ASUS Rampage Formula Review Comment Thread

[SKYMTL]

We have a new review up today and it is focusing on the new ASUS Rampage Formula. This is 3oh6's first motherboard review here at Hardware Canucks and it will certainly not be his last.

You can read the review here: Asus Rampage Formula X48 Motherboard Review

ASUS has always been synonymous with enthusiasts and mainstream users alike. Offering a combination of stable value motherboards and bleeding edge performance motherboards, ASUS has managed to keep both segments of the market continually happy over the years. Being a tier one partner for Intel, they are also always one of the first to market with Intel chipsets being released and the Rampage Formula is just another example of this early release ability.

Please use this thread to post your questions, comments, suggestions, rants and raves.

Enjoy!!

[DK2]

Nice looking board, I like the heat sinks. DDR2 not so much.

Well done 3oh6.

[SKYMTL]

Well, we will have something for you in the upcoming weeks if you are looking for an X48 / DDR3 combo. :D

[belgolas]

Yeah it looks nice but I don't think I could justify the price.

[cdn_Madrach]

Great review Nice mobo....and have to agree, Asus's website is quite simply a POS! Always liked asus for quality parts but website is one of the worst if not the worst. I get a bad feeling every time I need a driver or info lol. It's kinda weird that they can put that much effort into their product line but can't put up a decent site. (rant finished )lol. Although it hasn't stopped me from buying their products , it has made me look elsewhere.

[magictorch]

Yes another solid review.

Thats a fine board-hopefully theyll be a DDR3 version..Be nice to see 2x2gb sets of DDR3>1800 for $250-300 by the fall. Boards are getting expensive now though-- breaking through $300-could be looking at 600 for just the RAM and Board.

[Eldonko]

Originally Posted by magictorch

Thats a fine board-hopefully theyll be a DDR3 version..

There is, Rampage Extreme. :)

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by magictorch

Yes another solid review.

Thats a fine board-hopefully theyll be a DDR3 version..Be nice to see 2x2gb sets of DDR3>1800 for $250-300 by the fall. Boards are getting expensive now though-- breaking through $300-could be looking at 600 for just the RAM and Board.

Yeah it's returning back to where it was when the original C2D chipsets first hit the streets.

Even the P965 based boards were quite expensive when they first hit the ground. When I did my review on the Asrock Dual-Core board it was hard to find a decent board under $200 and that was quite a while after the initial release of the chipset.

[3oh6]

thanks guys, i appreciate the comments. the board is definitely nice, but it is equally expensive. you do get a lot of the bells and whistles for the price and one of the best clocking boards available. you just have to decide if it is worth the premium you are paying for it.

[Frost]

SKYMTL, did you have any problems with the NB heating up a lot during your tests? People on Newegg are reporting this (yeah I know people on Newegg can be stupid or good) and now that I'm looking at it before its been powered, I'm wondering if I should reseat all the heat sinks and replace the pads with real thermal grease...

[SKYMTL]

You will have to hear from Jody about his one since I did not do the tests.

[zlojack]

Great review!

I notice you make this comment:

Intel’s X48 has long been considered the older sibling to X38 and is continually referred to as a higher 'binned' X38 chipset offering nothing new that we haven't seen before. This is partially true, however, X38 appears to have been conceived with at least one different set of genes. Despite the similarity, there are noticeable differences that set the X48 chipset apart as a refined performance monster.

What are those noticeable differences? I saw that you got a bit more out of the FSB. Any others?

[3oh6]

Originally Posted by Frost

SKYMTL, did you have any problems with the NB heating up a lot during your tests? People on Newegg are reporting this (yeah I know people on Newegg can be stupid or good) and now that I'm looking at it before its been powered, I'm wondering if I should reseat all the heat sinks and replace the pads with real thermal grease...

The NB on my sample was never an issue. I never had any symptoms of over heating as the voltages started to rise or anything of that nature. Ambient temps are always 22-23C in my place and I only had active cooling from the 120mm fan this is primarily intended for getting some airflow over memory.

I have, as of yet, even removed the stock heat sink assembly. All results from that board in the review are basically straight out of the box on stock cooling with stock thermal paste...just like it left the factory. If your NB is getting hot, then it might not be a bad idea to change thermal paste as you may have a bad mount...but you just have to make sure when re-seating everything to keep the heat pipes flat so all the heat sinks 'rest' on the component they are cooling. If not, you might end up with something putting pressure on the NB heat sink to lift and end up with worse temperatures.

If your heatpipe and heat sinks are not getting hot but the NB temp reading is showing it hot...then you likely have bad contact. If the heatpipe assembly and heat sinks get progressively hotter with the NB temp reading, then re-seating likely won't do a thing for you...you just need more cooling at that point.

HTH and answers your question.

Originally Posted by zlojack

Great review!

I notice you make this comment:

What are those noticeable differences? I saw that you got a bit more out of the FSB. Any others?

Thanks...the biggest difference is the fact that the BIOS has matured. Personally I think X38 and X48 was a big BS cash grab by Intel and all of their motherboard partners. There, I said it.

X38 felt like the beta and X48 the retail product. The fine tooth adjustments of tRD that accompany X48, increased skew adjustments for components, these are the types of things that X48 really shines in over the X38 counterparts. This DDR2 Rampage Formula has been great from the get go...my X48 DDR3 buddy, the P5E3-Premium has been a different story entirely.

I can't really think of anything else off the top of my head now but I might go through the two reviews tonight and see if anything comes up I missed.

[yycraven]

Great review SKYMTL as always.
So is it worth buy this mobo or is it better to hold off for the DDR3 version
Reason is Im thinking of building a second rig.

[SKYMTL]

Originally Posted by yycraven

Great review SKYMTL as always.
So is it worth buy this mobo or is it better to hold off for the DDR3 version
Reason is Im thinking of building a second rig.

Not my review guys.