Asus Rampage IV Black Edition (X79) Motherboard Review

How does a company make a multiple award-winning, enthusiast-grade motherboard even more 'extreme'? By making it into a black edition version, of course. Asus has updated its critically-acclaimed Rampage IV Extreme X79 motherboard to 'Black Edition' status. Have the upgraded components and IVB-E tweaks resulted in yet another rampaging master class? Respected the world over by overclockers and enthusiasts alike, Asus' Rampage IV Extreme was one of the trend-setters for the point that an X79 motherboard has to reach before it is considered truly high-end. Twenty-four months later and here we are with Asus' new-and-improved X79 flagship - the Rampage IV Black Edition. Compared to the Rampage IV Extreme, the Black Edition's layout is very similar; 4-card CrossFire and SLI configurations are supported, the power delivery system is squeezed between two pairs of 4-DIMM banks, and we still have a partial 'bling' factor from the LED-magnifying northbridge-style heatsink. 'So, what's new?', you ask. As the name suggests, the colour is different, for starters. Audio and connectivity gets upgraded to the 'high-end 2013' standard, along with the storage interfaces. Asus' unique OC Panel is included in the bundle. And the opinion-splitting chipset fan has been ditched in favour of a passive heat exchanger. With its upgraded feature set and Ivy Bridge-E performance tweaks, can Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition prove itself as a worthy heir to the company's X79 throne? Features: OC Panel - Overclocking Command Center Extreme Engine Digi+ III - Hardcore power delivery with premium components Subzero Sense - Find out how cold your board is VGA Hotwire - Hotwire your system SupremeFX Black - Gaming supremacy through 120dB SNR calibre audio Wi-Fi 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.0 4-Way NIVDIA® SLI™ / AMD CrossFireX™ Support Fitting in with the 'Black Edition' scheme, Asus colours the typically-red ROG motherboard's packaging in a dark grey and black, to outline its particular status. The front side outlines the bundled Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag game, while the rear side and inside flap outline some of the motherboard's key features. A user guide, cable labels, the drivers disc, an ROG case sticker, a magnetic Republic of Gamers case badge, and the Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag game code form the supplied documentation. The game code can be used to get a PC copy of Assassin's Creed Black Flag. Typical accessories include ten SATA cables, the IO shield, Asus' Q-connectors, an ROG connect USB cable, and multi-GPU bridges. Asus supplies RIVBE buyers with a proper 4-way SLI bridge rather than rely on the less-flattering multi-ribbon approach that some other companies have used in the past. Credit to Asus for including black multi-GPU bridges rather than the ugly brown variants. A magnetic WiFi antenna connects to the motherboard's onboard card and provides users with dual-band, two-stream 802.11ac wireless connectivity capable of up to 867Mb/s on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Bluetooth 4.0 is also supported. A feature that Asus is calling 'X-Socket' allows the Rampage IV Black Edition's CPU socket to support both LGA 2011 (pre-fitted, by default) and LGA 1366 retention mechanisms. This could be a handy feature for overclockers using older LN2 pots or other cooling hardware. The bundle consists of: 10x Latching SATA cables. 1x ROG connect USB cable. 2x Asus Q-connectors. 1x Rear IO shield. 1x 2-way CrossFire ribbon (long, flexible). 1x 2-way SLI bridge (long, flexible). 1x 3-way SLI bridge. 1x 4-way SLI bridge. 1x OC panel kit. The OC Panel First introduced with the Maximus VI Extreme Z87 motherboard, OC panel is new to Asus’ list of overclocking tools for 2013. Asus bundles the OC Panel with its top-of-the-line LGA 1150 motherboard, the Rampage IV Black Edition. The bundle consists of the OC Panel itself, a 5.25″ bay adapter, a connection cable, and mounting screws. Situated above eight buttons is a 2.6″ LCD screen that is used to display information such as the base clock frequency, multiplier, fan speed, and CPU temperature. In the overclocking-geared mode, voltage readings can be displayed on the module’s screen, as well as temperatures reported by the Subzero Sense headers (located on the left-hand side, as shown in the above image). A large arm opens out from the panel’s rear side, allowing it to stand on a desk or flat surface. The unit's awkward dimensions clearly impede its stability when balancing on the fold-out arm. Asus should design a better stabilising mechanism for future iterations of the OC Panel - it's not difficult to do so. The ROG_EXT connection is found on the OC Panel’s bottom edge, alongside a SATA power connector. Power from the SATA port is only required when the fan headers are being used. Removing the plastic cover reveals the OC Panel’s ‘work’ area. Found on the circuit board are two switches to change the POST activity, four 4-pin fan headers, VGA Hotwire connections, temperature sensors, boot LEDs, and additional electrical components. Fitting the OC Panel into the 5.25″ bay adapter is as simple as sliding it into position before fastening it with two screws. The 2.6″ LCD screen and four surrounding buttons sit flush with the adapter’s front face. Note: The above photos were taken from our review of the Maximus VI Extreme, hence the 39x ratio which relates to a 4770K CPU. While it may prove difficult for hardcore gamers to find a worthwhile use for the OC Panel, it’s