The ASUS Maximus Formula Special Edition not only features the X38 chipset but packs a whole bunch of additional features that should help it stand out from competitors' X38 products.
For starters, the Maximus Formula is a water-cooled motherboard, which is no doubt an appealing feature for many many gamers and overclockers alike. It also includes the SupremeFX II soundcard which is another feature aimed at gamers, along with a software bundle of 3D FPS game S.T.A.L.K.E.R., a copy of 3DMark 06 and Kaspersky antivirus.
View: ASUS Maximus Formula (Special Edition) review @ TechSpot
For starters, the Maximus Formula is a water-cooled motherboard, which is no doubt an appealing feature for many many gamers and overclockers alike. It also includes the SupremeFX II soundcard which is another feature aimed at gamers, along with a software bundle of 3D FPS game S.T.A.L.K.E.R., a copy of 3DMark 06 and Kaspersky antivirus.
View: ASUS Maximus Formula (Special Edition) review @ TechSpot
Try the Zalman CNPS9700 LED. It's a really good heatpipe HSF.
I could be wrong, but from what I've read, the Extreme is using 2.0. I think all the X38 boards are 2.0...
Rumor has it the X38 boards are also running quite hot, possibly due to the PCIe 2.0 bridge.
And with the price of DDR3 what it is currently, the Extreme is a true enthusiast board for those with deep pockets. With the older chipsets, DDR3 combines maximum cost with minimal performance improvement over DDR2. The newer chipsets may rectify this and increase memory perf, but I haven't seen enough detailed reviews to justify this...but even then, would better perf with newer chipsets justify the huge cost difference? That would be personal opinion at this point...when we can get two gigs for under $200, that's when DDR3 should really start to go mainstream.
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