Touted as the Intel Z490 motherboard for water-cooling enthusiasts, Formula is loaded with a myriad of features and tools for tech enthusiasts who want to get the most out of the 10900K.
Product on Review: Maximus XII Formula
Manufacturer: ASUS Republic of Gamers
Street Price: GBP £499 | USD $500 | AUD $999
In the aftermath of the Intel 10th Gen. launch, we’re left with a multitude of Intel Z490 motherboards to review and next up we have a rather special model from the ASUS Republic of Gamers team. ROG are well known for breaking convention and bringing to market specialist products for niches.
The Maximus lineup is now in its 12th instalment and carries with it the Hero, Apex, Formula and Extreme models – all of which host the new Intel Z490 chipset. Each of the motherboards within this series offer something slightly different – but being in the upper echelon of this division, all are most definitely regarded as high-end offerings.
In the spotlight today is the Maximus XII Formula. This motherboard has been designed exclusively with water-cooling enthusiasts in mind and includes a collaboration between ROG and EK Waterblocks. Integrated, there we have the EK Crosschill III cooling configuration and an assortment of water-centric features such as flow-rate headers.
Will this new motherboard ascend to the top of the Intel Z490 leaderboard? Let’s find out!
ASUS ROG on the Maximus XII Series
ROG Maximus XII series motherboards are designed to explore the upper echelons of gaming and overclocking. The Formula is plumbed for custom liquid cooling and includes other enhancements to punctuate premium systems. The CrossChill EK III VRM block, co-developed with EK Water Blocks, help cope with higher VRM loads associated with Intel Comet Lake CPUs. Aesthetically, Maximus XII Formula has a stealthy black finish with intricate patterns cut into its reflective armor. The latest-generation Formula is all set to make your showcase rig shine.
Technical Specifications
Below are the technical specifications concerning the Formula:
Processor
Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core™ and Pentium® Gold /Celeron® processors for LGA 1200 socket
Chipset
Intel® Z490 Chipset
Memory
4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB1
Supports 1R 2133/2666/2933 MHz
1DPC 1R Max speed up to 4800+ MHz
1DPC 2R Max speed up to 4266+ MHz
2DPC 1R Max speed up to 4400+ MHz
2DPC 2R Max speed up to 4000+ MHz
Supports Dual-Channel mode
Supports non-ECC mode, un-buffered memory
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion Slots
3x PCIe 3.0x 16 slots – Modes: x16, x8, x4 (2 from CPU, 1 from PCH)
2x PCIe x1 slots (from PCH)
Multi-GPU
Supports 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology
Supports 3-Way AMD® CrossFire™ Technology
Storage
Intel® Z490 Chipset
6x SATA 6Gb/s ports1
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280/22110
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280
Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology for Intel Core™ processors
USB
Rear USB Port ( Total 10 )
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port(s)(3 x Type-A + USB Type-CTM)
6 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)(6 x Type-A)
Front USB Port ( Total 9 )
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel connector port(s)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)
4 x USB 2.0 port(s)
Audio
ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC S1220
– Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs
– Supports : Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking, up to 24-Bit/192kHz playback
– High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input
– Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback
Audio Feature :
– SupremeFX Shielding™ Technology
– Gold-plated jacks
– Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
– Premium Japanese audio capacitors
– Audio Cover
LAN
1x Intel® I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet
1x Marvell® AQtion AQC107 10Gb Ethernet
ASUS LANGuard
WiFi & Bluetooth
Intel® AX201
Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, MU-MINO Rx, 2.4GHz-5GHz (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps
WiFi 6 Pre-Certified
Supports Bluetooth® 5.1 , FIPS, FISMA
Internal connectors
1 x CPU Fan connector(s)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)
3 x Chassis Fan connector(s)
1 x AIO_PUMP connector
1 x H_AMP fan connector
1 x W_PUMP+ connector
1 x W_IN header
2 x W_OUT header
3 x W_FLOW header
1 x AAFP connector
2 x Aura RGB Strip Headers
2 x Addressable Gen 2 header(s)
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1(up to 5Gbps) connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
3 x M.2 Socket 3
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x Thunderbolt header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
1 x ReTry button
1 x System panel connector
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel connector
1 x Speaker connector
1 x Start button
1 x FlexKey button
Back panel ports
1 x Intel® I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet
1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2
6 x USB 3.2 Gen 1
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
1 x USB BIOS FlashBack™ Button(s)
1 x ASUS Wi-Fi Module
5 x Gold-plated audio jacks
1 x Aquantia AQC-107 10G LAN port
Dimensions
12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
ATX Form Factor
Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core™ and Pentium® Gold /Celeron® processors for LGA 1200 socket
Chipset
Intel® Z490 Chipset
Memory
4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB1
Supports 1R 2133/2666/2933 MHz
1DPC 1R Max speed up to 4800+ MHz
1DPC 2R Max speed up to 4266+ MHz
2DPC 1R Max speed up to 4400+ MHz
