ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT Motherboard
Voltage Regulator
Contents
As we mentioned before, the CPU voltage regulator circuit of the ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT is mounted on a second printed circuit board that is soldered to the main board, at a ninety-degree angle. It has 10 phases for the CPU.
The voltage regulator is controlled by an ASUS DIGI+ ASP1251 chip, which uses a digital design. Each phase is driven by an IR3553 chip.
The component side of the voltage regulator board (with the heatsink removed) is shown in Figure 11, while Figure 12 reveals the solder side.
Figure 11: Voltage regulator circuit
Figure 12: Voltage regulator circuit
The ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT uses high-end solid Japanese electrolytic capacitors, from Nichicon, on its voltage regulator circuit (a.k.a. “10K Black Metallic Capacitors”). According to ASUS, these capacitors have a lifespan five times longer than regular Japanese solid capacitors, and have a higher temperature tolerance (between -55° C and +105° C, making them military-grade components). This allows you to use liquid nitrogen on your CPU without damaging the capacitors. The coils are 60A ferrite-core models.
If you want to learn more about the voltage regulator circuit, please read our tutorial on the subject.