Custom PC - UK (2020-01)

odding editor @antonyleather

Project AXE-R

by neSSa was

one of many

awesome builds

from the 2018

Cooler Master

World Series

hugely expensive motherboard, and it
doesn’t adhere to the mini-ITX standard
either, using a form factor subbed mini-
DTX that extends the length of the
board a bit. I just wonder if Asus’ thinking
here is that this extension is the only
way to offer the kind of features you’d
expect from a premium sub micro-ATX
motherboard using the X570 chipset?
It has two M.2 ports, and the same
heatsink-clad daughterboard that
provides them adds two more fan
headers to the equation, bringing the
total to five. It has exceptional VRM
cooling too, but sadly, there’s a lot of
mini-ITX cases that won’t accept a mini-
DTX motherboard.
I have yet to get my hands on Asus’
ROG Strix X570-I Gaming, and the
Strix I-series boards has a long line of
successful mini-ITX prowess behind
it. I hope Asus has pulled off
something special with it, because I’d
honestly be a little disappointed if I
bought either of the mini-ITX X570
boards I’ve tested so far. The Gigabyte
X570 Aorus Pro WiFi is still award-
worthy, but only just, and while the
Impact is exceptional, it’s just too
expensive and niche to be considered
mainstream. That said, I do hear that
EKWB is working on a full-cover
monoblock for it, which could make it
very tempting if you have the money.
It’s all a shame, because PCI-E 4
SSDs are relatively affordable, and I’d
ratherusea boardwithbolstered
VRMstodealwiththelikesofAMD’s

Ryzen 9 3950X. However, I’m actually

considering opting for an X470 mini-

ITX board for a PC mod I have in mind,

rather than deal with the cost and

limited features of the X570 boards

I’ve tested so far.

In addition, for anyone that’s not

fussed with PCI-E 4 but wants a new

3rd-gen Ryzen CPU, I’d definitely

suggest getting one of the several

X470 or B450 mini-ITX boards

available, such as the ROG Strix X470-I

Gaming. These boards cost far less

moneyandinclude similar or better

featuresthantheir X570 counterparts.

Master World Series

f

r, Cooler Master hosts the

ggest PC modding

on– the World Series – with

0 USup for grabs in prizes.

neisable to join, but the stars

heshow are invariably the

orld-class modders, with

riveting projects coming

from both known and

unknown names.

October this year saw

modders completing their builds and

posting them on Cooler Master’s

forums, and judging for the contest

will go into early November. The

winner will be announced on 14

November, but all the spectacular

entries will be visible on the forum

and the voting pages by the time you

read this magazine. If you haven’t

taken a look at it already, it’s definitely

worth stopping by the website at

coolermaster.com/cmws19 to check

out some of the best modding

projects of 2019.

Cooler Master has also added a

fourth category this year to encourage

modding newcomers. The Apprentice

League comes with a $1,000 US prize,

and the idea is that if you haven’t

modded a PC before, you can still take

part and rightly not be judged at quite

the same level as more experienced

or professional modders. The only

requirements are that you use a

Cooler Master case and you’re not an

experienced modder. If you think

you’d like to take part and start on a

mod ready for next year’s competition,

stop by the link above.

Asus’ Crosshair

VIII Impact offers

a great feature

set with the X570

chipset,butit’s

expensiveandnot

Antony Leather is Custom PC’smo

VRMstodealwiththelikesofAMD s
Ryzen 93900 X andforthcoming

featuresth

CoolerM

kicksoff

Everyyea

world’sbig

competitio

$20,00 0

Anyon

ofth

w

compatiblewithall

mini-ITX cases