ASUS wrote to HEXUS today to inform us that its latest Republic of Gamers (ROG) ATX motherboard, the 'Crossblade Ranger', will launch in the UK this month. The big news is that this is the first AMD FM2+ motherboard to come out of ASUS's gaming focussed ROG stable. This motherboard benefits from bringing many of the usual ROG gaming motherboard refinements to the AMD FM2+ platform including Intel Gigabit Ethernet, GameFirst III, LANGuard, SupremeFX 2014, Sonic SenseAmp and KeyBot.
Gaming performance
This new ASUS ROG motherboard uses something called the 'TurboV Processing Unit' (TPU) to auto-tune the Crossblade Ranger. Auto Tuning software can then optimise the CPU frequencies and ratios to offer precise voltage control and monitoring. ASUS provides some overclocking profiles to use and edit.
The ROG Front Base dual-bay gaming panel is also compatible with the Crossblade Ranger.
Gaming networking
The Crossblade Ranger includes Intel Gigabit Ethernet. ASUS has tweaked the RJ45 socket hardware using "advanced signal-coupling technology and premium surface-mounted capacitors improve throughput, while surge-protected and electrostatically-guarded components (ESD Guards) protect against lightning strikes and static-electricity discharges." It calls this tech 'LANGuard'. Additionally ROG exclusive 'GameFirst III' network optimization software prioritises gaming data on your network to help facilitate the best online gaming experience and clear, smooth team-chat.
Gaming audio
ASUS has designed the Crossblade Ranger motherboard using the ever more common isolation technology – where the audio processing components are kept away from others that may be major contributors to electromagnetic interference. The audio subsystem uses "premium ELNA audio capacitors" and eight-channel gold-plated audio outputs.
ASUS and ROG tech features impacting on the audio include Sonic SenseAmp, which auto detects what you have plugged into the front panel audio socket and Sonic SoundStage which offers one click audio settings to suit various genres of games. Sonic Radar II technology displays an overlay in FPS games showing "the precise direction and origin of in-game sounds such as gunshots, footsteps and call-outs, enabling them to hone enemy-pinpointing skills".
This new Crossblade Ranger also includes KeyBot. When attached to the dedicated gaming keyboard USB port your keyboard is "upgraded", with configurable macros, launch keys and media keys.
ASUS tells us that the Crossblade Ranger will be available this month in the UK from various retailers including Aria and Dabs. We weren't informed about pricing.
Specifications:
|
Processor/CPU socket |
AMD® FM2+ Socket for AMD A-series / Athlon® Series processors |
|
Chipset |
AMD A88X FCH (Bolton-D4) |
|
Memory |
4 x DIMMs, up to a maximum of 64GB, DDR3 2666 (O.C.) Supports AMD Memory Profile (AMP) memory |
|
Expansion slots |
2 x PCI Express 3.0*/2.0 x16 slots (red, single x16 or dual x8/x8 mode) 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (black, maximum x4 mode) 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots 2 x PCI slots *Only FM2+ processors support PCIe 3.0 |
|
Graphics (VGA) |
Integrated AMD Radeon™ R/HD8000/HD7000 Series Graphics in the A-Series APU Multi-VGA output support: HDMI/DVI/RGB port -Supports HDMI with maximum of resolution 4096 x 2160 at 24Hz and 1920 x 1200 at 60Hz -Supports DVI-D (DVI) with maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600 at 60Hz -Supports RGB (VGA) with maximum resolution 1920 x 1600 at 60Hz -Maximum shared memory of 2GB -Supports AMD Dual Graphics technology |
|
Multi-GPU |
AMD 3-way CrossFireX™ technology |
|
Storage |
8 x SATA 6Gbit/s connectors with RAID 0, RAID 1,RAID 5,RAID 10 and JBOD support |
|
Networking/LAN |
Intel® Gigabit Ethernet with GameFirst III and ASUS LANGuard |
|
USB |
6 x USB 3.0 ports (4 on back panel, 2 mid-board) 8 x USB 2.0 ports (2 on back panel, 6 mid-board) |
|
Audio |
ROG SupremeFX Formula 2014 8-channel high-definition audio - SupremeFX shielding technology - ELNA® premium audio capacitors - Content protection for full-rate lossless playback of DVD Audio, Blu-ray DVD, and HD-DVD audio content - Jack-detection, multi-streaming, front-panel jack-retasking - Optical S/PDIF-out port on back panel |
|
Dimensions / form factor |
ATX, 12 x 9.6in (30.5 x 24.4cm) |
