Rampage VI Extreme (LGA2066, Intel X299) - info, experience, BIOSes etc.

[Raja@ASUS]

The Indium coating isn't on the top, touchable surface of the cover.

[DragonPurr]

The Indium coating isn't on the top, touchable surface of the cover.

Whew! That is great to know. So there is another clear acrylic or plastic film coating over it. I presume the indium is also not the bottom touchable surface of the cover either, since the user needs to raise the cover to install the M.2, or to replace the CMOS battery on the larger section of the PCIe area.

[smithkid]

I really think that "hoping by Christmas" is way too pessimistic. Instead of thinking in terms of "another day closer", or "another hour closer", to the unknown release date, think of it as "another week closer" for the next few weeks. But you don't have to view it as "another month closer until Christmas"

If this was a gambling casino, I would place all my bets on the Apex/Extreme being released somewhere between August 28 (when the 12-core i9-7920X is released) and September 25 (when the 14/16/18C i9s are released). Although I would be really happy if the release date was sooner, I seriously doubt either mobo will be released during the next two weeks in August, for the following three reasons:

1) The Asus Middle East press release that I mentioned in my previous post mentioned "First Week of September", and it was the first time that I saw a date attached to an Asus press release, instead of various dates being posted on retailers' sites, and instead of last week's announcements on tech-reporting websites where they just said "will be available soon".

2) Since both mobos' release dates have already slid way past the previously announced July dates, with Intel's higher-core i9s being released in September, it would help the Asus engineers if they delayed the mobos' release long enough to receive some final, or near-final, engineering samples of the flagship i9-7980XE to test with. That is how you ensure there are no surprises with VRM, temperature, and voltage issues, instead of just testing with the i9-7900X and assuming everything should work fine with 8 more cores. Just as Intel's 8-core i7-7820X beats the 8-core Ryzen 7 1800X in nearly all benchmarks, sometimes by a wide margin, I imagine that Intel will be feverishly tweaking their 16C/18C CPUs for the next four weeks to race past the Threadripper 1950X. And speaking of Threadripper, I have already read several comments where people complained and were jealous that the X299 Extreme looks a lot better than the X399 Zenith Extreme.

3) Perhaps it was not a coincidence that Asus announced their Apex/Extreme this past week at the same time as Intel announced their other i9 CPUs, and Asus will also synchronize the release of the mobos with the CPUs in September. The initial red-hot surge of sales of the i7-7800X, i7-7820X, and i9-7900X has now subsided and most retailers now have a plentiful supply. As I mentioned in my previous post, if Asus released their Rampage mobos earlier in August, that could cannibalize sales of the 12-core i9-7920X because many users would buy the i9-7900X instead of waiting for the i9-7920X. And Intel's profit margins increase as you go up to their 14C, 16C, and 18C CPUs. I do hope that Intel uses SOLDER for their 165W 14C/16C/18C CPUs, or they will catch more flak for using paste on an 18-core $2000 CPU!

I have no insider information, so these are all just speculations. Asus still has not released their X299-WS workstation model, and ASRock is rumored to be releasing their X299 OC Formula that could compete with the Apex. I would not be surprised if Gigabyte releases another higher-flagship X299 mobo later for Intel's mega-core i9s, bumping up their power stages from 50 to 60 amps like those used by Asus, MSI, and ASRock. And it would be interesting if MSI released an X299 Godlike mobo later with better power stages, especially if it was styled like the Z270 Godlike Gaming mobo that they briefly announced in May, but have not released.

I have been building and tinkering with PCs since the mid-1980s, and I cannot recall a previous 12-month period where so many new CPUs, chipsets, and mobos have been flooding the market, regardless of which CPU and mobo brand you buy and what your budget is. Nothing previously even comes close. AMD's competition is great for waking up Intel.

