ASUS today announced that its world-leading ESC4000 G2 series server range now supports the next-generation NVIDIA Tesla K40 (Kepler) GPU accelerators.

ESC4000 G2 series ranks very highly in the world's high-performance computing (HPC) tables, claiming the number 59 spot in the November 2013 TOP500 - the definitive list of the world's most powerful commercially available computers. The ESC4000 G2-powered SANAM cluster put in an incredible performance to deliver total processing power of 532.6TFLOPS.

While EVGA is coming out with the GTX 780 Ti Kingpin Edition, ASUS is preparing its own custom-cooled and (most likely) factory overclocked GeForce GTX 780 Ti card, and it shall be known as Poseidon. The Taiwanese company offered a sneak peek of the card which will be part of the Republic of Gamers lineup and will feature a DIGI+ VRM, highly-durable Black Metallic Capacitors and the DirectCU H20 cooler which combines air and liquid cooling to allow for better performance and quieter operation.

DirectCU H20 packs two dust-proof fans, three heatpipes, a large heatsink and a water block. Based on the prototype card showcased by ASUS earlier this year we can assume the ROG Poseidon will have three working modes - air only, liquid only and combined (air and liquid). No word yet on the card's clocks, price tag or release date.

EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce ASUS Maximus VI Formula, premium 4th generation Intel Core motherboard with stylish thermal armor, a Z87 Express based premium 4th generation Intel Core LGA-1150 socket motherboard.

EK-FB KIT ASUS M6F water block kit is a complete liquid cooling solution for ASUS Maximus VI Formula motherboard. The water blocks directly cools southbridge (PCH) as well as power regulation (VRM / MOSFETs) module and is designed to perfectly blends with the original design by utilizing ASUS original thermal armor plastic cover. It is a high flow water block kit that can be easily used with systems using weaker water pumps.

ASUS today announced Xonar D-KARAX, a professional-grade sound card designed for singing enthusiasts that like to sing and share their songs online.

Designed by leading music-industry engineers, Xonar D-KARAX helps eager amateur singers shape their voice and indulge in the latest trend of sharing personal songs online. Xonar D-KARAX is a PCI-Express sound card offers 96KHz/24-bit playback, real-time audio processing, 7.1 audio and a 106dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio). Singers can apply and hear audio effects in real-time with no playback lag, a sophisticated feature previously the preserve of professional recording studios.

ASUS today announced Xonar U7 Echelon Edition, a compact 7.1-channel USB sound card that retains the high audio quality of the award-winning Xonar U7 and adds the military-inspired digital camouflage pattern that is unique to the Echelon range.

As well as stylish looks, ASUS engineers have also worked hard to add an impressive range of exclusive features designed to help gamers, including Sonic Radar for in-game sound visualization and Sonic Studio Pro for fine control of every audio feature.

EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce the EK-SB ASUS M6G - a new water block for water cooling of the Intel Z87 Express PCH (Periphery Hub Controller; also known as south bridge) on ASUS Maximus VI Gene and -Hero 4th generation Intel Core series motherboards.

This product is ready to be fitted on to the ASUS Maximus VI Gene motherboard out-of-the-box. Installing this water block on a ASUS Maximus VI Hero motherboard requires re-fitting of the standoffs to alternative mounting holes by using the enclosed mini wrench.

The past year has seen a flurry of Thunderbolt related activity. Already present on every current Apple Mac, Thunderbolt has continued to grow within PC circles. And the Thunderbolt ecosystem responded, with over 100 Thunderbolt devices now shipping and available, most certified for both Mac and PC. Thunderbolt makes new experiences possible and developers are seeking to take advantage of Thunderbolt's key benefits, including simultaneous data and display transfer, with speeds of up to 10 Gbps, and daisy-chain connectivity of up to six devices. Building upon that foundation, the first Thunderbolt 2 systems were introduced in October this year, with speeds up to 20 Gbps, and support for the DisplayPort 1.2 protocol. Thunderbolt is clearly the fastest, most versatile connection to your PC.

