The GR8S is ROG's dedicated Steam Machine. It continues the existing GR8 2.5 liter design, but will be updated with any future Intel Core i5/i7 and Nvidia GeForce hardware available at the time of its November launch. In addition to following the news right here on rog.asus.com, sign into Steam and follow the GR8S store page for notifications on updates.
The first event of ASUS Republic of Gamer's global online overclocking competition, the Extreme Series 2015: Round One, has drawn to a close. Targeting extreme overclockers who use dry ice, liquid nitrogen or any other cooling apparatus to achieve subzero cooling conditions on ASUS, ROG or TUF (Z97 or X99) motherboards, and graphic cards (for the 3D benchmarks).
Round One ran from January 30 to March 2, with 39 participants from the HWBot Extreme Series showcased their overclocking skills in the quest for overclocking glory in Cinebench R11.5, Intel XTU and 3DMark-Fire Strike Extreme. Here are the rankings after the completion of round one of the Extreme Series. Round Two will kick off April 17 until May 18.
Congratulations to the top three overclockers from each the Elite league and the Extreme League, their awesome prizes are listed below.
For the first time ever, prizes are awarded to top competitors from different leagues to accommodate all eager overclockers, providing a more fair and open playing field. The Extreme Series consists of the Elite League comprising The top crop of the overclocking world; plays with LN2, engineering samples and in touch with the hardware industry, and the Extreme League who are The most eccentric people you will find in the overclocking world; ready to battle each other with retail hardware and liquid nitrogen.
8pack: 10119marks – Broke the 10k mark with a single GPU Matrix GTX 980 (2200MHz (+80,92%) GPU clock / 2,175MHz (23,65%) memory clock) and the Rampage V Extreme.
We previously teased about its existence, and now in collaboration with Nvidia's latest GTX 960M graphics card, ASUS ROG has launched the G501 ultra-slim gaming notebook. It's available now, so check your local stores!
Key specs continue to include the option of 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS or Full HD displays with 100% sRGB, and dual storage with the option of a PCI-Express x4-based SSD that gives incredible performance, without suffering the risks of RAID. On the gaming front it still stands up it, packing up to an Intel 4th Generation quad-core mobile CPU and Nvidia GTX 960M graphics card, with Nvidia Optimus technology.
Brand new is the G501’s upgraded Hyper Cool technology, which keeps it cool and silent with an intelligent, yet, super-slim dual-fan cooling system. It’s now the coolest and quietest thin-and-light gaming notebook on the market!
For the Twitch and streaming generation of MOBA, MMO or Minecraft gamers that play games windowed, while simultaneously controlling the audio and visual feed – the 4K display means you can still game and record at Full HD with three other Full HD spaces are available for other apps, and its powerful, yet highly efficient Nvidia GPU is ideal.
However, don't think the G501is all gaming; the brushed, black aluminum also has serious business acumen. Show up to meetings with this discreet, stylish and cutting-edge performance notebook, rather than choose from the ‘gaming bling’ or less powerful alternatives. The multi-tasking benefits of the high PPI display, super-fast PCIE SSD and silent running are great for when you’re limited to a single screen on the go and being super slim and light it’s also extremely portable as well; slipping easily into most bags and giving you that extra kilo when flying. Meanwhile, creative professionals also benefit from the fact the IPS display is 100% sRGB, it can house plenty of memory and its fast, Nvidia GPU is perfect for Adobe’s Creative Suite of apps (or equivalent).
We are excited to announce that with your next upgrade to an eligible ASUS graphics card, you will receive for free - a 1-year ASUS XSplit Premuim License worth US$99.95/year! Using XSplit Gamecaster makes streaming and recording your greatest gaming triumphs a cinch so you can share your gameplay with the world. ASUS GPU Tweak helps you modify clock speeds, voltages, fan performance and more in real-time, and all this via an intuitive interface. Having both combined, you now have ultimate control of your system and streaming without exiting your game.
Here are the eligible graphics cards, the 14-day premium license is effective from March 1st, 2015, while the 1-year license is effective from March 15th, 2015.
Why get the exclusive ASUS x XSplit Gamecaster utility apart from the fact that it's free? How about extra functionality and control so won't have to leave the game and more!
The finals of Intel Extreme Masters league are held in In Katowice, south western Poland. It's during this huge gaming event that one of the most important tournaments; Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - ESL One, takes place. We took this opportunity to interview AdreN from Hellraisers team, who participated in the tournament.
ROG: Many people are envious of what you do? You get paid to play games all day, you have thousands of fans and you travel all over the world. Does a professional player's life really look like this?
