ASUS Maximus IV GENE-Z Motherboard Review @ [H]

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FrgMstr

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ASUS Maximus IV GENE-Z Motherboard Review - The Maximus IV GENE-Z is ASUS' micro-ATX answer for the small form factor crowd. As part of its Republic of Gamers (ROG) line, this motherboard offers top of the line component architecture to drive the performance that one expects from a ROG board.
 
YES!! Though I already have one, I've been waiting for the [H] review for a long time :) Thank you!
 
Any clue on when the updated Gen3 version of this board is scheduled for release?
 
Great review! I think this ROG mobo has great value, and value is the reason my next build will be matx using this product (gen3).
 
Mine should get dropped of by big brown tomorrow afternoon and I'm stoked.

I'm not sure how much I care that it won't be the Gen3 revision. Wait -- I don't care at all.

After trying a few non-Asus 1155 boards, I wanted to look in another direction. I've always enjoyed uATX boards but this one is pretty much no compromises. Seriously, I read a couple "user reviews" that listed the lack of EIDE, serial, com ports, and PCI as negative aspects of the board... to which I say BS. If you want PCI slots, the new $220 Intel Z68 Extreme series mainboard has 3 of them as it adds a second set of Marvel Sata III ports and had to give up even more lanes. That's just way too many on a $200+ enthusiast offering. PCI should have been thrown out for P67 and Z68 boards anyway, as it has to be more expensive to adopt with the added need for a PLX chip to enable it on a platform that doesn't have native support for PCI anymore. Many PCI devices don't work well on 1155 boards anyway, and on a few boards they don't work at all. So don't think you'll be able to take that PCI soundcard to the grave with you, and don't bitch when a board doesn't have a PCI slot to put it in.

I do have an Intel DP67BG that I love, and it doesn't get the attention it deserves, but it's time to try something different so I had no qualms about throwing down the $170 for the Gene-z
 
my gene-z, runs like a dream.

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totally in love with this mobo (and it just got a BIOS update to enable 22nm IvyBridge CPU's)
 
My only beef with the board was that it can't run CrossFire with an xtra NV card in for PhysX processing...
 
Morry T said:
My only beef with the board was that it can't run CrossFire with an xtra NV card in for PhysX processing...
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Forgive my ignorance, but are cards for PhysX even relevant anymore? I understand that you could toss an nVidia card in there with your crossfired cards, but do you really get an tangible benefit? I mean, if you had two single slot GPUs, or at least one single slot GPU, you could still toss the extra card in there, but does it really yield any performance gains? There are some 6850's that are made in single slot formats, so it wouldn't be out of the question.
 
ckryan said:
Forgive my ignorance, but are cards for PhysX even relevant anymore? I understand that you could toss an nVidia card in there with your crossfired cards, but do you really get an tangible benefit? I mean, if you had two single slot GPUs, or at least one single slot GPU, you could still toss the extra card in there, but does it really yield any performance gains? There are some 6850's that are made in single slot formats, so it wouldn't be out of the question.
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Besides just a bit better performance with than using CPU assisted PhysX, some games have added detail with PhysX enabled. I know that in Batman:Arkham Asylum, lots of environment details were added with PhysX enabled (like banners hanging from the ceiling) that weren't there without PhysX...
 
Great review guys as usual. My concern here is, what am I really losing by going with this over a full ATX board other than a few extra slots? Honestly i'm using all the integrated stuff on my abit right now as it is other than video. I'd probly continue that trend and i feel like there are some extra ROG features maybe i'd get on this that may not be present on the full sized boards at the same price point.

Am i completely off on my thinking here?
 
There is also the 2 steps OC method (if you haven't modified any other settings):

CPU Level Up = 4.6
Ai Overclock Tuner = X.M.P.

Flawless for me.

I also made it to 5GHz @ 1.424v but haven't stress tested it, I just wanted to prove myself I could do it with a screenshot. ;-) I'm sure it would have crashed @ this voltage later on running anything that would stress the CPU but you see there is a lot of room with the voltage so I'm sure I would have had success if I wanted to run 5GHz all the time.

