By Admin 31 January 2013 0 comments

• ASUS GeForce® GTX 650-E Graphics Card Now Available Worldwide

The ASUS GeForce® GTX 650-E graphics card draws an average 60W directly from the motherboard, making it an ideal upgrade for customers with lower wattage power supplies. DirectX® 11.1, a 28nm GPU, and up to 2GB GDDR5 provide good gaming and multimedia performance, while Super Alloy Power components and a dust-proof fan ensure longer-lasting stability. Bundled GPU Tweak offers extensive card tuning options.

Motherboard bus-powered card with DirectX® 11.1 support offers easy upgrades for PCs with low-wattage power supplies

ASUS today announced global availability of the GeForce® GTX 650-E, a motherboard bus-powered DirectX® 11.1 graphics card that’s ideal for desktop PCs with low-wattage power supplies The GeForce® GTX 650-E combines DirectX® 11.1 compatibility and 28nm NVIDIA® GPU technology with a mere 60W power consumption, making it a very appealing upgrade option for users looking for a high-performance graphics card at an affordable price.

 

Motherboard-powered for easier and more eco-friendly upgrades

The ASUS GeForce® GTX 650-E offers a quick and accessible upgrade for customers interested in affordable NVIDIA® 28nm GPU technology. Powered from a PCI Express slot with a modest 60W average power consumption, the ASUS GeForce® GTX 650-E is an ideal choice for users looking to upgrade their PCs without investing in a new power supply, making the process much easier and less costly. Available with 1GB or 2GB GDDR5 video memory, the ASUS GeForce® GTX 650-E supports medium-to-high detail in current PC games, along with smooth 1080p full HD video playback.

 

Superior stability with Super Alloy Power

The ASUS GeForce® GTX 650-E features exclusive Super Alloy Power components that reduce power loss and extend the card’s lifespan by 2.5 times compared to a reference GeForce® GTX 650 card. Super Alloy Power components can withstand higher temperatures and greater stress than generic power delivery designs, with the custom solid-state capacitors rated for 50,000 hours.

With fan blades shaped to restrict dust build-up and reduce the amount of debris entering the shroud, the ASUS GeForce® GTX 650-E has a cooling system that maintains optimum heat dissipation for longer periods. ASUS testing shows this fan design can extend graphics card longevity by up to 25% compared to a reference GeForce® GTX 650 graphics card.

 

Easy overclocking with GPU Tweak

The ASUS GeForce® GTX 650-E delivers greater performance when used with the bundled GPU Tweak utility. A user-friendly interface offers easy adjustment of GPU and memory speeds, voltages, and fan RPM for straightforward overclocking control, and supports dedicated performance profiles to obtain the best results with different games and applications.






Data taken from http://www.asus.com/News/NS7mc9bQrVv2p1CP (accessed on Jan 31, 2013)

By Admin 30 January 2013 0 comments

• NVIDIA GRID Cloud Gaming Review

THE POWER OF CLOUD GAMING

Cloud-based streaming technology has transformed the movie and music industries by delivering unlimited content to consumer devices, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, and TVs. Millions of users now experience the convenience of streaming video and music services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and Pandora.

It's only natural that gaming—the fastest growing media segment and a $68 billion
industry—would follow this trend. NVIDIA is building on a unique legacy in gaming graphics and graphic performance to lead the way in defining the cloud-gaming experience.

FREEDOM FROM THE CONSOLE

NVIDIA GRID is the foundation for the ideal on-demand gaming service, providing tremendous advantages over traditional console gaming systems.

• Any-device gaming: High-quality, low-latency, multi device gaming on any PC, Mac, tablet, smart phone, and TV.
• Click-to-play simplicity: Anytime access to a library of gaming titles and saved games in the cloud. Play or continue games from any device, anywhere.
• Less hassle: No new hardware. No complicated setup. No game discs. No digital downloads. No game installations. No game patches.

Data taken from http://www.nvidia.com/object/cloud-gaming.html (accessed on Jan 17, 2013)

By Admin 29 January 2013 0 comments

• ASUS PCE-AC66

• 802.11ac Dual-band Wireless-AC1750 PCI-E Adapter

 

By Admin 28 January 2013 0 comments

By Admin 27 January 2013 0 comments

• ASUS G75VX - Desktop quality performance on 17.3” gaming laptop

By Admin 0 comments

• Antec GX700 Enclosure Overview

Antec’s original rugged enclosure

Meet the GX700. Builders can now assemble and expand faster with tool-less drive bays and customizable HDD trays. Antec’s boldly designed gaming enclosure features metal clasps and rugged drive bay covers. This solid case accommodates GPUs up to 11.5” and integrates a unique flip access fan controller situated next to easy access USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connectors. Users can cool their systems with two 140 mm top fans capable of mounting a 240 mm cooling radiator and easily upgrade the enclosure’s five 3.5” tool-less HDD trays, each with 2.5” SSD/HDD mounts. Wherever you go the GX700 is ready for your countless victories.  





