The FM2+ Socket may be a budget socket, but who says that it can't get the ROG treatment. Lets see how it performs.
ASUS FM2+ ROG Crossblade Ranger Review
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ASUS FM2+ ROG Crossblade Ranger Review
- Thread starter tinytomlogan
- Start date
The FM2+ Socket may be a budget socket, but who says that it can't get the ROG treatment. Lets see how it performs.
ASUS FM2+ ROG Crossblade Ranger Review
Thelosouvlakia
Classy-Fried-Chicken
Going to say it: "That awkward moment when the chip that will be used with the motherboard costs less than the motherboard itself"
Because I don't think that someone would run an APU on that board....
Because I don't think that someone would run an APU on that board....
Dicehunter
Resident Newb
It's about time AMD got some hairy mcluvin 
barnsley
born in a.....
Its more common with AMD than intel.
When this 'board first came out I laughed at it. Alot.
However, it does make more sense to me now. Its still comparatively cheap for a full on ROG setup and the 860k is actually not that bad at all as a gaming pc. All they need to do is to release something ROG that is cheapish GPU wise (ROG 750Ti?) and you've got a solid, themed rig.
Feronix
New member
Erhm yeah... Who is going to pay 60 quid for an 860k, only to pair it up with a £120 motherboard? Let alone run SLI/CrossfireX with a CPU like that :|
Or even when you get the most expensive APU that costs as much as this board? Use on-board graphics? Get a proper GPU, rendering the one on the APU useless anyway?
I mean, it's nice that proper boards for AMD exist, but it's a bit pointless when AMD doesn't have a CPU line-up to go with them
Or even when you get the most expensive APU that costs as much as this board? Use on-board graphics? Get a proper GPU, rendering the one on the APU useless anyway?
I mean, it's nice that proper boards for AMD exist, but it's a bit pointless when AMD doesn't have a CPU line-up to go with them
Thelosouvlakia
Classy-Fried-Chicken
This board still doesn't make sense to me when there is a gamer motherboard by asus that costs 30euros less....
Unless you want to do ln2 on an athlon chip I wouldn't consider the board, since the other board is out
Unless you want to do ln2 on an athlon chip I wouldn't consider the board, since the other board is out
Wraith
Bettyswollocks
Mmm yes and no, if you take the socket out the equation your paying for a feature packed board, the bios, Audio, Networking, SLI/XFire, build quality, warranty ect ect.. just because the CPUs are cheap does not necessarily indicate that the motherboard should follow suit.Erhm yeah... Who is going to pay 60 quid for an 860k, only to pair it up with a £120 motherboard? Let alone run SLI/CrossfireX with a CPU like that :|
Or even when you get the most expensive APU that costs as much as this board? Use on-board graphics? Get a proper GPU, rendering the one on the APU useless anyway?
I mean, it's nice that proper boards for AMD exist, but it's a bit pointless when AMD doesn't have a CPU line-up to go with them
Feronix
New member
Thing is, whatever configuration you're going for with this motherboard, you can either get more performance for the same price, or similar performance for cheaper. And tbh, if you buy a budget CPU like the 860k or an APU you're going to want more horsepower sooner than a fancy looking Bios screen or slightly better audio.
Also, if anyone is going to run SLI/CrossfireX on this board, meaning they have an FM2+ CPU/APU I will laugh at them, sorry
Thelosouvlakia
Classy-Fried-Chicken
Not really. Getting a 260x or a 265 card at first then make some savings and buy another one for CFx isn't a bad idea for budget builders
barnsley
born in a.....
Tbh, if you buy a budget CPU like the 860k or an APU you're going to want more horsepower sooner than a fancy looking Bios screen or slightly better audio.
Also, if anyone is going to run SLI/CrossfireX on this board, meaning they have an FM2+ CPU/APU I will laugh at them, sorry
If they play mantle games it kinda would be an ok move, as mantle is designed to give slower CPUs a chance to not screw more powerful GPUs over.
Feronix
New member
It is, cause the CPU will hold them back a lot. Granted this video is about the 750k but you get the point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIT9uLDjZcg
You see that with more powerful GPU configurations, the weaker Ahtlon CPU really starts falling behind.
Well, I'm pretty happy with mine, though I paid a LOT less for it, $120 USD (£80 GBP) on sale at Newegg. It is by far the least expensive full feature ROG motherboard on the market. Though you can now find some good deals with mail in rebate on last generation Z87 ROG boards.
There are advantages and disadvantages to going AMD (FM2+) for your build. Some newer games require true quad core CPU's, which means that budget builds with Intel just won't get the job done, an entry level true quad core CPU from Intel in around $180 USD. Then it will need a Z series motherboard with an entry price or $80-$100 USD.
