This motherboard supports the latest Intel Core i3/Core i5/Core i7/Pentium/Celeron 2nd generation processors in the LGA1155 package, with memory and PCI Express controllers integrated to support 2-channel (4 DIMM) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes. This provides great graphics performance. Intel Core i3/Core i5/Core i7/Pentium/Celeron 2nd generation processors are among the most powerful and energy efficient CPUs in the world.
PCI Express 3.0 (PCIe 3.0) is the latest PCI Express bus standard with improved encoding schemes that provide twice the performance of current PCIe 2.0. Total bandwidth for a x16 link reaches a maximum of 32GB/s, double the 16GB/s of PCIe 2.0 (in x16 mode). As such, PCIe 3.0 provides users unprecedented data speeds, combined with the convenience and seamless transition offered by complete backward compatibility with PCIe 1.0 and PCIe 2.0 devices. PCIe 3.0 will become a must-have feature for users who wish to improve and optimize graphic performance, as well as have the latest technology available to them.
The Intel Z68 Express Chipset is a single-chipset design to support socket 1155 Intel second generation Core i7/Core i5/Core i3 processors. It provides improved performance by utilizing serial point-to-point links, allowing increased bandwidth and stability. Additionally, Z68 chipset provides 2 SATA 6Gb/s and 4 SATA 3Gb/s ports for faster data retrieval at double the bandwidth of current bus systems. Moreover, Intel Z68 Express Chipset also supports iGPU function, letting users enjoy the latest Intel integrated graphic performance.
Intel Smart Response Technology boosts overall system performance. It uses an installed fast SSD (min 18.6GB available) as a cache for frequently accessed operations, speeding up hard drive/main memory interaction. Key benefits are expedited hard drive speeds, reduced load and wait times and maximized storage utilization. Power consumption also goes down by reducing unnecessary hard drive spin, an important part of Green ASUS eco-friendly computing.
LucidLogix Virtu is the GPU virtualization software along with 2nd generation Intel Core processor featuring like Intel Quick Sync to enable an all-inclusive media platform and discrete GPUs coming with high-end DirectX 11 3D, anti-aliasing and performance features to get the thrills in games. Ultimately, users can enjoy optimal simultaneous performance in 3D gaming and video functions like transcoding and HD playback without having to manually change settings between GPUs.
SLI or CrossFireX? Fret no longer because with the ROG Maximus IV GENE-Z/GEN3, you´ll be able to run both multi-GPU setups. The board features SLI/CrossFireX on Demand technology, supporting SLI or CrossFireX configuration. Whichever path you take, you can be assured of jaw-dropping graphics at a level previously unseen.