and extremely capable X99 SOCChampion at $200 less and then
on the other there’s the MSI X99A
X-POWER AC at just over $400
USD. Given there isn't much of a
difference in performance,
maximum OC and such. Is the RVE
worth the price premium which it
commands? To some maybe not.
However, you should realize that
none of the other motherboards
are built like the Rampage V
Extreme. Vendors can argue
about component selection,
quality and the like, but you have
to admit that just the ROG OCPanel alone is worth a whole lot.
Especially since it can act as a
thermometer for your CPU and
GPU as well. That is something
you’d otherwise have to pay
additionally for with any other
motherboard. Not only that, but
via this same control panel you
may gain access to GPU control
if you have the right ASUS GPU of
course.
Then you also have the
SupremeFX 2014 audio with
Sonic Radar which is for
the most part better than what
the others offer on their
overclocking motherboards.
There’s the 3x3 Dual band Wi-Fi
with an aggregated 1300mbps
bandwidth. Thermal sensors,
an LN2 back plate, a USB3.1
riser card and just so much
more which comes packaged
with the motherboard. These
are the “gaming” features
if you will and when you reevaluate the pricing with
all these in mind it doesn’t
seem so ridiculous to spend
this much on a motherboard. It
is an amalgamation of an
overclocking and gaming
motherboard at its finest.
In light of this, it is up to you to
decide what value you may
attach to the Rampage and if it’s
worth the spend. Given that this
will likely support the next
generation LGA 2011-v3 CPUs
over and above the current
Haswell-E generation. I would
wager that it is a worthwhile
investment especially if the
Rampage IV Extreme is anything
to go by. It remained relevant for
years on end up until the last
CPU generation for the
platform. If viewed in such a
manner, as potentially the last
X99 motherboard you may buy
then it is certainly worth the
money. Treat it well during
the LN2 cooled overclocking
sessions and perhaps retire it
into an ultra-high end gaming
machine. In both instances it will
work well and within that
context has a justifiable price.
Overall, I’m thoroughly
impressed with this
motherboard. I may have waited
a good 10 months to test it, but
the wait was worthwhile. All too
often, motherboards release
into the market and they are
less than reliable. In fact for the
most part, editorial processes
do not report issues that are
teething issues, but instead
focus solely on what is right
about the motherboard instead
of all of it. The wait here was
worthwhile and with the tested
1502 BIOS, it is smooth with no
overt problems or anything out
of the ordinary. Be it memory
tuning, CPU clocking, efficiency
or UNCORE overclocking, it all
works as it should. Even better
is how it all comes together in a
predictable and reliable manner.
This is a wonderful
motherboard and definitely
worth adding to your
overclocking arsenal. Easily
my favorite ASUS motherboard
to date next to the Rampage IV
Black Edition and the original
X48 Rampage Extreme.
[ The Overclocker ]
Summary
You’ve probably seen this
motherboard all over by
now and are well versed
with the features and its
overclocking pedigree.
It is all true and this is a
great prodcut. It’s likely
even better now with the
USB 3.1 option and
several BIOS updates
later. If you’re buying into
this platform at this time
and price
is of no concern, you
should definitely start
here as there isn’t any
other motherboard that
has this balance between
overclocking capacity
and gaming orientated
features.
Would you buy it?
Yes this is a buy, most
certainly.
Issue 35 | 2015 The OverClocker 29