ASUS Maximus V GENE Z77 mATX Motherboard Review

[Eldonko]

BIOS Rundown p.2

BIOS Rundown

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Moving over one more tab to the Main tab we have system information on the BIOS version, CPU and memory as well as the system time and date. In the Advanced tab there are a number of configuration subscreens for CPU, PCH, SATA, System Agent, USB, Onboard Devices, APM, and Network Stack. At the top of the page, the board lighting can be disabled if desired.

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The CPU Configuration page contains detailed information on the CPU installed as well as settings for Hyper Threading and active cores. At the bottom of CPU Configuration, there is a subpage titled CPU Power Management Configuration. Here Speedstep, Turbo, and C-State settings are found.

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The next two subpages are PCH Configuration and SATA Configuration. These pages are fairly straightforward and contain settings for the chipset and SATA drives.

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The last notable subsection of the Advanced tab is the System Agent Configuration page. It is rather buried in subpages but under System Agent there is a Grapohics Configuration page on which settings for the iGPU are found. The iGPU will be disabled by default so to use it, iGPU Multi Monitor must be enabled. To set the iGPU as the primary display set Primary Display to iGPU and remember to connect your monitor to the board’s HDMI port or DisplayPort once you reboot.

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The Monitor section contains the system temperature/power status, and adjustable fan settings. Fan speeds are customizable based on a number of settings and there are profiles included in the BIOS. The Boot tab contains boot priority options and POST options. Here you can also change the default BIOS mode from EZ to Advanced and change boot priorities.

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Moving over to the Tools tab there are several useful tools available including DRAM SPD Information, EZ Flash 2, OC Profiles, and Go Button file. DRAM SPD Information shows all installed memory with subsections showing SPD and ASUS OC Profiles allow for saving customized OC Profiles suited for different situations. Since the GENE does not have a dual BIOS, keep in mind that if you flash your BIOS your profiles are gone.

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Last but not least we have EZ Flash 2 and the Go Button File. EZ Flash 2 is used for flashing the board’s BIOS from a in a safe and easy manner and the Go Button file is where you set up you Go Button settings for instant loading by pressing the GENE’s Go Button near the ProbeIt area.

 

[Eldonko]

Test Setup and Testing Methodology

Test Setup and Testing Methodology

Our test setup consists of an Intel Ivy Bridge 3770K, ASUS Maximus V GENE Z77 motherboard, two GTX 470s, 8GB of G.Skill TridentX DDR3-2666 11-13-13-35 memory, and a Crucial M4 128GB SSD, a Corsair Force 60GB, and a WD Black 1TB for hard drives. All this is powered by a Corsair AX1200w PSU. Here are a few shots of the setup and hardware:

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As you can see above from the GENE test bench we used watercooling (Apogee XT) for the CPU along with two heatercores. A second GTX 470 was also added for SLI testing.

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We were also lucky enough to have G.Skill send us a kit of their new TridentX DDR3-2666 11-13-13-35 memory designed specifically for Ivy Bridge.


Overclocking Methodology

At Hardware Canucks, we understand we have a diverse reader base and to represent a variety of user types, so we put the Maximus V GENE Z77 through three types of tests:

• Beginner Overclocker - To represent a beginner overclocker or a mainstream user that wants to have a quick and easy way to get some extra performance we used the CPU Level Up setting found in the UEFI BIOS.
• Experienced Overclocker - To represent an experienced overclocker that is looking for the optimal 24/7 overclock to maximize system performance while keeping voltage and temperatures in check we overclocked the GENE manually and stopped when we started to get concerned with voltage levels and temperatures.
• Advanced Bencher - To represent a bencher that is looking for a board that will work well under sub-zero operation, we froze our 3770K and completed some 2D ad 3D benchmarks with the GENE.

