Let your ideas be heard - Project Dream Machine by ASUS ROG

[Raja@ASUS]

Hi Raja, really cool of you guys to solicit feedback like this.

First, I agree with MassNerd's M.2 idea above, being able to fit 4-8 M.2 SATA SSDs in an enclosure the size of a 2.5" SSD would be a great way to minimize volume required for drives. Personally I have 5 2.5" drives, and if I could reduce that down to an enclosure the size of one that would be really cool.

Second, I would love to see ASUS release a high end small form factor board. Make it in for X299 and X370, price it around $300, and give it two PCI-E x16 slots. No board like this exists, and would be the only choice for those who want to run single slot SLI or Crossfire in an ITX size chassis. The majority of ITX cases also have two slots, so I doubt that fitment would be an issue. I have seen a lot more interest in ITX systems lately, but lack of board options is quite problematic. I would have upgraded from my X79 Sabertooth by now if a board had been released with the right feature set.

This kind of move allows ASUS to dominate that niche, and could be a lower volume, higher margin product. Because ATX and mATX are so saturated, there are only two ways to compete: Price, and features. Going after a niche market would allow a higher margin product and at a reduced level of competition. (Similar to EVGA's dominance with the SR-2). As far as the features on the board, I would give it the same feature set as the Z270 STRIX has, with the addition of a USB-C port. For a higher volume variant, another board could be made with a single PCI-E x16 slot. For branding, the single slot board could just stick to the STRIX brand; "ASUS ROG STRIX X370 mITX", while the dual slot could be something like "ASUS ROG STRIX X370 SLI/CFX mITX".

Thanks for the feedback. Its a busy year for motherboards, so Im sure you'll see something you like

[AMP_US]

This is a copy paste from my OCN post.

First off I want to commend Asus for even doing this. Other manufacturers should take note.

• Displays: I know Asus doesn't manufacture panels but the panel manufacturers NEED to understand there is no point in 4K resolution at 27 inches. There is a serious lack of 32"+ high resolution gaming monitors out there. Seriously, look at the Asus/Acer 4K/144Hz/HDR threads here on OCN. If I had a penny for every person that said 27 inches is too small for 4K. When TV manufacturers start pushing out 4K/HDR TVs with HDMI 2.1 with VRR and 120hz... I honestly cannot imagine buying a gaming monitor. Manufacturers like LG are aware that lower response time on TVs is becoming important and they have taken steps to reduce that as an issue. The Xbox Scorpio having HDMI 2.1 is really all you need to know. Gaming capable TVs are coming. IMO in about 2 years there is a serious risk of TVs out competing monitors for gaming. Maybe Asus/ROG doesn't make a TV, but they can at least certify. TV manufacture without a gaming brand? Good news your new high spec TV can be ROG gaming certified if it has XYZ specs. I know some on this forum will deride such and idea, but for many consumers, that kind of "branding" genuinely helps their purchasing decision. With that said, if you guys want to enter the TV space, and genuinely offer a 4K/HDR/high refresh/low latency TV, I think there is, or at least will be, a market for such a product.
  
• Overclocking: I think we need to have a frank discussion about overclocking. On the Nvidia GPU side it is effectively dead. Strix, Aorus, FT3, etc they all hit the same OC wall imposed by Nvidia. Air or water, doesn't matter. Overclocking has become so easy over the years that even "casual" PC gamers (whatever that is) are noticing that all AIB cards are effectively the same. IMO, there needs to be some push back on Nvidia. The AIB market, especially at the top end, is going to shrink to a game of who can make the cheapest card and away from who can make the best performing card. This is going to stifle innovation and investment into better GPU technologies. Now, I don't have sales numbers... but I wouldn't be surprised at all if the most expensive cards get killed in the market while reference and cheaper AIB designs win out. We are one effective Nvidia reference cooler away from the AIB market becoming effectively irrelevant. Ok, maybe that is a bit extreme... but overall things are not heading in a good direction. I you guys have done a great job with GPU fan/RGB headers and overall design... that may be enough... but this is OCN... so naturally we are asking for a bit more.
  
