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Thursday, August 31st 2017
Tesoro Excalibur SE Spectrum Review
The Tesoro Excalibur SE Spectrum features Tesoro's new infrared optical switches co-developed with Gateron. This is a keyboard that aims to take customization to the next level, thanks to the ability to mix and match switches as per user preference. The choice is between linear and tactile/clicky switches that are rated to last longer than traditional mechanical switches with faster response times.
Lenovo Announces the Explorer Windows Mixed Reality Headset
Lenovo's take on the Windows Mixed Reality platform, which we covered a few days ago as featuring Steam VR support and a still-in-its-infancy Halo VR experience, has just been named. The Explorer MR will set you back $349 for just the headset, or $449 for the headset plus a pair of 6-DoF (Degrees of Freedom) controllers.
Lenovo didn't say how much the Explorer HMD weighs, but the usual "comfortable and lightweight," and "finely tuned for perfect balance" have been mentioned. A flip-flop visor allows you to quickly remove the dual 1440x1440 displays from your face, should you need an emergency look at the real world around you. The Lenovo Explorer features inside-out spatial tracking, just like the other Windows MR devices, with two front-mounted cameras handling environment tracking. Trackable space on the Explorer should be around 3.5 x 3.5 meters, likely constrained by the fact that the HMD is tethered via USB and HDMI (tethering that is par-of-the-course for this VR generation.) Specs still haven't been finalized, but pricing is, so we shouldn't look to any substantial differences between the announced and final specifications.
Lenovo didn't say how much the Explorer HMD weighs, but the usual "comfortable and lightweight," and "finely tuned for perfect balance" have been mentioned. A flip-flop visor allows you to quickly remove the dual 1440x1440 displays from your face, should you need an emergency look at the real world around you. The Lenovo Explorer features inside-out spatial tracking, just like the other Windows MR devices, with two front-mounted cameras handling environment tracking. Trackable space on the Explorer should be around 3.5 x 3.5 meters, likely constrained by the fact that the HMD is tethered via USB and HDMI (tethering that is par-of-the-course for this VR generation.) Specs still haven't been finalized, but pricing is, so we shouldn't look to any substantial differences between the announced and final specifications.
AMD Ryzen PRO Desktop Processors Released Worldwide
Building on the global enthusiasm generated by the launch of Ryzen high-end desktop processors and EPYC server processors for the datacenter, AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today announced broad adoption of enterprise solutions featuring AMD Ryzen PRO desktop processors. Designed for business, Ryzen PRO processors bring reliability, security, and performance to address the demands of today's compute-intensive enterprise-focused workloads. Commercially-focused desktop solutions based on these new processors are expected to be available from Dell, HP, and Lenovo in the coming weeks.
"Today's business PC users require more processing power than ever before to run increasingly demanding applications, to ensure they can multi-task without disruption, and to help protect against security threats," said Jim Anderson, senior vice president and general manager, Computing and Graphics Group, AMD. "Ryzen PRO is designed to address these needs, and we're proud to collaborate with such a strong set of industry leaders on a robust assortment of AMD-based desktop PCs that showcase the strength and flexibility of the Ryzen PRO platform."
"Today's business PC users require more processing power than ever before to run increasingly demanding applications, to ensure they can multi-task without disruption, and to help protect against security threats," said Jim Anderson, senior vice president and general manager, Computing and Graphics Group, AMD. "Ryzen PRO is designed to address these needs, and we're proud to collaborate with such a strong set of industry leaders on a robust assortment of AMD-based desktop PCs that showcase the strength and flexibility of the Ryzen PRO platform."
Intel Announces Xeon-W Workstation CPUs - Skylake-SP and ECC Memory
In a response to AMD's current uptake in the consumer, HEDT and server markets with its vertical slice of the Zen architecture, Intel has started rebranding their products and image, changing product names and placement in a bid to increase the "freshness" factor of its offerings. E5 and E7 Xeons are gone, with the introduction of a metallic naming scheme: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum are now Intel's Xeon products, and Xeon-W takes the spot as Intel's workstation-oriented product stack. They do this by being - essentially - a conversion of Intel's Core i9 X299 family of processors towards the professional market with inclusion of professional-geared features. And as is usual with Intel, a new chipset - C422 - is needed in order for these to properly function.
The new Xeon-W product family will still make use of the LGA 2066 socket, bringing with them ECC and vPro support. The Xeon-W CPU family will feature 4 to 18 cores, support up to 512GB of ECC RDIMM/LRDIMM memory, support dual 512-bit FMAs, and peak clocks of 4 GHz base and 4.5 GHz Turbo. All the parts will support 48 PCIe 3.0 lanes from the processor,and CPUs in the Xeon-W stack are rated at 140W TDP: with exception of the quad cores, which come in at at 120W. Xeon-W processors only support Turbo Boost 2.0, instead of their Core i9 counterparts' Turbo 3.0.
The new Xeon-W product family will still make use of the LGA 2066 socket, bringing with them ECC and vPro support. The Xeon-W CPU family will feature 4 to 18 cores, support up to 512GB of ECC RDIMM/LRDIMM memory, support dual 512-bit FMAs, and peak clocks of 4 GHz base and 4.5 GHz Turbo. All the parts will support 48 PCIe 3.0 lanes from the processor,and CPUs in the Xeon-W stack are rated at 140W TDP: with exception of the quad cores, which come in at at 120W. Xeon-W processors only support Turbo Boost 2.0, instead of their Core i9 counterparts' Turbo 3.0.
SanDisk Announces a 400GB microSDXC Card
Western Digital Corporation, a global data storage technology and solutions leader, today announced its 400 GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, the world's highest-capacity microSD card for use in mobile devices. Two years after introducing its record-breaking 200 GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card, Western Digital has doubled the capacity within the same tiny form factor. Keeping up with the demands of today's mobile-centric lifestyle, the new SanDisk microSD card provides consumers with the freedom to capture, save and share photos, videos and apps, and enjoy offline content - all without worrying about storage limitations.
"Mobile devices have become the epicenter of our lives, and consumers are now accustomed to using their smartphones for anything from entertainment to business. We are collecting and sharing massive amounts of data on smartphones, drones, tablets, PCs, laptops and more. We anticipate that storage needs will only continue to grow as people continue to expect more sophisticated features on their devices and desire higher quality content," Jeff Janukowicz, research vice president, IDC. "We estimate mobile device users worldwide will install over 150 billion applications alone this year, which require a ton of memory on all of our favorite devices."
"Mobile devices have become the epicenter of our lives, and consumers are now accustomed to using their smartphones for anything from entertainment to business. We are collecting and sharing massive amounts of data on smartphones, drones, tablets, PCs, laptops and more. We anticipate that storage needs will only continue to grow as people continue to expect more sophisticated features on their devices and desire higher quality content," Jeff Janukowicz, research vice president, IDC. "We estimate mobile device users worldwide will install over 150 billion applications alone this year, which require a ton of memory on all of our favorite devices."
Sharkoon Announces PureWriter TKL Gaming Keyboard
Sharkoon expands their range of mechanical keyboards and introduces the PureWriter TKL, an innovative mechanical keyboard with low-profile switches from the micro-switch Asian specialist Kailh. These innovative, flat mechanical switches enable the compact and flat design of the Sharkoon PureWriter: TKL stands for tenkeyless - the keyboard comes without a number block. The PureWriter TKL is currently available with red and blue switches; brown switches will follow shortly.
With the PureWriter TKL, Sharkoon presents a purist keyboard for all occasions, which, in addition to its light and compact construction, stands out through its innovative mechanical switches in ultra-flat design. Thanks to the missing number block, the frameless keyboard measures a compact 355 mm in length, 127 mm wide and only 23 mm in height when the feet are folded-in, making it as flat as possible. It weighs only 503 grams. It also offers all the technical essentials with n-key rollover, anti-ghosting keys and a polling rate of 1,000 Hz. The PureWriter TKL Blue offers the usual characteristics of the same mechanical switches or rather an acoustic, tactile feedback with a detectable switching point. The distance to actuation point is only 1.5 mm and an operating force of 55 grams.
With the PureWriter TKL, Sharkoon presents a purist keyboard for all occasions, which, in addition to its light and compact construction, stands out through its innovative mechanical switches in ultra-flat design. Thanks to the missing number block, the frameless keyboard measures a compact 355 mm in length, 127 mm wide and only 23 mm in height when the feet are folded-in, making it as flat as possible. It weighs only 503 grams. It also offers all the technical essentials with n-key rollover, anti-ghosting keys and a polling rate of 1,000 Hz. The PureWriter TKL Blue offers the usual characteristics of the same mechanical switches or rather an acoustic, tactile feedback with a detectable switching point. The distance to actuation point is only 1.5 mm and an operating force of 55 grams.
Latest Gigabyte X370 K7 Motherboard BIOS Broken Dynamic vCore, up to 1.7v
Update: It seems that the vCore voltage can go up to 1.7v, which has resulted in at least one claim of a fried Ryzen CPU on Gigabyte's forums. Multiple users are reporting this issue, and apparently the problem isn't limited to Gigabyte's K7 motherboard: users on the Gaming K5 motherboard are also reporting similar issues with the latest BIOS for their respective motherboard.
A warning to users of Gigabyte's X370 K7 motherboard: the most recent F5 BIOS version, which was posted as a stable release on the company's BIOS support page, has been originating reports from users as having increased the dynamic voltage applied towards stratospheric values (from a "healthy CPU vCore baseline.) The problem appears to be related to the usage of Gigabyte's Dynamic vCore functionality, where users that were seeing vCore values of around 1.2v started seeing those dynamic values, as set by the motherboard, being set to a crispy 1.55v instead, at the same clocks as before the BIOS update. If you have such a motherboard, and have recently updated your BIOS to revision F5 or planned on doing so, please do yourself a favor and set vCore manually to your value of choice, compensating with LLC (Load Line Calibration) so that your CPU isn't shocked to death with additional vCore.
A warning to users of Gigabyte's X370 K7 motherboard: the most recent F5 BIOS version, which was posted as a stable release on the company's BIOS support page, has been originating reports from users as having increased the dynamic voltage applied towards stratospheric values (from a "healthy CPU vCore baseline.) The problem appears to be related to the usage of Gigabyte's Dynamic vCore functionality, where users that were seeing vCore values of around 1.2v started seeing those dynamic values, as set by the motherboard, being set to a crispy 1.55v instead, at the same clocks as before the BIOS update. If you have such a motherboard, and have recently updated your BIOS to revision F5 or planned on doing so, please do yourself a favor and set vCore manually to your value of choice, compensating with LLC (Load Line Calibration) so that your CPU isn't shocked to death with additional vCore.
AMD to Enable NVMe RAID on X399 Threadripper Platform
When AMD Ryzen Threadripper HEDT platform launched earlier this year, a shortcoming was its lack of NVMe RAID support. While you could build soft-RAID arrays using NVMe drives, you couldn't boot from them. AMD is addressing this, by adding support for NVMe RAID through a software update, scheduled for 25th September. This software update is in the form of both a driver update (including a lightweight F6-install driver), and a motherboard BIOS update, letting AMD X399 chipset motherboards boot from RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 arrays made up of up to ten NVMe drives. AMD confirmed that it has no plans to bring NVMe RAID support for the X370 or B350 platforms.
AMD Releases the Ryzen Threadripper 1900X Eight-core HEDT Processor
AMD today released the Ryzen Threadripper 1900X eight-core HEDT (high-end desktop) processor. This product is targeted at pro-sumers who could use the quad-channel memory bandwidth and added I/O which the Threadripper HEDT platform brings to the table, but can make do with 8 cores/16 threads, which is why the chip is priced just $50 higher than the 8-core/16-thread Ryzen 7 1800X, at USD $549. The Threadripper 1900X comes with higher clock speeds than the 1800X, with 3.80 GHz nominal clock-speed (compared to 3.60 GHz of the 1800X), 4.00 GHz boost, and XFR adding another 200 MHz to the boost clock, if your cooling is good enough.
The Ryzen Threadripper 1900X gives you the full quad-channel DDR4-3200 memory interface, with support for up to 2 TB memory, and ECC support. There's even unofficial RDIMM support. The chip also offers the full 64-lane PCI-Express interface, with the same PCI-Express device configurations as the higher 1920X and 1950X parts. AMD created the 1900X by disabling two cores per CCX in each of the active 8-core dies on the Threadripper MCM. The chip also only features 16 MB of L3 cache, that's 4 MB per active CCX. Its TDP continues to be rated at 180W. AMD put out its internal testing performance numbers for the 1900X.
AMD's performance slides follow.
The Ryzen Threadripper 1900X gives you the full quad-channel DDR4-3200 memory interface, with support for up to 2 TB memory, and ECC support. There's even unofficial RDIMM support. The chip also offers the full 64-lane PCI-Express interface, with the same PCI-Express device configurations as the higher 1920X and 1950X parts. AMD created the 1900X by disabling two cores per CCX in each of the active 8-core dies on the Threadripper MCM. The chip also only features 16 MB of L3 cache, that's 4 MB per active CCX. Its TDP continues to be rated at 180W. AMD put out its internal testing performance numbers for the 1900X.
ADATA Implements SD A1 and V10/V30 Standards on Premier and Premier Pro Cards
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of highperformance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today confirmed that its Premier microSDXC/microSDHC UHS-I Class 10 cards now support the new SD Association A1 standard. Part of SD 5.1 specifications, A1 has been designed for running apps off external storage, going beyond traditional SD card uses such as accessing photos and video. At the same time, ADATA has also implemented V10 and V30 video recording capabilities on all of its Premier Pro microSD and SD cards, denoting at least 10MB/s and 30MB/s of video recording bandwidth, respectively.
An evolution long promoted by the SD Association, the A1 specification is part of SD 5.1 requirements. It shows that a microSD or SD card can support sufficiently high read speeds and IOPS counts to successfully run most apps without latency being an issue. In other words, A1 certified microSD and SD cards equal internal storage for app performance. They give users much greater freedom, as before apps were limited to internal storage even if large external storage was installed. With A1 and future specifications, users have the ability to install many more apps than would normally be the case, thanks to large add-in storage that is able to run said apps without compromise.
An evolution long promoted by the SD Association, the A1 specification is part of SD 5.1 requirements. It shows that a microSD or SD card can support sufficiently high read speeds and IOPS counts to successfully run most apps without latency being an issue. In other words, A1 certified microSD and SD cards equal internal storage for app performance. They give users much greater freedom, as before apps were limited to internal storage even if large external storage was installed. With A1 and future specifications, users have the ability to install many more apps than would normally be the case, thanks to large add-in storage that is able to run said apps without compromise.
ASUS Intros TUF B350M-Plus Gaming Motherboard
ASUS introduced its first socket AM4 motherboard bearing the durable TUF branding, the TUF B350M-Plus Gaming. Built in the micro-ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the AM4 SoC using a 6-phase VRM. The components that make up the VRM are of a very high grade, enough to warrant TUF branding. The AM4 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and the board's single and reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The second x16 slot is electrical x4, and wired to the AMD B350 chipset.
Storage connectivity includes one 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, two of which are directly wired to the SoC. Display connectivity includes one each of HDMI, D-Sub, and DVI. USB connectivity includes two 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 ports (both type-A), eight USB 3.0 ports (six on the rear panel, two by headers). Networking is care of a single 1 GbE interface, driven by a Realtek RTL8111H controller. The onboard audio solution combines a 6-channel Realtek ALC887 CODEC (<90 dBA SNR) with audio-grade capacitors and ground-layer isolation. The board features RGB LED headers. Expect this board to feature a sub-$100 price-tag, while being slightly higher than comparable mATX AMD B350 motherboards due to the TUF value-addition.
Storage connectivity includes one 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, two of which are directly wired to the SoC. Display connectivity includes one each of HDMI, D-Sub, and DVI. USB connectivity includes two 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 ports (both type-A), eight USB 3.0 ports (six on the rear panel, two by headers). Networking is care of a single 1 GbE interface, driven by a Realtek RTL8111H controller. The onboard audio solution combines a 6-channel Realtek ALC887 CODEC (<90 dBA SNR) with audio-grade capacitors and ground-layer isolation. The board features RGB LED headers. Expect this board to feature a sub-$100 price-tag, while being slightly higher than comparable mATX AMD B350 motherboards due to the TUF value-addition.
Alienware Introduces AW3418DW and AW3418HW Ultrawide, Curved Displays
Alienware has introduced a pair of ultra-large monitors to their lineup at IFA, which boast of Curved, ultrawide displays with a 34" diagonal. Refresh rates are above 100 Hz - especially after these have been overclocked - and both feature NVIDIA's G-Sync tech alongside Alienware's AlienFX lighting and cable management features.
While the AW3418DW will be Alienware's flagship, packing a 3440x1440 resolution on its 4 ms GtG IPS panel, the AW3418HW is much more of a budget option, offering a much more common 2560x1080 IPS, G-Sync panel with the same 4 ms GtG, a 160 Hz refresh rate (when overclocked), G-SYNC, and a less enveloping 3900R curvature. Both displays offer the same 1000:1 contrast ratio, and while we don't know the brightness rating of the AW3418HW (2560x1080) panel, the flagship AW3418DW only offers 300 nits of brightness, effectively leaving HDR out of the picture. Pricing on these is what seems to be a little off, if you were to ask this particular editor. The AW3418DW is an interesting panel (who needs 144 Hz or higher refresh rates at this resolution) but at this point, giving up $1,499 for a non-HDR panel seems wrong. There are other options out there with the same or equivalent specifications at a much lower price tag. And the $1,199 Alienware is asking for their 34", 2650x1080 W3418HW also seems too excessive. But your mileage may, of course, vary. The flagship AW3418DW is available now, while the AW3418HW should be available around the holiday season. I've put a useful guide for screen curvatures below, if you need a reminder of how curvature ratings work.
While the AW3418DW will be Alienware's flagship, packing a 3440x1440 resolution on its 4 ms GtG IPS panel, the AW3418HW is much more of a budget option, offering a much more common 2560x1080 IPS, G-Sync panel with the same 4 ms GtG, a 160 Hz refresh rate (when overclocked), G-SYNC, and a less enveloping 3900R curvature. Both displays offer the same 1000:1 contrast ratio, and while we don't know the brightness rating of the AW3418HW (2560x1080) panel, the flagship AW3418DW only offers 300 nits of brightness, effectively leaving HDR out of the picture. Pricing on these is what seems to be a little off, if you were to ask this particular editor. The AW3418DW is an interesting panel (who needs 144 Hz or higher refresh rates at this resolution) but at this point, giving up $1,499 for a non-HDR panel seems wrong. There are other options out there with the same or equivalent specifications at a much lower price tag. And the $1,199 Alienware is asking for their 34", 2650x1080 W3418HW also seems too excessive. But your mileage may, of course, vary. The flagship AW3418DW is available now, while the AW3418HW should be available around the holiday season. I've put a useful guide for screen curvatures below, if you need a reminder of how curvature ratings work.
BitFenix Announces Alchemy 2.0 PSU Extension Cables
As BitFenix is striving to provide high-quality chassis and modding accessories, offering diversity and customizability has always been a major focus. Today BitFenix is proud to announce the Alchemy 2.0 Extension Cable Kit, giving modders even more tools to tweak their systems.
The Alchemy 2.0 Extension Cable Kit contains extension cables for the 24-pin, the CPU and two VGA power cables, thus enabling clean and
organized cable management. Featuring high current alloy terminals and pure copper stranded cables, the performance loss of the power
supply is kept to a minimum.
The Alchemy 2.0 Extension Cable Kit contains extension cables for the 24-pin, the CPU and two VGA power cables, thus enabling clean and
organized cable management. Featuring high current alloy terminals and pure copper stranded cables, the performance loss of the power
supply is kept to a minimum.
Wednesday, August 30th 2017
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Motherboards
Notebooks
CRYORIG H7 Quad Lumi Review
CRYORIG joins the RGB craze with the H7 Quad Lumi. Based on the wildly popular and successful H7 cooler, this new offering keeps everything you love about the original while improving performance and making it light up the night.
AMD RX Vega 56 to Vega 64 BIOS Flash - No Unlocked Shaders, Improved Performance
A ChipHell forum user has done what probably others have already done in relative obscurity: trying (and succeeding) to flash a Vega 64 BIOS onto a Vega 56 graphics card. The result? Well, apparently the shaders won't unlock (at least not according to our very own GPU-Z), but interestingly, performance improves all the same. The lesser amount of shaders on the Vega 56 silicon (3585 Shaders / 224 TMUs / 64 ROPs compared to Vega 64's 4096 / 256 / 64 apparently doesn't hinder performance that much. It appears that the improved clockspeeds of Vega 56 after the BIOS flash do more than enough to offset performance loss from the lesser amount of compute resources available, bumping RX Vega's clock speeds of 1471 MHz core boost clock and 800 MHz HBM2 memory up to Vega 64's 1545 MHz core boost clock and 945 MHz HBM2 clock.
This means that Vega 56 can effectively become a Vega 64 in performance (at least where 3D Mark Fire Strike is concerned), which isn't unheard of in the relationship between AMD's top tier and second-best graphics cards. Now naturally, some Vega 56 samples may even be further overclocked than Vega 64's stock clocks, which means that there is the potential for Vega 56 to have even better performance than Vega 64. The BIOS swap should allow Vega 56 to access higher power states than its stock BIOS allows, which is one of the reasons it can unlock higher core and memory clocks than an overclocked, original BIOS Vega 56 would. However, the fact that a Vega 56 at Vega 64 clocks and a Vega 64 deliver around the same score in benchmarks definitely does raise questions on how well the extra computing resources of Vega 64 are being put to use.
This means that Vega 56 can effectively become a Vega 64 in performance (at least where 3D Mark Fire Strike is concerned), which isn't unheard of in the relationship between AMD's top tier and second-best graphics cards. Now naturally, some Vega 56 samples may even be further overclocked than Vega 64's stock clocks, which means that there is the potential for Vega 56 to have even better performance than Vega 64. The BIOS swap should allow Vega 56 to access higher power states than its stock BIOS allows, which is one of the reasons it can unlock higher core and memory clocks than an overclocked, original BIOS Vega 56 would. However, the fact that a Vega 56 at Vega 64 clocks and a Vega 64 deliver around the same score in benchmarks definitely does raise questions on how well the extra computing resources of Vega 64 are being put to use.
NVIDIA at Gamescom 2017: ShadowPlay Highlights, Ansel AI Style Transfer and More
Yes, Gamescom 2017 is done already and it would be fair to say that Microsoft took a lot of press time with their Age of Empires IV announcement. This does not mean others were quiet, and indeed we missed what NVIDIA was up to until recently. They held a pre-event show where developers from the most popular games today- PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Destiny 2, Middle Earth: Shadow of War, and Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition- presented new feature trailers (in 4K, of course) supporting NVIDIA's GameWorks technology.
In addition, there were hands-on sessions available with some other upcoming game releases including Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, Forza Motorsport 7, Need for Speed Payback, Project Cars 2 and the recently released Lawbreakers. These games came with some GameWorks announcements as applicable as well.
In addition, there were hands-on sessions available with some other upcoming game releases including Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, Forza Motorsport 7, Need for Speed Payback, Project Cars 2 and the recently released Lawbreakers. These games came with some GameWorks announcements as applicable as well.
Acer Also Announces Predator Galea 500 Headset, Cestus 500 Gaming Mouse
Acer today announced new additions to its premium Predator gaming line, a new Predator headset and mouse to enhance gaming enjoyment and control. The new Predator Cestus 500 gaming mouse features a unique dual switch design, which allows gamers to adjust the click resistance according to the game type they are playing, such as a lighter resistance for FPS games that demand a more nimble reaction, or a heavier resistance for fine maneuvers in RTS games. It features 16.8 million RGB color lights, 8 lighting patterns, 5 on-board profile settings, 8 programmable buttons, and a gold-plated USB connector.
The Predator Galea 500 gaming headset puts you right inside the game, giving you the ability to hear and not just see the exact location of elements within the game. Acer TrueHarmony 3D Soundscape technology recreates the acoustic space based on the orientation of the player's head, convincing the brain that sound is coming from a fixed direction. Featuring a driver diaphragm made from bio-cellulose with rubber surround, the Predator Galea 500 headset delivers clear highs with resounding lows, and responds quickly to precisely reproduce vocals and mid-high range notes, while a unique acoustic cavity helps deliver punchy rhythmic bass. The Predator Galea 500 is also customizable, letting users select from three modes including EQ Music, Movie and Sport. The Predator Galea 500 gaming headset will be available in North America in November at $299.99; and in EMEA in November at €299.99, while the Predator Cestus 500 gaming headset will be available in North America in November at $79.99; and in EMEA in November at €89.99.
The Predator Galea 500 gaming headset puts you right inside the game, giving you the ability to hear and not just see the exact location of elements within the game. Acer TrueHarmony 3D Soundscape technology recreates the acoustic space based on the orientation of the player's head, convincing the brain that sound is coming from a fixed direction. Featuring a driver diaphragm made from bio-cellulose with rubber surround, the Predator Galea 500 headset delivers clear highs with resounding lows, and responds quickly to precisely reproduce vocals and mid-high range notes, while a unique acoustic cavity helps deliver punchy rhythmic bass. The Predator Galea 500 is also customizable, letting users select from three modes including EQ Music, Movie and Sport. The Predator Galea 500 gaming headset will be available in North America in November at $299.99; and in EMEA in November at €299.99, while the Predator Cestus 500 gaming headset will be available in North America in November at $79.99; and in EMEA in November at €89.99.
Acer Expands Predator Line with Orion 9000 PC, X35 HDR Gaming Monitor
Acer today announced new additions to its premium Predator gaming line, which include the Predator Orion 9000 series gaming desktops with Windows 10, its most powerful to date; and the Predator X35 monitor leveraging NVIDIA G-SYNC and Acer HDR Ultra technologies for ultra-smooth performance and stunning visuals.
Designed to intimidate enemies and inspire game play, the commanding aesthetics of the Predator Orion 9000 series feature a black-and-silver spacecraft-like exterior with customizable RGB lighting along the sides of the front bezel. A massive side window panel showcases the striking and powerful interior with a design that keeps electromagnetic interference (EMI) levels in check despite the size of the opening. Optional fans with customizable RGB lighting create a virtual light show for an even more arresting appearance. Outfitted with two handles and wheels covered with a carbon fiber pattern, the new rigs can be easily moved from one location to another. Tool-less side panels make component upgrades easy and the push-open top gives users a quick way to switch fans. A front-access headset cradle and cable management help keep the game area tidy.
Designed to intimidate enemies and inspire game play, the commanding aesthetics of the Predator Orion 9000 series feature a black-and-silver spacecraft-like exterior with customizable RGB lighting along the sides of the front bezel. A massive side window panel showcases the striking and powerful interior with a design that keeps electromagnetic interference (EMI) levels in check despite the size of the opening. Optional fans with customizable RGB lighting create a virtual light show for an even more arresting appearance. Outfitted with two handles and wheels covered with a carbon fiber pattern, the new rigs can be easily moved from one location to another. Tool-less side panels make component upgrades easy and the push-open top gives users a quick way to switch fans. A front-access headset cradle and cable management help keep the game area tidy.
AMD Resolves Linux Marginality Performance Issue on Newly Shipped Ryzen CPUs
We've brought to your attention how AMD's Ryzen architecture was encountering a bug that prevented it from successfully performing certain tasks under Linux. The issue, to which Phoronix was the first website to call attention to, was later confirmed by AMD, with a further remark from the chip designer that EPYC and ThreadRipper weren't affected by it.
AMD has now solved the Ryzen issue at a silicon level, and new revisions of the CPUs should be clear of the problems. Phoronix's Michael Larabel has confirmed that the new processor passes the previous insurmountable, crash-prone workloads with flying colors, so all in all, AMD delivered a swift response to the issue. The company is also doing good for itself in that it is open to replacing previous-batch CPUs that are affected by the issue, through a contact to its Customer Care department.
AMD has now solved the Ryzen issue at a silicon level, and new revisions of the CPUs should be clear of the problems. Phoronix's Michael Larabel has confirmed that the new processor passes the previous insurmountable, crash-prone workloads with flying colors, so all in all, AMD delivered a swift response to the issue. The company is also doing good for itself in that it is open to replacing previous-batch CPUs that are affected by the issue, through a contact to its Customer Care department.
Logitech Announces G613 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard and G603 Wireless Mouse
Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, today announced the launch of two new products that advance high-performance wireless gaming. The Logitech G603 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse is a next-generation gaming mouse that uses Logitech G's new advanced HERO optical sensor and advanced LIGHTSPEED wireless technology, and the Logitech G613 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a high-performance wireless keyboard designed for gamers who demand the performance of mechanical switches and the freedom of wireless gaming. Additionally, Logitech G unveiled the Logitech G840 XL Gaming Mouse Pad, a high-quality mouse pad for your desktop. When all three products are used together, the result is the next-generation wireless desktop.
"LIGHTSPEED and POWERPLAY made the dream of untethered and uncompromised wireless performance a reality," said Ujesh Desai, vice president and general manager of Logitech G. "The new HERO sensor in our G603 wireless mouse and the new G613 wireless mechanical keyboard show our commitment to driving wireless performance even further across our product line."
"LIGHTSPEED and POWERPLAY made the dream of untethered and uncompromised wireless performance a reality," said Ujesh Desai, vice president and general manager of Logitech G. "The new HERO sensor in our G603 wireless mouse and the new G613 wireless mechanical keyboard show our commitment to driving wireless performance even further across our product line."
AMD Settles in "Llano" Investor Lawsuit by Coughing up $29.5M
AMD Tuesday agreed to settle in its longstanding class-action lawsuit by investors for making misleading guidance over its first-generation accelerated processing units (APUs), codenamed "Llano." AMD was alleged to have oversold the potential of "Llano" in driving up revenues to the company, causing losses to investors. AMD is reported to have reached an agreement with the class to settle for USD $29.5 million. The settlement is yet to be approved by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been hearing the case since 2014, sitting in session for the US District Court in Oakland, California. Under the proposed deal, AMD's insurers foot the bill for the settlement, while it continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Aqua Computer Intros Kryographics Vega Water-blocks
Aqua Computer today introduced its Kryographics Vega line of full-coverage water-blocks, which are compatible with reference-design Radeon RX Vega 64, Radeon RX Vega 56, and even Radeon Pro Vega Frontier Edition, since the three are based on a common PCB design. Available in two principal variants based on block material, exposed copper, and nickel-plated copper; the Kryographics Vega features a rather compact main block, since all the significantly hot components of the "Vega 10" PCB are nucleated toward the center. The block has bases for the "Vega 10" ASIC, and the VRM MOSFETs surrounding it. A POM-acetal extension gives the block a "full-coverage" look as it spans the rest of the PCB. The block features a clear-acrylic top, with an LED lighting strip on the nickel-plated variant. It features standard G 1/4 threading. The exposed copper variant is priced at 109.90€, and the nickel-plated variant at 129.90€.
Crucial Announces the BX300 Solid-state Drive
Crucial, a leading global brand of memory and storage upgrades, today announced the availability of a new offering in its solid state drive product portfolio: BX300. It combines Micron 3D NAND with a value-conscious design to deliver the features DIY upgraders and builders are looking for. The new SSD includes 3D MLC NAND in a 2.5-inch form factor drive, and is available in 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB capacities.
Upgrading from a traditional hard drive to a solid state drive has never been easier. The Crucial Advisor tool helps users determine a compatible upgrade based on their system's manufacturer, make, and model. Supporting the BX300 is Crucial's mobile-friendly install guide so users of all technical ability levels are armed with the straightforward, step-by-step information they need to successfully install an SSD. Data migration is also simplified with free access to Acronis True Image HD software.
Upgrading from a traditional hard drive to a solid state drive has never been easier. The Crucial Advisor tool helps users determine a compatible upgrade based on their system's manufacturer, make, and model. Supporting the BX300 is Crucial's mobile-friendly install guide so users of all technical ability levels are armed with the straightforward, step-by-step information they need to successfully install an SSD. Data migration is also simplified with free access to Acronis True Image HD software.
Tuesday, August 29th 2017
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Mouse
Networking
Processors
QNAP TS-453B 4-Bay NAS Review
The TS-453B is a feature-rich four-bay NAS that includes an OLED screen, 4K playback, HDMI port, and a PCIe expansion port for QNAP's QM2 expansion boards. Using various cards, you can add up to two M.2 slots and 10 Gigabit networking to the NAS, in addition to the two 1000 Mb/s ports.
Destiny 2 Beta: Performance Analysis
Bungie's new smash-hit Destiny 2 is in Beta now, and we took a closer look at its graphics options and performance. We're happy to report that there is no FPS cap, and FOV can be adjusted, too. Joining our test group of 14 cards are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and Vega 64, with slightly surprising performance numbers.
Turtle Beach Announces Stealth 600 Wireless Headset for Xbox One
Turtle Beach Corporation announced another "first" in the company's long history of driving innovation in the gaming headset market with the availability of the all-new Stealth 600 wireless surround sound headset for the Xbox One family of devices (Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X). Today's launch makes the Stealth 600 for Xbox One the first-ever gaming headset available at retail that uses Microsoft's Xbox Wireless technology to connect directly to the console, just like your wireless controller does.
No wires, no base station, and no adapter needed. With the Stealth 600 paired directly to Xbox One, gamers simply need to turn on their headset and start playing. Beyond the ease of Xbox Wireless connectivity, the Stealth 600 is optimized to deliver immersive Windows Sonic surround sound and crystal clear chat through large, powerful 50mm speakers and a new flip-up version of Turtle Beach's renowned high-sensitivity mic. The Stealth 600 for Xbox One also features everything from Turtle Beach's unique ProSpecs Glasses Friendly and comfort-driven design to its exclusive Superhuman Hearing sound setting that gives players a competitive advantage to help them win more.
No wires, no base station, and no adapter needed. With the Stealth 600 paired directly to Xbox One, gamers simply need to turn on their headset and start playing. Beyond the ease of Xbox Wireless connectivity, the Stealth 600 is optimized to deliver immersive Windows Sonic surround sound and crystal clear chat through large, powerful 50mm speakers and a new flip-up version of Turtle Beach's renowned high-sensitivity mic. The Stealth 600 for Xbox One also features everything from Turtle Beach's unique ProSpecs Glasses Friendly and comfort-driven design to its exclusive Superhuman Hearing sound setting that gives players a competitive advantage to help them win more.
Thermalright Intros True Spirit 120 Direct CPU Cooler
Thermaright introduced its new mainstream tower-type CPU cooler, the True Spirit 120 Direct. Featuring a conventional single aluminium fin-stack design, the cooler's design consists of four 6 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heat-pipes, which make direct contact with the CPU at the base, passing through the aluminium fin-stack, which is ventilated by a 120 mm fan. The cooler is capable of handling thermal loads of up to 160W, and supports most modern CPU socket types, including AM4, AM3(+), FM2(+), LGA2066 (up to 140W TDP), LGA2011(v3), and LGA115x. The included fan takes 4-pin PWM input, spins between 600 to 1,300 RPM, pushing 36.2 - 78.5 m³/h of air, with a noise output ranging between 16 - 25.4 dB(A). Available now, the Thermalright True Spirit 120 is priced at 33.99€.
PCI-SIG: PCIe 4.0 in 2017, PCIe 5.0 in 2019
After years of continued innovation in PCIe's bandwidth, we've hit somewhat of a snag in recent times; after all, the PCIe 3.0 specification has been doing the rounds on our motherboards ever since 2010. PCI-SIG, the 750-member strong organization that's in charge of designing the specifications for the PCIe bus, attribute part of this delay to industry stagnation: PCIe 3.0 has simply been more than enough, bandwidth-wise, for many generations of hardware now. Only recently, with innovations in storage mediums and innovative memory solutions, such as NVMe SSDs and Intel's Optane, are we starting to hit the ceiling on what PCIe 3.0 offers. Add to that the increased workload and bandwidth requirements of the AI field, and the industry now seems to be eager for an upgrade, with some IP vendors even having put out PCIe 4.0-supporting controllers and PHYs into their next-generation products already - although at the incomplete 0.9 revision.
Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality Push to Include Steam Support, Halo VR
In what is possibly one of the most mouth-watering Microsoft reports as of late for this particular TechPowerUp news editor, it seems that Microsoft is making all the right strides towards bringing its Mixed Reality push to mainstream, popular support. Microsoft seems to have seen the error in its ways towards their usual walled-garden approach, and has announced that their Windows Mixed Reality initiative will see its Mixed/Vitual Reality headsets supporting Steam VR games. This means third-party support for yet another VR hardware piece, and something that Microsoft sorely needed, since adoption of its still upcoming platform wasn't showing much pulse.
But most important than all that (you are allowed to disagree), is that Microsoft is seemingly tapping its first-party studios to produce VR content for its Mixed Reality platform. Case in point, 343 Industries and the Halo franchise. Whether this means VR-only experiences or actual VR-enabled full fledged, numbered Halo games remains to be seen - only Microsoft and 343 know the answer to that. Though it's also likely none of the parts knows much about that at this point in time either; as it seems, and as Microsoft said on their blog post announcing these features, "we are working with 343 Industries to bring future Halo experiences into mixed reality. We are not providing specifics right now, but it is going to be a lot of fun to work with them."
But most important than all that (you are allowed to disagree), is that Microsoft is seemingly tapping its first-party studios to produce VR content for its Mixed Reality platform. Case in point, 343 Industries and the Halo franchise. Whether this means VR-only experiences or actual VR-enabled full fledged, numbered Halo games remains to be seen - only Microsoft and 343 know the answer to that. Though it's also likely none of the parts knows much about that at this point in time either; as it seems, and as Microsoft said on their blog post announcing these features, "we are working with 343 Industries to bring future Halo experiences into mixed reality. We are not providing specifics right now, but it is going to be a lot of fun to work with them."
Be Quiet! Announces SFX L Power PSU Series
Be Quiet!, the market leader in PC power supplies in Germany for eleven consecutive years, presents the SFX L Power power supply. As powerful and compact PCs for multimedia and gaming are finding their way into living rooms, be quiet!'s SFX L Power was designed to meet the rising demand for high efficiency and silent cooling in small form factor computers. The new power supply series does not make the SFX Power 2 series obsolete, but SFX L Power is the highest performing alternative amongst be quiet!'s compact form factor PSUs.
SFX form factor power supplies commonly use 80-millimeter fans that are required to rotate faster to equally perform like larger fans and produce more noise. Choosing the slightly longer SFX-L form factor enables be quiet! to install a silent, temperature-controlled 120-millimeter fan inside SFX L Power. The power supply still fits in most chassis and is ideal for powerful mini ITX systems, and small ATX systems thanks to the included ATX adapter bracket. With SFX L Power, users can expect silent operation to power their compact gaming or multimedia systems.
SFX form factor power supplies commonly use 80-millimeter fans that are required to rotate faster to equally perform like larger fans and produce more noise. Choosing the slightly longer SFX-L form factor enables be quiet! to install a silent, temperature-controlled 120-millimeter fan inside SFX L Power. The power supply still fits in most chassis and is ideal for powerful mini ITX systems, and small ATX systems thanks to the included ATX adapter bracket. With SFX L Power, users can expect silent operation to power their compact gaming or multimedia systems.
Cooler Master Announces MasterSet MS120 Gaming Combo
Cooler Master, a Taipei-based leader in designing and manufacturing computer components and peripherals announces the MasterSet MS120, a gaming keyboard with mem-chanical clicky switches paired with a mouse that has high quality Omron switches and ALPS encoder scroll wheel. "We created a keyboard that mirrors the highly popular mechanical Cherry MX Blue switches and made it affordable while maintaining functionality. We successfully pulled this off with the satisfying clicky feature on our newest mem-chanical switches" says Bram Rongen, Peripheral Marketing Manager.