We did stability testing a little differently for the Ivy Bridge platform than we have in the past. Both Intel and ASUS told us AIDA64 was optimized for the platform so instead of LinX, the main stability test used was the AIDA64 stability test for a 1 hour run. After the AIDA64 stability test was stable, we ran 2 runs of HyperPI and 2 runs of 3DMark 11 to test memory and 3D stability. Once an overclock passed these tests, this is the point deemed as “stable” for the purposes of this review.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 was installed to take advantage of the Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) with Ivy Bridge processors. Intel AVX is a 256-bit SIMD floating point vector extension of Intel architecture. The BIOS used for overclocking and benchmarking was version 0880.

Benchmarking Methodology

Benchmarks in the System Benchmarks section will be a comparison of the 3770K and Maximus V GENE Z77 at stock speed, at auto overclock speed as set by CPU Level Up, and at maximum 24/7 overclock to give an idea of how much performance a user can gain when overclocking the chip and memory.

For stock testing, optimized defaults were loaded putting the CPU at 3,911Mhz (39 x 100.3) and memory at 1,600Mhz and 11-11-11-28 1T timings. Optimized defaults enabled Turbo fully by default hence the 3,900Mhz clock speed. The auto overclocked speed on the 3770K (CPU Level Up) was 4,600Mhz (46 x 100.0) with memory at 1866Mhz and 11-13-13-35 2T timings. The overclocked speed on the 3770K for 24/7 stability was 4,803Mhz (47 x 102.2) with memory at 2,765Mhz and 11-13-13-35 1T timings. Windows 7 Premium 64bit was used with SP1 installed.

 

[Eldonko]

Overclocking Results

Overclocking Results

As we typically do for reviews, we put the Maximus V GENE Z77 through countless hours of overclocking and testing; from auto overclocking through CPU Level Up to manual overclocking where tweaking is king to sub-zero benching on the edge of stability.


Auto Overclocking

ASUS has included a handy utility with the GENE to automatically overclock the system called CPU Level Up. CPU Level Up allows for quick and easy CPU overclocking by simply enabling the feature in the BIOS where there are three levels available for our 3770K: 4.2GHz, 4.4GHz, and 4GHz. Once you select one, the board resets and both a CPU and memory overclock are applied. The result is a boost from stock speed (optimized defaults, Turbo enabled) of 3,900Mhz to an instant 4,600Mhz with no effort whatsoever! Not only do we have a very nice CPU overclock with CPU Level Up, but the GENE also gave a modest overclock to the memory with 1866Mhz at 11-13-13-35 1T. This is among the best auto overclocks we have seen to date.

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The system was rock stable at 4.6Ghz while using the CPU Level Up feature and we were able to run all stress tests and benchmarks without any issue. For reference load, Vcore was at 1.328v and load temperatures in the mid 70s for the auto OC of 4.6Ghz.


Manual Overclocking

Overclocking on a new Ivy Bridge platform is similar to what we saw with Sandy Bridge which comes down to mostly turbo multiplier overclocking. There are however a few key differences.. First, benchers will be quite pleased to hear that there is no clock speed cap like we saw with Sandy Bridge CPUs. Ivy Bridge will basically scale with cold and voltage without hitting a particular wall. Secondly, Ivy Bridge clocks memory like we have never seen before which should be a huge perk for enthusiasts.

Unfortunately, with the positive there has to be some bad news, and in this case the bad news is the unbelievable amount of heat produced by the IVB chips once overclocked. We saw an example of this in our Intel i7-3770K Ivy Bridge CPU Review.

Starting with the CPU overclock and leaving the RAM below spec speed we started at 4.6GHz are slowly went up from there while keeping a close eye on temperatures. We made it to 4.8GHz without issue at 1.365v but at that point temperatures were hitting over 80C under load so we felt it would be safest to stop there. We should mention that this is the first chip in the last 2 years that was unable to do 5GHz due to temperature constraints so you may not want to expect 5GHz out of the box.

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After finding that point of CPU stability, the next step is always to optimize the memory overclock. Since the TridentX kit is rated for 2666MHz at 11-13-13-35 and 1.65V, that was a natural first step. We achieved this speed without issue so moved on to maximizing the memory overclock while still keeping the CPU at 4.8Ghz. To keep the speed we had to stick to 11-13-13 but we ended up with a final overclock of 47 x 102.2 = 4800MHz with 2726MHz on memory.

