Anyone Using ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Motherboard with AI Suite 3?

H

Hugh DiMauro

Well-known member
I built myself a new editing computer with the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha motherboard and AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950x. I've been a long time Intel guy and saw the specs on the Ryzen and had to build a new one for Davinci Resolve (I switched from Premiere Pro CS6). Anyway, I am looking for info from anyone familiar with the AI Suite 3 on the ASUS motherboard, specifically the lower left info panel that shows CPU frequency. To the right of the words CPU FREQUENCY is a drod down box that lets you scroll through your number of physical processors. Here is my conundrum: My processor has 16 physical cores and 32 threads. The drop down menu only shows 8 physical cores and not 16. However, the CPU usage panel shows the 32 threads. Can anyone explain if something is amiss so I know whether to reinstall or is eight cores showing up on a 16 core processor normal for AI Suite 3. Thanks for your help. I spent an hour with ASUS chat help and that is an hour of my life I will never, ever get back. Absolutely useless.
 
I guess I should clarify: Is anyone else running an ASUS Mobo with the AI 3 Suite who notices the aforementioned drop down menu not showing all of their processor's physical cores?
 
My older RYZEN 1800x system is on an ASUS mobo, the A1 suite shows the 8 physical cores and 8 hyper threads properly. My 1950x 16 core/32 thread Threadripper build is on a Gigabyte mobo, so I can't help specifically.

I wouldn't worry, though, just run a stress test benchmark like from within freeware CPU-Z and see if all your cores/threads are loaded up during the stress test. If so, it doesn't really matter what AI suite shows...

Hope that helps!
 
Jim Arthurs said:
My older RYZEN 1800x system is on an ASUS mobo, the A1 suite shows the 8 physical cores and 8 hyper threads properly. My 1950x 16 core/32 thread Threadripper build is on a Gigabyte mobo, so I can't help specifically.

I wouldn't worry, though, just run a stress test benchmark like from within freeware CPU-Z and see if all your cores/threads are loaded up during the stress test. If so, it doesn't really matter what AI suite shows...

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Jim, your four sentences made a world of difference. Much more helpful than the ASUS "help desk" and we all know what that's about. I've frequently read enthusiasts using the ASUS mobo run into many different issues with that software so I understand it's far from perfect. I have CPU-Z installed. I didn't know that software had the stress test option. So then, I shouldn't run the ASUS A1 Suite five way optimization stress test? Just stay out of the AI Suite altogether?
 
There's 100 ways to skin this cat, but here's what I'd do to "prove" everything is okay... launch Task Manager, go into the resource monitor, click on CPU and see if all 32 cores/threads are represented with the little graphs. That's test one. Test two, while the resource monitor is open, fire up CPU-Z, go to the bench tab, click on the Stress CPU button and see if all your cores are running at max in Task Manager. If you're seeing 99% CPU utilization, you're golden and don't have any issues.

You can certainly run the AI Suite stress test as well, don't see why not, like above just use Task Manger to check. But do the above steps first... certainly glad to help!
 
Jim Arthurs said:
There's 100 ways to skin this cat, but here's what I'd do to "prove" everything is okay... launch Task Manager, go into the resource monitor, click on CPU and see if all 32 cores/threads are represented with the little graphs. That's test one. Test two, while the resource monitor is open, fire up CPU-Z, go to the bench tab, click on the Stress CPU button and see if all your cores are running at max in Task Manager. If you're seeing 99% CPU utilization, you're golden and don't have any issues.

You can certainly run the AI Suite stress test as well, don't see why not, like above just use Task Manger to check. But do the above steps first... certainly glad to help!
Click to expand...

Can you use a cat pelt? :) Skinned. Yes, I did start the task manager last week which showed 32 threads. I ran the CPU-Z program just now and watched all 32 graphs peg in unison. I guess everything is in working order. As for CPU-Z, can you confirm my settings were correct? Under CPU MULTI THREAD I only checked the THREADS box which indicates 32. Then I clicked on STRESS CPU and only did it for about 45 seconds. I anticipated my chassis and CPU fans would spin so fast that my tower case would lift off the table but interestingly enough, that was not the case! The fans stayed nice and quiet. Hmmm... Shouldn't they have been screaming or is my Master Cooler Wraith Ripper so dingbusted good that the fans did not need to cool anything? Or, are my fans not set right? I think I have all of those set to auto in the bios. Also, my physical fan switch on the front of the case has four settings: 1, 2, 3 and auto and that is set to auto. By the way, I'm grateful for your assistance. If you have any other handy tweaks to streamline Windows 10 or my mobo, I'd love to hear them. I'm brand new to Windows 10 and I hate it. I never, ever wanted to give up my beloved Windows 7 but, unfortunately, Microsoft is forcing us to switch over by January 2020. So, I figured I'd better start learning Windows 10 now.
 
