ASUS Maximus II Gene

Zitat: Pros: + Sound + Layout + Performance Cons: - Übertaktbarkeit hinsichtlich des FSBs Wer ein kleines Socket 775 Mainboard mit guter Ausstattung und Optik sucht, kann das Maximus II Gene sicherlich in die engere Auswahl miteinbeziehen. Ein gutes Layout und zahlreiche Features inklusive einer für Spieler sehr interessanten Audiolösung zeichnen es aus. Abstriche hingegen muss man bzgl. des möglichen Front Side Bus nehmen. Die Hoffnung bleibt, dass eventuell mit einer neueren Biosversion das Overclockingpotential hinsichtlich des FSBs noch gesteigert werden kann. Die zum Testzeitpunkt verfügbare Version 0402 machte davon abgesehen eine gute Figur. Das Mainboard ist aktuell noch nicht erhältlich und wurde vor kurzem bei einigen Preisvergleichen gelistet. Der Preis liegt bei ca. 160€ (13.05.2009). Damit liegt das Mainboard rund 70€ unter der UVP des Herstellers (229€). Dennoch sind 160€ ein stolzer Preis, bereits für knapp über 100€ erhält man ein P45 Mainboard im mATX Format aus dem Hause DFI. Mit steigender Verfügbarkeit sollte sich der Preis des Maximus II Gene allerdings noch etwas nach unten bewegen. Daher dürfte die Wahl zwischen den beiden P45 Platinen mit kleinem Formfaktor etwas schwerer fallen.

Zitat: When we reviewed ASUS´ Rampage II Gene micro-ATX motherboard a while back, we did so with a real sense of excitement - If we´re honest we weren´t expecting Intel´s high-end X58 chipset to make it to this form factor, let alone with all of its features and functionality intact, and the fact that ASUS (and indeed DFI) managed to pull this off was nothing short of a thing of beauty. When it comes to the Maximus II Gene and Intel´s P45 chipset you might think that there´s a little less to be excited about - After all, this is by now a relatively "old" mainstream chipset, so there must be tonnes of micro-ATX solutions to choose from, right? Wrong. Once again, the Small Form Factor cupboard has been left largely bare for anyone looking to put together a performance-oriented system built around this chipset, meaning that once again only DFI and ASUS are serving that portion of the market. It´s thankful then that the Maximus II Gene follows the lead of previous Republic of Gamers boards, and succeeds in compiling an offering that overclocking enthusiasts will appreciate, while also putting together a complete feature set and squeezing it onto a micro-ATX motherboard without compromising either the layout or functionality of the part. While some of the little touches like ASUS´ MemOK technology for memory compatibility and their LED poster for BIOS information and overclocking won´t be regarded as essential by many, they still remain nice additions to what proves to be a pretty complete package. The Maximus II Gene also has no problems keeping pace with full ATX P45 motherboards in performance terms either - While it may not have quite the same turn of speed as its big brother the Maximus II Formula, it´s still close enough not to be a noteworthy issue, and the fact that the Maximus II Gene manages to hold onto its ATI CrossFire capabilities ensures that it´s no slouch when it comes to gaming either. As is also the case with previous Republic of Gamers parts, the only off-putting element may well be the price, with the Maximus II Gene clocking in as slightly more expensive than its closest rival from DFI, and significantly more expensive than some of the more budget oriented P45 chipset parts on the market. Having said that, the Maximus II Gene does sit broadly in line with other enthusiast-level P45 parts, so if you´re looking for an overclocking-centric board with a full feature set, you can expect to pay a similar price no matter what. In closing then, we find ourselves once again commending ASUS for doing their bit to offer compelling products to those looking to build up a Small Form Factor system without cutting corners, and I can only hope that they continue to serve this market segment with further offerings in the future. If you´re happy to build up a Core 2-based system with Intel´s Core i5 parts just around the corner, and you´re looking to do so via a micro-ATX form factor, then price aside there really isn´t much not to like about the Maximus II Gene.

Zitat: The Gene is a nice little P45 board with plenty of grunt, a solid BIOS and decent overclocking but for the size it isn´t cheap. The DFI P45 BloodIron JR for example supports loosely the same feature-set and even layout design, however it´s a good £30 cheaper. We won´t compare the Gigabyte board directly - because if you´re buying a micro ATX board you are doing so for the size reason - but that small form factor still has the compromise of additional cost, fewer options in respect to peripheral slots, and less respective overclocking potential. Not to mention the broken performance of the extra SATA. It´s not by much, but you´re paying for less physical board, less hardware, and less overclocking, but, it costs more. In that light, it´s not Maximus II awesomeness the namesake suggests. That is, however, clearly not the whole story. The underlying fact is that the Maximus II Gene is great motherboard: it´s micro ATX and it works. It´s small form factor and you can still overclock it very well, run multiple graphics cards, have tons of SATA out the box, have plenty to play with in the fully featured BIOS and basically do almost everything you can on a big board. You won´t tell the performance difference when downsizing at all and in an Apples to Apples comparison at stock speed, the Asus was a constant winner in all our tests. At the end of the day the compromise is not that great, and depending on your sway to use less space, it´s one worth making for the Gene.

Zitat: Asus has done a fine job with Maximus II Gene bringing performance and features aplenty to the Micro-ATX form factor. However, it is quite expensive and we have to wonder how many people will build a new Core 2 PC when Core i5 is just over the horizon.