Let your ideas be heard - Project Dream Machine by ASUS ROG

[The_Blackhat]

ROG or another company should make a clear plate with integrated aura rgbs that is perfectly sized for 2.5” or 3.5” storage drives, because a lot of cases now have no cages and the drives just sit in there.

[Korth]

Most people go for AIO or DIY liquid-cooled CPU. And some ROG mobos come with preinstalled VRM/chipset waterblocks so it's safe to assume they'll be used in completely liquid-cooled systems.

But other ROG mobos (Maximus IX Code for example) are likely to be completely air-cooled - after all, people planning on liquid-cooling would buy faster/better models with built-in waterblocks (Maximus IX Formula for example). And performance air-cooling basically requires a huge air cooler. And a huge air cooler always introduces dimensional compatibility issues.

Take note of the largest huge CPU coolers, things like the NH-D15. And how much clearance they require for the VRM/chipset heatsinks, the tallest RAM heatspreaders, the thickest GPU cards (and backplates). Space the adjacent GPU card slot and DIMM banks just one or two millimeters further away if needed to ensure dimensional compatibility. Provide QVL compatibility notes with all tested parts so that people who've decided on air-cooling know exactly which parts or combinations of parts will (or won't) work on the ROG mobos when narrowing down their short-list.

I note that the Maximus IX Formula and later (watercooled) ROG mobos also provide things like a reinforced backplate. Mobos which will use huge air coolers are basically going to be dangling ~1kg of metal sideways off the CPU socket, it would be nice if this could somehow be supported or reinforced with stiff metal plates (or plastics, or bolts, or something) on the motherboard, like newer GPU card slots are. At least on new Code-equivalent and TUF-branded mobos.

[The_Blackhat]

Most people go for AIO or DIY liquid-cooled CPU. And some ROG mobos come with preinstalled VRM/chipset waterblocks so it's safe to assume they'll be used in completely liquid-cooled systems.

But other ROG mobos (Maximus IX Code for example) are likely to be completely air-cooled - after all, people planning on liquid-cooling would buy faster/better models with built-in waterblocks (Maximus IX Formula for example). And performance air-cooling basically requires a huge air cooler. And a huge air cooler always introduces dimensional compatibility issues.

Take note of the largest huge CPU coolers, things like the NH-D15. And how much clearance they require for the VRM/chipset heatsinks, the tallest RAM heatspreaders, the thickest GPU cards (and backplates). Space the adjacent GPU card slot and DIMM banks just one or two millimeters further away if needed to ensure dimensional compatibility. Provide QVL compatibility notes with all tested parts so that people who've decided on air-cooling know exactly which parts or combinations of parts will (or won't) work on the ROG mobos when narrowing down their short-list.

I note that the Maximus IX Formula and later (watercooled) ROG mobos also provide things like a reinforced backplate. Mobos which will use huge air coolers are basically going to be dangling ~1kg of metal sideways off the CPU socket, it would be nice if this could somehow be supported or reinforced with stiff metal plates (or plastics, or bolts, or something) on the motherboard, like newer GPU card slots are. At least on new Code-equivalent and TUF-branded mobos.

the only problem with moving a gpu slot is the pcie slots on the chassis, which are a universal standard at this point, and changing that standard wint be possible for just rog

[Bahz]

ROG or another company should make a clear plate with integrated aura rgbs that is perfectly sized for 2.5” or 3.5” storage drives, because a lot of cases now have no cages and the drives just sit in there.

This is a cool idea but need to have more ports on the MB to plug these into or else it won't work. I do like the idea of giving storage some AURA love.

[Bahz]

the only problem with moving a gpu slot is the pcie slots on the chassis, which are a universal standard at this point, and changing that standard wint be possible for just rog

Totally agree with you on this.

[Bahz]

Most people go for AIO or DIY liquid-cooled CPU. And some ROG mobos come with preinstalled VRM/chipset waterblocks so it's safe to assume they'll be used in completely liquid-cooled systems.

