P45 feeds 16 lanes to the primary slot or dual x8 if you’re using CrossFire while the X48 can manage 16 lanes to both slots. The original Maximus Formula allied an Intel X38 chipset with DDR3 memory at a time when X38 was the top notch Intel chipset.īy contrast the Maximus II employs an Intel P45 chipset which is a step down the pecking order from X48 as it has inferior support for PCI Express. The major difference between Maximus and Maximus II is a change in the chipset but this is where things get a bit strange.
That might sound trivial but they are the most gorgeous buttons we have ever seen and they set a new standard in motherboard hardware. Other cosmetic changes from old Maximus to new are few and far between and pretty much boil down to new Power and Reset micro buttons. There’s more to the passive Northbridge cooler than meets the eye, though, as a section can be unscrewed to reveal a copper block which can be used with a suitable water cooling adapter just as soon as one is available. On the Southbridge is the huge cooler from the Maximus Extreme. The new Maximus II, then, uses a similar cooling system to the latter, at least on the Northbridge. Meanwhile, in the middle of the range we have the Maximus SE with a Fusion cooling system that is air cooled but which gives you the option of using water cooling and bringing up the rear is the plain old Maximus that just uses a passive cooling system.
Asus extreme formula series#
There are three Maximuses (Maximii?) in the original series and last year we reviewed the top-of-the-line Maximus Formula Extreme, which takes a basic Maximus and adds a chipset cooler that is ready to be plumbed into your water cooling system. That’s an eon in the world of motherboards and it feels as though an ice age or two has passed but finally the time has come.Īt the Asus briefing we were smitten by the looks of the Maximus II which earns its name as the successor to the original Maximus Formula. We’ve been waiting a long time to get our hands on the Asus Maximus II Formula since we first saw it at an Asus briefing in mid-May.
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