Traditionally the Rampage motherboards belong to ASUS' enthusiast and overclocking series. Regarding Intels upcoming X79 chipset they already have their Rampage IV Extreme ready which come with a lot features and for example the "OC Key" is completely new tool and very handy. 
The Rampage IV Extreme will be ASUS' high end overclocking motherboard regarding Intels upcoming X79 chipset. Therefore we're really curious what they've done from the layout and design perspective. After the NDA is over we will publish some more articles which are about the features of this board.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Spezifikationen / Lieferumfang
| CPU | Upcoming Intel CPUs |
| Chipset | Intel X79 |
| Memory | Upcoming multi channel memory interface |
| Multi-GPU | NVIDIA 3-Way SLI AMD Quad-GPU CorssFireX |
| Slots | 4 x PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (quad at x16/x8/x8/x8,
triple at
x16/x16/x16, dual at x16/x16) 1 x PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (single at x8, grey) 1 x PCI-Express 2.0 x1 |
| Sound | Realtek ALC898 8-Channel HD Audio Codec |
| Storage | 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s (Intel, RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1) 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s (Intel, RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1, JBOD) 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s (ASMedia) 2 x eSATA Gb/s (ASMedia) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR |
| LAN | 1 x Gigabit LAN |
| I/O internal | 2 x USB 3.0 connecotrs supports
additional 4 USB 3.0 ports 2 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports 4 x SATA 6 Gb/s connectors (red) 4 x SATA 3 Gb/s connectors (black) 2 x Subzero Sense connectors 1 x OC Key header 1 x OT header (ROG Connect Switch) 8 x 4-pin Fan connectors: 2 x CPU, 3 x Chassis / 3 x Optional 7 x ProbeIt measurement points 3 x Thermal sensor connectors 1 x SPDIF out connector 1 x 24-pin ATX power connector 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector 1 x LN2 Mode jumper 1 x Slow Mode switch 1 x Start button 1 x Reset button 2 x EZ Blug connectors (4-pin in white for memory DIMMs; 6-pin in black for PCIe slots) 1 x Go Button 1 x BIOS switch button 1 x Q-Reset switch 1 x Audio front panel (AAFP) connector 1 x System panel connector |
| I/O Back Panel | 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port 1 x Clr CMOS button 1 x ROG Connect ON/OFF button 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x Gigabit LAN 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out port 2 x eSATA 6 Gb/s ports 1 x 8-channel audio |
| Forfactor | eATX (30.5cm x 27.2cm) |
| BIOS | Bios (64 Mb flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS) |
- 1 x ROG Connect cable
- 1 x 3-Way SLI bridge
- 1 x 4-Way SLI bridge
- 1 x SLI cable
- 1 x CrossFire cable
- 1 x 2-in1 Q-Connector kit
- 2 x 2-in-1 SATA 3 Gb/s signal cables
- 2 x 2-in-1 SATA 6 Gb/s signal cables
- 1 x I/O Shield
- 1 x 12-in-1 ROG Cable Label
- 1 x ProbeIt cable set
- 1 x OC Key
- 1 x OC Key cable
- 1 x X-Socket pad module
Regarding the delivery one might find more than needed. For instance: you get a quad- and a tripl-SLI bridge which feature a PCB. Furthermore there is a flexible SLI-bridge as well as a flexible CrossFire-Bridge. One can also be very curious about the OC-Key which allows an overlay screen while you're benching your system. For this littel bugger we will write an independant article.
