I had already experienced a BIOS crash that required replacing the chip on the mobo before, so when I've built this PC, I've got a mobo that has protection against BIOS corruption. I had never used the feature, though, so it took me a while to figure it out while reading the manual. It wasn't complicated, but it was certainly VERY unusual. The computer couldn't POST or boot, and this protection feature could handle that, and even much worse situations. ASUS has introduced the ability to flash a corrupted BIOS without having a video card, no RAM memory installed, or without even having to power up the computer. All it needs is a power supply and a USB drive plugged in. You don't even have to open the case, and certainly don't need to purchase and install a new BIOS chip, like I had to do before. Just plug the PSU to the wall, plug the USB drive, and press a little button on the back for 3 seconds. This does the impossible - it recovers a corrupted BIOS, and now the PC can complete POST and boot again. Amazing stuff!
However, my fancy Sound Blaster Zx card has died and could not be recovered. This is, in part, a design flaw with these "open radiators" video cards with dual or triple fans of nowadays. In the past, video cards used to be entirely closed, blowing the hot air through vents to the outside of the case. On one hand, this forced the hot air to pass through the entire card electronics, which is bad, but had the advantage of not heating up the case interior. Nowadays, most video cards are no longer closed, and blow hot air inside the case, heating up the entire system. The audio card was sitting just besides the video card, and even having a big metal radiator didn't save it from overheating, because those are a passive kind of cooling. With this kind of design, we cannot use the PC on a hot summer day (my A/C is not working). Not a total loss when the mobo has integrated Realtek audio built-in. By far not good as the Sound Blaster Zx, but it's decent.
But ASUS thought of this, too. The Sabertooth X99 "TUF" mobo comes with military-grade solid state titanium capacitors, plus a shield that encloses the entire mobo electronics, protecting them from being overheated by "open radiators" video cards of nowadays. Instead, the mobo components are cooled under the thermal shield by a dedicated fan. This explains why only the sound card (RIP) got busted, while the mobo components are less affected by the GPU blowing hot air over them. The mobo also includes a full metal plate that runs across the entire back side, which serves a dual purpose. It keeps the mobo from warping under heavy CPU radiators and large GPUs, and helps dissipate mobo components heat through the back side.
Even though the ASUS Sabertooth X99 is an old model, it's military-grade components grant us a whooping 5-years warranty. Based on my recent experience, I recommend this ASUS "TUF" lineup of mobos if you are building a new PC. A busted BIOS used to mean bricking the computer permanently, but these mobos have proven today that they can survive some impossible situations. Worth every penny.