ASUS Maximus VI Extreme - Performance Test



Introduction:

The Maximus VI Extreme (MVIE) is ASUS’ latest flagship motherboard (mobo) based on LGA1150 socket and Z87 chipset targeted for Intel’s latest architecture, the Haswell processors (4th generation Core i3, i5, and i7 processors).

Today, I am pleased to present you the performance of the MVIE on my watercooled test bed. This mobo comes with most of the overclocking features that you would have expect, eye-catching style, insane overclocking performance capabilities and bunch of innovative features and cool accessories for any overclockers. Full specifications of MVIE can be obtained HERE

Overview of MVIE:



Unboxing:


The MVIE is packed in a very huge red box. The wording printed on the box already tell us that this beasty board is designed for (extreme) overclocking.


Same as other ASUS ROG series of products, the MIVE features a black and red color scheme. It is based on LGA1150 socket, supports Intel 4th Generation Core i7, i5 & i3/ Pentium/ Celeron processors. Its form factor size is ATX with a dimension of (30.5 x 24.4) cm, which is slightly smaller than previous generation of Extended-ATX sized Extremes (MVIE/MVIE-Z and MVE). Hence, you do not have to worry about fitting it into your casing as long as it has at least seven expansion slots.


Let’s close-up at the CPU socket area. The MVIE is powered by Digital 8 Phase Power Design (8 Phase VCCIN) with ASUS CPU Power Utility & FIVR Control. The Extreme Engine Digi+ III offers hardcore power delivery with premium components. There are four memory slots that support up to 32GB of DDR3 Dual Channel & 3000+ MHz of RAM. Besides that, ASUS makes 4-DIMM setups easier with their second generation T-Topology technology to attain even more overclocking frequency and timing efficiency, and it further enhances the stability potential of the populated DIMM. Also spotted, a mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 slot on the top left corner of the board, which features Wi-Fi 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.0 supporting the next generation standards of connectivity.


PCIe slots are plentiful, the MVIE has five PCIe 3.0 16x slot supporting up to 4-way SLI/CF @ x8/x16/x8/x8, as well as:
3-way @ x8/x16/x8
2-way @ x8/x8
1-way @ x16
Besides that, there is also a PCIe 2.0 x4 slot provided with the board.


Intel does really hear their customers’ needs. Users can now enjoy six SATA3 ports natively supported by the Z87 chipset, with raid 0, 1, 5 and 10 capability. Additionally, ASUS adds four ASMedia ASM1061 controlled SATA3 ports to the storage department.

This post has been edited by owikh84: Aug 11 2013, 10:23 AM

The rear I/O panel houses one PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port, one DisplayPort (DP), one HDMI, one LAN port, six USB 3.0, two USB 2.0 (one port can be switched to ROG Connect), one Optical S/PDIF out, 8-channel HD audio via Realtek ALC115, one Clear CMOS button and the ROG Connect switch.


As you can see from the back side of the board, backplates are used to provide retention to the VRM coolers on the top of the mobo and at the same time aid some cooling around those areas.


Accessories bundled in the box. Yes, there is a unique ROG magnet included.


The OC Panel is a standalone device with integrated LCD display used for board monitoring and overclocking. This cool gadget is actually a refreshed version of OC Key that was changed to satisfy the requests of overclockers. Moreover, it can be transformed into a 5.25” bay panel for the case-users.


Test Setup:



CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K
MB: ASUS Maximus VI Extreme
DRAM: G.Skill TridentX 2800 C11 2 X 4GB, Corsair Dominator Platinum 2800MHz C11 2 X 4GB, G.Skill TridentX 2666MHz C10 2 X 4GB, Corsair DominatorGT GTX4 2533MHz C9 2 X 2GB and G.Skill RipjawsX 2133MHz C8 2 X 2GB
GPU: Gigabyte HD7970, MSI's special BIOS, Driver Catalyst 13.6 beta
Storage: 2x Crucial M4 128GB in raid0
ODD: LiteON DVD-RW
PSU: Corsair AX1200
Monitor: Dell U2312HM
Cooling: Custom watercooling - EK Supreme HF plate #6 CPU waterblock, 2x XSPC RX360 radiator, Swiftech MCP655 pump, EK FC7970 GPU waterblock, EK Multioption X2 Advanced reservoir, XSPC 1/2" ID 3/4" OD white tubing, 12x Scythe GT AP-15 1850rpm 120mm fan + Aerocool Shark 120mm fan, Coolaboratory Liquid Pro thermalpaste etc.
Casing: DimasTech Easy Dual V2.5 Bench Table
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1

This post has been edited by owikh84: Jun 12 2013, 08:56 AM

The UEFI BIOS:

Main page with LN2 jumper off:


Cache ratio AKA Uncore/ring ratio is now back after missing for two generations:


RAM timing settings:


Memory presets to make RAM overclocking easier:


DIGI + Power control:


Tweaker’s Paradise:


CPU Power Management:


BIOS flashing via USB drive:


SSD Secure Erase:



Software & Tools:

AI Suite III - OC tweaking utility, is a tool for overclocking in windows environment without the needs to restart your PC.
MemTweakIT - allows us to view the memory timings and also submit a score for competition. Unfortunately, due to Intel’s lockdown it is unable to adjust timings real-time in the OS for now.

Stability Tests:

AIDA64 Stability Test:


The 4770K is overclocked to 4.6GHz @ 1.44v passed AIDA64 Stability Test without an error in 3 hours. One of the cores hit 87C during loading but it's still lower than TJmax of 100C.

