Should have PCIe 3.0 motherboards next year fitted with, of course, the standard USB 3.0 with SATA 6Gb/s. SSDs will be cheaper and more refined to include a Revodrive in my system. ATI may announce graphic cards that put to use the PCIe 3.0 bandwidth. Hopefully, 2011 is a big year but I'll wait til 2012 if DDR4 is not out.
Although I like ASUS and their motherboards, the Republic of Gamers line has always struck me as a bit overpriced and under-featured. The boards look excellent, to be sure, and even if you're not the type to care that much about that sort of thing it may be a selling point, but when you can get a better-performing board from Gigabyte or MSI that has similar features and performs far better, you have to wonder what the point is. It doesn't help that ASUS doesn't have the overclocking crown, either.
If the X-Fi solution is just a software codec and not a real "in-hardware" X-Fi chip, then I give it a meh. The XtremeAudio codec-only solutions are just a way of marking up a board because Creative's name is on it, without providing anything better than a Realtek or other similar solution. In that case, far better to buy a board with great features but base onboard audio, and use the money saved to buy a real X-Fi or ASUS Xonar.
When you review this board Anand (and company) PLEASE address the audio, and what we as enthusiasts are really getting for our money.
If you are correct then I agree. I thought it was a chip, but at second glance I'm not sure if it's just a sticker. I too would like clarification on this aspect of the board.
Yeah, I have to second this. I have a stand-alone X-Fi Titanium which is excellent (at least with modded drivers installed), but the X-Fi Supreme stuff is typically all software acceleration and just a marketing gimmick. That's not to say that regular Realtek HD Audio stuff isn't perfectly capable for most people, but the X-Fi stuff that gets packed in is never much better, if any better than Realtek.
I'm not sure what you're complaining about.... Intel was always slagged for bringing out new P4 chipsets for relatively minor improvements like a 133MHz FSB increase creating a ton of CPU incompatibilities and consumer confusion.
Now that there has finally been some stability for a while, you want them to bring out a new chipset just for the hell of it? Is USB3 and SATA 6Gbps from add-on chips really a problem? X58 is just fine, if it ain't broke don't fix it (Socket 1156 is another story)
Love that they're using an Intel controller, the market is saturated with Realtek LAN chips and while they're fine for most uses they do have their limitations and don't belong in high-end boards.
I've been plagued by 150-200ms latency in WoW for the longest time and I were never able to track down the source of this issue until very recently. Turns out that disabling all hardware offloading done by the Realtek LAN chip brought my latency almost all the way down to what it used to be on my old 965p board with a Marvell controller.
Almost, and at the expense of a noticeable increase in CPU usage.
I received Asus's P5W DH Deluxe way back when it was new. It was one of the only mobos to support the C2D line at the time.
It was only 2-3 years later that they stopped supporting it. They supported Vista/x64 initially, then no more.
I used to build a new box every two years; a complete upgrade of everything except the HD, which is generally a hot swap upgrade. The dynamics of computing power have changed, though, and so my need to build is slowly becoming every 3-5 years, with small in between upgrades. ASUS was at the heart of every build for about 5 generations of computers.
I can't see buying another ASUS when they don't really support their products for at least 4 years after the release. Not to mention, their support site has always been slow and their staff are not understandable on the phone. I like their product when it works, but these things have slowly crept into the back of my head to just wait until a competitor has something better.
Extreme focuses on features that supposedly help overclockers wring the most out of their motherboards. Whether or not this actually helps is a question I've not seen answered. Additionally, the Extreme does not come with the X-Fi software stuff.
This has got a lot of market-speak in it, but here's what Asus' market guy said over @ [H]ardOCP's forums:
"Extreme is the highest end board in the ROG family, providing the highest level of OC performance focused at extreme benchers/overclockers as well as users looking for the maximum overclock ability. This unit will offer extended options towards overclockers. Additionally has a focus on Extreme Multi GPU configurations includes specializes hardware ( such as ROG Connect Bluetooth ) This is for users looking for the best of the best with all the bells and whistles.
