CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast memory, PC components and high-performance gaming hardware today announced the latest addition to its industry leading range of XMP 2.0 certified DDR4 memory kits, the CORSAIR Dominator Platinum ROG Edition. Developed in collaboration with the ASUS Republic of Gamers team, the 16GB 4 x 4GB DDR4 kit is fitted with a unique Republic of Gamers Red and Black brushed aluminium finish, to perfectly compliment the celebrated ASUS Republic of Gamers line of motherboards.

Clocked at 3,200MHz for blistering high-bandwidth performance on Intel 100-series motherboards, CORSAIR Dominator Platinum ROG Edition also boasts a custom overclocked ROG XMP 2.0 memory profile only accessible with ASUS Z170 Republic of Gamers motherboards*, pushing the kit to an even faster 3,333MHz with just a single setting.

It looks like RGB multi-color LED lighting on graphics cards is here to stay, with ASUS teasing its next-generation DirectCU III graphics card cooling solution. The animated image (embedded after the break, below), shows LED strips lining the cooler shroud, with multi-color LED lighting. This cooler could feature on upcoming ROG STRIX graphics cards running NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, GTX 1070, and perhaps even some of AMD's upcoming GPUs, given how ASUS captions the image as "The Future Looks Bright." ZOTAC is the other partner with multi-color LEDs lining its GTX 1080/GTX 1070 graphics cards.

EK Water Blocks, Slovenia based premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is releasing ASUS SABERTOOTH Z170 S motherboard monoblock. Military looking EK-FB ASUS Z170S Monoblock is here. EK-FB ASUS Z170S Monoblock is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for Intel LGA-1151 socket Skylake CPU and the ASUS SABERTOOTH Z170 S motherboard.

Designed and engineered in cooperation with ASUS, this monoblock uses award winning EK-Supremacy EVO cooling engine to ensure best possible CPU cooling. This water block directly cools Intel LGA-1151 socket type CPU and power regulation (MOSFET) module. Water flows directly over all critical areas, providing all enthusiasts a great solution for high overclocks. Like with every EK monoblock, EK-FB ASUS Z170S features high flow design and this monoblock that can be easily used with the system using weaker water pump.

This week on TechPowerUp News, NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 1070 specifications deep-dive; an ASUS ROG notebook with suspected NVIDIA "Pascal" GPU, and AMD's Radeon "Polaris" unveiling ahead of the 2016 Computex show.

ASUS teased an upcoming Republic of Gamers G-Series notebook. It didn't stop at the teaser pics, and went on to tease performance numbers of the untitled "GXXX" graphics processor at the heart of this beast. We'll go out on a limb here and guess that it's a new mobile GPU based on the "Pascal" architecture; more so because ASUS is claiming that it's faster than even the desktop GeForce GTX TITAN X, and has 3DMark 11 Performance-present score to show for that. ASUS plans to exhibit the notebook at the 2016 Computex; and it's becoming increasingly clear that the third GP104-based SKU promised for June 2016 could be a mobile chip after all.

The battle for multi-color LED lit motherboards intensifies, since apparently, having $1300 ten-core processors and a pile of overpriced reference-design next-gen graphics cards won't impress people at LANs as much as multi-color LEDs in your machine! Hot on the heels of ASUS ROG STRIX X99, MSI is readying the launch of its equally (or more) colorful X99 Gaming Pro Carbon. Slated for launch on May 13, this board is expected to feature the most modern connectivity, with a broad stroke of product design. The company posted a teaser video for the board.The teaser video follows.

ASUS and Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced ASUS Signature X99-Deluxe II, X99-A II and X99-E, and ROG Strix X99 Gaming from the latest lineup of ROG Strix series - all-new four ATX motherboards based on the Intel X99 chipset and loaded with exclusive technologies to maximize the potential of the latest LGA 2011-3 Intel Core i7 X-series processors.

