50% Return Rate: The Unreliable ROG Legacy
47sTech enthusiasts will be shocked by the confession of a 50% return rate on the first ROG motherboard, sparking debate.
▶ Play Clip"The title promises a rare PC build, and the video delivers an unboxing of limited edition parts, but it's padded with casual banter and store promotions, making it more of a live stream than a focused build guide."
This video is a live unboxing and build session celebrating the 20th anniversary of ASUS's Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand. The hosts, Linus and Reese, unbox a highly limited edition ROG anniversary lineup, including a motherboard, CPU, graphics card, and various accessories, while discussing the design, features, and historical context of the products.
The video begins with the hosts unboxing the 20th anniversary ROG motherboard, noting its striking design and the historical unreliability of the first ROG motherboard, which had a 50% return rate at NCX.
The unboxing includes a dry-erase to-do list manager, a Raptor GTBE98 Pro (likely a keyboard), and a 30,000-watt power supply, which the hosts joke they can't fully use but will try.
The build features an RTX 5090 Astral Edition graphics card and a ROG Harpy 2 Extreme, with a humorous note about the unfortunate name 'Harpy'.
The build uses an AMD 9950 CPU, and the anniversary kit includes a roller bag, DIM.2 modules in a golden colorway, and a sticker pack, all themed around '2006 to Infinity'.
The RAM is from Origin Code, with 6000 MHz (mega transfers) and CL30 latency. The hosts highlight the overengineered design of components, like a machined metal tube holder and a highly polished CPU block.
The Hyper M.2 V3 card is noted for its amazing colorway, but the hosts point out it only has two SSD slots, which seems underutilized for a full PCIe x16 slot.
The hosts promote the LTT store, mentioning new collections (plaid flannel, video games) and encourage viewers to interact with the stream by placing orders with checkout messages.
The motherboard features extensive armor covering almost every connector, and the hosts discuss integrated cooling solutions, including copper coolers and a golden heat pipe on the M.2 cooler.
The thermal paste is pre-applied with an ROG logo stencil, a fun branding touch that the hosts appreciate, even if it might cost half a degree of cooling performance.
The motherboard backplate, introduced by the Tough series, covers almost every connector, making it challenging to access, but the hosts note the integrated cooling and copper coolers.
The video is a celebration of ROG's 20th anniversary, showcasing a highly limited edition PC build with premium, overengineered components. The hosts' commentary highlights the brand's evolution and the sheer extravagance of the anniversary lineup.
Historical ROG reliability issues
Provides context on the brand's evolution, showing that even top-tier brands had early quality problems.
01:0030,000-watt power supply
Highlights the extreme over-engineering of the anniversary parts, a key theme of the video.
02:11Hyper M.2 V3 limited slots
Points out a potential design flaw, showing critical analysis of the product.
09:30ROG logo thermal paste
Demonstrates the attention to branding detail, a unique marketing touch.
19:11Motherboard armor covering connectors
Raises practical concerns about accessibility, a useful consideration for builders.
20:33[00:00] parts and we got all of them Well that is to say we got um almost all of them We did we didn't get the may very well be one of the
[00:16] so so it is of questionable utility Okay Cute little action
[00:30] figure This motherboard is one of the sickest looking things go with the anniversary
[00:47] very first ROG motherboard was um notoriously unreliable Our return rate for it back at NCX was
[01:00] 50% That's with a 50 50 50% Although I don't think that was entirely that sorted out Anyway without
[01:17] that We're do our CPU This is a cute little to-do list manager your dry erase eraser and you got these cute little boy sorry
[01:30] You got these cute little boards and Delta Hub makes this and using Reese do you want to get in here and we'll have to kind
[01:42] anniversary PG27 AQWPG That's going to be our monitor Uh what we're gonna want that right away Yeah everything but that goes
[01:54] this This is the Raptor Raptor GTBE98 Pro Doesn't matter Nice. Nobody's going to use it. I mean some one at home actually.
