Today, we have talked about AMD's upcoming Raphael lineup of processors in the article you can find here. However, it seems like the number of leaks on AMD's plans just keeps getting greater. Thanks to the "itacg" on Weibo, we have learned that AMD's Ryzen 8000 desktop series of processors are reportedly codenamed as Granite Ridge. This new codename denotes the Zen 5 based processors, manufactured on TSMC's 3 nm (N3) node. Another piece of information is that AMD's Ryzen 8000 series APUs are allegedly called Strix Point, and they also use the 3 nm technology, along with a combination of Zen 5 and Zen 4 core design IPs. We are not sure how this exactly works out, so we have to wait to find out more.

EK, is introducing another addition to the EK-Quantum Vector series of active backplates. EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090 active backplate is made to complement the existing EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090 water blocks and actively cool the backside of ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 GPUs. The EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090 Active Backplate comes with a new terminal that replaces the stock terminal arriving with the Vector water block and links the water block and Vector Active backplate into a single unit. This way, the whole enclosure requires only one inlet and one outlet, removing unnecessary additional tubing and reducing clutter. It is the ultimate aesthetic and performance solution that finds your GPU sandwiched between two water blocks, allowing maximum cooling.

The brand new Vector Active Backplate directly cools all PCB hotspots found on the backside of the GPU core and VRM (voltage regulation module). In the case of Strix RTX 3090, the VRAM located on the backside is being cooled, while the PCB on RTX 3080 GPUs is being cooled around the front-mounted VRAM. Cooling liquid is channeled over all these critical areas.

ASUS today announced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix LC II line of all-in-one, liquid, closed-loop, CPU coolers. The series includes five models—the ROG Strix LC II 240, ROG Strix LC II 240 ARGB, ROG Strix LC II 280 ARGB, ROG Strix LC II 360, and ROG Strix LC II 360 ARGB. These coolers are based on the 7th generation of AIO CLCs by Asetek, which feature variable pump speeds starting at 840 RPM, and improved ROG Strix fans included with the coolers. The round pump-block of the ROG Strix LC II is Asetek-standard, and compatible with AMD's sTRX4/sWRX8 CLC brackets.

The Strix LC II 240, ROG Strix LC II 240 ARGB are nearly identical in featuring 240 mm x 120 mm radiators, but the latter comes with addressable RGB LED-illuminated fans like the rest of the series. The ROG Strix LC II 280 is the first in the series to include 140 mm spinners, as it comes with a 280 mm x 140 mm radiator. The ROG Strix LC II 360 comes with the largest radiator of the series—360 mm x 120 mm, its ARGB model includes illuminated fans.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced a unique concept gaming laptop created exclusively for world champion professional skateboarder Nyjah Huston. The ROG Strix Nyjah Huston Special Edition concept gaming laptop is based on the acclaimed ROG Strix SCAR series, the leading laptops built for professional esports players. The concept introduces new design explorations at the intersection of the esports and skateboarding cultures. Developing this concept for Nyjah Huston allowed ROG to explore novel ways to enhance the experience of ROG gaming laptops, paving the way for new design thinking and future innovations.

"ASUS makes such great laptops, I am hyped to be working with them," said Huston. "I have a bunch of friends who are into esports and they all told me ASUS is the best, so it was easy decision for me to partner with ROG." Born in California, Nyjah Huston began skateboarding at age five and quickly became a household name in professional skateboarding. He is now the top ranked athlete in Street League Skateboarding and has earned 19X Games medals since 2009, including 13 golds. This year, Huston is in line to represent the United States at the 2021 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan. He also has a long history in gaming, having been featured in multiple popular skateboarding games.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced that Strix XG43UQ, the world's first HDMI 2.1 gaming monitor, will be available in May. Strix XG43UQ features a 43 inch 4K panel with up to a 144 Hz refresh rate and 1 ms moving picture response time (MPRT). It also includes Display Stream Compression (DSC) technology. The HDMI 2.1 port enables gamers to enjoy 4K 120 Hz gameplay on the latest consoles.

