new CROSSHAIR asus motherboard!

[rwaritsdario]

This is a really new motherboard its for socket AM2 with tons of features including its own little sound card, led lights, and SLI x32 support. It seems to be great for SLI and gamers.
At $250 on newegg I wanted to know what you guys think, or if anyone already owns one of these to give their feedback.

Newegg link

Asus link

 

[Multiplectic]

Finally someone noticed it.
It seems like an elite item. Elite mobo for the elite gamers (read: fu**ing expensive mobo for the fat wallet of some people)
Nice features and etc, I like the colors, but I don't like the array. The VRM's heatsinks are too big, and that could be a problem with a big CPU HSF (like some Zalmans).
The DDR2 modules would end up too close to the CPU HSF too.
It remains to see it's performance. I hope Asus designed a killer mobo (as they advertised it). 8)

 

[illinikevin]

Those big heatsinks around the socket were the first thing I noticed too. Gona have a hard time getting aftermarket cooling in there. The price isn't that high when compared to some of the 775 boards but then I think all boards are over priced now. I remember paying $130 for a DFI board and I thought that was highway robbery. It looks pretty cool, I'd like to see a review of it.

 

[rwaritsdario]

Well yeah those big heatsinks would be definetly a problem for some but on a closer look the first thing I noticed is how kinda weird the expansion slots were positioned, they are like this:
pci
pci express x16
pci x4
pci
pci express x16
pci

that maybe cause some trouble with double expansion slot graphic cards on SLI. mostly because you might only be left wiht one pci slot since the second one might be too cluttered by the two graphic card and the bridge.

Also the supremeFX card included is very interesing and up to where I can tell, with my limited sound quality, its about the same as an audigy sound card. This card goes on a separate slot about the first pci slot, this seems to be like a pcix1 slot to me but the reason why they dont advertise it is maybe because only really short cards like this would fit since again, the heatsinks are in the way

Also this motherboard seems to be ideal for water cooling since it doesnt take much space and it has a an optional fan that attaches to the heatsinks for for when youre using passive cooling.

 

[Multiplectic]

Also this motherboard seems to be ideal for water cooling since it doesnt take much space and it has a an optional fan that attaches to the heatsinks for for when youre using passive cooling.

Also the P5N32-SLI Deluxe has optional fans for the VRMs. It's a good idea, but it kills the "silence" of a water-cooling solution.

 

[rwaritsdario]

well yeah but remmber its just optional, to keep the airflow. But if you have your case fans directed properly you might not wanna use. Besides with those big heatsinks and the 8phase voltage thing itld be rare for the CPU to heat up and even more if youre using water cooling! XD

What do you think about the slot above the the first PCI one? do you think its a PCIx1? im almost sure... you should check it out at the asus site theres a clear picture of it.

 

[Multiplectic]

Physically, it's a PCI-E 1x slot, but it's upside-down. That's what ASUS used to connect the audio riser card.
Here. Check the 2º photo. It's kinda small, but you should be able to see the audio riser card placed in that pseudo PCI-E 1x slot.

 

[chuckshissle]

Well yeah those big heatsinks would be definetly a problem for some but on a closer look the first thing I noticed is how kinda weird the expansion slots were positioned, they are like this:
pci
pci express x16
pci x4
pci
pci express x16
pci

that maybe cause some trouble with double expansion slot graphic cards on SLI. mostly because you might only be left wiht one pci slot since the second one might be too cluttered by the two graphic card and the bridge.

Also the supremeFX card included is very interesing and up to where I can tell, with my limited sound quality, its about the same as an audigy sound card. This card goes on a separate slot about the first pci slot, this seems to be like a pcix1 slot to me but the reason why they dont advertise it is maybe because only really short cards like this would fit since again, the heatsinks are in the way

Also this motherboard seems to be ideal for water cooling since it doesnt take much space and it has a an optional fan that attaches to the heatsinks for for when youre using passive cooling.

