The Maximus IV Gene-Z is a very well equipped mATX motherboard which is based on Intels Z68 chipset. Since ASUS have released with the Rampage II Gene the first mATX gaming board we've been following this trend. And the best thing about these boards is that they're as fast as the bigger ones. 
The Maximus IV Gene-Z is ASUS' high end motherboard regarding Intels Z68 chipset. Therefore we're really curious what they've done from the layout and design perspective.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Specifications / Delivery
| CPU | Intel Socket 1155 Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 |
| Chipset | Intel Z68 |
| Memory | Dual Channel DDR3, 4 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB DDR3, 2200 OC / 2133 OC / 1866 / 1600 / 1333 Non-ECC,Un-buffered |
| Multi-GPU |
ATI CrossFireX NVIDIA SLI Lucid Virtu |
| Slots | 2 x PCI-Express x16 (single at x16, dual at x8/x8 mode) 2 x PCI-Express 2.0 x4 |
| Audio | SupremeFX X-Fi 2 built-in 8-Channel |
| Storage | 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) 2 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| I/O internal / Connectors | 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) |
| I/O external | 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) |
| Forfactor | mATX (24.4 cm x 24.4 cm) |
| BIOS | 64Mb Flash ROM, EFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI2.0a Multi-Language BIOS |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Regarding the delivery you'll find everything you need including in order to setup you system correctly. There even is an additional sticker set which will attract mostly gamers.
Features
| Turbo-V | Allows you to overclock the bus frequency, CPU voltage, IMC voltage and DRAM Bus voltage in Windows and takes effect in realtime without exiting and rebooting the OS. |
| DIGI+ VRM | Meanwhile ASUS also provides its boards with digital power designs. Using the the right software, in this case ASUS DIGI+ VRM Utility it is not only possible to adjust voltages whilst being in Windows on can now also control impedances. |
| Lucid Virtu | All the new P8Z-series motherboards from ASUS support Lucids Virtu software. Using which makes a dynamic load balancing between the integrated graphics and a discrete graphics card possible. The software in this case can for example deactivate the discrete graphics card and only use the integrated graphics from the CPU. This makes sense when applications only need 2D compute power. Another example would be a 3D application where Virtu dynamically assigns load to either both the integrated as well as discrete graphics in order to maximize performance. |
| Intel Smart Response Technology | Intels Z68 chipset allows to use a small SSD as a cache for a big hard drive in order to enhance overall system performance. Especially application and system starts are ment to benefit from this technology. Also the overall user experience should become smoother. Of course you shouldn't expect a setup which makes use of Intels Smart Response Technology to outperform a SSD as a system drive. |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Layout
Already at a first glance the ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z looks very good with its harmonic design. As always the ROG color schema is very attractive. The combination of a black PCB with red expansion slots as well as DIMM slots is very appealing especially if this is combined with the nicely shaped cooling blocks. The layout itself is well thought and there is for example enough space to install a big CPU cooler.
ASUS equipped the Maximus IV Gene-Z with a 16+4+2 phase current supply whereas the CPU can rely on eight phases, the memory gets its own two phases and the integrated GPU gets another four phases. Furthermore ASUS implemented a digital power design which should emit less electromagnetic radiation than its analogue counterpart. Therefore ASUS claims that the system stability can be enhanced even further, especially during extreme overclocking.
Totally you'll find four DIMM-slots on the Maximus IV Gene-Z. Officially supported are DDR3-2200+ / 2133 / 1866 / 1600 / 1333 with up to 32 GByte capacity. Because of the mATX formfactor ASUS had to place the DIMM-slots quite close to the CPU socket which might cause some compatibility problems with big coolers especially when you choose to install RAM with big heatspreaders.
Current converters are being held at adequate temperatures via a passive heatpipe cooling solution. The southbridge got an independant cooling block which has been nicely designed. The aluminium blocks around the CPU socket are quite big. Nevertheless their not close to the CPU socket which means that this will not compromise the installation of a big CPU cooler.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Anschlüsse und I/O
Totally ASUS equipped the Maximus IV Gene-Z with six angled SATA ports which should be enough for any office PC or gaming system. You'll also find practical onboard power- and reset-buttons. There also is a debug display which is very useful if you should once have issues with one of the components in your system.
Totally you'll find five fan header on the Maximus IV Gene-Z which is more than enough, to provide a well equipped midrange or high-end-system with fresh air. The fanheaders are located around the CPU socket. Furthermore you'll also find one next to the DIMM slots and another at the bottom edge of the mainboard.
Looking at the external connectors directly at the back-panel ASUS equipped the Maximus IV Gene-Z with eight USB 2.0/1.1 ports, two USB3.0 ports, two eSATA ports, one gigabit ethernet port, an optical out as well as an analogue audio panel and an HDMI connector. Furthermore you also get a PS/2 combo port for mouse or keyboard.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Fazit
| Allgemein | + | - | |
| At a first glance ASUS leaves a good impression with its Maximus IV Gene-Z. Once more very nice was the ROG color schema. Every time ASUS decides to create another ROG product it's going to be beautiful. Furthermore the board is also very well equipped. There are lots of USB ports - unfortunately only two of them support USB3.0 - and it also comes with two the PCI-Express x16 slots. This makes it possible to run a SLI or CrossFire setup on this small motherboard. | - Design - mATX Gaming Board - SLI/CrossFire possible |
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| Layout | + | - | |
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Generally the ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z's Layout has been very well thought. Once more practical are the angled SATA connectors as well as the power- and reset-buttons. There also is a debug display which is very useful in case you should have issues with a component in your system or the board itself. Furthermore the placement of the second PCI-Express slot is well chosen. As a matter of fact, placing a graphics card in the second PCIe x16 slot does not render the connectors at the bottom edge of the board useless which is a big plus especially with a small mATX gaming board. Furthermore the cooling blocks which keep the current converters at adequate temperatures are resonably sized. Therefore one can comfortably install even a big CPU cooler. |
- Angled SATA connectors - Power/Reset-Button onboard - Debug display - PCI-Express x16 not last expansion slot |
- DIMM slots close to CPU socket | |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
Discuss this article in the forums
Author: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch