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ASUS Announces ROG Strix Scope Series Keyboard

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced ROG Strix Scope, the mechanical gaming keyboard with Xccurate Design - an extra-wide Ctrl key for enhanced precision on FPS battlefields. The Control (Ctrl) key is crucial to success in modern first-person-shooter games. With this in mind the ROG R&D team carefully examined the play style of FPS gamers, applying their findings to create a Ctrl key that's more than 2X wider than traditional Ctrl keys as well as a shortened left Windows key that's designed to be less of a target.

For gamers wanting to switch things up a bit, the all-black look of Strix Scope can be punctuated by four silver-colored caps for the vital WASD key group. Included with Strix Scope, these alternative caps create a striking contrast to the rest of the keys - a standout look that benefits both form and function. A special keycap-puller tool is also bundled for easy removal and customization of the most-used keys.

ASUS Intros Prime B365-Plus Motherboard

Response from motherboard manufacturers to the Intel B365 Express mid-range socket LGA1151 chipset has been rather lukewarm, with very few product launches. The B365 Express is a rebadged H270 Express with 8th and 9th generation Core CPU support replacing 6th and 7th gen. ASUS launched one of its first ATX form-factor boards based on this chipset, with the Prime B365-Plus. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 4+3 phase VRM. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The board supports 9th generation Core processors out of the box.

Besides the main x16 slot, the board's expansion slots loadout is designed to benefit from the increased 20-lane PCIe budget of the B365 Express. You get a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4) slot, and four PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots. There are two M.2 slots on offer. The bottom slot has PCI-Expres 3.0 x4 wiring only, and supports M.2-22110 drives, while the top M.2 slot has PCI-Express 3.0 x2 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. There are six SATA 6 Gbps ports. Display connectivity includes one each of D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI. USB connectivity includes eight USB 3.0 ports, four on the rear panel, four by headers. The board's sole 1 GbE network interface is controlled by a Realtek 8111H PHY. The onboard audio solution is driven by an entry-level Realtek ALC887 CODEC. Expect this board to be priced around $90.

Glued Die on ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Affects Some Aftermarket Cooling Solutions

Update April 4th: This post has been corrected based on new information provided by ASUS, EKWB, as well as other parties. The original story mentioned a silent change to the glue used on the PCB which, as we now believe, is no longer the case in that ASUS is not to blame.

Update April 5th: ASUS has confirmed to us that there has been no PCB change (in terms of components and their heights), it's only a problem of tolerances due to the glue being liquid during production.

ASUS has glued the GPU die to the PCB for many generations, which helps ensure contact and avoids microfractures in the solder balls from physical force or thermal expansion. The nature of this glue, typically an epoxy resin, means that aftermarket cooling solutions, such as full cover or die-only water blocks, have to accommodate for this around the holes around the die. Previous graphics cards had no issue here, because the mounting holes were far away from the GPU die. With RTX 2080 Ti and its super large GPU chip this has changed, and there's only a few millimeters of space left. If a waterblock uses wider standoffs than the design merits, or if the glue spreads out farther than intended, it can result in poor/inconsistent contact between waterblock and the GPU, which in turn can lead to worse thermal performance than ideal.

This time, EK Waterblocks alerted us that the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti had poor contact and fitting issues with their GPU water block for the same, as seen in images below provided by their customer T. Hilal, which interferes with the four standoffs surrounding the package. EK recommends removing these standoffs to ensure a good fit and thermal paste spread, and this does not affect water block performance much in their internal testing. In previous such occasions, EK and others have had to come up with a second version of the block for added compatibility, however it remains to be seen if the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti will merit a similar treatment this time round. As an external reference, Phanteks has separately confirmed to us that their water block remains compatible.

ASUS Rolls Out ROG Swift PG349Q, a 120Hz Curved Ultrawide

ASUS today rolled out the ROG Swift PG349Q, one of the rare few curved ultrawide monitors with a high refresh-rate. This 34-inch display with a 21:9 aspect-ratio and 3440 x 1440 pixels native resolution, ticks at 120 Hz refresh-rate, and supports NVIDIA G-Sync technology. Its IPS panel has a rather obtuse 1900R curvature compared to the more common 1800R, with 178°/178° viewing-angles. Other vital specs include 300 cd/m² maximum brightness, 4 ms (GTG) response time, and 1000:1 static contrast ratio. The monitor offers flicker-free brightness adjustment, by using a non-PWM method to dim the LEDs illuminating the panel. The back side of the monitor and its stand are studded with RGB LEDs, which you control using Aura Sync RGB software. The monitor takes in HDMI and DisplayPort connections, and needs a USB connection to control the lighting. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Robust, Full-Metal Water Blocks - EK-Velocity WS and EK-VRM ASUS ROG Dominus Extreme

EK Water Blocks, the leading premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is releasing the EK-Velocity WS, a robust premium grade water block for narrow ILM LGA 3647 (Socket P) Intel processors, and the EK-VRM ASUS ROG Dominus Extreme, a VRM water block tailor-made for the ROG Dominus Extreme motherboard. Both are all metal water blocks with nickel plated copper cold plates and nickel plated brass tops. No compromise on quality, durability, and performance!

ASUS Responds to Reports of ASUS Live Update System Being Compromised by Hackers

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks are national-level attacks usually initiated by a couple of specific countries, targeting certain international organizations or entities instead of consumers. ASUS Live Update is a proprietary tool supplied with ASUS notebook computers to ensure that the system always benefits from the latest drivers and firmware from ASUS. A small number of devices have been implanted with malicious code through a sophisticated attack on our Live Update servers in an attempt to target a very small and specific user group. ASUS customer service has been reaching out to affected users and providing assistance to ensure that the security risks are removed.

ASUS has also implemented a fix in the latest version (ver. 3.6.8) of the Live Update software, introduced multiple security verification mechanisms to prevent any malicious manipulation in the form of software updates or other means, and implemented an enhanced end-to-end encryption mechanism. At the same time, we have also updated and strengthened our server-to-end-user software architecture to prevent similar attacks from happening in the future.

Intel Readies New Stepping of 9th Gen Core Processors

Intel is readying a new stepping of 9th generation Core processors, which could require motherboard BIOS updates. ASUS released a statement in which it mentions that Intel is preparing to launch processors based on the new stepping of "Coffee Lake Refresh" silicon from Q2-2019. It goes on to say that BIOS updates have been released for its entire line of Intel 300-series chipset motherboards for supporting the new stepping. The company doesn't mention what the stepping ID is, or what's different.

The statement reads: "ASUS has released BIOS updates for all 300 series motherboards, adding support for the forthcoming 9th Generation Intel Core processors based on new stepping. These processors are scheduled for launch in Q2, 2019. The latest BIOS updates are available for download now from the ASUS website." You can find these updated BIOS ROMs on the product page of your motherboard on ASUS website.

Hackers Get to ASUS Live Update Servers, Plant Malware in Thousands of Computers

In a chilling reminder of just why system software should always be manually updated and never automatically, Vice Motherboard citing Kaspersky Labs reports that hackers have compromised the Live Update servers of ASUS, making them push malware to thousands of computers configured to fetch and install updates automatically. These include not just PC motherboards, but also pre-builts such as notebooks and desktops by ASUS. Smartphones and IoT devices by ASUS are also affected. Hackers have managed to use valid ASUS digital certificates to masquerade their malware as legitimate software updates from ASUS.

Kaspersky Labs says that as many as half a million devices have fallen prey to malware pushed to them by ASUS. The cybersecurity firm says it discovered the malware in January 2019 when implementing a new supply-chain detection technology, and informed ASUS by late-January. Kaspersky even sent a technically-sound representative to meet with ASUS in February. Kaspersky claims that ASUS has since been "largely unresponsive since then and has not notified ASUS customers about the issue." ASUS is already drowning in bad-rep from the PC enthusiast community for its Armoury Crate feature that lets motherboard BIOS push software to a Windows installation through an ACPI table dubbed "the vendor's rootkit," which ASUS enabled by default on new motherboards. Who knows what recent motherboard BIOS updates have pushed into your PC through this method.

