ASUS Rampage III Extreme EZ Plug Issue with TJ09

Damar

Damar

Supreme [H]ardness
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Don't you love getting well into a build and coming across a problem that shouldn't exist?

On page 2-46 of the manual, it says to make sure that BOTH of the 4 pin EZ plug connectors if I plan to use multiple video cards, which I intend to do. Sadly, this is in no way possible thanks to the MB tray. Case is a TJ09.

Problem.jpg


Think it will work ok with only the upper one plugged in or am I screwed on using 2 video cards at the moment?

I had been planning to get a single 5870 to tide me over, but cash ran short, so was planning to use my old 8800GTX's in SLI again for a little while. I guess I could use just one if I had to.
 
I suspect those mainly matter when using 3 or 4 video cards.
 
Looks like its time to cut the bracket on your case. It'll probably still run multiple video cards just fine without it, give it a try and don't give up.
 
The location of the two 8-pin power connectors and the upper 4-pin EZ-Plug are in really bad locations to run wires to. I mean I knew the location was crappy before I got it but man, trying to route cables around is murder.

I have nothing here at all that could come close to cutting that tray, and no one I know has a dremel.

I guess worst case I go with a single 8800GTX for a while. Will make it that much more impressive when I do pop a new gen card in there I guess.
 
same problem for me, gonna try to run sli 480s without it, fingers crossed

they should have at least made it facing up
 
Up would have been perfect as I have a spare molex end just hanging right near there from the cable that goes up the back side to the upper EZ Plug.

I gave up for tonight. I have enough things wired with power to fire up the board in the morning (assuming I did everything right and it works) to mess with the bios a bit and check idle temps. Gotta look up what's normal for a 920 idle and hope I'm ok so I can work on OCing it.

Never a smooth build for me on my entire life. Oh well.
 
For cable management I see why they have that port like that, but damn would it be more convenient for 90% of users if it was vertical.

That being said, for only two cards I don't see why you'd need the extra power. Most motherboards can handle two cards fine without an aux power connector for the PCIe ports.
 
check out the new gigabyte board hard just previewed, they got it RIGHT lol. I am tempted to try and cut a piece of the metal to fit the connector, it just bothers me there is a way to add extra power to the board and its blocked off
 
At this point I'm debating about trying to get another case, but I really love this TJ09.

Don't wanna take a saw to it either.

Sigh.
 
Seriously...you don't need those plugged in for simple 2-way SLI. If you've got one plugged in you're more than fine for two cards. Those plugs are to help with using 3 or 4 cards in SLI when the +12V from the 24 pin connector might be marginal. Have you even tried it?

The only exception to this would be if Asus was stupid and supplied the+12V power to the pcie slots ONLY from the 4 pin plugs.
 
bmg said:
Seriously...you don't need those plugged in for simple 2-way SLI. If you've got one plugged in you're more than fine for two cards. Those plugs are to help with using 3 or 4 cards in SLI when the +12V from the 24 pin connector might be marginal. Have you even tried it?

The only exception to this would be if Asus was stupid and supplied the+12V power to the pcie slots ONLY from the 4 pin plugs.
Click to expand...

second 480 should arrive tomorrow, will test it out and see if the system blows up lol
 
bmg said:
Seriously...you don't need those plugged in for simple 2-way SLI. If you've got one plugged in you're more than fine for two cards. Those plugs are to help with using 3 or 4 cards in SLI when the +12V from the 24 pin connector might be marginal. Have you even tried it?

The only exception to this would be if Asus was stupid and supplied the+12V power to the pcie slots ONLY from the 4 pin plugs.
Click to expand...

My concerns stem from what my future upgrade options will be and what I'll be locked into with things the way they are.

I'm typing this on the machine now, and it's stable, but I haven't done any hardcore stressing of the video yet either. Hopefully tomorrow I'll hit that nail.
 
Limahl said:
My concerns stem from what my future upgrade options will be and what I'll be locked into with things the way they are.
Click to expand...

Well, in the future, you could just consider buying a new case. :cool:
 
MavericK96 said:
Well, in the future, you could just consider buying a new case. :cool:
Click to expand...

I wanted to this time around, but money just wasn't there for it. Was hoping for an 800D, but for sure, next time around I'll get something that hopefully won't interfere with the connector. :D
 
just an FYI I only used a 2nd 8pin the the motherboard on my current setup with 2x 5870's. You will be just fine with 2x 8800gtx's
 
Sorry to hear that dude.

I have a tj07 myself.

Are you planning on using SSDs?
 
At the moment it's up and running stable with a mild 3.8 Ghz oc and both 8800GTX's in SLI.

Boot drive is a 160GB Intel G2 which screams. The video cards are holding things back a bit right now, but older games run well. ME2 and DA:O look awesome.

My big issue at this point is getting some sort of filter over the rear intake where the H50 radiator is. The screws weren't long enough to keep my old screen and AC filter pad there to keep dust out, so right now it's wide open, which is going to clog that radiator pretty quick with how dusty it is here.

I love this TJ09 so much but at the moment it's causing me no small amount of grief.
 
FRZ said:
480gtx's running solid so far
Click to expand...

Good to hear!!

I'd love to have a new set of NVidia cards, but the power/heat worry me.

Was thinking 5870 this time around because of that.

As a note, I got an email back from ASUS about the power connector/MB issue and they are forwarding my image and description to the engineers in China to see if any changes can be made in future revisions.

I guess part of the issue is being able to plug in a power connector if there is a card in that bottom slot if they have it facing out instead of down.

Oh well.
 
