USB 3.0 On Routers, The Zenbook Infinity, And Frying Hardware
Q. On the Asus motherboard, the USB3 front panel connectors seems a bit weak. As you know the USB3 cables are quite thick, but the connector is now relatively small. So it's so easy for the connector fall off, if bump into it. Do you have plans to upgrade or modify the USB3 front panel connector to a latching type?
A. Changes to the connector would not be a simple process. Cable/connector manufacturers would have to drive that both ways (cables and connectors). If there were a viable option for us to use and adoption on a wide scale possible, we'd certainly do it. I hasten to add that once inserted, the current cable connector combo should not work lose inside a PC case.
Q. Who are the artists behind the Asus graphics card box art? What software do they use? Can I see their concept sketches?
A. In house design teams. Conceptual art isn't generally posted this way but there are instances where posts on ROG Forums front page articles have included it.
Q. I'm wondering, how could I possibly in the future work at Asus, I'm still a student and I'm very interested in being a part of the Asus team, my favorite PC part manufacturer!
A. A great way to get involved now is becoming a a part of the Asus CampusLife program, you can learn more over on our CL Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/Asus.Students Also once you are ready to look for a job Asus is always hiring and have all of our current job postings on our site.
Q. Would it be a massive headache for you guys to release say a 24" 8k monitor? I am drooling over your PQ321 and just for doing it you guys are heroes to me... but what about a smaller one with a higher resolution for higher PPI? Do you have to "wait" for say Samsung or LG to "invent" the panel before you order some? Is it them I should be hounding with demanding letters? Thanks! :)
A. Yes, the panels have to be available to us. It's an exciting technology and I'm sure there's more on the way.
Q. Now that the majority of AMD and Intel motherboards only have a southbridge, are the chipsets cheaper to purchase?
A. No. And if you look at how motherboards have evolved - the feature count is on a different level as well. Features add costs.
Q. On the Asus routers, do you guys plan on having USB3 on all future products? And do you guys plan on having the USB3 ports to operate at "full" USB3 speed?
A. While USB transfer speeds can still vary quite a lot depending on the manufacturer; processing power has been part of the problem. USB performance is definitely something we pay close attention to. I can't promise or guarantee any numbers, but as the chipsets become more powerful, and in conjunction with working closely with those chipset manufacturers, we do expect to be able to improve USB transfer speed performance.
Q. Approximately when will the Maximus VI Formula come out and approximately what kind of price will we see?
A. Next month is the ETA. I don't have an MSRP on that yet.
Q. Will Asus produce a MITX motherboard suitable for a NAS build? Like having 6 or 7 s-ata ports based on h87 or z87 and maybe 2 ethernet port?
A. Mini-ITX Z87 should be here soon. :)
Q. Super interested in the Zenbook Infinity. Can we have at least a time frame as to when it may be released?
A. We announced at Computex it will be released in Q4 but no official date has been set yet.
Q. Have you ever experienced anything in the labs catching fire while benchmarking etc.?
A. I've smoked a FET on a Foxconn 480 GTX - it was a modded and heavily abused card. Other than that, no flames for me.
Q. What do you think of Crysis 3? What was good about it, bad about it, and the future of it?
A. I liked the game. It was engaging for me when I played it. Graphics were good, but perhaps could have done with some optimizations. That being said, the Crysis franchise is known for being taxing on hardware. I expected nothing less. The surround sound on this game is great too. As a 40 year old, my concentration levels are not what they used to be for gaming, so I don't play things for long...hehe. Even my favorite, the Street Fighter series does not get much air time these days.