Commenting on the new product line-up, Joe Hsieh, ASUS Corporate Vice President & General Manager of Motherboard Business Unit said: "Our X99 motherboards have won awards from many respected publications and editors around the world, with ASUS consistently praised as the number-one motherboard brand. We are keen to offer best-selling, easy-to-use, stable and trusted motherboards - that's why we call them BEST. And we're proud to introduce our all-new X99 motherboards allowing users to customize their experience and maximize performance in ways that simply aren't possible with any other brand of motherboard."

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced ROG Sheath, an extra-large mouse pad optimized for all kinds of gaming mice. ROG Sheath features a woven surface that gives it excellent mouse tracking qualities for smooth, precise control. Designed for the marathon gaming sessions, ROG Sheath has a non-slip ROG-red rubber base that secures it firmly to any desktop surface, and stitched edges that resist fraying.

ROG Sheath has been engineered for a smooth mouse glide, and its finely-woven surface works well with almost all types of mouse sensors to give gamers pixel-precise control. Its surface reflects its gaming roots, bearing the famous ROG logo and Mayan-inspired markings found on other ROG products. To ensure its durability, ROG Sheath has been subjected to a variety of stress tests, including a mouse glide test with a distance equivalent to over 250 km, as well as exposure to temperature extremes of -30°C and 60°C for over 57 hours.

Microsoft inadvertently bricked a vast number of PCs running Windows 7, by changing the priority of an erroneous software update. Earlier this month, Microsoft changed the priority of an obscure-sounding security update for Windows 7 from "Optional" to "Recommended," (which by default gets automatically downloaded and installed). This update, KB3133977, bricks machines running ASUS motherboards, in the UEFI mode.

Windows 7 inherently does not support Secure Boot, a feature introduced with Windows 8, which takes advantage of UEFI to provide users with a layer of system integrity throughout the boot process. With KB3133977 installed on Windows 7 machines that use UEFI boot, the motherboard senses a Secure Boot violation, and invalidates the boot device (refuses to boot from it). ASUS recommended a BIOS setting with which you can deactivate Secure Boot while making your motherboard continuing to boot in UEFI mode.

Silicon Lottery at OCN got their hands on Intel's upcoming flagship high-end desktop (HEDT) processor, the Core i7-6950X. Based on the 14 nm "Broadwell-E" silicon, the processor offers a staggering 10 cores, with HyperThreading enabling 20 logical CPUs, 25 MB L3 cache, and a quad-channel DDR4 memory controller. The i7-6950X is expected to occupy a price point that's above the $999 traditionally reserved for the top-end HEDT chip. Silicon Lottery successfully overclocked the i7-6950X to 4.50 GHz, from its rumored stock frequency of 3.00 GHz, and compared it to a previous-generation Core i7-5960X 8-core processor. The common platform consisted of an ASUS Rampage V Extreme motherboard, 16 GB of quad-channel DDR4-3000 memory, and GeForce GTX 750 Ti graphics.

At its top overclock of 4.50 GHz, the i7-6950X achieved a Cinebench R15 score of 2327 points. At 4.00 GHz, it scored 1904 points, 19.5 percent higher than the i7-5960X at the same clocks (the i7-6950X features two extra cores). The two chips were also put through AIDA64 memory tests. The memory read speeds were nearly the same, but the memory write speeds were found to be a staggering 37 percent higher on the i7-6950X. The memory copy speeds, however, were 10.5 percent lower on the i7-6950X. Intel is expected to launch its next-generation Core i7 HEDT lineup, including two six-core, one eight-core, and one ten-core chips, in a few weeks from now.

