Tech guru JJ from ASUS takes you through the process of installing your own CPU, CPU Fan, and Memory.

For users of any experience level JJ breaks down the step by step process of setting up your new motherboard with all the components you’ll need to add to it, including tips like how [...]]]>

Tech guru JJ from ASUS takes you through the process of installing your own CPU, CPU Fan, and Memory.

For users of any experience level JJ breaks down the step by step process of setting up your new motherboard with all the components you’ll need to add to it, including tips like how to prep your CPU fan for optimal heat transfer.

Our demonstration rig is:
ASUS P8Z77-V Pro Motherboard
ASUS AMD Series Radeon HD 7770
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Tower
Corsair Force GT 120 GB SSD
Corsair Professional Series AX650 PSU
Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 Memory

Some things go better together. Whether it’s cookies and milk, hot chocolate and whipped cream, or a tablet and a keyboard. The Transformer Pad TF300 comes with an optional keyboard docking station that converts it into a full-fledged PC when docked.

The dock isn’t just a keyboard either – it boosts battery [...]]]>

Some things go better together. Whether it’s cookies and milk, hot chocolate and whipped cream, or a tablet and a keyboard. The Transformer Pad TF300 comes with an optional keyboard docking station that converts it into a full-fledged PC when docked.

The dock isn’t just a keyboard either – it boosts battery life from 10 to 15 hours on a single charge, adds a USB 2.0 port, and SD card reader.

The tablet is powered by an epic quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 mobile processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the latest in tablet performance. Learn more.

To celebrate the launch of Intel’s third-generation CPUs ASUS is giving away two huge prizes designed to maximize home entertainment – the ASUS All-in-One ET2700INKS, and the [...]]]>

Win an ASUS ET2700 All-in-One or Essentio Desktop

How could a new ASUS PC make your life different? Submit your answer online and you could win a brand new 27-inch ASUS All-in-One or Desktop PC.

To celebrate the launch of Intel’s third-generation CPUs ASUS is giving away two huge prizes designed to maximize home entertainment – the ASUS All-in-One ET2700INKS, and the Essentio CM6870 Desktop PC with 27-inch VK278Q Monitor.

Check out the videos on Facebook and submit your answers at the entry page.

Contest closes June 30th, 2012 and we’ll be giving away two sets of each prize!

After a few false starts over the last nine decades (the first 3D movies was show in the 1920s!), 3D video is now making a serious impact on entertainment. Both movies and TV have embraced the medium, and now computer users can too.

The basics of 3D displays

There are two ways to display [...]]]>

After a few false starts over the last nine decades (the first 3D movies was show in the 1920s!), 3D video is now making a serious impact on entertainment. Both movies and TV have embraced the medium, and now computer users can too.

The basics of 3D displays

There are two ways to display a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional display, like a computer or cinema screen, and both involve a technique called stereoscopy. First developed in the early days of photography, stereoscopy uses two subtly different images of the same scene, each taken from a slightly different angle — just like the two subtly different images seen by our eyes, in fact.

When these ‘left’ and ‘right’ images are viewed by the appropriate eye, our brain combines them and uses the slightly different visual cues in each to create a single image that looks three-dimensional. This trick, however, lies in making sure that only one eye sees its intended image and this isn’t so easy when it’s a moving image on a screen.

Active 3D technology solves this problem by displaying each pair of images in rapid sequence and to see them properly, the view must wear a paid of ‘shutter’ glasses whose LCD lenses blink in the same sequence. In other words, the left eye only ever sees the left image, while the right eye only ever sees the right image — the brain works out the rest.

Passive 3D technology, on the other hand, displays both stereoscopic images at the same time and a polarising screen filter separates them into left and right-hand images. When viewed normally, a single super-imposed pair of images is seen.

When viewed with glasses that have appropriately polarised lenses, however, the two images are separated into each eye and again, the brain combines them into one single 3D image.

Advantages of FPR

The key advantage of passive 3D display technology is that by displaying both stereoscopic images at the same time, it eliminates the flicker that’s associated with active 3D technology. This makes passive displays much more comfortable to view for long periods, such as when watching a movie or playing a game.

