ASUS Introduces x58 mATX Motherboard
Category: MotherboardsPosted: March 26, 2009 09:45PM
Author: Nemo
When you think Core i7 and x58, and you frequent Overclockers Club, you probably have performance on your mind. If someone mentions micro ATX you probably think small form factor more suitable for a home theater PC build rather than a top-end gaming rig. But what if you could have both - a high performance Core i7 motherboard in a mATX form factor? That's just what ASUS intends with its Rampage II GENE mATX board, part of its Republic of Gamers series. Designed for gaming enthusiasts, the Rampage II GENE board offers features in a mATX form factor normally only found in top-end full size motherboards.
With support for Intel Core i7 CPUs and up to 24GB triple-channel DDR3 2000(OC)/1800(OC)/1600(OC)/1333 memory (yes, that means the board has 6 DIMM slots!), this board is designed to keep up with, and even surpass, its larger brethren. Serious gamers would never be satisfied with integrated graphics, so the Rampage II GENE offers 2 PCIe 2.0 X16 with CrossFire and SLI Technology that supports dual X16. Other features include onboard SupremeFX X-Fi 8-Channel Audio with EAX4.0, 6 SATA II connections (RAID 0,1,5,10) + 1 eSATA II connection and a single Gigabit LAN port. ASUS did not disclose pricing and availability, but a check of online stores showed it can be had now for around $259US.
