ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z

[anti.machine]

I was wondering if anyone has this board? Basically Im looking at getting this or the P8Z68 Pro and honestly for being a mATX board it appears to have everything I need. Do you think I would see less performance out of this board and/or do you think I would regret not getting a full ATX?

I will be running this with a i5 2500k and a EVGA GTX 560Ti SC DS no SLI as of now.

 

[mrjoltcola]

I have the Maximus Extreme, but I love ROG boards, so I'm also sweet on the Gene-Z and plan to build another rig with one soon.

Things to consider.

1) Do you have an open / windowed case? Is the look important for your build? If so, Gene-Z wins, in my opinion. The Pro looks nice too, but I don't care for the light-blue color and much prefer the ROG red/black.

2) Do you intend to do maximum overclocking, or just mild / medium? The P8Z68-V PRO has more power phases, whereas the Gene-Z is mid-range as far as ATX boards go, though it is at the high end of mATX. The Gene-Z blows away other mATX boards especially the ASUS H61/H67 models, but wont quite outperform the full ATX PRO. It doesn't mean you won't get high clocks on the Gene-Z, but you just might do better on the PRO with its power phases.

3) Clearance of 1st PCI Express slot on Gene-Z _could_ be an issue when combining a GPU in 1st PCIX slot with a big CPU heatsink if clocking. If you DO ever do SLI, the top slot on the Gene-Z is close to the CPU, and gets tight. A pre-sealed water system like the Corsair hydro series would be better fit. The Pro & other full ATX boards have more clearance and it isn't an issue.

I'd choose the Gene-Z for typical setups, just because it is great looking and could be versatile in more cases, but for actual best performance and a overclock build, the V PRO wins in the end; they are both great boards and I hear of people getting 4.8+ on the Gene-Z, so a lot of it comes down to the CPU you happen to get. You should be happy with either with the right components.

 

[AppaTheBison]

I just recently got this board. It is amazing!!! The bios is so easy to work with, and it allowed me to get a stable 4.6 ghz overclock with literally 3 steps in the bios. I have a gtx 580 in there and have more than enough space to add a second in the future if i wanted. For the price $170, this board gets my highest recommendations! Here was my setup and some pictures

Main Rig:
Newegg Seasonic X650 PSU: $110
NCIX Corsair Carbide 400r Case: $80
Newegg Windows 7 Home 64 bit: $80
MC Zotac GTX 580 Amp Video Card: $334
Newegg Samsung Spinpoint 1TB 3gb/s : $50
NCIX 2600k: $270
Amazon Antec Kuhler 620: $60
Amazon MB Asus Maximus Gene IV Z: $170
Newegg Ram Gskill Ripjaws X 1600mhz 16gb: $85
Amazon Crucial M4: $187
Newegg Sony Bluray Burner Drive: $80
$1506

 

[ethebubbeth]

This is my first post after installing the GENE-Z today. Seems fantastic thus far. My only complaint is that I can't fit my Radeon 6950 into the top PCIE 16x slot. This means that I have to put it in the lower slot where it runs at 8x.

However, my CPU cooler is the Thermalright HR-02 Macho which, according to the Thermalright compatibility list, shouldn't even work on this motherboard (it is gigantic).

 

[Zap]

I ordered one for a build I'm doing for someone. Should arrive today.

Do you think I would see less performance out of this board and/or do you think I would regret not getting a full ATX?

Why in the world would you get less performance?

 

[ghost recon88]

This is my first post after installing the GENE-Z today. Seems fantastic thus far. My only complaint is that I can't fit my Radeon 6950 into the top PCIE 16x slot. This means that I have to put it in the lower slot where it runs at 8x.

However, my CPU cooler is the Thermalright HR-02 Macho which, according to the Thermalright compatibility list, shouldn't even work on this motherboard (it is gigantic).

Explain? Mean the memory tabs get in the way of any card longer than 9 inches or whatever?

 

[R4in]

Why in the world would you get less performance?

Lower power phases could be the only thing to affect performance i would think.

 

[Piano Man]

This is mostly likely the board I will get as well along with the Silverstone TJ08-e mATX case. I like that it has an Intel NIC, alot of 4 pin connectors, onboard USB 3.0, and that the bottom expansion slot is PCIe instead of PCI. I"ll be able to get a 6950 and a HT Omega eClaro Sound card to fit without any thermal issues no prob. I've also seen these boards OC 2500k/2600ks to 4.7-4.8+, which is awesome.

 

[anti.machine]

My only complaint is that I can't fit my Radeon 6950 into the top PCIE 16x slot. This means that I have to put it in the lower slot where it runs at 8x.

My understanding is that both slots are x16 on this board and only if your running dual are they x8?

 

[Zap]

Lower power phases could be the only thing to affect performance i would think.

It might affect overclockability, but Sandy Bridge hits 4.3-4.6GHz so easily that it shouldn't matter. Also, at same GHz the performance will be roughly the same.

 

[anti.machine]

According to TweakTown it looks like the Maximus outperforms the Pro is almost every category.

 

[TheAdvocate]

3) Clearance of 1st PCI Express slot on Gene-Z _could_ be an issue when combining a GPU in 1st PCIX slot with a big CPU heatsink if clocking. If you DO ever do SLI, the top slot on the Gene-Z is close to the CPU, and gets tight. A pre-sealed water system like the Corsair hydro series would be better fit. The Pro & other full ATX boards have more clearance and it isn't an issue.

