Intel Corp. has decided not to bundle a cooler with its latest Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K microprocessors with unlocked multiplier for enthusiasts, but this does not mean that the company decided to quit producing cooling system for its high-end CPUs. In fact, Intel’s new TS15A thermal solution for LGA1151 …
Read More »Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 950 Ti is still in development
Nvidia Corp. is working on a yet another graphics card based on the GM206 graphics processor, which will fill the gap between the GeForce GTX 950 and the GeForce GTX 960. The GeForce GTX 950 Ti is in development and it is unclear when exactly it will be released, but …
Read More »Asustek and Intel confirm global shortage of Intel “Skylake” chips
Chief executive officer of Asustek Computer confirmed on Friday that there is a shortage of Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” processors in the market. Last month a Sweden-based retailer warned enthusiasts about short supply of Intel’s new central processing units with unlocked multiplier. As it appears, the problem is not limited to …
Read More »Image of PNY GeForce GTX 950 hits the web
The first photo of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950 graphics card has hit the web. The new graphics adapter from PNY seems to be based on a custom design, which is compatible with compact personal computers, but not with mini-ITX small form-factor systems. The PNY GeForce GTX 950 sports dual-slot …
Read More »be quiet! PSUs come a long way from the factory to your door
Have you ever wondered about the process some of your hardware goes through on its long and winding trip to your doorstep? If you have, then be quiet! has an interesting blog entry just for you, as it catalogues how the company's power supplies are made and processed on the …
Read More »Microsoft: Windows is the best platform for virtual reality
Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Corp. and the head of Microsoft Game Studios, said in an interview that the company is not trying to bring virtual reality games to its Xbox One game console because Windows is a better platform for VR while the technology is still at …
Read More »Asrock introduces USB 3.1 type-C front panel for desktop PCs
While there are many mainboards with USB 3.1 support available today, they feature type-C ports on their back panels and it is uncomfortable to use such connectors. Asrock this week introduced a special adapter that places one USB type-C and one USB type-A ports on the front panel of any …
Read More »DDR4 memory hits 4838MHz with LN2 cooling, Gigabyte Z170X-SOC Force mainboard
A professional overclocker this week set a new clock-rate record for DDR4 memory. This time a memory module from G.Skill was overclocked to whopping 4838MHz on Gigabyte Technology’s Z170X-SOC Force mainboard. Hicookie, a professional overclocker from Taiwan who works with Gigabyte Technology, this week pushed a 4GB G.Skill memory module …
Read More »Intel ‘Skylake-U’ processor lineup for notebooks detailed
A web-site has published complete specifications of Intel Corp.’s upcoming “Skylake-U” microprocessors for low-power laptops. The new central processing units will have thermal design power of around 15W and promise to significantly increase performance of ultra-thin notebooks. As reported, Intel will release its code-named “Skylake-U” processors in September. The Core …
Read More »ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6+ Motherboard Review
Exploiting the Skylake CPUs for their allure to gamers, ASRock's Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6+ is a motherboard that targets the enthusiast gaming audience by offering a wide range of the bells and whistles they may desire. Can pumped-up audio, a Killer NIC, strong multi-GPU support, and high-speed storage interfaces persuade …
Read More »Palmer Luckey: Virtual reality needs unlimited GPU horsepower
In the early days of virtual reality gaming various limitations and trade-offs are inevitable because early hardware and software are never perfect. However, the main challenge for VR games will be performance of graphics adapters. Not all high-end graphics cards will be able to deliver 90 frames per second required …
Read More »AMD: We have very strong roadmap for GCN architecture
Despite of ongoing problems and lowering research and development budget, Advanced Micro Devices maintains optimism and claims that it will keep financing development of key products. In the recent months, Advanced Micro Devices has been criticized heavily for re-introducing its previous-generation graphics processing units under new names. The release of …
Read More »Samsung’s new SSDs feature up to 6.4TB capacity, up to 5.5GB/s bandwidth
Samsung Electronics has introduced its all-new solid-state drives based on the latest TLC 3D V-NAND flash memory for enterprises. The SSDs provide unprecedented levels of performance, capacity, endurance and reliability, which will help Samsung to address new markets. The new enterprise-class SSDs are based on Samsung’s latest 48-layer 3D V-NAND …
Read More »AMD: Virtual reality could mean rebirth for PC industry
Sales of personal computers have been stagnating for a couple of years now for various reasons. Many industry executives and market observers believe that to revive the PC market, new programs that demand more resources than contemporary computers can provide are needed. Mark Papermaster, chief technology officer of Advanced Micro …
Read More »Nvidia unveils Quadro M4000, M5000 professional graphics cards
Nvidia Corp. has quietly introduced two new professional graphics cards. The new Quadro M4000 and Quadro M5000 adapters are powered by the highly-successful “Maxwell” architecture. The novelties promise to deliver strong performance in graphics applications, but when it comes to computing, the new GPUs will be slower than some of …
Read More »Samsung begins to produce 48-layer 3D V-NAND flash memory
