ASUS Releases the ROG Vulcan ANC Pro Gaming Headset

Conquer the competition with the world’s first active-noise-cancelling gaming headset

Singapore (July 20, 2011) — ASUS has released the ROG Vulcan ANC, the world’s first active-noise-cancelling pro gaming headset designed to immerse users into games and keep them free of distractions like never before. Created from the needs of competitive pro gamers to remain focused during competition, the ROG team forged the Vulcan ANC with both performance and comfort in mind. The Vulcan ANC features 85% active noise cancellation to filter out sounds like low frequency computer fan noise and 30dB passive noise cancellation to reduce a wide range of ambient noises, including background voices.

Long lasting comfort with lightweight, ergonomic design

The Vulcan ANC not only provides gamers an immersive gaming experience with noise cancelling features, but also a comfortable one. The lightweight design of 320g is lighter than other comparable models of the same size, with other headsets weighing around 350g. Soft memory foam encased in breathable Japanese protein leather ensures user comfort even after extended gaming sessions. It is also portable, with a foldable design that easily fits into a durable touring case to take between competitions or LAN parties.

Crystal clear audio with 40mm drivers and noise-filtering microphone

The Vulcan ANC is built with enlarged 40mm headphone drivers for crisp, clear audio. ASUS audio experts optimized the headset for a wide sound stage so audio is balanced with both thundering bass and brilliant mids and highs. A stylish blade-shaped detachable boom microphone has built-in noise filtering technology so teammates hear clear conversations during games instead of ambient noise.

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ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX Motherboard Review – Intro
Bluetooth 7 Jun 2011

At Computex Taipei 2011, ASUS launched a few 9 series motherboards for the upcoming 8 core AM3+ processor from AMD. Based on the AMD 990FX+SB950 chipsets, the chipset doesn’t bring about much difference from it’s previous generation 890FX+SB850 chipsets. Although the processor is not available, the new series of motherboards are highly sought after due to it’s compatibility with exisiting AM3 processors. You don’t even need to change your exisiting AM3 heatsink as it will fit the brackets.

AMD 990FX Chipset is designed to support up to 5.2GT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0 (HT 3.0) interface speed and dual PCI Express™ 2.0 x16 graphics. It is optimized with AMD latest AM3+ and multi-core CPUs to provide excellent system performance and overclocking capabilities.

AMD boards has always been CrossFire X enabled. This isn’t the case for SABERTOOTH 990FX. This board supports multi-GPU configurations through both SLI™ and CrossFireX using the 4 full length PCIe slots.  This motherboard features the powerful AMD® 990FX/SB950 platform, optimizing PCIe allocation in multiple GPU configurations. Expect a brand new gaming style like you’ve never experienced before!

Other features include ASmedia USB 3.0, SATA 6Gbps support, front panel USB, UEFI BIOS, eSATA, 8 ch audio, VIA 1394.

On first sight, this TUF board looks different from it’s predessor. The SABERTOOTH board which we saw earlier comes with a jacket. The 990FX SABERTOOTH doesn’t have that.

The TUF always stress DURABILITY. That is why ASUS gave it a 5 years warranty. Some of these features include :

CeraM!X – Heatsink Coating Tech – 50% Larger area for heat dissipation with the revolutionary ceramics-coating technology Innovative ceramics effectively conducts heat away from the system. It replaces traditional anti-oxidant to dissipate heat better with its microscopic irregular surface and enlarged area. Better cooling leads to overall improvement in system stability.

TUF Thermal Radar

Real Time Temp Detection and Heat Removal

The TUF Thermal Radar monitors temps in critical parts of the motherboard in real time, automatically adjusting fan speeds to make sure the system maintains high stability without overheating. It consists of multiple sensors for various components on the motherboard, giving users the ability to monitor each one individually. The Thermal Radar automatically calculates ideal fan speeds based on different parameters selected by users for each component, keeping everything cooler and longer lasting.

“TUF ENGINE!” Power Design

DIGI+ VRM

Herald the Arrival of a New Digital Power Design Era

The new ASUS DIGI+ VRM design upgrades motherboard power delivery to a digital standard. The 8+2 digital architecture provides the highest power efficiency, generating less heat to enhance longer component lifespan and ensure minimal powerloss. With ASUS DIGI+ VRM, users can easily adjust power phase performance, enabling new PWM voltage and frequency modulation controls. Digital 8+2 power phase design also expands the modulation spectrum for improved stability and lower VRM switching noise by dynamically detecting system load, empowering users with superior flexibility and perfect precision to ensure optimized performance, extreme system stability, and greater power efficiency.

