ASUS Maximus II GENE P45 mATX Motherboard Review

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ASUS Maximus II GENE P45 mATX Motherboard Review

Manufacturer's Part Number: Maximus II GENE
Price: N/A
Manufacturer's Product Page: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Warranty: 3 year limited warranty



All the way back in February, ASUS introduced the world to the latest addition to the Republic of Gamer (RoG) family of motherboards in form of the GENE series. The first model to be announced and released was the Rampage II GENE, an Intel X58-based microATX model that we had an opportunity to review a few weeks ago. In mid-April, the second model in the series was revealed to be the Maximus II GENE, an LGA775 motherboard which sports the mainstream P45 chipset and is also based on the compact mATX form factor. This is the board we will reviewing for you today.

The Maximus II GENE is targeting case modders, LAN gamers, and just about anyone who enjoys having a more compact system but who doesn't want to give up anything in the form of performance, multi-GPU support, overclocking, etc. Let's face the facts, aside from the DFI Lanparty JR P45-T2RS, all microATX motherboards on the market are quite boring, budget-oriented models with very little appeal to those who want compact but high-performance systems. The MIIG, as we will occasionally refer to it, certainly does come packed to the gills for an mATX board, featuring two physical PCI-E x16 2.0 (8x electrical) slots, one PCI-E x1 slot, one PCI slot, seven SATA-II ports, one Gigabit LAN port, six USB 2.0 ports, eSATA and FireWire connectivity, an 8-channel HD SupremeFX X-Fi audio codec, diagnostic LEDs, onboard power/reset buttons, a heatpipe cooling system, etc.

What really distinguishes the Maximus II GENE from almost every other LGA775 mATX on the market is CrossFireX capability, an 8-phase PWM for the CPU, dual-channel DDR2-1300 support, an overclocking-oriented BIOS, Loadline Calibration (LLC), and TweakIt LCD Poster. That is not even mentioning the wide range of proprietary ASUS features like CPU Level Up and MemOK! and worthwhile software tools like PC Probe II and TurboV. Clearly, on paper everything is in place for this to be the best microATX motherboard on the market for the enthusiast crowd. Can it live up to these lofty expectations? Let's find out!

 

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Specifications

Specifications

The Maximus II GENE is based on the mainstream Intel P45/ICH10R chipset combination, which was released back in June 2008. As with the P35 “Bearlake-P” chipset, the P45 is manufactured on the 65nm process, which makes it quite a bit smaller than 90nm chipsets like the high-end X38 and X48. As a result of this more modern manufacturing process, the northbridge has a very low default voltage of 1.10V, which means that it also runs cooler than its predecessors.

Officially, the P45 chipset only supports a front side bus up to 1333Mhz, which would seem to exclude support for the rare, high-end 1600Mhz FSB Core 2 Extreme QX9770 quad-core processor. However, all motherboard manufacturers are marketing their models as FSB1600 capable. Memory-wise, the chipset has been validated for operation up to DDR3-1333 and DDR2-800, but a few manufacturers have certified their own models for operation up to DDR3-2000+ and DDR2-1366+.

On the PCI Express front, the P45 is limited to 16 PCI-E lanes, just like its predecessor the P35. However, the P45 chipset supports the PCI Express 2.0 specification, which doubles the standard bus bandwidth from 2.5 Gbit/s to 5 Gbit/s. This in itself is not particularly noteworthy, since the real-life performance differences between PCI-E 1.0 and PCI-E 2.0 are quite miniscule. However, the P45’s standout feature is that its PCI-E 2.0 slots can work in either 1x16 or 2x8 configuration, which is unprecedented for a mainstream chipset. In effect, a proper CrossFire configuration, no more crippled x16/x4 CrossFire nonsense. It’s not a full-blown x16/x16 setup, but no one could realistically expect Intel to allow a mainstream chipset to share the technological limelight with the higher-end X38/X48.

While the P45 chipset is the first to benefit from the new ICH10R southbridge, there is not much fundamentally new. As with the ICH9R southbridge, the ICH10R supports six SATA II ports, AHCI, and Intel's Matrix RAID technology.

Now let’s see what kind of motherboard ASUS has built around this solid, mainstream chipset:

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Features

Features

Although the impressive specifications list tells part of the tale, let us take a closer look at the Maximus II GENE's features. Remembering that this is a Republic of Gamers (RoG) model, we can expect some familiar enthusiast-focused features and maybe even a few brand new goodies.

