Friday, August 4th 2017
ASUS Intros the ROG Rampage VI Apex X299 Motherboard
ASUS today introduced its flagship socket LGA2066 motherboard for Intel Core X processors, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage VI Apex. Originally announced alongside the Rampage VI Extreme, the Apex is positioned above it in the company's product stack; and is targeted at professional overclockers chasing down CPU and VGA performance records. Although built in the ATX form-factor, the PCB of the Rampage VI Apex features an asymmetric polygonal design. It draws power from a large number of connectors to stabilize each of its power domains; these include the 24-pin ATX, two 8-pin EPS, a 4-pin ATX, and a 6-pin PCIe power.
Power is conditioned for the CPU using a high-current VRM, which is cooled not just by the VRM heatsink, but also a secondary heatsink block under the I/O shroud, to which heat is conveyed by a heat-pipe. The board may not be as heavy as the Rampage VI Extreme in expansion, in featuring just four DDR4 DIMM slots (one per channel), for example; but makes up for with higher overclocking headroom. It features a plethora of overclocker-friendly features, including onboard buttons for key OC functions, voltage measurement hard-points for every voltage domain around the board, and diagnostic LEDs all around. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability.
Power is conditioned for the CPU using a high-current VRM, which is cooled not just by the VRM heatsink, but also a secondary heatsink block under the I/O shroud, to which heat is conveyed by a heat-pipe. The board may not be as heavy as the Rampage VI Extreme in expansion, in featuring just four DDR4 DIMM slots (one per channel), for example; but makes up for with higher overclocking headroom. It features a plethora of overclocker-friendly features, including onboard buttons for key OC functions, voltage measurement hard-points for every voltage domain around the board, and diagnostic LEDs all around. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability.