We’re almost amazed every time Intel unveils another revamped core architecture, when its best-performing technology ends up packaged for mainstream desktop, mobile, and server customers. The company's ability to simultaneously touch so many segments with one launch makes its strategy pretty tough to knock. But it also means that fans of the latest and greatest (particularly on the desktop) top out at four cores, while enthusiasts eager to gobble up the most complex processors have to wait for the enterprise-derived Extreme parts to catch up. Because a lot of the games we play stop scaling around four cores, that's usually fine for most folks.
Also fine (most of the time) is an integrated PCI Express 3.0 controller, which enjoys very low latency. The biggest bummer for gamers is that Intel's mainstream platforms only expose 16 lanes. With the Haswell generation, you can connect as many as three cards to the CPU-based PCIe, but the requisite lane division isn't particularly attractive. That capability probably appeals most on high-end office PCs or entry-level workstations.
Sixteen lanes sound like a big bottleneck for systems packing multiple graphics cards, but there's more to the story. Since each card in a multi-GPU array uses the same data, a PCIe bridge able to map 16 lanes to three or four x16 slots works well. But that component is costly, and its expense divides the premium Z87 Express motherboard market into two segments: boards that support three-way SLI and those armed with almost everything except three-way SLI. Since most of us are happy with one or two super-fast cards fed by an equally potent processor, we're staying under that $300 barrier today, focusing on the premium features we can get without worrying about a PCIe bridge and putting more of our efforts into overclocking.

| LGA 1150 ATX Motherboard Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z87 OC Formula | Asus Maximus VI Formula | Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H | MSI Z87 MPower Max | |
| PCB Revision | 1.03 | 1.02 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Chipset | Intel Z87 Express | Intel Z87 Express | Intel Z87 Express | Intel Z87 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | 12 Phases | Eight Phases | 16 Phases | 20 Phases |
| BIOS | P1.80 (08/23/2013) | 0804 (08/19/2013) | F7 (08/02/2013) | V1.3 (08/23/2013) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 99.97 (-0.03%) | 100.00 (-0.00%) | 99.77 (-0.23%) | 100.01 (+0.01%) |
| I/O Panel Connectors | ||||
| P/S2 | 1 | None | 1 | 1 |
| USB 3.0 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| USB 2.0 | 2 | 4 | None | 2 |
| Network | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | Yes | None | Yes |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical | Optical | Optical |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Video Out | HDMI | HDMI, DisplayPort | DVI-I, Dual HDMI, DisplayPort | Dual HDMI, DisplayPort |
| Other Devices | HDMI-In (Pass-through) | ROG Connect, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Module | None | Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Module |
| Internal Interfaces | ||||
| PCIe 3.0 x16 | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) |
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | 1 (x4 transfers) | None | None | None |
| PCIe 2.0 x1 | 2 Full, 1 Mini | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 (4-ports) +1 Port | 1 (2-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) |
| SATA 6Gb/s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 (1 shared w/mSATA) |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 8 | 7 | 5 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 6 (1-occupied) | None | None | None |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| S/PDIF I/O | None | Output Only | Output And Input | None |
| Internal Buttons | Power, Reset, CLR_CMOS, Rapid OC | Power, Reset, DirectKey, MemOK | Power, Reset, CLR_CMOS | Power, Reset, OC Genie, Go To BIOS |
| Internal Switch | BIOS Selector, PCIe Disable, Slow Mode, LN2 Mode | Fast Boot | BIOS mode, BIOS selector | BIOS Selector |
| Diagnostics Panel | Verbose | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric |
| Other Devices | Voltage Probes, Serial, mini PCIe | OC Panel Header, NGFF | Dual IEEE-1394, PCI, TPM | mSATA (Shared w/SATA) |
| Mass Storage Controllers | ||||
| Chipset SATA | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | 2 x ASM1061 PCIe 4 x SATA 6Gb/s | 2 x ASM1061 PCIe 4 x SATA 6Gb/s | 88SE9230 PCIe 4 x SATA 6Gb/s | ASM1061 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s |
| USB 3.0 | EJ188H PCIe (4-ports) ASM1074 Hub (4-ports) | ASM1074 Hub (4-ports) | 2 x D720210 Hub (8-ports) | D720202 PCIe (2-ports) ASM1074 Hub (4-ports) |
| Networking | ||||
| Primary LAN | WGI217V PHY | WGI217V PHY | WGI217V PHY | Killer E2205 PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | None | None | WGI210AT PCIe | None |
| Wi-Fi | None | BCM4352 PCIe 2x2 802.11ac Dual-Band Up To 867 Mb/s | None | Intel 2230 PCIe 2x2 802.11n Single-Band Up To 300 Mb/s |
| Bluetooth | None | Via 802.11ac Combo | None | Via 802.11n Combo |
| Audio | ||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC1150 | ALC1150 | ALC898 | ALC1150 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | DTS Connect | DTS Connect | None | None |
| Warranty | Five Years | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years |
Every motherboard manufacturer makes big claims about reliability, but ASRock now backs those claims with a five-year warranty. The last two years of that warranty might not be a big deal to anyone who switches platforms after a couple of architectural evolutions, but the potential cost implications to a motherboard maker could still be huge unless the board meets its reliability expectations.
The I/O panel features HDMI pass-through for a second device, enabling monitor sharing, along with a CLR_CMOS button and eight USB 3.0 ports. HDMI pass-through is also available on ASRock's cheaper boards though, so we need to look inside to see what makes the Z87 OC Formula special.
Support for four-way graphics arrays would really be a standout feature if it were real. Instead, ASRock connects three of those slots in the CPU-supported x8-x4-x4 configuration. The top slot drops to 8x when the middle one is filled, and the middle slot drops to four lanes when the third slot is filled. The fourth slot is an orphan, attached to four of the Z87 Express PCH's lanes.
You might expect that a x4 slot and three x1 links (including mini-PCIe) would only leave room for one add-in device controller, since the PCH only offers eight second-gen lanes. ASRock gets around this with a moderately-priced PLX PEX8608 eight-lane PCIe 2.0 switch, circumventing most of the lane-sharing issues found on mid-priced motherboards. It enables two additional SATA 6Gb/s and an extra USB 3.0 controller with all slots enabled, and likely contributes around $15 to the board’s $295 price tag.
The mini-PCIe slot is where we’d find a wireless controller on the –AC version of this board. We could probably find something else to put there (a wireless controller of our own, perhaps). The slot makes good use of the space between PCIe x16 slots, which would otherwise be completely consumed by the cooling system of a typical high-end graphics card.

