Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z Motherboard review (mATX)

As we hoped, the Micro ATX Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z motherboard delivers the goods without compromising on features. The bundle Asus have included is thorough, and the manual is well written, covering every aspect of system install and bios tuning that a user could ever need. It may sound like a small point, but some manuals we have read recently don't go into fine detail with some of the bios settings, potentially causing confusion for the user base.

Overclocking is well supported because there are several built in options with ‘safe' voltage settings, sure to be a favourite with inexperienced users who still want substantial performance gains. We had hoped that the Core i7 2600k would overclock well on the board, and it didn't disappoint, hitting 4.6ghz via a simple bios change and 4.8ghz with a decent air cooler and manual tuning. 5ghz+ would be possible with high end water cooling or phase change. Additionally, ROG connect is a popular option for hardcore system tweakers, as you can connect a laptop for on the fly hardware readout and changes.

The Maximus IV Gene-Z design is exceptional… with USB 3.0, SATA 6Gbps, CrossfireX and SLI support and the board will also handle memory up to 2,400mhz, with custom profile settings. Media aficionados will be chuffed to see that high grade audio SupremeFX X-FI is included and the back I/O port is fully loaded to satisfy even the most demanding setup.

We tested today with two single slot Powercolor HD6850 graphics cards … an ideal partner for a high grade media center, with a potential focus on 1080p gaming. The single slot design lowers the internal footprint and aids airflow inside a restricted chassis. While the slots downgrade to 8x/8x when more than one card is used it really doesn't affect performance with current discrete solutions.

Online pricing starts around £135, offering fantastic value for money.

Pros:

• Excellent design
• fully loaded
• SLI and Crossfire support
• memory support is first class
• great price point

Cons:

• Two cards is the limit

Kitguru says: Another excellent product from the Asus engineering team.

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