Gamescom, held in Cologne last week, brought a lot of news from the world of computer games, but the computers themselves this time were sparse, especially compared to last year, when NVIDIA introduced the GeForce RTX series graphics cards. ASUS had to play for the entire industry of PC components, and this is not surprising at all: few major manufacturers update their product catalog so often and produce such a wide range of equipment - from power supplies to portable gadgets. In addition, now is the right moment to offer something new in two fundamentally important market niches for ASUS - motherboards and monitors. And why exactly and what exactly did the Taiwanese surprise the audience at Gamescom 2019, we found out on our own and we are in a hurry to share our observations with our readers.
Motherboards for Cascade Lake-X processors
It's no secret that Intel is preparing to launch a batch of CPUs for the high-performance LGA2066 platform based on the Cascade Lake-X core - they will have a difficult rivalry with the updated Threadripper processors. We know almost nothing about how AMD will dispose of the Zen 2 modular architecture as part of the upcoming revision of its own HEDT platform, but the competitor’s products, thanks to numerous rumors and benchmark statistics that have leaked onto the Web, are gradually taking on a finished look. Judging by what we know at the moment, Intel chips for enthusiasts and workstation users will not go beyond 18 physical cores, but the manufacturer intends to increase the maximum number of PCI Express lanes from 44 to 48, and CPU speed should increase due to increased clock speeds and once again an optimized 14 nm process technology.
ASUS decided to prepare the infrastructure for new processors in advance and presented three motherboards based on the X299 system logic at Gamescom - fortunately, Cascade Lake-X support does not require replacing the chipset that Intel released back in 2017. Two of the three new ASUS products belong to the “premium” ROG series, and the third came out under the more modest brand name, Prime.
ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore brings all the best ASUS has to offer with the updated LGA2066 platform. The massive EATX form factor board is equipped with a CPU voltage regulator of 16 power stages (drivers and switches integrated into one chip) connected in parallel pairs to an eight-phase PWM controller. To remove heat from the VRM, a heatsink with two compact fans that start only at high temperatures is used. Infineon TDA21472 microcircuits, with which ASUS has gained eight dual phases, in addition to the rated current of 70A, are distinguished by outstanding efficiency and hardly require active cooling when the CPU is running at standard frequencies.
The motherboard accepts up to 256 GB of RAM distributed over eight DIMM slots, with speeds up to 4266 MT/s, and most importantly - four SSDs in the M.2 form factor, which the CPU can access simultaneously thanks to additional PCI lanes Express in a Cascade Lake-X controller. Two M.2 connectors lie under the removable chipset heatsink, and ASUS engineers moved two more to the DIMM.2 daughterboard near the DDR4 slots. All SSDs can be combined into an array that is transparent to the OS using the VROC function.
ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore has no shortage of external interfaces either. In addition to the Intel gigabit NIC, the manufacturer soldered a second, 10-gigabit Aquantia chip, as well as an Intel AX200 wireless adapter with Wi-Fi 6 support. Peripherals connect to the motherboard via a mass of USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2 ports, and the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface.
Instead of a segment indicator of POST codes, ASUS used a multifunctional OLED screen integrated into the cover of external connectors. Not without connections for powering LED strips - both conventional and controlled. Overclockers will benefit from voltage monitoring pads and numerous boot options: LN2 mode, instant CPU safe clock settings, etc.
The second of ASUS' new products for the LGA2066 platform - ROG Strix X299-E Gaming II - is also aimed at gamers and owners of entry-level workstations, but the company got rid of some of the luxury elements inherent in the flagship solution. So, the number of power stages in the CPU voltage regulator was reduced to 12 here, although a backup fan was left to actively cool the VRM components. In any case, this offer is not addressed to adherents of extreme overclocking - there are no such overclocking capabilities as in Rampage VI Extreme Encore, including the LN2 mode, and for operation at moderately increased frequencies under an air or liquid cooler, the voltage regulator probably has a sufficiently high power reserve .
