The Rampage IV Extreme represents the first ROG product for Intel’s upcoming X79 chipset, and with it, ASUS’ commitment to hardcore enthusiasts. This isn’t just a great board to have if you’re a gamer or an overclocker – it’s THE board you want if you’re either.
First off is the cooler. First thing that most people do when they upgrade to a new socket is junk or sell their old cooler or CPU fan because more than likely it’s going to be incompatible with your new stuff. The Rampage IV Extreme comes with an X-socket, which basically is an adapter that allows you to use your old LGA1366 cooler with the Rampage IV Extreme.
When we said this board is for hardcore users, we weren’t kidding. The board has eight voltage check points along the edge of the motherboard to help you when you tweak and overclock it, and there’s even a switch called LN2 mode that preps the board for liquid nitrogen cooling – something that most hardcore users will appreciate. Speaking of really cool things, the Rampage IV Extreme also has a feature called subzero sense – it’s basically two K-type thermocouple temperature sensors that can read temperatures up to -200 degrees, another thing that extreme overclockers that dabble with LN2 will appreciate.
Tying everything together is the OC Key, an overclocking tool that gives you a visual overlay of how your system is doing during OC sessions. It’s roughly the size of a memory module and connects into the videocard. Once plugged in, you’ll be able to see and tweak -a good amount of information about your system – voltages, temperature – basically all the important information that overclockers need when pushing their system to the limit. You’ll also be able to change settings on the fly, right from the screen – no more restarts, just pure OC joy.
Of course all of these features (which coincidentally also includes some of the features present in their P9X79 series of boards) does come at a premium price. While ASUS did not comment on how much this bad boy will cost, it’s probably safe to say that your wallet will be taking a major beating if you ever buy one of these.