Looking at some enthusiast builds that are based on Mini-ITX motherboards, it begins to seem that this format is no longer the standard for compact systems today. Judge for yourself, top-end video cards and even liquid cooling systems are increasingly found in this form factor, and this is not entirely compact. And even if we leave the enthusiast section, almost all cases for Mini-ITX cannot compete with an industrial solution like the same ASUS VivoPC.
In any case, if we are talking about modular system, which the user will assemble in a case from the store, then most likely Mini-ITX will still remain a “baby” among full-size ATX solutions. Today, I want to introduce you to a well-pumped motherboard for the LGA1151 platform, it will be ASUS Maximus VIII Impact.
Scope of delivery
ASUS Maximus VIII Impact arrived to us in a compact package. Its design is based on the familiar “red” design of the Republic of Gamers series products. The packaging has a prominent name, a list of technical characteristics and features, and a technical sticker with information from the serial number category.
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The box is compact, but the delivery set is extended. It included:
- User's Guide;
- Disk with drivers and utilities;
- FAN Extension board and installation kit;
- One temperature sensor;
- A set of ROG stickers and a door sign;
- Four SATA Cables;
- Wi-Fi module antenna;
- Plug for housing;
- Frame for installing the processor.
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One of the features of the kit is the external FAN Extension module. It is designed to connect additional fans. In the case of limited space on the motherboard PCB, this module becomes very relevant. With its help, the user can connect and subsequently control the operating mode of four fans and three thermocouples. Power supply to the FAN Extension is carried out using one MOLEX connector, and synchronization with the motherboard is carried out using another cable. Everything would be fine, but the board tracks are not protected and are in open access, therefore, the issue of module location in the housing must be approached carefully.
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External inspection
The dimensions of ASUS Maximus VIII Impact fit into the gold standard Mini-ITX - it is 170x170 millimeters. However, there are two not entirely familiar points. The maximum height dimensions are formed not by expansion connectors, but by additional power and sound cards. With their help, in two areas of the board the height increases to 45 millimeters. Impact's external design fits into the current ROG line: red colors with gray inserts, the main area of the printed circuit board is black.
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The extension panel has a couple of not quite standard elements. Here I'm talking about the full-size POST indicator, power and reboot keys, as well as BIOS reset and recovery. Otherwise, everything is very familiar:
- One HDMI;
- One optical S/PDIF;
- POST code indicator;
- Power, Reset, ClrCMOS and USB BIOS Flashback keys;
- Four USB 3.0;
- Outputs for connecting Wi-Fi module antennas;
- Three miniJack audio connectors;
- One RJ-45 LAN connector;
- One USB 3.1 (Type-C and Type-A).
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General arrangement of ASUS Maximus VIII Impact elements, below in more detail.
Among the distinctive aspects of the layout are the specifically located modules of the power supply system and the audio path. It looks like the LGA1151 connector is slightly shifted towards the top edge relative to similar boards.
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On the back side of the board there are quite a lot of strapping elements. Note that the Impact has only one M.2 connector and it is used for the ASUS Wi-Fi GO! module. Those. Installing a drive in this format is not possible. As a user of an M.2 drive, I was for a moment confused by the lack of another connector. The Wi-Fi module itself provides operation in WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.1 modes, and supports MU-MIMO technology.
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Like other motherboards of the ASUS Maximus VIII generation, thanks to the Intel Z170 system logic set, you can run a processor-based system Intel Core 6th generation (Skylake-S). Two slots with a maximum frequency of 4133 MHz in overclocking mode are available for installing RAM. A 24+8 bundle is used to supply power to the processor, and they are located on the same edge, which can simplify the cable management process.
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An Intel I219V chip is used to implement the LAN connector, and an Intel DSL6540 controller is used for USB 3.1. The battery is located on a remote connector and attached to the panel of elements, which is already common for boards of this form factor. In that area there are two jumpers marked Slow Mode and LN2. The first provides a minimum frequency mode, the second provides access to an expanded set of voltages - interesting.
To connect storage devices, there are four SATA 6 Gb/s connectors, all of them are located between the RAM and the video card slot. If you plan to connect all four drives, you can immediately plan a good bundle of cables in this area.
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The connector for the additional fan board is located in the upper left corner of the board. By default, the board has two fan connectors available.
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The sound card is called Supreme FX Impact III. It is attached to the main PCB using a detachable connector; there are a pair of bolts for fixation. On the board itself we find a Realtek ALC1150 chip and a set of decent hardware.
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But the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact power supply board is not removable. It is monolithically soldered to the board using many “cores”.
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To cool the heating elements, a bar-type radiator and a small backplate are used. If desired, they can be dismantled. Contact with the cooling elements occurs using thermal pads, the pressure is uniform.
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Radiator fins are also present. It seems a little toy-like. However, if you take into account the number of phases and, in principle, its presence, the questions disappear. Many analogues on Mini-ITX use three or four phases and those without cooling.
17.02.2016 01:16
How long will the ATX motherboard form factor remain the standard in the tech world? And sooner or later will the innovative Mini-ITX be able to displace the now classic motherboard form from the scene? These questions are unlikely to find an answer right now, because the process of establishing user preferences and developing technology takes more than one decade.
These are exactly the thoughts that come to mind when getting acquainted with the ultra-modern ASUS Maximus VIII Impact motherboard on the Intel Z170 chipset. The Roman numerals in the name of the modification are growing, generations of chipsets and sockets are changing, there is more useful functionality on the PCB, as well as communication connectors.
External features
The working surface of ASUS Maximus VIII Impact has everything you need, albeit in small quantities, because it is a very miniature standard, but at the same time powerful enough to implement a powerful system.
