Unboxing: ROG Maximus VIII Gene

The arrival of the new 6th Generation Intel Core processors means the new wave of ASUS and ROG Z170 motherboards are here.  Presenting the ROG Maximus VIII Gene.

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You will be spoiled with the full set of accessories consisting of four SATA 6Gb/s cables, a M.2 screw pack, an SLI-bridge, a Setup/DIY guide, an installation disc, ROG stickers pack for your case, keyboard, hard drives, fans and cables, plus a metal ROG badge, an ROG door hanger, a Q-Connector, a Q-Shield backplate and the new CPU Installation Tool.

A new CPU Installation Tool is introduced to eliminate the risk of bent CPU socket pins. While the CPU installation process is easy especially for seasoned builders, the risk of dropping something onto the pins is still there. One minor mishap is all that’s needed to convince you that the hassle is not worth it, especially when you are so eager to fire up your new system.  There is attention to detail from start to finish, from the ROG Q-Shield to the fan stickers, PC builders will certainly appreciate these finishing touches when the system is complete.

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ROG Maximus VIII Gene possesses as much power and flexiblity as you will need from an mATX case, and more!  Once again, when you hold this you will feel the quality and see the beauty in a board that deserves to be the centerpiece of your PC.  It’s ready for you to slot in that new 14nm Intel LGA1151 Core i7/i5/i3 processor, and up to four sticks of DDR4 memory supporting up to Dual DDR4 3400 (OC) and of course Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP).  Again there are Q-DIMM memory slots so you only need to manually secure one side of your sticks of memory.   5-Way Optimization auto-tuning technology can be used for easy performance boosts, power-savings, ultra-quiet operation or even custom audio/networking settings for games.  Second-generation T-Topology is built in for superior DDR4 memory overclocking, ensuring time-aligned signal transfer for stability and compatibility.  And all-new Pro Clock technology is introduced to turbo-charge the base-clock (BCLK) frequency on your 6th Gen. Intel processor.  Power means nothing without control, so to achieve stable overclocks Extreme Engine DIGI+ VRM is used to deliver ultra-stable performance by using top-of-the-line components such as MicroFine Alloy Chokes and NexFET MOSFETs. 

With the new board comes a new socket – the LGA 1151, but there’s good news for people wanting to upgrade (from any of the previous LGA 115X sockets) but still want to use an existing cooler, there won’t be any compatibility issues.   The new look of the armor and cooling system certainly looks sharper and more premium than ever.

There is an M.2 Socket 3 supporting both PCIe X4 and SATA modes if you are looking to upgrade your storage, PCIe 3.0 X4 M.2 SSDs are highly recommended for incredible speed, no storage bay is required and no cable management which is a huge plus especially in an mATX case!    Eight SATA III ports are also available (four of which can be used as SATA Express ports).  On the back panel there is a USB 3.1 type-C and a type-A port, support for up to eight USB 3.0 ports (six on the back panel) and four USB 2.0 ports are possible.   With this many options for connectivity, your mATX will probably need to be modded to make use of all these!

For LAN connectivity, the latest Intel Gigabit Ethernet (i-219V) reduces CPU overhead and offers more throughput, leaving you with more computing power for gaming, while the exclusive LANGuard signal-coupling technology ensures reliable connections and better throughput. Maximus VIII Gene features electrostatically-guarded and surge-protected components (ESD Guards) for nearly double the tolerance to static electricity and two-and-a-half times the protection (up to 15KV) against surges.  GameFirst technology further enhances online gaming performance for no-delay gameplay by prioritizing packets for gaming. 

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Tremendous effort has been put into making the sound simply unrivaled.  In the all-new SupremeFX 2015, apart from the obviously beautiful red LED shielding, Nichicon capacitors are now used in favor of ELNA Capacitors, so are professional-grade audio components, such as an ESS ES9023P digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with Hyperstream technology which uses its own dedicated clock instead of the system clock to eliminate jitter, a 2V_RMS headphone amp powerful enough to drive large headsets with ease, while Sonic SenseAmp detects the impedance of your headset (32-600ohms) and optimizes automatically, and an NEC De-pop Relay gets rid of the popping sound, while also protecting headsets from damage.  

SupremeFX 2015 features the Sonic Studio II audio-tuning suite to enhance clarity and quality of your recordings. Last year Perfect Voice noise-cancellation technology rectified outgoing communications, this year both incoming and outgoing communication will be crystal clear for you and your teammates. Casting Enhancer can be used to improve both streaming and recording quality. This intuitive software suite includes one-click virtual-surround sound, audio controls to customize Reverberation, Bass Boost, Equalizer, Voice Clarity and Smart EQ.

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For the graphics, you could use the Intel HD integrated graphics supporting InTru 3D and up to 4K resolution.  Or you could throw in a couple Strix GTX 980 Ti's or R9 Furys into the two PCIe 3.0 X16 slots (runs at X16 or X8/X8) for Nvidia SLI or AMD CrossFireX fun (up to Quad-GPU is supported), plus a PCIe 3.0 X4 slot which supports Intel RST for PCIe RAID storage.

 

ROG’s latest gaming motherboards also have built-in DRAM Overcurrent Protection with an additional resettable fuse to protect connection ports and DRAM against overcurrent and short-circuit damage, dual backplates to provide additional cooling, protection and reinforcement, stainless-steel back I/O connections with three times the lifespan.

 

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For mATX cases there usually isn't much room for water-cooling, however if you did manage to fit it in there, advanced fan and water-pump controls are in place, from onboard thermal sensors to hardware-level 4-pin/3-pin PWM/DC mode detection.  Fan Xpert 3 is a complete and intuitive software to control cooling even in specific areas.  A new dedicated onboard water-pump header can be used to ensure water-cooling efficiency, plus a header for the optional fan-extension card for more fans and sensors.  Despite the size, this is ROG and it means extreme, so room has been made for ROG-exclusives such as LN2 Mode for subzero overclocking.

Other exclusive features include: ROG RAMCache technology for example caches an entire storage device so that your favorite games and apps can launch faster than you thought possible.  RAMCache can turns milliseconds of loading time into microseconds so you can be in the game before you know it, while minimizing the risk of data loss.  File transfer speeds can be up to twice the speed!  KeyBot II is an exclusive microprocessor allowing you to record macros directly from your current keyboard, enable special functions for games, work or multimedia, enter account names and passwords in a flash, start and even boost the PC from shutdown (S5 mode), and create shortcut keys.  The brand-new Directional Exchange feature allows you to switch direction at the touch of a button in fighting games.  And now you can stay in the game with free access to Overwolf, it’s a clever unobtrusive overlay that enables browsing, emailing, instant messaging, streaming or recording without interrupting gameplay. Two ROG Skins are downloadable from the Overwolf App Store.