<table align="center" bgcolor="#666666" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="90%"><tr><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>ATI CrossFireX Technology</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6a.png" style="float: left; margin: 4px 5px 0 0;" />ATI´s CrossFireX boosts image quality along with rendering speed, eliminating the need to scale down screen resolutions to get the high image quality you want. CrossFire ignites with the higher antialiasing, anisotropic filtering, shading, and texture settings you desire. Adjust your display configurations, experiment with your advanced 3D settings, and check the effect with a real-time 3D-rendered preview within ATI´s Catalyst™ Control Center to rule your CrossFireX system. </td><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>Dual-Channel DDR2-1300</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6b.png" style="float: left; margin: 4px 5px 0 0;" />The motherboard supports DDR2 memory that features data transfer rates of 1300 / 1200 / 1066 / 800 / 667 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest operation system, 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR2 architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidths of up to 20.8GB/s.</td></tr><tr><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>iROG</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6c.png" style="float: right; margin: 4px 0 0 5px;" />The iROG is a special IC which enables several ROG highlitghted functions that gives users full disposal of the motherboard at any stage! This design allows advanced user control and management to be processed purely at a hardware level. iROG greatly increases fun during overclocking for PC enthusiasts and it offers system maintainence and management with more control and efficiency. </td><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>CPU Level Up</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6d.png" style="float: right; margin: 4px 0 0 5px;" />Ever wish that you could have a more expansive CPU? Upgrade your CPU at no additional cost with ROG´s CPU Level Up! Simply pick the processor you wanted to OC to, and the motherboard will do the rest!
See the new CPU speed and enjoy that performance instantly. Overclocking is never as easy as this.</td></tr><tr><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>MemOK!</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6e.png" style="float: left; margin: 4px 5px 0 0;" />Memory compatibility is among the top concerns when it comes to computer upgrades. Worry no more, MemOK! is the fastest memory booting solution today. This remarkable memory rescue tool requires nothing but a push of a button to patch memory issues and get your system up and running in no time. The technology is able to determine failsafe settings that can dramatically improve system booting success.</td><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>COP EX</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6f.png" style="float: left; margin: 4px 5px 0 0;" />The COP EX allows overclockers to increase chipset voltages without the worries of overheating. It can also be used to monitor and save an overheating GPU. The COP EX allows more freedom and less constraint for maximum performance achievement.</td></tr><tr><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>Voltiminder LED</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6g.png" style="float: right; margin: 4px 0 0 5px;" />In the pursuit of extreme performance, overvoltage adjustment is critical but risky. Acting as the "red zone" of a tachometer, the Voltiminder LED displays the voltage status for CPU, NB, SB, and Memory in a intuitive color-coded fashion. The voltiminder LED allows quick voltage monitoring for overclockers.</td><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>Loadline Calibration</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6h.png" style="float: right; margin: 4px 0 0 5px;" />Maintaining ample voltage support for the CPU is critical during overclocking. The Loadline Calibration ensures stable and optimal CPU voltage under heavy loading. It helps overclockers enjoy the motherboard´s ultimate OC capabilities and benchmark scores.</td></tr><tr><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>SupremeFX X-Fi built-in</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6i.png" style="float: left; margin: 4px 5px 0 0;" />SupremeFX X-Fi delivers an excellent high definition audio experience to the gamers of ROG. The SupremeFX X-Fi features unique audio innovations for gamers to spot enemies in 3D environment during game play. SupremeFX X-Fi combines the technological quality design of SupremeFX and sound effect technology from Creative Labs to offer games exceptional game sound with absolute quality.</td><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>Noise Filter</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6j.png" style="float: left; margin: 4px 5px 0 0;" />This feature detects repetitive and stationary noises like computer fans, air conditioners, and other background noises then eliminates it in the incoming audio stream while recording.</td></tr><tr><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>External LCD Poster</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6k.png" style="float: right; margin: 4px 0 0 5px;" />The new LCD Poster now posts critical POST information in an ever friendly and flexible external display. When system malfunction occurs, the LCD Poster automatically detects device failure and translates the errors on the LCD during POST.</td><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>Onboard Switch</b></center> <img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6l.png" style="float: right; margin: 4px 0 0 5px;" />With an easy press during overclock, this exclusive onboard switch allows gamer to effortlessly fine-tune the performance without having to short the pins or moving jumpers!</td></tr><tr><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>ASUS Q-Connector</b></center>
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6m.png" style="float: right; margin: 4px 0 0 5px;" />The Q-Connector allows you to connect or disconnect chassis front panel cables in one easy step with one complete module. This unique adapter eliminates the trouble of plugging in one cable at a time, making connection quick and accurate.</td><td align="justify" valign="top" bgcolor="#ececec" width="50%"><center><b>ASUS EPU-6 Engine</b></center> <img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/asus/maximusIIgene/6n.png" style="float: right; margin: 4px 0 0 5px;" />The new ASUS EPU - the world's first power saving engine, has been upgraded to a new 6 engine version, which provides total system power savings by detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power in real-time. With auto phase switching for components (which includes the CPU, VGA card, memory, chipset, hard drives and CPU cooler/system fans), the EPU automatically provides the most appropriate power usage via intelligent acceleration and overclocking - helping save power and money.</td></tr></table>

