Introduction and Specifications

ASUS follows up its P6T Deluxe motherboard with the amazing Rampage II Extreme. If you want to see what the epitome of enthusiast platforms looks like then you need to see this offering that includes X-Fi audio, dual BIOS chips and an on-board location for multimeter-based voltage monitoring. Really.
Another X58 Motherboard from ASUS

With the release of any new chipset comes the eventual onslaught of new products from the usual suspects: ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and others.  When the Intel Core i7 processors review was posted here on PC Perspective last week, we ran our first set of benchmarks on the Intel-branded DX58SO motherboard as we usually do with new Intel chipset releases.  The board was impressive, especially for our first taste the entirely platform, but we yearned for a little bit more.

The ASU Rampage II Extreme is indeed just that – a little bit more.  To the extreme.  REALLY extreme.  There are features on this motherboard unlike anything we have seen before and that is truly a feat in world of “me too” motherboards.  If beyond sane overclocking, voltage tweaking BIOS features are what you are into, you definitely need to read this review.  If not, you should still read it if only to see how those insane few people love their motherboards!

Rampage II Extreme Specifications (from ASUS.com)

CPU
Intel® Socket 1366 Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition/Core™ i7 Processor Supports Intel® Dynamic Speed Technology
* Refer to www.asus.com for Intel CPU support list
Chipset
Intel® X58 /ICH10R
System Bus
Up to 6400 MT/s with QuickPath Interconnection
Memory
6 x DIMM, Max. 12 GB, DDR3 1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Triple channel memory architecture
* Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
**Due to Intel spec definition, DIMMs of DDR3-1333 or above are out of spec. Please refer to www.asus.com or user manual for the Memory QVL(Qualified Vendors List).
Expansion Slots
3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 support at x16, x8, x8, or dual x16 speed
2 x PCIe 2.0 x 1 ( the PCIEx1_1 (black) is compatible with audio slot)
1 x PCI 2.2
Multi-GPU Support
Support NVIDIA 3-Way SLI™ / ATI CrossFireX™ Technology
Storage
Intel ICH10R controller
6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports
Intel Matrix Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
JMicron® JMB363 PATA and SATA controller
1 xUltraDMA 133/100/66/33 for up to 2 PATA devices
1 xExternal SATA 3.0 Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go)
1 xSATA 3.0 Gb/s port

LAN
Dual Gigabit LAN controllers, both featuring AI NET2 Support Teaming Technology
Audio
SupremeFX X-Fi Audio Card
– ADI® AD2000B 8 -Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
– EAX® Advanced™ HD 4.0
– X-Fi CMSS®-3D
– X-Fi Crystalizer™
– Creative ALchemy
– Supports 1 x S/PDIF out header
– Supports Coaxial/Optical S/PDIF out ports on rear
IEEE 1394
2 x 1394a ports (1 port at back I/O, 1 port onboard)
USB
12 USB 2.0 ports (6 ports at mid-board, 6 ports at back panel)
Overclocking Features
TweakIt
ProbeIt
Extreme Engine with ML Cap
– 16-phase CPU power
– 3-phase QPI/DRAM power
– 3-phase NB power
– 3-phase Memory power
– ML Caps on CPU, memory and NB respectively
CPU Level Up
iROG
Extreme Tweaker
BIOS Flashback
Loadline Calibration
Intelligent overclocking tools:
– ASUS AI Booster Utility
– O.C Profile
Overclocking Protection:
– COP EX (Component Overheat Protection – EX)
– Voltiminder LED
– ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
Special Features
External LCD Poster
Onboard Switches: Power / Reset / Clr CMOS (at rear)
EL I/O
Q-Fan Plus
ROG BIOS Wallpaper
ASUS EPU-6 Engine
ASUS Q-Connector
ASUS Fan Xpert
ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
ASUS MyLogo3
Back Panel I/O Ports
1 x PS/2 Keyboard port(purple)
1 x External SATA port
2 x LAN (RJ45) port
6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
1 x IEEE1394a port
1 x Clr CMOS switch
Internal I/O Connectors
3 x USB connectors supports additional 6 USB 2.0 ports
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
1 x IDE connector
7 x SATA connectors
1 x IEEE 1394a connector
1 x Chassis Fan connector
x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector
24-pin ATX Power connector
1 x EL I/O Shield Connector
3 x thermal sensor connector
1 x En/Dis-able Clr CMOS connector
System Panel
8 x Fan connectors: 1 x CPU / 1 x PWR / 3 x Chassis / 3 x Optional
8 x ProbeIt connectors
1 x LCD Poster connector
1 x BIOS FlashBack boot up selection header
1 x ROG light connector
BIOS
16 Mb Flash ROM
AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI2.0a Multi-Language BIOS
Manageability
WOL by PME,WOR by PME,Chasis Intrusion,PXE
Accessories
ProbeIt Cable
3-Way SLI Cable
SLI Cable
ASUS Optional Fan
SupremeFX X-Fi Audio Card
External LCD Poster
3 in 1 ASUS Q-Connector Kit
UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
SATA cables
SATA power cables
2-port USB2.0 + IEEE 1394a module
EL I/O Shield
Thermal sensor cables
Cable Ties
User’s manual
Support Disc
Support DVD:
– Drivers and applications
Sound Blaster X-Fi Utility
Futuremark® 3DMark® Vantage Advanced Edition
Kaspersky® Anti-Virus
ASUS TurboV utility
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS Update
ASUS AI Suite
Form Factor
ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 10.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 26.9 cm )

Wow, there is a lot to take in here, and looking through all the features that ASUS has packed into the Rampage II Extreme will take a few pages.  Early stand outs from the crowd include built-in support for DDR3 memory at 1800 MHz, 3-Way SLI support, X-Fi audio and something called “ProbeIt” and “TweakIt” that we will dive into on the following page.

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