The Z87 OC Formula include ten internal SATA cables, a couple of drive power adapters, a flexible SLI bridge, Gelid thermal paste, and ASRock’s special USB 3.0 bay adapter with integrated 2.5” drive tray. In fact, ASRock is so proud of its installation kit that most of these items come packed in a velvet bag.
The Z87 OC Formula’s cooling system uses a 40 mm quiet fan to move air around a sink so large that active cooling probably isn’t even needed. Anyone who thinks that bit of overkill is not enough will also be pleased to find water line connections on both ends of the voltage regulator sink. And if your liquid cooling system springs a leak, the Z87 OC Formula’s conformal coating is there to protect it.

Liquid cooling might even let you push your overclocks higher. Enthusiasts able tweak beyond the capacity of one eight-pin auxiliary connector without exceeding the Haswell architecture's thermal limit will find a second one on-board, too. An overclock that extreme is sure to cause voltage drops, so the Z87 OC Formula also includes a double row of voltage detection points.

Extreme overclockers tend to apply their skills on open test benches, so ASRock even adds handy clock control buttons right in front of the DIMM slots. And if a PCIe or GPU overclock goes awry, the Z87 OC Formula makes it easy to disable (rather than remove) an add-in card with its set of slot control switches.

If you really screw up an overclock, you'll find handy CLR_CMOS buttons on the board's bottom edge and its I/O panel. In the event that resetting doesn't solve your problem, a dual-BIOS switch lets you revert to the backup ROM. And if you're just not sure what went wrong, there's an English-language digital display of system status.
Apart from the Formula Drive name, ASRock’s A-Tuning menus haven’t changed from our previous review. Here are a couple of screen shots to show its overclocking setting limits.


With the name “Formula Drive” comes an OC Formula image that shows where each component is detected.

The Z87 OC Formula also has more temperature sensors than its lower-model siblings, as shown in another menu.

ASRock also includes the Splashtop Streamer media server, along with a large variety of freeware. Audio software, Restart to UEFI, an XFast LAN (by CFOS) remain unchanged.
We doubt that any Haswell-based CPU can be pushed hard enough to exceed the capabilities of an eight-pin EPS12V connector, but as mentioned, the Z87 OC Formula still has two. Perhaps Nick Shih knows something we don’t?

The rest of the OC Tweaker menu looks familiar from previous ASRock motherboard reviews, and the board pushes this CPU to the same 4.6 GHz at 1.25 V as its predecessor.


The Z87 OC Formula recognizes our memory’s XMP-3000 profile and is even aware of the CPU’s memory ratio limitations, choosing a 29.33x multiplier with a slight increase in BCLK.

