Here is the Nov 17 chat log transcript. Enjoy!
<+AS_george> I even have no experience in IRC chatting!
<@Kubicki> OK everyone, we are just about to get started here
<+ASUS_Jose> OK, I am trying another way to looking for Ala
<@wesley> Is our Intel participant here?
<@Kubicki> Joseph while we wait for Ala, can you go ahead and introduce yourself real quick?
<+ASUS_Jose> Sure! I am Joseph from ASUS marketing department, who is responsible component product marketing
<+AS_george> ASUS george again! ASUS RDMB1 team leader, one of guys responsble for own brand motherboard (hardware)
<@wesley> Hello, Joseph. This is Wesley from AnandTech.
<@Kubicki> Excellent, great to have both of you here
<@wesley> Hello George
<@wesley> Let's start with Asus while we wait for Intel
<+ASUS_Jose> Hi Wesley, thank you for your help on this
<+AS_george> Hi again Wesley, Do you remember me in Computex Taipei?
<@wesley> For Asus: 14. Do you plan on expanding your eight-phase power and fanless heatpipe technology to other board series?
<+AS_george> Yes, We will aggressively expand this features to high -end products.
<@Gary> 16. Will the ASUS P5WD2 Premium ever support NVIDIA SLI?
<@wesley> Does this mean we will see most high-end with 8-phase in the future?
<+AS_george> Yes, I believe.
<@Gary> Thank you George.
<+AS_george> P5WD2 didn't support SLI, Or correctly say Nvidia doesn't officially support Intel's platform yet!
<+AS_george> Gary, sorry to confuse you, it's for wesley's answer.
<@Gary> Okay, will NVIDIA support the Intel Platform in the near future....
<+ASUS_PM> No information from nVidia at all....Actually we hope so.
<@wesley> 11. Your current value based AMD motherboard with the ATI chipset is an incredible overclocker, but it is a mainstream board. Do you plan on offering a Premium line with this chipset or the RD580?
<+ASUS_PM> Yes, we meant to make ASUS A8R-MVP as a solid and stable product.
<+ASUS_PM> As to RD580, it's still under evaluation.
<@wesley> It is a VERY solid product at a good price point as our readers will see in an upcoming review.
<@wesley> I just imagine it could be even better with a premium 8-phase design from Asus.
<+ASUS_PM> Thank you, we are glad to hear that!
<@wesley> Do you have rough launch dates for your ATI RD580 products yet?
<+ASUS_PM> You know, ATI's launch date is not that......
* AmberClad was kicked by Kubicki (Niq flood (3 nicks in 25secs of 30secs))
<@Gary> 9. Is it easier to design a motherboard for Intel or AMD processor based systems?
<@wesley> We won't make you answer that
<+AS_george> Actually it's not issue! Our difficulty depends on high/low-end product but not platform difference.
<+ASUS_PM> So I dare not tell you when ATI plan to launch RD580, just wait and see the real available date.
<@Gary> Thank you George.....
<@wesley> You used the ULi 1575 south bridge on the A8R-MVP. Where do you see utilizing ULI, SIS, and VIA in your future product offerings?
<+AS_george> Welcome! & you guys may like high-end products but I hate it to let me sleep not enough
<+ASUS_PM> To Welsey's question: they all provide very wide chipset product lines,
<@wesley> You used the ULi 1575 south bridge on the A8R-MVP. Where do you see utilizing ULI, SIS, and VIA in your future product offerings?
<+ASUS_PM> And gengerally pick one or two for each segmentation
<+ASUS_PM> We for sure cooperate will all of these three
<@Gary> This question is for our Intel group- 24. Is Intel interested in regaining the performance crown from AMD?
<@wesley> Intel is trying to reconnect.
<+ASUS_PM> I would like to know the image of ULI SIS and VIA from user's point of view, would you advise?
<@wesley> I'll try to answer this
<@wesley> ULi has generated some excitely with their chipsets recently.
<@wesley> Your ASRock board is a big seller and uses the ULi chipset for AGP and PCIe.
<@wesley> But Asus does not have a similar board.
<@wesley> Will you have future ULi boards under the Asus name?
<+ASUS_PM> ULI1695+1689 right?
<@wesley> yes
<+ASUS_PM> The spec is quite good, but ASUS K8-754 boards are quite enough...
<@Gary> We would like to welcome our Intel representative - Ala Dean, Product Marketing Manager for Intel.
<+ASUS_PM> So we didn't make this ULI chipset to simplify product lines.
<+intel> Hello everyone. I do chipset marketing for Intel
<@Gary> Intel Question- 18. Will there be a new ICH for Conroe/Yonah? Can we expect an ICH8R?
<+intel> for conroe, we will have new desktop platforms supporting it
<@Gary> Okay- 21. Do you plan on changing socket types for the Conroe/Yonah processors?
<+intel> we plan to continue supporting Raid in our chipsets
<+intel> Yonah is a mobile processor, so it has a mobile socket
<+intel> Conroe is a desktop processor, so it has a desktop socket
<+intel> our next generation desktop chipset will continue to support LGA775
<+AS_george> For Yanah is Socket 479, right? But I hear not same pin definition with Centrino.
<@wesley> That's Cedar Mill and Pressler?
<@wesley> For Asus. Will you aggressively pursue the hardcore enthusiast market like DFI has at this time? What type of products will you launch into this marketplace?
<+intel> Cedar Mill and Pressler are LGA775 processors
<+ASUS_PM> For high-end boards, of course OC and very agressive SPEC are both important.
<+ASUS_PM> We will focus on trying to provide more features on performance products.
<@Gary> Intel- Do you plan on supporting Conroe with LGA775?
<+ASUS_PM> Like thermal solution and better user interface
<+AS_george> For DRAM tuning skills, personally I think DFI do really great! But I think ASUS can do, too.
<@Kubicki> Here is a question for both Intel and ASUS - We just saw the launch of 975X, can you tell us the role of 975X on the desktop, and where we can see that product line going forward?
<@wesley> You did a great job on both your Intel and AMD 8-phase boards. That is why we asked if you planned to get more serious about the hard-core enthusiast.
