ASUS has reportedly announced new products that elevate gaming and home entertainment to exciting new levels, including the ROG ARES II graphics card with dual AMD HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs and the Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition USB DAC with headphone amplifier. ASUS also announced the compact E2KM1-IDeluxe Mini-ITX motherboard that provides a solid energy-saving foundation for home theatre PCs, and gave a sneak preview of the ROG RAIDR Express high-performance solid-state storage device for desktop PCs.
The limited-edition ROG ARES II graphics card packs two AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs. Its slender two-slot design suits a variety of PC cases. ROG ARES II is the fastest graphics card currently available, and has a new hybrid thermal design that combines liquid and air cooling. ROG ARES II outperforms the dual-GPU GeForce GTX 690 reference card by a significant 13%, yet its operating temperature is an incredible 31°C lower.
The ASUS E2KM1-I DeluxeMini-ITX motherboard is purpose-designed for compact home theatre PCs that take up little space in the living room. Pre-configured with a dual-core AMD E2-2000 processor and Radeon HD 7340 DirectX 11-compatible graphics capable of 1080p Full HD video playback, the E2KM1-I Deluxe combines efficient power delivery and modest energy requirements for long-term savings on electricity bills. The E2KM1-I Deluxe also features exclusive Wi-Fi GO! technology for seamless wireless connectivity with smart TVs, PCs, smartphones and tablets.
For sound, the ASUS Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition USB DAC with headphone amplifier enhances PC audio output for true hi-fi quality. It features six premium MUSES 01 Op-Amps from the New Japan Radio Company, which are considered to be among the best components in the audio industry for their clean and clear sound delivery. Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition features 8x symmetrical upsampling for increased precision in audio reproduction, ensuring that no detail is lost. The dedicated 600-ohm headphone amplifier also improves audio tone and timbre with dynamic sound range extension for greater listening enjoyment.
