| ASUS Rampage IV Formula X79 Motherboard |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Motherboards | |
| Written by Hank Tolman | |
| Thursday, 15 March 2012 | |
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ASUS Rampage IV Formula ConclusionIMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. My first impression of the ASUS Rampage IV Formula was a disappointment due to the limited DIMM slots. That's about as far as my disappointment got, however. In creating the Republic of Gamers series, ASUS has listened to the needs of extreme gamers; prioritized bandwidth for gaming, extreme overclocking control and management, the best Ethernet hardware available, and isolated, high quality sound. With four, actually useable PCIe slots, the ASUS Rampage IV Formula offers everything and an enthusiast needs. The performance difference between the Rampage IV Formula and other X79 motherboards is really in the details. While stock performance will be very similar, the overclocking capabilities of the Rampage IV series are superior. GameFirst also helps keep lag down and ping low. These details set the Rampage IV Formula ahead of the competition. There really isn't a lot of flare to the appearance of the ASUS Rampage IV Formula. It holds true to the Republic of Gamers red and black color scheme. The heatsinks on the chipset and the VRM are stylized, but not terribly fancy. The subtle ROG logos are really the only relief features. It certainly isn't a bad looking motherboard, but I like the Rampage IV Extreme look a little better with the fan on the chipset heatsink. 
The ASUS Rampage IV Formula motherboard holds up to the highest traditions of ROG motherboard construction. The Extreme Engine DIGI+ II is built on Japanese 10K Black metallic capacitors. According to ASUS, these have a lifespan five times that of solid capacitors, the industry standard component, and they also have better efficiency and higher stability at high temperatures. That's just a taste of what this motherboard is made of. The construction leaves nothing to be desired and, like the Rampage III series for the X58 chipset, you are going to be upgrading long before your components die. I touched on the functionality a little earlier because it pertains a lot to the performance of the Rampage IV Formula. In reality, this is an overclockers motherboard, made for enthusiasts. The little extras provided by ASUS to keep their gamers happy are what makes this motherboard so functional in the most extreme environments. From the highest quality sound to the highest quality Ethernet connection, the Rampage IV Formula will keep you gaming on point. The Rampage IV Formula motherboard will run you around $369.99. That's up near the top end of the X79 motherboards, though it will cost you less than the Rampage IV Extreme. If you decide to get the Battlefield 3 edition that we reviewed here, that'll cost you about $50 more. It comes with the full version of the game and some BF3 gear. What really makes this motherboard hold its value is the overclockability. With enhanced tuning capabilities and manageability, the ease of boosting even the locked CPU we tested in this article is worthy of praise, and certainly worth the price. Pros:
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Comments
Because he's using the same video card in each board, if he had of also used the same RAM and CPU it would have been easy to see if there was any difference in BF3 caused by the main board. It would also have been interesting. At the very least, it could be reported that no difference was found in the game using different mobos.
However, I can excuse not doing it because it would have been a lot of extra work. Sure would have been interesting though.
What if it was tested and there was a difference? Wouldn't you like to know that? How would that not be classified as testing the motherboard if they all used the same gpu? (Again, I don't think there would be a significant difference between motherboards). Even knowing there was no difference would have been reassuring, if only a little. But it would have been a little extra work for something we're already 99% sure of.
-Hank
Who spends thousands of dollars on computer hardware and then chinces on the operating system over a few dollars?
Nice o/c by the way.
Thank you for your time,
Myles Thomas