The MasterSet MS120 is a great first step into gaming, with two tools to help elevate skills. First, it includes a durable keyboard outfitted with Mem-chanical "clicky" switches abandoning the mushiness of traditional membranes. Second, the combo comes with a durable mouse with Pixart optical sensor, adjustable on-the-fly DPI settings, and responsive pro-grade Omron switches. Its RGB capability adds personality and FN On-the-Fly Command keys add convenience wherever you go. This keyboard is equipped with everything a gamer needs to "Make Your Gaming Experience."
The MasterSet MS120 is a great first step into gaming, with two tools to help elevate skills. First, it includes a durable keyboard outfitted with Mem-chanical "clicky" switches abandoning the mushiness of traditional membranes. Second, the combo comes with a durable mouse with Pixart optical sensor, adjustable on-the-fly DPI settings, and responsive pro-grade Omron switches. Its RGB capability adds personality and FN On-the-Fly Command keys add convenience wherever you go. This keyboard is equipped with everything a gamer needs to "Make Your Gaming Experience."
Intel Readies a Mobile 6-core "Coffee Lake-H" SKU, Suggests Geekbench Database
Intel is giving finishing touches to a mobile 8th generation Core i7 processor which features the full complement of 6 cores present on the "Coffee Lake-H" silicon. This is firmly a mobile SKU, and not desktop-on-mobile. According to specs put out in a Geekbench database entry, the processor features 6 cores, 12 threads (HyperThreading), 9 MB of L3 cache, and a nominal clock speed of 2.60 GHz.
Intel tends to keep the nominal clocks of its mobile processors low, while compensating with higher single-core or two-core Turbo Boost clocks. The processor in the Geekbench DB entry packs enough punch to dethrone desktop quad-core parts in multi-threaded scores, with a score of 19,129 points. The single-threaded score isn't groundbreaking at 4,013 points, but that's probably because of the low clock speeds and aggressive power-management inherent to mobile platforms.
Intel tends to keep the nominal clocks of its mobile processors low, while compensating with higher single-core or two-core Turbo Boost clocks. The processor in the Geekbench DB entry packs enough punch to dethrone desktop quad-core parts in multi-threaded scores, with a score of 19,129 points. The single-threaded score isn't groundbreaking at 4,013 points, but that's probably because of the low clock speeds and aggressive power-management inherent to mobile platforms.
ATP Debuts M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs for Industrial Applications
ATP, the leading manufacturer of rugged SSDs and DRAM modules for the industrial markets, debuts its first NVMe based M.2 2280 SSD offering twice the performance of SATA-based SSDs. This newest generation SSD is designed to meet the storage demand of I/O intensive data processing and low latency requirement for industrial and mission critical applications, including surveillance, medical imaging, and many network- storage systems with fast caching requirement.
By adopting NVMe Rev.1.2 specifications and integrating the latest 3D NAND MLC technology, ATP's M.2 2280 NVMe SSD is constructed via a PCIe Gen 3x4 bus interface offering from 128GB up to 1TB of memory capacity to boost its performance to exceed the previous bottleneck of AHCI standards, delivering Sequential Read up to 1,260 MB/s and Sequential Write up to 980 MB/s.
By adopting NVMe Rev.1.2 specifications and integrating the latest 3D NAND MLC technology, ATP's M.2 2280 NVMe SSD is constructed via a PCIe Gen 3x4 bus interface offering from 128GB up to 1TB of memory capacity to boost its performance to exceed the previous bottleneck of AHCI standards, delivering Sequential Read up to 1,260 MB/s and Sequential Write up to 980 MB/s.
Alphacool Announces the New Eisbecher Helix & Helix Light
Alphacool presents the brand new Eisbecher Helix family, the Eisbecher Helix 250 and the Eisbecher Helix Light. Both versions offer a unique look with their helix, reminiscent of a strand of DNA, running through the middle of the reservoir. The acetal bottom and top are completely covered with elegant aluminium caps, putting a finishing touch on the outstanding aesthetic of the Eisbecher Helix.
The Eisbecher Helix 250 also comes with a UV cathode tube, which is placed right in the middle of the Helix. If UV-reactive water is used, this will create an even glow shining from within the reservoir - the perfect eye-catcher.
The Alphacool Helix Eisbecher captivates with its unique Helix Optic, including elegant aluminium caps for its upper and bottom sides. The 60mm diameter version also offers a UV cathode tube to illuminate UV-reactive water from within.
The Eisbecher Helix 250 also comes with a UV cathode tube, which is placed right in the middle of the Helix. If UV-reactive water is used, this will create an even glow shining from within the reservoir - the perfect eye-catcher.
The Alphacool Helix Eisbecher captivates with its unique Helix Optic, including elegant aluminium caps for its upper and bottom sides. The 60mm diameter version also offers a UV cathode tube to illuminate UV-reactive water from within.
Colorful Enters the Japanese Market
Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, recently held a press conference with Links, COLORFUL'S first graphics card distributor in Japan to introduce the Japanese market to powerful hardware made by COLORFUL. The press conference marks the first time both COLORFUL and Links introduced products to Japanese media and provided information to questions and inquiries to the media in attendance.
This press conference was held in AKIBA and many distinguished guests attended this momentous occasion including as Mr. Kawashima, CEO of Links, and Mr. Luo Wei, Channel Manager for COLORFUL Graphic Cards, as well as Mr. Ding Xuefeng, Channel Manager for COLORFUL motherboards. Also presents is Mr. Jerry Cao and other managers from COLORFUL who all believe this is an integral start to developing COLORFUL's presence in Japan.
This press conference was held in AKIBA and many distinguished guests attended this momentous occasion including as Mr. Kawashima, CEO of Links, and Mr. Luo Wei, Channel Manager for COLORFUL Graphic Cards, as well as Mr. Ding Xuefeng, Channel Manager for COLORFUL motherboards. Also presents is Mr. Jerry Cao and other managers from COLORFUL who all believe this is an integral start to developing COLORFUL's presence in Japan.
GIGABYTE Announces XEON-W Motherboards
GIGABYTE today announced its latest motherboard based on Intel's 'Basin Falls' architecture and targeted at workstation use cases. With this new architecture, GIGABYTE brings Intel's Skylake architecture to the SOHO segment with a new offering: the 'Basin Falls' single-socket platform for workstations. This new build offers a wealth of I/O options, including multiple PCIe lanes to support graphics, storage and USB options, as well as direct SATA and USB ports.
GIGABYTE's new Xeon 'Skylake-W'-based motherboard utilizes the full complement of 48x PCIe lanes direct from the CPU to support up to 4 x GPU dual-slot cards or multiple x8 and x16 add-on cards. In addition, GIGABYTE's engineers have designed densely-packed SATA and USB options, based on direct and PCIe connections from the chipset, leading to a massively flexible workstation board.
GIGABYTE's new Xeon 'Skylake-W'-based motherboard utilizes the full complement of 48x PCIe lanes direct from the CPU to support up to 4 x GPU dual-slot cards or multiple x8 and x16 add-on cards. In addition, GIGABYTE's engineers have designed densely-packed SATA and USB options, based on direct and PCIe connections from the chipset, leading to a massively flexible workstation board.
Monday, August 28th 2017
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Input Devices
Monitors
Motherboards
Networking
Processors
SSD
Raijintek Thetis Review
The Raijintek Thetis is a larger version of the Metis, allowing you to use a full-size ATX board, PSU, a fairly long GPU, and even a 240 mm radiator. While all that may not sound interesting on paper, considering the compact size of the Thetis, we are eager to take a look.
ASUS Announces the RT-AC86U Gaming Router
ASUS has announced another entry towards their gaming router lineup. The RT-AC86U is an AC2900 dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi class router, boosted by NitroQAM and MU-MIMO, which boasts of 750 Mb/s on the 2.4 Ghz band and 2166 Mb/s on the 5 GHz one. 3x high-performance and high-gain antennas, 3x Gigabit ports and 1x WAN port provide connectivity options on this router. Security features include encryption and wireless access control functions.
Interesting features of the router include a 32-bit dual-core processor running at 1.8 GHz for its processing needs, 256 MB flash memory, and 512 MB of onboard RAM. The ASUS RT-AC86U Gaming Router is available for €249 or $199.
Interesting features of the router include a 32-bit dual-core processor running at 1.8 GHz for its processing needs, 256 MB flash memory, and 512 MB of onboard RAM. The ASUS RT-AC86U Gaming Router is available for €249 or $199.
Dell Unveils New Laptops, 2-in-1s, and a Mixed Reality Headset
Dell is revealing a suite of holiday wish-list worthy devices and services that provide the most immersive and comprehensive computing experience available. The new offerings include Inspiron 7000 2-in-1s and laptops with new 8th Generation Intel Core processors; performance enhancements to the critically acclaimed XPS 13; Dell Visor Windows Mixed Reality Headset; and Premium Support Plus service. These new innovations demonstrate Dell's commitment to providing the best audio and visual computing, virtual reality (VR) and gaming experiences for consumers.
"We're in Berlin this week to demonstrate Dell's global leadership in innovation across personal computing, gaming and virtual reality," said Ray Wah, senior vice president and general manager, Dell Consumer and Small Business Product Group. "From our new mixed reality headset to beautiful new laptops and 2-in-1s, our holiday lineup introduced at the show includes some of the best designs with incredible visual experiences, exceptional performance and support to match."
"We're in Berlin this week to demonstrate Dell's global leadership in innovation across personal computing, gaming and virtual reality," said Ray Wah, senior vice president and general manager, Dell Consumer and Small Business Product Group. "From our new mixed reality headset to beautiful new laptops and 2-in-1s, our holiday lineup introduced at the show includes some of the best designs with incredible visual experiences, exceptional performance and support to match."
MSI Launches GE63VR/73VR Raider Gaming-Oriented Laptops Sporting 120 Hz Display
MSI is hyping up the launch of their GE63VR/73VR gaming-oriented laptops as having some of the best displays this side of laptop-bound LCDs. What's being touted as the world's first 3 ms, 120Hz display panel on a laptop also features a wider color gamut (up to 94-percent of the NTSC spectrum) and HDR, which means not only better color reproduction, but also increased contrast. The GE63VR comes in a 15.6" screen size with either Full HD or 4K resolution, while the GE73VR ups the ante to a 17,3" panel with the same resolution choices.
Powering that display is an Intel 7th Gen i7 processor, paired with an NVIDIA GPU configurable starting at the GTX 1050 Ti through to a GTX 1070. Memory is handled by a two-stick configuration of 2400 MHz memory with up to 32 GB capacity. Storage-wise, MSI is proposing a 2,5" HDD paired with an NVMe drive, or, for those who really want to overcharge their storage, a "Super Raid" arrangement comprised of 2x NVMe SSDs paired in RAID0. Audio-wise, there is an ESS SABRE HiFi DAC onboard, which should deliver a pretty interesting sound quality. Networking falls to a KIller DoubleShot Pro solution.
Powering that display is an Intel 7th Gen i7 processor, paired with an NVIDIA GPU configurable starting at the GTX 1050 Ti through to a GTX 1070. Memory is handled by a two-stick configuration of 2400 MHz memory with up to 32 GB capacity. Storage-wise, MSI is proposing a 2,5" HDD paired with an NVMe drive, or, for those who really want to overcharge their storage, a "Super Raid" arrangement comprised of 2x NVMe SSDs paired in RAID0. Audio-wise, there is an ESS SABRE HiFi DAC onboard, which should deliver a pretty interesting sound quality. Networking falls to a KIller DoubleShot Pro solution.
Update: AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 Now Available
UPDATE 1, 1PM UTC: The first cards have started trickling in, with Vega 56 being available on Overclockers UK for £379 ($490), and MindFactory.de for €409 (~$490, max. 2 units limit per customer on MindFactory). Note the £379 on Overclockers UK is being listed as a "Launch Only" price, so I think we can all agree on where this is headed.
UPDATE 2, 1:11 PM UTC: Stock on MindFactory.de is gone. Last information on "More than 5" sold. 4 in stock at Overclockers UK at 13:15 PM UTC. 1 in stock at 13:16 PM UTC. If you want one of these, pull the trigger; pricing will be £470 ($608) for one of these with two "free games". All gone from Overclockers UK at £379, 13:25 PM.
UPDATE 3, 1:28 PM UTC: Well, if stock existed, it was gone so fast I couldn't even press F5 in time. Stock on Newegg at $399 is gone.
August 28th marks the date when AMD's RX Vega 56 graphics card will enter retail sales (1 PM UTC). Whether or not that will happen at AMD's MSRP of $399 remains to be seen, but we are cautiously pessimistic on that front, considering what has been happening with its big brother, RX Vega 64, since its introduction to the market. Industry sources point towards a continued limited supply of Vega 64 graphics cards at least until October; and since the Vega 56 graphics card makes use of the same GPU, HBM2 memory stacks, and packaging process for its interposer, chances are it will see the same problems as its more expensive brethren.
Expect this space to be updated as soon as these cards hit retail, with the current pricing and stock availability (or unavailability, if that ends up being the case). Considering all of the above and the fact that Vega 56 is the most interesting model in the Vega family, if you want one of these at the retail $399, and paraphrasing an esteemed gaming character, you "gotta go fast".
UPDATE 2, 1:11 PM UTC: Stock on MindFactory.de is gone. Last information on "More than 5" sold. 4 in stock at Overclockers UK at 13:15 PM UTC. 1 in stock at 13:16 PM UTC. If you want one of these, pull the trigger; pricing will be £470 ($608) for one of these with two "free games". All gone from Overclockers UK at £379, 13:25 PM.
UPDATE 3, 1:28 PM UTC: Well, if stock existed, it was gone so fast I couldn't even press F5 in time. Stock on Newegg at $399 is gone.
August 28th marks the date when AMD's RX Vega 56 graphics card will enter retail sales (1 PM UTC). Whether or not that will happen at AMD's MSRP of $399 remains to be seen, but we are cautiously pessimistic on that front, considering what has been happening with its big brother, RX Vega 64, since its introduction to the market. Industry sources point towards a continued limited supply of Vega 64 graphics cards at least until October; and since the Vega 56 graphics card makes use of the same GPU, HBM2 memory stacks, and packaging process for its interposer, chances are it will see the same problems as its more expensive brethren.
Expect this space to be updated as soon as these cards hit retail, with the current pricing and stock availability (or unavailability, if that ends up being the case). Considering all of the above and the fact that Vega 56 is the most interesting model in the Vega family, if you want one of these at the retail $399, and paraphrasing an esteemed gaming character, you "gotta go fast".
Intel Core i7-8700K and i5-8400 SANDRA Benchmarks Surface
Ahead of their launch later this quarter, SiSoft SANDRA benchmarks of Intel 8th generation Core i7-8700K and Core i5-8400 six-core processors surfaced in benchmark databases, which were promptly compared to their predecessors by HotHardware. The results put to the test Intel's claims of "over 40 percent more performance" compared to the 7th generation Core processors, which the company made in its 8th Generation Core Launch Event presentation. A bulk of these performance increases are attributed to the increasing core-count over generation, which directly yields higher multi-threaded performance; while a small but significant portion of it is attributed to increases in single-threaded performance. Since the "Coffee Lake" micro-architecture is essentially a refresh of the "Skylake" architecture, single-threaded performance increases could be attributed to higher clock speeds.
The Core i7-8700K is the top-dog of the 8th generation Core mainstream-desktop processor family. This six-core chip was compared to the product it succeeds in Intel's MSDT product-stack, the quad-core Core i7-7700K. There is a 45 percent increase in performance, in the "processor arithmetic" test; and a 47 percent increase in the "processor multimedia" test. These two test-suites are multi-threaded, and hence benefit from the two added cores, which in turn add four additional logical CPUs, thanks to HyperThreading. "Processor cryptography" sees a 12 percent increase. The single-precision and double-precision "Scientific Analysis" tests, which again are multi-threaded, see 26 percent and 32 percent performance gains over the i7-7700K, respectively.
The Core i7-8700K is the top-dog of the 8th generation Core mainstream-desktop processor family. This six-core chip was compared to the product it succeeds in Intel's MSDT product-stack, the quad-core Core i7-7700K. There is a 45 percent increase in performance, in the "processor arithmetic" test; and a 47 percent increase in the "processor multimedia" test. These two test-suites are multi-threaded, and hence benefit from the two added cores, which in turn add four additional logical CPUs, thanks to HyperThreading. "Processor cryptography" sees a 12 percent increase. The single-precision and double-precision "Scientific Analysis" tests, which again are multi-threaded, see 26 percent and 32 percent performance gains over the i7-7700K, respectively.
Sunday, August 27th 2017
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1900X Starts Selling in India
AMD's third Ryzen Threadripper series HEDT processor SKU, the Threadripper 1900X, started selling in India, ahead of its 31st August scheduled availability. Listed on the country's leading online PC hardware store PrimeABGB, the Threadripper 1900X is priced at INR 45,699. While this price roughly converts to USD $715, which is way above the $549 MSRP announced by AMD, it's important to note that in India the retailer margins and taxes on PC hardware tend to be very high. The same retailer, considered by PC enthusiasts in India as having some of the lowest prices, lists the Threadripper 1920X at INR 65,488 ($1,024), and the Threadripper 1950X at INR 82,008 ($1,283).
The PrimeABGB listing also indicates that the 8-core/16-thread Threadripper 1900X features 16 MB of L3 cache, as opposed to 32 MB on the 1920X and 1950X. This could mean that AMD is configuring the two "Summit Ridge" dies on the 1900X in a 2+2+2+2 CCX configuration, with 4 MB of L3 cache per CCX, just like on the Ryzen 5 1400. The chip still features a quad-channel DDR4 memory interface, and 64-lane PCIe. It is priced between the $390 6-core/12-thread Core i7-7800X and $590 i7-7820X.
The PrimeABGB listing also indicates that the 8-core/16-thread Threadripper 1900X features 16 MB of L3 cache, as opposed to 32 MB on the 1920X and 1950X. This could mean that AMD is configuring the two "Summit Ridge" dies on the 1900X in a 2+2+2+2 CCX configuration, with 4 MB of L3 cache per CCX, just like on the Ryzen 5 1400. The chip still features a quad-channel DDR4 memory interface, and 64-lane PCIe. It is priced between the $390 6-core/12-thread Core i7-7800X and $590 i7-7820X.
Friday, August 25th 2017
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Speakers
Team Group T-Force Delta RGB 2x 8 GB DDR4 Review
Team Group's Delta RGB is one of the best memory kits we ever tested. They are the perfect match for your ASUS ROG motherboard with ASUS Aura Sync. Offering full top-to-bottom RGB LED goodness when installed into a case, these sticks provide an ultra-wide viewing angle for their Force Flow RGB LEDs, making them perhaps the best RGB option for those non-standard-layout case designs.
AMD RX Vega Supply Issues to Persist At Least Until October - Digitimes
DigiTimes is reporting, through "sources from the upstream supply chain", that AMD's current shortage of RX Vega cards to distribute to the retail market will continue at least until October. The tech reporting site says that sources are pointing towards the package integration of HBM2 memory (from SK Hynix or Samsung Electronics) and the Vega GPU (manufactured on Global Foundries' 14 nm FinFet) as being at fault here, due to low yield rates for this packaging effort. However, some other sources point towards the issue being with the packaging process itself, done by Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) through use of SiP technology. Whichever one of these cases may be, it seems the problem lies with AMD's choice to use HBM2 on their Vega graphics architecture.
As a footnote to its story, DigiTimes is also reporting that according to industry sources, NVIDIA has, in light of RX Vega's performance, decided to postpone the launch of Volta-based GPUs towards the first quarter of 2018.
As a footnote to its story, DigiTimes is also reporting that according to industry sources, NVIDIA has, in light of RX Vega's performance, decided to postpone the launch of Volta-based GPUs towards the first quarter of 2018.
Inno3D Warn Miners Of Possible Warranty Void on Their Graphics Cards
The mining craze has generated overwhelming demand for graphics cards in the last few months, which led to increased prices from distributors, retailers, and the secondhand market. Miners usually don't look towards which brand they're buying their graphics cards from for their POW endeavors; they just buy whatever is available at the cheapest price, with some considerations thrown in for the cooling solution that is implemented.
One side effect of running multiple graphics cards in systems/racks that don't possess sufficient ventilation is damage to the graphics cards; some fans also give in to the strain of working 24/7 at maximum (or close to) speeds, and a look through mining forums or threads is enough to show that the amount of RMA'd cards that are used for mining is much greater than what usually results of "normal" usage of said products. Inno3D has apparently been affected by enough RMA requests and the economic effects of these that they have begun distributing their graphics cards with stickers warning users against mining on their GPUs, under threat that they reserve themselves "the right to void the warranty if there is any damage associated with this application." The sticker may be enough to deter some users; however, these are hardly legally binding, and should pose no problems for users in Europe or the United States looking to RMA their graphics card. Adding to this the fact that it would be very hard for any company to prove that damage on their graphics card products originated from a particular workload, it seems as a simple bluff from Inno3D - one that can be easily called by users.
One side effect of running multiple graphics cards in systems/racks that don't possess sufficient ventilation is damage to the graphics cards; some fans also give in to the strain of working 24/7 at maximum (or close to) speeds, and a look through mining forums or threads is enough to show that the amount of RMA'd cards that are used for mining is much greater than what usually results of "normal" usage of said products. Inno3D has apparently been affected by enough RMA requests and the economic effects of these that they have begun distributing their graphics cards with stickers warning users against mining on their GPUs, under threat that they reserve themselves "the right to void the warranty if there is any damage associated with this application." The sticker may be enough to deter some users; however, these are hardly legally binding, and should pose no problems for users in Europe or the United States looking to RMA their graphics card. Adding to this the fact that it would be very hard for any company to prove that damage on their graphics card products originated from a particular workload, it seems as a simple bluff from Inno3D - one that can be easily called by users.
Linksys Announces the WRT32X AC3200 Gaming Router
Linksys has announced their latest in gaming routers, the WRT32X AC3200, developed in partnership with Rivet Networks, developer of the Killer NIC solutions. The boasts are real with this products: Vince La Duca, global product manager at Linksys, had this to say: "Serious gamers are spending money on game play and expect to have technology that provides significant advantages to beat their opponents. The Linksys WRT32X provides advantages that no other routers have - and that is the Killer Prioritization Engine. The router, when paired with a Killer-enabled PC, provides a powerful end-to-end connection to prioritize gaming traffic to reduce peak ping times up to 77%; Providing a real advantage for faster kills over opponents that use regular "so-called" gaming routers."
The new Linksys WRT32X AC3200 Gaming Router, therefore, enables the Killer Prioritization Engine, should your PC's integrated NIC be a Killer solution. This prioritizizes gaming network traffic above all others, thus lessening lag and response times. Linksys is also introducing a new firmware and GUI for this particular router.
The new Linksys WRT32X AC3200 Gaming Router, therefore, enables the Killer Prioritization Engine, should your PC's integrated NIC be a Killer solution. This prioritizizes gaming network traffic above all others, thus lessening lag and response times. Linksys is also introducing a new firmware and GUI for this particular router.
Ex-Valve Writer Marc Laidlaw Releases Would-be Half-Life 2: Episode 3 Story
In what might sadly be the closest we'll ever get to knowing Valve's original plans for Half Life 2: Episode 3, if you will, Ex-Valve lead writer on Half-Life Marc Laidlaw has released a prospective, would-be script for the game that never came to be. The writer, who recently left Valve after 18 years working for the company, posted the story entitled "Epistle 3" on his personal blog (which is, naturally experiencing heavy traffic). He then gave a heads-up through his Twitter account, commenting on the fact that his website was brought down by the sheer amount of traffic it generated, Laidlaw said "I guess fanfic is popular, even a genderswapped snapshot of a dream I had many years ago."
Whether or not this closely resembles the would-be script for that third Half-Life installment only Laidlaw knows; perhaps this is just the writer's own take on what the story should have been, lacking any of the changes that it would incur during the development process. The fact that Laidlaw says this is fanfiction can be interpreted as a line of defense against lawsuits - as is the fact that he slightly altered the character's names from their originals (Gertrude Fremont seems a lost opportunity for Gordon Freeman's actual name...) Perhaps some crafty, dedicated users will create a mod that brings this story to fruition? Time will tell; for now, this seems to be as much closure as we're ever going to get. Follow the source links for Laidlaw's site, as well as GitHub and Pastebin links for the corrected story. There are also some interesting hints for a subsequent Half-Life 3, but alas, that one is even more of a mirage.
Whether or not this closely resembles the would-be script for that third Half-Life installment only Laidlaw knows; perhaps this is just the writer's own take on what the story should have been, lacking any of the changes that it would incur during the development process. The fact that Laidlaw says this is fanfiction can be interpreted as a line of defense against lawsuits - as is the fact that he slightly altered the character's names from their originals (Gertrude Fremont seems a lost opportunity for Gordon Freeman's actual name...) Perhaps some crafty, dedicated users will create a mod that brings this story to fruition? Time will tell; for now, this seems to be as much closure as we're ever going to get. Follow the source links for Laidlaw's site, as well as GitHub and Pastebin links for the corrected story. There are also some interesting hints for a subsequent Half-Life 3, but alas, that one is even more of a mirage.
Razer Announces the Wolverine Ultimate Gamepad for PC and Xbox One
Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the officially licensed Razer Wolverine Ultimate gaming controller for Xbox One and PC. The Razer Wolverine Ultimate was designed to adapt itself to any gamer. Two interchangeable D-Pads, a range of interchangeable thumbsticks with different heights and shape and a total of 6 remappable triggers and buttons - both via Razer Synapse for Xbox and on-the-fly - provide maximum customizability.
An integrated RGB lighting strip that can be controlled via Razer Synapse for Xbox adds more ways to personalize the controller and introduces Razer Chroma to Xbox gamers everywhere. Gamers can choose from 16.8 million colors and a variety of effects that include Static, Spectrum Cycling, Breathing, Wave and more. Additionally, the Razer Wolverine Ultimate will be the first console product to support the Razer Chroma SDK, allowing developers to integrate advanced lighting capabilities for Xbox One games, and console controllers for next level gaming immersion.
An integrated RGB lighting strip that can be controlled via Razer Synapse for Xbox adds more ways to personalize the controller and introduces Razer Chroma to Xbox gamers everywhere. Gamers can choose from 16.8 million colors and a variety of effects that include Static, Spectrum Cycling, Breathing, Wave and more. Additionally, the Razer Wolverine Ultimate will be the first console product to support the Razer Chroma SDK, allowing developers to integrate advanced lighting capabilities for Xbox One games, and console controllers for next level gaming immersion.
GIGABYTE Boosts Intel's Xeon Scalable Platform With Triple GPU Support
GIGABYTE is gearing up for the release of the first GPU-supporting server based on Intel's Skylake Purley architecture. Leveraging the latter's scalability - which can be applied across compute, network and storage applications - GIGABYTE has committed its design expertise to a high-performance system with GPU-focused, OCP-based and other add-on functionality. This server adopts Intel's new product family - officially named the 'Intel Xeon Scalable' and its increased I/O options to deliver a truly high-performance, flexible system.
GIGABYTE's new system takes advantage of the performance benefits that Intel has built in to target a range of segments and created a system that meets HPC needs.
GIGABYTE's new system takes advantage of the performance benefits that Intel has built in to target a range of segments and created a system that meets HPC needs.
Thursday, August 24th 2017
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Headphones
Monitors
Motherboards
Notebooks
Processors
ASRock X370 Gaming K4 Review
ASRock's mid-level X370 motherboard for gamers, the X370 Gaming K4, is here for us to play with. Is it worth the dollars, what is so special, and does ASRock's X370 Gaming K4 compare to the almighty ASRock X370 Taichi? Here are the answers!
AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.8.2 Drivers
It was just this past Monday that we saw the release of the Radeon Crimson ReLive 17.8.1 WHQL drivers, but AMD decided that was not enough and today have released the latest update to their Radeon Software with the Crimson ReLive 17.8.2 drivers. This is a beta, non-WHQL driver, but I am not complaining about fast driver releases from anyone. This driver version adds support for F1 2017 which releases imminently, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (Early Access), as well as the upcoming beta for Destiny 2. There are also a few bug fixes including the important bug with RX Vega wherein Radeon Wattman would not correctly apply overclock settings. Grab the drivers from the download link below, and read on for the full change log.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Crimson ReLive Edition 17.8.2 Drivers
Overall GPU Shipments Increased 7.2% From Last Quarter, Boosted by Mining - JPR
This is the latest report from Jon Peddie Research on the GPUs used in PCs. It is reporting on the results of Q2'17 GPU shipments world-wide. Overall GPU shipments increased 7.2% from last quarter, AMD increased 8% Nvidia increased 10% and Intel, increased 6%. Year-to-year total GPU shipments increased 6.4%, desktop graphics increased 5%, notebooks increased 7%.
Up to now, the GPU and PC market had been showing a return to what has been normal seasonality. That pattern is typically flat to down in Q1, a significant drop in Q2 as OEMs and the channel deplete inventory before the summer months. A restocking with the latest products in Q3 in anticipation of the holiday season, and mild increase to flat change in Q4. All, of that subject to an overall decline in the PC market since the great recession of '07 and the influx of tablets and smartphones. However, this year, Q2 dGPU shipments were completely out of sync, and remarkably high, as shown in the following chart.
Up to now, the GPU and PC market had been showing a return to what has been normal seasonality. That pattern is typically flat to down in Q1, a significant drop in Q2 as OEMs and the channel deplete inventory before the summer months. A restocking with the latest products in Q3 in anticipation of the holiday season, and mild increase to flat change in Q4. All, of that subject to an overall decline in the PC market since the great recession of '07 and the influx of tablets and smartphones. However, this year, Q2 dGPU shipments were completely out of sync, and remarkably high, as shown in the following chart.
NVIDIA Releases the GeForce 385.41 Game Ready WHQL Drivers
NVIDIA today released the latest version of their GeForce software package, which allows your NVIDIA GPU to render the highest quality pixels. Version 385.41 is a WHQL release, and being a Game Ready driver means it brings with it support for upcoming games. Namely, users looking to enjoy Bungie's foray into the PC market with Destiny 2 with the Open Beta (open 28th to 31st August) will want to grab these. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds support also makes an appearance, as does ARK: Survival Evolved, F1 2017, Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, and Quake Champions (Early Access).
SLI profile updates include addition (or update of profiles) for ARK: Survival Evolved, Destiny 2, Faith of Danschant, Lawbreakers, Secret World Legends, and Starpoint Gemini Warlords. Feature changes include removal of the nvtray process, as well as the elimination of the NVIDIA Tray icon from Windows task manager. As always, you can grab your NVIDIA drivers right here on TPU; just follow the link below.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 385.41 WHQL Game-Ready Drivers
SLI profile updates include addition (or update of profiles) for ARK: Survival Evolved, Destiny 2, Faith of Danschant, Lawbreakers, Secret World Legends, and Starpoint Gemini Warlords. Feature changes include removal of the nvtray process, as well as the elimination of the NVIDIA Tray icon from Windows task manager. As always, you can grab your NVIDIA drivers right here on TPU; just follow the link below.
AOC to Launch AGON³ Gaming Monitors With 0.5 ms Response Time in 2018
AOC has come forward to announce that they'll be shipping gaming monitors under their AGON³ gaming brand that boast of 0.5 ms (yup, you read that right) response time come 2018. The new monitors, based on an AUO TN panel, will come in curved 27", offer 2560 x 1440 resolution at a 144 Hz refresh rate, and will be available with either G-Sync or FreeSync 2 support. Users of AMD-enabled FreeSync 2 will be left happier than their NVIDIA counterparts: AOC's FreeSync 2 monitor will not only support HDR and a wider color gamut, but will also retail for €100 less (€599) than its non HDR-enabled NVIDIA counterpart (€699). Granted, AMD's HDR requirements are much lower than NVIDIA's 1000cd/m² minimum luminance for HDR - which means this AU Optronics panel, with its 400cd/m² peak luminance, makes the cut for AMD's HDR standards. Remember - not all HDR is equal.
Asked about AOC's new panels, AOC's Afonso Clemente said that "We were talking with AUO and they have a new panel (...) Up until now curved monitors were either IPS or VA, which is ok, but the response time was not so great. There's always some ghosting, some blurring. But now there are curved panels from AU Optronics that allow 0.5 ms response time."
Asked about AOC's new panels, AOC's Afonso Clemente said that "We were talking with AUO and they have a new panel (...) Up until now curved monitors were either IPS or VA, which is ok, but the response time was not so great. There's always some ghosting, some blurring. But now there are curved panels from AU Optronics that allow 0.5 ms response time."
AMD Defends MCM Approach for Building 32-core EPYC: Huge Cost Savings of ~41%
AMD, presenting at a HotChips talk, packed with VLSI gurus, defended its decision to make AMD EPYC enterprise processors in the socket SP3r2 package a multi-chip module (MCM) of four 8-core "Summit Ridge" dies, rather than building a monolithic 32-core die. For starters, it stressed on the benefits of a single kind of silicon, which it can use across its performance-desktop, high-end desktop, and enterprise product-stacks; which translates into higher yields. "Summit Ridge" is the only CPU silicon based on the "Zen" micro-architecture, with the company giving finishing touches to the second silicon, codenamed "Raven Ridge," which will power mobile and desktop APUs. AMD has to pick the best-performing dies out of a common bin. The top 5% dies go into powering the company's Ryzen Threadripper HEDT processors, and a higher percentile go into making EPYC.
The relatively smaller 8-core common die has an inherently higher yield than a larger chip due to the rule of inverse-exponential reduction in yield with increasing die-size. This, coupled with the R&D costs that would have gone into developing the hypothetical monolithic 32-core "Zen" based silicon, works out to a significant cost saving for the company. A 4-die/32-core MCM is 0.59X the cost of a hypothetical monolithic 32-core die, according to the company, which is a cost-saving that enables the company to aggressively price its products. The slide AMD used in its presentation also confirms that each 8-core "Summit Ridge" die features four external Infinity Fabric links, besides the one that connects the two CCX units with each other. On a 4-die EPYC MCM, three out of four of those external IF links wire out to the neighboring dies, and one link per die probably wires out to a neighboring socket on 2P machines.
The relatively smaller 8-core common die has an inherently higher yield than a larger chip due to the rule of inverse-exponential reduction in yield with increasing die-size. This, coupled with the R&D costs that would have gone into developing the hypothetical monolithic 32-core "Zen" based silicon, works out to a significant cost saving for the company. A 4-die/32-core MCM is 0.59X the cost of a hypothetical monolithic 32-core die, according to the company, which is a cost-saving that enables the company to aggressively price its products. The slide AMD used in its presentation also confirms that each 8-core "Summit Ridge" die features four external Infinity Fabric links, besides the one that connects the two CCX units with each other. On a 4-die EPYC MCM, three out of four of those external IF links wire out to the neighboring dies, and one link per die probably wires out to a neighboring socket on 2P machines.
Antec Announces Performance One P8 Chassis
In the year of their 31st anniversary, Antec Inc., a leading provider of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself market, presents the latest mid tower of their award-winning Antec Performance One Series: the Antec P8. The case is now commercially available from 79€ (suggested retail price including VAT).
The P8 offers stylish design, excellent cooling performance and great features. The mid-tower measures 443 mm x 210 mm x 470 mm (height x width x depth) and is compatible with micro-ATX / ATX/ ITX motherboards and supports up to 390 mm VGA cards. The case boasts two convertible tool-less 2.5" / 3.5" HDD drive cages, four 2.5" SSD drive cages as well as seven expansion slots. The chassis is made of steel / ABS and an attractive tempered glass side panel offer great insight into the installed components. The chassis features a PSU chamber to isolate the PSU from the other components and to minimize heat production and system noise.
The P8 offers stylish design, excellent cooling performance and great features. The mid-tower measures 443 mm x 210 mm x 470 mm (height x width x depth) and is compatible with micro-ATX / ATX/ ITX motherboards and supports up to 390 mm VGA cards. The case boasts two convertible tool-less 2.5" / 3.5" HDD drive cages, four 2.5" SSD drive cages as well as seven expansion slots. The chassis is made of steel / ABS and an attractive tempered glass side panel offer great insight into the installed components. The chassis features a PSU chamber to isolate the PSU from the other components and to minimize heat production and system noise.
i-rocks Launches the K76M PLUS Silent Mechanical Keyboard
i-Rocks, a Taiwanese PC peripheral manufacturer, has announced K76M PLUS, an enthusiast mechanical keyboard sporting i-Rocks Silent Mechanical Switch, side-printed coated keycaps and essential gaming functions.
Switches for the enthusiasts
Aiming to offer enjoyable typing experience inspired by classic Alps-type switches dominating the keyboard market during 80-90s, i-Rocks teamed up with community experts and professional machining companies, putting their feedback into the making of the keyboard and its components. Gold-plated, multi-point contacts make the switches capable of withstanding heavy usage, with superior 50 million click lifespan. With flawless integration of MX keycap-compatible stems, switches on the K76M support most of third party MX keycaps. To achieve silent typing experience, i-Rocks added rubber rings inside each key switches for quiet yet tactile feedback and satisfying key travel.
Switches for the enthusiasts
Aiming to offer enjoyable typing experience inspired by classic Alps-type switches dominating the keyboard market during 80-90s, i-Rocks teamed up with community experts and professional machining companies, putting their feedback into the making of the keyboard and its components. Gold-plated, multi-point contacts make the switches capable of withstanding heavy usage, with superior 50 million click lifespan. With flawless integration of MX keycap-compatible stems, switches on the K76M support most of third party MX keycaps. To achieve silent typing experience, i-Rocks added rubber rings inside each key switches for quiet yet tactile feedback and satisfying key travel.
Retailers are Buying AMD RX Vega 64 at $675 Each
The Radeon RX Vega series launch has been particularly disappointing for gamers and PC enthusiasts because their otherwise interesting price-performance ratios at $499 for the RX Vega 64 and $399 for the RX Vega 56, were quickly stripped away by dwindling stock and sky-rocketing prices, with the RX Vega 64 even going above $1k in some places. We are not even sure if the miners are to blame or whether supplier-level pricing has been adjusted after the launch to a higher price point that makes AMD's promised pricing impossible to achieve.
It turns out that retailers might not be the ones making a quick buck at this madness. Leaked invoices show that distributors (entities that supply inventory to retailers) have inflated prices even at their level. A San Jose-based distributor, Ma Laboratories Inc., is quoting USD $675 per unit of a reference-design (not Limited Edition), Radeon RX Vega 64 SKU to a computer store. The $499 price AMD launched the RX Vega 64 at, is supposed to be the end-user price (minus government taxes). The retailer we're in touch with confirmed that they were offered no volume pricing discount due to low stock at the distributor itself. A distributor should ideally sell the product to a retailer at a much lesser price than $499, so the retailer can make their margin. The higher up the supply-chain, the more control AMD gets. The company is in a better position to rein in on distributors than retailers. If distributors are inflating prices with apparent impunity, it wouldn't surprise us if this goes even higher up.
It turns out that retailers might not be the ones making a quick buck at this madness. Leaked invoices show that distributors (entities that supply inventory to retailers) have inflated prices even at their level. A San Jose-based distributor, Ma Laboratories Inc., is quoting USD $675 per unit of a reference-design (not Limited Edition), Radeon RX Vega 64 SKU to a computer store. The $499 price AMD launched the RX Vega 64 at, is supposed to be the end-user price (minus government taxes). The retailer we're in touch with confirmed that they were offered no volume pricing discount due to low stock at the distributor itself. A distributor should ideally sell the product to a retailer at a much lesser price than $499, so the retailer can make their margin. The higher up the supply-chain, the more control AMD gets. The company is in a better position to rein in on distributors than retailers. If distributors are inflating prices with apparent impunity, it wouldn't surprise us if this goes even higher up.
