Techisland is a show for tech geeks & enthusiasts alike. Nowadays, who isn’t? Hosted by our very own, homegrown, tech enthusiast, Ryan Yu, our show takes the audience in & around Cebu for the latest in technology driven news, gadgets and gizmos!
It was last October 2009 when I received my Corsair Hydro Series H50 via a fellow Istoryan (dmelsie). Its an awesome CPU cooler for its price, giving you a high-end air cooler's performance without the weight and much more room in your system. For those who are not familiar, its a low-cost liquid cooling system manufactured by Asetek and rebranded with modifications to improve performance by Corsair. Its not really the watercooling we've come to known per se (with respect to watercooling purists) but it follows the principle where liquid (ethylene glycol + water) is used as a medium for transferring heat via aluminum radiator. If I recall correctly, this was introduced last June and released to the public on July. Knowing that we're a little bit behind locally when products based in US are released, it wasn't until October that the product arrived as ordered by dmelsie via PC Express. Since then, the cooler has received numerous awards for its performance and price. If you wish to know more about how this product would fare, there's an awesome review provided by bit-tech.net.
As a My Tech Island reviewer, this cooler would provide relief in the constant removal and re-installation due to the products that come in for review and by December, the Asus Maximus Formula III was handed to me for testing via Fine Upgrades. Unfortunately, the first revision of the cooler only had motherboard brackets for sockets LGA775, LGA 1366 and AM3 so the Asus MFIII uses the new socket LGA1156 for the P55 chipset wouldn't be compatible. I tried checking out Corsair's website and they had an advisory that LGA1156 brackets which will be provided for early-adopters for free but end users would have to pay the shipping for $5. This was really a bad news for me since everyone knows here that items being shipped from the U.S. would really cost a fortune here in the Philippines.
It took me a while to have the courage (December 2009) to contact Corsair via their website to request for the bracket and asked how much it would cost for the item to be shipped here in our country and this is the response I received from Kelvin of Corsair;
It was unexpected and truth be told, if the bracket would cost me somewhere around 2,000 pesos in shipping fees, I would've forgotten about it since I can get used coolers for that price available locally but Kelvin's response was overwhelming and it didn't took long for Corsair to respond (1 day because of time difference). We've have email exchanges regarding the shipment information but sadly, the bracket didn't made it in time for the Asus Maximus Formula III review because UPS was having problems locating the address I specified. Ironically, the bracket arrived the day I returned the motherboard to Asus. Still, I was very happy when it came in and this is what I received:
On behalf of My Tech Island, thank you Corsair for an excellent customer service! Rest assured this will be used on upcoming reviews.
TITLE: Cebuano Buying an "IPOD" or an "IPAD" (we weren't really sure)
CEBUANO BUYER: "Sir can I ples buy an I-fad",
APPLE SALESMAN: "Ipod or Ipad"
CEBUANO BUYER" "IFAD- SIR, how many kinds do you hab arawn her?
APPLE SALESMAN:"Well we have the Ipod classics and the latest one, the IPAD"
CEBUANO BUYER:" What?!? You hab di IFAD CLASSICS and the IFAD?? Boang maning mga ta...whana, palit nalang kog EM-FI-TRI Flayer sa lain uy KA LITSI BAH!!"
Before I comment, first take a look at the latest Apple Sexy Thing yourself:
Slashdot Hands on:
WEBSITE: http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/
Technical Specs
Display
* 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology * 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi) * Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating * Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
Wireless and Cellular Wi-Fi model
* Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) * Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
* 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip
Sensors
* Accelerometer * Ambient light sensor
Audio Playback
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz * Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV * User-configurable maximum volume limit
TV and Video
* Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable * H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Mail attachment support
* Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)
Languages
* Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian * Keyboard support for English (US) English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian * Dictionary support for English (US), English (UK), French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Japanese, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin), Russian
Accessibility
* Support for playback of closed-captioned content * VoiceOver screen reader * Full-screen zoom magnification * White on black * Mono audio
Battery and Power4
* Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery * Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music * Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
Input and Output
* Dock connector * 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack * Built-in speakers * Microphone * SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)
External buttons and controls
* On/Off, Sleep/wake * Mute * Volume up/down * Home
Mac system requirements
* Mac computer with USB 2.0 port * Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later * iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download) * iTunes Store account * Internet access
Windows system requirements
* PC with USB 2.0 port * Windows 7, Windows Vista; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later * iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download) * iTunes Store account * Internet access
Environmental requirements
* Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C) * Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C) * Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing * Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)
------------------
Now for my Honest Opinion.
