ASUS Crosshair V Formula Motherboard

Conclusions

The ASUS Crosshair V Formula is clearly targeted to the serious overclocking enthusiast, providing a series of options and fine-tuning adjustments not available on competing products (you can lower the CPU voltage down to zero volt, for example). Some of the features clearly targeted to the enthusiast include the support for seven four-pin fans (three of them adjustable through three optional thermal sensors), voltage measuring points, voltage monitoring LEDs, and the ROG Connect feature.

As expected, it comes with a series of high-end options, such as four PCI Express x16 slots (working at x16/x1/x16/x4 or x16/x8/x8/x4), six USB 3.0 ports, seven SATA-600 ports, a professional-grade audio quality with optical SPDIF output, Gigabit Ethernet port controlled by a high-end chip, and gold-plated analog audio connectors.

The Crosshair V Formula is more expensive than the other motherboards based on the AMD 990FX chipset we’ve seen so far. So, if you are not into overclocking and still want a motherboard full of features, you will be better off with other motherboards in the USD 200 range, including the ASUS Sabertooth 990FX. However, if you are a serious overclocker, paying an extra USD 40 to get the Crosshair V Formula and its extra overclocking features may be a good deal.

Even though the ASUS Crosshair V Formula is mainly targeted to the forthcoming CPUs based on the AMD “Bulldozer” architecture, it is already available on the market, supporting current-generation CPUs.