The living room converges

In the PC market, the term enthusiast is often used for high performance, fully featured products geared towards the gaming or overclocking and modding community.

However, the PC`s new role as a digital entertainment hub has led to many manufacturers focusing on the new living room convergence model, delivering advanced features to users who are not technical gurus.

Dual-core is at the heart of this convergence and is shaping PC experiences of the future. Kobus de Beer, ASUS product manager at Axiz, says ASUS is ahead of the pack with the recent launch of its P5B series motherboards: "These are the first two motherboards to support Intel`s upcoming Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Duo desktop processors."

Incorporating three unique tools, the P5B series motherboards features: AI NOS (Non-delay Overclocking System), AI Gear and AI Nap - for precise PC performance control during various applications. Unique AI Lifestyle features such as quiet thermal solutions, crystal sound and EZ DIY offer a user-friendly personal computing environment.

"The P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP and P5B motherboards deliver extreme performance, minimum noise and maximum power saving," says De Beer. "With AI NOS, AI Gear and AI Nap, users can easily adjust computing speed for enhanced performance, quiet computing or power conservation."

The patented AI NOS technology intelligently detects system load, not system temperature, and automatically boosts performance for the most demanding tasks. To balance system performance and silent computing, AI Gear enables users to choose from profiles to adjust CPU frequency and vCore voltage, minimising system noise and power consumption.

With AI Nap, users can instantly "relax" their PCs without terminating current tasks. Systems will continue to operate at minimum power and noise when users are temporarily away. It downloads files and runs applications at the quietest state while users are asleep.

"Simply click on the mouse to wake up the system in seconds," says De Beer.

The P5B series motherboards are based on the Intel P965, the latest chipset designed to support a maximum 8GB dual-channel DDR2 800/667/533 architecture and multi-core CPU.

The P965 chipset includes Intel Fast Memory Access technology that significantly optimises the use of available memory bandwidth and reduces the latency of the memory accesses. De Beer says the P5B Deluxe is ready for the next-generation Intel Core 2 processors in LGA775 package: "With the new Intel Core micro-architecture technology and 1066/800MHz FSB, the Intel Core 2 processor is one of the most powerful and energy efficient CPUs and shows incredible performance when partnered with the P5B series motherboards."

The 8-Phase Power design delivers steadier power supply for the CPU by generating less heat than conventional power solutions. It also provides a cool computing environment for stable performance and higher overclocking margin and reduces input ripple current and output ripple voltage, preventing the CPU and power modules from the risk of high power stress.

The fan-less concept, featured in the P5B series, is specifically created to provide a cool environment without all the baggage. "The heat pipe, heat sinks and strategic board layout were tailor-made to dissipate heat in the most efficient manner," says De Beer.

Cooling this new technology is Stack Cool 2 - a fan-less and zero-noise cooling solution offered exclusively by ASUS. It effectively transfers heat generated by the critical components to the other side of the specially designed PCB (printed circuit board) for effective heat dissipation without the noise from high-speed fan rotation.

The P5B series motherboards feature ADI high definition audio CODEC, which provides amazing noise filter functions. The noise filter detects repetitive and stationary noises like computer fans, air conditioners, and other background noises, and then eliminates it in the incoming audio stream while recording.

"The P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP edition is especially bundled with a Superbeam Array Microphone, which only receives the sound coming from the reception cone and ignores the sound coming from other directions," says De Beer. He says this mechanism eliminates a large number of interferences including neighbouring speakers and reverberations.

It also uses advanced de-reverberation techniques to reduce echo and minimise its effect on the speech engine. "This feature can enhance speech-centric applications like Skype, online games, video conferencing and recording," says De Beer.

For more information on the ASUS P5B Series Motherboards, please contact Axiz on (011) 237 7089 or visit www.axiz.com.