Well, you know why the NETBOOK Market flew? Because the netbook is a trimmed down version of Laptop the will allow you to do EVERYTHING ON IT on it. Now on the IPAD, it seems you can't. It's just a "GO BIGGY" size version of the itouch/Iphone minus the Camera. It can do everything my iphone can do on a bigger screen. The good thing about it though is you get to buy accessories for it that will make it more useful. A USB port to allow you to connect your digital camera directly to it to transfer photos. An SD adapter to allow you to transfer Photos (hopefully data as well) to you I-PAD. A keyboard and mouse because I don't really know how you can use the touch screen keyboard on that huge thing unless I was as big as Shaquil O Neil.
Looking at everyone's usual daily gadget arsenal, where will this device fit in? If you have your iphone or itouch with you + you regular Laptop or Netbook, where will this baby fit in? It will be extra baggage. You mite bring it around for awhile for bragging rights but eventually, it will get stuck at home or at the office.
1 GHZ?? Cmon, netboooks are already going Dual Core Atoms @ 1.6GHZ. The new HTC HD2 and Googles Nexus One, which are mobile phones which already have the 1GHZ snapdragon processor.
No Multi tasking? No Camera, No Optical Drive Slot, ... Hmmmmm.
NO MICROPHONE - Wow, adding voice call or doing internet calls would have been a very welcome addition too and mite even increase sales for this device. What were they thinking?
Well, it's not all that bad, it might still work for specific tasked jobs. Before it was release, I heard Apple was meeting with medical execs to have the IPAD as a tool for hospitals, replacing patient charts. It think this device would be perfect for that. High battery life, thin and light. Clear Pictures and Videos for the doctors to review, with the right customized medical software, This will be perfect for the JOB.
Imagine DHL having you sign your delivery document with this.
For the HOME, I think this would also work best as an EBOOK reader that can do more than just read EBOOKs. But in the end, that is where it will stay at, at Home.
I already have my iphone and an Itouch for portability and it can do everything the I-PAD can do. I just hope it will allow me to sync between my Iphone and my Ipad without the need of a PC.
Putting 128Gig of hard space would have increase the purchase value of this device, right now you can already buy an itouch with 64gig.
Who will buy it? - Well I think Mac Junkies will definitely line up for this as they do with every MAC release. People who don't have a netbook will surely try this out. But For those people who already have a desktop at home, a laptop for work, and an Iphone, I doubt they will be there for the first Generation IPAD.
---------------- No Optical drive No USB Port No Microphone No Camera No Flash No Multi Tasking No Free Keyboard Dock No Data Expansion Slot
I think this device deserves a Singapore-Type "NO" T-shirt Design :-)
Still, it is super sexy. ------------------
Well overall, it is a sexy device. Right now I just do not know YET how it will fit in my life. I may not buy one but I wouldn't mind having one if someone gave it to me ;-) *HINT*
A friend of mine (Thanks Don Don of istorya.net) pointed me to this very cool application for the iphone, unfortunately, only Jailbroken aps can use this, you can download it for free on Cydia. Instead of the usual slide to unlock or the numeric password protection, you simply need to connect the DOTS! Only downside I see is you experiment with it too much and you mite forget which dots you are suppose to connect. On the Real Android Mobile System, they send it to you via Email. I don't think it does that for you here on the Iphone.
TIP: Stick to a simple pattern that you can easily remember.
In my opinion, Intel designed the P55 chipset to separate the market between high-end and performance (mid-end) segment. Unfortunately, unlike the previous generation where the difference between going from performance to high end is only the memory controller (P45, X48), Intel this time designed 2 sockets (LGA1156 and LGA1366) confusing users which to get if they want the best of the best. On one hand we have the X58 on Socket LGA1366 which supports processors from Intel Core I7 920 and above, and on the other hand, we have P55 on LGA 1156 which supports Intel Core I3 up to Intel Core I7 on the same socket. A bit confusing isn’t it? Before I dig into the review, I have to admit that this article has been way overdue for quite some time now. In fact, the motherboard was given to me for review last December and the data has been completed before then. However, I’m in the middle of switching jobs between 2 companies so I found very little time to work on the article. The most important thing though, is that everything is almost stable with the transition and now I find myself cramming to finish this. Now that that’s out of the way, let us proceed.
