• ASUS ZenFone | ROG Maximus VI Formula motherboard | Red Dot Design Award 2014

ASUS ZenFone and ROG Maximus VI Formula motherboard epitomize design excellence by embodying humanity, beauty, and functionality

2014/04/09

ASUS today proudly announced that ASUS ZenFone and ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) Maximus VI Formula motherboard have each been honored with a Red Dot Design Award 2014, reflecting outstanding designs from ASUS that deliver incredible experiences to users. ZenFone won the award in the Mobile Phone category and ROG Maximus VI Formula motherboard won in the Computer Component category. The winning ASUS products were chosen from a large field of 4,815 entries from companies in 53 countries. Products considered for the award are assessed on a wide range of criteria including degree of innovation, functionality and ergonomics. The Red Dot jury for 2014 comprises 40 design experts from around the world and is the largest in the history of the awards.

ASUS Wins Prestigious 2014 Red Dot Awards for Product Design

ZenFone Series

The ASUS ZenFone Series is available with screens ranging from 4 to 6 inches and comes in a variety of striking colors. The use of Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 gives ZenFone unprecedented levels of damage and scratch resistance. The front façade of ZenFone also features a brushed metal lower bezel which sports the iconic concentric circle finish — a signature design detail that is found in many ASUS products. Each lightweight ZenFone delivers a vibrant, youthful look with interchangeable covers that let users personalize and express themselves with colors that range from classy Charcoal Black to more striking hues like Cherry Red or Solar Yellow.

Every ZenFone features ASUS ZenUI, the all-new, exclusive mobile user interface developed around the concepts of freedom, expression and connection. Featuring a new visual design made to be efficient and inviting, it contains modern 'flat' icons, vivid device-matching color themes, animations, new ringtones and notification sounds, and a clean layout to present information clearly.

ASUS ZenUI includes exclusive apps like What's Next and Do It Later that help users manage information and enable them to be more productive. Additionally, enhanced Android apps make life easier by including useful features such as threaded email for keeping track of conversations and Smart Reader Mode in the web browser for reducing eye-strain. ASUS ZenUI even includes free open messaging, powered by Omlet Chat on the Omlet Open Messaging Platform, that lets users share almost any kind of content easily with anyone, on any phone.

ROG Maximus VI Formula

The ROG Maximus VI Formula is a high-performance Z87 gaming motherboard whose design packs multiple performance-enhancing features along with undeniable style. Its unique CrossChill hybrid thermal design allows the user to choose between an air- or water-cooled thermal solution. Unlike other hybrid designs, CrossChill does not require a fan, so there is no noise or dust build-up. Water cooling provides up to 23°C lower MOSFET temperatures for more stable overclocking.

ROG Maximus VI Formula also features ROG Armor, another unique design feature that provides numerous performance benefits and adds a stylish futuristic flourish to the motherboard. Composed of two parts, a strong ABS top cover that blocks heat from graphics cards, and an SECC steel support behind the PCB, ROG Armor reduces overall system temperature and prevents PCB bending.

In addition to the design styling of ROG Armor, the motherboard features the striking red and black ROG color theme. This color theme is uniform throughout the ROG experience and appears not only on the hardware, but also in the UEFI BIOS and all software user interfaces.

About the Red Dot Design Award

The Red Dot Design Award is an internationally-recognized seal of quality for products that represent the pinnacle of design in their respective categories. It is given by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany, and is one of the top four international design awards along with the IDEA Award, iF Product Design Award and Good Design Award. Products considered for the Red Dot Design Award are judged by a panel of international design experts and are assessed on the following criteria: degree of innovation, functionality, formal quality, ergonomics, durability, symbolic and emotional content, product periphery, self-explanatory quality and ecological compatibility.