[02:11] Oh, what kind of a thing to say is that No one's going Christmas party. We got a 30,000 watt power supply We can't use 30,000 watts but we'll try you
[02:25] know. All right we We got an RTX5090 uh Astral Edition checking that out And the ROG herpes 2
[02:40] Extreme. There's a second one. Harpy. It's It's the Harpy too extreme. That's an unfortunate on set I
[02:56] the herpes celebrating 20 20 years of ROG build So we are going topish of
[03:08] with the 9950 9950 from AMD If you want to know why why we didn't use the
[03:20] want to give it to us. No that was actually my was a sequel I I just completely forgot We got the
[03:32] that Reese Uh gas racing and float plane chat says "Fun fact get herpes twice." Oh, so that's actually So So Asus is like
[03:45] breaking opened this over on
[03:57] includes like a roller bag bag because obviously if you can get hands on slashafford this crazy 20th anniversary
[04:10] to be like armored and though I'm actually going to come out front Oh my my
[04:22] starters we've got one of ASUS's DIM.2 modules in a a special anniversary golden colorway Uh oh that's kind of cute
[04:35] So 2006 to Infinity basically ROG forever This can total kind of lift that up right
[04:52] think up to seven two drives by the time we're done with it You nine. Nine, I think So yeah. Okay What else we got here
[05:05] This appears appears to be some kind of a magnetic but uh Oh cute sticker pack Love
[05:20] to see it What's this Memory Q fan Man they really are going 2006 core for this I remember had had the
[05:36] kind of blew top down to this I'm going hold on to this We're going to look
[05:48] the uh the RAM we're using also came with a cool. Yeah both. It uh the chair was not actually the only thing we didn't get We
[06:00] quest to build build the most limited edition PC ever we found some very limited edition memory to use. This is is the origin code RAM That's all I
[06:15] the speeds and feeds Ree what does it say say and feeds We have got 6,000 MHz or no mega transfers sorry Uh CL30 64
[06:30] There's four nobody's using four sticks of There's four
[06:42] 256. 256 I can't. Yeah No Wow. I can't do things live. Okay. Now what am I holding? That's the screen for the ECPU
[06:55] does It's got
[07:07] Right So it Hold on Hold on Don't get Don't Don't give me a So this clips on right This is almost certainly RGB or Oh
[07:19] to be USB of some sort And then look at the what the that that that's it That's the whole re re pivot Th that is the most overengineered 15
[07:35] incredible that for sure Uh
[07:47] is insane You're I'm going to like actually need your help reasonable amount of time. Yes we got this We got this. Um do
[07:59] guys into SSD slots Yeah. Uh do you want to show them our SSD bunch in case. We had to pillage the SSD
[08:11] It's solid Install them Oh yeah Yeah Oh you want me to do it here All right
[08:23] This is Reese's first time co-hosting a video So, well stream. He's new. I'm new He's He's He's He's pretty
[08:35] for kid Did you do you do this this just to meme on people? Which part got all the crucial SSDs. Oh no That's just what
[08:50] complain. All right some of those
[09:02] Hyper M.2 V3 I cannot believe how how much work Jesus put into this 20th anniversary lineup
[09:15] he existed but it gets this amazing colorway Is this seriously seriously just two slots?
[09:30] Uh no There's more is there not? Nope. No that's two That's That's it I I mean if you're going to take up a whole PCIe by 16 slot you'd think you would maybe wire up you know all
[09:45] you. Beautiful There you go Yeah go for it Go for it going to like these
[10:01] appreciate the peels being off. Oh you're going Is it going to Christober? Um I could see some of the stuff. If
[10:13] some of it ending up at the Christmas party I I could see Oh that uh just put it aside for now We'll we'll look at that
[10:25] Wonderful Um this is another another one. Yes Yes. Okay. Yes. Truly one of the metal plates of all
[10:40] time Um hey if you guys are new to LT live streams I interact with the stream our what are some of our new
[10:57] we launch a new new collection? Yes. Really? I believe so. Oh, launching today or or something.
[11:10] "What is this " Okay cool Yeah so we just here So we've got plaid flannel
[11:22] We've got our error as well as our um to the just to the right it as well as our video games collection So they've got like
[11:34] like that on them Uh if you go back back all the way back all yeah we've got the hat that I'm wearing So
[11:46] it with fun way to interact with our streams is to head over to LTT store add
[11:58] going to see you can send a a checkout message or a com You you got a question Maybe you got a comment for the stream Maybe
[12:10] show up on the stream Go ahead place your order It'll go he'll come for for us to you know
[12:22] Am I supposed supposed to just keep going They want to see probably not going to need our Wi-Fi luggage tag. Seriously?