When it comes to Asus, it’s easy to distinguish its high end from the rest of the pack through its Republic of Gamers division who caters to not only gamers but enthusiasts and overclockers. The Maximus line is the design that started it all and its predecessors pretty much defined what high-end and performance meant. Today, we will be looking into the third installment of the Maximus line of ROG motherboards on a chipset designed to be mainstream and we’ll find out if it really deserves the ROG branding or the somewhat extreme price.
Packaging and Accessories
As usually, we have the cover flip with a plastic window to showcase the motherboard which is unique to the ROG motherboards. However, the one thing I can’t stand with the packaging is the overall thickness of the foam used. Once the motherboard is taken out of its box, you’ll curse your way to putting it back in due to the cardboard frame versus the foam. It’s not really awful just annoying if you have to put the motherboard back into its case for RMA or if you need to resell it for some reason.
Like the other ROG motherboard reviewed before this, the package contains two more cardboard boxes which separate the motherboard and the accessories. The accessories are compartmentalized so they don’t mix together during shipping. Sadly, of all the things to forget, I forgot to take the photo of the accessories included but you’ll get the following;
DVD for drivers and software
A comprehensive user’s manual
Asus Q-connector kit which makes connecting the front panel headers like a breeze
6 SATA connectors with locks; 3 of which are angled
An Nvidia SLI cable for multiple graphics card configuration.
Several plastic cable ties
The padded I/O shield which prevents grounding
Stickers for labeling your optical and hard drives
Asus ROG Connect Cable (USB)
A PCI bracket for additional USB and 1 non-powered E-SATA port
SupremeFX X-Fi sound card
If you think you’re missing something, you’re probably right. The Maximus Formula III no longer includes the LCD Poster for viewing critical system information. The ROG Connect cable changes that, this feature allows you to connect your portable computer to gain full access not only to system information but overclocking and BIOS flashing as well.
Features and Specifications
ROG Connect. Plug and Overclock - Tweak it the hardcore way! Monitor the status of your desktop PC and tweak its parameters in real-time via a notebook—just like a race car engineer—with ROG Connect. ROG Connect links your main system to a notebook through a USB cable, allowing you to view real-time POST code and hardware status readouts on your notebook, as well as make on-the-fly parameter adjustments at a purely hardware level.
GameFirst. The speed you need to pwn. Low Internet latency allows you to frag more, and get fragged less. That´s why ROG has introduced GameFirst, a feature that manages the flow of traffic according to your needs so that you can still listen to online music, download and upload files, and engage in Internet chats without sacrificing the low ping times you need to pwn your opponents.
MemPerfect. Optimize your memory without lifting a finger! Why risk crippling your system with poorly tuned memory? Now, with ROG´s exclusive MemPerfect optimizing your memory performance is a simple matter of selecting the frequency you desire, and letting MemPerfect do the rest! MemPerfect quickly checks your memory settings for errors and automatically fixes them—ensuring system stability and maximum efficiency.
Speeding HDD. Wait less. Play more! Double your hard disk drive performance easily and affordably with Speeding HDD, a remarkable ROG feature that utilizes a dual channel design to enhance HDD transfer rates. Wait less, play more!
iROG. Intelligent multiple control at hand. The iROG is a special IC which enables several ROG highlitghted functions that gives users full disposal of the motherboard at any stage! This design allows advanced user control and management to be processed purely at a hardware level. iROG greatly increases fun during overclocking for PC enthusiasts and it offers system maintainence and management with more control and efficiency.
CPU Level Up. A Simple click for instant upgrade. Ever wish that you could have a more expansive CPU? Upgrade your CPU at no additional cost with ROG´s CPU Level Up! Simply pick the processor you wanted to OC to, and the motherboard will do the rest! See the new CPU speed and enjoy that performance instantly. Overclocking is never as easy as this.
MemOK! Any memory is A-OK! Memory compatibility is among the top concerns when it comes to computer upgrades. Worry no more, MemOK! is the fastest memory booting solution today. This remarkable memory rescue tool requires nothing but a push of a button to patch memory issues and get your system up and running in no time. The technology is able to determine failsafe settings that can dramatically improve system booting success.
Extreme Tweaker. One stop performance tuning shop. Extreme Tweakers is the one stop shop to fine-tune your system to optimal performance. No matter if you´re looking for frequency adjustment, over-voltage options, or memory timing settings, they´re all here!
ProbeIt. Get all hands-on with hardware-based overclocking. ProbeIt takes the guesswork out of locating the motherboard´s measurement points, identifying them clearly in the form of 5 sets of detection points so you´ll know exactly where to get quick yet accurate readings using a multitester.