So, going with an AMD build will save you $100 off the bat and that's entry level Intel Z97 vs full feature ROG FM2+ system. Throw in another $100 or so if you want an Intel ROG system, and that's entry level Core i5, if you want to overclock add another $50 for a K series processor. So, for $250 less than the Intel system you can build a fun little AMD system for overclocking and "gaming" with all the ROG goodies.
Is the AMD system going to be slower, mostly. Does that matter? It all depends.
I can see a number of uses for a build like this. For example, if you are new to overclocking. Killing an unlocked Core i5 is more expensive, you could go Pentium K, but that chip, even overclocked, doesn't perform as well and it's not a quad core. Maybe you are new to ROG and want to see what all the buzz is about. Maybe you want to build a system and upgrade the mobo and CPU down the road, but you want the features of an ROG mobo now.
The first question I always ask before I begin a build is, "what do I want to do with this computer?" Sometimes that means an all out over the top gaming PC, sometimes it's a much more mundane word processing and web browsing PC, sometimes it's an HTPC, extreme budget PC, media server, etc.
So the question all comes down to the individual, I like options, and ASUS has given people a new option. I found that exciting and compelling enough to build a system with this board, I bought an 860K and an A10-7950K just to play with and run benchmarks.
FTR, here are the build specs:
Case: NZXT H440 (Black and Red)
PSU: EVGA G2 850W
Mobo: ASUS ROG Crossblade Ranger
Processor: A10-7850K (currently)
Cooler: Corsair H100i
RAM: 8GB (2 X 4GB ) AMD Radeon R9 Gamer Series 2400
SSD: 240GB (X2) AMD Radeon R7
GPU: R9 285 ASUS STRIX
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
I also bought an R9 290X Lightning, which will go into another system, but I did put it into this fun little AMD system and run some benchmarks. ;-p
If I happen to find another good deal on an ASUS R9 285 STRIX, I may just go ahead and run a crossfire setup, we will see. I got a great deal on my current R9 285 from Newegg as an open box item.
There are advantages and disadvantages to going AMD (FM2+) for your build. Some newer games require true quad core CPU's, which means that budget builds with Intel just won't get the job done, an entry level true quad core CPU from Intel in around $180 USD. Then it will need a Z series motherboard with an entry price or $80-$100 USD.
So, going with an AMD build will save you $100 off the bat and that's entry level Intel Z97 vs full feature ROG FM2+ system. Throw in another $100 or so if you want an Intel ROG system, and that's entry level Core i5, if you want to overclock add another $50 for a K series processor. So, for $250 less than the Intel system you can build a fun little AMD system for overclocking and "gaming" with all the ROG goodies.
Is the AMD system going to be slower, mostly. Does that matter? It all depends.
I can see a number of uses for a build like this. For example, if you are new to overclocking. Killing an unlocked Core i5 is more expensive, you could go Pentium K, but that chip, even overclocked, doesn't perform as well and it's not a quad core. Maybe you are new to ROG and want to see what all the buzz is about. Maybe you want to build a system and upgrade the mobo and CPU down the road, but you want the features of an ROG mobo now.
The first question I always ask before I begin a build is, "what do I want to do with this computer?" Sometimes that means an all out over the top gaming PC, sometimes it's a much more mundane word processing and web browsing PC, sometimes it's an HTPC, extreme budget PC, media server, etc.
So the question all comes down to the individual, I like options, and ASUS has given people a new option. I found that exciting and compelling enough to build a system with this board, I bought an 860K and an A10-7950K just to play with and run benchmarks.
FTR, here are the build specs:
Case: NZXT H440 (Black and Red)
PSU: EVGA G2 850W
Mobo: ASUS ROG Crossblade Ranger
Processor: A10-7850K (currently)
Cooler: Corsair H100i
RAM: 8GB (2 X 4GB ) AMD Radeon R9 Gamer Series 2400
SSD: 240GB (X2) AMD Radeon R7
GPU: R9 285 ASUS STRIX
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
I also bought an R9 290X Lightning, which will go into another system, but I did put it into this fun little AMD system and run some benchmarks. ;-p
If I happen to find another good deal on an ASUS R9 285 STRIX, I may just go ahead and run a crossfire setup, we will see. I got a great deal on my current R9 285 from Newegg as an open box item.
Dawelio
Active member
That looks stunningly clean!... only thing I could've thought of was the Corsair Link USB cable going from the pump and over the motherboard to the grommet on the right side.
Since you have taken the CPU power cable above the motherboard and behind the H100i, you could've taken the Corsair Link USB cable that way as well... that way it would have looked shorter, cleaner and an overall tidier build
Since you have taken the CPU power cable above the motherboard and behind the H100i, you could've taken the Corsair Link USB cable that way as well... that way it would have looked shorter, cleaner and an overall tidier build
WYP
News Guru
Very nice dude, I'd love to see that in the Rig Gallery
It really does need to be in there tbh rather than hijacking this thread
