ASUS Rampage III GENE review - mastering mATX - Mainboard - HEXUS.net

BIOS

Setting	Specifications (0404 BIOS)
CPU clock (BCLK)	100 - 500MHz in 1MHz increments
CPU multiplier	12x - 63x on Core i7 980X
Memory bus multiplier	6x (DDR3 800MHz) - 18x (DDR3-2,400MHz)
CPU voltage	0.85V - 2.50V in 0.00625V increments
Memory voltage	1.20575V - 2.50425V in 0.01325V increments
IOH core voltage	1.113V - 1.9V in 0.001325V increments
ICH I/O voltage	1.05V - 2.30V in 0.1V increments
ICH core voltage	1.113V - 2.00075V in 0.01325V increments

The board may be small on size but it certainly provides an enthusiast-class BIOS that's rife for tinkering with. We've barely scratched the surface with the listings, above, and ASUS' fan-control and DRAM tweaking is some of the best in the business.

If you're au fait with the black arts of BIOS optimisation, the board can be overclocked in minute detail. ASUS also makes it easy to auto-overclock the components using preset parameters.

A handy inclusion on this screen is the real-time temperature indicators; you'll know if the voltage is causing components to struggle.

Intel's Core i7 980X works straight off the bat, providing some serious beef for a mATX board.

Perhaps one of the most useful inclusions in any performance BIOS is the ability to store and load BIOSes at the touch of a few buttons. This is especially useful when there are so many settings that can be toggled through a wide range of voltages and speeds.

The board can be overclocked by a separate PC hooked up to the system via the iROG cable. You can also share BIOSes with friends through the O.C Profile utility.

The Rampage III GENE's BIOS is no different to any other premium ASUS board's, and that's a good thing as far as we're concerned.