The accents in ASUS Maximus VIII Impact are right in the name: firstly, it is a product from the overclocking ROG series, and secondly, it is a gaming motherboard with all the attendant software and hardware little things. It is in these aspects that it is necessary to look for the positive features of the device under review.
ASUS Maximus VIII Impact can be called a horizontal-vertical board, because not all working elements fit in the standard position. We are talking about a power board with Japanese capacitors, transistors and mosfets for impressive overclocking; as well as the ROG SupremeFX Impact III sound card, which will be useful for gamers for verbal communication.
Two DIMM slots are capable of working with DDR4 RAM at frequencies up to 4133 MHz, although in the long list of supported RAM kits only modules at 4000 MHz with a voltage of 1.4 V were tested for stability (it is very interesting to delve into these variations and notice that the basis The sheets are made up of strips from Corsair and G.Skill; it is the second vendor that produces, perhaps, the best brains in the world).
Real problems can also arise when installing a cooling system on the processor. In our case, we used a completely oversized Cooler Master X Dream P115, so it was limited not only by the RAM, but also by the sound card case. I had to move away by a few millimeters.
ASUS Maximus VIII Impact offers the user several complete bonuses: Fan Extension Card, a board for connecting additional fans (especially important for overclockers and modders), as well as an antenna for receiving a Wi-Fi signal. In our opinion, the second accessory is an absolutely necessary thing. Such a module should be built into boards along with an RJ-45 network port.
Rear panel
The functionality of this part of the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact is no less impressive than the horizontal surface. There are luminous connectors for the sound card and modern USB connectors, as well as graphic HDMI.
Moreover, they do not fit on mainly textolite buttons for turning on/rebooting the system, resetting the BIOS and the POST indicator have migrated to this area (after all, a ROG product cannot exist without it) and absolutely rightfully so. The solution is practical, convenient and completely obvious.
Even the battery, which also failed to fit on horizontal, installed vertically, next to the USB 3.0 ports.
Test stand:
UEFI interface
As usual, there are a lot of settings in the graphic BIOS of the ROG series gaming motherboard from ASUS. First of all, this concerns the Extreme Tweaker tab with overclocking options.
I was especially surprised by the tab with timings and RAM settings - there are countless variations and possibilities. Both the current values and the numbers hardwired into the SPD are written down. Sharing memory on the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact is a real pleasure.
There are even ready-made presets and profiles for memory with settings and configurations, if you have a set from the list at your disposal.
Again, we return to the list of officially supported RAM sets by the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact board (of course, this does not mean that the module/modules outside the list will not function with the motherboard).
Otherwise, all parameters repeat the range of options of full-format motherboards based on the Intel Z170 chipset that we have already visited. There are no more and no less.
Automatic TPU in the second format still overclocks the Intel Core i5-6600K to stable and cold 4400 MHz, although our copy can operate at 4900-5000 GHz without problems (with good cooling).
Overclocking
Manual experiments on overclocking an unlocked processor began with setting the parameters of the Digi+ power subsystem to the Extreme position, as well as increasing the voltage on the core.
The formula of 4800 MHz at 1.385 V turned out to be successful and stable. At 5 GHz, ASUS Maximus VIII Impact did not start at either 1.395 V or 1.410 V.
Note the ease with which ASUS Maximus VIII Impact restores functionality after overclocking or incorrectly set options in UEFI. To do this, you do not need to press or reset anything, just reboot the system and press the Del or F2 key.
SupremeFX sound and Sonic Studio II interface
The evolution of ASUS motherboards occurs year by year, and even after five-year plans and even more so over the decades, an incredible amount of innovation has been added to the seemingly familiar textolite. Even from the outside of the board it is sometimes unrecognizable.
The next stage of development also affected standard sound on ASUS motherboards. We have neglected this aspect for quite a long time, but in the case of ASUS Maximus VIII Impact, we became terribly interested in what the default sound in a gaming motherboard is capable of, given that an external chip is used to implement it, as well as original software.
The three audio connectors on the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact are illuminated in green, red and blue. This is not only an aesthetic effect, but also a practical one - many people are familiar with the situation, even the necessity, in which they have to crawl under the table to communicate headphones/acoustics/microphone with the required connector. It's dark under the table and the connector is small. Now the problem is completely resolved.
So, the sound capabilities of the five-channel ROG SupremeFX Impact III did not surprise us (after all, this is good old Realtek, the driver and OS confirm this). Of course, this is not an antediluvian standard codec, as on classic motherboards with a quiet, rustling and booming sound, but also not an external DAC of the ASUS Xonar level.
When listening to FLAC without software markups It’s quite difficult to feel the difference compared to mp3. The sound picture lacks volume. Low frequencies are good, the sound is loud and moderately clear, but this is not enough. The software interface has a good equalizer, a variety of reverb effects, bass boosters, etc.
In a separate block are located voice settings, and they may just be more useful for gamers than for audiophiles with their favorite uncompressed audio and FLAC format. Don't forget that ASUS Maximus VIII Impact is a gaming motherboard.
As a result, the sound of SupremeFX from ASUS is something between the basic version and an external budget-level DAC, from the same ASUS (only the connector for connecting an external zvukukhi ASUS Maximus VIII Impact does not, but there are also USB sound cards).
Conclusions
ASUS Maximus VIII Impact deserves flattering words, if only because of the weighty functionality that shoved into a miniature PCB. In fact, the capabilities of the reviewed board even exceed some stuffed ATX solutions.
ASUS Maximus VIII Impact is stable, easy to operate, and useful in overclocking experiments. In any top-level PC, especially in an ITX case, this is a welcome guest, albeit expensive (but now everything is expensive). We recommend.
This is not the first time that ASUS has pleased its fans with the release of high-performance motherboards in the Mini-ITX format, thereby not bypassing lovers of powerful, but at the same time very compact systems. Such models can please not only those who want to build an HTPC, but also allow their owner to get the most out of a PC with a powerful processor, a powerful video card, and excellent overclocking capabilities. is just such a device that offers the excellent combination of a compact format, wireless interfaces 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1, a good set of ports and a flagship chipset.
ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT motherboard specification:
|
Manufacturer and model |
|
|
CPU socket |
|
|
Supported processors |
Intel Core i7 / Core i5 / Core i3 / Pentium / Celeron for Socket LGA1151 platform |
|
Memory support |
2 x DIMM slots supporting a maximum of 32 GB of memory with frequencies up to DDR4-4133 MHz |
|
Expansion slots |
1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 |
|
Disk subsystem |
Intel Z170 chipset supports: 4 x SATA 6 Gb/s RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 |
|
1 x Intel WGI219V (10/100/1000 Mbps) |
|
|
802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz) |
|
|
Sound subsystem |
ROG SupremeFX Impact III 6-channel audio card |
|
1 x 24-pin ATX power connector 1 x 8-pin ATX12V power connector |
|
|
Fans |
1 x CPU Fan Header (4-pin) 1 x system fan connector (4-pin) 3 x additional connectors (4-pin) on the Fan Extention Card module |
|
Cooling |
Aluminum heatsink on chipset Aluminum radiator on power subsystem elements |
|
External I/O ports |
1 x USB 3.1 Type-A 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C 3 x audio ports |
|
Internal I/O ports |
1 x USB 3.0 with support for connecting two USB 3.0 |
|
128 Mbit Flash ROM UEFI AMI BIOS PnP, ACPI 5.0, SM BIOS 3.0, DMI 3.0, WfM 2.0 |
|
|
Form factor |
|
|
Manufacturer's website |
Packaging and equipment
The ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT motherboard comes in a cardboard box with a flip-up lid and good information content. On its sides you can find key characteristics and a detailed description of some of the advantages (for example, GameFirst IV, Impact Power III, SupremeFX Impact III and others). Separately noted is the possibility of activating a gift for fans of the game World of Warships: 15 days of premium access and the premium armored cruiser “Diana”.
The delivery package of the tested motherboard is quite consistent with its high level. In addition to the usual software disc, user manual and interface panel cover, in the box we found:
- four SATA cables;
- ASUS Q-Cable, which greatly simplifies the process of connecting the front panel in a compact HTPC case;
- ASUS CPU Installation Tool for quick and correct processor installation;
- ROG SupremeFX Impact III sound card;
- Fan Extention Card module;
- Impact Control III module;
- combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna.
Board design and features
The layout of the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT is very tight due to its small size. The manufacturer even placed the power elements of the processor power subsystem on a separate printed circuit board. This approach made it possible to use an enhanced power supply circuit with eight phases, as well as cover the power elements with a massive radiator with a large heat dissipation area.
On the back of the board with power elements there is a small low-profile radiator, which is not only responsible for cooling the power elements, but also protects it from damage in case of possible contact with the PC case.
Looking at the back of the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT model, you can see the traditional support plate of the processor socket, the screws that secure the heatsink on the chipset, as well as a number of chips that do not fit on the front side printed circuit board.
The possibilities for organizing the disk subsystem are represented by a U.2 connector, as well as four SATA 6 Gb/s ports. There is support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 arrays.
In the lower right corner there is a connection block for an external panel with USB 3.0 ports, a front panel connection connector and a system fan connector. As for USB 3.0 support, the new chipset supports six ports in total: two internal and four on the interface panel.
The ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT motherboard is equipped with two DIMM slots for installing DDR4 RAM modules, which are equipped with latches on only one side for greater convenience. Modules operating at frequencies up to 4133 MHz overclocked are supported. The maximum memory capacity can reach 32 GB, which will be enough for most tasks.
The cooling system of the new product consists of three aluminum radiators: one removes heat from the Intel Z170 chipset, while the other two are responsible for cooling the elements of the processor power subsystem on both sides of the auxiliary printed circuit board.
During testing, the following temperature indicators were recorded:
- chipset cooling radiator - 40.3°C (with overclocking 40.5°C);
- radiator for cooling elements of the processor power subsystem - 46.1°C (with overclocking 46.5°C);
- low-profile radiator for cooling elements of the processor power subsystem - 45.9°C (with overclocking 50.9°C).
The results obtained clearly indicate high operational efficiency installed system cooling, which indicates the correct selection of materials and their design.
The processor is powered using an enhanced 8-phase circuit for computing cores and additional nodes. The converter itself is based on an ASP1405I digital PWM controller with a built-in DIGI+ VRM power management subsystem. All components of the processor power supply are highly reliable: solid-state capacitors and chokes with a ferrite core are used.
The possibilities for expanding the functionality of the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT motherboard are provided by one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot. When considering options for choosing a video card for such a compact gaming system, you should pay attention to one, which has ideal dimensions and fairly high performance.
If you decide to take advantage of the capabilities of the graphics core integrated into the CPU, then you have an HDMI video output at your disposal, which is serviced by the ASMedia ASM1442K chip.
Correct operation of two USB 3.1 ports on the interface panel is ensured by the Intel DSL6540 chip.
Multi I/O capabilities are assigned to the NUVOTON NCT6793D chip, which controls the fans and provides monitoring.
For support network connections The Intel WGI219V gigabit LAN controller is used. And GameFirst IV technology will optimize network traffic.
