Concluzii

La final pot spune ca sunt foarte increzator in ceea ce priveste viitorul, standardul BTF introdus de cei de la ASUS fiind inaintat spre standardizare. Pe langa simplicarea constructiei unui sistem oferita de placile de baza si carcasele compatibile BTF, un adevarat pas inainte mi se pare introducarea placilor video BTF care pot fi instalate mult mai repede si mai sigur folosind conectorul proprietar care permite alimentarea acestora direct din placa de baza. Bine, standardizarea si adoptarea BTF ca standard pentru ceilalti producatori va fi o lupta anevoioasa, pentru ca atat MSI, cat si Gigabyte au propriile idei pentru cum trebuie sa arate o placa de baza cu conectorii pe partea din spate. ASUS in schimb ofera solutia completa in care atat placa de baza, cat si placa video sunt parte din acest nou standard, in viitor vom vedea si un adaptor pentru placile video BTF care va permite alimentarea acestora in cazul folosirii unui riser PCIe si amplasarea verticala in carcasa.

Cum spuneam si in primul articol dedicat EHA Tech Tour 2023, pentru evolutia si sustenabilitatea tehnologiei pe termen lung avem nevoie de o sinergie intre producatori, consumatori si presa de specialitate. O parte importanta in cazul vizitei noastre a fost si feedback-ul bidirectional, ceea ce inseamna ca a avut loc o sesiune prelungita de Q&A, iar cele mai interesante intrebari le-am selectat si reprodus pentru voi mai jos (in engleza pentru a pastra semnificatia originala). Cred ca veti gasi cateva informatii extrem de interesante mai jos, asadar va las in compania lor, insa nu uitati sa verificati LAB501 peste aproximativ o saptamana pentru ca vom reveni cu cea de-a doua parte a vizitei noastre la ASUS HQ, unde va vom arata alte produse noi si interesante.

Q&A

1 – Do you also plan BTF MB & cases combos to speed up the adoption process?

Certainly. Combining MB with cases will become even more common, and we
anticipate similar trends for MB and Graphics Card combos

2 – Does this increase the price? (BTF products)

Possibly, there might be a slight increase initially. The new design does offer
more aesthetic components to cover the soldering end of the connectors,
which were previously located at the rear of the motherboards. Additionally, we
require more specialized tools and equipment for manufacturing.

3 – There are many reports about bending PCBs on Z690 / Z790 ASUS motherboards, directly affecting
memory / CPU overclock ability in some cases but also the ASUS brand image. What steps have you taken to solve
this issue?

While board bending issues can occur with motherboards from various vendors, our lab testing has not shown a
direct correlation between PCB bending and overclocking ability. However, we understand the impact on perceived
quality control and have implemented solutions in our factory. We’ve applied pre-pressured tools and fine-tuned
manufacturing parameters to reduce instances of bending.

4 – In case of the Z690 / Z790 APEX and Z790 APEX Encore there have been cases of sample variation in which
one board will have higher possible memory frequency than another. The difference is pretty big in some cases,
making some customers wanting to bin motherboards the same as they bin CPUs. Are you taking some steps to
control this issue, at least for the enthusiasts’ boards like the Apex?

There’s always a margin among boards, even when the onboard chipset is the same. This variation can be attributed
to factors such as PCB, IMC, layout, socket, and trace impedance, among others. High-frequency memories, in
particular, are highly sensitive to changes in trace impedance. Therefore, meticulous layout and PCB control can
make a substantial difference. It’s important to note that a deviation of plus 10% and minus 10% is expected in such
cases.

When receiving two boards that are on the edge of this deviation range, the gap can reach 20%, even when
purchasing the exact same model. Considering all these factors, achieving the right balance between quality and
cost is a constant challenge for our R&D team. More deviation control typically translates to higher costs, and
sometimes the added control may not justify the expense.

Notably, the APEX series has already implemented a 50% increase in deviation control compared to our other
models. This series represents the pinnacle of ROG quality, making APEX boards the recommended choice for
extreme overclockers.