The easiest way to O/C is to pick an “Optimized CPU OC Setting” similar to your preferred settings, and further alter the settings to meet your exact needs.
Our sample CPU ran a little hotter on this round-up's boards than previous stories. Voltage detection points show that a 1.235 V setting resulted in a 1.25 V reading, and that voltage under load climbed approximately 20 mV to 1.269 V. Similarly, a 1.6235 V firmware setting provided an actual 1.65 V to the RAM.
DRAM timing adjustments can be individually enabled, allows users to retain automatic configuration for unfamiliar values.
Less than a nickel under this round-up’s $300 limit, Asus’ Maximus VI Formula adds enough features to compete with the –AC version of ASRock’s competing board. That means the Maximus VI Formula includes a Wi-Fi module, which plugs into a pin grid in the upper corner of its I/O panel.
Asus’ I/O panel is packed with more features than meets the eye, since its ROG Connect button also enables USB BIOS Flashback if you hold it for more than three seconds. These two features are Asus-exclusive and can come in quite valuable. USB BIOS Flasback allows firmware updating without any on-board components (even the CPU) installed, using an integrated logic controller that Asus values at around $20. ROG Connect allows users to access overclocking functions from a separate PC via a USB interconnect cable, so that the system can be tuned while running other applications that might have prevented access to its own overclocking GUI.
The Maximus VI Formula does come up a USB 3.0 hub short of its competition, but many overclockers will likely prefer those formerly-mentioned exclusive features. Also competitive are the Maximus VI Formula’s ten internal SATA 6Gb/s ports, four of which are served up by the same pair of ASMedia controllers as what we just saw from ASRock.
Rated at 120 db signal-to-noise ratio, the Maximus VI Formula’s CS4398 DAC edges out the specs of the Z87 OC Formula's NE5532 (115 db). Both boards include mini amplifiers specified for use with high-impedance (600 Ω) headphones. Asus also beats its competition in front-panel audio header placement by moving the connector forward around an inch, allowing easier reach for cables that far-too-often end up being around half an inch too short.
Asus saves a little money by not dropping a PCI Express bridge in front of the Z87 PCH's eight-lane controller. It instead omits the fourth four-lane slot that ASRock exposes. That extra-slow slot isn’t SLI-compatible anyway, so the move makes sense from a technical standpoint. If you find yourself in need of more display connectivity and a low-bandwidth slot does the trick, all three of the Maximus VI Formula’s x1 slots are open-ended. Dropping a longer card into any of them simply requires removing Asus’ ROG Armor decorative cover.
Like all of today’s competitors, the Maximus VI Formula automatically switches from x16-x0-x0 to x8-x8-x0 and x8-x4-x4 modes as the x16 slots are filled. Many gamers will find the Asus board's layout preferable, however, since it has an extra space between the first and second x16-length slots. Some graphics cards require a little more than two slots of separation, and those that need only two slots can still get cooling benefits from the extra breathing room.

The Maximus VI Formula includes a Wi-Fi module that fits its I/O panel, a dual-band antenna, an SLI bridge, Asus’ Q-connector cable-grouping extender, and eight internal SATA cables.
Asus makes it easy to hide storage on its Maximus VI Formula, but not where you might think. The drive connector isn’t found on the board itself, but instead under the metal cover of its riser card.

An M.2 interface makes adding 256 GB of conveniently-placed solid-state storage a snap! Just be aware that this only interfaces with a single PCIe lane, whereas the drive we tested in SanDisk A110 PCIe SSD: Armed With The New M.2 Edge Connector benefited from a x2 link. The other side of the riser hosts Broadcom’s 2x2 802.11ac dual-band controller on a mini-PCIe card. That component is rated for 867 Mb/s of maximum throughput, though you naturally need a compatible router in order to maximum wireless performance. Best of all, the entire package consumes less than half an inch of space on the I/O panel.

A row of voltage detection points along the top edge make it easy to confirm your settings, and the MemOK! button initiates a temporary RAM underclock to so you boot up without destroying your other overclocking options.

Asus adds a four-pin ATX12V interface to the Maximus VI Formula’s eight-pin EPS12V connector to give extreme overclockers the extra amperage they need to push the most taxing voltage levels. Next to those connections, removable plugs provide access to G1/4 liquid cooling fittings on the CPU input voltage regulator.
Asus’ Dual Intelligent Processors software hasn’t changed much from previous Asus motherboard reviews, though I did grab a screenshot of its overclocking limits. Additional screenshots can be found in this article’s photo gallery.

The firm’s Boot Setting start settings manager and HD Audio manager also remain consistent with previous reviews, aside from the Republic Of Gamers logo. The Maximus VI Formula adds Sonic Radar however, which provides a visual map overlay of sound direction in games. If, for example, you can’t determine the position of an enemy shooting at you from audio cues, Sonic Radar can help you zero in on the exact location.

