Asus Rampage 3 Extreme Component Add-Ons???

[Aaylianna]

Hello everyone! I recently put together my first PC build using an Asus Rampage 3 Extreme Mobo and an Intel i7-970 CPU. (I will list the build specs at the bottom of the post) I was given the Mobo and CPU from a friend and was lucky enough to find just the right deals on the rest of the build to make this a very cost effective build. I am happy with it so far but there are a few things I am considering adding onto this build being this mobo is older and lacks some of the components that newer motherboards have and that i would like. I have done a good amount of research but i am a bit confused and overwhelmed at which components i should get, being why i am here. Hopefully i can get some good insight, direction, and recommendations of which components would be the most cost effective as i am on a tight budget at the moment. Anyways, enough blabbing and lets get to the questions! The first component i would like to get is a Sata 3 Pci/Pcie card. I am using the intel ich10r sata2 for both boot and data disk. I have not seen a huge difference in performance with the intel ich10r and the marvell 9128. From what i have learned the marvel 9128 is PCI Express 1 and is not even really a true "SATA 3" controller. I am currently not running any raid arrays but in the near future i would like to purchase another ssd and run raid zero array's with my ssd boot disk. With that said, which PCI/PCIE card should i look at purchasing? I have looked at ones that were 20$ and looked at ones that were 500$ plus. It seems the ones that were cheaper did not have Raid capability and i was confused as to which ones i could boot up off of and that were compatible with my mobo. Am i going to have to spend hundreds of dollars for a Sata 3 Pci/Pcie card if i want to run a raid array and boot off of? Here are a couple links of the two different ones i was looking at. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.... & https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334.... Would the cheaper ones work for booting an ssd in sata 3 on the R3E? I assume the cheaper ones would not allow raid arrays as well? I would like to find the least expensive one that would work for my setup and what i am wanting to do. Also, i have read that you can use the Samsung evo 850 Nvme as a boot drive on this motherboard. What exactly would i need to be able to do this. I would assume there is an adapter or component that i would need to be able to boot off of a Evo 850? This link explains what i was thinking of. https://www.overclock.net/forum/20-hard-drives-storage/... The second component i would like to get is a USB 3.0 controller/header so that i can use my USB 3.0 plug ins on the top of my pc case. The R3E only came with one 2.0 header and I am currently using that for my Corsair h110i GT AIO Cpu Cooler. Here are a couple examples i have looked at https://www.nzxt.com/products/iu01-usb-expansion & https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=internal.... Which one would be best for my setup? I noticed there are some that use the existing 3.0 mobo header which the R3E does not have, so i wont be able to use those ones... The other style seems to be a pci/pcie card and i noticed some of them have headers and extra usb 3.0 ports on them and some of them just have headers or just usb ports. My pc case has 2 usb 3.0 plug ins on the top and 3 usb 2.0 plug ins on top. There seems to be different model numbers as well? Some have an "J8Y8" or "H5Y2" at the end? I am super confused as to which one would be best for what i am looking to do? For the 3 usb 2.0 plug ins on top of my case, would i have to get another pci/pcie adapter card just to use those ones being that my only usb 2.0 header is being used by the Corsair AIO? The last thing i would like to get is a wifi card? I am super lost as to which one i can use for the R3E. Just like the Sata 3 and USB 3.0 cards, there are millions to choose from and i dont know which one would work for my setup? If you have read this far i Thank You Kindly and apologize for such a long post but wanted to make sure i gave as much detail about my questions so that i could get the best recommendations and help! =) I will list my pc specs etc down below. PLEASE HELP!!! =O

Mobo: Asus Rampage 3 Extreme Edition
CPU: Intel i7 970 Model:C Ext Model:2C Family:6 Stepping:2 Revision:B1 Overclocked to 4.5ghz @ 1.43v
Power Supply:AeroCool XPredator 750GM
PC Case: Rosewill Rise Three 120mm intake Fans In Front, One 140mm Exhaust Rear, One 80mm Exhaust Rear, Two 140mm Fans & Raidator Up Top Inside From Corsair AIO Cooler Exhaust, One 120mm Exhaust Bottom From PSU
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GT AIO
Ram: 24gb (4x6) 4gb g skill f3-12800cl9d-8gbxl with Corsair Dominator AirFlow Fan On Top
GPU: 2 (SLI) Asus Strix OC GTX 960's 4gb Vram Each
Hard Drives: San Disk SSD PLUS 248GB (The Newer Version) OS - Seagate Barracuda lp 2tb st2000dl003 5900 RPM Data - western digital wdezex 1tb 7200 RPM Data

 

[Johan45]

Personally I wouldn't worry about the storage controller (the board is only PCIe 2) and just get an SSD you can run a raid from the boards ports, as for the USB 3.0 if you use an expansion card all the ports will be in the rear of the PC, you might be futher ahead getting a usb 3 hub like these https://www.google.com/search?q=usb.....69i57j0l5.3807j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 so all USB can be run from your desktop
If your budget is that tight personally I wouldn't waste much time or money on peripherals.
For the wifi something like this should work, you don't need to spend a fortune on one. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...d&cm_re=pcie_wifi_card-_-33-320-340-_-Product

 

[Aaylianna]

Thank you for the reply.. I think i am going to delete this post and start a revised post with simplified questions. I will do this when i get some extra time hopefully soon. Thanks again! - Aayli

 

[Aaylianna]

Asus Rampage 3 Extreme Sata 3, USB 3.0, Wifi Dual Band, Samsung Evo 950 ???

What is the least expensive/best quality sata 3 pci/pcie raid card that i can boot off of that will work on my Asus Rampage 3 Extreme Motherboard?

