mytechisland

Asus OC Station
Reviewed by: Poldopunk - The Official MyTechIsland Hardware Reviewer

When it comes to overclocking, I have always been a BIOS type person. The software utilities that usually comes with motherboards is left uninstalled as not only do they consume disk space (although minimal), they also take up memory allocation and in turn slows the startup process of the operating system. Although, you can disable them from starting automatically, I find most utilities available are not quite suitable for squeezing out every bit of performance the system is capable of. I’m sure that this mentality isn’t unique to me, majority of enthusiasts would prefer BIOS tweaking over software. But what if a hardware-based overclocking peripheral is available? Would it make sense to ditch the BIOS in favor of this device? Will it once and for all put BIOS overclocking to rest and this peripheral take over the entire process?




Today we will look into another innovation from Asus, the OC Station. This device came along with the Crosshair III Formula that I recently reviewed. This is another addition to Asus’ tagline ‘Inspiring Innovation’ but we shall see to if it has perfected this piece of equipment. Asus boasts that this device offers pure hardware-based overclocking as such that one can overclock even while in a middle of a game. Since the device relies on the hardware-aspect, there’s no program limitation, you can simply focus your overclocking on this device regardless of what program is running in Windows. First, let us take a look as to what this device has to offer…specifications!

Specifications
As you can see, you can’t just use any motherboard for this, heck; you can’t even use just about any Asus motherboard. Your motherboard has to be one of the following and must have the following:

Motherboard Model Motherboard BIOS Firmware Update Utility Firmware Asus EPU AI Suite
(CPU Level Up
Rampage II Extreme 1406 1.02.02 v. 02.031 EPU-6 Engine 1.01.14 S1.05.30
Rampage II Gene 0809 1.02.02 v. 02.031 EPU-6 Engine 1.01.14 S1.05.30
Maximus II Gene 0504 1.02.02 v. 02.031 EPU-6 Engine 1.01.14 S1.05.30
Crosshair III Formula 0302 1.02.02 v. 02.031 EPU 1.00.22 S1.05.30

Display 3” Color TFT LCD (3.0 inch WQVGA)
Key Features Pure hardware-based overclocking support
Adjustable system voltages, frequencies and fan speeds
Real time display of temperatures
Photo Slideshow
Stylish design with 30-degree-tilt moveable faceplate
Supports ROG exclusive CPU Level Up and ASUS EPU
Seamless integration with ROG exclusive CPU Level Up and ASUS EPU-6 Engine

* To work well with CPU Level Up and ASUS EPU, ensure that you've updated AI Suite to S1.05.27 and EPU-6 Engine (Intel platform) to 1.01.11; EPU (AMD platform) to 1.00.18 or later version, and launch the firmware update utility to achieve data processing.
Other Special Features Boot Debug Code: Post Code, String
Alarm thresholds with audio alerts
8 sets of OC Station's profile settings available
I/O Ports POWER: 1 x ATX 4-pin Power Connector
GP: 1 x 20-pin Connecting Port
FAN: 4 x 3-pin Extra Fan Connectors
Power Voltage: +12V,+5V,+5VSB
Power Consumption : 5A Extra Fan x4 (12V) = 4A; System(+5V,+5VSB) Max = 1A
Accessories 1 x Data connecting cable
1 x Screw set
1 x User guide
Software Support DVD:
- Drivers and applications
Installation Requirements 2 x 5.25" Bay required for installation
1 x 4-pin power cable from PC's power supply unit
Compatibility Motherboard:
ROG Rampage II Extreme, Crosshair III Formula, and Rampage II GENE
*Visit the ASUS website at ASUSTeK Computer for the latest motherboard support/compatibility lists.
**Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version for better compatibility



The reason for the limited compatibility lies in the motherboard connector. These models are the only ones that have it, in case you forgot how it looks like; it’s a combination of a USB port header and a header labeled only as GP. Another probable reason regarding limited support is that this is aimed solely to enthusiasts and overclockers and the best motherboard to pair it is none other than Asus’ ‘Republic of Gamers’ motherboards. Now that I’ve explained bits of things, let’s try to take a look at the package and photos of this thing in action. Supposedly, this equipment was to be used in the recent Asus Overclocking Show that was held in SM a few weeks back but it didn’t came in early enough. When Jeremy contacted me for another review set, I was merely expecting the Crosshair III Formula; little did I know that this small guy came with it.



