CeBIT 2009: ASUS Shows Off Its Marine Cool Concept

ASUS has come up with a motherboard that is completely different from anything currently on the market. Dubbed the ASUS Marine Cool concept, the new mobo is set to provide its users with support for one really mean consumer PC. The idea behind the Marine Cool concept is to enable a board that offers the maximum PC performance and a number of high-end features, unavailable in competitive products.

One of the main things about the Marine Cool concept board is the use of SO-DIMM memory slots, which replace the normal-sized desktop grade DIMMS. Present at the company's booth at CeBIT 2009, the board managed to draw the attention of the public thanks to its unique design. We asked ASUS why the company had chosen to go for this solution and the answer was relatively simple. Apparently, going for SO-DIMM memory slots will enable the Taiwanese company to save some space on the motherboard, which will be used for installing other components.

Another unique feature on the Marine Cool board is the use of an integrated UPS and a backplate installed at the back of the board. While the ceramic backplate on the backside of the board is actually meant to provide some extra cooling, the integrated UPS acts as a safety feature. Unfortunately ASUS hasn't fully explained the way the integrated UPS is going to work, but the company said that this board should hit the market later this year.

The debut of the new Marine Cool motherboard will coincide with the release of a new series of high-end motherboards. According to ASUS, this new series will be offered with support for both Intel and AMD platforms, although we will still have to wait some time before the company decides to unveil some concrete release dates.



Live report by Traian Teglet from CeBIT 2009 Hanover, Germany.