Republic of Gamers motherboards are famed for their exclusive innovations and technologies that give PC gamers and overclockers the edge. The following is a list of current technologies employed on ROG motherboards.
Pro Overclocking Features
Extreme Engine Digi+ Series
ASUS has more years experience in designing motherboard VRM systems than almost any other company. With this experience the Extreme Engine DIGI+ series is the pinnacle of this technology design; pushing barriers at every revision. Every ROG board features an Extreme Engine design, with the latest DIGI+ 100% digital systems offering the most precise and reliable power control to date. Naturally the requirements also extend to withstanding extreme conditions of sub-zero temperatures, while also providing enough power to push every CPU well beyond its specifications to reach its absolute physical potential. If you want the very best, look no further.
Extreme Engine DIGI+
OC Key
While the OC Key isn’t technically ON the board, but rather a dongle that plugs in through your graphics card, it provides veritable treasure trove of information for users. When plugged in, OSD TweakIt and OSD Monitor allow users to tweak and monitor the entire system in real-time via an innovative on-screen graphical overlay displayed on your screen, all from your keyboard and without the need to install any software. This way, voltages and frequency settings can be adjusted on the fly, all with a stroke of the keyboard. It has four levels of opacity, so you can bring information to the forefront or background, allowing you to continue to see what’s on screen. It is exclusively available for the Rampage IV Extreme motherboard.
ASUS ROG OC Key
X-Socket
the new X-Socket feature is a swappable bracket that lets you keep on using a LGA1366 based heatsink/cooler you might have from a previous system. For those that have already dropped a pretty penny on a high end cooling solution, you can definitely get some extra mileage from your older heatsink with the X-Socket. It is exclusively available for Rampage IV Extreme and Formula motherboards.
ASUS ROG X-Socket
VGA Hotwire
For those that know their way around a soldering iron and want to kick it up a notch, the VGA Hotwire gives users a chance to boost their graphics cards performance. In order to overvolt graphics cards in the past, one needed to have a steady hand to solder, but amidst the numerous tiny resistors in LN2 smoke, that can be a bit difficult. Using the VGA hotwire feature, simply solder two wires on to a graphics card and connect them to a dedicated header connection on the motherboard and you’ll be overvolting your graphics card in no time. It’s easily accessible and adjustable from the UEFI BIOS, OSD TweakIt/Monitor or TurboV EVO screens. It is exclusively available for the Rampage IV Extreme motherboard.
VGA Hotwire pins
ProbeIt
Use a multimeter on the specially designed motherboard points, to accurately monitor the voltages applied to the motherboard and its hardware. This is generally regarded as providing a more accurate and faster response vs software readings.
ROG ProbeIt
RC Poster
When your system fails to boot, simply refer to the RC Poster software to identify and diagnose the exact cause.
Subzero Sense
ROG engineers designed Subzero Sense with hardcore overclockers who play with liquid nitrogen in mind. Unless you already have a costly digital thermometer, determining just how cold system components get when overclocking with LN2 can be difficult. With Subzero Sense, simply connect a K-type thermocouple header to the included ports on the motherboard and get an accurate read of not just your CPU and GPU, but wherever you point the probes to. This can save some serious cash, as a 2 port digital thermometer can run upwards of $460, making Subzero Sense a boon for overclockers who can put that money towards other hardware. It is exclusively available for the Rampage IV Extreme motherboard.
Subzero Sense
Pro Gaming Features
Intel Gigabit Ethernet with GameFirst Technology
Minimum lag, maximum frag! With Intel Gigabit Ethernet controllers used across ROG motherboards, the online gaming experience is markedly improved thanks to lower pings and less lag. GameFirst technology allows the user to manage online traffic flow so that sustained internet use such as uploads, downloads and entertainment streams can still run in the background, but with most the available bandwidth dedicated to online gaming.
SupremeFX Audio with THX TruStudio PRO and Creative EAX Advanced HD Audio
SupremeFX audio combines several technologies together, including THX quality TruStudio PRO surround sound for entertainment and Creative’s EAX Advanced HD for OpenAL and EAX 5.0 used in games. However, SupremeFX technology extends beyond audio certifications to the core hardware, with gold-plated connectors, high-quality DACs and larger, low ESR capacitors, and in the latest 3rd revision an entirely separated PCB audio path.
SupremeFX III
ROG ThunderBolt
Combining the very best of high-performance Xonar audio technology and a dedicated NPU (network processing unit) on a single PCIe card, the ThunderBolt is specifically designed for professional gamers. The Xonar audio is tweaked for a stereo headset, while the NPU removes all network management from the CPU entirely, meaning 100% of the system resources are dedicated to the game being played. Saved for the very best of ROG hardware, it’s the ultimate addition to a pro gaming system.
ROG ThunderBolt; Xonar Audio and NPU PCIe card
Cutting-Edge UEFI BIOS Control
UEFI BIOS Advancements
F12 BIOS snapshot: Hit the F12 button at anytime to record a snapshot of current screen in the UEFI BIOS. This allows easy sharing of settings with friends in discussion forums and online communities.
F3 Shortcut: Hit the F3 button at anytime to popup a shortcut menu to the most popular enthusiast settings.
BIOS.DIMM Post: With 4-8 memory slots it can be difficult and time consuming to single out a problematic DIMM. The BIOS.DIMM Post section clearly shows exactly which DIMMs are detected and working correctly, and which are not.
CPU Level Up: Let the motherboard upgrade your CPU performance to equal one more expensive, at just the touch of a button.
Advanced Mode Monitoring Section
USB BIOS Flashback
This is the simplest and most fail-safe method of (UEFI) BIOS updating possible. Simply drop the (UEFI) BIOS file onto a FAT32 formatted USB stick and plug it into the USB BIOS Flashback port and press the button next to it. No CPU or memory is needed, only the ATX power connector is required.
Remote PC Control
ROG Connect
Simply connect the provided USB cable between the ROG USB connector on the motherboard rear I/O, to a laptop, netbook or another PC. Next load the software on the supporting PC and tweak the ROG motherboard or graphics card remotely, without even touching the ROG PC! The benefits benchmarks who like to remotely tweak their setups without disturbing them during performance tests.
RC Bluetooth
Like ROG Connect, monitor and tweak your PC settings remotely, from your mobile phone or any Bluetooth equipped device.
iDirect
Like ROG Connect, monitor and tweak your PC settings remotely, from any Apple iOS enabled device like the iPhone or iPad.