ASUS announced its flagship PCI-Express wireless networking adapter, the PCE-AC88. The card is the first in the market to offer dual-band 4x4 AC3100 Wi-Fi, with speeds of up to 2.1 Gbps at 5 GHz, and 1 Gbps at 2.4 GHz. It takes advantage of 4x4 NitroQAM (1024-QAM) to offer such speeds. A 3x3 adapter would serve 1.3 Gbps. The PCE-AC88 includes a set of four antennae that you can directly attach to the card (ideal for to use the card as a WLAN client), as well as an external, router-looking module for the antennae, letting you use your card (your machine) as a WLAN router, using the included software. The card features a PCI-Express 2.0 x1 bus interface. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced GT51CA, a powerful gaming desktop powered by a 6th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, with Turbo Gear for one-click full-core CPU overclocking to 4.6 GHz without having to reboot. In addition, ROG GT51CA supports up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan X graphics with 2-Way SLI for smooth, stutter-free 4K UHD gaming at over 60 frames per second. It also features up to two 512 GB NVMe PCIe RAID 0 SSDs for data access speeds of up to 3.2 Gbps - up to six times (6X) faster than SATA SSDs. ROG GT51CA's DDR4 2133 MHz memory has been even overclocked to 2800 MHz for faster boot-up and game load times.

Effective cooling for stable marathon gaming sessions
ROG GT51CA delivers efficient heat management for stable high-performance gaming sessions. It boasts a multi-zone thermal solution that lowers the system's internal temperatures by up to 31%, even during heavy-load marathon gaming sessions.

It features the liquid-cooled Hydro Overclocking System for the CPU and dedicated air channels to draw cool air into the chassis for the graphics card. In addition, its power supply unit - situated in the bottom corner of the chassis - also has its own isolated airflow design for cooling.

ASUS today announced support for the upcoming Intel Core i7 X-Series processors and Intel Xeon processors, with UEFI BIOS updates available immediately for ASUS X99 Signature, TUF, and ROG Series motherboards.

Easy BIOS updates with ASUS USB BIOS Flashback and EZ Flash 2
ASUS X99 Series motherboards include the renowned ASUS USB BIOS Flashback feature, which enables users to apply UEFI BIOS updates with ease. This tool downloads the latest BIOS to a USB flash drive, enabling users to update the ASUS UEFI BIOS quickly and easily. The motherboard does not even need to have a CPU or DRAM modules in place; simply connect the power supply, plug in a FAT32 formatted USB drive, press the USB BIOS Flashback or ROG Connect button and then sit back and wait until the flash process is complete.

ASUS, the No.1 gaming monitor brand, today announced MG248Q, MG28UQ and MG24UQ, the latest gaming monitors in the ASUS MG Series. MG248Q is a 24-inch Full HD monitor featuring an ultra-fast 1 ms response time and an incredible 144 Hz refresh rate. MG28UQ and MG24UQ are 28- inch and 24-inch displays respectively, both featuring a 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution.

All MG Series monitors include Adaptive-Sync technology for smooth gaming visuals, while the new ASUS-exclusive DisplayWidget utility gives users easy access to various display settings.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced Spatha, a wired/wireless gaming mouse optimized for massively-multiplayer online (MMO) games. ROG Spatha has a sensitivity of 8200 dots per inch (DPI) and features 12 programmable buttons. It has a magnesium-alloy chassis, left and right buttons with the ASUS-exclusive easy-swap switchable socket design, as well as programmable RGB LED effects. When used in wired mode, it features an industry-leading 2000 Hz rolling rate for smooth, instantaneous cursor response.

ROG Spatha is the proud recipient of a prestigious 2016 Red Dot Design Award, recognizing Spatha's design excellence and innovation.

ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, has announced the launch of two economical entry-level multimedia NAS devices in the AS3202T and AS3204T. This new series of devices utilizes the newest generation Intel Celeron 1.6GHz quad-core processors and are equipped with 2GB of dual-channel memory along with support for Intel AES-NI encryption instructions. This allows the devices to use hardware encryption technology to increase the overall performance and access speeds to large amounts of encrypted data while also satisfying user needs for high performance storage, backup, remote access and security.

The AS3202T and AS3204T both provide a rich variety of connection interfaces allowing users to connect various peripheral devices to the NAS to expand functionality. The HDMI port and infrared receiver can be paired with the ASUSTOR Portal App and official ASUSTOR remote control to turn the NAS into a multimedia player and hub that is as easy to operate as a TV. Also worth mentioning, is that the AS3202T and AS3204T both feature a stylish modern diamond plate finished exterior which allows it to seamlessly fit into users' living rooms and be used in combination with existing Hi-Fi home entertainment systems. Users can centrally store all of their digital multimedia on the NAS (photos, music, movies) and play it all back on demand, enjoying a comprehensive home multimedia experience.

