3 new TUF range Z97 boards. The Mark 1 comes with Thermal Armor that improves heat dissipation, provides dust protection and also guards motherboard components from unexpected electrostatic discharges.
And finally – the HERO of the sesion, the ROG series that happens to have a model that’s name “HERO”. The MAXIMUS VII range continues the legacy of MAXIMUS range of boards. As of now, there are only 3 MAXIMUS VII boards – the HERO, RANGER and GENE. The RANGER is the latest addition, while the models EXTREME, IMPACT and FORMULA that’s found on the MAXIMUS VI line-up are currently not part of the family.
Based on what was shared at the event, I’m expecting more MAXIMUS VII models to appear in the near future. đŸ™‚ I’m looking forward for MAXIMUS VII IMPACT.
As of the event, my favorite board among them would be the MAXIMUS VII RANGER that happens to be almost like the HERO.
Parting Thoughts
Asus continues to progress, with the 4-way Optimization now being 5-way (Channel / Mainstream series), the Thermal Armor is still available for the TUF series, then of course the ROG series now comes with the Keybot feature which I think was the new feature I’m most interested in.
The Keybot feature now allows you to customize your keyboard functions with just an installation of an Asus software and used in conjunction to the ROG board. So if you have an old mechanical keyboard that doesn’t come with such features and you’re not planning to change it soon, then an ROG board could bring the keyboard a new lease of life!
For those who are not clear on which board to get
1. If you’re an enthusiasts who wants the very best in overclocking – Get an ROG board.
2. If you’re an enthusiasts who doesn’t need the very best in overclocking but wants really tough components (even comes with 5 years warranty) – TUF series is for you. You are still able to overclock but you won’t to push the components like how you could do it with an ROG board.
3. For those using it as a home / work computer, the Channel / Mainstream series are really good too with fancy features for video streaming and NFC related functions (depending on model). They can do overclocking as well but it’s not to the capacity of ROG board, and very unlikely to match the TUF range.
The following board models are to be made available in the Malaysian market.
– Z97-Deluxe
– Z97-PRO
– Z97-A
– NFC EXPRESS 2
– Z97-I PRO
– Z97M-PLUS
– Z97-C
– Z97-K
– H97-PRO
– H97-PLUS
– H97I-PLUS
– H97M-PLUS
– H97M-E
– MAXIMUS VII RANGER (ROG)
– MAXIMUS VII HERO (ROG)
– MAXIMUS VII GENE (ROG)
– SABERTOOTH MK1 (TUF)
– SABERTOOTH MK2 (TUF)
– GRYPHON MK1 (TUF)