ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z Review

Introduction

Aristotle wrote that “Change in all things is sweet” and change is something that the Maximus IV knows very well.

Normally the ASUS range consists of an Extreme, a Formula and a Gene variant of the same basic design. The Maximus IV definitely changes this as the Extreme is two versions of the P67, the original and then the B3 revision which fixed the SATA issue and otherwise enhanced the basic model.

So we’d expect the Gene to be a P67 B3 based motherboard but in micro-ATX format?

Not so. The Gene is a Z68 based motherboard. So we’ve got a m-ATX Z68 board with onboard graphics, quite a departure from its bigger brother. However there is a Maximus IV Extreme-Z on the horizon which will be the actual bigger brother to this Maximus IV Gene-Z, rather than the current Maximus IV Extreme. It’s confusing stuff indeed.

Anyway, let’s see what is contained within this pocket powerhouse.

Technical Specifications

Despite its petite proportions the Gene-Z is stuffed to the gills with all the latest technology as befits a Z68-based board. We’ve got a couple of SATA-III ports that can handle Intel Rapid Storage Technology which uses a SSD to greatly enhance the performance of a standard mechanical drive. There are two USB 3.0 ports on the back with expansion capabilities for two more internally.

The big thing the Gene-Z has is integrated graphics. However unlike many boards that provide a plethora of outputs for IGP, the Maximus IV Gene-Z only has a HDMI output.

CPU Intel® Socket 1155 for 2^nd Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3 Processors
Supports Intel® 32 nm CPU
Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0  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)
 * 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® SLIâ„¢ Technology
Supports AMD CrossFireXâ„¢ 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 2^nd 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® Advancedâ„¢ HD 5.0 
– THX® TruStudio PROâ„¢
– 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 )