Conclusions
The DX48BT2 motherboard proves Intel is indeed capable of building a decent enthusiast-oriented motherboard complete with overclocking and tweaking options. The Bonetrail board even has a leg up on the Rampage Formula in the features department, offering a third PCI Express x16 slot and external Serial ATA connectivity. Unfortunately, that's not enough to make up for the board's shortfalls, which include SATA port layout problems and BIOS quirks that make overclocking more frustrating that it needs to be. It doesn't help that the board is no faster than much cheaper alternatives or that it's bound to extremely expensive DDR3 memory.

The BT2 isn't a bad board by any stretch, and at $244 online, it's one of the most affordable X48-based motherboards on the market. But it's just not up to the standard set by Asus' Rampage Formula. The Asus board has better BIOS functionality, a superior layout, additional features like an external CMOS reset button and POST code display, and apparently greater overclocking headroom. Throw in a copy of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and all the money you'll save by being able to use DDR2 memory, and we'd be more inclined to pay the higher $292 asking price for the Rampage.

Not that Asus has the perfect, er, formula for the X48 Express. The Rampage's lack of eSATA connectivity and its slow Firewire chip are a little embarrassing for such a high-end offering. Asus would have done well to take advantage of the X48 Express' support for more than two-way CrossFire configurations, as well. But the real problem that besets the Rampage Formula, and indeed all other X48 motherboards, is the fact that they offer little or no performance advantage over much cheaper alternatives based on the P35 Express chipset.

Then again, high-end motherboards are probably more about bragging rights and convenience than sheer value. By those standards, the Rampage Formula is certainly a better option than the DX48BT2.