Asus ROG Maximus VII Impact

Over on SFF forum we were actively discussing this drive for a while now, a lot of interest in that wee little drive over there ofcourse :)
 
Last edited:
Looks like I need to wait until next Friday (Oct. 9th) to find out the location of the M.2 SSD slot on the forthcoming Maximus VIII Impact board. They are having a 'ROG Event', and should talk about the M8I. JJ would not answer my questions about same. /sadface ;^p
 
Well, until I see/hear otherwise this Friday, my hopes of using the M8I with a Samsung 950 Pro are currently shattered…!

asus-maximus-viii-impact.jpg


I have not seen a pic of the backside of this board yet, but from an inspection of the frontside pic, I see no securing points for a back mounted M.2, and the spot where it has lived on the M7I version now has Ethernet & USB. The WiFi (where the M.2 used to share space with) is also moved, and even if one could place a M.2 like before, it would be encroaching on the Keep Out Zone for the PU cooler area. These IS what appears to be a U.2 port (or ports?) next to the WiFi; but that is NOT an onboard M.2 slot. I really wanted to avoid any traditional drives (HDD, SDD), avoid the extra space needed in the case, avoid the extra cabling required, etc. …

I am also disappointed by the lack of a Water Pump header on the board, seems like the M8I is missing the boat on some of the new features other larger ROG boards have received.
 
Last edited:
Couldn't the mounting holes be under the ROG cover plate next to the PCIe slot? Until proven otherwise, I can't believe ASUS would ditch M.2 for SSDs on an mITX board.
 
Kinda looks like a hole between the power connectors. mITX board without M.2 would be nuts.
 
I think that's for a part of the 8-pin power connector, like the tab on the left side of the 24-pin power connector.
 
I think it looks quite grim for an M.2 on this board, it most likely won't have it. Perhaps a vertical U.2 to M.2 adapter?
 
If there is no M2 then it certainly will be interesting to hear Asus explanation just as the 950 SSD is coming out.

Although this will be the most expensive Z170 ITX - and therefore ought to be the best - it does not yet seem a wise purchase, with its large audio assembly offering nothing when using digital audio (except complicating cooler installation), and wifi is also redundant with an Ethernet connection, to name just two cost contributors.

Overclock-wise I tend not to run over 4GHz in a mini ITX case anyway and suspect the lower priced models just as capable of this - so long as they are happy with 3200 DDR4.
 
Also there are (ROG design and super audio stuff aside) only three major advantages over the ~$100 cheaper Asus board, USB Type C, the U.2 port and possibly Thunderbolt support. But it also has disadvantages like no 5.1 analog audio connectors, no PS/2 port, no DisplayPort, no sata express, less type-A USBs and last but definiately not least possible no m.2, although i don't think Asus would make such a big design mistake. Possibly it's hidden on the backside, below audio pcb and chipset, or it will have an expansion card. Well I guess we'll see tomorrow :)
 
ROG stands for Republic of Gamers. I don't think the priority for gamers is everything squeezed into a mini-ITX motherboard. It's putting the highest performance components into the form factor.

We'll see if Asus has underestimated the number of ROG customers that have been waiting for NVMe M.2 SSD drives and that use USB audio. Is a U.2 to M.2 adapter even possible? Wi-Fi might make more sense for a small and potentially portable build like mini-ITX, but I too use ethernet mostly.
 
The Impact is never going to be a mass seller - like other top of the range items it's a vanity project - showing what the manufacturer can do and grabbing headlines.

Lower in price we still have the Asrock, with type-C and 4K/60 from the HDMI. Still no reviews yet but plenty of availability in EU.

The Asrock M2 to U2 adapter appears to have no active components to make U2 to M2 impossible - unless the M2 pinout is a superset of U2 - but how would it be a neat solution?.
 
If technically possible, an U.2 to M.2 riser or converter cable would make this a more attractive board.

Not everyone wants a Intel 750...
 
Power would be needed for example so it would not be a neat solution even if possible.

The upside to M2 is neatness and a choice of manufacturers so better prices. The downside on ITX is mounting under the PCB - this maybe is what Asus thought (even though they do it on z170i) - or they just thought that U2 is the future.

