Hope you feel better.

Thanks, mate.   I don't know that my thumb will ever work properly or be pain free; however, I am hoping that I can at least use it to get some stuff done.  I mean, it's frustrating buying a six pack and not being able to open any of them... having to ask somebody else to do it.  I think the worst part is when the tendon over the first knuckle slips from one side to the other and snaps into place.  The pain it causes is quite intense.  My doctor says there is a surgery in which they can stitch the tendon into place to prevent that, and I'm thinking, yeah bring it on.

As for the motherboard, I didn't provide a link in case anybody wanted to check it out, so here it is: https://www.asus.com/au/Motherboards/ROG-CROSSHAIR-VI-EXTREME/

Yeah, I am really excited about this board and can't wait to use it.  Some of the things about it I really like is that the ATX power slot is facing to the right, so the cable isn't sticking up like a sore thumb [no pun intended].  Another thing I like is the back IO plate.  It isn't a thin, flimsy piece of aluminium that slots into the case, but rather it is built into the motherboard itself.  The motherboard also has a metal back plate to help prevent bending during installation and general use.

Other benefits over the Crosshair Hero VI that I had are the built-in USB 3.1 ports, so that's another plus.  This board also has dual M.2 slots which can be configured in a RAID formation for increased speeds... the Crosshair Hero VI didn't; and it also has built-in Wi.Fi and Bluetooth... the Crosshair Hero VI didn't.

The Crosshair Extreme may have cost an extra AU$150.00, but for me it is money well spent, given the benefits and extras it has.

Well I got my big beastie back today with the mobo, CPU and other hardware installed.  The BIOS posts and all I have to do now is install Windows on the M.2 drive, setup the HDDs and do the cabling.  Thing is, being my thumb is so sore right now, I'm not in too great a hurry to do the cabling at this time.  So long at the machine posts and is up and running I can take care of that stuff later.

As for the mobo, it is a beauty and looks fantastic.... will post pics when I'm done setting it all up.

Yep...we need pics...

Jafo

reply 124

Yep...we need pics...

Yes, and when I'm done setting this beastie up I will post some of vthe finished product.  It may take a while because of this damned arthritic thumb slowing me down - just the slightest bump can cause considerable pain - but I made a start on it today [Sat 18 Aug] and hope to achieve quite a bit, considering my efforts will be hampered some. 

In fact, in thinking about it, I will take some progress snaps and post them along the way.... a couple later today, perhaps.

Sorry about the pics peeps, we had visitors on Saturday and I didn't get anything done.  Sunday was a little more productive and I managed to pretty much finish inside the case.  It was slow going, though, and I managed to take some pics. 

I still have to install the HDDs and connect them, but to save complications/issues, I'll leave that until I've loaded Windows on the M.2 SSD.  There's some cabling to do, but I'm going to leave that which was already there to save time.  This build has taken more than long enough already and I just want to get it booted.

Anyhow, here's those pics:

The inner workings.  As you will see, the ATX power connector is flat and facing right.  I've not seen this before, but why not?  It is a great idea and makes cabling easier and tidier.  Another plus with this board is there are two 20 pin USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, one a centre board on the right, and the other at bottom centre.  There is also a USB 3.1 gen 2 front panel connector at centre board on the right, so there's no shortage of high speed data transfer abilities.

The two thicker looking cables at centre case are actually bundles of 6 and 4 SATA cables respectively.  I just thought it better to encase them in that stretchy stuff than having 10 loose SATA cables with a couple of ties here and there.

A closer look.

A new shot of the rear showing the IO back panel, which now has the plate built into the motherboard and not fixed to the chassis, which is generally the case with most boards I've seen.

Some of the inner case cabling was in place already, but I see where some of it could be improved so I may yet make some changes.... will provide pics of any alterations.

Still having no luck with this machine.  It posts but is not seeing the M.2 SSDs and won't allow me into the BIOS settings to make necessary adjustments.  I'm doing everything I'm supposed to but none of the given options allow me access to the BIOS to make the M.2s visible, etc.

It's 9.31 PM here right now, and I'm tired as, but I'll visit the ASUS site in the morning to seek answers, though if anyone has any useful ideas I'd be most appreciative to hear them.

I found the solution to the BIOS entry issue and have made the necessary adjustments.  Windows is now loaded and I am in the process of installing my programs, etc.  Then I have to go through the HDDs to ascertain which ones will go into the case.  One of them appears to be faulty and shorts everything out, so I will test them for faults on my HP 2-in-1 and hope that I isolate the bad one before replacing them one at a time into the 'Beast'.

It has been a long time in the making but it's finally up and running.  And boy, is it fast!  It took only 15 - 20 minutes to load Windows.  I haven't had much play time with it as yet, but everything is looking good.