Voltiminder LED. Friendly reminder on Voltage Settings. In the pursuit of extreme performance, overvoltage adjustment is critical but risky. Acting as the "red zone" of a tachometer, the Voltiminder LED displays the voltage status for CPU, PCH, and Memory in a intuitive color-coded fashion. The voltiminder LED allows quick voltage monitoring for overclockers.
COP EX. Maximum OC with confidence with burn proof protection to chipsets and GPU! The COP EX allows overclockers to increase chipset voltages without the worries of overheating. It can also be used to monitor and save an overheating GPU. The COP EX allows more freedom and less constraint for maximum performance achievement.
Loadline Calibration. Optimal power boost for extreme CPU overclocking! Maintaining ample voltage support for the CPU is critical during overclocking. The Loadline Calibration ensures stable and optimal CPU voltage under heavy loading. It helps overclockers enjoy the motherboard´s ultimate OC capabilities and benchmark scores.
SupremeFX X-Fi. Listen with Absolute HD. Play in extreme fidelity! SupremeFX X-Fi delivers an excellent high definition audio experience to the gamers of ROG. The SupremeFX X-Fi features unique audio innovations for gamers to spot enemies in 3D environment during game play. SupremeFX X-Fi also provides gamers a special tool to emphasize human voices in games to help make dialogues clearer and more audible.
Noise Filter. Eliminate background noise while recording. This feature detects repetitive and stationary noises like computer fans, air conditioners, and other background noises then eliminates it in the incoming audio stream while recording.
What isn’t mentioned here are the standard Asus ROG offerings; onboard switch to power/reset up the computer. Q-Fan Plus for noise to performance ratio with your fans, the Q-Connector kit which makes it easier to plug in the motherboard headers to your chassis and the EPU-Engine for power management.
The TurboV Evo has been redesigned that it contains more information and a much cleaner interface. Another addition to the robust software that the Maximus III offers is the ROG Game First utility which provides improved internet speeds via shaping. You can either optimize a program to make use of bandwidth or latency but the configuration takes days to complete so I left it alone and just snapped a screenshot. For the complete list of features, please see this.
Motherboard and BIOS
Once again, Asus designed an awesomely good looking motherboard. The colors are well coordinated with the Ferrari red accents and the black PCB. The motherboard size follows the ATX standard which is 12 inches in height and 9.6 inch in length. Like Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable Series, this motherboard also has 2 ounce copper layer which Asus calls “stack cool” which essentially, using the additional thickness as passive cooling for the components.
Attention to detail is impeccable, an example is the small sticker just below the Socket LGA1156 lever that protects the motherboard traces in case the lever is pushed way down which may scratch the surface. All connectors are strategically placed on edges for easier cable management. The board also uses solid ferrite chokes and solid capacitors which are pretty much the standard to today’s high-end and some mid-end motherboards, as always, this is a welcome change from those electrolytic capacitors.
The processor is powered by 16+3 phase VRM, 16 for the cores and 3 for the uncore or the memory controller. The rest of the socket area is fairly clean except for the group of capacitors to the right which may cause problems when insulating the motherboard for extreme benching (think LN2). These capacitors are low-standing which shouldn’t really cause problems with aftermarket coolers available. One of the heatsinks for the transistors is removable if you intend to watercool this as well as such that this is held only by screws for easy removal.
Just to the left of the heatsink for the transistors, you’ll find 2 chips that provide power management to the processor and the voltage regulator. The EPU which dynamically adjusts voltages of the major components (processor, memory, graphics card, etc.) and the PEM which monitors and controls the VRM power phase to evenly distribute load depending on temperature and power consumption. This feature can be disabled in the BIOS in case you’d prefer having all 16 phase for the processor running constantly.
Below the processor socket you’ll find the eye-catching Republic of Gamers logo/heatsink which blinks in and out on standby and fully lit when the system is operational. This heatsink doesn’t serve a purpose but purely aesthetics as the P55 chipset isn’t located here but the clock generator. However, this is designed to be low profile so it won’t cause problems with clearance on your cpu cooler. I have to admit that without this piece, the motherboard would look bare and awkward like the P7P55D Deluxe which is something I’m not used to seeing, yet.