extreme overclockers who will truly benefit from its functionality. Onboard overclocking and power buttons located adjacent to DIMM slots aren’t anywhere near as easy to use when they are frozen solid by LN2 or DICE pots. Instead, overclockers can connect the OC Panel, position it a few centimetres away from the board itself, and use it to control, adjust, and gather data from their system. As previously mentioned, Asus uses an all-black colour scheme for the Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard. Ports, connectors, DIMM slots and even the heatsinks are coloured black or grey, with the only exceptions being red accents for audio components, the ROG logo and the onboard power button. Measuring 12" x 10.7", the Rampage IV Black Edition conforms to the Extended-ATX form factor. We had no problems fitting the motherboard inside our NZXT Phantom 630 test chassis. Quickly noticeable is the fact that the Rampage IV Black Edition's cooling configuration is substantially less beefy than the system used on the Extreme. Is this a testament to the power efficiency of IVB-E processors, even when pushed to the limits, perhaps? A large metal sheet is used to provide structural rigidity and a sturdy mounting point for the chipset heatsink. By default, the RIVBE is equipped with its LGA 2011 socket backplate, but a little tweaking should allow Asus' LGA 1366-supporting X-Socket to fit without issues. A set of DIMM banks lies either side of the LGA 2011 CPU socket. The two four-way memory channels are differentiated by the use of a subtly different shade of black. Up to 64GB of memory can be installed in the eight DIMM slots and while Asus claims support for DDR3 2800MHz, the actual useful frequency will be heavily tied to an individual CPU's memory controller. To accommodate the company's interchangeable cooling hardware compatibility feature (X-Socket) and over-sized LN2 pots, the Rampage IV Black Edition is fitted with a more concise socket support system than we typically see on X79 motherboards. This adjustment is unlikely to make a significant difference to CPU heatsink stability; a large proportion of the cooler's weight is distributed through the mounting backplate. Asus equips the Rampage IV Black Edition with the same 8+3+2+2 phase power delivery system used on the Extreme. 8 phases feed the CPU VCore, 3 power the CPU's integrated memory controller (VCCSA), and a further 2 phases are used for each set of four DIMM slots (2+2 for the DRAM, in total). Located in close proximity to the 24-pin power connector are an outwards-facing internal USB 3.0 header (operating from an ASMedia ASM1042 chipset) and two 4-pin fan connections. I would typically comment on the USB 3.0 header's less-than-convenient orientation, but given the likelihood of the Rampage IV Black Edition being outside of a chassis, the decision is unlikely to cause inconvenience. Situated in the OC Zone are onboard power and reset buttons, a PCI-E lane switch, the slow mode toggle, the MemOK button, additional 4-pin fan headers, and a two-digit diagnostic display. ProbeIt voltage readout points are located along the board's outside-edge (as well as inside the OC Panel). The OC Zone's board position is not ideal; when sub-zero cooling equipment is used for an extended period of time, the buttons are likely to freeze and become unusable. Luckily, Asus' unique OC Panel solves this issue by taking overclocking control away from the motherboard's cold areas. 8-pin and 4-pin CPU power connectors are nestled above the VRM heatsink, along the RIVBE's top edge. The CPU fan header is also hidden behind the same heatsink. Intentional or not, the CPU power connectors and fan header are, to an extent, protected from sub-zero vapours and condensation effects by virtue of their position behind the VRM heatsink. How much of an effect this has on their ability to stay dry and thawed is yet to be discovered, though. Asus splits the LGA 2011 CPU's 40 PCI-E lanes in a manner that provides support for 4-way SLI and CrossFire configurations. For two-card users, Asus provides a 2-slot cooling gap (when using dual-slot cards) between the pair of connectors receiving full sixteen-lane PCI-E bandwidth (the top and third full-length slots). Other multi-GPU lane splits will be PCI-E 3.0 x16/x8/x16/x0 or x16/x8/x8/x8. With the uppermost PCI-E x16-length slot probing the DIMM slots' bottom edges, Asus wisely opts for the increasingly-popular single-latch method of securing memory modules. Given the close-packed nature of multi-GPU-capable X79 motherboards, interference with a large CPU cooler is an area for concern. Water-cooling users are unlikely to suffer interference problems, but a large air cooler could possibly be fouled by the PCB of a graphics card positioned in the upper slot. One workaround would be to use one of the lower PCI-E slots. Both of the chipset-fed PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots utilise an open-ended design that allows them to accept long cards that don't require a faster connection. The Rampage IV Black Edition's bottom-edge is the typical affair, with the audio header located to the left and front panel connections situated towards the right. Asus outfits the RIVBE with a pair of internal USB 2.0 headers and an additional one that doubles-up as the ROG_EXT connection for OC Panel. Orientating the multi-GPU molex power connector to face downwards allows quad-VGA configurations to be powered without physical interference occurring. Given that the bottom-edge is likely to be covered by a dual-slot graphics card when using quad-GPU configurations, Asus does well to keep the location free of important or obtrusive headers that cannot be moulded against a VGA cooler. Storage connectivity comes in the form of ten SATA ports. The X79 chipset provides six connections, four of which operate at 3Gb/s speeds with the remaining two providing 6Gb/s bandwidth. A pair of ASMedia's ASM1061 controllers provides the remaining two SATA 6Gb/s ports which, as we will inevitably find out later in the review, will be crippled in terms of raw throughput. A dual BIOS implementation provides overclockers with redundancy protection against dodgy settings causing corruption. Asus is clearly very impressed with the audio setup the company implements on its Rampage IV Black Edition. Called SupremeFX Black, the equipment used consists of SupremeFX shielding and EMI cover (including an isolated PCB, as highlighted by the red colouring), ELNA audio and WIMA film capacitors, differential circuit with operational amplifiers, a 120dB SNR Cirrus Logic CS4398 digital to analogue converter, and Texas Instruments’ TPA6120A2 600 Ohm headphone amplifier. Underneath the SupremeFX-branded cover is a Realtek ALC1150 audio chip. Installing the Realtek audio drivers will also provide access to the Sonic Radar software. The Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard's SupremeFX Black audio setup seems to be very similar, if not identical, to the SupremeFX Formula system used on Asus' Maximus VI Formula. This is most certainly a strong positive as the configuration is widely regarded as the best onboard audio system currently available. The Sonic Radar gaming overlay indicates the direction of enemy footsteps, gunfire, and explosions. Some of Sonic Radar's initial teething problems, as we outlined in our review of Asus' Maximus VI Hero, are still present five months after its launch. The software's directional awareness seems to be malfunctioning; almost all enemy gunfire was shown to take place in front of our player, irrelevant of its true direction. You'd be forgiven for thinking the above image showed the rear IO of a motherboard on the feature-heavy Z87 platform. Asus outfits the Rampage IV Black Edition with a multitude of onboard controllers to provide rear IO connectivity for six USB 3.0 connections, a pair of eSATA 6Gb/s ports, and 802.11ac WiFi (with Bluetooth 4.0). To provide enough PCI-E lanes for the large quantity of onboard devices, Asus uses an ASMedia ASM1184e switch which converts a single PCI-E 2.0 x1 lane (provided by the X79 chipset) to four x1 lanes that can feed the controllers. Three ASMedia ASM1042 host controllers and one ASM1074 hub provide USB 3.0 connectivity. Three pairs of ports are provided by the ASM1042 chipsets, while the ASM1074 takes one of those pairs and splits it into two pairs, hence providing a total of eight USB 3.0 ports throughout the board. The same company's ASM1061 controllers provide the Rampage IV Black Edition's eSATA 6Gb/s connections. Two gold-plated antenna ports connect to the separate aerial to provide dual-band, two-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi with transfer speeds of up to 867Mb/s. Bluetooth 4.0 is also packaged in with the same pre-fitted Wi-Fi GO! card. Intel's 82579V chip provides Gigabit Ethernet capability. A feature which is often overlooked is Asus' BIOS flashback tool. While the feature is arguably less useful on this particular SKU (as it should ship with the relevant BIOS for IVB-E CPU support), it is undeniably helpful to those who buy an older Asus motherboard to use with a brand new CPU (think: Rampage IV Extreme with an old BIOS version and the newest IVB-E chip, which may not be supported without an update). Another small but thoughtful detail of the Rampage IV Black Edition is its light-up clear CMOS button. The toggle features an unobtrusive green light which makes it easier to locate when rooting around the rear of your system. Motherboard rear ports: 1x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port. 4x USB 2.0 ports (1 can be used for ROG Connect). 1x Clear CMOS button. 1x ROG Connect button. 1x Asus Wi-Fi Go! module 6x USB 3.0 ports. 2x eSATA 6Gb/s ports. 1x LAN port. 8-channel audio + S/PDIF out. Circled above are the fan header locations. Asus evenly distributes eight 4-pin fan headers around the Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard. We have no complaints regarding the headers' positioning; side panel and rear fan users are covered equally as well as those with multiple front panel or roof fans. Adding to the Black Edition appeal, Asus uses an attractive grey and black heatsink for the X79 chipset, as well as an IO covering which sports the Rampage IV Black Edition product name. Connected via a heatpipe to the VRM heatsink, the IO covering serves as additional surface area to assist with the cooling of heavily-loaded MOSFETs. The additional surface area can be used to earn back some the cooling potential that will be lost, in comparison to the Rampage IV Extreme, by the omitted chipset cooling fan. One of the most striking points to sub-zero users will be the awkwardly-positioned 'northbridge' heatsink. It doesn't seem to cool any components of particular importance, therefore, sub-zero vapours from extreme cooling are likely to do a comparably effective job. The structure can be removed with ease - freeing up additional space for LN2 and DICE pots on the CPU or memory. Asus sits the 'northbridge' heatsink on top of a series of red LEDs which help to give it a pulsing glow. Utilising Asus' new-and-improved Extreme Engine Digi+ III components (also found on many of the company's Z87 boards), the power