Tech News
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Thermaltake TT Premium X1 RGB Review @ Vortez
Published: Thursday, November 08, 2018 | By: DennisSpeaking of keyboards here is a board that will set you back 2 bills and then wil ask you questions like "why did you buy me?"
The X1 RGB gaming keyboard comes in a sleek and stunning finish that delivers 16.8 million of true RGB color illumination with 12 dynamic lighting effects. Best yet, it is exclusively compatible with all Thermaltake TT RGB Sync Power Supply and Liquid Cooling Solutions – iRGB PSU, Riing Plus, Pacific W4 Plus CPU Water Block, Pacific RL360 Plus RGB Radiator, Floe Riing RGB 360, Pacific Lumi Plus LED Strip – and any other product range sporting the TT RGB Sync logo, enabling enthusiasts to sync all RGB colors seamlessly to all Thermaltake compatible product lines for even greater color coordination. In addition, the X1 RGB comes with an exclusively designed smartphone/tablet app with voice controlled AI for access to light functions and essential macros. The app also includes an exclusive patented designed Virtual Game Controller (VGC) mode for a truly unique and astounding mobile gaming experience.
Vortez did a review of the Thermaltake TT Premium X1 RGB gaming keyboard and even included a shot with the red keycap replacements.
The TT Premium X1 RGB is the keyboard in question, and it's off to a strong start. Out of the box, the TT Premium X1 RGB comes with Cherry MX Silver Speed switches - which we have on hand or MX Blues, so you get the idea as to the demographic this is aimed towards. Switches aside, the rest of the feature set is ample and impressive.
Cherry switch this, Cherry switch that.
With all the different Cherry colors coming out its no wonder the OCD keyboard warriors of reddit are arguing about actuation points and pressure sensitivity for their weak fingers to press. -
FNATIC Streak Gaming Keyboard Review @ ThinkComputers
Published: Thursday, November 08, 2018 | By: DennisWhen it comes to keyboard designs you must ask yourself two questions. Who is making this board? and when the company says they designed it themselves how much of it are they really designing??
My favorite keyboard of 2018 so far has been FNATIC’s miniStreak, which is their tenkeyless keyboard. I was so impressed with it, I gave it a 10 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award! Today we have the larger, full-size version of that keyboard, the Streak. It offers a similar design, Cherry MX mechanical key switches, full RGB backlighting, and much more! Could this be my favorite full-sized keyboard? Read on as we find out!
We got to see some FNATIC gaming gear at CES last year and while they keyboards were really quite nice they weren’t all that special either. Sure the branding was cool and they had hardware based macro support. AZIO did hardware based macros quite some time ago and don't get me started on switch types!
If anything I'm just jealous that ThingComputers got a keyboard while I had actually met with the team and said, "hey send me a board"
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MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus @ LanOC Reviews
Published: Wednesday, November 07, 2018 | By: DennisSo, everyone is talking about the 9900K thinking its like this super great processor all because Intel says they can finally beat the Ryzen. Ummm, hello? Intel has always been faster and as for the 9900K its a Coffee Lake CPU with two extra cores. pfft.
Of course if Intel would like to help change my mind and finally sample Hardware Asylum I'd gladly like to see what makes the 9900K better than everything else.
I can say this. For a CPU built using the Coffee Lake architecture and using the same LGA 1151 socket I'm surprised that you MUST use a 300 series chipset and that is just what Lan OC has done. Used a 300 series motherboard with a 9900K Intel cpu.
With the 9900K launch, a few weeks back along with the other 9th generation core processors Intel also released their new chipset, the Z390 chipset. This is the latest high-end chipset for the mainstream socket but you might be wondering what is even different when compared to Z370. Well as far as the chipset goes, it is adding USB 3.1 Gen 2 onto the chipset and the option to integrate Wireless AC. But it also means new motherboards and I’m curious what else might get changed. MSI, for example, has revamped their naming scheme. The board they sent over is the MPG Z390 Gaming Plus. So I wanted to touch on the new MSI naming and then check out the new board and see what it has to offer.
I really like how MSI is cutting their PCBs now similar to what EVGA and ASUS have been doing.