The inclusion of AMD FreeSync Premium Pro technology ensures smooth HDR visuals with low latency, while ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync (ELMB Sync) works simultaneously with variable refresh rate technology to eliminate smearing and motion blur for fluid and responsive gameplay. Strix XG43UQ has a maximum brightness of 1000 nits - more than three times that of OLED TVs. The monitor has a two-tone black and white finish with an all-white rear cover, and it features Aura Sync lighting technology for synchronised light effects with other Aura-enable components and peripherals.

ASUS today launched a trio of custom-design AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics cards. These include the RX 6700 XT DUAL, the TUF Gaming RX 6700 XT OC, and the top-of-the-line ROG Strix RX 6700 XT O12G. All three a factory-overclocked cards, and while the company didn't disclose the clock-speeds, one can make out how the three stack up—the ROG Strix at the top, the TUF Gaming OC next, followed by the DUAL. The company will also sell reference-design RX 6700 XT cards. The ROG Strix RX 6700 XT O12G leads the pack with its latest-gen DirectCU III cooling solution that's featured across its custom RX 6000 and RTX 30-series lineup; which features a large aluminium fin-stack heatsink, a trio of the latest-gen Axial-Tech fans, a blinding amount of RGB bling, and the strongest VRM setup among the three, which pulls power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors, and other goodies such as dual-BIOS, RGB and case fan headers.

The TUF Gaming RX 6700 XT OC is next up, along with its acclaimed TUF Gaming cooling solution that exposes much of its heatsink's bare-metal, through an airy metal shroud; and uses a trio of Axial-Tech fans. This card pulls power from two 8-pin PCIe connectors, much like the ROG Strix, but is expected to have a slightly downsized VRM, and lower factory-overclocked speeds. You still get dual-BIOS. Lastly, there's the RX 6700 XT DUAL, slotted in the company's sober-looking PRIME family of motherboards and graphics cards. It features a more compact board design, with a lighter aluminium fin-stack heatsink that uses only a pair of Axial-Tech fans. This card pulls power from 6-pin + 8-pin connectors. All three are expected to launch on March 18, 2021.

EK, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, is ready to offer its premium high-performance GPU water block for ROG 3070 Strix graphics cards. This new block is named EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3070 D-RGB and it shares the same backplate with the 3080/3090 Vector Strix water block. It also comes in two versions - with Plexi and Acetal top.

EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3070 D-RGB water block is compatible with ROG Strix RTX 3070 graphics cards. This Vector water block actively cools the GPU, VRAM (at the front), MOSFETs in the VRM (voltage regulation module), PWM controller, and all the chokes including the input rail. The water block makes contact with every single inductor to suppress any potential coil whine.

ASUS launched the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card. This is essentially the same card as the ROG Strix LC RX 6800 XT the company launched its custom-design RX 6800-series lineup with, but featuring AMD's mighty RX 6900 XT, and a beefed up power delivery, which uses three 8-pin PCIe power inputs, instead of two on the RX 6800 XT-based card. The card uses a factory-fitted hybrid all-in-one liquid closed loop cooling solution, which uses a liquid-cooling cold-plate to cool the GPU, while some of the heat from the memory and VRM is cooled by a set of heatsinks ventilated by a lateral blower. Find out more about this cooler design in our review of the ROG Strix LC RX 6800 XT. As of this writing, ASUS hasn't confirmed its factory-overclocked speeds, release date, or pricing.

ASUS today introduced a new iteration of their Strix Scope keyboard, the Strix Scope RX. The new keyboard is now offering ASUS-developed ROG RX Red Optical Mechanical Switches - ASUS is promising consistent wobble-free keystrokes, superfast 1-millisecond response, and up to a 100-million-keystroke lifespan. ASUS says these are the first switches in the world to feature a hollow-square stem design with embedded RGB LEDs to provide all-round per-key lighting, offering near-zero debounce delay.

