ASUS RoG Maximus III Extreme LGA 1156 Motherboard Preview

ASUS and hard-core enthusiasts have long been partners in crime and with the Republic of Gamers series of boards; ASUS has attacked this lucrative nice market with both guns blazing. Names like Rampage and Maximus have come to the forefront of the motherboard world to compete with the likes of EVGA’s ultra high-end Classified boards and have done quite well. However, while the boards may be marketed towards “gamers”, they are also of particular interest to overclockers who want the most capable and tweakable products available. As you probably already know, the ASUS RoG series is marketed as the best of the best while offering a bevy of features and has a price to match.

Naturally, once Intel released their slightly more value-oriented P55 lineup of motherboards, manufacturers were quick to jump on the bandwagon. In short order the market saw motherboards which spanned nearly every price category from $130 mATX value boards to $300 bruisers; there was something to fit everyone’s budget. During this flurry of announcements, we previewed the Maximus III Formula which (at the time) was one of the most expensive P55 boards prior to the introduction of the EVGA P55 Classified. Now things are being taken to the next level as ASUS is set to release their exclusive Maximus III Extreme.

With the Maximus III Extreme ASUS is looking to build upon the lessons they learned from feedback received throughout the BIOS and board development of the Formula edition and add new features and capabilities. This is a tall order considering the competition already has some impressive sharks circling in the guise of Gigabyte’s UD6 and forthcoming UD7 boards along with MSI’s Big Bang products and of course EVGA’s Classified series. Nonetheless, ASUS is not only offering a laundry list of features here but rather a board and BIOS which promises to take Lynnfield and Clarkdale chips to unheard of speeds…when in the hands of the right people.

In this preview we will be taking an in-depth look at the Maximus III Extreme’s features since our review is still some time off. Basically, ASUS has several interesting and unique features here and we believe some of them are forward-looking enough that they should be put under the microscope.

While a $300+ P55 board may seem counter intuitive for a platform that Intel envisioned as retailing for less than an X58-based one, there are many out there who are more than happy to pay the price premium for the looks and features of these boards provide.