Asus ROG Maximus VII Impact

Nice photos! Thank you for posting and a good tip about the wifi cables :)
 
The BIOS only provides the option for PWM on the 1st (CPU) fan header.

Was the first thing I checked, and although it's disappointing, there is always the GPU which has a micro PWM header.
 
Nope apparently not. The H220 pump connected to the CPU_FAN header also has a fluctuating rpm, which you can hear.

EDIT: I've put all three (pump, two 120mm fans) on a fixed rpm and they fluctuate about 100rpm each.
AI Suite III also has access violation errors when putting fans into "smart mode" along with UI errors.
Please remind me why I almost paid double for this Z97 board because I am confused...
 
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Phuncz said:
Nope apparently not. The H220 pump connected to the CPU_FAN header also has a fluctuating rpm, which you can hear.

EDIT: I've put all three (pump, two 120mm fans) on a fixed rpm and they fluctuate about 100rpm each.
AI Suite III also has access violation errors when putting fans into "smart mode" along with UI errors.
Please remind me why I almost paid double for this Z97 board because I am confused...
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http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041056701&postcount=213

Is it the pump you can hear fluctuating or the fans?

Like I mentioned above, there is always the GPU fan header with this Gelid adapter. Maybe it's more consistent.
 
It's all three I'm afraid that are fluctuating, even at steady temps and at fixed rpms. I'm writing about these issues on the ROG forum, this shouldn't happen with a product that's 70% more expensive than the competition.
 
it looks like the Thermalright AXP 200 would fit on the maximus vii impact, but do u guys think the Cryorig C1 would fit? I've been searching and haven't found anything concrete besides that the cryorig c1 isn't compatible with the maximus vi impact.
 
luggedsteal said:
it looks like the Thermalright AXP 200 would fit on the maximus vii impact, but do u guys think the Cryorig C1 would fit? I've been searching and haven't found anything concrete besides that the cryorig c1 isn't compatible with the maximus vi impact.
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The AXP-200 fits the VI Impact in a few orientations, but be careful, as it will overhang the board and either block the GPU, or possibly have other fitment issues depending upon which case and component config you're using. There's a bunch of different pictures near the bottom of this thread showing the ROG-branded AXP-200 on the VI Impact mounted in different positions..


How in the hell ROG, ASUS & Thermalright collab'd on the AXP-200 and Impact VI is beyond me..

HCtpApE.jpg
eefSFTx.jpg


^^ Srsly, wtf? :D


I've only found one instance of the CRYORIG C1 on an ASUS ITX board (an H87i-Plus, so no VRM daughterboard) and like the AXP-200, it also appears to overhang the board, but not as severely. No idea about the fitment underneath.

Here's the vid of the C1 on the H87i (should give you a rough idea of fitment vs socket placement)..

 
I solved the fan/pump rpm fluctuation by UNINSTALLING AI Suite III and setting the same profiles in the BIOS. It didn't allow me to do this properly at first, it somehow decided that my pump could only work at 100% duty cycle which is loud. But after another "calibration", it now allows 10% -> 100% duty cycle.
 
According to Bryan from Swiftech, it should always default to 1200rpm at minimum, mine is the least noisy (can't really call it quiet) at ~2100rpm, below it has a rattling noise and above it starts to make a wooshing noise.
 
Phuncz said:
I believe the Z97 chipset has more native USB 3.0 ports, 6 native I believe, which this board also has (4 in the I/O, 2 with the header).


Do you have Windows 8 ? I'm using Windows 7. I've seen someone else online also complaining about being unable to use any USB device when xHCI is enabled.
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I installed windows 8.1
 
Here's a question I can't seem to find an answer to. Are the audio jacks on the back reconfigurable? i.e. Can I set them to be the three jacks for a 5.1 setup or set them to be stereo and mic? I'm asking because my 5.1 speakers need an analog input, so if those back jacks are hard wired to be mic/stereo speakers/sub I'm hosed.
 
Still trying to decide between this and MSI Z97I Gaming AC. I'm waiting for "pro" reviews of the Maximus VII Impact to get out. There are already tons of MSI Z97I Gaming AC reviews, and they basically say it's the best mITX mobo of Series 9 so far. With all the issues Phuncz is having, I'm swinging toward MSI Z97I Gaming AC. My Pentium Anniversary Edition (waiting for broadwell) and H220 is just chilling on a table here...
 