ASUS and ASRock AMD X570 Chipset Motherboards Listed

AMD X570 is the companion premium chipset option for the company's 3rd generation Ryzen "Matisse" processor family, and is expected to debut alongside the first of these processors some time in June, 2019. Unlike the X470 and X370, the new X570 will be based on an in-house chipset design by AMD, and probably manufactured at GlobalFoundries on its 14 nm node. The mid-range "B550" and lower chipset models could continue to be sourced from ASMedia. Motherboard majors ASUS and ASRock put out their first partial lists of motherboard models based on the AMD X570.

ASUS will launch as many as seven motherboard models in its Republic of Gamers (ROG) family, led by the Crosshair VIII Formula. This indicates that ASUS is placing high enough sales expectations from the "Valhalla" platform across the competitive landscape to come out with an ROG Formula product. You can expect goodies such as 8-layer PCBs, liquid-cooling preparation for the VRM heatsinks, Thunderbolt, or 10 GbE, and the most number of overclocker-friendly features. Next up, are the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero and Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi, which could be the company's second-best product offerings. For the first time on the AMD platform, ASUS will launch an ROG Impact mini-ITX product, with the ROG Crosshair VIII Impact. There will be three ROG Strix family products based on the X570, the Strix-E (premium ATX), Strix-F (mid-range ATX), and Strix-I (premium mini-ITX).

ASUS Outs ROG Swift PG278QE: 27-inch WQHD with 165Hz

ASUS today rolled out the ROG Swift PG278QE, a 27-inch planar gaming monitor with stellar gaming-grade specifications. To begin with, you get WQHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution, with 165 Hz refresh-rate, 1 ms (GTG) response time, and support for NVIDIA G-Sync. It also packs TÜV Rheinland-certified blue light reduction technology that reduces eye fatigue from extended gameplay sessions. ASUS did not mention panel type, however, looking at its 170°/160° (H/V) viewing-angles, we guess it could be TN-film based. Inputs include DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS Announces Pro OLED Panel: ProArt PQ22UC with 4K, HDR, 10-bit Panel

If you were waiting for another OLED solution in the PC monitor space to enter the market, the ASUS ProArt PQ22UC may be answering part of your prayers. However, it likely doesn't fit your bill at all when it comes to affordability or choice of features for a gaming-centered solution. The ProArt PQ22UC features an OLED panel with 4K resolution, support for HDR, and a 10-bit panel for increased color reproduction. Aiding in color reproduction and accuracy for its professional aspirations is the fact that this monitor already comes factory-calibrated for a Delta E < 2 color accuracy rating.

The ASUS ProArt PQ22UC has an announced 1000000:1 contrast ratio (remember the pure blacks of OLED), 14-bit internal lookup table, and support for Gamma values of 2.6, 2.4, 2.2, 2.0, and 1.8. There's Micro HDMI and dual USB-CTM ports which support AC power input, data transfer speeds of up to 5 Gbps and 4K UHD output. Pricing? You'd rather not know it: it's going for €5.160,90 (Austrian retailer) or £4,699.00 in the UK.

ASUS Rolls Out TUF B450M-Pro Gaming Motherboard

ASUS expanded its TUF Gaming motherboard series for the AMD platform with the new TUF B450M-Pro Gaming, positioned above its existing TUF B450M-Plus Gaming. This board features a more upscale CPU VRM design, chunkier VRM heatsinks, a more premium onboard audio solution, an additional M.2 slot, and more fan headers than the B450M-Plus Gaming. To begin with, the board features a 10-phase CPU VRM compared to the simpler 6-phase design of the B450M-Plus Gaming. Both areas of the CPU VRM are cooled by visibly bigger heatsinks, while the B450M-Plus Gaming features no heatsink over the VSoC phases. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors.