The 8GB kit had a little more left in it and capped out around 2750Mhz at 11-13-13-35 1T but a little cold helps so stay tuned for the sub-zero overclocking section. We fear that we have reached the CPU IMC limit instead of the memory limit but without a second CPU on hand there is no way to tell for sure.

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The last thing we tested was how the 3770K would overclock while undervolted. At 1.1V Vcore, we could push the chip to 4.3GHz with temps averaging 46C after an hour of load. This could be a good option for folders or those running low power, low heat machines.

All in all, Ivy Bridge overclocking really is quite easy in comparison to Sandy bridge-E for example since there are less variables involved. The GENE was a pleasure to work with and the BIOS was virtually bug free. We can't stress enough how atypical this is because after testing many systems upon launch, a number of issues always seem to pop up.

 

[Eldonko]

Sub-Zero Overclocking Results

Sub-Zero Overclocking Results

As you have probably seen from sub-zero results popping up around the forums and records being shattered, Ivy Bridge has once again changed the overclocking game. Finally we are rid of the clock speed caps and cold bugs and we have returned to the equation of the colder you can go and the more volts you dare to run, the better the OC. Sadly LN2 is difficult to obtain locally but we do have our trusty single stage cooler so we can give you a bit of a taste of sub zero action.

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The phase change cooler used is these tests a large single stage unit with a 10,500 btu rotary compressor, a mix of r410a and r22a gasses, and a 5 foot flex line. The cooler is tuned for a 300W heat load at -30C so it can handle most chips with ease.

The Max V GENE worked great during sub-zero operation and exhibited no issues. We did not even have to clear the CMOS once over our 2 day benching session. The 3770K on the other had simply pumped too much heat for the single stage cooler to handle and in the end we could only get to 5647Mhz. These chips really need a LN2 solution to absorb the heat and it is almost pointless to use less for cooling.

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Although we were a little disappointed with the overall sub-zero results, we did still have some fun benching the GENE. The LN2 presets were a nice starting point and we tweaked from there to suit our setup. Since the CPU IMC was maxing out with H20 cooling we worked on the memory clock and managed to push it to 2800Mhz. Moving up the overclock with cold is a good indication the IMC is the bottleneck for the memory but looser timings and more voltage would not get us better than 2800Mhz.

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First thing to show you is some 3dMark11 benches, the left without Virtu MVP and the right with Virtu MVP. As you can see, MVP boosts performance a ton, and not surprisingly it is banned from hwbot at the moment. More on Virtu MVP coming later in the review.

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Here is a sample of the 2D benchmarks we ran.

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Lastly a sample of the 3D benchmarks we ran with the GENE and 3770K.

 

[Eldonko]

System Benchmarks

In the System Benchmarks section we will show a number benchmark comparisons of the 3770K and Maximus V GENE Z77 using the stock speed, applying the CPU Level Up overclock, and our manual overclock. This will illustrate how much performance can be gained by overclocking the 3770K using the GENE. For full comparisons of 3770K vs. a number of different CPUs have a look at the Intel i7-3770K Ivy Bridge CPU Review.


SuperPI Benchmark

SuperPi calculates the number of digits of PI in a pure 2D benchmark. For the purposes of this review, calculation to 32 million places will be used. RAM speed, RAM timings, CPU speed, L2 cache, and Operating System tweaks all effect the speed of the calculation, and this has been one of the most popular benchmarks among enthusiasts for several years.

SuperPi was originally written by Yasumasa Kanada in 1995 and was updated later by snq to support millisecond timing, cheat protection and checksum. The version used in these benchmarks, 1.5 is the official version supported by hwbot.

Results: A 14% improvement in SuperPI 32M calculation time is noted going from stock speed of 3900Mhz (optimized defaults) to the CPU Level Up speed of 4600Mhz on the 3770K and Maximus V GENE Z77. Jumping up to the manual overclock speed of 4800Mhz a 19% gain is noted. The gains are modest since the stock speed is with Turbo enabled.


