ASUS highlights from Computex 2010

In the week before Computex, ASUS gave a little teaser preview of the kind of tech to expect from the Taiwan giant. As promised, here we take a quick look at what all the self-generated fuss was about.

Having whipped tech-lovers into a veritable frenzy of speculation prior to the doors opening, ASUS has now given us more information on the pre-show teasers. First out of the starting blocks is of course the Lamborghini notebook with the company outing no less than two new models.

Sporting luxury

The handsome VX6 features a 12.1 inch LED-backlit 1366 x 768 display fed by high definition 3D NVIDIA ION 2 graphics. It runs on Intel's 1.8GHz Atom D525 processor and can support up to 4GB memory. Users will also find a full size keyboard and Windows 7.

"If the ASUS VX6 is the nippy two-seat sportster of the mobile world, the ASUS-Lamborghini VX7 is the continental touring car," claims the company. There's a 15.6 inch LED-backlit 1920 x 1080 display running with the help of an NVIDIA N11E-GS GPU with 1.5GB GDDR5 memory. Users will also get to sit behind the wheel of a 64-bit Windows 7 machine powered by an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 mobile processor ably supported by up to 16GB of DDR3 system memory.

Both luxury models hold the promise of "crystal clear audio" thanks to some Bang & Olufsen ICE Power stereo speakers and also benefit from the significant speed increases offered by USB 3 and Bluetooth 3.

The teaser also mentioned a "stylish new desktop computer" with generous proportions. The Eee Top ET2400's 23.6 inch 1920 x 1080 high definition display with multi-touch and 3D as options certainly falls under that descriptive. There's a choice of Intel Core, Pentium and AMD Athlon II X2 processors to suit differing budgets, SonicMaster Plus audio technology and ASUS Turbo Master provides access to safe and simple overclocking. For those with thirst for even more entertainment options, a Blu-ray optical drive and DVB-T tuner additions are also available.

Let the games begin

Gaming enthusiasts have been treated by ASUS to a couple of new mainboards, one for AMD support and one for Intel, and a new notebook too. The ROG Crosshair IV Formula board supports AMD's Socket AM3 processors, can raft up to 16GB of memory over four slots and has a threesome of PCIe2.0 x16 slots with ATI CrossFireX Technology, as well as a couple of PCI 2.2 and a PCIe2.0 x4. There's also half a dozen SATA 6Gbps ports, a SATA 3Gbps and an eSATA 3Gbps, a couple of USB 3 and a dozen USB 2 ports. The board benefits from Core Unlocker technology, which can give instant cost-free processor upgrades, and Turbo Unlocker, that allows for individual processor core tweaking.

Support for Intel's LGA 1366 (Socket B) processors comes in the shape of the ROG Rampage III Extreme motherboard which can handle up to 24GB of memory over six slots, has four PCIe2.0 x16 slots, a PCIe x4 and a PCI 2.2 and is ready for 4 single PCB graphic cards. There are eight fan connectors and seven SATA 3Gbps ports, a couple of SATA 6Gbps and an eSATA 3Gbps. Users can connect a laptop directly to the mainboard via USB or even use a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone for on-the-fly overclocking via one configuration screen. Overclockers will also appreciate the LN2 mode, which is said to solve cold-boot bugs when using liquid nitrogen cooling systems, and the Q Reset function, which offers quick and easy CMOS clearance in the event of frosting.

Spawned from similar stealth fighter inspiration as the ASUS ROG G73h, the new member of the Republic of Gamers notebook family was created for those who don't want to be burdened with carrying around a 17 inch gaming monster. The 15 inch display of the ROG G53 notebook is fed by NVIDIA's GeForce GTS350M graphics with GDDR5 memory. Gamers also have the option of adding NVIDIA 3D Vision technology to put them right in the middle of the fray when combined with active shutter glasses. Dual and quad core processors on Intel's Calpella platform are available, supported by up to 16GB of memory.

Computex has also seen ASUS unveil quite a few other new products, including the Eee Tablet and Eee Pads, a number of new monitors, the U series bamboo notebooks and the A10 smartphone. We'll keep you posted with any further developments.