From this angle you’ll find that the 1-sided memory clip makes another appearance, this is designed so removal of the memory would no longer require you to remove the graphics card. Four slots for dual-channel and the MemOK button on the right side (small red button) which also acts as the Go Button for pre-defined overclock presets when pressed if the user is already in Windows. Beside the ATX power connector, you’ll have the Probe It read points which allows you to take voltage readings real-time using a DMM, and beside that the diagnostic LEDs. Each light will turn red during the post sequence and if a problem is found on a certain component, the light stays on giving you an idea which part is causing the problem.
Unfortunately, I find this an odd location for such a useful feature. The cables from the ATX power connector will most likely block the read points making it a pain to take readings or check the diagnostic LEDs when the motherboard is mounted inside the case. Still, these are wonderful additions to the plethora of features for the Maximus that it has almost become a standard for this line.
Moving forward on the bottom left is where the P55 chipset is covered by once again with a low-profile heatsink. I personally liked the fin-type heatsink even if it us low profile, the surface is somewhat greater which makes up for it. 6 right angled SATA ports that are connected directly to the chipset are located here. Just below the memory are the 2 dedicated SATA ports for the optical drive, although some review sites are criticizing the use of JMicron chipset on this area, this should be suitable enough for your optical drive needs but my only regret is that there are unused spaces on the 6 SATA ports and because of the location of these 2, it might pose interference with the graphics card installed on the first PCIE slot. Below the chipset, you’ll find the front panel headers which are conveniently located as this I believe is the optimal location for connecting the headers.
Unfortunately, for a high-end motherboard like this, I wonder why Asus only managed to equip the unit with 1 BIOS if the target markets are enthusiasts who fiddle a lot with the BIOS. Although the likelihood of corrupting the BIOS is slim, providing 2 chips would give users the sense of security. Beside the headers, you’ll find 2 SATA ports which provides instant hardware RAID configuration via another JMicron chipset. This is added for people who do not want to go through the hassles of understanding RAID, it’s simply connecting 2 hard drives in there and a simple activation via the software provided. The rest are basically more fan, USB and firewire headers in line with the reset and power button. The partially hidden x16 PCIE ports provide two x8 speed configuration when multiple graphics cards are used for SLI or Crossfire which isn’t really Asus’ fault. The last x16 PCI slot only offers x4 speed and is connected via the P55 chipset.
Major BIOS Options Screens
The Extreme Tweaker menu is where all the magic happens. With access to almost all voltages to the component in your system, this is where every enthusiast is most likely going to spend his time. As usual, the values are arranged so that it’s easier to navigate the options without the clutter. Knowing that this is a first-class motherboard, Asus provided its users, the most number of options but still maintaining user-friendly GUI. Enough said.
Another major addition to the BIOS is the presence of pre-configured overclocking profiles via the Go button. Take note that the Go button only functions when the system is booted to Windows, pre-post and it serves as MemOK. Then there’s the MemPerfect option which I had the chance to test. This is the utility I used as a starting point to find out if the Patriot Viper II Sector 5 was capable of running 1333 MHz. I then had to manually find out if the RAM would be able to support low timings. Last but not least is the OC profile where there are 8 slots for your different system configuration, you’ll see from my screenshot the different memory frequency and latency I used.
Test Setup and Benchmarks
This review’s benchmarks is going to by-far, the most comprehensive I’ve ever done. Although I’m limited to stock settings because the bracket for my Corsair Hydro Series H50 failed to arrive in time, I’ve included synthetic and real-world applications that will simulate the test on a day-to-day usage scenario. Furthermore, there are 2 memory profiles used; DDR3-1333 5-5-5-15 and DDR3-1800 8-8-8-24 courtesy of Patriot Viper II Sector 5 memory modules that are designed exclusively for LGA1156 processors. Before we dig in, the following are the components used:
Memory Performance
Memory Bandwidth (MB/s, higher = better)
Memory Latency (nanoseconds, lower = better)
Everest Ultimate Edition - Industry leading system diagnostics and benchmarking solution for enthusiasts PC users, based on the award-winning EVEREST Technology. Exhaustive details of system information on 100 pages including CPU, FPU, disk and memory benchmarks, advanced hardware monitoring and diagnostics capabilities. SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software.
There’s simply no reason not to make use of the XMP profile included in the memory. The fact that it offers much more bandwidth at a much lower latency is a no-brainer. However, if you’re up to standard settings, then the memory is capable of running DDR3-1333 MHz at CAS5 which is not too bad. In fact, standard latency for this frequency is 7-7-7, 8-8-8 or 9-9-9 but at a much higher frequency, the DDR3-1800’s memory throughput wins, unfortunately.
