Maximus VII Gene vs. Gryphon Z97 Armor Edition

[kizh]

Ok narrowed my upgrade to two options

Maximus VII Gene: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_GENE/
Gryphon Z97 Armor Edition: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/GRYPHON_Z97_ARMOR_EDITION/


It seems the Gryphon w/ Armor not available via retail yet, which is fine I can wait.


Gryphon is the one that suits my needs, the things gene offers that the Gryphon doesn't:


- Intel® LAN- Dual interconnect between the Integrated LAN controller and Physical Layer (PHY)

PCIe*-based interface for active state operation (S0 state)
SMBus for host and management traffic (Sx low power state)

(Since both boards use the same Intel LAN I'm assuming they just left it out of comparison sheet on accident)

- CPU Level Up

CPU Level Up function is an automatic OC function. Based on your CPU, the BIOS will display OC options in terms of higher CPU model. Once selected, BIOS will automatically adjust the all the OC parameters for you. This way, you have a very easy way to get performance out of your CPU.

EZ-mode OC. Use this quite a bit actually. I'm not the type that will tweak for 100mhz using .5x the overall voltage

- Tweakers' Paradise

CPU Tweaker’s Paradise contains Skews and Drive Strength that can be tweaked for sub-zero operation. The aptly Memory Tweaker’s Paradise section has similar settings but related to the IMC and memory. Generally speaking lowering Skews and Drive Strengths can improve stability under sub-zero conditions.

PCH Chipset Tweaker’s Paradise and VGA Tweaker’s Paradise. The PCH Chipset Tweaker’s Paradise section has chipset voltages, Drive Strength, and Skews. Again users can tweak these to maximize stability when benching. VGA Tweaker’s Paradise is used only when VGA Hotwire is set up and with it you can push voltages for up to two video cards."

Might be from an older model's bios, but I imagine the functionality is the same. Voltage tweaks. Probably something I might use, and might be required in certain circumstances.

- Keybot

Already have a programmable mouse and keyboard. I Imagine most gamers do. Still a nice touch, would be better if it worked on more than the function keys

- ROG SSD Secure Erase

Nice feature, other tools can handle it if its mission critical

- GameFirst III

Helps you to assign top priority to game packets and allocate more bandwidth to the game, ensuring the best online gaming experience.

Choose from a preset mode to suit what you're doing – Optimization, Game, Media Streaming or File Sharing. You can manage bandwidth down to the level of individual applications, with five priority levels (highest, higher, normal, lower, lowest) and even the ability to block specific traffic. GameFirst III even has a built-in Network Monitor tool.

Never had an issue with choked bandwidth or latency and my wife is watching HD hulu most the day. Might matter on slower or more congested networks otherwise I mark this as marketing hype. Anyways I can probably set the desired settings in router if it mattered.

- Extreme Tweaker

The Extreme Tweaker section of the BIOS is where you will spend a good majority of your time if you are used to overclocking manually. This section provides all the CPU and DRAM specific settings to get the most from your hardware. Up front, ASUS has said the "auto" rules for the vast majority of settings are tuned well enough that no manipulation or adjustments are needed for most of the settings. You have access to pretty much every option as far as voltages, Load Line Calibration, current limits, and overrides.

AI Overclock tuner can be set to Auto, Manual, or three preset speeds that mirror the vast majority of CPU capabilities on the market.

DRAM Timing Control allows the end user to tune the timings of the installed modules for improved frequency margins or outright performance.

GPU DIMM Post shows the installed DRAM modules' current frequency, as well as the installed discrete GPU type and PCIe Lane allocation.

Digi+Power control is used to set and apply a value for LLC along with the current limits, phase controls, VRM Switching frequency, and more. Again, the auto rules are pretty good. Tweakers' Paradise lets you get a little more granular as far as power settings go. Towards the bottom of the page, we get to the voltages that can be tweaked.

From previous overclocking I would say the Digi+power control is the most useful. I spent quite a bit of time adjusting settings there for stability.

- ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)

It is an extremely useful feature. If you put in an overclock that fails, the BIOS will restore the motherboard to a stable setting, for example, I try to boot with an Intel E6400 (stock: 2.1ghz) overclocked at 3.6, and with higher voltage. It fails and the board restores me to 2.8 ghz. That way I can get into the BIOS and change things without having to open up the case and reset the CMOS. It saves a lot of time and effort.

nice feature.

- Clear CMOS button(s)

Nice feature, used it a few times on my rog board. I can deal with a jumper though if that is what Gryphon has.

- ROG Connect

Simply connect the provided USB cable between the ROG USB connector on the motherboard rear I/O, to a laptop, netbook or another PC. Next load the software on the supporting PC and tweak the ROG motherboard or graphics card remotely, without even touching the ROG PC! The benefits benchmarks who like to remotely tweak their setups without disturbing them during performance tests.

Good for benchmarking or troubleshooting. Think I used it once on old board.

- LN2 Mode header(s)

LN2 mode is a special jumper that allows superior performance when trying to eliminate the cold boot bug. Initially it provides a more relaxed self timing on the board to allow it to initialize at lower levels. Now this does not eliminate the cold boot bug entirely. It will always depend on your CPU, but it will help get you a lower than your normal cold boot bug state. There is a lN2 mode in the BIOS is similar in providing a relaxed state for the board, but the jumper is on the hardware level that would override the setting in the BIOS.

Nice feature for some, not sure if I have had this issue or it was a bug. But starting on my old max iv was a pain at times.

- ROG Mem TweakIt

Used to set the memory sub-timings from within the Windows environment. This tool features an efficiency score that will help you improve the memory performance of the modules installed.

Sounds like a nice feature, didn't use it on my old rog board but should have given it a shot.


Now a look into Grphon Overclockability:

-EZ Tuning Wizard: OC and RAID

Just select your hardware and using easy-to-understand scenarios to tune system performance or streamline your RAID configuration for faster data retrieval and backups!

-EZ XMP:

Improve your DRAM performance with a click!

It looks like the gyphon has auto adjusting OCing and possible manual over-rides. I just can't find much information on it. What I did find out is that there is no sata express or m.2 support which kind of makes it lack luster. I never thought I would be another early adopter but seeing how its functional with broadwell I at least would think It would have sata express. Or at least m.2.

I leave this as a reference. I have some window shopping to do, chances are I end up with another maximus 😛 Just a waste of controllers and ports.

I would like to see a model like gryphon with an emphasis on cooling and quality parts but some overclocking potental like the rog series. Some of us are just gamers and don't run massive disk arrays or connect 20 USB devices at once. Or need dual gigabit connections. Honestly I feel its like they are like marketing server boards to overclockers, I don't understand it.

The search goes on...


quotes provided by asus web pages directly, forums, and reviews on the internet. I apologize for not giving full references.


And I leave you with this:

Incidentally, the reason I was going to upgrade was because my graphics card wouldn't boot bios. I thought it was the boards fault but its not that easy. UEFI GOP files for VGA have been in a state of limbo for a long time and affects many boards. I'm surprised I don't hear more about it. Its like the elephant in the room, no one wants to comment on it officially because its such a gaping hole in semi old technology. At least this board can boot legacy and avoid the issue. So my Maximus IV Gene-Z Gen 3 is still alive and kicking, and I'm gonna keep it until there's enough of a reason to upgrade. Its been a good friend, although I have to admit I am a little envious of people building systems.

btw: not gonna stop till its working in EUFI 🙂 I think you have to be part tinkerer / perfectionist to be drawn to these boards.


its the post that will never end. Researching further, what I would want is a Maximus VI Formula. Its like both the gyphon and Rog. Just please make it mATX and no 3rd party sata / usb / 2nd lan. We only need a few ports.... at least ... on this one... my dream .. maximus rog.

[Chino]

If I had to pick between the two, I'd go with the MVII Gene.

[erix_jansen]

Me too.

BTW, Sir or mr. Asus, the comparision of features function is terrible, because the texts of each product are endless and chaotic. Very little use of comparing! You should really contract somebody with a sense of practicality for making comparision tables. 🙂