AdreN: Well, your description is pretty accurate for us as for now. However, the road to get to this "beautiful and simple life" has been long and rough. E-sport, just like any traditional sport, requires a lot of time, energy and complete commitment from the beginning of a player’s career.
ROG: How does your family look at your eSports career? Do they understand what it's all about?
AdreN: They are fine with it now but they used to be against gaming before. It changed when I first traveled to Singapore and came back with $5,000 prize money. After that they were softer to it, but still affirmed that studying must be my first priority before games. Eventually gaming became my regular job, so they accepted it with understanding.
ROG: What is more important to achieve success: talent or hard work?
AdreN: Hard work! Work, work and work again. You get to meet plenty of talented players on the scene, but only hard work can make you the best among them.
ROG: How long have you been playing Counter-Strike together with the team?
AdreN: Together we have been playing (with Kyrill, Misha and Emil) for approximately 3 years now, not counting some periods when I was not in the team. And as for professional Counter-Strike – I have been playing it for about 10 years
ROG: How much time do you spend training per day? Is there any time left for a normal life, with other hobbies?
AdreN: It all depends on whether there is a tournament soon. If we have a competition ahead, we turn on our “nerd” buttons and play 12 hours per day, 6 days per week. But when our schedule is not so tough and we are sure about our shape – we are playing not more than 6-7 hours per day. Friday and Saturday are usually days off.
ROG: Is physical fitness important in e-sports?
AdreN: I don’t really think that peak physical shape is important in e-sports. It's not the strongest, but smartest that wins a chess game. However, if you sit in front of the computer all day long it will affect your game badly. An hour or two per day spent walking or simple morning exercises are enough to keep yourself up.
ROG: In games like Counter Strike, reaction time is very important. Can age be an obstacle for a professional player, as in traditional sports? Is there a limit after which you can no longer compete with younger players?
AdreN: Of course, age matters. The older you get, the harder you can learn new skills. Plus, interest can change with your age. Being young is good, but being experienced is better! Every players sets his own limits. Personally I think that that ~30 is a limit for pro Counter-Strike players.
ROG: How important is the good equipment in e-sports? Do you have to invest a lot in components and peripherals?
AdreN: Gaming devices are certainly very important. Every professional player has his own devices and his performance will be much worse if he is playing with some unfamiliar hardware. High quality and convenient gear is one of the factors that brings you a victory. Although when you become a professional player, you actually don’t spend a lot of money on kit. The reason is simple - good hardware companies love to support gamers with peripherals, for example we were happy to obtain a support of ASUS, who provide us high quality headsets and hardware.
ROG: What should we look for when choosing a mouse, keyboard or headphones?
AdreN: I prefer my hardware simple, without unnecessary stuff on it. When you choose a mouse, headphones or a keyboard for yourself, it’s of utmost important that they are compatible with you. The shape of the mouse needs to fit your hand; headphones must be comfortable; and how fluidly can you type on the keyboard – that is all very important. That's why I play in Orion headsets and use an Echelon mechanical keyboard. The last thing is design – everyone's tastes are different, but I found peripherals that I love.
ROG: Some people have called for eSports to be part of the Olympics, do you think this makes sense?
AdreN: I think one day it definitely will be. I once played for Kazakhstan team at Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2013. We, e-sports players, were equal with others, like Kickboxers, Thai Boxers and so on. Cybersport is growing quickly, and I think that we will have our place among Olympic disciplines in the nearest future.
ROG: In a few days you will be competing in Katowice. It's really hard guess the result of the ESL One tournament, but do you think Virtus.Pro have a chance to defend last year's trophy? Let's not forget about the fanatical, Polish audience that will not help the visitors...
AdreN: Nowadays CS:GO teams are on a level where everyone can beat everyone. There is no obvious favorite, although Virtus.Pro will have slight advantage, as they will be playing at home. The Polish audience is unbelievable, I haven’t seen anything like it. They often support their players even better than the Swedish support for NiP. That will surely cheer Virtus.Pro, but only in Poland we will see if it helps them to win.
ROG: Will the betting scandal that led to the exclusion of many well-known players affect the future perception of the CS: GO scene? What steps do you think should be taken to avoid this kind of situation in the future?
AdreN: I think, Valve did the right thing when they banned those players. That showed to everyone that Valve are serious about developing the CS:GO scene. That incident should be a lesson to all professional players.
