Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z Motherboard review (mATX)

1. Introduction2. Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z (Bundle)3. Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z (Board /1)4. Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z (Board /2)5. Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z (Bios and Overclocking)6. Testing Methodology7. Synthetic: Unigine Heaven Benchmark8. Synthetic: 3DMark Vantage9. Synthetic: 3DMark 1110. Synthetic: PCMark 711. Synthetic: CineBench R11.5 64 bit12. Synthetic: SiSoft Sandra13. Synthetic: CrystalDiskMark14. Synthetic: HD Tach 3.0.4.015. Synthetic: ATTO Disk Benchmark16. Synthetic: AS SSD17. Image Quality: HQV Benchmark 2.018. Real World: BluRay Playback with PowerDVD19. Real World: Flash HD Performance20. Real World: Media Encoding with Cyberlink Media Espresso21. Real World: File Copying with Kingston HyperMax 3.022. Gaming: Far Cry 223. Gaming: Resident Evil 524. Gaming: Alien V Predator25. Gaming: Lost Planet 226. Gaming: Total War Shogun 227. Gaming; Tom Clancy HAWX 228. Gaming: Home Front29. Closing Thoughts30. View All Pages

If you enjoyed our review of the new Sapphire Mini ITX H67 motherboard, then today's review product will be just as appealing. We are looking at the latest Micro ATX Asus Maximum IV Gene-Z motherboard which brings the Z68 chipset to the HTPC audience.

The Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z motherboard is no ‘cut down' half assed product. As it is a ‘Republic Of Gamers' product, it brings a wealth of enthusiast grade overclocking and tweaking options to the table. It supports the latest Sandybridge ‘K' range of processors and officially can support 32gb of DDR3 memory up to a frequency of 2400mhz. It has onboard SupremeFX X-Fi 2 for ultimate sound quality and also supports both CrossfireX and Sli configurations. The Z68 platform is set to give Intel a ‘fresh’ start for Sandybridge.

Specifications

CPU	Intel® Socket 1155 for 2nd Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3 Processors Supports Intel® 32 nm CPU Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 * The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types. * Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list
Chipset	Intel® Z68
Memory	4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333 Hz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory Dual Channel Memory Architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) * Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs. * Refer to www.asus.com or user manual for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists). * Due to CPU behavior, DDR3 2200/2000/1800 MHz memory module will run at DDR3 2133/1866/1600 MHz frequency as default.
Graphic	Integrated Graphics Processor VGA output support : HDMI port – Supports HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Multi-GPU Support	Supports NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology Supports AMD CrossFireX™ Technology Supports LucidLogix® Virtu™ Technology
Expansion Slots	2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x8) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x4
Storage	Intel® Z68 chipset : 2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red 4 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), gray Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Support Intel® Smart Response Technology on 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processor family JMicron® JMB362 controller : *1 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s port(s), red
LAN	Intel®, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)
Audio	SupremeFX X-Fi 2 built-in 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC – Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking Audio Feature : – X-Fi® Xtreme Fidelity™ – EAX® Advanced™ HD 5.0 – THX® TruStudio PRO™ – Creative ALchemy – Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection – Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
USB Ports	ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller : 4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board) Intel® Z68 chipset : 12 x USB 2.0 port(s) (8 at back panel, black, 4 at mid-board)
Overclocking Features	ROG Connect Extreme Engine Digi+ : – 8 -phase CPU power design + 4 -phase iGPU power design – 2 -phase Memory power design Mem TweakIt ROG Extreme OC kit : – Debug LED ProbeIt UEFI BIOS features : – ROG BIOS Print – GPU.DIMM Post GameFirst iROG Extreme Tweaker Loadline Calibration Overclocking Protection : – COP EX (Component Overheat Protection – EX) – ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
Special Features	ASUS TurboV EVO : – CPU Level Up ASUS Exclusive Features : – MemOK! – Onboard Button : Power/Reset/Clr CMOS (at back IO) ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution : – ASUS Fan Xpert ASUS EZ DIY : – ASUS Q-Shield – ASUS O.C. Profile – ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 – ASUS EZ Flash 2 – ASUS MyLogo 2 ASUS Q-Design : – ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED) – ASUS Q-Slot – ASUS Q-DIMM – ASUS Q-Connector
Back I/O Ports	1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s) 1 x HDMI 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 2 x USB 3.0 8 x USB 2.0 (white port can be switched to ROG Connect) 1 x Optical S/PDIF out 6 x Audio jack(s) 1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
Internal I/O Ports	1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) 2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s) 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s) 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connector(s) 2 x CPU Fan connector(s) 3 x Chassis Fan connector(s) 1 x S/PDIF out header(s) 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s) 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP) 1 x System panel(s) 6 x ProbeIt Measurement Points 1 x Power-on button(s) 1 x Reset button(s) 1 x ROG Connect switch(es) 1 x Go Button(s) 1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)
Accessories	User's manual I/O Shield 2 x SATA 3Gb/s cable(s) 1 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s) 1 x SLI bridge(s) 1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1) 1 x ROG Connect cable(s) 1 x Cable ties pack(s) 1 x ROG theme label(s) 1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label(s)
BIOS	64Mb Flash ROM, EFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI2.0a Multi-Language BIOS
Manageability	WfM2.0, DMI2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE
Support Disc	Support DVD: – Drivers and applications * ASUS AI Suite II * ROG CPU-Z * ROG GameFirst Utility * Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2 Utility * ROG Mem TweakIt Utility * ASUS AI Charger+ * DAEMON Tools Pro Standard * Kaspersky® Anti-Virus 1-year license
Form Factor	uATX Form Factor 9.6 inch x 9.6 inch ( 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm )

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