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Is it Wise to Buy Extreme Zenith?

erefer
Level 7
Hi there,

I want to build a system with Threadripper and Extreme Zenith but now I'm starting to have second thoughts...
The reason is that I need a rock solid system that works 24/7 with no problems such as random short hangs, freezings or reboots etc.
I don't want to OC the CPU or RAM or anything extreme. I really don't care. Maybe in the future I would use x4 Nvme SSD's (Raid 0) with Asus Hyper Card x16.

But I see there is a ton of problems with this mobo and that's very sad considering the premium price of this board.
Plus (I assume) the support is a joke. I just saw that the last Bios Update was over 4 months ago. That's outrageous for a 500+ euros mobo!

So what do you think? I refer to the owners of this motherboard.
Am I wrong? Should I get the Extreme Zenith?
6,749 Views
25 REPLIES 25

Arne_Saknussemm
Level 40
I have had a very smooth ride with this board and platform in general. I think the key thing is to pay strict attention to what RAM works well on the board. This seems to be where most of the problems come from.

Are you wrong...I have no idea on the statistics for this board...forums often throw up the negatives instead of the positives...to be expected...

Should you get it... is likewise impossible to answer

And 4 raid 0 nvme is hardly the rock solid option for storage :rolleyes:

The BIOS support does seem a tad deficient...

Arne Saknussemm wrote:
I have had a very smooth ride with this board and platform in general. I think the key thing is to pay strict attention to what RAM works well on the board. This seems to be where most of the problems come from.

Are you wrong...I have no idea on the statistics for this board...forums often throw up the negatives instead of the positives...to be expected...

Should you get it... is likewise impossible to answer

And 4 raid 0 nvme is hardly the rock solid option for storage :rolleyes:

The BIOS support does seem a tad deficient...


That's interesting.

So you personally didn't have any problems? Like freezing, reboots, fans working max rpm rapidly?
Do you have your PC running 24/7?
Sincerely I don't know what to do.
I really love this board but I don't want to have a ton of problems and have all these money wasted...

erefer wrote:
That's interesting.

So you personally didn't have any problems? Like freezing, reboots, fans working max rpm rapidly?
Do you have your PC running 24/7?
Sincerely I don't know what to do.
I really love this board but I don't want to have a ton of problems and have all these money wasted...


I've had mine since the last week of December 2017, I've had absolutely no problems whatsoever with this mobo. I'm using it with a 1900 and 64gb of 3000 cas15 G.skill RGB ram and 3x M.2 NVME SSDs none of which, as a workstation setup has given me any issue. I use this machine as a media workstation so it being functional is critical to my business. I have it on 24/7.
This was also my first PC build in 20 years and it seemed way easier then Id remembered. I also run a bunch of other stuff on it like two pro monitors off a 1080 and an AIO but I am not sure if this would be beneficial info per your question.

I only now realized that there have been no bios updates for 4 months, which, I also agree is a bit weird, however, I assume that ASUS see no need to update it..?

In terms of assurances from other users as to whether you should invest in one, I personally think that it as of November 2017 was the best mobo per spec for anything Threadripper, would I buy one today? Without having done any research on anything since, I cant really say yes or no, but as for problems, I havent had any and so I would happily replace it with the same board if I had to.
..just curious..

irq506 wrote:
I've had mine since the last week of December 2017, I've had absolutely no problems whatsoever with this mobo. I'm using it with a 1900 and 64gb of 3000 cas15 G.skill RGB ram and 3x M.2 NVME SSDs none of which, as a workstation setup has given me any issue. I use this machine as a media workstation so it being functional is critical to my business. I have it on 24/7.
This was also my first PC build in 20 years and it seemed way easier then Id remembered. I also run a bunch of other stuff on it like two pro monitors off a 1080 and an AIO but I am not sure if this would be beneficial info per your question.

I only now realized that there have been no bios updates for 4 months, which, I also agree is a bit weird, however, I assume that ASUS see no need to update it..?

In terms of assurances from other users as to whether you should invest in one, I personally think that it as of November 2017 was the best mobo per spec for anything Threadripper, would I buy one today? Without having done any research on anything since, I cant really say yes or no, but as for problems, I havent had any and so I would happily replace it with the same board if I had to.


Your post is really helpful because I want to use this system 24/7 and a workstation setup with no issues is very important to my desicion.
Thank you

Arne_Saknussemm
Level 40
I have had none of the freezing or reboots or fan problems. Lots of people simply don't take time to look at the recommended frequencies for the different quantitiies of RAM and bought Intel spec'd kits expecting them to work and multiple kits combined etc.

If you get single sided Samsung B-die RAM you stand a good chance of running fine. 3200 seems to be the top frequency for normal voltage 32 or 16GB setups. If you are filling more slots and using 16GB sticks then frequency expectations have to be lowered.

I don't use my computer 24/7...it is usually on during the day 10-12 hours and off at night. My fans are a mix of Noctua NF F12 PWM on manual profiles and Corsair SP120 run in DC mode...