Recently ROG invited a dozen world-class modders to build twelve Dream Gaming Machines in just 30 hours. They could be based on either the G20 (five builds) or GR8 (five builds) gaming desktops, or the G751 gaming laptop (two builds). The end result? Some truly inspired and, as you'd expect, fantastically executed creations!
But which is best?
We're asking our fans to vote for their favorite Dream Gaming Machine in a global online poll, between 30th March to 27th April 2015, with voters able to win ROG G20 and GR8 gaming desktops with VG248QE and VG278HE ultra-fast 144Hz gaming monitors, and G751 gaming laptops.
Visitors to the Dream Gaming Machine website are able to vote multiple times to increase their chances of winning, with a maximum of one vote per day, per visitor. The campaign will also include bonus giveaways, triggered each time 10,000 global votes are cast. Bonus prizes include the ROG Gladius mouse and Whetstone mouse pad, and will be awarded via a random draw.
Hit the press release button below the pics for more details, meanwhile - see the mods below, or watch all the behind the scenes videos!
For years, people have tried to replace the keyboard and mouse by making so-called superior gaming controllers (even I've tried... everything), and yet they are still here. Gamers want superior controls, and the keyboard plus mouse combination is simply unbeatable to this day. The key reasons for their superiority are the speed and precision, as new technology becomes available, these are the exact reasons why new weapons are continually forged for you to take into battle. ASUS ROG has just added Sica and Whetstone to the peripherals portfolio. The Sica mouse is named after a short sword or a larger dagger, while the Whetstone mouse pad is named after the tool used for sharpening weapons, thus making them a perfect match. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
These follow suit with the ROG Gladius as that was named after a light infantry sword, and they all come with easy-swap switch sockets compatible with ultra-durable Omron switches, and the buttons are separate from the body for superior responsiveness, control and durability. They both come in classic ROG red and black with the Mayan-patterned grip. You can customize all of these and program the buttons with the proprietary Armory Software.
With these mice you now have options, so you can choose the right weapon for the job and for you, to accommodate hands with different shapes, sizes, and hand grips. Our new lineup of premium gaming mice are the Gladius and Sica. Sica is made specifically to be more accommodating for the finger grip. For massive multiplayer online role-playing games and massive online battle arena games such as League of Legends (gameplay), the right mouse button is used more often (as opposed to the left in most other genres), a smaller mouse is more appropriate for the finger grip because the middle finger can reach further. This mouse is the most portable, and ambidextrous so the experience is equally effective for left handers. And also the smaller body makes it particularly suitable for female gamers or people who often find mice simply too big.
Sica features a 5000DPI optical sensor, capable of speeds up to 130 inches per second and 30g acceleration for ultimate speed and precision. An improved exclusive easy-swap switch socket design lets you change switches and customize click resistance without removing any pads. With a pulsing ROG logo, gold-plated USB 2.0 connector, low-friction Teflon feet and stickers making it a complete package.
But whatever tech is onboard the mouse, ultimately a suitable companion for a mouse is just as important. That’s where ROG Whetstone comes in, a new 2mm design that makes this firm and fast like playing on glass, yet you can roll it up to put in your backpack, best of both worlds. The Mayan patterned canvas is bonded to the silicone base using an 8-stage process, and there are fray-resistant round edges to guarantee quality and durability. Silicone has superior grip compared to rubber, odorless and since the mouse mat has a water-resistant coating, it can be washed and dried easily. For the finishing touch, the ROG logo is laser cut into the canvas, revealing the red silicone base underneath. Whether you get the Gladius or Sica, the Whetstone is a perfect match both aesthetically and for performance.
ROG sought input from Taipei Assassins, a professional e-sports team, to ensure both products perform exceptionally even for when you turn pro and compete at the professional level.
If you want best-value, this TUF motherboard featuring the B85 Express chipset with the usual TUF reliability is backed up by a five-year warranty. Other features include TUF LANGuard, TUF ESD Guards 2, Thermal Radar Core, TUF Components, Server-Grade tested, and TUF Audio.
For those who want server-grade stability, here is a board for your Intel LGA 1150 4th Gen. CPU and DDR3 RAM, with Quad-GPU CrossFireX support so this is not necessarily for server purposes only. The B in B85 technically denotes business, but has proven to provide exceptional performance for its price thus it was used in the ASUS B85M-Gamer motherboard. Rest assured this can easily be used for a solid and reliable, never-say-die gaming-rig.
A reliable connection can be underrated until a user is confronted with the inconvenient "Network Disconnected" message. TUF LANGuard utilizes an advanced signal-coupling technology and quality surface-mounted capacitors to ensure that doesn't happen while improving throughput. It is tested and certified to withstand punishment from the elements, and adds superior protection against static-electricity and surges.