Lists of Motherboards Based on Intel Z370 Express Chipset Surface
Intel is rushing in its 8th generation Core mainstream-desktop (MSDT) processor lineup, codenamed "Coffee Lake," later within Q3-2017. The first four of these will be six-core SKUs, which while built in the "LGA1151" package, the same ones as the 7th generation "Kaby Lake" and 6th generation "Skylake," will not be compatible with motherboards based on the older 100-series and 200-series chipsets, for reasons unknown. Upcoming motherboards based on the 300-series chipset, could support not just 8th generation "Coffee Lake" processors, but also older LGA1151 processors. The chipset lineup consists of the Z370 Express, which features support for CPU overclocking and 2-way multi-GPU; and the mid-range B360 Express chipset, which could launch either in late-2017 or early-2018, alongside the first Core i3 "Coffee Lake" chips. The first wave of motherboards to go with "Coffee Lake" processors will hence be Z370-based. VideoCardz compiled a partial, but growing list of motherboards which could make up the first wave.
Wednesday, August 23rd 2017
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Networking
Fractal Design Celsius S36 Review
Fractal Design looks to take another stab at the expandable all-in-one liquid cooler market with the Celsius S36. Offering a 360 mm radiator and all-new features, like a built-in fan hub, it certainly has a lot to offer.
Cherry Announces the MX Board 5.0 Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard
CHERRY, the specialist for computer input devices, introduces the MX Board 5.0. This new, high-end mechanical keyboard distinguishes itself with excellent and customizable ergonomics. Equipped with reliable, high-precision MX switches and modern features, this product has been designed to meets the highest demands. The MX Board 5.0 also features an exclusive font which was created in cooperation with experienced specialists.
One of the highlights of the MX Board 5.0 is the patented ergonomic solution in the form of its extra-large and individually adjustable palm rest. Together with the specially developed feet, the keyboard offers eight different positions to achieve the greatest possible comfort. Long, fatigue-free writing and gaming sessions are no problem with the MX Board 5.0.
One of the highlights of the MX Board 5.0 is the patented ergonomic solution in the form of its extra-large and individually adjustable palm rest. Together with the specially developed feet, the keyboard offers eight different positions to achieve the greatest possible comfort. Long, fatigue-free writing and gaming sessions are no problem with the MX Board 5.0.
Manli Adds a GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Card to Its Portfolio
It has been a while since the launch of NVIDIA's GTX 1080 (manli had even come out of the gate with a Founders Edition version of this SKU), but the company has now added another option to its lineup. The M-NGTX1080/5RGHDPPP-BL doesn't do much to differentiate itself from what's already in the market, though.
The new Manli card sports a blower-style cooler, reference GTX 1080 specs, a core base clock of 1607MHz, a core boost clock of 1733MHz and 8GB of GDDR5X memory (10 GHz). Connectivity-wise, we're treated to 1x dual-link DVI-D, 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4 output ports. The card is backed by a two year warranty, and should hit retail for $595.
The new Manli card sports a blower-style cooler, reference GTX 1080 specs, a core base clock of 1607MHz, a core boost clock of 1733MHz and 8GB of GDDR5X memory (10 GHz). Connectivity-wise, we're treated to 1x dual-link DVI-D, 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4 output ports. The card is backed by a two year warranty, and should hit retail for $595.
AMD On RX Vega Pricing Oddyssey - "Launch Price Ongoing; Stock is to Blame"
In the latest news surrounding the strange, foggy circumstances of AMD's RX Vega 64 pricing, company-man Gerald Youngblood told PCGamesN that the announced RX Vega's pricing wasn't a launch-only affair. Specifically, he said that "Our SEPs, and the price tag that we announced, is our full intention of where we would suggest the product be priced. Not just for launch, but ongoing." Gerald then went on to say that RX Vega's pricing woes can't be attributable to AMD, in that "First of all we just need to drive as much stock as we can, because inventory is really important in everybody being able to hit those prices. Then it's just working with our partners to enable it, but we don't set the price of their product. But we will drive, and do everything that we can, to get those prices to where we suggested when we launched them earlier."
Arctic Announces the Freezer 33 Penta CPU Cooler
Arctic is pleased to present its new Freezer 33 PENTA, which is not only visually convincing with its titanium black heat sink and the 120 mm PENTA-style fan, but also delivers a strong cooling performance. We designed this special Freezer in close collaboration with our German eSports partner PENTA Sports.
The sophisticated fan controller allows passive cooling of the CPU during simple applications. If a higher cooling performance is needed for gaming, the F12 PWM fan starts up at a PWM signal with 40 % pulse width. This saves energy, extends the service life, makes the cooler at low load completely silent and delivers high performance for gaming.
The sophisticated fan controller allows passive cooling of the CPU during simple applications. If a higher cooling performance is needed for gaming, the F12 PWM fan starts up at a PWM signal with 40 % pulse width. This saves energy, extends the service life, makes the cooler at low load completely silent and delivers high performance for gaming.
AMD Radeon 17.8.1 Drivers Include Bethesda Launcher, Default Off
It looks like AMD took lessons from the Quake Champions beta offer drama, in which Radeon Software 17.4.4, by default, planted a link to a game beta sign-up on your desktop, and was seen by users as ad-ware. AMD later hot-fixed the driver without this offer, and expressed regret. The new Radeon 17.8.1 WHQL drivers include the option to install Bethesda Launcher, the DRM client of Bethesda akin to Steam and Origin, which lets you buy and play games from the studio. The default option of the driver installer sets this as "off." The only way you'll even come across it is if you choose "custom install" and check the "Bethesda Launcher" option. The only way you'll now learn about offers hidden inside AMD driver updates is if you look for them in the "custom install" list, or if AMD advertises them in its driver change-log (which it didn't, for these drivers).
Western Digital Updates My Book Duo Desktop Storage - Up to 20 TB
For some users, having three HDDs of differing capacities in their system isn't the right solution for achieving the storage space they need. Others don't want to have their files uploaded to the cloud, where security and access times to their files may become hindrances. Some people just like to have all their files offline, in a (somewhat) portable medium that achieves up to 360 MB/s sequential read speeds. Enter Western Digital's updated My Book Duo external desktop storage.
RAID-optimized WD Red hard drives (formatted NTFS out of the box) enable those read speeds, and capacities of 4 TB, 6 TB, 8 TB, 12 TB, 16 TB and 20 TB are available. Connectivity-wise, the My Book duo offers USB Type-C and Type-A, while security isn't left out the door, with built-in password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption with WD Security software. The unit measures 7.09 x 6.3 x 3.94 inches and weighs between 5.05 to 5.25 pounds depending on drive capacity. The My Book Duo is available now, with pricing at $259.99 for the 4 TB unit, and a maximum of $799.99 for the 20 TB model, all with a three-year warranty.
RAID-optimized WD Red hard drives (formatted NTFS out of the box) enable those read speeds, and capacities of 4 TB, 6 TB, 8 TB, 12 TB, 16 TB and 20 TB are available. Connectivity-wise, the My Book duo offers USB Type-C and Type-A, while security isn't left out the door, with built-in password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption with WD Security software. The unit measures 7.09 x 6.3 x 3.94 inches and weighs between 5.05 to 5.25 pounds depending on drive capacity. The My Book Duo is available now, with pricing at $259.99 for the 4 TB unit, and a maximum of $799.99 for the 20 TB model, all with a three-year warranty.
Thermaltake Intros Pacific RL360 Plus RGB Radiator
Thermaltake introduced the Pacific RL360 Plus RGB radiator, a radiator with - you guessed it - RGB LED lighting, as if fans with RGB LEDs weren't enough. This 360 mm x 120 mm radiator comes with RGB LED strips that mount along the length of the radiator, which are embedded with 24 LEDs, each. The LEDs are fronted by a diffuser, and can make up to 16.8 million colors. The included Thermaltake Riing RGB software lets you control color, brightness, and lighting patterns. As a radiator, the Pacific RL360 Plus features 14 fins-per-inch density, with fins made of a corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy, standard G 1/4 threading, and included stoppers. The included digital lighting controller module lets you plug the radiator, and other Thermaltake Riing-standard hardware to your motherboard over standard USB 2.0 headers. The company didn't reveal pricing.
AMD to Give Away Adobe Creative Cloud Subscriptions and Games with Pre-builts
AMD is preparing to extend its tradition of giving away games with its hardware; to productivity apps. In a bid to boost sales of pre-built desktops and notebooks that feature AMD processors and/or graphics cards, the company is giving away Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions, besides games by Square Enix.
The new "AMD4U" offer by the company, which is limited to certain products sold through participating retailers, gives you up to three games by Square Enix, and/or a 2-month Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, or a 3-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan. The combinations of what you get is decided by what product you buy. Something like a high-end gaming notebook, which features both a Ryzen processor, and Radeon RX 500-series graphics, should give you both games and CC subscription, while value desktops should feature any one of them. Find details in the source link below.
The new "AMD4U" offer by the company, which is limited to certain products sold through participating retailers, gives you up to three games by Square Enix, and/or a 2-month Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, or a 3-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan. The combinations of what you get is decided by what product you buy. Something like a high-end gaming notebook, which features both a Ryzen processor, and Radeon RX 500-series graphics, should give you both games and CC subscription, while value desktops should feature any one of them. Find details in the source link below.
Tuesday, August 22nd 2017
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Motherboards
Networking
Corsair Void Pro RGB Wireless Review
The Corsair Void Pro RGB Wireless succeeds a well-known and well-liked wireless gaming headset. It comes with a reworked microphone, retuned audio drivers, and several changes in design and ergonomics, refining and improving pretty much every aspect of its predecessor, which results in a terrific device well worth its $100 price tag.
ASUS Teases the B250 Expert Mining Motherboard With 19 Expansion Slots
The mining craze is real, and companies have been paying increasing attention to this space, since miners are some of the most interesting customers hardware companies have had the pleasure of doing business with (at least when it comes to volume of purchases; let's discount those pesky RMA's, shall we?) ASUS is joining mining posterchild BIOSTAR with a purpose-built motherboard built around the B250 chipset. The B250 Expert Mining should allow miners to connect up to 19 PCIe graphics cards through risers, thus obviating the need for increased investment in additional motherboards, CPUs and memory.
ASUS has implemented a Triple ATX12V (24-Pin) and Molex connectors setup for additional power delivery, alongside PCIe slot state detection, dedicated voltage stabilization capacitors (one for each GPU slot ), as well as using a mining specific BIOS for increased hash rates. Of the 19 expansions slots, 18 are PCIe 3.0 x1, with a single full-length PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. The slots are separated in three groups each with a dedicated 24-pin assigned to it for power. The top 24-pin covers slots 1-7 (includes the full-length slot), the middle header 8-13, with the last covering 14-19. A color-coded POST UI image shows miners the state of their graphics cards, overlaying coded colors over the PCIe slots, colored green for operational, red for when an error is detected, and grey for an absent GPU.
ASUS has implemented a Triple ATX12V (24-Pin) and Molex connectors setup for additional power delivery, alongside PCIe slot state detection, dedicated voltage stabilization capacitors (one for each GPU slot ), as well as using a mining specific BIOS for increased hash rates. Of the 19 expansions slots, 18 are PCIe 3.0 x1, with a single full-length PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. The slots are separated in three groups each with a dedicated 24-pin assigned to it for power. The top 24-pin covers slots 1-7 (includes the full-length slot), the middle header 8-13, with the last covering 14-19. A color-coded POST UI image shows miners the state of their graphics cards, overlaying coded colors over the PCIe slots, colored green for operational, red for when an error is detected, and grey for an absent GPU.
Microsoft Announces Age of Empires IV, Developed by Relic Entertainment
I remember Age of Empires II fondly; it was my first PC game, really. The intro sequence of chess really served to put my young mind racing towards ideas of military movements and countermovements, and led me towards devouring historical romances accompanying the exploits of Alexander the Great (Valerio Massimo Manfredi's novels), and Hannibal Barca (I'm partial to Ross Leckie in this one). Now, Microsoft has announced yet another installment in this PC-exclusive series, after Age of Empires III's somewhat lukewarm reception. Age of Empires IV is coming for all of your medieval RTS needs.
HP Announces the Omen X Gaming Laptop - Built for Overclocking
HP has announced the first Omen X laptop for the consumer market, and this is one laptop that HP hopes is enough to rule them all. Omen is HP's high-performance gaming brand, and the Omen X brings with it true desktop replaceability pedigree to justify that target audience. Most important: the Omen X laptop allows for overclocking, due to a cleverly designed vapor-chamber and high-powered fans cooling methodology. It allows users to overclock their unlocked i7 processor, alongside the DDR4 memory and GTX 1080 graphics card - and a translucent window lets you take a peek under the hood. A single removable panel offers access to the RAM, storage and other user-replaceable parts. A mechanical keyboard with programmable macros ensures perfect responsiveness and customizability, sporting per-key RGB lighting.
Turtle Beach Announces Recon Camo Gaming Headset
Leading gaming headset and audio accessory brand Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR) today unveiled the new Recon Camo multiplatform gaming headset for Xbox One, PlayStation4 and PC. Additionally, the Recon Camo's standard 3.5mm connection makes it great for using with PC, Mac and mobile/tablet devices. With films like Dunkirk and the upcoming Call of Duty: World War II video game on the horizon, clearly a collective fascination for World War II has re-emerged, and the Recon Camo deftly incorporates the style of the era with its evocative camouflage and military green design.
Not only does the Recon Camo look great, but it sounds amazing and produces richer, louder and more precise game audio thanks to its large, high-quality 50mm speakers with roughly 56% more surface area compared to the 40mm drivers found in other similarly priced headsets. The Recon Camo is built on one of Turtle Beach's fan-favorite designs with a comfortable yet durable frame, and features Turtle Beach's renowned high-sensitivity mic to deliver the essential crystal clear chat needed to secure victory on the multiplayer battlefield. The Recon Camo will be available this fall at participating retailers for a MSRP of $69.95.
Not only does the Recon Camo look great, but it sounds amazing and produces richer, louder and more precise game audio thanks to its large, high-quality 50mm speakers with roughly 56% more surface area compared to the 40mm drivers found in other similarly priced headsets. The Recon Camo is built on one of Turtle Beach's fan-favorite designs with a comfortable yet durable frame, and features Turtle Beach's renowned high-sensitivity mic to deliver the essential crystal clear chat needed to secure victory on the multiplayer battlefield. The Recon Camo will be available this fall at participating retailers for a MSRP of $69.95.
CORSAIR Announces New Lineup of VOID PRO Gaming Headsets
CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast memory, PC components and high-performance gaming hardware, today announced the release of its new range of VOID PRO gaming headsets. When you're deep in the game and sound is never just noise, you need to pick up on every note, cue and echo. VOID PRO gives you that advantage. Building on the success of CORSAIR's VOID headsets, the three new VOID PRO models boast enhanced comfort, lightweight and durable aluminium construction, and improved audio quality, creating a headset that's ready to put you ahead of the competition.
VOID PRO was designed with comfort in mind, so that when you're in the heat of the game, your headset disappears and it's just you and your audio. Built with microfiber mesh fabric, the balanced headband and over-the-ear memory foam ear-cups offer all-day comfort for even the longest gaming sessions. Equipped with cast aluminum yokes and a metal reinforced headband, the VOID PRO combines comfort with durability, so you've got a headset that's built to last.
VOID PRO was designed with comfort in mind, so that when you're in the heat of the game, your headset disappears and it's just you and your audio. Built with microfiber mesh fabric, the balanced headband and over-the-ear memory foam ear-cups offer all-day comfort for even the longest gaming sessions. Equipped with cast aluminum yokes and a metal reinforced headband, the VOID PRO combines comfort with durability, so you've got a headset that's built to last.
Toshiba Announces X300 8TB Internal 3.5-inch Hard Drive
Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC), a committed technology leader, today announces the X300 3.5-inch internal hard drive in 8 TB capacity. Compared to the P300 series with capacities up to 3 TB, the X300 Series delivers extreme performance and robust capacity for creative and professional applications including graphic design, animation, photo and video editing, and PC gaming.
The new 8 TB model features Toshiba's cache technology, a self-contained cache algorithm with on-board buffer management, which optimizes cache allocation during read/write to provide high-level performance in real time. The X300 Series is offered in 4 TB, 5 TB, 6 TB and 8 TB capacities, all with a higher 128 MB cache than P300 series, ensuring fast data access. Available in a 3.5-inch form factor, the X300 performs at 7,200 RPM and a SATA connection up to 6 Gbit/s. Compatible with most major brands of Serial ATA enabled desktop computers, the Toshiba X300 high-precision head positioning supported by advanced format technology (physical 4 KB sector) and dual stage actuator technology delivers high storage density and capacity.
The new 8 TB model features Toshiba's cache technology, a self-contained cache algorithm with on-board buffer management, which optimizes cache allocation during read/write to provide high-level performance in real time. The X300 Series is offered in 4 TB, 5 TB, 6 TB and 8 TB capacities, all with a higher 128 MB cache than P300 series, ensuring fast data access. Available in a 3.5-inch form factor, the X300 performs at 7,200 RPM and a SATA connection up to 6 Gbit/s. Compatible with most major brands of Serial ATA enabled desktop computers, the Toshiba X300 high-precision head positioning supported by advanced format technology (physical 4 KB sector) and dual stage actuator technology delivers high storage density and capacity.
Alienware Announces the Area 51 X299 Configuration With Intel Core i9 Inside
Adding to Alienware's staple of custom-built PCs and their exclusivity deal with AMD to sell pre-built machines with Ryzen Threadripper 16-core CPUs, the company has just announced that their Area 51 desktop solution will now also be available with Intel's latest X299 HEDT platform. Intel Core X-series processors can be configured with a Core i7-7800X, i7-7820X, or i9-7900X processor, and liquid cooling comes standard with the system for these high-performance CPUs. Alienware even ships the Area 51 with an unlocked BIOS so that users can still tap all of the potential inside their new gaming rig.
Kingston's HyperX 2933 MHz memory comes standard (up to 64 GB in 4x 16 GB configuration), and the graphics processing can be configured with either AMD (RX 560, 570, and 580) or NVIDIA cards (GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1060 (6GB), GTX 1070, GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti.) The absence of AMD's Vega graphics cards should come as a surprise for red-team fans. There are also dual and triple-GPU configurations available, though with the slow, choking death of multi-GPU support, that might not be the best inroad for a high performance computer. A 2 TB HDD takes care of storage, and SSD goodness can come in 256, 512 GB, or 1 TB in the M.2 form-factor. There's Intel Optane support (in 16 GB or 32 GB), and the power supply can range from an 850 W unit up to a 1500 W one. There is a total of 8x USB 3.0 ports (2x front, 6x rear) and 2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports (1x Type-A, 1x Type-C). Dual gigabit LAN is provided by a Qualcomm Killer E2500 NIC, while wireless connectivity is available in the form of Killer 1535 or Dell 1820 802.11ac WiFi.
Kingston's HyperX 2933 MHz memory comes standard (up to 64 GB in 4x 16 GB configuration), and the graphics processing can be configured with either AMD (RX 560, 570, and 580) or NVIDIA cards (GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1060 (6GB), GTX 1070, GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti.) The absence of AMD's Vega graphics cards should come as a surprise for red-team fans. There are also dual and triple-GPU configurations available, though with the slow, choking death of multi-GPU support, that might not be the best inroad for a high performance computer. A 2 TB HDD takes care of storage, and SSD goodness can come in 256, 512 GB, or 1 TB in the M.2 form-factor. There's Intel Optane support (in 16 GB or 32 GB), and the power supply can range from an 850 W unit up to a 1500 W one. There is a total of 8x USB 3.0 ports (2x front, 6x rear) and 2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports (1x Type-A, 1x Type-C). Dual gigabit LAN is provided by a Qualcomm Killer E2500 NIC, while wireless connectivity is available in the form of Killer 1535 or Dell 1820 802.11ac WiFi.
ROCCAT Invites you to Step into the Light at Gamescom 2017
ROCCAT Studios started the RGB illumination revolution ten years ago with the original Kone gaming mouse, one of the most popular and widely heralded gaming peripherals on the market. Now, ROCCAT has done it again, starting with our next-gen entry into the Kone family - the Kone AIMO. Gamers spoke and we listened, updating every aspect of the Kone to match their wants and needs. Ergonomically improved for better feel and comfort, with a tri-button thumb zone for greater control and a more robust 4D Titan Wheel. OMRON switches certified to fifty million clicks, with an updated SWARM driver system for easier use, and an Owl-Eye optical sensor modified to the high and exacting standards expected from a ROCCAT product.
The Kone AIMO is also the first in a series of ROCCAT peripherals designed out-of-box with intelligent RBG lighting that learns and adapts organically to player interaction, enhancing their experience rather than distracting. We call it Living Light. The AIMO lighting system exists in tandem with our already award-winning customizable illumination functionality.
The Kone AIMO is also the first in a series of ROCCAT peripherals designed out-of-box with intelligent RBG lighting that learns and adapts organically to player interaction, enhancing their experience rather than distracting. We call it Living Light. The AIMO lighting system exists in tandem with our already award-winning customizable illumination functionality.
Cooler Master Announces MasterMouse MM520 and MM530 Gaming Mice
Cooler Master, a Taipei-based leader in designing and manufacturing computer components and peripherals launches two specific grip type mice, the MasterMouse MM530 tailored for the palm gripper and MasterMouse MM520 tailored for claw grips. Cooler Master's existing MasterMouse portfolio caters to the ambidextrous user and with these two additions Cooler Master has created an easy purchasing decision, one that allows the gamer to "Make Your Gaming Experience" through picking their specific grip type for better gaming. These mice are also two out of the four new products that exhibit the company's refreshed logo.
"We created two new mice for gamers that are looking for comfortable, right-handed grips. One designed for palm grip and the other for claw grip, but both fully packed with quality features and performance to step up your game," says Bram Rongen, Peripheral Product Marketing Manager.
"We created two new mice for gamers that are looking for comfortable, right-handed grips. One designed for palm grip and the other for claw grip, but both fully packed with quality features and performance to step up your game," says Bram Rongen, Peripheral Product Marketing Manager.
PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB XLR8 Gaming OC Edition
PNY Technologies (PNY) considered one of the worldwide leaders in consumer electronics market and flash memory products, is proud to present the new PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB XLR8 Gaming OC Edition graphics card. Aimed at hardcore gamers and enthusiasts, PNY raises the bar with this new graphics card by overclocking it right at the factory, ensuring that it delivers every drop of graphics juice.
Powered by the raw silicon muscle power of NVIDIA's latest Pascal architecture and ultra-fast FinFET technology coupled with PNY's XLR8 Dual Fan Cooler means silent but accelerated gaming at the highest graphics settings with blistering fast frame rates. The 6GB GDDR5 memory clocked at 8 Gbps with a data transfer rate of 192 GB/s and with a 192-bit wide memory data bus guarantees that there will never be any bottleneck while transferring large game textures and huge maps.
Powered by the raw silicon muscle power of NVIDIA's latest Pascal architecture and ultra-fast FinFET technology coupled with PNY's XLR8 Dual Fan Cooler means silent but accelerated gaming at the highest graphics settings with blistering fast frame rates. The 6GB GDDR5 memory clocked at 8 Gbps with a data transfer rate of 192 GB/s and with a 192-bit wide memory data bus guarantees that there will never be any bottleneck while transferring large game textures and huge maps.
HTC Vive Reduces Price By $200
HTC Vive today announced a $200 price reduction for Vive, making the best VR system more accessible to the mass market, across the globe. Starting today, Vive will be available for $599. All Vive purchases come with a free trial to Viveport Subscription, where consumers can choose up to 5 titles per month to experience, and copies of many of the most popular pieces of VR content today, including Google's Tilt Brush, Everest VR, and Richie's Plank Experience.
"Our goal at Vive has always been to offer the best and most advanced VR system and drive mass market adoption for VR across the globe," said Cher Wang, Chairwoman, HTC. "We're continuing to deliver on that commitment with this new price for Vive, making VR more accessible to a broader audience and driving the entire VR industry forward. Vive's game-changing technology, best-in-class content and unmatched global partners are fulfilling the promise of VR like never before. With highly anticipated titles, and the upcoming launch of Vive Tracker, there has never been a better time to embrace Vive, and enjoy the most immersive VR experience available."
"Our goal at Vive has always been to offer the best and most advanced VR system and drive mass market adoption for VR across the globe," said Cher Wang, Chairwoman, HTC. "We're continuing to deliver on that commitment with this new price for Vive, making VR more accessible to a broader audience and driving the entire VR industry forward. Vive's game-changing technology, best-in-class content and unmatched global partners are fulfilling the promise of VR like never before. With highly anticipated titles, and the upcoming launch of Vive Tracker, there has never been a better time to embrace Vive, and enjoy the most immersive VR experience available."
HyperX Reveals Next Generation Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset
HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today unveiled its next generation gaming headset - HyperX Cloud Alpha. The first gaming headset to feature revolutionary dual chamber technology, Cloud Alpha delivers incredible audio quality designed to enhance the PC, console and mobile gaming experience. Cloud Alpha maintains the DNA of previous award-winning HyperX headsets and replaces the popular HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset, delivering unmatched fit and comfort for extended gaming sessions, as well as rich, textured sound for extraordinary spatial awareness.
"The new HyperX Cloud Alpha is the first gaming headset to include our dual chamber technology to deliver unrivaled sound quality," said Tyler Needles, global audio business manager, HyperX. "Designed and tested in the HyperX labs, Cloud Alpha delivers the best possible audio performance, comfort, and build quality for the ultimate competitive advantage and will be used by top eSports pros globally."
"The new HyperX Cloud Alpha is the first gaming headset to include our dual chamber technology to deliver unrivaled sound quality," said Tyler Needles, global audio business manager, HyperX. "Designed and tested in the HyperX labs, Cloud Alpha delivers the best possible audio performance, comfort, and build quality for the ultimate competitive advantage and will be used by top eSports pros globally."
Monday, August 21st 2017
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 Hardwareluxx (de)
- AMD RX Vega 56 KitGuru
- AMD RX Vega 56 vs. NVIDIA GTX 1070 Legit Reviews
- ASUS RX Vega 64 STRIX ComputerBase (de)
- ASUS RX Vega 64 STRIX Hexus.net
- ASUS RX Vega 64 STRIX (preview) KitGuru
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 4K Optimization TechGage
- AMD RX Vega 64 Liquid Tom's Hardware
Headphones
Monitors
Motherboards
Notebooks
Speakers
SSD
Etymotic ER4 XR & SR Review
Etymotic's ER4 in-ears set the benchmark when they were first launched over 25 years ago. Recently, Etymotic decided to bring out two new versions of their ER4 design - namely, the XR (Extended Response) and SR (Studio Reference). These new versions feature all-metal housings and a brand new cable design. On the acoustic side of things, you now get the choice between elevated bass and something that should be close to neutral in terms of the Studio Reference.
AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.8.1 WHQL Drivers
AMD released the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.8.1 WHQL drivers. These are the first WHQL-signed drivers to support Radeon RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56, besides all other Graphics CoreNext based Radeon GPUs. It features optimization for "Quake Champions: Early Access" and "Agents of Mayhem." The drivers also fix stability issues with "Grand Theft Auto V," "Forza Horizon 3," and "Tekken 7." The drivers also iron out issues noted with Enhanced Sync, where online video playback is choppy. Grab the drivers from the link below.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.8.1 WHQL
The change-log follows.
The change-log follows.
Acer Showcases Nitro 5 Spin Notebook With Intel 8th Gen Inside
Intel has just opened the proverbial lid on their 8th Gen "Coffee Lake" family of CPUs, which should bring about a democratization of cores for the masses. Acer has been quick to jump on the 8th Gen bandwagon, by announcing their new Nitro 5 Spin laptop, which brings with it the increased performance and "UHD graphics" of Intel's 8000 series of CPUs.
The Nitro 5 Spin is being marketed as a convertible, gaming-focused laptop, whose 15.6 1920*1080 IPS panel can be rotated to multiple locking positions through a 360º hinge. The gaming part of this laptop seems a little subdued - an NVIDIA GTX 1050 graphics card is confirmed to be on board - while memory configuration, and even the specific Intel 8th Gen processor inside, are still a mystery. The company also said that 802.11ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi will be par of the course for their new offering, and that we should expect this take on Intel's 8th Gen mobility CPUs to be available sometime in October, for a respectable $999.
The Nitro 5 Spin is being marketed as a convertible, gaming-focused laptop, whose 15.6 1920*1080 IPS panel can be rotated to multiple locking positions through a 360º hinge. The gaming part of this laptop seems a little subdued - an NVIDIA GTX 1050 graphics card is confirmed to be on board - while memory configuration, and even the specific Intel 8th Gen processor inside, are still a mystery. The company also said that 802.11ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi will be par of the course for their new offering, and that we should expect this take on Intel's 8th Gen mobility CPUs to be available sometime in October, for a respectable $999.
Intel Stresses on "40% More Performance" for 8th Generation Core Family
Intel today announced its 8th generation Core processor family, with new mainstream desktop (MSDT) processor SKUs. The company is stressing on these chips featuring "40% more performance over the previous-generation," even though the "Coffee Lake" micro-architecture is essentially based on the "Skylake" and "Kaby Lake" architectures. The company is arriving at 40% by across the board increases in core-counts. Quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 SKUs now have 6 cores as opposed to 4 (a 33% multi-threaded performance increase straight off the bat), and the remaining 7% from higher clocks or micro-architecture level incremental updates; while Core i3 now includes quad-core SKUs.
AMD Issues Official Statement on RX Vega 64 Pricing Woes
Update: Related to this story, feast your eyes on Newegg's deal of the day, with a reference, standard Sapphire RX Vega 64 for $689.99 with two "free" games. I don't think I've ever seen such a conturbated launch as this. Also, considering the scope and content of the article, I will be updating the tag for this piece as an Editorial.
There has been somewhat of an uproar in recent times regarding AMD's lack of clarity on pricing of their newly-launched Vega 64. While AMD themselves told reviewers and consumers that their RX Vega graphics cards would be available for $399 (Vega 56) and $499 (Vega 64), recent events have, at the very least, cast some doubts on Vega's supposedly clean-cut pricing. Some popular reviewers and YouTubers have even gone so far as to say they won't be accepting any more samples from AMD due to a perceived slight at the erroneous information provided by the company; when someone reviews and analyses a product based on a fixed price-point advanced by a company, and then that pricing seems to have turned out nothing more than smoke and mirrors... People's work is put out the window.
Now, AMD has come out to put rumors of false Vega pricing announcements to rest. Except the skeptic in me remains, well... skeptic. Here's what AMD has said: "Radeon RX Vega 64 demand continues to exceed expectations. AMD is working closely with its partners to address this demand. Our initial launch quantities included standalone Radeon RX Vega 64 at SEP of $499, Radeon RX Vega 64 Black Packs at SEP of $599, and Radeon RX Vega 64 Aqua Packs at SEP of $699. We are working with our partners to restock all SKUs of Radeon RX Vega 64 including the standalone cards and Gamer Packs over the next few weeks, and you should expect quantities of Vega to start arriving in the coming days."
There has been somewhat of an uproar in recent times regarding AMD's lack of clarity on pricing of their newly-launched Vega 64. While AMD themselves told reviewers and consumers that their RX Vega graphics cards would be available for $399 (Vega 56) and $499 (Vega 64), recent events have, at the very least, cast some doubts on Vega's supposedly clean-cut pricing. Some popular reviewers and YouTubers have even gone so far as to say they won't be accepting any more samples from AMD due to a perceived slight at the erroneous information provided by the company; when someone reviews and analyses a product based on a fixed price-point advanced by a company, and then that pricing seems to have turned out nothing more than smoke and mirrors... People's work is put out the window.
Now, AMD has come out to put rumors of false Vega pricing announcements to rest. Except the skeptic in me remains, well... skeptic. Here's what AMD has said: "Radeon RX Vega 64 demand continues to exceed expectations. AMD is working closely with its partners to address this demand. Our initial launch quantities included standalone Radeon RX Vega 64 at SEP of $499, Radeon RX Vega 64 Black Packs at SEP of $599, and Radeon RX Vega 64 Aqua Packs at SEP of $699. We are working with our partners to restock all SKUs of Radeon RX Vega 64 including the standalone cards and Gamer Packs over the next few weeks, and you should expect quantities of Vega to start arriving in the coming days."
Intel 8th Gen Core i5 and Core i7 Retail Boxes Pictured
Here are the first pictures of the retail boxes of 8th generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The first wave of processors based on Intel's new 14 nm "Coffee Lake" silicon will be 6-core parts in the Core i5 and Core i7 brands, which will be launched on 22 August; with Core i3 following on much later in the year, or even early-2018. The boxes confirm several things about these chips, beginning with the fact that their integrated graphics cores will be branded "Intel UHD Graphics 6xx," and that they will require motherboards based on Intel 300-series chipset, even though their socket is "LGA1151."
There doesn't appear to be a socket key difference between these processors and "Kaby Lake," so it's possible that while 300-series chipset motherboards support older "Kaby Lake" and "Skylake" processors, "Coffee Lake" will only work on 300-series chipset, and not older 200-series or 100-series. Intel making the bold move of branding its new integrated graphics "UHD" could hint at its credentials with hardware-accelerated decoding of new video formats such as 10-bit VP9 at 4K without breaking a sweat; and new display connector standards such as HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.4. The various models that make up the first wave of 8th generation Core i5 and Core i7 desktop processors, are tabled below.
There doesn't appear to be a socket key difference between these processors and "Kaby Lake," so it's possible that while 300-series chipset motherboards support older "Kaby Lake" and "Skylake" processors, "Coffee Lake" will only work on 300-series chipset, and not older 200-series or 100-series. Intel making the bold move of branding its new integrated graphics "UHD" could hint at its credentials with hardware-accelerated decoding of new video formats such as 10-bit VP9 at 4K without breaking a sweat; and new display connector standards such as HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.4. The various models that make up the first wave of 8th generation Core i5 and Core i7 desktop processors, are tabled below.
Zen Meeting Vega in AMD "Raven Ridge" APU Confirmed
It looks like AMD will combine its two latest intellectual properties, the "Zen" CPU micro-architecture, and the "Vega" graphics architecture into a single silicon after all, as reports citing leaked OpenCL tables confirm that the company's upcoming Ryzen "Raven Ridge" APU will feature graphics compute units (CUs) based on the "Vega" architecture. It's becoming increasingly clear, that "Raven Ridge" features a "Zen" CCX unit, and a "Vega" based graphics core with up to 12 NGCUs, making up 768 stream processors. The "Zen" CCX talks to the "Vega" graphics core using Infinity Fabric, the same interconnect used between two CCX units on the "Summit Ridge" silicon, and between two "Summit Ridge" dies on the Ryzen Threadripper MCM.
The "Raven Ridge" silicon will hence feature up to 4 CPU cores, with SMT enabling up to 8 threads, up to 8 MB of L3 cache, a "Vega" based graphics core with up to 12 NGCUs making 768 stream processors, a dual-channel DDR4 integrated memory controller, and the same integrated southbridge as "Summit Ridge," featuring two SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and USB 3.0 ports directly from the SoC. In addition, you get a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 interface for graphics, which can be split into two x8 for 2-way multi-GPU. The OpenCL listings speak about two distinct variants, one with 11 NGCUs, and another with 8. AMD plans to roll out the first "Raven Ridge" based products as Ryzen 5 series and Ryzen 7 series mobile APUs, with a desktop debut a little later.
The "Raven Ridge" silicon will hence feature up to 4 CPU cores, with SMT enabling up to 8 threads, up to 8 MB of L3 cache, a "Vega" based graphics core with up to 12 NGCUs making 768 stream processors, a dual-channel DDR4 integrated memory controller, and the same integrated southbridge as "Summit Ridge," featuring two SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and USB 3.0 ports directly from the SoC. In addition, you get a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 interface for graphics, which can be split into two x8 for 2-way multi-GPU. The OpenCL listings speak about two distinct variants, one with 11 NGCUs, and another with 8. AMD plans to roll out the first "Raven Ridge" based products as Ryzen 5 series and Ryzen 7 series mobile APUs, with a desktop debut a little later.
ADATA Launches the ICFS314 Industrial-Grade CFast 2.0 Card
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products,today launched the industrial-grade ICFS314 CFast storage card. Designed for demanding applications and harsh or high traffic environments, the ICFS314 uses 3D MLC NAND to increase durability and longevity. As a CFast 2.0 product, it delivers data in the SATA III (6Gbps) protocol, capable of 550MB/s read and 520MB/s write (more than twice CFast 1.0 speeds). The ICFS314 consumes just over 2W, making it exceedingly power efficient, and is available in a wide range of capacities from 32GB to 512GB.
The shift to more efficient, higher density, and longer lasting 3D NAND is well under way in SSDs. Enterprise and industrial users now also have the option of benefitting from 3D NAND advantages on CompactFlash/CFast products, such as the ICFS314. Stacked or layered NAND improves on its planar predecessor in every way, from speed to lifespan. The ICFS314 arrives in up to 512GB of meticulously-sorted 3D MLC NAND.
The shift to more efficient, higher density, and longer lasting 3D NAND is well under way in SSDs. Enterprise and industrial users now also have the option of benefitting from 3D NAND advantages on CompactFlash/CFast products, such as the ICFS314. Stacked or layered NAND improves on its planar predecessor in every way, from speed to lifespan. The ICFS314 arrives in up to 512GB of meticulously-sorted 3D MLC NAND.
GIGABYTE Intros Aorus AC300W Mid-tower Case with VR-Link Connectivity
GIGABYTE today introduced the Aorus AC300W, an ATX mid-tower chassis designed for gaming PC builds, which lets you take advantage of the VR-Link feature of some of the recent Aorus-branded graphics cards. The case features a front-panel HDMI 2.0 port, which internally plugs into the VR-Link HDMI port of your Aorus graphics card. The front-panel also features a type-C USB 3.1 port, and two other USB 3.1 type-A ports; besides HDA front-panel audio jacks. The AC300W is made mostly of steel and ABS plastic, with a brushed aluminium-finish front panel, and an acrylic side-panel window. It is studded with RGB LEDs along two front-panel design accents, an Aorus logo, and a second Aorus logo on the bottom compartment cover, visible through the window. These LEDs plug in directly to the RGB LED headers of your motherboard, and can be controlled using GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software.
Under the hood, the AC300W has a horizontal dual-compartment layout which is all the rage, these days. The top compartment holds a standard ATX motherboard with add-on cards as long as 400 mm, and CPU coolers as tall as 170 mm. The bottom compartment holds a PSU up to 180 mm in length, and two 3.5-inch/2.5-inch drive bays. Three additional 2.5-inch drives can be mounted behind the motherboard tray. While the case has 7 expansion slot bays, two additional slots are designed such that you can mount your graphics card vertically, using a PCIe riser (not included). You can mount either three 120 mm or two 140 mm fans along the front panel, two 140 mm fans along the top panel, and a 140 mm fan along the rear panel. The front fan mounts include a detachable dust filter. The company didn't mention pricing.
Under the hood, the AC300W has a horizontal dual-compartment layout which is all the rage, these days. The top compartment holds a standard ATX motherboard with add-on cards as long as 400 mm, and CPU coolers as tall as 170 mm. The bottom compartment holds a PSU up to 180 mm in length, and two 3.5-inch/2.5-inch drive bays. Three additional 2.5-inch drives can be mounted behind the motherboard tray. While the case has 7 expansion slot bays, two additional slots are designed such that you can mount your graphics card vertically, using a PCIe riser (not included). You can mount either three 120 mm or two 140 mm fans along the front panel, two 140 mm fans along the top panel, and a 140 mm fan along the rear panel. The front fan mounts include a detachable dust filter. The company didn't mention pricing.
