[REVIEW] ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE - Performance Test

[owikh84]

ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE ? Performance Test




Introduction

Intel has officially launched two mainstream 9-series chipsets, with Z97 and H97 motherboards based on the new silicon, supporting the LGA1150 socket. Compared to the predecessor 8-series, the new 9-series chipsets feature more storage options, including the M.2 storage and SATA Express. Both chipsets will support the current Haswell processors, Haswell Refresh codenamed Devil?s Canyon processors, and the upcoming Broadwell processors. Other features are including Intel's Smart Response Technology (SRT) support for Solid State Hard Drives (SSHD) and Intel?s Device Protection with Boot Guard.

Today, I will be taking a look at the ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE, a motherboard that has all of the exclusive ROG features in a micro-ATX form factor. The MAXIMUS VII GENE comes equipped with all the latest features, including ASUS' exclusive Supreme FX Impact II audio solution paired with Sonic Radar II, Extreme Engine Digi+ III with 60A ferrite choke and 10K black metallic capacitors, Game First III used in conjunction with Intel Ethernet protected by LANGuard, Dual Intelligent Processors 5, KeyBot + TrueVolt USB technology, quad-GPU CrossfireX and SLI support, and so much more out of the ROG feature set. Let?s see what?s so special about this board.

Product Link: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_GENE/

Suggested Retail Price: RM 859


Specifications:



Full specifications can be obtained HERE


Overview




Unboxing


The ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE ships in a red box featuring ROG design. The front side across the bottom shows some of the motherboard features such as support for Intel?s Core processor, Intel Z97 chipset, supports both NVIDIA's SLI and AMD's CrossfireX technologies, native support for resolutions up to 4K as well as Windows 8.1 ready.


The back of the retail packaging illustrates the specifications and highlights the main components of the feature set, such as the Supreme FX Impact II audio solution, Gamer First III, KeyBot, as well as Extreme Engine Digi+ III. A diagram of the rear I/O panel is shown to demonstrate the I/O connectivity offered by the motherboard.


Flipping open the lid of the box you will find even more details out about the key features of the MAXIMUS VII GENE. Here ASUS gives you in-depth explanations on the Supreme FX Impact II sound, networking technology such as LANGuard and Game First III, KeyBot technology which allows you to upgrade your conventional keyboard to macro-able, and protection features including the DRAM Over-current Protection and ESD Guards.


The MAXIMUS VII GENE sports the black and red color scheme that you would expect from the ROG series. The first thing that you would noticed is the dual-colour PCB with a matte black and red finish which is the world?s first PCB to have such feature. Aesthetically, the motherboard looks appealing and well built with a bunch of high quality components stuffed everywhere across the board. The VRM heat sinks have a black matte finish and the chipset heat sink with the ROG logo will glow red when the motherboard is running.


Moving closer to the power phase design, the MAXIMUS VII GENE is powered by ASUS?s renowned Extreme Engine Digi+ III with 8+2 phase power design. It comes equipped with premium components such as 60A Ferrite Choke, 10K Black Metallic Capacitors, and NexFET Power Block MOSFET that are put through numerous tests to ensure their reliability and stability even under the extreme conditions. These high grade components are claimed to have five times longer lifespans than regular components.


Top left portion of the MAXIMUS VII GENE features a mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 connector which supports half-sized mPCIe modules such as the Wi-Fi GO! module. This connector shares bandwidth with the M.2 connector and PCIe 2.0 x4 slot. Also sighted is the 8-pin 12V CPU power connector which supplies power to the CPU socket.


Across the top right of the MAXIMUS VII GENE?s PCB is the Q-Code LED, ProbeIt voltage measurement points for all of the voltages including vCore, vPCH and vDIMM, a pair of CPU fan headers, and the 8-pin auxiliary CPU power connection. Also spotted is the LN2 jumper and the MemOK! Button. If memory problems are preventing your system from booting, MemOK! can help by automatically loading fail-safe settings to enable basic functionality with the simple push of a button on the motherboard.