delivery system comprises NexFET MOSFETs, 60 Amp BlackWing chokes, 10K Black Metallic Capacitors, and a digital controller. Firstly, we are pleased to report that our Roccat Kone XTD mouse worked to its usual standard in the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard's UEFI BIOS. We tested an NZXT Avatar S mouse which is known for its inability to function in other manufacturers' BIOS interfaces, but this peripheral also worked fine with the RIVBE. Throughout testing, we were repeatedly irritated by the time taken for the Rampage IV Black Edition to POST. We were regularly forced to wait well over 30 seconds before reaching the Windows loading screen, around 15-20 of which was spent staring at the POST screen's ROG logo. Irrelevant of whether we intended to boot into Windows or launch the UEFI BIOS, the time taken was far longer than we have come to expect. Even with a stripped POST (disabled Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and three ASM1061 controllers), we could not get the POST time below 15 seconds. In fact, stripping some of the onboard controllers away from the POST seemed to have no effect on the time taken to reach the Windows loading screen. The time required to POST is something that Asus should be able, and really needs, to fix with a BIOS update. The My Favourites page can be edited to provide quick access to regularly used settings. As we have come to expect from an overclocking-orientated Republic Of Gamers motherboard, access to a multitude of settings is provided in the UEFI BIOS. Overclockers should be happy by the number of voltage, frequency, multiplier, and power control settings that can be tweaked with ease. Tweakers' sections intended for enthusiast overclockers allow specific parameters to be fine-tuned, potentially helping to unlock every last bit of hardware overclockability. DRAM timings can be tweaked with a similar level of precision. Asus equips the Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard with a list of preset memory overclocking profiles for specific enthusiast kits. The GPU.DIMM Post can be used to tweak and view information regarding the memory modules, installed graphics card(s), and PCI-E link speeds. Add-on controllers and the board's LED lighting can be enabled or disabled, depending upon user preference and requirements. Fan speeds, temperatures, and voltages are given their own specific pages for monitoring. Fan settings are customisable in typical Asus fashion. A number of different modes can be selected and target temperatures and fan speeds can be adjusted. Amongst the Rampage IV Black Edition's main tools is a page which allows users to save, import, export, and rename up to eight overclocking profiles. Controls and settings for the ROG OC panel can also be tweaked to an overclocker's preference. Unlike some other motherboards, the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition's BIOS flash tool can access a USB flash drive's sub-folders when searching for the relevant file. ROG SSD Secure Erase is another unique, and very useful, tool that allows users to restore the performance of their SSD by 'refreshing' the NAND of a supported drive. Just as we have experienced with UEFI BIOS implementations on other Asus motherboards, the interface is almost flawless. The layout is excellent and, given the Rampage IV Black Edition's ROG status and target audience, the sheer number of adjustable parameters is vast. The black background may not appeal to all, especially those who grew fond of the ROG products' typical dark red scheme, but its design coincides with the motherboard model. To test the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition, we paired it with an Intel Core i7 4960X processor and 16GB of 2133MHz CL9 memory from G.Skill. We will be outlining the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard's performance with the Core i7 4960X CPU at its stock frequency of 3.6GHz (4.0GHz due to forced turbo). Overclocked performance will be outlined later in the review. We will be comparing the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard's performance to that of MSI's X79A-GD45 Plus. All motherboards are partnered with identical hardware and software, so the results are directly comparable. By default, the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard forces the 4960X to a constant 4.0GHz when XMP is enabled. This will be displayed as the ‘stock’ setting (and outlined in the charts' brackets after the non-turbo stock speed is displayed). X79 Motherboard Test System: Processor: Intel Core i7 4960X 3.60GHz (4.00GHz forced turbo). Memory: 16GB (4x 4GB) G.Skill RipjawsX (F3-2133C9Q-16GXL) 2133MHz 9-11-11-31. Graphics Card: Asus R9 280X Matrix Platinum 3GB. System Drive: 256GB SanDisk Ultra Plus. CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i. Case: NZXT Phantom 630. Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W. Operating System: Windows 7 Professional with SP1 64-bit. Compared X79 Motherboard(s): MSI X79A-GD45 Plus (BIOS 7760 V15). Settings: Asus Rampage IV Black Edition BIOS v0403 (newest available). Catalyst 13.11 Beta6 VGA drivers. Intel 9.3.2.1015 chipset drivers. Software Suite: 3DMark 3DMark 11 PCMark 8 SiSoft Sandra 2013 SP4 Cinebench R11.5 64 bit Super Pi HandBrake 0.9.9 ATTO Right Mark Audio Analyzer. Bioshock Infinite Metro 2033 Metro: Last Light PCMark 8 is the latest version in the popular series of PC benchmarking tools. Improving on previous releases, PCMark 8 includes battery life measurement tools and new tests using popular applications from Adobe and Microsoft. Whether you are looking for long battery life, or maximum power, PCMark 8 helps you find the devices that offer the perfect combination of efficiency and performance for your needs. PCMark 8 shows a tight battle between both of the comparison boards at stock speeds. This is largely unsurprising given the sheer number of on-chip mechanisms with Intel's models from recent generations, IVB-E included. 