Computex 2019: Laptops, motherboards, peripherals and more at ASUS/ROG

There's still plenty to see at Computex 2019, and that was certainly the case when Leo popped by the ASUS and ROG booths on the show floor. There was a big focus on ASUS' 30th anniversary, with special edition products, while we also saw new monitors and gaming gear at ROG.

Starting with ASUS, the Taiwanese manufacturer was understandably making a big deal out of its 30th anniversary, and it had a whole host of limited edition products on show to celebrate that milestone. Not least of these was the ASUS ZenBook Edition 30, made with real hand-stitched leather in a lovely white colour and gold stitching. No pricing information was available, but you can bet it won't come cheap.

Alongside this, there were plenty of special edition motherboards as well, including the Prime X299 and X299-Deluxe II. The hardware for these is exactly the same as the regular models, but ASUS has revamped the aesthetics with some white heatsinks and motherboard plating to tie-in with the 30th anniversary theme. Leo also spotted a new model, the X570-P motherboard, where the ‘P' stands for ‘price' as this is a new entry-level series.

Sticking with the ASUS Prime theme for now, the Prime Utopia concept is definitely quite eye-catching. It's only a concept at the moment – meaning none of it is actually guaranteed to come to the market, but ASUS is trying something a bit different with this idea. For instance, the entire motherboard itself was covered with some translucent plating, with a holographic CPU overlay at the top and a 7in OLED screen at the bottom. The motherboard I/O panel is also modular, meaning you can swap out different ports and put new ones in depending on your needs. The modules themselves do take up more room than otherwise, but it's an interesting idea.

Moving onto ASUS ROG, here we got a look at some new monitors. Not least of these was the PG27UQX, a 27in 4K/144Hz display that is built around new mini-LED technology – meaning there are more LEDs that make up the backlighting system, allowing for higher contrast and increased backlight uniformity. On top of this, we also got a look at the XG438Q – ROG's 43in 4K/120Hz display that has FreeSync 2. This is meant to be available from July with a $1100 price tag.

Alongside the ROG Theta Electret we saw earlier this week, Leo also spotted an interesting piece of hardware – known as Aura Creator. This is designed for people who have a whole set of ASUS Aura peripherals, and it allows you to set up your peripherals in software as they are physically positioned on your desk. It's a pretty simple idea, but it ensures your RGB lighting effects flow in sequence rather than bouncing off in seemingly random directions.

Lastly, Leo also got to see four new X570 motherboards from ROG. There were two ATX boards – the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero, as well as the Crosshair VIII Formula, both with active cooling on the chipset as we know X570 has increased power/heat output. We also got a look at ROG's Mini-ITX model, the Strix X570-i Gaming, as well as a Mini-DTX model – which is much less common – in the form of the Crosshair VIII Impact. You can be sure we'll be taking a closer look at some of these models in the coming months following the official Ryzen 3000 launch.

KitGuru says: ASUS and ROG had to a lot to show between them, and I have to say I am quite intrigued by the idea of a modular I/O panel – would any of you make use of this feature?

Become a Patron!