Four 8th Gen. Core "Coffee Lake" U-series CPU SKUs Surface in Price-lists
Ahead of their unveiling later this week, four Intel Core i5 and Core i7 U-series (ultra-low power) mobile processor SKUs surfaced in Intel's public price-lists. The prices in the list are meant for notebook manufacturers, for each chip purchased in 1,000-unit tray quantities. The specifications of these SKUs put out in the price-list indicate that Intel is keeping up with its drive to increase core-counts across its product-stack, even with TDP as tight as 15W (that's 15W for quad-core chips). The nominal clock speeds of these chips are kept very low, and their Turbo Boost frequencies are kept high, so there's tighter control over when the processor wants to spend power on performance.
The lineup is led by the Core i7-8650U, which is a 4-core/8-thread SKU with a clock speed of 1.90 GHz, and max Turbo Boost over 4.00 GHz; 8 MB of L3 cache, and a price of USD $409. Selling at the same exact price is the i7-8550U, with a slightly lower clock speed of 1.80 GHz, and 4.00 GHz Turbo Boost. The Core i5 lineup, interestingly, is 4-core/8-thread (includes HyperThreading support), even through its L3 cache amount is 6 MB. The i5-8350U ticks at 1.70 GHz, and an unknown Turbo Boost clock, and is priced at $297; while at the same price, the i5-8520U is clocked at 1.60 GHz, with 3.40 GHz Turbo Boost. The four chips will already be up for order in August 2017, and the first finished-products based on these chips could launch by Holiday.
The lineup is led by the Core i7-8650U, which is a 4-core/8-thread SKU with a clock speed of 1.90 GHz, and max Turbo Boost over 4.00 GHz; 8 MB of L3 cache, and a price of USD $409. Selling at the same exact price is the i7-8550U, with a slightly lower clock speed of 1.80 GHz, and 4.00 GHz Turbo Boost. The Core i5 lineup, interestingly, is 4-core/8-thread (includes HyperThreading support), even through its L3 cache amount is 6 MB. The i5-8350U ticks at 1.70 GHz, and an unknown Turbo Boost clock, and is priced at $297; while at the same price, the i5-8520U is clocked at 1.60 GHz, with 3.40 GHz Turbo Boost. The four chips will already be up for order in August 2017, and the first finished-products based on these chips could launch by Holiday.
Sunday, August 20th 2017
ASUS Announces ROG STRIX Radeon RX Vega Series
ASUS today introduced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) STRIX Radeon RX Vega 64 O8G graphics card, among its first (and probably the first) custom-design RX Vega 64 to hit the markets (model: ROG-STRIX-RXVEGA64-O8G-GAMING). The card combines a custom-design PCB by ASUS, with the company's latest generation DirectCU III cooling solution the company deploys on its STRIX GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. The cooler features a heat-pipe direct-contact base, from which the heat-pipes pass through two aluminium fin-stacks on their two ends, which are ventilated by a trio of 100 mm spinners. The fans stay off when the GPU is idling. The cooler features RGB multi-color LED lighting along inserts on the cooler shroud, and an ROG logo on the back-plate.
Moving over to the sparsely populated PCB (thanks in part to AMD's HBM2 move), the card draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors, conditioning it for the GPU with a 13-phase VRM. The O8G variant features factory-overclocked speeds that are close to those of the RX Vega 64 Liquid Edition, although ASUS didn't specify them. There's a "non-O8G" variant that sticks to reference clock speeds, boosting to around 1495-1510 MHz. What ASUS is really selling here is better clock sustainability under load, lower noise, and zero idle-noise; besides all the ROG STRIX bells and whistles. The card also drives two 4-pin PWM case fans in-sync with the cards, like most ROG STRIX graphics cards from this generation. ASUS also rolled out the ROG STRIX RX Vega 56, which features the same exact PCB, and sticks to AMD reference speeds. The company didn't reveal pricing.
Moving over to the sparsely populated PCB (thanks in part to AMD's HBM2 move), the card draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors, conditioning it for the GPU with a 13-phase VRM. The O8G variant features factory-overclocked speeds that are close to those of the RX Vega 64 Liquid Edition, although ASUS didn't specify them. There's a "non-O8G" variant that sticks to reference clock speeds, boosting to around 1495-1510 MHz. What ASUS is really selling here is better clock sustainability under load, lower noise, and zero idle-noise; besides all the ROG STRIX bells and whistles. The card also drives two 4-pin PWM case fans in-sync with the cards, like most ROG STRIX graphics cards from this generation. ASUS also rolled out the ROG STRIX RX Vega 56, which features the same exact PCB, and sticks to AMD reference speeds. The company didn't reveal pricing.
BIOSTAR Offers Intel Crypto Mining Motherboards - Full ethOS Mining OS Support
BIOSTAR proudly announces an exclusive partnership with ethOS, a 64-bit Linux OS; giving miners the simplest possible way to set up a mining rig. This comes as great news for anyone who wanted to dabble with mining, but was not sure how. With the ethOS mining OS, there is no need to install drivers, configure Windows or compile software, while BIOSTAR crypto mining motherboards are tried and tested with the ethOS mining OS, making it as simple as boot and mine. Get ready to collect your Ethereum, Zcash, Monero and many other gpu-minable coins.
BIOSTAR Mining Boards with Intel B250, B85 and H81 Chipsets
BIOSTAR crypto mining motherboards (including previous generation chipsets in B85 and H81) continue to win high praises for easy-to-use, long-term stability under heavy usage and high return on investment. BIOSTAR mining boards with Intel chipsets supports 12 to 6 graphics cards, the models currently available are: BIOSTAR TB250-BTC PRO, BIOSTAR TB250-BTC+, BIOSTAR TB250-BTC, BIOSTAR TB85 and BIOSTAR H81A. Whether you are a pro, mainstream or newbie to mining, one of these will fit the bill.
BIOSTAR Mining Boards with Intel B250, B85 and H81 Chipsets
BIOSTAR crypto mining motherboards (including previous generation chipsets in B85 and H81) continue to win high praises for easy-to-use, long-term stability under heavy usage and high return on investment. BIOSTAR mining boards with Intel chipsets supports 12 to 6 graphics cards, the models currently available are: BIOSTAR TB250-BTC PRO, BIOSTAR TB250-BTC+, BIOSTAR TB250-BTC, BIOSTAR TB85 and BIOSTAR H81A. Whether you are a pro, mainstream or newbie to mining, one of these will fit the bill.
Friday, August 18th 2017
Today's Reviews
Motherboards
Mouse
Networking
Sound Cards
Storage
Tesoro Tuned In-Ear Pro Review
The Tesoro Tuned In Ear Pro headset aims to deliver gaming quality sound, which - as the name suggests - is a soundscape tuned to fit such a scenario best. With a few interesting features, like the aluminum housing or the magnets to hold them together, it will be interesting to "hear" (pun intended) whether they manage to sound better than the competition in the price segment.
Thermaltake Introduces the View 71 Tempered Glass Edition Full Tower Chassis
Designed to expand the legacy of the View Series lineup, the View 71 Tempered Glass Edition Full Tower Chassis features unrivaled cooling support and expandability surrounded in tempered glass for a one of a kind view. Swing open full window tempered glass panels for easy access with all panels properly spaced for optimal airflow. Preinstalled with two 140mm Riing Blue fans, Vertical GPU mount and 3-Way radiator support for today's PC hardware demands, the only limitation is your imagination.
Four-Sided 5mm Thick Tempered Glass Panels with Swing Door Design
Premium-quality 5mm thick tempered glass guarantees the durability of the window and adds overall strength to the chassis. Swing Doors on either side allows users to demonstrate their DIY spirit and enjoy the ultimate internal component visibility. Take on easy to install building with a fully modular design and easy removal of swing door for full access.
Four-Sided 5mm Thick Tempered Glass Panels with Swing Door Design
Premium-quality 5mm thick tempered glass guarantees the durability of the window and adds overall strength to the chassis. Swing Doors on either side allows users to demonstrate their DIY spirit and enjoy the ultimate internal component visibility. Take on easy to install building with a fully modular design and easy removal of swing door for full access.
EK Water Blocks Releases Monoblock for Gigabyte Aorus X299 Lineup
EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer is still dictating the pace as they are releasing their third LGA-2066 socket based monoblock made to fit several GIGABYTE X299 motherboards. The EK-FB GA X299 GAMING RGB Monoblock has an integrated 3-pin Digital RGB LED strip which makes it compatible with GIGABYTE Fusion, thus offering a full lighting customization experience!
EK-FB GA X299 GAMING RGB Monoblock
This is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for five GIGABYTE Intel X299 Chipset based motherboards that support new Intel Core X-series LGA-2066 socket processors. This monoblock is compatible with the following GIGABYTE motherboards:
EK-FB GA X299 GAMING RGB Monoblock
This is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for five GIGABYTE Intel X299 Chipset based motherboards that support new Intel Core X-series LGA-2066 socket processors. This monoblock is compatible with the following GIGABYTE motherboards:
- GIGABYTE X299 Aorus Gaming 3 (rev.1.0)
- GIGABYTE X299 Aorus Gaming 7 (rev.1.0)
- GIGABYTE X299 Aorus Gaming 9 (rev.1.0)
- GIGABYTE X299 Aorus Ultra Gaming (rev.1.0)
- GIGABYTE X299 UD4 (rev.1.0)
Sharkoon Announces the TG5 ATX PC Case with Transparent Glass Front
With the TG5 ATX PC case, Sharkoon introduces a gaudy Midi tower with the front and one side panel made from tempered glass, which is available in four different color versions and pre-installed with color matching 120 mm LED fans from the factory.
With the cable management system and cable terminals, all cabling can be concealed between the mainboard and the non-window side panel. The power supply as well as up to three 3.5" hard drives can be installed within the tunnel, which contains ventilation slots, on the bottom of the case.
With the cable management system and cable terminals, all cabling can be concealed between the mainboard and the non-window side panel. The power supply as well as up to three 3.5" hard drives can be installed within the tunnel, which contains ventilation slots, on the bottom of the case.
Tech Community Mourns Tom's Hardware's Bruno Gulotta, Victim in Barcelona
Recent events in Barcelona have brought the world's attention to that Spanish city known for Gaudí's masterpieces. It's not uncommon for us to process information on an event like this, mourn in the moment, and quickly forget that something happened. This is normal, human behavior - our own empathy can only take and handle so much. If it were not so, if we were nothing else but a sponge to suffering and empathy and the world's injustices, we'd have no way to cope with the reality we live in. However, we usually need only a slight link to an event for it to be that much real for us.
This time, the life of one of our own technology news community has been taken, alongside at least 13 others. Bruno Gulotta, Marketing and Sales Manager for Tom's Hardware, fell victim to the crime, leaving behind his companion, Martina, and two sons. In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Barcelona's tourist focal point Las Ramblas, at least 100 other people were left injured. While we here at TechPowerUp didn't know Bruno Gulotta personally, we don't need to. This event is sufficiently real for us, as a technology news community, to feel it hitting close to home. When anonymity is removed, empathy is given permission to thrive, and empathy is one of the only ways we have of honoring the loss of life. Our mournful sorrow goes to Bruno Gulotta's family and friends, as well as Tom's Hardware. If you wish to lift the veil on Bruno, and keep him from the anonimity of being a number on a terrorist attack, go on to Tom's Hardware's beautifully written article, celebrating the life and contributions of a dear colleague.
This time, the life of one of our own technology news community has been taken, alongside at least 13 others. Bruno Gulotta, Marketing and Sales Manager for Tom's Hardware, fell victim to the crime, leaving behind his companion, Martina, and two sons. In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Barcelona's tourist focal point Las Ramblas, at least 100 other people were left injured. While we here at TechPowerUp didn't know Bruno Gulotta personally, we don't need to. This event is sufficiently real for us, as a technology news community, to feel it hitting close to home. When anonymity is removed, empathy is given permission to thrive, and empathy is one of the only ways we have of honoring the loss of life. Our mournful sorrow goes to Bruno Gulotta's family and friends, as well as Tom's Hardware. If you wish to lift the veil on Bruno, and keep him from the anonimity of being a number on a terrorist attack, go on to Tom's Hardware's beautifully written article, celebrating the life and contributions of a dear colleague.
Colorful Adds Four Cards Into Its iGame Vulcan X Family
Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, introduced iGame GTX1080Ti Vulcan X OC in May, and got much more attentions from both China and aboard. Then COLORFUL adds four new modules into iGame Vulcan X series including of GTX1080Ti, GTX1080, GTX1070 and GTX1060 chips, taking the same design shape with the flagship iGame GTX1080Ti Vulcan X OC that also equips with iGame-Status Monitor.
iGame Vulcan X series cards feature iGame-Status Monitor which indicates GPU load automatically, and shows fan speed, core frequency, core temperature as well as memory usage. The load line on its top shows memory usage and load by three colors spaces the same as car's dashboard.
iGame Vulcan X series cards feature iGame-Status Monitor which indicates GPU load automatically, and shows fan speed, core frequency, core temperature as well as memory usage. The load line on its top shows memory usage and load by three colors spaces the same as car's dashboard.
Thursday, August 17th 2017
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Notebooks
Processors
Corsair K68 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
The Corsair K68 is a full size mechanical keyboard featuring genuine Cherry MX Red switches, full keyboard backlighting, support for their powerful Corsair Utility Engine software driver, and IP32 rated dust and spill resistance - all at a sub-$100 price point.
Alphacool Intros HDX5 Cooled M.2 RAID Add-on Card
The Alphacool HDX-5 is a combination of a RAID controller card and a massive cooler. It has two slots for M.2 SATA SSDs and two additional SATA slots, allowing you to set up a RAID 0 or 1 group. The PCI-Express 3.0 x4 card also provides a bandwidth of up to 3900 MB/s.
The new generation of HDX coolers from Alphacool is getting another addition. The HDX-5 is not just a cooler, but also lets you run a RAID 0 or 1 group. It boasts two M.2 SATA SSD slots and two classic SATA slots. The combination possibilities are considerable, since you can set up a RAID group over one M.2 SATA SSD and one normal SATA drive, or connect just the M.2 slots to form a RAID group. That leaves the classic SATA slots free to be used for normal connections.
The new generation of HDX coolers from Alphacool is getting another addition. The HDX-5 is not just a cooler, but also lets you run a RAID 0 or 1 group. It boasts two M.2 SATA SSD slots and two classic SATA slots. The combination possibilities are considerable, since you can set up a RAID group over one M.2 SATA SSD and one normal SATA drive, or connect just the M.2 slots to form a RAID group. That leaves the classic SATA slots free to be used for normal connections.
Ashes of the Singularity Update Adds Vulkan Support with Latest Beta
Ashes of the Singularity is one of those games that has always been in the forefront of the latest graphics technologies. One of the first games to support Microsoft's DX12 and async compute, and in receiving a Ryzen-optimized performance patch, the game is routinely used as a benchmark tool not only for graphics solutions, but also CPU benchmarks.
Now, Oxide Games has announced Ashes of The Singularity will feature support for the Vulkan renderer, which will be welcome news for users who don't want to upgrade to Windows 10, but don't want to live without low-level performance optimization in their games. The new Vulkan render path is still a beta feature, which you must enable through your Steam account. Just right click Ashes of the Singularity on your Steam library, hit "Properties", and activate the 2.4 opt-in in the beta features tab.
Now, Oxide Games has announced Ashes of The Singularity will feature support for the Vulkan renderer, which will be welcome news for users who don't want to upgrade to Windows 10, but don't want to live without low-level performance optimization in their games. The new Vulkan render path is still a beta feature, which you must enable through your Steam account. Just right click Ashes of the Singularity on your Steam library, hit "Properties", and activate the 2.4 opt-in in the beta features tab.
Intel to Launch B360 Motherboard Chipset Following AMD Coup on B350
Naming schemes are pretty interesting nowadays, with AMD firing some warning shots across Intel's bow with their X399 HEDT chipset (thus superseding Intel's X299 by a whole hundred.) This may seem like nothing, and it actually should be nothing; naming schemes are not to be considered indicative of actual performance, especially in regards to competing companies' products. However, as we all know, there is power in numbers. Namely, there is power in bigger numbers, as an i7 will be above an i5, and a Ryzen 7 will be above a Ryzen 3.
AMD threw a curve ball towards Intel with their B350 chipset, which stands in the way of Intel's own historical nomenclature (after the B150 and B250 chipsets from Intel, a B350 would surely follow.) Now, reports say Intel will be upping AMD by releasing a B360 chipset, thus regaining footing in the "bigger is better" battle of wits over consumer's hearts. My Drivers, the source of the information, goes on to say that these chipsets won't be released in 2017 (only Intel's Z370 chipset is expected this year), and that despite using the same socket, Intel's Coffee Lake won't be a drop-in upgrade for Z170 and Z270 platforms, since Intel "changed the alignment of the design." This information had already been advanced by a motherboard maker's social media channel as well.
AMD threw a curve ball towards Intel with their B350 chipset, which stands in the way of Intel's own historical nomenclature (after the B150 and B250 chipsets from Intel, a B350 would surely follow.) Now, reports say Intel will be upping AMD by releasing a B360 chipset, thus regaining footing in the "bigger is better" battle of wits over consumer's hearts. My Drivers, the source of the information, goes on to say that these chipsets won't be released in 2017 (only Intel's Z370 chipset is expected this year), and that despite using the same socket, Intel's Coffee Lake won't be a drop-in upgrade for Z170 and Z270 platforms, since Intel "changed the alignment of the design." This information had already been advanced by a motherboard maker's social media channel as well.
GALAX HOF Extreme Limited Edition Chrome-Plated DDR4 Modules Now Available
GALAX has seemingly found itself in a profitable market position with its products marketed for the premium enthusiast, with their (perspective depending) bold good looks and out of the ordinary propositions for new products. Now, the company has announced an extremely limited edition kit (really; there are just 50 of these) of DDR4 memory, aptly named the HOF Extreme Limited Edition. The "Extreme Performance" engraving on the aluminum heat spreaders serves as a psychological reminder for the kits that they just "gotta go fast", and should put to rest concerns regarding memory performance.
Under the heatspreaders rest handpicked Samsung B-die chips, which should guarantee better performance and stability compared to other memory dies (particularly in the AMD Ryzen platform). The modules are available for direct purchase from the GALAX store, and the company is currently offering a 20% discount for users who have previously acquired one of the company's GALAX GTX 1080Ti OC Lab Edition. The kits are available in 16 GB (2x 8GB) dual-channel pairs, and orders will receive free shipping with an estimated shipping date towards the end of the month. The kits run at particularly impressive speeds of 4133MHz, with CL 19-21-21-41 timings, at 1.35V. Pricing is slightly less limited in this product, though; a dual-channel kit will set you back some $368 (around $294 if you have previously bought the OC Lab Edition GTX 1080 Ti.)
Under the heatspreaders rest handpicked Samsung B-die chips, which should guarantee better performance and stability compared to other memory dies (particularly in the AMD Ryzen platform). The modules are available for direct purchase from the GALAX store, and the company is currently offering a 20% discount for users who have previously acquired one of the company's GALAX GTX 1080Ti OC Lab Edition. The kits are available in 16 GB (2x 8GB) dual-channel pairs, and orders will receive free shipping with an estimated shipping date towards the end of the month. The kits run at particularly impressive speeds of 4133MHz, with CL 19-21-21-41 timings, at 1.35V. Pricing is slightly less limited in this product, though; a dual-channel kit will set you back some $368 (around $294 if you have previously bought the OC Lab Edition GTX 1080 Ti.)
MSI Announces Availability of Their "Infinite A" Gaming Desktop
The previously announced Infinite A gaming desktop from MSI is now officially shipping to consumers, retailers and etailers worldwide, with a wide choice of configuration being available for users who know exactly what they want (from MSI's portfolio of products, naturally.) The desktop is built around a custom-designed chassis by MSI, which incorporates RGB LED elements (controlled by MSI's Mystic Light RGB software), along with a standoffish, tempered glass side panel.
MSI says the Infinite A is infinitely upgradeable, which I guess is true of most ATX cases. The vertical GPU mount is surely a distinguishing feature, though MSI seems to have found that the perfect solution for correct cooling of the graphics card was the usage of standoffs in the tempered glass panel, which seem a little impractical in dusty environments. There goes the benefit of all those dust filters in your case! The Infinite A desktop is available now directly from MSI and other etailers; luckily, pricing isn't infinite, as the base Infinite A starts at $1,299 and goes up to $1,999 according to the chosen configuration.
MSI says the Infinite A is infinitely upgradeable, which I guess is true of most ATX cases. The vertical GPU mount is surely a distinguishing feature, though MSI seems to have found that the perfect solution for correct cooling of the graphics card was the usage of standoffs in the tempered glass panel, which seem a little impractical in dusty environments. There goes the benefit of all those dust filters in your case! The Infinite A desktop is available now directly from MSI and other etailers; luckily, pricing isn't infinite, as the base Infinite A starts at $1,299 and goes up to $1,999 according to the chosen configuration.
Alphacool Presents the Eisblock Flatboy Waterblock for Socket TR4 Systems
Alphacool has been growing their product portfolio immensely as of late, and now, the company is teasing the Eisblock Flatboy, the company's specifically-designed waterblock for AMD's Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. Threadripper CPUs have one of the biggest surface areas ever encountered in a consumer processor; because of that, not all cooling solutions are appropriate to cool the up-to 16 cores and 32 threads monsters, with a higher surface area than normal being needed.
Still in the prototype phase, the Eisblock Flatboy integrates a reverse, silent flow pump system, like the company has already introduced on their Eiswolf product. The prototype as is seems to obstruct clearance for the rightmost DIMM slot to the left of the CPU socket, which shouldn't pose a problem for some people, but would be an extremely sore point for prospective buyers should that design decision overflow towards the final version.
Still in the prototype phase, the Eisblock Flatboy integrates a reverse, silent flow pump system, like the company has already introduced on their Eiswolf product. The prototype as is seems to obstruct clearance for the rightmost DIMM slot to the left of the CPU socket, which shouldn't pose a problem for some people, but would be an extremely sore point for prospective buyers should that design decision overflow towards the final version.
Scythe Announces Kaze Flex 120 Premium Fan Series
Japanese cooling expert Scythe adds the new premium-grade Kaze Flex 120 mm case fan series to its portfolio. The Kaze Flex PWM fan had its debut with the award-winning Mugen 5 CPU Cooler followed by today's release of a whole line-up of 5 models. The new line-up is featuring two PWM models with a dynamic fan speed range as well as three regular models with constant speeds. Thanks to the unique Sealed Precision FDB bearing, all Kaze Flex 120 mm case fans assure excellent quietness and very long life span of 120.000 hours. The fans are equipped with an integrated anti-vibration system, which is made of shock absorbing rubber pads in the corners of the frame in order to prevent the transfer of vibration. It is thanks to these advantages, that Kaze Flex 120 series is well suited to be used as either a reliable case fan or versatile companion for a CPU Cooler.
Scythe offers two Kaze Flex 120 PWM models with a dynamic fan speed range, which can be controlled using the motherboards PWM fan controller. The model SU1225FD12M-RHP suits the most purposes thanks to its wide fan speed range from 300 to 1.200 RPM. It is the exact same model as the one supplied with the award-winning Mugen 5 CPU Cooler. Users seeking a reliable and really silent fan are going to love the model SU1225FD12L-RDP due to its narrow PWM bandwidth of 300 to 800 RPM, which allows it to operate at incredibly low noise levels from 4 to 14,5 dBA. The regular Kaze Flex 120 mm case fans are divided into 3 models and tweaked for different fields of application. Maximum airflow for power-users reaching 89,04 CFM (151 m³/h) at 2.000 RPM is assured by the SU1225FD12H-RP model, whereas steady airflow at almost inaudible 14,5 dBA is covered by the 800 RPM model (SU1225FD12L-RD). In between these two versions is the all-rounder SU1225FD12M-RH, which runs at 1.200 RPM.
Scythe offers two Kaze Flex 120 PWM models with a dynamic fan speed range, which can be controlled using the motherboards PWM fan controller. The model SU1225FD12M-RHP suits the most purposes thanks to its wide fan speed range from 300 to 1.200 RPM. It is the exact same model as the one supplied with the award-winning Mugen 5 CPU Cooler. Users seeking a reliable and really silent fan are going to love the model SU1225FD12L-RDP due to its narrow PWM bandwidth of 300 to 800 RPM, which allows it to operate at incredibly low noise levels from 4 to 14,5 dBA. The regular Kaze Flex 120 mm case fans are divided into 3 models and tweaked for different fields of application. Maximum airflow for power-users reaching 89,04 CFM (151 m³/h) at 2.000 RPM is assured by the SU1225FD12H-RP model, whereas steady airflow at almost inaudible 14,5 dBA is covered by the 800 RPM model (SU1225FD12L-RD). In between these two versions is the all-rounder SU1225FD12M-RH, which runs at 1.200 RPM.
XILENCE Announces the Performance X Series Power Supplies
Xilence, specialist in cooling, power supply and noise reduction of PCs and notebooks, is introducing its all-new Performance X power supply series. The new series features everything a demanding gamer would expect from a reliable power supply. Available in four models ranging from 550 watts to 850 watts, Performance X boasts high efficiency, stable output, a silent and durable fan design and a full suite of protection circuits, all at low purchase cost.
Performance X reaches extremely stable voltage on all rails thanks to its DC/DC technology. This method transforms alternating current into 12-volt direct current, generating the required 5-volt and 3.3-volt rails, and resulting in stable output values even under cross load conditions. An LLC resonant converter is also built in to further boost efficiency, especially at high output power levels while significantly reducing switching loss. Thanks to its cutting-edge technologies, Performance X reaches an efficiency factor of up to 92 percent and an 80PLUS Gold 230V EU rating. The power supply series meets all ErP2014 standards, including stand-by power of under 0.25 watts and an ecoPSU rating of 91 points, suggesting extremely economical operations that well exceed European targets.
Performance X reaches extremely stable voltage on all rails thanks to its DC/DC technology. This method transforms alternating current into 12-volt direct current, generating the required 5-volt and 3.3-volt rails, and resulting in stable output values even under cross load conditions. An LLC resonant converter is also built in to further boost efficiency, especially at high output power levels while significantly reducing switching loss. Thanks to its cutting-edge technologies, Performance X reaches an efficiency factor of up to 92 percent and an 80PLUS Gold 230V EU rating. The power supply series meets all ErP2014 standards, including stand-by power of under 0.25 watts and an ecoPSU rating of 91 points, suggesting extremely economical operations that well exceed European targets.
Intel Core "Coffee Lake" Lineup Specs Confirmed in Leaked Distributor Event
Intel recently concluded an event intended for local distributors in China, a key presentation slide of which was snapped and posted online. The slide confirms the company's product-stack for the mainstream desktop platform, and its augmentation with the first wave of 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" SKUs. The slide also confirms that Intel will be replacing current Core i7 4-core/8-thread SKUs with Core i7 6-core/12-thread ones; Core i5 4-core/4-thread SKUs with 6-core/6-thread ones, and Core i3 2-core/4-thread SKUs with 4-core/4-thread ones, marking the biggest fundamental update to the product stack since the Core MSDT family started out a decade ago, with the Core "Lynnfield" and "Clarkdale" processors.
The slide further describes per-core performance increases ranging between 11-29 percent owing to higher clock-speeds and a slightly newer micro-architecture, and 51-65 percent increases in multi-threaded performance owing to the increasing core-counts across the board. While these SKUs are expected to logically replace the various Core "Kaby Lake" SKUs from their current price-points, there could be a tiny price increase, across the board, which Intel could justify using the higher core-counts.
The slide further describes per-core performance increases ranging between 11-29 percent owing to higher clock-speeds and a slightly newer micro-architecture, and 51-65 percent increases in multi-threaded performance owing to the increasing core-counts across the board. While these SKUs are expected to logically replace the various Core "Kaby Lake" SKUs from their current price-points, there could be a tiny price increase, across the board, which Intel could justify using the higher core-counts.
Shuttle Announces 3-litre PC with Slot for PCIe x16 Expansion Cards
The first 3-litre PC from Shuttle with a fully-fledged PCI Express x16 3.0 slot virtually spells the end of limitations. This is because almost any expansion card can now be fitted in the Mini-PC, which is only around 7 cm high. Computing power is delivered by new Intel Core processors of the 7th generation and the latest of storage and drive technology.
The XH110G model from the XPC slim category is a compact barebones PC in a 25 x 20 x 7.85 cm (DWH) format. Its mainboard with an Intel H110 chipset can accommodate up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory and Intel processors (LGA1151) with up to 65 W of TDP. Two M.2 slots, one being M.2-2280 and one M.2-2230, may for example accommodate an NVMe SSD and a WLAN module - or also lots of other commercially available M.2 add-on cards.
The XH110G model from the XPC slim category is a compact barebones PC in a 25 x 20 x 7.85 cm (DWH) format. Its mainboard with an Intel H110 chipset can accommodate up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory and Intel processors (LGA1151) with up to 65 W of TDP. Two M.2 slots, one being M.2-2280 and one M.2-2230, may for example accommodate an NVMe SSD and a WLAN module - or also lots of other commercially available M.2 add-on cards.
Noctua Introduces Automotive-compliant 24V IndustrialPPC Fans
Noctua today updated its range of ruggedised 24V industrialPPC fans. Using the novel NE-FD4 motor driver IC that complies with the Automotive Electronics Council's highly rigorous AEC-Q100 failure-mechanism-based stress test qualification, the new Q100 revision NF-F12 (120mm) and NF-A14 (140mm) models complement the industrialPPC line's signature rigidity and IP67 ingress protection with extreme electrical robustness and sophisticated inrush current suppression. This makes them ideal not only for automotive applications but also for use in hostile or sensitive electronic environments.
"With its highly rigid polyamide construction and IP67-class water and dust protection, the industrialPPC line has opened up a wealth of new industrial markets for us since its introduction in 2014," explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "True to the industrialPPC's tagline of 'Protected Performance Cooling', we have now also toughened up these fans from an electronics point of view so that they are equally well protected against environmental and electrical hazards."
"With its highly rigid polyamide construction and IP67-class water and dust protection, the industrialPPC line has opened up a wealth of new industrial markets for us since its introduction in 2014," explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "True to the industrialPPC's tagline of 'Protected Performance Cooling', we have now also toughened up these fans from an electronics point of view so that they are equally well protected against environmental and electrical hazards."
Wednesday, August 16th 2017
Today's Reviews
Headphones
Motherboards
Notebooks
Alphacool Intros AMD Socket TR4 Retention Brackets
Alphacool will soon be offering brackets fitted for the Alphacool Eisblock XPX and the Alphacool Eisbaer CPU AIO series. Both coolers were designed for large DIE surfaces from the beginning and provide an ideal foundation for a water cooling system on the new AMD Threadripper CPUs.
Additionally, Alphacool plans to release a special cooler later this year that is specifically made for CPUs with an extremely large DIE surface and multiple cores: The Alphacool Eisblock Flatboy. This extremely flat CPU cooler was originally designed for server systems. Because of this, it has connection points not just on its surface, but also on its sides. The side connections make the Flatboy very flat, making it easy to install in the flat casing of a 19" server rack.
Additionally, Alphacool plans to release a special cooler later this year that is specifically made for CPUs with an extremely large DIE surface and multiple cores: The Alphacool Eisblock Flatboy. This extremely flat CPU cooler was originally designed for server systems. Because of this, it has connection points not just on its surface, but also on its sides. The side connections make the Flatboy very flat, making it easy to install in the flat casing of a 19" server rack.
ViewSonic Announces VP2785-4K 27-inch Ultra HD Monitor
ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solution products, introduces the VP2785-4K, a 27-inch 4K UHD (3840x2160) monitor that delivers precise and consistent color representation and performance to ensure incredible image quality. Built to deliver unmatched color accuracy for professional color-critical applications, the ViewSonic VP2785-4K ensures vibrant and intense color reproduction, making this monitor the perfect display solution for photographers, video and content producers and editors.
The ViewSonic VP2785-4K offers 4K UHD resolution, a wide color gamut and consistent performance with 99 percent Adobe RGB and 98 percent DCI-P3 colors and factory calibration to achieve Delta E <2 across multiple color spaces. Hardware calibration capability allows users to ensure best-in-class color accuracy, while the built-in uniformity function guarantees screen consistency. With USB 3.1 Type C, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort 2.1 connectivity options, the VP2785-4K can be used with a variety of external devices. The HDCP 2.2 input provides content protection for 4K content playback, streaming and gaming.
The ViewSonic VP2785-4K offers 4K UHD resolution, a wide color gamut and consistent performance with 99 percent Adobe RGB and 98 percent DCI-P3 colors and factory calibration to achieve Delta E <2 across multiple color spaces. Hardware calibration capability allows users to ensure best-in-class color accuracy, while the built-in uniformity function guarantees screen consistency. With USB 3.1 Type C, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort 2.1 connectivity options, the VP2785-4K can be used with a variety of external devices. The HDCP 2.2 input provides content protection for 4K content playback, streaming and gaming.
Alphacool Intros Eiswolf GPX-Pro ATI RX Vega and the NexXxoS GPX for RX Vega
ATI RX Vega cooler, Alphacool has the perfect cooling solutions for the start of the new AMD Vega graphics card generation. The NexXxoS GPX Vega Version now offers an improved backplate with a side shield to cover the PCB. This also improves its cooling performance, since heat is distributed more evenly over the front connection. If you use a graphics card with a NexXxoS GPX cooler and want to switch over to an AMD Vega, you'll be happy to hear about the corresponding upgrade kits for your cooler.
The Eiswolf GPX-Pro will still be an AIO solution, and will still come pre-filled with an integrated pump built around new "reverse flow" technology for whisper-quiet operation. The pure copper radiator from the well-known NexXxoS series with 120mm and a thickness of 45mm provides outstanding cooling performance.
The Eiswolf GPX-Pro will still be an AIO solution, and will still come pre-filled with an integrated pump built around new "reverse flow" technology for whisper-quiet operation. The pure copper radiator from the well-known NexXxoS series with 120mm and a thickness of 45mm provides outstanding cooling performance.
IBM Research Achieves Breakthrough in Magnetic Storage: Enabling a 330TB Tape
IBM Research scientists have achieved a new world record in tape storage - their fifth since 2006. The new record of 201 Gb/in2 (gigabits per square inch) in areal density was achieved on a prototype sputtered magnetic tape developed by Sony Storage Media Solutions. The scientists presented the achievement today at the 28th Magnetic Recording Conference (TMRC 2017) here.
Tape storage is currently the most secure, energy efficient and cost-effective solution for storing enormous amounts of back-up and archival data, as well as for new applications such as Big Data and cloud computing. This new record areal recording density is more than 20 times the areal density used in current state of the art commercial tape drives such as the IBM TS1155 enterprise tape drive, and it enables the potential to record up to about 330 terabytes (TB) of uncompressed data on a single tape cartridge that would fit in the palm of your hand. 330 terabytes of data are comparable to the text of 330 million books, which would fill a bookshelf that stretches slightly beyond the northeastern to the southwestern most tips of Japan.
Tape storage is currently the most secure, energy efficient and cost-effective solution for storing enormous amounts of back-up and archival data, as well as for new applications such as Big Data and cloud computing. This new record areal recording density is more than 20 times the areal density used in current state of the art commercial tape drives such as the IBM TS1155 enterprise tape drive, and it enables the potential to record up to about 330 terabytes (TB) of uncompressed data on a single tape cartridge that would fit in the palm of your hand. 330 terabytes of data are comparable to the text of 330 million books, which would fill a bookshelf that stretches slightly beyond the northeastern to the southwestern most tips of Japan.
Phanteks Announces Enthoo Evolv ITX Tempered Glass Edition
Phanteks introduces the latest variant to the EVOLV Series, the EVOLV ITX Tempered Glass Edition. Big on features and small in size, the EVOLV ITX is a budget oriented chassis that uses a metal exterior, complemented with a tempered glass side panel to showcase all your hardware components.
The case introduces innovative features for a convenient installation experience in an ITX enclosure, such as a unique bracket solution for mounting a radiator on top and a multifunctional bracket for reservoir, pump, and SSD/HDD. Available in Black, Black/Red and White.
The case introduces innovative features for a convenient installation experience in an ITX enclosure, such as a unique bracket solution for mounting a radiator on top and a multifunctional bracket for reservoir, pump, and SSD/HDD. Available in Black, Black/Red and White.
Graphics Memory Prices Surge 30% in August, Could Affect Graphics Card Prices
The DRAM industry is experiencing an acute shortage of various classes of GDDR memory (graphics DDR), which could affect graphics card prices come Holiday. Supplier quotes for various graphics memory components have risen by as much as 30.8% in August, from an average of USD $6.50 in July, to $8.50. Top graphics memory suppliers Samsung and SK Hynix have committed a bulk of their inventories to manufacturers of servers and mobile handsets, which triggered the price rally. Samsung is the largest supplier of graphics memory, with a 55 percent market-share, followed by SK Hynix at 35 percent, and Micron Technology at 10 percent.
GALAX Announces GPU Overclocking Products - Power Board and LN2 Memory Pot
GALAX is apparently on the verge of launching two GPU overclocking-specific products, materialized in the HOF Power Board and an LN2 memory pot kit. Built to increase overclockability in your graphics card of choice, the GALAX power board will allow you to feed the GPU with way more power than it is designed to receive - provided you have decent cooling for the increased temperatures and operating voltages. And with the caveat of whether or not your GPU manufacturer of choice allows such changes in voltage.
Silicon Motion Expands its Portfolio of PCIe NVMe SSD Controller Solutions
Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, announced the availability of the industry's broadest portfolio of merchant turnkey SSD (solid state disk) controller solutions, including the new ultra-high speed SM2262EN and SM2262 for client, the SM2263 for mainstream and the SM2263XT DRAM-less controller, which supports the BGA form factor.
With the new SM2262 and SM2263 series, Silicon Motion provides PCIe G3 x 4 Lanes NVMe 1.3 controllers while supporting the latest 3D NAND from the main flash manufacturers. The SM2262EN, an ultra-high performance SSD controller solution, delivers peak sequential read and write transfer speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s and 3,000 MB/s, respectively, and random read and write IOPS of up to 370,000 and 300,000. The SM2263 is targeted at mainstream client applications and features sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,400 MB/s and 1,700 MB/s respectively. The SM2263XT, a DRAM-less controller solution, reduces BOM cost and form factor without compromising performance while enabling 11.5mmx13mm BGA SSDs ideally suited for 2-in-1 systems, chromebooks and mobile devices.
With the new SM2262 and SM2263 series, Silicon Motion provides PCIe G3 x 4 Lanes NVMe 1.3 controllers while supporting the latest 3D NAND from the main flash manufacturers. The SM2262EN, an ultra-high performance SSD controller solution, delivers peak sequential read and write transfer speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s and 3,000 MB/s, respectively, and random read and write IOPS of up to 370,000 and 300,000. The SM2263 is targeted at mainstream client applications and features sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,400 MB/s and 1,700 MB/s respectively. The SM2263XT, a DRAM-less controller solution, reduces BOM cost and form factor without compromising performance while enabling 11.5mmx13mm BGA SSDs ideally suited for 2-in-1 systems, chromebooks and mobile devices.
Razer Launches the Atheris Wireless Notebook Mouse
Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Atheris, the ultimate wireless notebook mouse with the world's longest-lasting battery life and lag-free wireless gaming-grade performance. Designed for mobile work and play to outlast any competition, the Razer Atheris offers up to 350 hours of continuous use on a single pair of AA batteries, providing power for even the most enduring boardroom meetings or intense gaming sessions.
The Razer Atheris is equipped with Razer's proprietary wireless Adaptive Frequency Technology (AFT) providing industry-leading transmission for the most reliable, stable connection. AFT is enabled through a compact USB dongle that stores away conveniently in the mouse, and Bluetooth LE connectivity is also available for devices without a USB port.
The Razer Atheris is equipped with Razer's proprietary wireless Adaptive Frequency Technology (AFT) providing industry-leading transmission for the most reliable, stable connection. AFT is enabled through a compact USB dongle that stores away conveniently in the mouse, and Bluetooth LE connectivity is also available for devices without a USB port.
