The heatsinks on the ASUS X79 Deluxe are all aluminium. The VRM heatsinks are both connected via heatpipes but only the uppermost heatsink provides direct contact to the VRM.


Removal of the heatsinks is simple affair of just unscrewing them from the back of the motherboard. From this angle you can see that only the PCH and uppermost VRM provide direct cooling with the additional heatsinks providing a wider surface area with which to dissipate heat.


Contact with the X79 chipset was very good. The TIM used was not a type we have come across before, resembling chewing gum rather than a liquid TIM! It was however relatively easy to remove and replace with our favoured brand however we believe this may void the warranty so you would be advised against doing this.


The VRM area is an 8+2+2+2 digital power phase design and features DIGI+ power control. This coupled with solid capacitors, ESD guard ICs, overcurrent protection and a stainless steel I/O area is what ASUS refers to as 5x Protection.


Above is the chip which controls the precise voltage for each component. In testing the voltages were fairly accurate from what we actually set. vDroop on both CPU and VCSAA was very good and can be adjusted to your preference too. The UEFI BIOS has a massive array of voltage adjustments available, more than the average overclocker will use. If however the settings are a little daunting you will be pleased to hear that they can all be left on their default state of AUTO.