Not only overclockers and gamers want to have a reliable and multi-functional motherboard on hand to create a powerful home computer. Many ordinary users whose leisure time is inextricably linked with multimedia, or professional interest affects working with 3D modeling, photo editing and video processing, you certainly need to have a decent motherboard that can combine many of the necessary computer components into a full-fledged working platform.
The focus of this article is a real monster of the computer market - the Asus Formula Z Crosshair V motherboard. The specifications, reviews and photos presented to the reader will let the potential buyer know a lot of useful and interesting information about the product.
Real republican
Yes, not every day on store shelves you can find motherboards for the AM3 + platform, worth about 15-18 thousand rubles. In fact, this is the price of a budget laptop, not the basic component of a computer. However, the Asus ROG Crosshair V Formula Z motherboard, whose review is offered to the reader, is the most expensive device on the world market for the AM3 + socket.
The reason for this is not the functionality that the device is equipped with, but the build quality. After all, this motherboard belongs to the ROG series (republic of players), and, accordingly, is made with higher requirements for computer components in the world market. In simple terms, this motherboard is a masterpiece, a standard and is capable of not only working in extreme conditions, but also has high fault tolerance. Asus ROG is a guarantee!
First meeting
Many owners in their reviews often complain about manufacturers who pay too much attention to the beautiful packaging in which computer components are transported. However, it is the quality-made box that allows the buyer to purchase a fully working device that is not damaged during transportation.
Asus Crosshair V Formula Z motherboard comes in a pack of very thick cardboard, which from afar looks more like a sarcophagus. Although the box is painted in bright colors, its panels are quite informative and allow the buyer to get acquainted with the characteristics of the device.
As for the configuration, here the user has nothing to worry about, the manufacturer has done everything possible to please the user. In addition to the huge instruction manual and software discs, the owner will find a lot of useful things in the box:
- six SATA cables (3 of them have an L-shaped connector);
- one CrossFire bridge, 1 SLI bridge and 3-Way SLI interface for connecting 3 video cards;
- USB-AA cable for connecting the ROG panel;
- many stickers for cables inside the system unit;
- branded ROG logo stickers and the Do Not Disturb Player label.
The right approach
The appearance of the Asus Crosshair V Formula Z motherboard is respectable. It is immediately clear that the manufacturer seriously approached the task. Better to start with the fact that the processor socket is reinforced with a metal plate. Moreover, the socket is clamped on both sides of the board. Such a mechanism is guaranteed to protect the processor socket from damage when installing a huge cooler (theoretically, the mount can withstand a load of 2 kilograms).
As for the placement of components on a printed circuit board, here the manufacturer was able to surprise the buyer. All elements, including slots, a cooling system and even condensers, are placed conveniently and beautifully. As users note in their reviews, very pedantic people worked on the board, who managed to put things in order and create a really convenient and elegant product.
Golf course
The Asus ROG Crosshair V Formula Z baseboard stands out among its competitors not only in appearance and functionality. Many potential buyers managed to pay attention to the large area around the processor socket, which is completely devoid of microcircuits and capacitors. Many users immediately ask themselves: “What kind of cooling system should it be to occupy all the free space near the processor?”.
Yes, the gaming device initially assumes that the owner will have a powerful processor at hand, which in addition will also be overclocked. On the other hand, whatever the heatsink, it simply will not transfer heat to the memory modules and capacitors of the north bridge, as is often the case with conventional boards.
There is never much memory
Four DDR3 slots located near the processor socket will certainly please the user who plans to further improve system performance by expanding memory. However, there is one nuisance, which is better to immediately know the potential buyer. The fact is that the Asus Crosshair V Formula Z AM3 product is based on the AMD 990FX chip, which at the hardware level has a limitation on working with RAM.
The maximum installed capacity with which the motherboard can work is only 32 gigabytes. Yes, it now seems that so much RAM will not be needed by the owner, but no one knows what will happen in 2 years. For example, a competitor, Intel, has already begun to worry about a future problem, and its expensive chips support a total of up to 64 gigabytes.
Proper tension
Naturally, many potential buyers are also interested in the electrical capabilities of the Asus Crosshair V Formula Z motherboard. The review of power elements is quite difficult to find in the media, so this gap needs to be filled. All ROG products use the proprietary power subsystem Extreme Engine Digi + II. Its feature is that the manufacturer provides each controller with its own phase. Yes, it is expensive, but very effective.
This board uses a 10-phase circuit. The manufacturer has brought to the board a digital controller that is able to control all phases manually. The story of high-quality chips and solid-state capacities can not even begin, but it is better to go directly to the cooling system. All batteries have their own passive radiators, which perfectly remove heat.