E.S.P. Efficient Switching Power Design

Optimal power efficiency for key components

Exclusively for this motherboard, the switching power design is provided not only for the CPU and memory, but also for other key components such as graphics cards, LAN and USB 3.0. E.S.P. dramatically improves system efficiency and reduces heat generation.

TUF Components (Alloy Choke, Cap. & MOSFET; Certified by Military-standard)

Certified for Tough Duty

Get rugged performance even in the most challenging conditions with robust TUF chokes, solid capacitors, and MOSFETs–certified through third-party, military-grade testing. TUF Chokes, also known as the “Alloy Choke”, is a made of a compound of various types of metal instead standard iron, enables the support of up to a massive 40A of rated current, 25% higher than conventional component. Furthermore, the single piece packaing also elimates the emission of virbation noise, delivering superb charactoristics as well as durability under extreme conditions.

Check out these videos

In the past, we have seen ASUS, ASROCK, ABIT, ECS having Hybrid designs, having upgradable sockets through add on slots with new socket type. This time round, ASUS pulled another rabbit out of the hat. They deliver a Dual Socket LGA1366+LGA2011 futuristic board.

The board sports two CPU sockets. THe LGA1366 has 6 DIMMs tri channel support while the LGA2011 has a total of 8 DIMMs. There are also as much as 24 SATA ports on board.

Source

INTEL Shows X79 mainboards ASUS CIX79 Deluxe, ASROCK X79 Extreme4, Gigabyte GD X79A-UD3 and the MSI X79A-GD65

Intel has a LOT of motherboards on display, the more prominent onces however are based on the X79 chipset, Intels next gen enthusiast platform with 2011-pin LGA socket, the Sandy Bridge-E (enthusiast) processor that features a massive quad-channel DDR3 memory controller and 32+ lane PCI-Express 2.0 hub, and the X79 chipset. Intel might actually skip the 6-series chipset family with its next high-end platform chipset as the platform is slated for Q4 2011 already, though Z68 will still be launched, but as a Premium chipset.

Source

Asus Crosshair V Formula is based on AMD’s upcoming 990FX chipset paired up with the SB950 southbridge and a full support for AMD AM3+ CPUs. It features a 10-phase VRM, four DDR3 memory slots, a total of seven SATA 6Gbps and one eSATA port, four PCI-Express x16 slots with support for both Nvidia’s SLI and AMD CrossfireX, Gigabit Ethernet, onboard 7.1-channel audio, six USB 3.0 ports (two via header) and a bunch of USB 2.0 ports.

The new Crosshair V Formula motherboard will be available in 2 versions, one with Thunderbolt add on that includes xonar audio and bigfoot Networks GbE. As a member of Asus’ RoG series, it comes with the power pack features including the on board Power, Reset and Clear CMOS buttons, ROG Connect, voltage measure points and all the other ROG goodies.

Below are the pictures of the board.

That cool company with the coolest tablet out there, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, is set to transform the game, as it were, at Computex 2011, coming soon to a Taipei near you. At this event it appears that they’ll be releasing at least one new device, possibly three. There’s some teaser frames to spice up your life below, right here in this post! Then remind yourself that you love new names, even weird ones, as a trademark has been registered by ASUS for the word “Padfone.”

Interesting how similar the text in this new logo looks, reminds on rather of a competing “pad” toting company, doesn’t it? Also note that it’s no artists rendering, it comes straight from the patent office. Is this one of the three (or 1, or just 2,) devices that ASUS is set to show off at Computex 2011? Bank on it. This is the same way we found out about the word XOOM, and look how that turned out!

Have a look here at these three images and tell us what you think of them – one, two, or three devices?

Finally we will be seeing the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer get some Android 3.1 Honeycomb next week, this according to some “inside sources” with This is My Next. Trust! This update will of course bring several new UI features such as advanced resizable widgets, an expanded multi-task switcher, and improved stability. It also adds, in this case, a docking station firmware update that will improve typing speeds, USB capability, and mouse tracking. This update may come out as soon as Monday, aka the first day of Computex 2011. Be there!

Source

In our News Coverage @ OCWorkbench, we will cover the new products launch or seen at Computex Taipei 2011. If you are a manufacturer or vendor who likes to have your product exposed here, do feel free to drop us an email.

