ASUS announced its GeForce GTX 680 graphics card. The GTX680-2GD5 from ASUS, sticks to NVIDIA reference design, augmented with its own sticker design, which nice and minimalist. ASUS mentions 1058 MHz as its engine clock (unclear if it's base or engine), with 6.00 GHz memory clock. Its package include GPU Tweak software, though we're not sure if VoltageTweak is possible, since NVIDIA changed the voltage controller's software interface. ASUS GeForce GTX 680 is priced at US $499.

ASUS has now officially announced the European release of its latest K-Series laptop, the 18.4-inch K93SM. This new model weights 4.1 kg, and features an LED-backlit Full HD (1920 x 1080) display, a chiclet keyboard, a Core i5-2450M or i7-2670QM processor, up to 8 GB of RAM, a GeForce GT 630M 1 GB graphics card, and a 500 GB or 1 TB hard drive.

ASUS' laptop also boasts an 8x DVD writer or 6x Blu-ray combo drive, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a 3-in-1 card reader, one USB 3.0 port, a 6-cell (5200 mAh) battery, and makes use of the IceCool technology to ensure the palm rest stays cool and comfortable.

The K93SM runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit and goes from 849 Euro to 1,149 Euro, depending on configuration.

Futuremark, the world leader in performance benchmarking software, today released the first benchmark results for the new iPad using Peacekeeper, its free to use browser speed test. While web pages may look sharper on the new iPad's improved display, the benchmark results show that the browsing performance of the new iPad is the same as the iPad 2, suggesting that the computational processing power in both devices is near identical. http://peacekeeper.futuremark.com/results?key=stats

Peacekeeper is an HTML5 based browser performance test that can be used to measure and compare the performance of any browser on any Internet capable device, from desktops and notebooks, to tablets and smartphones. What's more, as a device's browser performance is strongly linked to the power of its CPU, Peacekeeper offers a straightforward way to compare the performance of competing devices regardless of differences in operating system.

ASUS has launched the Eee PC 1025 Flare Series, an Intel Atom Cedar Trail-powered netbook with a brand new design. The latest Intel Atom dual-core processor offers four times the graphical performance compared to the previous generation, while consuming less battery.

The Eee PC 1025 comes equipped with the exclusive ASUS Super Hybrid Engine II with Instant On technology, which enables 2-second resumption from sleep mode and up to twenty-one days of standby time. Full HD 1080p video playback on HDTVs comes by way of the HDMI output port and the Eee PC 1025 provides Blu-ray 2.0 support as well. Connectivity is a breeze too with the built-in USB 3.0, DLNA, and Wi-Fi Direct.

Last week, a Dutch store solicited pre-orders of ZOTAC GeForce GTX 680 for a brief period, before redacting the sale page. It was priced at 507.18€ (incl. taxes). US retailer Bottom Line Telecommunications, listed ASUS GeForce GTX 680 on its online store (shopBLT). Carrying the part number GTX680-2GD5, this card is priced at US $566.75. The part that makes this a pre-order is that the sale page mentions that "You may order this product regardless of availability," it would be shipped as soon as it's available (after it's launched, of course). The page doesn't tell us anything about the GTX 680 that we don't already know.Find the listing here.

NVIDIA's big GeForce GTX 680 launch is just around the corner, but performance figures are already trickling in. Last week, we were treated to a wide range of benchmarks covering a single GeForce GTX 680. Today, VR-Zone posted a performance-preview of the GeForce GTX 680 in 2-way SLI configuration. A set of two GTX 680 cards were put through 3DMark 11 in Entry, Performance, and eXtreme presets. It should be noted here, that the GTX 680 cards were clocked at 1150 MHz core, and 1803 MHz (7.20 GHz effective) memory.

In the Entry preset, GTX 680 2-way SLI scored E22878; it scored P16860 in Performance preset; and X6243 in eXtreme. 2-way SLI of GTX 680 should be fit for 2560x1440/1600 resolution gaming. The rest of the test-bench consisted of Intel Core i7-3930K six-core processor clocked at 5.00 GHz, with 16 GB of quad-channel DDR3-2133 MHz memory, and ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme motherboard.

Towards the end of 2012, Intel will alter Thunderbolt specification from a copper wire-based interconnect to a fiber-optic or photonic interconnect. An analysis by DigiTimes which takes into account information by industry sources, states that Thunderbolt will become standard for PCs only in 2013, and that too the optical one. This comes even as copper wire-based Thunderbolt is beginning to feature on some high-end socket LGA1155 motherboards based on Intel 7-series chipset.