[12:34] Whoa I'm not going to lie This has kind of How do you do fellow kind of just ROG in general isn't
[12:46] would branding branding for ROG I involuntarily like belly laughed
[12:58] I was was like, I'm sorry We're we're so tied up in our identity people who play excuse me people who play video games games
[13:10] for the gamers. What are you even talking about And And So we needed to make our own
[13:26] I'm wrong Clearly they were the last 20 years years
[13:40] together when we are done It's me. It's you. Oh I'm so sorry motherboard guys
[13:56] O ROG for those who dare You me. Can you uh really doesn't
[14:12] It's not not It's not the actual center of that It's fine Don't we go Here we go. Oh yeah What What all is in
[14:25] motherboard except Oh this is is what got Holy crap This looks freaking awesome. It
[14:40] is very cool. Okay No way Okay Okay Okay So first of in the one RGB and power connector on on the end Boop There it is.
[14:55] like one connector and that does everything you need Power and Chase you got it. this one
[15:11] connector It does the whole thing. Who makes these fans though Okay these are just any random fans ROG MF12 All right. Fans. Cool Um, I got a little accessory kit for
[15:25] there. It's another level if this is was if it would be if this was
[15:37] good. This is pretty good though This is pretty good. I'm back freaking machined metal piece to hold the tubes in place I
[15:50] is for later That's a tube holder
[16:02] many of these they're making like how how are they doing parts Okay So we'll put this aside for now. Wow
[16:15] Okay This is so heavy Uh Uh oh. Oh wow Okay We just got the iPhone They're iPhones.
[16:31] lights This burgundy one's looking pretty good look at them They're iPhones They look like an iPhone looks
[16:43] cool Wow Yeah Yeah this is like them square I guess. Wow
[16:56] need them for now? I'm going to need to them for now but I'll Yeah I'm I'm gonna get back to stuff that I'm actually a little
[17:08] thick radiator Sick 20th anniversary anniversary graphics awesome And then this this
[17:20] might be the the heaviest CPU block that I have ever ever held Oh my gosh it's so not normal That's super
[17:36] super cute Okay so much to unpack here So first we've got a highly polished polished cold there It looks like uh
[17:52] doth anniversary let's just just make it AMD." So AMD only assumption but I'm going to assume that this is only
[18:04] motherboard that we're going to be unboxing in a moment here pads right here and right here those are going to help us cool
[18:16] we've got just this extra auxiliary cooling plate so freaking heavy The pump I can't say this this for
[18:30] probably just an Asyc got fins here
[18:42] where that screen goes So can I can I borrow that for for So yeah giant screen
[18:55] screen screen thermal
[19:11] paste was screened on in an ROG logo That's thermal compound That is so have been doing the whole
[19:26] that if it costs me a half a degree I'll right
[19:40] LT stencil Yeah enough about cooling to
[19:52] product Okay I have technically technically seen it once before with Glen
[20:05] Cam Glen Cam. I have technically seen it once once before but this is it's beautiful every time you look at anything on this thing because it is
[20:21] Okay little little here Okay All right Okay Okay So what do we
[20:33] got um their motherboard armor that I think actually came a Tough series was the first to uh introduce motherboard back back
[20:45] Almost every connector on this board is like covered So I'm not 100% sure how we're supposed to get in there Also what the
[21:00] the heck is happening Oh Oh okay Here here here No no Glenn So obviously this window
[21:15] then like integrated cooling
[21:27] thick boy copper coolers on them So I guess we are just going to copper on on copper action
[21:40] Um this this has to be the most extra M.2 cooler that I have ever seen And I water cooled an M 2 drive once Look at this That's a golden heat pipe
[22:00] Wait Whoa Whoa It's not It's not actually goldplated is it? It's goldplated Yeah, it's goldplated Wait that Yeah That's insane That's
[22:15] insane That is sheer because can can Like if you were if you were trying to go for So back in the
[22:32] uh CPU water blocks that were machined out of silver. Um and the bougiest Uh it it gives you like an extra half a degree or
[22:44] that. Worth every penny. Yeah questionable Okay let's pop that get this too Glenn. Okay PCI slot
[22:56] slot cover Didn't say that
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