ASUS calls attention to the twice-as-wide CTRL key, ensuring easy, infallible access during gaming sessions, and also mentions the Stealth Key (marked by, as they say, "iconic cloaked figure") which allows for immediate hiding of all open apps and sound muting for instant privacy (an interesting feature, wonder what its perfect use case would be...). A Quick Toggle switch allows to change the top keyboard row between Media or Function (Fn) key input. The keyboard also offers a single USB 2.0 passthrough, and features dust and spill resistance. The keyboard's top plate is built out of brushed aluminium. The ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX will be available from Q1 2021 in Benelux with an MSRP of €139.

As if on cue, AMD add-in board partners have started teasing their upcoming custom-design Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards, which AMD claims are competitive with NVIDIA's fastest. Here's the first picture of the ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6800 XT by ASUS, featuring a refreshing new board design that uses an AIO liquid cooler too cool the GPU, while other hot components such as the memory and VRM are cooled by heatsinks that are ventilated by a lateral blower. The GPU AIO cooler uses what looks like a 240 mm x 120 mm radiator. Both the cooler shroud and the radiator fans come with RGB embellishments.

Update 14:38 UTC: We also have pictures, courtesy of DonanimHaber, of the TUF Gaming RX 6800 XT OC, and air-cooled ROG Strix RX 6800 XT, which looks a lot like the ROG Strix series cards based on the NVIDIA RTX 30-series.

Here's a much clearer picture of the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 "Ampere" graphics card by ASUS. A render of this card was revealed back in July, when the RTX 3090 was still speculated to be called the "RTX 3080 Ti." The card features the latest iteration of the ROG Strix design scheme by ASUS, with more shiny metal bits that conceal lighting elements. The cooler features a chunky aluminium fin-stack heatsink that's ventilated by three Axial-Tech fans. The card is 3 slots thick, and about an inch taller than what would constitute "full height." VideoCardz, which is also the source of the image, predicts that ASUS could use same board design for both the RTX 3090 and the RTX 3080. We've seen custom-design RTX 3090 cards featuring as many as three 8-pin PCIe power inputs, while those based on the RTX 3080 have been shown with two. With the RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 being based on the common silicon, the GA102, differing in memory and core configurations, the R&D costs for custom-design board partners is greatly reduced.

ASUS today announced the new A520 chipset motherboards for its TUF Gaming, Prime and Pro series. The AMD A520 chipset is the successor to the A320 chipset, and features PCIe 3.0. Designed to cater to a wide range of needs, these motherboards feature a 32 MB BIOS flash ROM, and support future AMD Ryzen Zen 3 architecture CPUs and APUs.

ASUS A520 motherboards can be paired with an AMD APU to create a budget-friendly gaming rig or workstation, making them ideal for DIY PC users and small to medium-sized businesses. ASUS is also pleased to announce that its R&D team broke the existing world memory frequency record, setting DDR4- 6666 on ROG Strix B550-I Gaming, using the AMD Ryzen 4700GE processor and Crucial Ballistix MAX memory.

In signs of NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce Ampere graphics cards getting a brisk market launch across several SKUs, a Tweaktown report predicts that custom-design graphics cards based on the chips will launch alongside Founders Edition (de facto reference-design) cards. NVIDIA's add-in card partners are believed to be ready with their next-generation original designs that will debut with the new chips, with renders of the ASUS ROG Strix 3000-series cards having leaked in early June. Tweaktown predicts series reveal by September 9, followed by SKU announcements on September 17. AIC partners tell them that custom-design products can be expected within the month. The first major teaser could come out by August 31.

NVIDIA on Monday tweeted its very first web teaser of the new series, under the hashtag #UltimateCountdown. We predict DirectX 12 Ultimate to be central to NVIDIA's marketing, especially a play on the word "ultimate," (eg: the "ultimate ray-tracing performance"). It wouldn't surprise us if "Ultimate" is somehow integrated into the product branding itself (à la "RTX").