The only really new feature is MemOK!, which a clever little tool designed to help solve memory compatibility issues. In the event of a boot failure after installing a new memory kit, all the user has to do is press the MemOK! button on the motherboard and failsafe settings will be automatically loaded, thus ensuring a successful system boot. Pretty clever!

The features list is effectively identical to that of the Rampage II GENE's, which is not at all surprising since they were both announced at the same time and are fundamentally built on the same motherboard design. By the way, for a top-notch overview of the TweakIt! feature take a look at our write-up in the Rampage Extreme review.

Overall, the Maximus II GENE comes with all the overclocking-friendly features that we have grown accustomed to on a Republic of Gamers motherboard.

 

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Package & Accessories

Package & Accessories

Having recently reviewed the Rampage II GENE, we had fairly good idea of what to expect with this model's packaging and accessories; a bundle as impressive as any of their full-sized RoG motherboards. So without further ado, let's dive right in!

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Continuing a theme first introduced with the Rampage II Extreme, the packaging features an eye-catching design dominated by a multitude of reds and the ever prominent Republic of Gamers logo. With its compact 10.5" x 10.5" x 3.5" dimensions, the packaging makes no attempt at hiding this product's small form factor. Despite the limited surface area, ASUS' designers have managed to display a lot of information about the motherboard on the package, largely thanks to the now conspicuous top flap.

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The back of the package features some additional information, namely basic specifications in a wide rage of languages. We have to be honest though, the info seemed a little redundant to us.

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The motherboard is protected by a plastic shield, and it sits fairly snuggly in a protective cardboard tray. We have always been a big fan of this method, since it provides more protection than the traditional anti-static (ESD) bag and foam combo.

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With the plastic shield removed, the motherboard is shown in all its glory. Once the motherboard tray is removed, the lower half of the packaging is revealed to contain an the included accessories. To start off, here is a list of 'everything' that is included:

• External LCD Poster
• 3-in-1 ASUS Q-Connector Kit
• 1 x ATA-133 Cable
• 4 x SATA Signal Cables
• I/O Shield
• Cable Ties
• User's Manual
• Support DVD
• Large Republic of Gamers sticker

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As you can see, there really isn't an abundance of accessories, especially for a motherboard in the elite Republic of Gamers category. However, there is nothing important missing either. We would have appreciated an extra pair of SATA cables and maybe one USB PCI expansion bracket, but that may be nitpicking. Speaking of SATA cables, we are happy to see that at least two of the four cables are of the angled variety. The LCD poster should be a familiar sight by now, having been included in most recent Republic of Gamers models. It is used in coordination with the TweakIt feature to display information on clock speeds, voltages, temperatures, fan speeds, etc. Lastly, the little Q-Connector makes attaching the case cables to the front-panel connector a much easier process. Overall, a decent if slightly uninspired accessories bundle for such a special motherboard.

Next up, we will have a closer a look at the motherboard itself.

 

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A Closer Look at the ASUS Maximus II GENE

A Closer Look at the ASUS Maximus II GENE

The Maximus II GENE is a small form factor motherboard based on the microATX standard. As such, it measures a relatively compact 9.5" by 9.5", which makes it equal in width but 2.5 inches shorter than a typical ATX motherboard. Despite the small PCB size, ASUS managed to cram a decent assortment of expansions slots and headers, while maintaining a clean and user-friendly layout. Specifically, we are pleased that the ATX power connector, 8-pin CPU power connector, IDE connector, six SATA ports, and USB headers are all conveniently placed at the edge of the motherboard. While our initial impression is quite positive for an mATX motherboard, let's take a closer look at the indidivual sections.