CINEBENCH R11.5

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer's performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON's award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation.

In this system benchmark section we will use the x64 Main Processor Performance (CPU) test scenario. The Main Processor Performance (CPU) test scenario uses all of the system's processing power to render a photorealistic 3D scene (from the viral "No Keyframes" animation by AixSponza). This scene makes use of various algorithms to stress all available processor cores. The test scene contains approximately 2,000 objects which in turn contain more than 300,000 polygons in total, and uses sharp and blurred reflections, area lights, shadows, procedural shaders, antialiasing, and much more. The result is displayed in points (pts). The higher the number, the faster your processor.

Results: The CINEBENCH R11.5 results show an impressive increase in performance in rendering moving from a stock system to two levels of an overclocked system. For CPU rendering, a 19% and 26% improvement (in points) is noted when moving to auto OC and manual OC speeds.


Sandra Processor Arithmetic and Processor Multi-Media Benchmarks

SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. The software suite provides most of the information (including undocumented) users like to know about hardware, software, and other devices whether hardware or software. The name “Sandra” is a (girl) name of Greek origin that means "defender", "helper of mankind".

The software version used for these tests is SiSoftware Sandra 2012. In the 2012 version of Sandra, SiSoft has updated the .Net benchmarks and the GPGPU benchmarks have been upgraded to General Processing (GP) benchmarks, able to fully test the new APU (CPU+GPU) processors. The two benchmarks used are the Processor Multi-Media and Processor Arithmetic benchmarks. These three benchmarks were chosen as they provide a good indication of three varying types of system performance. The multi-media test shows how the processor handles multi-media instructions and data and the arithmetic test shows how the processor handles arithmetic and floating point instructions. These two tests illustrate two important areas of a computer’s speed and provide a wide scope of results.

Results: Sandra processor arithmetic and multi-media benchmarks also show impressive improvements on an overclocked system, with 18% to 23% gains in performance across the board for the CPU Level Up and manual overclock.


MaxxMem Benchmark

Created by MaxxPI², the MaxxMem benchmark tests your computer’s raw memory performance, combining copy, read, write and latency tests into one global score. This memory benchmark is a classic way to measure bandwidth of a memory subsystem.

MaxxMem uses continuous memoryblocks, sized in power of 2 from 16MB up to 512MB, starting either writing to or reading from it. To enable high-precision memory performance measurement, they both internally work with multiple passes and averages calculations per run.

Further, the main goal was to minimize (CPU) cache pollution on memory reads and to eliminate it (almost completely) on memory writes. Additionally, MaxxMem operates with an aggressive data prefetching algorithm. This all will deliver an excellent judge of bandwidth while reading and writing.

Results: Moving from stock speed to the CPU Level Up overclock on the GENE, we see gains up to 17% in memory read, write, and copy. When we up to the manual overclock, bandwidth goes up even more with improvements up to 25%.

The results are a little different when looking at latency, it actually increases with the CPU Level Up overclock due to looser timings with only a slight increase in speed. On the other hand when we combine both speed and timings, latency drops from 60.6ns to 41.6ns!

 

[Eldonko]

Z77 SSD Caching Performance

Z77 SSD Caching Performance

When Z68 was the chipset to get, we did a rundown of its features and included SSD caching testing in the G1.Sniper 2 review. Since we have a new chipset, we will have a another look at SSD caching and see exactly how it performs with the Maximus V GENE Z77.

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In order to test RST Caching, we paired up a 60GB Corsair Force SSD with a 1TB WD Black 6Gb/s drive and ran tests with no caching, and then with Maximum and Enhanced modes enabled. All tests were repeated three times and the best result was recorded. For SSD Caching results, 5 runs were made before the 3 that were recorded in order to allow time for the cache to be populated.

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Setting up caching was really straightforward. Connect drives to the Intel-powered SATA ports, install Windows 7 in RAID mode, install the RST drivers, and run the utility. From there you can switch between Enhanced and Maximized mode.

