• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

ASUS Motherboard Segmentation Explained - "Prime" Series takes Backseat

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,309 (7.52/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
With its new Intel 300-series chipset-based motherboard family, ASUS is redoing the segmentation of its various motherboard brands, with the objective of avoiding too many similarly-priced products that bloat the lineup and confuse buyers. The company articulated its segmentation using a triangle (pictured below). At the bottom of this triangle is the mainline "Prime" series, and interestingly, the TUF (The Ultimate Force) series. The TUF series has until now been attributed to moderately expensive motherboards that are designed with very high durability. They are now relegated to the bottom of ASUS' product-stack, targeted at first-time builders and entry-level gamers. These boards are still built "tough" in that they feature high-grade components, but not as many CPU VRM phases as some of ASUS' more expensive boards.

Another revelation is that the company's mainline "Prime" series, which has served as the bedrock of the company's motherboard lineup before sub-brands such as ROG came along, is now entry-mid range, with just two SKUs based on the Z370 chipset. The Prime Z370-A is recommended for those users who want to cut through the marketing clutter and pick a board that maxes out this platform without too many frills. This move also ends the possibility of higher Prime-series SKUs such as "Deluxe" and "Premium," which were previously associated with SKUs bursting at the seams with onboard connectivity options.



The "Republic of Gamers" (ROG) brand has a clear sub-division, with boards featuring just the "ROG" moniker next to brands such as Crosshair (AMD MSDT), Maximus (Intel MSDT), Rampage (Intel HEDT), and Zenith (AMD HEDT), making up the upper-end; and the Strix brand making up the upper-mid range bulk. The ROG Crosshair, Maximus, Rampage, and Zenith sub-brands will get extensions such as "Ranger," "Hero," "Formula," "Impact," "Gene," "Extreme," "Code," and "Apex;" while the ROG Strix brand will be sub-divided as Strix-E (topmost), Strix-F (second-best), Strix-G (micro-ATX), Strix-H (entry ATX), and Strix-I (mini-ITX). Some of these SKUs may get the "AC" extension denoting a WLAN module with 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.x.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Last edited:

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
42,721 (6.69/day)
Location
Republic of Texas (True Patriot)
System Name PCGOD
Processor AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory 16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s) NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s) Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software Windows 7 Pro 64
Well this sucks!

My The Ultimate Force Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 pushed this CPU to 5.0GHz, very rugged. Now the Tuf line is bottom barrel stuff, poposterous!


Lets add more confusion with Strix which the word looks stupid, is it pronounched Stricks or Strikes? Then sub categories for products.

I honestly felt TUF sounds better than Strix.

IIRC ROG has been around longer than Prime
 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
4,636 (0.92/day)
Well this sucks!

My The Ultimate Force Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 pushed this CPU to 5.0GHz, very rugged. Now the Tuf line is bottom barrel stuff, poposterous!


Lets add more confusion with Strix which the word looks stupid, is it pronounched Stricks or Strikes? Then sub categories for products.

I honestly felt TUF sounds better than Strix
Strix is latin genus name of wood owls and pronunciation is striks . Owls of this genus are known for their stealth and silence when hunting.
 

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
42,721 (6.69/day)
Location
Republic of Texas (True Patriot)
System Name PCGOD
Processor AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory 16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s) NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s) Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software Windows 7 Pro 64
Strix is latin genus name of wood owls and pronunciation is striks . Owls of this genus are known for their stealth and silence when hunting.

Thanks for clarification


Well their gpus certainly aren't silent or stealthy lol.

Well I think strikes sounds better than stricks, stricks feels like restricted...
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2008
Messages
1,180 (0.20/day)
Location
Australia
Processor Intel i7 4790K
Motherboard Asus Z97 Deluxe
Cooling Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120
Memory Corsair Dominator 1866Mhz 4X4GB
Video Card(s) Asus R290X
Storage Samsung 850 Pro SSD 256GB/Samsung 840 Evo SSD 1TB
Display(s) Samsung S23A950D
Case Corsair 850D
Audio Device(s) Onboard Realtek
Power Supply Corsair AX850
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Logitech G710+
Software Windows 10 x64
Doesnt make sense. Why have 2 ranges of gaming motherboards? Or 3 if you include tuf.

