Thanks to ASUS: New system pics + mini reviews. R3E, 980x, 800D

Bracken_02 · 27th September 2010, 1:02 PM

Well i'm officially the luckiest nerd in Aus and managed to win an awesome prize package from ASUS (+Corsair). So first of all thanks ASUS!

Below i shall document the components, the build and my mini-reviews on the major components!

The Components

Click to view full size!
Mobo: Rampage 3 Extreme
CPU: i7 980x
RAM: 12GB (6x2GB) Corsair 1600mhz CL9 matched kit
GPU: Xfire Asus 5850 directcu edition
PSU: HX1000w
SSD: Corsair Force Series (yet to arrive, stock shortages!)
HDD: 2TB Seagate Barracuda XT
Monitors: 2 x Asus VE276Q 27inch 1920x1080
Case: Corsair 800D

The Build

Will stick to mostly pics for this one.

The 800D, ready to accept the goods. Note next to the third PCI expansion slot there is an extra motherboard standoff which i had to remove. Always check your standoffs when installing a motherboard in a case with pre-installed standoffs!!!!

Click to view full size!

Rampage 3 Extreme, 980x, PSU all installed. I sure was nervous installing the 980x.

Click to view full size!

6 sticks of RAM and my own D14 installed. The D14 was a LOT easier to get in versus in my old case. The backplate hole on the 800D was actually large enough, which was nice.

Click to view full size!

Now is the time to whip out the old faithful PS-2 keyboard and ask: WILL IT POST? Yes it did! Recognised all 12GB RAM off the bat, updated bios to latest and turned AHCI on for all controllers.

Click to view full size!

All built! Cable management was a breeze.

Click to view full size!

Monitors all set up

Click to view full size!

Mini-Reviews

Rampage 3 Extreme
Needless to say this board is sexy as all hell. I won't go through every feature as i'm sure everyone would be better served looking up a proper review for that

. Board is epic win.
Likes:

Aesthetics. Great colour scheme and sexy LED light show at night
Board Layout: pci-e layout, onboard power/reset buttons, other stuff in good spots
BIOS: dual bios, booted up first time no problems with 980x + 12gigs ram, BIOS very detailed
Accessory package is huge

Dislikes:

Those damn Q-shield IO plates ASUS uses are too thick and squishy and mean you have to push the board up against it quite firmly to get the screwholes to line up with the standoffs.

Asus VE276Q 27inch 1920x1080
First off let's state the obvious. THEY ARE DAMN HUGE. TN Panel, 16:9 1080p rez.
For reference, i previously used an IPS panel 21 inch Samsung, and a cheap BENQ 22inch TN panel.
Likes:

Size. It's big. 2 of them are bigger.
Image quality: very good for a large TN panel. You might wonder how 1080p looks on a 27inch panel. Looks fine to me! For both work and games. As always calibrate your monitors (especially gamma!).
Response time noticeably faster than my Samsung IPS, which had some input lag.
Tilt adjustable, VESA mounts on rear. Thin (18mm?) bezels.
Displayport input (amongst all the rest)

Dislikes:

Sits quite low on desk and (i don't think) height adjustable. ~5cm clearance from bottom of panel to desk.
I need a bigger desk now

Asus 5850 directcu edition
Likes:

Aesthetically pleasing, nice heatpipes.
Cooler is quiet up to 45% where it becomes audible.
Gets to around 60C during gaming which sits comfortably quiet at low 40's fan speed.

Dislikes:

Uses 8+6pin instead of usual 5850 6+6. May be a problem for some people, who knows? Could be interpreted as a positive also for overclocking

Corsair 800D Obsidian Case
Likes:

Very nice to look at. Sleek from top to bottom.
Cable management and backplate cover are very well designed.
Stock fans very quiet.
Extraordinarily roomy, making installation a breeze. I really like this full tower design versus that of say the Lian Li A70, which i feel is too cramped.
Hot swap drive bays at the front are a great idea and the included 4-way SATA power + data cables are nice.
Dust shield at bottom of case slides out for easy cleaning.

Dislikes:

As mentioned above, my case came preinstalled with an extra motherboard standoff, that, despite the labelling, was definitely not of ATX standard that i know of. If i hadn't of noticed this and removed it i could have shorted out my board i believe. Now i may be wrong on this but i'm fairly sure! EDIT: Did some research: apparently ATX standard used to be 10 screws, with the 10th in the location i had to remove. At any rate, it will have to be removed for most modern boards. Take care!
Stock cooling: if you are folding or gaming heavily in summer i would strongly recommend some additional fans. I chucked 3 120mm noctuas at the 3 120mm slots at the top and this keeps things nice and happy. Note that ALL air intake comes from the bottom 140mm fan. Corsair clearly designed it with the H50 in mind, whereby you are supposed to use the rear fan as an intake. At any rate, with some top exhaust fans, and a more powerful bottom intake 140mm fan, i don't foresee anyone having problems with air cooling in this case. Just something to be aware of.

2TB Seagate Barracuda XT
I didn't know what to expect with this drive. I was pleasantly surprised. HDTune reports it runs only slightly slower than the esteemed Samsung F3 1TB. Runs substantially faster than WD Green 2TB. I would not call it a silent drive but it is as quiet as most modern hard drives.

IN CONCLUSION

I've always used ASUS motherboards so what a great stroke of luck it was to be selected as the winner in the comp. By the way, the competition was the "Asus P55 Motherboards" one where you had to have purchased a P55 motherboard in June/July to enter.

Thanks again to ASUS and Corsair!

If you'd like more thoughts or pics on above stuff please ask.

Ka0sX · 27th September 2010, 1:04 PM

Nice build mate how the hell did you win all that you lucky SOB

Intensity · 27th September 2010, 5:57 PM

haha don't be greedy ill take the 980x to 7250 thanks. haha jks nice job, you will save so money there for sure.

roweysvn · 27th September 2010, 6:43 PM

What a lucky score, well done, and nice build.

japes · 27th September 2010, 6:49 PM

How about a donation of the CPU/Mobo to your favourite Female Tauren.

money_killer · 27th September 2010, 7:21 PM

nice goodies

AudioFX · 27th September 2010, 9:21 PM

Soooooooo jealous

Benchmarks? :P

Marcism · 27th September 2010, 9:28 PM

What the hell are you gonna do with two sweet rigs!? Congrats man!

dreamaxx · 27th September 2010, 9:36 PM

You lucky bastard!!!

Ice009 · 28th September 2010, 1:58 AM

Awesome stuff. What did you have to do to win all this gear.

I'd be pretty happy with just the CPU let alone all that other gear.

Moarphine · 28th September 2010, 11:07 AM

I'm really happy for you OP, must have been quite a rush when you first learn t of your victory.

tek_01 · 28th September 2010, 11:09 AM

Lucky boy!

Man that case really does dwarf the MB lol

fang_laluna · 28th September 2010, 3:46 PM

Dang... sweet rig

brayway · 29th September 2010, 8:41 AM

LUCKY YOU!!!!!

ToxicToxin · 29th September 2010, 9:18 AM

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

share loot I assisted.

27th September 2010, 1:02 PM	#1
Bracken_02 Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Sydney Posts: 5,191	Thanks to ASUS: New system pics + mini reviews. R3E, 980x, 800D Well i'm officially the luckiest nerd in Aus and managed to win an awesome prize package from ASUS (+Corsair). So first of all thanks ASUS! Below i shall document the components, the build and my mini-reviews on the major components! The Components Click to view full size! Mobo: Rampage 3 Extreme CPU: i7 980x RAM: 12GB (6x2GB) Corsair 1600mhz CL9 matched kit GPU: Xfire Asus 5850 directcu edition PSU: HX1000w SSD: Corsair Force Series (yet to arrive, stock shortages!) HDD: 2TB Seagate Barracuda XT Monitors: 2 x Asus VE276Q 27inch 1920x1080 Case: Corsair 800D The Build Will stick to mostly pics for this one. The 800D, ready to accept the goods. Note next to the third PCI expansion slot there is an extra motherboard standoff which i had to remove. Always check your standoffs when installing a motherboard in a case with pre-installed standoffs!!!! Click to view full size! Rampage 3 Extreme, 980x, PSU all installed. I sure was nervous installing the 980x. Click to view full size! 6 sticks of RAM and my own D14 installed. The D14 was a LOT easier to get in versus in my old case. The backplate hole on the 800D was actually large enough, which was nice. Click to view full size! Now is the time to whip out the old faithful PS-2 keyboard and ask: WILL IT POST? Yes it did! Recognised all 12GB RAM off the bat, updated bios to latest and turned AHCI on for all controllers. Click to view full size! All built! Cable management was a breeze. Click to view full size! Monitors all set up Click to view full size! Mini-Reviews Rampage 3 Extreme Needless to say this board is sexy as all hell. I won't go through every feature as i'm sure everyone would be better served looking up a proper review for that . Board is epic win. Likes: Aesthetics. Great colour scheme and sexy LED light show at night Board Layout: pci-e layout, onboard power/reset buttons, other stuff in good spots BIOS: dual bios, booted up first time no problems with 980x + 12gigs ram, BIOS very detailed Accessory package is huge Dislikes: Those damn Q-shield IO plates ASUS uses are too thick and squishy and mean you have to push the board up against it quite firmly to get the screwholes to line up with the standoffs. Asus VE276Q 27inch 1920x1080 First off let's state the obvious. THEY ARE DAMN HUGE. TN Panel, 16:9 1080p rez. For reference, i previously used an IPS panel 21 inch Samsung, and a cheap BENQ 22inch TN panel. Likes: Size. It's big. 2 of them are bigger. Image quality: very good for a large TN panel. You might wonder how 1080p looks on a 27inch panel. Looks fine to me! For both work and games. As always calibrate your monitors (especially gamma!). Response time noticeably faster than my Samsung IPS, which had some input lag. Tilt adjustable, VESA mounts on rear. Thin (18mm?) bezels. Displayport input (amongst all the rest) Dislikes: Sits quite low on desk and (i don't think) height adjustable. ~5cm clearance from bottom of panel to desk. I need a bigger desk now Asus 5850 directcu edition Likes: Aesthetically pleasing, nice heatpipes. Cooler is quiet up to 45% where it becomes audible. Gets to around 60C during gaming which sits comfortably quiet at low 40's fan speed. Dislikes: Uses 8+6pin instead of usual 5850 6+6. May be a problem for some people, who knows? Could be interpreted as a positive also for overclocking Corsair 800D Obsidian Case Likes: Very nice to look at. Sleek from top to bottom. Cable management and backplate cover are very well designed. Stock fans very quiet. Extraordinarily roomy, making installation a breeze. I really like this full tower design versus that of say the Lian Li A70, which i feel is too cramped. Hot swap drive bays at the front are a great idea and the included 4-way SATA power + data cables are nice. Dust shield at bottom of case slides out for easy cleaning. Dislikes: As mentioned above, my case came preinstalled with an extra motherboard standoff, that, despite the labelling, was definitely not of ATX standard that i know of. If i hadn't of noticed this and removed it i could have shorted out my board i believe. Now i may be wrong on this but i'm fairly sure! EDIT: Did some research: apparently ATX standard used to be 10 screws, with the 10th in the location i had to remove. At any rate, it will have to be removed for most modern boards. Take care! Stock cooling: if you are folding or gaming heavily in summer i would strongly recommend some additional fans. I chucked 3 120mm noctuas at the 3 120mm slots at the top and this keeps things nice and happy. Note that ALL air intake comes from the bottom 140mm fan. Corsair clearly designed it with the H50 in mind, whereby you are supposed to use the rear fan as an intake. At any rate, with some top exhaust fans, and a more powerful bottom intake 140mm fan, i don't foresee anyone having problems with air cooling in this case. Just something to be aware of. 2TB Seagate Barracuda XT I didn't know what to expect with this drive. I was pleasantly surprised. HDTune reports it runs only slightly slower than the esteemed Samsung F3 1TB. Runs substantially faster than WD Green 2TB. I would not call it a silent drive but it is as quiet as most modern hard drives. IN CONCLUSION I've always used ASUS motherboards so what a great stroke of luck it was to be selected as the winner in the comp. By the way, the competition was the "Asus P55 Motherboards" one where you had to have purchased a P55 motherboard in June/July to enter. Thanks again to ASUS and Corsair! If you'd like more thoughts or pics on above stuff please ask. __________________ [CPU]: 980x under water [MOBO]: Asus Rampage 3 Extreme [RAM]: 12GB DDR3-1600 [GPU]: 7970 Lightning Ghz Ed. [PSU]: HX-1000 [CASE]: 800D Last edited by Bracken_02; 27th September 2010 at 2:26 PM.

27th September 2010, 5:57 PM	#3
Intensity Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Launceston TAS 7290 Posts: 2,013	haha don't be greedy ill take the 980x to 7250 thanks. haha jks nice job, you will save so money there for sure. __________________ i5 2500K ASUS Maximus V Extreme 2 x EVGA GTX680's SLI Corsair AX850 16GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance OCZ Agility 3 120GB and 4x 2TB HDD Corsair 600T White edition AD-900's Logitech G510 Razer Deathadder Dell U2711 Xonar Essence STX My Steam - Add Me

27th September 2010, 6:43 PM	#4
roweysvn Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Gold Coast / Brisbane Posts: 435	What a lucky score, well done, and nice build. __________________ \| Main Rig - i7 2600K @ 4.2 \| Gigabyte Z68X-UD7 \| G SKill 16GB 2133Mhz \| Gigabyte 7970 \| Corsair 800d \| Corsair TX850 \| Noctua NH-D14 \| Intel 520 120GB \| 3x Dell U2412M \| \| HTPC - i3 530 @ 2.9 ghz \| Gigabyte H55M \| Kingston 4gb (2x2gb) 1333mhz \| Antec NSK2480B \| Corsair VX450 \| Western Digital 1TB \| Samsung 12x Blu-ray/DVD \|

27th September 2010, 6:49 PM	#5
japes Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD Posts: 4,194	How about a donation of the CPU/Mobo to your favourite Female Tauren. __________________ Biotope Aquaria flickr: 815L Rio Madeira, Brazil Biotope + old setups. Hardware: Z77 Sabretooth, 3770K, GTX680, Xonar ST-X, Fractal Define XL, HX1050, Vertex II/IV. Peripherals: VG278HE 144hz, Das Professional, Sensei Pro, QcK+, ATH-AD700

27th September 2010, 9:28 PM	#8
Marcism Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Sydney Posts: 127	What the hell are you gonna do with two sweet rigs!? Congrats man! __________________ AUS PC: i7 860 3.8 \| Custom WC \| P7P55D-E Pro \| 6970 915/1450 \| 8GB Vengeance \| M4 128 \| 1TB Samsung F3 \| 1TB Green \| 2TB Green \| ST75F-P \| CM690 FIN PC: 960T \| Asus M5A78L-M LX \| 4830 \| 2GB Samsung \| Barracuda 250GB \| VX450 \| Ridiculous case

27th September 2010, 1:04 PM	#2
Ka0sX (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canadian in Australia Posts: 2,786	Nice build mate how the hell did you win all that you lucky SOB

27th September 2010, 9:21 PM	#7
AudioFX Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: NSW, Australia Posts: 748	Soooooooo jealous Benchmarks? :P

27th September 2010, 9:36 PM	#9
dreamaxx (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gold Coast Posts: 2,139	You lucky bastard!!!

28th September 2010, 1:58 AM	#10
Ice009 Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,839	Awesome stuff. What did you have to do to win all this gear. I'd be pretty happy with just the CPU let alone all that other gear.

28th September 2010, 11:07 AM	#11
Moarphine Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Perth Posts: 686	Re: Thanks to ASUS: New system pics + mini reviews. R3E, 980x, 800D I'm really happy for you OP, must have been quite a rush when you first learn t of your victory. __________________ [e8400@3.6, Noctua NH-U12P] [MSI P45 Platinum, Corsair 4gb DDR2 800] [GTX260] [Corsair 620W, Gigabyte 3D Aurora 570] [Audio Engine 2, Beyerdynamic DT234, Asus Xonar STX] Here to ease the pain //:Successful trades with wvxman, basic, jamieyn, downforce, Louis Cyphre

28th September 2010, 11:09 AM	#12
tek_01 Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SW Sydney Posts: 2,026	Re: Thanks to ASUS: New system pics + mini reviews. R3E, 980x, 800D Lucky boy! Man that case really does dwarf the MB lol __________________ Main. i7 930 - TRUE 120 - Asrock x58 extreme3 - 12GB - GTX570 - 120GB SSD - 4TB - Fractal Define R2 - HX1000 HTPC. Phenom x2 550BE - Asrock 880gm-le - 4GB - Eco 550W - 1TB - Silverstone SG02 - CM Vortex Plus

28th September 2010, 3:46 PM	#13
fang_laluna Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,183	Dang... sweet rig __________________ i7-930 + NH-D14\| GA-EX58-UD5 \| Corsair Dominator 1866 C7 \| Gigabyte GTX460 OC \| G.Skill Falcon 128GB \| Enermax Revolution 85+ 1250w

29th September 2010, 9:18 AM	#15
ToxicToxin Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: 2210 Posts: 41	FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU share loot I assisted.