The audio subsystem of the model in question is implemented in the form of a separate ROG SupremeFX Impact III sound card. A more detailed examination of it indicates the use of high-quality components: a top-end Realtek ALC1150 audio codec, an ESS ES9023P DAC, a TI R4580I amplifier (supports headphones with an impedance of up to 600 Ohms), Japanese Nichicon audio capacitors and even a NEC TOKIN UC2 signal relay. All this promises improved audio playback quality.
The connectors themselves for connecting external acoustics are located on the PCB of the sound card and are equipped with backlighting, which simplifies their identification in the dark.
The interface panel of the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT model includes the following elements:
- 1 x HDMI;
- 1 x RJ45;
- 4 x USB 3.0;
- 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A
- 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C
- 3 x audio ports;
- 2 x connectors for connecting a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna;
- 1 x "Reset CMOS" button;
- 1 x diagnostic LED indicator;
- 1 x Power button;
Undoubtedly, the main advantage of this configuration is its support for dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 4.1. It provides work Wi-Fi networks at speeds up to 867 Mbit/s. Additionally, we note a large number of USB ports (including two high-speed USB 3.1), as well as the presence of an Impact Control III module with a number of control elements.
The cooling capabilities of the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT inside the system case are implemented on the basis of five 4-pin connectors for connecting fans. One of them is used for the CPU cooling system, the second is for the system fan, and three additional connectors are located on the Fan Extention Card module.
UEFI BIOS
The new product being tested uses a modern preloader based on the UEFI graphical interface, in which you can make settings using the mouse. It offers two main usage scenarios: “EZ Mode”, in which all the necessary settings are grouped on one screen, or the usual “Advanced Mode”, where all settings are separated into their own tabs. The functionality of the BIOS will allow you not only to optimally configure the system, but also to overclock key components. And for monitoring you can use the right sidebar, which is displayed in all sections, or a special “Monitor” tab.
Overclocking options
Based on the results of manual overclocking of the processor, by increasing the multiplier to “x46” and the “CPU Load Line Calibration” parameter to 6, its stable operating frequency was 4619 MHz at a voltage of 1.323 V.
Using automatic overclocking capabilities using the bundled utility in “TPU I” mode made it possible to increase the processor frequency to 4500 MHz at a voltage of 1.326 V.
After activating the automatic CPU overclocking function in the “TPU II” mode, its frequency was fixed at 4600 MHz at a voltage of 1.327 V. Note that this mode was enabled through the BIOS, since the overclocking utility was limited at 4270 MHz.
There is also the usual automatic overclocking mode using the EZ Tuning Wizard, to activate which you need to select the usage scenario for your computer: “Daily Computing” or “Gaming/Video Editing”. Next, you should indicate the type of cooling system installed: a complete box cooler, an improved cooling tower, a liquid cooling system, or an option with a question mark for those who are not sure about the type of cooling used. Depending on the combination of the points mentioned above, the optimal (according to the system) automatic overclocking profile will be selected.
Selecting the most extreme items (“Gaming/Video Editing” and “Water cooler”) offers an overclock of 15% for the processor and 0% for RAM. The CPU frequency reached 4630 MHz at 1.315 V.
Separately, we note the possibility of overclocking in the BIOS using preinstalled profiles.
"Gamers"
As you can see, the “Gamers” profile offers overclocking to 4500 MHz at a voltage of 1.322 V.
Test RAM modules with a maximum nominal operating frequency of 2400 MHz were successfully overclocked to DDR4-3600 MHz.
When testing the highest frequency using strips, it was possible to achieve 3866 MHz at a voltage of 1.4 V.
Testing
|
CPU |
Intel Core i7-6700K (Socket LGA1151, 4.0 GHz, L3 8 MB) |
|
Scythe Kama Angle Rev.B |
|
|
RAM |
2 x 8 GB DDR4-2400 HyperX Fury HX424C15FBK2/16 |
|
Video card |
MSI R9 285 GAMING 2G (2GB GDDR5) |
|
Hard drive |
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS (500 GB, SATA 3 Gb/s, NCQ) |
|
Optical drive |
ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA |
|
power unit |
Seasonic X-560 Gold (SS-560KM Active PFC) |
|
CODEGEN M603 Midi Tower (2 x 120mm blower/exhaust fans) |
|
|
Philips Brilliance 240P4QPYNS |
Test results
The demonstrated results indicate a high level of performance quality of the new product. Their achievement was accompanied by the use of good elemental base, relevant functionality and successful optimization of BIOS settings.
Testing the audio path based on the ROG SupremeFX Impact II sound card
Test report in RightMark Audio Analyzer
Operating mode 16-bit, 44.1 kHz
|
Noise level, dB (A) |
Very good |
|
|
Dynamic range, dB (A) |
Very good |
|
|
Harmonic distortion, % |
Very good |
|
|
Very good |
||
|
Intermodulation at 10 kHz, % |
Very good |
|
|
Overall rating |
Very good |
Operating mode 24-bit, 192 kHz
|
Frequency response unevenness (in the range 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB |
||
|
Noise level, dB (A) |
||
|
Dynamic range, dB (A) |
||
|
Harmonic distortion, % |
Very good |
|
|
Harmonic distortion + noise, dB(A) |
||
|
Intermodulation distortion + noise, % |
||
|
Interpenetration of channels, dB |
||
|
Intermodulation at 10 kHz, % |
||
|
Overall rating |
Very good |
The included ROG SupremeFX Impact III sound card demonstrates very good sound quality, which will be more than enough for everyday use.
Conclusions
Motherboard ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT is a very interesting solution for wealthy gamers and overclockers who prefer compact systems. Thanks to the Mini-ITX format and excellent equipment, it will definitely not disappoint the above-mentioned group of users who will find in it good opportunities for organizing a disk subsystem, rich overclocking capabilities, a high-quality sound subsystem, a decent package, stylish design and support for a number of interesting proprietary technologies .