Here is a list of news articles on Computex Taipei 2011 [It will be updated daily]

Computex Taipei 2011 News Coverage AMD Client Platform Roadmap

Computex Taipei 2011 News Coverage AMD announces Trinity, talks Llano, launches Z series at Computex

Computex Taipei 2011 Kingston launches Wireless storage device Wi-Drive for Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch® users

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage Sharkoon Flexi-Drive Ultimate with Eight-channel MLC Architecture | Write Speed up to 120 MB/s, Read Rate up to 200 MB/s

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage ADATA demonstrates fastest RAM Disk scoring 6GB/s READ and 9GBs WRITE

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage MSI displays Afterburner App for Android, the World’sFirst Android-based Overclocking Utility for Graphics Cards:

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage MSI launches Military Class II standard boards – Z68A-GD80, 990FXA-GD80, Big Bang-Marshal (B3)

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3-iSSD integrates mSATA for speed enhancement using ISRT

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage Gigabyte X79A-UD3 Intel X79 futuristic board on display

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage Gigabyte A75-UD4H sighted

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage G.Skill showcases its latest SATA 3 SSD, Phoenix II Pro, and ultra high performance desktop memory series

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage Gigabyte makes Z68 Gaming Board – GA-Z68-Gaming

Computex Taipei 2011 ASUS UX21 subnotebook challenges Mac Air with it’s super thin design

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage ASUS showcase dual socket LGA1366 and LGA2011 ROG motherboard “DANSHUI BAY”

Computex Taipei 2011 MSI shows sub 300 dollars 7″ and 10″ WindPad

Computex Taipei 2011 GIGABYTE Launches New AMD 900 Series Motherboards Delivers 4-way SLI™ andCrossFireX™ Support for the First Time on the AMD Platform

Computex Taipei 2011 Qualcomm’s new chipset to be featured on Taiwan tablet PCs

Computex Taipei 2011 ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX available in market

Computex Taipei 2011 Shuttle launches Tablets based on Nvidia Tegra2

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage ASUS CrossHair V Formula AMD 990FX board Video

Computex Taipei 2011 INTEL Shows X79 mainboards ASUS CIX79 Deluxe, ASROCK X79 Extreme4, Gigabyte GD X79A-UD3 and the MSI X79A-GD65

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage ASUS unveils PadFone, a tablet that comes equipped with an integrated smartphone docking station

Computex Taipei 2011 ASUS CrossHair V Formula AMD 990FX board sighted

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage Gigabyte announces S1080 Windows 7 tablet with USB 3.0 and optical drive dock

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage Exclusive Performance preview of AMD LIano vs Intel Sandy Bridge

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage NVIDIA to showcase Tegra 3 mobile quad core processor

Computex Taipei 2011 Coverage Gigabyte showcase AMD Fusion board A75-UD4H

Computex Taipei 2011 ECS A75F-A(v10) AMD Fusion motherboard on show at Computex

Computex Taipei 2011 ECS unveils it’s ECS Black Extreme A990FXM-A Motherboard

Computex Taipei 2011 Gigabyte announces GA-990FXA-UD3 AMD 990FX SB950 AM3+ motherboard

Computex Taipei 2011 ASUS Padfone, Android 3.1 for Transformer update

Computex Taipei 2011 ECS to showcase AMD 990FX board A990FXM-A (V1.0)

Computex Taipei 2011 GIGABYTE Offers Bundle on Z68XP-UD3-iSSD Motherboard featuring 20GB Intel® SSD 311 Series to support Intel Smart Response Technology

Computex Taipei 2011 Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 will have PCIe based SSD slot to support Intel Smart Response Technology

Computex Taipei 2011 AMD’s LIano and Bulldozer delayed to August ? [updated]

Computex Taipei 2011 – AMD A75 boards to be displayed by major brands

Computex Taipei 2011 – ASRock to showcase AMD 990FX board 990FX Extreme4, AMD A75 board A75 Extreme6 and Intel Z68 board Fatal1ty Z68 Professional at Computex Taipei 2011

ECS Presents A75 Series with the latest AMD A series APU with AMD Hudson D3 chipset and AMD FM-1 socket

It will also be available at http://computextaipei.wordpress.com

ASUS Showcases Seamless Mobility at Mobile World Congress 2011
Tablet computers, smartphones and cloud-based services offer mobile users exciting and innovative ways to access data on the move

Singapore, 15 Feb 2011 — ASUS, a global leader in the new digital era, is showcasing products and technologies that form part of its ‘seamless mobility’ concept at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Attendees have the opportunity to experience ASUS mobile products including the Eee Pad MeMO, Eee Pad Transformer, Eee Pad Slider and LBS smartphones, and learn more about ASUS’ growing range of cloud-based services.
“ASUS understands that users have different needs and the best way to serve them is through choice. Our commitment to continuous innovation means we can provide better user experiences for different people in a wide range of scenarios,” said ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih.