<+intel> our next generation chipset will support LGA775 socket processors such as Cedar Mill, Presler and Conroe
<+ASUS_PM> To Welsly: Yes, you can look forward to more features on the Broadwater and M2 new products
<+ASUS_PM> ASUS PM is pushing R&D team to generate more ideas very hard
<+ASUS_PCF> To Wesley: also, except to that, we always keep enthusiasts' requests in mind....
<+ASUS_PM> I would also appreciate if Anandtech can provide some advices
<+intel> 975X is designed to support the high-end enthusiast market with support for next generation Extreme Edition processors, with single x16 or dual x8 configurations
<@Kubicki> Joseph or George - what are your thoughts on 975X as well?
<+AS_george> 975X is our best Intel based platform until now, no doubt!
<+AS_george> Especially now we get ATI's crossfire supporting!
<@wesley> When will the Asus 975x be launched?
<+ASUS_PM> Next month.
<@Kubicki> Anything specific you can tell us about the 975X ASUS board?
<@wesley> Intel and Asus: Intel is providing ATI Crossfire support on 975x. Will there also be nVidia SLI suppot?
<+AS_george> Just like P5WD2 P5WD2-E mainly add ATI crossfire supprting. Other should be the same.
<+ASUS_PCF> Its performance outpaced current Inte-based platform due to its dual PCIE. Officially, only ATI support it.
<+ASUS_PCF> Maybe you could help to push nVidia
<+AS_george> Ya! We love to hear that request from end-user marketing
<+intel> the 975X is designed to support dual x8 functionality - independantly of gfx card vendor
<@Kubicki> Intel or ASUS: We are just starting to see x1 and x4 devices on PCIe motherboards. Do either of you expect to see more devices? Can you give us some specific examples of x1 and x4 devices we will see soon?
<+AS_george> Let me introduce PCF, He's a top guy in ASUS BIOS team.
<@wesley> Welcome, PCF
<+ASUS_PCF> Hi, Wesley, long time no see.
<@wesley> Indeed.
<+ASUS_PM> Second to George, PCF is our BIOS team leader
<@Kubicki> In the last 15 minutes of the chat, if anyone has a specific question to ask Intel or ASUS please feel free to messsage it to me privately
<+ASUS_PCF> To Kubicki
<@Gary> PCF- Will you match recent competitorâ..s memory voltages of up 2.5V on the Intel DDR2 based systems?
<+intel> We expect more high bandwidth PCI products to migrate to PCIe
<+AS_george> To Gary's question, We think 2.5V may serious affect life time of DDR2 memory chip.
<+ASUS_PCF> currently we see a lot of card with x1 like NIC, WiFi, and it seemed only some mass storage cards would use more than 1 PCIE lanes
<+ASUS_PM> To Kubicki, but I can't find too many PCIe X1 or X4 devices in shops
<+ASUS_PM> Maybe gradually
<+AS_george> I just need to emphasize a concept, With higher operation you may get lower life time with exponential decay.
<+ASUS_PCF> to Gary, didn't you think it's too risky? Increase to 2.5V, I am not dare to do that even I am acquainted with DDR2....
<+AS_george> If you are interested in that, I 'll tell you an example!
<@Gary> PCF- Yes but you never know what the hardcore overclocker will do with such settings.
<+AS_george> For a 1.7~1.8V Pentium 3 processor, We have researched from foundry factory.
<+ASUS_PCF> True But I still feel it's uncomfortable. Technically, we have no problem to get that voltage setting
<+AS_george> The life time will be more than 10 years if use standard voltage, but become less than 2 month if over-voltage to 2.5V
<@wesley> Here's a question from our readers for Intel. Speed Step only allows 14X Speed Step. Will you allow lower multipliers in the future?
<@Gary> From one of our Anandtech Readers - Asus / Intel- Are there any plans on having PCI-E audio solutions?
<+AS_george> to Gary, We just want user to trust our operation range will not hurt their device.
<+intel> I am the desktop chipset marketing rep... we don't have the right product marketing rep available to answer your question about Speed Step
<@wesley> ok
<@Gary> Understood George, thank you and we understand your concerns.
<@Kubicki> jemm_ asks: Will we high performance sound integrated onto the motherboard in the near future from ASUS? If so, which products can we expect?
<+ASUS_PM> To Gary's last question, we will stick to high definition audio CODEC, no PCI-E audio plan.
<+ASUS_PCF> to Gary, Azalia, or HDA, it is already a PCI-E solution, with codec. We did not see 3part or IDV has the product with pure x1 PCIE audio.
<+ASUS_PCF> to Jemm, we do have plan to integrate high-end audio chips on the MB. You will see that.
<@Kubicki> PCF: anything specific you can tell us about that?
<@Gary> PCF- Will you use the Sigmatel 9220 family HD codecs in the future as Intel has done recently?
<+AS_george> Hi PCF, IS Audio controller use different PCI bridge from atndard PCI bus? (I don't knoe exactly)
<+ASUS_PCF> For audio, it's a PCI product available as I knew.
<@wesley> Will current owners of your Intel 955x and 945 boards be able to run Presler and Cedar Mill processors without issues?
<+ASUS_PCF> to Gary, no, we have no plan to use Sigmatel HD codec in the near futrure.
<+AS_george> to wesley, Yes, 945/955 support Cedarmill & Presler but not support Presler EE
<+ASUS_PCF> Of course, please update BIOS to support the newest CPUs.
<@wesley> Thank you, George and PCF
<@Kubicki> OK everyone, we have just a couple minutes left. ASUS, Intel, would you like to close with anything for our readers today?
<@Gary> Thank you Ala...
<+AS_george> Or We should say for current P5WD2 board
<+ASUS_PCF> Ya, I am glad to be here. And if anyone has interests in BIOS stuff, it's welcome....
<+intel> thank you for the opportunity to join this chat and we will continue to work with Asus on great products
<+AS_george> Again for every body, The overvoltage does increase response speed of signal, but you need to lose lifetime, you shold trade off on this.
<@Kubicki> Thank you very much! Ala, George, Sharon, PFC and Joseph - it's been a pleasure! For those of you who didn't get your questions in on time, please post them on our forums at ttp://labs.anandtech.com/asusforum.php
<+ASUS_Jose> See you guys on 11/21, more information to tell
<@wesley> Thank you all.
<+AS_george> Thank you!
<+AS_george> I even have no experience in IRC chatting!
