Software Suite - SoundBlaster SupremeFX X-Fi

On the motherboard you'll also spot a little ASIC from Creative Labs, this is the SupremeFX X-Fi which offers support for Creative Labs’ Crystaliser, CMSS3D and EAX technologies, SupremeFX X-Fi delivers the more realistic audio in games. This iteration of SupremeFX X-Fi also supports Blu-ray output.

[Ed - I love your "English" screen shots Hilbert, right readers, lets play "guess that phrase"]

It works lovely, sounds great. Obviously if you need really high SNRs, you still might want to go and get a dedicated soundcard, but yeah .. this solution is pretty okay.

What completely blows though is that the Software Suite needs to be activated through the web with a serial key the size of New York. A downright annoying process as only after you have registered extra components can be installed.

Software Suite

As a Republic of Gamers motherboard you'll also find an extensive software suite along with the motherboard.

Below for example you can see the PC Probe II software. The ASUS PC Probe is a simple utility that monitors vital information in the computer such as fan rotations, voltages and temperature. Additionally, it gives system information such as hard disk space, memory usage, CPU type and processor speed. After installation, the application resides in the taskbar and provides audio warning through the PC speakers if certain thresholds such as temperature and voltage have been exceeded. If your system is overclocked, remember to raise the appropriate warning limits or face frequent warning pop-ups

Another application is the AI Suite - every motherboard vendor has their own suite of software that accompanies their hardware. ASUS has their AI Suite which includes a power management tool, overclocking tool, and hardware monitor tool.

ASUS now also includes software called ASUS ROG Connect, which actually allows you to overclock the PC from another PC, say you laptop. So if the overclocked PC crashes, you reboot and will still have the settings available at say that laptop. Change them, apply them and you are good to go.

You make the connection with the help of a special USB cable (power line cut), and in the near future it will even be possible to utilize this connection to flash the BIOS of the motherboard, even if it died completely after say a firmware crash.

TurboV EVO - The mainboard offers a advanced TurboV overclocking application enabling overclocking and voltage control without rebooting the PC. Also here included is an a tuning suite which will be testing and stressing the processor for nearly an hour .. yet you'll retrieve an automated overclock stable at 3.7 GHz (at least on our CPU).

* sorry for the lousy screenshots, but the ASUS software uses some sort of weird overlay that doesn't allow for screenshots, hence some screenshots from ASUS.