Formula series is focused at mid to high end gamers looking for the best multi gpu board. Core implementations on the board are focused at providing a streamlined board focusing at gaming (multi gpu configurations (generally dual GPU ). This board is lower in cost than the extreme. While being lower in cost it still features high quality components, extensive bios options and high level overclocking and performance. (Removes specialized OC functions like ROG Connect Bluetooth or support for extreme multi gpu configurations such as 4 way crossfire) A top shelf motherboard streamlined for everything you want in a board plus some extras.
GENE series is the base platform for the ROG series while also being a MATX platform. It provides a superior bios, great overclocking ability and base multi GPU support. While the board offers multi GPU support most users will usually only need 1 graphics card so this is the focus for this segment. This is the lowest cost board in the ROG family. It provides the quality and performance ROG boards are known for and focus on providing the key requirements for a great board.
I am curious what the demand is for X58 mobos at various price points. How many people are willing to spend $350 for one (the current price of the Rampage II)? For that price you could buy a cheaper one and a Sound Blaster (or other) sound card!
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Looks promising, nice layout and colours. It's nice to see Intel LAN. For computers, either I don't care about the audio (i.e. a server), or I'll use a sound card optimized for my needs: Xonar Essence for stereo sound, Xonar for home theatre surround sound, or X-Fi gaming. So unless the fancy integrated audio is a real XFi, to me it's a waste of money.
Looks promising, nice layout and colours. It's nice to see Intel LAN. For computers, either I don't care about the audio (i.e. a server), or I'll use a sound card optimized for my needs: Xonar Essence for stereo sound, Xonar for home theatre surround sound, or X-Fi gaming. So unless the fancy integrated audio is a real XFi, to me it's a waste of money.
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blunt14468 - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
Sure looks sexy. I await a reviewBubbaJoe TBoneMalone - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
Should have PCIe 3.0 motherboards next year fitted with, of course, the standard USB 3.0 with SATA 6Gb/s. SSDs will be cheaper and more refined to include a Revodrive in my system. ATI may announce graphic cards that put to use the PCIe 3.0 bandwidth. Hopefully, 2011 is a big year but I'll wait til 2012 if DDR4 is not out.searanox - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
Although I like ASUS and their motherboards, the Republic of Gamers line has always struck me as a bit overpriced and under-featured. The boards look excellent, to be sure, and even if you're not the type to care that much about that sort of thing it may be a selling point, but when you can get a better-performing board from Gigabyte or MSI that has similar features and performs far better, you have to wonder what the point is. It doesn't help that ASUS doesn't have the overclocking crown, either.LoneWolf15 - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
If the X-Fi solution is just a software codec and not a real "in-hardware" X-Fi chip, then I give it a meh. The XtremeAudio codec-only solutions are just a way of marking up a board because Creative's name is on it, without providing anything better than a Realtek or other similar solution. In that case, far better to buy a board with great features but base onboard audio, and use the money saved to buy a real X-Fi or ASUS Xonar.When you review this board Anand (and company) PLEASE address the audio, and what we as enthusiasts are really getting for our money.
bigboxes - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
If you are correct then I agree. I thought it was a chip, but at second glance I'm not sure if it's just a sticker. I too would like clarification on this aspect of the board.searanox - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
Yeah, I have to second this. I have a stand-alone X-Fi Titanium which is excellent (at least with modded drivers installed), but the X-Fi Supreme stuff is typically all software acceleration and just a marketing gimmick. That's not to say that regular Realtek HD Audio stuff isn't perfectly capable for most people, but the X-Fi stuff that gets packed in is never much better, if any better than Realtek.ggathagan - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
It's not really a marketing gimmick, but it *is* software only, so you don't get the advantage dedicated hardware for sound reproduction.Acanthus - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
LOL X58.Has Intel dragged out a chipset for so long at any other point in history?
I guess this is where zero competition gets us.
Taft12 - Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - link
I'm not sure what you're complaining about.... Intel was always slagged for bringing out new P4 chipsets for relatively minor improvements like a 133MHz FSB increase creating a ton of CPU incompatibilities and consumer confusion.Now that there has finally been some stability for a while, you want them to bring out a new chipset just for the hell of it? Is USB3 and SATA 6Gbps from add-on chips really a problem? X58 is just fine, if it ain't broke don't fix it (Socket 1156 is another story)
Exodite - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
Love that they're using an Intel controller, the market is saturated with Realtek LAN chips and while they're fine for most uses they do have their limitations and don't belong in high-end boards.I've been plagued by 150-200ms latency in WoW for the longest time and I were never able to track down the source of this issue until very recently. Turns out that disabling all hardware offloading done by the Realtek LAN chip brought my latency almost all the way down to what it used to be on my old 965p board with a Marvell controller.
