Maximus VII Formula Unboxing and overview
Presenting the Maximus VII Formula : The flagship Z97 ROG Z97 board from Asus.
Lets take a brief look into the specification then we can dive into the unboxing
| Size | ATX |
| CPU Interface | LGA 1150 |
| Chipset | Intel Z97 |
| Memory slots | 4 DIMMS upto 32GB 1333MHz – 3300 MHz(OC) |
| Video Outputs | HDMI DisplayPort 1.2 |
| Network Connectivity | Intel® I218V |
| Onboard Audio | ROG SupremeFX Formula 2014 |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode) 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1, 1 x mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 |
| Onboard Storage | Intel® Z97 chipset : 1 x SATA Express port, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports |1 x M.2 Socket 3, , with M Key, type 2260 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode) 4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology, Intel® Smart Connect Technology *3 ASMedia® SATA Express controller : *4 1 x SATA Express port, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports ASMedia® ASM1061 controller : *4 2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode) |
| USB 3.0 | 6 x via PCH 2 x via Asmedia Controller |
| Onboard | 1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) 2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s) 2 x SATA Express connector: red, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode) 1 x TPM header 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s) 1 x Thunderbolt header(s) 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP) 1 x System panel(s) (Q-Connector) 1 x MemOK! button(s) 10 x ProbeIt Measurement Points 1 x Thermal sensor connector(s) 1 x Power-on button(s) 1 x Reset button(s) 1 x mPCIe Combo III connector(s) 1 x ROG extension (ROG_EXT) header(s) 1 x KeyBot Button 1 x Sonic SoundStage Button |
| Power Connectors | 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) |
| Fan Headers | 1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin) 1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin) 6 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (6 x 4 -pin) |
| IO Panel | 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s) 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 6 x USB 3.0 (blue) 2 x USB 2.0 (one port can be switched to ROG Connect) 1 x Optical S/PDIF out 6 x Audio jack(s) 1 x Clear CMOS button(s) 1 x ROG Connect On/ Off switch(es) |
| Warranty | 3 Years |
| Product Page | Link |
Unboxing
Since the Maximus VII Formula comes with a free copy of UBISOFT’S watch dogs the cover has a full blown picture of the protagonist Aiden Pearce.
On the backside we see the usual descriptions about features and a specifications list.
Inside the box we have the ROG standard double black cardboard box. One holds the motherboard as seen above.
The other holds all the accessories
The accessories include
- User’s manual
- I/O Shield
- 8 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
- 1 x ASUS 2T2R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
- 1 x SLI bridge(s)
- 1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1)
- 1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label(s)
- 1 x mPCIe Combo III card(s) with dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth v4.0 module
- 1 x ROG Door Hanger(s)
Lets check out the board..shall we?
As you may have noticed Formula range from Z87 generation onwards comes with a double sided armor named as the ROG Armor.This board is also no exception,in fact the Armor gives the board more clean look albeit it makes the board bit bulky.
Coming to the board along with the ROG Armor we have the CrossChill Liquid cooling option covering the VRM area on the upper left,when unused they are covered with a rubber cap.On the right side we have the red and black color coded Dram Slots along with the Power and reset button along with the Q Code LED. The MEMok button is on top of the board partially hidden by the ROG Armor.
The Middle of the board is adorned by the LED showing off the Republic of Gamers Logo in its full glory.
Coming lower we see a plethora of expansion slots : 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0,3 x PCIe 2.0 x1 ,1 x mini-PCIe 2.0 x1
On the left side adjacent to the expansion slots we see a couple of capacitors playing peek a boo with us: those are part of the Supreme FX Onboard audio solution.
On the right side we see the Storage IO Connection consisting of 8x Sata Ports,of which the lower slightly different colored segment doubles up as two sata express ports for next gen high speed standards.
Coming to the extreme bottom we see a series of connectors comprising of TPM,front audio,Thunderbolt header etc.
Also we see two hardware buttons.The black one for activating the sound stage IC and the red one for activating Keybot IC.
The back I/O as always is filled to the brim, a nice touch here i might add is the PS/2 port since even in these days of USB.PS/2 keybaords rule in terms of having no ghosting and N key rollover.
That’s all for today, i will leave you all with a few more pictures to drool on while I work on my review and get my head around the bios and the board in general.
Signing off
Sumon Pathak
