About a month ago, it surfaces that ASUS was working on a limited-edition extreme high-end graphics accelerator that uses two Radeon HD 5870 GPUs, in essence an overclocked custom-design Radeon HD 5970, called the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Ares. The Ares builds on the legacy of the ROG Mars. It uses two AMD Cypress GPUs with 1600 stream processors, each, core and memory clock speeds on par with that of the Radeon HD 5870 (850 MHz / 1200 MHz), and double the amount of memory (2 GB per GPU, 4 GB on the card).

A CAD drawing of the Ares surfaced on Plaza.fi, which shows a single-PCB accelerator. The cooling design borrows a little from that of NVIDIA's second edition GeForce GTX 295, in having a centrally located blower that drives air onto copper GPU blocks on its either sides. The cooler assembly, however, seems much larger at 2.5 slots' thickness. ASUS also claims that the fan will be quieter on load than AMD's reference HD 5970 leaf-blower. A table given out lists its important specifications, which shows it to have the same clock speeds as the single-GPU Radeon HD 5870 (850/1200 MHz), versus those of the HD 5970 (725/1000 MHz), twice the amount of GDDR5 memory, and results of an internally conducted 3DMark Vantage benchmark which shows a 28.2% increment over the HD 5970 on the Ares. The card is powered by three PCI-Express power connectors (8-pin + 8-pin + 6-pin), and may have significantly higher power draw. It has also been designed for record-setting scores in graphics benchmark competitions. Being a limited edition product, we expect productions in the tens of hundreds only. If the price of ROG Mars is anything to go by, this one will be an expensive product, too.

ASUS continues to lead in high performance optical storage devices with a full range of top quality products, from mainstay DVD-RW drives to Blu-ray Disc combos that have become the standard for high-end professional storage environments. Powered by USB 2.0 connectivity, the new ASUS SBC-06D1S-U and the ASUS SDR-08D1-U slim-type external optical disc drives are designed to provide optimized reading and writing capabilities. Both are tailored to discerning users keen on award-winning design, meticulous craftsmanship, enhanced multimedia capabilities and environmentally-savvy operation.

ASUS external slim drives are recognized worldwide for outstanding functionality and fetching looks. The SBC-06D1S-U sports the same progressive design philosophy that has garnered the company's range of optical drives prestigious accolades, including the iF Design Award 2010, the Taiwan Good Design Product Award and the Taiwan Excellence Award.

The new ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) G73Jh is like no other gaming notebook. Eschewing the flash and gimmicks typical of gaming notebooks, the G73Jh instead boasts an understated, subtly aggressive design inspired by a stealth fighter. At its heart lies the most powerful components available today, including the latest Intel Core i7 processor, DirectX 11-capable ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics, and up to 8 GB of DDR3 system memory.

The G73Jh sports a striking angular design inspired by the iconic F-117 Nighthawk. Far from being merely cosmetic, every facet of the G73Jh's design reflects a conscious effort to improve the user experience. For example, the placement of all the heat and noise-generating components at the rear of the notebook and the implementation of a unique twin rear venting system keep the heat and noise as far away from the user as possible. The innovative placement of components also allows the palm rest to be exceptionally thin, just like a desktop keyboard. Furthermore, the keyboard plane is inclined 5 degrees, improving ergonomics and thus ensuring optimal comfort while gaming and typing.

ASUS' Republic of Gamers MATRIX series of graphics cards is getting a new member, the EAH5870 MATRIX. This model, based on the ATI Radeon HD 5870 GPU has high-end construction, cooling, and voltage regulators, out of the box higher clock speeds, overclocking headroom, and twice the amount of memory: 2 GB. The cooler and backplate design resembles that of ASUS' GeForce GTX 285 MATRIX.

The clock speeds on this card stand at 900 MHz (core) and 1225 MHz (memory, 4900 MHz effective). The card seems to have a stronger VRM circuit that supports higher clock speeds. It draws power from two 8-pin PCI-Express connectors. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI-D, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Overclocker-friendly features may include ASUS' VoltageTweak software voltage control, a "safe mode" button that falls back to failsafe clock speed and voltage settings, among other things. There is no word on its availability, though we expect to learn more about this card at the upcoming CeBIT event.