2DPC 2R Max speed up to 4000+ MHz
Supports Dual-Channel mode
Supports non-ECC mode, un-buffered memory
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion Slots
3x PCIe 3.0x 16 slots – Modes: x16, x8, x4 (2 from CPU, 1 from PCH)
2x PCIe x1 slots (from PCH)
Multi-GPU
Supports 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology
Supports 3-Way AMD® CrossFire™ Technology
Storage
Intel® Z490 Chipset
6x SATA 6Gb/s ports1
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280/22110
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280
Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology for Intel Core™ processors
USB
Rear USB Port ( Total 10 )
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port(s)(3 x Type-A + USB Type-CTM)
6 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)(6 x Type-A)
Front USB Port ( Total 9 )
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel connector port(s)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)
4 x USB 2.0 port(s)
Audio
ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC S1220
– Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs
– Supports : Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking, up to 24-Bit/192kHz playback
– High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input
– Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback
Audio Feature :
– SupremeFX Shielding™ Technology
– Gold-plated jacks
– Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
– Premium Japanese audio capacitors
– Audio Cover
LAN
1x Intel® I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet
1x Marvell® AQtion AQC107 10Gb Ethernet
ASUS LANGuard
WiFi & Bluetooth
Intel® AX201
Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, MU-MINO Rx, 2.4GHz-5GHz (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps
WiFi 6 Pre-Certified
Supports Bluetooth® 5.1 , FIPS, FISMA
Internal connectors
1 x CPU Fan connector(s)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)
3 x Chassis Fan connector(s)
1 x AIO_PUMP connector
1 x H_AMP fan connector
1 x W_PUMP+ connector
1 x W_IN header
2 x W_OUT header
3 x W_FLOW header
1 x AAFP connector
2 x Aura RGB Strip Headers
2 x Addressable Gen 2 header(s)
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1(up to 5Gbps) connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
3 x M.2 Socket 3
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x Thunderbolt header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
1 x ReTry button
1 x System panel connector
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel connector
1 x Speaker connector
1 x Start button
1 x FlexKey button
Back panel ports
1 x Intel® I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet
1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2
6 x USB 3.2 Gen 1
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
1 x USB BIOS FlashBack™ Button(s)
1 x ASUS Wi-Fi Module
5 x Gold-plated audio jacks
1 x Aquantia AQC-107 10G LAN port
Dimensions
12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
ATX Form Factor
Video: Unboxing – Overview – Review
For this motherboard review we’ve produced a video which provides you with the unboxing experience, a highly detailed overview of the board revealing all the features with a verdict. Check out the video review here or watch below:
Test Setup & Methodology
Notes: We’ve revamped our benchmark regime by removing a number of tests which reveal little, to no difference between each motherboard model. Gaming performance is one such area which has been removed due to the inability for each motherboard to offer any advantage over another. Instead, we have focussed on meaningful/tangible analysis which examines the VRM/chipset design, and the storage performance which will be far more informative to the end user.
TEST SETUP
CPU Intel Core i9-10900KCooling: Corsair Hydro Series H110i
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula
Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000MHz
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 480
Storage: Intel S3500 128GB SATA SSD + Samsung 960 Pro 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD
PSU: Corsair HX1050 80 Plus Gold Certified PSU
Monitor: AOC U2879VF
BENCHMARKS
PCMark 10 – Overall Extended ScoreSiSoftware SANDRA – SATA/PCIe Storage Tests
SiSoftware SANDRA – Processor Image Processing
OTHER SOFTWARE
Temperature Analysis: HWMonitorStress Testing Software: AIDA64 Stability Test
CPU Specification Monitoring: CPU-Z
Benchmarks: Power Consumption
In this first test we analyse the power efficiency from the wall for each motherboard (Minus the GPU). While each model uses the same chipset/platform, energy results can fluctuate between manufacturers due to the features and specifications that are integrated. First of all, for the idle tests the system is cold booted into Windows and no additional applications are executed – wattage is noted on the external energy monitor we use and then we open Aida64 stability test and execute a stress test, noting the highest reading on the monitor. Below are the results of this energy test.
Benchmarks: VRM & Chipset Cooling
Each motherboard manufacturer designs their board with a unique set of heatsinks to cover key areas like the VRM/mosfets and the chipset itself. In these test we use HWMonitor to identify the minimum values for VRM and chipset and then we load up Aida64 stability test again and perform a 20 minute run, recording the maximum value for both attributes.
Benchmarks: PCMark 10
PCMark 10 features a comprehensive set of tests that cover the wide variety of tasks performed in the modern workplace. With a range of performance tests, custom run options, and the new Battery Life Profile, PCMark 10 is the complete PC benchmark for the modern office.