If the audio section was absent and an M2 in its place the M8i would have been best buy. Right now I think the Asrock is.
 
jwsg said:
or they just thought that U2 is the future.
Click to expand...

M.2 is the future as small drives are the future for mITX. A u.2 connected drive need power as well so we are talking 2 cables for one drive. Asus unfortunately bet on the wrong horse and shot themselves in the foot at the same time. I really wanted this to be my next board but it's not happening.
 
Just thought I'd throw my hat into the ring, as I was also super disapponted to see a lack of m.2. My understanding is that both m.2 and u.2 provide pci-e 4x lanes, and given the adapters in the other direction, I'm hoping we see or hear of a solution soon.

Also, I thought I'd ask if anyone knew what the "CPU Installation Tool" included and shown in the pictures on Newegg is? Is it a cpu shim for delidding?
 
As if it's so hard to insert a CPU manually... how does that tool even work? Asus, you should spend your budget on more useful things (m.2 slots maybe?)
 
So I noticed that as of version 4.50, SpeedFan has added support for the Nuvoton NCT6791D which is used on both the VI and VII Impact boards. I've been fiddling around with it and got it to partially work on my VI Impact and wondering if anyone else has had any luck. :confused: I didn't need to change any BIOS settings (left everything on auto/QFan enable) and just had to go into SpeedFan and set the PWM fans to manual. I can manually change the fan speed at the main window, but setting up automatic fan speed doesn't work if you do it the normal way. The only way I got it working was if I set up using "Advanced Fan Control" according to http://www.almico.com/sfarticle.php?id=5. And because I'm using PWM fans on a voltage controlled header, I had to set the minimum speed to 40% to make sure the fans can always start. Once I add this to Task Scheduler to start on log on, it runs in the background seamlessly. Now all my fans are quiet instead of that stupid minimum of 60% Asus put into the BIOS :D.
 
The Impact 8 has an M.2 socket, it's what the Wifi card is plugged into. Look at the board image posted on the previous page, at the very top next to the U.2 socket. It says M.2(WIFI) right there. If you unscrew the Wifi board, the socket is there. Its existence is confirmed in the board's user manual.

What we don't know is how many PCIe lanes the M.2 socket is allocated. It may only be 1x. That could explain why ASUS is not advertising the board as having an M.2 socket, since 1x won't cut it for SSDs. I do think we'll see U.2 -> M.2 adapters soon though, and a lot more native U.2 drives.
 
w00d said:
The Impact 8 has an M.2 socket, it's what the Wifi card is plugged into. Look at the board image posted on the previous page, at the very top next to the U.2 socket. It says M.2(WIFI) right there. If you unscrew the Wifi board, the socket is there. Its existence is confirmed in the board's user manual.

What we don't know is how many PCIe lanes the M.2 socket is allocated. It may only be 1x. That could explain why ASUS is not advertising the board as having an M.2 socket, since 1x won't cut it for SSDs. I do think we'll see U.2 -> M.2 adapters soon though, and a lot more native U.2 drives.
Click to expand...
It'll almost certainly be a A-keyed or E-keyed port, rather than the B-keyed port needed for an SSD. Worse, its placement means you cannot install a 2280 or even 2260 SSD without interfering with the CPU.
 
EdZ said:
It'll almost certainly be a A-keyed or E-keyed port, rather than the B-keyed port needed for an SSD. Worse, its placement means you cannot install a 2280 or even 2260 SSD without interfering with the CPU.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure it's a vertical slot, not a horizontal one. So if you could install an SSD, it would just stand tall.
 
There is no m.2 slot, the wireless chip is soldered onto the board. Note the lack of wires going to the wireless antennae, you may be getting confused with the CMOS battery.
 
This is supported by pictures of the underside:

1337705-3.jpg


Note the two screws in line with the SMA connectors.
 
