ASUS Rampage III Formula Core i7 Gaming Motherboard Unboxing & First Look Linus Tech Tips
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Description
ncix.com This board is kinda like a little brother to the Rampage III Extreme. It has most of the same features, but a more attractive price tag
The ASUS Rampage III Formula unboxing video offers a thorough first look at a value-oriented Republic of Gamers (ROG) motherboard built for the Core i7 ecosystem on the LGA 1366 platform. Linus walks through the box contents in detail, highlighting a complete accessory package including a three-way SLI bridge, Crossfire bridge, Q connectors, a support DVD, and an optional water cooling or passive cooling installation guide. He then teases the feature set that distinguishes the formula variant from its Extreme sibling, such as Rog Connect, Game First networking, BIOS flashback with dual BIOS ROMs, and the SupremeFX X-Fi onboard audio solution. The host praises the black PCB with red and nickel accents, and he examines the heat management setup, noting dual heat pipes that tie into the PWM cooling system and a shared heat path between components. He proceeds to describe the CPU socket (LGA 1366) and the memory arrangement, pointing out dual PCIe x16 slots and a PCIe x1 slot designed for dual-GPU configurations, along with a practical 24-pin power layout and the well-placed power and measurement headers situated along the top right. Finally, Linus surveys the rear I/O panel, detailing USB, eSATA, optical audio, and Rog Connect access, and he closes with an enthusiastic recommendation to subscribe for more Linus Tech Tips content, inviting viewers to see how this platform performs in future videos.
Topics · technology · hardware · computing · unboxing · gaming
Questions answered
- What CPU socket does the Rampage III Formula support and what generations are compatible?
- It uses the LGA 1366 socket and supports Core i7 processors including Extreme editions compatible with the socket.
- What is Rog Connect and what does BIOS flashback provide on this board?
- Rog Connect is a USB interface that allows you to connect to another computer to control BIOS options remotely, while BIOS flashback provides the ability to boot from one of two physical BIOS ROMs for recovery or testing.
- How many PCIe slots and SATA ports are available on the Rampage III Formula, and what are the implications for multi-GPU setups?
- The board includes multiple PCIe slots including two full-length x16 slots and additional PCIe x1 and PCI slots, along with six SATA ports (two of which are SATA 3 using a Marvel controller). This configuration supports dual GPU configurations like SLI or Crossfire with room for expansion though one slot may be blocked depending on card layout.