If you thought the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 with its 32-phase CPU VRM was over the top, check out the Z77 Wolverine from ASUS. A design concept for the time being, this beast packs 40 (yes, forty) CPU VRM phases. The VRM makes use of compact chokes and driver-MOSFETs, with 20 phases on each side of the PCB. Given that it draws power from just one 8-pin EPS connector, the only idea we see behind this concoction is reducing load per "phase", resulting in lower temperatures per driver-MOSFET, perhaps even letting the motherboard do away with with VRM area heatsinks altogether.

ASUS insists that the CPU VRM of the Z77 Wolverine features Digi+, so we assume it uses the same EPU controller found on several other P8Z77-V series motherboards. The bottom half of the Z77 Wolverine is nearly identical to that of the P8Z77-V Deluxe, including the layout of expansion slots (3x PCIe 3.0 x16, 3x PCIe 2.0 x1). The board's connectivity resembles that of the P8Z77-V Deluxe, too. This include four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, and two eSATA 6 Gb/s ports; eight USB 3.0 ports (6x rear-panel, 2 via header); dual gigabit Ethernet; and 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth module.

The ROG MATRIX 7970 wasn't the only new Republic of Gamers graphics card on display at Computex, it was sitting next to the MARS III. This monstrosity is a dual-GeForce GTX 680 graphics card, it packs two 28 nm GK104 GPUs with clock speeds that match or exceed those of the GeForce GTX 680. ASUS stopped short of revealing the clock speeds. The card draws power from three 8-pin PCI-Express power connectors, next to it is an instant fan-override button that revs up the card's fans to 100%. The card gives out three dual-link DVI display outputs, and is capable of driving 3D Vision Surround using three >1920x1200 pixels displays. Unlike the MATRIX 7970 and countless recent examples of ASUS' ugly fixation with triple-slot cooling solutions, it's a pleasant surprise seeing that the triple-fan cooling solution of the MARS III needs just two expansion card slots. The MARS III will be manufactured in limited quantities, and will probably cost more than a GeForce GTX 690.

ASUS showed off its newest high-end single-GPU graphics card, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Matrix 7970. The card will be ASUS' addition to a new wave of highly-overclocked Radeon HD 7970 graphics cards (we're talking ≥25% factory-OC), by AMD AIB partners, to compete with GeForce GTX 680. ASUS did not disclose the clock speeds the Matrix 7970 ships with, but listed out its exclusive features, such as VGA Hotwire (read and control voltages at a hardware level), TweakIT (hardware voltage-speed control using buttons, one-push fan override), ProbeIT (voltage fan-speed monitoring points), a 20-phase Digi+ VRM with software control using GPUTweak software, and the software itself, which comes with a plethora of tweaking options.

ASUS displayed a nerdtastic motherboard design concept, at Computex. Called the Republic of Gamers ZEUS, ASUS' creation is a socket LGA2011 motherboard with a dual-GPU graphics hardware soldered onto the board, in the place otherwise assigned for expansion slots. The top half of the ZEUS resembles that of a conventional LGA2011 motherboard, with the processor being powered by a 10-phase Digi+ VRM, and eight DDR3 DIMM slots. ASUS somehow made the platform support up to 128 GB of unregistered DIMM DDR3 memory (double the 64 GB limit of the Sandy Bridge-E HEDT platform).

The second half of the motherboard has the X79 PCH, and two PCI-Express 3.0 GPUs in dual-GPU configuration. ASUS hasn't revealed which GPUs these are, but sources predict it's a pair of AMD Radeon HD 7970 (Tahiti XT) or HD 7870 (Pitcairn XT). Each GPU system has its own set of memory, and a set of 8-pin + 6-pin PCIe power connectors. The display outputs of this dual-GPU setup are given out on the rear panel, as two mini-DP + Thunderbolt ports, and one each of HDMI and standard DP. The ZEUS even has as many as 8 SATA 6 Gb/s ports, four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, and 12 USB 3.0 ports, besides two Thunderbolt 10 Gb/s ports. For now, ASUS' monstrosity is a design concept, and the company is undecided about launching it to the market. If nothing, the ZEUS serves as a testament of ASUS' mammoth engineering potential.

