Hardcore Hardware: The ASUS Gamer Series motherboards

If it’s time for your system upgrade, then you’re in luck; ASUS has launched three new motherboards and a video card line that will surely take your game to the next level.

A wise man once said that “Having a PC set up for gaming can do pretty much any other non-gaming task.” When you break it down, gaming PCs – laptops and desktops alike – have fast, multi-core processors, large RAM capacities, and flagship-spec graphics cards; hardware that is used for other specialized tasks like 3D graphics and video editing.

With that in mind, ASUS has come up with the Gamer Series, a line of motherboards built with the gamer in mind. These boards bring unique features in addition to being the best in class. Built for abuse and tweaking, the Gamer Series – the H97-Pro Gamer, the B85-Pro Gamer, and the A88X-Gamer – have a dedicated dashboard for gamers who want to fine-tune their mobos for the best possible personalized experience. These boards come packed with Intel Gigabit Ethernet and ASUS-exclusive SupremeFX audio, Gamer’s Guardian components, and AI Suite 3.

The Gamer Series motherboards also boast two unique features: Sonic Radar and Game First II.

The Sonic Radar is an overlay for many FPS games. It’s basically a visual representation of sound sources in game. In an FPS situation, this means you’ll know exactly where you’re opponent is hiding, whether or not he’s in a closed room or behind a wall. The Game First II feature on the other hand, helps players play and enjoy their games with reduced lag.

Enter the Strix
Aside from the motherboards, ASUS has also launched the Strix line of video cards. These GPUs boast two fans (an industry standard) that are set to kick in at temperatures above 65 degrees. Below that threshold, the fans are off and silent, allowing you to enjoy watching your movie without the annoying additional sound. In addition to working at zero decibels, the Strix is also equipped with the DirectCU II cooling solution, allowing you to play your games without worry of overheating your system.

Check out the specs of the Gamer Series motherboards:

H97-Pro Gamer
CPU socket
LGA1150 socket for the 4th, new 4th & 5th-generation Intel® Core™ i7/ Core™ i5 / Core™ i3, Pentium®, and Celeron® processors
Chipset
Intel H97 Express
Memory
4 x DIMMs, up to a maximum of 32GB, DDR3 1600MHz
Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion slots
1 x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 x16 slot
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (x4 mode maximum)
2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots
3 x PCI slots
Graphics (VGA)
Integrated Intel HD Graphics
Multi-VGA output support: HDMI, DVI-D, RGB ports
Multi-GPU
AMD quad-GPU CrossFireX™ technology
Storage connectivity
1 x SATA Express connector
1 x M.2 socket 3 (with M key — 2260/2280-type storage devices supported, in both SATA and PCI Express mode)
4 x SATA 6Gbit/s connectors
Networking/LAN
Intel Gigabit Ethernet with ASUS GameFirst II
USB
6 x USB 3.0 ports (4 on back panel, 2 mid-board)
8 x USB 2.0 ports (2 on back panel, 6 mid-board)
Audio
SupremeFX Formula 8-channel high-definition audio
– Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel MIC Jack-retasking
– High quality 115dB SNR stereo playback output
– ELNA® premium audio capacitors
– SupremeFX Shielding™ Technology
– Sonic Radar II
– Headphone AMP
– Optical S/PDIF out port at back pane
Dimensions / form factor
ATX, 12-inch x 9.6-inch (30.5cm x 24.4cm)

A88X-Gamer
CPU socket
AMD® Socket FM2+ for up to four-core AMD A-series / Athlon™-series processors
AMD Turbo Core Technology 3.0 supported
Chipset
AMD A88X FCH (Bolton-D4)
Memory
4 x DIMMs, up to a maximum of 64GB, DDR3 2400MHz (OC)
AMD Memory Profile (AMP) memory supported
Expansion slots
1 x PCI Express 3.01/2.0 x16 slot
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (x4 mode maximum)
2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots
3 x PCI slots
Graphics (VGA)
Integrated AMD Radeon™ R / HD 8000 / HD 7000-series graphics in A-series accelerated processing unit (APU)
Multi-VGA output: HDMI/DVI/RGB ports
Multi-GPU
AMD quad-GPU CrossFireX™ technology supported
Storage connectivity
8 x SATA 6Gbit/s connectors
Networking/LAN
Intel® Gigabit Ethernet
USB
4 x USB 3.0 ports (2 on back panel, 2 mid-board)
10 x USB 2.0 ports (4 on back panel, 6 mid-board)
Audio
SupremeFX 8-channel high-definition audio
– High-quality stereo playback with 115dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
– SupremeFX shielding technology
– ELNA® premium audio capacitors
– Jack-detection, multi-streaming, front-panel mic jack-retasking
– Headphone amp
– Optical S/PDIF-out port on back panel
Exclusive ASUS gaming features
Gamer’s Guardian, with 10K black metallic capacitors, ESD Guards, Digi+ voltage-regulator module (VRM), DRAM overcurrent protection, stainless-steel back I/O. ASUS AI Suite 3, USB 3.0 Boost, GPU Boost, TurboV Processing Unit (TPU), Energy Processing Unit (EPU), Fan Xpert2, Disk Unlocker, AI Charger, HomeCloud Media Streamer, Q-DIMM,Q-Slot and Q-Shield.
Dimensions / form factor
ATX, 12-inch x 9.0-inch (30.5cm x 22.9cm)

B85-Pro Gamer
CPU socket
LGA1150 socket for the 4th, new 4th & 5th-generation Intel® Core™ i7/ Core™ i5 / Core™ i3, Pentium®, and Celeron® processors
Chipset
Intel B85
Memory
4 x DIMMs, up to a maximum of 32GB, DDR3 1600MHz
Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion slots
1 x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 x16 slot
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (x4 mode maximum)
2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots
3 x PCI slots
Graphics (VGA)
Integrated Intel HD Graphics
Multi-VGA output support: HDMI, DVI-D, RGB ports
Multi-GPU
AMD quad-GPU CrossFireX™ technology
Storage connectivity
4 x SATA 6Gbit/s connectors
2 x SATA 3Gbit/s connectors
Networking/LAN
Intel Gigabit Ethernet with ASUS GameFirst II
USB
4 x USB 3.0 ports (2 on back panel, 2 mid-board)
8 x USB 2.0 ports (4 on back panel, 4 mid-board)
Audio
SupremeFX 8-channel high-definition audio
– Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel MIC Jack-retasking
– High quality 115dB SNR stereo playback output
– ELNA® premium audio capacitors
– SupremeFX Shielding™ Technology
– Sonic Radar I
– Headphone AMP
– Optical S/PDIF out port at back pane
Dimensions / form factor
ATX, 12-inch x 9.6-inch (30.5cm x 24.4cm)

Check out the prices for the Gamer Series motherboards and the Strix video cards:
B85-Pro Gamer P4,950
H97-Pro Gamer P6,890
A88X-Gamer    P5,490
Strix GTX 750Ti OC P8,720

The Strix Strix GTX 970 and the Strix GTX 980 will be available soon.

Check out the ASUS Philippines official Facebook page for more details about these products.