A Closer Look at the Rampage IV Black Edition pt.2



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Starting to the bottom left, there is the DirectKey button, which allows you to enter the BIOS automatically without having to mess around with the keyboard during POST. The BIOS Switch button allows you to switch between the motherboard's two onboard BIOS chips, and the accompanying BIOS LEDs indicate which of the two chips is being utilized. The ROG_EXT pins are were you plug in one of the cables that runs to the OC Panel accessory. The front panel header is not colour-coded, but ASUS includes two user-friendly Q-Panel connectors Along the bottom edge of the motherboard, there are also two 4-pin PWM fan headers, two USB 2.0 headers, a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) connector, and a molex power connector that helps ensure that the PCI-E x16 slots get all the power that they require for triple or quad graphics card configurations.The Rampage IV Black Edition features four mechanical PCI-E x16 slots, thereby fully utilizing the full capabilities of the Ivy Bridge-E processor and its 40 PCI-E 3.0 lanes. In a dual graphics card configuration, the first and third PCI-E x16 slots will operate at the full x16 speed (x16/x16). When three graphics cards are installed, the first and third mechanical PCI-E x16 slots will run at x16, while the middle slot operates at x8 (x16/x8/x16). In quad card configuration, the first PCI-E slot will run at x16, while the other three slots operate at x8 (x16/x8/x8/x8). Since they operate at PCI-E x8 3.0 there really isn't any performance penalty.As you would expect, this model has been certified for fully-fledged 4-way CrossFireX and 4-way SLI operation. The two PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots are utilizing the X79 chipset's free PCI-E lanes, and have an open-ended design permitting the use of expansion cards that feature longer x4, x8 or x16 PCI-E interfaces.As we mentioned in the introduction, this motherboard's onboard audio is particularly noteworthy. At the heart of the SupremeFX Black design is Realtek's high-end ALC1150 eight-channel High Definition Audio Codec. This is a fairly widely used part, but it is rare to see it at the center of a carefully considered and properly implemented onboard audio solution. One of the biggest secrets when it comes to onboard audio is that the CODEC arguably has less of an effect on sound quality than the overall implementation. It is only as good as the sum of its parts, and thankfully ASUS have chosen some very good parts indeed.Cirrus Logic's flagship CS4398 digital-to-analog converter has been included, which is a 192 kHz/24-bit capable DAC with excellent 120dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio). This DAC is responsible for converting the digital data into clean and continuous analog signal. The audio passes through this very important chip before heading to the amplifiers, capacitors, and then the outputs. This isn't a bargain bin DAC, but a high-end chip that you can find in Marantz CD/SACD players as well as countless cottage industry USB DACs.Also onboard is the Texas Instruments TPA6120A2, which has widely been regarded as one of the best headphone amplifiers on the market since its release in 2004. It is responsible for amplifying the analog signal from the DAC. The TPA6120A2 is a powerful 600 ohm headphone amplifier with a signal-to-noise ratio that exceeds 120dB, so a good match for the Cirrus Logic DAC. It is the exact same part ASUS uses in their nearly $500 Xonar Essence STU. There are obviously many other parts though, like the two Texas Instruments R4580I operational amplifiers (op-amps), the German-made WIMA Film capacitors (the four little red blocks), the numerous audiophile-grade ELNA R2A capacitors, and the NEC TOKIN UC2 audio relay that basically serves as surge protector for the rest of electrical components.Choosing good parts is really only half the battle when it comes to properly designing an onboard audio solution. Because the inside of a PC case is rife with interference, shielding and isolation is exceptionally important if you want to maximize sound quality. With this in mind, ASUS have actually created an audio noise border that essentially separates the audio components from the rest of the motherboard at the PCB level. There is actually an LED lit path that surrounds a section of the PCB that's been isolated for audio use. There is also an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield covering the Realtek CODEC. All of this serves to help to preserve the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio and thus ensure the highest possible sound quality.Having said all of that, how does it actually sound? Well...pretty good! To put it plainly, with the SupremeFX Black you are effectively getting a high fidelity audio card built-in. It is of sufficiently high quality that just about anyone should be pleased with the sound that it produces, unless you have a really niche or picky audio tastes. Purely subjectively, it has a rather warm sounding signature, whereas audio implementations on standard motherboards tend to have a more cold and harsh audio output delivery. A wider and deeper sound stage was also noticeable, and there was maybe just bit more low range bass noticeable through our headphones. Having listened to a few dozen onboard audio solutions on the years, many of which were decidedly average, we can say without a doubt that the SupremeFX Black surpasses the sound quality of run-of-the-mill onboard audio implementations, as you would expect. Is it as good as a dedicated sound card? That's hard to say, but at this level the differences wouldn't be something that most untrained ears would notice.The Black Edition has some solid connectivity on its rear I/O panel. Starting from left to right, we have a combo keyboard/mouse PS/2 port, two USB 2.0 ports, Clear CMOS button and ROG Connect button , two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two additional USB 3.0 ports, two eSATA 6Gb/s ports, one Gigabit LAN port, two USB 3.0 ports, the gold-plated Bluetooth and WiFI antenna ports , and the six audio jacks.The reference CPU socket backplate can be removed and replaced with the included X-Socket backplate for those who have older LGA1366 heatsinks that don't natively support LGA2011 as well. You can install your heatsink's backplate over the X-Socket backplate, thus allowing you to install an LGA1366 heatsink. A very thoughtful addition.There are some VRM components on the motherboard's backside but they are covered by a backplate. There are also no push-pins to be found on this motherboard, metals screws are used to secure both the MOSFET and chipset heatsinks. More interestingly, there are LEDs on the rear of the motherboard , and they emit some pretty cool light