3DMark 11 is designed for testing DirectX 11 hardware running on Windows 7 and Windows Vista the benchmark includes six all new benchmark tests that make extensive use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading. After running the tests 3DMark gives your system a score with larger numbers indicating better performance. Trusted by gamers worldwide to give accurate and unbiased results, 3DMark 11 is the best way to test DirectX 11 under game-like loads. If you want to learn more about this benchmark, or to buy it yourself, head over to this page. Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition opens up a narrow lead over MSI's entry-level X79 board in 3DMark 11. 3DMark is Futuremark's latest benchmark. It can be used to benchmark and compare everything from mobile devices, such as smart phones, tablets and laptops, to high-end gaming systems. The benchmark is available for Windows, Windows RT Android and iOS. With 3 separate tests, each of which is intended to be used alongside a specific classification of hardware, 3DMark is a very versatile benchmark. Ice Storm is intended to be used with mobile devices, Cloud Gate is good for use with laptops and home PCs, and Fire Strike can be used to push the performance of gaming PCs. We used the 'Fire Strike' benchmark which is designed to be used on gaming PCs. We opted for the Normal setting, NOT the Extreme mode. Asus' flagship again shows a performance improvement over the MSI board that we have compared it to. SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software. Sandra is a (girl’s) name of Greek origin that means “defender”, “helper of mankind”. We think that’s quite fitting. It works along the lines of other Windows utilities, however it tries to go beyond them and show you more of what’s really going on. Giving the user the ability to draw comparisons at both a high and low-level. You can get information about the CPU, chipset, video adapter, ports, printers, sound card, memory, network, Windows internals, AGP, PCI, PCI-X, PCIe (PCI Express), database, USB, USB2, 1394/Firewire, etc. Native ports for all major operating systems are available: Windows XP, 2003/R2, Vista, 7, 2008/R2 (x86) Windows XP, 2003/R2, Vista, 7, 2008/R2 (x64) Windows 2003/R2, 2008/R2* (IA64) Windows Mobile 5.x (ARM CE 5.01) Windows Mobile 6.x (ARM CE 5.02) All major technologies are supported and taken advantage of: SMP – Multi-Processor MC – Multi-Core SMT/HT – Hyper-Threading MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE 4.1, SSE 4.2, AVX, FMA – Multi-Media instructions GPGPU, DirectX, OpenGL – Graphics NUMA – Non-Uniform Memory Access AMD64/EM64T/x64 – 64-bit extensions to x86 IA64 – Intel* Itanium 64-bit According to Sandra's benchmark, the processor arithmetic performance displayed by both X79 motherboards is very closely matched. As we have seen with many of Asus' Z87 ROG models, the company is able to offer improved memory bandwidth performance over other motherboards, while still using identical test hardware. This improvement could be related to the topology and trace paths used by Asus' engineers. CINEBENCH R11.5 64 Bit is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more. CINEBENCH is the perfect tool to compare CPU and graphics performance across various systems and platforms (Windows and Mac OS X). And best of all - it’s completely free. Asus' motherboard opens up a slight lead in Maxxon's Cinebench test. The additional performance may be related to the ROG board's additional memory bandwidth. Super Pi is used by a huge audience, particularly to check stability when overclocking processors. If a system is able to calculate PI to the 2 millionth place after the decimal without mistake, it is considered to be stable in regards to RAM and CPU. We used Super Pi's '32M' benchmark setting. Super Pi performance is strong on Asus' X79 flagship. Additional memory bandwidth is likely to be part of the reason for the Asus board's performance boost over MSI's entry-level X79 model. WinRar is one of the most popular archive manager programs available. It can backup your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format. You can try WinRAR before buy, its trial version is available in downloads. WinRar’s built in benchmark and hardware test can help us outline the performance differentials between each processor. Though WinRAR can be a particularly volatile benchmark, a performance improvement of just over 8% is observed when switching from MSI's X79A-GD45 Plus to Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition. HandBrake is a fantastic free program that can be used to convert video files to many common formats for portable devices. HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multi-platform, multi-threaded video transcoder, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows. We used the V0.9.9 version. For our testing today we are converting a 4.4GB 720p MKV file (1h:58mins) to MP4 format, using HandBrake's 'Normal' profile, for playback on High-Resolution devices. This is a common procedure for many people and will give a good indication of system power. Handbrake encoding tasks seem to favour Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition by a few seconds, though the