To decide whether Enhanced or Maximized modes is best for you, take into consideration what type of data you are caching and if you are willing to lose it in the case of a rare but possible fatal system crash. We should note however that even with Maximized mode the risk of losing anything is very slim, about the same risk as if you keep important data on an SSD. Backing up your crucial data is a good idea in any case.

The first test we ran was PCMark 7. PCMark7 combines more than 25 individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing and gaming so is very reflective of day-to-day PC usage. As you can see above, ASUS SSD Caching performs notably better than a mechanical drive and the Maximized version gives a slight boost over Enhanced.

Applying what we learned above to a few real world situations we see consistent results. Windows 7 and CyberLink MediaEspresso load similarly with SSD caching but when you remove the caching load times increase. Either way it is nice to be able to cut 16 seconds off Windows boot time.

 

[Eldonko]

USB 3.0 Performance

USB 3.0 Performance

As we saw in the software section, ASUS has developed a USB 3.0 Boost utility which can apply Turbo and UASP modes to USB 3.0 devices. Theoretically, this should increase throughput in certain cases.

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To test USB 3.0 transfer speeds and performance we use Thermaltake's BlacX 5G HDD Docking Station. This is a handy USB 3.0 device that supports HDDs and SSDs.

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For our tests we used the Corsair Force 60GB SSD in the docking station and tested Normal vs. UASP operation. A USB 3.0 port controlled by the chipset was also used to maximize performance. To switch the USB 3.0 mode, use the USB 3.0 Boost section of AI Suite II (shown above).

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First we tested CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 performance and as you can see UASP Mode outperforms Normal Mode with read exceeding 300Mb/s for Sequential.

To get an idea of performance with larger file transfers we used RichCopy to copy 10GB and 20GB files to and from the SSD using both Normal Mode and UASP Mode. Each test was repeated 3 times and the average is reported above. As you can see, UASP Mode really pushes the performance when copying to a USB 3.0 device like our Thermaltake's BlacX 5G HDD Docking Station with a SSD installed.

All in all, it really does look like ASUS has succeeded in boosting USB 3.0 performance to the next level. Just remember that in order to really notice the advantages of this protocol, you'll need larger file copy sizes.

 

[Eldonko]

Load-Line Calibration Testing

Load-Line Calibration Testing

Load-line Calibration is defined by Intel’s VRM spec and affects CPU voltage. In short, the CPU’s working voltage will decrease proportionally to load so higher load-line calibration nets higher voltage, increased stability and better overclocking performance. However, in some cases LLC has been known to apply too much voltage in order to compensate for these decreases while other boards have been known to apply too little voltage and thus, stability remains a bridge too far.

Similar to many ASUS boards, the Maximus V GENE Z77 X79 has 5 levels load-line calibration, less than Gigabyte’s 10, but more than most other manufacturers provide. In this section we will test each level of LLC at four different voltages (1.2V, 1.3V, 1.4V, 1.5V) so we can give users an idea of what to expect from each level. Both actual readings (measured via a multimeter) and BIOS set voltages are displayed below to give you an idea of how much voltage you get vs. how much you set.

We were pleased to see that the GENE includes seven different voltage measure points with ProbeIt, saving us from searching for measure points and soldering leads.

For Vcore measurement we used our digital multimeter on the ProbeIt measure points. To get a good idea of how the GENE would react to different levels of voltage we tested all 5 levels of LLC at 1.2V, 1.3V, 1.4V, and 1.5V and measured idle and load voltages with a digital multimeter accurate to three decimal places. Each load voltage was recorded at the 1 minute mark using AIDA64 and all tests were run with the CPU speed at 4Ghz and memory at 1600MHz and 11-11-11.

Starting at 1.2V, the idle voltage starts as low as 1.174V and moves up to 1.213v with the Extreme LLC setting. Load voltage starts a little lower at 1.141V and climbs up to 1.222v with the Extreme setting. The closest level of LLC to the BIOS set voltage at 1.2v is LLC Ultra High which gives 1.198v under load.

