Asus Rampage IV Extreme Motherboard Review

ROG Motherboards are highly regarded in the enthusiast world due in part to the loyalty of their fans, included features and availability.  Availability is always important since it doesn't do much good to have a great motherboard if you can't acquire one.   These things aside, we like them because each board is designed and tuned for the hardware it intends to support.

For instance the Rampage IV Extreme fully supports 4-way Crossfire and SLI.  This isn't a new feature for the X79 but as we saw from our Multi GPU Index testing the PCI Express layout is flexible so that when you are running 3 cards you can space them out and get some additional airflow to each of the GPUs.  Sadly there is no SLI bridge module for this configuration but the option is available for those who need it.

Overclocking and system performance was beyond what we had expected and as our benchmarks showed the Rampage IV Extreme besting all of the reference systems.  In looking at the numbers we noticed a slight clock advantage in the default configuration which would explain the rise in benchmark numbers.  Again, this sort of thing isn't new with enthusiast class motherboards and a nice selling point for those who want to take advantage of it.

When it comes to overclocking the we found the R4E to be one of the easiest systems to use and we attribute it all to automagically configured settings.  For instance when overclocking a 3960X you are allowed to change the system multiplier and in doing so you are "supposed" to disable the turbo feature.  Some motherboards leave this enabled but with the R4E once you change the multiplier the turbo is disabled and no longer accessible.  It is things like this that seem like a minor detail but really sell the system when it comes to overall user experience.

The Rampage IV Extreme is the first motherboard we have seen to come with the new OC Key module.  As was mentioned before, the OC Key is an onscreen overclocking feature that works much like ROG Connect without the need of a secondary system.  We found the OC Key to be really easy to use and quite helpful.  However, with any overclocking tool, it may not be for everyone and is simply another option that keep ROG competitive in the enthusiast sector.

Red and Black Color Scheme
PCI Express Disable Switches
Excellent UEFI Support
Auto Features in UEFI are truly Automagical
OC Key and ROG Connect
Flexible PCI Express Layout
Actively Cooled Motherboard Heatsinks

Can't think of any at this time