percentage difference is little more than 1%. The addition performance is, again, likely to be related to the ROG board's additional memory bandwidth. The ATTO Disk Benchmark performance measurement tool is compatible with Microsoft Windows. Measure your storage systems performance with various transfer sizes and test lengths for reads and writes. Several options are available to customize your performance measurement including queue depth, overlapped I/O and even a comparison mode with the option to run continuously. Use ATTO Disk Benchmark to test any manufacturers RAID controllers, storage controllers, host adapters, hard drives and SSD drives and notice that ATTO products will consistently provide the highest level of performance to your storage. Our testing uses a Kingston HyperX 3K SSD. Neither SATA 6Gb/s port fed by the X79 chipset is likely to hamper the performance of a modern SSD. The quartet of ports provided by a pair of ASMedia's ASM1061 chipsets are limited to transfer speeds of less than 400MB/s. These ports are better suited for low-priority devices or if the pair of X79-fed SATA 6Gb/s lanes are being utilised. With its emergence as the new standard for high-speed portable devices, USB 3.0 performance on a modern motherboard needs to be good to ensure that data transferral bottlenecks aren't created. We tested USB 3.0 performance using an ADATA SP300 SSD connected to an Icy Box IB-223StU3 USB 3.0 enclosure (ASMedia ASM1051 controller). ATTO was the benchmark used. Using ASMedia's ASM1042 host controllers, USB 3.0 performance on the Rampage IV Black Edition is distinctly average. Fatigue to our test SSD has probably shaved a few MB/s from the Rampage IV Black Edition's transfer rate. Also valid is the possibility that the board's ASM1184e PCI-E lane-splitting chipset may be introducing additional latency and losses into the PCI-E subsystem which has had a small effect on the performance of controllers feeding off it. Performance of the onboard audio solution is an important factor for modern motherboards. We use Right Mark Audio Analyzer to analyse the performance of the motherboard's onboard audio solution. A sampling mode of 24-bit, 192 kHz was tested. Asus' onboard SupremeFX Black audio solution consists of SupremeFX shielding and EMI cover (including an isolated PCB), ELNA audio and WIMA film capacitors, differential circuit with operational amplifiers, a 120dB SNR Cirrus Logic CS4398 digital to analogue converter, and Texas Instruments’ TPA6120A2 600 Ohm headphone amplifier. Realtek's ALC1150 is the audio codec used to control the system. Using the SupremeFX Black solution, Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition delivers particularly strong audio performance, according to Right Mark Audio Analyzer. Set in 1912, in Bioshock Infinite, players assume the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the flying city of Columbia on a rescue mission. His target? Elizabeth, imprisoned since childhood. We used the game's demanding 'Ultra' setting and a 2560 x 1600 resolution to push today's gaming hardware. Our data was recorded using a section of the game, not the built-in benchmark. Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition outperforms MSI's X79A-GD45 Plus by a few tenths of a frame (which then gets rounded) in Bioshock Infinite. Metro 2033 is a first-person shooter video game with survival horror elements, based on the novel Metro 2033 by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. The game is played from the perspective of Artyom, the player-character. The story takes place in post-apocalyptic Moscow, mostly inside the metro system, but occasionally missions bring the player above-ground. We used a 2560 x 1600 resolution and the game's built-in benchmark set to 'High' quality to offer an intense challenge for the gaming hardware while also making playable frame rates a possibility. Both X79 motherboards offer identical performance when tasked with Metro 2033's demanding benchmark procedure. Metro: Last Light takes place one year after the events of Metro 2033, proceeding from the ending where Artyom chose to call down the missile strike on the Dark Ones. The Rangers have since occupied the D6 military facility, with Artyom having become an official member of the group. Khan, the nomad mystic, arrives at D6 to inform Artyom and the Rangers that a single Dark One survived the missile strike. 4A Games’ proprietary 4A Engine is capable of rendering breathtaking vistas, such as those showing the ruined remnants of Moscow, as well as immersive indoor areas that play with light and shadow, creating hauntingly beautiful scenes akin to those from modern-day photos of Pripyat’s abandoned factories and schools. We used a 2560 x 1600 resolution and the game's built-in benchmark set to 'Medium' quality to offer an intense challenge for the gaming hardware while also making playable frame rates a possibility. Metro: Last Light also shows both X79 boards to be offering the same level of gaming performance. Automatic CPU Overclocking: In addition to basic CPU level-up settings, the Rampage IV Black Edition ships with custom overclocking configurations for air- and water-cooled users, as well as high base clock modes for overclockers. The air-cooled gamers' OC profile is set to utilise a static 4.7GHz CPU frequency with 1600MHz memory. CPU VCore is set to 1.500V, but whether the system can actually operate at this frequency is chip-dependant. The water-cooled gamers' OC profile opts for a CPU frequency of up to 4.9GHz, or 4.6GHz when all cores are loaded. Memory is still set to operate at 1600MHz, which