• Overclocking continued: In terms of Intel, they simply need to get their act together with their TIMs. Without getting too specific, a certain delid tool manufacturer has had over 2000 orders in the past 6 months. That is a not insignificant portion of the i7/i5K market. IMO, until Intel gets their ducks in a row, Asus should provide overclocker tools like a delid tool or delid die guard for high end overclocker boards (Formula/Extreme/Apex/Impact/etc). Like with GPUs there is practically no performance difference between motherboards. I think the latest ROG boards with their focus on water cooling pump/flow/temp/fan headers is a terrific addition. If Asus could offer software control on the level of an Aquero... man... that would pretty much lock the high end buyer in. In general though, I think consumers are getting tired of being told "this board will OC better" when that is clearly not the case. Even the most YouTubers without technical knowledge are picking up on this (CPU and GPU side).
  
• Audio: There is no doubt my M7F has better audio than a run of the mill Asus board or most other boards. With that said I would never plug my Sennheisers into my mobo. Dedicated USB audio interfaces (dac/amp) are vastly superior to any (other than the add on unit sold with the Assembly) motherboard. We need serious gaming audio products. A phillips Fidelio X2+Sennheiser GSX 1000 (USB surround sound device)+Antlon Mod mic is simply in a different league from any "gaming headset". Add in something like a Schiit Magni/Modi and the gap widens immensely. Add in proper software mixing (Atmos) and not crap Dolby Headphone and it gets even better. I'm going to give this some serious thought and research and likely make this my "Dream Machine" topic on the ROG forum because I know the high-fi gaming experience many of us have/seek is possible to put into one ROG product or a line of ROG products. ROG would need an outside partner(like another poster mentioned), but I don't think that is a problem. IMO the real "selling point" for this is that you don't need to be a "hardcore gamer" to appreciate good audio. Just like you don't need to explain a 4K OLED TV to someone... you just look at it and go... wow. Not to mention you wouldn't have any of your sponsored eSports players complaining (many hate using certain headsets because they suck). I'll make another post detailing this idea further. For now lets call it "hi-fi ROG audio solution".
  
• Software: The ROG base was a good idea... with perhaps limited appeal. Great for XOC'ers but for everyone else not so much. I would love to see an ROG iOS/Android application that offers direct from the mobo/gpu readings for various sensor information. Direct voltage monitoring (DMM accurate... not software guessing), full suite of water cooling info (flow, temp, fan rpm, etc), all temp sensors, GPU stats, etc. Want to go a step further... add in control. All of that on a nice interface. Then I simply put my phone on a stand or by my keyboard and keep track of what my PC is doing. No OSD or cumbersome modded LCD panel mounted inside the case needed. Another example of something that is technically possible, but not realistically available (DIY) to the wider market. IMO something like this would offer great value to a wide variety of ROG customers. I don't think this would be "too" difficult to do either.
  
• Premium materials: I have a thing for carbon fiber. I have always thought it would be a great material for PC components. Particularly mice, where weight and rigidity are important. Other areas include GPU shrouds, structural assemblies and back plates. CF from an autoclave is obviously super expensive, but there are other types. There is a company in Massachusetts called MarkForged that makes a 3D printer that uses nylon/carbon/kevlar filament. TLDR it is ridiculously strong at a fraction of the price of traditional CF. I think a limit run of products using this kinda of material would be a good way to liven up the upper ends of ROG's product categories. It would also go along with the 3D printing initiatives already under way.
  
• Carbon fiber case: Piggybacking off of that, it has been my dream for a while now to have a case entirely made out of carbon fiber. My initial research determined that there is no getting below the 4 figure price range... but I think In Win has shown that there is a market for that kind of case. For me, the exciting part is that the strength of CF would enable one to make a chassis design completely different from the traditional box layout. Rigidity would be a non issue and the only limitation would be manufacturing. I would want to know if Asus was even remotely interest in pursuing something in this product and price bracket before I go any further.
  
• LEDs: IMO LED quality is sub par on the vast majority of PC part products. Most LEDs have hotspots and or no light diffusion. This ends up making something that some perceive as tacky... look even more tacky. Some products, ROG included, do this well... but in general I think this is a product quality area that needs to be improved. Other areas like the number of dimming steps, color transitions, and color vibrancy could also stand to be improved.
  
• Multi PCIE M.2 drive add in card: Almost forgot this one. Do you know how hard it is to find a PCIE M.2 add in card with multiple PCIE M.2 slots? It is really hard. I am sure there are some technical limitations, but it would be awesome to have an 8x or even 16x PCIE M.2 card. Dual RAID 0 arrays (4 drives). While multiple single slot cards is possible, it is far from an elegant solution.

