ASUS really need to start producing software that actually works.

[archie79]

This might be a long winded post but it is really starting to annoy me how poorly ASUS software is made. I have been using ASUS motherboards boards for a while now as far as the hardware goes they are excellent quality. Unfortunately they are not complemented by the same quality in Software which is really disappointing considering customers pay a premium for ASUS components/software. I have tried and tried to get their software to run correctly, following ASUS supports advice etc with no avail. I know find myself in the position that I have removed all ASUS software from my PC as it is so buggy.

AI suite: To be fair I find this one runs pretty well with me. I do not use it though as everything on here can be configured directly in the BIOS which I am fairly comfortable with. I think fan expert 4 is very good and I have not run in to any issues with it but again I am happy setting my own fan curves in the BIOS so I personally don't use it. Overall I would recommend using it if you aren't comfortable with using the BIOS settings. Unfortunately this is about the only good thing I have to say about ASUS software.

EZ update: This is an absolute waste of time. Out of the last 3 ASUS boards I have had it has never worked, period. Even though you know there are updates available this software always shows nothing available.

GameFirstV: This is a mixed bag. On initial installation it is plagued with high CPU usage but it generally sorts itself out just by rebooting your system. This might be useful to people with slow internet connections to prioritise where they want their internet bandwidth to be spent. I choose not to run it as I get no benefit with it in games and it actually slows down my background downloads unless you are prepared to play with the profiles which in turn give you no benefit to gaming. The software will only let you choose from two different speeds if it allowed you to set speeds manually then I could see this software being of greater use.

Aura Sync: Garbage. This software is buggy as hell. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Also the cpu usage can sometimes get high. Why would you want to waste cpu resources on changing light colours. I am lucky to have a built in hardware controller for my case and fans so I don't need this software to get pretty synced colours. The only place I lose out on is the lit up ASUS symbol on my motherboard but I'm more than happy to have it at a static colour rather than eat up my cpu.

Armoury Crate: Again, rubbish. This is supposed to allow you to keep all your motherboard drivers and software up to date along with controlling Aura Sync and setting profiles. The Aura sync options seem to work pretty well but again it is useless because of the issues mentioned above. The profiles section does not seem to list all the available options to you given by all the various ASUS software packages installed so again this seems pointless in using as you need to keep adjusting things manually through the actual apps instead of them being set automatically through Armoury Crate. The worst part of this software is the updates section. The software does list updates and it allows you to update with now issues but it is again completely pointless as it NEVER lists the most current driver, software and BIOS versions available to you.

RAM CacheIII: This is probably the worst of the lot. If you want to break your OS then this is the program to use. On initial use it seems great. Running a benchmark tool shows a massive increase in disk speed but in actual reality when using it in the real world it makes no noticeable difference especially if already using an SSD. The wort thing about it is using this software will corrupt your OS files. I have tested my theory and replicated identical results on 3 separate occasions and I can only guess that the software does not write back to your drive when it is supposed to and when you reboot your PC the RAM is flushed and thus corrupts system files that are being stored in the RAM Cache. I was experiencing issues with corrupt OS files and upon tracing it to RAM Cache I did the following 3 times and got the same results each time:

1. RAM Cache active. Ran system file check (errors found).
2. Disable RAM Cache and repair system files.
3. Ran PC for 1 week normally (rebooting when required) without RAM Cache.
4. Ran system file check (no errors).
5. Enabled RAM Cache and rebooted a few times.
6. Ran system file check (errors found)
7. Repeated above for 3 weeks and got identical results every time.

I find all ASUS software to be great in theory and would use it if they actually implemented them correctly. No one expects thing's to be perfect first time but what isn't acceptable is not fixing these problems, especially when customers are paying a premium for these products. I love their hardware but there software and support is very much lacking and for this reason I am seriously considering changing brand for my next build until ASUS get their act together.

[B3cks.B1er]

I agree with all points.

[E33et]

I'v also agreed with you.

And don't forget Rog Armoury, that software seems to live it own life, sometimes work and sometims it doesn't, right now i'm on v.33.0.0.44, sure there hardware and peripherals is great , i think they need an better programmer or bug tracking service. I'll realy love ASUS all my pc and gear is ASUS.And i'll want to continue to enjoy the ASUS ROG brand.

Regards
e33et

[Super Gnome]

Me too--I agree with all points. You nailed it, man. In a nutshell, a good lot of Asus software is rubbish. Consequently that extends to important stuff like the new BIOS 3006, which is the source of some serious headaches for some of us. Not a good thing at all.