ASUS introduced the ROG Strix B460-H Gaming motherboard, expanding its ROG Strix family of motherboards based on Intel's mid-range B460 chipset for 10th generation Core "Comet Lake" processors in the LGA1200 package. The board joins Strix-F and Micro-ATX Strix-G SKUs based on this chipset. The Strix-H covers all platform essentials, but tops them with Intel Ethernet and a premium SupremeFX onboard audio solution. The Strix-H uses a simple 8-phase CPU VRM that pulls power from a single 8-pin EPS connector. The board offers a rear I/O shroud that has the latest generation ROG Strix design language, and a single-color (red) ROG illuminated logo. It also comes with an integrated rear I/O shield.

The LGA1200 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 128 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2933 memory (the maximum memory clock for the B460 platform is 2933 MHz); and a metal-reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The board offers two M.2 NVMe slots, both with PCIe gen 3.0 x4 wiring; and an M.2 E-key slot for WLAN cards. Other storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gbps ports. The board's sole networking interface is a 1 GbE connection driven by an Intel i219-V controller. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS today unveiled the White Edition variant of its ROG Strix Helios chassis, which the company debuted back in January. While "White Edition," normally implies a white color scheme, for the ROG Strix Helios, it means a silvery brushed-aluminium frame taking up most of the metal bits on the case's exterior. The piano black front facade along with RGB LED inserts remains, as do the black top mesh and nylon straps. The interiors are all matte-white, including the horizontal partition. ASUS suggests pairing this case with one its Prime series motherboards, or the ROG Strix Z490-A Gaming; and White Edition variants of its ROG Strix White Edition PSUs, its ROG Strix graphics cards, and gaming peripherals. The rest of its feature-set is identical to the original. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS is preparing an elaborate lineup of ROG Strix series gaming motherboards based on the Intel Z490 chipset, which we detailed in an older report. These include nearly all ROG brand extensions, with the Strix Z490-E(xtreme), Strix Z490-F(ormula), Strix Z490-H(ero), Strix Z490-G(ene), Strix Z490-I(mpact), and with this series, debuting is the Strix Z490-A(ce). The Strix Z490-A is positioned just a notch below the Strix Z490-E in the pecking order, and is the fabled "white Strix" that did the rounds earlier in the media. It features silvery aluminium heatsins, and a white rear I/O shroud. You still get three M.2 NVMe slots, but only two of them have heatsinks.

The Strix Z490-E still rules the roost, with its stronger CPU VRM solution that uses active cooling. The Strix Z490-F isn't far behind in terms of features, but you lose out on things like WLAN. The Strix Z490-H is targeted at value-conscious buyers, and next to the Strix Z490-G, is possibly the cheapest product in the lineup. It still covers essentials such as a gaming-grade SupremeFX audio solution, and Intel-powered 2.5 GbE networking. The Strix Z490-G is possibly ASUS's most premium Micro-ATX board based on the chipset. The Strix Z490-I is possibly the company's second most premium Mini-ITX board based on this platform, featuring elaborate active cooling for the VRM, top-notch connectivity, and an 8-layer PCB. Find specifications of the boards in the table below.More pictures follow.

ASUS posted a teaser collage of its upcoming socket LGA1200 motherboard lineup based on the Intel Z490 chipset, touching upon its various motherboard families, and there are a few interesting finds. In response to various other companies launching creator-focused motherboards, ASUS is preparing to bring its coveted ProArt brand over to its motherboard family. ASUS ProArt brand includes the company's ultra-premium monitors meant for serious content-creation work, which later extended to notebooks and desktops targeting creators. ASUS has so far used the "Pro WS" brand to include its quasi-workstation grade motherboards based on both enterprise and client chipsets. The company recently listed all these Pro WS boards under the ProArt mini-site. ASUS's Z490 motherboard series will see the first physical appearance of the ProArt brand on the motherboard.

The next big find is white ROG Strix motherboards. The PCBs of these boards are still black, but white makes up the rear I/O shield, I/O shroud, chipset heatsink outer shroud, and silver/chrome replaces black on the board's various heatsinks. This is probably aimed at catering to the white-themed gaming PC builders, who were until now picking up the company's Prime family of motherboards for their builds owing to their splattering of white. The collage also shows off the quirky 45° angled orientation of the SATA ports on the ROG Maximus XII Apex.