Almost, and at the expense of a noticeable increase in CPU usage.
Realtek works, it's just not good for everything.
vol7ron - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
I received Asus's P5W DH Deluxe way back when it was new. It was one of the only mobos to support the C2D line at the time.It was only 2-3 years later that they stopped supporting it. They supported Vista/x64 initially, then no more.
I used to build a new box every two years; a complete upgrade of everything except the HD, which is generally a hot swap upgrade. The dynamics of computing power have changed, though, and so my need to build is slowly becoming every 3-5 years, with small in between upgrades. ASUS was at the heart of every build for about 5 generations of computers.
I can't see buying another ASUS when they don't really support their products for at least 4 years after the release. Not to mention, their support site has always been slow and their staff are not understandable on the phone. I like their product when it works, but these things have slowly crept into the back of my head to just wait until a competitor has something better.
sidk47 - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
So, what is the difference between this board and the Asus Rampage Extreme III? Which one is better? What are the feature differences between the two?ggathagan - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
Extreme focuses on features that supposedly help overclockers wring the most out of their motherboards. Whether or not this actually helps is a question I've not seen answered.Additionally, the Extreme does not come with the X-Fi software stuff.
This has got a lot of market-speak in it, but here's what Asus' market guy said over @ [H]ardOCP's forums:
"Extreme is the highest end board in the ROG family, providing the highest level of OC performance focused at extreme benchers/overclockers as well as users looking for the maximum overclock ability. This unit will offer extended options towards overclockers. Additionally has a focus on Extreme Multi GPU configurations includes specializes hardware ( such as ROG Connect Bluetooth ) This is for users looking for the best of the best with all the bells and whistles.
Formula series is focused at mid to high end gamers looking for the best multi gpu board. Core implementations on the board are focused at providing a streamlined board focusing at gaming (multi gpu configurations (generally dual GPU ). This board is lower in cost than the extreme. While being lower in cost it still features high quality components, extensive bios options and high level overclocking and performance. (Removes specialized OC functions like ROG Connect Bluetooth or support for extreme multi gpu configurations such as 4 way crossfire) A top shelf motherboard streamlined for everything you want in a board plus some extras.
GENE series is the base platform for the ROG series while also being a MATX platform. It provides a superior bios, great overclocking ability and base multi GPU support. While the board offers multi GPU support most users will usually only need 1 graphics card so this is the focus for this segment. This is the lowest cost board in the ROG family. It provides the quality and performance ROG boards are known for and focus on providing the key requirements for a great board.
All three boards feature Intel Lan.
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1036025353&...
DXRick - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
I am curious what the demand is for X58 mobos at various price points. How many people are willing to spend $350 for one (the current price of the Rampage II)? For that price you could buy a cheaper one and a Sound Blaster (or other) sound card!AstroGuardian - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
This sure is a wasted time and effort. X58? Come on...lihujin88 - Monday, August 9, 2010 - link
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METALMORPHASIS - Thursday, August 12, 2010 - link
For at least DDR 10,USB 9.0, PCIe 9.0+ and maybe built in SSD's.RagingDragon - Saturday, August 21, 2010 - link
Looks promising, nice layout and colours. It's nice to see Intel LAN. For computers, either I don't care about the audio (i.e. a server), or I'll use a sound card optimized for my needs: Xonar Essence for stereo sound, Xonar for home theatre surround sound, or X-Fi gaming. So unless the fancy integrated audio is a real XFi, to me it's a waste of money.RagingDragon - Saturday, August 21, 2010 - link
Looks promising, nice layout and colours. It's nice to see Intel LAN. For computers, either I don't care about the audio (i.e. a server), or I'll use a sound card optimized for my needs: Xonar Essence for stereo sound, Xonar for home theatre surround sound, or X-Fi gaming. So unless the fancy integrated audio is a real XFi, to me it's a waste of money.shree_kotekar - Saturday, September 25, 2010 - link
Hi Anandtech and team. When are you going to do a full review of this board? I specially want to check its performance against MSI big bang Xpower.