The Maximus IV Extreme-Z is a ASUS latest high end overclocking motherboard suitable for Intels socket 1155 CPUs. Therefore it come with a bucket load full of features as well as a lot of accessories. 
The Maximus IV Extreme-Z is ASUS' high end motherboard regarding Intels Z68 chipset. Therefore we're really curious what they've done from the layout and design perspective.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Specifications / Delivery
| CPU | Intel Socket 1155 Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 |
| Chipset | Intel Z68 |
| Memory | Dual Channel DDR3, 4 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB DDR3, 2200 OC / 2133 OC / 1866 / 1600 / 1333 Non-ECC,Un-buffered |
| Multi-GPU |
NVIDIA 3-Way SLI Technology AMD CrossFireX Technology LucidLogix Virtu™ Technology |
| Slots | 4 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8 or x8, x16, x16) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 |
| Audio | SupremeFX X-Fi 2 built-in 8-Channel |
| Storage | 4 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) 2 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| I/O internal / Connectors | 1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) 4 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 8 USB 2.0 port(s) 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s) 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connector(s) 1 x CPU Fan connector(s) 3 x Chassis Fan connector(s) 1 x Power Fan connector(s) 3 x Optional Fan connector(s) 1 x S/PDIF out header(s) 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s) 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP) 1 x System panel(s) 8 x ProbeIt Measurement Points 3 x Thermal sensor connector(s) 1 x RC Bluetooth header(s) 1 x LN2 Mode header(s) 1 x Q Reset switch(es) 2 x EZ Plug connector(s) (4-pin Molex power connector) 1 x Power-on button(s) 1 x Reset button(s) 1 x LN2 Mode switch(es) 1 x Go Button(s) 1 x BIOS Switch button(s) 1 x ROG light connector(s) 1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s) |
| I/O external | 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s) 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s 2 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 8 x USB 3.0 1 x USB 2.0 (white port can be switched to ROG Connect) 1 x Optical S/PDIF out 6 x Audio jack(s) 1 x Clear CMOS button(s) 1 x ROG Connect On/ Off switch(es) 1 x RC Bluetooth switch(es)) |
| Formfactor | Extended ATX (30.5 cm x 26.9 cm) |
| BIOS | 64Mb Flash ROM, EFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI2.0a Multi-Language BIOS |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Regarding the delivery you find a lot of accessories. Next to a nice ROG sticker there also is a 3-way SLI bridge, a CrossFire Bridge, eight SATA cables, ... Therefore there really is everything you could possibly think of.
Features
| Turbo-V | Allows you to overclock the bus frequency, CPU voltage, IMC voltage and DRAM Bus voltage in Windows and takes effect in realtime without exiting and rebooting the OS. |
| Extreme Engine Digi+ | Meanwhile ASUS also provides its boards with digital power designs. Using the the right software, in this case ASUS DIGI+ VRM Utility it is not only possible to adjust voltages whilst being in Windows on can now also control impedances. |
| Lucid Virtu | All the new Z68-series motherboards from ASUS support Lucids Virtu software. Using which makes a dynamic load balancing between the integrated graphics and a discrete graphics card possible. The software in this case can for example deactivate the discrete graphics card and only use the integrated graphics from the CPU. This makes sense when applications only need 2D compute power. Another example would be a 3D application where Virtu dynamically assigns load to either both the integrated as well as discrete graphics in order to maximize performance. |
| Intel Smart Response Technology | Intels Z68 chipset allows to use a small SSD as a cache for a big hard drive in order to enhance overall system performance. Especially application and system starts are ment to benefit from this technology. Also the overall user experience should become smoother. Of course you shouldn't expect a setup which makes use of Intels Smart Response Technology to outperform a SSD as a system drive. |
| ROG Connect | ROG Connect enables real-time overclocking via a notebook. For this purpose you connect your notebook via a USB cable to the rig you'd want to overclock. Afterwards you can overclock your computer remotely. |
| Ai Suite II | Using this software it is possible to monitor onboard components in realtime. You can also adjust voltages, clock frequencies as well as fan rotation speeds whilst you're in Windows. Genereally this software allows you to comfortable tweak your system when Windows has already been loaded. |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Layout
Already at a first glance the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z looks very good with its harmonic design. As always the ROG color schema is very attractive. The combination of a black PCB with red expansion slots as well as DIMM slots is very appealing especially if this is combined with the nicely shaped cooling blocks. The layout itself is well thought and there is for example enough space to install a big CPU cooler. One reason for this is that ASUS chose an extended ATX formfactor.
