Wednesday, June 17th 2009

ASUS Prepares Custom R.O.G. Mars 285 Monster Video Card

Here's a good example of what can be born in times of recession. ASUSTeK is planning on asking $1700 for its latest ASUS R.O.G. (Republic of Gamers) Mars limited edition graphics card. Well the card is an eye catcher for sure, but it's up to you to decide if it's worth the cash after all. On paper specs look almost too good to be true, the card will carry two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 (G200b) GPUs on a single PCB. Each main graphics proccessor will be complemented by 2 GB DDR3 memory for a total of 4 gigs working at 2484MHz with 512-bit memory bus width. Each of the graphics processors will operate at 648 MHz with 480 stream processors, meaning that R.O.G. Mars will be as fast at two GeForce GTX 285 graphics boards in SLI mode and faster compared to a standard NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 graphics solution. ASUSTeK engineer estimate that the card will offer 23% higher performance compared to the reference NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295. The ASUS R.O.G. Mars limited can also be paired in SLI, for a total of four GeForce GTX 285 graphics cores and whooping 8 GB video memory on a single desktop system. There will be only one thousand of ASUS ROG Mars graphics boards ever built, each will be marked with its own unique number. English Scan.co.uk is now taking pre-orders of the card for £1030.98, which is approximately $1700 or €1222.
Source: X-bit labs
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57 Comments on ASUS Prepares Custom R.O.G. Mars 285 Monster Video Card

#1
MRCL
Hmmm... should I buy a new car... or two 285 MARS... hmmm tough.

Okay Asus, the 295 is cool, limited, and the fastest piece on earth. But erm, this? What the Hell?
Posted on Reply
#2
r1rhyder
There is no end to nvidias stupidity
Posted on Reply
#3
wolf
Better Than Native
ASUS Prepares Custom R.O.G. Mars 285 Monster Video Card
still a GTX295 yes?
r1rhyderThere is no end to nvidias stupidity
this card has very little to do with nvidia at all, yes it uses nvidia GPU's but it is entirely custom made bu Asus, indeed against Nvidia's wishes.
Posted on Reply
#4
mister_stu
malwareASUSTeK engineer estimate that the card will offer 23% higher performance compared to the reference NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295.
for that much money i think you deserve more than an "estimate" id want a guarantee with a certificate wrote in gold ink :laugh:
Posted on Reply
#5
AsRock
TPU addict
Holly crap.. best part is they will sell lol.. but IMO they can stick them right were the sun don't shine.
Posted on Reply
#6
[I.R.A]_FBi
r1rhyderThere is no end to nvidias anus's stupidity
werd
Posted on Reply
#7
h3llb3nd4
w000!
who wants a big e-peni5?:rockout:
Posted on Reply
#8
afw
the price is i complete joke ..... u can easily but 2x 295s ... and quad-SLI .... :mad:
Posted on Reply
#9
r9
Pff recession. But there gonna be at the time when they would sell out all thousand of it.
Posted on Reply
#10
kid41212003
There are more than 1000 people on earth who can afford to buy these cards. So I don't think Asus is stupid at all.
Posted on Reply
#11
MRCL
kid41212003There are more than 1000 people on earth who can afford to buy these cards. So I don't think Asus is stupid at all.
You know I could afford several, but Hell I have better things to buy/pay with my money.
Posted on Reply
#12
r1rhyder
wolfstill a GTX295 yes?



this card has very little to do with nvidia at all, yes it uses nvidia GPU's but it is entirely custom made bu Asus, indeed against Nvidia's wishes.
Thanks, i'm tired. Wasn't reading clearly.
Posted on Reply
#13
ITman
Is this all a marketing ploy for ROG brand recognition? If they had any profit on each card then why release only a 1000? I wonder if they are break-even or are even loosing money on each one sold...
Posted on Reply
#14
kid41212003
MRCLYou know I could afford several, but Hell I have better things to buy/pay with my money.
I believe if I could afford and don't have to worry about other bills, then I would buy 2 (two).

Why wouldn't I? 2x200b and 2x2GB memory is kicknut.
Posted on Reply
#15
MRCL
kid41212003I believe if I could afford and don't have to worry about other bills, then I would buy 2 (two).

Why wouldn't I? 2x200b and 2x2GB memory is kicknut.
No one denies that this card is a cold blooded Hell machine from Heaven.
If you put aside the fact that its a collectors edition, it is far too expensive.
Of course I would buy it if I had tons of money, but as a normal citizen, I could afford it, but reason holds me back.
Posted on Reply
#16
mdm-adph
Well, it's a neat proof-of-concept, but it's still way, way too much money.

Though, I have a feeling every one of them will be bought up by overclockers, especially if it means you can effectively run 4 GTX 285's in SLI, which you can't do normally.
Posted on Reply
#17
toyo
Yeah, you could go and feed some small african state with this kinda $
Posted on Reply
#18
tastegw
a few weeks/months after you open your asus mars 285, you realize that the new gt300's are about to hit the shelf they they will pack more power than your little mars 285,....for a quarter of the price.

(all speculation btw)
Posted on Reply
#19
BOSE
This was posted few weeks ago.
Posted on Reply
#20
PCpraiser100
Now the question is who is gonna hook two up on a rig?
Posted on Reply
#21
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
wolfstill a GTX295 yes?

this card has very little to do with nvidia at all, yes it uses nvidia GPU's but it is entirely custom made bu Asus, indeed against Nvidia's wishes.
GTX295 is two GTX275's. this is two GTX285's.
r1rhyderThere is no end to nvidias stupidity
pity the foo who lets asus sell their stuff, and design custom versions.
afwthe price is i complete joke ..... u can easily but 2x 295s ... and quad-fire .... :mad:
quad fire? crossfire on nvidia? what alternate reality have i walked into?
Posted on Reply
#22
afw
Musselsquad fire? crossfire on nvidia? what alternate reality have i walked into?
Sorry I wanted to mention quad-SLI ... :roll: ... da price made my tongue slip .... or rather ma fingers :roll:
Posted on Reply
#24
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
stefanelsA complete waste of money...
naw. two of them running a small screen like these


I'm sure someone, somewhere will find a use for these cards. F@H? 3D rendering? bludgeoning seals?
Posted on Reply
#25
mdm-adph
afwthe price is i complete joke ..... u can easily but 2x 295s ... and quad-SLI .... :mad:
Quad-SLI only works on cards that have been "united" like the GTX 295. One of these cards will probably be a fair bit faster than a GTX 295.
Posted on Reply
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