ASUS has launched the perhaps most interesting board today based on the Intel Z68 chipset. ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z is a mATX motherboard crammed full with functionality and brings support for Crossfire/SLI, four USB 3.0 ports and one HDMI output.
All motherboard manufacturers have unveiled a fleet of Z68 motherboards, some based on old P67 designs where it has simply swapped the chipset to Z68 and a whole lot new ones with VGA, DVI and HDMI outputs on the I/O bracket. In this explosion of new motherboards one of them stands out.
ASUS’ new motherboard in the Republic of Gamers series is called Maximus IV Gene-Z and looks to be a dream for those looking for a mATX motherboard. The design is faithful to the red and black theme typical to ROG motherboardsl A big cooler covers the power circuits so there is little stoping if you’re into overclocking, which you probably are if you bought this board.
The motherboard comes with two PCI-Express x16 (runs at x8 with cards plugged in) for Crossfire/SLI, two SATA 6Gb/s, four SATA 3Gb/s, two eSATA 3 Gb/s, eight USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports on the I/O bracket, and the possibility of connecting two more on the front of the case, Intel Smart Response Technology, Lucid Virtu and Start/Reset buttons. It also has an HDMI output, which is a big plus for ASUS since many companies decided to skip video outputs with their enthusiast boards.
The board is listed in stores and costs around 160€, and should be available in the coming days. ASUS will also launch Maximus IV Extreme-Z based on Z68 in 2-3 weeks.
Source: Lab501
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