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AUStheWOLF · ‎04-27-2017

Hello ROG Enthusiasts,

I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself and my latest do-it-all computer build, which is intended for gaming, video editing, and general productivity. So far, my expectations have been reasonable… I went into this build knowing AMD has some early developer tariffs/troubles, but so far I am having a great time and thus far have only run into stability issues running “ultra performance” settings. I would like to go over my parts lists with the forum, and ask for feedback regarding the way I have connected the hardware. I am confident in my hardware choices and connections, but really wanted to gauge input as far as the software control and BIOS. My build consists of the following components:

ASUS Crosshair VI Hero Motherboard
AMD Ryzen 1800X CPU
Corsair H115i AIO Cooler (Using AM4 Bracket)
G.Skill Trident Z RGB DDR4 RAM (C16, 2x8GB)
Samsung 960 Pro NVME M.2 SSD (512GB)
Seagate Barracuda Pro 4TB HDD
ASUS Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC GPU
EVGA G3 850W PSU
CableMod E-Series ModFlex Basic Cable Kit
Corsair ML140 Pro Fans (3 for Chassis, 2 for H115i Cooler)
Corsair 600C Chassis/Case (Inverted ATX Full Tower Case)
ASUS ROG PG348Q 34” 21:9 Gaming Monitor
Windows 10 Professional 64-bit

This build will be the first computer I have built for myself, although I do have some experience modifying rigs for friends and I have modified a lot of factory computers in the past. I did a great deal of research prior to choosing parts for purchasing. I have only run into two small oversights, which fortunately do not effect the overall direction of this build. The first oversight was with the Corsair 600C built-in case fan controller… The case fans provided with the 600C chassis are 3-pin fans and I purchased ML140 Pro 4-pin fans to replace the included counterparts. As such, I could not utilize the cases fan controller, and instead used all three CHA_FAN headers on the motherboard. The second oversight was with the H115i AIO Cooler… The H115i requires a USB2.0 header to supply the mini-USB cable connected to the CPU block. Because I only had one USB2.0 header available on the motherboard, I could not connect the cable for the USB2.0 ports on the 600C chassis. It is really no big deal, because I still have the USB3.0 ports on the 600C chassis, as well as several USB 2.0 ports directly on the motherboard.

Forgive my organization/delivery of this information… I only mention these oversights, as it relates to my next few questions and topics. Please let me know if anything stands out as being connected incorrectly!!

I have the Corsair H115i AIO Cooler connected via CPU_FAN header on the motherboard, and the two ML140 Pro fans connected to the split 4-pin Y-fitting. Researching similar posts for ASUS motherboards on the Corsair forums, several users have insisted on using the CPU_FAN header to tie-in to Corsair software (makes sense, not every motherboard has an AIO_PUMP header). Using only the ASUS motherboard BIOS fan controls, I have adjusted the CPU_FAN to operate at full speed. Does anyone have any familiarity with the ASUS software for fan control, and do you think that would be better than the BIOS fan curves? Ideally, I would like to utilize the ASUS BIOS only and avoid all ASUS/Corsair software. To use the ASUS fan control BIOS would it be better to connect the two AIO fans to the CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT headers, move the cable for the pump to the AIO_PUMP header?

ASUS FanConnect is a feature that ties in to the ASUS Strix GTX 1800 Ti OC GPU. FanConnect is the inclusion of two 4-pin fan headers, which allows users to sync GPU temps/fan speed to chassis fans. This is controlled by the GPU Tweak II software, and I found an article from ASUS regarding the benefits of such a setup. Anyone trying this out either, any thoughts? I’m sure this will have to be controlled through software, which is what I am trying to avoid.

So far I have had a few crashes, all on the factory BIOS, and I really do not wish to update until the May BIOS is released. I do have all of the latest drivers installed for Asus, nVIDIA G-Sync, Windows 10, etc. System feels a little slow, so this morning I ran the ASUS AI Suite 3 to perform the software-driven firmware optimization. I will begin to manually adjust settings in the BIOS once the revised BIOS is released, as to avoid any duplicate efforts. On first pass, I achieved an 8% overclock, I think it was around 3850MHz clock speed. I ran an extended test when I left the house, and hopefully the software will work while I am away to produce a stable clock speed and ram utilization that will work best for me. This software also adjusts fan speeds, but I am not sure exactly what has changed for fan curves. As a freebie, I was able to download Ghost Recon Wildlands as part of purchasing the Strix GPU. In the program settings, there was an included benchmark. I attempted to run one on Ultra Performance settings, only to experience system shut down before the benchmark loaded. I adjusted the settings down some and ran a High Performance benchmark, which ran and complete to post a result, but then I experienced yet a second system crash shortly after the test went back to the Settings menu. I was able to enable G-Sync on the PG348Q monitor at 100-Hz to limited success (using DisplayPort as instructed). I am going to run a common benchmark like Cinebench when I return home later today, to compare results to similar builds and hopefully I will not get any system crashes. I am getting some flickers out of the monitor while booting Windows, but I think this may be normal and part of the process before G-Sync drivers are loaded.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my build and the issues I am having. If you have any suggestions for me, I would appreciate the feedback. Please let me know your thoughts, and if you would change anything about the build. I will make sure to upload some pictures to this forum once I make it back home and have a chance to get some decent pictures!