What is the least expsensive/best quality sata 3 pci/pcie card that i can boot off of that will work on my Asus Rampage 3 Extreme Motherboard?

What is the least expensive USB 3.0 card with header pins that I can get that will allow me to hook up the two USB 3.0 inputs on the top of my pc case to my motherboard?

What components/adapters will i need to be able to run a samsung 950 evo as a boot drive on my Asus Rampage 3 Extreme?

What is the least expensive/best quality dual band wifi card that will work with my Asus Rampage 3 Extreme Motherboard?

PC SPECS:

Mobo: Asus Rampage 3 Extreme Edition

CPU: Intel i7 970 Model:C Ext Model:2C Family:6 Stepping:2 Revision:B1 Overclocked to 4.5ghz @ 1.43v

Power Supply:AeroCool XPredator 750GM

PC Case: Rosewill Rise Three 120mm intake Fans In Front, One 140mm Exhaust Rear, One 80mm Exhaust Rear, Two 140mm Fans & Raidator Up Top Inside From Corsair AIO Cooler Exhaust, One 120mm Exhaust Bottom From PSU, One 20mm Fan Over IOH, One 40mm Fan Over VRM/Mosfet

CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GT AIO

Ram: 24gb (4x6) 4gb g skill f3-12800cl9d-8gbxl with Corsair Dominator AirFlow Fan On Top

GPU: 2 (SLI) Asus Strix OC GTX 960's 4gb Vram Each

Hard Drives: San Disk SSD PLUS 248GB (The Newer Version) OS - Seagate Barracuda lp 2tb st2000dl003 5900 RPM Data - western digital wdezex 1tb 7200 RPM Data

 

[Johan45]

I'll just merge the two threads and you can refer to the new post as an update.

 

[Johan45]

The 950 EVO is SATA based so won't offer much over a normal SSD, like I said before you don't need a storage card to run raid.
Try this for the USB 3 internal, it has the 20 pin connector you need for the case's usb3 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1DS0DV6321

 

[Aaylianna]

Heya, Thanks again for the replies and the link. I tried to revise the post so it was to the point and simple =) With all that said i will not be going with the Samsung 950 evo as it is Sata based and the price/performance ratio is not worth it imo.

I do understand that i can run a raid array on the stock intel ICH10R controllers with the ssd's.

Do you think buying another Sandisk plus 248gb ssd and running it in raid 0 off of the Intel ICH10R controllers would be a noticeable difference from just running one ssd off the Intel ICH10R being that its only "Sata 2" on the motherboard i have? I also have the option of using the Marvell 9128 but then i have a handicap of the marvell being pcie 1 speeds... From the benchmarks i have seen the intel seems more consistent speeds and performance across the board, being why i went with the Intel ICH10R controllers instead of the marvell. I will do my own benchmarks tonight to see which one prospers and which one prospers and which one prevails.

You dont think it would be worth upgrading to a PCI/PCIE Sata 3 Raid Card and running the two Sandisk plus 248 gb ssd's in raid zero on the Sata 3 PCI/PCIe Raid Card vs. using the same ssd's in raid 0 on the motherboards stock intel ICH10R sata 2 controllers? It just seems like i would get better performance in raid 0 if i added a PCI/PCIE Sata 3 raid card vs. the stock intel ICH10R controllers in raid 0?

Or i thought about another route of just keeping the one ssd i have and upgrading to a non raid PCI/PCIe Sata 3 Card? The aftermarket PCI/PCI Sata 3 card would have to be faster then it is now with the Sandisk Plus SSD on the Intel ICH10R controller non raid? The non raid PCI/PCIe Sata 3 cards seem to be ALOT cheaper then the Raid capable Sata 3 cards i found online.

I am also confused as to which Sata 3 PCI/PCIe card i can use on my Asus Rampage 3 Extreme motherboard? There seem to be different types of cards with different numbers such as asm1061 or k2c3 or ac1529 etc If you scroll down this link provided it will show you what i am talking about Ex: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...a+3+pcie.TRS0&_nkw=sata+3+pci-e+card&_sacat=0

Which one of those cards is the most cost effective that i can use from the link i provided?

Lets just say i wanted to get a PCI/PCIe Sata 3 Raid Card for my Asus R3E motherboard, could you provide me with information and/or links on the web via ebay, newegg, amazon of what card would be the cheapest price that would work with my setup? Or at least provide me with the exact type of information such as style, model #, etc that i will need to look it up on my own. Everytime i go to look up Sata 3 PCI/PCIe cards online for my rig, i am left confused and distraught as which one would work on mine. If i knew what to look for i could even try the local thrift and trade adds online and see if i can get one for a fair deal.

So to wrap this all up so, which way do you think would be best performance and if a Sata 3 PCI/PCIe card will improve my performance, what type. model, etc will i need to have for this mobo so i can look for the best deal possible online.

I appreciate your insight as i have posted this same question on two other reputable sights and you are the only one that has helped. I am not trying to waste your time or argue with you but i would just like to figure out questions that i have been wondering for some time now.

Thanks again and hope to get some more insight

-Aayli

 

[Aleslammer]

Might be able to use a back panel to front adapter for the 2 USB 3.0 ports on the back panel.
https://www.amazon.com/Motherboard-19-Pin-Internal-Adapter-External/dp/B00B5T3ZG6

 

[Johan45]

I just don't understand your fascination with RAID for everyday use it's really not necessary IMO. Sure it's a bit faster but RAID 0 has it's down falls too. If anything goes amok with one of the drives then all data is lost. I've never used PCIe cards for RAID so I really have no input/experience to offer.
You do know that the two red SATA ports are 6Gb/s SATA3 going through a marvel controller. The PCIe bandwidth is irrelevant here, it's plenty fast enough to run the SSD at full speed