We would also like to highlight the presence of a pre-installed dual-band wireless interface module with support for IEEE 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1 standards, as well as a good set of interface panel ports (including support for two USB 3.1 interfaces and a number of control elements).
As a result, ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT is a very successful compact model that is perfect for almost all use cases, but of course it is of greatest interest for building a gaming PC or overclocking system.
Advantages:
- interesting and stylish design;
- integrated dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1 module;
- U.2 interface support;
- good delivery set;
- ROG SupremeFX Impact III discrete sound card with support for Sonic Studio II technology;
- good capabilities for automatic and manual acceleration;
- good layout of the interface panel;
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One of the most popular families of motherboards for LGA1151 processors, ASUS Maximus VIII, continues to grow. On the pages of our website you could already read a review of ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger, and in stores, in addition to this board, you can find other representatives of the same series for enthusiasts: Maximus VIII Gene, Maximus VIII Hero and Maximus VIII Extreme. But among the Maximus VIII boards there are not only ordinary sophisticated motherboards for creating large, high-performance personal computers on Skylake processors. It also introduced the stand-out solution Maximus VIII Impact, which, unlike other related motherboards, offers to pack computing power, overclocking and gaming functions into a small Mini-ITX form factor.
In fact, Mini-ITX boards released under the auspices of the Republic of Gamers brand are not such news; similar solutions have been released before for LGA1150 processors. However, the case of Maximus VIII Impact is special. The fact is that the Haswell generation processors had an integrated power regulator, and therefore it was quite possible to get by with relatively simple power supply circuits, which made it possible to stuff the board with advanced characteristics without going beyond the Mini-ITX format. With the advent of Skylake processors, this has become much more difficult - now a high-quality LGA1151 motherboard must first of all have powerful power circuits, and they eat up precious space on the PCB. But ASUS engineers answered this challenge with honor, and as a result, Maximus VIII Impact was not inferior to its predecessors, Maximus VII Impact and Maximus VI Impact, in terms of the richness of its capabilities.
On the other hand, ASUS engineers followed the already beaten path. Some Maximus VIII Impact circuits have been transferred to daughterboards, of which there are now five. In the orthogonal plane of the main board were the processor and memory power circuits, the proprietary SupremeFX Impact III sound card, an 802.11ac wireless network controller with MU-MIMO support, and the Impact Control III functional block, which combines a POST controller and hardware capabilities for overclocking. As a result, if you close your eyes to the size, the Maximus VIII Impact turns out to be a completely typical platform of the Republic of Gamers class: in terms of its equipment, it surpasses many full-size mid-level motherboards and, on a par with other boards of the Maximus VIII series, looks quite on equal terms.
⇡ Technical specifications
Despite its size, ASUS Maximus VIII Impact is a fully-fledged board for Skylake processors, based on the flagship Intel Z170 chipset. It supports a full set of LGA1151-CPUs, including overclocking models, and is focused on using high-speed DDR4 SDRAM. In addition, systems based on Maximus VIII Impact can be equipped with a high-speed video card with a single-slot or even a dual-slot cooling system.
That is, ASUS Maximus VIII Impact absolutely deservedly got into the Republic of Gamers class of products. Although due to its size there was no room for a wide variety of expansion slots and ports, in many other features it surpasses even the Maximus VIII Hero, coming very close to the older Maximus VIII Extreme. Judge for yourself: the board in question has newfangled USB 3.1 ports of types A and C working through the Intel Alpine Ridge controller, a very rare U.2 port is implemented, there is a wireless network adapter and a high-quality sound card.
Actually, this also affected the price. The recommended price for ASUS Maximus VIII Impact is set at $250, which means we are dealing with one of the most expensive motherboards for Skylake. Accordingly, and target audience its customers are not mass buyers, but enthusiasts who want to make something special out of their PC. Special, but compact.
| ASUS Maximus VIII Impact | |
|---|---|
| CPU |
Sixth generation Intel Core i7/Core i5/Core i3/Pentium/Celeron processors in LGA1151 (Skylake-S). |
| Chipset |
Intel Z170 Express |
| Memory subsystem |
2 × DIMM DDR4 unbuffered memory without ECC support Dual-channel memory architecture; Maximum memory capacity 32 GB; Support 4133(O.C.) /4000(O.C.) /3866(O.C.) /3800(O.C.) /3733(O.C.) /3600(O.C.) /3500(O.C.) /3466(O.C.) /3400(O.C.) /3333(O.C.) /3300(O.C.) /3200(O.C.) /3000(O.C.) /2800(O.C.) /2666(O.C.) /2400(O.C.) /2133 MHz; Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) support |
| Multi-GPU technology support |
No |
| Expansion slots |
1 × PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (operating mode: x16) |
| VGA |
Support for Intel HD Graphics integrated into processors; HDMI 1.4b output supporting resolutions up to 4096x2160@24 Hz |
| Drive interfaces |
Intel Z170 Express Chipset: 1 × U.2; 4 × SATA 6 Gb/s; Supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 and Intel Rapid Storage Technology 14 |
| Local network |
Intel I219V, 1 × Gigabit LAN controller; GameFirst technology |
| Wireless technologies |
Wi-Fi controller 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Support for 2.4/5 GHz bands; MU-MIMO support; Bluetooth V4.1 support |
| Audio subsystem |