ASUS showed of three new design concepts for the otherwise boring-looking thermal armor of the TUF Sabertooth Z77 motherboard. The designs were sourced from the PC enthusiast community. The top design is entitled "Ammo depot," and makes use of props that look like grenades and shells. The next design is entitled "Gears of TUF," and bears a rustic industrial look. The final design concept is called "Desert Warrior," and features a non-digital desert camo design with a few rounds lying on it. For now, these are merely design concepts. ASUS probably found its newest product designer out of the exercise.

The ASUS RT-AC66U router integrates dual-band Gigabit wireless with fifth generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, also known as 5G WiFi, which enables speeds up to three times faster than existing 802.11n. As one of the first routers to achieve this, it tops Gigabit wireless requirements with a combined 2.4 GHz/5 GHz bandwidth of 1.75 Gbps. This massive data rate makes it an excellent high speed router for demanding online applications, coupled with exclusive ASUS AiRadar signal amplification and shaping technology. Easy ASUSWRT setup, multiple SSIDs, and IPv6 support further enhance networking, while strong USB-based capabilities turn the RT-AC66U into a 3G, FTP, DLNA, and printer server for genuine multi-role functionality.

For various reasons, ASUS confined its Z77 Express-based Republic of Gamers (ROG) lineup to just the micro-ATX Maximus V Gene, and although we've got to see its ATX sibling, the Maximus V Formula on several occasions, ASUS didn't officially launch it. According to a new report by VR-Zone, ASUS will be offering two SKUs of the Maximus V Formula. The company is known to offer these tiny sub-variants with its ROG products. Sometimes the differences between such sub-variants are as major as inclusion/exclusion of a component (eg: Crosshair V Formula/ThunderBolt), and as minor as inclusion of a game (eg: Rampage IV Extreme/Battlefield 3). In this case, it's the inclusion/exclusion of a component called ThunderFX, which makes up the two variants.

ThunderFX is a USB sound card and headphones amplifier. Backed by the C-Media CMI6631 chipset, the device could be used for headphones amplification. The CMI6631 has been implemented on several other solutions for console headset noise-cancellation. It is possible that ThunderFX does the same, using an external microphone array. That aside, the motherboard has a headphones amplifier of its own. The motherboard's onboard audio is backed by a TI 6120A2 amplifier, the same kit found on high-end sound cards such as ASUS Xonar Essence ST/STX. Find other fine details about the Maximus V Formula in our previous article.

G.SKILL International Co. Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and superior solid-state storage, has teamed up with ASUS, MSI, EVGA and GIGABYTE and will be hosting an industry-first, "G.SKILL World-Class Overclocking Invitational" with G.SKILL's extreme performance DDR3 memory at the Computex 2012.

G.SKILL invited up to 8 professional overclockers from across the world, including legendary overclockers from the United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Australia and Japan. Collaborating with 4 industry leading motherboard brands, G.SKILL aims to smash all overclocking world records by using ultra high performance motherboards, VGA and the fastest DDR3 memory, the "TridentX".

It is no news that AMD FX likes high clock speeds, even if they come at the expense of energy efficiency and heat. It's only when one such chips crosses 8.80 GHz (8805.64 MHz, to be precise), that it makes headlines. Thai overclocker "ksin" claimed to able drive the chip to its record speed using a base clock speed of 303.29 MHz, and multiplier of 29.0x. A scorching 1.86V core voltage was used. Other components include ASUS Crosshair V Formula motherboard, and 4 GB (2x 2 GB) of ADATA-made memory, clocked at 1417 MHz. Ksin didn't bother providing more details such as method of cooling, and that seems like a reason behind the CPU-Z Validation rejection.

ASUS announced a new retail and OEM channel DVD writer drive, the DRW-24B5ST. Built in the conventional 5.25-inch SATA form-factor, the drive is said to pack energy-efficient components that reduce idle power draw (mounted disc idling, and no disc idling), by 50%. ASUS branded this feature as E-Green. Armed with 1536 KB of cache, the drive offers DVD access times as low as 160 ms, and CD access times as low as 140 ms. It writes DVDs at speeds as high as 24X depending on the media type, and CDs at speeds as high as 48X. It is priced at 2,500 JPY (US $31).