If you have a business use and need absolute plug and play stability maybe Intel can offer slightly more guaranteed stability, since this platform is still "relatively new"

I hope the following will help you, because I'm a new owner: I'm still working on my set, and it's not without its issues.
However, as @Arne-Saknussemm said: your mileage might vary.

At first, it was plagued with reboots, and freezing, and no POST and stuff.
Then, it turned out, I had to scratch my head more, and work with it to optimize my setup.

I really like the board, and I feel it's really awesome, but as mentioned, it's relatively new, and Support has much room for improvement.

I'm running TR4 (1950X), with 128GB RAM and 2x NVMe with the provided M.2 riser card, and 2x VGAs in SLI (along with other components).

Just like you, I don't want to OC, I just want a nice and powerful system.
So what made things work for me (and OMG, the system is really fast) was to turn OFF the OC'ing (which apparently is ON by default), and do a couple of tweaks to fit my OS (Linux).
Also:
Arne Saknussemm wrote:
I think the key thing is to pay strict attention to what RAM works well on the board. This seems to be where most of the problems come from.

I had to change from Team T-Force to Kingston's HyperX DIMMs. The board is really picky, and you can read the QVL for what to get.
Check this link for the QVL.

Again, as @Arne-Saknussemm astutely pointed out:
Arne Saknussemm wrote:

Forums often throw up the negatives instead of the positives...to be expected...

Should you get it... is likewise impossible to answer


I am planning to keep it running 24/7 but I still haven't really put it in production, and will keep you posted, if you're interested.

Arne Saknussemm wrote:
I have had none of the freezing or reboots or fan problems. Lots of people simply don't take time to look at the recommended frequencies for the different quantitiies of RAM and bought Intel spec'd kits expecting them to work and multiple kits combined etc.

If you get single sided Samsung B-die RAM you stand a good chance of running fine. 3200 seems to be the top frequency for normal voltage 32 or 16GB setups. If you are filling more slots and using 16GB sticks then frequency expectations have to be lowered.

I don't use my computer 24/7...it is usually on during the day 10-12 hours and off at night. My fans are a mix of Noctua NF F12 PWM on manual profiles and Corsair SP120 run in DC mode...

If you have a business use and need absolute plug and play stability maybe Intel can offer slightly more guaranteed stability, since this platform is still "relatively new"


paulmarc wrote:
I hope the following will help you, because I'm a new owner: I'm still working on my set, and it's not without its issues.
However, as @Arne-Saknussemm said: your mileage might vary.

At first, it was plagued with reboots, and freezing, and no POST and stuff.
Then, it turned out, I had to scratch my head more, and work with it to optimize my setup.

I really like the board, and I feel it's really awesome, but as mentioned, it's relatively new, and Support has much room for improvement.

I'm running TR4 (1950X), with 128GB RAM and 2x NVMe with the provided M.2 riser card, and 2x VGAs in SLI (along with other components).

Just like you, I don't want to OC, I just want a nice and powerful system.
So what made things work for me (and OMG, the system is really fast) was to turn OFF the OC'ing (which apparently is ON by default), and do a couple of tweaks to fit my OS (Linux).
Also:

I had to change from Team T-Force to Kingston's HyperX DIMMs. The board is really picky, and you can read the QVL for what to get.
Check this link for the QVL.

Again, as @Arne-Saknussemm astutely pointed out:


I am planning to keep it running 24/7 but I still haven't really put it in production, and will keep you posted, if you're interested.


Thank you very much for your time.

You've been really helpful with your info!
As I said I REALLY like this board and the power that comes with the Threadripper.

@paulmarc I would be grateful if you would share your 24/7 experiences 🙂
As much as I can understand from what you're all saying the cause of all problems is the RAM.

I'll stick strictly to QVL list or with a set of RAM that you use and have no problems.
I'll wait 2-3 weeks since my final decision though because this whole thing will cost over 5000€
and I don't know maybe I'll change my mind and buy a used car 😄

erefer wrote:
... buy a used car 😄


Haha, this is what my friends told me...

Saturn7
Level 7
erefer wrote:
Hi there,

I want to build a system with Threadripper and Extreme Zenith but now I'm starting to have second thoughts...
The reason is that I need a rock solid system that works 24/7 with no problems such as random short hangs, freezings or reboots etc.
I don't want to OC the CPU or RAM or anything extreme. I really don't care. Maybe in the future I would use x4 Nvme SSD's (Raid 0) with Asus Hyper Card x16.

But I see there is a ton of problems with this mobo and that's very sad considering the premium price of this board.
Plus (I assume) the support is a joke. I just saw that the last Bios Update was over 4 months ago. That's outrageous for a 500+ euros mobo!

So what do you think? I refer to the owners of this motherboard.
Am I wrong? Should I get the Extreme Zenith?



I've had my system since September. My system is overclocked and stable.

The only problem I had was the BIOS spinning up the fans to 100%. The latest BIOS fixed that problem.

If you want a super stable system just make sure you get 4 sticks of ram not 8.

Also when installing windows DO NOT install AI Suite.