A series of the most productive motherboards in the world has replenished with another product that is able to attract the attention of all potential users. We are talking about the new ASUS Rampage IV Extreme, which was created with the participation of a team of overlockers known under the brand ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers). This means that the motherboard is able to satisfy the requirements of not only ordinary gamers, but also experts in overclocking and improving the entire system to get maximum platform performance.
Red case
ASUS designers have worked on the product to fame. This is evidenced even by the packaging of the motherboard - a huge suitcase in aggressive red halftones really attracts the attention of all users. In their reviews, many owners compare a cardboard box with a toy house for children - its disclosure is similar, giving the owner access to each component individually. The motherboard ASUS LGA2011 Rampage IV Extreme X79 has its own container, a separate box is provided for spare parts, and the manufacturer has placed a description and specifications on all sides of the package.
Only one fact confuses. The manufacturer was so keen on innovations to ensure a presentable appearance of the package that he overlooked the usual safety of the device during transportation. A box of an expensive product (after all, the cost is in the range of 50,000 rubles) has neither ribs nor rigging with protective elements.
Enthusiast Construction Kit
Future owners will also like the equipment provided with the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard. Manual, software discs and a dummy here, rather, for proforma. This is one of the few motherboards on the market that comes with everything that is needed not only for the average user, but also for the overlocker:
- definitely 4 SATA 3Gb / s cables and four similar interfaces for SATA 6Gb / s will appeal to any owner;
- ROG Connect and a USB 2.0 cable for it are useful for users who are eager to take performance indicators from the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard;
- a complete set of labels for all cables and interfaces will help to clean up the inside of the case;
- a set of boards for combining video cards: CrossFire for two devices and as many as 3 SLI bridges for combining 2, 3 and 4 video cards;
- an adapter for quickly connecting buttons and indicators of the case to the motherboard will simplify the task for many users.
Spaceship: profile view
The ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard has a non-standard EATX form factor, which without a doubt requires the owner to purchase a system case with support for this size. Do not forget about buying the appropriate power supply for high-quality power supply to all elements of the device. Using non-standard ones allowed to place a larger number of components on the system board that affect the performance of the gadget.
Many owners of ASUS Rampage IV Extreme did not go unnoticed by the fact that the manufacturer used a rather dense textolite in the production of the motherboard. Many users claim that the motherboard owes its high durability to many soldering layers, however, when comparing textolite sheets, the difference can be seen with the naked eye. High durability is a guarantee of safety when assembling or when installing passive cooling systems that are heavy in a computer.
The right approach to mounting the processor
Since the ASUS LGA2011 Rampage IV Extreme X79 motherboard was created primarily for the highest-performance Intel Core I7 processor, the manufacturer did not play with fire and provided the device with all the resources for the smooth installation of any cooling system. The socket itself and the available space around it are not cluttered with microchips and batteries.
As experts say in their reviews, the manufacturer ASUS provided the owner with the ability to mount even a passive radiator. And you don’t need to worry that a 1.5 kilogram design will be able to tear out the processor along with the socket. Technologists of the company on the back of the motherboard placed metal pressure plates, which provide the entire system with high rigidity.
There is never much memory
All without exception, users at the first meeting are attracted to the motherboard ASUS Rampage IV Extreme Black Edition 8 slots for installing RAM format DDR3. The most interesting thing is that at the hardware level, the device supports four-channel operation mode. However, for this, the user needs to buy 4 identical DDR3 strips. Since we are talking about working with the Core I7 processor, the owner may not worry that ASUS will make frequency restrictions on the operation of memory modules - the range is impressive: 1066-2400 MHz. The maximum amount of RAM for the entire platform is 64 GB.
In their reviews, experts assure that by the very placement of the modules, the manufacturer greatly complicated the work of users. If there is only one memory bar, then it will work only in the “D1” connector. For two modules, other slots are intended. The benefit for the motherboard ASUS Rampage IV Extreme is the instruction in Russian, otherwise many owners would unknowingly return their purchases to the store as non-working.