The four DIMM slots feature a second generation T-Topology design for minimal noise and signal reflection for enhanced overclocking. These memory slots are specified to run at dual channel configuration with support for Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) and 32GB capacities. The single-sided clips mean handling memory modules is easier and super secure. To the right of the memory slots we have the 24-pin power connector to power the motherboard.


As it is a gaming motherboard, the MAXIMUS VII GENE has two PCI-Express x16 expansion slots that support quad-GPU SLI and CrossFireX setups. However, both slots run at x8 when both are occupied. Another expansion slot is a PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot, but this slot will be covered if you install a graphics card in the bottom PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. Users can access the PCIe-based slot without having to remove their graphics card. Sitting between the PCIe 3.0 X16 slots is the 10Gbps M.2 (socket 3) connector. Formerly known as next-generation form factor (NGFF), M.2 is the replacement for the mSATA interface found on some motherboards. There is also a SupremeFX Impact II connector above the top PCIe 3.0 X16 slot to install the included sound card. Moving to the bottom edge of the motherboard you can see some ROG labeled ICs, TPM connector, Start and Reset buttons, Keybot and SoundStage buttons, a T_Sensor connector, a ROG Extension for the use of ROG OC Panel, a single USB 2.0 connector supporting two ports, a fan connector, and the front panel connections.


The MAXIMUS VII GENE comes equipped with the best audio, the SupremeFX Impact II with 8-channel HD audio CODEC featuring SupremeFX Shielding Technology, ELNA premium audio capacitors, Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection, DTS Connect, Sonic SoundStage, Sonic SenseAmp, Sonic Studio as well as the Sonic Radar II technology. Sonic Radar II will allow you to see your enemy behind walls or distances very clearly and precisely.


For storage needs, ASUS provides eight 6Gbps SATA 3 ports in which six ports are natively supported by the Z97 chipset (support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10) and the other two ports are controlled by the ASMedia ASM1061 controller. There is no 3Gbps SATA 2 port provided but that?s not a problem because SATA 3 port is backward compatible.


The rear I/O panel consists of, from left to right, a mini-PCIe connector for use with Bluetooth and WiFi modules. Next up are the ROG Connect and Clear CMOS buttons, a PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port, and a pair of Z97-controlled USB 2.0 ports. The upper port is for the dedicated KeyBot port whereas the lower port supports the USB Flashback feature and serves as the ROG Connect port. The next block of connectivity contains an Optical S/PDIF output and a single HDMI 1.4 port supporting max resolutions of 4096x2160 @ 24 Hz / 2560x1600 @ 60 Hz. Next, we have the single Intel I218V controlled Gigabit LAN port supporting GameFirst III technology, two ASMedia ASM1061-based controlled USB 3.0 ports, a pair of Z97-controlled USB 3.0 ports that support the use of ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology, two ASMedia ASM1061-based controlled USB 2.0 ports and the outputs for the Realtek 1150-based SupremeFX Impact II 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC.


The back side of the PCB has a pair of retaining heat sinks for the Extreme Engine Digi+ III power phase. Also seen on the back of the PCB is a ROG chip that sits between the two PCIe 3.0 X16 slots.


As for the accessory bundle, you will get a detailed user guide manual, driver and software disc, a 12-in-1 ROG cable labels, a ROG door hanger, an ROG case badge, a total of six SATA 6Gbps data cables, a set of ASUS Q-Connector for the front panel connectivity, an I/O Shield, a ROG SLI bridge, and the SupremeFX Impact II sound card.

[owikh84]

Features

The ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE is loaded with of lots features and utility suites such as the Gamer First III which is designed to help you to assign top priority to game packets and allocate more bandwidth to the game, ensuring the best online gaming experience. The Sonic Radar II which is designed as a gaming aid for gamers, those hard of hearing or unable to use in-game audio clearly. It does not interfere with game files, nor does it represent anything more than the game engine produces. Besides that, the motherboard comes bundled with the SupremeFX Impact II sound card to give the best audio quality for gaming. Other key features are the LANGuard, KeyBot, TrueVolt USB, RAMDisk, and many more.

