Software

The software functionality for all four of the boards was basically the same with one small exception when it came to the Maximus V Gene. Here we have a video from our review of the P8X79 boards that is a quick walkthrough of the software’s functionality. The software didn't change between the X79 to Z77, so this will show you what to expect from Z77 as well. If a picture says a thousand words, this video should keep you busy reading for a very long time.

As you can see Asus has once again packed all of their software into one easy to use Suite. The AISuite II is actually the same software we have covered a few times previous. This is literally the only motherboard software that I have kept installed after setup and configuration on my own personal rigs. Why is that? Beyond the fact that is all in one suite. They have included functionality that is useful. The ability to be able to track and graph out any of your voltages, cpu usage, along with fan speeds and temperatures can be very helpful when trying to pinpoint hot spot or issues with a new build. Features like the Auto overclocking and USB 3.0 boost really speak for themselves. Without Asus’s software we wouldn’t realize the HUGE performance increases that we saw in testing with USB 3.0 Boost (see the USB 3.0 section to see what type of numbers we are talking about). I also can’t even explain how easy the overclocking is with AI Suite II also.