14 DAY TRIAL // Outside of the recently launched Rampage IV Extreme, Asus' LGA 2011 Republic of Gamers motherboard lineup will include two other Intel X79-based solutions, the more powerful of these, the Rampage IV Formula just getting detailed by the Taiwanese company.
The new Asus board is actually a slightly cut back version of the Extreme, which has given up on a series of features in order to fit in the standard ATX form factor.
One of the most easy to notice changes is the move to four DIMM memory sockets from the eight installed in the Rampage IV Extreme, but a series of other modifications were also introduced.
Power to the CPU socket is now delivered by an 11-phase Digi+ VRM, while the processor is linked to four PCI-Express 3.0 compliant x16 slots, which drop to an x8 mode when they are all populated.
As it has become the norm for such high-end motherboards, the Formula is compatible with 4-way CrossFireX and SLI setups according to TechPowerUp.
The expansion possibilities of the Asus motherboard are completed by a pair of PCIe x1 slots, four SATA 3 Gbps connectors and by another four SATA 6 Gbps ports, two of the latter being driven by a third party controller.
Two more 6Gbps eSATA ports were installed in the back of the board, where users will also find four USB 3.0 ports, the now usual ROG connect and CMOS Clear switches, a BIOS flashback button, and a series of gold plated jacks for 8-cahnnel audio with S/PDIF out.
These are driven by a new Asus SupremeFX III audio solution that promises to deliver audiophile-grade sound thanks to a high-fidelity HD Audio CODEC which is paired with an active circuit to eliminate EMI noise.
Furthermore, the CODEC chip is covered with an EMI shield and the area where this is located is electrically isolated from the rest of the board.
A series of overclocking specific features that were used for the Rampage IV Extreme were also ported to the Formula, including the LN2-safe mode, the PCIe enable/disable DIP switches, and the ProbeIT technology, to name just a few.
No information regarding the pricing or the release date of the ROG Rampage IV Formula is available right now. In addition to the Formula, Asus will also launch a micro-ATX ROG LGA 2011 motherboard, the Rampage IV Gene.
