Test Setup & Software

• Motherboard: ASUS Rampage Formula
• Processor: Intel C2D E8400
• Processor Cooling: Thermalright Ultra-120
• Memory: Buffalo FireStix PC2-9600 5-6-6
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W
• Video Card: HIS HD3870X2 512MB
• Additional Fans: 120mm AD1212MS-A73GL 2050RPM/80.5CFM
• Hard Drive: 1 x Seagate 7200.9 80GB SATAII 8MB cache
• OS: Windows XP SP2 (with all updates) / Windows Vista SP1 (with all updates)

Testing will occur on the open bench setup and not in a case. This will allow for full control over cooling, or lack thereof, in a section later on. For all of the overclocking and benchmarking, the setup is going to be as in the image to the right. The 120mm fan over top of the memory will also be aiding in cooling the large Pin-Fin chipset heatsink. During the installation of the components on the bench, there were no surprises. The Thermalright Ultra-120 stands above the chipset and MOSFET heat sinks and could be orientated in either direction. The large HD3870X2 and its dual slot cooler posed no problems hanging off the end of the board leaving plenty of room in front and behind it for the memory and other expansion slots. As We can see from the overhead, a dual card setup would actually have a nice gap between the two cards because the PCI-E 16X slots are spaced out so nicely.

With the hardware all setup It is time to install the software to get this motherboard fully operational. As expected, ASUS provides everything you need for drivers in the form of a single DVD. The included game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is on another DVD. Let's take a look at a couple screenshots of the software provided by ASUS and briefly go over some of their features.

The software DVD provided by ASUS is very straight forward and easy to work from. Upon inserting the disk into our DVD drive, the menu auto runs and presents us with a few options along the top including drivers and utilities. There is a one stop solution for installing all drivers at the top of the list or we can manually install them one at a time. Everything is included that we would need for the motherboard including chipset, audio, and ethernet drivers. The option at the bottom labeled "ASUS EPU Driver + AI GEAR 3" is a unique feature for ASUS motherboards so let's start with AI Gear and go forward from there.

We won't get too in depth about AI Gear as this software is not new and has been around virtually un-changed in years going back as far as we can remember. We are provided with a few temperature, voltage, and fan speed readings along the top portion. The bottom right shows us the frequency the CPU and FSB are running at along with the CPU usage. The bottom right contains three options, AI Booster, Q Fan, and AI Gear 3. Q Fan is obviously used for controlling fan speeds, AI Booster allows the changing of system performance profiles, and AI Gear 3 is used for setting up the system profiles and initiating the EPU features of the motherboard.

• Auto Mode
• Turbo Mode
• High Performance Mode
• Med Power Saving
• Max Power Saving

We wanted to get more in depth into the AI Gear 3 software and benefits of running with lower power setups but anytime we adjusted the mode we were in, it was luck of the draw whether or not the system would freeze up. We have to admit that we didn't mess around with the software too much though as we were more concerned with other aspects of the motherboard. The last bit of software we wanted to show was ASUS PC Probe II. Again, PC Probe has been around for a while but for those un-familiar with it, here is a screenshot.

With the Rampage Formula, there seems to be an endless amount of readings picked up by PC Probe II, including an incredible ten voltage readings and temperature readings for the CPU, MB, NB, and SB. Arranging the data that PC Probe II provides is easy and intuitive with simple locks on each individual window. Personally, I prefer to use a customizable piece of software for reporting temperatures, voltages, and the like; but PC Probe II is one of the better manufacturer provided solutions out there.