MAXIMUS VI FORMULA Overview

Unbeatable Z87 board with double-sided ROG Armor, 23°C-cooler CrossChill and 120dB SNR with plus 600ohm-headphone amplifier

• LGA1150 socket for 4th Generation Intel®Core™ i7/ i5/ i3/ Pentium® / Celeron® Processors
• Intel® Z87 Express Chipset
• CrossChill - Great on air. Cooler with water
• SupremeFX Formula - Amazing 120dB signal-to-noise ratio with integrated 600ohm-headphone amplifier
• ROG Armor - Style, strength, and cooling in one
• Sonic Radar - Scan and detect to dominate
• mPCIe Combo II With Wi-Fi - Extra connections with new gen support
• Extreme Engine Digi+ III - Hardcore power delivery with premium components
• GameFirst II + Intel LAN - Put Your Frags First
• RAMDisk - Double up on speed with RAM 

MAXIMUS VI FORMULA SPECIFICATIONS

 

• CPU
  Intel® Socket 1150 for 4^th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors
  Supports Intel® 22 nm CPU
  Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
  * The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
  * Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list
• Chipset
  Intel® Z87
• Memory
  4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 3100(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2933(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2600(O.C.)/2500(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
  Dual Channel Memory Architecture
  Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
  * Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
  * Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
• Graphic
  Integrated Graphics Processor
  Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DisplayPort ports
  - Supports HDMI with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz
  - Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz
  Supports Intel® InTru™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider™
• Multi-GPU Support
  Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology
  Supports AMD 3-Way CrossFireX™ Technology
• Expansion Slots
  3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8 or x8/x4/x4) *¹
  1 x mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 *²
  3 x PCIe 2.0 x1
• Storage
  Intel® Z87 chipset : *³
  6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
  Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
  Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology, Intel® Smart Connect Technology *⁴
  Intel® Z87 chipset :
  1 x M.2 (NGFF) Socket 2 on mPCIe Combo II expansion card(s), black
  Support M.2 (NGFF) Type 2242 SSD card (22mm x 42mm), Support PCI express 2.0 x1 and SATA 6Gb/s standards
  ASMedia® ASM1061 controller : *⁵
  4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
• LAN
  Intel® I217V, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)
• Wireless Data Network
  Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac*⁶
  Supports dual band frequency 2.4/5 GHz
• Bluetooth
  Bluetooth V4.0
  Bluetooth V3.0+HS
• Audio
  ROG SupremeFX Formula 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
  - Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming
  - SupremeFX Shielding Technology
  - Cirrus Logic® CS4398 DAC: 120 dB SNR, -107 dB THD+N (Max. 192 kHz/ 24 -bit)
  - TI 6120A2 high fidelity headphone amplifier
  - WIMA® film capacitors
  - ELNA® premium audio capacitors
  - High-fidelity audio OP AMP(s)
  - Differential circuit design
  Audio Feature :
  - Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection
  - Sonic Radar
  - DTS Connect
  - Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
• USB Ports
  Intel® Z87 chipset : *⁷
  4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board)
  Intel® Z87 chipset : *⁸
  8 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, black, 4 at mid-board)
  ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller :
  4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, blue)
• ROG Exclusive Features
  CrossChill (Hybrid air and liquid cooling)*⁹
  ROG Armor (including top cover and SECC steel backplate)*¹⁰
  mPCIe Combo II (mPCIe/M.2 combo card)
  Extreme Engine Digi+ III :
  - 8 + 2 phase power design
  - NexFET™ Power Block MOSFET
  - 60A BlackWing Chokes
  - 10K Black Metallic Capacitors
  ProbeIt
  UEFI BIOS features :
  - ROG BIOS Print
  - GPU.DIMM Post
  - Tweakers' Paradise
  - ROG SSD Secure Erase
  ROG RAMDisk
  GameFirst II
  Extreme Tweaker
• Special Features
  ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 4 with 4-Way Optimization :
  - The tuning key perfectly consolidates ASUS-exclusive DIGI+ Power Control, TPU, EPU, and Fan Xpert 2 optimize the digital power setting, system performance, power saving and whole system cooling configuration
  CPU Level Up
  ASUS Wi-Fi GO!
  - Wi-Fi GO! Function: Cloud GO!, Media Streaming Hub, Smart Sensor Control, Remote Desktop, Remote Keyboard & Mouse, File Transfer, Capture & Send
  - Wi-Fi Engine for network sharing and connection: Client Mode, AP Mode
  - Wi-Fi GO! & NFC Remote for portable Smartphone/Tablet, supporting iOS & Android systems
  ASUS Exclusive Features :
  - GPU Boost
  - USB BIOS Flashback
  - AI Suite 3
  - Ai Charger+
  - USB Charger+
  - USB 3.0 Boost
  - Disk Unlocker
  ASUS EZ DIY :
  - ASUS O.C. Profile
  - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
  - ASUS EZ Flash 2
  ASUS Q-Design :
  - ASUS Q-Shield
  - ASUS Q-Code
  - ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
  - ASUS Q-Slot
  - ASUS Q-DIMM
  - ASUS Q-Connector
  Overclocking Protection :
  - ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
• Operating System Support
  Windows® 8.1
  Windows® 8
  Windows® 7
• Back I/O Ports
  1 x DisplayPort
  1 x HDMI
  1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
  6 x USB 3.0 (blue)
  4 x USB 2.0
  1 x Optical S/PDIF out
  6 x Audio jack(s)
  1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
  1 x ROG Connect On/ Off switch(es)
• Internal I/O Ports
  1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s)
  2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
  1 x TPM connector(s)
  10 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
  1 x CPU Fan connector(s)
  1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)
  3 x Chassis Fan connector(s)
  3 x Optional Fan connector(s)
  1 x S/PDIF out 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 Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
  1 x System panel(s)
  1 x DirectKey Button(s)
  1 x DRCT header(s)
  1 x MemOK! button(s)
  10 x ProbeIt Measurement Points
  3 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
  1 x Power-on button(s)
  1 x Reset button(s)
  1 x FastBoot switch(es)
  1 x ROG extension (ROG_EXT) header(s)
  1 x mPCIe Combo II connector(s)
• Accessories
  User's manual
  I/O Shield
  8 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
  1 x ASUS 2T2R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
  1 x SLI bridge(s)
  1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1)
  1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label(s)
  1 x mPCIe Combo II card(s) with dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth v4.0/3.0+HS module
  1 x ROG Door Hanger(s)
• BIOS
  64Mb UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.7, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI5.0a Multi-Language BIOS
• Manageability
  WfM 2.0, DMI 2.7, WOL by PME, PXE
• Support Disc
  Drivers
  ROG GAMEFIRST II
  ROG RAMDisk
  ROG CPU-Z
  ROG Mem TweakIt
  Kaspersky® Anti-Virus
  DAEMON Tools Pro Standard
  ASUS WebStorage
  ASUS Utilities
• Form Factor
  ATX Form Factor
  12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm )
• Note
  *1: x8/x4/x4 mode is supported by Intel® 4rd generation Core™ Processors
  *2: The mini-PCIe slot is pre-installed with a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module on mPCIe Combo II expansion card.
  *3: SATA 6Gb/s port 5 will be disabled when M.2 slot on mPCIe Combo II is in use.
  *4: The functions support depends on the CPU types.
  *5: These SATA ports are for data hard drives only. ATAPI devices are not supported.
  *6: The Wi-Fi standard of 802.11ac will be restricted by countries' regulations. Wi-Fi 802.11ac feature will be supported under the complete
  *7: Support ASUS USB 3.0 Boost, UASP standard on the Intel native USB 3.0 is only supported under Windows® 8.
  *8: 2 x USB2.0 ports at mid-board shares with ROG extension (ROG_EXT) port.
  *9: Supports G1/4" threaded fittings. Fittings require separate purchase.
  *10: Chassis must conform to ATX specification for successful installation: brass stand-offs of at least 6mm are required.

Sources:
http://www.asus.com/News/2QfR3Zt98TQ0LH0W/
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_FORMULA/
(accessed on May 30, 2014)

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