Now we have a new announcement for you - an exciting new program to quickly expand the footprint of Thunderbolt for desktop and workstation users. This new initiative is called "Thunderbolt ready", and it enables PC manufacturers to offer Thunderbolt upgradeable motherboards within desktop and workstation computers. By using a Thunderbolt card, Thunderbolt's blazing fast speed and uncompressed video capabilities can now be added to any motherboard that includes a GPIO header (general purpose input/output header), so even if your system doesn't have Thunderbolt it is now possible to "upgrade" to it. Users that are interested in adding Thunderbolt 2 technology to an existing Thunderbolt ready system can combine a Thunderbolt card with a growing number of enabled motherboards, all identified by the use of the "Thunderbolt ready" moniker. The Thunderbolt ready program makes it simple to identify which components work together to upgrade your PC with Thunderbolt 2 capability.

ASUS launched a pair of Radeon R9 270 (non-X) graphics cards based on its DirectCU II cooling solution, the R9270-DCU2-2GD5 (reference) and R9270-DCU2OC-2GD5 (identical, factory-overclocked). The cards take advantage of the company's lightweight DirectCU II cooling solution, on which the company's R9 270X graphics cards are based, and an identical PCB. The OC variant offers clock speeds of 950 to 975 MHz core, while the reference-clock variant sticks to 900 to 925 MHz. Memory is left untouched on both, at 5.60 GHz. The R9 270 features 1,280 stream processors 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 2 GB of memory.

ASUS today announced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage IV Black Edition, an E-ATX gaming and overclocking motherboard designed to unleash the full potential of Intel LGA 2011 Core i7 Ivy Bridge-E processors is available for pre-order at select sites.

Based on the Intel X79 Express chipset, the Rampage IV Black Edition includes all of the best ROG technologies and innovations for unrivaled gaming and overclocking performance. With its four PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots, two PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots and eight DIMM slots supporting up to 64 GB of overclocked DDR3 DRAM, the Rampage IV Black Edition has near limitless expansion possibilities, including support for both 4-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX.

ASUS today announced GTX 780 Ti, a graphics card powered by the brand-new GeForce GTX 780 Ti graphics-processing unit (GPU) and boosted by exclusive GPU Tweak technology.

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti GPU is powered by 25% more CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) cores and benefits from a boosted clock speed of 928 MHz - both significant increases on its predecessor that enable ASUS GTX 780 Ti to deliver superb gaming performance.

ASUS today announced the EB50N NearField Stereo Headset, the world's first Bluetooth 4.0 headset with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The EB50N features Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) to give users improved sound quality and energy efficiency at the same time; while NFC technology provides one-touch device pairing and allows users to simultaneously connect two devices to the headset. A full-range audio driver provides crystal-clear sound while its ergonomic design and long battery life ensure hours of comfortable music-listening or hands-free voice calls.

High performance Bluetooth 4.0 with EDR and NFC EZ pairing
The ASUS EB50N NearField Stereo Headset has the latest Bluetooth 4.0 with EDR, giving users improved sound quality thanks to faster data transfer rates and extremely low energy consumption figures for up to 250 hours of standby time, or up to 6 hours of hands-free talk time or audio streams.

ASUS today announced the launch of R9 290, a new graphics card powered by the latest AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics-processing unit (GPU). The new card benefits from exclusive ASUS GPU Tweak, an easy-to-use tuning tool for instant performance boosts, 4GB of super-fast GDDR5 memory for the best gaming experience at the highest resolutions and incorporates AMD Eyefinity and TrueAudio technologies to enable expansive multi-display setups and bring in-game audio to life with more accurate environmental sounds. R9 290 also includes support for both DirectX 11.2 and AMD's new Mantle application programming interface (API) for great handling of even the most-demanding PC games.

