Personal Rig Update 2012 Part 9 Finding the Perfect Motherboard Isn't Easy Linus Tech Tips

In this update Linus evaluates a new motherboard candidate to solve the coil whine problem that has stalled his personal rig project. He discusses why the current build sits on a messy test bench and how the coil whine has blocked progress on cutting holes in the case and repainting. The video focuses on the ASRock Extreme 11 motherboard, highlighting its features such as seven DIMM slots with two PLX chips for high memory bandwidth, and the fact that it is an ATX form factor board. Linus notes that the fan noise on the south bridge is a potential drawback, and he questions whether any water blocks exist for this board. He swaps the board into his test bench and begins a real-world test sequence, first observing the absence of coil whine under idle conditions with Prime 95 running, then pressing into higher CPU load tests to provoke any audible noise. The camera captures the moment of truth as he runs a high CPU load and later a RAM-heavy blend test, noting that the board mostly remains quiet but the South Bridge fan noise appears under stress, undermining the goal of a silent water-cooled build. He concludes that while the ASRock Extreme 11 wins on PWM quietness, it loses on chipset cooling due to the noisy South Bridge fan, leaving him without a suitable board and promising an update when new information or options arise. The video ends with Linus planning to revert to MSI hardware temporarily and invites viewers to subscribe for further unboxings, reviews, and PC content.

Topics · hardware · technology · pc-build · consumer-electronics