Just have one range of gaming boards and one range of Prime/general boards. Its a shame the deluxe model is no more, I have many deluxe boards.

I guess they feel most of the buyers of high end boards are gamers so thats where the marketing goes.
 
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
2,074 (0.46/day)
Location
Jacksonhole Florida
System Name DEVIL'S ABYSS
Processor i7-4790K@4.6 GHz
Motherboard Asus Z97-Deluxe
Cooling Corsair H110 (2 x 140mm)(3 x 140mm case fans)
Memory 16GB Adata XPG V2 2400MHz
Video Card(s) EVGA 780 Ti Classified
Storage Intel 750 Series 400GB (AIC), Plextor M6e 256GB (M.2), 13 TB storage
Display(s) Crossover 27QW (27"@ 2560x1440)
Case Corsair Obsidian 750D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC1150
Power Supply Cooler Master V1000
Mouse Ttsports Talon Blu
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Windows 10 Pro x64 version 1803
Benchmark Scores Passmark CPU score = 13080
This marketing strategy leaves out the top channel boards of the past (Deluxe, Workstation, Premium), and puts the top boards into the "gaming" segment (ROG), with all the over-the-top marketing BS, RGB lights, and form-over-function design that many of us would rather not pay extra for. I don't want my system to look like a "boy gamer" wet dream, but I do want some of the high end features, now only found in the $300-$500 ROG segment. I like Asus, but wish they would go back to making boards for performance instead of looks. I guess it doesn't really matter much, you just have to wade through the product stack until you find the right features, and accept the marketing BS and RGB as the inevitable price of "progress" in a world created by marketing and other shameful practices. I love my Z97-Deluxe board, but that line ended with Z170-Deluxe. Oh well, it's all just names...
 
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,141 (0.53/day)
Location
Serbia
Processor Ryzen 5600
Motherboard X570 I Aorus Pro
Cooling Deepcool AG400
Memory HyperX Fury 2 x 8GB 3200 CL16
Video Card(s) RX 6700 10GB SWFT 309
Storage SX8200 Pro 512 / NV2 512
Display(s) 24G2U
Case NR200P
Power Supply Ion SFX 650
Mouse G703 (TTC Gold 60M)
Keyboard Keychron V1 (Akko Matcha Green) / Apex m500 (Gateron milky yellow)
Software W10
"AAA gamers", wtf is a AAA gamer?!?! Or better yet who the hell calls himself a AAA gamer... dafuq did i just read.
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2017
Messages
7,412 (2.74/day)
Location
Poland
System Name Purple rain
Processor 10.5 thousand 4.2G 1.1v
Motherboard Zee 490 Aorus Elite
Cooling Noctua D15S
Memory 16GB 4133 CL16-16-16-31 Viper Steel
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage SU900 128,8200Pro 1TB,850 Pro 512+256+256,860 Evo 500,XPG950 480, Skyhawk 2TB
Display(s) Acer XB241YU+Dell S2716DG
Case P600S Silent w. Alpenfohn wing boost 3 ARGBT+ fans
Audio Device(s) K612 Pro w. FiiO E10k DAC,W830BT wireless
Power Supply Superflower Leadex Gold 850W
Mouse G903 lightspeed+powerplay,G403 wireless + Steelseries DeX + Roccat rest
Keyboard HyperX Alloy SilverSpeed (w.HyperX wrist rest),Razer Deathstalker
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores A LOT
Jeez either people must be really stupid or Asus thinks they are. Different price tiers for esport and aaa gamers ? Asus is on my black list from now on, especially after hearing in some threads that with product segmentation Asus also divides consumer priority into categories.
 
