ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z

cadaveca · Sep 1, 2011, 04:18 PM

To read this review go to: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...mus_IV_Gene-Z/

ERazer · Sep 16, 2011, 12:58 PM

bought this mobo couple months ago and i can honestly say the best mATX mobo i ever bought

pcie spacing might be con for others but definitely not for single users like me and i have 3 slot vga

Breathless · Sep 16, 2011, 01:17 PM

Now Asus needs to do the same thing but with an ITX Z68!!!

cadaveca · Sep 16, 2011, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERazer

bought this mobo couple months ago and i can honestly say the best mATX mobo i ever bought

pcie spacing might be con for others but definitely not for single users like me and i have 3 slot vga

Totally a minor issue, but it must be mentioned. The board is fantastic.

A big part if that is now the BIOS is pretty mature, boy, is it ever a difference from products I've had that weren't in the retail space, every single memory kit I have just plain old worked, and that's a big thing in my books.

It's a little weird that they have 3800 MHz as stock, and they kinda cheated the scores there, but htey aren't the only one, either.

ERazer · Sep 16, 2011, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadaveca

3800 MHz as stock

yeah just noticed that now you pointed it out

cadaveca · Sep 16, 2011, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERazer

yeah just noticed that now you pointed it out

Yeah, I had to. The BIOS that was on the board when I got did not do this, and I received a revised BIOS that did. I was a bit shocked, to be honest, but I trust ASUS has tested this functionality enoug hthat it won't be an issue for anyone, and everyone gets an easy free performance boost without even trying.

It seems that the voltage did increase from stock a tiny bit too, so I am 100% confident they considered the consequences of enabling this function in the BIOS.

bear jesus · Sep 16, 2011, 02:49 PM

Great motherboard review as always Dave, i really like that you keep taking off the heat sinks and showing the VRM set up and also the impression of the components on the thermal pads.

cadaveca · Sep 16, 2011, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bear jesus

Great motherboard review as always Dave, i really like that you keep taking off the heat sinks and showing the VRM set up and also the impression of the components on the thermal pads.

Thanks man. Really, I do this for you guys anyway, so you don't encounter problems that may come out of things like that. I do feel that cooling is important, as there used to eb a time, back when I was part of the extreme cooling scene, when taking off heatsinks and repalcing thermal paste is jsut something everyone did when they got a brand new board...

I mean, i've got to compare the boards somehow. Cooling is one obvious thing that differs from product to product, so I examine the cooling.

I also had requests for pictures of the boards "naked", so yeah, I make sure to show all the critical stuff you guys need to know about, and explain what they are, and it's up to you guys to judge whether it's important or not.

PopcornMachine · Sep 16, 2011, 05:48 PM

Thanks for the review. Depending on how the new CPUS measure up with Sandy Bridge, this board could be in my future.

VulkanBros · Sep 16, 2011, 06:53 PM

Well - if I were an Intel guy - this board would certainly catch my interest ...

and yes - exciting review - as always

ice_v · Sep 18, 2011, 12:33 AM

I WOULD KILL, RAPE, BLOW A HOSPITAL to have identic layout on an am3+ with AMD 9-Series Chipset!

PopcornMachine · Sep 18, 2011, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ice_v

I WOULD KILL, RAPE, BLOW A HOSPITAL to have identic layout on an am3+ with AMD 9-Series Chipset!

You have good point. Been astonished at the absence of MATX 990FX boards.

That alone may turn me off to Bulldozer.

Maybe ASUS will come through for us there too.

ckoons1 · Oct 19, 2011, 11:25 PM

anyone know why my asus maximus gene z won't restart. i have to clear cmos and press power button to enter bios or windows but when i try to reset it shuts down. no overclock applied.
????

ckoons1 · Oct 19, 2011, 11:41 PM

the cpu temp in the bios is reading 21-23c. can this be an issue?

cadaveca · Oct 19, 2011, 11:57 PM

Could be a bent pin, or memory problem. Is the board flexed under the CPU cooler?

Temps are low compared to my chips, but not that much. I wouldn't think that was a problem.

ckoons1 · Oct 20, 2011, 12:11 AM

i'll check. why would it only be on restart? i try to restart it and it shuts down. then when i press power it boots up to bios saying "overclock failed"

specks · Oct 20, 2011, 12:20 AM

TPU must be this famous

cadaveca · Oct 20, 2011, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckoons1

i'll check. why would it only be on restart? i try to restart it and it shuts down. then when i press power it boots up to bios saying "overclock failed"

Could be memory, could be an errant setting. Clear CMOS fully, removing battery and using jumper as it shows in the manual, and then try loading "optimized deafaults" and see if the problem persists. Also make sure ram is installed in the right slots(1&3)

Quote:

Originally Posted by specks

TPU must be this famous

ckoons1 · Oct 20, 2011, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadaveca

Could be a bent pin, or memory problem. Is the board flexed under the CPU cooler?