Seamless Mobility
The ASUS Seamless Mobility concept ensures that users have complete access to their data in a way that suits their particular needs, no matter where they are. This ranges from using a smartphone to email on the morning commute, working on their notebook at the office and watching videos at home at the end of the day on an Eee Pad tablet computer.
Commenting on the company’s commitment to cloud computing, Benson Lin, Corporate Vice President & General Manager of the ASUS Personal Mobile Devices business unit, said, “We are determined in delivering products that satisfy users’ mobile needs and we will launch exciting handheld products in the second half of this year.”
With its wide range of cloud-driven services and products, ASUS aims to make life more interesting, fun and outright better.

Cloud Devices for Every Need
ASUS has created an entire roster of innovative devices with intuitive user interfaces that connect directly to the cloud. These include a wide range of notebook PCs, the blockbuster Eee PC netbooks, smartphones and the new range of tablet computers unveiled at CES 2011 in Las Vegas.
The new ASUS family of tablet computers provides true choice for a range of different mobile needs. The Eee Pad Slider, Eee Pad Transformer, Eee Pad MeMO and Eee Slate EP121 are available with three screen sizes, and a choice of either Google Android® or Windows® 7 Home Premium operating systems for the ultimate mobility and productivity.
The Eee Pad and Eee Slate tablets deliver a full multimedia experience with HD video, broad connectivity options and the widest range of media compatibility with standards like Adobe Flash. Capacitive touch-screens are standard throughout, as is stylus input and support for external HDMI displays.

Location-Aware Smartphone Services
The ASUS ‘seamless mobility’ concept extends to pocket-size devices too, and there will also be a number of ASUS smartphones on show at MWC. Powered by Google Android®, the models all include location-aware services that help users connect with the wider world when they’re on the move with intuitive bespoke user interfaces.

Smart Cloud Storage for Every Device
ASUS will also demonstrate its range of cloud-based services at MWC. This includes ASUS Webstorage that offers automatic data backup, easy access to personal data from any location and instant file sharing. Webstorage adds to the portability and flexibility of user data, freeing consumers from the constraints of physical hard drives, while providing robust privacy and security measures.
ASUS Webstorage makes massive amounts of online storage available, which can then be accessed from any internet-connected device — smartphone, notebook, netbook, tablets such as the ASUS Eee Pad range and even a desktop PC.
Entertainment is also at the heart of ASUS’ cloud-based service line-up too, whether it’s the @VIBE portal with its huge range of online multimedia and educational content, or the MEar music streaming service. Further information on ASUS cloud services and products is available at www.asus.com.

ASUS Crosshair IV Extreme Review – Intro
Bluetooth 13 Feb 2011

Gamer’s board are usually high end boards because of the requirements. High bandwidth is necessary as a difference of 1 fps would be lethal in gaming. Of course, that not only involves the network, it also involves the graphics capability and support of multiple cards.

In the past, we see that AMD boards supports CrossFire X or SLI. The limitation is that you have to buy a pair, tri or quad to work. This seems to be limiting as you might have to give up your old card in favour of the higher performance. With ASUS Crosshair IV Extreme with Lucid Hydra technology, you can now run SLI, CrossFireX and most importantly mix and match AMD and NVIDIA cards and they do no need to be of the same model to speed up your graphical perforamnce. That definitely helps you to save some costs during upgrading process. It has 5 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual @ x16, triple @x16, quad@x16 x16 x8 x8) and 1 x PCI 2.2 slot.

So what does the board support ? The ASUS Crosshair IV Extreme supports the AMD Phenom™ II/Athlon™ II/ Sempron™ 100 Series Processors (AM3 CPU). This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM3 multi-core processors with unique L3 cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption. It features dual-channel DDR3 1333 memory support and accelerates data transfer rate up to 5200MT/s via HyperTransport™ 3.0 based system bus. This motherboard also supports AMD® CPUs in the new 45nm manufacturing process. It has Core Unlocker to unlock the hidden cores of your Phenom processor. There is also USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps support on board.

AMD 890FX Chipset is designed to support up to 5.2GT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0 (HT 3.0) interface speed and dual PCI Express™ 2.0 x16 graphics. It is optimized with AMD latest AM3 and multi-core CPUs to provide excellent system performance and overclocking capabilities

On top of all these, it has RC Bluetooth.  Just simply push the button from the Back I/O on the RC Bluetooth card, overclockers can real-time monitor the desktop PC system status & tweak its parameters – such as voltages and frequency on the fly. When users want to use ordinary bluetooth functions, just simply push the button once again & enjoy all the wireless convenience brought from RC Bluetooth.

Alternatively, Plug and Overclock – Tweak it the hardcore way! Monitor the status of your desktop PC and tweak its parameters in real-time via a notebook—just like a race car engineer—with ROG Connect. ROG Connect links your main system to a notebook through a USB cable, allowing you to view real-time POST code and hardware status readouts on your notebook, as well as make on-the-fly parameter adjustments at a purely hardware level.