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
8,096 (1.34/day)
Location
Hillsboro, OR
System Name Main/DC
Processor i7-3770K/i7-2600K
Motherboard MSI Z77A-GD55/GA-P67A-UD4-B3
Cooling Phanteks PH-TC14CS/H80
Memory Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) LP /4GB Kingston DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Asus GTX 660 Ti/MSI HD7770
Storage Crucial MX100 256GB/120GB Samsung 830 & Seagate 2TB(died)
Display(s) Asus 24' LED/Samsung SyncMaster B1940
Case P100/Antec P280 It's huge!
Audio Device(s) on board
Power Supply SeaSonic SS-660XP2/Seasonic SS-760XP2
Software Win 7 Home Premiun 64 Bit
with the objective of avoiding too many similarly-priced products that bloat the lineup and confuse buyers.
Then why come out with 19 Z370 motherboards? How many 300 series motherboards are they going to end up with once they add the "H" and "B" versions?:shadedshu:

Well their gpus certainly aren't silent or stealthy lol.
The original Strix GPU's were, such as my GTX 980 Strix. Here's what w1zzard said:
ASUS's card is almost inaudible even under full load, while being faster than any other single-GPU card on the market. Really impressive.
And then he gave it a 10.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Messages
247 (0.06/day)
Should be renamed
Wank with way to many options
More wank with lights and to many optiosn
extra wanky features

:p
 

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
19,682 (2.86/day)
Location
w
System Name Black MC in Tokyo
Processor Ryzen 5 7600
Motherboard MSI X670E Gaming Plus Wifi
Cooling Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2
Memory 2 x 16GB Corsair Vengeance @ 6000Mhz
Video Card(s) XFX 6950XT Speedster MERC 319
Storage Kingston KC3000 1TB | WD Black SN750 2TB |WD Blue 1TB x 2 | Toshiba P300 2TB | Seagate Expansion 8TB
Display(s) Samsung U32J590U 4K + BenQ GL2450HT 1080p
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s) Plantronics 5220, Nektar SE61 keyboard
Power Supply Corsair RM850x v3
Mouse Logitech G602
Keyboard Dell SK3205
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Rimworld 4K ready!
"AAA gamers", wtf is a AAA gamer?!?! Or better yet who the hell calls himself a AAA gamer... dafuq did i just read.

The "gamer" thing is a bit silly all around. I read a user review on a case which was decent but he found it to not be a very good gamer case becuase you couldn't really do any kind of decent cable management in it. A gamer is evidentily like the guy having Nascar stickers on his Honda Accord, but probably worse.
 
Joined
Mar 24, 2010
Messages
5,047 (0.94/day)
Location
Iberian Peninsula
Always confusion, always, always...

Starting with ROG line. Why in heaven would a gamer bother with hardcore overclocking and nitrogene features (s/he wants stable gaming, no crashes or excesive heat), and why would a hardcore benchmarker bother with RGB LEDS and looks?

Etc, etc.

Maybe I am old and all todays kids do all the liquid nitrogen stuff and tensionmeters checks when they come back from school???????
 
Joined
Jul 13, 2016
Messages
3,352 (1.08/day)
Processor Ryzen 7800X3D
Motherboard ASRock X670E Taichi
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 Chromax
Memory 32GB DDR5 6000 CL30
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 4090 Trio
Storage P5800X 1.6TB 4x 15.36TB Micron 9300 Pro 4x WD Black 8TB M.2
Display(s) Acer Predator XB3 27" 240 Hz
Case Thermaltake Core X9
Audio Device(s) JDS Element IV, DCA Aeon II
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Titanium 850w
Mouse PMM P-305
Keyboard Wooting HE60
VR HMD Valve Index
Software Win 10
I guess this is why their x370 motherboard is sub-par. You can get ASRock's "gaming grade" motherboard for less than ASUS's "mainstream".
 

TheLostSwede

News Editor
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
17,788 (2.42/day)
Location
Sweden
System Name Overlord Mk MLI
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE with offsets
Memory 32GB Team T-Create Expert DDR5 6000 MHz @ CL30-34-34-68
Video Card(s) Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phantom GS
Storage 1TB Solidigm P44 Pro, 2 TB Corsair MP600 Pro, 2TB Kingston KC3000
Display(s) Acer XV272K LVbmiipruzx 4K@160Hz
Case Fractal Design Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) Corsair Virtuoso SE
Power Supply be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W
Mouse Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Keyboard Corsair K70 Max
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/yfsd9w
So this is why the Premium boards are no longer properly overclockable...
 

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
42,721 (6.69/day)
Location
Republic of Texas (True Patriot)
System Name PCGOD
Processor AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory 16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s) NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s) Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software Windows 7 Pro 64
I'm fine with most of the asus stuff but also think that TUF took a huge nose dive since it began.


