ASUS Maximus VI Hero Preview
Category : Z87
Published by Marc Büchel on 04.06.13
With the Hero ASUS expands their high-end gaming line - Maximus VI line-up - by another model, which has gamers and enthusiasts in the crosshair which don't want to spend too much money for decent hardware. This board, which is obviously based on the Z87 chipset, comes with ASUS ROG color scheme and it also comes with a set of interesting features.


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The Maximus VI Hero is ASUS' entry-level overclocking motherboard regarding Intels latest Z87 chipset. Therefore we're really curious what they've come up with from the layout and design as well as feature perspective.

Page 1 - Introduction Page 4 - Layout
Page 2 - Specs and Delivery Page 5 - Connectors and I/O
Page 3 - Features Page 6 - Conclusion
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Specs and Delivery

Chipset Intel Z87
Memory Dual Channel DDR3, 4 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB DDR3, 2800 (OC) / 2600 (OC) / 2400 (OC) / 2200 OC / 2133 (OC) / 1866 (OC) / 1600 / 1333 / 1066 Non-ECC,Un-buffered
Multi-GPU
  • Supports NVIDIA SLI Technology
  • Supports AMD CrossFireX Technology
Slots
  • 2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
  • 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black)
  • 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1
Sound ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel Audio
  • SupremeFX Shielding Technology
  • ELNA Premium Audio Capacitors
  • Front DAC playback Signal-toNoise Ratio: 112dB
  • ADC recording Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 104dB
  • Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
  • Optical SPDIF out port at back panel
 
Storage Intel Z87 chipset
  • 6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), yellow
  • Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
  • Intel Rapid Storage Torechnology 12 support
  • Supports Intel Dynamic Storage Accelerator, Intel Smart Response Technology, Intel Rapid Start Technology, Intel Smart Connect Technology
ASMedia ASM1061 controller
  • 2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), dark brown
Network
  • Intel I217V Gigabit LAN
Internal Connectors
  • 1 x USB 3.0 connector support additional 2 USB 3.0 port (19-pin)
  • 2 x USB 2.0 connector support additional 4 USB 2.0 port
  • 8 x SATA 6Gb/s connector
  • 1 x 4-pin CPU Fan connector
  • 1 x 4-pin CPU Optional Fan connector
  • 3 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connector
  • 1 x S/PDIF out header
  • 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector
  • 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector
  • 1 x Front panel audio connector
  • 1 x System panel (Q-Connector)
  • 1 x MemOK! button
  • 1 x TPU switch
  • 1 x EPU switch
  • 1 x Power-on switch
  • 1 x Reset switch
  • 1 x Clear CMOS button
  • 1 x DirectKey button
  • 1 x TPM header
  • DRCT (DirectKey) header
Extrenal Connectors
  • 1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse combo port
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x LAN (RJ45) port
  • 4 x USB 3.0
  • 4 x USB 2.0
  • 1 x Optical S/PDIF out
  • 6 x Audio jack
  • 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button
Forfactor ATX (30.5cm x 24.4cm)
BIOS Bios (64 Mb flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS)


   


 



Regarding the delivery you'll find everything you need. Under certain circumstances you might wish there was an additional SLI or CrossFire bridge in the delivery.


Page 1 - Introduction Page 4 - Layout
Page 2 - Specs and Delivery Page 5 - Connectors and I/O
Page 3 - Features Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Features

Extreme Engine Digi+ III

 Since quite some time ASUS has been equipping its boards with digital power designs. Using the right software it is not only possible to adjust voltages while being in Windows on can now also control impedances. Furthermore this board features high quality 10K black metallic capacitor which guarantee a long lifespan.

 

ASUS Fan Xpert 2

 ASUS Fan Xpert 2 provides customizable settings for fans that have been attached directly to the onboard fan headers. With the Fan Auto Tuning feature, ASUS Fan Xpert 2 automatically detects and tweaks all fan speeds and in the end reduces unwanted noise.
 

EPU

 EPU automatically detects the current system load and moderates power usage. It offers a system-wide energy optimization and is able to reduce fan noise.
 

TPU

 As soon as one activates the TPU this chips monitors all possible voltages and clock speeds using the according software. The difference to the EPU is that TPU will provide as much performance as possible. Therefore it can increase clock speeds and voltages.
   

ROG RAM Disk

 RAMDisk reserves part of system memory and turns it into actual storage space, so you can place favorite app and game cache files in it to enjoy high-speed RAM performance while accessing them.