is disappointing for users with higher-speed kits. Manual CPU Overclocking: We manually applied a number of voltage tweaks to test the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard’s overclocking capabilities. Adjustments included a 1.425V CPU VCore, 1.250V System Agent (SA) voltage, a PLL voltage of 1.900V, and a VTT CPU voltage of 1.300V. These levels are unlikely to cause heat issues for an IVB-E processor when combined with a high-end cooler such as Corsair’s H100i. Load-line calibration was set to ultra high to ensure that VCore didn't drop below the levels we set when the CPU was loaded. Using a 100MHz BCLK, the highest stable CPU frequency that we managed was 4.6GHz. This is the same limit that we hit when using Asus' X79-Deluxe motherboard, and two multiplier jumps more than MSI's X79A-GD45 Plus managed. Our tweaking did get us a boot at 4.7GHz, but upon running Prime95 to certify stability, we were met with multiple BSODs. We switched to the 125MHz BCLK in an attempt to squeeze additional frequency from our 4960X ES processor. We managed the 4.625GHz that Asus' X79-Deluxe gave us using our particular 4960X ES chip. This seems to be as far as our processor will go, but it is clear that Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition is providing the overclocking headroom required to reach the chip's limits. Using the Ultra High LLC setting, VCore loitered around the 1.440V mark in Windows. 4625MHz was achievable by way of a 125MHz base clock and 37x multiplier, but this required a 133MHz decrease in DRAM frequency to maintain absolute stability on the memory’s part. 4.625GHz (125MHz x 37) with a memory frequency of 2000MHz is the main overclocked configuration that we will use for our performance testing. Our 4.625GHz validation with 2000MHz memory can be viewed here. We increased voltage levels and power settings in one final attempt to break past 4.625GHz, with stability. Even with a CPU VCore of 1.450V, 1.350V VTT CPU voltage, 1.350V SA voltage, and 2.100V PLL voltage, we could not boot past 4.625GHz with any form of stability. Memory Overclocking: While a system’s maximum memory frequency may be heavily swayed by the CPU’s individual memory controller, the motherboard’s performance can also help to obtain higher speeds. We switched to a single stick of G.Skill's 2933MHz Trident X F3-2933C12D-8GTXDG memory, as well as a stick of ADATA's 2800MHz XPG V2 for validation purposes, to test the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard’s memory overclocking potential. These sticks both use Hynix MFR ICs in a single-sided configuration - a design that is intended for speeds so high that they are potentially out of reach for an IVB-E CPU's memory controller. To eliminate the CPU as a potential source of instability, we increased its voltage and used a clock speed of 4000MHz. Memory-related voltage and settings tweaks included: CPU PLL voltage = 2.100V, System Agent (SA) voltage = 1.350V, CPU VTT voltage = 1.350V, DRAM voltage = 1.650V. XMP was disabled and timings were manually set to the memory sticks’ default settings. Using a 100MHz base clock, our memory speed hit a maximum of 2400MHz. Knowing that our 4960X chip's IMC is capable of at least 2666MHz, we switched to the 125MHz base clock and carried on overclocking. Breaking our own record for memory overclocking results using IVB-E, we managed to hit a 3000MHz DRAM frequency using Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard. This is 333MHz higher than we have achieved with the other X79 motherboards that have been partnered with our 4960X. There is clearly scope for extreme overclockers to push the boundaries of their processor's IMC capability with the Rampage IV Black Edition. Our validation with the G.Skill Trident X F3-2933C12D-8GTXDG memory running at 3000MHz can be viewed here. We will outline the performance increases that can be obtained from using the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard to overclock our system. Our overclocked processor frequency was 4625MHz and memory speed was 2000MHz. As a performance comparison, we have included the overclocked results from MSI's X79A-GD45 Plus motherboard. The maximum overclocked configuration achieved with the MSI board was a 4500MHz (36 x 125MHz) processor frequency and 2000MHz CL9 memory speed. 3DMark benefits from the Rampage motherboard's additional CPU clock speed over its MSI contender. With a 125MHz CPU frequency advantage over MSI's X79A-GD45 Plus, Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition shows chart-topping performance in Super Pi and Cinebench. Handbrake also benefits from the 125MHz clock speed advantage offered by Asus' Rampage motherboard - conversion time is reduced by just over 4% in comparison to MSI's 4.5GHz setup. Utilising a 4.625GHz clock speed, the Asus system is able to gather a few extra tenths of a frame in Bioshock Infinite and Metro: Last Light which allow it to outperform MSI's motherboard by 1 FPS in each test. We measured the power consumption with the system resting at the Windows 7 desktop, representing idle values. The power consumption of our entire test system is measured at the wall while loading only the CPU using Prime95′s Small FFTs setting. The rest of the system’s components were operating in their idle states, hence the increased power consumption values (in comparison to the idle figures) are largely related to the load on the CPU and motherboard power delivery components. With its host of add-on controllers and overclocking-orientated design, Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition draws over 10% more