But other ROG mobos (Maximus IX Code for example) are likely to be completely air-cooled - after all, people planning on liquid-cooling would buy faster/better models with built-in waterblocks (Maximus IX Formula for example). And performance air-cooling basically requires a huge air cooler. And a huge air cooler always introduces dimensional compatibility issues.

Take note of the largest huge CPU coolers, things like the NH-D15. And how much clearance they require for the VRM/chipset heatsinks, the tallest RAM heatspreaders, the thickest GPU cards (and backplates). Space the adjacent GPU card slot and DIMM banks just one or two millimeters further away if needed to ensure dimensional compatibility. Provide QVL compatibility notes with all tested parts so that people who've decided on air-cooling know exactly which parts or combinations of parts will (or won't) work on the ROG mobos when narrowing down their short-list.

I note that the Maximus IX Formula and later (watercooled) ROG mobos also provide things like a reinforced backplate. Mobos which will use huge air coolers are basically going to be dangling ~1kg of metal sideways off the CPU socket, it would be nice if this could somehow be supported or reinforced with stiff metal plates (or plastics, or bolts, or something) on the motherboard, like newer GPU card slots are. At least on new Code-equivalent and TUF-branded mobos.

One thing you mentioned regarding compatibility with different parts, I don't think any other motherboard manufacturer has been able to offer a comprehensive list of this since it requires so much resources to test so many different 3rd party parts so I don't think this can be provided from our end.

[Korth]

I understand the exact placement of PCIe slots is (ATX) standardized. They can't be moved. I didn't really think that one out, lol.

Can the processor socket be repositioned (slightly) instead?

As far as part compatibility testing ... I'd think manufacturers of CPU coolers should be enthused at having their products validated on QVLs, lol. They won't submit their hardware to ASUS for test fitting, or they can't receive ASUS motherboards to test fit themselves? There's a wide array of CPU coolers on market but only a dozen or so major manufacturers and really no need to test fit all the coolers, only the very largest ones. Perhaps start off just partnering with a few of the major manufacturers (like Noctua and Cooler Master)? It was just a suggestion, lol.

[The_Blackhat]

Noctua does make some monster aitr coolers, with some of them as good as aios, but even with the massive size, most of the time they only slightly, if at all touch grahpics cards, and the backplates on almost every asus card fixes the shorting problem, as for ram, low profile server style ram is what people may need, they cannot see it under the cooler anyway, and it is almost as short as the socket it goes in

[The_Blackhat]

On the next run of strix nvidia and amd cards, ROG should make the step down card from the xx60, like the 1050 ti, and the step down from the x80, such as the 570 have directcuiii coolers, I realize this is not needed on most cards, and even the three fan design is a lot of cooling for a 1060, but the directcuiii not only looks better, but has more overclocking ability, as I have a massive overclock on my 1050 ti, but the directcuii cooler can barely keep up.

[Bahz]

I understand the exact placement of PCIe slots is (ATX) standardized. They can't be moved. I didn't really think that one out, lol.

Can the processor socket be repositioned (slightly) instead?

As far as part compatibility testing ... I'd think manufacturers of CPU coolers should be enthused at having their products validated on QVLs, lol. They won't submit their hardware to ASUS for test fitting, or they can't receive ASUS motherboards to test fit themselves? There's a wide array of CPU coolers on market but only a dozen or so major manufacturers and really no need to test fit all the coolers, only the very largest ones. Perhaps start off just partnering with a few of the major manufacturers (like Noctua and Cooler Master)? It was just a suggestion, lol.

We're always open to provide samples to other manufacturers to perform testing with their products so they can offer this kind of information for their customers. Usually for smaller companies like Noctua and Cooler Master, they usually don't have the resources to verify this kind of information, however neither do we. In my honest opinion it doesn't make much sense for us to spend the resources to help other manufacturers test their products so they can sell more of it. How do I know this? I worked previously for Cooler Master. Also it was suggested by me that we should offer compatibility info of larger heatsinks for certain popular motherboard models with popular memory kits but that proposal was rejected, they focus mostly on compatibility testing for cases because they feel the same on why they should be wasting their resources to help motherboard manufacturers offer this information.