ON board is the iROG, The iROG is a special IC which enables several ROG highlitghted functions that gives users full disposal of the motherboard at any stage! This design allows advanced user control and management to be processed purely at a hardware level. iROG greatly increases fun during overclocking for PC enthusiasts and it offers system maintainence and management with more control and efficiency

The board also supporst 2 BIOS with 2 BIOS settings. You can flash back to the old BIOS any time. The board also has Probelt, you can measure the voltage levels using a multimeter direct from the mainboard.

Other features include loadline calibration to maintain ample voltage for CPU during overclocking. The Voltminder LED also shows the voltage levels usnig different colours to ensure that you don’t overvolt the components (CPU,NB,SB,Memory).

We just posted the first look of the upcoming board ASUS P8P67Pro based on Intel P67 chipset. It has some interesting features like DIGI+ VRM, EPU, BT GO!, USB 3,9 EFI BIOS and SATA 6Gbps support. Check out the part of of our ongoing review at this link

http://en.ocworkbench.com/tech/asus-p8p67pro-intel-p67-mainboard-review-first-look/

ASUS O!Play HD2 multimedia player
Bluetooth 21 Nov 2010

IPTV is the trend these days. With more and more content going online, it is not surprising that multimedia players that support multiple formats are welcomed. ASUS O!Play HD2 is just another in this crowded marketplace.

ASUS O!Play HD2 can be said to be the third incarnation of the O!Play series. The previous models were R1 and R3. So, what are the improvements over the earlier models. ?

Basically, the O! Play HD2 is the world’s first USB 3.0 media player. It also has a bay for a 3.5″ HDD with NAS Support. There is support of iPhone, using it as a remote control. If you are a person who goes for hi fidelity sound, the good news is that you now can have TrueHD 7.1 channel surround audio. On top of all these, it is DLNA certified to work with your compatible devices in your home theatre (DLNA is a standard for moving media across a variety of devices. With DLNA, O!Play lets you transfer and manage media files quickly and have them play on your TV via a wired internet connection). You can thus playback all sort of media formats support (see below for a list of supported formats).

If offline contents from your collection is not enough, you can go online and check out the TV and Radio stations. Some 600K streams delivers excellent video quality. On top of that, you can turn your connected TV into a large photo frame as it supports Picasa and Flickr. There is also Weather  and Stock info available.

Specifications

 NEXT PAGE

ASUS Technical Seminar

Last Thursday, ASUS held a technical seminar at Peninsula Hotel in Singapore. Media from over Asia were flown in for a technical briefing about the upcoming ASUS products.

The focus of the event was on the new designs incorporated into the upcoming H67 and P67 boards. These new features include Dual Intelligent processors 2 – DIGI+ VRM / EPU, TPU and exclusive features like BT ! GO, EFI BIOS, USB 3.o front panel and AI Suite III.

The Dual Intelligent Processors2 basically uses a DIGI+ VRM for higher system stability and more precise adjustment. EPU is for power savings. TPU on the other hand makes OC easy with instant performance boost and self optimised system settings.

BT! Go is blueooth on the go. New boards with BT! Go comes built in with bluetooth controller chip on board, allowing connection to mobile devices for file sharing, remote control and entertainment (control audio video playback using your mobile phone).

In fact, the most exciting new feature would be the EFI BIOS. Say Goodbye to boring blue / black BIOS interface screen.With EFI BIOS, you are now greeted with a Graphics Interface to control the various component of your system using your mouse. It is like running Windows on boot up. ASUS EFI BIOS also has a BIOS-EZ mode which gives you the system information, performance settings all in one page. ASUS disk unlocker also helps to break the OS limitation so that you can maximise your HDD space of a 3TB HDD. ASUS also start to have front USB 3.0 box support for a easy and faster transfer of files using the USB 3.0 standard.

In the next few pages, we take a look at some of the upcoming boards.

ASUS Releases New EAH6800 Series Graphics Cards

The latest generation cards from AMD are enhanced by ASUS for more engaged gaming
 

Featuring even more processing power than the successful EAH5000 Series of graphics cards, the new ASUS EAH6800 Series continues to serve PC enthusiasts with cutting-edge technology and a range of exclusive performance-boosting improvements to the AMD reference design.
Both the EAH6850 DirectCU/2DIS/1GD5 and EAH6870/2DI2S/1GD5 cards feature AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology, AMD HD3D technology and DirectX® 11 support. In addition, exclusive Voltage Tweak overclocking technology offers a 50%* performance boost over the reference design. The EAH6850 DirectCU and EAH6870 also ship with factory overclocked cores set to 790MHz and 913MHz..

The ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU also incorporates exclusive DirectCU cooling that uses custom-flattened, all-copper heat pipes in direct contact with the GPU core. This improves cooling by 20%* compared to the reference design and offers quiet operation when the card is idle. The ASUS EAH6870 is equipped with an aluminum fan cover that improves cooling efficiency and reduces surface temperatures by 14 degrees Celsius, compared to the reference design’s plastic cover.
Product Highlights
Exclusive ASUS Voltage Tweak technology offers real-time voltage adjustment of various GPU components, including the core and video memory, making ASUS EAH6800 Series graphics cards 50%* faster than the reference design.
The EAH6850 DirectCU is factory overclocked to perform at 790MHz. This is 15MHz higher than stock performance, resulting in higher frame rates in games.
ASUS proprietary cooling technology, DirectCU, puts copper heat pipes in direct contact with the GPU core. This results in the EAH6850 DirectCU running 20%* cooler than the reference design.
The EAH6870 features a stylish aluminum fan cover that dissipates heat more efficiently. This lowers surface temperatures by 14 degrees Celsius, compared to the reference design’s plastic cover.
Proprietary AMD Eyefinity technology supports up to six** displays for a fully immersive viewing experience.
AMD HD3D technology for stereoscopic 3D gaming and movie watching.
 
* Subject to system configuration and usage. Results may vary.
** DisplayPort 1.2 compatible monitors required for six-screen AMD Eyefinity output. Please visit www.amd.com/Eyefinity for more information.
Availability
ASUS EAH6800 Series graphics cards are expected to ship October 22, 2010 and will be available from authorized ASUS resellers.

Specifications

The well acclaimed ASUS O! play HD device which allows you to watch world’s TV channels and listen to radio stations across the globe is hit with a giltch. We discovered that while we tried to access the channels list with the box hooked onto Singapore’s M1 Fixed Line broadband. The channels list just wouldn’t appear.

The same box was tested on another telco and it seems to work. The problem has been reported in forums but there is no immediate fix. M1 responded to our query and they do not block any ports. ASUS on the other hand is working on a beta firmware to try out next week.

Stay tuned for more updates.

ASUS Republic of Gamers Rampage III GENE
Resizes Extreme Computing

The Newest GENE Squad Member Continues a Tradition of Intel X58 MicroATX Performance and Overclocking Leadership with Uncontestable Features

PC performance devotees have come to know and trust the Republic of Gamers GENE series, a lineup of microATX boards. The new Rampage III GENE takes after the successful Rampage II GENE, bringing the same insistence on hardcore performance to the space and energy saving microATX form. It’s a perfect option for case modders, LAN party attendees and PC gamers looking for a compact build.

Right click to download image

Unique ROG Advantages   

Rampage III GENE, or R3G, carries over the great features that have made Rampage III Extreme a best seller. It has the Intel X58 chipset, supporting six core Intel i7-980X processors, as well as updated USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s for the fastest data transmission available to consumers.

But it’s the Republic of Gamers (ROG) tradition that sets this board apart from other microATX contenders. It shares in the same spirit of no holds barred performance, driven by ample overclocking. And naturally the trademark ROG design shines through here. For PC tweaking aficionados and new entrants alike, Rampage III GENE delivers numerous avenues to max their PC’s capabilities. ROG Connect brings remote overclocking via USB cable from an external compatible device on a pure hardware level, so benchmarking can occur in a more native environment and results are truer to form.

ProbeIt furnishes accurate diagnostics and voltage readings in real time from different parts of the board, so tuners can keep a close eye on the effects overclocking efforts have on hardware. This is part of the ROG commitment to the joys of PC modding and gaming, pursuits the design team holds dear and never neglects to address with every new product.

Loaded with Rich Features for Peerless Action

With an emphasis on hardcore gaming, R3G packs superior features to make experiences more immersive and impactful. Supreme FX X-Fi 2 sound supports EAX 5.0, bringing surround audio of previously unheard excellence to gamers everywhere while creating a 3D sonic environment where each auditory nuance comes across fully. R3G also arrives with quality materials like gold-plated phone jacks and solid state capacitors to enhance overall sound effect quality.

Likewise, the new board boosts connectivity to eliminate online barriers in this era of cloud services and multiplayer-focused gaming. True Intel Gigabit LAN offers fully accelerated connections whenever possible to guarantee higher performance, and drastically reduced CPU utilization. GameFirst is another internet-related feature, giving users a powerful tool for prioritizing connections so that downloading and other tasks can occur in the background without restricting online gaming performance.

CPU Level Up helps proceedings with intelligent processor overclocking that’s totally automated and takes place when system loads demand higher clock speeds. Users get smoother computing with no intervention needed.