Where are the rugged power delivery systems, extended warranty and no frills design? All gone


I like the color of my sysspec board, it was in a case that is black interior anyway, i have blue and green led fans inside so it doesnt show the color anyway, it is subdued...

if anything TUF should of been the best all around board for hardcore Ocers, Gamers/mainstream. Rog should of been catered to gamers that don't do extreme oc.
 
Joined
Sep 14, 2017
Messages
625 (0.23/day)
Ugh. Should be the reverse with TUF and Prime near the top for real enthusiasts and ROG stuff at the bottom.
 
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Messages
1,092 (0.32/day)
Location
Latvija
System Name Fujitsu Siemens, HP Workstation
Processor Athlon x2 5000+ 3.1GHz, i5 2400
Motherboard Asus
Memory 4GB Samsung
Video Card(s) rx 460 4gb
Storage 750 Evo 250 +2tb
Display(s) Asus 1680x1050 4K HDR
Audio Device(s) Pioneer
Power Supply 430W
Mouse Acme
Keyboard Trust
Nothing better and cheaper than prime b350m-e i can not find 80€ and am4 socket will haw new cpu in the future. i use spotify a loot audio is important also. Until new AMD chip set will come out and APU, AMD OEM alwasys haw sucked because they ar like shit in games for 1000€ PC even old i5 probably is better. They probably now thinking how to more mess whit customers minds to spend more.
 

FreedomEclipse

~Technological Technocrat~
Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Messages
24,191 (3.74/day)
Location
London,UK
System Name WorkInProgress
Processor AMD 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI X670E GAMING PLUS
Cooling Thermalright AM5 Contact Frame + Phantom Spirit 120SE
Memory 2x32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO DDR5 6000 CL32-38-38-96
Video Card(s) Asus Dual Radeon™ RX 6700 XT OC Edition
Storage WD SN770 1TB (Boot)|1x WD SN850X 8TB (Gaming) | 2x2TB WD SN770| 2x2TB+2x4TB Crucial BX500
Display(s) LG GP850-B
Case Corsair 760T (White) {1xCorsair ML120 Pro|5xML140 Pro}
Audio Device(s) Yamaha RX-V573|Speakers: JBL Control One|Auna 300-CN|Wharfedale Diamond SW150
Power Supply Seasonic Focus GX-850 80+ GOLD
Mouse Logitech G502 X
Keyboard Duckyshine Dead LED(s) III
Software Windows 11 Home
Benchmark Scores ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ
"AAA gamers", wtf is a AAA gamer?!?! Or better yet who the hell calls himself a AAA gamer... dafuq did i just read.


I am a tripple A rated gamer
 

RCG

Joined
Jul 31, 2016
Messages
8 (0.00/day)
System Name The splurge
Processor Intel Xeon E3-1230 V5
Motherboard Asrock E3V5WS
Memory Kingston KTH-PL421/16G
Video Card(s) HSI Radeon RX480
Storage OCZ Trion 150 960Gb
Case Fractal Design R5 Blackout Edition
Power Supply Corsair 450
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Logitech G15s
Nothing better and cheaper than prime b350m-e i can not find 80€ and am4 socket will haw new cpu in the future. i use spotify a loot audio is important also. Until new AMD chip set will come out and APU, AMD OEM alwasys haw sucked because they ar like shit in games for 1000€ PC even old i5 probably is better. They probably now thinking how to more mess whit customers minds to spend more.

.....Uh.....huh.....

This could be most most Off Topic post for these thread except for mine pointing this out.