Xigmatek announced availability of its Nebula cubical mini-ITX chassis. Unlike other monolithic cubical cases with bluntly rounded edges, the Nebula features a few interesting design bits. You'll find the case seated on a chrome bottom-tier, and an equally suspended top-tier. The black panels feature a piano-black finish. One of its edges is sliced into with the case's power LED glowing in amber/orange. Front panel connectivity includes a pair of USB 3.0 ports (standard header) and HDA front-panel jacks.

Under the hood, the Xigmatek Nebula features room for a normal-sized mini-ITX motherboard, with room for up to 200 mm long dual-slot graphics cards (an ASUS DirectCU Mini will make it). There's also room for CPU coolers that are up to 80 mm tall. Its storage area has room for two 3.5/2.5-inch drives, with no optical drive slots on offer. There's room for a standard ATX/EPS power supply. The case passively draws in air from bottom vents, a 120 mm Xigmatek XOF PWM-controlled fan pushes hot air out from the rear.

ASUS today announced the launch of R9 290X, a new graphics card powered by the latest AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics-processing unit (GPU).

The new card benefits from exclusive ASUS GPU Tweak, an easy-to-use tuning tool for instant performance boosts, 4 GB of super-fast GDDR5 memory for the best gaming experience at the highest resolutions, and incorporates AMD Eyefinity and TrueAudio technologies to enable expansive multi-display setups and bring in-game audio to life with more accurate environmental sounds.

ASUS today announced the Xonar Essence STU USB external digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and headphone amplifier, based on the acclaimed design and quality of Xonar Essence ST/STX internal sound cards and going beyond their already high standards. Offering audiophile-grade performance, Xonar Essence STU delivers USB connectivity and accessible external controls.

It offers clear sound with a 120dB signal to noise ratio (SNR), strong 600ohm headphone amplifier, asynchronous USB audio and swappable Op-Amps for DIY sound modification. Precision clock tuning technology further enhances audio fidelity, making Xonar Essence STU a great choice for discerning music lovers who need a quality DAC and headphone amplifier to drive the full capabilities of high-end headphones.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced that in partnership with Ubisoft it will bundle Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag with the Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard and selected gaming PCs including Tytan G30 and the G750 gaming laptop.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is the newest instalment of the stealthy adventure title and its release has been awaited eagerly by gamers worldwide - and ASUS ROG will be Ubisoft's recommended hardware brand partner for the PC launch.

ASUS is excited to announce that it will adopt NVIDIA G-SYNC technology into its next generation monitor lineup. NVIDIA G-SYNC, a significant innovation in display technology, provides an excellent gaming experience and stunning visual quality by synchronizing the monitor's refresh rate to the GPU's render rate. Images are displayed the moment they are rendered, which results in smoother gameplay and sharper images through the elimination of onscreen tearing, stuttering, and latency.

G-SYNC technology includes an NVIDIA G-SYNC module that requires integration into monitors, as well as hardware and software incorporated into its Kepler-based GPUs. It removes the need to use older technologies such as V-Sync, which can eliminate tearing but can increase latency and stuttering during gameplay. G-SYNC eliminates this trade-off leading to an uncompromised PC gaming experience.

ASUS today announced the ET2321, a sleek All-in-One PC with a 23-inch Full HD display, the latest 4th generation Intel Core processors and Intel Iris graphics for impressive all-round performance.

The ASUS ET2321 AiO PC features a slim and elegant design with a gracefully curved metallic stand that adds a touch of style to any desktop. The 23-inch display has a 1920 x 1080 resolution for ultra-sharp images and an expansive working area, while IPS technology ensures bright, vibrant color with wide 178-degree viewing angles. 10-point capacitive multi-touch puts responsive control at your fingertips in Windows 8 and the screen can also be tilted back by up to 25 degrees for comfortable hands-on control.

ASUS today announced Transformer Book T100, a 10.1-inch ultraportable laptop with an Intel Atom 'Bay Trail' quad-core processor and a detachable HD display that can be used as a standalone Windows 8.1 tablet. With a slim design and durable finish, Transformer Book is not only one of the lightest laptops currently available at just 1.07 kg, but also one of the lightest 10-inch tablets around, at 550g.

