Verdict: A leaner, better-value alternative to the Blitz Extreme, supporting DDR2 memory.
The Blitz Formula is the DDR2 version of the Blitz Extreme we reviewed last month, and is another addition to Asus' Republic of Gamers (ROG) series. The Blitz Formula, much like last month's Blitz Extreme, is based around Intel's P35 chipset, so it supports Intel's latest 1,333MHz Core 2 CPUs. The question, therefore, is whether it's worth investing in DDR3 and buying the Blitz Extreme, or mixing old and new technology and buying the Blitz Formula.
Like the Blitz Extreme, the Formula supports two ATi Radeon graphics cards in a CrossFire setup, and it also sports the same CrossLinx chip, which boosts CrossFire performance. This chip allows Asus to provide eight PCI-E lanes to the second high-speed PCI-E slot, whereas other P35 boards that lack this chip can only provide a paltry four PCI-E lanes to the second graphics slot.
As our testing confirmed, a CrossFire setup using the CrossLinx motherboard will be up to 13 per cent faster than a setup based on a motherboard without CrossLinx.
The Formula has a very similar layout to that of the Extreme. Unlike other high-end boards such as the Asus P5K3 Deluxe WiFi-AP, the area around the CPU is refreshingly free from obstructions, such as large VRM heatsinks or silly heatpipes. As a result, installing a chunky HSF, such as the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro or Tuniq Tower 120, is far easier than it is with most heatsink-heavy motherboards. This back-to-basics design doesn't impact on performance either. Asus states that both the Formula and Extreme won't require water cooling, and will work well in a case with good airflow using standard air cooling.
If you want to take things a step further in the cooling department, the Formula's Northbridge heatsink doubles as a waterblock and Asus provides adaptors for common 3/8in and 0.5in tubing. This block obviously contributes to the Formula's high price, but considering that a decent Northbridge waterblock costs £30, the £160 price tag starts to look more reasonable.
This is doubly true considering that the Northbridge is also linked to the Southbridge, CrossLinx heatsink and VRM heatsink, which provides effective cross-board cooling.
The excellent layout continues with the I/O arrangement. There are six S-ATA II ports and a single EIDE port, all orientated towards the side of the board to avoid cables clashing with the monstrous graphics cards that Nvidia and AMD/ATi are peddling at the moment. And while the eSATA of the Blitz Extreme may be missing from the Formula, there are six USB ports and FireWire on the board's back panel to compensate.
In addition to the two full-length PCI-E slots, there are two PCI slots and two 1x PCI-E slots. If you install two dual-slot graphics cards then one PCI slot and one PCI-E slot will be obstructed. The remaining PCI slot is above the graphics cards, so there's no thermal issue there, although any 1x PCI-E card would be sandwiched between your hot-running CrossFire cards.
And before you cry, 'What about that black PCI-E slot, you n00bs!', this slot is for the audio daughterboard, which isolates the codec chip from the electrical noise of the motherboard. Whether this strategy works or not is debatable, but the daughterboard at least has the full range of analogue inputs and outputs, if you can't use the S/PDIF outputs on the motherboard's back panel.
Performance
Lack of performance has never been an issue for ROG motherboards, and the Blitz Formula is no exception. The board had no problems overclocking our 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6750 test chip to its maximum frequency of 3.66GHz. This only required overvolting the CPU to the usual 1.525V, while everything else happily ran at stock voltages. The impressiveness of this feat is made clear when you compare the benchmark scores with those of the MSI P35 Diamond; the Formula managed to hit an overall score of 1,263 in our Media Benchmarks 2007, while the MSI, with its maximum CPU overclock of 3.28GHz, languished behind with an overall score of 1,176. To clarify how poor this result is, the P35-based MSI costs a similar amount as the Asus board, but only managed to run 17.6 per cent faster than the reference PC when fully overclocked, while the Blitz Formula is 26.3 per cent faster.
Since the Blitz and the Formula share the same core features (P35 chipset, CrossLinx chip and ICH9R Southbridge) their performance is similar. However, as the Formula uses cheap and readily available DDR2 memory, rather than extravagantly priced and scarce DDR3 DIMMs, the total cost of a PC based around the Formula will be much lower.
Conclusion
As always with Asus ROG motherboards, the Blitz Formula is both extremely tempting and very expensive. Unless you're planning to build a CrossFire-based, water-cooled gaming rig, there are cheaper options that offer similar levels of performance, such as the Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP. However, if you do want to water-cool your PC, the Blitz Formula is a better choice, since it includes a Northbridge waterblock as standard, and costs about the same as a P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP plus a separate Northbridge waterblock (which you'd have to fit yourself, of course).
The Blitz Formula offers superb performance, out-of-the-box support for water-cooling and its layout is hard to fault. It's also around £20 cheaper than the Blitz Extreme, which, combined with cheaper and more widely available DDR2 memory, makes it a better-value choice for a performance PC.