ROG SupremeFX Impact III 5.1 CH HD Audio Codec: Supports detection of the type of connected device, multi-stream playback, reassignment of front audio panel connectors; SupremeFX Shielding Technology; ESS ES9023P DAC; TI RC4580 2VRMS audio OP AMP(s); Audio technologies: gold-plated analog connectors, DTS Connect, Optical S/PDIF output, Sonic SenseAmp, Sonic Studio II, Sonic Radar II. |
| USB interface |
Intel Z170 Express Chipset: 6 × USB 3.0/2.0 ports (4 ports are connected to the corresponding connector on the motherboard, 2 ports are connected to back panel); Intel USB 3.1 Controller: 1 × USB 3.1/3.0/2.0 port (Type A, rear); 1 × USB 3.1/3.0/2.0 port (Type C, on the rear panel). |
| Internal connectors and buttons on the system board |
1 × U.2 port; 1× needle connector USB 3.0 with support for 2 USB 3.0 ports; 4 × SATA 6Gb/s ports; 1 × CPU Fan connector (4-pin); 1 × Chassis Fan connector (4-pin); 1 × 24-pin EATX Power connector; 1 × 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector; 1 × Front panel audio connector (AAFP); 1 × ProbeIt Measurement Points; 1 × Thermal sensor connector; 1 × 5-pin EXT_FAN (Extension Fan) connector; 1 × LN2 Mode jumper; 1 × SupremeFX Impact II connector; 1 × Slow Mode jumper; 1 × SupremeFX Impact III connector; 1 × M.2 connector with pre-installed Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module; 1 × System panel connector |
| Connectors and buttons on the rear panel |
1 × HDMI; 1 × LAN port (RJ-45); 1 × USB 3.1 (black) Type-C; 1 × USB 3.1 (red) Type-A; 4 × USB 3.0 (blue); 1 × Optical S/PDIF output; 3 × Audio jack; 1 × Clear CMOS button; 2 × antennas Wi-Fi connectors; 1 × USB BIOS Flashback button; 1 × Q-Code LED; 1 × Start button; 1 × Reset button |
| BIOS |
1 × 128 Mbit AMI UEFI BIOS with graphical shell |
| ROG Exclusive Features |
Slow Mode; ROG RAMCache; Overwolf; SupremeFX Impact III; Start Button; Reset Button; LN2 Mode; Mem TweakIt; ProbeIt; KeyBot II; UEFI BIOS features: O.C. Profile, GPU.DIMM Post, Tweakers" Paradise, ROG SSD Secure Erase, Graphic Card Information Preview, ROG RAMDisk, Extreme Tweaker |
| Proprietary features and technologies |
OC Design - ASUS PRO Clock Technology: full control and management of BCLK; 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5 (TPU, EPU, DIGI+ Power Control, Fan Xpert 3 and Turbo App) ASUS Wi-Fi GO! Exclusive ASUS features: MemOK!, AI Suite 3, Ai Charger+, USB 3.1 Boost, Disk Unlocker, Mobo Connect, PC Cleaner; ASUS EZ DIY: ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3, ASUS EZ Flash 3, ASUS USB BIOS Flashback, Push Notice; ASUS Q-Design: ASUS Q-Shield, ASUS Q-Code, ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED), ASUS Q-Slot, ASUS Q-DIMM; Overclocking Protection: ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall). |
| Form factor, dimensions (mm) |
Mini-ITX, 170 × 170 mm |
An excellent illustration of the work done by ASUS engineers is the board layout diagram. Notice how closely all the main components are placed on it: such a density of connectors and microcircuits is impossible to see on conventional boards.
However, in the design of Maximus VIII Impact, engineers tried to make do with a minimum number of additional controllers. To the usual set of chips (system logic, network, sound), the engineers added only a USB 3.1 controller and chips that implement various proprietary technologies. Moreover, some of the chips are not on the main board, but on daughter cards.
⇡ Packaging and accessories
ASUS Maximus VIII Impact comes in a box whose color design is very similar to the packaging of other Republic of Gamers boards, but at the same time it is very surprising in its size. Nevertheless, the small box perfectly fits both the motherboard and a rich set of additional accessories, which are placed under the board in a separate compartment.
Traditionally, the surfaces of the box are decorated in a very informative way. On the reverse side there is a list of the board's specifications, and under the hinged cover you can read a lot of interesting information about the proprietary technologies SupremeFX Impact III, Impact Power III, GameFirst, LANGuard, KeyBot II, about the bundled programs RAMCache and Overwolf, and about the network capabilities the board provides.
The list of accessories supplied with the board is quite surprising in its length. By purchasing ASUS Maximus VIII Impact, in addition to it you will receive:
- user manual and driver disk;
- plug for the rear wall of the case (I/O shield);
- set of four SATA III cables;
- a set of stickers for marking cables inside the case;
- three round stickers with the ASUS ROG logo and an ASUS ROG sticker for the front panel of the case;
- splitter cable to simplify the connection of buttons and LEDs of the case;
- plastic cover on CPU processor Installation tool;
- dual-band 2T2R WiFi antenna;
- additional temperature sensor on a flexible cable;
- a daughterboard FAN extension card for connecting additional fans to the board.
The package package for a small board is very rich. We should also pay attention to the presence of a FAN extension card in the kit - a daughter board that allows you to connect three additional controllable fans and three additional thermal sensors. It must be said that without this daughterboard, ASUS Maximus VIII Impact would have only a couple of fan connectors, but the FAN extension card solves this problem and makes it possible to create quite sophisticated cooling systems.
⇡ Design and features
Externally, ASUS Maximus VIII Impact is made in the spirit of the new style of the ROG series - its design uses a black and gray color scheme interspersed with silver and red elements. As a result, the board is beautiful and recognizable in its own way.
We usually praise the full-size representatives of the Maximus VIII series not only for their spectacular appearance, but also for their competent layout, which provides a certain level of comfort when working with the board. However, with Mini-ITX things are not so simple. On motherboards of this format it is usually possible to place a strictly limited set of expansion slots. And Maximus VIII Impact is equipped with only a single PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot, which is designed for installing a graphics card. No other options for expanding the functionality of Maximus VIII Impact are expected - instead, ASUS paid a lot of attention to ensuring that the maximum necessary was immediately integrated on the motherboard itself.