ASUS rearranged the expansion slot layout to make room for a second M.2 slot. The upper slot features both PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, while the lower slot features PCI-Express 3.0 x2 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. Both slots use SATA switching logic to divert SATA links from the board's six SATA 6 Gbps ports. The third major area of improvement is the onboard audio solution, which uses a top-grade Realtek ALC1220A CODEC compared to the entry-level ALC887 of the B450M-Plus Gaming. This chip is still wired out to 6-channel analog jacks. There are a couple of additional 4-pin fan headers. The onboard gigabit Ethernet solution is unchanged, driven by a Realtek RTL8111H PHY. The ASUS TUF B450M-Pro Gaming is expected to be priced at USD $99.

ASUS ZenBook 14 (UX431) Now Available

ASUS today announced ZenBook 14 (UX431). It balances value and performance to deliver a sleek, sophisticated ultraportable that doesn't compromise on power. This premium laptop is packed full of the latest technology that includes 8th Generation Intel Core processors, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics, up to 16GB of RAM, ample SSD storage space and the latest connectivity options. The ZenBook 14 is available now, in two configurations, starting at $799.99.

ZenBook 14 exudes sophistication without screaming for attention. Its Utopia Blue color and spun-metal finish are decidedly chic while still being distinctly Zen. Lifting the lid reveals a 14-inch FHD (1920x1080) IPS NanoEdge display that offers great viewing angles and uniform color, whether the user is sitting square in front of it at work, or lounging to one side watching Netflix.

ASUS Releases ProArt PA34VC Professional Monitor - 21:9, 3440 x 1440 10-bit IPS Panel, HDR 10, 1900R

ASUS today released the latest into their line of ProArt monitors, especially geared for professionals, where color accuracy is paramount. The ProArt PA34VC features a 21:9 aspect ratio over a 3440 x 1440 IPS panel, which guarantees double the widescreen space of conventional 1080p monitors. The panel already comes factory-calibrated, so there's no need to mix things up in post-buy tinkering (though it does support ASUS' ProArt Calibration Technology,

There's HDR 10 VESA certification with 100% sRGB color gamut coverage, dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for video connectivity and data-transfers at speeds of up to 40 Gbps. These Thunderbolt ports also enable Power Delivery of up to 60W to external devices. It also features built-in Picture-in-Picture (PiP) and Picture-by-Picture (PbP). Gray-to-gray response time is being rated at 0.1ms, according to ASUS, while typical brightness caps out at 300 cd/m².

ASUS Unveils its GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Turing Graphics Cards

NVIDIA's Turing architecture offers a lot of cutting-edge functionality. Its highest-profile features-RT cores for real-time ray tracing and Tensor cores for Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS)-are forward-looking in that they will be increasingly more impactful as developers integrate their powerful functionality into more games. But beyond those two capabilities, the design is also optimized to help enthusiasts get more performance out of today's most popular titles, right out of the box.

The first Turing-based graphics cards were decidedly high-end, targeting price points and performance levels where ray tracing and DLSS would shine together. Now, it's time for Turing to strut its stuff in a more value-oriented context. With the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, gamers gain access to the huge per-core performance lift of Turing, along with next-gen GDDR6 VRAM that offers much greater memory bandwidth than the previous generation.

ASUS Unveils ROG Rapture GT-AC2900 Router with GeForce NOW Optimization

ASUS today unveiled the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rapture GT-AC2900 wireless router with optimization for NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud-based gaming service. What this entails is a certification from NVIDIA that the router provides "the best possible experience" streaming your game between the GeForce NOW cloud and your machine. What it really means is specialized QoS rules that prioritize traffic between your machine and GeForce NOW. As a router, you get 1 Gbps Ethernet WAN, four wired 1 Gbps Ethernet LAN ports, 802.11ac WLAN with 750+2167 Mbps across two bands, which includes 3x3 MIMO for 2.4 GHz, and 4x4 MIMO for 5 GHz. You also get USB 3.0 / USB 2.0 for 4G dongles and storage devices. You also get RGB LED lighting that's configurable using the ASUS Aura Sync RGB utility. The company didn't reveal pricing, since it hasn't finalized a release date.