GameFirst II EZ mode is a convenient short menu for the complex settings of cFosSpeed packet prioritization software. The full version menu is also available, departing from the developer’s standard version only by the presence of an ROG logo.

Though one of Asus’ competitors offers RAMDisk software with nearly every retail board, Asus reserves its own build for the Republic Of Gamers product line. Naturally, the Maximus VI Formula includes the utility, along with a bump in Asus Webstorage capacity.

Other Maximus VI Formula software includes the remote application for ROG Connect external overclocking and several freeware applications.
The Maximus VI Formula’s Extreme Tweaker menu has a few more features compared to non-ROG products, yet it will appear familiar to owners of other recent Asus motherboards. The top of the menu still starts off with clock controls and descends into voltage levels.


You’ll notice that the board doesn't quite push the expected 4.6 GHz from this CPU sample, and that’s because of a heat issue. Our Core i7-4770K doesn’t work well at 100% loads in AVX-optimized software if voltage signficantly exceeds 1.25 V, and we had to drop the core setting to 1.23 V to reach that goal. Voltage under load climbs to around 1.268 V, compared to ASRock’s 1.269 V, hence the small frequency difference. Any additional voltage bump on our end induced a thermal-throttling 1.27x maximum.

The Maximus VI Formula includes a wide array of preconfigured overclocking profiles, including some that cause parts of the board to get clocked down to facilitate significantly increased BCLK frequencies.
The Maximus VI Formula features full primary, secondary, and tertiary DRAM timing controls, along with wave detection and skew controls.

For those who don’t have the time to optimize a DRAM overclock, Asus provides several pages of detailed memory overclocking profiles that cover a wide range of popular ICs.

Digi+ Power provides voltage sag reduction and current limit controls.

Exclusive to Asus' ROG-series motherboards, Tweaker’s Paradise provides even more advanced wave form and voltage control.

Gigabyte makes no pretense of feature-based dominance with its Z87X-UD5H, instead focusing on the basics and delivering a handful of extra features at the bottom of this round-up’s $220 to $300 price range. We’ve even spotted the board for $10 bucks less than our $220 lower limit!
That means we don’t get Asus’ 802.11ac Wi-Fi controller or ASRock’s PCIe 2.0 switch, though the Z87X-UD5H is the only model in this story to add a second GbE controller. Enthusiasts also get a plethora of CPU- and chipset-supported features. Gigabyte even adds an extra HDMI output to its I/O panel, possibly saving you from needing a DVI-to-HDMI adapter.
Not that the Z87X-UD5H needs a PCIe 2.0 hub. Gigabyte fills only six of the chipset’s eight PCIe 2.0 lanes with Marvell’s 88SE9230 SATA 6Gb/s controller, Intel’s I210 high-end desktop GbE controller, ITE’s IT8892E PCIe-to-PCI bridge, and three PCIe x1 slots. VIA’s VT6308P dual-port IEEE-1394 silicon surfaces through front-panel headers, but that controller is fed from the same bridge chip as the single PCI slot.
As with all of the boards in today’s comparison, gamers can get three-way CrossFire support from from the CPU’s PCIe 3.0 controller in x8-x4-x4 mode, but SLI is limited to two cards at x8-x8, with the third slot unoccupied. Such is the limit of Intel's on-die controller and Nvidia's definition of what constitutes a good SLI experience.
A row of voltage detection points, buttons for Power/Reset/CLR_CMOS, switches for the BIOS mode and IC selection, and a double-digit diagnostics display crowd the Z87X-UD5H’s upper-front corner. At the bottom, a secondary USB 3.0 front-panel header is covered with a factory-installed rubber plug that will probably remain in place. Using it prevents a long graphics card from being installed in the bottom PCIe 3.0 slot.
Slot layout is very similar to Asus’, and includes the same graphics cooling benefit of a second slot between add-in cards. Gigabyte adds a PCIe slot connector beneath the primary PCIe x16 interface, but the graphics cooler will cover it in most configurations. Gigabyte also adds its single PCI slot where Asus’ third PCIe x1 slot is found.
The Z87X-UD5H’s front-panel audio connector placement isn’t the worst we’ve seen—that notoriety goes to the competing ASRock sample—but many users will still find it difficult to use. The cables of many cases are around half an inch too short to reach it.

