TechRadar Verdict
Pros
- +
Great stock performance
- +
Impressive feature list on a micro board
- +
Quality auto-overclocking
Cons
- -
Can't quite keep up with the Sabertooth Z77 in the overclocking stakes
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
A familiar name, the same old colour scheme and a layout that leaves you with a sense of deja vu. But don't go thinking you've seen it all before with the Asus Republic of Gamers (RoG) Maximus V Gene.
This time around Asus's pint-sized MicroATX RoG Maximus powerhouse gets Intel's all new Z77 chipset just in time for the imminent launch of the 3rd Generation revision of the Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors.
Those Ivy Bridge chips aren't quite out yet.
In the meantime, we can get a feel for how the Asus Maximus V Gene and its Z77 chipset handles with an existing Intel Core i7 processor thanks to the fact that Intel has, for once, decided to carry over the LGA1155 socket, ensuring backwards compatibility with Sandy Bridge-era Intel CPUs.
More to the point, we can also line the Maximus V Gene up against its shiny new Z77-based competition in the shape of the MSI Z77A-GD65 and sibling rival Asus Sabertooth Z77.
Vital stats
Chipset
- Intel Z77
Socket
- Intel LGA 1155
CPU support
- Intel 2nd & 3rd Generation Core
Form factor
- microATX
Graphics support
- Nvidia SLI and AMD CrossFire, Intel integrated
High speed interfaces
- 4x USB 3.0, 2x SATA 6Gbps
Benchmarks
It's getting to know you time with Intel's new Z77 chipset.
The Asus RoG Maximus V Gene forms part of a Z77 launch trio along with the MSI Z77A-GD65 and Asus Sabertooth Z77.
It's certainly an interesting comparison. While the Sabertooth takes the spoils for outright overclocking, it's the RoG Maximus V Gene that delivers the best performance at default settings.
Intriguing.
Memory bandwidth performance
Video encoding performance
Overclocking
The brand new Alienware Area-51 has just got its first price cut - here's why I'm still hesitant to recommend it
This SD card is the spiritual child of the CD-ROM (and the DVD-ROM) as it can only be written on once
Forget Netflix, I tuned into Peacock to watch the SNL 50 special and it went off without a hitch – here’s why it’s built for live-streaming