ASUS NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Models With 3 GB VRAM Registered With the EEC

It seems that NVIDIA may be pulling another GTX 1060 when it comes to memory configurations of its upcoming midrange, non-RTX GPU. If ASUS' filling with the EEC (Eurasian Economic Commission) are anything to go by - and they usually are - then the green team is looking to tier their GTX 1660 Ti graphics cards via memory culling, offering it in both 6 GB and 3 GB versions. The GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1660 will supersede NVIDIA's highest-volume GTX

In all, there are 9 SKUs for the GTX 1660 Ti 3 GB graphics card being filed with the EEC, which usually preempts graphics card launches in those domains. These slot in nicely with ASUS' plans for 6 GB versions of the GTX 1660 Ti, almost to a card - though ASUS' STRIXX-branded graphics cards seem, for now, to only be available in 6 GB versions. Of course, the 3 GB of VRAM on the GTX 1060 allow the card to achieve a desirable performance/dollar ratio, but at the cost of some performance, with the penalty increasing alongside resolution - but these are cards that likely won't ever be used for 4K gaming. While 3 GB graphics cards still fare relatively well, as we've seen, the latest games are pushing over 3 GB of video RAM more often than not, which leaves the 3 GB version of the graphics card somewhat of a less than choice when it comes to AAA gaming. But when it comes to competitive multiplayer game,s it likely will be more than enough.

ASUS Intros GeForce RTX 2080 Dual EVO with Axial Tech Fans

ASUS today introduced the Dual GeForce RTX 2080 EVO series graphics cards, available in two variants based on factory-overclock. Positioned between its RTX 2080 Dual and RTX 2080 ROG Strix series, these cards are characterized by a unique 3-slot thick cooling solution that implements a pair of Axial Tech fans. These fans feature a barrier ring that runs along the periphery of the impeller to prevent lateral airflow, and guide all of it axially (downwards onto the heatsink). The card also features an idle fan-stop, which turns these fans off when the GPU temperature is below 55 °C.

The card draws power from a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Display outputs include three DisplayPort 1.4, an HDMI 2.0b, and a USB-C VirtualLink. As mentioned earlier, the card comes in two variants. The base variant "DUAL-RTX2080-8G-EVO" features NVIDIA-reference clock speeds of 1710 MHz GPU Boost, while the more premium "DUAL-RTX2080-A8G-EVO" comes with 1725 MHz GPU Boost. Memory frequency is untouched on both cards, at 14 Gbps (GDDR6-effective). The company didn't reveal pricing.

At 1550€, ASUS ROG Dominus Most Expensive Client-Segment Motherboard

ASUS formally launched its Republic of Gamers (ROG) Dominus, the sole available motherboard option for Intel Xeon W-3175X unlocked quasi-HEDT processor. Cowcotland scored its price in the old continent to be a whopping 1,550€, making it the most expensive client-segment motherboard (at least in the past 20 years of PC history). Built in the SSI-EEB form-factor, this board is designed for overclocking the 28-core/56-thread Xeon chip, which is capable of pulling over 1000W of power (just the CPU) under extreme overclocking. The processor itself is priced around 3,100€ including VAT. Add a matching hexa-channel DDR4 memory kit such as these Trident Z Royal ones, and your platform cost could easily touch 5,500€.

ASUS GPU Tweak II Smears Ads Over Your Games

ASUS GPU Tweak II is a utility the company bundles with its graphics cards, which lets you overclock and monitor them. Among its many monitoring featuresis performance overlay mode, that adds an overlay to fullscreen 3D apps (in other words, games), which can be set to display parameters such as GPU temperatures, clock-speeds, frame-rates, etc. GPU Tweak II user "PurpleSquash640" on Reddit posted a screenshot of an ASUS banner ad overlaying their Battlefield V fullscreen.

