ASUS RAMPAGE II GENE (Retail) : ROG. X58 m-ATX preview

Removed stock NB sink/heatpipe and replaced the yellow cake with ceramique. My temps are much improved after this, although I wonder if I may have caused the overheating due to the long screw I used to mount the NC-U6. When I removed the NB sink, it looks like I put the screw in so deep it put a mark on the edge of the NB chip, no damage, but may have separated sink to chip contact some. So don't noob it up like me, be careful!

Also replaced my Noctua with the Corair H50. Damned nice part that. :up:

I will try to get more detailed temps after I replace Vista w/ Win 7 tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by canislupy

Removed stock NB sink/heatpipe and replaced the yellow cake with ceramique. My temps are much improved after this, although I wonder if I may have caused the overheating due to the long screw I used to mount the NC-U6. When I removed the NB sink, it looks like I put the screw in so deep it put a mark on the edge of the NB chip, no damage, but may have separated sink to chip contact some. So don't noob it up like me, be careful!

Also replaced my Noctua with the Corair H50. Damned nice part that. :up:

I will try to get more detailed temps after I replace Vista w/ Win 7 tomorrow.

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"Yellow cake" is the best description I've heard for that compound! It's very easy to use a screw that's too long, I agree, I almost did it myself but then held the screw vertically on the board to check the length and found the first few screws I wanted to use were too long. I ended up buying two M3 screws, the "cheese-head" type which are 10mm long, from a local hardware shop. My Noctua U6 is keeping my temperatures to a maximum of 52 C. The CPU heatsink fan being right next to it helps as well.

65C NB temps when running games. This is compared to 80C prior to replacing the yellow cake.

Damn, 65°C ? Now i'm tempted to remove that crap and place MX-2 there instead. Just a question, where can thermal compound be used?
NB and SB only or also on mosfets?

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Originally Posted by RejZoR

Damn, 65°C ? Now i'm tempted to remove that crap and place MX-2 there instead. Just a question, where can thermal compound be used?
NB and SB only or also on mosfets?

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Good question I would also would like to know as well... Also what is better using MX-2 or ArticSilver instead?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RejZoR

Damn, 65°C ? Now i'm tempted to remove that crap and place MX-2 there instead. Just a question, where can thermal compound be used?
NB and SB only or also on mosfets?

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I get 52 C maximum just by leaving the stock cooling there and adding a Noctua U6 on top. That "crap" isn't the best, I'll admit, but in my case it's doing its job just fine, all it needed was extra metal to absorb the heat. If I add the Antec Spot Cool fan it drops to approximately 50 C.

Compound can be used on the NB, SB and CPU. It's not advisable to use thermal compound on the MOSFETs, usually those are cooled with a long heatsink with a thermal pad under it. The reason is the MOSFETs all sit at slightly different levels and the thermal pad can compensate for this.

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Originally Posted by Lu(ky

Good question I would also would like to know as well... Also what is better using MX-2 or ArticSilver instead?

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I was going to say MX-2, but when I used it recently it had a gritty consistency which ended up scratching the base of my copper heatsink. I now use Noctua NT-H1, excellent performance, good reviews and there's no curing time with it (unlike the ~200 hours with AS5).

MX-2 all the way. Yeah i was wondering that because mosfets usually use that gummy thingie. How thick is the "cake" thingie on NB?
Would removing it cause any allignment problems with mosfets since they are connected with NB using heatpipe? If it's too thick and i replace it with thin layer of MX-2, there might be a problem...

Should be no alignment problems at all. The NB sink has foam standoffs as it is. I used two thin layers of ceramique, no problems.

Does anyone know where I can get spare R.O.G. Metallic Case Stickers? I seem to have lost mine and would really like to put one on my case.

Also, here's a nice background a guy called SAVE made for us ROG users =)
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?...Language=en-us :D

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Originally Posted by ReignsOfPower

Does anyone know where I can get spare R.O.G. Metallic Case Stickers? I seem to have lost mine and would really like to put one on my case.

Also, here's a nice background a guy called SAVE made for us ROG users =)
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?...Language=en-us :D

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You mean that big spikey red and white sticker that comes in the box? I would imagine Asus could supply one, or you can have the one I have if you want, I'm planning on binning it.

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Originally Posted by aln688

You mean that big spikey red and white sticker that comes in the box? I would imagine Asus could supply one, or you can have the one I have if you want, I'm planning on binning it.

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LOl nah not that fancy one. I was after the small square metallic one with the ROG logo on it. Kinda the size of the i7 sticker/badge you get with a CPU. :P


[EDIT] - This one:
http://www.tbreak.com/wp-content/upl...sshair3_02.jpg
The sticker next to the cable ties on the right.

I'll gladly pay for it / buy you a Steam game gift / give you a Razer Voucher etc.

I'll probably replace that "cake" with MX-2 today on chipset. And i have to modify bios with SHODAN image for boot screen.
I used to have it on P5Q Dlx but now i'm too lazy to install that MyLogo app or whatever it is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ReignsOfPower

Does anyone know where I can get spare R.O.G. Metallic Case Stickers? I seem to have lost mine and would really like to put one on my case.

Also, here's a nice background a guy called SAVE made for us ROG users =)
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?...Language=en-us :D

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And then you buy a new case :)

sorry had some beer tonight :)

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=656320

Just installed an Antec Spot Cool and it lowered my NB load temps from 61C to 51C. Memory, SB, and MB temps are all lower as well (I can't tell you exactly much).
This is on stock NB cooling with AS ceramique. This is the old fan setup I had, the 70mm in the corner is still there, but the 70mm fan over the RAM was replaced by a Spot Cool angled towards the NB at a 45 degree angle and placed directly over the RAM:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../VideoCard.jpg

Anyone reporting better findings with new bios? I'm still on the older one... Is the 20 second boot up process taken care of yet? It's bloody annoying.

Hi guys im going to buy this mobo but do you think i need to get the Apogee GTZ 1366 backplate or can I use the GENE´s 775 mounting holes and my existing GTZ 775 backplate?

20 second boot up process? Mine boots quite fast... this the cold boot problem still? I have had it happen to me, but rarely. And not at all in the last couple of weeks.

I don't think believe it's a cold boot option, but it takes about 25 seconds to even start reading from the hard drive. when I eventually change to the newer bios i hope it fixes it...

I am on 904, and am using Raid-0 for Intel X25-M 80GB drives (black).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...0Rig/40Ghz.jpg

I was running mine at 200x20 (Turbo off). But the heat load was simply too high to be handled by Big Shuriken. So i've downclocked it back to 3,4GHz (160x21, Turbo on).

Has anyone tried a Megahalem and 3x2GB Dominator GT's on this board with a push pull setup? I'm not sure it will clear the RAM heatsinks as it's a bit fatter than the TRUE. :confused:

Also, would 2x 1200rpm push pull S-Flex's perform better than 1x 1900RPM S-FLEX on this unit? I don't have any experience with a Megahalem, but I have ordered a Mega Shadow because I loved its looks.

I'll be using 120x120x25mm fans b.t.w.

Thanks guys lol

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Originally Posted by ReignsOfPower

Has anyone tried a Megahalem and 3x2GB Dominator GT's on this board with a push pull setup? I'm not sure it will clear the RAM heatsinks as it's a bit fatter than the TRUE. :confused:

Also, would 2x 1200rpm push pull S-Flex's perform better than 1x 1900RPM S-FLEX on this unit? I don't have any experience with a Megahalem, but I have ordered a Mega Shadow because I loved its looks.

I'll be using 120x120x25mm fans b.t.w.

Thanks guys lol

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So you were lured in by the Mega Shadow's looks? I doubt its performance will be any better than your TRUE. In my opinion push/pull is a waste of time. I've tried it numerous times and witnessed only 1 or 2 degrees of a difference. If it were 38mm fans in a push/pull configuration you may see more of a difference, but with our setup (MB/CPU heatsink/case) that's not possible. I would opt for a powerful single fan instead.

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Originally Posted by aln688

So you were lured in by the Mega Shadow's looks? I doubt its performance will be any better than your TRUE. In my opinion push/pull is a waste of time. I've tried it numerous times and witnessed only 1 or 2 degrees of a difference. If it were 38mm fans in a push/pull configuration you may see more of a difference, but with our setup (MB/CPU heatsink/case) that's not possible. I would opt for a powerful single fan instead.

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Actually, if you try to mount push pull on our setup with my left to right orientation for the heatsink, u will soon find out the fan clips interfere too much with the NB heatsink to do. I'm forced to use a single loud 1900rpm 37db S-Flex 120x120x25mm fan.

The fan mounting mechanism is a bit different on the Mega Shadow, hence two fans mounting will work beautiful. Therefore 2x1200rpm 20db fans will give a similar CFM as a 1900rpm (as that's cumulative) but, run much quieter as loudness is a logarithmic scale (its not 20db + 20db = 40db). That, coupled with the Mega Shadow and its less restrictive airflow design (TRUE's need a good static pressure), will work perfectomondo.

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Originally Posted by ReignsOfPower

Actually, if you try to mount push pull on our setup with my left to right orientation for the heatsink, u will soon find out the fan clips interfere too much with the NB heatsink to do. I'm forced to use a single loud 1900rpm 37db S-Flex 120x120x25mm fan.

The fan mounting mechanism is a bit different on the Mega Shadow, hence two fans mounting will work beautiful. Therefore 2x1200rpm 20db fans will give a similar CFM as a 1900rpm (as that's cumulative) but, run much quieter as loudness is a logarithmic scale (its not 20db + 20db = 40db). That, coupled with the Mega Shadow and its less restrictive airflow design (TRUE's need a good static pressure), will work perfectomondo.

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Loud? You should try my Sanyo Denki 9G1212H401 88CFM/40dBA fan! :) Actually after a few minutes you get used to it, as odd as that sounds. That fan is quite good though, even with the 4870 X2 heating things up it keeps the U6 cool and the CPU cooler, it's got that magic high static pressure for CPU coolers like this (Megahalems). Sounds great though, I'll be expecting a high resolution picture of that Mega Shadow installed. Also let me know what method you use for applying the compound, personally I spread it with a credit card and the temperatures are very acceptable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aln688

Loud? You should try my Sanyo Denki 9G1212H401 88CFM/40dBA fan! :) Actually after a few minutes you get used to it, as odd as that sounds. That fan is quite good though, even with the 4870 X2 heating things up it keeps the U6 cool and the CPU cooler, it's got that magic high static pressure for CPU coolers like this (Megahalems). Sounds great though, I'll be expecting a high resolution picture of that Mega Shadow installed. Also let me know what method you use for applying the compound, personally I spread it with a credit card and the temperatures are very acceptable.

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Teaser lol

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9...g0432yd.th.jpg

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Originally Posted by ReignsOfPower

Teaser lol

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9...g0432yd.th.jpg

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You're terrible. :) At least show us the heatsink, the manual, the retention mechanism, anything but the box!

This better? (Die 56k!!!) :D (Excuse us for the offtopic-ness by the way lol)

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/3536/img0433f.th.jpg

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9383/img0434o.th.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3651/img0436mp.th.jpg

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Originally Posted by ReignsOfPower

This better? (Die 56k!!!) :D (Excuse us for the offtopic-ness by the way lol)

...

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Not bad! Very much like my Megahalems, although the base on your heat-sink is mirrored. The back-plate looks different as well. Not enough changes to move from my Megahalems, but minor improvements it seems. So just one question? Why isn't it in your system yet?! :)

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Originally Posted by aln688

Not bad! Very much like my Megahalems, although the base on your heat-sink is mirrored. The back-plate looks different as well. Not enough changes to move from my Megahalems, but minor improvements it seems. So just one question? Why isn't it in your system yet?! :)

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Not in the system because I'm still looking for some "Animals" - getting rid of the GT's cause I'm not happy with their compatibility. If I cant find the animals, I'll grab a set of your ram. They should do CL7 @ 1600MHz no problem at 4.2GHz right?

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Originally Posted by ReignsOfPower

Not in the system because I'm still looking for some "Animals" - getting rid of the GT's cause I'm not happy with their compatibility. If I cant find the animals, I'll grab a set of your ram. They should do CL7 @ 1600MHz no problem at 4.2GHz right?

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Oh I see. Yes, my RAM runs perfectly with CL7 @ 1600 MHz, the CPU is at 4.0 GHz and the RAM actually runs at 1603 MHz according to the BIOS. You won't have the height problem the GT's have, the XMS3 modules sit snugly under the CPU heat-sink. These XMS3 modules work great.

is there an issue with this board and SLI gtx295s?

both my cards work great alone.... and each card works fine in either slot... but 2 in SLI causes discoloration, tearing, pixilation, etc. anything physx locks the machine up.

i've reinstalled OS many times, used different drivers, different power supplies, different ram. no fix.

same hardware on my UD5 works flawlessly.

whats going on here?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fitseries3

is there an issue with this board and SLI gtx295s?

both my cards work great alone.... and each card works fine in either slot... but 2 in SLI causes discoloration, tearing, pixilation, etc. anything physx locks the machine up.

i've reinstalled OS many times, used different drivers, different power supplies, different ram. no fix.

same hardware on my UD5 works flawlessly.

whats going on here?

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I haven't read of a compatibility problem using two video cards in SLI, especially the NVidia 295s. Did you use the same OS and hardware drivers on your RIIG and UD5?

yes. tried win 7 x64 b7600 on both as well as vista HP x64 and xp32. all have the same issue.

perhaps could be a problem with the RIIG?

like i said, it works perfect on the ud5 in all 3 OSes

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fitseries3

yes. tried win 7 x64 b7600 on both as well as vista HP x64 and xp32. all have the same issue.

perhaps could be a problem with the RIIG?

like i said, it works perfect on the ud5 in all 3 OSes

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Maybe there's a setting in the BIOS on the RIIG that somehow limits or alters the performance of the PCI Express slots in SLI. You could try completely resetting the BIOS back to defaults, then alter the must-have settings such as ACPI/HDD in order to boot to Windows, try that. Also make sure you're on the latest BIOS, which I believe is 0904.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fitseries3

is there an issue with this board and SLI gtx295s?

both my cards work great alone.... and each card works fine in either slot... but 2 in SLI causes discoloration, tearing, pixilation, etc. anything physx locks the machine up.

i've reinstalled OS many times, used different drivers, different power supplies, different ram. no fix.

same hardware on my UD5 works flawlessly.

whats going on here?

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Double-check your SLI bridge.

I didn't have issues with 9800GT's and 285GTX in SLI, which bios are you using ?

0904 bios.

Can someone tell me what's the trick of those dual holes next to the CPU socket (for CPU cooler)? I haven't measured them yet, but is it possible that one set of holes is for LGA775 coolers and another (outer) set of holes for LGA1366 coolers? I've seen similar feature in some other review (for some P55 mobo), but couldn't find anything for Rampage II Gene. At least not on ASUS webpage.

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Originally Posted by RejZoR

Can someone tell me what's the trick of those dual holes next to the CPU socket (for CPU cooler)? I haven't measured them yet, but is it possible that one set of holes is for LGA775 coolers and another (outer) set of holes for LGA1366 coolers? I've seen similar feature in some other review (for some P55 mobo), but couldn't find anything for Rampage II Gene. At least not on ASUS webpage.

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Yep you got it, you can use either 775 or 1366 heatsink

Facepalm. How i missed this info before. Ah well. I just ordered Thermalright AXP-140 with Scythe Slip Stream Slim 120mm 2000RPM.
Seriously, this has been bothering me ever since i bought i7 920. Not having it at 4GHz is a real shame. But Big Shuriken is hitting 100°C almost as soon as i give some serious work to the CPU. I hope this will solve the heat problem :D

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Originally Posted by scottc19

Yep you got it, you can use either 775 or 1366 heatsink

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This isn't entirely true. Because of the surrounding component and the 1366 backplate, you're going to have to test which coolers will clear both the front and back of the motherboard components. My Ultima 90's stock backplate would not clear, so I had to get a 1366 bracket for it. The Ultima 90 is going in my 'old' RII Gene, I'm still using the HR01+ in my new RII Gene.

Push-pin Intel stock-type mounting (which I despise) will give you the least fitment problems if you're using a S775 heat sink.

Grabbed one of these beasts this week.

The mobo stock is super hot...damm.

Changed the thermal paste on sb and nb + sb fan 40mm + nb/cpu mb power phases 120mm fan...

getting 48/50 sb, 48/50 nb - both idle at 4Ghz

Need a 920 DO or a Xeon... not bad this 920(C0) but a D0 should rock on it.

I was checking the images of RIIG mobo back images and there seems to be some sort of metal shielding in the back of the mobo (under CPU socket). My system is hard to dissasemble, so i'm asking here (and i don't remember how it looked). Is there really a metal backplate there? Coz i think i'll have a problem with a AXP-140 cooler backplate.
I mean is it possible to place it over that thing?

You have an image of it on hexus yes http://img.hexus.net/v2/motherboards...G_5635-big.jpg

I hadn't have trouble fitting the backplate for my waterblock, it's just goes around it.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Images/Products/1000149-a.jpg

Before I got the 1366 mount for my Apogee GTZ, I used the 775 hole and the backplate over the mobo metal thingy:)

It worked fine but the backplate will bend abit but nothing to worry about.

Thanks guys. I'll just add 4 plastic washers under the cooler backplate so it won't bend over the edge of the socket backplate :) Should be fairly easy to make them. Same thickness as the socket backplate.

Hi, I need an advice. I'm arguing with a friend who also decided to join Intel, and I've recommended him the same RIG as mine:
Rampage II Gene
920 D0
OCZ 1866 Reaper
He is afraid that this MOBO won't be able to handle high loads, and won't support the upcoming 6 core CPU's. Also he thinks that it'll be ugly inside his Aurora case. The main problem is that he is short on money, and after selling his AMD rig he'll need an extra 250$, and a lot more if he chose to get the big Xtreme brother. Are there any real advantages of the full ATX board in terms of overclocking a 920 (except sound card, and the extra slots), that are worth the extra $?
He'll use a single VGA, no SATA controllers, and nothing external at all.

The advice I would give is to let your friend look at the i5 750 or i7 860 tbh. He doesn't seem to be a power user at all (avaible money/system usage), so even the 860 might be too much.

He is well prepared overclocker, I've just convinced him to let AM3 bulshhhhh and get the i7. He already has got a high end liquid cooling system and 850W PCP&C. The problem with the 1156 is that the new CPU's are still too hot and not very good for OC, as they will become in few months after the release of the rev.2 (like D0 for 920). We also compared prices here in Bulgaria and it doesn't matter what you get.

Also which do you think is better R2G or Foxconn Flaming Blade? He can't accept that the R2G is mATX, and only for this reason he want's to take the Foxconn.

Core i7 doesn't seem to overclock much better on extreme end motherboards. Sure you have slightly more freedom and options but in the end most of them go up to 4GHz quite easily. Though i wouldn't change RIIG for anything else :P I just love this small bottle of poison.
I thin buying i7 920 was a smart thing. It's a great CPU. But if your friend is low, on budget, then LGA1156 CPU could be a slightly cheaper option.

Btw, i've installed Thermalright AXP-140 today on LGA775 holes. The trick with plastic washers worked like a charm. But then i had to drill 4 holes in the motherboard holding plate because the screews were sticking out too much. Cools the CPU 10°C better than Scythe Big Shuriken. Thermalright is pricey but damn, they make high quality products, thats for sure.

He shouldn't care about the size concerning performance tbh. I overclocked with a GigaByte GA-G33M-DS2R on 775 and now with a Asus Rampage II Gene for 1366.
And you don't see much of the mobo in a case, and that's even assuming you look at your mobo instead of your screen.

Tell your friend that prejudice is a waste of his life ;)

You are absolutely right, but I wasn't able to convince him, as instead he bought ASUS Crosshair III Formula. At least he spared the extra 250$.
You reminded me of my old ASUS P5E-VM HDMI, which still is the best mATX ever, I was able to OC my Q6600@3,8 GHz rock solid on air, just with a pencil in real time when the PC was working. I was monitoring the GPU-Z while scratching with the pencil, until the VCORE was just right. Ah the good old days.

Is this board Windows 7 compatible? I did not see any Drivers for it?

@Lu(ky Just use the Vista drivers included in the CD. You won't have any problems.

Question did anyone take off stock paste on N/S sections? And add new paste? I see on the memory section they use pads if I take this off can I use something else there like paste MX2 etc.. This area looks thick I hate to take it off to leave a gab. But I thought I read somewhere this board cooks and it should be taken off. My board is new never used yet planning on starting tonight with it. I hate to use it and have the stuff embedded into the N/S chips. Thanks

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Originally Posted by Lu(ky

Question did anyone take off stock paste on N/S sections? And add new paste? I see on the memory section they use pads if I take this off can I use something else there like paste MX2 etc.. This area looks thick I hate to take it off to leave a gab. But I thought I read somewhere this board cooks and it should be taken off. My board is new never used yet planning on starting tonight with it. I hate to use it and have the stuff embedded into the N/S chips. Thanks

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There's absolutely no need to replace the compound on the NB chip. Simply removing the modular piece and placing a heatsink there and/or a fan blowing over the NB area will cool down the NB nicely, as I've evidenced myself and the review at Hardware Canucks. I'm skeptical replacing the stock NB compound with something similar to MX-2 or AS5 will make a difference, there's no definitive evidence.

I did however replace the compound on the SB, it was a white oily substance which had almost disappeared, I put Noctua NT-H1 on there instead, and pushed the stock Asus heatsink back in place - however, I doubt even that was necessary. Out of the two the NB heats up the most and adding more metal to absorb the heat is a good idea, as well as plenty of airflow.

I have run this mobo at 220BCLK, and 4,3Ghz Uncore (Benchmarks), but I still want more. So i'm asking if you know any mods for this mobo, feel free to tell 'em to me.

PS. Do you have problems with PCI-E clocks? If I set over 103 PCI-E, Soundcard and network won't work.

5145 MHZ I7 975 EXTREME EDITION / ASUS RAMPAGE II GENE / LN2 -78c :caution:

CPUZ VALIDATE: http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=714352

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9185/geneju.jpg

Changed NB/SB thermal paste to Thermal fusion 400 and NB Idle temps 41-43c and SB idle temps 52-54c P95 loads temps go up only by 3-4c NB also has a 40mm fan attached. This in a crap V9 case (temporary case) and both 23cm fans top and side panel have been removed.

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/3663/occt21024x768.png

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/9760/dsc0024on.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/891...221280x768.jpg

I don't quite understand the point of using uATX mobo in a standard ATX cases. Bottom third of the case is just empty. I have a small case where i can fit only uATX, so RIIG is the only option. But for you guys, there is plenty of choice. Why Gene!?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RejZoR

I don't quite understand the point of using uATX mobo in a standard ATX cases. Bottom third of the case is just empty. I have a small case where i can fit only uATX, so RIIG is the only option. But for you guys, there is plenty of choice. Why Gene!?

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775 holes/cheaper yet goot performance/nice looking

I was planing on picking up a P180 Mini when egg had it for 69.99 + free shipping, but sold out at that price before I can grab it :mad: So I picked up this case from a local best buy while I wait and hope that deal comes back again, so within the next 29 days I hope it goes back on sale.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RejZoR

I don't quite understand the point of using uATX mobo in a standard ATX cases. Bottom third of the case is just empty. I have a small case where i can fit only uATX, so RIIG is the only option. But for you guys, there is plenty of choice. Why Gene!?

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1) performs as good as the full blown REX II
2) Far less gimmicks and features, so more stable
3) Voltages are far more stable then my REX II
4) Far cheaper

Only disadvantage is the IOH heatsink that really needs help to maintain stability...

Well I finally got mine going after having problems with the Swiftech MCW-NBMAX it kept leaking in the mounting screws. Luckily I had another one and was able to finish it last night. So far everything stock but I must say I love this new Intel 80GB SSD V2 drive can you say zoom zoom.. Looking to buy 1 more to make a raid in the future. Here are some quick pix with a link to the slide show. --------------> SLIDE SHOW

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...k/IMG_3009.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...k/IMG_3003.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...k/IMG_3000.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by buddatech

I was planing on picking up a P180 Mini when egg had it for 69.99 + free shipping, but sold out at that price before I can grab it :mad: So I picked up this case from a local best buy while I wait and hope that deal comes back again, so within the next 29 days I hope it goes back on sale.

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Strange the P180 Mini Black was onsale at egg for $69 with free ship with coupon code. Picked one up Friday to go along with my with one. (Yin & Yang). Did you miss this sale?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lu(ky

Well I finally got mine going after having problems with the Swiftech MCW-NBMAX it kept leaking in the mounting screws. Luckily I had another one and was able to finish it last night. So far everything stock but I must say I love this new Intel 80GB SSD V2 drive can you say zoom zoom.. Looking to buy 1 more to make a raid in the future. Here are some quick pix with a link to the slide show. --------------> SLIDE SHOW

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Glad to see you got things worked out.Nice looking build:up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RejZoR

I don't quite understand the point of using uATX mobo in a standard ATX cases. Bottom third of the case is just empty. I have a small case where i can fit only uATX, so RIIG is the only option. But for you guys, there is plenty of choice. Why Gene!?

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Good question. There's aren't many good reasons to choose a tiny board in a large case, over a board such as an Asus P6T Deluxe V2. The P6T V2 board is no less competant than a RIIG. Using a smaller board only makes all the cables more obvious by having them stretch across from the various places in the case across the visible part of the motherboard tray. For me personally if I already had a larger case, I would choose a board that sizes up against the motherboard tray in the case. At the end of the day though, it just comes down to personal choice.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Leeghoofd

2) Far less gimmicks and features, so more stable

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I wouldn't speculate that less features and gimmicks makes a board more stable. It's possible to have a board without many features that's unreliable, for example the Intel OR840 I once owned. The Asus P6T series of boards (Workstation, Deluxe, etc.) have more features and they are very stable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Nemesis

Strange the P180 Mini Black was onsale at egg for $69 with free ship with coupon code. Picked one up Friday to go along with my with one. (Yin & Yang). Did you miss this sale?


Glad to see you got things worked out.Nice looking build:up:

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Yes, that is precisely the sale I missed :( Had it in my cart almost all day and when I finally went to pull the trigger BAM it was sold out!! Either way I decided to go with a Storm Sniper this way I can choose between a full ATX or mATX board.

MWave.com has it right now for $67 (refurbished though):

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch...iteria=CB24772

They are quite a good shop to do business with. If not refurbished, then Provantage has it for $74:

http://www.provantage.com/antec-mini-p180~7ANTG04Y.htm

Here is my P95 run, what do you guys think of temps?

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7125/p958hr1st.png

The end!

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6118/p958hrend.png

Ok I have had this board for a few months now and never got around to OC it until now. I have say first off I am a amature at best so if this is a dumb. I oc my i7 920 to 4.2ghz. the thing I notice is that cpuz shows it at 2.6ghz until I start prime95 and them it jumps up to 4.2ghz. so when running different programs my cpu speed go up and down. So is this a feature of this board? can I turn it off in Bios so it will run 4.2ghz all the time?

Ya, it´s a energysaving function called Speedstep and you can turn it off in BIOS but i see no point in doing that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Taylor01

Ok I have had this board for a few months now and never got around to OC it until now. I have say first off I am a amature at best so if this is a dumb. I oc my i7 920 to 4.2ghz. the thing I notice is that cpuz shows it at 2.6ghz until I start prime95 and them it jumps up to 4.2ghz. so when running different programs my cpu speed go up and down. So is this a feature of this board? can I turn it off in Bios so it will run 4.2ghz all the time?

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Hi if you are a general user/ gamer I would leave things as they are as it will only be running full speed when the system is under load (Speedstap) , this way when browsing the net or light loads you have a nice quite cool PC and then when needed it will run at full speed.

Ok that worked great Thanks. I only wanted it off while I was testing my OC. But now only after a min or so of prime95 my temps go from 40c to 100c and my pc shutsdown. I'm cooling it with a HK WB and 360swiftech rad. cpu volts are only at 1.30v I have tried 190 x21, 200 x20 doesn't make a difference. I would try and reset my block but I have been running this for 4months and temps have never gine over 50c . Am I missing something?

Here's my R2G sitting on a HAF932.:p: If I were to name this rig. it should be HafIronic.:ROTF:

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2001/rig2a.jpg


Now the NB heatpipes with a Xigmatek Porter on.
Thanks to Nanometer for the heads-up.
Here's how I managed to fit it in, helps keep my NB temps at 56C(max, full load Linx).

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/6872/nbcc.jpg


My starting OC for now, gotta tweak the voltages tonight. I still hope that my chip is a low-volter. http://www.operationsports.com/forum...mlins/y220.gif:D
With a Corsair H50 and left with the stock Corsair thermal adhesive. A TX2 or AS5 this week perhaps.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4583/oc190.jpg

Forgot to grab screens while Linx-testing where temps reaches 83C max.

@labs23 how are your load and idle temps with that H50? Curious as I have that (H50 not tested yet) and a Megahalems that is doing extremely well keeping the CPU chilly and wonder how does it do versus?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by buddatech

@labs23 how are your load and idle temps with that H50? Curious as I have that (H50 not tested yet) and a Megahalems that is doing extremely well keeping the CPU chilly and wonder how does it do versus?