I notice that, maybe it's for better cooling but I don't if you could use the pci bus when you run SLI.

 

[rwaritsdario]

Yes, in the motherboard manual it says is for better cooling. And well itld be a matter of luck if you could squezee a PCI card in there but itld have to be something really compact. Hopefully you could use is because otherwise yould have only one PCI slot avaible, when running dual slots card, which wouldnt make any difference with the motherboards with just 2 pci slots.

Thats effectively a PCIx1, but again just really short cards like this would fit in there... do you think that mini audio card has its own audio processor? and what would it be roughly equivalent to? they advertise it as 24bit/192kHz, that sounds audigy to me...
Because if itll save me the sound card for now, ild get this instead of the the M2N32-SLI or this Foxconn motherboard.

 

[chuckshissle]

Well I guess you can place a sound on top of the graphics card if its' slim enough like x-fi other wise it would short circuit the tiny components on the top side of the graphics card. But then again I guess the onboard audio would be good enough.

 

[erocker]

For what ASUS claims this board is worth it. Every extra you would need, you get, and then some.

 

[rwaritsdario]

Definetly its been noticed! but what I really want are some professional reviews! From anywhere! hehe
And definetly has alot of attractive features that I havent seen anywhere else, three PCI slots, great onboard sound (or so Asus claims), two eSATA ports, LED lights, LCD poster, extreme tweaker and so on...

And yes, thats physically a PCI-E x1 slot. But it isnt in the Asus specs because only really short cards like this can fit in there. Do you think this card has its own audio processor?? or simply the onboard audio on a mini card??

 

[Kilroy]

Well, not really a professional review but can share my recent Crosshair experience (new poster to the forumz). I was actually trying to wait for a Conroe 590 board to come out and get a C2D, but needed to act now and decided to give Crosshair a try:

Asus Crosshair
X2 4600+
2GB Corsair 6400C4
Zalman 9500 AM2 Cooler
Arctic Silver 5
Silverstone Zeus ST65ZF 650W PS
BFG 7900 GTX OC
Seagate 320 GB SATA HD
Gigabyte Aurora3D case
LiteOn DVD writer
Win XP Pro

Board was easy to install, good layout everything fit nicely, good cable routing possibilities. The Zalman cooler fits in fine, no clearance problems with the heatsinks, good airflow through case. Currently idle temp 33deg, low 40's under heavy load (using stock speeds).

Onboard switches nice addition when working on an open case. Lights on the I/O shield a really nice touch for less than perfect lighting. The 3 extra thermo cables allow for monitoring of other components (video card, HDD, etc.), as CPU and NB have own integrated temp sensors. With a second 2-slot video card in there, will be tight but will still have a PCI slot between sound card and first PCIx16 slot. Could also possible have a PCI slot between the two cards, but a tight squeeze.

Board POSTed into BIOS fine on first powerup, menus easy to navigate. Needed to make a minor change to recognize correct 4-4-4-12 timings on Corsair sticks in subsequent restarts, now all good. Booted through and installed Windows to completion also on first power-up. Knock on wood - everything seems to be working fine so far. Running straight for a week now. Sounds seems great for gaming and music, have noticed no discernable difference compared to my older Audigy.

ASUS included software OK. PCProbeII allows you to keep an eye on just about everything in the case (voltages, temps, fan RPM). Complete Advnced Edition of 3DMark06 cool to have.

Just starting to explore OC'ing..... More options than I know what to do with, so this should be fun ! Considering what I have seen so far and the potential of this board justifies the price compared to what else is out there. This or an M2NE Deluxe, hard for me to say since I've never used the latter.


Hope this helps!

