ASUS Rampage II Gene mATX LGA1366 Motherboard Review

Included Software

The included software package from ASUS is still quite similar to that of the past. The interface is the same, and some old favorites for software are still there. In addition to the older software like AI Suite and PC Probe, ASUS has expanded the software line up to include TurboV and their latest version of EPU. Here is a quick animated image showing the various menu options of the main software interface that pops up after inserting the installation disk.

As mentioned, the interface is identical to ASUS installation disks going back as far as P965 days or older. It is easy to navigate and easy to get the programs installed. As the saying goes, if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

TurboV is an overclocking utility ASUS recently came out with that provides basic overclocking abilities including voltage adjustments from within Windows. We can also save profiles and load them from within Windows. The first thing to note is that changes in TubroV change the BIOS settings. This is generally a big no no with Windows overclocking software. If someone should set something too high for the system to run, you are now going to try to boot with those settings which can easily fail. Regardless of how well a system recovers from a failed overclock, you never want software in Windows to change settings in the BIOS.

Of course, like so many manufacturer supplied overclocking software, TurboV has functionality faults. Changing some voltages at certain point’s results in instant lock ups. Adjusting vCORE at any point did nothing but freeze the system on us. Again, pardon our enthusiasm, but we have seen this type of thing before and it always amazes us that a manufacturer would add a piece of software that doesn't even work. One last kick of the dead horse for us was when we went to close the software...it doesn't. It loads with Windows, not by our choice, and gives us no ability to prevent it from doing so. In addition to that, once it loads, you cannot close it. Again ASUS, we love innovative software but bug riddled invasive software is not something we appreciate with our motherboards. Our recommendation, don't bother installing TurboV, do your clocking in the BIOS and save the headache.

Next up is the overwhelmingly disappointing EPU-6 software. This go-round EPU 6 actually works, as in, it does what it sets out to do. The software "calibrated" our system fine and all of the modes would function accordingly. Unfortunately we just don't see the point of running such software. It essentially does the same thing that SpeedStep does inherently at a hardware level. At idle, the system drops the CPU multi and lowers the vCORE. The system then speeds up when load is applied. We can adjust the various modes to enable chipset voltage downgrade and other options, but these seemingly have no effect.

With chipset downgrade enabled, we see no fluctuation from idle to load on any voltages aside from vCORE. The current CPU power rating of that the software keeps track of is laughably under valuing the watts the CPU is using, and the overall effectiveness of the software just doesn't make sense. In the medium power saving mode, which inherently saves your system power, does so by limiting how fast the CPU runs at. Instead of the stock 133 BCLK and 3.2GHz with our 965, it simply lowers the BCLK to 119 for a 3GHz operating frequency. That isn't saving energy, that is slowing down the system.

This transparent energy saving software again, once installed, does not allow itself to be closed and starts itself with Windows. In addition to that, when the system goes to sleep - or into AI Nap mode - in order for you to return from sleep, you are required to click on an OK box that pops up asking if you wanted the system to wake up. This gets annoying, very quickly. The only thing we have noticed is that when in AI Nap mode, the system turned off the Sys2 fan header and that fan stopped functioning until the system was woken up. Great, so you don't actually lower anything that the system can't lower on its own, but you shut down the cooling...sounds like a great idea to us. Again, our recommendation is to avoid EPU-6 and simply enable SpeedStep on the processor in the BIOS.

So ASUS added new software to the fold that works to a certain degree, why leave AI Suite on the installation CD? It serves no real purpose aside from giving the user instant access to the other pieces of software. But the other pieces of software automatically run after being installed so there is no need to even open them. We found the idea of having three pieces of software that essentially do the same thing, to be rather confusing, and just useless; much like the software itself.

The last piece of software ASUS includes with the CD is the only one that actually serves a purpose and does it relatively well. It is somewhat configurable and does what it is suppose to do. PC Probe II reports voltages, fans speeds, system temperatures and doesn't fail at its job. Of course we do get some random error every time we open PC Probe II but at least it opens and functions. We still prefer a less bulky system monitor like Everest Ultimate which can integrate with the Windows side bar in Vista, and with a little configuration can display everything PC Probe II does without all the screen space used up.

One final note is that our package and installation CD advertises the inclusion of 3DMark 06. This is great except the CD sleeve comes with a 3DMark Vantage license. Getting a Vantage key was a nice surprise, but ASUS really needs to update their installation CD with Vantage and their package to illustrate Vantage is included. It isn't like Vantage just came out and this was a last minute change.