The second generation ESD Guards doubles the protection compared to the last, fortifying all of the rear IO ports against inadvertent electrostatic discharges when connectors are inserted. To up the ante, the TUF team performed exclusive pin-level testing and made the resistance 30% higher than the previous TUF standard.
The Platform Controller Hub (PCH) on the motherboard can be susceptible to over-voltage damage, Trooper B85 provides protection by actively detecting the voltage signal in both front and back USB ports in real time.
Single-click simplicity is implemented in ASUS TUF Thermal Radar Core to give you complete system cooling or customized fan-tuning with the click of a button. Customizable controls allow you to adjust fan speeds and temperature. Live Update keeps your version of Thermal Radar Core up-to-date also with the click of a button.
Like the TUF flagship motherboards, the robust TUF chokes, black metallic capacitors, and MOSFETs are all certified through third-party military-grade testing. TUF alloy chokes are made of a compound that uses mixed high-quality metals (rather than plain iron) capable of handling 25% higher current than conventional components. A one-piece choke packing design further eliminates buzzing noise and vibration, while delivering better performance and durability. The TUF Ti-Caps can last up to five times longer even while running at higher temperatures. And TUF MOSFETs run cooler and more efficient which translates to a longer lifespan.
The onboard 8-channel HD audio (previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC is capable of outputting 192khz/24bit audio so you can enjoy lossless content in all its glory. Also featured are jack-sensing, retasking functions and multi-streaming technology. The LED-lit Audio Shielding separates audio components from the motherboard components to eliminate interference, to provide rich and clean sound. Not only are audio components separated, even the left and right channels have separate layers to prevent crosstalk and interference.
Generally speaking, if your computer can serve you well for five years, you're doing well. TUF makes sure your motherboard will go at least that far.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Similar in style to the GR8, the ROG GR6 is a console-inspired gaming PC created to be as minimalistic and silent as possible. All the while maintaining the power and bold-styling in traditional colors to earn the ROG branding. The portable miniature size and calm demeanor can be deceiving when performance is far beyond what you would expect from an ultra-compact 2.5-liter package with 20dB (idle)/28dB (full-load) whisper-quiet operation.
Powered by a 5th-generation Intel Core i5 ('Broadwell') processor, 8GB of DDR3L memory (upgradeable to 16GB), an updated Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M graphics card and an optional solid-state-drive (SSD), ROG mouse and keyboard is also available. Gamers are ready for Full HD gaming in the bedroom, or throw it in a bag and head to a LAN party or simply go hog the big-screen in the living room.
With the optional ROG Gladius mouse and M801 Keyboard set or ROG Sica mouse and RA01 Keyboard set you have a complete system. There is built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Intel Gigabit Ethernet with GameFirst III for lag-free online gaming, and HDMI or DisplayPort allows multiple displays. Four USB 3.0 ports are at the back and two quick-access USB 2.0 ports are on the front, of which one supports USB Charger to charge your device in half the time even if the system is off.
Both hardware and software are tuned for the complete audio experience, via the digital or analog interface. You can connect the GR6 to your digital surround-sound home-theater using either the HDMI or S/PDIF optical port, in addition, there are audio jacks on both the front and the back with Sonic SenseAmp which automatically senses headphone impedance and adjusts accordingly. SupremeFX audio utilizes premium components including high-end Japanese-made ELNA audio capacitors for natural and warm sound reproduction, and a design to reduce EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). Sonic Studio allows you to personalize sound modes and the equalizer. Get an unfair advantage with Sonic Radar II by seeing where enemies are on an onscreen overlay within the game.
ROG GR6 comes pre-installed with Windows 8.1 and Steam Big Picture Launcher so you can navigate and get into games in no time, even using just your game-pad if you choose. The full-windows experience is available and SteamOS can be added without any added hardware after the official launch. ASUS exclusive features include AI Suite III to customizing system settings, 100GB of free ASUS WebStorage cloud storage for a year, and HomeCloud so you can access your ROG GR6 remotely. A one-year full Kaspersky Anti-Virus license is also included for real-time protection against virus and malware attacks
G.Skill memory are the first to announce a 128GB DDR4 memory kit using new 16GB DIMMs (16GB x 8), at speeds of up to 2,800MHz CL16-16-16 -36 1.35V, with XMP compatibility exclusively with the ASUS ROG Rampage V Extreme.