The OC station comes with only the things you need; Support CD, Quick Installation Guide, screws and the cable. After all, this is a peripheral so there’s not much to expect when it comes to freebies except for the things to get you started. The packaging is built with sturdy material which protects the OC station from damages during shipping and the OC station itself is packed with a plastic bag to prevent scratches while in transport.







As you can see on the photos above, this thing has 3 buttons; Ok, Back and the Power button itself. The knob is where you’ll be making your selections and incremental changes. Note: keep this knob away from children especially with the voltage selected as it might kill your CPU if the Ok button is pressed. The front panel opens up of up to 30 degree angle allowing you to see the display items even when the computer is put under the desk or with you standing up. Installation is a breeze as you would just have to insert the OC station in a 5.25-inch drive bays, connect the other end of the cable on the OC station and the other end to the GP and USB78 headers and there you have it. Take note that the OC station also has four 3-pin fan headers that effectively makes it a fan controller through voltage controls only. Another thing worth mentioning is that the device takes up 2 trays on your 5.25-inch drive bays.

The Asus OC Station in Action…
The camera that I have is a point-and-shoot sophistication so, there’s not much to expect from it. At first I took the photo with the entire OC station but the image just wouldn’t come up clear so I have to focus and use the camera’s macro shot and this is what I have. Hopefully, it’s clear enough for you guys to see how everything looks in the LCD display.





As soon as your computer boots to Windows, the OC station also shows you the animated splash screen similar to an ROG-based motherboard should you enable it. The image on the upper right is the how the lcd screen looks if you leave it idle for a few minutes, it’ll show you the date and time with fancy fonts and such. 3rd photo is the slideshow in action, where you can configure the pictures to be shown via the software that comes with the OC station, intervals and enabling the slideshow is configured on the OC station itself.




The pictures you are looking right now show you system information. I must say the details of the information you see here is very complete; from the BIOS version to drivers, even the operating system and the SPD settings of the memory is available.




This page here is a link to Asus’ motherboard’s features such as the CPU Level Up and the EPU engine. Of course you would need to install their respective software to get these options running. In case you are wondering, the CPU Level Up option automatically overclocks your system but you would have to leave everything Auto in the BIOS. The EPU is Asus’ energy-saving utility and mind you, it is very comprehensive; if you happen to have supported hard drive, graphics card and PSU, the EPU Engine can configure it for maximum power saving.




Fan controller and temperature reporting can be found here. The fan names can be renamed to whatever you like and the fan headers with optional fan sensors can be customized to work with the fan speed according to temperature. An alarm can also be configured if a certain temperature is reached which is awesome considering that this is supposed to be an OC station only – you have a full-fledged fan controller with these settings.





Finally, we’re looking at how the OC station is supposed to be – for overclocking. This menu gives you access to all major voltage and frequency options in the BIOS. I had mixed experience with these settings and in my opinion; you’d better off with a multiplier-unlocked processor so you can simply adjust the CPU multiplier. Adjusting the base clock or FSB as seen on the OC station affects the entire frequency of the system (memory, HyperTransport, CPU-NB, etc.); HyperTransport and CPU-NB frequency have no problems adapting to the changes in the settings but the memory frequency has to switch straps which basically locks up the computer as it requires a restart. By using a multiplier-unlocked processor like the AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition, you can simply overclock the clockspeed by simply increasing the multiplier. The voltage options give you minimum and overvoltage options, you would have to research beforehand what the maximum temperature is for your processor else you’re going to kill it instantly the minute you hit the OK button on the OC station.

Final Thoughts…



Asus has once again proven that they’re continuously on the front of innovation with the Asus OC Station. This awesome piece of equipment would be a nice addition to your system. It isn’t only a thing for overclocking and fan controller, it also adds the bling factor with the slideshow option. There’s still a room for improvement though, this device should have the option to restart the computer when applying changes to the system that requires an overclock. From my experience, the system would just completely lock up whenever the memory frequency jumps from 1066 to 1333 with the FSB overclocking but other than that, it works like a charm – I even tested the CPU Level Up option while running the Far Cry 2 benchmark on the Crosshair III Formula and the results where instantaneous.
-- Many thanks for Asus for giving me the opportunity to test their latest innovation through the Asus OC Station.