ASUS ARES CG6155 Gaming PC: Armor Inspired, 4GHz Core2 Extreme Powered

It's not all mini PCs and budget notebooks from ASUS – though you'd be excused for thinking it.  The company has just announced a new gaming PC, the ARES CG6155, and while it may not have a killer-name it does have all the usual hyperbole manufacturers seem to lapse into when launching these sort of systems.  For instance, ASUS are keen to point out that the ARES' case design was inspired by battle armor:

"The unique exterior design is inspired by ancient and modern armor with both Eastern and Western influences, and presents an aesthetic appeal that exudes pure power!" ASUS press release

Whether that ticks your gaming boxes or leaves you cold, at least it's a whole lot less orange than Acer's Predator PC (and the front panel is less articulated-codpiece in appearance).  Inside is where it counts, though, and ASUS have stashed an Intel Core2 Extreme QX9650 CPU, NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset, up to 8GB of dual channel DDR3 1333MHz RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX280 3-Way SLI graphics card. 

The processor may not quite be Alienware's Extreme QX9770, but ASUS claim it's still overclockable to the same 4.0GHz.  Liquid cooling and twin power-supplies putting out up to 2 kilowatts share space with up to 4TB of storage, a Blu-ray drive, HD audio and gigabit ethernet.

No sign of a release date or even a hint of a price, but unless ASUS have picked some ill-advised cock-up glue to fit the whole thing together, the ARES could be an impressive gaming contender.

Press Release:

ASUS ARES CG6155–The Ultimate Gaming Powerhouse

Delivering Functionality and Style for the World's Most Demanding Gamers!

Taipei, Taiwan, June 19, 2008 – Catering to gamers who require only the best equipment, ASUS, world-leading producer of desktop PCs, has unveiled the new ASUS ARES CG6155 Desktop PC. This powerful piece of gaming hardware comprises an array of top-notch components to provide gamers with the performance and stability for their every gaming need. The unique exterior design is inspired by ancient and modern armor with both Eastern and Western influences, and presents an aesthetic appeal that exudes pure power!

Inspired by Armor, Designed to Dominate the Battlefield

Conceived from the outset as the ultimate gaming powerhouse, ARES combines performance with ASUS' legendary quality and reliability. From its armored surfaces to its Dual Power supply units, ARES has been designed to deliver both functionality and style to those who demand the best. Inspired by ancient and modern armor from both Eastern and Western cultures, ARES opens a new chapter in gaming hardware design. ARES not only looks bullet proof; but also incorporates an arsenal of features which make it one of the most stable and secure gaming PC systems ever.

Extreme System Performance for the Gaming Edge

ARES is equipped with the most advanced Quad-core CPUs, 3-way SLI graphic cards and extreme factory over-clocking that boosts CPU performance by up to 33%. Additionally, gamers will be able to enjoy cutting-edge technologies such as a Blu-ray optical disc drive, high-definition audio and DDRIII memory. With such powerful computing performance and great support for a variety of technologies, ARES easily conquers the most performance-intensive PC games and provides the highest level of excitement to all gamers.

* The overclocking performance changes are subject to different setups and conditions.

Dual Power and Liquid Cooling Ensures Ultimate Stability

Due to its unique Dual Power and customized liquid cooling modules, ARES offers excellent stability. This Dual Power design supports up to 2 kilowatts of power – providing greater stability and non-stop sustainability for intensive gaming demands than competing solutions that average only 1 kilowatt in power. At the same time, the built-in liquid cooler ensures that system stability is maintained for cooler operations. Because of these design considerations, gamers can fully immerse themselves in their gaming environments without any interruptions.

Specifications

OS Microsoft Vista Ultimate

CPU

Intel Core2 Extreme QX9650 (Overclockable up to 4.0GHz)

Chipset

NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI

Memory

Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz up to 8G

Graphics

NVIDIA GeForce GTX280 3-Way SLI

HDD

Up to 4TB

ODD

Blu-ray DVD

LAN

2 x LAN 10/100/1000

Power Supply

2 Kilowatts (Dual Power)

Accessory

Gaming Keyboard, Mouse, Mousepad, Headset