Asus offerings CES designed to wow gamers, home entertainment fans

The PB287Q i28” 4K/ultra high definition monitor

Consumer notebook vendor and motherboard maker Asus moved the goalposts at CES in the US last week with new products to meet content creation, gaming and mobile needs at higher performance points and improved price points. 

Bigger, better, and faster were the main messages around the product launch. Asus joins the 28", 4K/ultra high definition (UHD) display bandwagon with the PB287Q. The display has been designed with a slim profile and supports a full range of swivel, tilt, pivot and height adjustments along with Splendid Plus video intelligence technology for viewer comfort.

With a native resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, the PB287Q displays four times as many pixels as the existing Full HD standard for increased detail. The Asus PB287Q also features 1ms response times for graphics. HDMI and HDMI/MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) connectors have been integrated into the monitor, as well as a native DisplayPort for true 4K/UHD content support. 

To ensure that users have enhanced transfer technology to access 4K content smoothly, Asus has introduced the ThunderboltEX II, the world’s first Intel-certified single Thunderbolt 2 port expansion card for PCs. The card is compatible with select ASUS 8-series motherboards and allows 8-series owners to decide exactly when they want to upgrade to benefit from the 20Gbps data-transfer speeds. Those who need two Thunderbolt ports can look forward to an upcoming ThunderboltEX II/DUAL.

Separately, Asus showcased the Z87-Deluxe/SATA Express motherboard, whose SATA Express next-generation peripheral interface supports data-transfer speeds of up to 1,000MBps. Asus says the Z87-Deluxe/SATA Express is the first motherboard to implement this latest technology.

ROG Front Base Dual-Bay Gaming Panel

Another new product is the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Front Base Dual-Bay Gaming Panel. For hardcore gamers, this command centre fits at the front of a PC and allows instant control over a variety of key parameters, such as five equalization modes with the Quick EQ Switch.

Occupying two 5.25” drive bays, the panel has a built-in 4-inch display that provides instant updates and fingertip control so that users can concentrate on gaming.  The ROG Front Base Dual Bay Gaming Panel is compatible with all ROG Maximus VI (Z87 chipset-based) motherboards as well as the latest Rampage IV Black Edition.
 
The panel features great overclocking capabilities and easily accessed fan controls, system temperature displays and supports fast USB charging even when a supported PC is powered off. An Escape Mode button hides the gaming screen and mutes the volume as required.

Users looking for compact footprints will like the SBW-S1. This Blu-ray drive with integrated ASUS Xonar sound card and headphone amplifier provides a cinematic experience with crisp distortion-free audio and high-definition video.  

And at just 3cm (1.18 inches) tall and weighing 342g (0.75lbs), the S1 Mobile LED Projector is designed to travel with mobile professionals. This portable projector has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts for up to three hours on a single charge. 

Top view: the Asus S1 Mobile LED Projector

Despite its size, there have been no compromises with performance. The S1 Mobile LED Projector displays a 41-inch diagonal projection just 1m away from the screen, and powers on instantly. 

Also of note is the Poseidon GTX 780 with DirectCU H2O, a new graphics card with an exclusive hybrid thermal solution that enables efficient cooling by either air or water. Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 graphics-processing unit (GPU), the new card can run up to 24°C lower* than reference designs. The GTX 780 is also loaded with exclusive ROG technologies, including DIGI+ voltage-regulation modules with black metallic capacitors, a custom 10-phase Super Alloy power delivery system and GPU Tweak for real-time graphics tuning and live streaming.

*Specifications and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors.

*'4K' is a generic term for displays that have a horizontal resolution of 4,000 pixels. 4K, Ultra HD or UHD displays typically have larger screen sizes and provide more detailed images where pixels are less visible than with 1080p, which was the trending standard prior to 4K.