Moving to 1.3V BIOS set, the results are similar with the closest level of LLC to BIOS set being Ultra High with a value of 1.297V under load.

At 1.4V results are again similar to 1.3 but with a slightly steeper slope on the chart. The Extreme setting brings load voltage up to 1.430V and the closest level of LLC to the BIOS set voltage at 1.4V is once again LLC Ultra High which gives 1.397V under load.

Moving to 1.5V, results are consistent with previous voltage levels but with the voltage for Extreme increasing a bit more over what the BIOS set. The Extreme setting gives 1.535V under load and LLC Ultra High 1.497V.

Above is a table summarizing all LLC testing results and as you can see ASUS really did an excellent job with LLC on the GENE. Voltage is about as consistent as it gets as you apply more and there is very little overvolting to be alarmed about. In all cases LLC Ultra High was basically bang on for load compared to what you would expect from your BIOS set voltage.

 

[Eldonko]

Lucid Virtu MVP Testing

Lucid Virtu MVP Testing

On Sandy Bridge platforms, Lucid's Virtu GPU switching technology provided a way for users to benefit from the inherent efficiency of the CPU's on board graphics processor while also using the discrete card for increased performance within games. However, in many ways, it was a failure. Relying upon a software-based solution loosely associated with AMD and NVIDIA's driver stacks meant hit and miss performance regardless of Lucid's noble efforts. The result was an estimated (and abysmal) 4% usage rate among consumers who had Z68-based systems.

Undeterred by this marketplace snubbing, Lucid has expanded upon their Virtu platform to create MVP. Not only does MVP allow for the same GPU switching as the last generation but its driver support has been expanded and some actual performance modifiers have also been built into the technology. It now has the ability to dynamically change the way the GPU and IGP interact with one another in order to give the perception of increased performance. Unfortunately, fully describing the technology that works behind the scenes goes well beyond the scope of this review but we nonetheless recommend you check out Lucid's MVP website and read their in depth Whitepaper. Both are quite eye-opening.

Naturally, we just had to put the Maximus V GENE to the test and provide an overview of Virtu MVP performance compared to the iGPU and discrete GPU alone. CPU and memory clocks were at stock for these tests and the GTX 470 was also at stock speed. As usual, we will be testing both iGPU and dGPU settings.

For Virtu MVP to work properly, the Virtu MVP application must be installed after the VGA and iGPU drivers and if either driver is updated Virtu must be reinstalled. When Virtu MVP is working properly, you will see the above in the Virtu MVP software screen.


3DMark 11 Benchmark:

Results: For a pure graphics benchmark like 3DMark11, Virtu MVP gives a significant boost over a discrete GPU alone with an increase of 38% in 3DMarks.


3DMark Vantage Benchmark:

Results: We thought the improvement with 3DM11 was big, but the 3DMarks Vantage gains with Virtu MVP is huge, an improvement of 86%!


3DMark 06 Benchmark:

Results: Since 3DMark 06 is more CPU dependant, the gain with Virtu MVP is less pronounced at an 11% improvement in 3DMarks.


World in Conflict Benchmark:

Results: In a gaming benchmark that simulates gaming situations the performance gained when moving from the discrete GPU to Virtu MVP -i mode is 9%. Not huge but worth the effort to enable Virtu MVP nonetheless.


Resident Evil 5 Benchmark:

Results: Better performance for Virtu MVP on the DX10 RE5 with an improvement in average FPS of 54%

So as you can see from the above the performance increase is quite inconsistent and ranges from around 9% to above 80% but there is an increase in all cases we tested. We should also note that Virtu MVP will not work with every game and we found that out first hand when attempting to test Far Cry 2. FC2 will not load at all with Virtu MVP enabled. However if your favorite games work with Virtu MVP enabled we see no reason not to take advantage of those extra FPS it provides along with benefits such as HyperFormance and Virtual-Vsync.