<@Kubicki> OK everyone, we are just about to get started here
<+ASUS_Jose> OK, I am trying another way to looking for Ala
<@wesley> Is our Intel participant here?
<@Kubicki> Joseph while we wait for Ala, can you go ahead and introduce yourself real quick?
<+ASUS_Jose> Sure! I am Joseph from ASUS marketing department, who is responsible component product marketing
<+AS_george> ASUS george again! ASUS RDMB1 team leader, one of guys responsble for own brand motherboard (hardware)
<@wesley> Hello, Joseph. This is Wesley from AnandTech.
<@Kubicki> Excellent, great to have both of you here
<@wesley> Hello George
<@wesley> Let's start with Asus while we wait for Intel
<+ASUS_Jose> Hi Wesley, thank you for your help on this
<+AS_george> Hi again Wesley, Do you remember me in Computex Taipei?
<@wesley> For Asus: 14. Do you plan on expanding your eight-phase power and fanless heatpipe technology to other board series?
<+AS_george> Yes, We will aggressively expand this features to high -end products.
<@Gary> 16. Will the ASUS P5WD2 Premium ever support NVIDIA SLI?
<@wesley> Does this mean we will see most high-end with 8-phase in the future?
<+AS_george> Yes, I believe.
<@Gary> Thank you George.
<+AS_george> P5WD2 didn't support SLI, Or correctly say Nvidia doesn't officially support Intel's platform yet!
<+AS_george> Gary, sorry to confuse you, it's for wesley's answer.
<@Gary> Okay, will NVIDIA support the Intel Platform in the near future....
<+ASUS_PM> No information from nVidia at all....Actually we hope so.
<@wesley> 11. Your current value based AMD motherboard with the ATI chipset is an incredible overclocker, but it is a mainstream board. Do you plan on offering a Premium line with this chipset or the RD580?
<+ASUS_PM> Yes, we meant to make ASUS A8R-MVP as a solid and stable product.
<+ASUS_PM> As to RD580, it's still under evaluation.
<@wesley> It is a VERY solid product at a good price point as our readers will see in an upcoming review.
<@wesley> I just imagine it could be even better with a premium 8-phase design from Asus.
<+ASUS_PM> Thank you, we are glad to hear that!
<@wesley> Do you have rough launch dates for your ATI RD580 products yet?
<+ASUS_PM> You know, ATI's launch date is not that......
* AmberClad was kicked by Kubicki (Niq flood (3 nicks in 25secs of 30secs))
<@Gary> 9. Is it easier to design a motherboard for Intel or AMD processor based systems?
<@wesley> We won't make you answer that
<+AS_george> Actually it's not issue! Our difficulty depends on high/low-end product but not platform difference.
<+ASUS_PM> So I dare not tell you when ATI plan to launch RD580, just wait and see the real available date.
<@Gary> Thank you George.....
<@wesley> You used the ULi 1575 south bridge on the A8R-MVP. Where do you see utilizing ULI, SIS, and VIA in your future product offerings?
<+AS_george> Welcome! & you guys may like high-end products but I hate it to let me sleep not enough
<+ASUS_PM> To Welsey's question: they all provide very wide chipset product lines,
<@wesley> You used the ULi 1575 south bridge on the A8R-MVP. Where do you see utilizing ULI, SIS, and VIA in your future product offerings?
<+ASUS_PM> And gengerally pick one or two for each segmentation
<+ASUS_PM> We for sure cooperate will all of these three
<@Gary> This question is for our Intel group- 24. Is Intel interested in regaining the performance crown from AMD?
<@wesley> Intel is trying to reconnect.
<+ASUS_PM> I would like to know the image of ULI SIS and VIA from user's point of view, would you advise?
<@wesley> I'll try to answer this
<@wesley> ULi has generated some excitely with their chipsets recently.
<@wesley> Your ASRock board is a big seller and uses the ULi chipset for AGP and PCIe.
<@wesley> But Asus does not have a similar board.
<@wesley> Will you have future ULi boards under the Asus name?
<+ASUS_PM> ULI1695+1689 right?
<@wesley> yes
<+ASUS_PM> The spec is quite good, but ASUS K8-754 boards are quite enough...
<@Gary> We would like to welcome our Intel representative - Ala Dean, Product Marketing Manager for Intel.
<+ASUS_PM> So we didn't make this ULI chipset to simplify product lines.
<+intel> Hello everyone. I do chipset marketing for Intel
<@Gary> Intel Question- 18. Will there be a new ICH for Conroe/Yonah? Can we expect an ICH8R?
<+intel> for conroe, we will have new desktop platforms supporting it
<@Gary> Okay- 21. Do you plan on changing socket types for the Conroe/Yonah processors?
<+intel> we plan to continue supporting Raid in our chipsets
<+intel> Yonah is a mobile processor, so it has a mobile socket
<+intel> Conroe is a desktop processor, so it has a desktop socket
<+intel> our next generation desktop chipset will continue to support LGA775
<+AS_george> For Yanah is Socket 479, right? But I hear not same pin definition with Centrino.
<@wesley> That's Cedar Mill and Pressler?
<@wesley> For Asus. Will you aggressively pursue the hardcore enthusiast market like DFI has at this time? What type of products will you launch into this marketplace?
<+intel> Cedar Mill and Pressler are LGA775 processors
<+ASUS_PM> For high-end boards, of course OC and very agressive SPEC are both important.
<+ASUS_PM> We will focus on trying to provide more features on performance products.
<@Gary> Intel- Do you plan on supporting Conroe with LGA775?
<+ASUS_PM> Like thermal solution and better user interface
<+AS_george> For DRAM tuning skills, personally I think DFI do really great! But I think ASUS can do, too.
<@Kubicki> Here is a question for both Intel and ASUS - We just saw the launch of 975X, can you tell us the role of 975X on the desktop, and where we can see that product line going forward?
<@wesley> You did a great job on both your Intel and AMD 8-phase boards. That is why we asked if you planned to get more serious about the hard-core enthusiast.
<+intel> our next generation chipset will support LGA775 socket processors such as Cedar Mill, Presler and Conroe
<+ASUS_PM> To Welsly: Yes, you can look forward to more features on the Broadwater and M2 new products
<+ASUS_PM> ASUS PM is pushing R&D team to generate more ideas very hard
<+ASUS_PCF> To Wesley: also, except to that, we always keep enthusiasts' requests in mind....
