First Looks: ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme (Intel X79) - Hardcore is back!

[siopao1984]

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First Looks: ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme (Intel X79) - Hardcore is back! by VR-Zone.com

In the first of a three part Asus X79 Motherboard series, we introduce to our readers the flagship ASUS Republic of Gamers Rampage IV Extreme. Built and tuned by a world-class team of perfectionist engineers and megahertz thirsty overclockers from the ROG team, this new Rampage could turn out to be one of the all-time greats in the history of enthusiast tech.

Meet the Rampage IV Extreme, the flagship offering of the ASUS X79 lineup



Back view with Socket 2011 backplate



I/O Panel (Intel Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth V2.1+EDR, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 ESATA 6gbps ports and 2 buttons to activate ROG Connect and reset CMOS)



2 SATA 6Gbps ports (red) and 4 SATA 3Gbps ports (grey) from the Intel X79 chipset, and 2 more SATA 6Gbps ports (red) provided by an ASMedia controller. You can also plug a K-type thermocouple to the "Subzero Sense" (black block on the right) to get the readings from the motherboard's temperature diodes during extreme LN2 sessions



Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC898 CODEC and NCT6776F for LPC I/O. The board is also filled with high quality Japanese-made 10K Black metallic capacitors and mature customized digital VRMs.



Four Asmedia ASM1042 controllers takes care of USB 3.0



PCI-e 3.0 compliant Asmedia ASW1480 switches



Socket 2011 Area



Some of the power circuitry - chokes rated up to 50A



Socket 2011 in the flesh



Diagnostic LEDs carried over from the previous ROG boards - these are very useful for troubleshooting



"GO" Button to trigger MEMOK! before POST or O/C Profiles after POST,

a DIP switch to enable/disable PCIe slots,

Power/Reset Buttons, a PORT 80 display,

LN2 "slow boot" switch

and LEDs next to each voltage measurement point for easy troubleshooting of OC failures due to incorrect adjustment of key voltages.

[siopao1984]

X-Socket (swap out socket 2011 backplate for socket 1366 mounting)

The socket mounting can be screwed open by a provided allen key.



Front Plate off.



Socket 2011 Backplate off



Socket 1366 Backplate on



Now the 4 holes can be used for Socket 1366 coolers



We used Thermalright's Intel Mountings - looks like it worked



We tried with our favourite Thermalright Silver Arrow Dual Tower Heatpipe cooler - sadly as you clearly see the fans when installed will block RAM installation.



Switched for a slimer Thermalright Archon - it fits without blocking any RAM slots.





Other Accessories

OC Key - this nifty little invention generates a graphical display overlay on the active DVI monitor to adjust overclock settings in real-time without using additional software or hardware.



VGA Hotwire - plug one end to the motherboard and solder the other end to the graphic card's voltage regulator. Good for users who don't want to mess with tiny variable resistors and have voltage monitoring within the BIOS.



4-Way SLi Bridge



More SLi and Crossfire Bridges - this board was designed for multi-gpu benching/gaming



Battlefield 3 Full Game will also be bundled in with the motherboard.

[YellowSubmarine]

igo ra tawn ko's lantaw.. faets..

[street_of_no_return]

dghana ug features oe. + mga items nga included. pero d na lng ko mo laum ani kai murag mahal kaau ni.