Benchmarks: SATA Performance
In order to ascertain the SATA performance for our motherboards we use SiSoftware SANDRA and the File System Bandwidth performance test. This allows us to obtain the sequential read/write transfer rates for the drive being tested – Intel S3500 128GB SSD.
Benchmarks: PCIe M.2 Performance
In order to ascertain the PCIe M.2 performance for our motherboards we use SiSoftware SANDRA and the File System Bandwidth performance test. This allows us to obtain the sequential read/write transfer rates for the drive being tested – Samsung 960 Pro 512GB.
Benchmarks: CPU Image Processing
AIDA64 Product PageIn our last test we observe the Image Processing performance from the CPU attached to the motherboard. For this we use SiSoftware SANDRA and the benchmark specifically designed for measuring the common algorithms associated with processing imagery.
Overclocking
For the overclocking phase, we already know that our CPU (Intel Core i9-10900K) is capable of having all cores operate at 5.3GHz so this is the target which we aimed for with Formula.
Surprisingly, no amount of voltage allowed us to ascend all the way to 5.3GHz. Instead, we settled for 5.2GHz. However, there is a silver lining – we only required 1.2v to achieve such a CPU ratio. This in turn presented us with more than acceptable temperatures. So for the sake of just 100MHz, instead, Formula is able to offer up a much better alternative in that it is the only board to allow such a low CPU voltage, which may well be preferable.
Conclusion
There is no getting away from the fact that Formula is a high-end model designed for specifically for the tech enthusiast that demands the absolute best. However, it also goes one step further than this and branches out to satisfy the needs of avid water-coolers too – the very nature of this motherboard and its collaboration with EK Waterblocks reinforces its placement and intended audience.
Aesthetics have moved up a notch with this latest generation of the Maximus line, opting for highly reflective covers, engaging RGB lighting and aggressive MOSFET heatsinks. If you already have other ROG hardware then this motherboard will be the ideal element that ties everything together.
Formula is certainly feature-rich. Some of the extra features may not be required by many, but it steps above the rest and offers features like 10G Ethernet, Livedash OLED display panel, diagnostic tools – Q-Code and Debug LED, and of course the water-centric features which include a water flow rate header for tachometer, water in/out sensor and the headliner, the Crosschill EK III system.
There are however a few things which are noteworthy. While we do get plenty of USB 3.2 Gen1/2 ports, on a motherboard costing this much we expect to see USB 3.2 Gen2x2, we also expect to see a Thunderbolt 3 port, or at the very least a Thunderbolt 3 adapter (since there is a provided header on the motherboard).
As anticipated, Formula provides some great results when we applied our benchmarks. The cooling design for both the VRM and chipset configurations is one of the strongest we’ve encountered, with figures barely fluctuating. Overall, this board is a great performer – though we did experience some lower figures in our PCIe storage analysis.
Although we weren’t quite able to hit 5.3GHz on all cores of our Intel Core i9-10900K, we did achieve 5.2GHz. Furthermore, a nominal supply of CPU voltage was required for this – just 1.2v. Such low voltage meant that temperatures are significantly lower than other boards we’ve tested. This is a commendable achievement and is certainly very impressive.
Pricing for Formula is not for the faint hearted, it is listed at: GBP £499 | USD $500 | AUD $999. Granted, this is a specialised motherboard, intended for water cooling enthusiasts, we still feel this is a big asking price. (Double the cost of the first Formula, with a similar array of features!) If you are the type of enthusiast/gamer who may not need such water cooling features then the Maximus XII Hero is another cheaper option without the water cooling attributes.
Maximus XII Formula is jam-packed with features and is quite obviously water-centric. If you plan to go down this route with cooling then it’s a fantastic option for Intel’s 10th Gen.
Pros
+ Distinct styling
+ Equipped with plenty of RGB lighting
+ Arrives with water-cooling features
+ Offers great performance
+ Offers plenty of USB 3.2 Gen1/2 on back panel
+ Great selection of fan headers/sensors
+ Can achieve brilliant overclocking results
+ Has future support for PCIe 4.0
+ Uses strengthened PCI Express/memory slots
+ Benefits from a protective backplate
+ Offers triple M.2 slots
+ VRM/chipset cooling is very good
Cons
– No Thunderbolt port or included adapter
– High-end board should have USB 3.2 Gen2x2
– Expensive!
+ Distinct styling
+ Equipped with plenty of RGB lighting
+ Arrives with water-cooling features
+ Offers great performance
+ Offers plenty of USB 3.2 Gen1/2 on back panel
+ Great selection of fan headers/sensors
+ Can achieve brilliant overclocking results
+ Has future support for PCIe 4.0
+ Uses strengthened PCI Express/memory slots
+ Benefits from a protective backplate
+ Offers triple M.2 slots
+ VRM/chipset cooling is very good
Cons
– No Thunderbolt port or included adapter
– High-end board should have USB 3.2 Gen2x2
– Expensive!
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