<+ASUS_PM> I would also appreciate if Anandtech can provide some advices
<+intel> 975X is designed to support the high-end enthusiast market with support for next generation Extreme Edition processors, with single x16 or dual x8 configurations
<@Kubicki> Joseph or George - what are your thoughts on 975X as well?
<+AS_george> 975X is our best Intel based platform until now, no doubt!
<+AS_george> Especially now we get ATI's crossfire supporting!
<@wesley> When will the Asus 975x be launched?
<+ASUS_PM> Next month.
<@Kubicki> Anything specific you can tell us about the 975X ASUS board?
<@wesley> Intel and Asus: Intel is providing ATI Crossfire support on 975x. Will there also be nVidia SLI suppot?
<+AS_george> Just like P5WD2 P5WD2-E mainly add ATI crossfire supprting. Other should be the same.
<+ASUS_PCF> Its performance outpaced current Inte-based platform due to its dual PCIE. Officially, only ATI support it.
<+ASUS_PCF> Maybe you could help to push nVidia
<+AS_george> Ya! We love to hear that request from end-user marketing
<+intel> the 975X is designed to support dual x8 functionality - independantly of gfx card vendor
<@Kubicki> Intel or ASUS: We are just starting to see x1 and x4 devices on PCIe motherboards. Do either of you expect to see more devices? Can you give us some specific examples of x1 and x4 devices we will see soon?
<+AS_george> Let me introduce PCF, He's a top guy in ASUS BIOS team.
<@wesley> Welcome, PCF
<+ASUS_PCF> Hi, Wesley, long time no see.
<@wesley> Indeed.
<+ASUS_PM> Second to George, PCF is our BIOS team leader
<@Kubicki> In the last 15 minutes of the chat, if anyone has a specific question to ask Intel or ASUS please feel free to messsage it to me privately
<+ASUS_PCF> To Kubicki
<@Gary> PCF- Will you match recent competitorâ..s memory voltages of up 2.5V on the Intel DDR2 based systems?
<+intel> We expect more high bandwidth PCI products to migrate to PCIe
<+AS_george> To Gary's question, We think 2.5V may serious affect life time of DDR2 memory chip.
<+ASUS_PCF> currently we see a lot of card with x1 like NIC, WiFi, and it seemed only some mass storage cards would use more than 1 PCIE lanes
<+ASUS_PM> To Kubicki, but I can't find too many PCIe X1 or X4 devices in shops
<+ASUS_PM> Maybe gradually
<+AS_george> I just need to emphasize a concept, With higher operation you may get lower life time with exponential decay.
<+ASUS_PCF> to Gary, didn't you think it's too risky? Increase to 2.5V, I am not dare to do that even I am acquainted with DDR2....
<+AS_george> If you are interested in that, I 'll tell you an example!
<@Gary> PCF- Yes but you never know what the hardcore overclocker will do with such settings.
<+AS_george> For a 1.7~1.8V Pentium 3 processor, We have researched from foundry factory.
<+ASUS_PCF> True But I still feel it's uncomfortable. Technically, we have no problem to get that voltage setting
<+AS_george> The life time will be more than 10 years if use standard voltage, but become less than 2 month if over-voltage to 2.5V
<@wesley> Here's a question from our readers for Intel. Speed Step only allows 14X Speed Step. Will you allow lower multipliers in the future?
<@Gary> From one of our Anandtech Readers - Asus / Intel- Are there any plans on having PCI-E audio solutions?
<+AS_george> to Gary, We just want user to trust our operation range will not hurt their device.
<+intel> I am the desktop chipset marketing rep... we don't have the right product marketing rep available to answer your question about Speed Step
<@wesley> ok
<@Gary> Understood George, thank you and we understand your concerns.
<@Kubicki> jemm_ asks: Will we high performance sound integrated onto the motherboard in the near future from ASUS? If so, which products can we expect?
<+ASUS_PM> To Gary's last question, we will stick to high definition audio CODEC, no PCI-E audio plan.
<+ASUS_PCF> to Gary, Azalia, or HDA, it is already a PCI-E solution, with codec. We did not see 3part or IDV has the product with pure x1 PCIE audio.
<+ASUS_PCF> to Jemm, we do have plan to integrate high-end audio chips on the MB. You will see that.
<@Kubicki> PCF: anything specific you can tell us about that?
<@Gary> PCF- Will you use the Sigmatel 9220 family HD codecs in the future as Intel has done recently?
<+AS_george> Hi PCF, IS Audio controller use different PCI bridge from atndard PCI bus? (I don't knoe exactly)
<+ASUS_PCF> For audio, it's a PCI product available as I knew.
<@wesley> Will current owners of your Intel 955x and 945 boards be able to run Presler and Cedar Mill processors without issues?
<+ASUS_PCF> to Gary, no, we have no plan to use Sigmatel HD codec in the near futrure.
<+AS_george> to wesley, Yes, 945/955 support Cedarmill & Presler but not support Presler EE
<+ASUS_PCF> Of course, please update BIOS to support the newest CPUs.
<@wesley> Thank you, George and PCF
<@Kubicki> OK everyone, we have just a couple minutes left. ASUS, Intel, would you like to close with anything for our readers today?
<@Gary> Thank you Ala...
<+AS_george> Or We should say for current P5WD2 board
<+ASUS_PCF> Ya, I am glad to be here. And if anyone has interests in BIOS stuff, it's welcome....
<+intel> thank you for the opportunity to join this chat and we will continue to work with Asus on great products
<+AS_george> Again for every body, The overvoltage does increase response speed of signal, but you need to lose lifetime, you shold trade off on this.
<@Kubicki> Thank you very much! Ala, George, Sharon, PFC and Joseph - it's been a pleasure! For those of you who didn't get your questions in on time, please post them on our forums at ttp://labs.anandtech.com/asusforum.php
<+ASUS_Jose> See you guys on 11/21, more information to tell
<@wesley> Thank you all.
<+AS_george> Thank you!
Here is the Nov 14 Log.
We will post the Nov 17 log in a few days. Enjoy!
[6:52pm] Kubicki made this room moderated for normal users.
[6:52pm] Topic changed to "Welcome (Back) to the ASUS Forum" by Kubicki.
