ROG-X38 ASUS Maximus Formula Special Edition

[JPxM0Dz]

Recently ordered my new mobo with Intel's latest chipset, the X38!

I had originally ordered Gigabyte's version the X38-DQ6, but opted for the Maximus Formula SE in the end based on feature preference.

R.O.G. http://rog.asus.com/product/product_max_formula_se_main.aspx

Link: http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=572&l4=0&model=1850&modelmenu=1

Latest Reviews:

http://www.vr-zone.com/articles/Gigabyte_X38-DQ6_vs_Asus_Maximus_Formula_-_The_Battle_of_the_X38_Giants/5306.html
http://www.cpu3d.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2287&Itemid=54
http://www.reghardware.com/2007/10/18/review_asus_maximus/
http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=156791
http://techgage.com/article/asus_maximus_formula_special_edition/
http://www.elitebastards.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=481&Itemid=27

Asus Maximus Formula SE X38 - Living Review: http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=124


ETA: 10/16/2007


Quantities are very limited - Order while you can as the SE is a Limited Edition ;)

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26555&vpn=MAXIMUS%20FORMULA%20%2F%20SE&manufacture=ASUS



Check Here For vDroop

http://aycu38.webshots.com/image/31917/2001975617170249711_th.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001975617170249711)


Warning - Heatpipe Removal

Be careful if and when removing heatpipe assembly from the Maximus Formula.
This is a pic that a forum member posted over at xtremesystems forums after he had removed the heatpipe, obviously the IHS came off with it! :eek:

http://aycu27.webshots.com/image/30466/2005528579303049129_th.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005528579303049129)

[JPxM0Dz]

http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/28013/2006195018952061187_th.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2006195018952061187)http://aycu35.webshots.com/image/29074/2006193593902723029_th.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2006193593902723029)http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/31693/2006175282995101908_th.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2006175282995101908)http://aycu27.webshots.com/image/32266/2006192060284362544_th.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2006192060284362544)

[JPxM0Dz]

Reserved

[lapopal]

why are you bumping this?

[JPxM0Dz]

why are you bumping this?

I reserved post 2 & 3 for pics as you can only add 10 pics per post.

Do I have your blessing now ?

[B0000rt]

So you bought a Crossfire board for your Nvidia videocard? Why not just get a cheaper P35 mobo?

[JPxM0Dz]

So you bought a Crossfire board for your Nvidia videocard? Why not just get a cheaper P35 mobo?


So you guessed wrong, I also have a pair of HD 2900XT 1GB on order! Pwned ;)

[B0000rt]

So you guessed wrong, I also have a pair of HD 2900XT 1GB on order! Pwned ;)

Nice, what a waste of money, you should've just got the 2900 PROs with the 1GB DDR4 for almost 70% the price. PWNT!

PRO DDR4 = $350 USD
XT DDR4 = $500 USD

[DirtyLude]

I've bought premium boards in the past, but I just can't justify it anymore. I don't need all the crazy extra peripherals and the minor overclocking advantage doesn't justify the price, because for an extra $180 over a P35 board, I can buy a better processor. I guess I'm getting old, but I just want the hardware to work well and I don't care about how pretty it is or how many blue led's are on it. It's nice to be able to clear the BIOS and all with a button, but there has to be something seriously wrong to clear your bios nowadays.

[JPxM0Dz]

Nice, what a waste of money, you should've just got the 2900 PROs with the 1GB DDR4 for almost 70% the price. PWNT!

PRO DDR4 = $350 USD
XT DDR4 = $500 USD


Opps did I say XT's ? My bad! I have a pair of pro's on order LOL

PWNT!! :rolleyes:

[B0000rt]

I've bought premium boards in the past, but I just can't justify it anymore. I don't need all the crazy extra peripherals and the minor overclocking advantage doesn't justify the price, because for an extra $180 over a P35 board, I can buy a better processor. I guess I'm getting old, but I just want the hardware to work well and I don't care about how pretty it is or how many blue led's are on it. It's nice to be able to clear the BIOS and all with a button, but there has to be something seriously wrong to clear your bios nowadays.

But that extra 2MHz you can push your FSB makes your e-penis that much bigger! ;)

[JPxM0Dz]

I've bought premium boards in the past, but I just can't justify it anymore. I don't need all the crazy extra peripherals and the minor overclocking advantage doesn't justify the price, because for an extra $180 over a P35 board, I can buy a better processor. I guess I'm getting old, but I just want the hardware to work well and I don't care about how pretty it is or how many blue led's are on it. It's nice to be able to clear the BIOS and all with a button, but there has to be something seriously wrong to clear your bios nowadays.


LOL at has to be something seriously wrong to clear your bios nowadays

I'm guessing you have never o'ced ? If you have but never had to reset cmos, your one of few ;)

[board123]

"Enthusiast" motherboards are a waste. I've been using an Asus P5E3 Deluxe for over a week now and there isn't one feature that I can point to and say "That is really useful!" There's simply nothing to justify its ridiculous price tag of $350.

(I didn't buy this board, btw...)

[JPxM0Dz]

"Enthusiast" motherboards are a waste. I've been using an Asus P5E3 Deluxe for over a week now and there isn't one feature that I can point to and say "That is really useful!" There's simply nothing to justify its ridiculous price tag of $350.

(I didn't buy this board, btw...)


Yeah ur right, I'll play with this one for a few weeks and move onto the Extreme version that utilizes DDR3

You'd be hard pressed to say that's not useful ;)

[board123]

DDR3 is horrible right now. It's true that there are some very good modules out there (Micron Z9), but they all cost an arm and leg. Heck, even crappy DDR3 costs an arm and leg. I'm running 2x1024 OCZ Gold DDR3-1066 in the P5E3 Deluxe, and it sucks. The timings are 7-7-7 running at only 1066 MHz. Even this garbage RAM costs $400.

[JPxM0Dz]

DDR3 is horrible right now. It's true that there are some very good modules out there (Micron Z9), but they all cost an arm and leg. Heck, even crappy DDR3 costs an arm and leg. I'm running 2x1024 OCZ Gold DDR3-1066 in the P5E3 Deluxe, and it sucks. The timings are 7-7-7 running at only 1066 MHz. Even this garbage RAM costs $400.


Yeah I agree, but in time as the market matures, the prices will drop and the performance timings should hopefully tighten as the need increases.

[DirtyLude]

LOL at has to be something seriously wrong to clear your bios nowadays

I'm guessing you have never o'ced ? If you have but never had to reset cmos, your one of few ;)

You are kidding, right? I didn't say you never need to do it. Even when overclocking now, it's rare, since the BIOS will usually automatically reset for you in the event of a failed start. When I overclock the computer, if for an odd reason I have to reset the CMOS, I have no trouble going into the case to do it, since it's so rare.

[JPxM0Dz]

You are kidding, right? I didn't say you never need to do it. Even when overclocking now, it's rare, since the BIOS will usually automatically reset for you in the event of a failed start. When I overclock the computer, if for an odd reason I have to reset the CMOS, I have no trouble going into the case to do it, since it's so rare.


Well everyone's experiences are different I guess, but I have owned Striker Extreme, Commando, Abit IP-35 Pro and nVIDIA's SLi reference motherboard in the last few months, all of which have the clear cmos switch as they are designed for enthusiasts.

Every one of those motherboards I utilized the clear cmos during testing, but than again I push my hardware to the max.

When I owned the Striker Extreme awhile back, I'm almost positive I started to wear the paint off the clear cmos switch ;)

[DirtyLude]

Well, I guess that's my point. It's the same as the cars I worked on, but worse. You are spending lots of money and lots of time to get a minor increase in performance that's going to be outdated in 6 months anyway. Do you really need to spend all day and countless hours Orthos testing for that extra 5% overclock? That and getting the premium boards as soon as the chipset is released is always a gamble. From now on, I'll wait at least a few months to see how the boards actually perform after a few BIOS releases.

Sure, I spent lots of money making my computer and my cars fast in the past, but now there's faster computers and faster cars and I'm still out that money.

You can safely ignore me, because even to me I sound like I'm yelling 'Get off my lawn you young hoodlums!'

[risqu3]

Well, I guess that's my point. It's the same as the cars I worked on, but worse. You are spending lots of money and lots of time to get a minor increase in performance that's going to be outdated in 6 months anyway. Do you really need to spend all day and countless hours Orthos testing for that extra 5% overclock? That and getting the premium boards as soon as the chipset is released is always a gamble. From now on, I'll wait at least a few months to see how the boards actually perform after a few BIOS releases.

Sure, I spent lots of money making my computer and my cars fast in the past, but now there's faster computers and faster cars and I'm still out that money.

You can safely ignore me, because even to me I sound like I'm yelling 'Get off my lawn you young hoodlums!'


your absolutely right, thats why im waiting for the phenoms to drop by, i want me some cheap q6600!

[JPxM0Dz]

Well, I guess that's my point. It's the same as the cars I worked on, but worse. You are spending lots of money and lots of time to get a minor increase in performance that's going to be outdated in 6 months anyway. Do you really need to spend all day and countless hours Orthos testing for that extra 5% overclock? That and getting the premium boards as soon as the chipset is released is always a gamble. From now on, I'll wait at least a few months to see how the boards actually perform after a few BIOS releases.

Sure, I spent lots of money making my computer and my cars fast in the past, but now there's faster computers and faster cars and I'm still out that money.

You can safely ignore me, because even to me I sound like I'm yelling 'Get off my lawn you young hoodlums!'



To each their own, I on the other hand have no problem dishing out the coin for the hardware I want.

And I'd rather be testing and playing with the next best thing vs sitting on sidelines waiting for pricing to drop and the latest technology to come out, and while the exisiting technology is outdated in a couple of months, so will the next batch of new toys in due time. You'll never stay ahead of the game, so I enjoy it as it comes.

That's the way the game goes... Don't hate the player, hate the game ;)

[vertigo2]

Like a lot of you, I bought a budget motherboard and CPU and overclocked the living hell out of it. Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L and a Pentium Dual Core E2160. Managed to get the CPU to 3.0GHz (333x9) on stock cooling and stock voltage (1.325v), and with a Thermalright Ultima-90 + Scythe S-Flex SFF21F fan, 3.4GHz (387x9).

Couldn't be happier with my purchase, as I don't use RAID, have only 2 SATA HDDs, my IDE DVD burner, and not much else. $350 on a motherboard is absolutely ********. I used to buy those things though, years back. Such a waste of money. I've got a dose of reality, I guess.

[B0000rt]

$350 on a motherboard is absolutely ********. I used to buy those things though, years back. Such a waste of money. I've got a dose of reality, I guess.

No doubt! It's almost like buying a Williamette with RDRAM on a Socket 423 ;)

I'm sure there's no doubt that most, if not all of us can afford these parts, it's just we've learned over time that spending top dollar on PC components is just not a smart thing to do, ever (unless you have investors throwing money at you, of course)

You wouldn't go out buying a Vertu if you knew it would be worth next to nothing after a couple of years, would you?


Like I said, I don't see a reason why anyone would buy a 2900 XT DDR4, when the 2900 Pro DDR4's are out... Let alone two of them...

[JPxM0Dz]

Like a lot of you, I bought a budget motherboard and CPU and overclocked the living hell out of it. Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L and a Pentium Dual Core E2160. Managed to get the CPU to 3.0GHz (333x9) on stock cooling and stock voltage (1.325v), and with a Thermalright Ultima-90 + Scythe S-Flex SFF21F fan, 3.4GHz (387x9).

Couldn't be happier with my purchase, as I don't use RAID, have only 2 SATA HDDs, my IDE DVD burner, and not much else. $350 on a motherboard is absolutely ********. I used to buy those things though, years back. Such a waste of money. I've got a dose of reality, I guess.



If I had to settle for a pc with those specs and numbers, I would probably give up computers altogether. In fact the rig I was running 2+ years ago had those speeds. LOL No offence but that would never cut for me :rolleyes:

Once you've joined the 4Ghz+ club and hitting 500+ FSB, it's really hard to settle for anything less, but that's just me ;)

If guys are happy with your average pc, all the power to ya, as for me, I won't settle for anything less than hardware that allows me to crack those speeds :D

[DirtyLude]

If guys are happy with your average pc, all the power to ya, as for me, I won't settle for anything less than hardware that allows me to crack those speeds :DWhat are you doing that would justify that?