Further demonstrating its market leading innovation, ASUS has announced the launch of its P8Z77-V PREMIUM motherboard - the flagship of the P8Z77 Series and the first Intel certified motherboard in the market to offer the latest Thunderbolt connection interface. The PREMIUM designation has been reserved for only the best motherboards with the latest technologies, and the P8Z77-V PREMIUM maintains this standard. In addition to the onboard Thunderbolt connection on the P8Z77-V PREMIUM, ASUS also offers the same technology on the P8Z77-V PRO/THUNDERBOLT to give consumers a wider range of choices.

"Intel and Asus have worked closely on the implementation of Thunderbolt technology onto Asus motherboards," said Jason Ziller, Intel's Director of Thunderbolt Marketing. "The P8Z77-V PREMIUM is the first Thunderbolt certified motherboard in the industry, a testament to its solid design and compatibility."

The ASUS P8C WS motherboard combines the advantages of several product classes. While mainly a workstation board, it also incorporates server readiness, and can be easily used in high end standard desktop builds.

As a flexible choice for system integrators, its compact design and Intel C216 chipset offer better convenience and compatibility. It is fully Independent Software Vendor certified, and supports Intel Xeon E3-1200/12x5 v2 series processors as well as 2nd and 3rd generation Intel Core i3 processors. The board also works equally well with non-ECC and ECC DDR3 memory. Four USB 3.0 ports cover both the rear I/O and front panel to enhance user-friendly connectivity, while dual Intel Ethernet ports double networking capabilities and reduce CPU workload.

In addition to the UX21A and UX31A models exposed a couple of months ago, the next wave of ASUS Zenbooks is set to include another unit, one called UX32VD which packs an Intel Ivy Bridge (3rd generation Core) processor, an NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M discrete graphics card, and a 13.3-inch IPS screen with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Showcased in Taiwan, this upcoming ultrabook also has up to 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hybrid drive, three USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, and both HDMI and mini DisplayPort outputs. The Zenbook UX32VD will run Windows 7. Its price tag and release date are still unknown.

Alliacense today announced that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has purchased a license for its CORE Flash Portfolio Licensing Program. The agreement resolves the ITC Investigation and District Court lawsuit recently filed against the Korean electronics giant. Samsung joins a rapidly growing list of CORE Flash Portfolio licensees, including Lexmark, ASUStek, Philips and Lenovo.

In order to protect the investments of the CORE Flash licensee community, the successful CORE Flash Licensing Program has been dramatically enhanced with aggressive enforcement activities -- including the filing of two separate waves of patent infringement complaints with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and US District Court against nearly 40 companies in the past 9 months.

ASUS launched a trio of Republic of Gamers TYTAN series gaming desktop models. These include the CG8580, CG8270 and CM6870. The TYTAN CG8580 utilizes ASUS' signature ROG chassis. It is powered by Intel Core i7-3770K quad-core processor overclocked to 4.60 GHz, with ROG Turbo Gear function that handles on-the-fly overclocking. Handling the graphics is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680. Up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, and up to 10 TB of storage are available as options. A Blu-ray ROM + DVD-RW combo drive is part of the package.

Next up is the CG8270, with a refreshing new slanted chassis design. It comes with a variety of Core i5 and Core i7 "Ivy Bridge" processor options. NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 comes standard, higher GeForce GTX models can be opted for. Up to 4 TB of storage, and BDR+DVD-RW combo drive can be opted for. Lastly, there's the CM6870, which is designed to strike a balance between gaming and media creation/consumption. It packs similar hardware loadout as the CM8270, but with a media-optimized chassis that packs a multi-format card reader; and apart from NVIDIA GeForce, AMD Radeon graphics options are available. With the latter two, ASUS-branded monitors, keyboards, and mice can be opted for.

The ASUS GeForce GTX 690 graphics card debuts 28nm dual-GPU performance, presenting the most powerful card of the generation thus far. It enables gaming with superior speed, smoothness, and detail. Due to smarter fabrication, its power demands are relatively modest for energy-conservative operation. This promotes easier quad-SLI setups with paired ASUS GeForce GTX 690s. ASUS continues to offer gamers the best overclocking experience with the exclusive GPU Tweak utility, which goes well together with DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.2, plus technologies such as NVIDIA GPU Boost, advanced anti-aliasing (TXAA/FXAA), and Adaptive Vertical Sync.