power than MSI's basic X79A-GD45 Plus. Even when the CPU is overclocked and loaded, power consumption remains below 350W, though. Needless to say, the Asus Rampage IV Black Edition's target audience is unlikely to be concerned by the board's power consumption; two or more graphics cards will dwarf the motherboard's energy usage numbers. The Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard is a well-designed, high-end X79 powerhouse that has heaps of overclocking potential and a generous feature set to match. Overclocking performance was better than any of the other X79 motherboard's that we have tested with our 4960X, Asus' own IVB-E tweaked X79-Deluxe included. We managed to push our 4960X slightly further than we had previously achieved, albeit without stability. Memory overclocking was very impressive, with the 3GHz barrier being broken for the first time on our IVB-E test system. For extreme and professional overclockers, the Rampage IV Black Edition is outfitted with a host of worthwhile features, backed by Asus' second-to-none UEFI BIOS. Using the latest power delivery system in Asus' arsenal - Extreme Engine Digi+ III - and sporting tools such as an LN2 mode, the onboard OC Zone, an interchangeable extreme cooling backplate, and the versatile ROG OC panel, the Rampage IV Black Edition offers noticeable improvements over its Extreme predecessor. If you're looking to break world records, or power an ultra-high resolution configuration, up to four graphics cards can be connected to the Rampage IV Black Edition with a layout that is optimised for 4-way SLI/CrossFire. PCI-E lane spacing for dual-card users is also very good with cooling space being maintained between the pair of boards. Making up for the ageing feature set offered by Intel's X79 chipset, Asus outfits the Rampage IV Black Edition with a multitude of add-on controllers. Up to six SATA 6Gb/s drives can be connected to the motherboard, albeit with four at controller-limited speeds, eight USB 3.0 ports are positioned about the board and connectivity for 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 is provided. As far as the SupremeFX Black audio solution goes, our testing proves it to be a formidable onboard configuration. While audio features are unlikely to impress extreme overclockers, high-end gamers who opt for the Rampage IV Black Edition will be pleased to know that their board packs one of the highest performance audio systems on the market. Support for Sonic Radar may also impress enthusiast gamers, although the software's relevance is down to individual preference - I do not like it nor do I find it useful, but others may. Fitting in with its naming scheme, the Rampage IV Black Edition's consistent colour is likely to appeal to enthusiasts who place importance upon their system's appearance. The matte black PCB finish and all-black colour scheme should allow effective matching of hardware for use with the RIVBE. One of the main features that will appeal to overclockers is the Rampage IV Black Edition's UEFI BIOS. Like many of the other ROG interfaces currently used on Asus' motherboards, the sheer quantity of customisable settings and the level of control that Asus' BIOS engineers give overclockers is unparalleled. From frequency switching to voltage fine-tuning, overclockers are unlikely to find a component parameter where they crave additional settings. By far our biggest complaint with the Rampage IV Black Edition is the irritatingly slow POST time. Waiting over 30 seconds to reach the Windows loading screen is not something we have come to expect from a motherboard, irrelevant of the number of onboard controllers. This is something that we can foresee Asus addressing with future BIOS updates, but until then, patience during boot will most certainly be required. We are struggling to identify any other issues with the Rampage IV Black Edition. Clearance between a video card in the top slot and a high-end air CPU cooler is an area for concern, but not specifically a board issue; 4-way SLI/CrossFire necessitates the room to be supported, after all. With an anticipated retail price of £399.99 (currently available for pre-order from OverclockersUK), the Rampage IV Black Edition is one of the highest-priced X79 motherboard on the market. It is also more expensive than its predecessor - the Rampage IV Extreme. To users looking at purchasing a high-end X79 motherboard, the Rampage IV Black Edition is quite possibly the best option there is. It's not cheap, and it's more expensive than the Rampage IV Extreme, but it also offers a number of worthwhile features for enthusiasts, gamers, and extreme overclockers, alike. If you're looking for the best all-round X79 motherboard on the market, and don't mind coughing up the cash required, the Rampage IV Black Edition is the board that should be right at the top of your shortlist. Pros: Sensible and effective layout. Plenty of onboard features. Worthwhile overclocking-orientated tools. Strong overclocking performance, especially in regards to memory. 4-way SLI/CrossFire support. One of the best onboard audio solutions currently available. Excellent UEFI BIOS. Attractive colour scheme. Free Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag game. Cons: Slow POST time - around 20 seconds just at the logo screen. Possible interference issues with large CPU air coolers and top-slot graphics cards. KitGuru says: If you're an extreme overclocker, a general enthusiast, or a high-end gamer looking to buy the best X79 motherboard on the market, Asus' Rampage IV Black Edition should be right at the top of your shopping list.