Page 1 - Introduction Page 4 - Layout
Page 2 - Specs and Delivery Page 5 - Connectors and I/O
Page 3 - Features Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Layout

At a first glance the ASUS Maximus VI Hero looks very good with its harmonic design. Once again the ROG-colors - red, black and white - suite nicely and together with the black PCB it becomes a beautiful product. The layout itself is well thought and there is for example plenty of space around the CPU socket to install even todays largest CPU coolers. The fact that there are SATA connector which have been angled by 90 degrees allow an easy installation of oversized graphics cards.



The ASUS Maximus VI Hero comes with a digital 8+2 phase power design. The CPU gets eight phases and the memory gets a stable current supply from two individual phases. Furthermore ASUS equips this board with their so called "Black Metallic Chokes". Furthermore those chokes can cope with up to 60A per phase. These can resist temperatures ranging from -70°C to +125°C. This makes the power desing even better for extreme overclocking where extremely low temperatures around the CPU socket can be reached.



Totally you'll find four DIMM-slots on the Maximus VI Hero. Officially supported are DDR3 2800 (OC), 2666 (OC), 2600(OC), 2400 (OC), 2200 (OC), 2133 (OC), 2000 (OC), 1866 (OC), 1600, 1333 and 1066 MHz. There is engough space between the DIMM-slots and the CPU socket which means that you wont encounter compatibility problems with big coolers even when you choose to install RAM with big heatspreaders. Also supported are Xtreme Memory Profiles (XMP) in version 1.3.



On the Maximus VI Hero the southbridge is being cooled by a passive cooling block. A closer look at the area where the power VRMs are shows that there are two additional heatsinks, which have been connected with a heatpipe. If you know the more expensive overclocking boards from ASUS you quite often find PLX bridge chips. In order to achieve a lower price point ASUS did not equip this board with such a chip.

  


Page 1 - Introduction Page 4 - Layout
Page 2 - Specs and Delivery Page 5 - Connectors and I/O
Page 3 - Features Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Connectors and I/O

Totally ASUS equipped the Maximus VI Hero with eight angled SATA ports. All ports offer 6Gbps bandwidth and six out of eight SATA III ports are natively wired to the Z87 PCH. The two additional SATA 6Gbps ports are wired to an ASMedia ASM1061 chip. You'll also find practical onboard power- and reset-buttons in the top right corner of the board. There is also a debug display. What you don't get with this overclocking board are voltage read-out points. This was another measure to further push the price of this board down.

 


Totally you'll find five fan header on the Maximus VI Hero which is enough, to provide a well equipped high-end or overclocking-system with fresh air. The fan headers are located around the CPU socket as spread over the motherboard.

  


Looking at the external connectors directly at the back-panel ASUS equipped the Maximus VI Hero with one PS2 mouse/keyboard connector, four USB 3.0/2.0 ports, four USB 2.0/1.1 ports, one gigabit ethernet port, an HDMI connector as well as an optical out and an analogue audio panel. Furtheremore you'll also a clear CMOS button.



Page 1 - Introduction Page 4 - Layout
Page 2 - Specs and Delivery Page 5 - Connectors and I/O
Page 3 - Features Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Conclusion

Allgemein   + -
The first impression the Maximus VI Hero from ASUS leaves makes us want more. Once again we like the ROG design, which meanwhile belongs to the evergreens in the industry. Overall this board comes with quite a decent feature mix and especially the price of (today) 172 Euro (est. CHF 206-) is really attractive. Basically this board offers everything to set up an entry level overclocking rig and since you get the ROG BIOS there are plenty of overclocking friendly settings users can play with.   - Design
- Layout
- Price		  
       
Layout   + -
Basically the ASUS Maximus VI Hero's Layout has been very well thought. Once more practical are the angled SATA connectors as well as the power- and reset-buttons. There is also a debug display which is very useful in case you should have issues with a component in your system or the board itself. Even the placement of the PCI-Express x16 is very well chosen. Between the first and the second PCI Express x16 slot there are two free slots which means that the first card in a SLI/CrossFire setup gets plenty of fresh air. Apart from that there is generally a lot of space on this board since, it hasn't been squeezed to the rim with features. Basically this is another advantage of a "not so pricy" board. Should you use this board for extreme overclocking, then you'll find it easy to isolate. Are you a gamer and you want to install a big CPU cooler, then there is plenty of space to even install todays bigges air coolers.   - Angled SATA connectors - Power/Reset-Button onboard
- Debug display
- Space around the CPU socket		  



Page 1 - Introduction Page 4 - Layout
Page 2 - Specs and Delivery Page 5 - Connectors and I/O
Page 3 - Features Page 6 - Conclusion


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Author: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch Luca Rocchi l.rocchi@ocaholic.ch