These kits are designed for those looking to reach the very limits of consumer memory storage - doubling the previous maximum of 64GB - while also demanding incredible performance by combining G.Skill Ripjaws 4 memory with 6- or 8-core Intel Core i7 LGA2011-3 processors and the incredible overclocking performance and UEFI BIOS compatibility and flexibility of the Rampage V Extreme.
For more information see the G.Skill press release and pictures below.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) will be holding the Play it Cool Streaming Marathon in Cologne, Germany from 1-3 May, 2015. This campaign aims to dispel the misconception about gaming laptops or small form factor PCs not having the proper cooling systems required for long periods of overclocked performance. Pro-gamer Grubby, along with four well-known Twitch streamers and four gaming teams, will participate in the 3-day streaming event, which will be streamed live on Twitch as well as on the event website (see below). The event will feature a 24-hour Heroes of the Storm stream, a 24-hour HeartStone stream, as well as a one-day DOTA 2 tournament.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced an exclusive partnership with professional gamer Grubby, who will serve as an ASUS brand ambassador and product consultant. This partnership aims to get ASUS ROG closer to its target audience to better understand their gaming wants and needs. Grubby has been a professional gamer on the European circuit for over 10 years, and is known for his prowess in gaming titles like Warcraft 3, StarCraft 2, and Heroes of the Storm. His first appearance as ASUS ROG brand ambassador will be at the 3-day Play It Cool streaming marathon in Cologne, Germany.
For more information please see the press release below.
A dozen world-class modders were given only 30 hours to build their Dream Gaming Machines. They were based on either the G20 (five), GR8 (five) or the G751 (two). Between March 30th and April 27th, we asked you to vote for your favorite Dream Gaming Machine in a global online poll. The time has come for us to reveal the best three voted by YOU!
A dozen world-class modders were given only 30 hours to build their Dream Gaming Machines. They were based on either the G20 (five), GR8 (five) or the G751 (two). Between March 30th and April 27th, we asked you to vote for your favorite Dream Gaming Machine in a global online poll. Well we received over 130,000 votes! So we're happy to announce the 13 lucky winners who just won both an ROG Gladius gaming mouse and a Whetstone gaming mouse mat for the ASUS ROG 10K Bonus Giveaway!
Nathaniel Belcher APiotr Piotrowski Deividas Paulavicius Alaen Wu Brian Duguid Mateusz Grzenik Rey John E. Detera James Doyle Mikkel Rasmussen Nicolas Dufossé 寄忧谷Mdp Bernd Rinnhofer Gina Lin
Winners will need to message us on Facebook (ROG Global) WITHIN 7 DAYS, also providing your:
1. Full name 2. Address 3. Phone Number 4. Email 5. Age
ASUS ROG G20 was just one of ten products which received the Taiwan Excellence Gold Award for 2015. After a six-month selection process by a panel of esteemed judges, ROG G20 was honored with the award for its excellent performance, quality and design. Now the ROG G20 can also be configured with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 to give users more choices and a greater balance between performance and price. It features an intelligent thermal design for increased reliability and stability during marathon gaming sessions such as the Play it Cool - Streaming Marathon which was held in Cologne, Germany last week. Not only does it run cool, it also runs super quiet at just 22dB at idle — much lower than the industry average of 28 to 32dB.
ROG G20 comes in a compact 12.5L matte-black case and is powered by a 4th-generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, up to an NVIDIA GTX 980 graphics card to make it the most powerful small-form-factor gaming desktop in its segment. ROG G20 features an intelligent thermal design, comes with customizable lighting effects showcasing up to 8 million colors on the front and underside of the chassis, and the Aegis system monitoring tool is included to provide real-time performance monitoring.
To commemorate 20 years of making graphics cards, ASUS is releasing in limited numbers the fastest GTX 980 graphic card money can buy. This highly-collectable card comes in a very special package for a very special occasion. For fans who love collecting boxes, you don't want to miss out on this one.
In the box, you will find the essentials like the power cables, software disc and setup guide. Apart from the special edition graphics card, there is also a special edition super-sized mouse mat.
The main attraction comes in the form of a matte-black and gold Nvidia GTX 980 with ASUS-exclusive technologies. The ASUS back-plate and all ports are gold-plated, making this the perfect card for a gold/yellow mod, or for adding a touch of class and quality in your build.