Compact but Versatile 

When creating the new Rampage III GENE, the ROG team stayed true to the GENE squad promise of gaming motherboards that deliver many things to a wide range of PC enthusiasts. Those interested in overclocking can get better performance with ROG Connect, while case modders will appreciate the tremendous power packed onto the small size. And of course, all gamers, and especially those attending LAN parties, are bound to enjoy the spectacular audio and online abilities of the R3G. Its attractive balance of great features and smart space utilization is slated to become a hit, as were all previous GENE boards.

Specifications

ASUS Gives Visitors a Look into Tomorrow at Computex 2010
Extends Lead in Cloud Computing and Gaming Arenas with Industry-changing
Eee Pad, Eee Tablet, Garmin-Asus A10 Smartphone and a Host of ROG Innovations

[Taiwan, Taipei, 31 May 2010] ASUS’ leadership in innovation and design will once again be underlined at this year’s Computex exhibition in Taipei, where the homegrown IT giant is set to showcase a wide range of products across five major categories: cloud computing, gaming, enthusiast PC components, multimedia and green computing.

ASUS Cloud Computing Solutions: Accessing Data Anywhere and in Real Time has Never Been this Easy

As the leader in cloud computing, ASUS offers the broadest spread of cloud-connected devices with on-the-fly data and multimedia sharing capabilities that consumers need in this age of interconnectedness.

Without question the foremost cloud computing device that will be on show at Computex 2010 is the ASUS Eee Tablet, one of the world’s most accurate and sensitive digital note-taking devices. Sporting a 2450 dpi resolution touch screen, a built-in camera which takes high resolution photos that users can write notes on, and preinstalled with an assortment of notepad templates, the Eee Tablet provides students and mobile business professionals with everything they need to get through a day. The Eee Tablet also serves as an exceptionally competent e-reader, offering almost lag-free page turns and a paper-like display that allows users to read for long periods without eye fatigue. The Eee Tablet features USB and MicroSD connectivity for easy syncing with a PC.

Also set to steal the limelight is the ASUS Eee Pad, an ultra-slim and light yet high-performance slate device designed to provide users with a “real time, real life and real human” cloud computing experience. The Eee Pad is available in two configurations. The 12” Eee Pad EP121 is a full-featured slate computer that serves as a multimedia player, e-reader, compact PC and Internet device. Powered by a CULV Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and the Windows® 7 Home Premium operating system, it handles multitasking effortlessly, enabling users to check their email and calendars, have video conferences, and process Microsoft Word and Excel documents simultaneously. The Eee Pad EP121 offers two convenient modes of character input—an embedded virtual keyboard and a special docking station-cum-keyboard—and delivers more than 10 hours of smooth, continuous computing. Users seeking added mobility can consider the 10’’ Eee Pad EP101TC, which comes in at a mere 675g and a slim, pocket-friendly 12.2mm. The Eee Pad EP101TC runs on Windows Embedded Compact 7, a complete toolkit with the latest Windows 7-based technologies and tools that create engaging user experiences and delivers connectivity to the Windows world. It provides a familiar full-featured experience across various connected devices and cloud computing services. Users will also be able to move their favorite applications to the main desktop with ease.

If you own an ASUS Rampage III Extreme, you can now expand it’s capability to run 4 way SLI on this board. This is made possible with the new adaptor board – the ASUS ROG Xpander.

The ASUS ROG Xpander sits on top of the Rampage III Extreme mainboard. The Xpander comes with a fan and is hooked up to the mainboard via 2 golden fingers (as seen in diagram below).

The Xpander uses 2 x NVIDIA NF200 chipset, doubling the amount of lanes via lane switching to support 4 way SLI.

This product will be showcased at Computex Taipei 2010.

The year 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of Computex Taipei which has become the largest computer exhibition in Asia and the second largest in the world. As usual, OCWorkbench will bring you highlights of the show “live” for our readers. This year, our report will be on our main news page, forums, twitter and facebook. Chinese readers can also check out our Chinese forums and mainpage for the relevant updates.

As usual, the main focus this year would still falls onto the mainboard manufacturers and peripherals.The probably newest thing would be the upcoming Intel chipsets, handheld device and slim notebooks. In this Day 0 Coverage, we will take a glimpse of what to expect from some of these big players in the market in the next few pages.

ASUS Unveils New 890FX Based Motherboards
Motherboard Innovator Extends Its Leading Expertise to Enabling Full CPU Potential with Turbo Unlocker and Core Unlocker
 
ASUS once again provides timely, optimized solutions to utilize incoming technology from AMD, supporting the chip maker’s new six-core CPU design. Exclusive features added to ASUS 890FX motherboards realize the hexa-core architecture’s capabilities to the fullest degree.
 

