Asus Shows Off New X79 Republic Of Gamers Motherboard
Subject: Motherboards | October 25, 2011 - 03:33 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: x79, socket 2011, sandy bridge-e, ROG, asus
Asus recently unveiled a new X79 socket 2011 motherboard specifically for Sandy Bridge-E, and it looks rather impressive. The new motherboard is a red and black affair that hold several overclocking friendly features and plenty of expansion options. Dubbed the Rampage IV Extreme, the X79 motherboard is part of Asus' Republic of Gamers lineup.
The new motherboard supports Intel's new socket 2011 CPU, eight DDR3 quad channel RAM slots, five PCI-E 3.0 slots (one rated at PCI-E x16 speeds and four at X8 speeds), one further PCI-E 3.0 x1 (physical) slot, and a host of SATA ports. Specifically, the X79 chipset powers two SATA 3 6Gbps and four SATA 2 3Gbps ports while the ASMedia controller powers an additional two SATA 3 6Gbps ports.
Rear IO on the board includes eight USB 2.0 ports, a PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, ROG Connect and CMOS reset buttons, four USB 3.0 ports, two eSATA 6Gbps ports, Gigabit LAN, Realtek audio powered 5.1 surround sound via five 3.5mm jacks or an optical output. The motherboard further supports Bluetooth version 2.1+EDR.
While the basic specifications of the motherboard are really nice, the most important aspects of the republic of gamers Rampage IV Extreme board are the overclocking features and diagnostics, and there are quite a few. Around the processor socket, there are chokes rated up to 50 amps and have VRMs cooled by a large black heatspreader. The RAM power circuitry, CPU VRMs, and chipsets are all cooled by heatspreaders and connected by aluminum heatpipes. The only issue that some people might run into is with CPU coolers that have wide bases as the heatpipe connecting the VRMs and chipset heatspreader is close to the processor socket, though most coolers will likely work fine.
Moving to the right of the Sandy Bridge-E socket, Asus has provided several handy overclocking tools including the "MEMOK!" RAM diagnostic button that will either reset the settings to get the board to boot or switch to overclocked profiles if activated after the motherboard has gotten past POST. Above that is a set of 4 dip switches to enable or disable the various PCI-E slots. A power and reset button are above those switches and will come in handy for overclocking the board outside of a typical case. Further, there is a diagnostic LED display in the upper right as well as a switch to enable a slow boot mode when using LN2 (liquid nitrogen) cooling. On the voltage front, there are numerous measurement points for CPU, RAM, and chipset voltages. Finally, next to the SATA ports is a odd looking four slot block that allows enthusiasts to measure temperatures of the various physical temperature diodes on the motherboard using "K-type thermocouple" device.
Needless to say, this new X79 based motherboard looks to be living up to its Republic of Gamers heritage thanks to its slew of overclocking and expansion features. If you're interested in seeing more pictures of this shiny bit of hardware, check out this VR-Zone story.
Is a GTX 590 just not enough for you?
A Legacy of Unique Engineering
ASUS has often been one of only a handful of companies that really pushes the limits of technology on their custom designed products including graphics cards, sound cards, notebooks, motherboards and more. Just a little over a year ago I wrote a review of the ASUS ARES Dual Radeon HD 5870 graphics card - the first of its kind and it was labeled the "Ultimate Graphics Card" at the time. Life on the top of mountain doesn't last that long in the world of the GPU though and time (and the GTX 590 and HD 6990) left the Greek god of war in the rearview mirror.
This time around we have a successor to the MARS - the NVIDIA version that combines two top-level GPUs on a single PCB. The new ASUS MARS II we are reviewing today is a pair of binned GTX 580 GPUs paired together for full-time SLI and built with a limited edition run of 999 units. In many ways the MARS II and the ARES share a lot of traits: custom designed cooling and PCB, a unique aesthetic design, limited edition status and significant physical weight as well. Of course, the price tag is also pretty high and if you aren't comfortable reading about a $1300 graphics card you might as well turn around now... For those that dare though, you can be sure that the MARS II will have you dreaming about PC gaming power for years to come!
Continue reading our review of the ASUS MARS II Dual GTX 50 3GB!!!
Podcast #167 - HD6970 shortages, the ASUS ROG Matrix GTX580, HP selling it's PC business and more!
Subject: Editorial | August 25, 2011 - 03:47 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: ROG, radeon, podcast, HD6970, GTX580, asus, amd, 6970
PC Perspective Podcast #167 - 8/25/2011
This week we talk about HD6970 shortages, the ASUS ROG Matrix GTX580, HP selling it's PC business and more!
You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still
The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!
- iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
- RSS - Subscribe through your regular
RSS reader - MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file
Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath and Allyn Malventano
This Podcast is brought to you by
Program Schedule:
- 0:00:38 Introduction
- 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
- http://pcper.com/podcast
- http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
- 0:01:32 Where Have All the 6970s Gone?
- 0:12:23 ASUS ROG Matrix GTX 580 Platinum 1.5GB Graphics Card Review - Best of the best?
- 0:26:00 This Podcast is brought to you by
MSI Computer , and their all new Sandy Bridge Motherboards! - 0:27:05 Llano is running short
- 0:33:50 HP conference call this afternoon, could a major division drop?
- 0:35:50 Corsair Unveils Two New 90GB SATA 6Gb/s SSDs, A World's First
- 0:42:02 Battlefield 3: This is what the PC players will be enjoying
- 0:43:59 Intel returns to upgrade cards for more of their crippled parts
- 0:48:20 Gigabyte motherboard with 20GB cache
- 0:50:49 Drobo Improves Storage with new App-Driven Delivery
- 1:00:25 Deus Ex gives beautiful performance on cards costing less than $250
- 1:01:22 Steve Jobs steps down blah blah
- 1:02:15 Emails from Graeme about a SWTOR rig
- 1:06:41 Email from Eric about a new MB/CPU
- 1:11:20 Email from a lot of people - What SSD would Allyn buy?
- 1:14:30 Email from Mark about Matrox TripleHead2Go
- 1:19:32 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
- Ryan: Blue Icicle
- Jeremy: Space Marine demo on Steam
- Josh: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122326
- Allyn: Unlocker (is finally 64 bit)
- 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
- http://pcper.com/podcast
- http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
- Closing
Republic of Gamers Means Business
Introduction
I have got to be honest with you - most of the time getting me excited for graphics cards any more is a chore. Unless we are talking about a new architecture from NVIDIA or AMD, card vendors are hard pressed to the same attention from me they used to a couple of years ago when every card release was something to pay attention to. Over the next week or so though it turns out that ASUS and Gigabyte have a few noteworthy items definitely worth some grade-A analysis and reviewing starting with today's: the ASUS ROG Matrix GTX 580 beast.
The Republic of Gamers brand is reserved for the highest-end parts from the company that are obviously targeted at three main segments. First, the serious gamers and enthusiasts that demand the top level performance either because they can't stand to lose at gaming or just want nothing but the best for their own experiences. Secondly are the professional overclockers that live on features and capabilities that most of us could only dream of pushing and that need LN2 to get the job done. Finally, the case modding groups that demand not only great performance, but sexy designs that add to the aesthetics of the design as whole and aren't boring. The ROG brand does a very commendable job of hitting all three of these groups in general and specifically with the new Matrix-series GTX 580.
In the following pages we will document what makes this card different, how it performs, how it overclocks and why it might be the best GTX 580 card on the market today.
Continue reading our review of the ASUS ROG Matrix GTX 580 Platinum!!
X58 is still the king, check out the ASUS ROG Rampage III
Subject: Motherboards | August 9, 2011 - 03:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asus, rampage III, ROG, X58
If you fell the inescapable need to overclock your CPU to insane speeds and get the bit of extra oomph that triple channel DDR3 can provide then the ASUS Rampage III is the ~$600 motherboard for you. [H]ard|OCP recently reviewed the board and its incredible list of extra components, even going so far as trying to kill it in a three day incubation test. Four PCIe 16x slots (dual 16x, quad 8x), two PCIe 1x slots, two SATA Gbp/s ports, a half dozen SATAII ports with two eSATA round out the internal connections. Externally two USB 3.0 ports and eleven USB 2.0 ports will get your peripheral connected and there is not only a normal gigabit ethernet connection, they included wireless and a KillerNIC which happens to be on an ASUS ThunderBolt card. Read on at [H]ard|OCP.
"While P67 and Z68 is all the rage, if you are looking for the most powerful computing system money can buy, then X58 is still it. ASUS promises to deliver everything you expect out of X58 and then some with its latest Republic of Gamers branded board. If you are looking for the ultimate X58 motherboard, it's the Rampage III Black Edition."
Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:
- Sapphire Pure Platinum Z68 Motherboard caught on camera @ eTeknix
- Sapphire Pureblack P67 Hydra @ XSReviews
- ASUS Maximus IV Extreme Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z @ Tweaktown
- Asus Maximus IV Extreme Motherboard Review @ Ninjalane
- Gigabyte G1.Sniper and GA-X58A-OC: LGA1366 Mainboards for Gamers and Enthusiasts @ X-bit Labs
- GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2: A Preview @ Bjorn3D
- ASUS P8P67 PRO Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 GEN 3 Intel Motherboard Review @ TechwareLabs
- Roundup: Eight Mini-ITX Mainboards for LGA1155 Processors @ X-bit Labs
- ASUS Rampage III Black Edition @ Bjorn3D
- BIOS Option Of The Week - USB Mass Storage Reset Delay @ TechARP
- Understanding All Voltage Configurations from the Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- ASUS F1A75-M PRO Motherboard Review @Hi Tech Legion
- ASUS F1A75-V PRO vs ECS A75F-A vs Gigabyte A75-D3H @ t-break
- Biostar TA75A+ Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- ASUS E35M1-I Deluxe Review @ Neoseeker
- ASRock A75 Pro4 Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
- ASUS E35M1-M Pro Motherboard Review @ Neoseeker
The ASUS Vulcan ANC Pro Gaming Headset has gaming in its name for a reason
Subject: General Tech | August 2, 2011 - 03:43 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asus, ROG, Vulcan ANC Pro, headset, audio
If you find yourself gaming in a noisy environment and are trying to keep your contribution to the noise down by using headsets it can be frustrating if you cannot hear the game you are playing. ASUS has a way to solve that, thanks to the active noise cancellation in their Republic of Gamers Vulcan ANC Pro Gaming Headset. Red & Blackness Mods tried out a pair for review and were impressed by the light weight of the headset as well as detachable mic for when you don't need to communicate with team mates. They were not overly impressed with the sound quality but as these are specifically designed for gaming that is not a major concern and not attempting for high end audio helped keep the price down.
"Asus mostly known for their high end laptops and motherboards have recently started pumping out various accessories and even touchpads. Today we are taking a look at the Asus Vulcan ANC Pro Gaming headphones that you can pick up for around 50$. What type of quality and sound quality can we expect from these?"
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- ASUS Vulcan ANC (Active-Noise-Cancelling) Pro Gaming Headset Review @ HardwareHeaven
- Cooler Master Sirus Gaming Headset @ XSReviews
- Tt eSPORTS Shock One Gaming Headset Review @ eTeknix
- SonoCore Cindy COA-805 IEM @ reviewstash
- CM Storm Sirus Headset Review @ Hardware Secrets
- CM Storm Sirus @ OC3D
- TTesports Shock Spin Headphones @ Rbmods
- Grace Digital GDI-IRMS300 Internet Micro Hi-Fi Stereo System Review @MissingRemote
- Thermaltake Shock One Headset @ Bjorn3D
- Roccat KULO 7.1 USB Virtual Surround Headset Review @ Real World Labs
- Scythe Kama Bay AMP 2000 Rev. B Amplifier Review @ Madshrimps
- SteelSeries Siberia V2 for PS3 @ OC3D
Just Delivered: ASUS ROG MATRIX GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB Graphics Card
Subject: Graphics Cards | July 1, 2011 - 03:03 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: ROG, matrix, just delivered, GTX 580, asus
Just Delivered is a section of PC Perspective where we share some of the goodies that pass through our labs that may or may not see a review, but are pretty cool none the less.
We like big graphics cards and we can't deny...when the FedEx guy shows up with a great big box and....okay, sorry about that. But it is true, we definitely love it when new GPUs find their way to our testing facilities. Today is no different as the delivery guy dropped off a box that gave us the ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) MATRIX GTX 580 1.5GB.
We first saw this card at Computex in June and we are without a doubt preparing a full review of it in the next week or so, but we wanted to show it off right away - after all, we like to share the goodies that make their way to PC Perspective as often as we can. At first glance you can easily tell that the ROG MATRIX GTX 580 is more than just your standard 580-based solution - it takes up three slots with its large cooler and uses dual 8-pin power connectors rather than an 8-pin and 6-pin combination.
It has some very unique options including buttons directly on the PCB that instantly put the fan at the full 100% speed and + and - keys for increasing and decreasing the GPU clock rate without the need to go into software. Pretty damn cool!
There are voltage measurement positions on the PCB and a Safe Mode button to instantly revert back to the standard clock rates if you have pushed the card too far - this will make things much easier for those overclockers that push things well past reasonable limits.
The cooler is GARGANTUAN but keeps the temperatures reasonable while the card runs on a 19-phase PCB.
ASUS MATRIX GTX 580 - Reference GTX 580 - ASUS ARES
This probably won't beat out the Radeon HD 6990 for the fastest graphic card around but we are thoroughly expecting to be impressed in our full review.
