Rear I/O

• PS2 keyboard
  
• Six USB 2.0 ports
  
• Two RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet sockets
  
• One 6-pin Firewire socket
  
• One eSATA port
  
• Backlit clear CMOS button

The load out may appear sparse but it's not all that bad - there are still a normal six USB 2.0 ports which are far enough apart so that you can use fat USB dongles or memory sticks. However we'd also argue that everything could be squeezed a lot tighter together to make space for another couple of USB ports, or they could be stuck on top of the Firewire and eSATA.

We're not whinging that much, after all we are pleased that Asus hasn't wasted rear I/O space to try and get in some heatsink fins like the original Maximus or made a huge void like there was on the DFI LANParty LT X48 T2R.

Only the PS2 keyboard is provided and that is perfectly fine by our books - there's very little reason for anyone to use a PS2 mouse unless you're stuck using an antiquated KVM, but most gamers in their right mind will be using something USB based with an LED or laser (to blind other gamers, naturally). The PS2 keyboard is always necessary though in order to get into the BIOS - some USB keyboards simply don't work right after boot up.

The reset CMOS button is always an inclusion we like to see and being backlit should make it easier to find at the back of a case in the dark. However, it is only at the back of a case making it inherently harder to reach in the first place. If you're using the board as a bench tester though and its either on your fandanglingly new Antec Skeleton, you post git, or like the rest of us sitting on a piece of foam or the box it came in - then keeping this button out of harm’s way is the best option to not accidentally press it. If your fat fingers are still fumbling enough to push it when inserting USB connectors though then you can always disable it using the on-board jumper - Asus has considered that as well.

BIOS

Like the P5Q the BIOS is very complete, with plenty of tweaking options to satisfy even the most hardcore of users. It's not super-crazy level of in-depth that very few people will ever use, but there's enough relevant and understandable stuff to play with that should keep nearly everyone busy in the Extreme Tweaker section.

There's every clock skew function you'll need - even down to a per-channel memory basis, but only 100ps adjustments are included rather than 50ps which some boards offer these days. The pitch black art of clock skews means that very few people will notice the difference though.

While it’s all well and good having lots of bits to play with and we do understand that the DRAM clock skews are kept close to the main memory settings is relevant, they are also the other end of the very long page to the other clock skews. These others are more closely related to the voltages and GTL Reference settings that also exist in the murky depths far below. We realise it's difficult to arrange everything and while sub-menus can mean you easily get lost, scrolling up and down can also be just as tedious - we're yet to find the perfect answer to this problem.


Plenty of voltage adjustments are included - all of which can be changed to a such fine level across every voltage, which is something we're used to seeing from digital PWMs. The voltages can also be typed in so you don’t have to scroll down for half an hour, and they also change colour according to how likely you are to do permanent damage too. If you're unfamiliar with how much juice to give it, it's a good guideline at least.

Oodles of memory timings are included to have fun with, and they are split into three major sections - the first of which many will concentrate on. This has all the usual adjustments but command rate is still missing. The performance level (tRD) is still very effective at increasing the memory performance quite considerably - we encourage playing with this and phase pull-ins along with different northbridge and memory clocks to get an optimal result. Asus even includes some special features we found useful in the OC Charger, Read Training, Static Read Control and AI Clock Twister Function.

Other unique features include the BIOS Flashback and EZ Flash function - the latter of which we've always found infinitely useful to flash new BIOS revisions from USB memory keys. The OC Profile finally has the ability to label the two profiles, but there is "only" a pair of them still rather than the dozen or so Gigabyte offers. That is, if you need that many.

All in all the BIOS has some excellent and intuitive features. While there is an element of restraint in its design, unlike say that of DFI which is all out craziness, we appreciate the wider appeal of Republic of Gamer boards. What we are still missing is the beta-BIOS program Asus has was previously harping on about back in May. Unlike DFI who has done it for years over at DFI-Street and now DFI Club - even Foxconn has its Quantum Force website dedicated for its super high-end range, so why still nothing from Asus? After all, we’ve seen portals for virtually everything else.

Finally the LCD Poster, something that has evolved from sitting on the rear I/O to being a desktop item, has become even more useful. In the past, it would just read-out things that happened during POST - that was very useful and far easier to decipher than the classic two digital LED readout on a motherboard, however after this it was about as functional as a taxidermied dog: it just sat there with a faux attention, and didn't want to play any more.


Now Asus has given it some life and made it far more useful - in addition to providing information when the board is POSTing, after this it will cycle a range of voltages for you to keep an eye on. It's ever so nearly as good as abit's old 3rd Eye LCD, but at a fraction of the cost. No one else does something like this and we think it's yet another fantastic addition.