Asus ROG GR8 gaming PC – SA price, launch date

Asus has announced the launch date and recommended retail price for its GR8 console-inspired gaming PC.

The sleek and rather sexy looking machine – which comes in at a volume of 2.5 litres – is scheduled to go on sale in South Africa from 28 October 2014, and is set to cost R12,999.

Before we get into the nitty gritty of what this compact gaming PC has to offer, let’s first take a look at its specifications.

Asus ROG GR8 Gaming PC
CPU	Intel Core i7-4510U
GPU	Nvidia GTX 750Ti 2GB DDR5
RAM	16GB DDR3 1600MHz
SSD/HDD	256GB SSD or 1TB 7,200RPM HDD
Dimensions	238x245x60mm – 2,5 litres
Weight	1.28kg
OS	Windows 8.1/Compatible with Steam OS

The GR8 also comes equipped with Wi-Fi support; headphone, USB 3.0, HDMI, DisplayPort, and Ethernet ports; and Miracast Receiver which allows you to stream HD content from Android devices through the GR8 to a TV.

Asus are marketing the GR8 as a portable and aesthetically pleasing piece of kit, suggesting gamers could leave it in their lounge next to the main TV or carry it to a LAN with little hassle. Oh, and there is an illuminated ROG logo, just in case you were feeling short changed.

“ROG GR8 even has 4K/UHD support and can be hooked up to a HDTV through an HDMI or DisplayPort connection for truly vivid visuals,” said Asus.

The ROG GR8 features something called “GameFirst III” which “prioritises game packets and allocates more bandwidth for smooth, lag-free gaming”. It comes with ability to set up four preset packet-priority modes, and manual settings for users who want more control over their network.

The only way this would be of any use to me is if it prioritised my traffic in the following order:

Porn
Gaming
Torrents
Windows Updates

Asus ROG GR8 Gaming PC

The mention of its compatibility with Steam OS, and the fact that it comes with a pre-installed Steam utility, is an indication Asus are also trying to sell this as its own type of Steam machine.

The GR8’s other stand out feature, according to its makers, is the low noise level at which it operates. According to the stats provided to us, the GR8 will run at 20db when idle and 28db when at full capacity.

A problem with compact machines like the GR8 can be efficient cooling – for the non-PC gamers, a very hot PC is an unhappy PC – and Asus have promised its “large-scale fan and copper heatsinks” direct heat away from the CPU and GPU.