ASUS Rampage Formula (Intel X48)
Package bundle
The package bundle includes the following items:
- motherboard;
- User's Guide + Quick Setup Manual;
- 1x software & drivers DVD;
- DVD with the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game;
- one ATA133 cable, FDD cable;
- 6x SerialATA cables + a power supply adapter (2 connectors);
- a bracket for 2 additional USB 2.0 ports and a Firewire port;
- ASUS corporate logo sticker;
- kit of additional connectors;
- a cap for the rear panel of the housing;
- additional sound card;
- additional fan;
- kit of clamps;
- LCD Poster.
Despite the high retail price and status of the motherboard, the number of standard components is not enough to implement all the features. In particular, the number of power adapters for SerialATA devices (needed are adapters with four connectors) is insufficient, although there are enough SerialATA cables (six).
Also missing is a pair of brackets for four USB 2.0 ports; the bundle includes only one bracket - for two USB and one Firewire ports. On the other hand, there is a special additional connector (Quick Connection Kit) to which all the cables from the housing can be plugged in (the "Power", "Reset" buttons, a cable from the "HDD" indicator, etc.), and then plug them in to the board with a single motion.
The user's manual has nothing to complain about. We also note that the bundled DVD contains a complete kit of all the required drivers and ASUS' proprietary utilities (including the drivers for 32- and 64-bit Windows versions, drivers for Linux). Besides, the disk contains Norton Internet Security 2006 (including a version for Vista - 2007.1), InterVideo WinDVD 8 Trial, DVDCopy5, MediaOne Gallery, Ulead PhotoImpact, CyberLink PowerBackup 2, Corel Snapfire Plus. There is a separate DVD with the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Note that the package bundle contains an additional turbine fan which is installed on the power supply module.
The audio subsystem is located on a separate board which is called SupremeFX II, with AD1988B used as the codec:
Finally, the user gets an additional device named LCD Poster.
This device is pluggable to the motherboard and upon the system start-up it indicates the current status.
Unfortunately, the package bundle lacks additional thermal sensors with which the user could measure the temperature of any of the system's components. This is a definite shortcoming since such sensors are not available in the retail.
ASUS Rampage Formula: Layout and Features
There are no complaints about the board's design. The latches of DIMM slots are not blocked by a video card, with the power connectors positioned conveniently over the board's edges: 24-pin - on the bottom edge, with an 8-pin on the right-hand.
Note that the board has retained backward compatibility to the "old" PSUs and allows using them with "20+4" cables. At the same time, unused contacts of the additional connector are closed with a plastic lead:
Near the CPU socket, there is a 4-pin power connector for the CPU fan.
Besides it, there are seven (!) 3-pin connectors onboard: PWR_FAN - near the rear panel, CHA_FAN1 and CHA_FAN3 - near the north bridge, OPT_FAN1 - near the DIMM and CHA_FAN2 slots, and OPT_FAN2 - near the south bridge, OPT_FAN3 - in the upper left-hand corner of the board.
On the north bridge, there is a massive radiator connected to the radiator on the power supply module with a heat pipe. Also, using the heat pipe the heat from the south bridge is transferred to the north bridge.
Moreover, the efficiency of cooling the power supply system and the chipset can be improved through installation of an additional turbine fan (available in the package bundle) on the radiator of the power supply module.
Under the north bridge, there are four 240-pin DIMM slots for DDR2 memory modules. They are partitioned into two groups, each having two slots. The first two slots refer to the first controller link, with the other two to the second controller.
We note that the board is compatible to DDR2-533/667/800/1066/1200 memory, and the maximum RAM capacity makes 8GB. Once voltage is applied to the board, illumination of Power and Reset buttons installed on the left-hand edge of the board lights up.
There are two PCI Express x16 slots onboard (both with latches) which are meant for video cards.
Due to the capabilities of the X48 chipset, 16 lanes of the PCI Express v2.0 bus are allocated to both the connectors. Apart from the listed connectors, ASUS Rampage Formula uses two more PCI sockets, and three PCI Express x1. The black PCI Express x1 connector is meant for installation of a proprietary audio board from the package bundle.
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