ASUS ARES CG6155 gaming PC: 4.0GHz QX9650, GeForce GTX280, bragging rights

What's that, Acer? Your vicious Predator not feel so dominant now? ASUS just dropped a bombshell with the official release of the ARES CG6150 that first surfaced at CeBIT, and for gamers who accept nothing less than cutting edge, this is your rig. From the top, we've got an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (overclockable to 4.0GHz) processor, NVIDIA's nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 3-way SLI setup with GeForce GTX280s, up to 4TB of HDD space, a Blu-ray optical drive, twin gigabit Ethernet jacks, two power supplies and a custom liquid cooling arrangement. ASUS is being tight-lipped (as usual) with pricing / release information, but let's just assume you'll need a serious stack of Benjamins to even sniff this beast.

[Pochi @ Jun 20th 2008 12:26PM]

ASUS.

For when your penis just isn't up to snuff.

[Flashpoint @ Jun 20th 2008 1:21PM]

That's either part of Nomad's Nanosuit or its an Alienware ripoff.

With red rather than blue.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jun 20th 2008 2:24PM]

My penis doesn't use 2 kw of power either!!

[SaW_NEMES][S @ Aug 13th 2008 11:21PM]

Advance, Extreme & KILLER. What kind of system you got? Nice job ASUS I have the ASUS Vento and I am only hoping they sell this case by it's self *HINT HINT* Its time for a case update = )

[Bunson @ Jun 20th 2008 12:27PM]

Jesus christ, the doomsday machine is here!

[Bunson @ Jun 20th 2008 12:27PM]

I love how I can't comment.

[initialxy @ Jun 20th 2008 12:35PM]

then you must hate how you commented twice

[happy_penguin @ Jun 20th 2008 2:17PM]

I believe Bunson is talking about the delay between entering a comment and actually seeing it appear. This seems to have been happening for the past couple of days.

[happy_penguin @ Jun 20th 2008 2:17PM]

Funny how it didn't happen this time.

[Low Ranked @ Jun 20th 2008 2:25PM]

Shhhhh, the comment system might hear you.

[sinai @ Jun 20th 2008 12:29PM]

i bet this things still cheaper than their 10" EEE PCs...

[initialxy @ Jun 20th 2008 12:29PM]

allspark inside
no?

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Jun 20th 2008 12:31PM]

How long until this beast is woefully outdated?

Amazing that games, something so unproductive (but so fun!) are basically the highest benchmarks for PCs.

If your PC can game, it can do anything!

[sinai @ Jun 20th 2008 12:34PM]

not much different than buying a car that can go 160mph.

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jun 20th 2008 12:35PM]

Fun-factor is at the core of a lot of machines with matter of design, be it cars or computers. Ferraris wouldn't be Ferraris if they weren't fun to take out for a spin.

[kal326 @ Jun 20th 2008 2:29PM]

Well if you ever get bored of playing games or Crysis 2 comes out and this thing is old news, it could always be re-purposed to a mid range server/space heater.

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jun 20th 2008 12:32PM]

What's with the Eagle-esque car logo and the Infinity FX taillights?

[Danakin @ Jun 20th 2008 12:37PM]

What a beast!

[hans van den Bogert @ Jun 20th 2008 12:45PM]

8GB of ram, and probably a 32 bit OS installed as default.

[Shinigami @ Jun 20th 2008 5:00PM]

Nobody stops you from asking ASUS to install 64-bit OS by default ;)
But I'd rather buy a vehicle for that $10k...

[john @ Jun 20th 2008 12:48PM]

wow wat a beast

[Rick @ Jun 20th 2008 12:52PM]

The case looks like an alien will jump out from under the front door of the case and suck your juices dry.

[ronzo @ Jun 20th 2008 12:55PM]

Looks like an alienware knockoff...

[Clockw0rk @ Jun 20th 2008 12:59PM]

I love how people have complete back-ass-wards misconceptions about the actual gradation of technology advancement.

Here's some retro-spective. I purchased a mid-level computer, P4 3ghz with 6600GT on it for under a thousand back in 2003. It lasted a solid five years of playing the latest games (on progressively declining resolutions, mind you), which is just about as good as a console. Now people might say 'but you don't pay 800 dollars for a console you replace every five years', and I would be inclined to agree.. but even after five years, the processor and memory are more than enough to be a home server for the next ten years. More than any 150 dollar console can say.

Now if a mid-level machine can last five years with no upgrades, how long with a tippy-tippy top of the line machine last? Quad-core, DDR3, 4TB of storage. That's so future proof it's impractical. There aren't really applications that use that sort of horsepower outside of custom computing applications and serious 3D workstations. I'm entirely confident that a machine that outstanding would last eight to ten years; excusing any new holographic data storage standard or magical 3d display technology which don't publicly exist yet.

When people are willing to spend 30+ grand on a machine that they basically sit comfortably in while traveling, and often times don't last ten years? Yeah.. I think eight grand for a beast like this is completely sensible with the internet age and computer gaming continuing to expand at a progressive rate while fossil fuels prohibit frivolous joyrides more and more each day.

