Asus Ares GPU packs raw power of two 5870s in one kickass package [RoG]

For hardcore PC gaming enthusiasts, there exists the ATI Radeon HD 5970, which essentially is a dual-GPU version of the AMD's fastest single graphics card, the ATI Radeon HD 5870. But while the 5970 has the same number of stream processors and memory as a standard 5870, its core and memory are running at 15 percent and 20 percent slower speeds, respectively. Not quite the true dual-graphics solution AMD fans would like it to be.

Enter the Asus Ares, a true dual-5870 solution that appears to belong to the company's Republic of Gamers brand of PC-related hardware. According to the folks from HotHardware, Asus has combined two 5870s back-to-back in the Ares GPU, enabling them to run at full speed and work from a single PCI-E graphics card slot.

Preliminary tests have shown that it pretty much beats the HD 5970 in 3DMark Vantage. The only question now is, is it still a good product when you take heat and power consumption into account? Asus hasn't mentioned when and where they will launch the dual-5870 Ares GPU first, so we probably won't find out until then.

Source: [HotHardware]

Asus readying Bluetooth-enabled ROG Maximus III Extreme motherboard

Remember the P55 Express chipset-based Asus ROG Maximus III Extreme motherboard? Well, it still isn't out in the market and there's still no word on pricing. But to get more of our attention, Asus has published a press release about it on their web site, only to take it down quickly. Fortunately, an eagle-eyed PCPerspective editor caught the most of it. And it has apparently been revealed that the upcoming LGA1156 motherboard will feature Bluetooth-connectivity that will enable users to remotely tweak the BIOS settings from their mobile phones! USB 3.0 is also confirmed as being on-board, as well as support for five PCIe connection @ x8 and SATA 6G. This is going to be a really sweet board for hardcore gamers. The sad part is, it's still unavailable.

Source: [ASUS, PCPerspective]

Asus ROG Maximus III Extreme LGA1156 Motherboard launched

Not quite satisfied with the current crop of P55 Express chipset-based motherboards in the market? Hold off for a couple of more weeks and you'll be able to get your hands on Asus's latest and greatest. Geared towards gamers and extreme overclockers, the Asus ROG Maximus III Extreme motherboard offers a vast number of features and options which enthusiasts will be eager to jump on.