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As you can see, the general CPU socket area on this motherboard is quite clean, with only a handful of capacitors located near the actual socket. Of particular interest is the fact that this motherboard appears to share the same 8-phase power design as the Rampage II GENE, which bodes very well for this motherboard's ability to handle 'mere' Core 2 Duo/Quad processors. Another similarity with the RIIG is the familiar low-profile northbridge and MOSFET coolers, which should ensure that just about any large CPU cooler can fit on this model. Greatly enhancing this feeling of 'openness' around the socket, is the fact that there are no MOSFETs and accompanying cooler located above the CPU socket, which is definitely a design feature that we could get used to.

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Above the CPU socket, the only chip of any significance is the EPU2 controller with works in coordination with the EPU-6 Engine software to help maximize energy efficiency. In the upper-left corner of the motheboard is the header for the RoG LCD poster, as well as the Voltiminder LEDs for the CPU voltage.

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The DDR2 memory slots feature a robust 2-phase power design, but the area is interesting for a number of other reasons. First, as you can see due to space constraints, ASUS had to install the battery in an upright position in the upper-right corner. Secondly, right above the slots is the MemOk! button, which claims to fix any memory compatibility issues upon first system boot. The most interesting aspect is the unique bottom-end of the memory slots, as there are no clips. The reason for this innovative design is due to the fact that the clips would have come in contact with the back of the graphics card, and would have made removal of the memory modules impossible without first removing the graphics card. It may look a little a weird, but it works easily enough in practice. By the way, notice the memory voltage status LEDs below the memory slots.

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At the bottom-right corner we have the six blue angled SATA ports, which are supplied by the ICH10R southbridge and support RAID 0/1/5/10. The black upright SATA port is managed by the JMicron JMB363 controller, which also supplies the ubiquitous IDE port. Next we have the two iROG-labelled chips, one allows for the monitoring and controlling of hardware settings on-the-fly, while the other takes care of the other RoG-specific features, Voltiminder LEDs, MemOk!, etc.

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The ICH10R southbridge is cooled by a small, passive heatsink that is low enough in profile to not interfere with any of the graphics cards. One of the most appreciated features of the Republic of Gamers series is the onboard start and reset buttons, as they make running the motherboard outside of a case so much simpler.

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Since this is a microATX model, we really can't be too critical of the layout and the assortment of the expansion slots...nor would we want to be. Having two mechanical PCI-E x16 slots, one PCI-E x1 slot, and one legacy PCI slot is a perfectly suitable layout for such a space constrained motherboard. The two PCI-E slots do support CrossFire, but will operate only in x8/x8 mode. Also, although the gap between the two physical PCI-E x16 slots is large enough to ensure that dual-slot graphics cards can be installed, doing so will result in the loss of both the PCI-E x1 and PCI slots.

As mentioned above, the JMicron JMB363 controller supplies the black upright SATA port and the IDE port. By the way, under the PCI slot, to the right of the fan header, you will notice the socketed BIOS chip, which is a terrific addition since ASUS can simply ship you a new BIOS chip for easy replacement, should an update go terribly wrong.

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As mentioned above, the northbridge cooler on this model is the same as the one on the Rampage II GENE. The fin portion of this cooler can be removed, which suggests that the base may be compatible with the Swiftech MCW-MAX water block designed for the Rampage series. The P45 chipset benefits from a 2-phase power design and you can spot the Voltiminder LEDs next to the two solid capacitors.

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Starting from the top-left, the VIA VT2010 is the onboard 8-channel HD audio codec. The Winbond W83667HG-A is a Super I/O controller, which not only provides support for legacy devices (PS/2 port, serial port, floppy drive), but also fan monitoring capabilities. The VIA VT6315N controller supplies the 1394a/FireWire port and header. The Realtek 8111C is a gigabit LAN controller which runs on the PCI-Express bus.

The rear I/O panel features a gigabit LAN port, six USB ports, a FireWire port, an eSATA port, and a PS/2 keyboard port. ASUS has finally gotten rid of the ancient green PS/2 mouse port. There is also a handy clear CMOS switch on the rear I/O panel, which is quite convenient for those overclocking. It also sports six audio jacks on the audio module and one optical S/PDIF connector.

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The back of the motherboard is fairly standard, but ASUS have installed a second set of MOSFETs there, opposite the front-mounted set covered by the MOSFET cooler. We are glad to see that the northbridge cooler is held in place with proper mounting screws, no feeble push-pins for this enthusiast motherboard, but the southbridge cooler has not received the same treatment.

 

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Hardware Installation

Hardware Installation

In the Hardware Installation section we examine how major components fit on the motherboard, and whether there are any serious issues that may affect installation and general functionality. Specifically, we are interested in determining whether there is adequate clearance in all critical areas.

