Eyes-on ASUS' first gaming desktop: ARES CG6150
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Mar 3rd 2008 9:24AM
posted Mar 3rd 2008 9:24AM
Update: Details are in. Under the armor you'll find a Core 2 Extreme CPU with support for up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, NVIDIA's 3-way SLI graphic technology, up to 4 Terabytes of hard disk, Dual Power power modules and liquid cooling. Grrr.
Did someone say Cylon head?
By your command...
Optimus prime are you there?
Yeah, it looks cool, but think about how much cheaper it would be if they didn't put all that effort into making it look cool. Or, on the flip side, how much faster it would be if they spent said effort on improving performance?
@smart people
1) PCs like these are not designed to be the best bang-for-the-buck
2) If you're putting in the best components money can buy, how can you improve performance? Last I knew, Asus didn't dabble in processor microarchitecture. And I really doubt they used any proprietary board for this system it's probably a high-end model from their regular motherboard lineup.
(If you were a tuba player, you might have known this already.)
Come on, let's see the red LED's do the cylon "swoosh"
@Bryan,
don't forget about the sound effect as well.
Man, I'm tempted to put that thing on and wear it as a helmet.
On the final episode of Battlestar Galactica, the crew of the Galactica is shocked to discover that the beloved gaming PC they had been using was actually the final of the 12 models!
Does anyone else think it looks like an alienware desktop?
the ridges on the side view are uncanny
@Smart People Play Tuba
No, it does not look cool - the designer needs to be dragged out into the street and shot. It's entirely possible that I'm just too old for this stuff now (early 30s) but I want my stuff, whatever it may be, to look stylish and this just isn't. Yes, no one likes a plain beige box but this is going way the heck out the other side. Alienware has a lot to answer for...
EYE CAN HAZ TEH HALOZ?
U CAN HAZ PUNCH IN DE FACE ONLY IF IT FIXZ UR STOOPID LOLCATZ GRAMMER.
damn my bad folks, i was stuck in 2006.
It looks more like a Daft Punk's headgear.
Is that called ARSE? I must go back and read the doc....
holy crap...i like...love the carbon fiber chassis, and the specs in teh kybd.
wonder if they will sell these w barebones or as a DIY kit????
I would be a very happy person if they did :D
(I don't have that kind of money to spend - for the hardware!)
I think this may be the one instance where a question of "Can it play Crysis?" is actually deserved. Fancy-pants styling or not, what matters most is what's inside. And to be totally honest, my office is beige, to go with my beige computer. I'd totally have to deck out my desk in sheet metal to make this rig fit in.
That's sure to impress the ladies!
I'll call him Bender.
I love how it manages to look equally tacky and cool.
dudes Asus VS Alienware is now like Alien VS Predator.
Horrible?
You're right. Two working and popular things that when
mixed = fail
Whoever wins, we get pwn3d.
That was a good game...
It looks like its about to explode under tremendous gas pressure within it, its bursting at the seams!
It reminds me a bit of the old SGI Octanes. It looks more Ferrari-ish than the Ferrari laptop. How about putting gull-wing access panels on the sides to complete the picture?
now, only thing to do is sell one of my kidneys and get this baby... not! computer hardware is so everchanging.. happy to stick wid consoles..
consoles FTW!
Die.
Gimme' a 5000 dollar budget, and I'll get a more powerful machine than any console, and more games running at higher resolutions and higher quality sound, with much better graphics, with better online play than any console on a comparable setup.
Once you look past the initial price, there is a lot more value in PCs than consoles if you know what you're doing.
give me a 5000 budget and i will buy one of each of the new consoles, an hdtv, and a home theater system, and look cooler than you on your computer.
You're going to make a $5,000 PC that is more powerful than a $300 console!? WOW!
What witch's trickery is this!?
Wow, Chebwa... Why is it you always misinterpret what I'm saying? Do you do it on purpose?
I said a 5000 dollar budget to build a machine that will not only outperform the consoles with better sound, visuals, at higher resolutions with a quality monitor, but I will also be able to purchase more games.
Of course for 5000 bucks you can buy a more powerful PC, but that wasn't my point. Please read before making dumb comments.
that's why consoles are for casual gamers and pc's are for the hardcore
"Gimme' a 5000 dollar budget, and I'll get a more powerful machine than any console, and more games running at higher resolutions and higher quality sound, with much better graphics, with better online play than any console on a comparable setup."
All you said was that for five grand you will have a PC more powerful than a console and "more games running at higher resolutions." Phrase your comments better and they won't be left open for supposed "misinterpretation."
And like the guy above me also stated, give a console player five grand and he'll come away with a setup much more impressive than a stacked PC would be. PC gaming is drying up.
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=42663
He says it best.
Chebwa, it doesn't matter. It was pretty damn easy to understand. It's not my fault you can't interpret for shit.
Oh, and that's a laugh- a console setup more impressive? Yeah, right. I'm talking about playing games- you can get a PC that will run the latest games at max settings (maybe not Crysis) with resolutions as high or higher than what consoles push with a nice sized monitor, surround sound, and more games on a 5000 dollar budget than if you could with a comparable PS3 or Xbox 360 setup.
But, then again, I wouldn't expect an ignorant fool such as yourself to understand.
Man Zeus, with the namecalling... you're an angry little teenage God, aren't you?