At the core, it is powered by Nvidia’s acclaimed 2nd-gen Maxwell architecture (GM204); their most powerful and efficient architecture to date. This factory-overclocked beast runs at a whooping 1,431MHz (18% boost from 1,178MHz so this is even faster than the mighty ROG Matrix Platinum!), with 4GB of GDDR5 video memory operating at 7,012MHz (effective) on its 256bit memory bus. There are five display outputs in total: DVI, HDMI 2.0 and three DisplayPort 1.2 (four of which can be used concurrently), so you can run games on multiple displays.
On the side, there is the 20th Anniversary logo which is also a color-coded, real-time load indicator that changes color to show the GPU load level – blue for light load, orange for medium, red for heavy and green for safe mode. By pressing the Clear VBIOS button, your GPU default settings will be restored so you can overclock with confidence. The dual-slot card measures 11.3 X 5.4 X 1.6 inches in size.
The Golden Edition card is fitted with ASUS-exclusive technologies like the DirectCU II heatsink which provides you with 15% greater cooling and three times quieter than reference design. It incorporates a CoolTech fan for multi-directional cooling, making this an exceptional quiet card even when the fans are at full-speed. The Direct CU II heatsink combined with the CoolTech fans and 10mm heatpipes make 0dB Fan Technology possible so you can have ultra-silent operation without water-cooling. Details do matter, so matte-black is applied to the heatsink and heatpipes match the theme, while on the back of the PCB is the gold version of the premium brushed-metal back-plate, which doesn't only look fantastic but also helps spread and dissipate the heat from components and the PCB.
Even though ASUS has factory-overclocked the card, this was built to still have plenty of headroom left for you to play around with! Download and install GPU Tweak, there’s enough features to satisfy even the most hardcore enthusiast. The twin 8-pin power connectors have LED indicators on each to indicate if each power cable is installed correctly.
The 2,048-core GPU and memory is fed by the DIGI+ VRM with a 14-phase power design. Concrete core chokes, hardened MOSFETs, as well as Japanese-made 10K black metallic capacitors are all here, to bring you 30% less power noise, 20% better temperature endurance and five times the lifespan of standard solid caps. All these technologies and components provide stability, silent operation, and even more overclocking headroom that you'd come to expect from ASUS.
For those using liquid nitrogen, simply solder in the VGA Hotwire wires and short the available points to unlock LN2 mode, then plug in a 4-pin molex power cable to use the memory defroster. When you're dealing with subzero overclocking, this will keep your memory from freezing up, say sayōnara to cold bugs and the need for excessive insulation.
Some people like to go crazy, but there's nothing wrong with that. By all means, go crazy! And this is what crazy looks like. How about the 20th Anniversary Golden Edition GTX 980 times two? Oh and don't forget about the ROG SLI Bridge...
J.J. made a trip to ASUS headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan for the launch of the new ROG Z170 Maximus VIII motherboards. Take a look as J.J. gives you the inside scoop on the Maximus VIII Hero!
Boasting the largest prize pool in eSports history, The International 5 was always going to be one for the books. The prize pool of $18 million towered over the likes of Wimbledon, the Masters, and even the SuperBowl, while the event took place in Seattle, home of Valve HQ, inside the multi-purpose 17,000-seater KeyArena next to the iconic Space Needle.
TI5 represented the culmination of a year’s hard-work for 80 players from 16 different teams. A top 6 placement would secure a player at least $200,000 in cash, with MVP. Phoenix’s Korean player March joking ahead of the event that he would buy his parents a car or give them half of his winnings if his team did well.
Heading into the competition, the all-star Team Secret was expected to take the tournament by force with Evil Geniuses and Vici Gaming at their heels. Blessed with a TI winner in Gustav “S4” Magnasson, two runners-up and two bronze medallists, the Secret swagger was real as they waltzed into KeyArena donning shades.
Team Secret endured two losses in the group stages, but the last time they had lost a full series was in April 2015. They were unbeatable for four months and won four major offline tournaments back-to-back. As they sat down to face EHOME, the question on everybody’s lips was not could they win but by what margin.
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What the ESL One and Summit 3 winners did not expect however, was resistance, and EHOME led by the fiery character of RotK, who reached the Grand Final last year with Vici Gaming, took Team Secret to the cleaners.
Earlier the same day, CDEC (another open qualifier team) had disposed of top 4 favourite Cloud9, and the success of the last-minute additions to the tournament was the defining storyline.
CDEC and EHOME were deemed not strong enough to receive a direct invite, and like their American counter-part compLexity, had never won a LAN. Now they were competing in the largest eSports tournament in history, schooling veterans and leaving the community both bewildered and amazed. All three teams had one thing in common: strong leadership, and more importantly, no expectations weighing heavy down on their shoulders.