One comment about the indium metal plating that is used on the Extreme's "armor" around the PCIe and I/O areas... Indium is a VERY soft metal. Indium is four times softer than lead and about twice as soft as the alloys used in solder. And if you have experience with a soldering iron, indium also easily melts quicker than solder. You can melt indium just by pressing it onto a hot metal or glass plate heated to about 300 degrees-F and it will form a lovely reflective mirrored thin foil, which makes it an ideal metal for sputter deposition in a vacuum to form the mirrored plating on the ROG armor. But I wonder how easy the ROG armor can be scratched because the thin metal layer is so soft and also very thin, either due to brushing your fingernails across the surface or by rubbing it too much with cleaning cloths, especially if the plating does not have an additional layer of protective clear coating on top. If Raja has a pre-release Extreme mobo, perhaps he can try brushing the edges of his fingernails across the armor surface as a test? The Extreme's User Manual does not mention it, but I think we should treat the mirror "armor" with extra care to prevent scratches.

Great Read.

But are ASUS & Intel so in bed that ASUS worry about people buying 7900X instead of waiting for 7920X or > ? I don't think so! I bet they will be selling more AMD boards than ever before.
My last 3 MB's have been ASUS WS's. I write this missive on an X99-E WS USB 3.1 - I wanted the extra "virtual" lanes provided by the PLX chips. With 44 lanes on a 7900X & > I will be happy to buy the cheaper RE6 board ( I have never owned anything "ROG"). The days of 3 & 4 & more GPU's in Xfire or SLI are over so I would suspect the sales of an X299 WS board would be very limited. This will upset the WS guru "jsutter71" who by the way can show anyone who wants to boot from a NVMe Raid controller how it is done without effort.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1516058/o...rs-thread/3930

Will be buying 7900X unless 7920X comes with solder to go with my first ROG board. Maybe I will come to love the RBG whistles & lights.

[FireRx]

[qoute]Will be buying 7900X unless 7920X comes with solder to go with my first ROG board. Maybe I will come to love the RBG whistles & lights[/quote]



I recently attended the Intel webinar on the Core X CPU's coming out. Most of us on the Q/A were hammering them about the TIM"s application on the CPU lid and it efficiencies on it's cooling properties. They assured us that the CPU cooling will operate within Intel's tolerence and also suggested nothing short of a water cooling is advisable. Deliding these they suggest will only buy you +/- 20c depending on you cooling solution. and the way that CPU looks under that lid, I will not be taking razor blades to it. Look like a lot of important components are right along that glue line that you can easily damage trying to remove the lid. Most people don't know how to delid, apply liquid metal {Neatly} and re glue the Lid back on again with out damaging stuff. Unless you have bottomless wallets, or have done it before. I would advise against it.

[mpoffo]

I really think that "hoping by Christmas" is way too pessimistic. Instead of thinking in terms of "another day closer", or "another hour closer", to the unknown release date, think of it as "another week closer" for the next few weeks. But you don't have to view it as "another month closer until Christmas"

I was being a bit sarcastic about Christmas.

I simply want to pre-order it from a place that I am familiar with. Hoping that will be some time within this month.

However I am a broken man. My parts will just have to sit on the shelf until that magical day sometime in the future. At least I know the date of Christmas.

[mpoffo]

Hey Raja, any idea if there will be any reviews or previews by the you tubers on this board? If so any idea when?

[Silent Scone@ROG]

Hey Raja, any idea if there will be any reviews or previews by the you tubers on this board? If so any idea when?

Of course, what makes you think otherwise?

[Raja@ASUS]

Each review site has it's own schedule. Seeding is handled at the local level, so it's just a matter of time, as with all things.

[kaufen]

These prices are not normal. Many customers will want to upgrade from i7-6950X to i9-7900X and to pay extra 250-300$. That's chance for people who hate paste who want to save money and want to 10 Cores.

[FireRx]

actually my Rampage 5 Extreme was $601 when I bought it last year . From what I seeing on the net. it's only $48 more than what I paid for it's predicessor.