I7 4970+Asus Maximus vi gene+ samsung evo 840

vulcanmulciber

Honorable
Jun 19, 2013
15
0
10,510
I was thinking of a combination of the intel I 7 4790 and Asus maximus gene with a Samsung evo 840 256 gb. Will this combination work right out of the box or will I need to flash my bios for things to be shipshape? Also, will the m2 connection on this motherboard work fine on this ssd?
 
Solution
If the Gene comes with BIOS 1402 or later, it should work out of the box. It's much more likely that you'll need to flash the BIOS before using the 4790. Here's the note from the Gene VI support page: "*Before using the new Intel 4th Gen Core processors, we suggest that you first download the BIOS updater for new Intel 4th Gen Core Processors and then update the BIOS using this tool."

If you have an original 4th Gen chip or an older compatible chip, you can flash the BIOS by following these intructions: http://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1006767/

If not, then you can do it via USB using the BIOS Flashback feature: http://www.asus.com/microsite/2014/MB/New_4th_gen_Intel_processor_compatibility/

To use the M.2 connection, you'll need a...
If the Gene comes with BIOS 1402 or later, it should work out of the box. It's much more likely that you'll need to flash the BIOS before using the 4790. Here's the note from the Gene VI support page: "*Before using the new Intel 4th Gen Core processors, we suggest that you first download the BIOS updater for new Intel 4th Gen Core Processors and then update the BIOS using this tool."

If you have an original 4th Gen chip or an older compatible chip, you can flash the BIOS by following these intructions: http://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1006767/

If not, then you can do it via USB using the BIOS Flashback feature: http://www.asus.com/microsite/2014/MB/New_4th_gen_Intel_processor_compatibility/

To use the M.2 connection, you'll need a Type 2242 M.2 NGFF SSD that looks like this: http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-MTS400-Solid-State-TS128GMTS400/dp/B00KLTPUU0/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1407437740&sr=1-7&keywords=2242+ssd

There's no major benefit to it over a regular SATA III drive other than it's a small form factor and won't take up a drive bay or require separate power and data cables. Transfer rates are the same as they both use the SATA revision 3.0 protocol, which will get you 6Gbits/sec. Regular 2.5" SATA III SSDs can be secured almost anywhere in the case with a little velcro so the drive bay benefit isn't worth much.
 
Solution
Personally, I'd go with the Z97 but there's not a huge difference (improved VRMs so it cools slightly better, M.2 and eSATA support). I have a Gene VI and think it's great, but also have a Z97 Hero and really like it.

With the USB BIOS Flashback, you can flash the BIOS of the Z87 Gene without a CPU installed, so it's not really a big deal. ROG boards have some great features, and that's one of them.