Motherboard Innovator Extends Its Leading Expertise to Enabling Full CPU Potential with Turbo Unlocker and Core Unlocker

Sydney, Australia, 27 April 2010 – ASUS once again provides timely, optimised solutions to utilise incoming technology from AMD, supporting the chip maker’s new six-core CPU design. Exclusive features added to ASUS 890FX motherboards realise the hexa-core architecture’s capabilities to the fullest degree.

Both ROG Crosshair IV Formula and M4A89TD PRO include the AMD 890FX chipset and deliver thrilling PC performance through award-winning ASUS exclusives Core Unlocker and Turbo Unlocker, empowering users with on-demand overclocking and performance boosts for greater CPU capabilities in real time. Combined with the potential of the new design from AMD, these motherboards provide an experience like no other.

ASUS shows the way in extreme PC performance with the inclusion of Core Unlocker on new 890FX boards. This technology remains the most reliable and successful way to unlock additional cores for performance improvements on motherboards using the AMD 800-series chipset. Core Unlocker makes it possible to turn a budget quad-core version of a CPU into a full six-cores for significant computing gains*.

It is accompanied by Turbo Unlocker, an intelligent overclocking engine that opens up CPU performance instantly by CPU core ratio when engaged in heavy computing or intensive tasks, including gaming.

Joe Hsieh, General Manager of Motherboard Business with ASUS, said, “ASUS will never stop developing the friendliest and most performance-boosting features available to consumers, whether enthusiasts, beginners or anyone else. Both Core Unlocker and Turbo Unlocker realise CPU potential, making them ideal for users looking for the best value on the best performance motherboards around.”

Real Time Boost on All Phenom II Black Edition CPUs (2/3/4/6 Cores)

Turbo Unlocker represents the next evolution of performance tuning from ASUS. Designed for AMD Black Edition and 6-core processors equipped with an unlockable multiplier, it intelligently adjusts CPU clock speeds with one-click input from users to attain even more computing power. When running single-core optimised applications, Turbo Unlocker dynamically adjusts resources and ensures maximum performance on dedicated cores. For multi-threaded applications, all cores supercharge to the highest performance available. Performance gains occur dynamically and instantly based on actual system conditions, so overclocking is always safe and stable.

Turning Four Cores into Six

Using a switch on both new motherboards, award-winning Core Unlocker is an ASUS exclusive that leads to fast and easy performance gains through the activation of latent CPU cores. One press sets Core Unlocker going as it scans the CPU for additional cores and puts them to work for major computational gains. Heavy multitasking, rendering and gaming go faster and better with additional cores available, as Core Unlocker can turn a dual-core CPU into a tri or quad, or turn quad-core versions into a full six-cores for significant computing gains*. In many cases Core Unlocker has demonstrated up to 103% in added performance—it is a supremely capable technology that injects great value into these motherboards.

Faster than Ever Connectivity

Both ROG Crosshair IV Formula and the M4A89TD PRO boast native next-generation data USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s. These super-fast connections bring users into the HD era with the speed and reliability needed to handle large files quickly. The motherboards feature two USB 3.0 ports each, transferring data at up to ten times the speed of USB 2.0, so moving an entire Blu-ray disc (25GB) takes just 70 seconds. SATA 6Gb/s offers twice the throughput of its predecessor, making hard drives noticeably more expedient.

With the performance and speed demanded by users constantly rising, these technologies could not have come at a better time.

Specifications

* Core unlocking results may vary with the CPU used.

Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Please visit www.asus.com for more details.

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About ASUS

ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era, with a broad product portfolio that includes notebooks, netbooks, motherboards, graphics cards, displays, desktop PCs, servers, wireless solutions, mobile phones and networking devices. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s home and office users. ASUS won 3,268 awards in 2009, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PC™. With a global staff of more than 10,000 and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s revenue for 2009 was US$7.5 billion. ASUS ranks among BusinessWeek’s InfoTech 100, and has been on the listing for 12 consecutive years.

ASUS Motherboards: No.1 in the World

ASUS is the No.1 motherboard brand in the world, commanding the biggest market share globally. Today, one in every three computers houses an ASUS Motherboard. ASUS is the pioneer of numerous innovations that have gone on to become industry standards. Recent examples include the Hybrid Phase power design, Hybrid Processor and Hybrid Switch overclocking design, and Protect 3.0 for safe operation. With its decades of expertise and dedication to pushing the envelope of motherboard design, ASUS is poised to continue leading the industry in motherboard performance, safety and reliability.