ASUS has some serious new hardware for PC overclocking zealots, to be shown for the first time at this week’s CeBIT in Hannover. The Republic of Gamers Crosshair IV Formula looks like it’s about to go sentient or something with a host of intelligent features that promote overclocking, even among those still new to the art.
As you can see, the board keeps up the ROG look, but it’s what’s under the bonnet that makes it really interesting.
Now we’re talking, look at those. That O.C button controls Turbo Key II, an auto tuning interface that can also run from software. Then there’s Core Unlocker next to it, doing literally that – it takes a multi-core CPU and “discovers” cores left inactive in the fab process for extra power.
Crosshair IV Formula runs the AMD890FX chipset and packs CPU Level Up, an engine that adds instant speed bursts to accelerate specific tasks as needed.
This board even has four selectable PCI slots for your graphics cards – making it easy to troubleshoot and optimize trial-and-error style.
ROG Connect enables remote overclocking, say from a laptop – benchmark while overclocking, always a nice touch. And GameFirst? Why, real time bandwidth management. It basically prioritizes the board’s networking capabilities to give online games the speed they need.
The thermal design can withstand intense heat, so the overclocking threshold we expect to be significantly high with this ROG model, compared to non-gamer varieties. The Republic of Gamers CPU heat sink makes for very nice adornment.
Sound is taken care of by the SupremeFX integrated chipset, with surround sound for more immersive gaming.
Pretty much all the I/O you need to build a massive system on, and besides, with mobos like the Crosshair IV Formula, it’s the speed that counts and it has that in spades.
Check this space for more CeBIT updates, it’s going to be a very exciting time around here!