The ASUS VG23AH 3D LED monitor comes with passive polarised 3D that don't require power

The glasses required for passive polarised 3D require no power source either, which makes them lightweight and comfortable to wear. ASUS supplies one standard pair with the VG23AH 3D LED Monitor, along with a clip-on set for people who wear spectacles.

Passive 3D technology does have one problem and that’s screen brightness. Polarised lenses are dark and this means the screen image must be much brighter to compensate, which in turn can reduce the colour range and contrast. The Film-type Patterned Retarder (FPR) technology used by the VG23AH 3D LED Monitor, however, uses a special film to increase the image brightness that avoids image degradation.

Converting 2D to 3D

Displaying a 3D image needs a suitable 3D source, which is usually a Blu-ray player or graphics card with dual HDMI outputs (one for each stereoscopic image). Although the availability of 3D content is on the rise (YouTube offers a comprehensive selection of 3D video, for example), ASUS recognises that most computer users will still be viewing 2D material for a while yet.

To deal with this, the VG23AH 3D LED Monitor can also up convert a 2D image to convincing 3D at the touch of a button. No special hardware or software is installed, so the effect can be applied to any kind of viewing material and the 3D depth can be adjusted for best results.

So, if the increasing popularity of 3D at the cinema has made you hungry for the same experience at home for movies, video and games, the ASUS VG23AH 3D LED Monitor delivers — and it doesn’t even need a 3D image to work with.

Written by Jason Kidder. Re-posted from TechinStyle.tv

We first previewed the new ASUS N Series back at CES 2012 in January and thankfully the wait looks like it’s nearly over for this epic notebook.

The N Series is ASUS’ multimedia line, coming in 14-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch variants – all with some pretty huge power behind them.  In fact, [...]]]>

We first previewed the new ASUS N Series back at CES 2012 in January and thankfully the wait looks like it’s nearly over for this epic notebook.

The N Series is ASUS’ multimedia line, coming in 14-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch variants – all with some pretty huge power behind them.  In fact, the final design looks like it’s going to come out substantially beefed up compared to what we previewed back in January.

True to their multimedia roots the N Series laptops will feature glorious Full HD 1920x1080p screens, 600 Series NVIDIA graphics, Blu-ray, and audio by the iconic Danish Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, providing an unmatched home-theater experience that should stand up to most new games on ‘highest’ too.

Perhaps best of all, the N56Vz shown above gets all this and a third-gen Intel Core processor packed into one of the sleekest notebook chassis’ ASUS has ever made. Brushed aluminum abounds with a concentric touchpad design and drilled speaker mesh adding up to a head-turning design that’s already won a prestigious 2012 Reddot design award.

Stay-tuned for pricing and availability.

EMIT app is a free utility that allows you to instantly stream video files (including .mkv extensions) from your PC directly to your Android tablet.

How [...]]]>

Stream video instantly from your PC to your Android tablet using EMIT app

If you’re like me you probably filled up your tablet’s 32GB of storage really quickly when you started loading all your videos onto it.  Thankfully, there’s another way.

EMIT app is a free utility that allows you to instantly stream video files (including .mkv extensions) from your PC directly to your Android tablet.

How to set it up:

1. Head over to the EMIT app website and download their free Windows utility to install it to your PC.  You’ll have the option of setting up a password to protect your videos so only you can see them.
2. Search for “Emit” in the Google Play app store on your Android tablet.  You’ll have the option of a Free version that we tested here or a full version for $3.45.

The free version of EMIT app will place a small ad on the top right of the screen

With the free version of EMIT we were able to get up and streaming video in less than 5 minutes.  Just choose the folder you want to share on your PC and you’ll see it on your tablet.

Our test video loaded up instantly on Wi-Fi with no buffering and quality was decent but is probably better on the paid version.

The only downside to the app are the small ads that appear on the top right during playback.  For each time you click on an ad you’ll get one ad-free video play but if the ads really bother you then you may consider coughing up the $3.45 for the full version of this app.

Have a hot Android tip or feedback on how EMIT has worked out for you?  Drop us a comment below.

What is it ?

In short, GeForce [...]]]>

GeForce Experience promises to bring console-like simplicity to PC gaming

You can’t be blamed for missing it in NVIDIA founder Jen-Hsun Huang’s keynote, he did after all announce the epic GeForce GTX 690 – the world’s fastest graphics card.  But buried in Huang’s speech was a preview of something huge coming down the pipeline: GeForce Experience.