MeanMachine · ‎04-27-2017

Hi AUStheWOLF and Welcome to ROG 🙂

I'm sure you must be pleased with your build which is very similar to mine. Best results so far for me have been with Bios 1002 and mine is stable at 4..0GHz atm so no intentions of updating my Bios. Whether the latest Bios 1106 Update AGESA to 1.0.0.4a has proven improvements remains to be seen if this version will better address OC RAM.

It will be interesting to compare your results with what I have found in my thread and will follow your thread with interest. As you asked, I do not use third party software for any OCs however whatever works for fan control is OK by me.

With your H115i and Link software you will have all the fan control you need apart from Bios. I originally had my CPU_ FAN connected to the AIO_PUMP header and that did not work for me however the CPU_FAN header works fine.
You may be interested in my build impressions here: https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?92489-New-Ryzen-7-1800X-build-impressions.

Any issues with your G.Skill Trident Z RAM.?
You may be aware of the temperature sensing issues originally reported with the AM4 platform and I have found HWInfo monitor to be more accurate.

We owe our existence to the scum of the earth, Cyanobacteria

My System Specs:

MB:ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero/WiFi GPU:EVGA GTX 1080 sc PSU:Corsair AX-1200i
CPU:AMD R7 2700X Cooler: Corsair Hydro H115i Case: Corsair Carbide 780t
Memory:G.Skill TridentZ F4-3200C14D-16GTZR SSD:Samsung 500GB 960 EVO M.2

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AUStheWOLF · ‎04-27-2017

Thanks, I just kind of needed a warm fuzzy feeling about the correct manner to connect the AIO. At the moment, I am currently around the 4075 Mhz mark... The ASUS AI Suite 3 had me near 4140 Mhz with the 5 Way Optimization, but I could not get the RAM to post at speeds above 2133 MHz when I adjusted my RAM timing. In all fairness, I did not raise the voltage when this was attempted. It may be possible to adjust RAM speed before running the AI Suite 3, but I did not attempt it in this order.

Currently, I am at 3200 MHz for the RAM, so Trident Z is the bees knees!! I am surprised honestly, because this overclock on the RAM has not taken much effort and most people posting these speeds are posting with G.Skill memory. I used the RAM timings listed on the sticker 16-16-16-36, worked on factory speeds and just kept increasing til I got to around 4075 MHz. I am going to see if I can't edit the first post, if not I will include photos below of my build. Hopefully we will have the ability to adjust the RGB colors for G.Skill in the Aura software. The factory EUFI has been very friendly, and I don't intend to flash BIOS until there is evidence that I will benefit with certainty. Thank you for the response, I hope I can figure out how to post some pictures.

MeanMachine · ‎04-27-2017

Posting pics here is simple, Use the menu box third from the end that highlights "insert image" when you hover your cursor over it. Then upload the .jpg file or whatever from your computer.
Yes you can fully edit your post.:)

We owe our existence to the scum of the earth, Cyanobacteria

My System Specs:

MB:ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero/WiFi GPU:EVGA GTX 1080 sc PSU:Corsair AX-1200i
CPU:AMD R7 2700X Cooler: Corsair Hydro H115i Case: Corsair Carbide 780t
Memory:G.Skill TridentZ F4-3200C14D-16GTZR SSD:Samsung 500GB 960 EVO M.2

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BaneSilvermoon · ‎04-28-2017

You could get adapters for the fan headers if you preferred to use the case fan controls over the system board pins. Since you'd be using the controller instead of PWM, the loss of the fourth pin shouldn't hurt.

Something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/4Pin-3Pin-Standard-Adapter-Cable/dp/B015NM4HOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493387...

AUStheWOLF · ‎04-28-2017

BaneSilvermoon wrote:
You could get adapters for the fan headers if you preferred to use the case fan controls over the system board pins. Since you'd be using the controller instead of PWM, the loss of the fourth pin shouldn't hurt.

Something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/4Pin-3Pin-Standard-Adapter-Cable/dp/B015NM4HOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493387...