ASUS is readying a new factory-overclocked, custom-design graphics card based on the ATI Radeon HD 5870 GPU, likely named the EAH5870-TOP. The company is also readying the Radeon HD 5850 based EAH5850 DirectCu. While the EAH5870-TOP is expected to have high out of the box clock speeds, a higher performance sporty-looking cooler, the EAH5850 DirectCu relies on a more function-centric cooler design that boasts of being 35% quieter and 20% cooler [than reference AMD cooler]. Further details, such as clock speeds are not known, but it is expected that ASUS will release these during CeBIT 2010, later this quarter.

Intel Corporation today unveiled its 2010 Intel Core vPro processor family to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes for PCs with greater, more flexible performance, theft prevention and cost savings in a rapidly changing business computing environment. These and several other capabilities are at the heart of many new Intel-based business laptop and desktop computers beginning to roll out from computer manufacturers worldwide.

The Intel Core vPro processors arrive as business computing evolves with the emergence of video, Internet telephony, social networking and other heavyweight applications - in many cases running at the same time - making a computer's performance an even bigger priority.

AMD today announced the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card, the latest addition to the award-winning line-up of ATI Radeon HD 5000 Series graphics cards. The ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card delivers a state-of-the-art HD multimedia and game experience at a value price. Sharing the same leading edge features found in the critically-acclaimed ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series - support for DirectX 11, ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology and ATI Stream technology - the ATI Radeon HD 5450 provides an uncompromising Microsoft Windows 7 experience.

ASUS has set a new standard in total motherboard protection with the launch of the ASUS Protect 3.0 Design based on Xtreme Design, which helps protect the earth, systems, and users. Equipped with intelligent anti-radiation shielding, the technology lowers the generation and transmission of harmful radiation by up to 50%-offering the lowest electromagnetic emissions from a motherboard in the industry. This lowers the adverse health impact to users and delivers more stable system operations. Additionally, active anti-surge protection helps enhance component and system longevity. Protect 3.0 also includes the ASUS EPU (Energy Processing Unit) chip to reduce system-wide power consumption by up to 80.23%* and to ensure a more environmentally sustainable operation.

ASUS is known to toy with bleeding-edge technology to give out high-end products. Earlier, ASUS put two GeForce GTX 285 GPUs into one accelerator to give out a custom-design product that outperformed NVIDIA's dual-GPU GeForce GTX 295. According to o.v.e.r.clockers.at, ASUS might be doing something similar, this time around with AMD's Cypress GPUs in its Radeon HD 5870 avatar. It is said to be working on a dual-HD 5870 graphics card, codenamed "Ares".

While the dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970 uses full-featured AMD Cypress GPUs (with all its stream processors and memory bus width available), ASUS will attempt to use the one disparity between an HD 5970 and two HD 5870 to its advantage: clock speeds. The Cypress GPUs in HD 5970 feature lower clock speeds (725/1000 MHz core/memory) compared to the single Cypress GPU on the HD 5870 (850/1200 MHz). Electrical constraints are probably the reason behind this. It is likely that ASUS will use stronger VRM circuitry to power the two GPUs to run at higher speeds, while also providing some overclocking headroom.

AMD in a recent conference call to the press said that it didn't expect to see custom-design HD 5970-like accelerators till Q2 2010, although we don't infer there to be any sort of restriction in place, as was the case with NVIDIA and its GTX 295. Ares is likely named after the Greek God of warfare by the name. An apt successor to Mars (which also happens to be the name of the Roman God of war), ASUS' previous attempt at an extreme high-end graphics card of its own design.

A team of overclockers Sampsa and Stummerwinter set a new world-record score for 3DMark Vantage (Performance preset). The duo set the record using a test-bed made of Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition, four ASUS ATI Radeon HD 5870 in CrossFireX mode, 6 GB of Corsair Dominator GTX2, and the upcoming ASUS Rampage III Extreme motherboard to seat it all.

The Core i7 975 XE processor sailed through to 5508.9 MHz (27 x 204 MHz @ 1.664V, HTT on), with the memory running at 2040 MHz DDR (7-8-7-21). The four ASUS Radeon HD 5870 cards were hand-picked from a batch of 18 pieces. Core/memory speeds of 1325 MHz / 1300 MHz, were set. Catalyst drivers version 9.12 were used for the record feat.

The team achieved a 3DMark Vantage score of P47002, with a GPU score of 53,911 points, and CPU score of 33,949. To cool the machine, F1 EE & Tek 9.0 liquid nitrogen evapourators were used for the GPUs and CPU. The duo credit their success (besides their skills), to Kinc and Christian from ASUS and Thomas from Intel.