Temps are low compared to my chips, but not that much. I wouldn't think that was a problem.

turns out the SLEEVED 8 pin ext cable i was using was bad. removed it and all is good

THX GOD

PopcornMachine · Oct 20, 2011, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckoons1

turns out the SLEEVED 8 pin ext cable i was using was bad. removed it and all is good

THX GOD

That is fortunate. Glad the problem wasn't with your nice new motherborad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PopcornMachine

Thanks for the review. Depending on how the new CPUS measure up with Sandy Bridge, this board could be in my future.

Now that the new CPUS are out, if I were building a new system today it would be a Sandy Bridge CPU and a Gene-Z.

ruined · Oct 20, 2011, 04:57 PM

Hi guys,
I've read the review of this board and what an amazing review for an amazing board I must say.
However, being a newbie, I'm overwhelmed with those bios settings and stuff.
So, I would like to know, does the manual that comes with the board teaches you all those?
Thanks.

cadaveca · Oct 20, 2011, 05:00 PM

Manual has brief explanations. For a better guide, here you go

:

http://www.asusrog.com/forums/showth...e-Overclocking

Neuromancer · Oct 20, 2011, 07:31 PM

Hey Dave did you use the Lucid Graphics when doing your testing? I have this board on the bench now, and intended to do that same that I did with MSIs Z68 which was test with and without Lucid, (as with there is a slight performance decrease almost across the board) generally 1-2% IIRC.

cadaveca · Oct 20, 2011, 07:35 PM

I do not use Lucid for testing. It's software, and I'm after hardware testing, so have not put too much into Lucid and benchmarks.

That said, I do use the Lucid software in my personal rigs...2%-10%, depends on the app. I think Lucid launched a new driver recently, too.

Paulieg · Oct 21, 2011, 02:24 PM

Nice review. Quite thorough, and pretty much covers anything that I noted while owning this board for a couple of months. Anyone considering this board, do not hesitate.

Sep 1, 2011, 04:18 PM	#1
cadaveca My name is Dave Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The Great White North Posts: 10,766 (4.15/day) Thanks: 4,473 Thanked 5,189 Times in 3,197 Posts System Specs	ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z To read this review go to: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...mus_IV_Gene-Z/ Last edited by W1zzard; Sep 16, 2011 at 07:45 AM.

System Name:	Eyefinity Gamer
Processor:	Intel i5 3570K @ 4.6 GHz
Motherboard:	ASUS Maximmus V Formula
Cooling:	Corsair H100
Memory:	16 GB G.Skill F3-2666C11Q-16GTXD
Video Card:	AMD Radeon HD7950 3GB x2 w/AMD Catalyst 12.10
Hard Disk:	OCZ Nocti 60GB mSATA, Crucial M4 120GB x2
Optical Drive:	LG BluRay/HD-DVD
CRT/LCD Model:	3x Dell U2412M
Case:	LianLi T60
Sound Card:	N/A
PSU:	Silverstone Strider 750W GOLD
Software:	Windows 8 Pro
Benchmarks:	Benchmarking is for suckers. ;)

Sep 16, 2011, 12:58 PM	#2
ERazer Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Republic of Texas Posts: 1,421 (1.08/day) Thanks: 334 Thanked 500 Times in 337 Posts System Specs	bought this mobo couple months ago and i can honestly say the best mATX mobo i ever bought pcie spacing might be con for others but definitely not for single users like me and i have 3 slot vga __________________ Gaming Rig: i7 2600k \| ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z Intel Z68 \| 8gb Corsair Dominator GT \| ASUS ENGTX580 DCII \| Intel 510 series 120gb \| Corsair 650d Daily Rig: i7 860 \| GA-P55A-UD6 \| 8gb Corsair Dominator III \| HD5770 \| x2 250gb WD RE4 Raid0 \| Haf932 Modded Server: i3 540 \| GA-H55N-USB3 \| 4gb Corsair XMS DDR3 \| x4 500gb WD Blue \| lian li pc-q08b \| My HeatWare \| My For Sale \| SteamID \| Last edited by ERazer; Sep 16, 2011 at 01:04 PM.*

