One would imagine anyone buying this board and splurging close to £300 will most likely be water cooling too, but not everyone is as confident in do so.įor those wanting to run quad-SLI or quad-fire graphics cards configurations, there are only 3 x PCIe x16 slots available. ASUS have teamed up with EKWB to infuse their CrossChill waterblock into the fold which makes direct contact with the boards VRMs overclocking increases the VRM temperature and enthusiasts now have the option to either water cool them (2 x G1/4 threads are supported) or just leave them passively air cooled. With a higher price tag than MSI’s flagship MSI Z170A XPOWER Gaming Titanium motherboard, it will be interesting to see the difference in performance between the two, but what the ASUS board lacks in value, it certainly makes up for in features and style. With a similar look to a beefier, but more stylish ASUS Sabertooth motherboard, the Formula VIII also features RGB lighting built into the heat sinks! A motherboard which could potential fit any chosen colour scheme is something not to be sniffed at! Taking a look at the Z170 VIII Formula from a birds-eye view, I think it’s safe to say where the bulk of the cost has been spent it is clad in gorgeous dark grey thermal armour. You might ask yourself, why does this board cost a whopping £290? Well you might be shocked, flabbergasted and your jaw might be hanging from your face, but with the VIII Formula, you get things other boards simply don’t have. So what’s on the test bench today? Well if you haven’t read the title (I suspect you will have), we will be taking a look at the latest high-end Intel Z170 motherboard from ASUS the Maximus VIII Formula.

It’s no surprise that the ROG brand of ASUS products has been popular with gamers, enthusiasts and overclockers over the last decade, but does the hype match the actual quality? That’s a question of personal opinion, although when professional overclockers across numerous platforms scream praise towards the ROG army, it kind of speaks for itself. The ASUS Republic of Gamers brand is synonymous with quality, performance and of course style. US Price: $399.99 Newegg (At time of review) UK Price: £289.99 OcUK (At time of review)

Maximus viii extreme formula problems