ASUS today announced new versions of the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and the Dual GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards that now feature GDDR6X memory for greater performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has been an excellent sweet spot between price and performance for the past generation of graphics cards, and it has now been improved. The GDDR6X memory further boosts the capabilities of the 3060 Ti and expands the options available to the discerning PC DIY builder. ASUS is also updating the GeForce RTX 3060 with a new model featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM to add even more possibilities for upgrading and assembling.

The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB GDDR6X features the same triple Axial Tech fan design, solid aluminium backplate, and 2.7-slot form factor as its predecessor, as well as support for NVIDIA G-SYNC and GPU Tweak III. Supplementing that rock-solid foundation is the introduction of GDDR6X ultra-high-speed and error-correcting VRAM, setting up the GPU to deliver more frames per second than the previous iteration. A factory-overclocked version is also available, tuned in-house to make sure users get the absolute best performance right out of the box.

The most expensive custom-design NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 will be priced at $1,550, putting it just $50 short of the $1,600 baseline MSRP of the much faster RTX 4090, according to a pricing leak of custom-design cards on popular PC components retailer MicroCenter. The most interesting takeaway from this leak is that there will actually be RTX 4080 cards at the NVIDIA-set baseline MSRP of $1,200. These include the GIGABYTE Eagle, ZOTAC Trinity, ASUS TUF Gaming, and PNY XLR8 Verto. NVIDIA appears to be telling its partners to sell at least one custom-design RTX 4080 SKU at the baseline price.

Most factory-overclocked custom-design RTX 4080 SKUs are within $125 of the $1,200 baseline, with the GIGABYTE Eagle OC priced at $1,240, GIGABYTE Gaming OC at $1,280, MSI Ventus 3X OC at $1,280, and the premium MSI Gaming X Trio at $1,325. The top-tier custom-design cards start here, with the GIGABYTE AORUS Master priced at $1,350, the MSI SUPRIM X (air-cooled) at $1,400, the ZOTAC AMP Extreme AIRO at $1,400, ASUS TUF Gaming OC at $1,500; and the ASUS ROG Strix OC at $1,550, which is just $50 short of the cheapest RTX 4090 (baseline-spec). Will anyone pick the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4080 O16G over the cheapest RTX 4090 (assuming availability of both)? That's a social experiment to watch out for.

ASUS introduced the TUF Gaming GT502, a dual-chambered case for building the ideal "tough" looking battlestation. The case features a vertically-partitioned layout, with the larger left chamber housing the motherboard tray; and the right one with PSU- and drive bays. The left-side and front panels feature tempered glass surfaces, while the partition and top feature vents that let you mount radiators. The case measures 285 mm x 450 mm x 446 mm (WxDxH), and is made of steel. Front-panel connectivity includes two USB 3.x type-A, a USB 3.2 type-C, and a headset jack.

The main chamber has room for graphics cards up to 40 cm in length, and CPU coolers up to 16.3 cm in height. There are 8 conventional, and 3 vertical expansion slots (riser not included), with the latter possible by rotating the expansion slot layout. Ventilation options include either 3x 120 mm or 2x 140 mm top vents; 3x 120 mm bottom vents, 3x 120 mm vents along the partition that vent through the right-side panel, and a 120 mm rear vent. You can mount a 360 mm or 280 mm radiator along the top, and 360 mm radiators along the bottom and side panels. There are four 3.5/2.5-inch drive mounts along the partition. The company didn't reveal pricing.

TEAMGROUP today announced the worldwide release of the T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 DESKTOP MEMORY and T-FORCE CARDEA Z440 TUF Gaming Alliance PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD at the end of this month. The first batch will be available on the North American Amazon store. Created in collaboration with ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance, the two products combine military gaming style and top-notch performance. The addition of the co-branded series to the hardcore gaming alliance means higher quality products and more pleasing, cohesive setups for the gaming enthusiast market.

The T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 DESKTOP MEMORY is the first ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance certified and rigorously tested DDR5 RGB gaming overclocking memory. The design merges stealth fighter-inspired aesthetics with TUF Gaming Alliance's unique gaming elements to create a distinctive look that features an ultra-wide 120° angle heatspreader and striking RGB lighting. It supports ASUS Aura Sync lighting control software, allowing gamers to adjust its RGB effects however they like to create custom and eye-catching gaming rigs. The product's first release will have speeds of 5,200 MHz and come in a 2x 16 GB dual-channel kit.

AMD this CES announced the Radeon RX 6500 XT graphics card, its product to debut on the TSMC-N6 (6 nm) silicon fabrication process. Armed with just 4 GB of memory, the card is launched with an SEP of $199, although its real-world pricing tells a different story, according to retail prices leaked of two upcoming ASUS-branded custom-design RX 6500 XT cards.