AMD Releases Beta Driver Specifically Geared for Blockchain Compute
Paraphrasing our own VSG, "So, this happened". AMD has gone out and done it: they've released a Beta driver specifically geared towards blockchain-based workloads, which should improve the company's GPU performance in generating money for miners. The driver is compatible with close to the entirety of AMD's GCN lineup - all the way from hot-from-the-foundry Vega to AMD's HD 7900 series. As AMD puts it, this is a driver solely purposed towards blockchain workloads - no gaming or graphics workloads (read, what graphics cards were originally meant to do) are officially supported in this release.
Apparently, AMD took it upon themselves to release this driver due to AMD's well documented DAG performance decrease for Ethereum mining hashrates. Specifically, according to Legit Reviews, the Radeon RX 480 went from an expected 14.8 MH/s at DAG #199 (down from 24.6 MH/s at DAG #130) to a prospective 24.8 MH/s DAG #199 performance according to Claymore's benchmark script. Performance improvements from the non-blockchain-geared driver release seem to stand at around 10-15%, which isn't too shabby from a single, Beta driver release.
Apparently, AMD took it upon themselves to release this driver due to AMD's well documented DAG performance decrease for Ethereum mining hashrates. Specifically, according to Legit Reviews, the Radeon RX 480 went from an expected 14.8 MH/s at DAG #199 (down from 24.6 MH/s at DAG #130) to a prospective 24.8 MH/s DAG #199 performance according to Claymore's benchmark script. Performance improvements from the non-blockchain-geared driver release seem to stand at around 10-15%, which isn't too shabby from a single, Beta driver release.
Lian Li Announces PC-Q39 Tempered Glass Mini-ITX Tower
Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd is delighted to present the new PC-Q39 WX Mini-ITX mini tower chassis. The PC-Q39 is an evolution of the PC-Q37 and allows the use of ATX power supplies as well as triple slot graphics cards in a mini-ITX chassis. Internally, dedicated grommets for liquid cooling tubing have been placed in order to move reservoir and pumps to the wider secondary chamber. This enables motherboard, graphics card, and other main components to shine behind the tempered glass panel. Furthermore, the front panel has been upgraded and now features an USB 3.1 Type-C connector.
The PC-Q39 continues the traditional Lian Li design with dual chambers for extremely clean builds. The main compartment houses the Mini-ITX motherboard and graphics cards up to 320mm in length, while the second compartment has a tool-less drive rack for two 3.5" and one 2.5" drives, there is another one 2.5"in the back, and one on the motherboard tray, totally three 2.5" drives. An ATX PSU up to 160mm in length and optional liquid cooling reservoir or pump. Two grommet holes in the motherboard allow liquid cooling tubing to pass between chambers. Five holes in the motherboard tray allow cabling to pass from the main to the secondary chamber for clean designs.
The PC-Q39 continues the traditional Lian Li design with dual chambers for extremely clean builds. The main compartment houses the Mini-ITX motherboard and graphics cards up to 320mm in length, while the second compartment has a tool-less drive rack for two 3.5" and one 2.5" drives, there is another one 2.5"in the back, and one on the motherboard tray, totally three 2.5" drives. An ATX PSU up to 160mm in length and optional liquid cooling reservoir or pump. Two grommet holes in the motherboard allow liquid cooling tubing to pass between chambers. Five holes in the motherboard tray allow cabling to pass from the main to the secondary chamber for clean designs.
SteelSeries Announces Apex M750 Gaming Keyboard
SteelSeries announced the APEX M750, the 'complete package' mechanical keyboard, delivering durability in a beautifully simplified package. The M750 brings new QX2 mechanical switches, per key RGB lighting and SteelSeries Engine Apps to gamers, giving them the ultimate combination of beauty, performance, and customization.
The APEX M750 features SteelSeries' QX2 linear mechanical gaming switches to deliver ultra-fast and consistent gameplay. Their low-force, linear actuation point also deliver a whisper-quiet response and have a guaranteed lifespan of 50 million key presses. The keyboard was designed with an aerospace aluminum core for durability, stability and a sleek, modern look.
The APEX M750 features SteelSeries' QX2 linear mechanical gaming switches to deliver ultra-fast and consistent gameplay. Their low-force, linear actuation point also deliver a whisper-quiet response and have a guaranteed lifespan of 50 million key presses. The keyboard was designed with an aerospace aluminum core for durability, stability and a sleek, modern look.
Tuesday, August 15th 2017
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
- AMD RX Vega 56 Guru3D
- AMD RX Vega 56 TechSpot
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 ComputerBase (de)
- AMD RX Vega 64 Guru3D
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 Hardwareluxx (de)
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 Hexus.net
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 HotHardware
- AMD RX Vega 64 KitGuru
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 Legit Reviews
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 Legit Reviews
- AMD RX Vega on Linux Phoronix
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 Tech Report
- AMD RX Vega 64 TechGage
- AMD RX Vega 64 TechTesters (nl)
- AMD RX Vega RX 64 Tom's Hardware
- AMD RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56 Tweaktown
Headphones
Monitors
Motherboards
Networking
Notebooks
Processors
Cooler Master MasterPulse MH320 Review
By releasing the MasterPulse MH320, their least-expensive gaming headset to date, Cooler Master tries to grab the attention of gamers on a very tight budget. Even though it costs a mere $40, it offers a dual-headband design, a foldable bi-directional boom microphone, and a few other interesting features.
Samsung Announces Portable SSD T5
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today announced the introduction of the Samsung Portable SSD T5 - the newest portable solid state drive (PSSD) that raises the bar for the performance of external memory products. The T5, built with Samsung's latest 64-layer V-NAND technology, delivers industry-leading transfer speeds with encrypted data security in a compact and durable design, making it easier than ever for consumers to access their most valuable data anywhere, at any time.
"Samsung has been pushing the envelope of what is possible in portable storage and solid state drives for years, and the Portable SSD T5 continues our legacy of leadership and innovation," said Un-Soo Kim, Senior Vice President of Brand Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. "We are confident that the T5 will exceed consumers' expectations for external storage by offering faster speeds and a solid design that is lightweight and conveniently pocket-sized. It is the ideal portable storage product for consumers and professionals who are in search of a fast, durable and secure device."
"Samsung has been pushing the envelope of what is possible in portable storage and solid state drives for years, and the Portable SSD T5 continues our legacy of leadership and innovation," said Un-Soo Kim, Senior Vice President of Brand Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. "We are confident that the T5 will exceed consumers' expectations for external storage by offering faster speeds and a solid design that is lightweight and conveniently pocket-sized. It is the ideal portable storage product for consumers and professionals who are in search of a fast, durable and secure device."
AMD's RX Vega Launch Prices Might be Just Smoke and Mirrors
Overclockers UK staff member Gibbo, who posted the renowned British company's Vega stocks and deals for the red team's graphics cards, has just come out with something that might put our inner buyers to attention. Apparently, AMD has allowed launch prices to be as they currently are ($499 for the Vega 64 and $399 for the Vega 56 in the Americas; £549 for the Vega 64 in the UK) through rebates and other offers to retailers, who, according to Gibbo, couldn't keep those prices at all if that was not the case. According to the Overclockers UK staffer, " (...) the good news is AMD are rebating early launch sales to allow us to hit £449.99 on the stand alone black card which has no games. This is a launch only price which AMD at present are saying will be withdrawn in the near future, when if it happens is unknown, but remember do not be shocked if the price jumps nearly £100 in a few days. This time around there is no early adopter tax, quite the opposite on the stand alone black card, so do be quick."
Intel Officially Reveals What's Coming After Coffee Lake: The 10 nm Ice Lake
A pretty underwhelming post on Intel's official page has pulled the curtains of the company's architecture name post their 8th generation processors. Actually, it's a little more puzzling than that, since Intel is actually detailing the codename of an architecture that's supposed to come right after their 8th generation - read, Coffee Lake - processors. Keep in mind that Coffee Lake, whilst being supposed to bring a reorganization of Intel's product stack in response to AMD's Ryzen success, will still be in the 14 nm++ process - the third such architecture in the same process, after Skylake (14 nm) and Kaby Lake (14 nm+) before it. Cannon Lake, however, is supposed to be the company's first tick into the 10 nm process.
Intel has moved over from their famed tick-tock (where tick is a process shrink and tock is a new architecture on the same process) cadence, and are now telling customers to expect at least three "tocks" per process. It's expected that Intel will launch mobile processors on the 10 nm process before any desktop parts are launched on the same process; this could stem from the fact that mobile parts are typically lower-power, smaller-sized dies, which are easier and cheaper to produce out of a still maturing 10 nm process, which usually implies lower than ideal yields.
Intel has moved over from their famed tick-tock (where tick is a process shrink and tock is a new architecture on the same process) cadence, and are now telling customers to expect at least three "tocks" per process. It's expected that Intel will launch mobile processors on the 10 nm process before any desktop parts are launched on the same process; this could stem from the fact that mobile parts are typically lower-power, smaller-sized dies, which are easier and cheaper to produce out of a still maturing 10 nm process, which usually implies lower than ideal yields.
Alphacool Announces the Eisbaer 420 - The World's Biggest AIO solution
What is it?
The Alphacool Eisbaer is an expandable, refillable CPU all-in-one watercooler with a pure copper radiator. The Eisbaer can be expanded with additional Eisbaer Ready products such as the Eiswolf GPX-Pro graphics card cooler, among others.
With the Eisbaer 420mm, Alphacool presents what is currently the largest and most powerful AIO water cooler in the world. With its mighty 420mm pure copper radiator and three 140mm Eiswind fans, the ability to cool any current CPU is more than just guaranteed. The quick connectors mean you can add any Eisbaer Ready products or custom water cooling gear to the cooling loop. The cooling performance of the mighty 420mm pure copper radiator is enough to add more than one graphics card to the loop, or any other components that will be cooled with water. The 420mm pure copper radiator and the included Eiswind fans can easily provide the necessary cooling power.
The Alphacool Eisbaer is an expandable, refillable CPU all-in-one watercooler with a pure copper radiator. The Eisbaer can be expanded with additional Eisbaer Ready products such as the Eiswolf GPX-Pro graphics card cooler, among others.
With the Eisbaer 420mm, Alphacool presents what is currently the largest and most powerful AIO water cooler in the world. With its mighty 420mm pure copper radiator and three 140mm Eiswind fans, the ability to cool any current CPU is more than just guaranteed. The quick connectors mean you can add any Eisbaer Ready products or custom water cooling gear to the cooling loop. The cooling performance of the mighty 420mm pure copper radiator is enough to add more than one graphics card to the loop, or any other components that will be cooled with water. The 420mm pure copper radiator and the included Eiswind fans can easily provide the necessary cooling power.
SilverStone Adds Tempered Glass to Redline Case Series
SilverStone has just announced availability of their Redline chassis lineup. Aimed towards a more budget-conscious consumer, the Redline offers a standard ATX support and seven expansion slots in black and red or white and black color schemes (yes, you physics pundits are right when you say that black or white aren't colors... Let's let that one slide now, shall we?)
The RL06-G and RL06-GP cases are able to accommodate CPU coolers 158 mm tall, full-length graphics cards up to 348 mm, and power supplies up to 200 mm. Both chassis have mounting locations for 3x 3.5" hard disks (trays located in front of the PSU) and 2x 2.5" solid state drives (behind the motherboard tray.) The latest additions to the Redline series come standard with a full length power supply shroud that covers both the PSU and the three 3.5" trays.
The RL06-G and RL06-GP cases are able to accommodate CPU coolers 158 mm tall, full-length graphics cards up to 348 mm, and power supplies up to 200 mm. Both chassis have mounting locations for 3x 3.5" hard disks (trays located in front of the PSU) and 2x 2.5" solid state drives (behind the motherboard tray.) The latest additions to the Redline series come standard with a full length power supply shroud that covers both the PSU and the three 3.5" trays.
GELID Announces the Phantom Series CPU Coolers
GELID today introduced its Phantom series CPU coolers. Available in two variants, the Phantom (model: CC-Phantom-01-A), featuring a clear chrome finish with all-black fans; and the Phantom Black (model: CC-Phantom-Black-01-A), featuring a black nickel-plating on the aluminium fins and copper heat pipes; the Phantom is a "D-type" dual fin-stack heatsink cooler. From a copper base, seven nickel-plated copper heat-pipes pass, with aluminium fin-stacks along their two ends. The cooler is designed for thermal loads of up to 200W.
The innovation here is in the thickness of these heat pipes. Three of these are 8 mm-thick, and four are 6 mm-thick. The thicker heat pipes pass through the center of the base, while two of the thinner ones pass through the edges, and two of the thinner ones layer up on top of the central heat pipe. The cooler can mount up to three 120 mm fans, although two are included. The included fans take in 4-pin PWM input, spin between 750-1,600 RPM, with a static pressure of up to 2.18 mmAq, and a noise output of 12-26.7 dBA. Measuring 120 mm x 126 mm x 160 mm (WxDxH, minus fans), the cooler weighs a little over 1 kg. Among the CPU sockets it supports are AM4, LGA2066, and LGA115x. The company didn't reveal pricing but mentioned that the coolers will be backed by a 5-year warranty.
The innovation here is in the thickness of these heat pipes. Three of these are 8 mm-thick, and four are 6 mm-thick. The thicker heat pipes pass through the center of the base, while two of the thinner ones pass through the edges, and two of the thinner ones layer up on top of the central heat pipe. The cooler can mount up to three 120 mm fans, although two are included. The included fans take in 4-pin PWM input, spin between 750-1,600 RPM, with a static pressure of up to 2.18 mmAq, and a noise output of 12-26.7 dBA. Measuring 120 mm x 126 mm x 160 mm (WxDxH, minus fans), the cooler weighs a little over 1 kg. Among the CPU sockets it supports are AM4, LGA2066, and LGA115x. The company didn't reveal pricing but mentioned that the coolers will be backed by a 5-year warranty.
Cooler Master Announces MasterPulse MH320 Gaming Headset
Cooler Master, a Taipei-based leader in designing and manufacturing computer components and peripherals releases a new closed-back ear cup gaming headset, the MasterPulse MH320. Whether you're a marathon gamer looking for versatile sound options or a casual gamer looking for an all-around headset, the MasterPulse MH320 is the perfect gaming companion.
"We designed this headset with gaming in mind so we made the headset lightweight to ensure comfort for hours on end, coming in at only 280 grams. We didn't make any compromises on quality though and the MH320 has a self-adjusting headband with a steel support structure," says Bram Rongen, Peripheral Product Marketing Manager.
"We designed this headset with gaming in mind so we made the headset lightweight to ensure comfort for hours on end, coming in at only 280 grams. We didn't make any compromises on quality though and the MH320 has a self-adjusting headband with a steel support structure," says Bram Rongen, Peripheral Product Marketing Manager.
ASRock Introduces the X10 IoT Router for Smart Homes
The leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, is pleased to announce is pleased to announce the X10 IoT router, a unique next generation smart IoT hub that is designed as an integral part of a smart home environment and essential part a secure domicile. As an IoT router, the ASrock X10 is well equipped to control various "Smart Home" devices, including light systems like smart lighting devices, smart locks, smart water meters, television, air-conditioning units and much more without requiring any additional hubs thanks to its ZigBee controller and advances mesh networking technology.
"We believe a qualified digital l ife is built on a well-connected and user-friendly environment, that's why ASRock created the X10, an all-round Wi-Fi router that integrates IR and ZigBee functions." says Jason Chou, vice president of the ASRock R&D division. "The ASRock X10 will serve your simple and smart life perfectly."
"We believe a qualified digital l ife is built on a well-connected and user-friendly environment, that's why ASRock created the X10, an all-round Wi-Fi router that integrates IR and ZigBee functions." says Jason Chou, vice president of the ASRock R&D division. "The ASRock X10 will serve your simple and smart life perfectly."
GIGABYTE Announces MA10-ST0 with Top-end Atom C3000 SoC
GIGABYTE today announced its latest motherboard based on Intel's 'Denverton' architecture. This new CPU architecture offers a whole new level of performance efficiency in the cold storage and enterprise network space. This motherboard is the first in the product series and adopts the top-end SKU of Intel's next generation Atom(R) Processor C3000 Product Family - the C3958 - and addresses the cold-storage and network-edge needs of efficiency-conscious users . The major development in this platform is around the core count, performance/power leadership and flexible, highly-integrated I/O. These enable performance improvements of up to 2.5x generation-on-generation which support light, low-cost storage and scale-out applications.
ADATA Releases the XPG SX9000 PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe 1.2 SSD
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today launched the XPG SX9000, its fastest consumer SSD yet. The SX9000 caters to gamers and PC overclockers. It arrives in an M.2 2280 form factor and uses the PCIe3x4 interface to deliver up to 2800MB/s read and 1450 MB/s write. ADATA has selected a new Marvell controller to ensure consistently optimized performance, while in-house ADATA manufacturing, assembly, and quality control result in up to a 1000TB terabytes/total bytes written (TBW) rating. The SX9000 uses MLC NAND Flash and ships in 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB capacities.
The SX9000 goes even beyond the XPG SX8000 thanks to balanced ADATA design and the integration of a new Marvell controller. It reaches 2800MB/s read and 1450 MB/s write, leveraging the PCI Express Gen 3x4 interface and the NVMe 1.2 protocol. A compact M.2 2280 drive, the SX9000 also manages 310K/140K IOPS random 4K read/write. For fast boot, reduced cross-drive transfer times, shorter game loads, and quicker in-game asset delivery, the SX9000 offers an excellent foundation.
The SX9000 goes even beyond the XPG SX8000 thanks to balanced ADATA design and the integration of a new Marvell controller. It reaches 2800MB/s read and 1450 MB/s write, leveraging the PCI Express Gen 3x4 interface and the NVMe 1.2 protocol. A compact M.2 2280 drive, the SX9000 also manages 310K/140K IOPS random 4K read/write. For fast boot, reduced cross-drive transfer times, shorter game loads, and quicker in-game asset delivery, the SX9000 offers an excellent foundation.
BYKSKI Intros Water Blocks for AMD Radeon RX Vega Series
Bykski, known as one of the biggest water block provider in China, releases the water blocks A-VEGA-FE-X for AMD latest Vega series graphics cards, including Vega Frontier Edition, RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56.
The Bykski A-VEGA-FE-X is made of cooper of the base and designed as a full cover water block, and all the cooper is nickel plated with anti-oxidation treatment. The full cover design allows the water block provides direct cooling for both GPU and RAM. Bykski new logo is used on the A-VEGA-FE-X, and users can see the 0.5 mm micro water flow fins trough the lucid PMMA material cover.
The Bykski A-VEGA-FE-X is made of cooper of the base and designed as a full cover water block, and all the cooper is nickel plated with anti-oxidation treatment. The full cover design allows the water block provides direct cooling for both GPU and RAM. Bykski new logo is used on the A-VEGA-FE-X, and users can see the 0.5 mm micro water flow fins trough the lucid PMMA material cover.
Monday, August 14th 2017
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Motherboards
Storage
AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8 GB Review
Radeon RX Vega 56 is the second AMD Vega card launched today. It comes at an affordable $399 price point, with a slightly reduced shader count that actually improves things greatly. For example, power efficiency now trades blows with some Pascal cards, which means less heat and noise, too.
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 8 GB Review
Our AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 review confirms that the company achieved major performance improvements over their last-generation Polaris and Fiji cards: Vega is faster than the GTX 1080. We tested six different performance configurations of the Vega 64, with surprising results.
MSI Announces X299M Gaming Pro Carbon AC Motherboard
MSI, the leading gaming motherboard brand, is proud to announce the X299M GAMING PRO CARBON AC, world's fastest microATX X299 motherboard. Built on the Intel LGA Socket 2066 means it offers up to 44 PCIe lanes and Quad Channel DDR4 memory support. This model is specifically designed for Intel Skylake-X processors to ensure a flawless operation of any heavy gaming rig during long gaming sessions. The new X299M GAMING PRO CARBON AC is future-proof, ready for the upcoming 12,14,16 and 18-core Intel Core-X Series CPUs.
By adding a 16 GB Intel Optane Memory device on the 2 new OPT BOOST motherboards, MSI not only delivers support for the latest Intel technology, besides this you get an added value of $50,-. Optimize your computer by delivering a responsive computer experience with short boot times, fast application launches, extraordinary gaming, and responsive browsing. Gamers can now enjoy SSD levels of high performance and have a large storage capacity at the same time.
By adding a 16 GB Intel Optane Memory device on the 2 new OPT BOOST motherboards, MSI not only delivers support for the latest Intel technology, besides this you get an added value of $50,-. Optimize your computer by delivering a responsive computer experience with short boot times, fast application launches, extraordinary gaming, and responsive browsing. Gamers can now enjoy SSD levels of high performance and have a large storage capacity at the same time.
AMD Releases the Crimson ReLive Edition 17.8.1 Beta 6 Drivers for Vega
AMD today has made available for early adopters the Crimson ReLive Edition 17.8.1 drivers. Users of other AMD graphics cards other than the newly released RX Vega 64 beware: these drivers are for exclusive use on those graphics cards.
For those early adopters who have a Vega 64 on their hands already, these drivers are for you. If you're currently on the fence on whether or not to make the plunge to a new red-powered graphics card, make sure to read our own resident W1zzard's reviews of AMD's latest foray into the high performance graphics processing market for both the RX Vega 56 and RX Vega 64 graphics cards. You might be surprised. Download the drivers from the link below.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Relive Edition Radeon RX Vega Series Driver
For those early adopters who have a Vega 64 on their hands already, these drivers are for you. If you're currently on the fence on whether or not to make the plunge to a new red-powered graphics card, make sure to read our own resident W1zzard's reviews of AMD's latest foray into the high performance graphics processing market for both the RX Vega 56 and RX Vega 64 graphics cards. You might be surprised. Download the drivers from the link below.
NVIDIA Releases the GeForce 385.28 Game Ready WHQL Drivers
NVIDIA today released the latest version of their GeForce drivers, which enable your green-powered card to run smoothly and without issues. This latest driver release is a Game-Ready WHQL one, which aims to enable the smoothest possible experience on recently-released game titles. The focus for this 38.28 version of NVIDIA's GeForce drivers was on Agents of Mayhem, Crossout and Killing Floor: Incursion, while also introducing a number of fixes. You can grab the drivers from the link below.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 385.28 WHQL Game-Ready Drivers
480 Hz True Refresh Rate Monitor Spotted, Heralding a New Wave of Display Tech
A prototype true 480 Hz monitor has found its way to the hands of Blur Busters, who aptly tested whether or not that feature made their blur busting name irrelevant at some point in the future. The verdict? While 480 Hz refresh rates do offer a visible difference in step distances and blur reduction, things can be improved further. But we're talking about a refresh rate where most high-end monitors typically achieve 144 Hz - so 480 Hz is a totally different beast.
While display tech has seen some interesting evolutions as of late (mainly the introduction of OLED displays and HDR technology (which seems to be facing some delays of its own), refresh rates have somewhat stagnated in recent times. A true 480 Hz refresh rate will surely get some users drooling over it, and justify yet another round of upgrades to your entire system - though of course, the usability of such a high refresh-rate monitor begins to dwindle as resolution increases (and frame rates necessarily decrease.) Let's see where this goes.
While display tech has seen some interesting evolutions as of late (mainly the introduction of OLED displays and HDR technology (which seems to be facing some delays of its own), refresh rates have somewhat stagnated in recent times. A true 480 Hz refresh rate will surely get some users drooling over it, and justify yet another round of upgrades to your entire system - though of course, the usability of such a high refresh-rate monitor begins to dwindle as resolution increases (and frame rates necessarily decrease.) Let's see where this goes.
Gigabyte Announces Its RX Vega 56 Reference Model Graphics Card
In a slightly anemic post on their website, Gigabyte has been the first of AMD's AIB partners to showcase a reference design RX Vega 56 graphics card. This was a silent addition to their website; no press releases have been sent out as of yet. There is only so much a company can say about their reference design graphics cards, though, absent of coming up with interesting phrases to sell the card's capabilities. Specifically, Gigabyte praised:
Next Gen Compute Units
These revamped nCUs (1 nCU = 64 stream processors) are designed to operate at incredible clock speeds and deliver extreme gaming experiences with the newest high resolution and high refresh rate monitors.
Next Gen Compute Units
These revamped nCUs (1 nCU = 64 stream processors) are designed to operate at incredible clock speeds and deliver extreme gaming experiences with the newest high resolution and high refresh rate monitors.
Prototype AMD Vega RX 56 Triple-Fan Graphics Card Pictured
Trying to keep our community entertained and distracted from the growing pains and expectations of waiting for the death of AMD's imposed NDAs on Vega reviews is one of our missions. As such, while we know what you want are actual performance numbers, price/performance charts, and an in-depth, independent review, you'll not find such answers in this post. You will find, however, some interesting tidbits on AMD RX Vega designs. In this case, a triple-fan cooling solution for AMD's RX Vega 56 (the smaller Vega).
Colorful Announces the iGame Z270 Ymir U Motherboard - Designed for Gamers
Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, officially produces its latest addition to the iGame series of motherboards with powerful Intel Z270 chipset -the most powerful model which debuted in COMPUTEX, the iGame Z270 Ymir U which can provide stable platform for better game experience without the internet speed, heating value and other performance.
Metal Armor
iGame Z270 Ymir U features Metal Overlap Armor including of metal armor, dual colors overlap, and GamerVoice2.0 Audio system. After a level-up to 2.0 version, RGB lighting of GamerVoice will dance according to the music, then you can adjust the mode in BIOS. GamerVoice features independent audio card and alternative audio chip, so that customers can change more professional chip instead. Advanced audio circuit segmentation technology and the costly material can drive headphones with 600Ωresistance.
Metal Armor
iGame Z270 Ymir U features Metal Overlap Armor including of metal armor, dual colors overlap, and GamerVoice2.0 Audio system. After a level-up to 2.0 version, RGB lighting of GamerVoice will dance according to the music, then you can adjust the mode in BIOS. GamerVoice features independent audio card and alternative audio chip, so that customers can change more professional chip instead. Advanced audio circuit segmentation technology and the costly material can drive headphones with 600Ωresistance.
iBUYPOWER Announces the XPG SPECTRIX D40 DDR4 RGB Memory Module
iBUYPOWER is pleased to announce the arrival of the XPG SPECTRIX D40 DD4 RGB Memory Module by ADATA. Configured exclusively at iBUYPOWER, the SPECTRIX D40 is the first DDR4 RGB Memory produced by XPG and integrates stunning performance and visual, luminous beauty into a compact memory module.
A memory module built for the most avid gamers and performance PC enthusiasts alike, the XPG SPECTRIX D40 features:
A memory module built for the most avid gamers and performance PC enthusiasts alike, the XPG SPECTRIX D40 features:
- Mesmerizing RGB lighting - fully customizable and supported by ASUS AURA Sync
- Armor-inspired design fashioned with a bright RGB LED Strip
- Can be overclocked to over 4000 MHz without a special cooling system
- SPD configuration that defaults to speed of 2666MHz on the new Intel X299 platform
- Compatible with the AMD AM4 platform and Ryzen processors
Saturday, August 12th 2017
XSPC Announces Raystorm Neo Threadripper CPU Water Block
XSPC has announced their cooling solution for AMD's TR4 socket Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. The Raystorm Neo Threadripper has a massive cold plate measuring 80 x 66.5 mm which is the largest of any CPU block announced for Threadripper so far. Accompanying this is a machined fin stack that covers all four dies- two active, two dummy- to where it also appears to be very optimized for the platform as well.
The Raystorm Neo comes with a chrome or black chrome plated solid aluminum mounting bracket with an acrylic top to see the coolant flowing through the copper cold plate underneath. The coolant does not come in contact with the aluminum mounting bracket. XSPC also bundles in an RGB controller with two RGB LEDs, with the controller supporting some breathing modes and static lighting effects to toggle between.
The Raystorm Neo comes with a chrome or black chrome plated solid aluminum mounting bracket with an acrylic top to see the coolant flowing through the copper cold plate underneath. The coolant does not come in contact with the aluminum mounting bracket. XSPC also bundles in an RGB controller with two RGB LEDs, with the controller supporting some breathing modes and static lighting effects to toggle between.
Friday, August 11th 2017
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Motherboards
Mouse
Processors
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 i2Hard (ru)
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X ComputerBase (de)
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X Guru3D
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X Guru3D
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X HardwareCanucks
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X Hexus.net
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X HotHardware
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X KitGuru
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X Legit Reviews
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X TechSpot
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X Tom's Hardware
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X Tweaktown
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X Vortez
BitFenix Nova TG Review
The Bitfenix Nova TG is aiming to be an interesting choice for the entry level. While the original Nova, launched nearly two years ago, managed to sport a US$30 price tag, this also meant sacrificing functionality and layout when it came to the interior. The Nova TG does not only come with a tempered glass side panel, but upgraded internals and a splash of color. Is it worth the higher price tag of US$50?
Razer to Introduce New Color Options for Their Peripherals Lineup
Razer has announced that they will be offering two different color schemes for some of their peripherals, deviating from the black and green color scheme the company has made its hallmark. The new colors will be mercury white or gunmetal grey, as the company puts them (just white or grey wouldn't do, as you surely understand.) The new color schemes will be available at first on their Blackwidow X Chroma mechanical keyboard, Kraken 7.1 headset, Lancehead TE mouse, and Invicta mousepad. The sleeved cables for each peripheral will also sport the appropriate color change.
This difference will be purely cosmetic, in no way impacting the MSRP of the differently-colored peripherals. The Invicta mousepad, however, might offer some decreased performance in its new mercury white color scheme, since mice sensors typically work best on dark surfaces. The Razer Blackwidow X Chroma gunmetal grey and mercury white color schemes are only available for the US layout so far.
This difference will be purely cosmetic, in no way impacting the MSRP of the differently-colored peripherals. The Invicta mousepad, however, might offer some decreased performance in its new mercury white color scheme, since mice sensors typically work best on dark surfaces. The Razer Blackwidow X Chroma gunmetal grey and mercury white color schemes are only available for the US layout so far.
BitFenix Launches Nova TG Chassis
(Editor's Note: You can read TPU's review of the Nova TG Chassis here. The press release follows.)
With the BitFenix Nova TG, the classic Nova receives a major upgrade. Keeping the simplistic design of the front panel, the new Nova TG is now equipped with a 4mm tempered glass panel, a redesigned body and two pre-installed 120mm fans. As a finishing touch, the signature mesh for the air inlets received a color-upgrade, matching the black version with red mesh and the white version with black mesh.
Equipped with 7 extension slots, the Nova TG is designed to house ATX, Micro ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards. With a maximum CPU cooler height of 160mm and a maximum graphics card length of 280mm, it supports most standard gaming and multimedia setups. Taking the classical look of the Nova to the next level, the new Nova TG is now equipped with a tinted 4mm tempered glass panel, allowing a peek into today's illuminated components, RGB fans and RGB strips.
With the BitFenix Nova TG, the classic Nova receives a major upgrade. Keeping the simplistic design of the front panel, the new Nova TG is now equipped with a 4mm tempered glass panel, a redesigned body and two pre-installed 120mm fans. As a finishing touch, the signature mesh for the air inlets received a color-upgrade, matching the black version with red mesh and the white version with black mesh.
Equipped with 7 extension slots, the Nova TG is designed to house ATX, Micro ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards. With a maximum CPU cooler height of 160mm and a maximum graphics card length of 280mm, it supports most standard gaming and multimedia setups. Taking the classical look of the Nova to the next level, the new Nova TG is now equipped with a tinted 4mm tempered glass panel, allowing a peek into today's illuminated components, RGB fans and RGB strips.
Intel and Microsoft Collaborate to Deliver Industry-First Enterprise Blockchain
Today, Microsoft announced a new framework that enables businesses to adopt blockchain technology for increased enterprise privacy and security, and named Intel as a key hardware and software development partner. As part of this collaboration, Microsoft, Intel and other blockchain technology leaders will build a new enterprise-targeted blockchain framework - called the Coco Framework - that integrates Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) to deliver improved transaction speed, scale and data confidentiality to enterprises. This first-of-its-kind innovation accelerates the enterprise readiness of blockchain technology, allowing developers to create flexible and more secure enterprise blockchain applications that can be easily managed by businesses.
Sapphire Announces RX Vega 64 Graphics Card Lineup
SAPPHIRE Technology has announced the launch of the much-anticipated SAPPHIRE Radeon Vega 64 enthusiast graphics cards. The Vega architecture boasts significant improvements focused on maximizing the performance. Vega cards are designed for enthusiasts seeking top-of-the-chart framerates in games of today and tomorrow - in Ultra details and VR.
SAPPHIRE Technology is introducing three Vega-powered models:
SAPPHIRE Technology is introducing three Vega-powered models:
- SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB HBM2 Liquid Cooled
- SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB HBM2
- SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB HBM2 Limited Edition
NVIDIA Announces Financial Results for Second Quarter Fiscal 2018
NVIDIA today reported record revenue for the second quarter ended July 30, 2017, of $2.23 billion, up 56 percent from $1.43 billion a year earlier, and up 15 percent from $1.94 billion in the previous quarter.
- Record revenue of $2.23 billion, up 56 percent from a year ago
- GAAP EPS of $0.92, up 124 percent from a year ago
- Non-GAAP EPS of $1.01, up 91 percent from a year ago
- Broad growth across all platforms
- GAAP earnings per diluted share for the quarter were $0.92, up 124 percent from $0.41 a year ago and up 16 percent from $0.79 in the previous quarter. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $1.01, up 91 percent from $0.53 a year earlier and up 19 percent from $0.85 in the previous quarter.
EVGA Announces SC17 1080 Gaming Laptop
The EVGA SC17 1080 G-SYNC Gaming Laptop has arrived. Featuring a 4K-ready IPS panel with NVIDIA G-SYNC technology, this high performance laptop was meticulously crafted from the ground up for hardcore gamers, performance enthusiasts, and overclockers alike. Breaking away from the conventional brick form factor, a unique in-house EVGA designed power supply delivers up to 240 watts of power when needed, without sacrificing function or aesthetics.
The SC17 1080 pairs an unlocked Intel Core i7 7820HK CPU with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 capable of being overclocked to offer the performance you always wanted from a gaming laptop. With performance and overclocking in mind, the EVGA SC17 1080 G-SYNC Gaming Laptop features a BIOS with mouse function to give you complete control over all aspects of performance, voltage and advanced settings to customize your gaming machine. A Clear CMOS button directly on the chassis helps you recover from an unstable overclock, and custom fan curve control keeps your laptop cool and quiet. This is the world's first TRUE overclocking laptop.
The SC17 1080 pairs an unlocked Intel Core i7 7820HK CPU with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 capable of being overclocked to offer the performance you always wanted from a gaming laptop. With performance and overclocking in mind, the EVGA SC17 1080 G-SYNC Gaming Laptop features a BIOS with mouse function to give you complete control over all aspects of performance, voltage and advanced settings to customize your gaming machine. A Clear CMOS button directly on the chassis helps you recover from an unstable overclock, and custom fan curve control keeps your laptop cool and quiet. This is the world's first TRUE overclocking laptop.
G.SKILL Announces New DDR4 Specifications for AMD Ryzen Threadripper
G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, announces all-new DDR4 specifications and expanding the Flare X series, designed for AMD processors and platforms. Compatible with the new Ryzen Threadripper processors and AMD X399 chipset motherboards, these new DDR4 specifications are designed to achieve high frequency at DDR4-3600 MHz 32GB (8GBx4), as well as a massive total capacity at DDR4-2933 MHz 128GB (16GBx8). Included in the mix of new quad-channel DDR4 memory kits are DDR4-3200 MHz CL14 32GB (8GBx4) and DDR4-3466 MHz CL16 32GB (8GBx4).
With improved overclocking performance on the latest AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors on the X399 chipset, G.SKILL is announcing the DDR4-3600 MHz CL16-18-18-38 with 32GB (8GBx4) total capacity running in quad-channel mode, under the Flare X series. Tested for maximum stability, this kit's frequency speed marks the fastest memory kit ever released thus far for an AMD platform.
With improved overclocking performance on the latest AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors on the X399 chipset, G.SKILL is announcing the DDR4-3600 MHz CL16-18-18-38 with 32GB (8GBx4) total capacity running in quad-channel mode, under the Flare X series. Tested for maximum stability, this kit's frequency speed marks the fastest memory kit ever released thus far for an AMD platform.
AMD Asks Reviewers to Prioritize Vega 56 over Vega 64
It seems that AMD's RX Vega lineup won't be too far away from the norm, it seems. Street knowledge almost always says that it's the runner-up to the highest performing graphics card that is the more interesting in a price-performance ratio, and it seems that AMD knows this as well. Steve Burke from Gamer's Nexus has reported on AMD's NDA dates and the company's indications to reviewers on changing up the game leading up to reviews: they're asking that publications focus on the Vega 56 ahead of the halo Vega 64.
This might be somewhat bad news for those who wanted to see the Vega 64 compete in favorable terms with the GTX 1080; this decision by AMD is obviously geared towards making the best impact on the company's product line and image. The fact that AMD can offer a more compelling argument over the Vega 64 means that Vega 56 will probably have an easier battle in the $400 camp (if you can find it at those prices on launch, that is.)
This might be somewhat bad news for those who wanted to see the Vega 64 compete in favorable terms with the GTX 1080; this decision by AMD is obviously geared towards making the best impact on the company's product line and image. The fact that AMD can offer a more compelling argument over the Vega 64 means that Vega 56 will probably have an easier battle in the $400 camp (if you can find it at those prices on launch, that is.)
EK Water Blocks Announces Ryzen Threadripper Supremacy EVO Series
EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer sets an example once again, by announcing a dedicated EK-Supremacy EVO water block that covers the entire IHS of the newly released HEDT AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor. With AMD releasing their new X399 chipset based HEDT processors, came the need for a water block with a larger cold plate contact surface. The primary goal in designing the new EK-Supremacy EVO Threadripper Edition water block was to cover the entire IHS of the newly released HEDT AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor.
With a dense micro-fin structure that counts 52 grooves with a spacing of 0.25mm apart, the EK-Supremacy EVO Threadripper Edition water block offers the best possible cooling performance! The water block uses award-winning EK-Supremacy EVO cooling engine with specialized jet insert and jet plate combination to ensure best possible cooling for X399 chipset based CPUs.
With a dense micro-fin structure that counts 52 grooves with a spacing of 0.25mm apart, the EK-Supremacy EVO Threadripper Edition water block offers the best possible cooling performance! The water block uses award-winning EK-Supremacy EVO cooling engine with specialized jet insert and jet plate combination to ensure best possible cooling for X399 chipset based CPUs.
Synology Introduces DiskStation DS418j NAS
Synology Inc. today launched the new DiskStation DS418j, a budget-friendly 4-bay NAS server designed to help home and individual users to manage, protect and share data effectively. DS418j is powered by a brand-new 64-bit dual-core CPU and delivers an outstanding encrypted file transfer performance at over 112 MB/s reading and 87 MB/s writing under a RAID 5 configuration in a Windows environment. Coming with a 1 GB DDR4 memory, which is twice the size of its predecessor, and over 40 TB single volume raw capacity support, DS418j brings flexible storage management with excellent operation experience.
"In the digital era, photos, videos, and digital assets are being generated faster than ever. For home and individual users, it is essential to have a private storage solution that can satisfy the needs for both large storage capacity and secure data sharing," said Michael Wang, Product Manager at Synology Inc. "Combining hardware innovations and rich applications, the 4-bay DS418j allows users to enjoy cloud synchronization and multimedia streaming at a competitive price."
"In the digital era, photos, videos, and digital assets are being generated faster than ever. For home and individual users, it is essential to have a private storage solution that can satisfy the needs for both large storage capacity and secure data sharing," said Michael Wang, Product Manager at Synology Inc. "Combining hardware innovations and rich applications, the 4-bay DS418j allows users to enjoy cloud synchronization and multimedia streaming at a competitive price."
