Does thermal armor do anything?

[Craving_Bacon]

Hi,

I know thermal armor looks cool but other than that does it make any difference to temperatures?

Surely it would act as an insulator and actually increase temperatures?

[DarrenP]

Not really no. Might lower temps a little, keep the dust off. Otherwise it's just for looks. 

[SirRoderick]

It looks fancy

[H4X3R]

I agree with you, that it increases temps. It is however useful in really dusty places. If you are looking for the best motherboard flr the price (in terms of connectivity and stability) i suggest the asrock z97 extreme6.

[LawrenceBarnes2013]

adds the bling bling, other than that, NO, it's useless, they say it lowers the temps somehow , but i don't believe it

[jezza39]

Whole list of benefits

• Looks good
• Improved aesthetics
• ....

 

Hopefully that helps you understand the 'benefits'.

[Craving_Bacon]

Not really no. Might lower temps a little, keep the dust off. Otherwise it's just for looks. 

 

I agree with you, that it increases temps. It is however useful in really dusty places. If you are looking for the best motherboard flr the price (in terms of connectivity and stability) i suggest the asrock z97 extreme6.

Good points about the dust, I didn't think of that.

Cheers for the recommendation When I get my exams over with I want to do another build so will consider this for sure.

 

 

 

It looks fancy

 

adds the bling bling, other than that, NO, it's useless, they say it lowers the temps somehow , but i don't believe it

 

Whole list of benefits

• Looks good
• Improved aesthetics
• ....

 

Hopefully that helps you understand the 'benefits'.

Yeah I kind of guessed this was the case, it does look good but other than that I guess the marketing guys want to pretend there is actually a performance increase

[The_Strict_Nein]

If you use the included fan it may improve temps a little bit. Otherwise, no

[Hyp0xia]

I used the ASUS Sabertooth P67 during the Sandy Bridge era and the only advantage I ever saw to the thermal armor was if I ever slipped with a screwdriver. The thermal armor can protect the traces on your PCB. Other than that, it's worthless. I came to miss seeing all the circuitry plus the Sabertooth and Formula are overpriced.

[scottPGplayPC]

Minimizing the dust collection on the surface of the PCB by placing a raised portion above it, you create a pocket of air that can heat up or cool down the PCB more effectively without the obstruction of dust acting like insulation. The benefits of this design go to enthusiasts using max airflow setups{front fans,bottom fans,top fans,rear fans}(because they remove the potential of hot(pockets) air build up). So my opinion is that its a good design, just not for everyone. At least that's how i deduce the situation using bits of thermal expansion, aerodynamic cooling, surface area retention and other sciences jumbled up. Cheers!

[Wats]

If you use the included fans, your VRM temps will be lower. But that doesnt matter because Asus uses good parts on their boards that can handle temps of 130C+ easily

[Thorium19]

It does absolutely diddly squat besides add a different look to the mobo, and possibly help with the case cleaning job. I personally don't think it even looks very nice.

[kishagi]

I think its only for aesthetic purposes. I havent seen any proof that it does anything more than keep the dust off the board and keeps the connectors dust free as well.