GRYPHON ARMOR KIT

The GRYPHON ARMOR kit comes in a box that matches that of the board, although it is a wee bit thinner. The back of the box uses a similar layout but features information on the ARMOR kit, not the board.


The contents are packed into the box in multiple layers, with a small tray on top holding some accessories over the ARMOR's plastic top.


Between that and the box containing the backplate are yet more accessories. ASUS's packaging engineers really made the most they could out of the space. Once spread out on the table, the full bundle takes up a fair bit of real estate.


Two types of dust covers, one set in a multi-sectioned bag and another set still attached to one another like a model airplane fresh out of the box, hint at some vigorous assembly requirements. There are enough dust covers here for all internal SATA ports, the internal USB 3.0 header, and all the ports on the rear I/O. That is a lot of little holes to plug, which is why there are just as many covers.


There's a fan and a dust cover to go on the rear I/O panel of the board, and three thermal probes that connect to the pin headers at the board's bottom edge.


This set of slot covers also includes two for empty memory slots, should you not populate all four. ASUS has also included a screwdriver for you to use while putting the whole thing together. I like that it's small but easy to grip as that limits the amount of force you can apply to the screws, which makes over-tightening the screws the GRYPHON ARMOR kit uses less likely.


The GYPHON ARMOR's top plate is a plastic dust cover that is fitted around the board's physical features to both aid airflow and prevent dust build-up on critical parts. The side facing the board basically acts as an empty shell under which the many surface-mounted capacitors sit.


ASUS refers to the included metal backplate as the "TUF Fortifier". The rigid steel backplate has a large hole around the board's socket, so it doesn't interfere with cooler backplates, or swapping coolers while mounted. In fact, only the standoffs the screws pass through to keep the front cover in place actually touch the board itself.


Placing the top cover next to the board really shows how it will fit over the board, with cut-outs for the cooler and socket being in very obvious places.


I think it is best to install the included fan prior to attaching the top plate to the board, although it can be done afterwards as well. ASUS included a foam pad for you to attach to the bottom of the fan. It is supposed to prevent the fan from rubbing against the board or causing noise due to vibrations. I installed the fan and put it to the test, and it remained pretty quiet under even heavily overclocked workloads. The fan attaches to the removable plate shown above, and the plate itself attaches to the plastic cover through a single screw. There was also an extra cover in my box, although that might not hold true for retail units.


Simply screw the cover back into place once the fan has been attached. I mounted the cover with the fan blowing out through the rear I/O, but the instructions told me to install the fan facing the other way. I swapped it around before testing, but installing it the way I did initially hid the fan inside of the cover's shadow pretty well. Either way is perfectly fine, and it is removable so you can establish what orientation is best for your configuration.


Installing the GRYPHON ARMOR is pretty easy. Just place the screws into the appropriate holes and tighten them finger-tight. You're now ready to install the board. The cover and metal backplate sandwich the board pretty tightly, making the board a couple millimeters thicker on both the front and back without creating interference issues with any installed components.


It's pretty menacing with the dust covers in place. I really like the solid look provided by the GRYPHON ARMOR kit. Not everyone liked the covers included with other TUF boards, but there were just as many complaints about it missing on products that didn't have it, so I am quite glad ASUS made it an optional kit to keep users on both sides of that fence happy.


To me, the finished look is like having a backplate on a graphics card--VGA vendors offer them as add-ons, and I see them pictured in countless builds, no matter what card they are built for. Even as a layer of protection that makes installation mistakes that much less likely, it has a purpose, but the shiny silver logo in the middle says it all: TUF = The Ultimate Force.