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Limahl:

Well, I still haven't put my whole system together (still figure out the rest of my parts) But tonight I decided to see how the Rampage III fits in my new Cooler Master ATCS 840. Lo and behold... I too have the same issue with the EZ plug. The ATCS 840 has a removable motherboard tray and at the top and bottom of the tray, are support brackets. The bottom support bracket partially blocks the EZ plug. Now I didn't screw the motherboard into the tray yet, but I did line it up with the standoffs and it looks like there will be partial blockage. I'm hoping for a miracle that when I screw the Mobo in, the EZ plug will not be fully blocked.

Good job Asus for overlooking this design flaw that affects some major cases!!! :mad:

Just thought I'd share!
 
Dear sir:

I am having much the same trouble as you, though in my "case" I am using Silverstone's FT02 case. However, in my "case", there is a cutout just by the vertical ez-plug (remember that the mobo is rotated 90° clockwise in an FT02) that in theory will allow me to connect the plug. But it is still a very tight fit and is proving to be a pain to connect properly. I would dearly like a right angle ez-plug, if such a thing were available (doubtful). Ironically, I just realized that the board does have two ez-plugs. Oops! I must have been having a flashback or something.

I'm using two ROG Matrix Platinum 5870 cards and each requires two eight pin pci-e connectors/cables to power them. In addition, as you know, the board itself needs two CPU plugs/cables, the big ATX cable and the two ez-plugs. The latter is causing a specific problem though. One is that the ez-plug cables that came with my Corsair AX PSU have multiple ez-plug connectors. While this might be nice if you need them, it isn't so nice in my situation. For example, when you connect the ez plug to the right of the two CPU power plugs, the resulting "waterfall" doesn't look very nice, as well as it impeding airflow. The latter is more critical in that the X-58 chipset has a reputation for running rather warm on this board and the ez-plug cable assembly "hangs" between the 1st GPU and the Frio cooler, thus impeding airflow somewhat. I can't use the accessary fan unit because of clearance problems with the cooler. I know because I removed the passive cooler to check; no such luck. At least I was able to remove the existing paste and replace it with some Artic Silver. We'll see if it works. I'd really like "single" connector ez-plug cables in black if I can find them. But I don't know where to look.

Also, as noted, cable management has become something of a nightmare, what with all the extra cables needed for the build. This wouldn't be such a problem if there were enough space behind the mobo tray. But in the case of the FT02 there isn't a lot of room back there. That's not to say that it can't be done; rather, it is going to be rather a challenge. But quite frankly a lot of the cables will have to reside in the "active" part of the case, which, as noted, isn't going to help with airflow. Benckmarkreviews put together a FT02 build using gtx480s in sli and made it work, but they note too that it's a challenge.

Another problem that I have run into is the fact that there is just one USB header on the board. This is silly given its price, but that's the way it is. I stumbled on this when I "dry" installed the Atech card reader, which likes USB. Oops! So, now I have to buy an internal NZXT USB expansion module. Not a big deal, but it's just one more irritation and that much more money. http://hardforum.com:80/images/smilies/mad.gif

And one last thing, This is my first build; indeed, it is my first pc. So, I'm really having fun. God! I just hope that it POSTs.http://hardforum.com:80/images/smilies/eek.gif

Build details (if interested; not trying show off):

FT02 case
i7 930
two ROG Matrix Platinum card in Crossfire (I hope)
Thermaltake Frio cooler
12 gigs Gskill ram (overkill. But expanding the ram in the future would have meant taking the system apart as the first slot is blocked by the cooler)
Rampage Extreme III
Lite-on dvd drive
Atech card reader
1tb WD caviar black HDD
Corsair AX 1200 watt PSU
80 gig intel SSD
Deck "Ice" tactile KB
Saitek RAT 7 rodent
Dell U2711 monitor
Bankruptcy attorney
Tums
 
Had the same problem.. Using the thermaltake DH 103 HTPC case. Doing a watercooled HTPC and had to cut out a 1.5 inch by 3/4 inch whole to fit the plug.

I can't believe they overlooked this.
 
It's a poor place to put that 4-pin molex. Most ATX cases will have this issue, as that is usually where the floor of the case resides. From a cable management stand-point, it wouldn't have mattered if the connector faced upwards, since it is low enough to the edge of the case that you could run wires behind the back of the chassis. I just built a system this weekend for a guy at work with this motherboard and while it is extremely fast, I can't say that I'm overly impressed with a few things ASUS did here. What's with the one solitary USB header? I built it on a Corsair Obsidian 800 case, so I had plenty of room for the connector in question, but I had to leave two of the front panel USB plugs disconnected because of having just one header. He aslo bought an internal USB powered multiple card reader. I couldn't use that either. For that much money, ($368USD), these are fairly significant oversights.
 
Ok so I dont have that last ez plug connected into the mobo as a couple on here suggested. I do have 2 nvidia 470's in SLI and seems to work fine. I decided to give crysis a try and once I load it the screen goes blank. I am using a projector and the screen goes blue just like if there is no input at all. Its obvious there is nothing even being input out of the video card. Could it be that I need that extra power connected on the mobo? Its the only game that does this.

Really need help asap on this. Driving me nuts.
 
Seems like an easy 5 minute fix with tin snips or the nibbler that Siriso suggested. There seems to be enough material that a small cut wouldn't compromise structural integrity.
 
nalc said:
Seems like an easy 5 minute fix with tin snips or the nibbler that Siriso suggested. There seems to be enough material that a small cut wouldn't compromise structural integrity.
Click to expand...

It's not just a question of the access cut-out on the case..but how to route the wiring. Due to the plug's orientation, (on a normal size ATX tower)...the 4 pin molex would not have enough room to be plugged in and allow the harness to bend sufficient to remain inside the case. If the four pin power connector on the board had been pointed like the PCI-e or memory slots, then the cable management and routing would have been perfect.
 
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