ASUS today announced Echelon GTX 950, a limited-edition gaming graphics card with unstoppable performance, military-grade quality and reliability, and stunning arctic camouflage coloring on both the card and backplate. Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 graphics processing unit (GPU) - clocked at 1329MHz - Echelon GTX 950 delivers up to 10% faster performance than reference cards in the 3DMark 11 (Extreme) benchmark.

Echelon GTX 950 features ASUS-exclusive DirectCU II cooling technology and a dual-ball-bearing fan for 20% cooler performance and a 4X-longer lifespan than reference cards. Industry-first Auto-Extreme fully automated production technology, TUF Components, and rigorous server-level testing ensure premium quality and military-grade reliability for tough, dependable service.

ASUS today announced the VivoMini VM65 Series, a range of mini PCs featuring the latest technologies to deliver blazing-fast performance and stunning 4K UHD visuals. VivoMini VM65 Series mini PCs are powered by a choice of Intel Core 'Skylake' processors with DDR4 RAM, and feature discrete NVIDIA GeForce graphics and ASUS SonicMaster-enhanced audio to make them an ideal choice for a daily computing platform or home entertainment hub.

The VivoMini VM65 Series is a range of sub-2-liter ASUS consumer PCs that will bear the new ASUS VivoMini name. Existing VivoPC models (VM62N, VM62, VM60, VM42, VM40B, VC62B, VC60V, and VC60) will retain the VivoPC branding.

ASUS rolled out a gaming-grade - although not ROG-branded - 24-inch Ultra HD monitor, the MG24UQ. This display features a 23.6-inch 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) IPS panel, with 4 ms response time, a wide color gamut with 100% sRGB coverage, 300 cd/m² maximum brightness, dynamic mega-contrast ratio, and a maximum color depth of 16.7 million. The monitor takes input from HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2. Gamer-friendly features include ASUS GamePlus - a set of six display presets that suit different game genres, and ASUS GameVisual, a feature which works to reduce LED flicker and blue light, over extended periods of gameplay. ASUS didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS unveiled the a new GeForce GTX 950 graphics card that relies entirely on PCIe slot power. The GTX950-2G features a full-height, dual-slot design, with a simple monolithic heatsink cooling the GPU; and a pair of 70 mm spinners cooling it. The cooler shroud follows the same design theme as ASUS' mainline Z170 series motherboards, such as the Z170-A. The VRM design by ASUS keeps power draw of the GPU under 75W, and hence relies entirely on PCIe slot power. The GPU is clocked at 1026 MHz, with 1190 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.60 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory. The company did not reveal pricing.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the latest ROG Sica gaming mouse with a new Glacier White finish and upgraded Omron switches. ROG Sica is an ambidextrous gaming mouse optimized for MOBA gaming for gamers of all grip types. ROG Sica features a simple independent two-button and single clickable scroll-wheel setup. An improved exclusive easy-swap switch socket design lets users customize click resistance with Omron switches that offer 20-million-click durability. The left and right mouse buttons are separated from the main mouse body to reduce travel distance to ensure increased button tactility and responsiveness.

ROG Sica has a 1000Hz polling rate and packs an optical sensor that tracks at up to 5000 DPI, and at speeds of up to 130 inches per second and 30g acceleration to give users swift, pixel-precise mouse tracking. ROG Sica's Glacier White body features a glowing ROG logo and intricate Mayan-stenciled side panels to give it presence. It has a gold-plated USB 2.0 connector, and low-friction Teflon feet.

The FTC posted this press release today: Taiwan-based computer hardware maker ASUSTeK Computer, Inc. has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that critical security flaws in its routers put the home networks of hundreds of thousands of consumers at risk. The administrative complaint also charges that the routers' insecure "cloud" services led to the compromise of thousands of consumers' connected storage devices, exposing their sensitive personal information on the internet. The proposed consent order will require ASUS to establish and maintain a comprehensive security program subject to independent audits for the next 20 years.

