Question 1

Is it quiet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, excepting for a few second when it wakes up from sleep.  The fans go to full speed for a few seconds until the BIOS ratchets them down to a more reasonable level.  Once fully awake, the computer has been rather quiet (surprisingly quiet, actually).  I'm impressed so far.

Question 2

Is the RAM expanable past the 8 it comes with?  What is the limit?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it can be expanded up to 32 GB. There are four memory slots each of which can hold an 8 GB DIMM.  Mine came with a single 8 GB DIMM installed.  I added a Kingston ValueRAM 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 Non - ECC CL11 DIMM STD Height 30mm Desktop Memory (KVR16N11H/8) DIMM and took mine up to 16 GB, leaving two memory slots still open.  It is possible that they would ship the PC with 4 x 2 GB DIMMs and one would have to remove all of the memory and purchase two 8 GB DIMMs to get to 16 GBs of memory.  I didn't see in the documentation that they specifically support mixing different size DIMMs so I wouldn't recommend trying to do that.  Installing the memory was extremely easy.  It is in a very accessible location after removing the cover.

Question 3

OS disk included?

Accepted Answer

None of the systems that I have purchased in the last 2 years have come with an OS disk.  Some, depending on the brand come with a restore disk, but it is only usable on the specific system.  In other words an ASUS disk won't restore a Dell PC, etc.

I would not count on having an OS Disk.  They provide you a "restore disk" create method to make your own set of restore disks when you first boot the system.  That's pretty mucy standard procedure for all new PC's now.

Also.... have you considered "Ubuntu" instead of Windows?

Question 4

Can I upgrade my GPU to R9 290x?

Accepted Answer

Specs on the R9 290x are 1 x Free PCI-E x16 expansion slot for electrical interface; 2 x Free PCI-E expansion slot physical; 1 x 6-pin or 8-pin PCI-E power connector; At least 750 W power supply - AMD certified power supply recommended; At least 900 W power supply when using CrossFire multi-GPU setups.

Total slots supported by the ASUS motherboard are: PCI Slots (Available/Total) -2 x PCI-e x1; 1 x PCI-e x 4; 1 x PCI-e x 16. I could find no technical specifics as to if the PCI bus in the ASUS is to 3.0 specs. It probably is being that the PC is fairly new.

You would absolutely want to upgrade the power supply to the recommended wattage to support the new GPU! I prefer the modular type PSUs so you only use the cables you need and don't cause airflow/cooling issues in the case.

Question 5

Does this computer have an HDMI port?

Accepted Answer

Thanks to all who answered my question.  It seems that there are at least two configurations out there.  Either of them should be workable.

Question 6

Can someone who has purchased this confirm the Windows 7 OS is 64-bit?  Thanks.

Accepted Answer

Yes, the operating system is Windows 7 64-bit.

Question 7

What are the dimensions of this CPU. I bought one from Cyberpower (junk) and it's huge? I don't want another one that big.

Accepted Answer

Paul, dimensions are: H=17", L=20", W=7".   Only glitch I've experienced is that my D-LINK DWA-182 USB 3 wireless adapter works on the front USB 3 slots, but not on the back ones.  As I just bought the box to bend proteins for POEM@HOME, it's a non-issue for me.  I just wanted the most bang-for-the-buck 8-core, which this is.    Happy Trails,  Steve

Question 8

I see this has a PCI-e x 16 graphics card already installed. Is there a second x 16 slot to add a second graphics card? I already have a card and would like to use crossfire and have both. Thank you.

Accepted Answer

I dont' see it.

Question 9

Does this unit have HDMI capability? Thanks.

Accepted Answer

AMD specifications for AMD Radeon HD 8760 Graphics Board include an HDMI port.  Also, two other user answers confirmed that an HDMI port is included.

Question 10

This computer has an awesome processor, but I am concerned about the graphics card and power supply unit.
Does the psu work for this system?
Can you recommend some feasible upgrades for the graphics card?
If I upgrade the graphics card what else would I need to upgrade?

Accepted Answer

My PC had the graphics card fail within 2 days. I replaced the PS believing that this may be the issue and it still would not work. I had to replace the graphics card to get this PC to work properly. In the process, I had voided my warranty since opening the box does that. Would not buy any Asus PC again. This was a major letdown and left me very upset at a company I had always valued highly.

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