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Overclocking enthusiasts have a pair of new motherboards to choose from, both from Asus, and both part of the company's Republic of Gamers (ROG) line. These include the Rampage III Extreme (X58) and Maximus III Extreme (P55), and they're loaded with high end amenities.
Some of the features would be wasted on the casual overclocker, such as the new LN2 mode. What this essentially does is trick the internal diode with a temporary false temperature reading, which should reduce or eliminate cold boot problems when using liquid nitrogen.
High level overclockers will also appreciate the new Extreme Engine Digi+, which is Asus's fancy way of describing its dynamic multi-phase power management scheme.
SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0 support are both present and accounted for, as is 10-channel audio, but we're most intrigued by the new USB-based BIOS flashing system. Flashing a BIOS with a USB stick is nothing new, but this one doesn't require a CPU, memory, or videocard. Asus says all you need is a working power supply, so if you pick up a brand new CPU that requires a BIOS update to work, you won't have to fumble around looking for an older chip just to flash the BIOS.
The Rampage III Extreme and Maximums III Extreme are available now for $399 and $349, respectively.
Image Credit: Asus
Comments are closed on this article
TheMiddleman
April 15, 2010 at 2:23pm
When are mobo makers going to free up more space on their boards by dumping those PATA ports? Does anyone use them anymore? Do they think the same type of buyer who would use a nitrogen cooling solution would also need that PATA port too? It's like adding an option for wooden wheels on the latest Porsche 911 Turbo. Dump it already, and add another set of SATA 2 ports. Come join us in the 21st century.
Baer
April 15, 2010 at 11:28am
Excellent feature. When I saw the RE III at CES it did not support USB 3 so they made some last minute upgrades. That is quick response and fleet afoot by ASUS.
This is not enough to make my dump my Rampage II Ex but it gets my attention and tends to solidify my growing loyalty to ASUS.
M-ManLA
April 15, 2010 at 11:04am
I hope to see something like this implemented in more motherboards. This will be a very useful feature.
Electronically charged
BestUsernameEver
April 15, 2010 at 8:53am
It really is about time mobo designers gave us a way to update the BIOS without having a CPU installed. Several times I've needed this feature. I hope other Mobo makers follow suit.