When reducing the overclock to 4.5GHz it seems to consume a much lower vCore @ 1.216v and generating less heat.


Prime95 27.9 w/ AVX:


The overclock is also stable for 3 hours in Prime95.

Due to the limitation of my 4770K, I only managed to run stability test on 4.6GHz @ 1.44v with HyperThreading (HT) enabled under water. 4.7GHz HT would consume more than 1.475v and hitting TJmax then making the frequency being throttled down. It is recommended for those using air and regular water coolers to stay with 4.5GHz maximum to avoid the chip suffered from overheating issue and causing damage.

Benchmark Tests:

The 4770K is overclocked to 4.7GHz (4 cores/8 threads) for 3D benchmarks and 5.0GHz (2 cores/2 threads) for 2D tests. AT the same time, the HD7970 is overclocked to 1300MHz core/7000MHz mem @ 1.3v/1.7v.

3DMark13:


3DMark11:


3DMark Vantage:


3DMark06:


3DMark05:


3DMark03:


PCMark7:

Super Pi 32M/ MaxxMEM/ AIDA64 Cache and Memory Benchmark:


Super Pi 1M:


HyperPi 32M:


Cinebench 11.5:


Unigine Heaven 4.0:


Fritz Chess 4.3:


This post has been edited by owikh84: Aug 4 2013, 11:01 AM

Super Pi 32M Benchmark with Hynix IC RAM:

G.Skill TridentX 2800C11 2 X 4GB @ 3000MHz 11-14-14-25-1T


Corsair Dominator Platinum 2800C11 2 X 4GB @ 2933MHz 11-14-14-25-1T


Super Pi 32M Benchmark with Samsung IC RAM:

G.Skill TridentX 2666C10 2 X 4GB @ 2800MHz 10-12-12-25-1T


Super Pi 32M Benchmark with PSC IC RAM:

Corsair DominatorGT GTX4 2533C9 2 X 2GB @ 2400MHz 7-11-7-25-1T


Super Pi 32M Benchmark with BBSE IC RAM:

G.Skill RipjawsX 2133C8 2 X 2GB @ 2400MHz 8-11-7-21-2T

Thoughts & Verdicts:

At a steep retail price of RM1818 (!!!), this board would be a diamond on your rig. ASUS Malaysia should really reconsider this retail price thrice, which is about RM600 more expensive than the SRP in other countries.

ASUS Maximus VI Extreme is extremely a great board for overclocking. Overclocking on the 4770K was very impressive and smooth. The UEFI BIOS is very intelligent and will work fine with all of the memory kits that I’ve tested. In summary, the MVIE is highly recommended for serious overclockers.

Last but not least, I would like to thank ASUS Malaysia especially Sanko for making this review possible.

Performance: 5/5
Materials: 5/5
Specifications: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Performance/Price Value: 4/5

Pros:
+ Excellent overclocking performance
+ Sexy red and black colour scheme
+ Motherboard layout with nice PCIe slots placement
+ Innovative OC Panel device
+ Included bunch of useful accessories
+ Included a better and more stable AI Suite III
+ Intelligent and responsive UEFI BIOS
+ Informative user guide manual

Cons:
- Overpriced, really pricey
- Lack of LucidLogix Virtu MVP software
- SATA ports and CMOS battery will be covered by graphics card
- Can’t adjust memory timings with MemTweakIT in the OS at the time of writing.

Cons:
- Lack of LucidLogix Virtu MVP software <-- we stop supporting it as it is less practical for end user
- Can’t adjust memory timings with MemTweakIT in the OS at the time of writing. <-- limited by Intel, Shamino did made a request to enable the register

This post has been edited by coolice: Jun 12 2013, 12:35 AM

Cons:
- Cant adjust RTL and IOL. Still buggy.

Pros
- Mem Paradise
- Voltage accuracy especially on vdimm with topology 2.0.

*pretend i know alot bout intel mode ON

good clocks there sir... gotta love d mem oc on haswell & d ipc... i'm sure u'll be gettin better chip in near future... great results ahead...

*pretend i know alot bout intel mode OFF

Awesome review, thanks for your time.
Anyway, mind sharing the actual vcore when you run 5GHz?

in order to read this review i need 2 hours which i dont have now

bookmarked for tonight

i dont even know how to read it.

Yay, awesome.

Thanks for your prompt reply bro. So we will have to wait for Intel approval for the timing tweaking. Seems like Lucid also makes Lucidlogix Virtu a paid application.

Thanks for your kind words bro. Indeed, i think my 4770K is a dud in terms of voltage consumption, but it has a very good integrated memory controller (IMC). Golden chip hunting mode is ON.

My 4770K needs at least 1.55v to boot into windows at 5.0GHz 2 cores. But I always give it a slight bump up on the vCore during benchmarks. 4 cores will result in the infamous BSOD 124 and 101 = insufficient vCore.

Thanks for the compliment.

WOW... nice job and review done
owikh84

Nice review there owikh84
I really like the memory profile pre set
Can just get optimal timing for given chip without the hassle of doing it yourself,well done for that
Anyhow,1.8k for this is a bit err
No actual experience so no comment on other thing
Oh yeah,the OC Panel is kind of cool for people who use their pc on open bench
Something innovative finally from Asus

nice review, btw i like your trident x ram, how much you bought it?

The 2800C11 TridentX? It cost me $599 USD (RM1.9K+) and become the most expensive memory kit in my collection.

wow, btw i own a cheap rm350 trident x only haha. 2400c10 here