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The Thermalright Ultra-120 heatsink easily clears both the northbridge and MOSFET coolers, regardless of whether it is installed in the north/south or east/west orientation. The heatsink does not overhang the memory slots, so memory modules with tall heatspreaders can definitely be used. There isn't exactly a lot of room though, so careful if your chosen heatsink is wider than the Ultra-120 and you also have really tall memory heatspreaders.

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As you can see, thanks to the unique clip-less design, there is no contact between the graphics card and the memory slot clips, and therefore installation/removal is not hindered.

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As mentioned previously, when two dual-slot graphics cards are installed on this motherboard you do lose on all other expansion slots, which is a heavy price to pay, but there is really no alternative due to the inherent space limitations of the microATX form factor. Thankfully, even when a dual-slot graphics card is installed in the second PCI-E x16 slot, you can still have access to the headers and onboard power/reset buttons at the bottom of the board, but obviously the space is a little tight.

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Proving their superiority once again, the angled SATA ports are in no way hindered even when two graphics cards are installed.

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Those who use a CPU cooler with a backplate might want to be a little careful with this motherboard, since there is a component fairly close to one of the mounting holes. We did not have any issue with our Thermalright backplate, but just keep this in mind!

 

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Included Software

Included Software

Now that we have the motherboard unpacked and installed, it is time to take a look at some of the software utilities that ASUS has included with the Maximus II GENE.

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Here are the setup screens for the included software CD. As you can see, ASUS has really not left anything out when it comes drivers or utilities.


PC Probe II

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PC Probe II is a system monitoring utility that displays information regarding fan speeds, component temperatures and voltages, as well as alerting users once preset thresholds have been surpassed. Since it part of the Republic of Gamers line, the MIIG has an abundance voltage and temperature readouts, which makes utilizing PC Probe II even more enjoyable than usual. We wouldn't mind seeing some integration with Vista's sidebar though, just to clean up the desktop area a bit.

AI Suite

The AI Suite provides basic system information, but its main function is to host shortcuts to five other ASUS utilities and features, namely the EPU-6 Engine, AI NAP, CPU Level Up, Fan Xpert, and TurboV. The AI NAP is an advanced sleep feature that allows users to put their computers to sleep without terminating any tasks. Fan Xpert allows users to select from 7 fan speed profiles that can be individually applied to any fan.


TurboV

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TurboV is an overclocking utility that allows users to adjust all essential system parameters, such as the CPU clock frequency, CPU voltage, memory voltage, FSB Termination/VTT voltage, CPU PLL voltage, northbridge (NB) and southbridge (SB) voltages, all from within Windows and without the need to reboot. This program also allows users to also save profiles and load them from within Windows. Generally speaking, we had a good experience with the program, but if we booted into Windows at 500Mhz FSB and above, and tried to manipulate the FSB, we would get an "error code 669" message and the FSB would revert back to whatever FSB you booted up with. We're hoping this gets fixed in a future BIOS release or program update.


EPU-6 Engine

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First showcased on the P5Q series, the EPU-6 Engine has been one of ASUS's most highly touted new features. This utility works in coordination with the EPU (Energy Processing Unit) controller in order to minimize your system's energy consumption. It does this by continuously monitoring and altering the speeds and voltages of the CPU, VGA card, hard drives and fans. There are four manually selectable modes and an automatic mode that varies settings according to system load. Regrettably, unlike Gigabyte's Dynamic Energy Saver (DES) technology, EPU-6 will not work when your system is overclocked, which obviously makes it a less attractive proposition from our power user point-of-view. Let's be frank though, these programs achieve most of their energy savings by downclocking and undervolting the CPU, which is something that Intel's C1E and SpeedStep technology does anyways. So, do you really want or need applications loading up everytime you boot into Windows? It is hard to make a case for it.

 

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BIOS Rundown

BIOS Rundown

For this section we are trying something new, instead of standard JPEG images we have turned the various BIOS sections into animated files. Let us know what you think in the comments thread. By the way, if you want to pause the animated images simply press on the ESC key and then F5 to refresh them.

As mentioned previously, the Maximus II GENE is part of the Republic of Gamers product line, as such we are expecting a BIOS that is option-rich yet user-friendly, and which puts an emphasis on its enthusiast roots. Let's see if ASUS can meet our expectations...

