The recent arrival of the Sandy Bridge desktop from Intel has meant that there are blisteringly fast speeds to be had. And when I say fast, I mean FAST. Reviews of the Intel Core i5-2500K and the Intel Core i7-2600K have been really positive and overall, everyone is impressed with how quick they are.
So, here you are, almost a month after Christmas and you discovered one of these beautiful babies under the Christmas tree. You’ve looked at it, stroked it, maybe even talked to it a little (technology is like plants – it needs love), but you haven’t quite decided how you’re going to use it yet.
Well, obviously you’ve decided how, what I mean is, what motherboard are you planning to use it with?
ASUS have launched the Maximus IV Extreme in the Republic of Gamers (RoG) range and it is packed with the right features and factors to make the most out of Intel’s new architecture.
Based on the new Intel P67 chipset, the Maximus IV Extreme RoG has so many features you’d expect it to be the heaviest thing on the planet. You get eight USB 3.0 ports, the delightfully styled overlocking extras that make geeks drool with delight, and has produced some impressive results.
Check out the second page of this review on TechRadar to see how well the Maximus IV Extreme performs.
Other features that are definitely worth noting are the EFI firmware that’s easily navigable with a mouse, RoG Connect (which I’ve spoken about before and really can’t recommend enough for serious overclockers), and GPU TweakIt.
This motherboard is exceptionally fast and has been streamlined to take maximum (geddit?) advantage of the features and architecture of the Sandy Bridge design. The extras are there for aficionados to enjoy but are not essential if you just want a board that rocks without the effort.
While not a bargain basement motherboard, the Maximus IV Extreme is an excellent stepping stone into the Sandy Bridge world. It has enough power, and enough tweaking options, to keep on giving superior performance for years to come.
