Best high-end Z270 motherboard
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Asus Maximus IX Formula- Top-shelf performance
- Armor and Aura RGB look impressive
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Armor impedes access to some ports and connectors
- Where's the 3T3R Wi-Fi, third M.2 slot, or teamable Ethernet?
No segment of the motherboard market shows the upward surge in pricing better than Z270’s high-end products. This is clearly where all the manufacturers want to play, and fierce competition for enthusiast dollars at this level is one of the reasons the gaming hardware market is booming.
ASUS traditionally does very well here, but that gap has closed with each generation since Sandy Bridge. Profitable markets mean everyone is stepping up their game for a piece of the action, and the result is the near-tie photo finish victory for ASUS’s Maximus IX Formula. ASUS keeps its crown for another cycle, but it’s anybody’s game from here on out.
In a sense, the Formula IX’s victory is one for style. Although there’s plenty of substance on tap here, it’s the slick looks and funky flash built into the Maximus that set this motherboard apart from the competition, even in the current LED-overloaded landscape.
Armored on both sides and resplendent with muted back-lit finery, the latest Formula holds up the family heritage well and feels impressively solid. As expected for a high-end product, performance pushes the envelope, with CPU speeds exceeding 5GHz during post-benchmark exploratory BCLK tuning. The built-in EK waterblock support has internal modifications that lower temperatures over the Formula VIII implementation.
In this case, the vertical slot allows ASUS space for a second M.2 connector without compromising the Formula’s layout or armor shielding. A metal guide is provided for reinforcement. In addition to storage, audio hardware also gets some attention, with Realtek’s ALC 1220 codec supplanting the earlier ALC 1150 implementation on the previous Z170 version.
