http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132039
Available on newegg now, now that is expensive.
Available on newegg now, now that is expensive.
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ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT
- Thread starter updawg
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Machupo
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hrmm... now the question, is it $170 better than the ASRock board (due to that being in stock in my local microcenter and being reflective of 4770k combo prices)...
NickJames
Supreme [H]ardness
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Ouch.. good thing Ncase isn't shipping until December, hopefully I can find a better deal by then.
voklskier4452
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Isn't this what the Z77 board launched at for price but with fewer features?
vipz
Gawd
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The Deluxe comes with AC as well if that's the main thing you care about.
Not that I've seen.. hopefully they come soon!
Don't forget about buying with that combo a Samsung 840/840 Pro SSD take off another -$20.00 of there price..
Yes. Quite pricey though, at around $1150 for a 128GB drive. However, you do get a free Sony VAIO Pro 11 ultrabook with every purchase.
Normally USB WiFi adapters are cheap enough that it doesn't matter much, but an AC adapter is $50, so I guess if you actually plan to use that feature, you can consider the motherboard as $50 off.
I just checked, and as mentioned the cheaper Asus Deluxe board has AC, as does the ASRock Z87.
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Machupo
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Don't forget about buying with that combo a Samsung 840/840 Pro SSD take off another -$20.00 of there price..
Did not know about this... (another 256gb 840 pro would make sexy triple raid 0
)If your using DAC+awesome speakers just get the i-deluxe
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Wow, $600+ speakers? With speakers that expensive, you owe it to yourself to use an external DAC. If you are severely space limited, maybe something like this can power it as well as be an external DAC.
I'm a big fan of using real bookshelf speakers for a computer, instead of "multimedia" speakers. However, I would usually go for something a bit more within my own budget. For instance, these $67 shipped JBL Loft 30 bookshelf speakers would be more my liking.
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This is what I m doing
For gaming I just hook the headphone to the back of the R3G (soon to be M6I)
Since I don't need best sound quality when I game, which will save me cables cluster and room because I don't need to hook up my headphone amp
Also I will be able to use the sound card on the M6I (hopefully big upgrade from the R3G onboard
)And when I listen to music I just go back to DAC to amp to speakers
I read the review and while the guy really likes the speakers, he does indicate that they are the most amazing in a really small room. His example was his "3m square office." A bigger set of speakers overpowers such a small room. I'd say keep these in mind if your room is very small, but look elsewhere if your room is bigger. The high end audio market does not lack for expensive bookshelf speakers.
BTW I just took a look at your DAC link. I own a set of Audioengine A2 speakers. They sound good, but fall flat at higher volume levels (example: I tested in my living room) probably because the speakers are so small. I ended up switching to some lower end Polk bookshelf speakers powered by a spare receiver. I was happier with the sound in my listening environment.
What kind of space constraints are you in? You are obviously looking at mini ITX motherboards. Are you just desk limited, or is it more of a "small = sexy?"
I have the Audioengine A1 DAC and a pair of Audioengine A5 speakers. Sounds amazing!!! The DAC connects via USB, so the sound card is irrelevant (isn't that the case with all DAC's anyway??? Isn't the DAC the sound card??).
Basically.
I would say use the sound card for headphone only like I said when I use it for gaming.
For music I would say stick with DAC and speaker.
Not necessarily. Some DACs receive digital input through SPDIF, thus using your sound card's digital coax or optical output. For instance that's how digital receivers work. You can also buy stand-alone DACs with that functionality.
drklu
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I read the review and while the guy really likes the speakers, he does indicate that they are the most amazing in a really small room. His example was his "3m square office." A bigger set of speakers overpowers such a small room. I'd say keep these in mind if your room is very small, but look elsewhere if your room is bigger. The high end audio market does not lack for expensive bookshelf speakers.
BTW I just took a look at your DAC link. I own a set of Audioengine A2 speakers. They sound good, but fall flat at higher volume levels (example: I tested in my living room) probably because the speakers are so small. I ended up switching to some lower end Polk bookshelf speakers powered by a spare receiver. I was happier with the sound in my listening environment.
What kind of space constraints are you in? You are obviously looking at mini ITX motherboards. Are you just desk limited, or is it more of a "small = sexy?"
Yes, this will be used in a smaller room but I do have a large desk. I usually build full tower pc's but this time I just wanted something small and powerful. Thus, I opted for the Impact and my Ncase M1 enclosure. So, if I get a a pair of passive book shelve speakers, run optical from the impacts sound card to the DAC then connect the speakers to the DAC I should be able to use the speakers then if I want to use a headset I would simply plug that into the Dac and it would switch the sound over to my headphones?
Thanks a lot for your guys help with this. It's the first time I will be getting a "quality" sound system for my pc so excuse my lack of knowledge.
