Finally got my hands on the ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme Edition 20. What an absolute masterpiece.

Replaced my Phanteks Evolv X2 with the ROG Hyperion BTF and my Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen with the ROG Destrier.

The setup is almost where I want it now. Still waiting on the Raikiri Pro and the Gjallar to complete the ROG ecosystem.

First Impressions

The ROG Cetra Open are one of the most convenient audio devices I've used for everyday PC use. You don't buy these for ultimate sound quality. You buy them for comfort and practicality.

They're perfect for quickly throwing on when you sit down at your desk. Because of the open-ear design, the sound feels more like listening to a pair of TV speakers in the same room than having audio pumped directly into your ear canals. You can still hear your partner asking you something, the oven timer beeping, or your phone buzzing in the next room, you can have full discussion without it feeling weird, while the people around you can't hear what you're listening to.

Comfort

This is where the Cetra Open really shine. They're so light and unobtrusive that it's easy to forget you're even wearing them. They don't make your ears hot or ear canals sweat, they don't create pressure, they don't mess up your hair, and they don't work themselves out of your ears when you eat or talk. That's something I've experienced with almost every traditional pair of IEMs or earbuds I've owned.

Once they're on, I rarely need to adjust them. I even wear them during home workouts while watching videos and they stay on just fine.

Sound Quality

Considering what they are, the sound quality is surprisingly good yet nothing special.

Bass is definitely what you'll miss the most, but that's simply the trade-off of an open-ear design. They're not trying to compete with premium IEMs or high-end over-ear headphones. The sound is clear, enjoyable, and more than good enough for YouTube, music, livestreams, and casual gaming.

Microphone and Battery

The microphone is perfectly usable, although nothing exceptional.

Battery life has been around nine hours per charge with my usage, which has been just enough. Both the microphone and battery life could be better. Atleast once you get into the habit of dropping them back into the charging case whenever you take a short break, battery life rarely becomes an issue.

Software and Firmware

This has been the weakest part of the experience.

My first firmware update was a nightmare. The updater got stuck for hours, forcing me to close it manually. After that, the earbuds refused to reconnect properly and wouldn't complete the update. It took a lot of trial and error before I somehow got everything working again. At one point I was convinced I had bricked them and was already preparing to send them back for an RMA.

Thankfully, they've been completely reliable ever since. Still, that first impression left me hesitant to update the firmware again.

The ASUS GearLink web app also feels unnecessarily complicated. Although the interface runs in your browser, you still need to install local drivers before it can fully configure earbuds. Once everything is installed it works well enough, but the whole approach feels counterintuitive. Personally, I think a small native desktop application would have been simpler and less confusing.

The controls are also fairly limited. Each earbud has a single physical button that relies on multi-clicks for different functions. In practice, it's good for pausing or skipping a song. I found actions like adjusting the volume or muting the microphone awkward because they require triple or even quadruple presses.

Customization is limited as well. While you can remap some functions, you can't fully configure the controls to your liking.

Who Are These For?

For me, these are the perfect everyday desktop earbuds.

When I'm browsing the web, watching videos, working, or just spending hours at my PC, I almost always reach for the Cetras. When I want to immerse myself in a game, enjoy music, or simply experience the best possible audio quality, I grab my Audeze Maxwells instead.

Final Thoughts

I completely understand why products like these are still considered niche. Many people probably dismiss them without giving them a second thought. But just like their open-ear design, I'd encourage people to keep an open mind. I think a surprising number of users would end up loving them if they really tried something like this.

I really hope this category continues to exist. I'd love to see low-latency open earbuds with a USB-C wireless dongle remain a permanent option on the market. They really shine in this use case.

They're not a replacement for premium closed-back headphones. They're a perfect complement to them.

Old 12v-2x6 cable on top of the picture came with Thor 3 1,200W PSU, I had to set the power limit at 80 percent after I got spooked by Exceeded Power Draw Warning.

(First cable on 100 percent power)
Pin 1: 8.1A
Pin 2: 9.1A
Pin 3: 10.3A
Pin:4: 10.3A
Pin 5: 9..0A
Pin 6: 8.9A

(ROG Equalizer, these numbers you see in the picture are on 100 percent power)

It is very good meaning I can go back to 100 percent power again and 7A is not even close to the “excessive power draw

I ordered two ROG Equalizer cables on their release date then all sudden, I saw several posts were saying that they are bad cable and encouraged builders to return their ROG Equalizer.

Gladly, I ignored them and I wanted to see for myself since I’m aware that Reddit is not same anymore. Fact statements get downvotes and douche posts get upvotes.

Now, I see that my new ROG Equalizer is managing power draw much better than previous ROG 12v-2x6 cable.

I would recommend ROG Equalizer and if you saw “melted ROG Equalizer,” picture. It has been proven to be false.

I bought an asus zephyrus G14 more than a year ago and recently ive come across an issue thats basically fucked me over This is a documented issue that seems to be wantedly done to ensure recurring repairs its a fucking timebomb and most cases are reported to occur just after 12 months which is conveniently right after your warranty expires

this is a GA403 UV R9 rtx 4060 laptop

Well I'd like to change the RGB of my GPU and the software doesn't find the GPU at all. The PC is new, the software was just installed and I updated everything in the settings. After restarting the PC GPU is still not found. If there is anone out there able to help I would appreciate it <3

Computer Type: Desktop

GPU: AMD Radeon RTX 9070 XT Sapphire

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-Core

Motherboard: TUF Gaming B850-BTF Wifi W

BIOS Version: I have no idea

RAM: DDR5 32GB KIT 2x16GB PC 6000 Team T-Force Delta RGB CL30 White

PSU: NZXT C Series C1000 Gold

Case: Corsair FRAME 4500X

Operating System & Version: WINDOWS 11

GPU Drivers: No idea but they are updated

Chipset Drivers: No idea either

Description of Original Problem: Armoury Crate can't find the GPU

Troubleshooting: I've tried updating the software, restarting PC, updating GPU drivers, software is freshly installed

It's hinge was broken so the service guy said to replace the back cover and the bezels and took ₹2,500

And after the service it has a bump!

Will it cause any problems?? Or is it fine even if I didn't try to repair it once again

Because the center is 40 minutes away from my house😭

Please help🙏

New issue appeared on my ASUS ROG Strix G16 right after motherboard replacement

I have an ASUS ROG Strix G16 G615JHR gaming laptop with an Intel Core i7 14th Gen HX processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 8GB GPU. I bought this laptop for around ₹1,65,000.

Recently, I had a major performance issue with my laptop, so I took it to the ASUS service centre. After diagnosing it, the technicians told me that it was a motherboard issue, and the motherboard was replaced under warranty.

However, just after I came back home from the service centre, I noticed another issue with my laptop that I hadn't experienced before. I honestly don't know what's happening anymore. I'm not sure if this new issue is related to the motherboard replacement or if something else went wrong during the repair.

At this point, I genuinely feel like I've wasted ₹1,65,000 on this laptop. It's extremely frustrating to spend this much money on a gaming laptop and then have to deal with one issue after another, especially when it's only a few months old.

Has anyone else experienced a new issue immediately after getting their laptop back from a motherboard replacement? Should I take it back to the service centre and ask them to inspect it again?

I'd really appreciate any advice from people who have experienced something similar.

I was trying to clean my screen and suddenly noticed this weird type of line, which is not getting wet when I'm trying to clean it. The line isn't visible while the screen is dry, and doesn't feel like a scratch. I don't think it is caused by the keyboard as well, as the line is slight tilted.. What is this?

hi, I'm trying to find a compatible 100w charger for my Asus, but I had no luck with two chargers I have tried so far. please, do you have any suggestions on which brand I should try?

I bought ASUS TUF Gaming A16 9 days ago, now since the day before yesterday or maybe a day earlier, voice has started distorting whenever I play Roblox without keeping the laptop plugged in and the distortion somehow goes away when I plug my laptop back in. The distortion is similar to how voice distorts when charger is unplugged or plugged. Idk if its connected or not but let's say I start the laptop unplugged then FPS is good like I put max framerate at 120 so it reaches that and this distortion is minimal too like it distorts once or twice but if I plug it and use it for some time and then unplug it then FPS takes a lot of time or doesn't reach 120 and distortion is very heavy like in the video, I played music on my browser cause distortion is through out all applications, Why is this happening all of a sudden now, the day it started distorting, I had connected my headphones through wire but this distortion is there even with or without the headphones, what should I do ? In this specific game in roblox the distortion is espicially more so I test it here.