Hugh, I think your system is just fine and you tested properly in CPU-Z. Give the stress test a longer run (10-20 minutes) to see if you have fans spin up faster, as the stock settings are pretty conservative in nature. Even so, it can run flat out at stock settings as long as you need it to. You could do some over-clocking to push things, but only after you've used the system as configured long enough to be comfortable with it. Overclocking WILL get your fans spinning, but at limited gain vs the extra wattage you'll use. Unless you're doing 3D rendering all the time, there's really no reason to over-clock. We are people who work for a living, not system enthusiasts trying to get the highest scores on tests! If the main goal is editing with Resolve, then the Graphics Card and your total amount of RAM are more important that trying to eek out 10-15% CPU speed increases.

What I would do is a quick RAM check, as most of the issues I've had in the past five years were due to a bad ram stick or two If you run into strange random reboots in the up-coming days that should be your first check-point. I really like MemTest https://hcidesign.com/memtest/ for that purpose. If you use the free demo, you can launch multiple copies of the program, each set to 2000megs of RAM (as many copies as you care to run), and run it all night. You really shouldn't see any errors at all, if so, one of the ram sticks is probably on the edge and I'd swap it while still under return warranty.

Finally, RYZEN Master is a good app for over-clocking, as you can do it in the operating system and see changes quickly without rebooting most of the time. https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/ryzen-master There are good videos on usage on YouTube. Again, get to know and understand how your system behaves normally before doing any of that.

Yes, Windows 10 is a pain. Windows 7 was the sweet spot!
 
Jim Arthurs said:
Hugh, I think your system is just fine and you tested properly in CPU-Z. Give the stress test a longer run (10-20 minutes) to see if you have fans spin up faster, as the stock settings are pretty conservative in nature. Even so, it can run flat out at stock settings as long as you need it to. You could do some over-clocking to push things, but only after you've used the system as configured long enough to be comfortable with it. Overclocking WILL get your fans spinning, but at limited gain vs the extra wattage you'll use. Unless you're doing 3D rendering all the time, there's really no reason to over-clock. We are people who work for a living, not system enthusiasts trying to get the highest scores on tests! If the main goal is editing with Resolve, then the Graphics Card and your total amount of RAM are more important that trying to eek out 10-15% CPU speed increases.

What I would do is a quick RAM check, as most of the issues I've had in the past five years were due to a bad ram stick or two If you run into strange random reboots in the up-coming days that should be your first check-point. I really like MemTest https://hcidesign.com/memtest/ for that purpose. If you use the free demo, you can launch multiple copies of the program, each set to 2000megs of RAM (as many copies as you care to run), and run it all night. You really shouldn't see any errors at all, if so, one of the ram sticks is probably on the edge and I'd swap it while still under return warranty.

Finally, RYZEN Master is a good app for over-clocking, as you can do it in the operating system and see changes quickly without rebooting most of the time. https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/ryzen-master There are good videos on usage on YouTube. Again, get to know and understand how your system behaves normally before doing any of that.

Yes, Windows 10 is a pain. Windows 7 was the sweet spot!
Click to expand...

Once again, Jim, I am grateful for you taking the time to address my inquiries. I don't want to overclock because I am not a gamer, just a video editor and my graphics card and ram are sufficient, at least by DaVinci Resolve standards. I am using the ASUS Zenith Extreme Alpha motherboard. Can you suggest an appropriate 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound speaker setup?
 
Oh man, I'm the wrong guy to ask, I just have a simple system with two Yamaha near field studio monitors and a big old Mackie mixer, bought back when I was using Betasp decks and Sony CRT monitors. My only "cool audio trick" is that my computers are in a different room from where I edit/work, so it's dead silent.

Interestingly, the same basic speaker is still for sale on B&H...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/490725-REG/Yamaha_MSP5STUDIO_MSP5_67W_5.html?sts=pi&pim=Y

Ultimately, my clients are lucky to get basic stereo... :)
 
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