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 ASUSWith 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.