This somewhat square banner is positioned at the right-center corner of the screen, with a handy "turn off this picture press ctrl+alt+F" text. When GPU Tweak II is closed (background process killed), the overlay disappears. The banner itself markets the company's latest RTX 20-series graphics cards. "PurpleSquash640" captioned this banner "wtf?" in their screenshot, and we can't disagree with that sentiment. This is the first among many questionable GPDR-teasing practices by ASUS in recent times, including unsolicited injection of files to Windows System32 folder by its latest motherboards.

Update 05/02: We have been informed that the "ad" doesn't appear by default, and is just a placeholder image for a different feature altogether. Apparently you can configure the GPU Tweak II OSD to display images (such as your clan logo). The app has a bundled placeholder image that looks like an ASUS banner ad.

ASUS Debuts GeForce RTX 2060 TUF Gaming Graphics Card

With ASUS extending its TUF Gaming brand to pretty much every mainstream gamer-centric product, including co-branded hardware, it was only a matter of time before it built graphics cards with that badge again. Its first attempt was the GTX 950 TUF Echelon from way back in 2016. The new GeForce RTX 2060 TUF gaming is a stout little RTX 2060 card with around 20 cm in board length, 12.5 cm height, and 2-slot thickness. Pulling power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, it's one of the very few RTX 20-series cards to feature a DVI connector in addition to two DisplayPort 1.4 and a HDMI 2.0b.

The RTX 2060 TUF Gaming board design consists of a twin fan cooling solution, which uses an aluminium fin-stack heatsink that pulls heat from the GPU using two 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes that make flattened direct contact at the base; while two 80 mm double ball-bearing fans with IP5X (dust-proof) impellers ventilate the heatsink. There is no 0 dBA idle fan-off mode. You do get a full-coverage back-plate. ASUS is releasing this card in two SKUs based on clock-speeds, the TUF-RTX2060-6G, and the overclocked TUF-RTX2060-O6G. The latter ships with 1710 MHz boost clocks compared to 1689 MHz of the former. Both cards are expected to be priced well under $370.

ASUS Intros GeForce RTX 2070 Turbo EVO Graphics Card, Ditches VirtualLink

ASUS today introduced an "affordable" GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card and a variation of its cheapest RTX 2070 product, the Turbo EVO. This card looks almost identical to the RTX 2070 Turbo ASUS launched last September, but comes with a handful physical changes. To begin with, its 80 mm lateral-blower fan comes with a double ball-bearing motor, and an IP5X-compliant dust-proof impeller. The build quality is also improved since ASUS is building the card on a fully-automated process it calls "Auto Extreme," coupled with a 144-hour stress-test for each card. Also, while the original RTX 2070 Turbo draws power from a combination of 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power connectors, the new RTX 2070 Turbo EVO only needs a single 8-pin PCIe power input.

There is a catch, though. Unlike the original RTX 2070 Turbo, the new RTX 2070 Turbo EVO lacks a USB type-C VirtualLink connector. The clock-speeds of both cards are identical, with 1620 MHz GPU Boost, and 14 Gbps (GDDR6-effective) memory. You can tell the two cards apart on a store shelf by paying attention to the box. The EVO's box features an "Auto Extreme" graphic on the front face, and carries the model number "TURBO-RTX2070-8G-EVO," while the original RTX 2070 Turbo goes with "TURBO-RTX2070-8G" (no "EVO"). The company didn't reveal pricing, although it wouldn't surprise us if both the cards are sold at the same baseline price of USD $530.

Phanteks Announces the Release of New Glacier Series Products and Accessories

Phanteks today announced the launch of two new Glacier series GPU blocks, corresponding backplates, a vertical GPU bracket and flat riser cables to add to their product portfolio. This includes the Glacier G2080Ti XTREME and the Glacier G2080Ti STRIX for the Gigabyte AORUS Extreme RTX 2080/2080 Ti and the ASUS Strix RTX 2080/2080 Ti respectively. Both of these blocks use a minimalist design that extends the length of the PCB, allowing for a full cover fit to cool the GPU, VRAM and VRMs alike. Integrated digital RGB lighting coupled with an anodized or chrome-plate cover plate, a polished acrylic top, and a nickel-plated copper cold plate round off the aesthetics.