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When running Linx, idle/load is at 46C/83C. But on day to day apps., heavy gaming, temps never reaches 70C. Ambient was around 28C.
Well, many are saying that the Megahalem or that Megashadow has the edge over H50. But I've never tested though...:rolleyes: You gotta test your H50 PnP config perhaps.;)

BTW my temps are from a single fan config. now, PnP and I'll get that whirring sound from my Xigmatek fans.:(

Awesome work there. Sorry I couldn't show pictures, but that's exactly what I did. Great work! Works well, doesn't it? :-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nanometer

Awesome work there. Sorry I couldn't show pictures, but that's exactly what I did. Great work! Works well, doesn't it? :-)

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Very much:up:, got nice NB temps just with the Porter in passive mode. I think I won't be adding a fan then.:yepp:

You aren't alone, labs23.I have HAF932+ R2G too. : D It's kinda ironic. My 247- clocks are 4,3Ghz HT On @ 1.40V (With my watercooling idle 37C, Prime95 65C). I've done max. 4,58Ghz HT Off @ 1.60V(While Uncore 4,3Ghz), and my GTX295 (EK Block) was around 715/2500. I got 28812 3DMark06 Points with those clocks. I'm asking, if you knew some tips to break the 30k barrier. Thx!

Well I just found out that I have one dead memory slot. Trying to figure out which one came DOA? Any special way of checking to see which one is dead. Only 4GB of ram showing up on CPU, Everest etc when I have 6GB of Kingston HyperX 2000MHz in the slots. I also ran Memtest and found out I have 2 errors with them and stock settings. I am planning on buying a new pair of Mushkins Redlines 1600MHz cas (6) models for this board.

Are you sure it's a slot and not a stick? I would start by trying one stick at a time across the slots...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by buddatech

Are you sure it's a slot and not a stick? I would start by trying one stick at a time across the slots...

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You were right not the board it was the memory.. :shakes: I had nothing but problems with these Kingston HyperX sticks found out I had 1 dead stick. So I had another NEW unopened pack I through it in to retest and found out I have 2 dead sticks in this batch. :mad: I just pulled the trigger on the Mushkins 1600MHz CL6 kit. So I will use those and RMA 2 x kits of the Kingston HyperX 2000MHz CL8 to Kingston.. :rolleyes:

Here we go Gents, some photographs of the completed build. I would say other than the Q-Fan problem, this really is a great board.

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_2147.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_2143.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_2154.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_2158.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_2160.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by labs23

...

Now the NB heatpipes with a Xigmatek Porter on.
Thanks to Nanometer for the heads-up.
Here's how I managed to fit it in, helps keep my NB temps at 56C(max, full load Linx).

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/6872/nbcc.jpg

...

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That looks great with the Xigamatek on there. I would have done the same except I kept reading it wouldn't fit. I ended up with a Noctua U6 chipset heat-sink. With my 9G1212H101 38mm San Ace fans, the NB doesn't go above 45 C. Good work!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aln688

Here we go Gents, some photographs of the completed build. I would say other than the Q-Fan problem, this really is a great board.

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Looks Great!! :clap: How are those CPU temps? Also with those San Ace fans in there how is the noise level?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by buddatech

Looks Great!! :clap: How are those CPU temps? Also with those San Ace fans in there how is the noise level?

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The temperatures are excellent. Under a Prime95 or LinX load the CPU never goes above 72 C (ambient 80 F), and the NB never rises above 47 C. To be honest I could probably crack 4.2 GHz without reaching 80 C on the CPU, but 4.0 GHz is fine for now. That's with HT on by the way. Noctua NT-H1 thermal compound used throughout.

The noise level, well, with the sides off the case it's borderline loud under full load, but Q-Fan slows down the two case fans somewhat to quieten it. I haven't put the sides on the case yet as I'm doing some Prime95 runs, but the sides on this case have sound deadening material in them, it should control the noise. If I can get the CPU fan (San Ace 9G1212H401) to slow down as well, by Q-Fan or Speedfan, then I'll be happy. Apparently Q-Fan may not work with a 3-pin fan on the CPU fan header, so I'm going to expirement with Speedfan.

That front San Ace fan works great, the air cools my 4870 X2 as well as reaching the Noctua U6 and cooling it directly. As the San Ace CPU fan is quite powerful itself (88 CFM @ 40 dBA with 64 Static Pressure [Pa]), it cools the U6 as well by drawing air across the fins of the U6. It all works quite well. Yes the fans are borderline loud, but I prefer superior cooling than less dBA.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lu(ky

You were right not the board it was the memory.. :shakes: I had nothing but problems with these Kingston HyperX sticks found out I had 1 dead stick. So I had another NEW unopened pack I through it in to retest and found out I have 2 dead sticks in this batch. :mad: I just pulled the trigger on the Mushkins 1600MHz CL6 kit. So I will use those and RMA 2 x kits of the Kingston HyperX 2000MHz CL8 to Kingston.. :rolleyes:

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It's strange you mention that, a few months ago I decided to steer clear of 2000 MHz modules due to the incompatibility and potential of a DOA. My Corsair XMS3 1600 CL7 modules, low-profile, are working perfectly, all 12GB's of them.