TechPowerUp today announced GPU-Z 0.6.1, and with it, a new graphics card giveaway in partnership with PowerColor, in which you could win some of the fastest and coolest Radeon HD 7000 series graphics cards in the industry. Version 0.6.1 of GPU-Z adds support for some new GPUs on the horizon, such as NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, GeForce GTX 670, GeForce GT 640 (desktop), GeForce GT 630, GeForce 605, GeForce GTX 675M (mobile), and GeForce GTX 670M; AMD Radeon HD 7970M (mobile), and Radeon HD 7450 (desktop); Intel HD 4000 and HD 2500 "Ivy Bridge". GPU-Z 0.6.1 improves NVIDIA GPU Boost clock speed detection. A host of other stability and reliability changes were made (refer to the change-log below).

With GPU-Z 0.6.1, TechPowerUp is teaming up with PowerColor to present to you this year's first GPU-Z Giveaway, in which you could win some great graphics hardware. Up for grabs are PowerColor HD 7970 PCS+ Vortex II, PowerColor HD 7870 PCS+ Vortex II, and the yet-unannounced PowerColor HD 7770 PCS+ Vortex II. To participate in the Giveaway, simply run GPU-Z 0.6.1 (main version), click on the "PowerColor Giveaway" tab, and follow the instructions. Entries are open till June 01, 2012; multiple entries may lead to elimination. Good Luck!DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.6.1 | TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.6.1 ASUS ROG Edition

The complete change-log follows.

ASUS today introduces the PA248Q ProArt Series LCD display - a design professional-grade monitor that delivers excellent color fidelity and reproduction along with exclusive productivity features such as four USB 3.0 ports.

Excellent color reproduction from every angle
The ASUS PA248Q is ideal for photography and design professionals and is precision calibrated straight from the factory to deliver superior color fidelity right out of the box. It features a 16:10 aspect ratio, 1920 x 1200 IPS LED-backlit panel for 100% sRGB color reproduction along with a 178° wide view angle to ensure quality visuals and minimal onscreen color shift from almost any viewing position.

ASUS is excited to launch the Republic of Gamers (ROG) G75VW and G55VW notebooks. Featuring Intel 3rd generation Core i7 processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M/670M GPUs with up to 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, up to 16 GB of DDR3 DRAM and support for dual hard drives in RAID 0/1 operation, the new G-Series redefines what is possible in a gaming notebook. The dual-fan intelligent thermal technology ensures the system runs cooler, optional Active shutter glasses with NVIDIA 3D LightBoost technology in 1080P resolution, a built-in subwoofer and ASUS SonicMaster audio capabilities provides a rich and immersive gaming experience.

Intelligent Thermal Design

An abundance of performance is useless without adequate cooling. The new G Series has an intelligent dual thermal system that keeps heat away from the gamer with a unique rear-venting design. The G55VW utilizes a pair of fans to improve thermal efficiency, while the G75VW features dedicated fans for the CPU and GPU, complete with detachable fan filters to increase thermal efficiency.

The ASUS Xtion motion sensor brings consumers the first ever whole-body gesture input developed exclusively for PC. It employs sophisticated sensors for precise yet intuitive motion controls, with a user-friendly interface that enables fun and truly interactive gaming, multimedia, and online experiences. Several high profile games offer full Xtion support, with more being added. The dedicated Xtion Store further contains a variety of exclusive games and applications, plus consumers receive a free three-game bundle with their purchase.

Xtion works with any PC via USB, making it readily accessible to all desktop, notebook, and ultrabook users. With the focus being on a completely intuitive experience, Xtion supports easy push, wave, and tap gestures to allow for quick access to motion-based games as well as movies, multimedia collections, photo galleries, and web browsers. The simplicity of Xtion usage makes it a fun and convenient interface for all age groups, with easy navigation and large on-screen icons for added clarity.

