The ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme Review: The Other $500 Option
by Ian Cutress on April 7, 2016 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Gaming
- Asus
- ROG
- Skylake
- Z170
- Thunderbolt 3
ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme Conclusion
I mentioned at the top of the review that this is the second halo motherboard we’ve tested. Both the ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme and GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 command a large price but represent the premium product from the two major motherboard players in the industry. For the sale, each side focuses on specific areas:
| ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme vs GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 MSRP $500 |
||
| Motherboard | ASUS Maximus VIII Exteme | GIGABYTE G170X-Gaming G1 |
| Warranty Period | 3 Years | 3 Years |
| Product Page | Link | Link |
| Price | Amazon US | Amazon US |
| Size | E-ATX | E-ATX |
| CPU Interface | LGA1151 | LGA1151 |
| Chipset | Intel Z170 | Intel Z170 |
| Memory Slots (DDR4) | Four DDR4 Supporting 64GB Dual Channel Up to 3866 MHz |
Four DDR4 Supporting 64GB Dual Channel Up to 3666 MHz |
| Video Outputs | HDMI DisplayPort |
HDMI |
| Network Connectivity | Intel I219-V 3T3R 802.11ac |
2 x Killer E2400 Killer AC-1535 2T2R 802.11ac |
| Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC1150 with ESS ES9023P DAC bypass |
Creative Sound Core 3D + JRC NJM2114 + Burr Brown OPA2134 |
| PCIe Slots for Graphics (from CPU) |
3 x PCIe 3.0 - x16, - x8/x8, - x8/x4/x4 |
4 x PCIe 3.0 via PLX8747 - x16/x16, - x16/x8/x8, - x8/x8/x8/x8 |
| PCIe Slots for Other (from PCH) |
1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
3 x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| Onboard SATA | Six, RAID 0/1/5/10 Two from ASMedia ASM1061 |
Six, RAID 0/1/5/10 Four via ASM1061, no RAID |
| Onboard SATA Express | Two, RAID | Three |
| Onboard M.2 | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA, RAID 0/1, NVMe |
2x PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA, RAID 0/1, NVMe |
| Onboard U.2 | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 (switched with M.2) | None |
| USB 3.1 | 2 x Type-A (ASM1142) 1 x Type-A (Alpine Ridge) 1 x Type-C (Alpine Ridge) |
1 x Type-A (Alpine Ridge) 1 x Type-C (Alpine Ridge) 1 x Type-A (Front Panel bundle) 1 x Type-C (Front Panel bundle) |
| USB 3.0 | 4 x Rear Panel 4 via headers |
4 x Rear Panel 2 via headers |
| USB 2.0 | - 6 via headers |
2 x Rear Panel 4 via headers |
| Power Connectors | 1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 8-pin CPU 1 x 4-pin CPU |
1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 8-pin CPU |
| Fan Headers | 2 x CPU (4-pin) 4 x CHA/SYS (4-pin) |
2 x CPU (4-pin) 5 x CHA/SYS (4-pin) |
| Notes | Bundled OC Panel | Bundled USB 3.1 Panel Combination air/water heatsink |
The big selling points for the Z170X-Gaming G1 are the PLX8747 chip enabling 32 PCIe lanes for 3-way and 4-way SLI, three Killer based network points for DoubleShot-X3 Pro, a combination air/water chipset heatsink, dual M.2, a USB 3.1 front panel, PCIe guards, and a Creative Sound Core 3D audio codec with a Burr Brown op-amp.
The big selling points for the Maximus VIII Extreme are the 3x3 Wi-Fi module, onboard U.2 support, a total of four onboard USB 3.1 ports, an ES9023P audio DAC, a bundled OC Panel, system performance and the BIOS/software package.
Both motherboards are validated with Thunderbolt 3.
It’s an interesting scenario being played out. ASUS wins on the performance side, the BIOS and software are easier to use, and overclocking wins out due to LLC implementation. 3x3 WiFi plus U.2 is hard to ignore on the Extreme as well. But the multi-GPU support of the GIGABYTE via the PLX is the massive plus that can’t be made up elsewhere (and non-GPUs can be used as well).
Both sides have impressive feature sets, and both sides have areas for improvement. If the price is still a factor and the prices of these motherboards decrease over time, if the GIGABYTE ends up $50-75 less expensive in a direct comparison, it would be hard to pass up that saving to spend elsewhere. Under the 100-series platform and Skylake processors, ASUS takes the crown up to dual GPU here, whereas by virtue of support the GIGABYTE motherboard happily takes it for 3-way and 4-way.
