ASUS Rampage II Extreme - The Definitive Overclocking Board?

[Rob Williams]

ASUS has long supported overclockers with their motherboards, but the Rampage II Extreme takes things to the next level. In addition to an even more robust BIOS than what we're used to, we're given the ability to put our multi-meters to good use with the help of easy-access board contacts. When all said and done though, is the RIIE really worth the $400 asking price?

You can read the full review here and discuss it here!

 

[Merlin]

I'm wondering how much the temps changed at the stable overclock.
Tom has this setup only he has a Coolermaster V8

 

[Rob Williams]

What kind of overclock is placed on his processor? For the most part, one reason I can't hit great clocks like some is that I'm in a rather small room that locks the heat in, and when you have another machine running 24/7 in addition to a few other things, the ambient temperature is usually around 80°F. Not ideal.

He'll probably be fine as long as it's 3.6GHz or lower. Even I could handle that overclock, so I assume it won't be an uncommon one.

 

[Babrbarossa]

Nice review Rob! I really like having the four boards there together- and I enjoyed seeing the clear closeup photos- nice to see the board up close.

The boards were pretty close, but the memory results were kinda interesting. And the intel the marginal, but fairly clear loser.

I am waiting on my p6t and have been second guessing my choice for a week now but there aren't any comparisons out there and the overclocking seems to be on a par between the gigabyte and the two ASUS boards. The PCIE slots don't bother me none on the p6t so I'm starting to feel good about my choice although I do like the watercooled NB on the high end GigaB

- I'll probably upgrade to something in the second wave in about three months anyway- trade in the p6t while I can still get something for it. Hmm- bloodrage anyone?

 

[Rob Williams]

Hey Bab, good to see you around man! Thanks for the comments on the review, I appreciate it. I'm not sure about the memory, to be honest. Usually if there's some sort of inconsistency, it's there, and for whatever reason, it's usually Intel who's in dead last. I used to like their boards quite a bit for stability reasons, but they will really never be competition to anything else unless they start taking a look at what makes their competitors so successful. I don't think they care though, to be honest... they just want to have something.

As for the P6T, I doubt you'll be unhappy with it. I hit a stable 3.60GHz (180*20) with the i7 920 on that board just fine, so unless you want something higher than that (which is even more difficult, even on other boards), I don't think you'll regret that purchase. It's a great board really. I just like the RIIE more because of the superb BIOS. I really hope to see the small features in there make their way to ASUS' mainstream models in the future.

 

[Merlin]

What kind of overclock is placed on his processor? For the most part, one reason I can't hit great clocks like some is that I'm in a rather small room that locks the heat in, and when you have another machine running 24/7 in addition to a few other things, the ambient temperature is usually around 80°F. Not ideal.

He'll probably be fine as long as it's 3.6GHz or lower. Even I could handle that overclock, so I assume it won't be an uncommon one.

He's not an overclocker ( I know, with that board ) and I can't even mention watercooling, he's just that way