Computex 2014: The ASUS Booth Tour
by Ian Cutress on June 11, 2014 11:45 AM ESTGraphics Cards
Recently ASUS has launched their new range of low-noise hardware under the branding of ‘Strix’. The word Strix is derived from the Ancient Roman and Greek words for ‘owl’, specifically a bird of ill omen that fed on human flesh and blood that cries similar to a banshee. I am not sure what this has to do with computer components focused on noise and volume, but the logo is a set of owl eyes. For the end-user this means a couple of sets of headphones as well as a range of graphics cards.
I am not much of an audiophile, but the Strix graphics cards are advertised as ‘0dB’ when idle, which is not strictly possible. Even electrical noise on the logarithmic scale is 15 dB, but to clarify on ASUS’ part, they specifically want to refer to the noise generated by the fan assembly. At idle, the Strix line should completely disengage its fans until the unit heats up to a certain temperature.
Here is a pair of Strix GTX 780 6GB models, with 941 MHz boost clock and DirectCU cooling. The 0 dB fan technology is touted as allowing users who invest in high end Strix model cards to enjoy light gaming in ‘complete silence’ (again, the 15 dB electrical noise will mean it is not strictly silent). The card comes with a DIGI+ VRM with 10-phase ‘Super Allow Power’ as well as GPU Tweak to overclock.
There will be other models on the market in the Strix line:
These are an R9 290 OC (980 MHz, 3GB GDDR5) and a GTX 750 Ti OC both in the making, again using DirectCU cooling on top of the new Strix-branded shroud. Strix is not part of the ROG branding, but aims to compete alongside for those users that require a more silent operation. The only difficulty here is that the software has to be water tight, such that the fans spin back up every time.
Also on display with graphics cards is the new Ares III, an R9 295X2 that comes with an EK water block pre-attached:
By having a water block as part of the package, this means that users can avoid damaging a regular card trying to take it apart as well as avoiding the cost of that dual heatsink water cooling solution. Also in this box were the two previous Ares models, the first being a dual HD 5870 model, whereas Ares II was a dual HD 7970 with a water cooling pump, tubing and radiator.
The clock speeds of the Ares III were also on show:
This shows a 1030 MHz frequency on each of the GPUs.
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lemon1510 - Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - link
Where did you got the specs from? The official ASUS site says "GTX 750 Ti" as GPU while you refer to a 750M which is in a completely different league in terms of performance =S.Ian Cutress - Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - link
You are right, the GR8 is a 750 Ti - that's what I wrote in our original news item when it was announced. Corrected.rocktober13 - Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - link
It would be nice if ASUS initially offered a version of the GR8 without Windows 8 to hit a lower price point. I would rather have a Ubuntu + Steam (with in home streaming) + XMBC combo. More functionality than SteamOS and available now. Also, I hope the included Windows 8 is the Pro version otherwise it's another $100 to add WMC with the basic edition.rocktober13 - Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - link
*XBMCCalaverasGrande - Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - link
surprised there are not more UHD and 4k models.Not everyone wants a 30" monitor on their desk. I'm hoping to see more 24" UHD or 4K displays. Sure there is the Dell, but I kind of hate how Dells current industrial design looks with those awkward stands.
TylerGrunter - Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - link
Wasn´t the MeMO Pad 8 going to be out with the Atom Z3580 and have a FullHD panel?From their own press releas:
http://press.asus.com/PressReleases/p/ASUS-Present...
I guess there are two models, the ME181C and the ME581CL, but I find terribly confusing that they call them both MeMO Pad 8
churchgeek - Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - link
A 10-but display!pandemonium - Thursday, June 12, 2014 - link
ASUS really is becoming 'the' brand of choice for all of their vested markets.Thanks for the coverage!
X3ON - Thursday, June 12, 2014 - link
The ROG GX500 looks pretty interesting,The top and bottom shells are made og brushed aluminium, but what about the area around the keyboard? Is it plastic or matte black aluminium?
Nadrik23518 - Thursday, June 12, 2014 - link
Any idea when and if Asus will offer to market a 24 inch monitor with G-sync? Why is Asus siting on G-sync? Can they give the buying community a firm date of when they will offer a monitor with G-sync? I have held my next purchase of a gaming monitor for over a year now. If all they are going to do is talk about G-sync and show mock-up monitors without ever coming to market with a product, I will purchase my second choice.