[6:59pm] Ste_su: hi Anand
[6:59pm] Ste_su: shall we start?
[7:00pm] ASUS_RD was promoted to operator by Kubicki.
[7:00pm] Ronin was granted voice by Kubicki.
[7:00pm] Anand: Stephanie, yes we are ready to start, please go ahead and introduce everyone from ASUS
[7:01pm] ASUS_RD: Hello everybody, It's george chen from ASUS RDMB1.
[7:02pm] Anand: Hello George, could you briefly describe to the channel what you do at ASUS?
[7:03pm] ASUS_RD: I'm MB1 tead leader who 's in charge of some Intel & 3rd party based motherboard.
[7:04pm] Anand: George, thanks for joining. We've got a number of questions for you from our readership, so let's go ahead and get started.
[7:04pm] Anand: Here's the first question:
[7:04pm] Anand: The move to Intel's LGA-775 socket was originally rejected by a number of motherboard manufacturers, citing high failure rates and lots of risk of end user damage. Now that the transition to LGA-775 is complete, and with the possibility that AMD may be using a similar style of socket in the future, can you let us know a bit about how the new socket has held up from ASUS' perspective? Have socket failures been any higher or lower than before, or have failure rates remained fairly unchanged?
[7:05pm] ASUS_RD: I never heard from AMD that they will use the simular mechnism as LGA775, at least not heard so far
[7:05pm] Anand: I believe the question stems from some pictures of Socket-F that were floating around a couple of weeks ago, which showed it to be an LGA based socket
[7:06pm] Anand: That part of the question aside, how have the LGA based sockets held up? Were the concerns about high failure rates overstated?
[7:07pm] sharon was granted voice by Kubicki.
[7:07pm] ASUS_RD: As we know its RMA rate is not so large as you thought.
[7:08pm] Anand: How does it compare to the older Socket-478 sockets?
[7:08pm] Anand: What the question is getting at, is from a motherboard manufacturer (and end user's) standpoint: was the move to LGA for better or worse?
[7:09pm] ASUS_RD: Of cource RMA rate get higher but user get smarter, right?
[7:09pm] Anand: Very true, so you're saying that RMA rates went up with the LGA sockets, but users eventually adapted to it and the rates dropped?
[7:09pm] Anand: Looking at the RMA rates due to socket failures today, are they higher or lower than before?
[7:10pm] ASUS_RD: I think whoever Intel or AMD use LGA socket is due to the astonishing pin count number.
[7:10pm] Anand: Absolutely, I agree that there are electrical benefits from using it, my question is simply whether or not there have been any side ffects of it
[7:12pm] Kubicki: When we were in Taiwan a few weeks ago, a few of the manufacturers claimed that LGA775 really didnt have the defect rates that originally everyone anticipated
[7:12pm] Anand: Kris, yeah that is what I had been thinking - but the thing is that the information of high defect rates came directly from the motherboard manufacturers
[7:12pm] sharon was promoted to operator by Kubicki.
[7:12pm] Anand: I just want some accountability for information
[7:13pm] Kubicki: The thing is though, they get the initial reports from us, the reviewers, but the majority of the users don't interchange processors. When AMD makes the leap to LGA1207, the server market would change chips even less
[7:14pm] Anand: Very true, for the server market LGA doesn't really have much of an impact, as they do hardly ever touch those sockets
[7:14pm] Anand: Rather than talk about the exciting world of sockets for much longer, let's move onto the second question
[7:14pm] Anand: When AMD moved their memory controller on die, the market was concerned that two players would inevitably suffer: the chipset makers and the motherboard makers. Has AMD's on-die memory controller driven the manufacturing cost of motherboards down at all? If so, by what percentage or dollar value?
[7:16pm] ASUS_RD: Actually it has no affect to MB's cost & size & ..., except better memory performance
[7:16pm] Anand: Very interesting, so there's no cost benefits at all - why is that? Simply because of the fact that you still have to purchase a chipset from a 3rd party and routing is still quite intensive?
[7:18pm] ASUS_RD: Because What we have to do is not fewer than Intel based mb
[7:18pm] Anand: makes sense
[7:18pm] Anand: Let's change gears a bit and pick your brain about Intel's next-generation microprocessors
[7:18pm] ASUS_RD: Memory slot, memory power circuit, memory termination, decoupleing caps,.... nothing lacks
[7:19pm] Anand: By now, ASUS has had Intel's first generation 65nm chips in house for a while, have there been any issues enabling support for Presler and Cedar Mill in your boards?
[7:20pm] ASUS_RD: In our experiments, Now only Intel 975/955/945 base board & some 3rd party board can support Cedarmill & Presler
[7:20pm] Anand: Are all ASUS 975/955/945 based boards able to support Cedar Mill and Presler?
[7:21pm] ASUS_RD: Yes, except for presler extreme edition (Only 975 support)
[7:21pm] Kubicki: An interesting fact I picked up from another company in Taiwan was that all 865 and 875 boards are also capable of dual core support, even Cedarmill/Preseler. Good luck trying to find a LGA 775 socket though
[7:22pm] Anand: I am curious as to why only the 975 chipset will support Presler Extreme Edition, isn't Presler EE just the same as Presler but with Hyper Threading enabled? In which case, what keeps it from working on 955/945?
[7:22pm] ASUS_RD: Yes ASUS P5P800 SE (865 series) can support, too (I forgot to mention)
[7:23pm] Kubicki: For those of you paying attention at home - it seems like our Intel guys had to bail. We are going to bust out some AMD questions now
[7:23pm] ASUS_RD: Intel had some revising for Presler EE CPU, it used some original original & GND pins.
7:24pm] Anand: ah interesting, so it may not be electrically compatible with the regular Presler then
[7:24pm] Anand: Speaking of more interesting CPUs: Does ASUS plan to release a desktop motherboard with support for Yonah next year?
[7:24pm] Tuan was granted voice by Kubicki.
[7:25pm] ASUS_RD: I think"YES", you should be able to see our Yonah product in Q1 next year
[7:25pm] Anand: Do you have any specifics you can share with us today? Chipset, target price, what timeframe for availability?
[7:26pm] Anand: I'm sure our readers would love to see an enthusiast oriented Yonah motherboard from ASUS next year
[7:26pm] ASUS_RD: I guess on Feb 2006, with 945GM chipset
[7:28pm] Kubicki: Those of you not familiar with 945GM might want to take a look at some of our more recent insider articles. 945GM is essentially 945G with support for SODIMM DDR2. A DDR2 version dubbed 945GT is also on the way.