I actually looked for a similar product and came up short, if I were short of CHA_FAN headers, this would truly be one of the best remedies.

tarot · ‎05-01-2017

i use cpu fan and cpu opt for my fans
change settings in monitor down the bottom
change the case fans to read from the motherboard and set the cpu to what you want mine is set to 75 percent at 75 and 50 percent a t 60(as it reads the temps from the ite temps not the die temps it read s20 degrees higher on the x series..dumb i know)
this keeps the fans from going to high normally but if i rip a disk with handbrake or anything nasty the fans ramp up and keep temps under 70...real temps that is 🙂

BaneSilvermoon · ‎05-02-2017

It took a little effort and time, but I've had great success just using the BIOS fan profiles as well.
I'm currently running my water cooler fans on the CPU fan header, set to ...
smoothing = 31.9
upper temp = 60
max duty = 100
middle temp = 50
middle duty = 76
lower temp = 40
lower duty 40

And my intakes are on chassis fan 2, set to use CPU, VRM and Motherboard
smoothing = 255
upper temp = 71
max duty = 85
middle temp = 54
middle duty = 60
lower temp = 44
lower duty = 25

Obviously fan settings are something VERY specific to your individual build. But this has worked fantastically for my setup. The computer is just short of absolutely silent under basic use. The smoothing is high enough that short term temperature spikes don't make the system get loud, and only under maximum stress does it start to get some real volume going. As a bonus, with longer smoothing times, the fans stay on longer after the temperatures drop, which is good in general, but even more so for liquid systems. And it maintains a max temp somewhere around 62 degrees with prime running.

I also tested it extensively against running more responsive fan settings, and the max temperatures were actually lower like this. They also settled into a specific temperature range quicker, rather than spending a while fluctuating up and down at the peak as the fan speeds changed.

AUStheWOLF · ‎05-02-2017

Just an update of how things are going on my end, and to clarify a few settings...

I have my main header from the AIO pump connected to the CPU_FAN header, and have the header set through UEFI running 100%.
I have the two AIO fans controlled as Corsair has instructed, connected to their supplied Y-fitting connected to the pump.
I have the Corsair LINK software installed to control the profiles, which has been a convenient way of switching to a higher fan profile while benchmarking the system.
I have the three chassis fans connected to the three CHA_FAN headers on the motherboard.

While running a few benchmarks, I have enabled performance settings in the Corsair LINK software and ASUS GPU TweakII software. While I would prefer to avoid use of software to enable optimized settings under load, I do not believe there is another way to set the Graphics Card overclock without the GPU TweakII software. I do have the STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC edition, therefore I have a lot of GPU power to tap into.

However, I would be lying if I said I was completely happy with my system's gaming performance. Certain games provide rock solid performance under hours of gameplay, while others tend to trash in settings and gameplay. I have played Doom and Rise of Tomb Raider with great success, however Ghost Recon Wildlands is giving me trouble... big trouble! I experience a great deal of system crashes and hanging freezes, after only a short while of gameplay. The part that bothers me the most is that this was a promotional freebie, included with the purchase of my graphics card. Presumably, this should be a compatible title for ASUS to bundle the product. Another complication is running an ultrawide display, therefore this problem is a difficult one to identify. I have tried running lower settings, disabling GSync, and running high fan profiles to try to get this game to run properly. I am overclocked to around 4GHZ and have my DRAM running at a solid 3500MHZ as of last night. I have performed benchmarks such as Cinebench R15 and 3DMark Timespy, which are both running respectable scores ;). I can chalk this particular title up as a loss or incompatibility with any combination of support for Ryzen, ultrawide displays, or not updating to latest BIOS. Searching for this issue has proven to be quite difficult, as most the results are related to a patch issued by Ubisoft one month ago for Ryzen stability. Out of curiosity, I downloaded Tom Clancy's The Division to see if I could reproduce the problem. I have not yet had time to load the title and run the game, but I am looking forward to seeing what kind of stability this title provides.

I am going to take some advice from here and try run the fans directly to the motherboard CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT headers. This will allow me to set the curves in the UEFI based off the settings above. I will let you guys know if there are any updates to stability after doing so. If not, I was mostly happy with the way I have it connected currently. Thank you everyone for your advice, settings, and recommendations!!

BaneSilvermoon · ‎05-03-2017

May be unrelated, but the only issues I've had with Wildlands have been related to RAM while I've been tightening timings. Have you run Memtest or any memory specific stress tests? I've had a few periods where my system would finish tests like 3DMark and report valid scores. But if I ran memtest for a while, it would throw errors. And the couple times that I had Wildlands fail on me (usually minutes after starting it up), when I ran memtest afterwards I got system lockups or test errors.

High-End Ryzen Build - Questions regarding fan control