Though it has ten internal ports, the Z87X-UD5H includes six SATA cables. That’s still twice as many as most builders need. But if you’re paying for the ports, you might want to buy a few cables to use them. The installation kit also contains a USB 3.0-to-3.5” external bay adapter and an SLI bridge.
The least-expensive board in this round-up, the Z87X-UD5H’s special hardware features list was short enough to fit into its main description page. Buyers still get Gigabyte’s standard hardware and software feature set, and Gigabyte even adds Creative’s latest X-Fi MB3 application for enhanced audio control.
The Z87X-UD5H also includes the standard version of cFosSpeed packet prioritization software, Splashtop Streamer media server, Intel’s applications (including Smart Connect for wired networks), and an array of freeware.
Gigabyte EasyTune5 hasn’t changed significantly since our previous description, and it retains a 1600x900 GUI. Rather than make another attempt to scale down the menus by cropping out black space, I cropped the top and sides from its overclock menu.

Users can save up to five overclocked configurations as profiles, push core multiplier and BCLK up to 80x at 266.6 MHz, push Intel’s integrated GPU to 4000 MHz, and apply up to 2.0 V in an attempt to apply those unworkable overclocks. Releastic settings worked for us, though changes in memory speed required a reboot.
Gigabyte still uses its familiar high-resolution GUI for firmware settings, but a press of the F6 key allows us to zoom.

Frequency, Memory, and Voltage get separate tabs, where the Frequency tab controls base clock, CPU core, integrated GPU, and DRAM ratios. Though our CPU reached the same 4.59 GHz frequency as Asus' competing Maximus VI Formula, our DRAM was only stable up to DDR3-2800. Since Haswell’s maximum functional ratio gives us DDR3-2933 at a stock base clock, the board would have automatically added 2.3 MHz to the CPU base clock.
All multiplier-based overclocking relies on Intel's Turbo Boost functionality, though disabling Turbo Boost allows the Z87X-UD5H to lock a fixed multiplier ratio and turn off certain power-saving features. Other power settings must be manually configured to completely lock-in a specific voltage.

DRAM timings can be configured as all-channels (Manual) or in per-channel (advanced manual) mode. Memory profile and ratio settings are repeated from the frequency menu.
Each timing can be individually selected without disabling automatic mode for other timings.
Gigabyte loves submenus, so we need to jump through several pages to set up our basic overclocking parameters. Beyond those, we could also alter voltage droop compensation, power, and thermal limits through the Z87X-UD5H Advanced Power Settings menu.
Three more pages of submenus give us CPU, DRAM, and PCH voltage control. We had to select 1.23 V to reach an actual 1.25 V core at or near idle, and core voltage still climbed to around 1.268 V under load. Higher voltage settings allowed the maximum core voltage to climb to a thermally-triggered throttle-inducing 1.27x volts. Similarly, a 1.635 V DRAM setting took us a few millivolts past our actual 1.65 V target. Actual voltage levels were verified with a voltmeter.
The second-least-expensive platform in this round-up, MSI’s Z87 MPower Max is far from cheap when it comes to on-board features. An Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 plus Bluetooth adapter comes factory-installed on an I/O panel riser card that fits between a CLR_CMOS button and two of the board’s six rear-facing USB 3.0 ports.
MSI makes room for the module by ridding the board of DVI connectivity, though the dual HDMI outputs can be used with single-link adapters. Users who want more resolution from Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 4600 engine instead need to use the Z87 MPower Max’s DisplayPort output.
Like all of the board’s in today’s comparison, MSI's Z87 MPower Max shares the CPU’s sixteen PCIe 3.0 lanes in x16, x8-x8, or x8-x4-x4 modes, depending on the slots you fill. Remaining slots are closed-ended second-gen PCIe x1 links connected to the Z87 PCH.
Lane sharing isn’t an issue for the chipset, since its remaining four lanes feed exactly four devices. Controllers include the high-end E2205 from Killer Networks, the D720202 USB 3.0 hub from Renesas, the previously-mentioned Intel wireless controller on a custom riser card, and ASMedia’s ASM1061 dual-port SATA 6Gb/s.
Because MSI chooses a two-port add-in controller, the Z87 MPower Max comes up two SATA ports shy of its competition. The PCH still provides six of its own SATA 6Gb/s ports, and even most high-end users have fewer than the eight storage devices. One of those ports becomes inactive when an mSATA drive is installed in the board’s center connector, but building with mSATA can also help mitigate cabling nightmares.
The Z87 MPower Max voltage regulator cooler also lacks the liquid-cooling attachments found on ASRock's and Asus' samples, though the components it covers consist of a far more elaborate 20-phase design. The regulator also features flat Tantalum capacitors for additional CPU cooler clearance and heat resistance.
Similar to what we saw from Asus and Gigabyte, the Z87 MPower Max employs a good layout designed for extra graphics cooling in SLI or CrossFire. On the other hand, some case manufacturers still haven’t learned to make their front-panel audio cables long enough to reach this board’s bottom-rear corner connector.

