua Computer bling when your motherboard can do the same job? Aside from the fan headers and impressive array of temperature and voltage readings, I'm also very interested in those OPT1 through OPT3 Temperature readings! It looks like users can attach up to three temperature sensors right to the board, (ambient, water/GPU, GPU/HDD, etc.) which would be great, especially if you can use OPT Q-fan and Power fan menu to configure fan speeds based on those temperatures. Can you elaborate a bit on those features? Also, with the abundance of temperature and voltage readings available in the BIOS, I would think that a program (like Abit's uGuru) that displayed that information while in Windows would be extremely useful for monitoring temps/volts under load - does ASUS include any such program with the motherboard? Last edited by NicePants42; 10-24-2007 at 09:24 AM.

10-25-2007, 08:37 AM	#4
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Temperature Thanks for the review. I did got hold off the motherboard yday and spend few hours setting up. Using a Noctua for the time been. My question is : the temperature on an E6600 at 2.4Ghz and at 2.8Ghz to run at 62+C idle and the mobo is aprox 50C at the same time. i took it down to stock levels 2.4Ghz and even then the cpu runs at 1.3xxV 60c+ degrees!! Any ideas you can share with me? Iam about to goto to a quad q6600 or q6700 but just now the temperatures do seem high . Is the case that the new mobos run 50C plus?

11-04-2007, 04:23 PM	#7
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	4GB 1066 possible? Hi! I have a Maximus board but cannot get 4GB of 1066 Mhz memory to work. Anyone that have tried? It should work, but it just doesnt... /john

10-25-2007, 08:49 AM	#5
NicePants42 Partition Master Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 369	I can't comment on the motherboard, but it sounds to me like you need to remount your heat sink. When you say 'using a Noctua' what exactly are you talking about - a full HSF assembly made by Noctua or some other heatsink with a Noctua 120mm fan?

10-28-2007, 07:12 PM	#6
PoG Guest Poster Posts: n/a	I was having the exact same problem with my E6750 running at 60+c idle. Like the guy above me said, you probably need to remount, thats what I did. I don't know how your heat sink attaches but if it's the push pin design like mine, I had to put firm pressure directly to the top of the heat sink while I pushed the pins in. The problem I had before was I was to gentle during my first mount and didn't get good contact. Now I run at about 45c under load. Just my experience, may not be the same for you.

11-04-2007, 07:54 PM	#8
Merlin The Tech Wizard Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lakeland, Fl Posts: 1,855	Set it up in the Bios By the way, get the latest Bios first __________________ Win7 64 bit Intel i7 920 watercooled Asus P6X580 Premium mobo, GTX280 GPU watercooled Synology NAS 207 Network Server with 2 Hitachi Terabite drives LG NAS N2R1 with 2 ea 2 tb drives LINKSYS PLK300 Powerline Network Kit

11-10-2007, 09:36 PM	#10
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	only ATI? why is it that all fusion block mobos are ati based? im still waiting for a striker with fusion block.. ne1 kno if theres even going to be 1?

12-13-2007, 07:39 PM	#12
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	EDMUNDO_JR try thermalright 120 exteme heatsink and flex fan 120mm. temps at idle on a q6600 were 24c.

02-01-2008, 04:47 PM	#14
Wender Obliviot Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 1	hd 3870x2 Hey guys....i wondering if is possible to use the new ati's radeon hd 3870x2 in a Maximus Formula Especial Edition ???

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