But I am still confused as to what your original point was. Give you $5,000 and... you'll do what? Buy $5,000 in stuff? Whew, congratulations. You got me, and you have proven PCs are better to console gamers everywhere. With $5,000 you really COULD buy a lot of PC stuff!
But then, I'm just an ignorant fool. Maybe I misunderstood...
tbh it doesn't take 5k to get a sweet gaming rig. it only costs about 1.5k, which is about the same for a console and an hdtv capable of playing games at full resolution anyway.
+console games are more expensive and pc's are for the hardcore
surfrdawg: Yeah, but for 1.5k you get the gaming CPU and a small-ish 19" screen (or worse, no screen at all)... with 1.5k you get the consoles AND a good 32" (or a not-so-good but still decent 42")... or you could go for an el-cheapo 32" and get also surround sound (you're forgetting that part on the computer)
Sorry, Chebwa, but you honestly are pretty damn stupid. You've proven it time and time again, and apparently most of the Engagdet commentors fit in the same category as you.
it definitely looks cool, but kinda ... fat!?
dont you think? like it ate too much of smthing
Really? Would it have killed you to type out "something"? I mean seriously.
Did someone change the R with the T key in the keyboard picture??
Isn't it 'armor-clad'?
whoever set it up must have a serious dandruff problem
Saying they took a leaf from Alienware's books is a friendly way of putting it... they like freakin' stole the whole forest from their library, huh?
umm... asus actually makes that case for Alienware. I believe it's called the Asus Vento. It's been around for at least 1.5 year or so...
Once again, I'm afraid engadget makes unfounded accusations about companies copycatting designs from each other. Not every vaguely rectangular shaped mp3 player is an ipod clone, you know!
hm my bad I didn't know that: thanks for the extra knowledge!
This is the first rig I've seen that could kill you in your sleep.
Must be fast, even the photo gallery is fuzzy...
I bet THAT mouse can catch a cat!
PUT THE ALLSPARK IN MY CHEST!!
i'm sorry, was that 'cladded'? how many MBAs does it take to market a lightbulb...
Itsa chargin its lazerz!
Really though, not all that bad of a looking PC. I've seen better, I've seen worse. But if the specs are good enough and the price is at a good point, why argue with it? Honestly, I've become way more of a console gamer, it's just easier to keep up with, and less tasking on the wallet too.
Sigh, I still love me a nice gaming PC though.
Nice, but I want to know if that keyboard can be bought separately...
does "6150" denote the weight of the machine in pounds?
Well done. Very funny, but how about:
"Does the '6150' denote its weight in pounds, its price in pounds, or the weight in pounds of the pile of British pounds necessary to purchase this frightful monstrosity, which, if one should have so little sense as to be willing to purchase, he should owe it to society to commit his body to flame."
It's a bit wordy, but...
The first thing I thought of was a Ceylon from the Battlestar Galactica series of the '70's, then I thought that I could take this with me when I deploy to Iraq later this year (It would make a great armor shield. :p)
I hate these gaming desktops,the thing looks like a transformer,that might be cool for some but I'm old school.
Asus obviously knows how to build computers and parts etc, but maybe they should spend some R&D $$ on dust reduction??? Holy crap, was it assembled in a carpet factory??
I agree with a previous poster, it looks like it's about to explode.
But the real question is, will it play Doom?
That gaming pad is poorly designed, you have to either rotate your hand to use it or move your ring finger to hit it.
I know you can buy the mouse seperately, and possibly the keyboard...
But damn, I want that case!
That thing would look more at home at Disneyland's "Star Tours" than it would at my desk.
really tacky, but in a fun, futuristic cheeze-ball way.
i am at your command my lord, your wish is my command. what's that my lord "Kill Jobs" right away sir.
What no window kit showing off all that scary goodness inside?
Looks good, in an ugly sort of way, if you understand that.
Oh noes!
This is so finely balanced between hideously tacky, fantastically cool, embarrassingly camp and utterly desirable that it might make the universe implode...
Or something...
I'll get my coat.
Watch out; it's going to POP!
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cladded
:tard:s
Hahhaha what a robot. Looks cool though.
any word on whether or not we can just buy the case?
It looks like a Daft Punk helmet/mask...
Even a little Bobba Fett...
The Cylons called, they want their 133t gaming rig back.
That is one sexy-ass case. Note: I misspelled case as 'cake' at first.
CAKE.
Am i really the only one who only wants that keyboard?
I couldn't care less about the design.
When shopping for a gaming desktop, all I want is a "machine" that could run games like FSX and Crysis on Ultra-High graphics, with Ultra-High resolutions, and with a high fluid like framerate.
Show me this "machine" and I'll willingly pay for it, even if it looked like crap.
i cant find the keyboard :(
Probably made by Asus.
it says asus on it!!
but the asus website shows nothing of keyboards :S
Supposedly:
"It has a Core 2 Extreme processor, up to 8GB of DDR3, NVIDIA 3-way SLI and 4 terabytes of HDD storage space and water cooling built in."
I threw up as I scrolled by this post.
Oh, dear LORD no.
The Windows PC industry's inability to make an attractive-looking case never ceases to amaze me. At least Dell's new XPS hardware is a BIG step forward; if I saw THIS in real life, I'd laugh out loud.
can it run nes' games??
ho ho holy crap,
that thing looks like it would take over my house and leave me homeless. considering the price tag it probobly would leave me homeless.
I'll wait for the case to turn up on ebay as "spares/broken" :)
definitely wins the ugly award