ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the Maximus VII Gene mATX, Maximus VII Hero ATX, and the new Maximus VII Ranger ATX gaming motherboards. These Intel Z97 chipset-based Maximus VII motherboards feature the LGA 1150 socket and support Intel 4th, new 4th and 5th-generation processors (Haswell, Haswell Refresh, Haswell Refresh K-series/ Devil's Canyon) to give enthusiasts unmatched gaming performance.

These three gaming motherboards build on the renowned and trusted ROG gaming legacy. All three motherboards sport the distinctive ROG black and red color scheme, with the Maximus VII Gene and Hero featuring the world's first dual-color PCB with a matte black and red finish. The Maximus VII series features premium components, black nickel processor socket covers and improved circuit layouts. The Maximus VII series also boasts advanced networking and audio for gaming, along with an upgraded UEFI BIOS and M.2 (PCIe x2) with up to 10 Gbit/s data transfer speeds."To let more gamers have the privilege of the ROG gaming experience, we're pleased to launch another high value ROG motherboard - the Ranger series," said Joe Hsieh, ASUS Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Motherboard and Desktop System Business Units.

Exceptional online gaming experiences
The ROG Maximus VII series motherboards feature the latest Intel Ethernet for faster, smoother gaming sessions. It reduces CPU overhead to allot more processing power for gaming and offers exceptionally high Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) throughput.

ROG has also improved on the RJ45 LAN port with LANGuard; it uses advanced signal-coupling technology and premium surface-mounted capacitors to improve throughput. LANGuard also features surge-protected and electrostatically-guarded components (ESD Guards) to give ROG Maximus VII series motherboards industry-leading figures of up to 1.3 times the surge protection and 1.9 times the static electricity tolerance of traditional boards.

The latest ROG-exclusive networking optimization utility, GameFirst III, comes upgraded with even more gamer-friendly features and an intuitive interface. GameFirst III can prioritize game packets, allocating more bandwidth for games to ensure a smoother online gaming experience. Users can select several preset modes (Optimization, Game, Media Streaming, and File Sharing); they can even manage bandwidth for individual applications. GameFirst III also has a built-in Network Monitor tool to supervise network traffic and test connection speeds.

Immersive audio for gaming
The ROG Maximus VII Hero and Ranger come with SupremeFX 2014 and Maximus VII Gene with SupremeFX Impact II discrete audio card, which utilize cutting-edge isolation technologies to minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI), premium ELNA audio capacitors and 8-channel gold plated audio output ports, to provide precision-engineered audio that is on par with dedicated soundcards.

This seventh generation ROG Maximus motherboards feature new ROG audio technologies such as Sonic SenseAmp, which detects headphone impedance and automatically adjusts the built-in amp; while the onboard Sonic SoundStage button provides an easy way to apply the best audio settings for popular game genres (FPS, racing, combat and sport).

Maximus VII series' SupremeFX audio technologies also come with Sonic Studio, a brand new audio tuning suite that has a one-click Virtual Surround function for 7.1-channel audio even on a 2-channel stereo headset. It also features detailed settings for Reverb, Bass Boost, Equalizer, Voice Clarity, and Smart EQ to tailor audio to users' preferences.

Complete command and control
The KeyBot lets users instantly "upgrade" existing keyboards by slotting them through the dedicated USB socket to activate the KeyBot microprocessor. Users can assign macros to the function keys for instant shortcuts and commands, and can even program them for one-click smart logins or application launches.

TrueVolt USB is designed to provide a steady 5V output to both the front and rear USB ports. This isolated linear power supply minimizes potential voltage fluctuations to ensure all connected devices receive a clean power supply.

Award-winning UEFI BIOS
ROG Maximus VII series motherboards come with a more user-friendly mouse-controlled UEFI BIOS for faster setup and advanced features which aid both novice and seasoned users when it comes to overclocking and DIY upgrades. They can even set their favorite tuning options. The upgraded ROG UEFI BIOS automatically detects selected ASUS graphics cards and provides users with useful detailed information; while integrated Secure Erase completely wipes out SSD data to restore factory speeds.