For any Skylake-x processor, the Extreme or Apex are good choices. Silicon Lottery rated my 7820X at 4.9GHz and I regularly get to 5.2GHz in benchmarks. I think a 7900X rated at 4.8GHz would possibly, but not guaranteed, have the headroom to work at 5.0GHz, but would need to use voltages well above the SL test points. Power and heat would rise proportionally and would require water cooling for sure. An approach is to set the operating voltage and speed for the temperature at peak load. You're sure not to burn down the house, but operating at 5.0GHz might happen at other than peak load or be backed off for hot AVX instructions.
From your interest in overclocking headroom and a pre-selected CPU, you might be interested in competitive overclocking. In that case, the APEX is needed for the power delivery of 2x8 headers and mostly for the higher potential memory speed. I think that large CPU would need more than water cooling in serious competition. Even with water cooling, the APEX as a better choice for all-out overclocking. There is only one benchmark that runs better on the extreme - XTU scores are higher with more ranks of DRAM. Dozens of other benchmarks will do better with the APEX.
With the use of monoblock water cooling, perhaps you are interested in great performance in gaming or productivity. A little overclocking goes a long way for those uses. With lesser levels of overclocking, the 8+4 power headers are plenty. The Extreme has more memory capacity and several other features a 24/7 PC would benefit from.
From your interest in overclocking headroom and a pre-selected CPU, you might be interested in competitive overclocking. In that case, the APEX is needed for the power delivery of 2x8 headers and mostly for the higher potential memory speed. I think that large CPU would need more than water cooling in serious competition. Even with water cooling, the APEX as a better choice for all-out overclocking. There is only one benchmark that runs better on the extreme - XTU scores are higher with more ranks of DRAM. Dozens of other benchmarks will do better with the APEX.
With the use of monoblock water cooling, perhaps you are interested in great performance in gaming or productivity. A little overclocking goes a long way for those uses. With lesser levels of overclocking, the 8+4 power headers are plenty. The Extreme has more memory capacity and several other features a 24/7 PC would benefit from.
NotSoFunnyClown wrote:
Hi,
i want to get an RVI Extreme or Apex. The Extreme looks a bit nicer than the Apex but the Apex does have better OC headroom as i read in many reviews.
The board will get an pre-selected and delidded i9 7900X @5,0 GHz and an EKWB monoblock with an 560mm radiator.
My question is:
- Is an i9 7900X @5,0 GHz a realistic and good choose on the Extreme or should i go for the Apex?
- Is the overall temperature with the Extreme in a good range or will i burn down my whole house?
- Is the 8+4-pin power header enough on the Extreme or do i need the 2x 8-pin header from the Apex for that?
- Any other thoughts why the Apex is the better choice for me?
Thanks 🙂
This is a matter of choice. The APEX is geared more toward competitive overclocking. 5Ghz is doable on either board if your chip can really do 5GHz, few can without extreme cooling and wicked voltages. Im on an Extreme and 5GHz is not a limitation of the board as much as it is how well you can cool it. Ive run it at 5.1 a few times but its way too hot for water cooling, even a custom loop. Im running mine 24x7 at 4.8. It runs much cooler and not far off the mark from what I can get with the higher clocks so a happy medium.