ASUS is working on two new value P8Z77-V series socket LGA1155 motherboards based on the Intel Z77 Express chipset. These are the P8Z77-V LK and P8Z77-V LX. The two are designed to occupy price-points well under US $150. The P8Z77-V LK is the costlier of the two, featuring three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4), 6-phase CPU VRM, six USB 3.0 ports, two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s internal ports; and display outputs that include DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

The P8Z77-V LX is probably ASUS' cheapest Z77 motherboard, with the same 6-phase CPU VRM, but a single PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot wired to the CPU, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4) wired to the Z77 PCH, three PCI, two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, all internal ports wired to the PCH (2x SATA 6 Gb/s, 4x SATA 3 Gb/s), and a slightly slimmer connectivity loadout that includes 6-channel HD audio, four USB 3.0 ports (2x rear, 2x front-panel, all from PCH), and display outputs that include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI.

NVIDIA today announced the GeForce GTX 690, the world's fastest consumer graphics card -- with a bold industrial design to match. Powered by dual Kepler architecture-based GeForce GPUs, the GTX 690 is meticulously designed -- inside and out -- to deliver the most refined, elegant and smooth PC gaming experience possible.

The surprise announcement was made by NVIDIA CEO and co-founder Jen-Hsun Huang during his keynote address at the NVIDIA Game Festival in Shanghai, which is being attended by more than 6,000 gamers from across China.

To an interview with Anandtech, ASUSTek USA representative JJ carried with him a sackful of new Z77 Express-based motherboards. One of these caught keen eyes at VR-Zone, which attempted to describe what it saw. Called the P8Z77-V Premium, this motherboard is poised to go a notch above the already launched P8Z77-V Deluxe, in terms of features. The new P8Z77-V Premium is a crossover between the Deluxe and WS (Workstation) models, in that it features no less than four PCI-Express x16 slots in its all-PCIe slot loadout. The electrical configuration of these four slots is hard to guess, but there is a tiny PLX bridge chip that adds a few PCIe 2.0 lanes to the board's PCIe budget, to wire out onboard controllers.

Speaking of onboard connectivity, apart from eight angled internal SATA ports, there clearly is an mSATA slot, which is populated by an SSD. Perhaps an SSD that's fit for Rapid Storage and Rapid Start technologies is a standard accessory with the P8Z77-V Premium. Just below the WLAN b/g/n + Bluetooth add-on card, one could spy a mini-DisplayPort. It's highly likely that the port is wired to a Thunderbolt controller apart from Intel Flexible Display Interface. The rest of the rear panel could be similar to that of the P8Z77-V Deluxe. The P8Z77-V Premium could command a price-point over US $300, the source postulates.

ASUS continues its industry lead in performance, superior design, quality and ease of use with its latest Intel Z77 chipset based motherboards. ASUS is excited to announce our Z77 line of motherboards has reached new performance heights. These include reaching the 7 GHz clock speed threshold on the ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE motherboard, as well as five new world records on the ROG Maximus V GENE, with more to come. These new records all showcase the benefits of ASUS' superior engineering and design, use of the finest materials and components, and industry leading user-friendly DIY features.

Achieving 7 GHz and beyond on the P877V-DELUXE

ASUS' internal overclocking group and performance team are excited to reach a 7 GHz CPU clock frequency on the P8Z77-V DELUXE, using a 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3770K processor with 16 GB of DDR3 clocked at 2800 MHz. Employing LN2 cooling, they were able to push the new processor to the limit and beyond, demonstrating the performance tuning abilities of ASUS Z77-based motherboards. The milestone also establishes that channel boards from ASUS are capable of very impressive overclocking feats thanks to their class leading Digi+ VRM power and control design. In addition our close cooperation with the enthusiast community has resulted in the P8Z77-V DELUXE easily exceeding 3GHz memory frequencies with all four DIMMS populated thanks to optimized trace layouts and superior UEFI tuning options.

Announced at Mobile World Congress in February, the new ASUS Transformer Pad is a powerful, yet affordable, tablet with a host of features onboard. Available in three stylish colors, the ASUS Transformer Pad is aptly named thanks to the mobile dock that allows it to transform from a tablet into a notebook. When docked, total battery life is rated up to 15 hours, while also increasing productivity with a full QWERTY keyboard, multi-touch touchpad and USB/SD Card ports.

Housed in the Transformer Pad is a powerful NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core CPU, ASUS SonicMaster technology for an incredible audio experience and an 8MP auto-focus camera that shoots crystal clear photos. The Transformer Pad is running the Android 4.0 operating system (Ice Cream Sandwich) that is upgradable and features exclusive software for added productivity.