Want your own mean machine? Follow overclocking expert Marcus Hultin’s guide to building a high-end gaming computer
Building the best PC for gaming isn’t easy, and you need to choose highquality components carefully to ensure that compatibility issues won’t take the edge off performance. Get it right and you get a gaming rig that lets you lose yourself in the action — get it wrong and you could be losing to a gloating opponent. Under the guise of ‘Kinc’, Marcus Hultin has broken several world records for attaining everhigher levels of performance from overclocked PCs. Here he explains how ASUS motherboards and graphics cards can provide that all-important competitive edge when building a gaming Pc…
ASUS ROG Maximus III Formula motherboard
If you’re building a gaming rig where top-notch performance is your main concern, you’ll want a motherboard that supports the latest, greatest processors — and that’s the ASUS ROG Maximus III Formula. The ROG Maximus III Formula uses the new Intel® P55 chipset that supports its latest ‘Lynnfield’ Core™ i5 and Core™ i7 quad-core processors. Like all ROG products, it’s been designed with gamers in mind, but this goes beyond mere support for ATI® CrossFire™ and NVIDIA® SLI™
ASUS Maximus III Formula ROG Motherboard
Live overclocking for unbeatable performance
Intel®’s Lynnfield processors may be fast, but the Maximus III motherboard lets overclockers push them still further. ASUS ROG Connect technology lets you connect a laptop directly to the Maximus III motherboard via USB and monitor the status of the hardware in real time. Better yet, you can then monitor the motherboard’s overclock status while the PC is still running a game or application, so you can fine-tune its performance and see the effects live on screen.
Get lag-free gaming
Multiplayer gaming places its own demands on a gaming PC and the ROG Maximus III keeps lag to a minimum by monitoring network traffic and prioritising game data. ASUS’ GameFirst technology means that you don’t need to quit file-sharing or voice-chat applications to keep your ping times down while playing — it’s all handled automatically.
Cure memory-compatibility problems
Poor component compatibility can be a killer for a gaming PC, but the ROG Maximus III helps keep everything running smoothly with features to help with one of the biggest problem areas — memory. ASUS MemOK and MemPerfect are two tools that eliminate memory-stability problems by automatically setting the most stable BIOS settings. If you’re a frequent upgrader, ASUS MemOK and MemPerfect will keep your rig stable — and you sane
ASUS ROG MATRIX GTX285 graphics card
There are many powerful graphics cards to choose from when building a gaming PC, but hardcore gamers would do well to choose a model that’s been built to cope with the stresses of overclocking. The ASUS ROG MATRIX GTX285 is just that — a graphics card designed for gaming rigs that will be pushed to the limit.
ASUS ROG MATRIX GTX285 Graphics card
First-rate components — rock-solid stability
Key to the ROG MATRIX GTX285’s superior performance is Super Hybrid Engine. Its automatic hardware load monitoring and adjustment delivers up to 15% lower GPU noise, along with improved overclocking stability for up to a 14% increase in performance (compared to a reference card). The ROG MATRIX GTX285’s 46% greater heatpipe coverage can also increase heat-dissipation by up to 12%.
Smart, safe overclocking
Graphics-card overclocking can be a tricky business, but the ROG MATRIX GTX285 makes it simple. The ASUS iTracker2 utility lets you adjust the GPU voltage and memory timings in real time, so you can see the success of your tweaks before committing them to the card’s VBIOS. A five-level LED lets you see the card’s GPU load at a glance and a Safe Mode button restores the VBIOS if it crashes — something that makes life easier for any overclocker…