This. I own it, and because I have an HTPC case, I had to get a low profile cooler. Basically, it's a 120mm fan laid down on top of the heatsink. That's probably about as wide of a profile cooler as you're going to see, but it does make my 1st DIMM channel unusable except for low profile memory, and the tips of the heatpipes are within a few millimeters of the PCB of my GPU.

I wish I was a better photographer, but here's one shot from my build:

and another angle:

Sorry, didn't do a straight top down.

The stock cooler was fine, and I suspect a tall cooler would be okay as well.

And, other than that issue, I absolutely love this board. I have had my CPU up to 4.5 GHz, but my fans have to work too hard to move the air in that tiny case, so I run it at 4.2Ghz (acceptably quiet). And yes, it's ridiculously easy. I love the BIOS. I love the ROG logo and color scheme too. I get ROG skins whenever possible for programs.

 

[TheAdvocate]

My understanding is that both slots are x16 on this board and only if your running dual are they x8?

No. From what I have been told, the 2nd slot runs 8x all the time. Feel free to confirm with Asus though, because some of the marketing materials suggest otherwise.

 

[Meghan54]

Yeah, the first PCIe slot is close to the cpu socket, but not intolerably so.......

 

[ghost recon88]

I use watercooling so it looks like clearance won't be a problem. Been holding out hoping I could find one used, no such luck so far

 

[Zap]

According to TweakTown it looks like the Maximus outperforms the Pro is almost every category.

Eh? If you squint, all the bars look the same length. :hmm:

What's the percentage difference? Typically a percent or two is within the margin of error. Also, some boards don't run at exactly specified speeds. For instance if the motherboard manufacturer wants their board to "win benchmarks" they can make it so the BIOS runs the CPU a hair faster than it should.

Been holding out hoping I could find one used, no such luck so far

When I ordered it, Amazon was the cheapest at $170 with free shipping.

 

[ethebubbeth]

No. From what I have been told, the 2nd slot runs 8x all the time. Feel free to confirm with Asus though, because some of the marketing materials suggest otherwise.

Correct! Both the uEFI BIOS and GPU-Z report the video card as supporting 16x lanes but running with 8x lanes. I guess they assume a video card in the 2nd 16x slot = CFX/SLI.

The only way to run a GPU at 16x is to have a single GPU in the top 16x slot.

 

[Meghan54]

Correct! Both the uEFI BIOS and GPU-Z report the video card as supporting 16x lanes but running with 8x lanes. I guess they assume a video card in the 2nd 16x slot = CFX/SLI.

The only way to run a GPU at 16x is to have a single GPU in the top 16x slot.

Right. Even the owner's manual that comes with the board lists the second PCIe slot (the one you'd figure would be x16) as simply an x8 slot, on pages 2-2 and 2-16. On both pages, the second slot is only listed as an x8 slot, not an x16 slot. The only x16 slot is the upper or first slot.

 

[anti.machine]

IMO the Maximus even if only marginally faster in some areas, is also cheaper than the Pro (A+ for us budget builders) and is a fair trade off for a few less PCIe/PCI slots. Not to mention its aesthetically appealing.

I guess now im just trying to convince myself that just because its smaller doesn't mean im loosing anything serious except some expandability options, it runs slightly hotter and consumes more power, and doesn't quite overclock as high. Which none of those are deal breakers for me or my usage.

 

[Dice144]

I just got this board. Love it so far. Big upgrade cool factor wise over my old AMD gigabyte AM3+ board. Plus was my first water cooling rig.

 

[Zap]

I guess now im just trying to convince myself that just because its smaller doesn't mean im loosing anything serious except some expandability options, it runs slightly hotter and consumes more power, and doesn't quite overclock as high. Which none of those are deal breakers for me or my usage.

Why would it run hotter or consume more power?

The overclockability is debatable of course.

The only difference between micro ATX and ATX as a form factor is the lack of the bottom three slots.

Everything else is at the whim of the motherboard manufacturer.

 

[anti.machine]

Im basing that off of benchmarks when pared with a 2600K

 

[mrjoltcola]

I agree with Zap as usual.

I have no evidence that it won't OC higher, just stating the power phase stats. Reviewers can get 5+ Ghz on a good Sandy chip, so the board is just fine for OC. That is higher than most 2600Ks will go.

As far as heat and power, likely it is due to it being a ROG Maximus board, they tweak the BIOS settings (like Zap pointed out) so that it might seem to outperform. If you look at some of the base clocks and voltages, they may be a hair higher than other boards. I've seen different clocks between boards lately testing a few. What will a 100.5Mhz base clock do vs. another "stock" 100Mhz base clock? Enough on a chart to appear to be "optimized". I don't recall which board I tested that had a slight tweak on base clock, but I believe it was an ASUS.

 

[mrjoltcola]

Im basing that off of benchmarks when pared with a 2600K

Right. I read that review, and it is less than scientific. Like a lot of reviews, they don't list voltages and other differences, however, in fairness, they admit that in the review. For my taste, though, I like to see numbers.

It is a fact that a smaller PCB will have less mass in which to dissipate heat, so a mATX board running at same speed will run a bit hotter than a larger board. I've proved that in testing too. Though it isn't enough to worry about. I say use a good cooler and keep the CPU < 60C if possible, and a few degrees wont matter.

 

[anti.machine]

I am not worried, I am sure it will be a great mobo for my build! Like I said I don't plan on doing any serious overclocking or running SLI