Features
| EPU | If you activate the EPU this chip monitors all possible voltages and clock speeds and automatically sets them to guarantee an energy efficient operation of you system. |
| TPU | As soon as one activates the TPU this chips monitors all possible voltages and clock speeds using the according software. The difference to the EPU is that TPU will provide as much performance as possible. Therefore it can increase clock speeds and voltages. |
| Extreme Engine Digi+ II | Since quite some time ASUS has been equipping its boards with digital power designs. Using the the right software it is not only possible to adjust voltages whilst being in Windows on can now also control impedances. Furthermore this board features high quality 10K black metallic capacitor which guarantee a long lifespan. |
| VGA Hotwire | If you want to overvolt you GPU then you have the possibility to solder two wires on the VGA's voltage regulator and connect it to the onboard variable resistors. |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Layout
Already at a first glance the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme looks very good with its harmonic design. Once again the ROG-colors - red, grey and black - suite nicely and together with the black PCB it becomes a very beautiful product. The layout itself is well thought and there is for example plenty of space around the CPU socket to install even todays largest CPU coolers. The fact that there are SATA connectere which have been angled by 90 degrees allow an easy installation of oversized graphics cards.
Until today we don't know how many phases the power design of the upcoming Rampage IV Extreme features. What we know is that we count twelve of the new high quality "Black Metallic Chokes". These can withstand much higher current (50A instead of 30A). In other words this means that one phase can cope with far more load than the predecessor.
Totally you'll find eight DIMM-slots on the Rampage IV Extreme. The official clock speeds that are supported will be disclosed after the NDA ended. There is engough space between the DIMM-slots and the CPU socket which means that you wont encounter compatibility problems with big coolers even when you choose to install RAM with big heatspreaders.
Northbridge, Southbridge as well as the current converters are being held at adequate temperatures via a passive heatpipe cooling solution. The cooling blocks haven been positioned wisely, which means that they don't collide with memory or CPU cooler.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Anschlüsse und I/O
Totally ASUS provided the Rampage IV Extreme with eight angled SATA ports which should be enough for any office gaming system or overclocking setup. You'll also find practical onboard power- and reset-buttons. There even is a debug display which is be very useful if you should once have issues with one of the components in your system. Also in this area of the board there are measure points to read out the different voltages. Almost standard for the ROG Extreme motherboards meanwhile is the possiblity to disable the different PCI-Express x16 Slots one by one. Between power/reset button and the DIMM slots one can find the headers to which you can connect the cables you soldered to a GPUs voltage regulation.
Totally you'll find eight fan header on the Rampage IV Extreme which is more than enough, to provide a well equipped high-end or overclocking-system with fresh air. The fan headers are located around the CPU socket as spread over the motherboard
Looking at the external connectors directly at the back-panel ASUS equipped the Rampage IV Extreme with one PS2 mouse/keyboard connector, four USB 3.0/2.0 ports, six USB 2.0/1.1 ports, two Power eSATA ports, a bluetooth transmitter/receiver, one gigabit ethernet port, an optical out as well as an analogue audio panel.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Fazit
| Allgemein | + | - | |
| At a first glance ASUS leaves a good impression with its Rampage IV Extreme. If there wasn't an NDA which we as well as all the other hardware reviewing sites have to respect then we'd have tested everything already. Until now we can only say that this board look like a fantastic basis for ever enthusiast PC or bench setup. Especially the OC Key seems to be a very handy feature and we think that all the overclockers around the planet will quickly adopt to it. Furthermore there is even a possibility to connect cables soldered to your graphics card directly to the motherboard and the control the voltages via a software. I mean, how awsome is that! | - Design - 4 x PCI-Express 3.0 Slot |
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| Layout | + | - | |
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Generally the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme's Layout has been very well thought. Once more practical are the angled SATA connectors as well as the power- and reset-buttons. There even is a debug display which is very useful in case you should have issues with a component in your system or the board itself. Even the placement of the PCI-Express x16 is very well chosen. There is a total of five of these slots. We also liked the voltage readouts as well as the possibility that one can deactivate the different PCI-Express x16 via dip switches. The Rampage IV Extreme really seems to be a very good overclocking motherboard. |
- Angled SATA connectors - Power/Reset-Button onboard - Debug display - Spac around the CPU socket - Placement of the PCI-Express slots - Voltage readouts |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
Discuss this article in the forums
Author: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch