ASUS ROG Owners/Users Feedback and Insights and Ideas. Your Opinion Counts!

[ReverendMaynard]

I would appreciate it!

You shouldn't have to appreciate it, the settings should be there in the first place.

If the regular users that buy ROG products aren't using the board too it's full potential then things will go on as usual for them and they'll never know the difference, but for the hardcores that want the ROG to be proper right out of the box to have to poll for settings that should be there in the first place then you're just wasting customers time.

[Leeghoofd]

I've had several ROG boards till now ( Strike Extreme, Rampage Extreme I and II, Gene II's ) Thing is they look great, but are sometimes charged with far too many gimmicks that hurt performance and increase the price.

If Asus releases a ROG board it has to make sure it has better "warranted" potential than let's call them the mainstream boards. I have no clue how you can motivate people to cash out for a high end board that is beaten or bested by a midstream board clock for clock. Or when it overclocks hardly any better and in sometimes due to slow bios updates even worse.

Best ROG board ever made is the Rampage Extreme which is a true monster in clocking/tweaking potential. Asus has put the bar quit high and it has some issues staying on the same level.

Also I don't like the fact that Asus sometimes cripples biosses on the low and midrange boards, limiting performance (eg very known fact on the P5Q series) You could also leave the option in all the biosses like you did with eg the Gene II ( gamer and overclocker bios ) or just hide the advanced features for the daily user. Pressing a key combo to unlock it.

Even though most of us here don't use the XMP profiles or CPU level up stuff, it's nice, IF it works and is correctly implemented. I've seen mega overvoltage on many Asus boards when leaving bios options to AUTO (CPU, chipset and ram wise)

On the ROG boards I would love to see better chipset cooling options (eg IOH on the RE II is underdimensioned, same for the X58 Gene II) I don't mind fans when doing overclocking or even for daily use. Fancy heatsinks is nice but they have to be effective. Also why not use real copper cooling on the hotter parts. And why still link SB and NB PWM's and co.. I really never got that at all.

With the high end and ROG range , why not include some sort of overclocking manual like MSI did ? Speaking of manuals, some sort of minor explenation on the vital settings would be nice... just listing the options doesn't tell me much.

[CryptiK]

Yes, excellent and highly effective cooling for Northbridge (IOH), mosfets and Southbridge cooling, utilizing real solid copper with high quality aluminium (see thermalright and enzotech for examples of this) would help put the ROG boards on a higher level.

The current designs look flashy, but are not very effective in terms of cooling. They do seem to be 'gamer' oriented, where 'gamer' actually means non enthusiast fashion/aesthetic oriented user with lower expectations and skill level than a real overclocking enthusiast.

Perhaps ROG (Overclocking) and ROG (Gamer) boards could be produced, where the Overclocking board is pure performance oriented with excellent power design, excellent cooling design, and all highest quality components. Asus should really start to use Volterra Digital PWM circuitry, which is expensive to make, sure, but it's very effective and the ROG 'vision' should be about producing the best performing board not making a lot of money with the mainstream users - hell, even release a 'digital PWM' version along with the traditional multiphase analogue version so suit all tastes. The Gamer board could be just all show with great looks and average performance, as it would just need to look good though a windowed case and run a moderate OC - this board would be cheaper to produce and should still sell very well.

I think it's very hard to please an average 'gamer' and an enthusiast overclocker with the same product. To please the enthusiast, you need to make a truly top end board that is way overkill for the gamer. If you make a product to please the gamer, a true enthusiast won't even consider it. I would be interested to see a pure overclocking board, but one you could use everyday like the EVGA Classified, ie: retaining network adapters, audio etc. A purely high performance board with all the bells and whistles but no form over function like the current ROG boards have.

I do agree with Leeghoofd's and Revrendmaynard's comments regarding BIOS options - do your research, then do it once, and do it right. Anyone from this or any internet site should not be able to think of an option or a way to best implement an option better than an Asus BIOS engineer employed to do exactly that - if they can, they should be employed instead.

[Brama]

You shouldn't have to appreciate it, the settings should be there in the first place.

I agree theoretically but it is very hard to have IMHO.

Even the best BIOS engineer is programming it using the datasheet of processor and chipset.

Some requests and/or features are coming from the experience of the enthusiasts around the world that trying to squeeze any more MHz or ns from the MB, find some setting that sometimes are not so odd.

[humeyboy]

Funny how other Vendors can make better clocking/more stable Mobos then.

[Brama]

I would like to have EFI on R2E instead of BIOS.
I don't understand why Asustek is developing EFI on P5Q Deluxe an not in ROG motherboards.

[iandh]

I voted "I just wait for reviews"


Every product is different, some are duds, some aren't. You really don't find out until you read first hand user reviews.

I'm very happy with my Maximus III Gene, but I've heard HORRIBLE stories about other ROG boards.

As far as those claiming the products are overpriced, I think that is somewhat garbage. These are higher end products, and higher end products come with price tags, whether it be because of looks, or because of performance, or because of both.


ASUS REALLY needs to upgrade their website hosting. The ASUS USA site is PITIFULLY slow for a tech company site. I would consider it pitfully slow for a pie tin manufacturer, let alone a company that is trying to convey its' products as cutting edge. When your website is SO SLOW, that is makes your potential and current customers ANGRY from trying to use it, you lose sales.

[overclocking101]

i think the cooling should be addressed i had to use washers and preassure mod the nb/sb/mosfet heatsinks on my maximus 2 formula and my current maximus formula otherwise oc and load would cause nb overheat and mosfet overheating from poor heatsink contact. also one thing he didnt address was the terrible customer service paying top dollar and being treted like monkey crap does not feel good and thats what asus tech/help support does treat you like your and idiot for even looking for help and that you dont matter

[mecho_gruh]

I've used several p35,g35,g45,x38,x48,X58 and some ati board from different brands including ASUS. The ROG series vary from best of the best tho worst. My current mobo is Rampage II Gene and it's great for gaming, OC and whatever you want. So let's see what is good and what is bad.

+great BIOS very stable work
+no under or overvolt
+B2B (back to back) it can insure stability or bet higher OC'ed CPU's
+board design and slot positioning
+bundle
+price

-HEAT! Please do something about the chipset and mosfet cooling
-no cooling on the mosfets on the back side of the mobo,
(no stability or any kind of issues at the moment, it could be a problem after time)
-strange problem with the microphone it doesn't work (cold be only on my board)
-the small annoying display, the connector is hard to plug out (it could get damaged)
Make some kind of display that can fit in 3.5" or 5.25" slots, or with a magnet so it can stick to the case.
I've placed my inside the case behind the window but not everybody has such case.

Here are my solutions to the mentioned problems:
Replaced the chipset cooler with some cheap zalman radiator (-20 C)




And I cut 2 holes on the back side of the case for a 80mm fan (smaller fan will be enough but I got this one). The blows inside out,and when in 100% load you can feel the warm air.


A friend of mine had CROSSHAIR III FORMULA, and he was very dissapointed, lower OC results compared to the MSI GD70 and a huge overvolt.

One more thing please make a descend case, everything case on the market here which says ASUS is total scrap. When I finish my ROG case I'll post some pics.

[RacingTurtle]

Very disappointed with my Maximus II Formula - had it awhile and nowhere near what i thought i could achieve. Definitely the last ROG board I buy.

[Utnorris]

Copied from the Hardforum site:

I have owned the Blitz Formula, the Maximus Formula, the Rampage Extreme II and the Rampage Extreme II Gene. What I liked about them:

1 - Easy overclockers and solid performers.
2 - LCD poster - Probably one of the best friggin innovations ever and it's a shame that the new P55's have lost it.
3 - Sound card wasn't built-in, but rather a separate card.
4 - Overclocking features of the bios.
5 - I got the Blitz because of the water cooling. Granted the new boards allow for the Swiftech to be added on, it would be nice to see it included again.
6 - I like the dual BIOS chips, but I think that was only on the REII and not on even the Gene.
7 - Temp probe connections on the board.
8 - Voltage pads.
9 - The new memory slots of the Gene.
10 - Love Ezflash, keep it.

Some things I would like see:

1 - Again, water cooling integration as an option, not sure if it would drive costs up to high to have the same board with and without as Asus did with the Blitz and the Maximus.
2 - I like the color scheme of the new Maximus III, I hate the color scheme of the Rampage II and Gene. Main point here is that you stick to a two color scheme, not the full rainbow. You are building a motherboard, not painting the Mona Lisa.
3 - Loose the IDE, PATA and PS2 connectors, let them die in peace, please.
4 - Temp probe connections to work with Everest. I do not care for your software, always seemed too buggy for me.
5 - The LCD poster to be able to display a specific item, i.e. the CPU temp. Currently it's either the time or a rolling display of voltages, temps, etc.
6 - Keep the LCD poster, I do not always have a laptop laying around to use to debug another machine.
7 - Make the Micro boards just like the Big boards, i.e. the Gene should have everything that the Rampage Extreme II has, i.e. voltage pads, just lacking a few slots.
8 - Digital PMW's like the Classified and DFI board. Why? Because it cleans up the space around the CPU socket making it easier to insulate for extreme cooling. Yes, I do realize that not a lot of people do extreme cooling, but if you are going to price your board in the same price range as the Classified it should have comparable features.
9 - Being able to disable the PCIe slots individually like the Classified. This is very useful and it's an easy thing to do with jumpers.
10 - Loose the clip on fans. I do not even think they work and it seems to be a waste.
11 - Make the LCD poster mountable.
12 - A right angle PSU connector.

I have more, but you get the idea. I have always loved my Asus boards. Hated selling my Blitz and Maximus, but I was going I7. I had the REII, great board, but I couldn't get over the colors, drove me nuts. Seriously, I am hoping Asus does a refresh of the REII with a different color scheme so I can buy it. I really love the LCD poster, it makes it so easy to figure out what happened during an overclock versus having to look up some stupid code. As far as your software, I think you should do something like what EVGA did with their Eleet software and CPUz. It's simple and effective and doesn't take up half of my desktop like the Asus monitoring software. Anyway, have really loved the ROG series and Asus support, these are just some suggestions.

[iandh]

I wanted to reinforce some things said above... I really am beginning to LOVE my Maximus III Gene, and one of the most important things for me is fan control and temp probe connections. I know it seems small, but the only other boards with reasonable options for this are were the abit boards, and that is obviously not an option anymore.

There is NO EXCUSE for boards not to have decent bios based fan speed control, even if it is just speeds 1 through 10. Different PWM profiles is nice too. It is such a small thing to add to the BIOS, yet most manufacturers just don't seem to get it.

I know fan controllers are cheap, but I like keeping my system clean and simple, and don't like the look of a fan controller in one of the bays. I also like the ability to monitor temps via software with the auxillary temp inputs.

[In-Fluence]

Just an additional note and if at all possible... Could a message get to Asus for implementing 50ps CPU/NB skew steps rather than 100ps?

How is progress coming along Illuminati?

[Hsusy]

Stop using JMicron...

[G.Foyle]

1. Do you use Tweak It and if you do what do you like or what do you not like about it.
I do use TweakIT, it's a very nice solution. It could be better if settings would reset after a reboot (I often set clock speeds that will not boot).

2. For users on our P55 Platform do you use ROG connect if you do what do you like or what do you not like about it.
I do. It's very nice, but has the same downside as TweakIT (settings stay after a reboot)

3. Do you use CPU level up or not? I know most users here would not use this feature.
No.

4. Do you appreciate software add ins like our P55 solution providing game packet priority software or including 3D Mark software?
Included 3DMarks are very nice. Gaming software - I don't care.



1. Tweak It - via keyboard or via hardware stick on the motherboard
2. Probe It - Multimeter register reading
3. Super ML cap usage
4. SupremeFX sound with X-FI software support
5. Bios Flashback
6. Swappable bios chips
7. CPU Level Up in the bios
8. Voltiminder LED - not needed
9. External LCD Poster ditching LCD Poster was a very bad decision. You should make LCD Poster connectors on every mobo, even budget ones.
10. Onboard switches
11. EL I/O (illuminated I/O Plate)
12. Q-Connector
13. Water block support
14. MemOK!
15. Memperfect these two don't work usually.
16. Q-LED
17. ROG Connect but I'd like to have ROG Connect AND LCD Poster and TweakIT
18. GameFirst Packet Priority Software
19. Speeding HDD
20. Q-Dimm
21. Q-Slot [/QUOTE]

[MassiveOverkill]

Stop using JMicron...

[ChinStrap]

I voted "I think of them as gaming and overclocking boards" -


The last three boards i have put in my gaming rig have been Asus. P5E-VM HDMI, R2G and now M3G

after putting up w/ the lack of cooling on the R2G for a while, i jumped @ the R3M whwen it came out. much better built-in cooling.

-HEAT! Please do something about the chipset and mosfet cooling

again, i'm going to 2nd this. the cooling solution on the x58 chipset is extremely
inadequate. @ stock under prime load (w/ ht enabled) it almost gets to hot to touch.

other then that i have no issues. i like the color schemes used and the boards i have owned have worked as advertised.

[kow_ciller]

I love the boards, but the price usually kills it for me.
The features are great, but the price-premium is too high IMHO.

[Tobit]

Stop using JMicron...

and put Intel Ethernet on-board.

[Monstru]

I think that Asus had two ROG boards that really set a different standard at the time - Commando and Rampage Extreme. They were both the creme of the creme for that particular chipset, and they actually helped overclockers go beyond what they were getting with other boards. On the other hand, Maximus was a very straight forward board, a very sturdy one I might say, but it didn't bring anything extra. Blitz, Striker, Maximus II - they say nothing to me. RE2 is a good board, but only now people can get higher BCLK on it. That is not acceptable at this level. Maximus III is a board I really like. It went a little bit back to the roots, it delivers without beeing filled with "bling".

If we come to think about it, I think Asus should get their priorities straight. Gamers and casual overclockers are one segment of the market (I would say that Maximus, Striker, Blitz, Maximus II, etc, are best suited for this category), extreme overclockers are a completly different segment of the market (Commando, Rampage Extreme and Maximus III fit in ths category). So maybe a distinction between theese two categories would be a great ideea. Sure, give the bling, the X-Fi what-ever card, the lit back-pannel, the level-up, mem-ok, memperfect and all theother gimmicks to the gamers and let them enjoy them . But for extreme overclockers, bring back the old days when Asus + Intel used to equal love . ML caps, Tweak-IT, Probe-IT, External LCD poster (or the ROG station that some of the guys have), but further more - efficient BIOS coding, tunning for the needs of the extreme crowd (cold boot fix, impedance settings for high BCLK, etc), that is what an extreme overclocker expects to see from an Asus high-end board. For X58 some of the WS boards were much sturdier then RE2. Also, even if some people don't like the ideea or the colour scheme, for P55 Sabertooth is a strong, straight-forward board.

Maybe that is the way. The bling and ton of "extra" settings for the gamers, and the spartan, sturdy, heavy duty boards lihe TUF for overclockers. After all, cutting the bling brings the price down (RE2 uses some very expensive IMC VRM solution which is very good on paper but it does not really bring any advantage) so people would also love that. I don't even want to remember that a cheaper, simple, solid board like Biostar TPower I45 was miles ahead M2F when it comed to P45 C2D clocking. I am curious to see what Asus will do next, after all it is obvious that the focus is now on other markets. I just hope that the extreme high-end series boards will keep delivering the goods

[zanzabar]

the main thing on why i will not buy an asus board is the messed up ram settings that ive come to, back with the maximus instead of performance lvl and a number there was a setting for ai transaction booster (i think thats was the name was), it controlled the PL but was a +- from the stock but the stock would randomly change based on other settings, so u could be perfectly stable then loosen up sub timings to ensure 100% uptime and it would lower the default pl and then u would get a no boot or random crashes. i dont know if its still there but there are still +- settings from what ive seen and they are unacceptable for anything but a voltage special add. and with voltages it would be nice to see the stock in the tooltip

and i know that this wont happen but stop with the analogue pwm with virtual phase crap, change to a voltera or another digital or hybrid pwm, its cleaner look/power and easier to cool

[kuchaiii]

This is my 1st time own an Asus ROG motherboard. 1 st time own, doesn't mean I never use another ROG series. Where's the cool lit back panel I/O? It look cool man...

Oh I don't like ROG Connect feature, Speeding 'slow' HDD. I like the old LCD poster though...

[kuebk]

Just 3 things based on my Rampage Formula experience:
Heat - it's weird to buy a top board and to get good oc you need to change stock cooling
Bios - it's crap, missing many features
Fan control - it should offer much more, like changing from 10% to 100% or like abit used to have in ip35pro 4v-12v.

[Leeghoofd]

Let's hope that new extreme board lives up to the hype :p

[Talonman]

Still running my x38 Maximus Formula SE, and love it...

Never had an issue OCing my Q6600 on it, and stability is outstanding.
I had an EK water block on the NB before I ever powered it up, and my NB has never hit 40C.
I think that is key, as I believe at 47C, the NB will start to cause you problems with stability.

Love the LCD poster too.

I wish we didn't have to use the Rampage BIOS on the Maximus, to get better control of the memory speed.