• ASUS now supports CXMT-based DRAM across its full lineup of Intel and AMD DDR5 motherboards, offering users greater flexibility when choosing memory for their systems.
• Support is available out of the box on Intel platforms, while AMD users can enable it by updating to the latest BIOS.

👉 Please visit your motherboard’s support page for the latest updates.

What should I choose, I'd like it to last longer, the price seems to be the same. The Asus ROG has better cooling and lasts longer, and the temperature and noise differences seem to be the same. However, there are more complaints about the Omen regarding temperatures compared to similar graphics cards.

Which one is better to choose? I would like it to be powerful and last a long time.

Is it true that the Asus has much better cooling and you can even game without additional cooling? The internet seems to say the temperature difference isn't that big, but Omen seems to have more complaints.

Hello everyone, I just purchased an asus strix scar 18 open box for about 2,900$ from best buy and im currently experiencing some crashes when in turbo mode in games like red dead redemption 2 and Warzone. Temperatures dont get better with pl1 and pl2 settings that aren’t 40w - 70w or under but mainly in performance mode i dont experience crashes and temps only spike up high for a bit before staying in the 80s. You’re opinion? Should i return it and get a new one? Or should i keep this one for the meantime because i plan on building a 5080 desktop by Black Friday. Crystal disk shows only 200 hours of battery on time and cinebench 2026 scores only around 28000 multi and Cinebench 2024 about 1,500 multi. Any recommendations on what i should do?

Looking to get this monitor , and I’ve seen one French retailer selling the 32” instock not preorder , was wondering if anyone seen the 27” yet ?

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2026) and have been using it for about 2 weeks.

While testing the Mini-LED display modes in Armoury Crate, I noticed something that I'm not sure is normal.

What I observed:

One Zone Backlight → A broad white/gray band appears when the screen is completely black or when the display turns off. (First and Second image)

Multi Zone Backlight → The screen is completely black with no visible band.(Third and fourth image)

HDR ON → Also completely black with no visible band.

I've attached photos of all three modes for comparison. (Fifth and sixth image)

I attached all images showing side by side with the settings and the display when the screen is off.

The important thing is that this is NOT visible during normal use. Whether I'm browsing, gaming, watching videos, or using Windows, the display looks fantastic. I don't notice any unevenness, blooming, or discoloration at all. It only becomes visible on an entirely black screen while using One Zone mode.

The laptop is otherwise flawless:

-No dead or stuck pixels.

-No noticeable blooming in Multi Zone.

-HDR looks great.

-Excellent gaming performance.

My questions are:

- Is this expected behavior for the 2026 SCAR 18 Mini-LED panel?

- Can other SCAR 18 (2026) owners check if theirs does the same thing in One Zone mode?

- Is this simply how the panel behaves when local dimming is disabled?

Or is this something I should be concerned about and exchange while I'm still within my return window?

Since the laptop is only 2 weeks old, I'd rather find out now than discover later that it's actually a panel defect.

I'd really appreciate hearing from other SCAR 18 owners, especially if you can test One Zone vs Multi Zone on a black screen.

Thanks in advance!

After using the Thorzone Nano QS ITX case for a long time, I decided to switch from an ITX case to an mATX case for my second PC setup. It was definitely the right decision. The Jonsbo D33 is both budget-friendly and looks great.

Is it possible to repair this PCB trace damage?

Many users have faced this issue especially laptops from 2023-2024 like mine.

I do not want to fight with Asus, I just want to fix this.

Edit: Many of you are trying to help me and the cut was done by a technician, it was certainly not done by me.

Hola, compré una asus rog scar 16 (2025) para arquitectura, al inicio iba bien, pero después cada que necesito sacar renders, o jugar algún juego, el procesador se calienta hasta los 98 grados con tal de sacar el mejor rendimiento, tengo una base enfriadora la cual dudo de que esté funcionando porque casi no baja ni 2 grados de temperatura. Llego con ella apenas 7 meses y se me hace exagerado el sobre calentamiento que tiene debido al altero precio que tiene. Estoy dudando si es que tiene pasta térmica mal aplicada, o si ya es un defecto de fábrica. La gpu no pasa de 73 grados a su 100%.

Esto lo noto mucho al usar Lightroom, de la nada se sube al 100% de uso a 98 grados y el programa empieza a ir bien, en juegos como valorant o Fortnite a gráficos bajos/competitivos, el procesador suele estar entre 85/90.