Thunderbolt will get its big push in 2013, when the port will be standard on mainstream desktops and notebooks by OEM majors such as Lenovo, and several PC motherboard vendors, such as ASUS. The optical Thunderbolt IO, apart from allowing greater cable-lengths than 6 m (a limitation of copper-wire Thunderbolt), could push bandwidth greater than 10 Gbps, as a possible incentive for the industry to facilitate the transition to the optical variant.

In addition to bringing the UX21A and UX31A, the upcoming Zenbook series update is set to see the arrival of two more ultrabooks, the UX32A and UX32Vd. Set to cost between $800 and $1,100, these 'budget-minded' ultrabooks are 18.3 mm thick, they weight 1.45 kg, and feature a 13.3-inch (HD or optionally, Full HD IPS), display, 2/4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive backed by a 24 GB SSD (for some caching fun), and a low-voltage Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge (1.8 GHz Core i3-3217U, 2.4 GHz Core i5-3317U or 2.8 GHz Core i7-3517U) processor.

The UX32A comes with integrated graphics, while the UX32Vd will come equipped with a GeForce GT620M 1 GB card. Both models will have WiFi, Bluetooth, optional WiDi, and offer up to seven hours of battery life.

As soon as Intel rolls out its Ivy Bridge mobile processors ASUS' ultrabook offering will be updated through the release of two Zenbooks, the 11.6-inch UX21A and the 13.3-inch UX31A. Design-wise, these upcoming models are expected to resemble their predecessors (the UX21 and UX31) but they'll feature more juicy specs like (optional) Full HD IPS screens (the UX21A will have a 1366 x 768 display by default, whereas the 'base' UX31A comes with a 1600 x 900 panel), and one of three Ivy Bridge CPUs - the 1.8 GHz Core i3-3217U, 2.4 GHz Core i5-3317U or 2.8 GHz Core i7-3517U, with a 17 W TDP.

Yet another Cedar Trail-powered Eee PC is ready to reach stores and it comes in a multitude of colors including black, white, grey, brown, pink, red, blue and purple. Dubbed Eee PC R052CE, ASUS' new netbook measures 262 x 178 x 20.7 ~ 34.4 mm, it weights 1.25 kg, and features a 10.1-inch display, a 1.86 GHz Atom N2800 processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 320 GB HDD, a 0.3-megapixel webcam, an SD card reader, an HDMI output, and a 6-cell (5,200 mAh) battery providing up to 12 hours of operation).

The Eee PC R052CE runs Windows 7 Starter (it also comes with the Express Gate instant-on OS) and is available for pre-order at 329 Euro or 339 Euro (depending on the color choice).

At this year's CeBIT ASUS is showcasing the world's first monitor with a built-in 4-port USB 3.0 hub, the PA248Q. Part of the ProArt Series, this SuperSpeed USB-enhanced display makes use of a 24-inch IPS panel, and has LED backlighting, 178/178 degree viewing angles, a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, a 6 ms response time, and a maximum brightness of 400 cd/m2.

The PA248Q also boasts D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, the QuickFit Virtual Scale feature, and a stand allowing for height, swivel, tilt and pivot adjusting. A pre-order listing has the monitor at about $594.

ASUS made its workstation-grade Z9PE-D8 WS motherboard official. The board is built for 2P Xeon E5-2600 series processors in the LGA2011 package, is based on the Intel C606 "Patsburg" chipset, and is built in the 30.5 x 33 cm EEB form-factor. Each of the two sockets is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting quad-channel memory, each. Up to 256 GB of registered DDR3 memory is supported.

Expansion slots include four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (blue), two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical x8, top two black), and one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, bottommost black). 4-way SLI and CrossFireX are supported. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s (two from the PCH, four from two Marvell 9230 chips), and eight SATA 3 Gb/s (all from the PCH). An ASPEED ASMB6 provides basic display and iKVM functions. Realtek ALC898 provides 8-channel HD audio. There are two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, driven by Intel 82574L chips. The Z9PE-D8 WS from ASUS is priced around US $630.

ASUS Zenbook is perhaps the closest the Ultrabook has gone to Apple's MacBook Air in terms of features and aesthetics. Its makers are saving its successor for the Computex spotlight. It is reported that the second-generation Zenbook will be driven by Intel "Ivy Bridge" Core processor, its compatible 7-series platform, and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M discrete graphics. It will feature NVIDIA Optimus technology that marshals graphics loads between the discrete GPU and Intel HD 4000 graphics, to minimize power draw when on light graphics loads.