[7:28pm] Anand: What about support for Conroe? What ASUS motherboards in Q1 next year will support Intel's next-generation microprocessors?
[7:30pm] ASUS_RD: We have not received Conroe CPU sample yet, I am not sure what chipset can support it or not, Try out best...
[7:30pm] Anand: hmm, maybe we should loan you one?
[7:30pm] ASUS_RD: At least Broadwater could support it!!
[7:30pm] Anand: As we talk about next-generation microprocessors, can you give us an update on AMD's Socket M2
[7:30pm] ASUS_RD: Please....we would love to...
[7:30pm] Anand: How far along is ASUS on the development of Socket M2 motherboards? Has AMD provided you with CPUs yet?
[7:31pm] ASUS_RD: We already have some project on going now, sure we have M2 sample now.
[7:32pm] Anand: How is the sample looking and running, can you tell us what clock speed it is running at?
[7:32pm] Anand:
[7:34pm] ASUS_RD: We get some sample with 2400~2600MHz CPU sample now, maybe have 2800 CPU, I have to check internally after guys in office.
[7:34pm] Anand: What DDR2 speeds are supported on those samples?
[7:35pm] ASUS_RD: AMD's suggestion is DDR2-667 now,
[7:35pm] Anand: and those M2 samples are still pin based and not LGA style processors, correct?
[7:35pm] ASUS_RD: Yes, 940 pin but not same with Opteron 940.
[7:36pm] Anand: That's what we've been hearing as well
[7:36pm] ASUS_RD: It looks not more special than original 939 CPU.
[7:36pm] Anand: from a performance standpoint or just physically looks identical to the current CPUs?
[7:38pm] Kubicki: If anyone would like to pose a question to George, please feel free to msg me and I'll relay it to him.
[7:39pm] ASUS_RD: We have no comparison data yet on performance.
[7:39pm] Anand: Well thanks for the update on AMD's Socket M2.
[7:39pm] Anand: The next question up from our readers deals with the future of motherboard manufacturing in general.
[7:40pm] Kubicki: asdfasd
[7:40pm] Anand: What new developments do you see in the future in terms of motherboards, in terms of audio and power supplies (such as your own 8 phase power) specifically?
[7:42pm] Kubicki: George, one of our readers asks:
[7:42pm] Kubicki: I would like to know if there is any benefit/downfall to the heatpipe integration on the northbride chipset, and if we will see more of it as a noiseless competitor
[7:43pm] ASUS_RD: Currently We will still keep using 8 phase power regulator, We'll take more efforts on thermal & accoustic design.
[7:45pm] ASUS_RD: I think Heatpink is really helpful on thermal & accoustic, but it's really too expensive..., it's a trade off, you know...
[7:45pm] Anand: George, approximately how much does it add to the end price of a motherboard?
[7:46pm] ASUS_RD: And heatpipe takes 3 month to finish design, not only money, but also time.
[7:46pm] Kubicki: George, jbond04 writes:
[7:46pm] Kubicki: What are Asus' plans regarding the BTX formfactor? Is Intel still pushing this initiative, or has it subsided due to a new focus on performance/watt?
[7:47pm] ASUS_RD: Depends on boards. But we still treats it a great design to solve thermal and noise problems
[7:47pm] Anand: George, approximately what percentage of ASUS' total shipments do you expect to be BTX in the first half of next year?
[7:48pm] ASUS_RD: So we will still keep using it on performance boards with high power consumption...(like n company chipset....)
[7:48pm] Anand: George, are you talking about heatpipes?
[7:49pm] ASUS_RD: Personally I don't believe BTX will become mainstream. I estimate not more than 5% (Personally not ASUS strategy )
[7:49pm] Anand: I tend to agree with you
[7:49pm] Kubicki: Hi everyone, we are going to give George just a few more questions now - but don't worry - we will have another session a 6PM EST on Thursday, Nov 17
[7:50pm] Kubicki: A funny thing occured when Anand and I were at Computex 06... even Intel wasn't pushing the BTX motherboards
[7:50pm] Anand: George, I will actually hold off on the questions until next time - thank you for your time with us here tonight.
[7:50pm] Anand: Unfortunately folks we are going to have to end tonight's chat now, but there will be another one on the 17th at 6PM EST. Questions that we didn't get to tonight will be tackled then along with some others from two of our motherboard editors, Wesley Fink and Gary Key.
[7:50pm] Anand: Thanks for hanging in there with us and we'll continue this on Thursday.
[7:51pm] ASUS_RD: Thank you everybody
[7:51pm] Kubicki: Thank you very much George - we look forward to hearing again from you later this week!
[7:51pm] Anand: Have a good evening everyone, thanks again for hanging in there
[7:51pm] Kubicki: We are going to open the channel up to a little bit of open discussion for a while. Please thank George!
[7:52pm] Kubicki made this room no longer moderated for normal users.
[7:52pm] Sunrise08: thank you Anand and George
[7:52pm] SLCentral: Thanks George, really appreciate your time
[7:52pm] jbond04: Thanks again for your time, George!
[7:52pm] Tu13es: Thanks George, Kris, Anand, et. al!
[7:52pm] crackel: thanks alot, very interesting info
[7:52pm] ASUS_RD: Thank again!
[7:52pm] SLCentral: As well as Anand, Kris, and everyone else a part of this
[7:52pm] Keith: Cheers George
[7:52pm] Anand: So give us some feedback
[7:52pm] theman: thanks!
[7:52pm] Timberdoo: thanks to anand and thanks to the engineers
[7:52pm] ASUS_RD: See you next time!
[7:52pm] Timberdoo: also thank you kubicki
============================
(The rest of this log is the follow up conversation between Anand, Kristopher and you guys).
We will post the Nov 17 log in a few days. Enjoy!
[6:52pm] Kubicki made this room moderated for normal users.
[6:52pm] Topic changed to "Welcome (Back) to the ASUS Forum" by Kubicki.
[6:59pm] Ste_su: hi Anand
[6:59pm] Ste_su: shall we start?
[7:00pm] ASUS_RD was promoted to operator by Kubicki.