"In the qualifier we were nervous, because our goal is to reach the main event; once we reached that goal, we feel relaxed, we're not nervous at all," said Agressif of CDEC, the Chinese open qualifier team who went all the way to the Grand Finals undefeated.
The ASUS ROG G501-equipped analyst panel also quickly picked up on the rise of the two Korean teams, in particular MVP.Phoenix. A year ago the team was considered a charity case at their first LAN finals at Starladder, but at TI5 they made it further than any of the previous TI winners at the event, reaching top 8 after eliminating TI4 winner Newbee and Russian poster boys Team Empire. Their prize for a 7-8th finish was over $829,000, more than enough for March to hook his parents up with some new wheels.
Whilst the formula for success seemed to have failed for Team Secret, Evil Geniuses captain Peter “ppd” Dager had masterminded yet another major victory for his team, having also come out the victors of the Dota Asia Championships back in February. It was not all smooth sailing however, with CDEC’s drafter Q literally outwitting the American in the first encounter between the two teams in the Winner’s Bracket.
During the tournament, a roaming Bounty Hunter had been prevalent, disturbing the peace in the mid lane, hunting couriers who deliver important item to the opponents, and putting pressure on a very crucial part of the map. When CDEC picked Bounty Hunter, ppd drafted accordingly to extinguish the threat… or so he thought. The Bounty Hunter never made it to the mid-lane, and instead Q baited out ppd’s picks only to send the hero to the off-lane. ppd was bamboozled and the Evil Geniuses captain was humble in defeat on Twitter: “This Q guys a genius. Going to be a hard fight for another shot at CDEC, GGs.”
Evil Geniuses, who had lost two players in the western reshuffle at the end of last year, had weathered storms before and they came back with a vengeance in the Grand Finals to the sound of “USA, USA, USA” from the home crowd. It was not as emphatic a finale as Alliance’s TI3 victory, but no team had put in more hard work over the course of the year than Evil Geniuses, and taking home the first TI for North America was a just reward, not to mention the $6.8 million.
In the aftermath of TI with roster changes, it is evident that TI5 hammered home the importance of the human factor within a team. CDEC, compLexity, MVP.Phoenix, and EHOME all seemed in it together, dedicated to their cause. There were no fingers pointed, angry tweets, or insults traded between members after their exit. Camaraderie reigned, and as we look to the Majors, the future is bright. There is no better time to be a Dota 2 fan.
The arrival of the new 6th Generation Intel Core processors means the new wave of ASUS and ROG Z170 motherboards are here. Presenting the ROG Maximus VIII Gene.
You will be spoiled with the full set of accessories consisting of four SATA 6Gb/s cables, a M.2 screw pack, an SLI-bridge, a Setup/DIY guide, an installation disc, ROG stickers pack for your case, keyboard, hard drives, fans and cables, plus a metal ROG badge, an ROG door hanger, a Q-Connector, a Q-Shield backplate and the new CPU Installation Tool.
A new CPU Installation Tool is introduced to eliminate the risk of bent CPU socket pins. While the CPU installation process is easy especially for seasoned builders, the risk of dropping something onto the pins is still there. One minor mishap is all that’s needed to convince you that the hassle is not worth it, especially when you are so eager to fire up your new system. There is attention to detail from start to finish, from the ROG Q-Shield to the fan stickers, PC builders will certainly appreciate these finishing touches when the system is complete.
ROG Maximus VIII Gene possesses as much power and flexiblity as you will need from an mATX case, and more! Once again, when you hold this you will feel the quality and see the beauty in a board that deserves to be the centerpiece of your PC. It’s ready for you to slot in that new 14nm Intel LGA1151 Core i7/i5/i3 processor, and up to four sticks of DDR4 memory supporting up to Dual DDR4 3400 (OC) and of course Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP). Again there are Q-DIMM memory slots so you only need to manually secure one side of your sticks of memory. 5-Way Optimization auto-tuning technology can be used for easy performance boosts, power-savings, ultra-quiet operation or even custom audio/networking settings for games. Second-generation T-Topology is built in for superior DDR4 memory overclocking, ensuring time-aligned signal transfer for stability and compatibility. And all-new Pro Clock technology is introduced to turbo-charge the base-clock (BCLK) frequency on your 6th Gen. Intel processor. Power means nothing without control, so to achieve stable overclocks Extreme Engine DIGI+ VRM is used to deliver ultra-stable performance by using top-of-the-line components such as MicroFine Alloy Chokes and NexFET MOSFETs.