System Name:	Resurrection
Processor:	i7 2600k 4.6ghz
Motherboard:	ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z Intel Z68
Cooling:	EK Supreme HF, EK Bay Spin Reservoir, Bitspower Compression Fittings, MCP 350, Fesser Tubing
Memory:	8 gig Corsair Dominator GT III 1866 (CAS 9)
Video Card:	asus 580 direct cu II
Hard Disk:	Intel 510 series 120gb
Optical Drive:	Steam FTW!!! who needs Cd's
CRT/LCD Model:	ViewSonic 24 LCD HD VX2439wm
Case:	650D
Sound Card:	on board X-Fi
PSU:	Corsair Memory AX850
Software:	Window 7 x64 Pro
Benchmarks:	X Armor u9bl Mechanical Keyboard "Cherry MX Brown" and SteelSeries Ikari Gaming Mouse

Sep 16, 2011, 01:17 PM	#3
Breathless Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 367 (0.18/day) Thanks: 66 Thanked 35 Times in 26 Posts	Now Asus needs to do the same thing but with an ITX Z68!!! __________________ All Hail Obama - by Breathless http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVAJd-AwNtQ http://soundcloud.com/breathlessrap/...mands-designer http://soundcloud.com/breathlessrap/food-for-thought

Sep 16, 2011, 02:49 PM	#7
bear jesus Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Britland Posts: 1,531 (1.51/day) Thanks: 322 Thanked 200 Times in 162 Posts System Specs	Great motherboard review as always Dave, i really like that you keep taking off the heat sinks and showing the VRM set up and also the impression of the components on the thermal pads. __________________ The pastafarian jesus

System Name:	Gaming temp// HTPC
Processor:	AMD A6 5400k temp, waiting for A10-6700 // A4 5300
Motherboard:	ASRock FM2A75 PRO4// ASRock FM2A55M-DGS
Cooling:	stock // stock
Memory:	4GB 1600mhz corsair vengeance // 4GB 1600mhz corsair vengeance low profile
Video Card:	none // none
Hard Disk:	500gb // 64gb sandisk pulse
Optical Drive:	none (no need) //
CRT/LCD Model:	acer 22" 1680x1050 // acer 22" 1680x1050
Case:	none // none, considering Silverstone Milo ML03B
Sound Card:	onboard // onboard
PSU:	430W Corsair CXM //

Sep 16, 2011, 05:48 PM	#9
PopcornMachine Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Los Angeles/Orange County CA Posts: 1,124 (0.82/day) Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 372 Times in 302 Posts System Specs	Thanks for the review. Depending on how the new CPUS measure up with Sandy Bridge, this board could be in my future.

System Name:	Green-Blooded Vulcan
Processor:	I5 2500K @ 4.6 GHz
Motherboard:	Asus Maximus Gene-Z
Cooling:	XSPC Rasa 750 RS240 Kit & EK 6970 Water Block
Memory:	G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600
Video Card:	Sapphire HD 6950 (900/1400)
Hard Disk:	Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
Case:	NZXT Vulcan
Sound Card:	On Board
PSU:	CORSAIR 650HX
Software:	Win 7 64-bit

Sep 16, 2011, 06:53 PM	#10
VulkanBros Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: At the Pico Mundo grille Posts: 1,088 (0.36/day) Thanks: 249 Thanked 205 Times in 146 Posts System Specs	Well - if I were an Intel guy - this board would certainly catch my interest ... and yes - exciting review - as always __________________ If your knees aren´t green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life.... -Calvin

System Name:	The Skeleton Build
Processor:	i5 3570K @ 4.4 GHz 24/7 (CooLaboratory Liquid Ultra)(BIOS 1707)
Motherboard:	ASUS Maximus V Gene
Cooling:	KÜHLER H2O 920 with 2 x 120 mm push/pull
Memory:	4x4 GB DDR3 1866 MHz Dominator Platinum
Video Card:	GTX 670 DirectCU II (ThermalTake TG-1)
Hard Disk:	OS: Vector 256 GB / DATA: Vector 256 GB / GAMES: Vertex4 256 GB
Optical Drive:	Wasn´t that in 1980?
CRT/LCD Model:	24" SyncMaster P2450 (1920x1080)
Case:	Antec Skeleton
Sound Card:	SupremeFX III (Realtek ALC898 chip)
PSU:	Corsair Pro Series Gold AX850
Software:	Win 8 Pro x64 w/StarDock Start 8 & KIS 2013

Sep 18, 2011, 12:33 AM	#11
ice_v Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Italy Posts: 101 (0.10/day) Thanks: 73 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	I WOULD KILL, RAPE, BLOW A HOSPITAL to have identic layout on an am3+ with AMD 9-Series Chipset!

Oct 19, 2011, 11:25 PM	#13
ckoons1 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: O'fallon Mo. 63366 USA Posts: 707 (0.38/day) Thanks: 67 Thanked 31 Times in 23 Posts System Specs	anyone know why my asus maximus gene z won't restart. i have to clear cmos and press power button to enter bios or windows but when i try to reset it shuts down. no overclock applied. ????