Earlier today we brought you pictures and specs sheets of ASUS' top-tier ROG Maximus XII family of socket LGA1200 motherboards based on the Intel Z490 chipset. The rest of that slide-deck was leaked to the web by VideoCardz, revealing some fascinating specs common across the series. Apparently, a 6 PCB layers is the bare minimum for ASUS' lineup, which probably contributes to the elevated prices across the board. Some of the cheaper 300-series chipset motherboards make do with just 4 PCB layers.

The CPU VRM solutions are a definitely step up from the previous generations, designed to cope with rising electrical requirements of the 14 nm 10th gen Core processors. For the ATX and M-ATX models, 12+2 phase solutions appear to be the bare minimum for the ROG Strix Z490 series, and 9-phase for the cheapest Prime Z490 series. The ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming, which leads the ROG Strix Z490 series, tops the chart with a 16-phase solution that's probably similar to the one on the Maximus XII Hero. There's also a big innovation with memory optimization, series-wide. With its Z490 motherboard series, ASUS is transitioning from T-topology to daisy-chain, across the board. This is combined with the company's Optimem III automated memory optimization feature on select models, which enables you to populate all four slots on your motherboard with dual-rank DIMMs, and yet achieve frequencies as high as DDR4-3600, with timings as tight as CL16.

ASUS unveiled an addition to its ROG Strix power supply series with a new 850-Watt model. The series was, until now, led by a 750 W model. What's more the ROG Strix 850 W comes in a new White Edition trim, which sees a mostly white+silver color combination. Matte white with silver accents make up the PSU's body the AxialTech fan impeller, and the cables. Under the hood, the ROG Strix 850 W features a single +12V rail design with 80 Plus Gold rated efficiency, full-bridge LLC resonant converter, sync rectifier, and DC-to-DC switching. Among its connectors are a 24-pin ATX, two 4+4 pin EPS, six 6+2 pin PCIe power, ten SATA power, and three Molex. It is likely that ASUS extends the White Edition treatment to other models in the ROG Strix-G PSU series.

ASUS finally joined the GeForce GTX 1650 GDDR6 party with a pair of ROG Strix series premium graphics cards. The cards feature a DirectCU II aluminium fin-stack heatsink with two copper heat pipes making direct contact with the GPU at the base; and a pair of AxialTech fans ventilating it. These fans are designed to guide most of their airflow axially as the edges of the impellers are webbed to prevent lateral airflow. You get a few segment-first features such as dual-BIOS and a FanConnect II 4-pin PWM case fan header. A metal back-plate is included.

The ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1650 GDDR6 series comes in two variants, the overclocked O4GD6 with 1815 MHz GPU Boost, and the mildly overclocked A4GD6 with 1620 MHz GPU Boost, compared to NVIDIA reference speeds of 1590 MHz for the GTX 1650 GDDR6. Both cards stick to 12 Gbps for the GDDR6 memory clock speeds. While most GTX 1650 GDDR6 cards are designed for no additional power connectors, the ASUS ROG Strix series needs a 6-pin PCIe input. Display outputs include two each of HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a The company didn't reveal pricing.

Back in January, AMD released its Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card with a last-minute specifications update that made it competitive with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card. It did so by increasing GPU clock speeds, and more importantly, increasing memory clock speeds to 14 Gbps up from 12 Gbps in the original spec. Various AMD add-in board (AIB) partners released one-click BIOS updates on January 22nd (find them for ASRock, Sapphire, MSI, PowerColor, and Gigabyte). An easy updater from ASUS was missing in action at the time. The company finally got around to releasing easy, Windows-based programs that update the video BIOS of its ROG Strix Radeon RX 5600 XT O6G and TUF Gaming RX 5600 XT EVO OC graphics cards. The BIOS updates run the video memory at 14 Gbps since the cards physically do feature 14 Gbps-rated memory chips. The specifications update has had a profound impact on the price-performance positioning of the RX 5600 XT, from being able to outperform the GTX 1660 Ti to trading blows with the RTX 2060. Grab the BIOS update from the links below.