What is it ?

In short, GeForce Experience is a service that promises to deliver the best possible gaming experience for your PC’s specific configuration.

Trying to figure out the best graphics settings to use for each game isn’t easy – do you turn on tessellation or anisotropic filtering or mess with your resolution?  And how will it all impact your FPS?

The typical game has endless configuration options and according to NVIDIA only 1 in 5 gamers even try to find the best balance.  That means 80% of you aren’t getting the most out of your games.

That’s where GeForce Experience comes in.

Screencap from GeForce Experience. Source: NVIDIA Keynote

How it works:

Using data from thousands of CPU, GPU, Motherboard, and Driver combinations NVIDIA has compiled the optimal specifications for every possible combination of components.

Scanning your system’s configuration GeForce Experience will automatically suggest the game settings that provide you with the best level of detail and frames per second possible.

In a demonstration with Skyrim using an NVIDIA GTS 450 and Intel Core i7-2600, the settings recommended by GeForce Experience achieved an increase from 25 FPS to 43 FPS while at the same time improving detail and draw distance.

Watch the full keynote to find out how it works.  Expect a Beta of GeForce Experience to be released 6/6/12.

If you’re thinking that it was just a few weeks ago that NVIDIA released a graphics card touted as the fastest-ever then you’re right – the GeForce GTX 680 is still so [...]]]>

The GeForce GTX 690 combines the power of two Kepler GPUs to form the fastest graphics card

No this isn’t Star Trek, this is the new Trivalent Chromium-plated aluminum NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690.  The fastest graphics card ever built.

If you’re thinking that it was just a few weeks ago that NVIDIA released a graphics card touted as the fastest-ever then you’re right – the GeForce GTX 680 is still so new it has that new car smell.

So what happened that made it obsolete?  The answer is nothing.  NVIDIA just decided that two is better than one and combined the power of two Kepler GPUs to form one goliath graphics card: the dual-GPU GeForce GTX 690.

The GTX 690 has a Trivalent Chromium-plated aluminum casing and Magnesium fan housing

The monster they created has an insane 3,072 CUDA cores, a 915MHz clock speed boosted to 1,019MHz and 4,096MB of GDDR5 memory operating at 6Gbps.

Cooling gets taken care of by an axial fan under an injection molded magnesium alloy fan housing taking care of acoustic dampening and heat dissipation.

All that heat then gets moved through ducted airflow channels designed to eliminate turbulence and a dual vapor chamber cooler that uses controlled evaporation to cool more effectively than a traditional heatsink.

You can learn more about the GTX 690 at NVIDIA’s launch site.

Which one should you get, the new Transformer Pad TF300? Or the reigning King of tablets, the Transformer Prime?

Stevens Institute of Technology student Marquez Brownlee compares ASUS’ latest two tablets, the more budget-friendly Tegra 3-powered TF300 and the similarly spec’ed but sleeker looking Transformer Prime.

Both have NVIDIA’s latest Tegra [...]]]>

Which one should you get, the new Transformer Pad TF300? Or the reigning King of tablets, the Transformer Prime?

Stevens Institute of Technology student Marquez Brownlee compares ASUS’ latest two tablets, the more budget-friendly Tegra 3-powered TF300 and the similarly spec’ed but sleeker looking Transformer Prime.

Both have NVIDIA’s latest Tegra 3 quad-core mobile processor, 1GB of RAM, 8 megapixel rear-facing cameras, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.  Where they differ is in just a few but potentially important categories that include screen brightness, materials, and price.

Which one wins out for total value? Check out the video and see for yourself.

You can follow Marquez on Twitter @MKBHD or on YouTube.

Packing the power of a gaming desktop into a notebook is a challenge but it’s exactly what ASUS has managed to accomplish with the G5 Series. So how did they do it and what makes [...]]]>

New 15.6" G55Vw and 17.3" G75Vw ROG gaming notebooks announced

ASUS announced two new gaming laptops today – the Republic of Gamers 15.6-inch G55Vw and the 17.3-inch G75Vw.

