Advanced Micro Devices is currently the only company to use high-bandwidth memory it co-developed with SK Hynix and other partners. While usage of HBM is clearly a competitive advantage that AMD has over its rivals, the company is encouraging others to use the new memory type and does not intend …
Read More »Acer Revo Build: Inexpensive, stackable modular PC
Small form-factor personal computers are gaining popularity these days. One of the drawbacks that modem SFF PCs have is poor upgradeability. Sometimes it is hard to get appropriate components and it is generally hard to install them into a tiny system. Acer Group proposes a stackable PC concept, which makes …
Read More »Asus ROG GX700: World’s first liquid-cooled laptop with 4K IPS LCD
Asustek Computer has announced the world’s first notebook with liquid cooling. The system is designed for gamers and can deliver performance on-par with high-end gaming desktops. Thanks to unique cooling solution and microprocessor with unlocked multiplier, the Asus ROG GX700 notebook even supports serious overclocking capabilities. The unique Asus ROG GX700 …
Read More »Wireless charging, wireless docking and smart sensing will remain exotic PC features
When Intel Corp. revealed first details about its mobile platforms powered by its code-named “Skylake” microprocessors about a year ago, the company said that the new systems would feature a number of innovative technologies, including wireless charging, fast wireless docking, Thunderbolt 3 interconnection, RealSense cameras and so on. But while …
Read More »Kingston introduces DDR3L memory modules for enthusiasts
Although DDR4 memory provides higher bandwidth than DDR3 and has very high overclocking potential, it is also more expensive than its predecessor. However, Intel Corp.’s latest “Skylake” processors officially support only DDR4 and DDR3L, but not DDR3. For those, who do not want to invest in DDR4 now, Kingston Technology …
Read More »Gigabyte unveils high-end Intel Z170-based mini-ITX mainboard
Gigabyte Technology has introduced its new mini-ITX mainboard for Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” processors with premium features. The new platform supports a number of advanced technologies, including Creative SoundBlaster audio enhancements, USB 3.1 type-C port, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and so on. The Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 mainboard based on the Intel Z170 core-logic with …
Read More »Sales of SSDs increase by 3% in the second quarter
Despite of the fact that sales of personal computers are decreasing, shipments of solid-state drives are rising, according to analysts from TrendFocus. Samsung continues to be the world’s largest supplier of NAND flash memory as well as solid-state drives and it is unlikely that this will change any time soon. Sales …
Read More »Alienware updates X51 line up with Skylake
Following on from Dell's refresh of its Alienware gaming laptop line, the X51 slim desktops have also received a hardware update, bringing things over to Intel's latest Skylake platform and even adding in all-in-one water cooling units to keep the temperatures down. The Alienware X51 desktop systems have been around …
Read More »AMD started to work on HBM technology nearly a decade ago
The high-bandwidth memory (HBM) introduced along with AMD’s code-named “Fiji” graphics processing unit radically changes the way graphics adapters are built and also dramatically improves potential performance of future graphics processing units. But while HBM looks ingeniously simple on paper, it was extremely hard to develop and is not easy …
Read More »Asus TUF Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1: Extreme performance and durability
Asustek Computer has introduced its TUF Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1 mainboard for Intel Corp.’s latest “Skylake” processors, which combines excellent expansion capabilities, advanced connectivity, sophisticated overclocking features with ultimate durability and five-year warranty. The platform is designed for those, who not only want high performance, but maximum reliability too. The …
Read More »Intel: SSDs to gain presence in datacentres as capacities hit 100TB+
Nowadays datacentres use solid-state drives to store frequently used data, but continue to rely on hard disk drives to store occasionally accessed files. Intel Corp. believes that in five years’ time everything will change and SSDs will be used more broadly in datacentres. The chip giant forecasts that increasing capacities and …
Read More »Chairman of Tsinghua Unigroup visits the U.S. to discuss Micron bid
In a bid to re-start talks about possible acquisition of Micron Technology, Zhao Weiguo, the chairman of China-based Tsinghua Unigroup, this week visited the U.S. The results of his negotiations are unknown, but the visit clearly signals that the government-backed technology investment company considers Micron and computer memory technologies strategically …
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 »Micron readies second-gen 3D XPoint, working on all-new memory tech
The first commercial solid-state drives based on the recently introduced 3D XPoint non-volatile storage-class memory are yet to hit the market, but Intel Corp. and Micron Technology Corp. are already working on the second-generation 3D XPoint technology. Moreover, Micron is also designing an all-new memory technology that will further close …
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 »Intel: First 3D XPoint SSDs will feature up to 6GB/s of bandwidth
Although 3D XPoint – a new type of non-volatile memory jointly developed by Intel Corp. and Micron Technology – promises to significantly improve performance of solid-state drives over time, do not expect it to revolutionize SSD landscape overnight. According to performance estimates released by Intel, performance of the first-gen 3D …
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 »Deepcool introduces Lucifer K2 high-end CPU cooler
Deepcool, a well-known producer of high-end coolers and computer cases, on Tuesday introduced its new-generation Gamer Storm Lucifer K2 cooler, which supports all microprocessors available today, including the latest Intel Core i7/i5 “Skylake” central processing units in LGA1151 packaging. The Deepcool Gamer Storm Lucifer K2 processor cooler features massive aluminium …
Read More »Intel: Our foundry business is well, we have new customers
Brian Krzanich, chief executive officer of Intel Corp., claims that despite of lack of any announcements concerning its contract semiconductor manufacturing business unit, the latter is growing and is still an important opportunity for the chip giant. Moreover, it has new customers that Intel just cannot name. Intel established its …
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 »Surface Pro 4: Intel ‘Skylake’, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, USB type-C
Microsoft Corp. is reportedly gearing up to release its highly-anticipated Surface Pro 4 business tablet next month. The novelty will be based on leading-edge hardware and will naturally use Windows 10 operating system. Moreover, according to a media leak, there will be two versions of the fourth-generation business slate from …
Read More »Samsung expects graphics cards with 6144-bit bus, 48GB of HBM memory onboard
Samsung Electronics indicated that it plans to start volume production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) next year at the Intel Developer Forum this week. At the trade-show, the company revealed its current vision and expectations concerning HBM. Samsung foresees that eventually high-performance applications (such as GPUs) could feature up to six …
Read More »Intel to release 22-core Xeon E5 v4 “Broadwell-EP” late in 2015
Intel Corp. this week reaffirmed plans to release the next generation of its multi-core Xeon E5 v4 central processing units code-named “Broadwell-EP”, which were rumoured to be cancelled earlier this year. The new chips will emerge later this year, they will increase core-count, memory bandwidth and will also feature micro-architecture-level improvements. …
Read More »Intel, Inventec demo Thunderbolt 3-based external graphics solutions
Intel Corp. and Inventec demonstrated external graphics processing solutions featuring Thunderbolt 3 interface at the Intel Developer Forum this week. The devices are based on reference designs and it is unknown when the products could hit the market. Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 interface offers 40Gb/s of bandwidth (about 5GB/s), which is …
Read More »Intel: DDR4 will dominate PCs and servers next year
Development of DDR4 dynamic random access memory took a long time. However, adoption of the new DRAM will be rather quick. Already next year the majority of servers and personal computers will rely on DDR4. The DDR4 memory standard is currently supported by Intel Corp.’s server platforms as well as …
Read More »Intel plans to support VESA’s Adaptive-Sync technology
AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync variable refresh technologies are widely used today by various display makers, greatly improving quality of video and games. Apparently, Intel Corp. would also like to support adaptable refresh and VESA’s Adaptive-Sync is a natural fit for the company. Unfortunately, the company is not sure when …
Read More »Overclocker hits 4.90GHz frequency with a DDR4 module
The 5GHz frequency milestone for computer memory is yet to be achieved, but professional overclockers are probably not far from hitting it. This week Chi-Kui Lam, a well-known computer tweaker, managed to push a DDR4 memory module from G.Skill to whopping 4.90GHz. Chi-Kui Lam overclocked a 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 …
Read More »Intel demos 3D XPoint-based Optane SSD, set to launch it in 2016
Intel Corp. on Tuesday demonstrated Optane, the world’s first solid-state drive based on its 3D XPoint memory jointly developed by Intel and Micron. The company said once again that the new type of memory will enable considerably higher performance than existing NAND flash. Intel Optane SSDs featuring breakthrough performance will …
Read More »Intel Core i7-6700K ‘Skylake’ hits nearly 7GHz
A professional overclocker has set a new record for Intel Core i7-6700K microprocessor frequency. This time the new code-named “Skylake” processor hit nearly 7GHz, which is among the highest frequencies ever achieved by any Intel Core i-series microprocessors. Chi-Kui Lam, a professional overclocker from Hong Kong-based HKEPC web-site, has managed …
Read More »Intel releases Quark microcontroller with 0.025W thermal design power
Intel Corp. has quietly released its new Quark D1000 microcontroller designed for smart electronics and embedded applications. The chip sports ultra-low power consumption and features x86 architecture. The Intel Quark D1000 microcontroller has one 32-bit x86 core clocked at 33MHz, lacks cache and has TDP of 0.025W. The Quark D1000 …
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