DOWNLOAD: ASUS RX 5600 XT Easy BIOS Updates for ROG Strix RX 5600 XT O6G | TUF Gaming RX 5600 XT EVO OC

Speed and agility are crucial stats in the world of esports, where razor-thin margins make the difference between victory and defeat. In a massive melee, you need a gaming machine that can keep up with the action. Staying competitive at the highest levels demands a high-refresh display and power-packed GPU that can deliver the fluid frame rates required to catch every moment.

The flagship ROG Strix SCAR 17 represents the pinnacle of professional esports. Its blisteringly fast 300Hz gaming panel surpasses the current tournament standard, while its larger chassis and cooling module can run the new GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GPU at a full 150 W. This config pumps out enough frames to saturate the expansive 17.3" display with the sublimely smooth gameplay required for competitive play.

Back in November 2019, ASUS released a special "White Edition" variant of its ROG Strix RTX 2080 Ti graphics card. The company is now extending the whitewash to the RTX 2080 SUPER. The new ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER White Edition retains the PCB design of the original black ROG Strix card, but extends matte white finish to its cooler shroud, the three Axial-Tech fans, the cooler's base-plate, and the back-plate. The company hasn't finalized clock-speeds, but if the RTX 2080 Ti White Edition is anything to go by, the new card could be clocked silghtly higher than the original ROG Strix RTX 2080 SUPER O8G, which ticks at 1650 MHz base and 1860 MHz GPU Boost, with 15.5 Gbps (GDDR6-effective) memory. Based on the "TU104" silicon, the RTX 2080 SUPER offers 3,072 CUDA cores, 384 tensor cores, 48 RT cores, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs.

Today, ASUS launched another additional product in its lineup of portable monitors, called the ROG STRIX XG17AHPE. This portable gaming monitor features a 17.3-inch display with an astonishing 240 Hz refresh rate. Being targeted at "gamers on the go" this monitor is equipped with features to make the user experience as good as possible. Featuring a 17.3-inch IPS panel with a 1080p resolution, the display of this monitor is very decent. Maximum brightness goes up to 300 nits, the contrast ratio is 1000:1, and the panel has 3 ms GtG response time. The Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology used is VESA's Adaptive-Sync.

When it comes to the I/O options, the display is capable of taking a USB-C (that is capable of DisplayPort alternative mode) or Micro HDMI 2.0 as its inputs. There is a built-in ESS Sabre 9118 DAC to transfer digital audio signals to an analog signal for speaker and headphones output. There are also two 1 W stereo speakers integrated into the monitor body. To power the monitor there is a 7800 mAh battery capable of providing 3.5 hours of usage.

ASUS is keeping its Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card lineup trim, with just two SKUs, both of which are factory-overclocked. The lineup is led by the ROG Strix Radeon RX 5600 XT O6G, while its affordable sibling is the TUF Gaming X3 Radeon RX 5600 XT EVO. ASUS hasn't finalized the clock-speeds for either, as it's rumored that AMD is working with its partners to increase them across the board, to make the RX 5600 XT competitive against the GeForce RTX 2060. Both ASUS RX 5600 XT graphics cards are largely based on its RX 5700-series board designs as the RX 5600 XT is carved from the same 7 nm "Navi 10" ASIC.

The ROG Strix RX 5600 XT O6G features the company's premium triple-slot DirectCU III cooling solution with three Axial-Tech fans, idle fan-stop, plenty of RGB bling on the cooler shroud and metal back-plate, and a high-grade VRM solution that pulls power from a combination of 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power connectors. The TUF Gaming X3 RX 5600 XT EVO, on the other hand, also features a triple-slot design, the TUF X3 cooling solution with three Axial-Tech fans (the one in the middle is smaller than the others); idle fan-stop, and a metal back-plate. This card pulls power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, unlike the ROG Strix.