My new Rampage III Extreme Build

[Peter Gallagher]

So I have been researching several different motherboards on Newegg and many different sources and I keep coming back to the Rampage III Extreme. It just has too many features that other motherboards don't have and it seems like a good choice that will last for a long time to come.

It has been a long time since I built my own PC the last one being a Pentium2 and an AMD something or other that are gathering dust in my PC junk pile in the basement.

I currently have an NZXT Phantom Case and a Rosewill BRONZE Series RBR1000-M 1000W PSU which I recieved for Christmas.

The components I am considering for the rest of the build are:

I7-950
Cool-It Vantage
2 x Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with Red/Green LEDs Model BL3KIT25664ST1608RG

The rest of the components I will be cannibalizing from my current machine until I can get the funds to buy new ones.

Galaxy GTX-465 Graphics card
Hitachi HDT725032VLA380 HDD
ST3200822AS HDD

I am currently considering replacing the HDD's also, but I might have to wait a few more weeks until I am able to.

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB seems like a good choice for the price. ($89)
I also would love to put an SSD in too but the prices are a little high right now and I may wait a little bit to get one.

I have a few questions:


Is the memory I am choosing compatible with the Rampage III Extreme. ( I did check the QVL but there are only 2 Crucial listings on the list and this memory has only recently been released.)
Is the Cool-It Vantage a good cooling solution for the processor?
Will the power supply have aenough power to power the motherboard and processor?
Do you have any other suggestions for HDD's or SSD's?
Is there anything special I should know when installing this motherboard?


I am eagerly awaiting becoming a Rampage III Extreme owner. Thanks in advance for any answers or suggestions you may have.

Thank you.

[Hapatingjaky]

So I have been researching several different motherboards on Newegg and many different sources and I keep coming back to the Rampage III Extreme. It just has too many features that other motherboards don't have and it seems like a good choice that will last for a long time to come.

It has been a long time since I built my own PC the last one being a Pentium2 and an AMD something or other that are gathering dust in my PC junk pile in the basement.

I currently have an NZXT Phantom Case and a Rosewill BRONZE Series RBR1000-M 1000W PSU which I recieved for Christmas.

The components I am considering for the rest of the build are:

I7-950
Cool-It Vantage
2 x Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with Red/Green LEDs Model BL3KIT25664ST1608RG

The rest of the components I will be cannibalizing from my current machine until I can get the funds to buy new ones.

Galaxy GTX-465 Graphics card
Hitachi HDT725032VLA380 HDD
ST3200822AS HDD

I am currently considering replacing the HDD's also, but I might have to wait a few more weeks until I am able to.

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB seems like a good choice for the price. ($89)
I also would love to put an SSD in too but the prices are a little high right now and I may wait a little bit to get one.

I have a few questions:


Is the memory I am choosing compatible with the Rampage III Extreme. ( I did check the QVL but there are only 2 Crucial listings on the list and this memory has only recently been released.)
Is the Cool-It Vantage a good cooling solution for the processor?
Will the power supply have aenough power to power the motherboard and processor?
Do you have any other suggestions for HDD's or SSD's?
Is there anything special I should know when installing this motherboard?


I am eagerly awaiting becoming a Rampage III Extreme owner. Thanks in advance for any answers or suggestions you may have.

Thank you.

1.) Take the memory QVL with a grain of salt, all it means is that Asus has tested that ram and knows it works. I would strongly recommend not filling all six slots for memory, if you really need 12GB ram ( it won't increase performance over 6GB ) go with one kit of 3x4GB sticks. That's what I've done. The higher the ammount of memory and the more sticks you use you will need to manually set voltages in order to work correctly, otherwise you will get BSOD's or the majority of the ram will not be detected. I would recommend memory from Patriot, Corsair, GSkill and Crucial.

2.) Corsair H70 > Coolit Vantage.

3.) PSU is fine, although there are better quality PSU's out there like the Corsair AX series but it comes down to what you will actually do with the PC in the end ( overclocking wise )

4.) SSD's are the biggest upgrade one can do for the PC right now, a single OCZ Vertex 2 or Corsair Force Series 120GB will destroy a VelociRaptor Raid 0 setup.

5.) If your Overclocking, make sure to enable the QPI LLC jumper located beneath the 24pin power connector, it will help with voltages.

In all honesty I would look at a Sandy Bridge setup, it might save you a few bucks and get some better performance + better overlocking if you buy an 2500k or 2600k. You will hit higher clocks on air and with less voltage.

[Peter Gallagher]

Thank you for the reply and suggestions.

My Rampage III Extreme is in the mail (UPS) and should be here on Monday. Can't wait!