ASUS' Eee Box EB1501 nettop released late last year got a Blu-ray variant with the EB1501-B0367. This variant has a slot-in Blu-ray drive, and is geared to be an aesthetic HTPC companion when paired with an external HDD. The Eee Box EB1501 is based on the NVIDIA ION platform, it which makes use of an Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor along with NVIDIA ION chipset. The chipset embeds GeForce 9400M graphics, which accelerates HD video, and can handle Blu-ray playback, and 1080p displays. Other specifications include 320 GB of storage, 2 GB of DDR2 memory, HDMI and D-Sub for display connectivity, WiFi, and Windows 7 Home Premium OS. It is expected to be priced at $620.

According to ASUS the Rampage III Extreme is "Designed for those who know the Dark Art of Overclocking". It comes equipped with all features that overclockers dream of, and also has new stuff like ROG Connect for example.
The board supports CPUs for Intel Socket 1366, which means Core i7 including Gulftown (yes, I asked). As chipset Intel's X58 and ICH10R is used like on the Rampage II Extreme. ASUS has routed 32 PCI-Express 2.0 lanes to the PCI-E x16 slots, so you can either run x16+x16, x16+x8+x8 or x8+x8+x8+x8 - all without the added heat and latency of NVIDIA's nForce 200. As we hear this does make quite a difference in a 4x HD 5870 configuration for example. Major improvements have also been made to the power solution which is now 8-phase digital 250 - 1000 kHz. Of course support for USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s is included as well.While exact details are not known, the price of the board will be "highest priced ROG" - my guess is around $400, with availability starting around the Gulftown launch which should be some time in March.

Big, big picture, about 5 MB, can be found here.

ASUS displayed its newest mini-ITX form-factor motherboard intended for use in nettops, at the ongoing CES event. The ASUS AT5NM10-I is based on Intel's new second-generation Atom processor platform. It makes use of the Atom D510 dual-core processor, aided by Intel NM10 chipset. The processor operates at 1.66 GHz, and supports single-channel DDR2 667 MHz memory. Due to the lowered thermal footprint of the chipset, ASUS used a single heatsink to cool both the processor and chipset. It provides two DDR2 DIMM slots to hold up to 4 GB of memory. The lone expansion slot is a PCI. Storage comes in the form of two SATA 3 Gb/s ports. Connectivity includes 6-channel audio, 10/100 Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports on the rear panel, four by headers, D-Sub for display, serial and parallel ports, and PS/2. There is no word on the availability or price.

One of ASUS' premier offers for this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) event is a new high-end socket LGA-1366 motherboard, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage III Extreme. The board succeeds the Rampage II Extreme which launched over an year ago along with Intel's then new Core i7 series processors. The new model based on the Intel X58 Express + ICH10R chipset, comes with four well spaced out PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, a new set of overclocking enhancements such as the ROG connect which lets you control the motherboard's overclocking from any Bluetooth and Java enabled mobile phone, SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 connectivity using ASUS' innovative PCI-Express 2.0 bridge implementation, and a more powerful CPU VRM to keep the board stable with bleeding-edge settings.

The board features an enhanced CPU VRM which is now powered by two 8-pin ATX connectors apart from two 4-pin Molex connectors. Some of these could be redundant and needed only for electrical stability. The CPU and memory power circuitry makes use of super-ML capacitors for cleaner power delivery. Voltage readouts are located next to the DIMM slots for accessibility. The motherboard makes use of slimmer component heatsinks that look to be made of the ceramic composite which the TUF Sabertooth P55 motherboard uses.

At the ongoing CES event, ASUS displayed some of its upcoming motherboards which included the M4A89GTOD PRO, an ATX form-factor model based on the AMD 890G chipset. The AMD 890G seems to be a successor to the AMD 790GX, in being a performance integrated graphics part. It integrates a DirectX 10.1 compliant IGP while supporting discrete graphics with 2-way ATI CrossFireX.

The M4A89GTOD PRO comes with an expansive feature-set thanks to the AMD 890G. The more interesting component being the AMD SB800 southbridge chip, which is on its way to being one of the first PC motherboard chipsets to natively support SATA 6 Gb/s. The chip doles out six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, while doing away with its on-die IDE controller. An external JMicron-made storage controller compensates with an IDE connector, a SATA 3 Gb/s port (colored black) and perhaps an eSATA port (at 3 Gb/s speeds), too.