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The DAC just converts the digital signal to audio. You will still need an amplifier for the speakers. Or you could buy amplified speakers, such as the A2's or A5's. These contain a built-in amplifier so you don't need a separate one.
What are your reasons for buying the Impact? If you aren't going to use the sound card, have you considered dropping down to the Deluxe? You would save yourself a little money, that's all.
What are your reasons for buying the Impact? If you aren't going to use the sound card, have you considered dropping down to the Deluxe? You would save yourself a little money, that's all.
drklu
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The added cost of the impact dosn't bother me much. I like the ROG series of boards.
What do I need to run a set of desktop speakers and headset while utilizing the Impacts sound card?
You can go one of two ways:
1) DAC -> amplifier -> passive speakers. I assume your amplifier would have a headphone jack on it, so you would plug your headset in there. I guess you could also plug your headset directly into the Impacts sound card if you wished.
2) DAC (that may or may not also contain a headphone amplifier) -> amplified speakers. If you get a DAC without a headphone amp, you would have to connect your headphones to the sound card.
I have the second setup. I have the Audioengine D1 DAC connected to my computer via USB. My A5's (amplified bookshelf speakers) are connected to the DAC. My DAC also contains a headphone amp, so I plug my headphones into that. I completely bypass my motherboard's sound card.
What headphones do you have??
1) DAC -> amplifier -> passive speakers. I assume your amplifier would have a headphone jack on it, so you would plug your headset in there. I guess you could also plug your headset directly into the Impacts sound card if you wished.
2) DAC (that may or may not also contain a headphone amplifier) -> amplified speakers. If you get a DAC without a headphone amp, you would have to connect your headphones to the sound card.
I have the second setup. I have the Audioengine D1 DAC connected to my computer via USB. My A5's (amplified bookshelf speakers) are connected to the DAC. My DAC also contains a headphone amp, so I plug my headphones into that. I completely bypass my motherboard's sound card.
What headphones do you have??
drklu
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None yet (open to suggestions). So I think i'm following you. I like the sound (lol) of your setup I just want to utilize the Impacts sound card. Could the D1 power a set of passive speakers? I would rather not have power cords to each speaker if I can prevent it. Also, if the D1/Impact sound card can't power a set of passive speakers is there a mini amp I could have on my desk to serve that purpose or am I better off just a DAC/amp combo?
Sorry for the late response stupid work. . . . .
There's so many variables when choosing headphones, it really is up to you as to what you get. Do you want a headset (i.e. headphones with mic), or just headphones? Do you want open or closed headphones? What's your budget? What will you be using them for? (games/movies/music/all of the above)? If music, what kind of music do you listen to? You might be better off doing some reading in the music section of this forum, or reading head-fi.org, or see if you can find a local audio store that will allow you to listen to different headphones.
The D1 can't power passive speakers, the built in amp is designed for headphones only. If you get amplified speakers, usually only one speaker is powered (the amp for both speakers is contained within one of the speaker cabinets.
There are some mini amps around, but I have no idea about them. This is the only one I know of - http://www.amazon.com/Version-Upgraded-LP-2020A-Amplifier-Shipping/dp/B00C2P61FO/ref=pd_cp_e_0 Someone in at work has one, he likes it, but I know nothing about them myself. Again, the music section of this forum or head-fi.org might be better places to look.
The D1 can't power passive speakers, the built in amp is designed for headphones only. If you get amplified speakers, usually only one speaker is powered (the amp for both speakers is contained within one of the speaker cabinets.
There are some mini amps around, but I have no idea about them. This is the only one I know of - http://www.amazon.com/Version-Upgraded-LP-2020A-Amplifier-Shipping/dp/B00C2P61FO/ref=pd_cp_e_0 Someone in at work has one, he likes it, but I know nothing about them myself. Again, the music section of this forum or head-fi.org might be better places to look.
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vipz
Gawd
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Does the ROG audio offer anything in terms of gaming positional audio that the Deluxe doesn't? I currently use the Asus Xonar U3, mainly for Dolby Headphones.
I am so disappointed after finding out that the mPCIE combo card is only running PCIE 2.0 x1, and it can only provide ~500MB/s bandwidth. It's basically a fake m.2 connector considering the next big SSDs are going to be doing between 1.1GB/s and 1.8GB/s reportedly.
I really wanted to pick up this board too, it's perfect for my build otherwise.
Guess I'll have to wait for the 9-series chipsets, or see what options Kaveri has for an ITX board with a real m.2 connector.
I really wanted to pick up this board too, it's perfect for my build otherwise.
Guess I'll have to wait for the 9-series chipsets, or see what options Kaveri has for an ITX board with a real m.2 connector.