When I heard what ASUS was calling their new SKU, I almost choked. I really thought ASUS might be taking a big risk here with the MAXIMUS VI HERO, and I even added some Tina Tuner to my music playlist as I began my testing. Everything worked pretty well, but when I tested the power consumption numbers, I was not surprised to find some far higher than expected. I even started singing along with Tina, images of Mad Max floating through my head. So I ran my benchmarks, not paying attention to scores, and started overclocking.

The ASUS ROG series has long been known to provide one of the most functional platforms for record-breaking results, and its ease-of-use that is second to none. To me, overclocking with the ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO proved that ASUS is still on top of their game when it comes time to overclock, providing the necessary options to reach and crack the limit. So much so that I'm using an ASUS ROG Z87 product as the base for my current memory testing rig--none other than the MAXIMUS VI EXTREME I'll cover in a full review within the coming weeks. The ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO is very much a smaller version of the more expensive EXTREME board, but there are some glaring differences too, like the Hero's lack of in-BIOS overclocking profiles and its limited support for multi-GPU configurations. Their overall differences are so huge that I MUST review the EXTREME board separately, because they really are very different in so many ways. The most obvious difference is the price. The MAXIMUS VI HERO is literally half the price of the EXTREME.

Concerned with making sure they accurately meet the needs of all of their users, many board OEMs now have value-oriented OC-friendly products that take the general principals offered by their high-end and high-dollar engineering showcases to then offer them in a format that is much easier on the wallet. While the ability to overclock has in the past been relegated to only the most expensive products, the ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO is definitely one of those OC-friendly products, and it truly is a HERO in my eyes, especially when you look at the out-of-the-box performance numbers I got with the initial BIOS. Tina was screaming about not needing another hero decades ago, but as time has progressed and old heroes have retired, there is definite space for a new one. Although ASUS's claim in the product name alone is pretty grand, the ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO did not disappoint at all. It earned its title. This day-to-day HERO can definitely save many pennies from being snatched out of your pocketbook if you are looking to do some serious Haswell overclocking, but be forewarned: the HERO does need some training-to-use before it can easily reach the same levels as the MAXIMUS VI EXTREME, as it IS just as capable with a bit of work and practice. I guess Tina Tuner's comeback tour will have to wait.