Packing the power of a gaming desktop into a notebook is a challenge but it’s exactly what ASUS has managed to accomplish with the G5 Series. So how did they do it and what makes the G5 Series different (and better) than previous generations?
Read on to find out.

The G5 Series features the same F117 Stealth Fighter inspired design with a sleeker profile

The latest generation of Republic of Gamers notebooks fittingly gets the latest generation of Intel processor technology and NVIDIA graphics providing unprecedented gaming performance.

Both the G55Vw and G75Vw get third-generation Intel Core i7-3610QM quad-core CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M graphics equipped with an epic 384 CUDA cores and PhysX technology.

Connectivity gets a huge boost too courtesy of 4x USB 3.0 ports (FOUR!) that transfer up to 10x faster than USB 2.0 and a new Mini DisplayPort enabling super high resolution output.

Connectivity gets a boost with 4x USB 3.0 ports and Mini DisplayPort built-in

But performance is only half the story. Put the G75Vw next to its predecessor the G74Sx and the design differences become obvious.

The G75Vw is slimmer (2.0″ vs. 2.4″) and lighter (8.7lbs vs. 9.4lbs) than the G74Sx that came before it. The hinge too on the G5 series is smaller, contributing to its overall sleeker look.

G74Sx (left) vs. G75Vw (right)

What about cooling? Rear-venting was first introduced with the G3 Series and has gone through a few refinements since then.

Any Overclocker or Gamer can tell you that heat is the enemy of performance. The unique venting design on the ROG series notebooks pulls air from underneath the notebook, cooling the system down, and then vents it through the rear, keeping hot air and noise to a minimum.

With the G5 the design team went with long cuts that prove both thermally superior and help to make the overall notebook profile slimmer (and pretty awesome looking).

Rear-venting design pulls air from under the laptop and vents it out the back

The keyboard too gets a redesign to make it a bit more gamer friendly.

Additional reinforcement is put in behind the keyboard’s new aluminum backplate to prevent flexing when you’re mashing on keys during games.

Small adjustments have been made as well to the spacing below the arrow keys, materials chosen for the palm rest, and incline of the keyboard. All in the name of providing you with a more comfortable gaming experience.

The redesigned keyboard of the G5 series with revised materials and increased spacing

To find out more behind what inspired the design of the G55Vw and G75Vw you can check out the exclusive interview with Skay Lin, ROG G5 Designer, available at rog.asus.com.

Let us know what you think about ASUS’ latest gaming series in the comments below!

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is definitely not complicated as far as operating systems go. But even so, there can be a short learning curve to take full advantage of everything the burgeoning tablet OS has to offer.

Luckily, CNET’s own Donald Bell has put together this handy 5-minute video [...]]]>
Via: CNET.com

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is definitely not complicated as far as operating systems go. But even so, there can be a short learning curve to take full advantage of everything the burgeoning tablet OS has to offer.

Luckily, CNET’s own Donald Bell has put together this handy 5-minute video and photo tutorial to get you up to speed with Google’s latest OS so you can start using your ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 right away.

Covering everything from setting up your Google account to email, security settings, your GooglePlay account, and more, this should be considered an essential guide for any first-time Android user.

Even if you’re an experienced user tips like which infrequently used settings to disable to save power and which widgets to use will come in handy to get the most of your tablet.

Click for Donald’s complete guide on CNET.com.

What they found is a tablet with productivity apps and a comfortable keyboard that definitely replaces the need for a ,etbook. Is the Transformer a replacement for your laptop? Maybe not, but it could be the [...]]]>

HotHardware names the ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 their Editor's Choice

Is the new ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 a good laptop alternative? HotHardware reviewed it to find out.

What they found is a tablet with productivity apps and a comfortable keyboard that definitely replaces the need for a ,etbook. Is the Transformer a replacement for your laptop? Maybe not, but it could be the perfect “second device” and, for most people, a good laptop alternative.

Among the only negatives cited by HotHardware is that the TF300 isn’t notably faster than the Transformer Prime. There’s good reason for that however – the TF300 isn’t a replacement for the Prime, it’s a replacement for the original Transformer TF101. And with performance specs at least at par with the Prime and a price that’s $100 less, it’s a strong contender for the best all-around value in the Android tablet market.

Learn more about the Transformer Pad TF300 here or check out HotHardware’s full award-coverage and review.