[archie79]

I'm glad in a way that I know I'm not the only one experiencing this headache. There software has so much potential but unfortunately it comes across as only being half completed and if it has issues they just seem to adopt an attitude of can't be assed to fix it. If they are going to adopt this philosophy I would rather they just didn't bother releasing it at all and save causing customers headaches. Myself working in an industry where quality of products is absolute essential can't help feeling that ASUS software engineers should be ashamed of themselves for pumping this crap out to customers. I mean people should take pride in their work and it comes across they have little pride in what they do. I understand these programs can be complicated to produce and I don't have an issue with them having bugs at launch, my problem is that it never gets better of fixed.

One other software program I have an issue with is:

Sonic Studio 3: First off Sonic Radar doesn't even work so I can't comment on it. If sonic studio worked properly it would be brilliant. Having different sound profiles for each app that automatically selects as the app is launched is brilliant. Unfortunately it is really buggy. I have apps that used to show in previous versions but now no longer show in the list which means I just have to select them manually. Not all apps save the specific sound profile I have selected for them and always revert back to "Music" as default. I also have an issue where sound profiles grow a mind of their own and alter settings on it's own and makes the app sound like crap. Again I have just uninstalled it and went back to the default software that came with my Kratos S3 speakers. It isn't great and I have to select everything manually but at least it is reliable and works as it should.

[erixx11]

+ 1000

I have not had 3 but a dozen ASUS mobo's and I totally agree.

I have had Armoury Crate (via Windows store) working for 2 weeks now, very nicely, now it is broken. And there is no info anywhere of its prerequisites, like Do we have to install something first? (OLED display is totally gone now and does not return after reinstalling Crate).
My Claymore keyboard also did not work *only" with Crate. Had to reinstall the original old keyboard tool...
They should start working with one agile and solid base engine for ALL their products, then we add modules as we like per product. (I have tons of "ASSUS installs" in "Installed software" that I do not own: Patriot RGB, Corsair that, Asus mouse and cats, Headset here, laptop there!!!)

Now I have a monstrously heavy and useless "next gen" tool (Crate) only to set my mobo LED strips. For my keyboard and OLED I need 2 other (tiny but also slow) tools.

And then outside of the Asus program folder, out in the fields a bloody "lightning folder"!!!!!

Not to speak of the uninstall nightmare, proof of which is the underground tool "AI Suit Cleaner" series, glorious decade old series, yes...

It's a mess

[MoKiChU]

Hi everyone,

Just to share my point of view on this subject, generally in order to favor the stability of my system, I do not install the ASUS extra softwares supplied with the motherboard which duplicate the BIOS/UEFI settings or which allow me to do what I can do myself safely (like updating the drivers), the only thing that cannot be simply replaced by a manual and safe action is the RGB management (for that I use ASUS AURA (Win32, not UWP) version 1.06.17 that I intentionally do not update because the following versions are really messy with multiple modules installed). ASUS hardwares are among the best not to say the best, so please, if the software side needs to be improved (which as I explained to you represents no interest in my case), it should especially not be done at the expense of hardware/middleware quality/stability.

Note : Sonic Studio I/II/III Suite is not made by ASUS but made for ASUS by A-Volute.

[archie79]

I completely agree with what you are saying. I would never in a million years want them to prioritise software programs at expense of the hardware quality suffering. In that case I would just rather they did not release the software at all as it is no use if it is broken and causing problems.

I realise Sonic Studio is not made by ASUS but they are endorsing it by providing with the software DVD that comes with your motherboard or in audio driver updates on their site. I would rather they didn't provide you with it if it doesn't work correctly as it still reflects bad on ASUS for using buggy software.

[SilenMar]

Hi everyone,

Just to share my point of view on this subject, generally in order to favor the stability of my system, I do not install the ASUS extra softwares supplied with the motherboard which duplicate the BIOS/UEFI settings or which allow me to do what I can do myself safely (like updating the drivers), the only thing that cannot be simply replaced by a manual and safe action is the RGB management (for that I use ASUS AURA (Win32, not UWP) version 1.06.17 that I intentionally do not update because the following versions are really messy with multiple modules installed). ASUS hardwares are among the best not to say the best, so please, if the software side needs to be improved (which as I explained to you represents no interest in my case), it should especially not be done at the expense of hardware/middleware quality/stability.

Note : Sonic Studio I/II/III Suite is not made by ASUS but made for ASUS by A-Volute.

Wait, if I remember correctly. You are the one posting aftermarket Sonic Studio driver but eventually got removed to Mydigitallife, right?

[todd200]

I've never used GameFirstV or Ram CacheIII. I have used EZ Update on my old Z77 board and it worked ok. Sync worked ok but Armoury Crate Is buggy. I really wanted to like AI Suite simply for Fan Expert. I installed it and it worked great until it decided not to. After the fun of trying to reinstall it I said to hell with it. Seeing what it took to fully remove it I decided to not reinstall. It was something else running that I really didn't need. Bios runs my fans fine. I would like to be able to control them from within Windows but not enough to reinstall that almost virus like software.