Processor:	Intel I7 3820
Motherboard:	Gigabyte X79S-UP5
Cooling:	MCP655 BLACK ICE SR1-480 X 2 Raystorm Copper
Memory:	Corsair Dominator 16gb 1600 C7
Video Card:	MSI GTX 580 Hydrogen [Heatkiller]
Hard Disk:	SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB
Optical Drive:	Light-On HAS324
CRT/LCD Model:	LG 24" Flatron
Case:	Little Devil LD-PC V8 Black/White
PSU:	Seasonic X850 Gold
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate 64

Oct 19, 2011, 11:41 PM	#14
ckoons1 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: O'fallon Mo. 63366 USA Posts: 707 (0.38/day) Thanks: 67 Thanked 31 Times in 23 Posts System Specs	the cpu temp in the bios is reading 21-23c. can this be an issue?

Oct 19, 2011, 11:57 PM	#15
cadaveca My name is Dave Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The Great White North Posts: 10,766 (4.15/day) Thanks: 4,473 Thanked 5,189 Times in 3,197 Posts System Specs	Could be a bent pin, or memory problem. Is the board flexed under the CPU cooler? Temps are low compared to my chips, but not that much. I wouldn't think that was a problem.

Oct 20, 2011, 12:11 AM	#16
ckoons1 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: O'fallon Mo. 63366 USA Posts: 707 (0.38/day) Thanks: 67 Thanked 31 Times in 23 Posts System Specs	i'll check. why would it only be on restart? i try to restart it and it shuts down. then when i press power it boots up to bios saying "overclock failed" Last edited by ckoons1; Oct 20, 2011 at 12:34 AM.

Oct 20, 2011, 12:20 AM	#17
specks Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 422 (0.52/day) Thanks: 424 Thanked 87 Times in 59 Posts System Specs	TPU must be this famous

System Name:	Spreadsheet powerhouse
Processor:	Two P4s glued together
Motherboard:	Asus P5KPL-AM EPU
Cooling:	CoolerMaster Hyper TX3
Memory:	2gb (2x1gb) Kingston Value Ram DDR2 800mhz
Video Card:	Sapphire HD4670 1gb GDDR3 w/ Arctic Cooling Accelero L7
Hard Disk:	500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue
Optical Drive:	Samsung Super WriteMaster
CRT/LCD Model:	Philips 191EL 18.5"
Case:	Thermaltake V4 Black Edition
Sound Card:	Onboard
PSU:	Thermaltake TR2 600W
Software:	WinXp

Oct 20, 2011, 04:57 PM	#21
ruined Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 4 (0.01/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi guys, I've read the review of this board and what an amazing review for an amazing board I must say. However, being a newbie, I'm overwhelmed with those bios settings and stuff. So, I would like to know, does the manual that comes with the board teaches you all those? Thanks.

Oct 20, 2011, 05:00 PM	#22
cadaveca My name is Dave Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The Great White North Posts: 10,766 (4.15/day) Thanks: 4,473 Thanked 5,189 Times in 3,197 Posts System Specs	Manual has brief explanations. For a better guide, here you go : http://www.asusrog.com/forums/showth...e-Overclocking

Oct 20, 2011, 07:31 PM	#23
Neuromancer Join Date: May 2008 Location: South Jersey Posts: 376 (0.21/day) Thanks: 66 Thanked 66 Times in 61 Posts	Hey Dave did you use the Lucid Graphics when doing your testing? I have this board on the bench now, and intended to do that same that I did with MSIs Z68 which was test with and without Lucid, (as with there is a slight performance decrease almost across the board) generally 1-2% IIRC.

Oct 20, 2011, 07:35 PM	#24
cadaveca My name is Dave Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The Great White North Posts: 10,766 (4.15/day) Thanks: 4,473 Thanked 5,189 Times in 3,197 Posts System Specs	I do not use Lucid for testing. It's software, and I'm after hardware testing, so have not put too much into Lucid and benchmarks. That said, I do use the Lucid software in my personal rigs...2%-10%, depends on the app. I think Lucid launched a new driver recently, too.

Oct 21, 2011, 02:24 PM	#25
Paulieg The Mad Moderator Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Wherever I can find the iron. Posts: 11,448 (5.02/day) Thanks: 2,519 Thanked 3,054 Times in 2,098 Posts System Specs	Nice review. Quite thorough, and pretty much covers anything that I noted while owning this board for a couple of months. Anyone considering this board, do not hesitate. __________________ "I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds." -Henry Rollins My heatware Save lives by joining the TPU WCG team!

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