 

[Eldonko]

Conclusion

Conclusion

The highly anticipated release of Ivy Bridge processors and motherboards has marked a new lineup of hardware which has so far proven to be a worthy successor to the Sandy Bridge generation. With the ROG team's first Z77 release in the Maximus V GENE, ASUS brought their A game to the table by giving us a board with something for everyone. Somehow ASUS has packed the features of a full-sized board into a mATX format and for a gamer, the GENE will surely be appealing for the ability to overclock the processor to 4.6GHz with the click of a button. The built-in SupremeFX III sound system and GameFirst coupled with an Intel Gigabit LAN will bring your gaming experience to a new level. Add SLI capabilities, PCI-E Gen 3, and the benefits that Virtu MVP brings to the table and we can't think of a more complete product, be it mATX or ATX size.

For an enthusiast crowd that’s interested in tweaking and benchmarking, the GENE has a very stable BIOS that’s equipped with a handy LN2 mode and enough presets to give first time users a running start. Even though Ivy Bridge is relatively new to the market, the GENE’s BIOS is mature, robust and well thought out. More importantly, it eschews the gimmicky approach some manufacturers are taking and instead focuses upon providing a user friendly experience for first timers and veterans alike.

The BIOS may be the most important item of a motherboard but the GENE has a long list of other features which set it apart from the competition. Its mini PCI-E riser card is a great, well-implemented idea for anyone that doesn’t have much chassis space to spare. ProbeIt saves searching for the elusive voltage measure points and should come in handy for anyone looking to dial in a stable overclock. ASUS' utilization of the USAP protocol and Turbo modes even helped make tangible improvements to USB 3.0 performance.

There’s a reason why so many record-shattering overclocks are being set by professionals using the GENE. In our testing, we were far from any records with our meager single stage cooler but we can say that the board worked great under sub-zero operation.

Manual overclocking was a breeze as well and pushing your chip to within the limits of air or even water cooling won’t be a problem for most. We managed a final clock speed of 4.8GHz on our 3770K with the only limitation being the heat produced by the Ivy Bridge chip.

If you are a memory tweaking master or a novice that likes to dabble, no less than a dozen memory presets will get you rolling quickly and pages upon pages of memory settings will keep you busy for weeks. The T-Topology architecture on the GENE is also said to produce better memory clocks than boards with the standard Daisy Chain architecture. Our TridentX kit hit 2800Mhz and the CPU IMC was the only thing holding us back from going further.

Reasonably priced at $220, cons were difficult to come by with GENE and our only minor complaint was that the hiccups with ROG CPUZ and MemTweakIt have not been resolved. It is hard to say if the UI problem is a compatibility issue with our particular monitor or another issue altogether but ASUS has not been able to replicate it. That said, we expect the problem will be relatively rare. Other than that, more SATA ports would be nice but we also understand this is an mATX board and there will be other options with extra SATA ports and PCI-E slots.

With a brand new platform, growing pains often exist but users will be happy to know that one of the only issues they will encounter will be the crazy heat omitted by an overclocked Ivy Bridge chip. We thought that ASUS did such a good job with the GENE that we are left wondering what they have left up their sleeve for the flagship Maximus V Extreme Z77. With a huge list of pros and nothing notable for cons we are happy to award the Maximus V GENE a well-deserved DAM Good award.


Pros

- Industry leading UEFI BIOS
- AI Suite II has everything you need
- LN2 and memory BIOS presets
- Excellent USB 3.0 performance
- 4.6Ghz overclock in 3 seconds
- Very efficient use of limited board real estate
- Best LLC we have seen to date
- FanExpert II brings fan customization to the next level
- SupremeFX III onboard audio
- LucidLogix Virtu MVP will increase FPS in most games
- SSD Caching is a bonus for those with smaller SSDs
- mPCIe combo included


Cons

- Some display issues with ROG CPUZ and MemTweakIt
- Some users may need extra SATA ports, USB ports, and PCI-E slots and there is no full-sized ROG board on the market
- Would be nice to have a slow mode (12x) switch on the board instead of having to create one.