The Z87 MPower Max includes six SATA cables, a slot-panel breakout plate for two of its four internal USB 3.0 connections, a dual-port eSATA breakout panel, a single-channel Wi-Fi module with two extended range antennas, and four connector cables for its seven voltage detection points.
MSI enables two automatic overclocking levels via its O/C switch, which can then be enabled using either its OC Genie button or a UEFI setting. Power and reset buttons next to these are handy if you prefer to overclock on an open test bench.

The "+" and "-" buttons add or subtract base clock frequency, but are not the expected hardware-level controls. They’re instead enabled in Windows through Intel’s ME driver. MSI adds an application to select whether the buttons operate in 0.1 MHz (default) or 1.0 MHz steps.

Strangely labeled “FASTB1”, MSI’s documentation refers to the button on the Z87 MPower Max’s lower-front corner as BOOT2BIOS. Using it does exactly that, letting you get into the board's firmware without missing your opportunity as Windows boots up (particularly useful in Windows 8).

A POST code display above that button conveys system status to help overclockers diagnose where the boost process is failing. A selector switch gets you into an on-board backup ROM.

Removing the cover of MSI’s custom I/O-panel riser card reveals a standard mini-PCIe Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo module from Intel. This single-band controller has two antenna connectors, and the included extended-range antennas can be seen on the previous page.
The Z87 MPower Max comes with the exact software suite and tuning application as its previously-reviewed sibling. Rather than repeat our analysis of those tools and utilities, we'll move on to the board’s firmware specifics.

MSI’s Base Clock setting has a few peculiarities, defaulting, for example, to 99.77 MHz with a 100 MHz setting and reaching exactly 100 MHz at a 100.01 MHz setting.

We only got 4.45 GHz from our CPU sample, though core voltage likely played a part. Our target 1.25 V wasn’t achievable, but a 1.238 V setting delivered 1.249 V at low loads and 1.266 V at high loads. Increasing the voltage setting allowed CPU voltage to climb past 1.27 V, which in turn caused our CPU to throttle when running eight threads in an AVX-optimized version of Prime95.

DRAM voltage was a little more compliant, delivering 1.650 to 1.656 V using the board’s 1.635 V setting. The Z87 MPower Max gave us a maximum stable DDR3-2965 data rate from our DDR3-3000 test sample.
The Z87 MPower Max provides several advanced memory bus controls in addition to primary, secondary, and tertiary timings.

Additional voltage regulator controls are found within the Z87 MPower Max “DigitALL Power” menu.
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-4770K (Haswell): 3.5-3.9 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, LGA 1150 |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright MUX-120 w/Zalman ZM-STG1 Paste |
| RAM | G.Skill F3-17600CL9D-8GBXLD (8 GB) at DDR3-1600 C9 Defaults G.Skill F3-3000C12D-8GTXDG (8 GB) at XMP-3000 C12 Timings |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon HD 7970 3 GB: 925 MHz GPU, GDDR5-5500 |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 840 Series MZ-7PD256, 256 GB SSD |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | Corsair AX860i: ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Platinum |
| Software | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 8 Professional RTM x64 |
| Graphics | AMD Catalyst 13.4 |
| Chipset | Intel INF 9.4.0.1017 |
We were almost surprised to find Thermalright’s classic MUX-120 competitive with our recent review of high-end heat sinks, even when using its original clip-on mounting system. It’s that easy-to-mount mechanism that wins me over in motherboard round-ups, and the good performance points to a good design.

Alternatively, we can point to problems with the Core i7's heat spreader as a reason why larger coolers couldn’t give us significantly better thermal performance in that review.

G.Skill’s F3-17600CL9D-8GBXLD is the only memory kit in our lab that defaults to our DDR3-1600 CAS 9 test standard. Faster RAM always uses slower defaults, and slower RAM requires XMP to get there. The problem is that some boards automatically enable other overclocking features when XMP is enabled. Consistency rules these tests.

We replaced the slower memory with G.Skill’s DDR3-3000 kit for our overclocking stability tests.