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Upon entering the BIOS we are automatically presented with the Extreme Tweaker section, which is where all the fun happens. Once the manual option is selected in the Ai Overclock Tuner setting, the BIOS opens up to reveal all of the essential system clock control options: CPU multiplier, front side bus, PCI-E bus, northbridge strap, memory multiplier, CPU/NB/MEM Skews, primary and secondary memory timings, etc.

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As we scroll down, numerous other memory-related options are revealed as well as the all important Ai Transaction Booster which contains the critical Performance Level (PL) setting, one of the most important settings for overclocking and overall system performance. As we continue to scroll down, the always handy Load-Line Calibration (LLC) and PCI-E frequency settings make their appearance, as well as a glutony of system voltage options. Off the top of our head, nearly every voltage setting that a serious overclocker needs is present and accounted for. We say nearly every voltage option, because DRAM Termination (VTT) is missing, but that won't be noticed nor missed by anyone not attempting to achieve some absurdly high DDR2 memory clocks. We are very pleased with the rich selection of reference voltage settings that ASUS have made available in this BIOS, more so than on any competitor's product. All the voltage settings must be entered manually, there are no drop-down menus, which we actually prefer since it is generally quite a bit faster. However, having both options would definitely be a plus in our opinion.

Now only are there a lot of voltage options, but the ranges are wide and increments are small, as you can see below:

<table border="0" bgcolor="#666666" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="735px"><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#cc9999" width="100"> </td><td align="center" bgcolor="#cc9999" width="100"><b>Minimum</b></td><td align="center" bgcolor="#cc9999" width="100"><b>Maximum</b></td><td align="center" bgcolor="#cc9999" width="100"><b>Increment</b></td><td align="center" bgcolor="#cc9999" width="335"><b>Notes</b></td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">CPU vCORE</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">0.85000v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">2.40000v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">0.00625v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Normal sets the VID for the CPU</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">FSB Termination (VTT)</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">1.10000v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">2.00100v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">0.01325v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 1.20v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">CPU PLL</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">1.51325v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">3.01050v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">0.01325v</td> <td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 1.50v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">MCH CORE</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">1.10000v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">2.05400v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">0.01325v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 1.10v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">Southbridge 1.1 (ICH Core)</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">1.11341v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">2.00116v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">0.01325v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 1.10v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">Southbridge 1.5 (ICH I/O)</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">1.51106v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">2.05431v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">0.01325v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.900v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">DRAM Voltage</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">1.8000v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">3.40325v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">0.01325v</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 1.80v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">CPU GLT Reference (0)</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">-155mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+160mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+10mV/-5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.750v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">CPU GLT Reference (1)</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">-155mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+160mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+10mV/-5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.750v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">CPU GLT Reference (2)</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">-155mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+160mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+10mV/-5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.750v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">CPU GLT Reference (3)</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">-155mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+160mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+10mV/-5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.750v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">NB GTL Reference</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">-155mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+160mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+10mV/-5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.760v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">DDR2 ChA Ref. Voltage</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">-157.5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+200mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+12.5mV/-2.5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.900v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">DDR2 ChB Ref. Voltage</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">-157.5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+200mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+12.5mV/-2.5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.900v</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">Northbridge DDR Ref.</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">-157.5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+200mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="100">+12.5mV/-2.5mV</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#ececec" width="335">Standard 0.900v</td></tr></table>​

What can we say? This is an overclocking-friendly BIOS and the abundant voltage options should satisfy everyone. Just make sure that you use these voltages sensibly, as ASUS have provided enough leeway for you to damage any and all components.

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Next up is the Main tab, it features the standard storage device list and even a basic System Information section. This System Information section lists some rudementary specification info, including the BIOS date & version, the type of processor and the amount of memory installed.

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The Advanced menu contains options for CPU configuration, chipset settings, onboard devices, USB configuration, LCD Poster and LED control, and iROG configuration. This is where you can enable or disable all the Intel-specific energy saving features, the onboard audio, the various storage and network controllers, etc. The LCD Poster and LED control provides a level of control over the LCD Poster and its functions, as well the ability to enable/disable the multiple LEDs strewn throughout the motherboard.

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The Power menu allows you set how the computer will resume from various suspend/standby modes and how the fans are controlled, but most importantly it also contains the Hardware Monitor. Now the number of voltage and temperature readouts is usually a big disappointment on most motherboards, and we consistently chastise manufacturers for skimping on this important information. Thankfully, ASUS's Republic of Gamers motherboards have yet to leave us disappointed. The Maximus II GENE has top-notch temperature and voltage monitoring capabilities, everything you need to know about your system's vital stats can be found in either Temperature Monitor or Voltage Monitor sub-menus.