Bobalias_LeShay said:
Here's a question I can't seem to find an answer to. Are the audio jacks on the back reconfigurable? i.e. Can I set them to be the three jacks for a 5.1 setup or set them to be stereo and mic? I'm asking because my 5.1 speakers need an analog input, so if those back jacks are hard wired to be mic/stereo speakers/sub I'm hosed.
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It is possible with the supplied ROG/Realtek drivers, I mentioned this before:
Phuncz said:
1. USB 3.0 still doesn't work properly, my stick capable of over 200MB/sec stays below USB 2.0 spec at 35MB/sec. Probably related to the fact that I can't install the xHCI drivers but I can't use my PC when I enable xHCI in the BIOS.
2. Only the CPU fan header has PWM support (that Asus-rep lied).
3. If you have an "Unknown Device" in Windows Device Manager after installing all drivers, it's the Asus Probe driver.
4. You need the Realtek Asus drivers for the soundcard to be able to map the channels to the correct output for more than stereo speaker setups.
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But it does work correctly, I've been using it without issue !

CHANG3D said:
Still trying to decide between this and MSI Z97I Gaming AC. I'm waiting for "pro" reviews of the Maximus VII Impact to get out. There are already tons of MSI Z97I Gaming AC reviews, and they basically say it's the best mITX mobo of Series 9 so far. With all the issues Phuncz is having, I'm swinging toward MSI Z97I Gaming AC. My Pentium Anniversary Edition (waiting for broadwell) and H220 is just chilling on a table here...
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I don't want to be too harsh, because this board is also functioning perfectly stable and most stuff works flawlessly. Some of the issues I brought up are probably only with my board, but I wanted to point out that €210/$240 doesn't buy you a flawless Z97 board but one with a lot of features and an insane amount of OC capability. I was mainly disappointed by severly overtightened screws on the SupremeFX daughterboard, the poorly designed MPCIE IV Combo card and the terrible junk the AI Suite III is, even though it is supposed to be a valuable asset.
 
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I think one feature that makes the Impact stand out over the MSI Z97I, which is also highly overclockable, is the Sonic Radar II... How well does that thing work? I've never gotten a ROG mobo before.

Another feature is obviously the M.2, but I'm more than willing to wait for the "standard" to be sorted out... I think I jumped on mSATA SSD wagon too early!
 
I haven't tried Sonic Radar II, but I also don't have an FPS game installed at the moment.
M.2 needs some time to get where it needs to be, with PCIe 3.0 x4 with NVMe SSD's at the beginning of next year at the earliest. So the mSATA wasn't a bad purchase in my opinion.
 
For those interested, the Impact VII is now available on Amazon.ca for an inflated price. Sold by the same company that is selling it on Amazon.com.

Link here!

Also, thanks Phuncz for the pictures and info! Board looks great. Hopefully they get those software issues fixed though...
 
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invidious94 said:
For those interested, the Impact VII is now available on Amazon.ca for an inflated price. Sold by the same company that is selling it on Amazon.com.

Link here!

Also, thanks Phuncz for the pictures and info! Board looks great. Hopefully they get those software issues fixed though...
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Thanks! I managed to snag one from Amazon.
 
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If nobody has noticed yet, it's been in stock on Amazon US, from Amazon, for $239 consistently since yesterday.
 
Trouble in paradise:



Caused by:



There's something in there?! Not going to lie, pretty mad.
 
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If you stick a pin or needle in there, can you move them back? Otherwise RMA, it's maybe too expensive a board to risk further damage.
 
WiSK said:
If you stick a pin or needle in there, can you move them back? Otherwise RMA, it's maybe too expensive a board to risk further damage.
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Look at the inside of the socket. Whatever is in there was there prior to install causing the pins to push up.
 
That shouldn't happen on a $240 mITX board. I'd return it but it might depend on the shop you got it from if they'd honor the return as they might see it as user damage. I know it isn't but most shops don't like returned motherboards because of this.

It's hard to see what's in the socket. With a flashlight, would you be able to see it ?
 
Motaa said:
Trouble in paradise:

Caused by:



There's something in there?! Not going to lie, pretty mad.
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Looks like maybe solder balls, below and to the right looks like some bare copper with excess solder balled up on a couple of pads. Some of the cap/res below the connector look a bit fat also blobs all over the place, bad reflow - RMA. Try to get a pic of the same area from someone else to help make your case.
 
Stevo_ said:
Looks like maybe solder balls, below and to the right looks like some bare copper with excess solder balled up on a couple of pads. Some of the cap/res below the connector look a bit fat also blobs all over the place, bad reflow - RMA.
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Those recepticles are soldered from the back of the motherboard. The female pins sit flush in the housing, there's no way in for any solder.
 
