Review: ASUS Rampage II GENE: microATX mobo for Intel Core i7 chips

by Tarinder Sandhu on 13 May 2009, 08:49 3.8

Tags: Rampage II GENE, ASUSTeK (TPE:2357), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), PC

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qar6r

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Bundle and warranty





The deluxe nature of the board is reinforced by the bundle. ASUS uses its buying might to throw in full editions of 3DMark06 Advanced Edition and, usefully, Kaspersky's Anti-Virus software. There's the usual gamut of ASUS utilities on the driver CD, including PC Probe II and Update, but we're a touch miffed as to why only two SATA cables are provided when no real expense has been spared elsewhere.

An external LCD Poster is also bundled for good measure, and it serves to provide a basic reference when the motherboard is running through the POST sequence. ASUS' user guide, as usual, delves into decent detail, particularly with respect to the overclocking section.

The bundle, whilst good, isn't quite as comprehensive as the packaging suggests. You're not left high and dry, sure, but ASUS should have gone the extra mile and included all the cables you would probably need for a fresh build.

Warranty

As with all its boards, ASUS provides a three-year return-to-base-warranty from the date of purchase on the customer's receipt. This is transferable between owners as long as the original receipt is retained.

This warranty is dealt with through ASUS UK, so returns are made to a UK address. ASUS says that turnaround for hardware that's found to be faulty will be no more than 14 working days - longer than we would ideally like to see.