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Review Sample Unboxed
The folks at Techgage have already put out some unboxing pictures on AMD's RX Vega 64 review sample. There's not much more new information here - however, it's an opportunity to see how lavish AMD has become with their review sampling. Gone are the times of cardboard boxes, it seems. AMD may be spending more on packaging and presentation for the review samples than for actual R&D on the graphics cards (I kid, obviously.)
ASUS ROG STRIX X399-E Smiles for The Camera
X399 motherboards are still a relatively scarce commodity, and most available models right now are the top-of-the-line, eye-wateringly-expensive models with more bells and whistles than most users know what to do with. The ASUS ROG STRIX X339-E is poised to enter the market at a more affordable price-tag than most other X399 motherboards currently available, eschewing features that some users might call superfluous for a good computing experience.
The ASUS ROG STRIX X339-ET is equipped with an Intel Gigabit I211-AT network chipset, 802.11AC wireless capabilities, and the ALC S1220A audio chipset from Realtek. 4x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, 1x PCIe 4x and 1x PCIe 1x round the expansion slots, while the 2x M.2 slots, 1x U.2 and 6x SATA 6 GB/s should be more than enough for your average storage needs. Expect this motherboard to hit retail sometime between August and September.
The ASUS ROG STRIX X339-ET is equipped with an Intel Gigabit I211-AT network chipset, 802.11AC wireless capabilities, and the ALC S1220A audio chipset from Realtek. 4x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, 1x PCIe 4x and 1x PCIe 1x round the expansion slots, while the 2x M.2 slots, 1x U.2 and 6x SATA 6 GB/s should be more than enough for your average storage needs. Expect this motherboard to hit retail sometime between August and September.
Thursday, August 10th 2017
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Monitors
Mousepads
Processors
Storage
Dream Machines DM PAD L & XL Soft Gaming Mouse Pad Review
The DM PAD L and XL are the first mouse pads from Dream Machines. Competing with such well-known large mouse pads as the Steelseries Qck+ and Zowie G-SR, they do so while being very competitively priced for large mouse mats - only costing $14 / $22.
CORSAIR Launches the Neutron NX500 NVMe PCIe AIC SSD
CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast memory, high-performance gaming hardware, and PC components, today announced the launch of the CORSAIR Neutron NX500 NVMe PCIe SSD AIC. The NX500 boasts performance up to five times faster than traditional SATA 3.0 SSDs, connecting to your system via an available PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot. Achieving up to 3,000MB/sec sequential read and 2,400 MB/sec sequential write speeds, or 300K/270K IOPS random read/write, the NX500 is the fastest SSD CORSAIR has ever produced.
Available in 400GB, 800GB and 1,600GB* capacities, and clad in a custom-designed high-surface-area heat sink, the NX500 is engineered for speed and all-but eliminates performance thermal throttling thanks to temperatures up to 20°C lower than m.2 PCI Express NVMe SSDs. Whether you're editing video, transferring files or loading the latest games, the NX500 has the cooling, style and performance and to make sure both you and your system never fall behind.
Available in 400GB, 800GB and 1,600GB* capacities, and clad in a custom-designed high-surface-area heat sink, the NX500 is engineered for speed and all-but eliminates performance thermal throttling thanks to temperatures up to 20°C lower than m.2 PCI Express NVMe SSDs. Whether you're editing video, transferring files or loading the latest games, the NX500 has the cooling, style and performance and to make sure both you and your system never fall behind.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper "Summit Ridge" Dies are Heavily Binned
AMD revealed that the pair of 8-core "Summit Ridge" dies that make up the Ryzen Threadripper multi-chip module are heavily binned. AMD hand-selects the top-5% highest performing "Summit Ridge" dies for Ryzen Threadripper manufacturing, which makes these chips of a higher grade than even what AMD sets aside for Ryzen 7-series socket AM4 chips.
AMD requires the highest grade "Summit Ridge" dies to use in Threadripper chips, to keep electrical leakage to the minimum, so the chips can run as cool as possible, with the least power-draw. Choosing the best dies could also ensure that Threadripper chips have the highest overclocking-headroom taking into account other electrical and thermal constraints. A 7-series chip such as the 1800X could still achieve higher clocks than a Threadripper chip, in that sense.
AMD requires the highest grade "Summit Ridge" dies to use in Threadripper chips, to keep electrical leakage to the minimum, so the chips can run as cool as possible, with the least power-draw. Choosing the best dies could also ensure that Threadripper chips have the highest overclocking-headroom taking into account other electrical and thermal constraints. A 7-series chip such as the 1800X could still achieve higher clocks than a Threadripper chip, in that sense.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Memory and PCIe Detailed: What an MCM Entails
AMD built its Ryzen Threadripper HEDT (high-end desktop) processor as a multi-chip module (MCM) of two 8-core "Summit Ridge" dies, each with its own dual-channel memory controller, and PCI-Express interface. This is unlike the competing Core "Skylake-X" from Intel, which is a monolithic 18-core die with a quad-channel DDR4 interface and 44-lane PCIe on one die. AMD has devised some innovative methods of overcoming the latency issues inherent to an MCM arrangement like the Ryzen Threadripper, by tapping into its nUMA technology innovation.
To the hardware, four 8 GB DDR4 memory modules populating the four memory channels of a Ryzen Threadripper chip is seen as 16 GB controlled by each of the two "Summit Ridge" dies. To the software, it is a seamless block of 32 GB. Blindly interleaving the four 8 GB memory modules for four times the bandwidth of a single module isn't as straightforward as it is on the Core X, and is fraught with latency issues. A thread being processed by a core on die-A, having half of its memory allocation on memory controlled by a different die, is hit with latency. AMD is overcoming this by treating memory on a Ryzen Threadripper machine like a 2-socket machine, in which each socket has its own memory.
To the hardware, four 8 GB DDR4 memory modules populating the four memory channels of a Ryzen Threadripper chip is seen as 16 GB controlled by each of the two "Summit Ridge" dies. To the software, it is a seamless block of 32 GB. Blindly interleaving the four 8 GB memory modules for four times the bandwidth of a single module isn't as straightforward as it is on the Core X, and is fraught with latency issues. A thread being processed by a core on die-A, having half of its memory allocation on memory controlled by a different die, is hit with latency. AMD is overcoming this by treating memory on a Ryzen Threadripper machine like a 2-socket machine, in which each socket has its own memory.
ADATA Launches the IM2S3338 and IM2S3334 Industrial-Grade M.2 SSDs
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of highperformance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products,today launched the industrial-grade IM2S3338 M.2 2280 and IM2S3334 M.2 2242 SATA 6Gbps solid state drives. Both utilize the compact M.2 form factor for an easy fit in various installations and transfer data at up to 560MB/s read and 525MB/s write. They use durable and long-lasting 3D NAND, MLC/TLC for the IM2S3334 and TLC on the IM2S3338. The two drives are carefully tested for survivability in extreme temperatures and humidity as well as resistance to shocks and vibration. ADATA integrates LDPC error correction to promote data integrity plus DRAM and SLC caching to help sustain peak performance on both model ranges.
ADATA continues to place an emphasis on serving industrial and commercial applications such as manufacturing, surveillance, retail, transportation, and medical care. The IM2S3338 and IM2S3334 provide additional options, this time in the M.2 form factor. The IM2S3338 uses 3D TLC in capacities from 128GB to 1TB. It delivers 560MB/s read and 520MB/s write. The IM2S3334 carries highly durable 3D MLC NAND in 120GB to 512GB, and 3D TLC in 128GB to 512GB, and runs at up to 560 MB/s read and 525 MB/s write. Users therefore get a comprehensive range of models to choose from based on required capacity and planned budget.
ADATA continues to place an emphasis on serving industrial and commercial applications such as manufacturing, surveillance, retail, transportation, and medical care. The IM2S3338 and IM2S3334 provide additional options, this time in the M.2 form factor. The IM2S3338 uses 3D TLC in capacities from 128GB to 1TB. It delivers 560MB/s read and 520MB/s write. The IM2S3334 carries highly durable 3D MLC NAND in 120GB to 512GB, and 3D TLC in 128GB to 512GB, and runs at up to 560 MB/s read and 525 MB/s write. Users therefore get a comprehensive range of models to choose from based on required capacity and planned budget.
Arctic Announces FREEZER 33 TR Cooler for AMD Ryzen Threadripper
Update: Corrected socket compatibility. This is a specially-designed cooler by Arctic for AMD's HEDT platform, As such, it offers limited compatibility with CPUs of lower die sizes, which means it's only compatible with TR4, AM4, LLGA2011(v3) and LGA2066 sockets.
Arctic announced the Freezer 33 TR, a tower-type CPU air cooler, designed for AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, with out of the box support for AMD socket TR4/SP3r2. The cooler comes in two variants based on color - black with red accents, and black with silver accents. The cooler features a conventional tower-type design, in which four 6 mm-thick copper heat-pipes, which make direct contact with the CPU at the base, pass through an aluminium fin-stack, which is ventilated by an included fan.
Compared to other Freezer 33 variants, the TR variant features an elongated base, for higher coverage of the Threadripper integrated heatspreader (IHS). The aluminium fins and heat-pipes feature matte-black nickel-plating. The included fan takes in 4-pin (PWM) input, spinning between 200 to 1,800 RPM. The cooler can cope with thermal loads of up to 320W, which makes it good for CPU TDP rating up to 200W, according to Arctic. Besides socket TR4, the cooler also supports AMD's AM4 socket, while Intel support stands at their LGA2011(v3), LGA2066. Available now, and backed by a generous 10-year warranty, the Freezer 33 TR is priced at 47.99€.
Arctic announced the Freezer 33 TR, a tower-type CPU air cooler, designed for AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, with out of the box support for AMD socket TR4/SP3r2. The cooler comes in two variants based on color - black with red accents, and black with silver accents. The cooler features a conventional tower-type design, in which four 6 mm-thick copper heat-pipes, which make direct contact with the CPU at the base, pass through an aluminium fin-stack, which is ventilated by an included fan.
Compared to other Freezer 33 variants, the TR variant features an elongated base, for higher coverage of the Threadripper integrated heatspreader (IHS). The aluminium fins and heat-pipes feature matte-black nickel-plating. The included fan takes in 4-pin (PWM) input, spinning between 200 to 1,800 RPM. The cooler can cope with thermal loads of up to 320W, which makes it good for CPU TDP rating up to 200W, according to Arctic. Besides socket TR4, the cooler also supports AMD's AM4 socket, while Intel support stands at their LGA2011(v3), LGA2066. Available now, and backed by a generous 10-year warranty, the Freezer 33 TR is priced at 47.99€.
Thermaltake Announces Floe Riing RGB TT Premium Edition Coolers
Thermaltake is thrilled today to launch the next generation of all-in-one liquid cooling solution - the Floe Riing RGB TT Premium Edition Series. Available in 240mm, 280mm and 360mm, the Floe Riing RGB is the world's first 16.8 million colors liquid CPU cooler series with extraordinary performance, superior quality and addressable LEDs design. The large surface radiator plus high-performance waterblock and pump delivers the ultimate CPU cooling for gaming or other GPU intense tasks.
The waterblock and fans are manufactured with multiple addressable LEDs that can be controlled by the Riing Plus RGB Software. Functions within the software also allow users to monitor fan performance and track CPU temperature. Most importantly, this brand-new cooler series supports all the latest Intel and AMD CPU socket, including Intel LGA2066 and AMD AM4. Thermaltake Floe Riing Plus RGB TT Premium Edition Series is now available for purchase on the TT Premium online shop.
The waterblock and fans are manufactured with multiple addressable LEDs that can be controlled by the Riing Plus RGB Software. Functions within the software also allow users to monitor fan performance and track CPU temperature. Most importantly, this brand-new cooler series supports all the latest Intel and AMD CPU socket, including Intel LGA2066 and AMD AM4. Thermaltake Floe Riing Plus RGB TT Premium Edition Series is now available for purchase on the TT Premium online shop.
Corsair Summer Sale Open Until August 12th
Corsair has announced that they'll be having a Summer Sale as well, not being content to let Steam have all the headlines on that matter. The sale will be open until August 12th, and you can bet that you'll be able to find some pretty reasonable discounts to some of that Corsair hardware you've been oggling up to now.
Some of the standout deals are Corsair's H100i Extreme Performance CPU Liquid Cooling AIO, going for $99 (down from $129), the GPU version of the same AIO (down to the same $99 from $129), and Corsair's Lapdog control center (down to $69 from $119) for your couch-related gaming needs. There's also a selection of gaming mice, rodent pads, mechanical keyboards, and even a special edition, liquid-cooled GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. Hit the source link for some Corsair goodness (though remember, if you're not USA/CA based, you apparently have to tough it up sans discounts...)
Some of the standout deals are Corsair's H100i Extreme Performance CPU Liquid Cooling AIO, going for $99 (down from $129), the GPU version of the same AIO (down to the same $99 from $129), and Corsair's Lapdog control center (down to $69 from $119) for your couch-related gaming needs. There's also a selection of gaming mice, rodent pads, mechanical keyboards, and even a special edition, liquid-cooled GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. Hit the source link for some Corsair goodness (though remember, if you're not USA/CA based, you apparently have to tough it up sans discounts...)
Acer, ASUS Delaying Their 4K, 144 Hz G-Sync HDR Displays to 2018
It's confirmed: no 144 Hz 4K gaming with HDR in 2017 for NVIDIA gamers who want to make use of G-Sync t avoid screen tearing in their games. Acer last week announced that its 4K HDR Predator X27 gaming display would be delayed to Q1 2018 (meaning, no such thing below your Christmas tree or on your fireplace sock, sadly.) But it isn't Acer's fault, apparently: ASUS's ROG Swift PG27UQ, which features virtually the same specifications, has also been delayed to 2018. Both these monitors are based of an NVIDIA reference design showcased at Computex 2017 (you may remember a slight foul play there as well.)
The Acer Predator X27 and the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ are based on AU Optronics' M270QAN02.2 AHVA panel, which offers a 3840×2160 resolution and can reach a 144 Hz refresh rate. Something that really should make these monitors shine is the usage of a direct LED backlighting system with 384 zones, which can be individually dimmed or brightened as needed, which allows the panel to deliver much higher levels of contrast, needed for true HDR display. At least until OLED panels make their way to high-performance gaming monitors, these are expected to be the best of the crop.
The Acer Predator X27 and the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ are based on AU Optronics' M270QAN02.2 AHVA panel, which offers a 3840×2160 resolution and can reach a 144 Hz refresh rate. Something that really should make these monitors shine is the usage of a direct LED backlighting system with 384 zones, which can be individually dimmed or brightened as needed, which allows the panel to deliver much higher levels of contrast, needed for true HDR display. At least until OLED panels make their way to high-performance gaming monitors, these are expected to be the best of the crop.
Noctua Stocks Up Threadripper-compatible NH-U14S Coolers
Noctua is stocking up inventories of its AMD Ryzen Threadripper-compatible NH-U14S-TR4-SP3 tower-type CPU cooler. A variant of the NH-U14S (pictured below), the cooler will be available from 12th August in the United States, through Noctua's eBay store. Other retailers will have stocks by the end of August. Noctua believes the NH-U14S features sufficient muscle to cope with the 180W TDP Threadripper processors, some of the lower variants come with 140W TDP. The TR4-SP3 variant comes with a slightly enlarged base, for better coverage of the large integrated heatspreaders of the Threadripper chips. The other Threadripper-compatible coolers in Noctua's lineup are the NH-U12S-TR4-SP3, and NH-U9-TR4-SP3.
In Win Announces Availability of Their Aurora RGB LED Fans
In Win has finally announced availability of their Aurora RGB LED fans. We've seen tome a couple of times before - one of them on Computex. Only now are these innovative, daisy-chainable and remote-controlled fans being put up for sale, though.
The Aurora RGB LED fans are first to support multi-unit daisy-chaining, so one fan's power input and control can be shared with multiple fans. This way, you can control each of your multiple fan configurations (say, three fans on the front panel of your case, plus the three fans for your GPU's radiator, plus two fans for your CPU AIO) by simply pointing the remote at them.
The Aurora RGB LED fans are first to support multi-unit daisy-chaining, so one fan's power input and control can be shared with multiple fans. This way, you can control each of your multiple fan configurations (say, three fans on the front panel of your case, plus the three fans for your GPU's radiator, plus two fans for your CPU AIO) by simply pointing the remote at them.
Thermaltake Announces Ryzen Threadripper Support for Water 3.0 Riing AIO Coolers
Thermaltake today announced that five of its Water 3.0 Riing series all-in-one, closed-loop, liquid CPU cooler models support AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors in the new TR4 package. Among the supporting models are the Water 3.0 Riing RGB 360, Water 3.0 Riing RGB 240, Water 3.0 Riing RGB 120, Water 3.0 Riing RGB Extreme, and Water 3.0 Riing RGB Ultimate. The five coolers include brackets for socket TR4, although the company didn't mention if the circular blocks of the Water 3.0 Riing RGB series provides 100% coverage of the processors' integrated heatspreader.
Samsung Readies 970 and 980 Series NVMe SSDs
At its Flash Memory Summit booth, Samsung revealed plans to launch new consumer-segment SSDs which succeed its current 960 EVO and 960 Pro series. Over 2017-18, the company is expected to launch the new 970 series and 980 series NVMe SSDs. Tom's Hardware predicts that Samsung could dispose of the "EVO" and "Pro" brand extensions to a static model number (such as 960 or 950). Samsung could tap into its current 3-bit per cell (TLC) 64-layer 3D V-NAND flash memory for the 970 and 980 series. With the company busy capacity-building for 4-bit per cell (QLC), the new SSD lines may not feature it, although Samsung is capable of surprising with aggressive launch cycles. As drives supporting the NVMe protocol, the 970 and 980 series could ship in modern form-factors, such as M.2 and U.2.
Wednesday, August 9th 2017
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Notebooks
Processors
Fractal Design Meshify C Review
The Meshify C utilizes the same frame as the Define C, but targets a more gamer- and enthusiast-based crowd. It replaces understated looks with an edgy design and adds full glass panels - all while offering nearly the same feature set as its Define C counterpart.
Phanteks Announces Enthoo PRO M Special Edition
Phanteks introduces the latest variant to the Enthoo PRO M Series, the Special Edition PRO M. The PRO M Special Edition delivers great design without compromising any features. The Special Edition offers striking style with the white interior, plus two Halos RGB fan frames to complement the case.
The new special edition PRO M has the same great features found throughout the PRO M lineup including the open interior layout and a modular HDD system that allows you to utilize the space to your needs. The case will be watercooling ready with the integrated radiator bracket, reservoir mounts, and pump slots. Stylish, compact and featured packed, the PRO M Special Edition will offer enthusiasts a way to unleash their creativity and showcase their build. The included Halos RGB fan complements any system build with ambient illumination and style.
The new special edition PRO M has the same great features found throughout the PRO M lineup including the open interior layout and a modular HDD system that allows you to utilize the space to your needs. The case will be watercooling ready with the integrated radiator bracket, reservoir mounts, and pump slots. Stylish, compact and featured packed, the PRO M Special Edition will offer enthusiasts a way to unleash their creativity and showcase their build. The included Halos RGB fan complements any system build with ambient illumination and style.
DeepCool Announce White Variant of the Captain 240EX RGB AIO
DeepCool have come forward to announce a slight variation on their Captain 240EX RGB AIO solution, which we've covered in the past. The new version offers the exact same features as the 240EX RGB (non white) version, such as software control of the RGB lighting (ASUS' Aura Sync, MSI's Mystic Light and Gigabyte's RGB Fusion), or through an included wired controller. All variants of the Captain 240EX RGB also come bundled with an additional LED strip for your case; it can be plugged in to the available RGB LED header, synchronizing the LED behavior via the motherboard (an in-line RGB LED controller is also bundled for users who don't have a LED header.)
The white variant of the Captain 240EX RGB AIO is compatible with all modern processors from AMD (including AM4) and Intel (including LGA2011-v3 and LGA1151), with both parts being rated for the same 150 W TDP. Tubing length comes in at 310~315 mm, and the fans are rated for 500 RPM at the lowest end (±200 RPM) to 1800 RPM on max speed (±10% RPM). The noise profile oscillates between a 17.6 dBA minimum and a 31.3 dBA maximum. The white version of the Captain 240EX RGB will be available starting September 2017. It will be the same price as the regular non-white Captain 240EX RGB at $129.99 USD.
The white variant of the Captain 240EX RGB AIO is compatible with all modern processors from AMD (including AM4) and Intel (including LGA2011-v3 and LGA1151), with both parts being rated for the same 150 W TDP. Tubing length comes in at 310~315 mm, and the fans are rated for 500 RPM at the lowest end (±200 RPM) to 1800 RPM on max speed (±10% RPM). The noise profile oscillates between a 17.6 dBA minimum and a 31.3 dBA maximum. The white version of the Captain 240EX RGB will be available starting September 2017. It will be the same price as the regular non-white Captain 240EX RGB at $129.99 USD.
Phanteks Announces Halos Series RGB Fan Frames
Phanteks released today their latest products, the Halos and Halos LUX RGB fan frames. Announced at Computex 2017, the Halos are RGB LED embedded fan frames that disperse light evenly across any fan blades. The Halos RGB fan frames bring elegance and style to your system without compromising performance.
The Phanteks' Halos RGB fan frames complements any system build with ambient illumination. Using high density LEDs, the Halos can illuminate different varieties of fans including high performance fans made from PBT material. The Halos can be daisy-chained to all of Phanteks RGB products and synchronized with Phanteks case or third-party motherboards using our RGB motherboard adapter (*PH-CB_RGB4P).
The Phanteks' Halos RGB fan frames complements any system build with ambient illumination. Using high density LEDs, the Halos can illuminate different varieties of fans including high performance fans made from PBT material. The Halos can be daisy-chained to all of Phanteks RGB products and synchronized with Phanteks case or third-party motherboards using our RGB motherboard adapter (*PH-CB_RGB4P).
Six Million Marvell-powered Kingston SSDs Ship, Companies Collaborate Further
Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced over 6 million SSD units between the Kingston and HyperX lines have shipped worldwide featuring Marvell controllers. The feat was accomplished in just over two years as the HyperX Predator PCIe SSD in February 2015 was the company's first SSD to ship utilizing a Marvell controller. Marvell's 88SS9293 controller provides lightning fast, next generation SSD performance making HyperX Predator PCIe SSD a must have for system-builders and enthusiasts.
Wanting to offer users of all levels the benefits of high performance from an SSD, Kingston released UV400, powered by Marvell's 88SS1074 four-channel controller in May of 2016. As the product family evolves later this year, Kingston will launch the UV500 series, its first 3D NAND-enabled SSD utilizing Marvell's newest 88SS1074 full turnkey (FTK) solution. UV500 will be available in 2.5", M.2 and mSATA form factors providing solutions for any consumer and system builder SSD needs. It is designed for mainstream client use but also has 256-bit AES encryption and TCG Opal 2.0 enabled for enterprise users as well.
Wanting to offer users of all levels the benefits of high performance from an SSD, Kingston released UV400, powered by Marvell's 88SS1074 four-channel controller in May of 2016. As the product family evolves later this year, Kingston will launch the UV500 series, its first 3D NAND-enabled SSD utilizing Marvell's newest 88SS1074 full turnkey (FTK) solution. UV500 will be available in 2.5", M.2 and mSATA form factors providing solutions for any consumer and system builder SSD needs. It is designed for mainstream client use but also has 256-bit AES encryption and TCG Opal 2.0 enabled for enterprise users as well.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X Overclocked to 4.1 GHz With Liquid Cooling
Redditor "callingthewolf" has posted what is an awe-inspiring result for AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 1950X (that's an interesting username for sure; let's hope that's the only similarity to the boy who cried wolf.) The 16-core, 32-thread processor stands as the likely taker for the HEDT performance crown (at least until Intel's 14-core plus HEDT CPUs make their debut on the X299 platform.) With that many cores, highly thread-aware applications naturally look to see tremendous increases in performance from any frequency increase. In this case, the 1950X's base 3.4 GHz were upped to a whopping 4.0 GHz (@ 1.25 V core) and 4.1 GHz (at 1.4 V core; personally, I'd stick with the 4.0 GHz and call it a day.)
The feat was achieved under a Thermaltake Water 3.0 liquid cooler, on a non-specified ASRock motherboard with all DIMM channels populated with 8 x 8 GB 3066 MHz DIMMs. At 4.0 GHz, the Threadripper 1950X achieves a 3337 points score on Cinebench R15. And at 4.1GHz, the big chip that can (we can't really call it small now can we?) manages to score 58391 points in Geekbench 3. While those scores are certainly impressive, I would just like to point out the fact that this is a 16-core CPU that overclocks as well as (and in some cases, even better than) AMD's 8-core Ryzen 7 CPUs. The frequency potential of this Threadripper part is in the same ballpark of AMD's 8-core dies, which speaks to either an architecture limit or a manufacturing one at around 4 GHz. The Threadripper 1950X is, by all measurements, an impressively "glued together" piece of silicon.
The feat was achieved under a Thermaltake Water 3.0 liquid cooler, on a non-specified ASRock motherboard with all DIMM channels populated with 8 x 8 GB 3066 MHz DIMMs. At 4.0 GHz, the Threadripper 1950X achieves a 3337 points score on Cinebench R15. And at 4.1GHz, the big chip that can (we can't really call it small now can we?) manages to score 58391 points in Geekbench 3. While those scores are certainly impressive, I would just like to point out the fact that this is a 16-core CPU that overclocks as well as (and in some cases, even better than) AMD's 8-core Ryzen 7 CPUs. The frequency potential of this Threadripper part is in the same ballpark of AMD's 8-core dies, which speaks to either an architecture limit or a manufacturing one at around 4 GHz. The Threadripper 1950X is, by all measurements, an impressively "glued together" piece of silicon.
Samsung Introduces Far-reaching V-NAND Memory Solutions
Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, has announced new V-NAND (Vertical NAND) memory solutions and technology that will address the pressing requirements of next-generation data processing and storage systems. With the rapid increase of data-intensive applications across many industries using artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, the role of flash memory has become extremely critical in accelerating the speed at which information can be extracted for real-time analysis.
At the inaugural Samsung Tech Day and this year's Flash Memory Summit, Samsung is showcasing solutions to address next-generation data processing challenges centered around the company's latest V-NAND technology and an array of solid state drives (SSDs). These solutions will be at the forefront of enabling today's most data-intensive tasks such as high-performance computing, machine learning, real-time analytics and parallel computing.
At the inaugural Samsung Tech Day and this year's Flash Memory Summit, Samsung is showcasing solutions to address next-generation data processing challenges centered around the company's latest V-NAND technology and an array of solid state drives (SSDs). These solutions will be at the forefront of enabling today's most data-intensive tasks such as high-performance computing, machine learning, real-time analytics and parallel computing.
More Details Surface on Coffee Lake Lineup: i3-8350K, i3-8100 Specs Leaked Again
It appears that Intel's response to AMD's Ryzen desktop processors will be quite a departure from the norm for the blue company. That Ryzen CPUs with their price points are a disruptive piece of silicon is a well-known fact by now. However much we knew that, though, it appears that Intel really is giving a bold (some might say necessary) response to Ryzen's threat to their immutable (for so many years) CPU lineup.
There has already been a leak for the i3-8350K and i3-8100 CPUs for Coffee Lake; this second one comes more as a confirmation of what image was already forming in our minds. And it seems that Intel really is relegating their four-core, four-thread processors to the i3 tier, thus dropping its entire lineup by a rung. Some questions remain regarding Intel's i5 lineup: likely, entry-level processors of this tier ship with four cores and HyperThreading enabled. It's expected that some i5 models will carry six physical cores (absent of HyperThreading), though. This means Intel's clean segmentation, which started with Nehalem almost a decade ago (on the 45 nm process; do you remember that?) has been brought to an end. It also means my puny i5 will now be relegated to i3 territory, but that's... Life.
There has already been a leak for the i3-8350K and i3-8100 CPUs for Coffee Lake; this second one comes more as a confirmation of what image was already forming in our minds. And it seems that Intel really is relegating their four-core, four-thread processors to the i3 tier, thus dropping its entire lineup by a rung. Some questions remain regarding Intel's i5 lineup: likely, entry-level processors of this tier ship with four cores and HyperThreading enabled. It's expected that some i5 models will carry six physical cores (absent of HyperThreading), though. This means Intel's clean segmentation, which started with Nehalem almost a decade ago (on the 45 nm process; do you remember that?) has been brought to an end. It also means my puny i5 will now be relegated to i3 territory, but that's... Life.
Tuesday, August 8th 2017
Today's Reviews
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Motherboards
Processors
Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice: Performance Analysis
Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice is one of the best-looking titles released in recent times. Its facial animations look stunning, and the game's visual fidelity is excellent, too, but comes at a performance cost. We tested this highly demanding game on a wide selection of graphics cards at full HD, 1440p, and 4K.
Aerocool Project 7 PSU 650 W Review
Aerocool collaborated with TPU in order to build an ultra-reliable high-performance PSU. The P7-650W Platinum is one of the best power supplies we ever tested, featuring full modularity, high efficiency, and a dead-silent operation even under tough conditions. It is also equipped with Japanese caps and a quality fan.
ENERMAX Launches LIQTECH TR4 AIO Liquid Cooler for AMD Threadripper
ENERMAX, the designer and manufacturer of high-end PSU and CPU coolers, announces the launch of LIQTECH TR4, the closed-loop liquid coolers that are custom-designed especially for the top-end enthusiast Threadripper CPUs. The LIQTECH TR4's base plate can cover the entire Threadripper's IHS (integrated heat spreader) to deliver greater heat transfer efficiency and faster dissipation. Furthermore, with the innovative high-flow-rate pump and patented Shunt-Channel-Technology (SCT) coldplate design, LIQTECH TR4 can deliver extremely high cooling capacity of 500W+TDP for heavily overclocked CPUs and demanding HEDT systems.
Update 10/8: ENERMAX Updated the MSRP. The LIQTECH TR4 240 is priced at USD $129.99, and the LIQTECH TR4 360 at $149.99.
Update 10/8: ENERMAX Updated the MSRP. The LIQTECH TR4 240 is priced at USD $129.99, and the LIQTECH TR4 360 at $149.99.
Intel to Debut 8th Generation Core Family on August 21
On Aug. 21, Intel will unveil the 8th Generation Intel Core processor family on Facebook Live. Watch as two exciting moments align: the Great American Solar Eclipse and the unveiling of Intel's most powerful family of processors for the next era of computing. Hear from those who are at the center of creating this technology and from creators who are using the power of 8th Gen Intel Core technology in new and exciting ways.
Micron Announces 9200 Series PCIe NVMe SSDs
Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) today introduced Micron 9200 Series of NVMe SSDs, the company's latest flagship performance solid-state storage family. The innovative architecture and industry leading performance of Micron 9200 SSDs allows organizations to access data faster and stay one step ahead of the growing diversity of business-critical workloads and surging data demands.
The new Micron 9200 SSD combines the cost-effective capacity of 3D NAND with the proven throughput and response time of the NVM Express (NVMe) protocol. Built from the ground up to remove legacy layers of hard drive interfaces, Micron's second generation of NVMe drives unleashes the speed of solid state nonvolatile memory to maximize data center efficiency for optimal total cost of ownership (TCO).
The new Micron 9200 SSD combines the cost-effective capacity of 3D NAND with the proven throughput and response time of the NVM Express (NVMe) protocol. Built from the ground up to remove legacy layers of hard drive interfaces, Micron's second generation of NVMe drives unleashes the speed of solid state nonvolatile memory to maximize data center efficiency for optimal total cost of ownership (TCO).
Intel Core i3-8350K and Core i3-8100 "Coffee Lake" Detailed
It turns out that the Core i3-8300 isn't the only upcoming quad-core processor bearing the value-segment Core i3 badge; with Intel planning two other quad-core SKUs, according to leaked company documents that surfaced on the forumscape. The two other SKUs are the Core i3-8350K and the Core i3-8100. While the specs-sheet puts out only a limited number of specifications, it confirms that both the SKUs are quad-core, and that the i3-8350K features an unlocked multiplier. It also confirms that Core i3 quad-core chips (including the i3-8300) lack HyperThreading.
The Core i3-8100 could position itself at the lower-end of the value-segment, below the Core i3-8300. The Core i3-8350K could be a logical successor to the unlocked i3-7350K, which is being sold at $189. One can expect a pricing overlap between this unlocked quad-core SKU, and the cheapest "locked" six-core SKU bearing the Core i5 badge, such as the Core i5-8400. The i3-8350K is clocked at 4.00 GHz out of the box, and the i3-8300 at 3.60 GHz. Both chips lack Turbo Boost. The i3-8350K has a TDP rated at 91W, which is marginally below the 95W rating of its six-core siblings. The i3-8100 has its TDP rated at 65W.
The Core i3-8100 could position itself at the lower-end of the value-segment, below the Core i3-8300. The Core i3-8350K could be a logical successor to the unlocked i3-7350K, which is being sold at $189. One can expect a pricing overlap between this unlocked quad-core SKU, and the cheapest "locked" six-core SKU bearing the Core i5 badge, such as the Core i5-8400. The i3-8350K is clocked at 4.00 GHz out of the box, and the i3-8300 at 3.60 GHz. Both chips lack Turbo Boost. The i3-8350K has a TDP rated at 91W, which is marginally below the 95W rating of its six-core siblings. The i3-8100 has its TDP rated at 65W.
TechPowerUp News Team Openings for US, CA & other American Countries
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To apply, write to w1zzard@techpowerup.com with your resume, other info you consider important, and optionally, attach examples of your work. There are no work-experience requirements.
TrendForce Reports 4.6% Sequential Monthly Gain for ACP of PC DRAM Modules
DRAM prices began to rise in the second half of 2016 and have maintained a strong upward momentum through the first half of 2017, according to data from DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce. The average contract price of PC DRAM modules rose by nearly 40% sequentially in the first quarter to US$24 and then by more than 10% sequentially in the second quarter to US$27. Furthermore, the average contract price of PC DRAM modules increased by about 4.6% between this June and July. DRAMeXchange's price forecast for this year's second half indicates and steady and incremental gains as the general trend in the DRAM market.
BYKSKI Showcases First Water Blocks for Ryzen Threadripper
Chinese liquid-cooling manufacturer BYKSKY has showcased what are as of yet the first waterblocks specifically engineered for AMD's HEDT X399 platform. The company has showcased a grand total of four variants for their liquid-cooling solutions, which come with accents in either Red, Silver, Red + RGB Lighting, or Silver + RGB Lighting.
Sans RGB, the blocks are expected to retail for about $58; adding a light spectacle to your water blocks, however, will seemingly increase pricing to a still very appealing $63. Even though these specific Threadripper waterblocks are for now only listed in China, expect availability to expand in the coming weeks.
Sans RGB, the blocks are expected to retail for about $58; adding a light spectacle to your water blocks, however, will seemingly increase pricing to a still very appealing $63. Even though these specific Threadripper waterblocks are for now only listed in China, expect availability to expand in the coming weeks.
Toshiba Announces SG6 Series SATA Client SSD Utilizing 64-Layer 3D Flash
Toshiba Memory Corporation, the world leader in memory solutions, today announced the launch of the SG6 series, a new line-up of SATA client SSDs utilizing Toshiba Memory Corporation's cutting-edge 64-layer, 3-bit-per-cell (TLC) BiCS FLASH. Sample shipments to PC OEM customers start today in limited quantities, and Toshiba Memory Corporation will gradually increase shipments from the fourth calendar quarter of this year.
The new SG6 series SSDs features a SATA Revision 3.3, 6.0Gbit/s interface, and delivers performance of up to 550MB/s sequential read and 535MB/s sequential write. Thanks to improved flash memory management and performance, active power consumption is cut by approximately 40% compared to previous generation products. This improvement can extend battery life, a plus for many applications including mobile computing.
The new SG6 series SSDs features a SATA Revision 3.3, 6.0Gbit/s interface, and delivers performance of up to 550MB/s sequential read and 535MB/s sequential write. Thanks to improved flash memory management and performance, active power consumption is cut by approximately 40% compared to previous generation products. This improvement can extend battery life, a plus for many applications including mobile computing.
Thermaltake Intros Pacific W4 Plus CPU Water Block
Thermaltake today introduced the Pacific W4 Plus CPU water block, a step-up from its Pacific W4 RGB block launched in January. While the underlying block hasn't changed, Thermaltake updated its top to feature 12 RGB LED elements, with support for 16.8 million colors. The older Pacific W4 RGB only supports 256 colors, put out from fewer diodes.
The Pacific W4 Plus features a standardized RGB LED header, and the company is including the Riing Plus RGB software to let you control the color, brightness, and lighting patterns of the LEDs. What's more, the Pacific W4 Plus also includes socket AM4 retention modules, in addition to socket LGA2011/2066, and LGA115x. The company didn't reveal pricing.
The Pacific W4 Plus features a standardized RGB LED header, and the company is including the Riing Plus RGB software to let you control the color, brightness, and lighting patterns of the LEDs. What's more, the Pacific W4 Plus also includes socket AM4 retention modules, in addition to socket LGA2011/2066, and LGA115x. The company didn't reveal pricing.
Noctua's Alleged Manufacturing Discrepancies Put to the Test, Found Lacking
A recent maelstrom has hit Noctua in social forums due to a then unverified, reported issue with manufacturing differences between fans of the company that have been built on Taiwan or China factories. The issue, first brought about by Reddit user Kendalf, left open some questions on cooling and noise deltas between Taiwan and China-made Noctua fans, while admitting that the issue could be with a particular batch/testing conditions/other unidentified variables. But the Internet is fantastic, and what was posted as a legitimate question was quickly turned into a pitchfork-handling mob crying "Noctua never again" and "Down to Noctua" (which really are one of the most innovative companies in the cooling space...)
AMD Confirms Ryzen Marginality Performance Issue Under Linux, TR and EPYC Clear
An issue on AMD's Ryzen performance under certain Linux workloads, which caused segmentation faults in very heavy, continuous workloads on the Ryzen silicon (parallel compilation workloads in particular) has been confirmed by AMD. Tests like Phoronix's Test Suite's stress run quickly bring the Ryzen processors to their knees with multiple segmentation faults. While this problem is easy to cause under very heavy workloads, the issue is virtually absent under normal Linux desktop workloads and benchmarking,
AMD also confirmed this issue is not present in EPYC or Threadripper processors, but are isolated to early Ryzen samples under Linux (AMD's testing under Windows has found no such behavior.) AMD's analysis has also found that these Ryzen segmentation faults aren't isolated to a particular motherboard vendor, but are problems with the processors themselves. AMD encourages Ryzen customers who believe to be affected by the problem to contact AMD Customer Care. Some of those who have contacted customer care about the segmentation faults have in turn been affected by thermal, power, or other problems, but AMD says they are committed to working with those encountering this performance marginality issue under Linux. AMD will also be stepping up their Linux testing/QA for future consumer products.
AMD also confirmed this issue is not present in EPYC or Threadripper processors, but are isolated to early Ryzen samples under Linux (AMD's testing under Windows has found no such behavior.) AMD's analysis has also found that these Ryzen segmentation faults aren't isolated to a particular motherboard vendor, but are problems with the processors themselves. AMD encourages Ryzen customers who believe to be affected by the problem to contact AMD Customer Care. Some of those who have contacted customer care about the segmentation faults have in turn been affected by thermal, power, or other problems, but AMD says they are committed to working with those encountering this performance marginality issue under Linux. AMD will also be stepping up their Linux testing/QA for future consumer products.
