L'avvento di Nehalem segna anche per Intel, l'inizio dell'era delle CPU con Memory Controller integrato. Questo radicale cambio di architettura si è riflettuto su tutta la piattaforma: nuovo chipset, nuove interconnessioni.

La scheda madre che andremo ad analizzare è l'attuale punta di diamante dell'offerta ASUS, dedicata a chi non ammette compromessi e vuole spremere il massimo dal proprio sistema.


Eccovi una tabella riassuntiva delle caratteristiche:


CPU

Intel® Socket 1366 Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition/Core™ i7 Processor Supports Intel® Dynamic Speed Technology
* Refer to www.asus.com for Intel CPU support list


Chipset

Intel® X58 /ICH10R


Front Side Bus

Up to 6400 MT/s with QuickPath Interconnection

Memory

6 x DIMM, Max. 12 GB, DDR3 1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Triple channel memory architecture
* Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
**Due to Intel spec definition, DIMMs of DDR3-1333 or above are out of spec. Please refer to www.asus.com or user manual for the Memory QVL(Qualified Vendors List).


Slot di espansione

3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 support at x16, x8, x8, or dual x16 speed 2 x PCIe 2.0 x 1 ( the PCIEx1_1 (black) is compatible with audio slot)
1 x PCI 2.2

Multi GPU support

Support NVIDIA 3-Way SLIâ„¢ / ATI CrossFireXâ„¢ Technology
* We recommend that you use full tower chassis for building a 3-Way SLI system.

Storage

Intel ICH10R controller
6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports
Intel Matrix Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
JMicron® JMB363 PATA and SATA controller
1 xUltraDMA 133/100/66/33 for up to 2 PATA devices
1 xExternal SATA 3.0 Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go)
1 xSATA 3.0 Gb/s port


LAN

Dual Gigabit LAN controllers, both featuring AI NET2 Support Teaming Technology

Audio

SupremeFX X-Fi Audio Card
- ADI® AD2000B 8 -Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
- EAX® Advanced™ HD 4.0
- X-Fi CMSS®-3D
- X-Fi Crystalizerâ„¢
- Creative ALchemy
- Supports 1 x S/PDIF out header
- Supports Coaxial/Optical S/PDIF out ports on rear

USB

12 USB 2.0 ports (6 ports at mid-board, 6 ports at back panel)

Caratteristiche speciali

External LCD Poster
Onboard Switches: Power / Reset / Clr CMOS (at rear)
EL I/O
Q-Fan Plus
ROG BIOS Wallpaper
ASUS EPU-6 Engine
ASUS Q-Connector
ASUS Fan Xpert
ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
ASUS MyLogo3

Overclock

TweakIt
ProbeIt
Extreme Engine with ML Cap
- 16-phase CPU power
- 3-phase QPI/DRAM power
- 3-phase NB power
- 3-phase Memory power
- ML Caps on CPU, memory and NB respectively
CPU Level Up
iROG
Extreme Tweaker
BIOS Flashback
Loadline Calibration
Intelligent overclocking tools:
- AI Gear 4â„¢
- ASUS AI Booster Utility
- O.C Profile
Overclocking Protection:
- COP EX (Component Overheat Protection - EX)
- Voltiminder LED
- ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)


Porte I/O Back Panel

1 x PS/2 Keyboard port(purple)
1 x External SATA port
2 x LAN (RJ45) port
6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
1 x IEEE1394a port
1 x Clr CMOS switch

Connettori I/O interni

3 x USB connectors supports additional 6 USB 2.0 ports
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
1 x IDE connector
7 x SATA connectors
1 x IEEE 1394a connector
1 x Chassis Fan connector
x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector
24-pin ATX Power connector
1 x EL I/O Shield Connector
3 x thermal sensor connector
1 x En/Dis-able Clr CMOS connector
System Panel
8 x Fan connectors: 1 x CPU / 1 x PWR / 3 x Chassis / 3 x Optional
8 x ProbeIt connectors
1 x LCD Poster connector
1 x BIOS FlashBack boot up selection header
1 x ROG light connector

BIOS

16 Mb Flash ROM
AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI2.0a Multi-Language BIOS

Accessori

ProbeIt Cable
3-Way SLI Cable
SLI Cable
ASUS Optional Fan
SupremeFX X-Fi Audio Card
External LCD Poster
3 in 1 ASUS Q-Connector Kit
UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
SATA cables
SATA power cables
2-port USB2.0 + IEEE 1394a module
EL I/O Shield
Thermal sensor cables
Cable Ties
User's manual

Software incluso

Support DVD:
- Drivers and applications
Sound Blaster X-Fi Utility
Futuremark® 3DMark® Vantage Advanced Edition
Kaspersky® Anti-Virus
ASUS TurboV utility
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS Update
ASUS AI Suite

Form Factor

ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 10.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 26.9 cm )
* One inch greater than standard ATX form factor