I'm more than happy with 4.6 so I keep it there with lower voltage/temp (and only 2 settings to change if I upgrade the BIOS version).
 
I have this board an overall I am happy with it, I wish they dropped the rogue connect and added bluetooth instead.
 
Imitation said:
Great review guys as usual. My concern here is, what am I really losing by going with this over a full ATX board other than a few extra slots? Honestly i'm using all the integrated stuff on my abit right now as it is other than video. I'd probly continue that trend and i feel like there are some extra ROG features maybe i'd get on this that may not be present on the full sized boards at the same price point.

Am i completely off on my thinking here?
Click to expand...

You may not even use the ROG features as they are lessened by not including B/tooth - regardless these ROG boards are THE shit if you want stable, longlasting, topquality mobo/s - I seriously would love this board if I didn't already have a 'cheating' Gigabyte Z68 board, that has PCI slots that I use for a s/card and TV tuna...
Another good read - wd guys..

And, no you are not 'off on your thinking'........;)
 
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For me, size was a big deal. It seems mATX case designers are more... daring? IMO. Like the FT03, it has the footprint of a mITX SG05 case, but only 2.5 times higher. As a result, it's the case I have kept (and still counting) the longest. It's just... out of the way. I stuffed it behind my desk, yet still have access to the entire back panel :)
 
I love my Gene-z, it is stable and fast. I was downsizing from a huge I7 system and wanted portability without sacrificing performance and this did the job amazingly.
 
I love my Gene-z, it is stable and fast. I was downsizing from a huge I7 system and wanted portability without sacrificing performance and this did the job amazingly.
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+1...same boat..and the best UEFI BIOS i've seen to date.
 
Rhialto said:
The board is compatible with IB (BIOS update) but the updated GEN3 to arrive soon will also be compatible PCIe 3.0 so maybe worth the wait.
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Nice.

Will wait it out then.

Though my e8500 has served me well, I can't wait to finally go Quad.
 
When is this Gen3 coming out ??

I was about to pull the trigger on a i5 2500K and Maximus IV Gene-Z !!!:eek:
 
See my sig (that's with 1.35V) ............have been in love with Gene series since the first iteration.
 
I am curious too as to when the gen3 is coming out. My Gene-Z should be arriving via Brown today, assuming it doesn't require a signature. If it does, ill have to drive and pick it up from the local UPS facility.

Perhaps I jumped the gun too soon. And should have waited? Does pcie 3.0 add any substantial benefit?
 
I am fixing to order this board......going to stick it in an Apevia Qpack with an upgraded PS. Should be a sweet little rig with a i5 2500k.

PS - Can anyone comment on SLI with this mobo? Will I suffer from the x8 x8 in SLI much? I am looking to use 2 GTX 560's.

I was suprised the review did NOT cover this...... :(
 
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Awesome, thanks for linking that. I have a 23" 1080 monitor I am happy with so I am happy to see I will have 0 issues! Thanks!
 
This review is late and pointless because everyone knows its a fantastic board by now :)

Here is mine along with shots of the Fractal Define Mini







 
If I could have foreseen what would have happened with my first Z68/SB build (which ended up as a return-to-vendor with my Asrock Z68 Extreme 4 Gen 3 board), I might have gone this route.

It's a really cool board, and could make a great reasonably compact high-performance system. Nice job reviewing it.
 
from page 4 of the review:

The Maximus IV GENE-Z performed flawlessly during the audio testing, with the select audio coming through almost perfectly.
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Almost? Damning with faint praise?
 
Mannymal said:
Corsair H60. I love it.
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I am building a system with this mobo and I also have a fractal design mini and I want a water cooler but was concerned with noise as I want this system to be as quiet as I can make it.

How quiet is your system? And your H60?
 
Yea theres supposed to bea gen 3 coming out. The biggest upgrade is PCI express 3.0. Pretty much will future proof your setup.
 
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