"The Internet of Things is growing by leaps and bounds, with millions of consumers connecting smart devices to their home networks," said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "Routers play a key role in securing those home networks, so it's critical that companies like ASUS put reasonable security in place to protect consumers and their personal information."

ASUS marketed its routers as including numerous security features that the company claimed could "protect computers from any unauthorized access, hacking, and virus attacks" and "protect [the] local network against attacks from hackers." Despite these claims, the FTC's complaint alleges that ASUS didn't take reasonable steps to secure the software on its routers.

ASUS unveiled the MG28UQ Ultra HD monitor. While it's not branded with the company's coveted Republic of Gamers (ROG) decals, the company is still positioning it as a product targeted at gamers. Perhaps the company decided to reserve ROG branding for displays with high refresh rates or adaptive-sync tech. The MG28UQ is a 28-inch display with a TN-film panel. Besides its native resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, this panel serves up 10-bit color (1.07 billion colors), a response time as low as 1 ms, viewing angles of 170°/160° (H/V), 330 cd/m² maximum brightness, and dynamic mega-contrast.

Among its gamer-friendly features include a flicker-free LED backlighting, which doesn't rely on PWM to reduce brightness (and hence doesn't flicker), an OSD crosshair that's independent from the host input (useful in "hardcore" modes of online shooters that lack crosshairs), an OSD timer, frame-rate counter, and in-built display alignment. The GameVisuals feature serves up display settings presets that are optimal to the various gameplay types (FPS, RTS, Race sims, etc). The display also features TUV certification for low blue-light LED back-lighting. Display inputs include one HDMI 2.0, two HDMI 1.4a, and one DisplayPort 1.2. A 2-port USB 3.0 hub comes included. ASUS didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS today announced RP-AC68U, its top-of-the-range 802.11ac (AC1900) dual-band Wi-Fi repeater. The compact and stylish RP-AC68U features four internal high-performance antennas (3 transmit, 4 receive) and allows users to easily extend coverage of an existing 802.11ac Wi-Fi network with ultra-fast speeds of up to 1900 Mbps. RP-AC68U is equipped with a USB 3.0 port for connecting storage devices. This high-performance port supports ASUS AiCloud and delivers up to 10-times (10X) faster data transfers than USB 2.0.

Five Gigabit Ethernet ports add great flexibility for connecting wired devices, and combined with the convenient Media Bridge mode they allow users to convert any wired network devices to wireless operation. RP-AC68U can also be used in Access Point mode to add ultra-fast Wi-Fi convenience to any existing wired network. The compact RP-AC68U has a sophisticated and stylish design, with illuminated red accents that can be turned on or off by a convenient touch sensor incorporated in the ASUS logo on the front. With its simple one-touch setup and LED signal strength indicators for optimized installation, RP-AC68U is the hassle-free way to extend ultra-fast Wi-Fi coverage to any part of a home or office.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the Horus GK2000 mechanical gaming keyboard. It has a built-in 32-bit micro-programmed control unit (MCU) and 4 MB of onboard memory, plus an intuitive ROG user interface that allows users to customize macro and function keys for complex multi-key commands with just a single keystroke. ROG Horus GK2000 has a premium, high-quality feel and has CNC-processed aluminum accents with a special topcoat finish. It also features a removable palm rest, 2-way adjustable feet, and a detachable stand for mobile devices.

Built-in 32-bit control unit
ROG Horus GK2000 has an embedded 32-bit MCU and 4 MB of onboard memory that processes and stores macro functions as well as lighting and profile settings. Users can program up to 80 macro commands for mouse, PC, and media-control functions. They can also program the keyboard to initiate complex multi-key commands with one keystroke. A total of 10 user profiles can be stored in the onboard memory, and users can simply drag and drop profile settings saved on their PCs to transfer them to the keyboard.