Phew... that was a lot. I'll be back tomorrow with a detailed write up on the audio solution.

[FlanK3r]

Im starting only simply, first with one things...

For all ROG boards could be install flashdisc (not DVD). Some people have not DVD mechanics.

I would like for cheap small start button also at Strix and others boards

Big thanks for support Win7 systems and for OC community with XP drivers also ,-)

[AMP_US]

Also what is the end date for entries?

[Raja@ASUS]

Also what is the end date for entries?

The process will be ongoing from here on in assuming we receive ideas that are good enough to turn/incorporate into a real product. For the first batch, I'm allowing a lead time of 2-3 months. Good response so far, so may have something worthy of pursuit soon.

[ChasBurkhart]

Okay you asked for it ROG so here is a list of ideas I have been thinking of for sometime now I would like see come out of ROG R&D

GPU
- Give us a fully waterblocked ROG GPU ... full waterblock and backplate all RGB with standard G1/4 fittings. Maybe even an ROG Flow Meter!
- Power Cable Cover with ROG RBG LED input that plugs directly to the GPU and hides the power cables. Also incorporate a GPU Support bracket into the base of the Cable Cover.
- LED Display on the side of the GPU that is completely User customizable! Allow for direct GPU updates for voltage, temp, fan speed, Core clock, memory clock or even a user saying of their choice!

Motherboard
- More mono waterblocks! Loving the RGB control allowing the User to pick their color theme to match the build! Place everything under water you can!
- More I/O plates and motherboard armour! Loving the look and seeing any extra aesthetic pieces adds to value!
- Just like the GPU add a small LED display that is customizable!

Monitors
- Make all bases with a USB hub instead of having them on the back! Hard to get to them on multimonitor setups and if in tight places!
- Add the Monitor control to the base! Or make a small hub that does the same thing! I have the PG279Q and love it but the buttons are hard to get to
- Add RGB color control to all monitors as well! As always let your Users choose their color scheme
- 2k or 4k 32" OLED 144mHz 16:9

Keyboard
- Bigger keyboard like the GK2000 with RGB and in a cheaper price point would be nice! Add a ROG Direct Connect port to the keyboard to pair a mobile device for direct motherboard control Would be SUPER convenient!
- Sell mechanical key kits and ROG keys for the mechanical keyboards!

Wants!
- ROG AIO Watercooler! Give us 120mm, 240mm and 360mm versions with a full RGB ROG logo in the center of the pump
- ROG Robot Bighead desk toy!!!!!!!
- ROG USB drives!
- ROG Gaming Controller! Follow the angular designs of the Strix and ROG Robot for design! Slap some mechanical switches int here too and REALLY stand out!
- ROG Headset stand .. can be purchased without a headset

As always "Game On" Team ROG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Raja@ASUS]

Some nice ideas there, Chas. A few of them you'll see soon. The others, let's see where this thread goes, as I see some potential in them.

[Korth]

GPU
- LED Display on the side of the GPU that is completely User customizable! Allow for direct GPU updates for voltage, temp, fan speed, Core clock, memory clock or even a user saying of their choice!

I add my vote for a display on the (visible) top GPU card edge. Not just another common "GTX GeForce" or "Republic of Gamers" badge with limited LED effects, but some kind of fully user-configurable (RGB, backlight) display - show GTX/ROG logos, or a GPU hardware monitor (clocks, temps, load, etc), or scrolling messages, or any user-customized image which fits pixel limits. Control ROG GPU card functions through ROG_EXT interface, perhaps?
It may seem like fixation on trivial details - but these big glowy GPU badges are the most immediately obvious things people notice when they look through your window - and everybody already knows it's GTX and it's ROG, lol, we want to replace this advertising space with our own custom/theme bling.

Monitors
- Make all bases with a USB hub instead of having them on the back! Hard to get to them on multimonitor setups and if in tight places!
- Add the Monitor control to the base! Or make a small hub that does the same thing! I have the PG279Q and love it but the buttons are hard to get to
- Add RGB color control to all monitors as well! As always let your Users choose their color scheme

Keyboard
- Sell mechanical key kits and ROG keys for the mechanical keyboards!

USB ports on monitor base. USB ports on side/rear of keyboard.
Plugging in USB headset or USB flash stick or USB sync cable shouldn't involve blindly fumbling around behind the monitor (or PC chassis). Users need a few easy-to-see easy-to-reach USB ports front and center for maximum USB convenience. ASUS could even sell ROG-branded USB hubs which designed to attach to ROG-branded monitor stands, lol.