Since the introduction of the first Eee PC, ASUS has inched high technology ever closer to high fashion. With the Eee PC Seashell Karim Rashid Collection (1008P), ASUS has taken a decisive leap onto the catwalk. Co-conceived by one of the world's leading designers, the Eee PC Seashell Karim Rashid Collection is the realization of Karim's vision of computing-one that is more sensual, more human, more hip. Completely contemporary and anathema to nostalgia, these netbooks are more daring, more intersecting, and are designed to appeal to young, mobile trendsetters while remaining an accessible luxury to everyone.

The Eee PC Seashell Karim Rashid Collection manifests ASUS' commitment to designing products that appeal to the five human senses, with an emphasis on vision and touch. To achieve this, ASUS' industrial designers have had to pioneer a plethora of material, production, and textural innovations, such as the combination of rubber paint, in mold roller (IMR), and metallic materials to create thoroughly unique finishes.

ASUS today announces the launch of a new motherboard series based on the Intel H57 and H55 chipsets. The ASUS P7H57D/P7H55 Series supports the new Intel Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, and Pentium processors with feature laden ATX and micro-ATX models to provide the best value and performance on the new LGA1156 platform. Featuring exclusive GPU Boost technology, the series delivers a rich visual experience and smooth video performance with Intel's latest HD capable integrated graphics capable processors. Built with Xtreme Design features, the P7H57D/P7H55 Series delivers optimized performance while being very energy-efficient. The ATX based P7H57D-V EVO also supports next-generation USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s technology for faster data throughput and better storage performance.

Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that its Crystal HD technology will be available to OEMs wanting to deliver best-in-class video playback on the new Intel Atom processor platform for netbooks. The Broadcom BCM70015 Crystal HD solution will be offered as an option for OEMs designing netbooks using the Intel Atom processor N450 and Intel NM10 Express chipset platform. Crystal HD technology provides netbook users with a rich multimedia experience by enabling cost effective, quality playback of multi-format, high definition (HD) video and will be featured on select 2010 netbook platforms from top-tier OEMs including ASUS, Dell and Samsung.

ASUS today announced that its Eee PC Seashell series netbooks - which include the Eee PC Seashell 1005P, 1005PE and 1001P - will feature Intel's second generation Atom platform. The new Intel Atom processor N450 - when used in concert with ASUS' exclusive Super Hybrid Engine technology - will substantially extend the battery lives of every model in the Seashell range, making them ideal travel companions.

Eee PC Seashell models equipped with the new Intel Atom processor N450 will also feature ASUS' proprietary Super Hybrid Engine (SHE). SHE tailors the Eee PC Seashell's energy consumption patterns to suit any task at hand, optimizing energy efficiency and reducing power usage by up to 15%. Together, SHE and the Atom processor N450 enable the Eee PC Seashell to deliver up to 14 hours of battery life on a single charge.

Intel Corporation announced new Intel Atom processors today that feature integrated graphics built directly into the CPU, enabling improved performance and smaller, more energy-efficient designs in a new generation of netbooks and Atom-based entry level desktop PCs. Major OEMs have committed to having systems on the new Intel Atom processors and a new companion chipset available within the next few weeks.

The newest Intel Atom platform for netbooks consists of a new Intel Atom processor, the N450, and a new low-power Intel NM10 Express Chipset. For entry level desktop PCs, it consists of either the Intel Atom processor D410 or the dual core D510, also paired with the Intel NM10 Express Chipset. The Intel Atom processor was designed from the ground up for small devices and low power, and remains Intel's smallest chip, built on the company's 45nm high-k metal gate manufacturing process. The overall package, including chipset, just got smaller due to the increasing integration and 45nm manufacturing, which means smaller, more compact system designs, lower costs for OEMs and improved performance.

ASUS announced that it is ready to support the upcoming 32nm processor based on the LGA1366 socket and the Intel X58 chipset. This next-generation 32nm infrastructure, supporting six multi-cores, will deliver maximum performance to ASUS X58-based motherboards via a comprehensive BIOS upgrade. Chie-Wei Lin, General Manager of ASUS Motherboard Business said, "This new processor architecture accommodates up to six cores and significantly improves CPU performance. By enabling the architecture in our award-winning X58-based motherboards, we can deliver one of the fastest personal computing platforms in history and we are very excited about it."

ASUS' entire range of X58-based motherboards is ready for the new 32nm processor. For maximum CPU performance and advanced graphics processing enabled by the six cores, users simply need to update the BIOS of their existing X58-based motherboards.