But even despite the fact that Maximus VIII Impact does not have any additional slots other than PCI Express 3.0 x16, it cannot boast of a convenient and spacious layout. The developers clearly tried to make Maximus VIII Impact appeal to enthusiasts even at the computer assembly stage, but this was only partially achieved. For example, the LGA1151 socket is moved to the center on it so that massive coolers can be installed on the processor. But it didn't really help much. Everything is spoiled by the daughterboards, which locked the processor socket in a kind of “vice,” leaving only 10 cm of free space on the LGA1151 and its surroundings. As a result, only coolers with a 90 mm fan are guaranteed to fit on the Maximus VIII Impact.
It is also impossible to install a massive tower cooler on the board by rotating it 90 degrees, perpendicular to the DIMM slots. They are also moved too close to the processor socket. Therefore, it would be most correct to use liquid cooling with the Maximus VIII Impact, even if it is a closed type. However, exceptions are still possible. For example, the legendary Noctua NH-D15, provided that low memory modules are used, still fits on the Maximus VIII Impact.
By the way, when installing the cooling system, and indeed the board itself in the case, you should keep in mind that on its back there are a large number of various surface-mounted electronic components, which are easy to damage.
However, you shouldn’t think that Maximus VIII Impact becomes bad because of all of the above. Not at all, because these are forced sacrifices that the developers had to make in order to turn the Mini-ITX board into a high-performance and feature-rich platform. To be convinced of this, just look at what tasks on Maximus VIII Impact are solved by additional daughter cards.
For example, the Impact Power III power circuit did not fit on the board itself and was partially located on a daughter card hard-soldered to the motherboard for a reason, but because of its complexity caused by the developers’ desire to improve power quality. The digital circuit used includes an eight-phase (six phases on the CPU, two on the integrated GPU) processor power converter and a two-phase memory power converter. It is assembled from the usual high-quality elements for large Maximus VIII series boards: packaged inductors with a fine alloy core, IR3553 PowlRStage assemblies consisting of a driver, two MOS transistors and a Schottky diode, and Japanese solid-state capacitors with an extended service life. Moreover, each phase of the processor power converter is designed for currents up to 40 A, and for memory - up to 25 A. Heat from the Impact Power III daughterboard is removed by a low radiator and a heat dissipation plate, between which it is sandwiched. Heat-conducting rubber is used as a thermal interface.
It is worth noting that for additional control of the operation of power circuits on the Maximus VIII Impact there are dedicated points for measuring voltages with a multimeter. True, access to them is only possible if you remove the daughter card with the analog part of the audio path from the board - they are hidden exactly under it.
All this adds up to make the Maximus VIII Impact power supply clearly no worse than on the larger Maximus VIII series boards. Moreover, the developers of the flagship Mini-ITX board paid special attention to the memory power supply. There are only two slots for installing DDR4 DIMMs on the Maximus VIII Impact, but they can support modules with frequencies up to DDR4-4133, which ASUS proudly announces in the specifications. Only the oldest Maximus VIII Extreme can boast of equally wide compatibility with overclocking DDR4.
The analog part of the audio path is also placed on a separate daughterboard on the Maximus VIII Impact. This board is called SupremeFX Impact III, and is connected to the motherboard via a proprietary connector. In other words, if you don’t need analog sound, then this board can be removed, but you still won’t be able to install something else instead.
If we talk about the SupremeFX Impact III device, then its implementation in the form of a separate card is not accidental. Like any other ROG series motherboard, the sound circuit on the Maximus VIII Impact has a special design, and it was simply impossible to place it on a Mini-ITX board. SupremeFX Impact III is an analog circuit built on the eight-channel Realtek ALC1150 codec, which uses an additional ESS Saber ES9023P DAC, a TI RC4580 amplifier, a separate amplifier for correct impedance adjustment for headphones, a dedicated frequency generator, a NEC “quiet” relay and special electrolytic Nichicon capacitors. All this allows for good analog sound quality and compatibility with high-impedance headphones. The SupremeFX Impact III board is completely protected from electromagnetic interference by a shielding casing.
SupremeFX Impact III also has a completely unique property. It displays three analog audio connectors on the rear panel of the board, which are illuminated from the inside with LEDs of different colors, which, according to the designers of the board, should simplify the search for the right socket when connecting any devices to them.
The third daughter card, the FAN Extension card, gives the Maximus VIII Impact advanced capabilities for hardware monitoring and fan control. The fact is that on the board itself, like most Mini-ITX alternatives, there are only two connectors for connecting fans and three temperature control points. The FAN Extension card adds to this list three additional connectors for connecting fans and three connectors for connecting thermal sensors. Moreover, all these connectors are perfectly integrated into general scheme hardware monitoring. In particular, fan speeds are not only monitored, but also controlled depending on the readings of temperature sensors.
The convenience of the FAN Extension card also lies in the fact that this card is not strictly tied to any location on the motherboard. It is connected to it with a flexible cable and can be placed in any location on the case. By the way, given the rich capabilities of Maximus VIII Impact in terms of temperature control, special thanks must be said to the designers for the fact that inside the processor socket on the board there is a through hole that makes it easy to place one of the additional thermal sensors directly under the belly of the CPU.
