ASUS Rampage Formula X48 Motherboard Review

The chipset game moves faster than a jet fighter at takeoff. Every second week it seems we can find news reports of new chipsets and motherboards on the horizon or ready for release. Perhaps this is a bit of an exaggeration but the reality is that chipsets and motherboards are coming to market faster than ever before and one of the motherboard manufacturing leaders is there every step of the way with an early and full lineup of offerings for each iteration. 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.

The Rampage Formula is based on the latest Intel X48/ICH9R chipset combination. The Intel X48 chipset offers dual 16X PCI-E 2.0 lanes offering full power ATI CrossFire graphics support and it also features support for the complete 45nm Intel processor lineup as well as yet to be released 1600FSB processors due out later this year. This means that the Rampage Formula is not only ready for any processor available right now, but also the next generation of processors eliminating the obsolete upgrade path that is so common these days.

The Rampage Formula doesn't just cater to enthusiasts with all of the high-end technical specifications and exhaustive overclocking features. It also has something for everyone including a new Pin-Fin Thermal Module heat sink design offering silent operation, CPU Level Up provides an instant one click performance boost, and an above average onboard soundcard in the Supreme FX II. So despite being considered part of the ASUS Republic of Gamers line featuring the best of the best ASUS has to offer, the Rampage Formula is a very attractive complete package for users of all needs.