Corsair sent its 80 PLUS Plantinum-rated AX860i for our benchmark needs, citing enhanced support of Haswell's C7 state.
| Benchmark Settings | |
|---|---|
| Adobe Creative Suite | |
| Adobe After Effects CS6 | Version 11.0.0.378 x64: Create Video which includes Three Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneosly |
| Adobe Photoshop CS6 | Version 13 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
| Adobe Premeire Pro CS6 | Version 6.0.0.0, 6.61 GB MXF Project to H.264 to H.264 Blu-ray, Output 1920x1080, Maximum Quality |
| Audio/Video Encoding | |
| iTunes | Version 11.0.4.4 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format |
| LAME MP3 | Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s) |
| HandBrake CLI | Version: 0.99: Video from Canon Eos 7D (1920x1080, 25 FPS) 1 Minutes 22 Seconds Audio: PCM-S16, 48,000 Hz, Two-Channel, to Video: AVC1 Audio: AAC (High Profile) |
| TotalCode Studio 2.5 | Version: 2.5.0.10677: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, Two-Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV |
| Productivity | |
| ABBYY FineReader | Version 10.0.102.95: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
| Adobe Acrobat 11 | Version 11.0.0.379: Print PDF from 115 Page PowerPoint, 128-bit RC4 Encryption |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 | Version 14.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 | Version 15.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| Blender | Version: 2.67b, Cycles Engine, Syntax blender -b thg.blend -f 1, 1920x1080, 8x Anti-Aliasing, Render THG.blend frame 1 |
| Visual Studio 2010 | Version 10.0, Compile Google Chrome, Scripted |
| File Compression | |
| WinZip | Version 17.0 Pro: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r" |
| WinRAR | Version 4.2: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3" |
| 7-Zip | Version 9.28: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" |
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Only |
| PCMark 8 | Version: 1.0.0 x64, Full Test |
| SiSoftware Sandra | Version Version 2013.01.19.11, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / Cryptography, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Intel’s concerted effort to integrate functionality onto the CPU die leaves motherboard manufacturers with very little room to differentiate when it comes to performance. We further narrow the margin to differentiate by making sure all of the company's power management features are enabled, when possible. Boring performance charts are the one disadvantage of a fair fight, and these tests primarily become a way to spot broken hardware or firmware builds that cheat by automatically overclocking beyond Intel's specs.




Manufacturers can make fairly significant changes to their memory map, favoring either enhanced performance or enhanced stability. The slowest results are not necessarily the most stable though, as each company can test slightly different variations of the same module.

Asus and Gigabyte take slight leads in TotalCode Studio, but probably by far less than the one second shown. Rounding plays a big role in any benchmark that runs less than a minute, but only reports results in one-second increments.




Our Adobe After Effects configuration is proving troublesome in that we can never spot a reason why two systems that should perform identically don't. ASRock and Asus lead, but those leads are diminished by lost seconds in Adobe Premiere.




We expect consistent performance across the motherboards we test, and most of our productivity suite complies. The Maximus VI Formula falls slightly behind in Visual Studio, but the difference is practically too small to notice.




Asus falls slightly behind in our 7-Zip and WinRAR tests, though ASRock takes a similar hit in one of our WinZip tests. Those are the two boards that excelled in Photoshop, so we expect these results to level the playing field.



ASRock’s Z87 OC Formula proves the most-miserly premium motherboard, followed by MSI’s MPower Max. The Maximus VI Formula includes the most on-board features, and those extras exact a power consumption penalty.

None of the motherboards in this round-up run hot, though Gigabyte’s Z87X-UD5H voltage regulator was barely warm.

We expected that benchmark gains in one place would be offset by losses somewhere else, and our expectations come true in the combined bar of our overall performance chart. That means efficiency is the inverse of power consumption.

All of our calculations use a 100% baseline, but we need to zero that out for our efficiency chart. Nothing can be more than 100% efficient.

Using the group average as a baseline and zeroing out the results by subtracting the original 100% baseline, we see that ASRock's Z87 OC Formula is 5.5% more efficient than average for this motherboard group.
| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z87 OC Formula | Asus Maximus VI Formula | Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H | MSI Z87 MPower Max | |
| Base Clock | 90-300 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 60-300 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 80-267 MHz (0.01 MHz) | 90-300 MHz (0.06 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | 8.0-120x (1x) | 8.0-80x (1x) | 8-80x (1x) | 8-80x (1x) |
| DRAM Data Rates | 800-4000 (200/266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200/266.6 MHz) | 800-2933 (200/266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200/266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.80-2.00V (1 mV) | 0.001-1.92V (1 mV) | 0.50-1.80V (1 mV) | 0.80-2.10V (1 mV) |
| VCCIN | 1.20-2.30v (10 mV) | 0.80-2.44V (10 mV) | 1.00-2.91V (10 mV) | 1.20-3.04V (1 mV) |
| PCH Voltage | 0.97-1.32 V (5 mV) | 0.70-1.80 V (6.25 mV) | 0.65-1.30 V (5 mV) | 0.70-1.68 V (10 mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.05-2.40 V (6.5 mV) | 1.20-2.40 V (5 mV) | 1.15-2.10 V (5 mV) | 0.30-2.45 V (15 mV) |
| CAS Latency | 4-15 Cycles | 1-31 Cycles | 5-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRCD | 3-31 Cycles | 1-31 Cycles | 4-31 Cycles | 4-31 Cycles |
| tRP | 4-31 Cycles | 1-31 Cycles | 4-31 Cycles | 4-31 Cycles |
| tRAS | 9-63 Cycles | 1-63 Cycles | 5-63 Cycles | 9-63 Cycles |
We see base clock frequency adjustments up to 300 MHz for some motherboards, but know that most Haswell-based processors are limited to less than 10% over-stock. That would be 110 MHz when using a 100 MHz strap, or 183 MHz when using a 166.7 MHz strap.

