ASUS’ “Republic of Gamers” series is always nice to cross ways with, and just as sad to separate from. This ASUS motherboard, Maximus IV Extreme-Z, represents the ROG family in the segment of Intel’s Z68 controller logic. Just as any ROG model, this one has a rich accompanying bundle and a load of new and interesting technologies too. Of course, the price reflects all that just as well, but it somehow falls out from view when you have a look at all the things this model can do.
ROG motherboards are reputed for their rich bundles, and they haven’t disappointed this time around either. The packaging comprises two sections. The first contains the motherboard itself, expectedly. The second, however, has all kinds of small things that really make for simplifying that often invisible part of PC/motherboard usage.
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The first thing we found were thermal probes, attachable to a dedicated connector on the motherboard on one side and anywhere you want to on the other. Specialised ASUS software will enable you to read temperatures of your hard disks, cooling bodies or anything else you deem relevant - just attach the top of the probe and you’re good to go. Another standard feature is the USB cable that can be attached to a specialised USB port on Maximus IV Extreme-Z, while the other end goes into a notebook, for instance, enabling users (particularly overclockers) to control all vital voltages and frequencies from the other PC. Whether you want to put more control in your overclocking sessions or simulate a Formula 1 pit, this is a useful addition.
Since this is a gaming model, also included are a few CrossFire and SLI bridges, interconnecting up to four AMD and three NVIDIA graphics cards, respectively. Dig around some more and you’ll come across a Bluetooth module, installable onto the I/O panel itself, but more on that later. Speaking of which, the I/O panel bracket is black and neatly designated. Of course, there are also the drivers & software CD and a very detailed manual. Another useful feature is extensions for voltage measuring points located on the motherboard itself, which means that you’ll no longer need a “lending hand” to measure any voltage.
