ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT Pro Reviews

ASUS ROG Maximus VI Impact is nearer the pinnacle of mini-ITX design than any design previous. By moving features from the motherboard onto vertical daughterboards, more features can be added to make the mini-ITX form factor more ATX-like. It also helps features like audio which benefit from PCB separation. In terms of performance, hardware and software, very few similar sized products come close as long as you do not mind spending top dollar for the privilege. ROG is targeted at gamers, but overclockers have had fun too. There is some margin for improvement, sure, but for gaming LAN and ‘mobile’ desktop builds, the ASUS Maximus VI Impact is a step in the right direction. Equip it with a nice processor, 16GB of DDR3-2133 C9, a video card, and away you go. Every so often, there are products that can go above and beyond the basics to provide something different and innovative. While it feels like I have been handing out awards like candy recently (four out of thirteen products since Haswell launch, which is a lot for my normal high standards), the Impact goes for the high notes with aplomb and deserves a Silver Award, particularly for innovation in software and the mini-ITX form factor.

There's no getting away from the fact that the Maximus VI Impact is pricey, however the cash you'll splash is, in all honesty, the only bad thing about this motherboard. It looks stunning, is dripping with features, is fast at stock speed and when overclocked, and is one of a select few mini-ITX motherboards to have been given the full-cover waterblock treatment too. In addition, it also sports a decent sound card, going some way to appeasing the lack of expansion slots. MSI's Z87I overclocked our CPU nearly as far and costs a substantial £70 less - enough to buy a Bit Fenix Prodigy - so clearly there are other options if you can't justify the outlay or are keen to keep your mini-ITX gaming rig to a tight budget. However, given how much extra you get for that £70, the Impact is unquestionably a highly desirable bit of kit that's not totally lost on value either.

You’ll pay handsomely--but not too handsomely--for the privilege of owning one of these motherboards. The Formula costs roughly $329.99, the Gene is in the $209.99 range, and the Impact is about $229.99, although you can find slightly lower prices if you poke around. With the Impact it seems you’re paying for the extra engineering, and there’s not a demonstrative difference between the Formula and the Gene other than some expandability options (and that thermal armor), so unless you specifically want to build a SFF PC or roll with more than two graphics cards, the Gene presents a relatively good value. But with any of the three boards, you’ll be getting a solid gamer with attractive options and excellent build quality.

And yet again ROG has found a way to impress with a strong market offering in the Maximus VI Impact. The board offers all of the features of its big brothers but in such a compact offering its almost hard to believe. The Daughterboards in place throughout the board make for the ability to offer super high end wireless connectivity, extreme audio solution and even a full extreme designed VRM where normally there simply would not be room. The immense feature set and excellent overclocking prowess has made the Impact a board to be reckoned with and one that will likely please not just overclockers but extreme SFF gaming builders for some time to come.