We'd expect a drive vendor like Seagate to be overly enthusiastic about its SSHD drives, but Ben's interest is solely on delivering Chillblast gaming laptop customers with the best experience possible. Here he is explaining – and demonstrating – his company's mobile storage choice. We recently had Ben in the KitGuru …
Read More »Not all USB type-C ports are equal: Nine versions of USB-C incoming
The reversible USB type-C connector is something that the industry has been waiting for since the introduction of the original USB bus in 1997. This year PCs, computer components and mobile devices finally started to incorporate USB-C receptacles, but not all implementations necessarily support all features introduced by the latest …
Read More »Intel pins a lot of hopes on small form-factor personal computers
Even though the market of personal computers has slowed down in the recent years, the PC continues its rapid development. Not only PCs are becoming more powerful, but they also change their form-factors. According to market analysts, one of the most promising segments of the PC market is the segment of highly …
Read More »MSI readies Intel Z170 mini-ITX mainboard with premium features
MicroStar International is preparing to release one of the industry’s first premium mainboards for Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” microprocessors in mini-ITX form-factor. The new motherboard will support all features essential for modern high-performance personal computers and will even have overclocking capabilities. The MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC platform is based on …
Read More »Acer founder welcomes takeover amid declining sales, stock price
Stan Shih, the founder of Acer Group, said at a press conference on Thursday that he would welcome acquisition of the company he founded in 1976. In the recent months Acer’s sales decreased once again and its losses exceeded its net profit for the year 2014. Selling the company could …
Read More »Sales of PCs will fall by 8.7% this year – IDC
Virtually all high-tech companies who sell PC hardware or personal computers recently complained about poor sales of PCs in the past few quarters. While many expect their revenues to improve in the second half of 2015, analysts warn that factors, which negatively affect sales of PCs now, will continue to slow …
Read More »Intel readies ‘5×5’ upgradeable mini PC form-factor with LGA socket
Intel Corp.’s NUC [next unit of computing] small form-factor PCs offer decent performance and are rather small. Unfortunately, such systems come with limited choice of processors and cannot be upgraded. By contrast, mini-ITX systems support all types of CPUs, can be upgraded, but are considerably larger. In a bid to …
Read More »Vaio plans to return to worldwide PC market
When Sony Corp. span off its PC division last year, the new company decided to significantly shrink its product lineup and concentrate solely on the Japanese market. Apparently, Vaio Corp. is planning its return to the international PC market with new high-end models with exclusive capabilities. The company plans to …
Read More »DinoPC Raptor Watercooled System Review
The Raptor is a watercooled gaming system from DinoPC that combines an unlocked Haswell-E Core i7 with dual GTX 980Ti graphics cards. That's an overclocked CPU with an extra Gigahertz of grunt and two overclocked graphics cards, each running at 1220MHz instead of the usual 1000MHz. Speed is very much …
Read More »Asustek: Free Windows 10 upgrades may be negative for PC makers
Microsoft Corp. needs to install Windows 10 on as many devices as possible to capitalize on it in the coming years, which is why it made its latest OS available free of charge to existing customers. The approach makes sense for Microsoft. But is it good for the market in …
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 »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: 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 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 »Mad Max now has PC system requirements
Avalanche studios, the same team behind Just Cause, is currently gearing up to release the new Mad Max video game on the consoles and PC. The game is due out on the 1st of September, so those looking to play it will probably want to check out the system requirements. …
Read More »OCUK Titan Riptide X99 System Review
Intel launched Skylake this week and obviously much of KitGuru's focus has been on the new architecture and supporting motherboards from partners such as ASUS. But what if you need more processing cores and a gaming system that has greater potential to double up as a personal workstation? Overclockers UK …
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 …
Read More »Chillblast Fusion Master Skylake gaming rig showcase
As all of the major system builders move across to Skylake, KitGuru invited Ben Miles into the studio to talk through his company's latest gaming rig. Specifically, we were interested in some bold claims that Chillblast is making about the performance increase they have managed to achieve over the previous …
Read More »AMD’s project Quantum may never make it to the market
Small form-factor multi-GPU project Quantum concept personal computer that Advanced Micro Devices demonstrated earlier this year was an impressive piece of hardware. Unfortunately, it may never really hit the market, despite of early claims by the company. Richard Huddy, chief scientist of AMD, claims that even if project Quantum will …
Read More »Metal Gear Solid V PC system requirements announced
Yesterday it was announced that the PC version of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain would have its release date brought forward, bringing it in line with the console versions. Now, we also have the recommended system requirements, though it doesn't really seem like good news for AMD users. …
Read More »Intel divides desktop market into six segments
In a bid to offer the right solutions for different classes of desktop personal computers, Intel Corp. recently presented its vision of desktop platforms to makers of PC components. Apparently, the world’s largest maker of microprocessors sees as many as six distinctive segments of today’s desktop market. Sales of personal …
Read More »Designers of controllers expect rapid adoption of USB 3.1 by PCs, phones
Although this year far not all mobile devices will get USB 3.1 type-C ports, next year a lot will change, according to Taiwan-based designers of controllers. Thanks to reversible form-factor, improved performance, higher durability and other benefits of USB 3.1 interface and type-C ports, many laptops and smartphones will adopt …
Read More »OCUK Evolution Wrath System Review (w/ Fury)
Don't have time to build your own PC? Want a nice compact, good looking system featuring one of the latest AMD Fury graphics cards? The OCUK ‘Evolution Wrath' System might just tickle the taste buds. This system features an Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz, Z97 Motherboard, Up to 16GB …
Read More »Overclockers UK announce new range of streaming PCs
Overclockers UK has just introduced its brand new ‘StreamR' range of PCs. As you could probably guess from the name, these systems are targeted at those looking to get in to livestreaming on Twitch, with rigs for those wanting to stream at 720p, 1080p and even those looking to stream console titles. …
Read More »Dell to ship Windows 10 devices on day one in US
Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system officially launches on the 29th of July, though system manufacturers already have access to the day one version in order to prepare devices. Dell is one of the PC makers prepared for the 29th of July, with devices ready to ship on launch day. While …
Read More »Wired2Fire Diablo Reactor Gaming PC Review
Targeting gamers with a keen eye for a deal, Wired2Fire has combined a concoction of the best bang-for-buck components to form an attractively-priced, and aptly powered, gaming system. Leveraging the power of a 4.4GHz overclocked Devil's Canyon i5 and the well-balanced GTX 970, can the Wired2Fire Diablo Reactor show off …
Read More »Notebook makers need to adjust inventory before releasing ‘Skylake’ laptops – report
It is not a secret that Intel Corp. plans to formally introduce its code-named “Skylake” processors for mobile computers in late September or early October, 2015. Apparently, notebook makers are ready to mass produce new generation of laptops based on the next-gen central processing units, according to a media report. …
Read More »Mesh Elite Game Changer 980 Gaming PC Review
Mesh is one of the oldest names in the UK PC manufacturing business. The company has been selling computers since 1987, and although the last five years have had their ups and downs they appear to be back with all guns blazing. The Elite Game Changer 980 sounds like a …
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