Tom's Hardware's AMA With Asus, In Its Entirety

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Graphics Cooling, Liquid Cooling, And High-Res Monitors

Q. More and more people are running Distributed Computing projects on their hardware 24/7 which generates lots of heat...I would love to see more high end cards (like the HIS 7950 IceQ Turbo) make an effort to actively push at least a proportion of heat out the back of the case. Perhaps some kind of hybrid cooling dividing the heat output could be possible?

A. Our focus on graphics cards design is creating superior to reference designs with key focus being on cooling and acoustics. Blower type fan as less efficient and louder than the dual axial/impeller based design we use. In some situations the delta can be greater than 15 to 20c. Additionally we do extensive testing on many chassis/cases and have found modern chassis with good airflow are only moderately impacted by heat that may be partially exhausted into the chassis. In addition blow based design can also increase internal chassis ambient temperatures due to hot spotting of the PCB due to considerably increase temperatures. As such it comes down to a combination of picking the chassis and layout for whatever GPU you use. As of now due to the superior performance we offer in our solutions we are still keeping focus on non-blower based designs. With that noted we will continue to monitor feedback from our users and the community as a whole.

Q. Will the Asus Poseidon be released with the Asus VI formula? Really looking forward to getting those :)

A. The formula should be available within the next month so keep the look out. As for the Poseidon it is still under design and development.

Q. Why is there not more push for water-cooling north bridge/south bridge/ cpu on AMD and Intel based Asus boards?

A. Currently the highest amount of water-cooling comes from Intel based chipsets. Additionally as complete independent water cooling is a more expensive solution it is a slightly different price band due to AMD chipsets lower cost. With that noted we continue to produce high performance boards and work with partners at ensuring there are options for users looking for water-cooling on our AMD series boards. As always should we get enough feedback this is something we would consider in the development of our boards. Keep in mind though the overall task is more complicated than just making a block as we have to design a solution that provide great passive ( air ) performance as well as solid water cooling experience. This is important as only a small % will use the optional water cooling.

Q. I'm really interested in hearing any plans for higher resolution monitors also. When can we expect high DPI desktop monitors at 24" or less? Is there a chance for 3840x2400 and not only 3840x2160? Will monitors stick to that resolution, or can we expect even higher ones in the near future?

A. I can't get into specifics but you should start to see higher DPI monitors in those smaller sizes starting in the second half of next year.

Bestofmedia Team
17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Aoyagi
    So I take it Asus is, in fact, not planning to broaden its AMD laptop selection since they didn't respond to the question about that. Unfortunate, I really liked the brand.
    Reply
  • kennai
    On page 8, the first answer is to the second question, and the second question is to the first answer. Was staring at that second answer for like 2 minutes being like, whaaaaat.
    Reply
  • kennai
    On page 8, the first answer is to the second question, and the second question is to the first answer. Was staring at that second answer for like 2 minutes being like, whaaaaat.
    Reply
  • bim27142
    They didn't answer my question. :( :( :(
    Reply
  • Madn3ss795
    I was excited so see any sights of an ITX AMD board from Asus. Sadly all answers led to a big "NO".
    Reply
  • slomo4sho
    Sadly, Asus is too Intel focused to concern themselves with any innovating anything on their AMD lineup.
    Reply
  • vmem
    11057585 said:
    Sadly, Asus is too Intel focused to concern themselves with any innovating anything on their AMD lineup.

    ASUS is a business, and like any good business they're only concerned with MAKING MONEY. this is actually a GOOD THING, they have a clear goal and they know how to go about doing it: make good products that consumers want to buy.

    a huge part of making money and running a business is getting brand recognition, something AMD has been TERRIBLE at until recently. and ASUS made their point clear, they're not favoring Intel, their marketing research simply says there is insufficient demand. this is because when you walk into best-buy or even microcenter, at least 90% of the people shopping there still equate Intel with CPU. when that changes, ASUS will focus on AMD more. it's really that simple
    Reply
  • vmem
    11055330 said:
    Awesome info here... though I'm kinda bummed they had no info about pricing on that 39" 4k monitor. I'm drooling at the thought of acquiring one of those since it's using a cheap VA panel, assuming ASUS doesn't get greedy and charge a ton for it.

    Can't wait to be rid of this 1080p plague.

    I don't think it's a simple matter of greed. they can't price it TOO cheaply, or else their 31" 4K monitor with the nice Sharp panel won't sell. They have to price it appropriately for the quality and the market. if I were to venture a guess I'd say it'll be around $2-2.5K when it comes out.
    Reply
  • lp231
    11057635 said:
    11055330 said:
    Awesome info here... though I'm kinda bummed they had no info about pricing on that 39" 4k monitor. I'm drooling at the thought of acquiring one of those since it's using a cheap VA panel, assuming ASUS doesn't get greedy and charge a ton for it.

    Can't wait to be rid of this 1080p plague.

    I don't think it's a simple matter of greed. they can't price it TOO cheaply, or else their 31" 4K monitor with the nice Sharp panel won't sell. They have to price it appropriately for the quality and the market. if I were to venture a guess I'd say it'll be around $2-2.5K when it comes out.

    From the web, the 31.5" will cost around $3799 to $4000. I expect the 39" to be close to $10,000.

    Reply
  • slomo4sho
    11057620 said:
    ASUS is a business, and like any good business they're only concerned with MAKING MONEY. this is actually a GOOD THING, they have a clear goal and they know how to go about doing it: make good products that consumers want to buy.

    a huge part of making money and running a business is getting brand recognition, something AMD has been TERRIBLE at until recently. and ASUS made their point clear, they're not favoring Intel, their marketing research simply says there is insufficient demand. this is because when you walk into best-buy or even microcenter, at least 90% of the people shopping there still equate Intel with CPU. when that changes, ASUS will focus on AMD more. it's really that simple

    AMD had nearly 50% market share in 2006 which has gradually dwindled to the current ~16-17% which is around a 10% drop from a year ago. The overreaching bias on tech sites over the years have fortified Intel's position as a monopoly over the CPU market and the lack of features such as PCIe 3.0 and Thunderbolt on AMD exemplifies the perception that AMD is inferior to Intel.

    The reality is that AMD has a clear advantage in integrated GPU solutions that would be optimal for small form factors but the lack of hardware and absence of media coverage perpetuates a fallacy that Intel provides the best solution for all computer needs.

    I, for one, will not be supporting Asus since ASRock and MSI continue to provide a much more balanced solutions on both platforms.
    Reply