[owikh84]

The UEFI BIOS

Overall, ASUS has done a great job in updating their UEFI BIOS for the latest Z97 motherboards and the MAXIMUS VII GENE has no exception. The layout design of the new UEFI BIOS is quite informative with the descriptions of every option displayed on the bottom of the screen. One drawback that I noticed is that the UEFI BIOS is a little bit buggy and unresponsive as compared to the Z87 motherboards. For instance, the DRAM Frequency drop down list couldn’t respond to the last-saved option. A single key press would lead to the Auto option instead of the last-saved memory frequency. Perhaps it was just me but I feel uncomfortable with it. The MAXIMUS VII GENE comes with the traditional two modes for the UEFI BIOS that we have seen since a few generations of platforms ago, the EZ Mode and Advanced Mode.

The EZ Mode is easy to learn, use, and manage for users who do not want to spend the time going through the advanced sections of the BIOS. It displays frequently-accessed setup info. Users can choose system performance mode on demand and also drag and drop to set the boot priority.








The Advanced Mode is suitable for experienced performance enthusiasts that demand for more adept of tuning abilities for higher level of overclocking.

[owikh84]

The AI Suite III

ASUS AI Suite III is an intuitive central hub that provides access to the vast majority of ASUS monitoring and control utilities on the MAXIMUS VII GENE. The utility offers a thorough control for the TurboV Processing Unit (TPU), Energy Processing Unit (EPU) to enhance energy efficiency, DIGI+ Power Control for enhanced performance, increased efficiency and optimum reliability, and Fan Xpert3 for unrivalled customizable fan control, allowing you to supervise overclocking, energy consumption, fan speeds and voltages. These are the main features of 5-Way Optimization driven by Dual Intelligent Processors 5.























Overall, the software worked perfectly in our testing. However, for overclocking you might not be needing this but instead, go for overclocking in BIOS environment or the included TurboV Core which is a light version of TurboV application.

[owikh84]

Test Setup & OverClocking





Basically the Z97 overclocking method is the same and as simple as the Z87. The main method of overclocking are the BCLK and multiplier overclockings with multiple CPU straps ie. 100, 125, 200 to choose. It is known that out of the box the Haswell processors tends to get very hot with a little voltage bump therefore the headroom for overclocking can be very limited.

We managed to push healthy clock of 4.6GHz out of the i7-4770K with the MAXIMUS VII GENE. We were also able to get 4.7GHz to boot but unfortunately under AIDA64 System Stability Test the core temperatures beyond 100 ?C causing the core clocks to throttle down due to thermal protection feature comes with the motherboard. Therefore to maintain stability we moved to 4.6GHz which allowed the core voltage to go down to 1.324v which is more comfortable.



With the 4.6GHz being our best overclock, we will take this clock speed into our benchmark tests in this review. At the same time, we picked a Samsung-based memory kit, the G.Skill TridentX rated at 2666MHz 10-12-12-25-1T, due to its performance efficiency along with the ASUS ROG Matrix R9-290X Platinum as our graphics card to handle the 3D benchmarks.

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Synthetic Benchmarks

[owikh84]

Game Benchmarks

The game benchmark settings are listed in the table below:


The game titles selected demand GPU power over CPU power therefore in each test the difference is rather marginal.






Memory OverClocking

History repeated again same like what happened during initial days of Z87 launching around one year ago. I had problem overclocking some memory kits especially the Hynix-CFR, PSC and Elpida BBSE-based ICs on this MAXIMUS VII GENE. No matter what settings I throw the memories just could not overclock at all or had an extremely bad overclocking performance. It could be the BIOS issue or something else. Nevertheless, overclocking on the Samsung and single-sided Hynix-MFR kits was on par with my expectation.