We couldn’t get any of the motherboards in this review to give us exactly 1.25 V, and anything above 1.27 V caused our CPU to overheat. ASRock got closest to 1.27 V, so that possibly helps explain its 10 MHz lead. MSI had the least over-voltage of the group, but the difference of a few millivolts probably shouldn’t be attributable for this much of an overclocking deficit.

With the CPU's voltage increased and multiplier reduced, ASRock returns the highest base clock. Asus also offers special BCLK overclocking profiles for unlocked CPUs, but our real concern is how far the 100 MHz strap might push a locked CPU.

Gigabyte takes a fairly big dip in DRAM overclocking, though our recent test showed that data rates beyond DDR3-2133 aren’t particularly useful anyway, even if you're using integrated graphics. Then again, neither is BCLK overclocking when the only CPU models that support boot strap changes are already multiplier-unlocked. ASRock’s lead and/or tie across all three disciplines is noteworthy in that the Z87 OC Formula had no stability deficits.
Our Performance Per Dollar chart is exactly that. It doesn’t include the cost of features, so the cheapest board always leads. Though the chart is only useful when comparing products with identical capabilities, some readers like to see it in motherboard round-ups anyway. We can see how it might come in useful for justifying the purchase of products with fewer add-ons, though it doesn't accurately convey the benefit of high-end wireless networking, for example.
We locked-in pricing for this story a while ago to assure that nobody would try to "game the system" with temporary discounts, which, as you know, does happen.

The round-up was scheduled a while ago, but pricing changes fast in this business. As it happened, the price of Gigabyte's board dropped an extra $10, as did MSI's.

And so, this is where we decide whether the more expensive boards have enough features to qualify their higher prices. For example, the MSI Z87 MPower Max sells for $30 more than Gigabyte’s Z87X-UD5H, but adds only a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module to the mix. It also gives up the -UD5H’s second wired network controller. It was a tie at best, but only for users who really believe the wireless module is worth a full $30 more than the wired network controller.
Until last week, ASRock’s Z87 OC Formula was $45 more expensive than Gigabyte’s Z87X-UD5H. Its elaborate audio system is probably worth paying an extra $10 or so for, but the board has neither a secondary network controller nor a wireless controller to offset that loss. Those who don’t need to double up on GbE could point to the board’s extra USB 3.0 ports to justify the price premium, or its fourth x16-length slot and the PCIe 2.0 hub that supports it as evidence of value. The Z87 OC Formula is also plumbed for liquid cooling and covered in a waterproof film to prevent damage from leaks. Its verbose status indicator is a friendly touch, but at $265 we really needed to include its five-year warranty (two years longer than Gigabyte) before making the value parity call. A recent $30 price increase breaks that, leaving Gigabyte and MSI as contenders for value consideration.
Asus’ Maximus VI Fomula price premium was previously $35 compared to the similarly-marketed Z87 OC Formula, and that money paid for a 2x2 wireless module supporting 802.11ac at up to 867 Mb/s across two frequency bands. Adding similar functionality aftermarket costs you at least $35. The Maximus VI Formula loses ASRock’s conformal coating, steps up slightly in audio specification, loses ASRock’s warranty extension, and gains a few Asus-exclusive features like USB BIOS Flashback and ROG connect.
ROG Connect will probably be the one thing (other than brand preference) that drives overclocking exhibitionists towards the Maximus VI Formula, though the Z87 OC Formula appears to have nearly as many overclocking features to attract those same customers.

Discounts that helped ASRock throughout the summer have now expired. In a battle for feature supremacy, Asus' on-board extras are worth a little more. Without a big price difference to distract us from the value of those bundled value-adds, the Maximus VI Formula earns our rarest and most prestigious Tom's Hardware Elite award.
Update, 10/3/2013: In the past few round-ups, ASRock relied on instant rebates through select sellers to establish its value-oriented position. This time around, the contest between its Z87 OC Formula and Asus' Maximus VI Formula was for features supremacy rather than value. At the $265 where we originally found the Z87 OC Formula, ASRock might have qualified for a different award. But the price at publication time was $295. It has since dropped back down to $265. We look forward to ASRock's continued effort to promote a strong value story with lower prices.













