Phanteks made sure to give some love to the NVIDIA Founders Edition RTX 2080(Ti) cards as well with Glacier G2080Ti backplate that is designed to work with their own Glacier G2080TiFE water block, since the AIC cards come with their own backplate that can be re-used with the GPU blocks mentioned above. We get two color options here, and the backplate extends the entire length of the PCB again. The GPU blocks will be available for $149.99 each and the backplate costs $29.99/39.99 for the black/chrome versions towards the end of this month. Read past the break for more on their new accessories.

ASUS Rolls Out a Pair of Intel B365 Chipset Motherboards

ASUS today rolled out a pair of entry-level motherboards based on Intel B365 Express chipset for 8th and 9th generation Core processors. The B365 has been extensively detailed in our older article as trading off features such as integrated USB 3.1 gen 2 and an older version of Management Engine, in exchange for significantly more downstream PCIe lanes than the B360 Express. Intel's decision to fallback to the 22 nm node for chipsets resulted in the B365. Among ASUS' new motherboards include the Prime B365M-A and Prime B365M-K. The company is also working on three quasi gaming-grade motherboards targeting gaming i-Cafes, namely the B365M-KYLIN, B365M-BASALT, and the B365M-PIXIU, which are essentially cosmetic variations of the B365M-K with one less SATA port.

The Prime B365M-A is the slightly better endowed of the two micro-ATX boards launched today. Pulling power from a 24-pin ATX and an 8-pin EPS, it uses a 4+2 phase CPU VRM. The CPU is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and the board's sole PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, which features a metal reinforcement brace. Two additional gen 3.0 x1 slots wired to the PCH make for the rest of the expansion. Storage connectivity includes an M.2 slot with PCIe gen 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and six other SATA 6 Gbps ports. As expected, there are no USB 3.1 gen 2 ports, as the chipset lacks it. You get four USB 3.1 gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports, two of which are on the rear panel, and two via headers. A 1 GbE interface pulled by a Realtek RTL8111H controller, and 6-channel HD audio handled by an entry-level Realtek ALC887 make for the rest of it. The Prime B365M-K is the more cost-effective of the two Prime B365M-series boards, and is built with a narrower PCB, and hence only serves up two DDR4 memory slots. You also lose out on Vcore VRM heatsink, and metal reinforcement on the PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot.

ASUS Intros ROG Strix Helios Mid-tower Case

ASUS dabbled with cases from time to time, and its latest creation is the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix Helios, an ATX mid-tower to go with your other ROG Strix-branded hardware. Built with brushed-metal finished steel and tinted tempered glass, the Strix Helios features an elaborate aRGB LED illuminated front embellishment that includes the ROG logo, which can be directly plugged in to the 3-pin aRGB header of your motherboard. It also comes with four USB 3.1 front-panel ports, one of which is type-C, all of which plug into your motherboard's standard USB 3.1 headers. You also get LED and fan-controls.

Although marketed as a mid-tower, the ROG Strix Helios is large, measuring 249 mm x 564 mm x 592 mm (WxHxD), and supports E-ATX motherboards in addition to smaller form-factors. Inside, you get a horizontally partitioned layout. Storage areas include two 3.5-inch/2.5-inch trays, and four additional 2.5-inch mounts. Among the cooling features are three 140 mm front intakes, which come with three factory-fitted fans, two 140/120 mm top vents that are vacant, and a 120 mm rear exhaust, which has a factory-fitted fan. In addition to 8 expansion slots, you get 2 vertically oriented slots so you can show off your graphics card better (PCIe riser cable not included). The company didn't reveal pricing.
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