Data taken from http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=706394&fid=5022074 (accessed on Jan 26, 2013)

By Admin 26 January 2013 0 comments

• ASUS USB-N53 Dual-Band Wireless-N600 USB Adapter

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• Corsair SSDs | No Overprovisioning

This is an article wirtten by Mike Clements at the Corsair blog about overprovisioning and the the Corsair SSDs announced without this overprovisioned space.

Much has been written about overprovisioning and its implementation on SSDs. In short, overprovisioning, or OP, is a portion of storage space on an SSD that is reserved for use only by the SSD controller. The three most common reasons are wear leveling, the replacement of bad blocks, and read-modify-writes. Overprovisioning serves to help increase both the longevity and performance of SSDs and it is a very common practice among SSD manufacturers.

However, some users would like to be able to buy their SSDs without the built in overprovisioning and make the decision to OP, or not to OP for themselves. They prefer the flexibility of decision when to OP and how much space to use based on their specific needs. Corsair has announced and is now offering SSDs without this overprovisioned space.


 
Corsair SSDs with overprovisioning space typically have used 7% of the total SSD storage capacity. This means that users now have a choice with these new drives to use them with or without overprovisioning. Users can manually overprovision the drives if they wish or, they can leave them at their full capacity with no overprovisioning and enjoy the extra space.

For users of 256GB SSDs, this means they can have an extra 16GB of storage capacity on their drive over the equivalent 240GB overprovisioned SSD. Of course, RAID users will benefit even more as the number of drives are increased.

In reading some of that aforementioned information about overprovisioning, I've found a great deal of very useful information over at Anandtech. Here's a diagram from one of Anand's SSD articles highlighting how overprovisioning works.


To OP, or not to OP. That is the question. Whether tis nobler to the PC performance...






Data taken from http://www.corsair.com/en/blog/corsair-ssds-with-zero-overprovisioning-space/ (accessed on Jan 26, 2013)

By Admin 0 comments

• Corsair Super-sizes Hydro Series Liquid Coolers with 280mm and 140mm Sizes

– New Corsair Hydro Series H110 and H90 Liquid CPU Coolers Deliver Extreme Cooling and Quieter Operation –

FREMONT, California — January 17, 2013 — Corsair®, designer of high-performance PC hardware components, today announced the Hydro Series™ H110 and H90 liquid CPU coolers. With huge radiator cooling surfaces areas of 280mm and 140mm respectively and specially designed 140mm low-speed, high static pressure fans, the new coolers deliver superior CPU cooling and quieter operation than smaller 120mm designs.

The Hydro Series H110 is a low-noise, high-performance liquid CPU cooler with a double-length 280mm by 140mm radiator. The H110 radiator's large surface area provides more contact room for heat dissipation and for side-by-side mounting of dual fans. Each fan is a specially-designed low-speed 140mm static pressure fan, which moves much more air per decibel of noise than 120mm fans. Combined, the larger radiators and lower fan-speeds produce better performance with much lower noise levels than smaller 120mm dual-fan coolers. The H110 fits cases with dual 140mm top fan mounts and 20mm screw spacing.1

The Hydro Series H90, like the H110, is a low-noise, high-performance liquid CPU cooler, but with a more compact square 140mm radiator and a single 140mm static pressure fan. The large radiator and spacious surface area combined with lower fan-speeds produce better performance than smaller 120mm single fan coolers with lower noise. The H90 is compatible with many cases with a rear or top 140mm fan mount.

The Hydro Series H110 and H90 liquid coolers feature an enhanced copper cold plate with soaks up heat more efficiently than previous generation designs. Both coolers are compatible with most modern CPU platforms including AMD AM2, AM3, AM3+, FM2 and FM1 and Intel LGA 1155, LGA 1156, LGA 1366, and LGA 2011.

"Many PC enthusiasts choose liquid cooling for its extreme cooling efficiency and quiet operation," said Thi La, Senior VP and GM of Memory and Enthusiast Component Products at Corsair. "To take liquid cooling the next level, we super-sized the Hydro Series H110 and H90, providing users our best cooling-to-noise ratio ever."

Pricing and Availability
The Corsair Hydro Series H110 and Hydro Series H90 liquid coolers are immediately available from Corsair’s worldwide network of resellers and distributors. Suggested retail prices in the United States are $129.99 for the H110 and $99.99 for the H90.


¹ See corsair.com for a list of compatible Corsair cases.

Corsair Hydro Series™ H90 140mm High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler Specifications

Data taken from http://www.corsair.com/en/pressrelease/corsair-super-sizes-sydro-series-liquid-coolers-with-280mm-and-140mm-sizes, http://www.corsair.com/en/hydro-series-h90-140mm-high-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler.html (accessed on Jan 26, 2013)

By Admin 25 January 2013 0 comments

• ASUS Introduces VG248QE Fast Gaming Monitor with 144Hz refresh rate

The 24-inch ASUS VG248QE Fast Gaming Monitor is the world's first 144Hz display with 1ms (GTG) response time for Full HD 1920 x 1080 visuals at up to 144FPS with reduced motion blur and input lag. The VG248QE supports NVIDIA® 3D Vision® 2 and features ASUS-exclusive innovations like an 80,000,000:1 Smart Contrast Ratio, 350cd/m² brightness and Splendid™ Video Intelligence Technology.