CustomPC Benchmarks Suite 2007 uses open source real-world applications that measure the performance of a computer. The first test is image manipulation through GIMP where the images are resized, colors improved and then collated for a panoramic view. The GIMP version used is single-thread so higher clock benefit faster performance. The second part of the test is video encoding to h.264 via Handbrake and the utility scales very well with the number of cores. The final test is a combination of 7-zip compressing the multiple images that was created out of GIMP while playing HD video that was encoded earlier. All tests are measured in seconds except for the overall score which is by points.
PCMark Vantage is a PC benchmark suite designed for Windows Vista offering one-click simplicity for casual users and detailed, professional grade testing for industry, press and enthusiasts. A PCMark score is a measure of your computer’s performance across a variety of common tasks such as viewing and editing photos, video, music and other media, gaming, communications, productivity and security.
3D Benchmarking Utilities
3DMark06 is a PC benchmark suite designed to test the DirectX9 performance of your graphics card. 3DMark Vantage is a PC benchmark suite designed to test the DirectX10 performance of your graphics card. A 3DMark score is an overall measure of your system’s 3D gaming capabilities, based on comprehensive real-time 3D graphics and processor tests.
Games
Both are tested with the same graphics card so there’s no surprise the difference is minimal. However, I should mention that the XMP profile slightly overclocks the system so DDR3-1800 leads by a pretty small margin that its negligible. FarCry 2 was tested using the built-in benchmarking utility using the long ranch demo looped 3 times. The same goes for Street Fighter IV Benchmark which by the way; can be downloaded online for free.
Conclusion
The number of features and the software bundled with the Maximus Formula III is impressive. During the course of the review, I was able to test MemOK and MemPerfect which worked perfectly fine albeit aimed towards stability rather than performance. The TurboV Evo is also the most pleasant software utility I’ve encountered. Aesthetics-wise, there are no major issues when it comes to the layout except for the placements of some ports and the questionable use of underperforming chipsets.
If you think I’d give it a perfect score, let me lay down the quirks I’ve encountered; video would just disappear randomly. I usually play WarCraft III single player as past time but the system would just lose video although the sound can still be heard. The system can’t recover and the only way to get the video to work is to reboot the system. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with the board, even inquired Asus support forums but their representatives gave me scripted answer (video driver, power supply, etc.). Hopefully, these issues will be sorted out via BIOS update in the near future. Another thing worth nothing is like I said earlier, the questionable use of underperforming chipsets like the JMicron controller – for some reason; I just don’t know why Asus went JMicron when there are other better performing chipsets available. Also unknown to many, is that the Ethernet port is routed via the aging PCI bus which pretty much limits the bandwidth. This is probably the reason why Asus ships the Maximus Formula III with a bandwidth manager to compensate for this, I don’t really know but I’m just saying. For a top-tiered motherboard like this, single BIOS is just despicable.
Despite these issues, the Maximus Formula III is a fantastic motherboard but if compared to the previous ROG releases, this one I believe is a little bit hastily made and if you’re someone who has cash to burn, by no means get the board but if you’re looking for something that offers more bang for your back perhaps, you should wait for the Extreme version.
It was last October 2009 when I received my Corsair Hydro Series H50 via a fellow Istoryan (dmelsie). Its an awesome CPU cooler for its price, giving you a high-end air cooler's performance without the weight and much more room in your system. For those who are not familiar, its a low-cost liquid cooling system manufactured by Asetek and rebranded with modifications to improve performance by Corsair. Its not really the watercooling we've come to known per se (with respect to watercooling purists) but it follows the principle where liquid (ethylene glycol + water) is used as a medium for transferring heat via aluminum radiator. If I recall correctly, this was introduced last June and released to the public on July. Knowing that we're a little bit behind locally when products based in US are released, it wasn't until October that the product arrived as ordered by dmelsie via PC Express. Since then, the cooler has received numerous awards for its performance and price. If you wish to know more about how this product would fare, there's an awesome review provided by bit-tech.net.
It was unexpected and truth be told, if the bracket would cost me somewhere around 2,000 pesos in shipping fees, I would've forgotten about it since I can get used coolers for that price available locally but Kelvin's response was overwhelming and it didn't took long for Corsair to respond (1 day because of time difference). We've have email exchanges regarding the shipment information but sadly, the bracket didn't made it in time for the Asus Maximus Formula III review because UPS was having problems locating the address I specified. Ironically, the bracket arrived the day I returned the motherboard to Asus. Still, I was very happy when it came in and this is what I received:
