ASUS Crosshair IV Formula 890FX Chipset Motherboard Review

ASUS Crosshair IV Formula Motherboard Box and Bundle

The front of the retail packaging for the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula is kept free and clear of marketing text, yet the packaging has an eye catching appearance that will make you want to handle it. This is a key marketing technique for those lucky enough to live close enough to a retail location that carries products of this caliber.

Once you have the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula in hand you can flip the cover of the package open to reveal the Crosshair IV Formula itself. As you can plainly see, it follows the same color scheme as all of the current Republic of Gamers products.

Once the cover is flipped and you are done oohing and aahing over the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula, we can get our first taste of marketing text from ASUS.

• ROG Connect allows you to monitor the status of the ASUS Crosshair IV formula and tweak the settings via a notebook and a USB cable (included). All of the on the fly adjustments are done at a hardware level.
• GameFirst allows you to manage the flow of traffic according to your needs. This allows you to still listen to online music, download and upload files, and engage in Internet chats without sacrificing the low ping times you need to pwn your opponents!
• ProbeIt takes the guesswork out of locating the motherboards measurement points, identifying them clearly in the form of 7 sets of detection points so youll know exactly where to get quick yet accurate readings using a multimeter.

The back of the retail packaging for the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula features a specifications chart and a few close up images of the board that highlight some of the features. Unlike the past three revisions of the ASUS Crosshair, the Crosshair IV has the audio built into the motherboard. The previous three revisions have used an add-in card. This time around ASUS opted to integrate the SupremeFX X-Fi.

The sides of the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula aren’t real exciting, although they do give you the Republic of Gamers logo, ASUS brand logo, and the Crosshair IV Formula name.

Once you start pulling apart the packaging you find that you have an additional couple of boxes. The first of which comes with a plastic lid and includes the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula motherboard. The second includes the retail bundle.

Above is how the retail bundle looks when you receive it.

The retail bundle for the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula includes everything you will need to set up a system.

• User Guide
• Driver/Utility Disc
• USB/E-SATA expansion bracket
• Six SATA cables
• I/O panel
• Crossfire Bridge
• Q-Connects
• Several Zip Ties for cable management
• USB cable for the ROG Connect (six foot)
• And a Republic of Gamers Decal

Now that we have taken a look at the retail packaging and the bundle that comes with the Crosshair IV Formula motherboard, let’s step up the excitement a bit and take a look at the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula motherboard itself!