Aibohphobia said:
Since the board has a M.2 label I'm pretty sure it has the same implementation as the X99M-WS:

https://smallformfactor.net/wp-content/uploads/Asus-X99M-WS-review-WiFi-removal-810x405.jpg

https://smallformfactor.net/wp-content/uploads/Asus-X99M-WS-review-WiFi-removal-2-810x405.jpg
Click to expand...
That's a half-height mPCIe card rather than m.2. Regardless, if it's a vertical socket than having a 2280 drive sticking straight out of the board isn't exactly idea (and will likely hit the case wall in most case designs). And that's assuming it's actually a M-key socket; it's more likely to be A-key or E-key and 16mm wide rather than 22mm (and only carrying PCIe 2x).
 
He meant the same implementation in the sense that there is a physical port present.
 
I'm not sure I follow the line of thinking but Asus have deliberately dropped M2 SSD from M8I and its pointless trying to dream up some work-around.

They're betting either that you're rich enough to afford the Intel 750 SFF now, or someone, hopefully Samsung, will bring more U2 drives to the market.

If you have a SSD and are just replacing M/B and CPU and can wait then its a fair gamble - but if you're buying from scratch then the 950 M2 and one of the other motherboards is very tempting.
 
$/GB is actually on par between the Samsung 950 and Intel 750 in Canada. I will likely end up with a 750.

Of course, this is easy for me as all of the Z170 ITX offerings were disappointing, so I went mATX.
 
Vittra said:
$/GB is actually on par between the Samsung 950 and Intel 750 in Canada. I will likely end up with a 750.

Of course, this is easy for me as all of the Z170 ITX offerings were disappointing, so I went mATX.
Click to expand...

Really? NCIX lists the 512GB unit at $559 CDN whereas Amazon.com lists the same one at $349 US ($459 CDN) and it can be shipped to Canada ($7 US to the Ottawa area). The NCIX price is at least $80 CDN too high, even given our terrible exchange rate these days and the conversion cost your credit card company (~3%) will charge you. If you live near the border like I do ship it to a UPS location and just declare it at the border to pay the sales tax (HST = $62 for ON). With NCIX the sales tax would be higher because it'd be based on their inflated price.
 
Firstly - I said $/Gb. I did not provide absolute numbers with reference to the specific drive capacities compared, but I should have for clarity.

Few things:

1) As a Canadian, if you purchase from Amazon.com, shipping back to them is not free in the event of an RMA. It is true, however, that cost is a bit lower.

2) Premier Partners have different pricing on NCIX. I cannot elaborate on specific pricing (prohibited), but if you are buying a lot of components in one year, or one very large item, purchasing membership for the year may be beneficial.

3) Back to that $/Gb - Newegg.ca has the Intel 750 1.2TB PCI-E for $1,199 right now. In the recent past, NCIX has had similar pricing, albeit not currently.

In absolute values, you'd be paying a lot more. In $/GB, it's essentially the same, and I'd rather have the extra capacity anyway. Another possibility is waiting for the 1TB 950 Pro, but as it stands, I have the ability to go with either, both, or 2x M.2 - one with a PCI-E card adapter if I so choose.
 
OK. Sorry if I upset you. I was trying to be helpful. Thanks for the good information.
 
No anger, just stressing that from a $/GB perspective, they are essentially the same, but the reason for that is due to many specific factors that we face.
 
Over here a 400GB 750 is £320, a 256GB NVMe 951 M2 is £120, but the 950 Pro currently has a premium and is 25% more. But £200 also gets you a regular 1TB SSD and outside of benchmarks is there really much difference? Perhaps we are getting too hung up on SSD choices.
 
I used to pay the same amount for a 150GB WD Velociraptor HDD as I did for a much larger WD Green HDD. I didn't need the bulk of storage space for my OS drive back then and I don't need it now. So I'm getting a Samsung 950 Pro as an OS drive and keep my static data on slow HDDs, my documents and files don't benefit from SSDs yet. But I will benefit from having an massive overkill OS drive. Even though it might only be marginal now.
 
I would say 256GB M2 and 1TB regular SSD is a good option.

Maybe having the M2 under the M/B in a cramped ITX case isn't ideal so keeping game data on the 2.5in SSD might be best. The alternative (with Maximus Impact) is everything on a U2 drive but the price and cabling are not attractive.
 
Hey guys.
Does Impact VIII fit Dark Rock TF or NH-C14 with G Skill Trident-Z ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top