With the new board comes a new socket – the LGA 1151, but there’s good news for people wanting to upgrade (from any of the previous LGA 115X sockets) but still want to use an existing cooler, there won’t be any compatibility issues. The new look of the armor and cooling system certainly looks sharper and more premium than ever.
There is an M.2 Socket 3 supporting both PCIe X4 and SATA modes if you are looking to upgrade your storage, PCIe 3.0 X4 M.2 SSDs are highly recommended for incredible speed, no storage bay is required and no cable management which is a huge plus especially in an mATX case! Eight SATA III ports are also available (four of which can be used as SATA Express ports). On the back panel there is a USB 3.1 type-C and a type-A port, support for up to eight USB 3.0 ports (six on the back panel) and four USB 2.0 ports are possible. With this many options for connectivity, your mATX will probably need to be modded to make use of all these!
For LAN connectivity, the latest Intel Gigabit Ethernet (i-219V) reduces CPU overhead and offers more throughput, leaving you with more computing power for gaming, while the exclusive LANGuard signal-coupling technology ensures reliable connections and better throughput. Maximus VIII Gene features electrostatically-guarded and surge-protected components (ESD Guards) for nearly double the tolerance to static electricity and two-and-a-half times the protection (up to 15KV) against surges. GameFirst technology further enhances online gaming performance for no-delay gameplay by prioritizing packets for gaming.
Tremendous effort has been put into making the sound simply unrivaled. In the all-new SupremeFX 2015, apart from the obviously beautiful red LED shielding, Nichicon capacitors are now used in favor of ELNA Capacitors, so are professional-grade audio components, such as an ESS ES9023P digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with Hyperstream technology which uses its own dedicated clock instead of the system clock to eliminate jitter, a 2VRMS headphone amp powerful enough to drive large headsets with ease, while Sonic SenseAmp detects the impedance of your headset (32-600ohms) and optimizes automatically, and an NEC De-pop Relay gets rid of the popping sound, while also protecting headsets from damage.
SupremeFX 2015 features the Sonic Studio II audio-tuning suite to enhance clarity and quality of your recordings. Last year Perfect Voice noise-cancellation technology rectified outgoing communications, this year both incoming and outgoing communication will be crystal clear for you and your teammates. Casting Enhancer can be used to improve both streaming and recording quality. This intuitive software suite includes one-click virtual-surround sound, audio controls to customize Reverberation, Bass Boost, Equalizer, Voice Clarity and Smart EQ.
For the graphics, you could use the Intel HD integrated graphics supporting InTru 3D and up to 4K resolution. Or you could throw in a couple Strix GTX 980 Ti's or R9 Furys into the two PCIe 3.0 X16 slots (runs at X16 or X8/X8) for Nvidia SLI or AMD CrossFireX fun (up to Quad-GPU is supported), plus a PCIe 3.0 X4 slot which supports Intel RST for PCIe RAID storage.
ROG’s latest gaming motherboards also have built-in DRAM Overcurrent Protection with an additional resettable fuse to protect connection ports and DRAM against overcurrent and short-circuit damage, dual backplates to provide additional cooling, protection and reinforcement, stainless-steel back I/O connections with three times the lifespan.
For mATX cases there usually isn't much room for water-cooling, however if you did manage to fit it in there, advanced fan and water-pump controls are in place, from onboard thermal sensors to hardware-level 4-pin/3-pin PWM/DC mode detection. Fan Xpert 3 is a complete and intuitive software to control cooling even in specific areas. A new dedicated onboard water-pump header can be used to ensure water-cooling efficiency, plus a header for the optional fan-extension card for more fans and sensors. Despite the size, this is ROG and it means extreme, so room has been made for ROG-exclusives such as LN2 Mode for subzero overclocking.
Other exclusive features include: ROG RAMCache technology for example caches an entire storage device so that your favorite games and apps can launch faster than you thought possible. RAMCache can turns milliseconds of loading time into microseconds so you can be in the game before you know it, while minimizing the risk of data loss. File transfer speeds can be up to twice the speed! KeyBot II is an exclusive microprocessor allowing you to record macros directly from your current keyboard, enable special functions for games, work or multimedia, enter account names and passwords in a flash, start and even boost the PC from shutdown (S5 mode), and create shortcut keys. The brand-new Directional Exchange feature allows you to switch direction at the touch of a button in fighting games. And now you can stay in the game with free access to Overwolf, it’s a clever unobtrusive overlay that enables browsing, emailing, instant messaging, streaming or recording without interrupting gameplay. Two ROG Skins are downloadable from the Overwolf App Store.