Like the older model, the ROG Strix X299-E Gaming II serves up to 256 GB of RAM with a bandwidth of 4266 million transactions per second, but one of the four M.2 connectors for connecting an SSD had to be sacrificed (while RAID support at the UEFI level is nowhere do not share). Instead, the device received an additional PCI Express x1 slot, and the dimensions were reduced to the ATX standard.
Perhaps the main loss ROG Strix X299-E Gaming II suffered in a set of interfaces for communication with external devices. The board retained a Wi-Fi 6 wireless NIC and, of course, USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2 connectors, but the USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 2 controller had to be parted, and ASUS replaced the 10-gigabit network adapter with a Realtek chip with speeds up to 2,5 Gbps.
The ROG Strix X299-E Gaming II doesn't feature the rich RGB illumination of the Rampage VI Extreme Encore. Here, only a massive logo on the cover of external connectors and a tiny OLED screen between the CPU socket and the top PCI Express slot shine, although, of course, it is still possible to connect LED strips to the motherboard and control their color.
And finally, Prime X299-A II, which the manufacturer for some reason hesitated to put on display for photos, is the most economical among the three new ASUS products for Cascade Lake-X processors, but in key aspects of the LGA2066 platform - support for 256 GB of RAM with speed 4266 million transactions per second and the presence of three M.2 slots - it is absolutely not inferior to older models. What is not here is equally developed overclocking capabilities: this is also evidenced by the simplest heatsink without a heat pipe on the voltage regulator keys, although the circuit itself still contains 12 power stages.
The motherboard's ability to communicate with external devices is also limited: the additional wired NIC has disappeared, and the Wi-Fi function is missing as such. But in one aspect, the Prime X299-A II outperforms more spectacular novelties: only this device got the Thunderbolt controller of the third version. There is also a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port. The exterior of the device is completely devoid of LED backlighting, but ASUS has retained the connectors for powering LED strips.
New monitors - with DisplayPort DSC support and more
ASUS produces not only powerful and high-quality computer components, it has established itself well as a manufacturer of gaming monitors and, not without success, entered the professional market with a series of ProArt screens. ASUS monitors are known for their high-quality matrices with an aggressive combination of resolution and refresh rate, and in recent years HDR has been added to these qualities. The new ROG-branded models showcased by the company at Gamescom removed the only limitation that had held back progress in gaming monitors for the time being.
In last year's review we have already found out what happens when high resolution - from 4K - is combined with a refresh rate above 98 Hz and HDR: to connect the screen via a single DisplayPort interface, you have to somehow save bandwidth. In most devices, this problem is solved by color subsampling during the conversion of pixel color from full RGB to YCbCr 4:2:2. Loss of quality in this case is inevitable (and the connection with two cables will force you to abandon the dynamic refresh rate), but there is an alternative solution. The DisplayPort specification version 1.4 includes an optional DSC (Display Stream Compression) 1.2 compression mode, which allows the transmission of a video stream with a resolution of 7680 × 4320 at 60 Hz in RGB format over a single cable. At the same time, DSC is a lossy compression algorithm, but, according to VESA engineers, it does not visually affect image quality.
ASUS is honored to be the first to market DSC-enabled gaming monitors with the 27-inch ROG Strix XG27UQ and the huge 43-inch ROG Strix XG43UQ display. The first one is an upgrade from last year's model. : Both monitors are equipped with a 3840 × 2160 resolution matrix and a 144Hz refresh rate, but the new one achieves similar performance without color subsampling. In order to use DSC, you need a video card with full implementation of the DisplayPort 1.4 standard, which the Radeon RX 5700 (XT) and NVIDIA accelerators on Turing chips definitely have. But support for compression in graphics processors of the past generation is still in question for us, although Vega chips initially support DisplayPort 1.4, and GeForce GTX 10 series devices came out with the DisplayPort 1.4-ready mark.