Video adapter tricks
Not everything is as simple as it seems, and with the installation of graphics accelerators. Turning a blind eye to the fact that the manufacturer has provided its device with many SLI jumpers and just one CrossFire interface, users will certainly encounter another rebus. ASUS Rampage IV Extreme LGA2011 gaming solution has 5 full-fledged PCIex16 slots version 3.0. Moreover, four of them have a red color, and one interface is painted in gray.
There is nothing to be surprised at. The manufacturer worried about users who had on hand an old-style graphics accelerator that does not support the PCIex16 version 3.0 interface. Such a video card can be inserted into the gray connector and enjoy the full operation of the system. When installing several modern video adapters, the user will have to refer to the instructions. The manual describes the installation algorithm of game accelerators to achieve maximum efficiency in the application.
There is always a choice
It does not hurt to study the owners of the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme manual motherboard and, if necessary, connect multimedia devices to the expansion card located on the back of the computer. The abundance of free USB ports has several limitations. One USB 2.0 interface is compatible only with the ROG Connector monitoring system; accordingly, it will not accept a multimedia device. Naturally, the board also has the latest USB controller version 3.0. The manufacturer did not limit itself to two ports, as is implemented on most motherboards.
Among the amenities of the rear panel, it is worth noting the presence of the old PS / 2 port, because changing your favorite mouse or keyboard due to the new motherboard is inconvenient. The manufacturer brought to the panel the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme and the BIOS reset button. A fairly convenient solution, given the purpose of the motherboard (overclocking). Here, the user will also find the power button for the ROG monitoring system. Present on the rear panel and outputs for connecting speakers. The standard seven-channel system does not surprise anyone, except that the optical audio jack is of interest.
Overlocker control panel
Studying the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard review, the user will find that in the upper right corner of the system device, the manufacturer has placed a real panel to control the functionality of the gadget. The presence of a built-in indicator of POST codes, a voltmeter and a thermocouple tells the owner about the serious approach of the developer to overclocking the components installed on the motherboard. In order not to be distracted by turning on and restarting the computer, the manufacturer provided the control panel with the corresponding buttons. In the reviews of the owners you can find the negative, which is caused by the size and appearance of these buttons, however, not a single overclocker has confirmed their uselessness.
Apparently, for the manufacturer of the motherboard ASUS Rampage IV Extreme, how to roll back the BIOS to its original form, was the main task. Otherwise, there are no other explanations for the fact that the entire motherboard is dotted with the "Reset BIOS" buttons (three switches are obviously overkill). On the other hand, many overlockers find it very convenient when the entire tool is at hand.
Quality cooling is the key to successful overclocking
The owners of the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme LGA2011 motherboard and the manufacturer’s approach in terms of decent cooling of chips and batteries will please the owners. First of all, an active cooler deserves gratitude, which the company's technologists prudently placed on the south bridge. Still, managing multiple video cards and hard drives is critical for all devices.
There are no questions among overclockers and to ensuring high-quality heat dissipation from all the batteries placed by the manufacturer in the processor socket area on the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme. Only solid capacitors are open , which, as practice shows, can not be heated at all. Organized a cooling system at the highest level. Only the supply of cold air to the motherboard and the quality heat dissipation outside the system unit depend on the user. And this means that the owner only needs to purchase a decent case for a PC in EATX format.
Finally
Many experts in the field of IT technologies simply sometimes are not able to name the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme Black device a motherboard. In fact, this motherboard represents a whole range of capabilities and services endowed with special functionality. In addition to the usual connection of the main components and the system startup of the computer, it has an overclock control panel, a PC security center for overheating or unsuccessful overclocking, a monitoring and notification system, not to mention the provision of inoperative data in the form of POST codes. The motherboard is designed for the convenience of overlockers. And you can’t even argue with that.