ASUS ROG Crosshair IV Formula

 
Better Performance Achieved
Both ROG Crosshair IV Formula and M4A89TD PRO include the AMD 890FX chipset and deliver thrilling PC performance through award-winning ASUS exclusives Core Unlocker and Turbo Unlocker, empowering users with on-demand overclocking and performance boosts for greater CPU capabilities in real time. Combined with the potential of the new design from AMD, these motherboards provide an experience like no other.
 

ASUS M4A89TD PRO

 
Unrivalled CPU Unlocking Leadership
ASUS shows the way in extreme PC performance with the inclusion of Core Unlocker on new 890FX boards. This technology has garnered much acclaim from international media since its inception, and remains the most reliable and successful way to unlock additional cores for performance improvements on motherboards using the AMD 800-series chipset. Core Unlocker makes it possible to turn a budget quad-core version of a CPU into a full six-cores for significant computing gains*.
 
It is accompanied by Turbo Unlocker, an intelligent overclocking engine that opens up CPU performance instantly by CPU core ratio when engaged in heavy computing or intensive tasks, including gaming.
 
Speaking on the inclusion of these two unique tools, Joe Hsieh, General Manager of Motherboard Business with ASUS, said: “ASUS will never stop developing the friendliest and most performance-boosting features available to consumers, whether enthusiasts, beginners or anyone else. Both Core Unlocker and Turbo Unlocker realize CPU potential, making them ideal for users looking for the best value on the best performance motherboards around.”
 
Real Time Boost on All Phenom II Black Edition CPUs (2/3/4/6 Cores)
Turbo Unlocker represents the next evolution of performance tuning from ASUS. Designed for AMD Black Edition and 6-core processors equipped with an unlockable multiplier, it intelligently adjusts CPU clock speeds with one-click input from users to attain even more computing power. When running single-core optimized applications, Turbo Unlocker dynamically adjusts resources and ensures maximum performance on dedicated cores. For multi-threaded applications, all cores supercharge to the highest performance available. Performance gains occur dynamically and instantly based on actual system conditions, so overclocking is always safe and stable.
 
Turning Four Cores into Six
Using a switch on both new motherboards, award-winning Core Unlocker is an ASUS exclusive that leads to fast and easy performance gains through the activation of latent CPU cores. One press sets Core Unlocker going as it scans the CPU for additional cores and puts them to work for major computational gains. Heavy multitasking, rendering and gaming go faster and better with additional cores available, as Core Unlocker can turn a dual-core CPU into a tri or quad, or turn quad-core versions into a full six-cores for significant computing gains*. In many cases Core Unlocker has demonstrated up to 103% in added performance—it is a supremely capable technology that injects great value into these motherboards.
 
Faster than Ever Connectivity
Both ROG Crosshair IV Formula and the M4A89TD PRO boast native next-generation data USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s. These super-fast connections bring users into the HD era with the speed and reliability needed to handle large files quickly. The motherboards feature two USB 3.0 ports each, transferring data at up to ten times the speed of USB 2.0, so moving an entire Blu-ray disc (25GB) takes just 70 seconds. SATA 6Gb/s offers twice the throughput of its predecessor, making hard drives noticeably more expedient.
 
With the performance and speed demanded by users constantly rising, these technologies could not have come at a better time.
 
Specifications
ModelASUS ROG Crosshair IV FormulaASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3
CPUPhenom II/Athlon II/Sempron 100
Socket AM3 Phenom II/Athlon II/Sempron 100
Socket AM3
ChipsetAMD® 890FX/SB850AMD® 890FX/SB850
Memory4 DIMM max 16GB
dual channel DDR3 2000 (OC)/1600/1333/1066 4 DIMM max 16GB
dual channel DDR3 2000(OC)/1600/1333/1066
Power phase8+2 phase6+2 phase
PCIe x16 slots3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots (dual x16, triple x16 x8 x8)2 dual x16
Multi-GPUCrossFireXCrossFireX
Gigabit LAN11
AudioSupremeFX X-Fi 8-channel HD8-channel HD
Storage2 x USB 3.0
12x USB 2.02 x USB 3.0
12x USB 2.0
Exclusive featuresCore Unlocker
Turbo Unlocker
ROG Connect
Game First
Turbo Key II
TurboV EVO
EPU
MemOK!
CPU Level Up
SupremeFX X-Fi built-inCore Unlocker
Turbo Unlocker
Turbo Key II
TurboV EVO
TurboV
Express Gate
EPU
Stack Cool 3
MemOK!
CPU Level Up

* Core unlocking results may vary with the CPU used.
 
Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Please visit www.asus.com for more details.