Motherboard And Memory
Motherboard: Asus Rampage II Extreme
We haven’t finished our upcoming high-end X58 motherboard roundup yet, and instead made our choice based on a wide range of opinions from professional testers and competitive overclockers. With two of its three PCI Express (PCIe) x16 slots in advantageous locations, the Asus Rampage II Extreme easily supported our twin-graphics-unit configuration.
Read Customer Reviews of Asus' Rampage II Extreme
Performance and stability were primary considerations in our motherboard selection, neither of which is a problem for the Rampage II Extreme. However, a quick look at Newegg’s buyers' comments did turn up a few humorous examples of builders who didn’t know how to install an X58 motherboard. For example, many buyers have complained of boot failures when they filled DRAM slots 2-4-6 (white) rather than slots 1-3-5 (blue) with their three-module kits.
A complete description of the Rampage II Extreme will be forthcoming when it is reviewed.
Memory: 6.0 GB Mushkin Enhanced DDR3-1600 CAS 7
Mushkin’s 998679 6.0 GB triple-channel kit first got our attention as a high-end value in our recent high-end memory comparison, with a lower-than-average price and tight DDR3-1600 CAS 7-8-7-20 timings. As the third-best overclocker in that shootout, the kit was almost 50% cheaper than the second-place kit.
Read Customer Reviews of Mushkin's 6 GB DDR3-1600 CAS7 Kit
Recent discounts have made the 998679 triple-channel kit an even better value than it was when we selected it for this month’s build.