With its latest P8Z77, ROG Maximus V, and Sabertooth Z77 motherboard lines, ASUS became the first PC motherboard vendor to implement UASP - USB-attached SCSI Protocol. UASP changes the way the computer and connected USB devices talk to each other. It ensures more efficient utilization of bus bandwidth (5 Gb/s), resulting in higher bandwidth yield to connected devices. UASP allows connected devices to exchange multiple commands at once, reducing protocol overhead. UASP is implemented on ASUS motherboards using third-party controllers that support it. So far we know the likes of VLI to have such host controllers. In addition to these, ASUS motherboards also provide USB 3.0 ports wired to Intel PCH chipsets.

ASUS unveiled a new mini-ITX motherboard based on the Intel Z77 chipset, supporting LGA1155 processors, the P8Z77-I Deluxe. Despite is ultra-compact form the designers crammed in as many features as possible, including a powerful 10-phase Digi+ VRM. ASUS found an ingenious way of designing the VRM area, by raising it to a (fixed?) add-on card north of the CPU socket. This VRM riser has the electrical controller, the 10-phase VRM, complete with chokes, drivers, and FETs, and a MOSFET heatsink. This board is one of the few of its form-factor that draws power from an 8-pin EPS, apart from the 24-pin ATX.

The LGA1155 socket is wired to two full-length DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. There are four SATA ports on board, two each of SATA 6 Gb/s and 3 Gb/s. Connectivity includes 6-channel HD audio with 7.1 channel optical SPDIF output, four USB 3.0 ports (two front, two rear), gigabit Ethernet, wireless b/g/n network controller, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. The board features UEFI BIOS, and USB BIOS Flashback. Expect the ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe to launch in April. More variants, based on this exact design, can be expected.

Following on the footsteps of its sibling, the 1025C, ASUS' Eee PC X101CH netbooks has also made it into stores and is currently available in the US for $279.99. For this price you get an Eee PC with a Seashell design that features a Matte Black coating, a 1.6 GHz Atom N2600 dual-core processor, a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display, 1 GB of DDR3 memory, and a 320 GB (5400 RPM) hard drive.

The Eee PC X101CH also comes with a 0.3-megapixel webcam, a micro SD card slot, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, two USB 2.0 ports, and a 3-cell battery allowing up to 4.5 hours of operation per charge. The netbook can be found on sale here.

ASUS hasn't completely ditched the "Thermal Armour" concept it introduced with the TUF Sabertooth P67, which we thought it did away, with the Sabertooth X79. The newest member in the series, the Sabertooth Z77, still very much features it. Thermal Armour is ASUS' idea of blanketing most of the motherboard's component area with a perforated sheet that directs air-flow, and also lends it an aesthetic touch (depending on your taste, you may love it, or hate it).

We spy four DDR3-DIMM slots (with matching Corsair Vengeance modules, not included), and an all-PCIe expansion slot layout, with two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, one PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4), and three PCIe x1. There are two additional SATA 6 Gb/s ports augmented to the ones provided by the Z77 PCH. Display connectivity looks to include DVI and HDMI. 8-channel HD audio, GbE, about 6 USB 3.0 ports, and a number of USB 2.0 ports, complete the package. The board supports ASUS' BIOS Flashback feature. ASUS TUF Sabertooth motherboards are designed to be rock-stable and durable enough to be certified by stress-testing agencies for it.

Perhaps the most exciting micro-ATX motherboard based on Intel 7-series chipset, supporting "Ivy Bridge" Core processors, is the ROG Maximus V Gene, from ASUS. This board gives you nearly all the connectivity of larger ATX motherboards, by making use of what little PCB real-estate it has. The board uses a 12-phase VRM to power the LGA1155 CPU, just like the Maximus V Formula. The CPU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots. Expansion slots include two PCI-E 3.0 x16 (x8/x8 with both populated), and one open-ended PCI-E 2.0 x4. Connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, four SATA 3 Gb/s internal ports, six USB 3.0 ports (four rear, two front), SupremeFX III audio with ground-layer isolation from the rest of the motherboard, and a mini-PCIe riser card that packs a dual-band wireless networking adapter. Expect this board to be out in April.

ASUS unveiled the Republic of Gamers Maximus V Formula motherboard, at CeBIT. Its latest bad boy is based on Intel Z77 chipset, and supports "Ivy Bridge" and "Sandy Bridge" Core processors in the LGA1155 package. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 12-phase Digi+ VRM, which takes power from one 8-pin EPS, and one 4-pin ATX, apart from the 24-pin ATX, and an optional 4-pin Molex. The VRM area of this motherboard is cooled by a heatsink that is embedded with a liquid-cooling channel that lets you plug it to your water-cooling loop. With the Ivy Bridge platform motherboards, it's really just the CPU and CPU VRM that need liquid cooling for extreme overclocking, since the Z77 PCH is just a glorified southbridge that doesn't get hot enough to break your OC.