With the recent spurt of non-reference design Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards, ASUS seems to be ready with its EAH5770 CuCore, where "CuCore" stands for copper (Cu) core, used in the GPU cooler. Speaking of which, the GPU cooler consists of a GPU base which has 5.8 oz (164.5 g) of copper, for better transfer of heat, to the rest of the heatsink which has radially-projecting aluminum fins. The PCB designed by ASUS seems to be slightly longer than the reference AMD PCB, yet it only makes room for one CrossFire connector, meaning its can pair with only one more card of its kind (or up to three more cards with two CrossFire connectors).

The 40 nm Juniper GPU has DirectX 11 compliance, and is powered by 800 stream processors, and connects to 1 GB of memory across a 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface. Despite the swanky cooling the card sticks to reference AMD clock speeds of 850/1200 MHz (core/memory), but comes with the ASUS VoltageTweak feature that allows software voltage adjustments. The rear-panel is redesigned too, with one of the slots making for a large vent, with the lower slot holding one each of DVI-D, D-Sub, and HDMI. The ASUS EAH5770 CuCore is expected to be priced under 130 EUR.

ASUS today launched the Eee PC T91MT, the world's first convertible tablet netbook to feature a multi-touch screen that supports Windows 7 Multi-Touch gestures. Particularly handy for students and professionals who need to take notes and make one-to-one presentations on a frequent basis, the slim and light Eee PC T91MT-which measures one-inch thick and weighs a mere 0.96kg-reproduces handwriting beautifully and allows users to perform tasks fluidly and intuitively with just their fingers. The Eee PC T91MT's multi-touch capabilities are further enhanced by a comprehensive suite of touch-optimized software that comes preinstalled. Designed for mobility, the Eee PC T91MT sports a shockproof 32GB Solid State Drive (SSD) and comes with an additional 500GB of online ASUS WebStorage.

The Eee PC T91MT's tablet form factor and multi-touch screen avail it to many uses. In slate form, it functions as a great e-reader, allowing users to read documents and books comfortably anywhere. In netbook mode, the Eee PC T91MT serves as an invaluable tool for discussions, as the screen can be swiveled to accommodate multiple users, as well as accept concurrent touch input from more than one source. With the Eee PC T91MT's multi-touch capabilities, free-flowing interaction between participants is now possible.

ASUS slipped in no less than three value micro-ATX motherboards based on the AMD 760G + SB710 chipset. Two of these, the M4A78L-M LE, M4A78L-M use socket AM2+ to connect to existing AM3 and older AM2(+) processors supporting DDR2 memory, while a third one, the M4A78LT-M LE uses AM3 socket to support AM3 processors and DDR3 memory. All three feature ASUS exclusive features such the EPU (energy processing unit), ExpressGate instant-on OS, and a 'Turbo-key' push-button overclocking feature. All three are to an extant similar, in having two DIMM slots for dual-channel memory, one each of PCI-Express x16, x1, and two PCI, and have an ATI Radeon HD 3000 class IGP.

The differences start with the M4A78L-M LE and M4A78LT-M LE being more office-oriented, with display connectivity being confined to D-Sub, or DVI, presence of legacy serial and parallel ports, a simpler 6-channel audio, and 4-phase CPU VRM, while retaining essential connectivity of the southbridge, including six SATA 3 Gbps ports, and one IDE connector for running two ATA devices. The M4A78L-M is slightly more consumer / home-user oriented, with better display connectivity that includes D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI, 8-channel audio with optical SPDIF output, and a slightly more powerful 4+1 phase VRM. The M4A78L-M LE, M4A78L-M and M4A78LT-M LE are priced at £42.42, £47.87 and £51.68, respectively.

Multimedia-minded consumers who prize the portability of netbooks but lament the typical lack of processing muscle now have a reason to rejoice. ASUS has launched the Eee PC 1201N, a multimedia netbook sporting an Intel Atom 330 dual core processor and an NVIDIA ION graphics processor that delivers a level of performance never before seen on netbooks. The stylish Eee PC 1201N also offers exceptional typing comfort through a full-sized ergonomic chiclet keyboard, and comes with a total of 750GB hybrid storage to house and host massive multimedia collections.

The Eee PC 1201N marks a radical departure from other netbooks that usually feature single core Atom processors. With its Intel Atom 330 dual core processor, NVIDIA ION graphics, and two-DIMM, dual-channel DDR memory architecture, the Eee PC 1201N will set new netbook performance benchmarks. More importantly, this combination shatters today's netbook conventions by delivering a rich multimedia experience.