Two more additional daughter cards, which are equipped with Maximus VIII Impact, are easy to spot when looking at the back panel of the board. First is the Qualcomm Atheros QCNFA34AC wireless adapter based on the Rivet Networks Killer Wireless-AC 1525 controller. This board supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless standards and both 2.4/5 GHz bands, providing data transfer speeds up to 867 Mbit/s. But the wireless adapter is especially interesting because it is installed in a specially dedicated M.2 slot with one PCI Express line connected to it and a USB 3.0 port (yes, the M.2 standard allows such use).
Secondly, the Impact Control III card has claimed a significant space on the rear panel, thanks to which Maximus VIII Impact becomes not just a compact platform with rich capabilities, but a well-equipped testing ground for all kinds of overclocking experiments. Impact Control III displays a POST code indicator and four hardware buttons on the rear panel of the board: Start, Reset, Clear CMOS and BIOS FlashBack. Along the way, it is also worth noting the presence on the board in question of jumpers necessary for experiments using liquid nitrogen: Slow Mode and LN2 Mode.
In other words, Maximus VIII Impact is not part of the ROG series on formal grounds. This is not just a fancy board, but a solution suitable for serious overclocking applications. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that, among other things, the Maximus VIII Impact has a place for proprietary Asus TPU and iROG controllers, which are responsible for most of the functions that make the boards of this series so convenient for overclockers - for voltage management and monitoring.
That the Maximus VIII Impact is unlike any other Mini-ITX motherboard is reflected not only in its advanced features that enthusiasts demand. While compact boards usually suggest that the system based on them will most likely be content with an integrated graphics core, Maximus VIII Impact promotes the completely opposite concept. The set of monitor outputs on this board includes only a single HDMI 1.4b port, that is, only one monitor can be connected to the GPU integrated into the processor, and without support for 4K@60 Hz resolution. Accordingly, Maximus VIII Impact is a board for working primarily with external video card, installed in the PCIe 3.0 x16 slot available on it. This slot, by the way, is prudently extended to the edge of the board, so there should be no problems installing video cards with a large cooling system into it.
The lack of other monitor pins can be attributed to the fact that the outputs and buttons of the Impact Control III, SupremeFX Impact III daughterboards and the Wi-Fi adapter take up a lot of space. When choosing between DVI or DisplayPort and USB ports, ASUS engineers preferred the latter. Therefore, on the rear panel there are four USB port 3.0 (blue) and two USB 3.1 ports (red), designed as connectors different types- Type A and Type C. USB ports 3.0 work through the chipset, and USB 3.1 is implemented using an additional Intel Alpine Ridge controller.
By the way, thanks to the Intel controller, the USB 3.1 ports on Maximus VIII Impact work better than on other boards that use the ASMedia ASM1142 chip: they can achieve a maximum throughput of 10 Mbit/s even when used simultaneously. The USB 3.0 ports on the rear panel of the board, by the way, are also not simple. One of them supports the USB FlashBack function, which allows you to update the BIOS firmware without installing a processor and memory on the board, and another one is enhanced by an additional KeyBot controller, which expands the functionality of the keyboard connected to it by adding support for macros.
In addition to the already mentioned list of ports, on the rear panel of the board you can also find an optical S/P-DIF output and the same gigabit wired network interface. It works through Intel's I219-V controller, enhanced by GameFirst software, which provides traffic shaping with high priority given to game packets. It should be noted that there are no PS/2 ports for a mouse or keyboard on the board in question, despite the fact that it is a model aimed at gamers.
Since ASUS Maximus VIII Impact is still a compact motherboard, large quantity There are no additional controllers, like on older models of boards in the Maximus VIII line, and there cannot be - there was simply no place for them. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the Maximus VIII Impact has only one pin connector to enable a pair of additional USB 3.0 ports, and the number of SATA ports is limited to only four pieces. But, despite the reduced number of SATA ports, they all support the creation of RAID levels 0, 1, 5 and 10.
Unfortunately, there is no M.2 slot on the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact - but it obviously wouldn’t hurt when assembling a high-performance system. Instead, there is some compensation - a U.2 port with a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface connected to it.
Of course, of the drives that use such a connection, only the Intel SSD 750 is on the market, but theoretically, there are adapters in nature that allow you to convert U.2 to M.2, so it is possible to install a high-performance M.2 SSD like the Samsung 950 Pro in the Maximus VIII Impact still exists.
CPU
Socket LGA1151 Supported processors Intel Core i7/Core i5/Core i3/Pentium Celeron Multi-core processor support There isChipset
Chipset Intel Z170 BIOS AMI EFI support yes SLI/CrossFire support NoMemory
Memory DDR4 DIMM, 2133-4133 MHz Number of memory slots 2 Dual channel support There is Maximum memory capacity 32 GBDisk controllers
IDE no SATA number of SATA 6Gb/s connectors: 4, RAID: 0, 1, 5, 10 based on Intel Z170 Number of U.2 connectors 1Expansion slots
Expansion slots 1xPCI-E x16 PCI Express 2.0 support There is PCI Express 3.0 support There isAudio/video
Sound 5.1CH, HDA, based on SupremeFX Impact IIINet
Ethernet 1000 Mbit/s, based on Intel I219V Wi-Fi 802.11ac Bluetooth yesConnection
Availability of interfaces 8 USB, of which 6 USB 3.0 (4 on the rear panel), 2 USB 3.1 (2 on the rear panel), S/PDIF output, HDMI, Ethernet Rear Connectors 6 USB, of which 4 USB 3.0, optical output, HDMI, Ethernet Main power connector 24-pin CPU power connector 8-pin Cooling system type passiveAdditional options
Form factor mini-ITX Contents cover for the rear ports of the case, 4 SATA cables, CPU installation tool, removable Wi-Fi antennas, board with additional fans, set of screws for the board, ROG cable marks, 5-pin->5-pin cablePlease check before purchasing technical specifications and equipment from the seller