With the Intel X48 based Rampage Extreme leaving it mark as an outstanding board, it was sure we hadn’t seen the end of the Rampage. With the advent of the Intel Core i7 CPU and Intel’s X58 chipset, Asus brings to us the Rampage II Extreme, a motherboard for gamers and enthusiasts alike. Will this one live up with extreme features like its older brother?
Specifications
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Memory |
Triple channel memory architecture |
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6 x DIMM, max. 12 GB, DDR3 1800 (OC) / 1600 (OC) / 1333 / 1066 / MHz, non-ECC, unbuffered memory | |
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VGA |
Multi-GPU Technology (SLI & CrossfireX ) |
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Expansion |
3 x PCIe2.0 x16 slot, supports x16, x8, x8, or dual x16 speeds |
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2 x PCIe2.0 x1 ( the PCIEx1_1 (black) slot can be used as an audio slot) | |
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1 x PCI 2.2 | |
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Storage |
7 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports |
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1 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s port | |
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1 x UltraDMA 133 for up to 2 PATA devices | |
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LAN |
Dual Gigabit LAN controllers with Teaming support, both featuring AI NET2 |
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High Definition Audio |
SupremeFX X-Fi Audio with EAX4.0 support |
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IEEE 1394a |
2 x 1394a ports |
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USB |
12 USB 2.0 ports |
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ROG Exclusive |
TweakIt |
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ProbeIt | |
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Extreme Engine with ML Caps | |
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CPU Level Up | |
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Form Factor |
ATX Form Factor, 12" x 10.6" (30.5 cm x 26.9 cm) |
Package
Asus Rampage 2 is now shipped in a red box over the dark grey one for the previous Rampage but keeping with the pleasing discreet design. The package is massive and includes; six SATA cables, a SATA power adapter, I/O shield, SLI bridge, driver DVD, manual, a few cable ties, IDE cable, FireWire and USB bracket, Asus ROG badge sticker, a set of probes and connector wires for ProbeIT, the TweakIT LCD poster, attachable fan and SupremeFX audio card. Now for a deep breath after that extremely long list.
Asus ROG motherboards form a category by themselves. There are high standards set for boards that are made with the ROG name attached. The Rampage 2 is seen meeting those standards from the start. The board features and all solid capacitor design and an extensive passive cooling system all around. A closer look at the LGA1366 socket that supports the new Intel Core i7 reveals its surrounding area to be covered by heatsinks popping up all around, cooling the MOSFETs and northbridge. Asus uses ML capacitors and a multi-phase power design to ensure a continuous power demand is met with stability and they call it Extreme Engine.
Three pairs of DDR3 DIMMs make up the triple channel memory set with support for a maximum of 12GB non-ECC un-buffered DDR3 modules. Supported speeds are 1800 MHz (OC), 1600 MHz (OC), 1333 MHz and 1066 MHz. just adjacent to the memory slots is the TweakIT buttons and the ProbeIT connectors. As covered in finer detail in the X48 Rampage Extreme review, TweakIT is a nifty little tool that can be used to make overclocks by adjusting BIOS options without having to restart the PC. ProbeIT uses a set of probes and connectors provided in the package that allows you to monitor voltages around the board.
The southbridge chip has itself covered with a large surface area heatsink that keeps it cool when overclocked. The SB is Intel’s ICH10R which controls the seven SATA ports that are positioned on the right side. The board has a dual BIOS feature which allows you to have a different BIOS version in each, and the unique ability to switch between them. The Rampage II Extreme also supports an SLI or CrossFire setup with up to three cards in tandem. The blue PCI-e slots are x16 until the white slot is used after which it will switch to x16, x8 and x8 speeds. There are also two PCI-e x1 slots, one of which is black for add-on audio cards and the other white. There is also a single standard PCI slot.
The real I/O panel is similar to its older brother’s with a PS/2 Keyboard port, six USB ports, a CMOS reset button, two RJ45 Ethernet ports, and IEEE FireWire port and an e-SATA port. This time again we have no audio connectors on the I/O panel. This is because the package includes an add-on soundcard called SupremeFX which is the same onboard sound chip now placed on an add-on card to make space for other items on the board itself. The soundcard boasts Creative X-Fi technology, but that is actually limited to software only. The 8-channel soundcard uses an ADI AD2000B CODEC and supports EAX 4.0
The set of pictures that follow are various sections in BIOS that allow for plenty of tweaks.
We start off by being greeted with an animated ROG logo on a blackout screen. Up next is no main screen. This BIOS wants you to get tweaking right away, so we start off with the Extreme Tweaker section where all overclocking business is conducted. Above is a shot of the warnings BIOS threw up when we set everything to their max value. There is also a DRAM sub section that allows all memory tweaks to be made. This board has an extreme amount of options for the user to tweak. Lastly is the hardware monitoring section with voltage and temperature monitors on their own separate pages.
Conclusion
As Intel marched on with the X58 featuring the new LGA1366 socket for the upcoming Core i7, Asus was quick to get their high end contender featuring the new chipset ready. Ready to be overclocked right out of the box and with extreme features like TweakIT and ProbeIT, the Asus Rampage II Extreme is taking high-end to a new high, just as they did with the Rampage Extreme.
Performance wise, compared to the Intel DX58SO, it is no doubt better even when compared to the LGA775 boards. We did also try overclocking this beast, but using the 965EE CPU, we could only hit a BCLK of 168 MHz. We’re pretty sure Asus will do something about it with BIOS updates to get it to 200 MHz and beyond.
The price for the ASUS Rampage II Extreme in the local UAE market is still a mystery. However, we do believe is should range around USD 529 which is equal to AED 1950.