World’s first 24-inch gaming monitor with native support for high frame rates and a 1ms response time for superior in-game visuals

By Admin 0 comments

• ASUS Unveils ARES II Graphics Card and ROG RAIDR Express SSD

ASUS unveiled the world's fastest graphics card at CES 2013 — the ROG ARES II with dual AMD® HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs. ASUS also announced the E2KM1I-DELUXE Mini-ITX home theatre PC motherboard and the Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition USB DAC with headphone amplifier. Also on show was the ROG RAIDR Express PCI Express-based SSD.

World’s fastest graphics card showcased at CES 2013, alongside a new home theater PC motherboard, high-end audio hardware and high-performance solid-state storage

ASUS today announced new products that elevate gaming and home entertainment to exciting new levels, including the ROG ARES II graphics card with dual AMD® HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs and the Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition USB DAC with headphone amplifier. ASUS also announced the compact E2KM1I-DELUXE Mini-ITX motherboard that provides a solid energy-saving foundation for home theater PCs, and gave a sneak preview of the ROG RAIDR Express high-performance solid-state storage device for desktop PCs.

 

ROG ARES II sets new performance record

The limited-edition ROG ARES II graphics card packs two AMD® Radeon™ HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs. Its slender two-slot design suits a variety of PC cases. ROG ARES II is the fastest graphics card currently available, and has a new hybrid thermal design that combines liquid and air cooling. ROG ARES II outperforms the dual-GPU GeForce® GTX 690 reference card by a significant 13%, yet its operating temperature is an incredible 31°C lower.

ROG ARES II features 6GB of GDDR5 video memory for ultra-detailed settings in the latest games at resolutions of 1920 x 1200 and beyond. Exclusive 20-phase power delivery with hardened Super Alloy Power long-life components better withstand heat and stress, prolonging the lifespan of ROG ARES II by up to two-and-a-half times, compared to the GeForce® GTX 690 reference card. ASUS DIGI+ VRM digital voltage regulation further enhances stability and offers precise overclocking control, managed with the bundled ASUS GPU Tweak utility.

 

Perfectly matched for home entertainment

The ASUS E2KM1I-DELUXE Mini-ITX motherboard is purpose-designed for compact home theater PCs that take up little space in the living room. Pre-configured with a dual-core AMD® E2-2000 processor and Radeon™ HD 7340 DirectX® 11-compatible graphics capable of 1080p Full HD video playback, the E2KM1I-DELUXE combines efficient power delivery and modest energy requirements for long-term savings on electricity bills. The E2KM1I-DELUXE also features exclusive Wi-Fi GO! technology for seamless wireless connectivity with smart TVs, PCs, smartphones and tablets.

For sound, the ASUS Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition USB DAC with headphone amplifier enhances PC audio output for true hi-fi quality. It features six premium MUSES 01 Op-Amps from the New Japan Radio Company, which are considered to be among the best components in the audio industry for their clean and clear sound delivery. Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition features 8x symmetrical upsampling for increased precision in audio reproduction, ensuring that no detail is lost. The dedicated 600-ohm headphone amplifier also improves audio tone and timbre with dynamic sound range extension for greater listening enjoyment.

 

Accelerated desktop storage with ROG RAIDR Express

True to the ROG ‘Choice of champions’ creed, RAIDR Express is an advance look at an innovative new solid-state storage device for gamers seeking the ultimate in desktop PC performance. ROG RAIDR Express delivers significantly faster data transfer speeds and game loading times than SATA-based SSD storage, thanks to the greater bandwidth of its PCI Express interface. ROG RAIDR Express maintains full compatibility with all major chipsets and operating systems, and can be used as a bootable drive for accelerated PC performance across the board.






Data taken from http://www.asus.com/News/KigH6MRhe2JcgNt1 (accessed on Jan 25, 2013)

By Admin 0 comments

• ASUS Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition Released

Flagship USB DAC and headphone amplifier uses premium MUSES 01 Op-Amps for high-fidelity audio reproduction beyond industry standards

By Admin 24 January 2013 0 comments

• ASUS Announces Transformer Book TX300 Notebook with Detachable Tablet

ASUS Transformer Book TX300 is an innovative ultraportable that combines a powerful notebook PC with the flexibility of a Windows 8 tablet. ASUS Transformer Book comprises a 13.3-inch tablet with 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor and 128GB SSD storage. When docked, ASUS Transformer Book becomes a fully featured notebook with dedicated high-capacity hard drive and extended battery.

 Fully featured dock with hard drive and self-contained tablet deliver an incredible combination of notebook PC and tablet