Asus Invites You to Attend The Republic of Gamers Formula X Event
Subject: General Tech | June 23, 2011 - 12:14 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ROG, Republic of Gamers, overclocking, gaming, Formula X
This weekend Asus is holding an event open to the public for all computer enthusiasts interested in overclocking, gaming, case modding, and benchmarking. Sponsored by Asus, Intel, NVIDIA, and NVIDIA, Antec, Kingston, Patriot,CoolerMaster, CPU Magazine, Corsair, and Razer, 20 of North America’s top overclockers have been invited to push the latest Asus Republic of Gamers motherboards and graphics cards to the limit with the help of some LN2. In addition to the prize of respect, during the competition the participants will be awarded with over $50,000 USD worth of hardware from the sponsors.
Asus is gearing up for Formula X with lots of awesome ROG hardware
In addition to the overclocking and case modding showcases, various new Republic of Gamers hardware will be making its North American debut including the z68 Maximus IV Extreme-Z and Maximus IV Gene-Z motherboards, Matrix GTX 580 Platinum GPU, and the ROG G74SX gaming laptop.
According to Asus, the two day event is open to the public and no admission fee is required. With 2300 liters of liquid nitrogen on hand, Asus is confident that the overclocking event will be a great experience for everyone involved. The Formula X event will take place this weekend on the 25th and 26th of June 2011 from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturday and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday, and is located at Fry’s Electronics 1077 E. Arques Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085. A phone number is also provided at (408)-617-1300.
If you are local or are going to be in the area this weekend, we encourage you to stop by and check out the enthusiast event. For those who can not make it stay tune to PC Perspective for the latest happenings on Formula X.
Podcast #157 - OCZ Agility 3 SSD, Lucid Virtu Universal, new ROG Motherboards and more from Computex 2011!
Subject: General Tech | June 2, 2011 - 05:55 AM | Ken Addison
Tagged: ssd, ROG, podcast, ocz, msi, asus
PC Perspective Podcast #157- 6/02/2011
This week we talk about the OCZ Agility 3 SSD, Lucid Virtu Universal, new Asus ROG Motherboards and GTX580s, and more from Computex 2011!
You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still
The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!
- iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
- RSS - Subscribe through your regular
RSS reader - MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file
Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath and Allyn Malventano
This Podcast is brought to you by MSI
Program Schedule:
- 00:34 Introduction
- 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
- http://pcper.com/podcast
- http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
- 01:20 OCZ Technology Agility 3 SandForce 240GB SATA 6G SSD Review
- 09:00 Lucid Virtu Universal Adds AMD and Virtual Vsync Support
- 17:55 Gigabyte Offers Z68 Motherboard With Bundled Intel 311 mSATA SSD
- 20:00 Asus Announces New MeeGo Netbook, Ultralight Laptop, and Padfone
- 21:15 ASUS Launches new line of ROG Motherboards for Core i7, Bulldozer
- 23:01 New GTX 580 Graphics Options Add to ASUS ROG Lineup
- 24:50 Corsair’s H80 and H100 Water Coolers Officially Announced
- 27:49 Intel Defines Ultrabook category and accelerates Atom development cycle
- 32:50 RevoDrive 3 and Hybrid Highlight OCZ Showcase at Computex
- 43:31 AMD Shows Off Trinity APU based on Bulldozer, APU for Tablets
- 45:10 WTF moment: ASUS Danshui Bay Motherboard Combines LGA1366 and Socket 2011
- 48:10 990FX discussion
- http://pcper.com/podcast
- http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
- 55:45 Closing
New GTX 580 Graphics Options Add to ASUS ROG Lineup
Subject: Graphics Cards, Shows and Expos | May 31, 2011 - 02:41 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: computex, asus, GTX 580, mars, matrix, ROG
While also announcing a set of new motherboard at Computex 2011, ASUS was also showcasing two new graphics cards in the Republic of Gamers line based on NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 580 GPU. The MATRIX GTX580 and MARS II cards will offer a unique take on performance and engineering that haven’t been seen in the enthusiast graphics markets before.
The MATRIX GTX580 will offer support for TweakIt, ProbeIt and SafeMode overclocking capabilities at the hardware level while the GPU Tweak software will allow the user to adjust setting and monitor the card in the OS. The card is built with a 19-phase construction (!!) which should offer very impressive power efficiency as well as stability during overclocking. The cooler on the MATRIX card also promises to be 20% improved on the NVIDIA reference design.
The MARS II goes a step further by including a PAIR of GTX 580 GPUs on a single PCB offering what will likely be the fastest graphics card on the planet. The same hardware features like TweakIt and ProbeIt as well as the GPU Tweak software and the 19-phase power construction.
It looks like if you want the fastest graphics solutions available ASUS will have you covered with either the MATRIX GTX580 or the MARS II, depending on your wallet capacity.
Computex 2011 Coverage brought to you by MSI Computer and Antec
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