Samsung Electronics on Tuesday said that it had started to mass produce the world’s first triple-level-cell (TLC) three dimensional vertical NAND flash memory chips with 256Gb capacity. The new 3D V-NAND memory ICs [integrated circuits] will help Samsung to make solid-state drives and other flash-based devices more affordable, which will …
Read More »Nvidia readies new flagship mobile GPU – report
Nvidia Corp. is working on a new graphics processing unit for mobile personal computers that will feature performance of desktop-class graphics adapters. Not a lot of details are known about the new product, but a media report claims that the new flagship GeForce GTX for notebooks will be released in …
Read More »Intel to release ‘unlocked’ Core i7 CPUs for enthusiast notebooks
High-performance laptops aimed at gamers have been available on the market for many years. Moreover, it is not a secret that it is possible to overclock mobile processors using BIOS settings. This week Intel announced plans to release mobile central processing units with unlocked multiplier that will be designed specifically …
Read More »Seagate 2TB Backup Plus Slim Portable Drive Review
The Seagate 2TB Backup Plus Slim Portable Drive is, as you have probably figured out, a 2TB USB 3.0 external hard drive. Aimed squarely at the modern computer user, it is thin, portable and even allows users to back up their phone's storage over WiFi. Priced at a shade under £75, …
Read More »Samsung to offer its Exynos SoCs to other smartphone makers
Samsung Electronics may become a new rival for Qualcomm, MediaTek and other suppliers of mobile system-on-chips as the company reportedly plans to sell its Exynos 7420 processors to third parties. For a long time, Samsung Electronics used application processors from Qualcomm inside its premium smartphones, but in the recent years …
Read More »BenQ unveils 35” curved display with 144Hz refresh rate
BenQ America Corp. has introduced the world’s first curved display with 144Hz refresh rate. The device can potentially provide unique experience in video games and it even has an advanced VA panel for great viewing angles and high quality. Unfortunately, its resolution is not really high by today’s standards. The …
Read More »Nvidia: China is shifting to high-end GPUs
Chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp. explained this week the reason why a number of graphics cards makers this year refocused their marketing efforts to higher-end graphics adapters. Apparently, China, one of the world’s largest markets, is shifting to higher-end GPUs, which is generally a good news for both Nvidia …
Read More »Intel Core i7-6700K hits 6.8GHz with all cores active on MSI ‘Titanium’ platform
A professional overclocker this week managed to push Intel Corp.’s latest Core i7-6700K “Skylake-S” microprocessor to whopping 6.80GHz without disabling any cores or Hyper-Threading technology. The record was set on MicroStar International’s flagship MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium mainboard. Toppc, a professional overclocker from Taiwan, this week overclocked an engineering …
Read More »Sales of Nvidia GeForce GTX rise as shipments of Tesla and Quadro drop
Nvidia Corp. on Thursday said that sales of its GeForce GTX graphics processing units used inside gaming personal computers increased 51 per cent year-over-year thanks to the success of the latest “Maxwell” family of products. By contrast, sales of Tesla, Quadro and Tegra products dropped in the second quarter. Sales …
Read More »Toshiba’s 16-die stacked NAND chips can enable 16TB SSDs
Toshiba Corp. on Thursday introduced the world’s first NAND flash memory packages, which stack eight or 16 dies of NAND flash memory devices and feature 128GB or 256GB capacities. The NAND flash memory chips are designed for various applications that require high density of NAND flash storage, including mobile products …
Read More »Asustek’s Intel Z170 platforms will work with DDR3 1.5V/1.65V modules
Although Intel Corp.’s latest “Skylake” microprocessors officially support only DDR4 and DDR3L memory technologies, Asustek Computer claims that its Intel Z170-based motherboards with 240-pin DIMM slots will work with standard DDR3 memory modules with industry-standard voltages. DDR4 SDRAM memory has default voltage of 1.2V, but memory modules for overclockers with …
Read More »Snapdragon 820 specs leak ahead of next week’s announcement
Just before next week's Qualcomm event, at which the company is expected to reveal its new flagship mobile chip, the Snapdragon 820, we have had a leak, apparently showing off the specs of the new SoC and giving us a rough idea of performance ahead of time. The announcement event …
Read More »G.Skill’s DDR4 memory module hits nearly 4.8GHz clock-rate
The new Intel Corp.’s Core i7-6700K “Skylake” processors have clearly helped professional overclockers to set new DDR4 frequency records. G.Skill on Thursday said that one of its Ripjaws 4 memory modules managed to hit nearly 4.8GHz clock-rate earlier this week. Chi-Kui Lam, a world-class overclocker from Hong Kong-based HKEPC, successfully …
Read More »KitGuru Complete Guide to PC Workstations – Part 3
In the second part of this series, we presented some initial tests to illustrate how CPU and graphics can affect different types of performance in a PC workstation. In this third part, we focus down on one particular, industry-standard benchmark that puts a workstation through a range of tests with …
Read More »Rivet Networks unveils Killer E2400 network processor
Rivet Networks on Wednesday introduced its new-generation smart network processor with enhanced performance and improved functionality. The new Killer E2400 chip promises to improve network-related performance in video games, multimedia and bandwidth-demanding applications. Gigabyte Technology and MicroStar International will be the first companies to use the new chip. Rivet does …
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