[7:00pm] Ronin was granted voice by Kubicki.
[7:00pm] Anand: Stephanie, yes we are ready to start, please go ahead and introduce everyone from ASUS
[7:01pm] ASUS_RD: Hello everybody, It's george chen from ASUS RDMB1.
[7:02pm] Anand: Hello George, could you briefly describe to the channel what you do at ASUS?
[7:03pm] ASUS_RD: I'm MB1 tead leader who 's in charge of some Intel & 3rd party based motherboard.
[7:04pm] Anand: George, thanks for joining. We've got a number of questions for you from our readership, so let's go ahead and get started.
[7:04pm] Anand: Here's the first question:
[7:04pm] Anand: The move to Intel's LGA-775 socket was originally rejected by a number of motherboard manufacturers, citing high failure rates and lots of risk of end user damage. Now that the transition to LGA-775 is complete, and with the possibility that AMD may be using a similar style of socket in the future, can you let us know a bit about how the new socket has held up from ASUS' perspective? Have socket failures been any higher or lower than before, or have failure rates remained fairly unchanged?
[7:05pm] ASUS_RD: I never heard from AMD that they will use the simular mechnism as LGA775, at least not heard so far
[7:05pm] Anand: I believe the question stems from some pictures of Socket-F that were floating around a couple of weeks ago, which showed it to be an LGA based socket
[7:06pm] Anand: That part of the question aside, how have the LGA based sockets held up? Were the concerns about high failure rates overstated?
[7:07pm] sharon was granted voice by Kubicki.
[7:07pm] ASUS_RD: As we know its RMA rate is not so large as you thought.
[7:08pm] Anand: How does it compare to the older Socket-478 sockets?
[7:08pm] Anand: What the question is getting at, is from a motherboard manufacturer (and end user's) standpoint: was the move to LGA for better or worse?
[7:09pm] ASUS_RD: Of cource RMA rate get higher but user get smarter, right?
[7:09pm] Anand: Very true, so you're saying that RMA rates went up with the LGA sockets, but users eventually adapted to it and the rates dropped?
[7:09pm] Anand: Looking at the RMA rates due to socket failures today, are they higher or lower than before?
[7:10pm] ASUS_RD: I think whoever Intel or AMD use LGA socket is due to the astonishing pin count number.
[7:10pm] Anand: Absolutely, I agree that there are electrical benefits from using it, my question is simply whether or not there have been any side ffects of it
[7:12pm] Kubicki: When we were in Taiwan a few weeks ago, a few of the manufacturers claimed that LGA775 really didnt have the defect rates that originally everyone anticipated
[7:12pm] Anand: Kris, yeah that is what I had been thinking - but the thing is that the information of high defect rates came directly from the motherboard manufacturers
[7:12pm] sharon was promoted to operator by Kubicki.
[7:12pm] Anand: I just want some accountability for information
[7:13pm] Kubicki: The thing is though, they get the initial reports from us, the reviewers, but the majority of the users don't interchange processors. When AMD makes the leap to LGA1207, the server market would change chips even less
[7:14pm] Anand: Very true, for the server market LGA doesn't really have much of an impact, as they do hardly ever touch those sockets
[7:14pm] Anand: Rather than talk about the exciting world of sockets for much longer, let's move onto the second question
[7:14pm] Anand: When AMD moved their memory controller on die, the market was concerned that two players would inevitably suffer: the chipset makers and the motherboard makers. Has AMD's on-die memory controller driven the manufacturing cost of motherboards down at all? If so, by what percentage or dollar value?
[7:16pm] ASUS_RD: Actually it has no affect to MB's cost & size & ..., except better memory performance
[7:16pm] Anand: Very interesting, so there's no cost benefits at all - why is that? Simply because of the fact that you still have to purchase a chipset from a 3rd party and routing is still quite intensive?
[7:18pm] ASUS_RD: Because What we have to do is not fewer than Intel based mb
[7:18pm] Anand: makes sense
[7:18pm] Anand: Let's change gears a bit and pick your brain about Intel's next-generation microprocessors
[7:18pm] ASUS_RD: Memory slot, memory power circuit, memory termination, decoupleing caps,.... nothing lacks
[7:19pm] Anand: By now, ASUS has had Intel's first generation 65nm chips in house for a while, have there been any issues enabling support for Presler and Cedar Mill in your boards?
[7:20pm] ASUS_RD: In our experiments, Now only Intel 975/955/945 base board & some 3rd party board can support Cedarmill & Presler
[7:20pm] Anand: Are all ASUS 975/955/945 based boards able to support Cedar Mill and Presler?
[7:21pm] ASUS_RD: Yes, except for presler extreme edition (Only 975 support)
[7:21pm] Kubicki: An interesting fact I picked up from another company in Taiwan was that all 865 and 875 boards are also capable of dual core support, even Cedarmill/Preseler. Good luck trying to find a LGA 775 socket though
[7:22pm] Anand: I am curious as to why only the 975 chipset will support Presler Extreme Edition, isn't Presler EE just the same as Presler but with Hyper Threading enabled? In which case, what keeps it from working on 955/945?
[7:22pm] ASUS_RD: Yes ASUS P5P800 SE (865 series) can support, too (I forgot to mention)
[7:23pm] Kubicki: For those of you paying attention at home - it seems like our Intel guys had to bail. We are going to bust out some AMD questions now
[7:23pm] ASUS_RD: Intel had some revising for Presler EE CPU, it used some original original & GND pins.
7:24pm] Anand: ah interesting, so it may not be electrically compatible with the regular Presler then
[7:24pm] Anand: Speaking of more interesting CPUs: Does ASUS plan to release a desktop motherboard with support for Yonah next year?
[7:24pm] Tuan was granted voice by Kubicki.
[7:25pm] ASUS_RD: I think"YES", you should be able to see our Yonah product in Q1 next year
[7:25pm] Anand: Do you have any specifics you can share with us today? Chipset, target price, what timeframe for availability?
[7:26pm] Anand: I'm sure our readers would love to see an enthusiast oriented Yonah motherboard from ASUS next year
[7:26pm] ASUS_RD: I guess on Feb 2006, with 945GM chipset
[7:28pm] Kubicki: Those of you not familiar with 945GM might want to take a look at some of our more recent insider articles. 945GM is essentially 945G with support for SODIMM DDR2. A DDR2 version dubbed 945GT is also on the way.