 

[rwaritsdario]

Well, not really a professional review but can share my recent Crosshair experience (new poster to the forumz). I was actually trying to wait for a Conroe 590 board to come out and get a C2D, but needed to act now and decided to give Crosshair a try:

Asus Crosshair
X2 4600+
2GB Corsair 6400C4
Zalman 9500 AM2 Cooler
Arctic Silver 5
Silverstone Zeus ST65ZF 650W PS
BFG 7900 GTX OC
Seagate 320 GB SATA HD
Gigabyte Aurora3D case
LiteOn DVD writer
Win XP Pro

Board was easy to install, good layout everything fit nicely, good cable routing possibilities. The Zalman cooler fits in fine, no clearance problems with the heatsinks, good airflow through case. Currently idle temp 33deg, low 40's under heavy load (using stock speeds).

Onboard switches nice addition when working on an open case. Lights on the I/O shield a really nice touch for less than perfect lighting. The 3 extra thermo cables allow for monitoring of other components (video card, HDD, etc.), as CPU and NB have own integrated temp sensors. With a second 2-slot video card in there, will be tight but will still have a PCI slot between sound card and first PCIx16 slot. Could also possible have a PCI slot between the two cards, but a tight squeeze.

Board POSTed into BIOS fine on first powerup, menus easy to navigate. Needed to make a minor change to recognize correct 4-4-4-12 timings on Corsair sticks in subsequent restarts, now all good. Booted through and installed Windows to completion also on first power-up. Knock on wood - everything seems to be working fine so far. Running straight for a week now. Sounds seems great for gaming and music, have noticed no discernable difference compared to my older Audigy.

ASUS included software OK. PCProbeII allows you to keep an eye on just about everything in the case (voltages, temps, fan RPM). Complete Advnced Edition of 3DMark06 cool to have.

Just starting to explore OC'ing..... More options than I know what to do with, so this should be fun ! Considering what I have seen so far and the potential of this board justifies the price compared to what else is out there. This or an M2NE Deluxe, hard for me to say since I've never used the latter.


Hope this helps!

Definetly helpful and welcome to the forums!
wich Audigy card did you have?? because im planning on getting a 2 ZS with this mobo and idk what the difference would be.

 

[Tom_Tuttle_of_Tacoma]

This is a good review.

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=285&type=expert

 

[rwaritsdario]

This is a good review.

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=285&type=expert

man thats some AWESOME review, grr that makes me want the mobo ALOT more! but I wont get it till december...

 

[Tom_Tuttle_of_Tacoma]

Unless you like cutting edge headaches, waiting several months is always better. Let the BIOS mature a little, maybe a motherboard revision or 2. Prices always go down.

I was one of the first to get the A7N8X-E Deluxe- Great motherboard until I needed to run it at 400mhz. Many problems, waiting for the next BOIS update.

Never again! I see everyone going crazy for Intel’s newest-best, I also see the tech forums starting to fill up with compatibility problems, no SLI, "Is the BETA driver any good???" Maybe I am getting old but I like a rock solid platform over bragging rights. That being said, Nvidia's chipset seems to have a better handle on things with AMD then Intel.

I just upgraded to the A8N32-SLI Deluxe, AMD 4800, 7900GT-SLI
The BIOS has been upgraded for 9 months and has given me NO problems.
Did I mention it was very cheap???

2 cents from an old guy.

 

[rwaritsdario]

Definetly its better to wait if you can. But I have to get it by december sadly... I hope theyll have revised the BIOS by then =]

VERY nice rig by the way, im going for a 4200+ and just once 7900GT... lol

 

[Tom_Tuttle_of_Tacoma]

One 7900gt is very good, I can max out BF2/CoD2 with one. In a few months they will go down in price when the next gen of cards come out. It is nice to see that AMD is continuing to drop the prices of the X2's.

 

[rwaritsdario]

One 7900gt is very good, I can max out BF2/CoD2 with one. In a few months they will go down in price when the next gen of cards come out. It is nice to see that AMD is continuing to drop the prices of the X2's.

Definetly theyre like about half price now. Although the most of the 2MB cache one dissapeared >_<
Do you know if either ATI of Nvida have any fixed released dates? do you think itll be before 2008?