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The Boot tab is essentially where you set storage device priority and select the boot drive, you can also set supervisor and user passwords, and disable the Republics of Gamers welcome screen.

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ASUS EZ-Flash 2 is a built-in utility that greatly simplies the BIOS updating process. You can easily update your BIOS from a ROM file located on your hard drive(s), USB flash drive(s), or even a CD. It's quick, painless, and it takes the worry out of BIOS flashing. The ASUS O.C Profile feature gives users the option to save and switch between BIOS profiles, for example an everyday profile and a benchmarking profile. Not only is this infinitely quicker than manually inserting every setting, but the profiles can be saved and shared among other Rampage II Extreme owners. We are glad to see that ASUS have listened to our recommendations, and increased the number of profiles from a meager 2 to a more reasonable 8 profiles. In similar fashion to the ASUS O.C Profile feature, you can also create custom TweakIt batch files which can be conveniently saved and shared.

In summary, this BIOS has everything that we have come to expect from a Republic of Gamers model. This motherboard may be small in size, but it has a huge amount of BIOS settings and functionality.

 

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Test Setup & Methodology

Test Setup & Methodology

Click on image to enlarge​

Test Platform:​

Testing will occur on a Highspeed PC Standard Top Deck Tech Station and not in a traditional case. This allows easier access to the motherboard for the constant poking and prodding that is required during the reviewing process. The setup remained as pictured during the duration of the benchmarking and stability overclocking process.

Overclocking Methodology

As part of the Republic of Gamers product line, this model is designed with high-level overclocking in mind. As result, we expect to achieve some impressive overclocking results and we are definitely going to find out what it is truly capable of. The overclocking section is definitely the part of our reviews that we take the most pride in, and we spend an excruciating numbers of hours testing, tweaking, failing, and eventually succeeding in order to give you the best possible insight into each motherboard’s overclocking capabilities. After all, if you are anything like us, the overclocking section is the first (and often last!) part that you read when checking out a motherboard review.

For the purposes of this review, our overclocking efforts will primarily focus on three main areas: highest stable front-side bus (FSB) overclock, and highest stable overall overclock.

In these three overclocking tests we put an emphasis on stability. While the question “What is stable?” could be debated endlessly, we have devised a methodology that combines a wide range of programs that test the stability of the entire system.

Here is the suite of applications that will be run in order to validate each of the overclocks:

• Eight 32MB instances of SuperPi Mod 1.5 (ran at the same time)
• 3+ hours of dual Prime 95 v25.6 using the Stress Testing Blend
• 3+ hours of dual HCI MemTest in Windows using all available memory
• Multiple loops of 3DMark 06 (30 minutes of looping the full tests each)
• 1 hour of game play in Left 4 Dead & Crysis @ 1680x1050

Altogether, the above suite should provide enough stress testing to ensure a completely stable overclock, however we are always up for new suggestions. As always, no two systems are ever alike, so your results may vary. Also, overclock at your own risk! If you aren’t fully confident in what you are doing, feel free to stop by our forums and our helpful community will be glad to offer some assistance.

Benchmark Methodology

In our benchmarking section, we will be comparing the ASUS Maximus II GENE to the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 (F12 BIOS), a mature high-end P45 motherboard, in both stock and overclocked configurations. Keep in mind that there is generally a minuscule clock-for-clock performance difference between two motherboards that share an identical chipset and declaring one product a winner based on a 1% performance advantages seems futile to us.

We have outlined the two setups in both stock and overclocked configurations in the sample graph above. The purple and green results will indicate the performance at the stock BIOS defaults. All the settings were at the default that the respective BIOSes set. The blue and red results were achieved with the following overclocked settings: Core 2 Duo @ 4.0Ghz (8 x 500Mhz FSB), 2 x 1GB DDR2-1066 5-5-5-15, Performance Level of 8, all CPU energy-saving features disabled.

For all of the benchmarks, appropriate lengths are taken to ensure an equal comparison through methodical setup, installation, and testing. The following outlines our testing methodology:

A) Windows is installed following a full format.

B) Intel Chipset drivers and accessory hardware drivers (audio, network, GPU) are installed followed by a defragment and a reboot.

C) Programs and games are then installed followed by another defragment.

D) Windows updates are then completed installing all available updates followed by a defragment.

E) Benchmarks are each ran three times after a clean reboot for every iteration of the benchmark unless otherwise stated, the results are then averaged.

