ASUS launches its Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage III Extreme and Maximus III Extreme motherboards in North America today.

The Extreme series is engineered from the ground up for high performance, stability, overclocking prowess, and most of all, reliability under extreme conditions, according to Asus.

Solid and efficient power management is something every overclocker and enthusiast knows is critical in board design. ASUS? new Extreme Engine Digi+, included on the Intel X58 based Rampage III Extreme and Intel P55 equipped Maximus III Extreme, allows new levels of control and performance by combining the best in digital and analog PWM designs.

New features include new LN2 mode and Q-Reset options that minimize cold boot problems during extreme overclocking along with dual 8-pin ATX power connectors and dual 4-pin Molex plugs to ensure proper is available to the CPU and Video cards respectively. In addition, the boards offer the ability to disable or enable the individual PCI Express x16 lanes so users can optimize the location of their video cards if custom cooling solutions are utilized or for debugging various setups.

ASUS implemented a new USB based BIOS flashing system that does not require a CPU, Memory or Video Card to update the BIOS. All the user needs is a working power supply to quickly update either onboard BIOS chip. The new ROG Connect software offers overclocking and monitoring tools that can be controlled with a smart phone or a separate computer via quick connect technology.

The Rampage III Extreme and Maximus III Extreme also incorporate the latest in I/O technologies with full support for true SATA 6G and USB 3. The Rampage III Extreme introduces an Intel based Gigabit network controller.

The Rampage III Extreme and Maximus III Extreme are available now at authorized ASUS retailers for an MSRP of $399 and $349 respectively.