I’d happily recommend the ASUS to any performance junkie, but sometimes big performance needs big PCIe, and I’d happily recommend the GIGABYTE in that case.
Recommended by AnandTech
The ASUS Rampage VIII Extreme Motherboard
For Your Local Performance Junkie, Dual GPU and under
Other AnandTech Reviews for Intel’s 6th Generation CPUs and 100-Series Motherboards
Skylake-K Review: Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K - CPU Review
Comparison between the i7-6700K and i7-2600K in Bench - CPU Comparison
Overclocking Performance Mini-Test to 4.8 GHz - Overclocking
Skylake Architecture Analysis - Microarchitecture
Z170 Chipset Analysis and 55+ Motherboards - Motherboard Overview
Discrete Graphics: An Update for Z170 Motherboards - PCIe Firmware Update
Price Check: Intel Skylake i7-6700K and i5-6600K - Latest Skylake Price Check (3/29)
100-Series Motherboard Reviews:
Prices Correct at time of each review
($500) The GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 Review
($500) The ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme Review (this review)
($250) The ASUS Maximus VIII Impact Review
($240) The ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ Review
($230) The MSI Z170 Gaming M7 Review
($208) The GIGABYTE Z170-UD5 TH Review
($165) The ASUS Z170-A Review
($125) The Supermicro C7H170-M Review
Motherboard Reviews Planned:
For anyone not interested in the $500 motherboard segment, the next one up on the block is the MSI Z170A SLI PLUS, which comes in at $120-130. Stay tuned for that review. We've also got a couple of server focused Skylake boards waiting in the wings.
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willis936 - Thursday, April 7, 2016 - link
Well if you dump a grand on an extreme processor and not half a grand on a board you could get 8 cores that OC up to the same as the K series parts. Double the threaded performance but same single threaded performance.bill.rookard - Thursday, April 7, 2016 - link
I would have to agree, unless you are a hardcore overclocker. For those interested in hugely powerful graphics setups, this doesn't really cut it (dual GPU SLI only). For those who want huge storage arrays, this doesn't cut it either (half dozen SATA ports). Those interested in liquid nitrogen overclocks and need those last few mhz would find a use for it though...Chaitanya - Friday, April 8, 2016 - link
Normally I would have agreed, spending more than 250$ on Z/P series chipsets is useless and its better to go to X platform. But in this case there seems to be a good value in terms of bundle. That 10G Nic is worth the extra. There are no X99 boards below $500 mark that come with 10G nics.romrunning - Thursday, April 7, 2016 - link
"The cost of an i7-6700K plus a $500 motherboard comes in at $750 MSRP, "These prices seem really off. As of today, Amazon has the list price of the i7-6700k as $419.99. Simple math gets you to $919.99 with a $500 mobo, not $750.
Ian Cutress - Thursday, April 7, 2016 - link
Box price for 6700K is $350 (we've been covering the ups and downs of the price of the Skylake parts, see the link on the first page, where from time to time it is hitting MSRP), making it more $850, so I'm $100 out :) Updated. It's sill a big jump between the two, for sure.romrunning - Thursday, April 7, 2016 - link
So now I had to check Intel's "Recommended Customer Price" for the i7-5820k. Intel's site says box price is $396. So that + a $250 m/b would make the combo around $650, not $550. That would lower the different to more around $200. Still not insignificant, as that is the price of a decent m/b, but less than the previous cited difference.romrunning - Thursday, April 7, 2016 - link
Also, thanks for adding in the pricing info. It helps to give a measure of worth to the end-user to know the premium they are paying & what essentially you are buying over a more standard board.ImSpartacus - Friday, April 8, 2016 - link
I think he meant a 6600K.BrokenCrayons - Thursday, April 7, 2016 - link
Yes, $500 isn't exactly a princely sum, but I don't see value in spending that much on a single component of a computer. That's a week's play money for outings, shopping, and casual dining. Using it instead to buy a motherboard of all things only demonstrates to others in your social circles that you don't quite have your priorities sorted out. So thanks for the effort ASUS, but no thanks.Questor - Thursday, April 7, 2016 - link
Yes, blowing that much money on frivolous casual dining, outings and shopping is obviously a demonstration of financial brilliance! Priorities are as different among people as personal beliefs or political views. I won't pay the premium for this motherboard either, especially without dual M.2 slots to RAID NVMe SSDs. The OC Panel is unwanted bling to me as well, but I can see other people finding the M8E to be their "thing."