Fractal Design Adds X299, X399 Support to Celsius AIO Lineup
Like many other manufacturers, Fractal Design isn't sleeping under the proverbial palm tree with their products. They too have sought to keep after the most promising high performance platforms for their Celsius AIOs, and have announced compatibility with Intel's latest X299 platform and AMD's X399. The S24 is one of the best 240 mm AIO coolers out there, apparently; models of this lineup feature a 12 V ceramic bearing water pump equipped with a copper cold plate. The Celsius line of coolers also come equipped with an integrated fan hub that allows end users to plug the cooler fans directly into the radiator instead of the motherboard - leaving those fan headers free for other pieces of hardware.
The compatibility will be achieved, as usual, through a separate bracket. AMD Threadripper users will be able to rest assured, since their purchase of a Threadripper CPU will already come with a Asetek retention kit inside the box (compatible with Fractal Design's coolers, naturally.) Intel X299 users will find full compatibility for the socket via the included 2011-v3 kit inside the Fractal Design Celsius AIO packaging.
The compatibility will be achieved, as usual, through a separate bracket. AMD Threadripper users will be able to rest assured, since their purchase of a Threadripper CPU will already come with a Asetek retention kit inside the box (compatible with Fractal Design's coolers, naturally.) Intel X299 users will find full compatibility for the socket via the included 2011-v3 kit inside the Fractal Design Celsius AIO packaging.
Intel Coffee Lake-S Features Similar Uncore Components to Kaby Lake
Intel 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" mainstream desktop processors could work on older socket LGA1151 motherboards based on Intel 200-series chipset, after all. A recent motherboard BIOS update by ASUS alters the name-string of a system device to read "Intel Kaby Lake/Coffee Lake-S Host Bridge/DRAM Controller," reinforcing the theory that Coffee Lake and its companion 300-series chipset make up the Kaby Lake "Refresh" platform.
Responding to a customer question, motherboard maker ASRock had recently commented that "Coffee Lake" processors won't be supported by current motherboards based on the 200-series chipset, dashing hopes of current platform users to upgrade to newer 6-core processors without having to unnecessarily buy a new motherboard and reinstall software. This development shouldn't necessarily raise hopes. Although Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake have a lot of architectural similarities, particularly with their uncore components, revised electrical requirements of the new chips could be behind the lack of backwards platform-compatibility. It remains to be seen if you can use your current "Skylake" and "Kaby Lake" processors on upcoming 300-series chipset motherboards.
Responding to a customer question, motherboard maker ASRock had recently commented that "Coffee Lake" processors won't be supported by current motherboards based on the 200-series chipset, dashing hopes of current platform users to upgrade to newer 6-core processors without having to unnecessarily buy a new motherboard and reinstall software. This development shouldn't necessarily raise hopes. Although Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake have a lot of architectural similarities, particularly with their uncore components, revised electrical requirements of the new chips could be behind the lack of backwards platform-compatibility. It remains to be seen if you can use your current "Skylake" and "Kaby Lake" processors on upcoming 300-series chipset motherboards.
ENERMAX Launches Platimax D.F. 1200W Power Supply
ENERMAX announces the launch of new Platinum-rated power supply series, Platimax D.F. 1200W/1050W/850W/750W. The new lineup is 80 PLUS Platinum certified power supply with fully modular cable design. In addition to the DFR self-cleaning technology, new Platimax D.F. incorporates a D.F. switch for users to manually activate the self-cleaning function anytime during operation. Moreover, the series features smart semi-fanless control which ensures absolute quiet operation at lower loads. With rock-solid stability and superior performance, Platimax D.F. is without doubt a perfect solution for high-resolution gaming rigs or multi-GPU systems.
Built with high-density PCB design, Platimax D.F. supports Max. 1200W with only 160mm in depth gives enthusiasts greater flexibility in case selection. Current power supplies over 1000W on the market are generally larger, many of them measuring 180mm to 225mm in depth. The larger dimensions necessitate a PC case with a lot of interior space, which decreases a builder's freedom in selecting a chassis. Platimax D.F. 1200W is the smallest of its kind.
Built with high-density PCB design, Platimax D.F. supports Max. 1200W with only 160mm in depth gives enthusiasts greater flexibility in case selection. Current power supplies over 1000W on the market are generally larger, many of them measuring 180mm to 225mm in depth. The larger dimensions necessitate a PC case with a lot of interior space, which decreases a builder's freedom in selecting a chassis. Platimax D.F. 1200W is the smallest of its kind.
Monday, August 7th 2017
Today's Reviews
Headphones
Memory
Monitors
Notebooks
Storage
Matias Quiet Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review
The Matias Quiet Pro keyboard features improved Alps-inspired Quiet Click switches with reduced wobble, while still keeping them quiet and with good tactile feedback. The keyboard also has a polycarbonate casing, three spare USB ports, and dedicated media buttons and aims to improve the typing experience of office workers everywhere.
Intel Further Delivers on Storage Transformation with New SSD Form Factor
Today, Intel announces major data center storage advances, reiterating Intel's memory technology leadership. The new technologies advance data center storage and deliver innovative solutions to meet the challenges presented by the growing reliance on data. They include:
- "Ruler" form factor for Intel SSDs, an all-new solid state drive form factor enabling up to 1PB of storage in a 1U server rack in the future.
- The world's most advanced dual port portfolio: Intel Optane technology dual port SSDs and Intel 3D NAND dual port SSDs for mission-critical applications.
- An updated SATA family of SSDs for data center, targeted at HDD replacement.
Where's My Bitcoin? "Cerber" Ransomware Starts Stealing Cryptocurrency Wallets
"Where's my Bitcoin?" is a question no miner, investor or mere user in the cryptocurrency ever wants to have to ask. There's always someone willing to take advantage of someone else's hard work or subjection to risk in order to increase their own value; and if there's something years of cyber security have told us, is that hackers seldom lag in picking up new sources of undeserved revenue. So it was only a matter of time before general purpose ransomware started seeing updates so as to take advantage of the newer trends in valuable assets. Enter cryptocurrency. And you can probably guess the rest of this piece.
The new, updated Cerber ransomware routine now not only encrypts a user's files, it also looks for some specific, known Bitcoin wallet applications (namely, and as of time of writing, Bitcoin Core, Electrum, and Multibit), copies them to an external server controlled by the hackers, and proceeds to delete them from the user's PC. Naturally, Cerber also has a routine that handles copying passwords that are stored in your browser of choice. The wallet stealing and copying isn't much of a concern per se; there are additional security measures in any given wallet before the hackers can access their potential treasure trove of cryptocurrency. However, many people also keep files with passwords or some such on their computers; and could be doing a disfavor to themselves by not keeping another copy of their wallets on a secure, non-internet connected hardware wallet, or even USB pen. Naturally, a user who kept the password for their wallet on their system is vulnerable to the entire "ransomware" portion of the Cerber malware; and if someone doesn't even have another copy of their wallet but keeps an ungodly amount of value in it, could very well be facing losses towards the entirety of their wallet. Definitely not a good place to be.
The new, updated Cerber ransomware routine now not only encrypts a user's files, it also looks for some specific, known Bitcoin wallet applications (namely, and as of time of writing, Bitcoin Core, Electrum, and Multibit), copies them to an external server controlled by the hackers, and proceeds to delete them from the user's PC. Naturally, Cerber also has a routine that handles copying passwords that are stored in your browser of choice. The wallet stealing and copying isn't much of a concern per se; there are additional security measures in any given wallet before the hackers can access their potential treasure trove of cryptocurrency. However, many people also keep files with passwords or some such on their computers; and could be doing a disfavor to themselves by not keeping another copy of their wallets on a secure, non-internet connected hardware wallet, or even USB pen. Naturally, a user who kept the password for their wallet on their system is vulnerable to the entire "ransomware" portion of the Cerber malware; and if someone doesn't even have another copy of their wallet but keeps an ungodly amount of value in it, could very well be facing losses towards the entirety of their wallet. Definitely not a good place to be.
GALAX to Launch Updated Gamer III DDR4 Memory With RGB LEDs
Around one year ago, GALAX introduced their Gamer DDR4 memory kits, which counted with LED illumination - these were not RGB parts, mind you, and instead, you had to choose between either Red, Green or Blue LEDs with matching color lid. But the times, they are a-changing, and nowadays, pure LED illumination isn't enough: gamers want permanent customization ability, so they can keep cycling kaleidoscopic colors around them at a whim.What the GALAX Gamer III line-up does well is that their RGB prowess comes absent of any unsightly extra cables for separate RGB power; like the G.Skill Trident Z, these make do without any extra wiring. However, where these fall short is on frequency and timings. It's almost as if the added LEDs reduce DRAM performance, since these kits will (at least for now) only be available in 2666 MHz frequency kits with CL 15... Which, for a company such as GALAX, with its over the top GPUs, seems slightly anemic. GALAX has yet to announce which motherboard manufacturers will support RGB controls, pricing, or actual availability dates (so, all the important bits.)
Toshiba Introduces World's First Enterprise-Class SSDs with 64-Layer 3D Flash Me
Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC), a committed technology leader, today unveiled the development of two new flagship enterprise solid state drive (SSD) solutions, the TMC PM5 12 Gbit/s SAS series and the CM5 NVM Express (NVMe) series. Development is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter. Both product lines are built with TMC's latest 64 layer, 3-bit-per-cell enterprise-class TLC (triple-level cell) BiCS FLASH2, making it possible for today's demanding storage environments to expand the use of flash with cost-optimized 3D flash memory. With all-new, advanced features, the innovative CM5 and PM5 series raise the bar in performance capabilities and create new opportunities for businesses to leverage the power of flash storage.
Offering up to 30.72TB in a 2.5-inch form factor, the TMC PM5 series introduces a full range of endurance and capacity SAS SSDs enabling data centers to effectively address big data demands while streamlining storage deployments. With the industry's first MultiLink SAS architecture, the PM5 series is able to deliver the fastest performance the market has seen from a SAS-based SSD with up to 3,350 MB/s of sequential read and 2,720 MB/s of sequential write6 in MultiLink mode and up to 400,000 random read IOPS in narrow or MultiLink mode. The PM5 series' 4-port MultiLink design is an additional technology to achieve high performance, close to PCI EXPRESS (PCIe)8 SSDs, enabling legacy infrastructures to increase productivity without having to be re-architected from the ground up. Furthermore, PM5 SSDs support multi-stream write technology, a feature that intelligently manages and groups data types to minimize write amplification and minimize garbage collection, translating into reduced latency, improved endurance, increased performance and Quality of Service (QoS).
Offering up to 30.72TB in a 2.5-inch form factor, the TMC PM5 series introduces a full range of endurance and capacity SAS SSDs enabling data centers to effectively address big data demands while streamlining storage deployments. With the industry's first MultiLink SAS architecture, the PM5 series is able to deliver the fastest performance the market has seen from a SAS-based SSD with up to 3,350 MB/s of sequential read and 2,720 MB/s of sequential write6 in MultiLink mode and up to 400,000 random read IOPS in narrow or MultiLink mode. The PM5 series' 4-port MultiLink design is an additional technology to achieve high performance, close to PCI EXPRESS (PCIe)8 SSDs, enabling legacy infrastructures to increase productivity without having to be re-architected from the ground up. Furthermore, PM5 SSDs support multi-stream write technology, a feature that intelligently manages and groups data types to minimize write amplification and minimize garbage collection, translating into reduced latency, improved endurance, increased performance and Quality of Service (QoS).
Intel Unveils Full Intel Core X-series Processor Family Specs; 14- to 18-Core
Today, Intel is releasing the specifications for the 12- to 18-core processors: Intel Core i9-7920X, Intel Core i9-7940X, Intel Core i9-7960X and the Extreme Edition Intel Core i9-7980XE processors. Announced at Computex 2017, the Intel Core X-series processor family is the most powerful, scalable and accessible high-end desktop platform offered by Intel, designed to deliver the performance needed to meet extreme computing demands for virtual reality (VR), content creation, gaming and overclocking.
The new X-series processor family is the ultimate platform for content creators and gamers. Multitasking becomes extreme mega-tasking with simultaneous, compute-intensive, multithreaded workloads aligned in purpose, powered by up to 18 cores and 36 threads. And, with up to 68 PCIe 3.0 lanes on the platform, people have the ability to expand their systems with fast SSDs, up to four discrete GFX cards and ultrafast Thunderbolt 3 solutions.
The new X-series processor family is the ultimate platform for content creators and gamers. Multitasking becomes extreme mega-tasking with simultaneous, compute-intensive, multithreaded workloads aligned in purpose, powered by up to 18 cores and 36 threads. And, with up to 68 PCIe 3.0 lanes on the platform, people have the ability to expand their systems with fast SSDs, up to four discrete GFX cards and ultrafast Thunderbolt 3 solutions.
Unnanounced AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920 Rears Head on Motherboard Support Lists
An unnanounced AMD HEDT Ryzen Threadripper processor has cropped up on some of the most well known motherboard vendors' support lists. Following AMD's product stacking for the Ryzen line of processors, the Threadripper 1920 comes with the same 12 cores and 24 threads as the 1920X, although it runs at lower frequencies (3.2 GHz base, 3.8 GHz Boost on the 1920, against 3.5 GHz and 4.0 GHz on the 1920X). The lower frequency threshold means the 1920 also comes with a lower, 140 W TDP rating (the 1920X has a higher value at 180 W).
These news come courtesy of CPU support lists for the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme, ASRock X399 Professional Gaming/X399 Taichi as well as GIGABYTE X399-Gaming 7. Expect the new Threadripper to become the sweet spot for the 12-core, 24-thread CPUs of our time, since its performance and pricing will situate it below the 1920X's $799, but above the already announced 8-core Threadripper 1900X, which will come in at $549. Remember that all AMD Zen-based processors come unlocked out of the box for your frequency-increase-through-overclocking pleasure, so it should be relatively simple to extract as much performance from the 1920 as the 1920X can deliver.
These news come courtesy of CPU support lists for the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme, ASRock X399 Professional Gaming/X399 Taichi as well as GIGABYTE X399-Gaming 7. Expect the new Threadripper to become the sweet spot for the 12-core, 24-thread CPUs of our time, since its performance and pricing will situate it below the 1920X's $799, but above the already announced 8-core Threadripper 1900X, which will come in at $549. Remember that all AMD Zen-based processors come unlocked out of the box for your frequency-increase-through-overclocking pleasure, so it should be relatively simple to extract as much performance from the 1920 as the 1920X can deliver.
HyperX Announces FPS and MOBA Gaming Keycaps Upgrade Kits
HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of the HyperX FPS and MOBA Gaming Keycaps Upgrade Kit. The kit offers gaming keycaps for popular FPS and MOBA gaming configurations. Whether you are king of the MOBA games such as League of Legends, or a renowned CS:GO AWPer, the keys are designed for gamers looking to dominate their respective arena. The HyperX FPS and MOBA Gaming Keycaps Upgrade Kit offer gamers the option to customize their battle stations for added visibility and style.
Available in striking red or titanium colours, the HyperX keycap upgrade kit incorporates a textured grip and is coated for durability while also serving as focus keys for a tactical advantage. Gamers looking to get the most out of these enhancements should pair the keycap kits with any HyperX gaming keyboard, including the newly announced HyperX FPS Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. Keycap upgrade kits are Cherry MX compatible and come with a convenient keycap removal tool.
Available in striking red or titanium colours, the HyperX keycap upgrade kit incorporates a textured grip and is coated for durability while also serving as focus keys for a tactical advantage. Gamers looking to get the most out of these enhancements should pair the keycap kits with any HyperX gaming keyboard, including the newly announced HyperX FPS Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. Keycap upgrade kits are Cherry MX compatible and come with a convenient keycap removal tool.
Cooler Master Announces Support for AMD Ryzen Threadripper and Socket TR4
Cooler Master has announced support for AMD Ryzen Threadripper and Socket TR4 for its AIO liquid CPU coolers through the usage of a mounting kit (RL-TR4B-MLLS-R1). The list of compatible coolers includes the MasterLiquid 240 and 120, MasterLiquid 240L RGB, MasterLiquid 120L RGB, Lite 240 and Lite 120.
AMD's latest HEDT CPUs offers up to 16 cores and 32 threads which reaches up to 180 watt TDP with the flagship 1950X. Cooler master says AMD's Threadripper CPUs will require top notch cooling, and that Cooler Master's dual chamber cooling presents itself as a perfect option made possible through "the unique cooling process which isolates the heated coolant from the cooled to maximize the results of the cooling of the processor."
AMD's latest HEDT CPUs offers up to 16 cores and 32 threads which reaches up to 180 watt TDP with the flagship 1950X. Cooler master says AMD's Threadripper CPUs will require top notch cooling, and that Cooler Master's dual chamber cooling presents itself as a perfect option made possible through "the unique cooling process which isolates the heated coolant from the cooled to maximize the results of the cooling of the processor."
GIGABYTE Intros Aorus X299 Gaming Motherboard for Kaby Lake-X Processors
Intel created quad-core "Kaby Lake-X" processors for its latest HEDT platform as they provide an affordable entry to the segment, with a potential to upgrade to larger 6-core, 8-core, 10-core, 12-core, 16-core, and even 18-core processors. The two "Kaby Lake-X" SKUs launched are merely adaptations of the Core i7-7700K and i5-7600K for the LGA2066 socket, as they feature just 256 KB of L2 cache per core (and not 1 MB per core of "Skylake-X"), just a dual-channel DDR4 controller, even though the socket supports quad-channel memory; and just a 16-lane PCIe (while the platform supports up to 44 lanes). While the Core i7-7740X and i5-7640X are priced more or less on par with their LGA1151 twins, motherboards on this platform aren't cheap, with the cheapest LGA2066 motherboard priced a little over $200. GIGABYTE senses an opportunity in all this, in launching the Aorus X299 Gaming. This LGA2066 motherboard only supports the i7-7740X and i5-7640X, and no other LGA2066 Core i7 or Core i9 chip.
Built in the ATX form-factor, you could be mistaken for thinking the Aorus X299 Gaming to be a mainstream-desktop motherboard based on the Z270 chipset, were it not for the unmistakable LGA2066 socket. The board features four DDR4 DIMM slots, all towards the east of the socket, and so it only supports up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory. On boards with four DDR4 slots, yet quad-channel memory support, you typically find the memory slots split in groups of two, on either sides of the CPU socket. This "Kaby Lake-X" specificity carries over to even the PCI-Express slots, where there's only one slot with full x16 wiring, the second slot only features x8 wiring, while the third slot is x4. You can use up to two graphics cards in multi-GPU, where the first and second x16 slots configure as electrical x8/x8.
Built in the ATX form-factor, you could be mistaken for thinking the Aorus X299 Gaming to be a mainstream-desktop motherboard based on the Z270 chipset, were it not for the unmistakable LGA2066 socket. The board features four DDR4 DIMM slots, all towards the east of the socket, and so it only supports up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory. On boards with four DDR4 slots, yet quad-channel memory support, you typically find the memory slots split in groups of two, on either sides of the CPU socket. This "Kaby Lake-X" specificity carries over to even the PCI-Express slots, where there's only one slot with full x16 wiring, the second slot only features x8 wiring, while the third slot is x4. You can use up to two graphics cards in multi-GPU, where the first and second x16 slots configure as electrical x8/x8.
Intel Core i3-8300 Detailed - First Quad-Core i3
Intel Core i3-8300 could be the company's first quad-core processor to bear the Core i3 badge. Based on the 14 nm "Coffee Lake-S" silicon, This SKU could be priced in the upper-band of the Core i3 lineup (around the USD $150 mark), offering four cores. As if that isn't surprising enough, this quad-core chip even reportedly features HyperThreading, enabling 8 logical CPUs for the OS to deal with.
For the first time, a Core i3 part will have more logical CPUs than a Core i5 part, which lacks HyperThreading. Such a feature disparity won't be new, as current Core i3 dual-core SKUs feature HyperThreading, which Core i5 quad-core parts lack. The i3-8300, however, will lack Turbo Boost, which Core i5 SKUs will feature. The chip reportedly features a clock speed of 4.00 GHz. The L3 cache amount and TDP of this chip remain unknown at this point. Intel could launch Core i3 "Coffee Lake" processors only by late-2017 or early-2018.
For the first time, a Core i3 part will have more logical CPUs than a Core i5 part, which lacks HyperThreading. Such a feature disparity won't be new, as current Core i3 dual-core SKUs feature HyperThreading, which Core i5 quad-core parts lack. The i3-8300, however, will lack Turbo Boost, which Core i5 SKUs will feature. The chip reportedly features a clock speed of 4.00 GHz. The L3 cache amount and TDP of this chip remain unknown at this point. Intel could launch Core i3 "Coffee Lake" processors only by late-2017 or early-2018.
Alienware Area 51 Ryzen Threadripper System Benchmarked
LinusTechTips has received an Alienware Area 51, the boutique system which Alienware has developed through its exclusive partnership with AMD for the 16-core, 32-thread Threadripper CPUs.
The system was tested using a proprietary Dell/Alienware motherboard, as well as 32 GB (4x 8 GB) of 2666 MHz DDR4 RAM. Graphics were handled by a Founders Edition GTX 1080 Ti, and storage was etched on a SanDisk A400 256 GB NVME drive (Up to 2050/700 MB/s Sequential Read/Write). The nature of the benchmarked systems, with their myriad of hardware parts, means that the benchmarks are not 100% representative of CPU performance deltas between the tested processors; however, they do put out some interesting numbers. The other HEDT system to be tested was an Intel-based X299 system with a stock Intel Core i9-7900X (10 cores, 20 threads) on an ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe, 4x 8 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 memory, the same GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition, and a 512 GB Samsung 950 Pro NVME SSD.
The system was tested using a proprietary Dell/Alienware motherboard, as well as 32 GB (4x 8 GB) of 2666 MHz DDR4 RAM. Graphics were handled by a Founders Edition GTX 1080 Ti, and storage was etched on a SanDisk A400 256 GB NVME drive (Up to 2050/700 MB/s Sequential Read/Write). The nature of the benchmarked systems, with their myriad of hardware parts, means that the benchmarks are not 100% representative of CPU performance deltas between the tested processors; however, they do put out some interesting numbers. The other HEDT system to be tested was an Intel-based X299 system with a stock Intel Core i9-7900X (10 cores, 20 threads) on an ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe, 4x 8 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 memory, the same GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition, and a 512 GB Samsung 950 Pro NVME SSD.
Intel "Coffee Lake" Platform Detailed - 24 PCIe Lanes from the Chipset
Intel seems to be addressing key platform limitations with its 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" mainstream desktop platform. The first Core i7 and Core i5 "Coffee Lake" processors will launch later this year, alongside motherboards based on the Intel Z370 Express chipset. Leaked company slides detailing this chipset make an interesting revelation, that the chipset itself puts out 24 PCI-Express gen 3.0 lanes, that's not counting the 16 lanes the processor puts out for up to two PEG (PCI-Express Graphics) slots.
The PCI-Express lane budget of "Coffee Lake" platform is a huge step-up from the 8-12 general purpose lanes put out by previous-generation Intel chipsets, and will enable motherboard designers to cram their products with multiple M.2 and U.2 storage options, besides bandwidth-heavy onboard devices such as additional USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt controllers. The chipset itself integrates a multitude of bandwidth-hungry connectivity options. It integrates a 10-port USB 3.1 controller, from which six ports run at 10 Gbps, and four at 5 Gbps.
The PCI-Express lane budget of "Coffee Lake" platform is a huge step-up from the 8-12 general purpose lanes put out by previous-generation Intel chipsets, and will enable motherboard designers to cram their products with multiple M.2 and U.2 storage options, besides bandwidth-heavy onboard devices such as additional USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt controllers. The chipset itself integrates a multitude of bandwidth-hungry connectivity options. It integrates a 10-port USB 3.1 controller, from which six ports run at 10 Gbps, and four at 5 Gbps.
Friday, August 4th 2017
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Motherboards
Processors
MSI X299 SLI PLUS Review
MSI has gone and stripped "GAMING" and "X-POWER" from its motherboard, and what's left is what we've got to look at today. MSI's X299 SLI PLUS is exactly what its name says it is and not much more... or is it more than anyone could have hoped for?
ErgoDox EZ now Available with 6 New Switch Options!
ErgoDox EZ is a startup company that sells a pre-assembled ErgoDox, two-piece ergonomic keyboard. Wetook a look at the "Shine" variant earlier this year, and were left impressed by it despite the high price tag. At the time, the only switch options came from Gateron since Cherry was not able to satisfy the needs of smaller companies and Kailh still had a question mark regarding quality control. Six months on, things have changed drastically to where they now offer switch options of only Cherry and Kailh including the (still rare) Cherry MX Silent Red and the new Kailh Speed switches- a direct response to the Cherry MX Speed (silver) but with their own unique take on them.
The new Kailh Speed switches come in four options named Copper, Silver, Gold and Thick Gold with shorter actuation distances as expected but now with the option of tactile and clicky switches as well. In fact, the Kailh Thick Gold also offers a clicky feedback on the downstroke as well as upstroke. You can get more information via Ergodox EZ themselves here. Pricing is the same irrespective of the switch chosen.
The new Kailh Speed switches come in four options named Copper, Silver, Gold and Thick Gold with shorter actuation distances as expected but now with the option of tactile and clicky switches as well. In fact, the Kailh Thick Gold also offers a clicky feedback on the downstroke as well as upstroke. You can get more information via Ergodox EZ themselves here. Pricing is the same irrespective of the switch chosen.
AMD X399 Platform Lacks NVMe RAID Booting Support
AMD's connectivity-rich Ryzen Threadripper HEDT platform may have an Achilles's heel after all, with reports emerging that it lacks support for booting from NVMe RAID. You can still have bootable NVMe RAID volumes using NVMe RAID HBAs installed as PCI-Express add-on cards. Threadripper processors feature 64-lane PCI-Express gen 3.0 root complexes, which allow you to run at least two graphics cards at full x16 bandwidth, and drop in other bandwidth-hungry devices such as multiple PCI-Express NVMe SSDs. Unfortunately for those planning on striping multiple NVMe SSDs in RAID; the platform lacks NVMe RAID booting support. You should still be able to build soft-RAID arrays striping multiple NVMe SSDs, just not boot from them. Pro-sumers will still be able to dump their heavy data-sets onto such soft-arrays. This limitation is probably due to PCI-Express lanes emerging from different dies on the Threadripper MCM, which could present problems to the system BIOS to boot from.
Ryzen Threadripper is a multi-chip module (MCM) of two 8-core "Summit Ridge" dies. Each 14 nm "Summit Ridge" die features 32 PCI-Express lanes. On a socket AM4 machine, 4 of those 32 lanes are used as chipset-bus, leaving 28 for the rest of the machine. 16 of those head to up to two PEG (PCI-Express Graphics) ports (either one x16 or two x8 slots); and the remaining 12 lanes are spread among M.2 slots, and other onboard devices. On a Threadripper MCM, one of the two "Summit Ridge" dies has chipset-bus access; 16 lanes from each die head to PEG (a total of four PEG ports, either as two x16 or four x8 slots); while the remaining are general purpose; driving high-bandwidth devices such as USB 3.1 controllers, 10 GbE interfaces, and several M.2 and U.2 ports.
Ryzen Threadripper is a multi-chip module (MCM) of two 8-core "Summit Ridge" dies. Each 14 nm "Summit Ridge" die features 32 PCI-Express lanes. On a socket AM4 machine, 4 of those 32 lanes are used as chipset-bus, leaving 28 for the rest of the machine. 16 of those head to up to two PEG (PCI-Express Graphics) ports (either one x16 or two x8 slots); and the remaining 12 lanes are spread among M.2 slots, and other onboard devices. On a Threadripper MCM, one of the two "Summit Ridge" dies has chipset-bus access; 16 lanes from each die head to PEG (a total of four PEG ports, either as two x16 or four x8 slots); while the remaining are general purpose; driving high-bandwidth devices such as USB 3.1 controllers, 10 GbE interfaces, and several M.2 and U.2 ports.
EK Intros RGB Monoblock for ASUS ROG Strix X299-E Gaming
EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer sets the bar even higher by releasing their second LGA-2066 socket based monoblock tailor made for the ASUS ROG Strix X299-E Gaming motherboard. The EK-FB ASUS Strix X299-E RGB Monoblock has an integrated 4-pin RGB LED strip which makes it compatible with ASUS Aura Sync, thus offering a full lighting customization experience. This is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for ASUS ROG Strix X299-E Gaming motherboard that supports new Intel Core X-series LGA2066 socket processors.
Designed and engineered in cooperation with ASUS, this monoblock uses award-winning EK-Supremacy EVO cooling engine to ensure best possible CPU cooling. This water block directly cools Intel LGA-2066 socket type CPU, as well as the power regulation (MOSFET) module. Liquid flows directly over all critical areas, providing the enthusiasts with a great solution for high and stable overclocks. Like with every EK monoblock, EK-FB ASUS Strix X299-E RGB features high flow design and this monoblock can be easily used with weaker and silent water pump settings as well. This kind of efficient VRM cooling on an X299 platform additionally brings down the CPU temperatures compared to the traditional CPU water block and stock VRM heatsink cooling solution.
Designed and engineered in cooperation with ASUS, this monoblock uses award-winning EK-Supremacy EVO cooling engine to ensure best possible CPU cooling. This water block directly cools Intel LGA-2066 socket type CPU, as well as the power regulation (MOSFET) module. Liquid flows directly over all critical areas, providing the enthusiasts with a great solution for high and stable overclocks. Like with every EK monoblock, EK-FB ASUS Strix X299-E RGB features high flow design and this monoblock can be easily used with weaker and silent water pump settings as well. This kind of efficient VRM cooling on an X299 platform additionally brings down the CPU temperatures compared to the traditional CPU water block and stock VRM heatsink cooling solution.
ASUS Intros the ROG Rampage VI Apex X299 Motherboard
ASUS today introduced its flagship socket LGA2066 motherboard for Intel Core X processors, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage VI Apex. Originally announced alongside the Rampage VI Extreme, the Apex is positioned above it in the company's product stack; and is targeted at professional overclockers chasing down CPU and VGA performance records. Although built in the ATX form-factor, the PCB of the Rampage VI Apex features an asymmetric polygonal design. It draws power from a large number of connectors to stabilize each of its power domains; these include the 24-pin ATX, two 8-pin EPS, a 4-pin ATX, and a 6-pin PCIe power.
Power is conditioned for the CPU using a high-current VRM, which is cooled not just by the VRM heatsink, but also a secondary heatsink block under the I/O shroud, to which heat is conveyed by a heat-pipe. The board may not be as heavy as the Rampage VI Extreme in expansion, in featuring just four DDR4 DIMM slots (one per channel), for example; but makes up for with higher overclocking headroom. It features a plethora of overclocker-friendly features, including onboard buttons for key OC functions, voltage measurement hard-points for every voltage domain around the board, and diagnostic LEDs all around. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability.
Power is conditioned for the CPU using a high-current VRM, which is cooled not just by the VRM heatsink, but also a secondary heatsink block under the I/O shroud, to which heat is conveyed by a heat-pipe. The board may not be as heavy as the Rampage VI Extreme in expansion, in featuring just four DDR4 DIMM slots (one per channel), for example; but makes up for with higher overclocking headroom. It features a plethora of overclocker-friendly features, including onboard buttons for key OC functions, voltage measurement hard-points for every voltage domain around the board, and diagnostic LEDs all around. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability.
AMD RX Vega Mining Performance Reportedly Doubled With Driver Updates
Disclaimer: take this post with a bucket of salt. However, the information here, if true, could heavily impact AMD's RX Vega cards' stock at launch and in the subsequent days, so, we're sharing this so our readers can decide on whether they want to pull the trigger for a Vega card at launch, as soon as possible, or risk what would seem like the equivalent of a mining Black Friday crowd gobbling up AMD's RX Vega models' stock. Remember that AMD has already justified delays for increased stock so as to limit the impact of miners on the available supply.
The information has been put out by two different sources already. The first source we encountered (and which has been covered by some media outlets solo) has been one post from one of OC UK's staff, Gibbo, who in a forum post, said "Seems the hash rate on VEGA is 70-100 per card, which is insanely good. Trying to devise some kind of plan so gamers can get them at MSRP without the miners wiping all the stock out within 5 minutes of product going live."
The information has been put out by two different sources already. The first source we encountered (and which has been covered by some media outlets solo) has been one post from one of OC UK's staff, Gibbo, who in a forum post, said "Seems the hash rate on VEGA is 70-100 per card, which is insanely good. Trying to devise some kind of plan so gamers can get them at MSRP without the miners wiping all the stock out within 5 minutes of product going live."
Razer Takes Chroma Lighting Beyond Peripherals with the Hardware Development Kit
Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Chroma Hardware Development Kit (HDK), the world's most advanced modular lighting system for PC gamers and enthusiasts. Integrated within the Razer Chroma ecosystem, the Chroma HDK offers all-in-one color customization with precise control down to the individual LED.
Users can shape and bend the LED strips to fit virtually any surface to light up an entire room, home or office for total game immersion. The individually controllable lights are integrated into Razer Synapse 3, and are powered by Razer Chroma technology, which unlocks customizable lighting features that can be synced across devices.
Users can shape and bend the LED strips to fit virtually any surface to light up an entire room, home or office for total game immersion. The individually controllable lights are integrated into Razer Synapse 3, and are powered by Razer Chroma technology, which unlocks customizable lighting features that can be synced across devices.
Colorful iGame GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Kudan Breaks 3DMark Records
Colorful announced that its flagship graphics card, the iGame GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Kudan, broke several 3DMark records. The company revealed that the GTX 1080 Ti ASIC driving each Kudan graphics card is binned in a "best of 100" lot (the best performing ASIC from 100 are picked out for the Kudan SKU, leaving the rest for other SKUs by the company). Colorful ran the card at an out of the box OC of 2050 MHz core, yielding 3DMark graphics scores of 30,328 points (graphics score) in Firestrike, 14,858 points (graphics score) in Firestrike Extreme, 7,406 points (graphics score) in Firestrike Ultra, and 10,445 points (graphics score) in Timespy.
Corsair One Updated with GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and NVMe SSD Storage
CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast memory, high-performance gaming hardware and PC components, today announced three powerful new configurations of its multi-award-winning CORSAIR ONE performance PC. Hailed by press as "the new benchmark for small-form-factor gaming systems*" and "a triumph in both performance and design," CORSAIR ONE has redefined what gamers, content creators and power-users can expect from a small-form factor PC.
Now CORSAIR takes CORSAIR ONE even further, with three new configurations pushing the limits of PC performance. Equipped with a liquid-cooled Intel Core i7-7700K CPU, Intel 200 Series motherboard and iconic bead-blasted aluminum casing, CORSAIR ONE PRO is now available with NVIDIA's most powerful GeForce GPU, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti in top-end models, high-speed M.2 NVMe SSD storage, and up to 32GB of CORSAIR DDR4 memory. Incredibly small and unbelievably quiet, CORSAIR ONE is now available fully loaded to master the most advanced games and demanding workloads. It's the fastest ONE yet.
Now CORSAIR takes CORSAIR ONE even further, with three new configurations pushing the limits of PC performance. Equipped with a liquid-cooled Intel Core i7-7700K CPU, Intel 200 Series motherboard and iconic bead-blasted aluminum casing, CORSAIR ONE PRO is now available with NVIDIA's most powerful GeForce GPU, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti in top-end models, high-speed M.2 NVMe SSD storage, and up to 32GB of CORSAIR DDR4 memory. Incredibly small and unbelievably quiet, CORSAIR ONE is now available fully loaded to master the most advanced games and demanding workloads. It's the fastest ONE yet.
COUGAR Introduces the Immersa Pro Gaming Headset
COUGAR is proud to announce the arrival of its most powerful gaming headset ever. Endowed with immersive 7.1 Virtual Surround audio, a flexible microphone, and a cool ergonomic design with RGB backlight, this headset unites performance and style to provide everything a serious gamer could ask for.
Immersa Pro's integrated sound card brings you the best audio technology
Immersa Pro's 7.1 Virtual Surround capabilities are a massive improvement to your gaming experience. This technology allows you to know the direction from which a sound comes, generating a more immersive atmosphere and, in online games, dramatically increases your performance. Hear your rivals as they come to meet their defeat!
Immersa Pro's integrated sound card brings you the best audio technology
Immersa Pro's 7.1 Virtual Surround capabilities are a massive improvement to your gaming experience. This technology allows you to know the direction from which a sound comes, generating a more immersive atmosphere and, in online games, dramatically increases your performance. Hear your rivals as they come to meet their defeat!
GeIL Announces EVO Spear DDR4 Memory for AMD Ryzen
Golden Emperor International Ltd. - one of the world's leading PC components & peripheral manufacturers announced the latest DDR4 hardcore gaming memory modules, EVO SPEAR Series, and EVO SPEAR AMD Edition Series. Available as single modules and kits up to 64GB, runs as low as 1.2V and at max 1.35V resulting in less power consumption and higher reliability. Featuring a stylish and stealthy standard-height heat spreader, EVO SPEAR Series modules can be used in most case designs including SFF (Small Form Factor) systems and full-sized gaming PCs. The EVO SPEAR Series and EVO SPEAR AMD Edition Series are available in black with a black PCB and are perfect for gamers and enthusiasts who want a cost-efficient upgrade for faster gaming, video editing, and 3D rendering.
EK is Releasing Full Cover Water Blocks for AMD Radeon RX Vega
EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer has proven its market leadership once again by presenting Full Cover water blocks for the long awaited AMD Radeon Vega architecture based high-end graphics cards. Customers will be able to transform their GPU into a stunningly beautiful single slot graphics card and the water cooling block will allow it to reach higher frequencies, thus providing more performance during gaming or other GPU intense tasks.
EK-FC Radeon Vega
This water block directly cools the GPU, HBM2 memory, and VRM (voltage regulation module) as water flows directly over these critical areas thus allowing the graphics card and it's VRM to remain stable under high overclocks. EK-FC Radeon Vega water block features a central inlet split-flow cooling engine design for best possible cooling performance, which also works flawlessly with reversed water flow without adversely affecting the cooling performance. This kind of efficient cooling will allow your high-end graphics card to reach higher boost clocks, thus providing more performance during gaming or other GPU intense tasks. Moreover, such design offers great hydraulic performance allowing this product to be used in liquid cooling systems using weaker water pumps.
EK-FC Radeon Vega
This water block directly cools the GPU, HBM2 memory, and VRM (voltage regulation module) as water flows directly over these critical areas thus allowing the graphics card and it's VRM to remain stable under high overclocks. EK-FC Radeon Vega water block features a central inlet split-flow cooling engine design for best possible cooling performance, which also works flawlessly with reversed water flow without adversely affecting the cooling performance. This kind of efficient cooling will allow your high-end graphics card to reach higher boost clocks, thus providing more performance during gaming or other GPU intense tasks. Moreover, such design offers great hydraulic performance allowing this product to be used in liquid cooling systems using weaker water pumps.
Cherry Expands Sales into the UK Market
CHERRY, the specialist in computer input devices, expands its sales network in the United Kingdom through close cooperation with the leading IT distributor Westcoast. As the official trade partner, Westcoast will strengthen future sales in the region to achieve a greater market presence and a bigger reach. Focus products mainly fall into the categories "Office", "Industrial" and "Security", also allowing CHERRY to expand its successful B2B activities in the UK.
CHERRY Business Development Manager Stefan Lutter has full confidence in a close cooperation with its sales partner. "We are exceptionally pleased to form a new collaboration with Westcoast to help grow our brand of high-quality computer peripherals. With Westcoast's experience and reputation in the market, coupled with their vast array of contacts and highly skilled and knowledgeable staff, their appointment was an easy decision and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship over the coming years."
Westcoast Accessories Commercial Director, Ashley Watts said: "This partnership gives Westcoast a much wider range of high-quality peripherals predominantly targeted to our growing public sector reseller base. CHERRY has been a driving force and an innovator in public sector accessories."
CHERRY Business Development Manager Stefan Lutter has full confidence in a close cooperation with its sales partner. "We are exceptionally pleased to form a new collaboration with Westcoast to help grow our brand of high-quality computer peripherals. With Westcoast's experience and reputation in the market, coupled with their vast array of contacts and highly skilled and knowledgeable staff, their appointment was an easy decision and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship over the coming years."
Westcoast Accessories Commercial Director, Ashley Watts said: "This partnership gives Westcoast a much wider range of high-quality peripherals predominantly targeted to our growing public sector reseller base. CHERRY has been a driving force and an innovator in public sector accessories."
Thursday, August 3rd 2017
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Input Devices
Monitors
Motherboards
Mouse
Processors
Bykski FOUR Founders GTX 1080 GPU Waterblock Review
The Bykski FR-N-GTX1080 is a full-cover water block component from Bykski's high-end FOUR series. It features an anodized aluminum top cover over an acrylic top, nickel-plated copper cold plate with split flow design, an included anodized aluminum back plate, and multiple color options for customizing your build.
AUDIOCASE Portable Speaker Review
AUDIOCASE is a Danish startup offering a portable speaker with more oomph than usual. Their speaker design bundles Bluetooth 4.2 with a serious driver setup consisting of two woofers, two tweeter, and two passive radiators. As the name suggests, the drivers are packed in a briefcase-type enclosure, which makes it easy to take with you.
Intel Coffee Lake CPUs Will Require New Motherboards
A motherboard maker's official Twitter feed has just confirmed what we all had an inkling to believe already: Intel's upcoming Coffee Lake architecture, which promises the first major change in Intel's line-up strategy, won't be compatible with existing motherboards and chipsets. Now, granted, companies' official Twitter feeds may sometimes be open to failures or miscommunication from the account operator at the time of writing, but still, the company hasn't doubled back on the original posting.
This does make slightly more sense than other times where Intel didn't offer support for a new generation of its processors in a past chipset. However, this does confirm that Intel users are again left without an upgrade path for the top-of-the-line Intel solutions they may have acquired already. If you purchased an i7-7700K and were expecting to upgrade to an Intel six-core next round, you'll have to rethink that strategy, and your budget, to include a new motherboard with a new chipset (expectedly, Z370.)
This does make slightly more sense than other times where Intel didn't offer support for a new generation of its processors in a past chipset. However, this does confirm that Intel users are again left without an upgrade path for the top-of-the-line Intel solutions they may have acquired already. If you purchased an i7-7700K and were expecting to upgrade to an Intel six-core next round, you'll have to rethink that strategy, and your budget, to include a new motherboard with a new chipset (expectedly, Z370.)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Review Kit Unboxing Leaked
The team at Sweclockers have already received their Threadripper review kit. We know this because there was a short-lived video uploaded by the team, unboxing and perusing the contents of one of AMD's delicious Threadripper review kits. Videocardz, however, managed to snag some screenshots of the act, and that content is what we are bringing to you now. Also, kudos for that Dinklebot shirt - that wizzard might have come from the moon, but ours certainly hasn't.
AMD Publishes List of Threadripper Compatible Coolers
AMD has published a list of coolers that are officially compatible with their upcoming Threadripper CPUs. It's no surprise there needs to be a compatibility list - the new CPUs top out at 16-core, 32-thread monsters which have never before graced the HEDT space, with an accompanying large CPU die size and heatsink. The socket being an entirely new affair, a new retention kit must also be made available by cooler manufacturers.
AMD itself will be offering an Asetek retention kit for AIO cooling solutions on their Threadripper retail packaging, which should make most Asetek-built AIOs to be compatible with the TR4 socket. These coolers are automatically added to the list. However, there may be some other coolers that are compatible with the newest socket that are not listed on AMD's site as of yet. For those cases, AMD reminds us all that we should check with our cooling solution manufacturer whether an adapter is available or not, and whether our current cooling solution is sufficient for the task at hand. Other coolers are now receiving mid-production updates after a certain date to include the compatible mounting hardware. Check the source link for the AMD compatibility page, and the below image for the current state of affairs.
AMD itself will be offering an Asetek retention kit for AIO cooling solutions on their Threadripper retail packaging, which should make most Asetek-built AIOs to be compatible with the TR4 socket. These coolers are automatically added to the list. However, there may be some other coolers that are compatible with the newest socket that are not listed on AMD's site as of yet. For those cases, AMD reminds us all that we should check with our cooling solution manufacturer whether an adapter is available or not, and whether our current cooling solution is sufficient for the task at hand. Other coolers are now receiving mid-production updates after a certain date to include the compatible mounting hardware. Check the source link for the AMD compatibility page, and the below image for the current state of affairs.
AMD RX Vega 56 Benchmarks Leaked - An (Unverified) GTX 1070 Killer
TweakTown has put forth an article wherein they claim to have received info from industry insiders regarding the upcoming Vega 56's performance. Remember that Vega 56 is the slightly cut-down version of the flagship Vega 64, counting with 56 next-generation compute units (NGCUs) instead of Vega 64's, well, 64. This means that while the Vega 64 has the full complement of 4,096 Stream processors, 256 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and a 2048-bit wide 8 GB HBM2 memory pool offering 484 GB/s of bandwidth, Vega 56 makes do with 3,548 Stream processors,192 TMUs, 64 ROPs, the same 8 GB of HBM2 memory and a slightly lower memory bandwidth at 410 GB/s.
The Vega 56 has been announced to retail for about $399, or $499 with one of AMD's new (famous or infamous, depends on your mileage) Radeon Packs. The RX Vega 56 card was running on a system configured with an Intel Core i7-7700K @ 4.2GHz, 16 GB of DDR4-3000 MHz RAM, and Windows 10 at 2560 x 1440 resolution.
The Vega 56 has been announced to retail for about $399, or $499 with one of AMD's new (famous or infamous, depends on your mileage) Radeon Packs. The RX Vega 56 card was running on a system configured with an Intel Core i7-7700K @ 4.2GHz, 16 GB of DDR4-3000 MHz RAM, and Windows 10 at 2560 x 1440 resolution.
Noctua Presents CPU Coolers for AMD's Threadripper (X399) and EPYC Platforms
Noctua today presented three high-end heatsinks for the TR4 and SP3 sockets of AMD's latest Ryzen Threadripper (X399) and Epyc platforms. The new TR4-SP3 versions of the award-winning NH-U14S, NH-U12S and NH-U9 coolers are tailored custom models that feature a larger contact surface as well as a SecuFirm2 mounting system for TR4/SP3. Supplied with Noctua's renowned NF-A15, NF-F12 and NF-A9 premium fans, the new coolers combine outstanding cooling performance with exceptional quietness of operation.
"A high-end platform usually calls for high-end cooling solutions and that's precisely the case with AMD's new Epyc and upcoming Ryzen Threadripper ecosystems", explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "We have therefore customized our award-winning NH-U14S, NH-U12S and NH-U9 coolers so that users can enjoy the performance and quietness of these proven premium heatsinks on the new AMD platforms."
"A high-end platform usually calls for high-end cooling solutions and that's precisely the case with AMD's new Epyc and upcoming Ryzen Threadripper ecosystems", explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "We have therefore customized our award-winning NH-U14S, NH-U12S and NH-U9 coolers so that users can enjoy the performance and quietness of these proven premium heatsinks on the new AMD platforms."
Wednesday, August 2nd 2017
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Monitors
SSD
Storage
Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Mini 8 GB Review
The GTX 1080 Mini from Zotac is a highly compact, ITX-sized graphics card powerhouse that delivers excellent framerates while still fitting into most small-form-factor cases. Zotac even included an overclock out of the box, and the thermal solution ensures there is no throttling due to high temperatures.
Fractal Design Announces the Define C TG, Define Mini C TG Cases
So many cases on the market today are made to be all things to all people. However, for many this results in a chassis full of empty bays, unused mounts and excess bulk. Created for those who demand a flexible platform for a powerful ATX or Micro ATX build that wastes no space, the Define C TG Series is the perfect solution to satisfy this balance of capacity and efficiency while opening up the side thanks to a full tempered glass side panel.
Smaller than the usual ATX and Micro ATX case, the Define C TG and Define Mini C TG with its optimized interior provides the perfect base for users. The open air design offers unobstructed airflow across your core components with high performance and silent computing in mind at every step.
Smaller than the usual ATX and Micro ATX case, the Define C TG and Define Mini C TG with its optimized interior provides the perfect base for users. The open air design offers unobstructed airflow across your core components with high performance and silent computing in mind at every step.
CRYORIG and TechPowerUp CRYO-RGB Giveaway - The Winners!
TechPowerUp and CRYORIG brought you the CRYO-RGB Giveaway, in which four lucky winners, chosen at random from around the world, stood a chance to win a CRYORIG H1 Quad Lumi CPU cooler with RGB LED lighting. As the giveaway draws to a close, we have four winners, who will receive one of CRYORIG's finest CPU air-coolers, to squeeze the most out of their CPUs. Without further ado, the winners:
- Flávio from Portugal
- Josip from Croatia
- Pui from Canada
- Grant from the United States
Intel "Gemini Lake" SoC Graphics Supports 10-bit VP9 Hardware Decoding
Intel's upcoming Celeron and Pentium "Gemini Lake" SoCs feature not just faster CPU cores, but also a more feature-updated integrated graphics core. In a change-log entry made by Intel for a Linux kernel patch; the company describes hardware decoding support for 10-bit (1.07 billion-color) video formats, such as VP9. The integrated graphics now supports hardware decoding of VP9 10-bit Profile2. Its predecessor, "Apollo Lake," only supported hardware decoding up to VP9 8-bit Profile0. The change-log entry reads "Add support for Gemini Lake (aka. GLK) - Decoding: H.264/MPEG-2/VC-1/JPEG/VP8/HEVC/HEVC 10-bit/VP9/VP9 10-bit."
FSP Announces Hydro PTM Series 80 Plus Platinum Power Supplies
FSP Group has just released their new Hydro PTM power supply series that are going to revitalize the glory of computer gaming. There are 3 different power output options to choose from 550W, 650W and 750W, all certified with an 80 PLUS Platinum energy efficiency. The DC-DC circuit design assures a stable power output and a tight voltage regulation. The voltage regulation factor changes within +/- 1% also further ensures a stable performance. The Hydro PTM series use Japanese industrial-grade electrolytic capacitors and are the best choice for those who are looking for a high-quality and exceptional performance.
The Hydro PTM series come with ribbon cables which provide the best wiring flexibility when cabling in a computer. They are also equipped with a 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan that offers superb ventilation while being extremely quiet. Rated at 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, the Hydro PTM series have a great energy conversion rate at 92%. The series adopted an LLC resonant half bridge design and DC-DC regulator circuit design to deliver a stable output voltage. A +12V single rail output design allows limitless add-on customization options. The advanced 750W model comes with two sets of 4+4 pin connectors, which allows users to pair them with the latest high-end X299 platform for the best performance ever.
The Hydro PTM series come with ribbon cables which provide the best wiring flexibility when cabling in a computer. They are also equipped with a 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan that offers superb ventilation while being extremely quiet. Rated at 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, the Hydro PTM series have a great energy conversion rate at 92%. The series adopted an LLC resonant half bridge design and DC-DC regulator circuit design to deliver a stable output voltage. A +12V single rail output design allows limitless add-on customization options. The advanced 750W model comes with two sets of 4+4 pin connectors, which allows users to pair them with the latest high-end X299 platform for the best performance ever.
Microsoft Adding Eye Control Capabilities to Windows, Improve Accessibility
People with disabilities typically find themselves in an uphill battle in a world that simply isn't geared for them. In everything, the economies of scale dominate, the cost/benefit ratios are weighed... And even though the disabled segment of the population is a significant one, measures to cope with their difficulties are seldom implemented due to that same economic cost/benefit ratio - though this has been steadily improving over the years (at great credit for humanity, I might say.)
Microsoft has now announced that it has partnered with Tobii (best known for their gaming-oriented eye-tracking products), in a bid to increase accessibility in its Windows OS. The work has gone towards implementing eye-tracking technology that can be used by people with motor disabilities to control a mice and keyboard on-screen. Available in the latest Insider Preview builds, Eye Control currently requires a specific piece of Tobii hardware (like the Tobii 4C, though support will definitely extend to other Tobii products in time), which unlocks access to the Windows operating system to be able to do the tasks one could previously accomplish with a physical mouse and keyboard.
Microsoft has now announced that it has partnered with Tobii (best known for their gaming-oriented eye-tracking products), in a bid to increase accessibility in its Windows OS. The work has gone towards implementing eye-tracking technology that can be used by people with motor disabilities to control a mice and keyboard on-screen. Available in the latest Insider Preview builds, Eye Control currently requires a specific piece of Tobii hardware (like the Tobii 4C, though support will definitely extend to other Tobii products in time), which unlocks access to the Windows operating system to be able to do the tasks one could previously accomplish with a physical mouse and keyboard.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper TDP and Cache Sizes Confirmed
AMD maybe have shaken up the HEDT (high-end desktop) processor market with three Ryzen Threadripper SKU announcements early this week; but the two specifications that eluded us were their rated TDP and cache amounts. The first Ryzen Threadripper models will be available in the market from the 10th of August, and will include the 12-core/24-thread 1920X and the flagship 16-core/32-thread 1950X. Both models will feature the full 32 MB of L3 cache available from a pair of 14 nm "Summit Ridge" dies, which work out to "total cache" (L2+L3) amounts of 38 MB for the 1920X and 40 MB for the 1950X. The TDP of the 1920X and 1950X is rated at 180W. The TDP and cache configuration of the 8-core/16-thread 1900X remains unknown, for now.
Tt eSports Announces Revised Version of the Level 10 M Mouse
The Level 10 M mouse from Tt eSports has already lived through an update before; and instead of releasing a new, different-branded mouse, Tt eSports is looking to build up the Level 10 M brand by updating the design while keeping the name recognizable. This seems a sensible option - most companies already offer enough different gaming mice for a person to keep track of without an Excel sheet, and some of the differences don't really usually warrant a different name.
AMD Says Vega Delays Necessary to Increase Stock for Gamers
In an interview, AMD's Chris Hook justified Vega's delayed release due to a wish to increase available stock for gamers who want to purchase the new high-performance architecture by AMD. In an interview with HardOCP, Chris Hook had this to say:
"Part of the reason it's taken us a little longer to launch Vega - and I'll be honest about that - is that we wanted to make sure we were launching with good volume. (...) Obviously we've got to compensate for things like coin-miners, they're going to want to get their hands on these. We believe we're launching with a volume that will ensure that gamers can get their hands on them, and that's what's important to us."
It appears that AMD tried their best to increase production and stock volumes so as to mitigate price fluctuations upon Vega's entry to the market due to above normal demand from cryptocurrency miners. The jury is still out on whether Vega will be an option for mining due to its exquisite architecture, however. Still, this sounds as good a reason as any to delay Vega for as long as it has been already. Just a few more days until we see what AMD managed with this one, folks. Check the video after the break.
"Part of the reason it's taken us a little longer to launch Vega - and I'll be honest about that - is that we wanted to make sure we were launching with good volume. (...) Obviously we've got to compensate for things like coin-miners, they're going to want to get their hands on these. We believe we're launching with a volume that will ensure that gamers can get their hands on them, and that's what's important to us."
It appears that AMD tried their best to increase production and stock volumes so as to mitigate price fluctuations upon Vega's entry to the market due to above normal demand from cryptocurrency miners. The jury is still out on whether Vega will be an option for mining due to its exquisite architecture, however. Still, this sounds as good a reason as any to delay Vega for as long as it has been already. Just a few more days until we see what AMD managed with this one, folks. Check the video after the break.
Tesoro Intros Gram SE Spectrum Gaming Keyboard
Tesoro today launched the Gram SE Spectrum mechanical gaming keyboard. The company had unveiled the keyboard at the 2017 Computex, earlier this year. Available in black and white body color options, the keyboard features a standard 104-keyset with Tesoro's in-house Optical Switches, which offer faster response time and higher durability than conventional mechanical switches.
It's not just the keycaps, even the switches of the Gram SE Spectrum are hot-swappable. The underlying electronics are driven by an ARM SoC, with 512 KB of native storage for macro layouts and lighting customization, and full N-key rollover and anti-ghosting. The keyboard earns its "Spectrum" moniker from 16.7 million-color RGB LED lighting. The keyboard is also spill-proof, featuring IP56 certification. Measuring 447 mm x 136 mm x 33 mm (WxDxH), the keyboard weighs about 1.19 kg. Available now, both color options of the Tesoro Gram SE Spectrum are priced at USD $119.
It's not just the keycaps, even the switches of the Gram SE Spectrum are hot-swappable. The underlying electronics are driven by an ARM SoC, with 512 KB of native storage for macro layouts and lighting customization, and full N-key rollover and anti-ghosting. The keyboard earns its "Spectrum" moniker from 16.7 million-color RGB LED lighting. The keyboard is also spill-proof, featuring IP56 certification. Measuring 447 mm x 136 mm x 33 mm (WxDxH), the keyboard weighs about 1.19 kg. Available now, both color options of the Tesoro Gram SE Spectrum are priced at USD $119.
Apple Reports Third Quarter Results
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2017 third quarter ended July 1, 2017. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $45.4 billion and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $1.67. These results compare to revenue of $42.4 billion and earnings per diluted share of $1.42 in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 61 percent of the quarter's revenue.
"With revenue up 7 percent year-over-year, we're happy to report our third consecutive quarter of accelerating growth and an all-time quarterly record for Services revenue," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We hosted an incredibly successful Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and we're very excited about the advances in iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS coming this fall."
"We reported unit and revenue growth in all our product categories in the June quarter, driving 17 percent growth in earnings per share," said Luca Maestri, Apple's CFO. "We also returned $11.7 billion to investors during the quarter, bringing cumulative capital returns under our program to almost $223 billion."
"With revenue up 7 percent year-over-year, we're happy to report our third consecutive quarter of accelerating growth and an all-time quarterly record for Services revenue," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We hosted an incredibly successful Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and we're very excited about the advances in iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS coming this fall."
"We reported unit and revenue growth in all our product categories in the June quarter, driving 17 percent growth in earnings per share," said Luca Maestri, Apple's CFO. "We also returned $11.7 billion to investors during the quarter, bringing cumulative capital returns under our program to almost $223 billion."
Tuesday, August 1st 2017
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cooling
Headphones
Keyboards
Storage
Aukey KM-G4 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review
The Aukey KM-G4 RGB mechanical keyboard is an improvement in almost every way over the previous iteration, the KM-G3, which itself was of fantastic value for the money. Featuring software driver control, onboard storage, hardware control over full 16.8M RGB backlighting, smooth Outemu Brown tactile switches, and an aluminum frame, the KM-G4 is a keyboard to strongly consider in the sub-$75 market.
Corsair T1 Race Gaming Chair Review
Corsair decided to enter the gaming chairs market, and their first attempt is the T1 Race chair. It definitely isn't a high-end product and targets gamers who don't want or simply cannot spend a fortune on a decent chair. PU leather is used to keep its cost down, and there are five different color combinations to choose from.
Razer Unveils Tenkeyless Chroma V2 Keyboard
Razer is launching an updated, TKL (Tenkeyless) version of the Chroma V2 keyboard, which we covered back in January. The keyboard's actual product name is "Razer BlackWidow Tournament Edition Chroma V2". Like the Chroma V2, it's available with Razer's three desktop switches (Yellow, Orange, or Green), and boasts a detachable USB cable and likewise detachable wrist rest.
Unchanged BlackWidow features on this Chroma V2 version include Razer's Chroma lighting (which boasts individually backlit keys at 16.8 million colors per key), with Chroma effects powered by Razer's Synapse software. 10 key roll-over anti-ghosting and fully programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording options are present, with the keyboard featuring 1000 Hz polling, a braided USB cable, a USB pass-through and a 3.5 mm 4-pole audio pass-through jack.
Unchanged BlackWidow features on this Chroma V2 version include Razer's Chroma lighting (which boasts individually backlit keys at 16.8 million colors per key), with Chroma effects powered by Razer's Synapse software. 10 key roll-over anti-ghosting and fully programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording options are present, with the keyboard featuring 1000 Hz polling, a braided USB cable, a USB pass-through and a 3.5 mm 4-pole audio pass-through jack.
Thermaltake Intros Riing Plus 12 LED RGB Radiator Fan
Thermaltake today introduced the Riing Plus 12 LED RGB fan, a premium 120 mm case-fan. Sold in single-unit, two-pack, and three-pack SKUs targeted at users of liquid-cooling radiators, these fans are characterized by 12 individual RGB LED lining the inner walls of the frame, fronted by a diffuser, which gives it smoother color transition effects. The LEDs support 16.7 million colors, and can be controlled through the proprietary Riing Plus RGB software. The two-pack and three-pack SKUs include an speed + RGB LED controller module, which lets you plug in up to three fans, drawing power from a 4-pin Molex, and taking input from USB, to interface with the software. As a fan, the Riing Plus 12 LED RGB takes 4-pin PWM input, spins between 500 to 1,400 RPM, pushing up to 48.34 CFM of air, with a noise output of 24.7 dBA. It features hydraulic bearing, and its 25 mm-thick frame features rubberized mounts to dampen vibration.
Developers on the Move: NVIDIA Partners Working on External GPU Solutions
At SIGGRAPH 2017, NVIDIA announced it is working with a number of partners towards the development of external graphics enclosures that can power - and increase mobility - of their professional-geared GPU solutions. Namely, NVIDIA has announced external GPU solutions featuring the powerful Titan Xp and Quadro graphics cards. These external GPU solutions are meant to upgrade the capability of notebooks to support new workflows such as video editing, interactive rendering, VR content creation, AI development and more. Such has been enabled by the latest, high-bandwidth Thunderbolt 3 protocol. For the Quadro eGPU program specifically, Nvidia is working with established manufacturers like Sonnet, Magma, Akiti, and Bizon. The company says there are more to come.
Pricing information has not been revealed for now, but Titan Xp can already be ordered, while the Quadro solutions will see availability in a few weeks.
Pricing information has not been revealed for now, but Titan Xp can already be ordered, while the Quadro solutions will see availability in a few weeks.
NVIDIA Announces OptiX 5.0 SDK - AI-Enhanced Ray Tracing
At SIGGRAPH 2017, NVIDIA introduced the latest version of their AI-based, GPU-enabled ray-tracing OptiX API. The company has been at the forefront of GPU-powered AI endeavors in a number of areas, including facial animation, anti-aliasing, denoising, and light transport. OptiX 5.0 brings a renewed focus on AI-based denoising.
AI training is still a brute-force scenario with finesse applied at the end: basically, NVIDIA took tens of thousands of image pairs of rendered images with one sample per pixel and a companion image of the same render with 4,000 rays per pixel, and used that to train the AI to predict what a denoised image looks like. Basically (and picking up the numbers NVIDIA used for its AI training), this means that in theory, users deploying OptiX 5.0 only need to render one sample per pixel of a given image, instead of the 4,000 rays per pixel that would be needed for its final presentation. Based on its learning, the AI will then be able to fill in the blanks towards finalizing the image, saving the need to render all that extra data. NVIDIA quotes a 157x improvement in render time using a DGX station with Optix 5.0 deployed against the same render on a CPU-based platform (2 x E5-2699 v4 @ 2.20GHz). The Optix 5.0 release also includes provisions for GPU-accelerated motion blur, which should do away with the need to render a frame multiple times and then applying a blur filter through a collage of the different frames. NVIDIA said OptiX 5.0 will be available in November. Check the press release after the break.
AI training is still a brute-force scenario with finesse applied at the end: basically, NVIDIA took tens of thousands of image pairs of rendered images with one sample per pixel and a companion image of the same render with 4,000 rays per pixel, and used that to train the AI to predict what a denoised image looks like. Basically (and picking up the numbers NVIDIA used for its AI training), this means that in theory, users deploying OptiX 5.0 only need to render one sample per pixel of a given image, instead of the 4,000 rays per pixel that would be needed for its final presentation. Based on its learning, the AI will then be able to fill in the blanks towards finalizing the image, saving the need to render all that extra data. NVIDIA quotes a 157x improvement in render time using a DGX station with Optix 5.0 deployed against the same render on a CPU-based platform (2 x E5-2699 v4 @ 2.20GHz). The Optix 5.0 release also includes provisions for GPU-accelerated motion blur, which should do away with the need to render a frame multiple times and then applying a blur filter through a collage of the different frames. NVIDIA said OptiX 5.0 will be available in November. Check the press release after the break.
Lian Li DK-05 Motorized Adjustable Desk PC Now Available
Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd is proud to present the new DK-05 motorized computer desk chassis. The DK-05 combines the ergonomics of a motorized desk with an incredibly customizable dual-PC chassis. The desk can be heightened to 118cm for standing work, and down to 69cm desk height for a sitting position. With a gorgeous tempered glass cover, the all-Aluminium DK-05 offers the comforts of a motorized standing desk, trusted Lian Li build quality, and flexibility of two XL-ATX computers in one chassis. The DK-05 features a front Panel HDMI connector for VR Headsets as well as an USB Type-C connector for the latest USB 3.1 enabled devices.
The DK-05 contains two Extended ATX (305x276)motherboard trays that allows you to build an incredibly versatile workstation without the need for a bulky computer chassis on or under your desk. This allows content creators and developers to have a rich, uncluttered desk with space for a multitude of monitors and the freedom to develop or game standing or sitting. Each Tray can fit a motherboard, up to 8 PCI & PCI express cards, a power supply and two 2.5" drives.
The DK-05 contains two Extended ATX (305x276)motherboard trays that allows you to build an incredibly versatile workstation without the need for a bulky computer chassis on or under your desk. This allows content creators and developers to have a rich, uncluttered desk with space for a multitude of monitors and the freedom to develop or game standing or sitting. Each Tray can fit a motherboard, up to 8 PCI & PCI express cards, a power supply and two 2.5" drives.
NVIDIA Unlocks Certain Professional Features for TITAN Xp Through Driver Update
In a bid to preempt sales of the Radeon Pro Vega Frontier Edition, and the Pro WX 9100, NVIDIA expanded the feature-set of its consumer-segment TITAN Xp graphics card, with certain features reserved for its Quadro family of graphics cards, through a driver update. NVIDIA is rolling out its latest GeForce software update, which adds professional features for applications such as Maya, unlocking "3X more performance" for the software.
Priced at USD $1,199, the TITAN Xp packs a full-featured "GP102" graphics processor, with 3,840 CUDA cores, 240 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 12 GB of GDDR5X memory across the chip's 384-bit wide memory interface. At its given memory clock of 11.4 GHz (GDDR5X-effective), the card has a memory bandwidth of 547.6 GB/s, which is higher than the 484 GB/s of the Radeon Pro Vega Frontier Edition.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 385.12 for TITAN Xp
Priced at USD $1,199, the TITAN Xp packs a full-featured "GP102" graphics processor, with 3,840 CUDA cores, 240 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 12 GB of GDDR5X memory across the chip's 384-bit wide memory interface. At its given memory clock of 11.4 GHz (GDDR5X-effective), the card has a memory bandwidth of 547.6 GB/s, which is higher than the 484 GB/s of the Radeon Pro Vega Frontier Edition.
Ethereum Takes Literal Flight; Mining Conglomerates Rent Airplanes for Transport
Ethereum is a strange little thing. When you open up your Blockfolio to look at how much you're valued right now, it can be as a fine bit of coffee in the morning, perking you up for the entire day, or a wrecking ball to your capitalist, speculative heart. However, even if you don't believe in the technology, there are many people who do believe: at least, in the future value of it. They believe it so much, really, that they're willing to rent entire airplanes to transport mining equipment (read graphics cards). And we're talking Boeing 747 here, not your average private jet (handy infographic on the pictures below, by the way.)
Ethereum's price fluctuations notwithstanding, which saw the currency soar from $10 at the beginning of the year to a historical high of $400 in mid-June, seems to have somehow settled around a $200 support level. At that value, it's still profitable to mine - even with the increased difficulty of the myriad of miners, dedicated or not, who have flooded towards the GPU-based workloads that support the cryptocurrency's POW (Proof of Work) design. And faith - or expectation of future value is so high, that mining conglomerates (the ones with the greatest running costs, but also pretty scalable profits - aren't willing to waste more idle time than they possibly can. Marco Streng, chief executive of Genesis Mining, told Quartz that "Time is critical, very critical. For example, we are renting entire airplanes, Boeing 747s, to ship on time. Anything else, like shipping by sea, loses so much opportunity."
Ethereum's price fluctuations notwithstanding, which saw the currency soar from $10 at the beginning of the year to a historical high of $400 in mid-June, seems to have somehow settled around a $200 support level. At that value, it's still profitable to mine - even with the increased difficulty of the myriad of miners, dedicated or not, who have flooded towards the GPU-based workloads that support the cryptocurrency's POW (Proof of Work) design. And faith - or expectation of future value is so high, that mining conglomerates (the ones with the greatest running costs, but also pretty scalable profits - aren't willing to waste more idle time than they possibly can. Marco Streng, chief executive of Genesis Mining, told Quartz that "Time is critical, very critical. For example, we are renting entire airplanes, Boeing 747s, to ship on time. Anything else, like shipping by sea, loses so much opportunity."
AMD Giving Up on CrossFire with RX Vega
AMD is reportedly scaling down efforts on its end to support and promote multi-GPU technologies such as CrossFire, and not in favor of open-standards such as DirectX 12 native multi-GPU, either. Speaking to GamersNexus, an AMD representative confirmed that while the new Radeon RX Vega family of graphics cards support CrossFire, the company may not allocate as many resources as it used to with older GPU launches, in promoting or supporting it.
This is keeping up with trends in the industry moving away from multi-GPU configurations, and aligns with NVIDIA's decision to dial-down investment in SLI. This also more or less confirms that AMD won't build a Radeon RX series consumer graphics product based on two "Vega 10" ASICs. At best, one can expect dual-GPU cards for the professional or GPU-compute markets, such as the Radeon Pro or Radeon Instinct brands.
This is keeping up with trends in the industry moving away from multi-GPU configurations, and aligns with NVIDIA's decision to dial-down investment in SLI. This also more or less confirms that AMD won't build a Radeon RX series consumer graphics product based on two "Vega 10" ASICs. At best, one can expect dual-GPU cards for the professional or GPU-compute markets, such as the Radeon Pro or Radeon Instinct brands.
Intel Readies Four 6-core "Coffee Lake" SKUs, Including Two Core i5
Intel is beginning to feel the pinch of AMD Ryzen 7-series, and the upper-end of the Ryzen 5-series, which offer better multi-threaded performance than similarly-priced quad-core Intel Core i7 and Core i5 "Kaby Lake" processors, and reasonably good single-thread performance, and platform costs. The company is responding in force with four new six-core SKUs, and for the first time since "Nehalem," the company isn't changing the socket with the introduction of its third mainstream-desktop micro-architecture on a given process. The 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" mainstream-desktop processors will be built in the existing LGA1151 package, and will hopefully support existing motherboards through BIOS updates, even though Intel plans a new 300-series chipset to go with these chips.
The six-core "Coffee Lake" processor lineup addresses not just the higher-end of the lineup with Core i7 SKUs, but also the mid-range of it, with Core i5 SKUs. One of these could even scrape the sub-$200 price-point. Of the four confirmed SKUs are the top-dog Core i7-8700K, its slightly cheaper sibling, the Core i7-8700 (non-K); and the Core i5-8600K, with its cheaper sibling, the Core i5-8400. Of these the i7-8700K and i5-8600K are unlocked. The Core i7 parts feature HyperThreading enabling 12 logical CPUs for the OS to deal with, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache; while the Core i5 parts lack HyperThreading, and only feature 9 MB of L3 cache. The clock speeds and other features are tabled below. The company plans to launch these four either by the end of Q3 (late-September) or some time in Q4, before Holiday.
The six-core "Coffee Lake" processor lineup addresses not just the higher-end of the lineup with Core i7 SKUs, but also the mid-range of it, with Core i5 SKUs. One of these could even scrape the sub-$200 price-point. Of the four confirmed SKUs are the top-dog Core i7-8700K, its slightly cheaper sibling, the Core i7-8700 (non-K); and the Core i5-8600K, with its cheaper sibling, the Core i5-8400. Of these the i7-8700K and i5-8600K are unlocked. The Core i7 parts feature HyperThreading enabling 12 logical CPUs for the OS to deal with, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache; while the Core i5 parts lack HyperThreading, and only feature 9 MB of L3 cache. The clock speeds and other features are tabled below. The company plans to launch these four either by the end of Q3 (late-September) or some time in Q4, before Holiday.
NZXT Confirms Ryzen Threadripper Compatibility for Kraken Series Coolers
NZXT in a statement today confirmed that its Kraken X61, Kraken X52, and Kraken X62 all-in-one closed-loop liquid CPU coolers support AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors in the TR4 package. The company announced that compatible retention brackets for socket TR4, which work on most Asetek-sourced liquid CPU coolers, will be included in the PIB (processor in a box) package of Ryzen Threadripper processors, by AMD. The company reckons that its Kraken X61, Kraken X52, and Kraken X62 coolers provide sufficient cooling to tame the HEDT beasts by AMD.
Khronos Releases OpenGL 4.6 with SPIR-V Support
The Khronos Group, an open consortium of leading hardware and software companies, announces from the SIGGRAPH 2017 Conference the immediate public availability of the OpenGL 4.6 specification. OpenGL 4.6 integrates the functionality of numerous ARB and EXT extensions created by Khronos members AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA into core, including the capability to ingest SPIR-V shaders.
SPIR-V is a Khronos-defined standard intermediate language for parallel compute and graphics, which enables content creators to simplify their shader authoring and management pipelines while providing significant source shading language flexibility. OpenGL 4.6 adds support for ingesting SPIR-V shaders to the core specification, guaranteeing that SPIR-V shaders will be widely supported by OpenGL implementations.
SPIR-V is a Khronos-defined standard intermediate language for parallel compute and graphics, which enables content creators to simplify their shader authoring and management pipelines while providing significant source shading language flexibility. OpenGL 4.6 adds support for ingesting SPIR-V shaders to the core specification, guaranteeing that SPIR-V shaders will be widely supported by OpenGL implementations.
SteelSeries Intros the Sensei 310 and Rival 310 Gaming Mice
SteelSeries today introduced the Sensei 310 and Rival 310 gaming mice (pictured in that order). The two feature a revamed optical sensor and electronics to offer true "1-to-1 tracking," which the company describes as matching the mouse movement exactly with movement on the screen, regardless of the CPI setting. The Sensei 310 is what the company describes as the "rebirth of an eSports legend." The ambidextrous mouse features a TrueMove 3 sensor with a 12,000 CPI resolution, eight buttons with Omron-made 50 million click-rated switches under the main buttons; a static weight of 92.1 g, and RGB LED lighting under the scroll-wheel and the illuminated company logo.
The Rival 310 is its sibling with two fewer buttons. The right-oriented mouse features 1-to-1 tracking technology, with the same TrueMove 3 12,000 CPI sensor, and "split trigger" main buttons, backed by Omron-made 50 million-click rated switches. The mouse features six buttons, and 2-zone RGB LED lighting under the scroll-wheel, and the company logo. Available now, both the Rival 310 and Sensei 310 are priced at USD $59.99.
The Rival 310 is its sibling with two fewer buttons. The right-oriented mouse features 1-to-1 tracking technology, with the same TrueMove 3 12,000 CPI sensor, and "split trigger" main buttons, backed by Omron-made 50 million-click rated switches. The mouse features six buttons, and 2-zone RGB LED lighting under the scroll-wheel, and the company logo. Available now, both the Rival 310 and Sensei 310 are priced at USD $59.99.
Monday, July 31st 2017
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Headphones
Keyboards
Monitors
Motherboards
Mouse
Processors
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Comptoir du Hardware (fr)
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 ComputerBase (de)
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X Cowcotland (fr)
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Guru3D
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Hardwarecanucks
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 HardwareSpot.de (de)
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Hexus.net
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 HotHardware
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 KitGuru
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 LAN OC
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Legit Reviews
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X MadBoxPC (es)
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Madshrimps
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 NeoSeeker
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Tech Report
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 TechSpot
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X Tom's Hardware
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Tweaktown
- AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 Vortez
- Intel Core i7-7740X and i9-7900X Comptoir du Hardware (fr)
- Intel Core i9-7900X Legit Reviews
- Intel Core i7-7900X TechGage
AMD Radeon RX Vega Preview
AMD has finally unveiled the curtain off their RX Vega enthusiast gaming hardware. With two versions having 4096 and 3584 next gen compute units, and priced at $499 and $399 respectively, AMD aims to appease the needs of the end user waiting for a single-card solution capable of providing a good gaming experience at WQHD and UHD resolutions. Backed by FreeSync, Enhanced Sync, and new Radeon Software features, we may finally have a contender for NVIDIA's Pascal-based GPUs in the sub-$500 market.
AMD Vega Microarchitecture Technical Overview
At the dawn of its Radeon RX Vega family launch, we visit its underlying GPU architecture, which AMD touts as the most advanced and future-ready, in a bid to find out if the company has overcome its longstanding architectural weaknesses while building on its strengths.
GIGABYTE Launches the Aorus X399 Gaming 7 Motherboard
GIGABYTE today formally launched its only socket TR4 motherboard for AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, the Aorus X399 Gaming 7. Packed to the brim with features, the board is built in the ATX form-factor, and is halfway between the ATX and E-ATX form-factors in width. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and 4-pin ATX power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 14-phase VRM. The CPU socket is wired to eight DDR4 DIMM slots, and five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots.
Storage connectivity on the Aorus X399 Gaming 7 includes three 32 Gb/s M.2 slots covered by aluminium heatsinks; and eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports. USB connectivity includes two USB 3.1 gen 2 ports (both on the rear panel, including a type-C port, two by headers), and ten USB 3.0 ports. Networking is care of a WLAN card with 802.11ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.2; and a gigabit Ethernet interface driven by a Killer E2500 gigabit Ethernet controller. The board is peppered with RGB LEDs controlled by GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software. Available from 10th August, the board is expected to be priced around $300.
Storage connectivity on the Aorus X399 Gaming 7 includes three 32 Gb/s M.2 slots covered by aluminium heatsinks; and eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports. USB connectivity includes two USB 3.1 gen 2 ports (both on the rear panel, including a type-C port, two by headers), and ten USB 3.0 ports. Networking is care of a WLAN card with 802.11ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.2; and a gigabit Ethernet interface driven by a Killer E2500 gigabit Ethernet controller. The board is peppered with RGB LEDs controlled by GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software. Available from 10th August, the board is expected to be priced around $300.
ASRock Announces X399 Taichi and Fatal1ty X399 Professional Gaming Motherboards
ASRock's Fatal1ty X399 Professional Gaming board is ideal for high end gamers and other power users. This board gets the utmost from the modern high-speed networking environment with features like AQUANTIA 10Gb/s LAN - ideal for ultra-responsive lag-free online gaming, and for SOHO systems as well. The board's 1 x U.2 connector and 3 x Ultra M.2 sockets easily support high-end SSDs for lightning fast startup and game level loading. This board features IR3555M DrMOS and premium 60A power chokes, it is optimized for monitoring current and temperature to maintain stable power and flawless performance, even at peak loads and during overclocking.
Producing some of the smoothest and most lifelike graphics ever seen from the most powerful cards the industry has to offer, ASRock's X399 motherboards supports 4-Way operation for both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX. All the PCIe lanes are supported directly from the CPU without using an additional bridge controller, to ensure unhindered graphics performance.
Producing some of the smoothest and most lifelike graphics ever seen from the most powerful cards the industry has to offer, ASRock's X399 motherboards supports 4-Way operation for both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX. All the PCIe lanes are supported directly from the CPU without using an additional bridge controller, to ensure unhindered graphics performance.
Apr 19th, 2024 19:53 EDT
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