Asus maximus viii gene review

Asus leader in the manufacture of graphics cards, motherboards, routers and peripherals. It has recently launched in Spain the new Asus Maximus VIII Gene motherboard with MicroATX format of the Z170 chipset. For those who do not know, we are facing one of the best motherboards on the market, with a design and a first-class cooling system.

In this analysis you will see all its benefits, performance tests and overclocking capacity. Read on for our review!

We thank Asus for trusting the product for its analysis:

Technical characteristics

ASUS Z170 DELUXE FEATURES
CPU	Intel® Socket 1151 for 6th generation Core ™ i7 / Core ™ i5 / Core ™ i3 / Pentium® / Celeron® processors Supports Intel® 14nm CPU Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
Chipset	Intel® Z170 Express Chipset
Memory	Memory 4 x DIMM Memory, Max. 64GB, DDR4 4 x DIMM, max. 64GB DDR4 3600+ (OC) * / 3466 (OC) * / 3400+ (OC) * / 3333 (OC) * / 3300 (OC) * / 3200 (OC) * / 3000 (OC) * / 2800 (OC) * / 2666 (OC) * / 2400 (OC) * / 2133 MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered memory4 x DIMM, max. 64GB DDR4 3600+ (OC) * / 3466 (OC) * / 3400+ (OC) * / 3333 (OC) * / 3300 (OC) * / 3200 (OC) * / 3000 (OC) * / 2800 (OC) * / 2666 (OC) * / 2400 (OC) * / 2133 MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered memoryMHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Dual Channel memory architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Multi-GPU Compatible	Graphic Integrated graphics processor - Intel® HD Graphics compatible - Supports HDMI with a maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz Supports Intel® InTru ™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider ™ Multi-GPU Compatible NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI ™ Technology Compatible Compatible with AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX ™ Technology Expansion Slots New 6th Gen Intel® Core ™ Processors 2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 Intel® Z170 Express Chipset
Storage	Intel® Z170 Express Chipset with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, and Intel Rapid Storage Technology 14 support - 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x4 and SATA Modes) * - 2 x SATA Express ports - 6 x SATA 6Gb / s ports (4 ports from 2 x SATA Express) * - Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology **
USB and ports.	- 8 x USB 3.0 ports (2 ports at mid-board; 6 ports at back panel) - 4 x USB 2.0 ports at mid-board * ASMedia® USB 3.1 controller - Supports ASUS USB 3.1 Boost: - 2 x USB 3.1 ports (1 Type-A and 1 Type-C at back panel): * 2 x USB2.0 port at mid-board shares with ROG extension
LAN	Intel® I219-V Gigabit LAN- Dual
Rear connections	2 x LAN (RJ45) port (s) 2 x USB 3.1 (teal blue) 4 x USB 3.0 (blue) 4 x USB 2.0 1 x Optical S / PDIF out 5 x Audio jack (s) 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button (s)
Audio	ROG SupremeFX 2015 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC - ES9023P High Definition Codec - 2VRMS Headphone Amp into (32-600Ohms) - 2VRMS Headphone Amp into (32-600Ohms) - 2VRMS Headphone Amp into (32-600Ohms) - SupremeFX Shielding ™ Technology - Sonic SenseAmp - Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, and Front Panel Jack-retasking - Optical S / PDIF out port at back panel Audio Features: - Sonic Studio II - Sonic Radar II - DTS Connect
Additional features	Support Disc Drivers ROG GameFirst technology ROG RAMCache ROG RAMDisk Overwolf KeyBot II ROG CPU-Z ROG Mem TweakIt Kaspersky® Anti-Virus DAEMON Tools Pro Standard ASUS WebStorage ASUS Utilities
Format.	mATX Factor Format, 9.6 "x 9.6" (24.4cm x 24.4cm)
BIOS	128 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI3.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 3.0, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 3, CrashFree BIOS 3, F11 EZ Tuning Wizard, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My Favorites, F9 Quick Note, Last Modified log, F12 PrintScreen and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information. Manageability WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, PXE

Asus Maximus VIII Gene

The Asus Maximus VIII Gene is a flagship in high-end, small-format computers. Its packaging is at the height of the motherboard, with a robust box presentation, with corporate red color and with 8 category certifications, including absolute compatibility with Windows 10. On the back all the features and technical specifications are detailed. more important.

Like its older sister, the Asus Maximus VIII Hero, it incorporates two dependencies, the first is the one that protects the motherboard, while the second has all the accessories and product manuals. Its content consists of:

Asus Maximus VIII Gene motherboard Back plate Instruction manual and quick guide CD with drivers SATA cables Processor installation kit SLI bridges

It is a Micro-ATX motherboard with reduced dimensions of 24.4cm x 24.4cm. Its design reminds me of its previous versions for the Z87 and Z97 chipset, although now the metallic color predominates to red, what does not change is its matte black PCB.