ASUS equipped the Maximus IV Extreme-Z with a 8+4+3 phase current supply whereas the CPU can rely on eight phases, the memory gets its own three phases and the integrated GPU gets another four phases. Furthermore ASUS implemented a digital power design which should emit less electromagnetic radiation than its analogue counterpart. Therefore ASUS claims that the system stability can be enhanced even further, especially during extreme overclocking.
Totally you'll find four DIMM-slots on the Maximus IV Extreme-Z. Officially supported are DDR3-2200+ / 2133 / 1866 / 1600 / 1333 with up to 32 GByte capacity. Because of the eATX formfactor there is plenty of space to install even big aircoolers and they shouldn't interfere with memory.
Current converters as well as northbridge are being kept at adequate temperatures via a passive heatpipe cooling solution. The southbridge got an independant cooling block which has been nicely designed. The aluminium blocks around the CPU socket are quite big. Nevertheless their not too close to the CPU socket which means that this will not compromise the installation of a big CPU coolers.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Anschlüsse und I/O
Totally ASUS equipped the Maximus IV Extreme-Z with eight angled SATA ports which should be enough for any or gaming system or high end PC. You'll also find practical onboard power- and reset-buttons. There also is a debug display which is very useful if you should once have issues with one of the components in your system. Very welcome for overclockers are the voltage measuring points next to the ATX plug. There are also dip switches to disable/enable the PCI-Express x16 slots. Another feater overclockers like concerns the two additional molex connectors which can be used to additionally stabilize the power supply regarding the graphics cards.
Totally you'll find eight fan header on the Maximus IV Extreme-Z which is more than enough, to provide a well equipped high-end-system with fresh air. The fanheaders are located around the CPU socket. Furthermore you'll also find one next to the DIMM slots and another at the bottom edge of the mainboard. It's also well thought that the last expansion slot is a PCI Express x1. This makes it possible to install a dual slot graphics card in the last PCI Express x16 slot and still use the connectors at the bottom edge of the board.
Looking at the external connectors directly at the back-panel ASUS equipped the Maximus IV Extreme-Z with eight USB 3.0/2.0 ports, one ROG Connect USB 2.0 port, two eSATA 3 Gbps ports, two gigabit ethernet ports, an optical out as well as an analogue audio panel and a ROG Connect On/Off switch as well as a RC Bluetooth switch. Furthermore you also get a PS/2 combo port for mouse or keyboard.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Fazit
| Allgemein | + | - | |
| At a first glance ASUS leaves a very good impression with its Maximus IV Extreme-Z. Once more we very much liked the ROG color scheme. Every time ASUS decides to create a ROG product it's going to be beautiful. Furthermore the board is also very well equipped. There are lots of USB ports and it also comes with four PCI-Express x16 slots. We think it's a reasonable desicision to put all the components the Extreme-Z comes with onto an extended ATX board. Everything else would have led to a mess regarding the layout. | - Design - eATX Overclocking Board - 4 x PCI-Express x16 |
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| Layout | + | - | |
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Generally the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z's Layout has been very well thought. Once more practical are the angled SATA connectors as well as the power- and reset-buttons. There also is a debug display which is very useful in case you should have issues with a component in your system or the board itself. Furthermore the placement of the last PCI-Express slot is well chosen. As a matter of fact, placing a graphics card in the last PCIe x16 slot does not render the connectors at the bottom edge of the board useless which is a big plus. Furthermore the cooling blocks which keep the current converters at adequate temperatures are resonably sized. Therefore one can comfortably install even a big CPU cooler. Also the DIMM slots have been well place that there will be no compatibility issues. |
- Angled SATA connectors - Power/Reset-Button onboard - Debug display - PCI-Express x16 not last expansion slot |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
Discuss this article in the forums
Author: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch