Are the Asus ROG boards right for me?

[pcunite]

I'm going to be upgrading from an Asus P5k-E/Q6600 setup to an i5-3570(K) system. I'm not a true gamer and I never overclock. However, I like well-made things and it seems the ROG boards are all about quality. If they work well for overclocking, they should be super stable for me, right? Stability 24/7 is all I really value, but don't want to spend the money for a Xeon/ECC ram setup. My P5k-E has been perfect.

Therefore the Maximus V Gene has caught my attention.

My usage:

• Web/HTML programming.
• Photo editing on a color sRGB corrected 24" 1920x1200 NEC 2490WUXi2.
• Converting video with Sony Vegas 11.
• Playing the MechWarrior Online video game when I should be working.
• Listening to music on my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers.
• I never turn my computer off, it has ran for 5 years now.
• Will only install a GeForce GTX 660 card, mATX boards are big enough.

Are the ROG boards right for me? If I don't overclock are they stable, don't auto adjust silly things?

 

[fastamdman]

If you are not overclocking then any motherboard will be fine for you. All motherboards, that are known brands at least, are 100% stable and perfect for your IB setup. You would be much better suited with any asus / gigabyte / asrock board. The only time you need the best of the best boards are when you are using extreme cooling methods like liquid nitrogen, dry ice, phase change, etc etc.

I highly recommend the asrock extreme6, it's a VERY stable board and overclocks well if you change your mind on overclocking.

Also, if you are 100% against over clocking, don't by a K processor, it's a waste of money. The K in the sku means it has an unlocked multiplier, for overclocking.

 

[dawp]

If you are not overclocking then any motherboard will be fine for you. All motherboards, that are known brands at least, are 100% stable and perfect for your IB setup. You would be much better suited with any asus / gigabyte / asrock board. The only time you need the best of the best boards are when you are using extreme cooling methods like liquid nitrogen, dry ice, phase change, etc etc.

I highly recommend the asrock extreme6, it's a VERY stable board and overclocks well if you change your mind on overclocking.

Also, if you are 100% against over clocking, don't by a K processor, it's a waste of money. The K in the sku means it has an unlocked multiplier, for overclocking.

it's odd but the Ks have been cheaper at microcenter than the non K chips. the 3570k is $190 atm. if you have a microcenter near by, I would go and get a chip plus when purchased with certain motherboards you will get an additional $50 off the board.

 

[red454]

The Maximus V Gene is indeed a great board. Plenty of positive reviews out there.

But if you don't overclock or game - or have much use for all the other goodies that the Gene has, then the Asrock or Gigabyte boards are fine too.

You won't notice the difference.

Put the saved $ into a nice SSD or more RAM or PSU or...

 

[Insomniator]

If you want stability a high featured gaming board would be the last thing I get.

Buy an Intel board.

 

[HomerJS]

Then again the ASUS Maximus V GENE would be good if you wanted to get your feet wet in the overclock pool, later.

 

[rituraj]

As u might already have seen from the specs, the maximus V formula also has some additional features like on board wi-fi and blue tooth and also great (I don't have personal experience with it though) on board audio, if you give a care. So it s a good choice indeed if you find these on board features adequate..

 

[rituraj]

Sorry, I misread the thread... I was thinking about the maximus V formula..

 

[BrightCandle]

A ROG board is not for you. Its full of lots of features that you don't need and could potentially have issues of their own. Its an extreme overclockers board.

In terms of stability its been a long while since motherboards were just plain broken. By now there are plenty of reviews and such of the major suppliers boards and issues. Your requirements are very light so you don't need to spend heavily on the board at all, just search for issues before you buy a board and see if there is something that will cause you a problem, because all boards have some bugs.

 

[pcunite]

What if I stated I wanted the Z77 chipset in a mATX form factor with great onboard sound? The Maximus V Gene sounds like a better fit, no? What intrigues me is that it is built for abuse, true, it will spend its days with me in the library.

 

[coffeejunkee]

I have no numbers to back this up at all but it is my impression that there are actually more problems with these boards than with the regular ones. If it's due to the extra features which can also be extra points of failure, the heavier abuse these boards might see, the more frequent bios updates that often break as much as they fix or if I'm just reading the wrong threads I don't know.

That said, with your usage it's less likely you'll run into trouble but a 'normal' board would be just as stable. The onboard sound is a good point though, it's gonna be cramped with a vidcard + soundcard. Gigabyte Sniper G1 has very good sound too and is a bit cheaper.

 

[pcunite]

I have no numbers to back this up at all but it is my impression that there are actually more problems with these boards than with the regular ones. If it's due to the extra features which can also be extra points of failure, the heavier abuse these boards might see, the more frequent bios updates that often break as much as they fix or if I'm just reading the wrong threads I don't know.

I agree, which is what prompted me to ask. A friend of mine once said, "Never buy anything designed for screwing around with". A lot of people get hurt with sport bikes and 4-wheelers. I think the crowd that buys these ROG boards are slightly crazy. However, they appear to have ASUS best tech. So ... a calm person such as myself can just park the Ferrari in the driveway, no?

 

[red454]

People do buy Corvettes and just putter around town.

I am on my second ROG board and never had any problems with my Maximus IV Gene Z or my Maximus V Formula, but I don't thrash them either. Only a mild overclock.

And they both have many features that I probably won't ever use. But like you, I wanted a heavy duty board, so if I decide to have some fun, I would have a platform that is built to take it.

 

[Smoblikat]

I think OP now has the right idea, these boards are designed with A LOT of special little additions and are designed to have the crap kicked out of them, so if you run it like you would run a normal board than you can expect a long time quality board that wont have any issues.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I like well-made things.

I have an Asrock X 58 Extreme board. Did it have the marketing that it's "quality gaming ultimate motherboard?" It didn't need to. What makes the difference between "well-made" and otherwise? Think like that and then you'll be saving money.

 

[john3850]

I never knew or will know what all memory bios stuff did on a c2dx48 rog board I had.
I had to reread Anand review many times on the memory bios on that board.
If you have the fastest of everything and spare time then you get rog board.