Moving in for a closer look then we first of all come to the CPU socket. This is of course LGA1155, supporting Intel’s 2nd and 3rd Generation of CPUs – Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge. Around the CPU socket we have a dual heatsink design with a single heatpipe running through. Maximus V GENE has an 8+4+2 digital phase power design. Around the motherboard and the CPU socket we have 10K black capacitors and these offer up to 20% better thermal endurance – ASUS actually claim that these CAPs can offer up to 10K hours of operation at 105C. Behind the heatsinks is an 8-pin CPU power socket.
A burly heatsink design covering the MOSFETs
Turning our attention to the memory slots there is support for dual channel DDR3 from 1066MHz up to 2666MHz (OC) and a maximum capacity of 32GB and there is also support for Intel XMP.
Beside the memory slots and 24-pin ATX power is a small red button with the label “GO BUTTON” this acts as MemOK! Providing a safe-boot beyond POST and into windows. This GO BUTTON also has a secondary feature of being able to load a pre-defined overclock setting – these options can be set in the BIOS.
Immediately next to this GO BUTTON are the voltage read points which are typically used by advanced Overclockers for getting critical information when pushing the limits.
Finally, also in the picture on the other side of 24-pin ATX power is the native USB 3.0 port for getting USB 3.0 to the front of the computer chassis.
Memory slots and a variety of useful features
Moving to the storage there is a combination of SATA 2 and SATA 3 connectivity. The two black ports are SATA 2 3Gb/s and the two red ports immediately next to these are SATA 3 6Gb/s (supplied by Intel Z77 whilst the other two ports are SATA 3 6Gb/s but supplied via AS Media.
SATA 2 and SATA 3 connectivity for HDDs
Behind these storage ports is a large heatsink covering the Intel Z77 chip and USB 2.0 headers with an LED Debug - if you aren’t familiar with this feature, the LED panel displays various codes as you boot beyond POST and into Windows. A particular code will display if you are having specific issues with a particular component such as memory and then referring back to the user manual with this code helps to identify what is wrong with the system so that you can be on your way to a solution.
Intel Z77 heatsink and LED debug
On the next page we will continue our tour of the Maximus V GENE.
