ASUS Blitz Extreme

Over the years of reviewing ASUS products we've seen a number of interesting motherboards but the one we have our hands on for review today is one of the most interesting we have ever seen. This motherboard is the ASUS Blitz Extreme and packed onto this ATX PCB is Intel's P35 Chipset with ICH9R Southbridge, dual-channel DDR3-1333 memory support, CrossFire support, "voltiminder" LEDs, load-line calibration, Stack Cool 2, SupremeFX II audio, LCD poster display, and the ASUS Fusion Block System. The Fusion Block System is an integrated thermal hybrid cooler designed to cool the motherboard's chipset and other key components, but can also be inserted into your computer's water cooling loop for even greater performance. The ASUS Blitz Extreme belongs to their Republic of Gamers line with other motherboards such as the Striker Extreme, Blitz Formula, Crosshair, and Commando. This may be the ultimate gaming and overclocking platform, but how well does this $300+ USD motherboard work with Linux? We will tell you today.

Features:

Processor
· LGA-775 socket for Intel Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Duo / Pentium Extreme / Pentium D / Pentium 4 / Celeron D
· Support Intel next generation 45nm Multi-Core CPU
· Compatible with Intel 06/05B/05A processors

Chipset
· Intel P35/ICH9R with Intel Fast Memory Access Technology
· 1333/1066/800 MHz FSB

Memory
· Dual channel memory architecture
· 4 x DIMM, max. 8GB, DDR3-1333*/1066/800, non-ECC and un-buffered memory

Expansion Slots
· 2 x PCI Express x16 slot, support dual graphics solution
· 3 x PCI Express x1, PCIex1_1 (black) is compatible with audio slot
· 2 x PCI 2.2

CrossFire
· Support ATI CrossFire graphics cards (both at x8 mode)

Storage
· 6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports
· Intel Matrix Storage Technology supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10
· 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices
· 2 x External SATA 3.0 Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go)

LAN
· Dual Gigabit LAN controllers, both featuring AI NET2

High Definition Audio
· SupremeFX II Audio Card
· ADI 1988B 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC
· Noise Filter

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

Form Factor
· ATX Form Factor, 12"x 9.6" (30.5cm x 24.5cm)

Contents:

Among the many accessories included with the Blitz Extreme were six SATA cables, SATA power adapter, floppy and IDE cables, expansion slot bracket with USB and Firewire ports, LCD poster display, I/O shield, three thermal probes, rubber stand-offs, wire ties, fittings and clamps for water cooling, pack of Q-Connectors, optional fans, utility and driver DVD, and other Windows software such as 3DMark06 and STALKER. There is also a SupremeFX II riser card. With all of the contents from wire ties to water-cooling accessories, ASUS has thought of nearly everything to offer you the most luxurious experience when using their Blitz Extreme. The LCD BIOS poster is also very interesting and connects to one of the headers to report BIOS messages.

The ASUS SupremeFX II audio riser card is similar to Abit's AudioMAX HD card found on some of their motherboards such as the AW8-MAX, which provides all of the audio connectors on a riser card that is installed into an expansion slot due to a lack of room at the onboard I/O area.