Expansion slots
Four PCIex16 slots look quite impressive on the Asus Crosshair V Formula Z motherboard. You can understand the owner’s reviews regarding the maximum efficiency of the gaming platform, but the manufacturer forgot to indicate in the brochures that the slots are not complete. The first PCIex16 slot works at the declared speed, but the second and third ones share one 16-speed line in half. It’s better not to mention the fourth slot; it works in x4 mode.
As for the placement of the slots themselves, opinions are divided here. Some users claim that the location of the PCIex16 connectors is convenient and allows you to easily install at least three powerful gaming adapters that will not interfere with each other's cooling systems. But there are also dissatisfied owners who consider the 4th slot redundant, since it is blocked by the radiator of the 3rd video card.
File subsystem
Six SATA cables in the kit already hint to the future owner that he can connect up to 6 hard drives to the Asus Crosshair V Formula Z AMD 990FXSB950 motherboard. In fact, the system will cope with ten hard drives. On the board itself there is not 6, but 8 SATA controllers, two of which are simply based on another chip. There are also two eSATA ports on the board, which also work at speeds up to 6 gigabits per second.
Do not forget about the PCIex1 interface. Recently, many game lovers have come to the conclusion that the Winchester remains a weak point in the system. Therefore, many buyers prefer SSD drives that work not only on the SATA interface, but also on the PCIex1 bus.
Generous manufacturer
Many users have already noticed that the AMD 990FX chipset does not support the USB 3.0 controller. However, it is too early to be upset. The fact is that the Asus Crosshair V Formula Z gaming motherboard has an additional ASmedia chip, which provides support for popular components.
In general, there will be no problems with plug-in interfaces, as the manufacturer has provided its product with everything necessary. You can only find fault with the integrated video output missing on the board. On the one hand, game boards are not equipped with budget components. On the other hand, no one knows how a motherboard with overclocked graphics accelerators will behave and whether it can display an image in the event of any malfunction.
Flight control center
Yes, the Asus manufacturer’s UEFI shell built into the BIOS can impress. Such an entertaining control panel, which allows you to programmatically control the operation of the entire hardware of the computer. The owner of the Asus Formula Z Crosshair V motherboard will have to fully study the operating instructions in order to understand how to properly configure the gaming platform.
As practice shows, the user has the opportunity to set not only the voltage and frequency on the system bus, but also locally change the characteristics of all the slots that are installed on the board. This solution is more convenient if you want to overclock any one component, but not all at once.
Naturally, in the control center there is not only monitoring of effective work, but also a sandbox, which allows you to test in real time without restarting the system and loading Windows. Perhaps users will also like the intelligent overclocking system, which operates in automatic mode, but not all enthusiasts are pleased when a computer works for them.
Platform performance
Many potential buyers have always been interested in how gaming boards are tested. This is not a processor and a graphics accelerator, which can demonstrate the number of frames per second in a resource-intensive game. Asus Crosshair V Formula Z motherboard, whose characteristics can not be clearly seen, is tested for stability. Indeed, it is this factor that allows all components of the system to work without failures.
It is worth noting that this platform is used by many enthusiasts in measuring the performance of processors and video cards. In the testing process, no user has yet been able to burn the system with overheating, which means that the power and cooling control systems cope with the task.
As for the overclocking potential, then there are no restrictions. The motherboard controller does not care which adapter or processor is installed (unless the crystal multiplier can be locked at the hardware level). Everything is overclocked by bus and power.
Feedback
Naturally, the proprietary panel for overclocking the Asus Formula Z Crosshair V motherboard appealed to all owners. At least, all the positive user reviews start with the UEFI shell and overclocking convenience. Pleased with gamers and the device equipment. It is strange that almost all owners share their impressions in the media about branded stickers and the Do Not Disturb sign and do not mention other useful accessories in the box at all.
The stable operation of DDR3 RAM at a speed of 2400 MHz did not go unnoticed by overlockers. Not every product on the market is able to demonstrate a similar frequency. There are no complaints about heating the entire platform. This is understandable, the 10-phase power stabilization system unambiguously performs its functions.
Finally
After getting acquainted with the characteristics of the motherboard Asus Formula Z Crosshair V and finding out what many owners think about it, we can draw an obvious conclusion. If there is a financial opportunity, then it is worth giving preference to this particular product, because there is simply nothing more productive on the computer market. Yes, there are some shortcomings regarding the limitation of the amount of RAM, but this is incomparable with the potential of a gaming motherboard directly during operation.