High-performance laptop and lightweight tablet combined
ASUS Transformer Book T100 is an extremely compact ultraportable for people who want the productivity features of a laptop with the easy portability of a tablet - and the flexibility to switch between the two in an instant.

ASUS today announced Essence III, a USB digital-to-analog (DAC) converter with a fully balanced design and the latest Direct Stream Digital (DSD) playback designed for those who demand the purest audio quality and listening flexibility.

High-precision clocks and asynchronous USB virtually eliminate jitter, while separate printed-circuit boards for digital, analog and power ensure that the Essence III's audio delivery is crystal-clear and free of crosstalk. Remote-controlled volume driven by stepped attenuators allow output levels to be set with great precision - even from the far side of the listening room.

ASUS has today put up a video that showcases one upcoming All-in-One PC, a model dubbed ET2321 which features a 23-inch (1920 x 1080) multi-touch IPS screen, and is equipped with a 4th generation Intel Core processor.

The slim ET2321 also packs a GeForce GT 740M graphics card, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and USB connectivity, it has built-in speakers (enhanced with SonicMaster Premium audio technology), it's bundled with a desktop subwoofer, and runs Microsoft's Windows 8 (likely 8.1 at launch). No word yet on pricing or availability.

EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is working on a new Full Cover water block for the latest, two-slot revision of ASUS R9280X-DC2(T) series graphics card, powered by AMD Radeon R9 280X GPU.

At the moment ASUS has two physically different revisions of R9280X-DC2(T) series graphics cards on the market. The first revision, called the ASUS R9280X-DC2(T)-3GD5-V2, is already compatible with our existing EK-FC7970 DCII water block while the ASUS R9280X-DC2(T)-3GD5 is a complete redesign and thus not compatible with the said water block.

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 81.6 million units in the third quarter of 2013 (3Q13). In year-on-year terms, the market contracted -7.6%, ahead of a projected decline of -9.5% for the quarter, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. While shipments remained weak during the early part of the quarter, the market was somewhat buoyed by business purchases, as well as channel intake of Windows 8.1-based systems during September.

A slight uptick in business volume contributed to shipments. The top three vendors (Lenovo, HP, and Dell), which all have an important presence in the enterprise and public sectors, each saw modest positive year-on-year growth during the quarter. Conversely, consumer sentiment remained lukewarm at best, as evidenced by the continued struggles of Acer and ASUS.

ASUS launched its first The Ultimate Force (TUF) series motherboard based on a mid-range chipset by Intel, the TUF Vanguard B85. Designed for gamers who don't overclock their CPUs, and for businesses that change their IT infrastructure every decade, this motherboard is a tight ship. To begin with, it uses a simple 4-phase VRM to condition power for the CPU, but that VRM consists of high-grade components, and is cooled by heatsinks. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors. The LGA1150 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory; and one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. A second PCI-Express x16 slot is electrical gen 2.0 x4, wired to the PCH. One each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and legacy PCI, make up the rest of the expansion area.

Storage connectivity on the TUF Vanguard B85 includes four SATA 6 Gb/s, and two SATA 3 Gb/s, all of which are assigned as internal ports. Display connectivity includes one each of dual-link DVI, HDMI, D-Sub, and DisplayPort. The board offers a total of six USB 3.0 ports, four on the rear panel, and two via internal headers. 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, PS/2 mouse/keyboard combi-plug, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports, complete the connectivity package. The board feature all the TUF military-grade durability paraphernalia, including the Thermal Radar feature from the TUF Sabertooth series. Expect this one to go for about $110.

ASUS today announced the launch of R7 250 and R7 240, two new graphics cards powered by the latest AMD Radeon R7 series graphics-processing units (GPUs).

The new R7 250 and R7 240 cards benefit from many exclusive ASUS technologies and tools including Super Alloy Power components for superior stability, dust-proof fans for improved card lifespan and GPU Tweak, an easy-to-use tuning software that allows users to squeeze every last drop of performance out of their graphics card.