Topics:#micro-atx

With three additional Pro Gaming motherboards for portable builds, we expect to be seeing many extravagant mini PC builds in 2016. Check out which one is for you!

As you might infer from the name, the ASUS B85M-Gamer is a gaming-featured motherboard aimed at the small form factor, budget buyer. Typically the B85M-Gamer buyer will be looking to pair with an Intel Pentium, Core i3 and entry-i5 chip to provide great price:performance and efficiency, while also negating the need for an overclocking chipset. The B85M-Gamer has a black PCB with a flash of red along the heatsink and on the SupremeFX 'redline' to accentuate the look. LANGuard and Intel Gigabit Ethernet also features from the ROG stock. The high-quality audio has the same SupremeFX shielding technology, ELNA premium audio capacitors and headphone amp of its ROG and Pro Gamer brothers to yield 115dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) stereo output.

The Maximus VII Gene is ROG's 2014 overclocking-slash-gaming Z97 motherboard aimed at micro ATX, small form factor PC builders. As usual, the smaller board real-estate does not mean 'less' motherboard, as the Gene is a no-compromise design; it overclocks just as far and pack as many features as any equivalent ATX ROG board. Learn all about the new board inside!

Looking for big pics of the new Gene? Here's a gallery of ROG's latest Z97 micro ATX gaming motherboard!

Some of you might have seen recent research numbers from IDC showing that the desktop computer market is slowing down quarter after quarter, but luckily for us enthusiasts these results have nothing to do with the gaming sector, which is seeing double digit growth these days. With that in mind, it does not come as a surprise that there are quite a few great mods surfacing these days, including the quite impressive Project Hellion MK1 mod based on the ASUS ROG Maximus V Gene motherboard.

With five Maximus VI motherboards to choose from, you maybe wondering which board you should go for. Just automatically go for the Extreme because it's always the biggest and baddest available? Where does the Formula fit? Will the Hero suit my needs? What about the smaller form factors? We'll guide you through them below!

JJ takes us through how to build a complete micro ATX small form factor PC with the Maximus V GENE motherboard. If you're planning a second, mobile rig for LAN events, or just fancy scaling down your 20KG behemoth under the desk, it's worth seeing what you can do in such a small footprint!

ASUS has today launched the Maximus V GENE motherboard, based on the new Intel Z77 chipset.

The Maximus V GENE is the first 5th generation Maximus to launch, from the Republic of Gamers. It combines the new Intel Z77 chipset with the existing socket LGA1155, that's suitable for existing 2nd Generation Core processors, like the i5-2500K, i7-2600K or i7-2700K, as well as future 3rd Generation Core processors. Here we detail its features: