Asus readies submarine-inspired ROG Tytan gaming desktop

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Asus is reportedly preparing to unleash its Republic of Gamers-branded gaming rig, the Tytan CG8565. First displayed a few months ago at Computex, Asus has been relatively quiet about the machine since. Although we haven't seen an official release date, the Tytan has surfaced for preorder on a European retailer's website for 13,957 Polish Zloty (~$4,495).

The Tytan's design is supposedly inspired by ballistic missile submarines -- we assume that's what the rear slope and hinged front hatch are all about, but we're no naval buffs. Aesthetics aside, the Tytan CG8565 will be offered in various configurations, though there appears to be two primary options that parallel our Enthusiast's PC and Luxury System.

The lesser-endowed rig has an unnamed second-gen Intel Core i5 CPU (presumably the i5-2500K) and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB, while the pricier setup has a Core i7 (presumably the i7-2600K) alongside a GTX 590 3GB. There's also talk of an Asus Xonar DX sound card, but it's unclear if that will ship standard in all Tytans or if it's merely optional.

The product page lists two PCI, two PCIe x1 and three PCIe x16 slots, support for up to 32GB of RAM (16GB is probably the most you'll find preinstalled), various HDDs and SSDs, as well as a DVD or Blu-ray drive. There's no shortage of connectivity with a 16-in-1 card reader, an eSATA port, two USB 3.0 ports, 8-channel audio and various video connectors.

The spec sheet mentions a keyboard and mouse, but there's no word on what they'll be. The $4,495 offering is specced toward the higher end of things with a Core i7, the GTX 590, 16GB of RAM, a 160GB SSD and a 2TB HDD, so we wouldn't expect to see prices much higher than that when the Tytan embarks on its maiden voyage in the coming weeks.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/45840-asus-readies-submarine-inspired-rog-tytan-gaming-desktop.html

 

[lawfer]

You know, after seeing all these companies making these pre-configured rigs, I have to wonder, does the market they target really seeks these type of ridiculously expensive setups?

Sure the people that would even be remotely interested in such machines, would be enthusiasts, correct? But a good enthusiast does not buy these type of rigs, he/she builds it. So who really buys these? Who would really spend 5k for a system that could easily cost you less than $2000 (excluding that case)?

And even if there is a small, niche market of rich consumers that would rather just buy a beast system instead if building it, I'm almost certain that, just as well, they could get somebody that could simply build it for considerably less? Or maybe there is just a niche market of rich, stupid people...?

 

[amstech]

^ @ Lawfur.

Of course its way overpriced.
A good techie can easily build a faster system with a better case and more/faster storage for less then half the price of a unit like this. Anyone wih half a brain knows that. Building/overclocking PC's used to be somewhat of a challenge but they have made it so easy people that don't even know what an IRQ is can put together a decent rig.

The same people who buy Alienware products will be interested in this.
But if you don't overclock you can spend all the money in the world, your PC still won't be that fast in the PC enthusiast world.

 

[Tomorrow_Rains]

Looks like ASUS is trying to compete with Apple in the pricing department. and they still end up being way cheaper by 2k.

Who would buy a system like this?

The real question is, Who would buy a Four Thousand Dollar Apple Desktop, when you can just as easily Buy This Asus System.

 

[lawfer]

amstech said:
^ @ Lawfur.

Of course its way overpriced.
A good techie can easily build a faster system with a better case and more/faster storage for less then half the price of a unit like this. Anyone wih half a brain knows that. Building/overclocking PC's used to be somewhat of a challenge but they have made it so easy people that don't even know what an IRQ is can put together a decent rig.

The same people who buy Alienware products will be interested in this.
But if you don't overclock you can spend all the money in the world, your PC still won't be that fast in the PC enthusiast world.

Lawfur? That sounds like a name Miss Brill would give to one of her fat cats.

I'm not asking if people can build a similar rig for less; I do happen to have more than half of my brain. My question was, if that was indeed the case, then what type of niche market would actually be interested in these expensive computers, if they could just have a tech build one for them for cosinderably less?

Thanks for reading my comment comprehensively.

 

[andy06shake]

I could build the same spec pc for a 1/3 of the price they want for this beast that will be outdated in 6 months to a year! They see some people coming, so they do.

 

[SumthinSacred]

I think it'd be interesting to see how well someone/a group would do in getting the parts+building pc's for people and then selling it to whomever asked for it, against companies like Asus and HP in terms of bang for your buck. Unless this has already happened.

 

[ihaveaname]

@Lawfer: This model probably won't make much money for Asus, but it could do well as a halo model, which I think is what they're trying to do. Models like this bring respect to the brand (I know no one buys Alienware computers, but you must admit they garner a lot of respect) and may well bring up sales of regular Asus computers, much like the halo supercars in car companies (BMW's M series and the Lexus LFA come to mind).

 

[PinothyJ]

amstech said:
^ @ Lawfur.

Of course its way overpriced.
A good techie can easily build a faster system with a better case and more/faster storage for less then half the price of a unit like this. Anyone wih half a brain knows that. Building/overclocking PC's used to be somewhat of a challenge but they have made it so easy people that don't even know what an IRQ is can put together a decent rig.

The same people who buy Alienware products will be interested in this.
But if you don't overclock you can spend all the money in the world, your PC still won't be that fast in the PC enthusiast world.

You are also forgetting that it is from a Polish website - a country whose economy is not in that good a shape which could affect the price. You go to Brazil and games are cheap but hardware is really expensive, go to Holland and you pay through the nose for software.

We will have ot see what the final figure is…

 

[Vrmithrax]

@Lawfer - I'm with you, it seems the actual niche to fill with these products is tiny. As for who WOULD buy a system like this, it probably really boils down to a few basic factors. Brand loyalty can be a strong force - look at Apple computing products for a great example. Slick looks and "wow factor" also generally factor in here and there. And, of course, some people still have that old "the most expensive must be the best" mentality.

But I have a feeling one of the big selling points is an aspect of "peace of mind" when you spend the money on these rigs. If you build a system yourself, you are on the hook to fix/replace problems. You have to track and maintain all warranty information for components, you have no support other than yourself, etc. Get this built by a tech, and you are in a similar boat, but now relying on that tech for support and service (and hoping he/she isn't on vacation when you have an issue). When you buy from a big manufacturer or dealer, you get that warranty and support as part of the package. It's the same reason that IT departments in corporations don't typically build their own PCs. And, in a similar vein, it's one reason that "workstation" computers often cost far more than a comparable standard PC - there is an army of support standing behind the product for you to rely on if you have an issue.

For some, I would guess that level of comfort that comes from feeling that someone "has your back" is worth the extra cost. I've known people that went with expensive rigs based on knowing they had an extensive warranty and good tech support available. But me, I'm still firmly in the "build a better box cheaper" school of thought - I've been my own support for 25 years