WiSK said:
Those recepticles are soldered from the back of the motherboard. The female pins sit flush in the housing, there's no way in for any solder.
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Stare at it for a bit, what ever is down there appears to be shiny, round, fat, and silver unlike a female pin, maybe OP can get a magnifying glass on it. Without knowing the specifics of their double-sided reflow process and order of solder paste, placement, and top/bottom reflow it's really hard to say whether solder could or could not get in there. Other sites nearby look sloppy.
 
Stevo_ said:
Stare at it for a bit, what ever is down there appears to be shiny, round, fat, and silver unlike a female pin, maybe OP can get a magnifying glass on it. Without knowing the specifics of their double-sided reflow process and order of solder paste, placement, and top/bottom reflow it's really hard to say whether solder could or could not get in there. Other sites nearby look sloppy.
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Whatever shape you imagine to see inside there is due to shadows and low detail on that blown up photo.

The housings used for those wire-to-board receptacles are made of nylon. They would deform at reflow temperatures. So they are attached after the reflow process. They have female pins inside and the pin comes out of the underside of the housing, held there by friction. You place the housing on the motherboard, where there are corresponding holes with contact pads. The pins go right through the board and you solder them to the back layer of the PCB. There's really no soldering going on at the top of the board at that point, it's one of the last stages of production.

If you flip the board first and note that all the connector solder points have little pins sticking out of them. They are attached to the pads with nice small even blobs of solder. If you flip topside again and look carefully under the ATX connector, you can see that there's no solder around the pad on the top side of the board.
 
WiSK's description of the process is essentially correct, but I'll add a bit more detail. Through hole parts are attached after the pick and place and reflow processes for SMT components are complete. Depending on whether it's a single or double sided board, and manufacturer preference, they're then either hand soldered or wave soldered. Most likely hand soldered in this case, since I think there are SMT components on the back of the board.

Also it is possible for solder to end up on the connector side of the via. If you're hand soldering and use way too much and/or the through hole component isn't completely flush with the board, some solder will get wicked through the hole and end up topside. I've done this to the point that there's a hemisphere of solder on both the top and bottom side of the via surrounding the component lead. It takes a while to get good ;)

My professional opinion on the grainy photo provided is that those are the female header pins in the socket. What most likely happened is they weren't quite flush with the edge of the plastic housing as they should be (those are cheap headers, use machine pin where possible) and trying to force the daughter card in without a little jiggling/poor alignment bent them even further out of alignment. Whether it was user hamfistedness or a manufacturing defect in the socket I can't say. Possibly a little of both, but obviously it won't happen if the socket pins are properly alined, so it's the board maker's fault either way. RMA and get a new one, you won't be fixing that without voiding your warranty.
 
Bobalias_LeShay said:
My professional opinion on the grainy photo provided is that those are the female header pins in the socket. What most likely happened is they weren't quite flush with the edge of the plastic housing as they should be (those are cheap headers, use machine pin where possible) and trying to force the daughter card in without a little jiggling/poor alignment bent them even further out of alignment. Whether it was user hamfistedness or a manufacturing defect in the socket I can't say. Possibly a little of both, but obviously it won't happen if the socket pins are properly alined, so it's the board maker's fault either way. RMA and get a new one, you won't be fixing that without voiding your warranty.
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This is what I was thinking when I asked if he can move them back with a pin. You explain it very well :)
 
Rebuilding from Impact VI to recently bought Impact VII, quite a headache as you can see. Will be getting an M.2 XP941 SSD 512GB will report its compatibly and most importantly ability to boot straight from it. Got 600W SFX PSU, works fine like the previous 450W but fan makes a slight whining noise will replace soon if it doesn't get too hot with Noise Blocker 80mm

 
Printermeow said:
Rebuilding from Impact VI to recently bought Impact VII, quite a headache as you can see. Will be getting an M.2 XP941 SSD 512GB will report its compatibly and most importantly ability to boot straight from it. Got 600W SFX PSU, works fine like the previous 450W but fan makes a slight whining noise will replace soon if it doesn't get too hot with Noise Blocker 80mm

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What reservoir are you using? Is it inside the case instead of external?
 
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Its an EK-SBAY DDC 3.2 PWM - Pump and reservoir combo
Works absolutely perfect and best of all since pump is not part of the radiator that is above all components there are no bubbles or any air trapped inside since its the lowest point in the case
I had this built a few months ago but moving to a new apartment and my wife's pregnancy have taken all of my time. Had it just standing there for a few months all done and complete. I will post the whole build soon so people can see what can be done in this case. Some things I have done in the case are a first that no one has done yet.
 
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