Final thoughts and rating
ASUS has been the first big-name manufacturer to release a micro-ATX Intel X58 motherboard to the channel. We've seen at least one before, on Dell's Studio XPS, but that was a specific mATX mobo for the OEM market. Now, MSI and DFI have followed ASUS' lead and announced small form-factor boards for Intel's fastest chips.Part of the avantgarde Republic of Gamers range, the Rampage II GENE is chock-full of high-end extras arranged over a well-thought out and sensible layout. In effect, ASUS has crammed practically all the features you would expect to see on a regular ATX-sized motherboard into a mATX form factor, and it should be applauded for that. The BIOS is strong, as is the performance, and overclocking is good. Indeed, we come away with the feeling that ASUS couldn't have done much more to improve the GENE for folk looking to house Core i7 in a small chassis.
The question that we have to answer is whether it's worth the £200 asking price? Recent competition has reduced the price of an entry-level X58 chipset-based mainboard to £150 and ASUS' own P6T SE, available for £160, gives enthusiasts a greater degree of flexibility, especially with respect to graphics. One is effectively paying a £40 premium to shrink it down and add a bunch of ROG-specific features. The full-sized board, Ramage II Extreme, costs a whopping £283.10, albeit with the kitchen sink thrown in.
Compressing the conclusion: don't care about space? Then the Rampage II GENE isn't for you, obviously. Want a motherboard with solid performance, stability and great feature-set that will fit into smaller chassis? Then the premium is more than made up for by what the GENE II offers.
Bottom line: ASUS has identified a niche in the high-end desktop market and the Rampage II GENE fills it well, augmenting the existing line-up with aplomb. It's recommend on the proviso that space - or lack thereof - is the most important criterion in your purchasing decision. Now we just wait for a sub-£150 version for the upcoming Core i5 chips.
HEXUS Rating
We consider any product score above '50%' as a safe buy. The higher the score, the higher the recommendation from HEXUS to buy. Simple, straightforward buying advice.
The rating is given in relation to the category the component competes in, therefore the motherboard is evaluated with respect to our 'high-end components' criteria.
ASUS Rampage II GENE mATX X58 motherboard
HEXUS Awards
ASUS Rampage II GENE mATX
X58 motherboard
HEXUS Where2Buy
The ASUS
Rampage II GENE mATX
X58 motherboard
is currently available for £201.12,
including delivery* from Scan.co.uk.
*As always, UK-based HEXUS.community discussion forum members will benefit from the SCAN2HEXUS Free Shipping initiative, which will save you a further few pounds plus also top-notch, priority customer service and technical support backed up by the SCANcare@HEXUS forum.
It is also available from C3Computers for £195.11, and from Ebuyer.co.uk for £207.26.
*As always, UK-based HEXUS.community discussion forum members will benefit from the SCAN2HEXUS Free Shipping initiative, which will save you a further few pounds plus also top-notch, priority customer service and technical support backed up by the SCANcare@HEXUS forum.
It is also available from C3Computers for £195.11, and from Ebuyer.co.uk for £207.26.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