[7:28pm] Anand: What about support for Conroe? What ASUS motherboards in Q1 next year will support Intel's next-generation microprocessors?
[7:30pm] ASUS_RD: We have not received Conroe CPU sample yet, I am not sure what chipset can support it or not, Try out best...
[7:30pm] Anand: hmm, maybe we should loan you one?
[7:30pm] ASUS_RD: At least Broadwater could support it!!
[7:30pm] Anand: As we talk about next-generation microprocessors, can you give us an update on AMD's Socket M2
[7:30pm] ASUS_RD: Please....we would love to...
[7:30pm] Anand: How far along is ASUS on the development of Socket M2 motherboards? Has AMD provided you with CPUs yet?
[7:31pm] ASUS_RD: We already have some project on going now, sure we have M2 sample now.
[7:32pm] Anand: How is the sample looking and running, can you tell us what clock speed it is running at?
[7:32pm] Anand:
[7:34pm] ASUS_RD: We get some sample with 2400~2600MHz CPU sample now, maybe have 2800 CPU, I have to check internally after guys in office.
[7:34pm] Anand: What DDR2 speeds are supported on those samples?
[7:35pm] ASUS_RD: AMD's suggestion is DDR2-667 now,
[7:35pm] Anand: and those M2 samples are still pin based and not LGA style processors, correct?
[7:35pm] ASUS_RD: Yes, 940 pin but not same with Opteron 940.
[7:36pm] Anand: That's what we've been hearing as well
[7:36pm] ASUS_RD: It looks not more special than original 939 CPU.
[7:36pm] Anand: from a performance standpoint or just physically looks identical to the current CPUs?
[7:38pm] Kubicki: If anyone would like to pose a question to George, please feel free to msg me and I'll relay it to him.
[7:39pm] ASUS_RD: We have no comparison data yet on performance.
[7:39pm] Anand: Well thanks for the update on AMD's Socket M2.
[7:39pm] Anand: The next question up from our readers deals with the future of motherboard manufacturing in general.
[7:40pm] Kubicki: asdfasd
[7:40pm] Anand: What new developments do you see in the future in terms of motherboards, in terms of audio and power supplies (such as your own 8 phase power) specifically?
[7:42pm] Kubicki: George, one of our readers asks:
[7:42pm] Kubicki: I would like to know if there is any benefit/downfall to the heatpipe integration on the northbride chipset, and if we will see more of it as a noiseless competitor
[7:43pm] ASUS_RD: Currently We will still keep using 8 phase power regulator, We'll take more efforts on thermal & accoustic design.
[7:45pm] ASUS_RD: I think Heatpink is really helpful on thermal & accoustic, but it's really too expensive..., it's a trade off, you know...
[7:45pm] Anand: George, approximately how much does it add to the end price of a motherboard?
[7:46pm] ASUS_RD: And heatpipe takes 3 month to finish design, not only money, but also time.
[7:46pm] Kubicki: George, jbond04 writes:
[7:46pm] Kubicki: What are Asus' plans regarding the BTX formfactor? Is Intel still pushing this initiative, or has it subsided due to a new focus on performance/watt?
[7:47pm] ASUS_RD: Depends on boards. But we still treats it a great design to solve thermal and noise problems
[7:47pm] Anand: George, approximately what percentage of ASUS' total shipments do you expect to be BTX in the first half of next year?
[7:48pm] ASUS_RD: So we will still keep using it on performance boards with high power consumption...(like n company chipset....)
[7:48pm] Anand: George, are you talking about heatpipes?
[7:49pm] ASUS_RD: Personally I don't believe BTX will become mainstream. I estimate not more than 5% (Personally not ASUS strategy )
[7:49pm] Anand: I tend to agree with you
[7:49pm] Kubicki: Hi everyone, we are going to give George just a few more questions now - but don't worry - we will have another session a 6PM EST on Thursday, Nov 17
[7:50pm] Kubicki: A funny thing occured when Anand and I were at Computex 06... even Intel wasn't pushing the BTX motherboards
[7:50pm] Anand: George, I will actually hold off on the questions until next time - thank you for your time with us here tonight.
[7:50pm] Anand: Unfortunately folks we are going to have to end tonight's chat now, but there will be another one on the 17th at 6PM EST. Questions that we didn't get to tonight will be tackled then along with some others from two of our motherboard editors, Wesley Fink and Gary Key.
[7:50pm] Anand: Thanks for hanging in there with us and we'll continue this on Thursday.
[7:51pm] ASUS_RD: Thank you everybody
[7:51pm] Kubicki: Thank you very much George - we look forward to hearing again from you later this week!
[7:51pm] Anand: Have a good evening everyone, thanks again for hanging in there
[7:51pm] Kubicki: We are going to open the channel up to a little bit of open discussion for a while. Please thank George!
[7:52pm] Kubicki made this room no longer moderated for normal users.
[7:52pm] Sunrise08: thank you Anand and George
[7:52pm] SLCentral: Thanks George, really appreciate your time
[7:52pm] jbond04: Thanks again for your time, George!
[7:52pm] Tu13es: Thanks George, Kris, Anand, et. al!
[7:52pm] crackel: thanks alot, very interesting info
[7:52pm] ASUS_RD: Thank again!
[7:52pm] SLCentral: As well as Anand, Kris, and everyone else a part of this
[7:52pm] Keith: Cheers George
[7:52pm] Anand: So give us some feedback
[7:52pm] theman: thanks!
[7:52pm] Timberdoo: thanks to anand and thanks to the engineers
[7:52pm] ASUS_RD: See you next time!
[7:52pm] Timberdoo: also thank you kubicki
============================
(The rest of this log is the follow up conversation between Anand, Kristopher and you guys).
Someone ask why they don't standardize front panel connections between the case and motherboard into one mini-brick type plug. 
Asus: do you ever test the BIOS's you release on your website? eg: Asus K8V SE Deluxe BIOS 1008
e.g. almost all of their bios's...
they came out with countless POS bios's for the a8v deluxe, im sure its the same for their other boards.
asus: can you comment on why the a8n sli premium (and supposedly the a8n-e) isn't compatible with the neoHE power supply? does updating the bios to the newest version and having the latest version neoHE resolve all problems?
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