We are in the age of RGB LEDs. No more fixed red/green/blue/orange/yellow/white LEDs. Who wants to pick (or discard) accessories based on whatever specific LED colour happens to best fit their overall theme, or spend hours modding stupid LEDs to have a matched theme? Anything and everything which has LEDs should be all RGB all the time, without exception.

ROG keycaps would be awesome! Replacing WASD (or whatever) keys to different colours has been a gaming tradition for years. People even sell game-themed keycap packs. Metal (or at least metal-looking) keycaps have always been the ultimate keyboard enthusiast bling. If nothing else, replacing that obnoxious Windows logo with a backlit red ROG logo would be utterly epic.
And the best part is that anyone can own their keyboard and add a lot of personal customization without being intimidated by serious hardware details. I'm certain ROG keycaps would sell.

I'm a bit of a gamer and a lot of a typist. The "within reach" thumb macro keys (below the spacebar) on ROG Strix keyboards are a truly brilliant innovation. I'd like to see more of them (and fewer space-wasting "wrist rests") on upcoming ROG keyboards.

I've noticed most ROG products have (RGB) LED controls, hardware monitor/status displays, etc, but each ROG product is designed as a stand-alone thing with minimum impact on (non-ROG) compatility - and each ROG product relies heavily on software to deliver features/controls to the user.
We don't want more software, more standalone apps or "intelligent" software suites, more driver issues, more bloat, more running processes. We want hardware which does its job and which maximizes performance (while also looking epic, lol).
ROG gear could be designed in a more intercompatible and modular (and, alas, proprietary) fashion. Call it a "ROG bus" if you like, make real use of the ROG_EXT port, integrate things with a sort of "embedded-platform" approach. The OC panel and the GPU card and the mobo RGB should all work in synergy instead of in isolation. More stuff running in component hardware/firmware, less stuff running in BIOS/Windows. Enthusiasts could still retain fine control, beginners could still gain simple/automated overclocks, but the ROG stuff would work even better than it does now (at least when combined with other ROG stuff, but ASUS doesn't need to make any special efforts which enhance non-ASUS products, lol).

[AMP_US]

Okay you asked for it ROG so here is a list of ideas I have been thinking of for sometime now I would like see come out of ROG R&D

GPU
- Give us a fully waterblocked ROG GPU ... full waterblock and backplate all RGB with standard G1/4 fittings. Maybe even an ROG Flow Meter!
- LED Display on the side of the GPU that is completely User customizable! Allow for direct GPU updates for voltage, temp, fan speed, Core clock, memory clock or even a user saying of their choice!

Motherboard

- Just like the GPU add a small LED display that is customizable!

Monitors

- 2k or 4k 32" OLED 144mHz 16:9

Keyboard
- Bigger keyboard like the GK2000 with RGB and in a cheaper price point would be nice! Add a ROG Direct Connect port to the keyboard to pair a mobile device for direct motherboard control Would be SUPER convenient!
- Sell mechanical key kits and ROG keys for the mechanical keyboards!

Wants!
- ROG AIO Watercooler! Give us 120mm, 240mm and 360mm versions with a full RGB ROG logo in the center of the pump
- ROG Robot Bighead desk toy!!!!!!!
- ROG USB drives!
- ROG Gaming Controller! Follow the angular designs of the Strix and ROG Robot for design! Slap some mechanical switches int here too and REALLY stand out!
- ROG Headset stand .. can be purchased without a headset

As always "Game On" Team ROG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I endorse this post. Particularly the push for LCD displays. I think if done right (not bulky and well integrated into the aesthetic) it would be a great feature. I have to say, when I saw the new Poseidon card, the first thing I thought was the infinity LED box would have been great as an LCD display. Water temp, flow, gpu temp, fps, etc. Perfect spot for such information. I think something similar where the ROG logo is on motherboards (center below CPU socket, above PCIE) would be good as well.

A GPU waterblock with a similar design/function approach as the latest Extreme board would be awesome.

[ChasBurkhart]

Some nice ideas there, Chas. A few of them you'll see soon. The others, let's see where this thread goes, as I see some potential in them.

Thanks man! Would also like to see a 4 port RGB LED hub that worked off the motherboard LED header as well!