Tech Link (Mobile): Most Overclockable and Upgradeable Laptop On The Horizon! Asus C90's impending arrival..

Ok, this is really cool. Asus* is developing a laptop for the enthusiasts, well, it's actually a whitebook laptop but it so happen that it will be very very nice for the eager, willing, and able enthusiasts. I mean, who would replace their CPU on their laptop, upgradeable video card, and add lots of noisy fans to overclock? I am thinking that this laptop should also be compatible with their external video card upgrade solution, the Asus* XG Station. Too bad, it probably won't be compatible with Mobile Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Edition.

Anyway, it does look like an improved version of Verified By Intel®, or for the layman, it's called Laptop BTO (Build-to-Order) platform, which should be good for consumers, giving them the freedom and option to mix/match laptop component much like a DIY-PC. Expand for more...

We were at Asus headquarters today and got some hands on time with the upcoming C90 desktop replacement style notebook. The C90 is going to be one of, if not the most, customizable notebooks on the market to date. Every aspect of it will be upgradeable and it will use the Intel Conroe processor platform.

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The C90 will be a whitebook machine, meaning customers and resellers will be able to buy the barebone C90 notebook and drop in the components that they want. The basic specs on the machine are as follows:

• Supports Intel Conroe desktop processor platform, 1.86GHz - 2.66 GHz (E6700)


• 15.4" screen


• 2.0 Megapixel camera built-in


• HDMI


• Bluetooth


• TV-Tuner integrated


• E-SATA


• 8-in-1 media card reader


• 802.11n


• Graphics: NVidia (???? -- we can't tell)


• Finger Print reader


• HD-DVD and Blu-Ray drive capable


• 3 USB ports


• Piano gloss finish with inlaid pattern

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Asus emphasized that every component for the C90 will be upgradeable. You name it: Processor, LCD, hard drive, memory, graphics card (and we can't say everything about the graphics card for a little while because Asus asked us not to, cough), optical drive -- take the old one out and put a new component it, all within minutes. The notebook is designed around the core principle of it being easy to upgrade.

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Upgrade until your hearts content
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The C90 has a glossy finish on top
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Asus C90 underside, check out all of those vents!
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And an even more giant vent on the back side!
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A look at the left side ports
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DVD drive
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2.0 MP web camera
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The C90 should be hitting the market in the mid-May time frame, though no specific date has been set.

Source:Asus C90 Customizable Notebook Hands on at Asus Headquarters

Tech Link (Graphics): ASUS XG Station Preview

vr-zone has a cool preview of the Asus* XG-Station I posted sometime ago. Though nothing new has been shared, it's great to know that it'll go mass production and will be available next quarter (Q2). It will initially launched bundled with a graphics card to avoid compatibility issues. Expand for more...

When XG Station, the world's first external graphics for notebooks from ASUS made their first appearance over at CES back in January, it has stirred up huge interests from the media and consumers. This time round, ASUS plans to demo a more finalized version of their XG Station over at the upcoming CeBIT but the feature set remains the same as before.

XG1 is able to accommodate a double slot graphics card that requires up to 150W power (GeForce 8800GTS is possible we heard), supports 2 x USB 2.0 ports, 5.1 audio channels with Dolby headphones technology, real-time adjustment of GPU clocks, volume control, LCD display of GPU temperature, fan speed and games FPS.

At start, ASUS plans to bundle and sell the EN7900GS graphics card together with XG1 to avoid any compatibility issues but there are plans for selling XG1 alone without graphics card at a later date. Currently, Magma Electronics has a similar offering called ExpressBox that sells for a hefty US$729 but it doesn't come with features like USB, audio and LCD display features. Not to worry as we heard that the XG1 will be available at a very competitive and reasonable price.

Although XG1 possess some really neat features but it still has its downsides like limited bandwidth and requires external display. Since XG1 is linked up to the notebook through the ExpressCard slot, therefore the graphics card slotted into the PCIe x16 slot inside the XG1 has a reduced bandwidth from full x16 (4GB/s in each direction) to just x1 (250MB/s in each direction). Certainly graphics and video performance will suffer a considerable hit. Also another downside is that XG1 needs to be hooked up to a display monitor since there is no video-in capability in the current notebooks so you can't play games on your notebook screen.

XG1 will be entering mass production in April and retail availability in May timeframe.

What's Next?
To really make an impact in the market, ASUS will have to solve the two tricky issues facing XG1 currently. Some good news to cheer about is that ASUS's strong R&D has made a major breakthrough recently and alleviate the problems completely. The next generation XG Station will have full x16 bandwidth, smaller form factor and is able to output to notebooks for display. ASUS also plans to adopt the cabled PCI Express specs for their future XG Station. However, we can't go into details right now so stay tuned for more announcements from ASUS in the near future.

Source:ASUS XG Station Preview

Press Release: ASUS XG Station Empowers Upgradeable Graphics Power for Notebook Computers

This is a very nice innovation from Asus*. I remember I used to have add-on graphics card with my Toshiba Portege 660CDT laptop docking station. It was great, even adding capability for add-on PCI devices. This new device looks like to be a hit for laptop lovers like me, but prefers better graphics and gaming capabilities.

It accepts standard PCIe x16 Video Card, so it'll be flexible enough to accept current and future graphics card. It is externally powered, which will be reasonable enough for such application, and dedicated power is good anyway, specially with high end video cards. User can also monitor FPS, temperature, and can even overclock the GPU via round knob controller.

Pretty neat idea, I just hope this will become available locally! Expand to read the full Asus scoop!

Enjoy up to 10-times faster graphics power boost with cinematic audio performance

Taipei, Taiwan, January 6, 2007 –ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (ASUS), the leading provider of high-performance graphics solutions, today launched the XG Station as the industry’s first public demonstration of the world’s first external graphics card station for notebook computers. Equipped with Express Card interface, USB 2.0 and Dolby headphones, the XG station seamlessly integrates notebook computing with PC graphics power.

Engage Mobility with Powerful Graphics Processing
As technology advances to accommodate all aspects of modern life styles, digital devices are often merged or connected for a combined maximum benefit. As with the case of mobile notebook computing and high powered 3D gaming or multimedia experience, a balance is established with the exclusive ASUS XG Station.


When on the go, compact notebook makes work efficient without adding extra pounds, while at home, large LCD monitor is preferred for enhanced visual enjoyment. ASUS XG Station brings the power of a dedicated 3D graphics engine, providing users with the best of both worlds. Simply plug in the XG Station to the LCD monitor and connect the notebook via an Express Card connector and get ready to game!

Fast and Upgradeable Graphics Power
The XG Station is the world’s first docking station to provide a standard PCI Express slot for additional graphics computing power on notebook computers with Express Card slot, delivering VISTA Premium performance. The device also conveniently accommodates future graphics technology such as, HDCP and HDMI upgrades possibility. Lab experiments on a notebook based on Intel 945GM graphics connected to the XG station with a ASUS EN7900GS graphics card showed an astounding 9 times faster acceleration.

Sensational AV Enjoyment
XG Station also features enhanced audio and video functions. With Dolby® Headphone technology any headphone is capable to delivers cinematic 5.1-channel surround sound for a dynamic true-to-life quality during PC game play and music or video playback. Real-time Overclocking is easily controlled with the ergonomic knob design for simple GPU clock speed adjustments.

Large Information Display and Easy Control
XG Station is designed with ease of use in mind. A large LED screen is adopted to provide clear display of critical system status statistics including the following:

System master volume
GPU clock speed
Current GPU temperature
Dolby® Headphone feature status
Current actual Frames Per Second (FPS) information
GPU fan speed Indicator
The XG Station also has a dedicated control panel to let users control the settings through the GUI based interface and easily switch modes between the notebook screen and the external LCD monitor.

The XG Station is currently scheduled to be released at the beginning of Q2 2007. A full package will include the XG Station graphics docking station, one ASUS EN7900GS graphics card and assorted accessories.

Source:ASUS XG Station Empowers Upgradeable Graphics Power for Notebook Computers