And you continuesly black and white things. Not overspending does not mean settling for 3Ghz bargain PC. You can hit 4Ghz with a cheap P35 board. You're just spending inordinate amounts of money for little extra and more hassles trying to remain on the 'edge'.

[JPxM0Dz]

What are you doing that would justify that?

And you continuesly black and white things. Not overspending does not mean settling for 3Ghz bargain PC. You can hit 4Ghz with a cheap P35 board. You're just spending inordinate amounts of money for little extra and more hassles trying to remain on the 'edge'.



Next time I decide to build a high end system, I'll check with you to make sure I have your blessing, but don't hold your breath :rolleyes:

You don't get to decide what I spend or what I buy, I'm flippin the bill!

If you can't stand it, to bad for you. No one asked you for your opinion, at least I didn't.

[DirtyLude]

Next time I decide to build a high end system, I'll check with you to make sure I have your blessing, but don't hold your breath :rolleyes:

You don't get to decide what I spend or what I buy, I'm flippin the bill!

If you can't stand it, to bad for you. No one asked you for your opinion, at least I didn't.

I have an idea. Next time don't post it on a public forum for everyone to comment on and then cry when they do.

[JPxM0Dz]

I have an idea. Next time don't post it on a public forum for everyone to comment on and then cry when they do.


I have a better idea, you go enjoy your average pc, I will enjoy my not so average pc! ;)

And the only person I see cryin is the one who will not dish out for all the high end toys!

[lapopal]

No one said that, are you 12 or something?

You'll never stay ahead of the game, so I enjoy it as it comes.

btw, you're allready behind. You never answered why you need the minimal performance boosts, but I guess you have it all figured out, women love guys like you and for the record you don't have my blessing. Spending XXX amounts of money for bragging rights on an internet forum (which if you havent noticed isn't working lol) is ********.

[JPxM0Dz]

No one said that, are you 12 or something?

You'll never stay ahead of the game, so I enjoy it as it comes.

btw, you're allready behind. You never answered why you need the minimal performance boosts, but I guess you have it all figured out, women love guys like you and for the record you don't have my blessing. Spending XXX amounts of money for bragging rights on an internet forum (which if you havent noticed isn't working lol) is ********.


Your another average pc lover. Nuff said :rolleyes:

I buy a new mobo and all the trolls come outa the woodwork ROFL


Too damm bad I don't have your blessing, now what am I gonna do ??
LOL at your maturity dude, what am I, 12 or something? Nice! Coming from a troll that not only knocks others for owning hardware that doesn't quite meet his or HER standards, but also has to insult me by saying woman love my type, yeah that's maturity for you, very nice indeed. ;)

[JPxM0Dz]

come on troll, I'm waiting for your next rant :rolleyes:

[B0000rt]

If I had to settle for a pc with those specs and numbers, I would probably give up computers altogether. In fact the rig I was running 2+ years ago had those speeds. LOL No offence but that would never cut for me :rolleyes:

Once you've joined the 4Ghz+ club and hitting 500+ FSB, it's really hard to settle for anything less, but that's just me ;)
You had a Dual Core CPU running 3.4GHz two years ago using the Intel Core Microarchitecture?

Atleast Asus started mounting the SATA connectors properly..

-----------

Do you drive a Dyno Queen too?

So fancy us this, what do you use all these MIPs/FLOPs for?

[Hu$tlah]

It's his money and if he wants to spend it on a mobo that is $350.00 thats fine, personally I wouldn't but if money is not an issue for him then who cares. Let the man buy his toys. I have wasted money on high end toys myself just because i wanted to have it at that time but now i don't do that anymore. Point is, its his money so it's his choice.

[B0000rt]

It's his money and if he wants to spend it on a mobo that is $350.00 thats fine, personally I wouldn't but if money is not an issue for him then who cares. Let the man buy his toys. I have wasted money on high end toys myself just because i wanted to have it at that time but now i don't do that anymore. Point is, its his money so it's his choice.

Noone's disputing whether or not it's his money to spend or not. We know that, but what we're saying is EXACTLY what you're saying.

I agree with your the bolded statement above, as does everyone else here :D

Fact is, we've learned from our mistakes, we're just trying to save him/her from himself/herself ;)


Question:
Is watercooling the Northbridge THAT necessary? I mean it puts out something like 26.5 Watts according to Anandtech...?

[iceman51]

Hey I think all you guy should get off JPxM0Dz case!!! He always sells his "older stuff" here and its usually a great deal for those of us that buy it. Buy all means buy the top of the line equipment i'm waiting:cheesygri

[JPxM0Dz]

Fact is, we've learned from our mistakes, we're just trying to save him/her from himself/herself ;)


By your own admission, you admit to buying high ends toys in the past, but now have supposively learned your lesson.
And now you feel it's your place to advise me and others on what and what not to buy based on your experiences, even when I never had anytime asked you or anyone in this thread on what hardware I should buy.
Of course only you and those that have bought the high ticket items in the past can make that mistake and now you all must save us from making the same mistakes ? Get off your high horse dude. :rolleyes:

Bottom line is, I'm not asking, nor am I looking for yours or anyone elses approval. Your obviously free to post your comments accordingly, but it will not sway me from my buying habits at all. Period.

This thread was originally intended for those looking at jumping to the X38 chipset and for them to post accordingly.

Now that every troll at RFD has posted their 2 cents worth, I will now have to lean on a MOD to clean it up.

[JPxM0Dz]

Hey I think all you guy should get off JPxM0Dz case!!! He always sells his "older stuff" here and its usually a great deal for those of us that buy it. Buy all means buy the top of the line equipment i'm waiting:cheesygri


Hey iceman51, hope your enjoying the 3D Aurora ;)

[hagbard]

So glad you posted this, now my life is complete. :) ;)

[lapopal]

Bottom line is, I'm not asking, nor am I looking for yours or anyone elses approval. But I'll post on it on RFD flopping out my e-peen for everyone to admire.

Im in awe and I will sleep soundly tonight, thanks JPxM0Dz.

[JPxM0Dz]

So glad you posted this, now my life is complete. :) ;)



Wow, although I wasn't really expecting to change peoples lives with this thread, my only real intention was to offer some information regarding my recent purchase.

But I'm glad to have been part of the complete portion of your life.

Good luck to you now that your lifes complete ;)

[JPxM0Dz]

Bottom line is, I'm not asking, nor am I looking for yours or anyone elses approval. But I'll post on it on RFD flopping out my e-peen for everyone to admire.

Im in awe and I will sleep soundly tonight, thanks JPxM0Dz.



Glad I could help, always looking to reform a troll ;)

Like how you hacked the quote also, really nice!

Shows us your true character :rolleyes:

btw, looks like you could use some spelling lessons, still in grade school are we ?

[JAC]

Look, everyone has a hobby, so stop bashing the guy for his.

It's not like he's ricing up a Civic here...

[JPxM0Dz]

Look, everyone has a hobby, so stop bashing the guy for his.

It's not like he's ricing up a Civic here...



First intelligent post since I started this thread

Your a Scholar and a Gentleman ;)

[Coolme]

If I had to settle for a pc with those specs and numbers, I would probably give up computers altogether. In fact the rig I was running 2+ years ago had those speeds. LOL No offence but that would never cut for me :rolleyes:

Once you've joined the 4Ghz+ club and hitting 500+ FSB, it's really hard to settle for anything less, but that's just me ;)

If guys are happy with your average pc, all the power to ya, as for me, I won't settle for anything less than hardware that allows me to crack those speeds :D

3.4ghz "allendale" core 2 > 4ghz "prescott"/"Smithfield"/"presler" pentium by a factor of at least 1.5

[lapopal]

Like how you hacked the quote also, really nice!

In english please?

[board123]

3.4ghz "allendale" core 2 > 4ghz "prescott"/"Smithfield"/"presler" pentium by a factor of at least 1.5
I don't think he was referring to Pentium 4 with the "4 GHz" statement...