All the fan cables were shortened, soldered and sleeved by me. I also did the same with the 200mm "Big Boy" top fan, replacing the 4-pin molex with a 3-pin fan header plug, I determined the voltage on the fan header was suffice to power it. I also took off the front door panel cables and sleeved those as well. A few more pictures...

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC00197.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_2106.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_2107.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_2149.jpg

Hi guys, first time back in a while. I just grabbed this board and need to outfit it with some good memory and a i7 920, what do you guys suggest?

Thanks in advance :up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GameGuru

Hi guys, first time back in a while. I just grabbed this board and need to outfit it with some good memory and a i7 920, what do you guys suggest?

Thanks in advance :up:

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Personally, I would recommend Corsair XMS3 1600 MHz CL7 RAM modules, I use six of them for 12GB's, they work great and are low-profile.

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC00271.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/IMG_5205.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...orsair_ram.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aln688

Personally, I would recommend Corsair XMS3 1600 MHz CL7 RAM modules, I use six of them for 12GB's, they work great and are low-profile.

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Awesome, thank you for the recommendation. Are these the exact same only with 6gb's? If so I think I'll pull the trigger. Thanks again :)

Edit: Never mind, I see now that they are by the screenshots of yours. My next question is, is 12gb's really worth it? I'm just using my machine for gaming and some video editing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GameGuru

Awesome, thank you for the recommendation. Are these the exact same only with 6gb's? If so I think I'll pull the trigger. Thanks again :)

Edit: Never mind, I see now that they are by the screenshots of yours. My next question is, is 12gb's really worth it? I'm just using my machine for gaming and some video editing.

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That's the RAM modules, 1600 MHz @ CL7! (although they are more expensive just now than when I bought them)

Is 12GB's worth it? In my opinion, yes. I work on software development, run an Oracle database, SQL Server and some graphics work so the 12GB's comes in handy. If you're going to be video editing the extra 6GB's will come in useful, and may allow your system to be upgrade to the next version of Windows, after Windows 7 I mean.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aln688

That's the RAM modules, 1600 MHz @ CL7! (although they are more expensive just now than when I bought them)

Is 12GB's worth it? In my opinion, yes. I work on software development, run an Oracle database, SQL Server and some graphics work so the 12GB's comes in handy. If you're going to be video editing the extra 6GB's will come in useful, and may allow your system to be upgrade to the next version of Windows, after Windows 7 I mean.

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Dang it, I knew you were going to say that :p:. Looks like I'll have to pony up the extra cash for 12gb's. I don't see a 12gb set in the low latency modules, did you just buy two set's of the 6gb's?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GameGuru

Dang it, I knew you were going to say that :p:. Looks like I'll have to pony up the extra cash for 12gb's. I don't see a 12gb set in the low latency modules, did you just buy two set's of the 6gb's?

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Well I would look at your PC usage, if it's mostly Internet, e-mail, MS Office and games, 6GB will be fine for that. If you know you will definitely work on some video editing (not just "think" you will work on video editing, meaning you're more than 50% sure you will), then I would buy two of the 6GB CL7 kits up front.

Word of warning though, depending on the CPU heat-sink and orientation of it, you may not be able to install a module in the 1st RAM slot "down the road". For me I installed all six modules before installing my Megahalems. I say that because if you plan to buy 6GB, install that and use it, then want to install another 6GB down the road, you may not be able to do that, because a triple channel kit has to be installed in the blue slots first (i.e. your first 6GB). Trying to add another 6GB may not work because your CPU heat-sink may block off the first white slot for your second RAM module kit (i.e. your second 6GB).

No I wouldn't buy the 12GB kit. In fact I was warned against buying two 6GB kits as they might not "match", which turned out to be a false warning as my 12GB's work fine with my CPU at 4.0 GHz, although my RAM is running at 1603 MHz. The 12GB kit doesn't come in CL7 form anyway. What heat-sink are you going to use with this board?

Hopefully this gives you some ideas.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lu(ky

You were right not the board it was the memory.. :shakes: I had nothing but problems with these Kingston HyperX sticks found out I had 1 dead stick. So I had another NEW unopened pack I through it in to retest and found out I have 2 dead sticks in this batch. :mad: I just pulled the trigger on the Mushkins 1600MHz CL6 kit. So I will use those and RMA 2 x kits of the Kingston HyperX 2000MHz CL8 to Kingston.. :rolleyes:

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I had the same problem but it was the board didn;'t like the Edelphia Hypers, they were fine and when i switched to a set of Mushkins that weren't hypers it worked fine.... go figure..


here is my baby...

http://img.techpowerup.org/091008/asusgene.jpg

Your system, systemviper, looks great! I like the color coordinated black and red scheme, very nice indeed!

Very clean slick builds lads... thinking of mounting my Gene II again in an Antec Lanboy for the winter...