We have listed the benchmark versions on each graph as results can vary between updates. That should about cover everything so let's see what kind of numbers this motherboard puts up in the overclocking section and in our chosen suite of benchmarks.

 

[MAC]

Overclocking Results

Overclocking Results

When a new motherboard is released, the immaturity of the BIOS is often the limiting factor when it comes to overclocking. Regrettably, we believe this was also the case with the Maximus II GENE. As you will see below, the stable overclocking results are very good, but we expected a bit more at this point in time given ASUS' extensive experience with the popular P45 chipset. More specifically, while the average stable overclocks were fairly impressive, there was very little additional headroom available for any semi-stable benchmarking attempts. Effectively, we were hitting artificial walls, and no amount of tweaking or additional voltage would allow us to surpass those walls. This is an absolutely insignificant issue for the vast of majority of overclockers who simply find a stable overclock and run it 24/7 forever. However, for those of us who like experimenting and pushing the limits, these walls can be quite frustrating. Having said that, this model's potential is apparent, and once the kinks are ironed out it will undoubtedly be able to achieve some class-leading results. Although we used the first released 0223 BIOS throughout our overclocking tests, we did try out the newer 0402 BIOS and the results were identical. As of this writing an even newer 0504 BIOS has been released, but we haven't yet had the opportunity to test it out.

By the way, in an extended period of thoughtlessness, we forgot to have a CPU-Z instance open showing the memory tab for all three overclocking results. Therefore, please rely on Lavalys Everest and MemSet for the DDR2 memory clocks and timings.


Highest Stable FSB Overclock
Click for full size…

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As you can see, we were able to achieve a solid 520Mhz FSB at 1.34vNB with a respectable Performance Level of 10. To put that into perspective, our average stable front-side bus (FSB) after having reviewed seven P45 motherboards is 507Mhz. We were able to achieve this result without touching the more complex reference voltages. We could have likely kept the other voltages on auto as well, but above 500Mhz FSB the VTT and PLL voltages are automatically set to a very high ~1.48V and ~1.78V, respectively. During our time reviewing various P45 motherboards we have knowingly stress tested with higher voltages than these one two seperate processors for hundreds of hours with no apparent consequences, but still do not recommend them for long-term use.

The reason that we were limited to a 'mere' 520Mhz is due a failure to boot into Windows consisently above 530Mhz, even 525Mhz was hit & miss. No matter how much voltage we used and how much tweaking we did, we could not get above this wall. By using the 1:1 memory divider, we ensured that our memory was not the limiting factor, and our E8400 has booted into Windows at way over 600Mhz FSB on other boards, so the MIIG was clearly the limiting factor. Now we could have likely achieved a stable FSB higher than 520Mhz by increasing the Performance Level, but we have used a PL of 10 for all our P45 motherboard reviews thus far, and anything above that decreases overall performance to such an extent that those additional Mhz are simply not worth it. Lastly, realistically speaking, only a miniscule amount of people will ever need an FSB above 500Mhz for their 24/7 overclock.

Ironically, a stable 520Mhz is identical to the result we achieved on the Maximus II GENE's only noteworthy mATX competitor, the DFI Lanparty JR P45-T2RS .


Highest Stable Memory Overclock
Click for full size…

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On the memory front, we were able to achieve DDR2-1234, which is effectively identical to what we achieved on the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 and GA-EP45-UD3P. However, in both those cases, we were limited by our choice of memory modules. This time we used a cherry-picked 2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 .16FD5 kit that can do DDR2-1300+ 5-5-5-15 with 2.2X volts. However, on this motherboard, there was simply no way to pass any instance of SuperPI at DDR2-1240 and above. Whenever we tried the end result was always the same: hard lock. We have no doubts that ASUS will fix little issue quickly, since they do advertise support for DDR2-1300. Having said that, once again, for most overclockers DDR2-1200+ is still a Pie in the Sky achievement, so few will be affected by this current limitation.


Highest Stable Memory Overclock
Click for full size…

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As with most previous P45 motherboards, we have no qualms recommending the Maximus II GENE for 500Mhz FSB 24/7 use. At this speed, the nothbridge only requires 1.26V and the Performance Level can be set to 8, which improves overall performance. In our case, this resulted in a 4.0Ghz/500Mhz FSB/DDR2-1200 system that is fast by any measure. Those of you with Core 2 Quad's will likely be able to run in the 450Mhz-475Mhz range, but that is a guesstimate at the point. We will be using these clock speeds as the overclocked configuration in the subsequent benchmarking section.