14 DAY TRIAL // The other day, Intel released the Core i7 Extreme Edition central processing units, prompting various OEMs to release computers that use them. ASUS did something a little different, though not at all unexpected.
Specifically, it has launched the Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard, described as the “ultimate” LGA 2011 platform.
Obviously, LGA 2011 is the name of the socket compatible with the new high-end central processors, as implied by the X79 chipset.
For those unaware, X79 is the best chipset Intel has on the market at the moment, or at least the consumer market.
Motherboards based on it are only ever bought by around 2% of everyone eligible, because of their price and the prices of other hardware parts they'd have to buy to match it.
Anyway, the ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition is the only ROG product with an all-black color scheme.
For those who need a reminder, ROG is short of Republic of Gamers, the brand name used by ASUS for its top-tier gaming hardware equipment.
The rest of the design wasn't as easy to choose as the color though. Instead, it was decided upon after playing around with a total of 5 layouts (now remembered as the five Z87 mainboards of the first half of 2013).
The ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition boasts 12 SATA ports, six of which are SATA III (SATA 6 Gbps).
It also gets eight USB 3.0 ports, the Extreme Engine DIGI+ III (VRM design), WIMA and ELNA capacitors (SupremeFX Formula), an OpAmp headphone amplifier and 120dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB BIOS Flashback, and 2013 UEFI updates (Secure Erase, Last Modified Log, Quick Note and ROG Pulse).
Strangely, ASUS didn't say exactly what types of expansion slots those six are. There seem to be four PCI Express 3.0 slots and two mini PCIe 2.0/3.0 of some other sort. Pricing is also unknown.