Hynix-MFR IC RAM: Apacer ARES 3000C12 2 X 4GB @ 3250MHz 12-15-15-35-1T


Samsung IC RAM: G.Skill TridentX 2666C10 2 X 4GB @ 2860MHz 9-12-12-25-1T

[owikh84]

Thoughts & Verdicts

ASUS did a pretty good job with their ability to cramp a plethora of features and high grade components in such a small space. The ROG-certified components used in the ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE help in stability and efficiency of overclocking. Their AI Suite III software did not disappoint us at all in fine tuning the overclocking. The UEFI BIOS is a heaven for extreme overclokers and polished with some additional overclocking features for Intel’s latest Z97 chipset and the Devil’s Canyon CPUs. However, newbie overclockers might find it hard to get used to the cluster of BIOS options initially but will eventually master it thanks to the informative 200-page user’s manual that’s included in the retail packaging. Almost each of the options is described clearly in the manual.

Space constraint doesn’t stop ASUS from providing a nice board layout to the MAXIMUS VII GENE. Their exclusive SupremeFX Impact II just sits nicely above the top PCIe 3.0 X16 slot without touching the graphics card. Also the Start and Reset buttons are easy to reach in our test bench. If you have an M.2-based SSD to be installed on the M.2 slot placed between the primary PCIe slots it will not interfere with any graphics card installed on these slots due to its thin size. Another hardware component that’s worth mentioning is the included Q-code LED which displays the board’s operation status and error codes that’s very important to show what’s going wrong with your unsuccessful overclock. This feature is not provided by ASUS on their other micro ATX motherboards such as the Z97M-PLUS and TUF Gryphon, unfortunately. However, there is no built-in SATA Express to utilize the Z97’s feature. Also absent from the motherboard is the combo WiFi and Bluetooth module that you would find on its predecessor, the Z87-based MAXIMUS VI GENE.

On the performance segment the ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE did well in all our benchmarks showing that it delivers consistent results in any kind of scenario. We successfully overclocked our i7-4770K to 4.6GHz stable without too much hassle and overclocking only helped to boost its performance to a higher level. The test results were very similar to the Z87-based MAXIMUS VI EXTREME board because the same i7-4770K processor was used on these two platforms. Compared to the Z77-based MAXIMUS V EXTREME and i7-3770K combo also didn’t yield any significant difference. Sometimes the i7-4770K was beating and sometimes it was falling below the i7-3770K setup. Memory overclocking could be improved with a better BIOS support. In my opinion it was very picky on the memory IC in which overclocking could only be done easier with the Samsung and Hynix-MFR memories. For some reason other memory kits such as the Hynix-CFR, Elpida-BBSE and PSC chips were hard to overclock.

With a price tag of RM 859, the ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE is certainly not a motherboard for everyone. People would rather top up a little bit to get a full-sized ATX with more connectivity and features. We hope that ASUS Malaysia would consider to reduce the price to a more affordable level such as RM 500-700. Nevertheless, the ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE is a great motherboard if you're looking to get into the LGA1150 Haswell/ Broadwell platform.

Thanks to ASUS MALAYSIA for supplying the MAXIMUS VII GENE for review. We are looking forward to seeing more products to review in the future.

Performance: 4/5
Materials: 5/5
Specifications: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Performance/Price Value: 3/5

Pros:
+ Excellent CPU overclocking performance
+ Attractive ROG’s black and red colour scheme
+ High quality hardware components
+ Nice board layout with good placement of primary PCIe slots
+ Quad-GPU SLI and CrossFireX support
+ Comes with a dedicated high quality SupremeFX Impact II sound card
+ Included bunch of ROG featured accessories
+ Included a huge software package including the AI Suite III
+ Intelligent UEFI BIOS

Cons:
- Expensive, overpriced in Malaysia
- Mixed memory overclocking performance, it’s picky on memory kits
- Some options in the UEFI BIOS are rather slow or irresponsive
- The Advanced Mode in the UEFI BIOS might not be friendly to novice overclockers
- WiFi and Bluetooth module is not included, which prevent wireless connectivity
- No SATA Express port
- Long graphics card will cover the SATA ports

[Olivon]

Thaks a lot owikh. Always lovin' your reviews