The CPU is wired to four DDR3-DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-2600+ (by OC). Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), one open-ended PCI-Express 2.0 x4 (wired to the PCH), one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, also wired to the PCH), and three PCI-Express 2.0 x1. ASUS deployed a PLX PCIe 2.0 bridge chip to create more PCIe lanes for onboard devices. The board features ThunderFX audio, which consists of high-grade DAC and AMP circuitry that's ground-isolated from the rest of the motherboard. On the connectivity side, there's gigabit Ethernet and a dual-band WiFi module. Several ROG-exclusive features can also be found.

ASUS is readying five new Eee PC netbooks for launch at CeBIT, these include the Eee PC X101CH, Eee PC 1011CX, two variants of the Eee PC 1015BX, and the Eee PC 1025C. The X101CH and 1011CX are driven by Intel Atom N2600 processor, the 1025C by Atom N2800, while the 1015BX has two variants, driven by AMD Vision C50 or C60 APUs. All of these are 10.1-inchers. Also common between these models are 1 GB RAM, 320 GB storage, and Windows 7 Starter Edition operating system. The five Eee PCs also feature ASUS Express Gate, a lean web-oriented operating system. In related news, ASUS is also working on 11.6-inch Eee PC 1225B/C, which feature larger screens, with 1366x768 pixels resolution.

With launch of Intel's 7-series chipset a little over a month away, there's hectic activity in the PC motherboard industry, a section of which is wooing the PC enthusiast community. Among this, is ASUS, which has its Republic of Gamers Maximus V series of motherboards ready. In all likelihood, these motherboards are based on Intel's Z77 chipset, and could include three variants, Extreme, Formula, and Gene (micro-ATX). Full pictures, and previews of these motherboards are lined up for a little later this week.

The ASUS DSL-N55U utilizes a powerful tri-antenna, dual-CPU design that offers the complete benefit of ADSL modem and router features in one streamlined and easy to use device. It supports simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz transmission at up to 600 Mbps, making it an ideal choice for power users, gamers, and consumers who stream HD media regularly. Quick and simple installation gets users online complication-free, while two USB ports afford multi-role usability as a file, media, and printer server.

ASUS kicked off its Radeon HD 7800 series with two non-reference design implementations, DirectCu II TOP, at that. Both the ASUS Radeon HD 7870 and Radeon HD 7850 DirectCu II TOP use a 2-slot variant of ASUS' coveted dual-fan cooler, and based on what appear to look like a non-reference design PCBs. The DirectCu II cooler consists of a combination of a heatsink and an aluminum fin array, to which heat is conveyed by copper heat-pipes that make direct contact with the GPU die. The cooler makes use of two large fans to ventilate the heatsink. As TOP models, the two should feature 5-10% factory OC, out of the box. There's no word on the pricing.

One of the three Cedar Trail-based netbooks announced by ASUS in January, the 10.1-inch Eee PC 1025C, can now be found on Amazon on pre-order in two color versions, black and white. Priced at $299.99, the netbook measures 10.3 x 7.0 x 0.815 ~ 1.35 inches and features an LED-backlit (1024 x 600) display, a 1.6 GHz Atom N2600 processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 320 GB hard drive (backed by 3 GB worth of ASUS Web Storage), 10/100 LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, an SD/MMC card reader, a 0.3-megapixel webcam, D-Sub and HDMI outputs, and a 6-cell battery.

Both the Eee PC 1025C-MU17-BK (black model) and 1025C-MU17-WT (white) run Windows 7 Starter (32-bit) and are expected to ship as of March 10th.

Chinese online marketplace site Taobao has listings of two yet-to-launch motherboards based on the Intel Z77 Express chipset, the Wibtek Z77 Hacker (we earlier covered news of that listing in early January) and now, the ASUS P8Z77-V Deluxe. This will be among ASUS' premium LGA1155 motherboards based on the new chipset. It is priced at 2,499 RMB (US $396), which seems overpriced. The seller is probably looking to make a quick Mao with pre-launch orders. The seller was kind enough to paste ASUS' marketing poster for the P8Z77-V Deluxe, which can typically also be found on the back side of product packaging.

The P8Z77-V Deluxe supports DDR3-2800 MHz with overclocking. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), wired to the CPU, supporting NVIDIA SLI, AMD CrossFire and Lucid VirtuMVP; one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the PCH); and four PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots. Good riddance to legacy PCI. Display connectivity lacks archaic connectors such as DVI and D-Sub, includes HDMI and DisplayPort, instead. Storage connectivity consists of four SATA 6 Gb/s (two from the PCH, two from a third-party controller), four SATA 3 Gb/s, and two eSATA 6 Gb/s.