The ASUS TUF Gaming RX 6500 XT is priced around 340€ including taxes, while the DUAL RX 6500 XT goes for 299€; a far-cry from the roughly 220€ pricing. The RX 6500 XT is purported as an entry-mid category product, designed for 1080p AAA gaming with Fidelity FX Super Resolution unlocking some more eye-candy. It is based on the same RDNA2 graphics architecture as the rest of the RX 6000 series.

It looks like GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is indeed the name of the maxed out "Ampere" GA102 silicon, and NVIDIA did not go with "RTX 3090 SUPER" for its naming. A picture emerged of an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics card that confirms the naming. The board design of the card looks similar to the RTX 3090 TUF Gaming, except that the Axial-Tech fans have changed, with more blades on the impellers.

The GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is expected to max out the GA102 silicon, featuring all 10,752 CUDA cores, 84 RT cores, and 336 Tensor cores, physically present on the silicon. The memory size is unchanged over the RTX 3090, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. What's new is that NVIDIA is reportedly using faster 21 Gbps-rated memory chips, compared to 19.5 Gbps on the RTX 3090. The typical board power is rated at 450 W, compared to 350 W on the RTX 3090. NVIDIA is expected to announce this card at its January 4 press event along the sidelines of the 2022 International CES.

T-FORCE, TEAMGROUP's gaming sub-brand, today announced the launch of the T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory in collaboration with ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance, the industry's first co-branded DDR5 gaming memory. Samples have been sent to TUF Gaming for testing with future DDR5 motherboards to ensure optimal compatibility and reliability. The T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory is set to create another splash for its speed and style that combines TUF Gaming's signature military aesthetics and T-FORCE's unique gaming elements.

The T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory maintains the RGB lighting along the top edges and its geometric wide-angled contour. With the addition of stealth fighter design elements to enhance the overall look, this new version is more striking than ever before. TEAMGROUP, in collaboration with TUF Gaming Alliance, gave the heatspreader a special camouflage pattern that showcases the unique gaming style of the TUF co-branding, which is sure to be a hit among fans of TUF. The dazzling RGB effects of the T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory can be synchronized using ASUS Aura software, allowing gamers to easily create their own lighting setup. In terms of specifications, the memory clocks in at an impressive 6000 MHz and comes in a 2X16GB dual-channel memory kit. This memory will satisfy gamers looking for the latest-gen hardware and give them a whole new feeling of extreme speed.

So you finally fork out four-figures for a performance-segment graphics card that had a $350 predecessor a couple of generations ago, and what do you find? Misaligned thermal pads, poorly installed cooling, and other build quality flaws. Reddit and other social media platforms show a noticeable increase in people with fairly premium graphics cards that have manufacturing defects that can lower the product life. One such user, kamaloo92, posted pictures of an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC with a missing block of thermal pads over a row of memory chips. GDDR6X chips are capable of heating in the high-90s Celsius, and a poorly cooled block of memory can cause artifacting in the long run. This, from a company that prides itself in its manufacturing standards.

Another horror story comes from obamaprism3, who posted pictures of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition with a poorly installed memory thermal pad that was so placed so far off, that it overlapped with the cooler's main base, posing severe risk of overheating and performance loss to the GPU. Staying with Founders Edition, a user named antonyjeweet discovered a worker's finger cot stuck under a memory thermal pad of their insanely expensive RTX 3090 Founders Edition card. Recently, we did the story of a PowerColor RX 6700 XT with protective film over thermal pads still in place.

ASUS today via its TUF Gaming brand introduced the VG32AQL1A monitor, which is sure to tick a lot of boxes for many people looking for a gaming monitor. The 32" diagonal may put some off due to the typical distance users sit away from the monitor. The 2560 x 1440 Fast IPS panel features a 1 ms response time and 170 Hz refresh rate - as well as support for FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA's G-Sync Compatible program. In addition to the fast response time and refresh rates, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG32AQL1A also features ELMB sync (for black frame insertion and motion blur reduction) as well as a smart, "variable overdrive" setting that dynamically changes monitor overdrive values according to the current frame rate so as to further reduce motion blur.

Typical brightness is set at a standard 300 cd/m², with peak brightness achieving the 400 cd/m² that enables this monitor to boast of VESA's Display HDR 400 certification. Contrast ratio is 1,000:1, and color coverage stands at 99% of the DCI-P3 standard. I/O is ensured by 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, 1x earphone jack, and 2x 2 W stereo speakers. Usability is improved by the stand's support for -5 to 20 ° tilt, -10 to 10 ° swivel, and 0 to 90 mm height adjustments. No pricing information was available at time of writing.