[B0000rt]

I don't think he was referring to Pentium 4 with the "4 GHz" statement...

Then again 2+ years ago, I don't recall anything out at the time that could reach those frequencies...

[B0000rt]

btw, looks like you could use some spelling lessons, still in grade school are we ?


First intelligent post since I started this thread

Your a Scholar and a Gentleman ;)

If we're nitpicking spelling/grammar, it's you're not your.
:razz:

And I beg to differ, it IS like ricing up a Civic, all for show, no practical use, or rather it is not put to practical use.

Since my efforts to get this thread back on track aren't working, I'll try again.


Is watercooling the Northbridge THAT necessary? I mean it puts out something like 26.5 Watts according to Anandtech...?

[JPxM0Dz]

Like how you hacked the quote also, really nice!

In english please?


English? Here you go, lapopal = Troll

[JPxM0Dz]

Is watercooling the Northbridge THAT necessary? I mean it puts out something like 26.5 Watts according to Anandtech...?


Have you ever put your hand on NB heatsink after cranking up the voltage to increase o'c and stability ? I'm guessing not. I suppose if you have done any if any o'cing, you would already know the answer to that question ?

For the most part, a better air cooler is usually sufficient, but obviously water would bring down temps even more. Who knows, maybe the R&D at Asus doesn't know what the hell their doing when designing an enthusiast's motherboard.

Although water cooling a NB is optional, it's obviously on this motherboard for a reason. That being HEAT.

Nuff said

[JPxM0Dz]

Then again 2+ years ago, I don't recall anything out at the time that could reach those frequencies...


See post # 24 , his system is running 3.4Ghz, I was cracking 3.6Ghz on my rig 2 years ago

[JPxM0Dz]

Come on guys, enoughs enough!

Can we end the n00b questions and the troll responses that plague this thread ?

Unless you own or plan on buying a motherboard with this particular chipset, I really don't wanna hear from you.

[Coolme]

I don't think he was referring to Pentium 4 with the "4 GHz" statement...

I think he was... core duos, which were the first core based processors debut on January 5, 2006 which is not 2 years ago, and core duo was a mobile exclusive chip anyways. The first core based desktop processor (core 2 duo) came out on July 27, 2006, which is just over a year ago.

The latest chips that were available from intel before the core duo (the first core based processor) were "smithfield" and "prescott".

"presler" and "cedar mill" were both released on Jan 2006, which meant it couldn't have possibly been either of these chips.

So yes, it was pentium 4.


Then again 2+ years ago, I don't recall anything out at the time that could reach those frequencies...
The Penitum 4 could easily produce higher clock speeds than the core 2 duos the only problem was, its performance sucked and it produced a lot of heat. (especially the prescott/smithfield based pentium 4s)


See post # 24 , his system is running 3.4Ghz, I was cracking 3.6Ghz on my rig 2 years ago
3.6ghz on a pentium 4 is nothing to brag about, they came at that speed http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=14039&vpn=BX80547PG3600F&manufacture=Intel

[JPxM0Dz]

3.6ghz on a pentium 4 is nothing to brag about, they came at that speed http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=14039&vpn=BX80547PG3600F&manufacture=Intel

When starting out with only 2.4Ghz and o'cing to 3.6Ghz, that's a 1200mhz o'c my friend, not too mention 4 years ago!! I'd say that's an accomplishment, especially on air.

I guess I stand to be corrected, looks like I was cracking 3.8Ghz back in 2004 :rolleyes:

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/t81791.html

The links in the thread to the actual overclock are obviously now dead, but then again, that was 4 fricken years ago!


Here we go, looks like I even had a world record back in 2004... Look under Canada

http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=17722


I didn't catch any of your names under there, those of you that apparently have all the experience with high end hardware in the past and now have learned your lesson and are now giving advise to n00bs like me :rolleyes:


Anyone else ?

[JPxM0Dz]

w00t! Looks like my new mobo is now in stock and hopefully shipping soon ;)

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26555

[B0000rt]

Have you ever put your hand on NB heatsink after cranking up the voltage to increase o'c and stability ? I'm guessing not. I suppose if you have done any if any o'cing, you would already know the answer to that question ?

For the most part, a better air cooler is usually sufficient, but obviously water would bring down temps even more. Who knows, maybe the R&D at Asus doesn't know what the hell their doing when designing an enthusiast's motherboard.

Although water cooling a NB is optional, it's obviously on this motherboard for a reason. That being HEAT.

Nuff said
Clearly I was comparing active cooling vs watercooling, and active is more than enough for the Northbridge.

What kinda sucks is how the industry started going backwards, ramping up on larger heatpipe/Cu/Al heatsinks, and less of the Pelt action going on.

[Smoked]

wow your system is still the most top... why did you sell your SLi 8800gtx ultra for 2x2900? well i think it cause the chipsets eh? anyways.... this mobo is quite good, but till this mobo will have problems since it one of the first of its kind. My friend works at asus, hopefully get a board from him someday soon :lol: .

[board123]

X38 doesn't really need watercooling. I don't know how much voltage you plan to put into it, but at stock voltage, a crappy heatsink is more than enough. You should see what I have on my P5E3 Deluxe..... Somebody broke the heatpipe cooler, so they just attached a tiny ATI northbridge heatsink using masking tape! Not even push pins. Masking tape!

And it works just fine running 24/7 Crossfire benchmarking.

[JPxM0Dz]

wow your system is still the most top... why did you sell your SLi 8800gtx ultra for 2x2900? well i think it cause the chipsets eh? anyways.... this mobo is quite good, but till this mobo will have problems since it one of the first of its kind. My friend works at asus, hopefully get a board from him someday soon :lol: .


I still kept one of my 8800 Ultra's "Black Pearl" around in addition to getting a Cross-Fire setup ;)

8800 Ultra's in SLi was nice as I came close to cracking 20K in 3dmark06 with a little o'cing on the cards, never pushed them too hard.

Just wanted to try out Cross-Fire for awhile as I have seen some nice benchmarks over at http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/

[JPxM0Dz]

X38 doesn't really need watercooling. I don't know how much voltage you plan to put into it, but at stock voltage, a crappy heatsink is more than enough. You should see what I have on my P5E3 Deluxe..... Somebody broke the heatpipe cooler, so they just attached a tiny ATI northbridge heatsink using masking tape! Not even push pins. Masking tape!

And it works just fine running 24/7 Crossfire benchmarking.




VR-Zone says the X38's north bridge chip will don a heat spreader, a feature uncommon for Intel north bridges. According to motherboard manufacturers, the chipset "runs pretty hot when running dual graphics cards in x16/x16 mode. It runs up to more than 60 degrees [Celsius] in this case." The site adds that mobo makers plan to outfit their X38 motherboards with elaborate heatpipes to keep the chipset cool.

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/12593

[B0000rt]

Like I said, active cooling would be more than enough.

[JPxM0Dz]

Like I said, active cooling would be more than enough.


For most configurations your probably right, but for the few diehards that push their boards to the max with maximum voltage, water cooling is a nice alternative.

[board123]

As an enthusiast, you probably already know that heatspreaders actually negatively impact cooling ability. That's why some people will lap the heatspreader really thin, or just remove it altogether. The purpose of the heatspreader, contrary to what the name suggests, doesn't actually cool the chip. The purpose is to protect the die from heatsink accidents (e.g. Socket A crushed cores). I crushed a brand new shiny AMD Griffin just a couple of weeks ago.

Now, with that said, I don't doubt that X38 is a hot chip. 60 degrees? Very possible. All the nForce chipsets are just as hot, if not hotter. The issue is not how much heat it generates, but how hot it can get before becoming unstable or damaging itself. In my experience, X38 with a piece of crap heatsink that's barely attached runs just fine. Would it be better to water cool it? Definitely. Would it be necessary to water cool it? Not even close.

As for the few diehards who push the northbridge to the max, they probably will employ some third-party northbridge waterblock instead of Asus'. You can bet that whatever waterblock the Asus and MSI boards have, it's nowhere close to real aftermarket ones. If you're going to go as far as watercooling the northbridge, then you might as well do it right.

[JPxM0Dz]

As for the few diehards who push the northbridge to the max, they probably will employ some third-party northbridge waterblock instead of Asus'.


Yeah some may opt for a third-party waterblock vs Asus setup, but if they are already leaning towards this particular motherboard, it might be within their best interest just to use the stock setup.
Personal preference will dictate that descision I suppose and I doubt there would be a huge performance difference in the stock H2O cooling vs aftermarket at the end of the day, not to mention the cost difference between buying aftermarket and using the stock setup.

The way I see it, the Maximus Formula is one of only a few X38 motherboards to first hit the market and comes in at $20 more than the ASUS P5E and $20 less than X38-DQ6 and is H2O ready!

The choice was easy for me ;)

[board123]

How well does this water version cool on air? Any comparisons between the water version and the regular version?

[JPxM0Dz]

How well does this water version cool on air? Any comparisons between the water version and the regular version?



That's a good question, I see some peeps are holding out for the non SE version, but I don't think it's even available as of yet, at least no where that I've seen in Canada. But then again, I really havn't looked that hard either.

I've been trying to keep track over at http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/index.php on any updates or comparisons between the two.

Those lucky S.O.B's in Europe and other parts of the Globe seem to get the latest hardware a little quicker than we do >:(

[tdotcbc84]

OMG ! HAHAHA

I just read all 5 pages of posts !

I can't believe ppl are even telling JPx not to buy this board or for ANYONE not to buy this board!

That's like me telling some guy not to buy a Rolls Royce! LOL


But yeah, in the past 2 years I have been more and more interested in Overclocking my computer...... however, I have a spin on OC'ing...

I like using Default Voltages, have my computer run as silent as possible with Temperatures remaining at a "safe" level :D



But this board just amazes me ! It may have features I won't use, but if I had the money, I would definitely look into and buy.... just like how I would buy a Ferrari if I had the money :D heheh

[Table21]

Well I am not going to bash you on buying this board but the x38 series does not seem to be that great with ddr2, I would have got the p5e3 dlx or stuck with a P35 board, but thats just my 10 cents.

but still post your results. If they are good who knows maybe I will try and dig on up

[board123]

I just killed my P5E3 Deluxe less than an hour ago. It died halfway through a BIOS flash >:(

I didn't buy the board, but if I were to personally buy a motherboard right now, I'd avoid all DDR3 boards. Memory is simply too expensive, even for really crappy ones. DDR3 will not become mainstream during P35 and X38's lifetimes. Might as well stick to DDR2 and replace your entire platform when next generation stuff arrive.

With that said, I don't know how DDR2 performs on X38 compared to DDR3. I know X38 doesn't have official support DDR2, so that could be an issue since they need additional hardware to run DDR2 modules. Just from an economical standpoint, DDR3 boards are not the way to go right now.

[JPxM0Dz]

Well I am not going to bash you on buying this board but the x38 series does not seem to be that great with ddr2, I would have got the p5e3 dlx or stuck with a P35 board, but thats just my 10 cents.

but still post your results. If they are good who knows maybe I will try and dig on up



I went through two of these mobo's and had nothing but raid and usb issues, both rma'd and sent back :eek:

Hopefully I'll have better luck with the Abit IX38 QUADGT, apparently the only X38 mobo on the market that you'll see a DDR2 performance gain vs current X38 motherboards on the market.

We'll see soon enough, should be shipping in mass production in a couple of weeks.

[Polaren]

With that said, I don't know how DDR2 performs on X38 compared to DDR3. I know X38 doesn't have official support DDR2, so that could be an issue since they need additional hardware to run DDR2 modules. Just from an economical standpoint, DDR3 boards are not the way to go right now.

I believe there was a problem with the X38 DDR2 with 2GB modules.


I went through two of these mobo's and had nothing but raid and usb issues, both rma'd and sent back :eek:

Hopefully I'll have better luck with the Abit IX38 QUADGT, apparently the only X38 mobo on the market that you'll see a DDR2 performance gain vs current X38 motherboards on the market.

We'll see soon enough, should be shipping in mass production in a couple of weeks.

Your computer must spend more time apart then working lol ;)