[insertAlias @ Jun 20th 2008 1:07PM]

I don't know...People have been saying that computers are future-proof for years, and then BAM! Technology advances, and your top-of-the-line--nothing-better is suddenly just adequate, and you're lusting after something else.

8 years is a long, long time when it comes to technology.

[computer.dude.28 @ Jun 20th 2008 1:11PM]

"That's so future proof it's impractical."

"Yeah.. I think eight grand for a beast like this is completely sensible"

I don't get it.

[VampireHunter Z @ Jun 20th 2008 1:37PM]

This thing is no where near future proof. Realtime graphics has a long long way to go and not even 3 GeForce GTX280s can calculate lighting at a high level in realtime. Until a machine can produce Beowulf movie graphics in realtime only then it will be future proof. Months from now a single card will equal that 3 way SLI set up.

[Flashpoint @ Jun 20th 2008 1:38PM]

I think the real thing we need to do is look at
#1 why we are purchasing the device
#2 whether or not we can actually afford it.
and #3 will it in any way retain value or be an appreciating asset.


Servers are appreciating assets because they are versatile enough to provide a basis for a business solution - to make money.

Gaming computers are depreciating assets - thats because the developers for games are pushing the envelopes higher and higher which is fueling video card R&D and their sales.

Crysis is the type of game that I always wanted but its so overly developed that you need a new PC just to play it. The same thing goes for Vista. Windows put it out there but didn't make certain that desktop/laptop companies knew that you'd need much more than the minimum requirements just to make it work reliably - while Win XP was still doing very well globally. Vista was unnescessary for the time it was released and Microsoft coulda waited another year while Intel pushed their CPU's higher and better video chipsets became available.


As for the Gaming PC - and those Voodoo desktop and laptops I saw on engadget, that's WAY TOO MUCH MONEY to spend foor many people and they'll just end up waiting until technology accross the board catches up to that standard.

I remember less than 8 years ago when a "$3000 gaming rig" was a Pentium 3 1.0 Ghz with 512 GB of RAM and a 60 GB Hard Drive and a DVD/RW . Now we've got $400 Eee Pc's able to have most of that.

[KarlW @ Jun 20th 2008 1:44PM]

Your car doesn't last 10 years? You need to drive more carefully and stop getting drunk.

[Digital1 @ Jun 20th 2008 1:05PM]

I think it might run Crysis.

[computer.dude.28 @ Jun 20th 2008 1:14PM]

I see you've already gone through will it blend, will it play doom, and thoroughly used will it play crisis.

GET YOUR OWN JOKES WE'RE TIRED OF HEARING THESE

[ds @ Jun 20th 2008 1:52PM]

you didnt mention hes also a fan of the overlord one.. really great jokes

[AJ @ Jun 20th 2008 1:59PM]

nice catch computer.dude.28 .. looks like he hasn't even left 'overlords' untouched. A true epitome of tired cliches.

[Digital1 @ Jun 20th 2008 2:44PM]

Thank you! Thank you all!

[Zach @ Jun 20th 2008 3:25PM]

perhaps he's being so utterly sarcastic that we haven't picked up on it yet?

NAH..

[Digital1 @ Jun 20th 2008 3:54PM]

What would be the fun in saying if I am or not! No fun at all!

[Nicky-Larson @ Jun 20th 2008 1:06PM]

WOW,Those Specs are scary .I smell a Super Price Tag on this one. And I think it is well worth it.Makes my PC shrink in shame. :(

[sinai @ Jun 20th 2008 1:07PM]

NO ONE PLAYS CRYSIS

SHUT UP ALREADY.

[d @ Jun 20th 2008 1:33PM]

i play crysis

[Bunson @ Jun 20th 2008 3:52PM]

Me too.

[Hamidxa @ Jun 20th 2008 3:55PM]

I play it too.

Best FPS of all time if you ask me.

[vileta2 @ Jun 20th 2008 7:41PM]

yeah I play that game's multiplayer sometimes

[spellprince @ Jun 20th 2008 1:08PM]

another competitor rip-off, YAY!

[Eric B. @ Jun 20th 2008 1:13PM]

I hear this is running for a cheap $3800. Is that true?

[Phoenix @ Jun 20th 2008 1:28PM]

maybe for the mimimum spec... Not what was talked about above.

[wrabbit @ Jun 20th 2008 1:29PM]

Since when is $3800 cheap for a PC?!
Especially since this particular one can probably be built for under 3k

[PCIV @ Jun 20th 2008 1:43PM]

Not when you buy 10 chips to get one that goes to 4ghz consistent.

[DefPo3t @ Jun 20th 2008 3:47PM]

apparently you don't know what an "extreme processor" they come from the center of the die. If you get on that can't of over 4ghz then you are just one unlucky person

[nig b @ Jun 20th 2008 1:20PM]

twin gigabit Ethernet jacks! Wow Wow!!!!

[B @ Jun 20th 2008 1:34PM]

More like suck your wallet dry.