Or to the next guy/gal to point this out to me
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
54 (0.01/day)
System Name Luna Rossa
Processor Ryzen 5 5600X
Motherboard MSI B550I GAMING EDGE WIFI
Cooling Noctua NH-U12A
Memory 2×16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3600MHz C16
Video Card(s) NVIDIA RTX 3090 FE
Storage Samsung SSD 990 Pro 4TB + Samsung SSD 980 Pro 2TB
Display(s) BenQ PD3200U (32" 4K)
Case Sliger S620 (White)
Audio Device(s) Edifier R1800BT
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse Glorious Model D 2 Pro
Keyboard Gok 7V (White) + Gateron X + GMK MoDo Light
Software Windows 11 Pro
Sincerely, I'm not against all the silly gamer aesthetics and RGB, because I can just simply use a case without windows and/or turn off all LEDs. Yes, I would rather have a clean design on high end boards too, but it really doesn't bother me that much.
What I really hate nowadays is the terrible software most hardware manufacturers provide and their hideous design: Splash screens at start up, weird shaped interface, settings that aren't saved unless you're running their sh***y software, privacy offenders... Those are the kind of things I really despise.

So, as long as I can still set up *everything* including custom curves for DC fans directly in the BIOS I'm cool with whatever hardware design silliness they come up with.
And sadly this is not just limited to Asus or even mainboards. I'm staring at you, Razer.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
3,244 (1.22/day)
System Name Grunt
Processor Ryzen 5800x
Motherboard Gigabyte x570 Gaming X
Cooling Noctua NH-U12A
Memory Corsair LPX 3600 4x8GB
Video Card(s) Gigabyte 6800 XT (reference)
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 2TB
Display(s) Samsung CFG70, Samsung NU8000 TV
Case Corsair C70
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Software Win 10 Pro
Sincerely, I'm not against all the silly gamer aesthetics and RGB, because I can just simply use a case without windows and/or turn off all LEDs. Yes, I would rather have a clean design on high end boards too, but it really doesn't bother me that much.
What I really hate nowadays is the terrible software most hardware manufacturers provide and their hideous design: Splash screens at start up, weird shaped interface, settings that aren't saved unless you're running their sh***y software, privacy offenders... Those are the kind of things I really despise.

So, as long as I can still set up *everything* including custom curves for DC fans directly in the BIOS I'm cool with whatever hardware design silliness they come up with.
And sadly this is not just limited to Asus or even mainboards. I'm staring at you, Razer.

Well, ROG has customization options for those slash screens at least (mylogo.. which should be part of the AISuite).

That said, I set aside my recent 270 ROG board for something a bit more neutral (from Supermicro). It's still another 270 though (but more PCI slots and other interfaces). I like boards to be neutral. It also has a graphic BIOS interface, but almost too many options. It's overwhelming. They have a 299 brewing up as well, but I hope they improve the BIOS there. One positive about ASUS is it had an EZ Mode.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
2,074 (0.46/day)
Location
Jacksonhole Florida
System Name DEVIL'S ABYSS
Processor i7-4790K@4.6 GHz
Motherboard Asus Z97-Deluxe
Cooling Corsair H110 (2 x 140mm)(3 x 140mm case fans)
Memory 16GB Adata XPG V2 2400MHz
Video Card(s) EVGA 780 Ti Classified
Storage Intel 750 Series 400GB (AIC), Plextor M6e 256GB (M.2), 13 TB storage
Display(s) Crossover 27QW (27"@ 2560x1440)
Case Corsair Obsidian 750D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC1150
Power Supply Cooler Master V1000
Mouse Ttsports Talon Blu
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Windows 10 Pro x64 version 1803
Benchmark Scores Passmark CPU score = 13080
Always confusion, always, always...

Starting with ROG line. Why in heaven would a gamer bother with hardcore overclocking and nitrogene features (s/he wants stable gaming, no crashes or excesive heat), and why would a hardcore benchmarker bother with RGB LEDS and looks?

Etc, etc.

Maybe I am old and all todays kids do all the liquid nitrogen stuff and tensionmeters checks when they come back from school???????
Because young people in general are all about "styling and profiling", "bragging rights", and other meaningless crap. I think that 1% or less of "ROG Extreme" buyers actually use those features, the rest are "riding the coattails" of a handful of real extreme OC guys, telling all their friends "I'm gonna do that, as soon as I get my liquid nitrogen setup". Apologies to those who buy top ROG boards because they just want a great OC experience on air or water, and can afford the best, I'm not talking about you. Asus' marketing team plays on the insecurities of the young wanna-be overclocker, who see people like der8auer as heroic role models, for the same reason Rawlings sells $150 youth baseball gloves with a famous players signature on them.
 
Top