The ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z may be a micro-ATX form factor, but there's nothing small about the features or performance on this board. It's a sleeping giant, waiting to unleash the power of an unlocked Core i7 CPU. Frankly, it's a wolf in sheep's clothing. And coming wtih a price tag of only $170, this may be one of the best values out there right now for any platform. ASUS Republic of Gamer products are known to be elite, but affordable? That's a new one. And that's just what we've got on the bench today, so let's see what this little powerhouse motherboard has in store. As you'll see, Christmas has indeed come early.