It has a total of 10 power supply phases and Digi + technology that ensures stability and great overclocking power. Components are accompanied by DRAM Overcurrent Protection, ESD Guards and high-quality 5K-Hour Solid trainers with increased speed.

On the cooling it has two heatsinks identical to that of the Asus Maximus VIII Ranger and Hero. This makes the components always at an ideal temperature. Already on the supply we have a 24-pin ATX connection and the 8-pin EPS. In the lower area of the motherboard we have two internal USB 3.0 heads, control panel, USB 2.0 and fan heads. That is, we have power, an excellent and powerful cooling system to overclock.

We continue to talk about support, and that is that it has the socket pins gold plated, with a total of 4 sockets of DDR4 RAM that allows us to install up to 64GB with a frequency of 3466 Mhz, compatible with the XMP 1.3 profile and the possibility of overclocking.

The distribution of the PCI Express ports is very good and allows us to install up to 2 graphics cards with Nvidia SLI or AMD CrossfireX technology at x16 with PCI Express 3.0. Between them there is an M.2 connection. and a PCI Express x4 connection .

I'd also like to point out that the SupremeFX 2015 sound card incorporates an ESS ES9023P analog convertor (DAC) with HyperStream technology, Nichicon capacitors, 2Vrms headphone amplifier, and Sonic SenseAmp that automatically detects and optimizes any headphone in the range 32 to 600 ohms to offer us a purer sound quality.

On the storage connections it incorporates 8 SATA connections at 6Gb / s shared two of them with the SATA Express connection.

Finally, indicate on its rear panel is composed of:

BIOS FLASH Back and Clear CMOS.Mini HDMI.USB 3.1.USB 3.0 x 6Displayport.HDMI.PS/2LANDigital audio output.

Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i5-6600k.
Base plate:	Asus Maximus VIII Gene
Memory:	4 × 4 16GB DDR4 @ 3200 MHZ Corsair LPX DDR4
Heatsink	Corsair H100i GTX.
HDD	Samsung 840 EVO 250GB.
Graphic card	Nvidia GTX 780.
Power supply	EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2

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To check the stability of the processor and motherboard, we've overclocked up to 4500mhz with Prime 95 Custom and air cooling. The graphics that we have used is an Nvidia GTX780, without further distractions let's see the results obtained in our tests with a 1920 × 1080 monitor.

BIOS

Asus sets itself apart from the rest with its stable BIOS and continuous updates. I personally love them and I find it a true wonder. As always, it allows us to save settings, 3-pin fan controller, create profiles for the fans, overclock with the smallest detail and a very friendly interface.

In addition we must take into account an important fact, it is that the plates are already optimized to control the pumps of the customized liquid refrigerations, therefore it is an extra point, since we are not obliged to have a rehobus or an external controller.

software

Among its software we find Asus Boot Setting that allows us to go to the BIOS directly after a restart, configure a quick boot or customize the boot after a blackout in the computer.

The 5-Way application is at the forefront of all motherboard applications where it allows us to overclock, monitor temperatures, adjust fans, customize the LEDs and activate TurboLAN.

Final words and conclusion

The serious Republic of Gamers is the most famous motherboard family in the world, for its potential, aesthetics and stability in BIOS. We have already had many boards analyzed, and Asus always surprises us with some improvement. This time we have had the Asus Maximus VIII Gene with microATX format, compatibility with the Z170 chipset and DDR4 memory. Its 10 digital phases and its cooling system offer great potential to our processor and graphics cards, since we can take 100% of the equipment. In addition we see a visual design change, where the metallic color predominates over the red.

What improvements do we find compared to Gene VII? It integrates the audio components on the board itself, whereas before it was on an external card. The SupremeFX 2015 offers us a great experience on such a compact motherboard. We also find that on the rear connectors the motherboard has removed all USB 2.0 ports in the previous generation and used this space to add additional USB 3.0 ports and two USB 3.1 ports (Type-C & Type-A).

In the overclock it has given the stature, although it hoped that the feeding phases were the same as those of the Deluxe or the Asus Maximus VIII Hero, but this time they have shot for the same ones that the Ranger or the Sabertooth Mark 2 carries. The result has also been very good with 4, 500 mhz with our i5-6600k.

In short, if you are looking for a quality micro ATX motherboard, with good sound, excellent overclocking capacity and a daring design. The Asus Maximus VIII Gene offers everything you ask for, the same its but stronger is the 220 euros for its acquisition.