ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: - Build quality, specs, features, & options!
- Compatible with 2 generations of socket 2011 Core i7 processors
- ASUS UEFI interface is amazing; the vendor of my previous board could learn a few things from ASUS here.
- It has been a long time since I have picked up ASUS motherboards, this was a great way for me to return to their product line.

Cons: - Didn’t install itself
- I have not encountered any issues with the build or the software that I can list here.

Overall Review: This was my original selection when I was building my i7-3820 system, but budget constraints forced me to another brand. I’ve regretted it since and finally corrected this mistake. This ‘build’ was just a motherboard replacement, but I did remove my X-Fi PCIe Titanium because of driver issues. This will be the first time I’ve used onboard in a decade, here’s to hoping all goes well (so far so good).

Within the first boot, I am shocked at how much faster and quieter my system is with this board. Fan PWM is much better and more effective than my previous board. The other quirks I experienced with my original build are gone as well it appears.

With a BIOS update, I have a system that I can upgrade to a faster/newer socket 2011 processor if I choose to. Of course that means I’ll have to think about some other ‘while I am at it’ upgrades should I go that route. I’ve read the reviews and since I was using an i7-3820, I wasn’t concerned about the BIOS upgrade required for 4th generation i7 processors.

Specs:
- Intel Core i7-3820 w/ Thermaltake Water 2.0 Pro
- Mushkin Blackline 1333 (XMP 1600) 16GB (4x4GB)
- Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 240GB SSD
- WD Blue 500GB storage
- Lite-On DVD
- Lite-On Blu-Ray
- ASUS GTX-680
- Corsair 850W
- Coolermaster CM690 II

Pros: The motherboard is a great. It is super fast, but will soon be obsolete. My system is 1.5 years old and my system has failed. But the M/B ended up being good. This is a followup review. Turns out it was a pulsing 5vds in the power supply that was causing the issue.

Cons: ASUS America Customer support needs some serious revamping. It is the worst experience I have ever had with a company....EVER. It is no wonder EVGA is coming out so strong, with their warranties and superfast customer service, ASUS better wakle up.

Overall Review: Asus customer support/ technical support though I had a bad M/B too so I wont fault them there. It is their RMA process. They deliberately have their RMA system set up to be as difficult as possible. I decided to do an advanced RMA by having a hold put on my CC for $360.00 . Their form had to be FAXED to them, because they are living in the1990's. 4 days later they reply to me stating they could not read my CC number on lousy form. They couldn't call me or take the CC over the phone. Or accept an electronic signature on the form they sent to me, that was made for an electronic signature. Four more days pass before I get information saying that my RMA has been processed again (on a Thursday). By now my customer is angry at me for the delay. I paid extra to get my board overnighted, and what do they do instead of sending out on Thursday it takes them another 2 days to ship it. It was send on Monday, and I got it Tuesday. 3 weeks for an advanced RMA is Ridiculous.