The ROG Strix XG27UQ features Quantum Dot backlighting that covers 90% of the DCI-P3 color space and DisplayHDR 400 certification. 600 and there is no local brightness adjustment. However, Adaptive Sync provides dynamic refresh rates on systems with GPUs from both NVIDIA and AMD.
The ROG Strix XG43UQ outperforms the first of the two DSC-enabled products in many ways, but most notably in the sheer size of a whopping 43-inch 4K, 144Hz sensor. Unlike the ROG Strix XG27UQ, this screen is built using VA technology, but its color gamut is also rated at 90% of the DCI-P3 space. Most importantly, in terms of picture quality, the giant monitor is certified to the strictest DisplayHDR 1000 dynamic range standard, and its variable refresh rate features comply with FreeSync 2 HDR specifications. ASUS is positioning this screen not only as a gaming monitor, but also as a complete replacement for a TV in the living room - only a TV tuner is missing, as most plasma panels did not have in the past, but there is a complete remote control.
ROG Strix XG17 is a beast of a completely different breed. By the name of the model, you can immediately guess that this is a 17-inch display, which, at first glance, is not worthy of being next to 4K gaming screens. The thing is that this is a portable monitor weighing 1 kg with a built-in battery for those who cannot tear themselves away from their favorite game even while traveling. The gadget is built on an IPS-matrix with a resolution of 1920 × 1080, but the refresh rate reaches 240 Hz and, of course, there is Adaptive Sync. In this mode, the device can work autonomously up to 3 hours, and the quick charge function saturates the battery with energy in 1 hour in order to extend the game by another 2,7 hours. The monitor connects to a laptop via Micro HDMI or USB Type-C, and in order to conveniently place an external screen above the built-in one, ASUS offers a compact stand with foldable legs.
Joystick and Noise Canceling Headset - No Wires, No Bluetooth
If all the advantages of computer components and monitors can be quantified, then in peripheral devices, functionality and such a deeply subjective quality as ease of use come to the fore. The latest Taiwanese initiative in this area, the ROG Chakram gaming manipulator, can cause a long discussion, because ASUS decided to cross a mouse with a gamepad. An analog stick appeared on the left surface of the device under the player's thumb (of course, provided that he is right-handed), where one or more additional buttons are usually located. It can work in the same way as on a gamepad - with a resolution of 256 steps on each axis - or as a replacement for four discrete buttons. The stick can be extended using a replaceable nozzle or, on the contrary, made shorter, or you can completely remove and close the hole with a cap attached to the device. But, by the way, the possibilities for altering Chakram to individual taste are not limited to this. The body panels are removed from the magnetic mount, and under them is a stencil with a luminous logo (the backlight is regulated by the proprietary Aura Sync utility) and mechanical buttons that can be easily replaced if they suddenly break.
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However, even without a built-in joystick and a transformer case, Chakram has something to brag about. The mouse is equipped with a laser sensor with a resolution of 16 thousand dots. DPI and a polling rate of 1 kHz, and you can connect it to a computer in three different ways - with a cable, via the Bluetooth protocol, and, finally, a separate radio channel using the included USB receiver. The battery is also charged via USB or wirelessly, from a Qi standard station, and one charge is enough for 100 hours of play.
And finally, the last novelty on which we will end our story is the ROG Strix Go 2.4 wireless headset. Even in such a seemingly trivial device as headphones with a built-in microphone, ASUS was able to come up with something new. Let's start with the fact that this is not at all an ordinary wireless Bluetooth headset, which in many cases is not distinguished by either high sound quality or ease of connection. Instead, ROG Strix Go 2.4 uses its own radio channel and miniature transceiver with a USB Type-C connector. In addition, ASUS has an intelligent background noise suppression algorithm that separates human speech from even such difficult-to-automate extraneous sounds as keyboard clicks. The device weighs only 290 g and can last up to 25 hours in the same breath, and 15 minutes of fast charging provides 3 hours of operation.
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Source: 3dnews.ru