I recently got a chance to get some hands-on time with the new ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 – the follow up to the original Eee Pad Transformer – and it definitely does not disappoint.

Slimmed down, sped up, and hit with a splash of color, the Royal Blue TF300 improves on the original [...]]]>

I recently got a chance to get some hands-on time with the new ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 – the follow up to the original Eee Pad Transformer – and it definitely does not disappoint.

Slimmed down, sped up, and hit with a splash of color, the Royal Blue TF300 improves on the original in nearly every way – including price. Where the original 16GB Eee Pad Transformer came in at $399, the new TF300 with the same storage option will cost only $379.

Comparison Chart

If you’re in the market for a new PC for school it’s hard to ignore the potential.

When combined with the TF300′s optional keyboard docking station (just $149) you get the equivalent of a full-fledged touch screen laptop with the ability to detach the screen at any time, turning your laptop into an Android tablet.

The Transformer Pad TF300 with quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 mobile processor

With 10 hours of battery life (up to 15 with the keyboard dock) you’ll be able to go days without a charge instead of mere hours – you’ll never need to worry about plugging in during class again.

Your bag will be lighter too thanks to the TF300′s lightened profile. Where the original Transformer was already half the bulk of a typical laptop, the TF300 shaves off even more weight, coming in at a scant 1.40lbs and 0.39 inches thin.

Get up to 10 hours of battery life with the TF300, or up to 15 hours with the dock

What about productivity? The TF300 comes with two apps that take care of all your note-taking needs.

Polaris Office lets you create the equivalents of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files that are cross compatible with MS Office so you can save and then open them on your Windows PC.

SuperNote lets you take a combination of typed and handwritten notes – with the added ability of adding hand-drawn graphs, charts, or diagrams that you can then edit and manipulate. If you’re a Math or Sciences student you can probably imagine the benefits.

The keyboard docking station includes a battery that will charge the tablet when docked

Overall the TF300 feels solid and its new concentric circle design that takes inspiration from the Zenbook and the Prime is both good looking and durable.

The tablet itself features a mini-HDMI port that supports streaming to a 1080p TV, a micro-SD card slot that accepts up to 32GB of additional storage, a volume toggle, and a headphone/mic jack.

If you opt for the keyboard docking station it adds a full USB 2.0 port that works with a wireless mouse, external hard drive, and more, and also a full-size SD card reader.

The TF300 features a mini-HDMI port and micro-SD card reader

The TF300 also features a front-facing 1.2 megapixel camera and an 8.0 megapixel rear-facing camera, up from 5.0 megapixels on the original Transformer.

I’d also be remiss to neglect one of the best benefits of getting a tablet – the screen. Unlike typical laptop screens, the Transformer Pad TF300 features an IPS display that gives stunning 178 degree viewing angles – perfect for viewing photos and movies.

The Royal Blue TF300 has a concentric circle design inspired by the Zenbook

What’s your favourite feature the ASUS Transformer Pad TF300? Let us know in the comments.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich update 9.2.1.21 will start rolling out in the US on April 24th, 2012. Here are a summary of the changes and fixes:

The new graphics card is designed with ASUS’ own unique DirectCU II thermal technology that runs 20% cooler than stock thanks to twin 100mm fans and [...]]]>

ASUS Unveils the Self-Designed GeForce® GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP

ASUS Engineers got their hands on the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics card – the world’s fastest. The result? The ASUS GeForce® GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP.

The new graphics card is designed with ASUS’ own unique DirectCU II thermal technology that runs 20% cooler than stock thanks to twin 100mm fans and Copper heat pipes. As a side benefit of this boost in cooling tech, the DirectCU II runs 14dB quieter than the reference NVIDIA card for not only cooler but also quieter gaming.

Up close view of the ASUS GTX 680 DirectCUII TOP graphics card

Overclocked by 143MHz (to 1201MHz total) from the ASUS factory, the DirectCUII TOP is built using durable Super Alloy Power components and 10-phase DIGI+ VRM digitally regulated power delivery that combine to boost life by 2.5x longer than reference.

All in all, the GTX 680 DirectCUII TOP makes an already great graphics card something that you’ll be able to count on for years to come to play the latest game without issue.

Learn more about the GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP from the full press release.