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GIGABYTE Launches The Z390 AORUS XTREME Motherboard
Published: Thursday, November 01, 2018 | By: Dennis16 Phase Digital Power Design With Advanced Thermal Design to Support 9th Gen. Intel® Core™ CPUs
City of Industry, California, October 31st, 2018 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, has launched its newest flagship Z390 AORUS XTREME motherboard. With the highest power phase count of any Z390 motherboard on the market, the new AORUS flagship motherboard features a 16-Phase Digital IR VRM design and state-of-the-art thermal design for optimized power and thermal management to unleash the full overclocking potential of the new 8-core Intel® Core™ i9 9900K processors. While Z390 AORUS XTREME is well-suited for gaming, it has even more to offer in terms of performance. With features such as advanced power and thermal design, Triple M.2 Thermal Guards, HI-FI audio, feature-rich I/O, dual Type-C™ ThunderBolt™ 3, 10 GbE LAN, and many other new technologies for impressive power management, heat dissipation, expansion capabilities, network connectivity, audio quality, and more, Z390 AORUS XTREME exemplifies the ultimate performance driven motherboard.
The newest 8-Core Intel® Core™ i9-9900K processors are built on 14nm technology and support LGA 1151 sockets. GIGABYTE Z/H/B 300 series motherboards are fully compatible with and ready to faciliate the overclocking of these new processors. The 16-Phase Digital IR VRM design paired with solid pin power connectors not only provide a highly stable power supply but also reduces heat generated from overclocking or heavier workloads to prevent overheating from affecting performance. The automatic phase balance design not only regulates the loading of the 16-Phase power design but also reduces the operating frequency of the VRM controller chip, minimizing power consumption and heat generated from the PWM. This design improves power efficiency, durability, and service life significantly. Furthermore, GIGABYTE’s well-received 2x Copper PCB with a larger CPU power delivery plane not only offers more power supply stability, it also reduces excess heat generated from overclocking or heavy workloads to prevent power supply issues or overheating from slowing performance.
With 3 times more heat dissipation surface area compared to standard heatsinks, Fins-Array Technology bolsters heat dissipation on the Z390 AORUS XTREME. GIGABYTE upgraded its Direct Touch Heatpipe technology by implementing 4x heatpipes to improve heat transfer. The first two front side PCB heatpipes directly contact the PowIRstage and inductors while the third and fourth heatpipes use an exclusive design which increases the contact between the heatsink and the backside PCB components. The addition of a NanoCarbon coated baseplate means that the heat from the PWM is more efficiently transferred to the heatsinks which lowers the temperatures around the power design. The VRM uses a LAIRD brand thermal pad thickened to 1.5mm to increase the contact between the VRM and its heatsinks, improving heat dissipation immensely and mitigating the effects of overheating on system performance.
Nanocarbon Baseplate design with heat dissipation gives the Z390 AORUS XTREME extra rigidity to prevent PCB bending while also protecting builders from the sharper components on the backside during installation. Aside from its visually appealing design and easy installation, the integrated I/O shield provides solid protection to the feature-rich rear panel’s USB 3.1 Gen2, network connectivity ports, audio jacks, and other expansion ports. Users can troubleshoot PC problems more easily with the board’s power, restart, reset BIOS (Clear CMOS), and other buttons. Z390 AORUS XTREME employs a 90 degree design for the 24 solid pin power connectors which not only looks wicked cool when the power cables are configured but it also makes way for smoother air flow and a cooler system. Metal cladding on the pin connectors adds extra durability and reduces loosening caused by inserting and removing the power cables.
Many features on the board are designed to help users bring out the best performance from the new Intel® CoreTM i9-9900K processors. With the CPU Upgrade in the BIOS, Smart Boost and Auto Tuning in the APP Center, users can overclock with ease. For those who want more overclock control, don’t miss out on the OC Touch panel of the Z390 AORUS XTREME. OC Touch incorporates easy-to-use buttons and toggles for the user to configure key processor multipliers and adjust BCLK frequencies by units of 1MHz or 0.1 MHz. Regardless of whether the user is at the BIOS screen, using DOS or Windows® operating systems, these frequency changes can be adjusted and applied without rebooting the system. Users can quickly optimize their PCs’ performance and find the highest frequency for their processors. Additionally, the exclusive OC button can load overclock configuration presets so that less experienced overclockers can overclock at certain ranges. The OC-Touch function also helps users figure out the best overclocking settings for their processors. The built-in voltage measurement module keeps the user informed on the voltage of each component, making overclocking more convenient for users.
Z390 AORUS XTREME has 3 sets of built-in PCIe slots so users can set up a 2-Way SLI and 3-Way CrossFire configuration for a boost in 3D performance. The boost in graphics allows for a more immersive and more enjoyable gaming experience. GIGABYTE exclusive Ultra-Durable one piece stainless steel shielding PCIe Armor with Double Locking Bracket reinforces PCIe slot strength so heavy graphics cards don’t bend the slots. The motherboard’s built-in PEG the solid power pin connectors provides independent auxiliary power to the PCIe slots so users’ graphics cards can receive sufficient and more stable power supply. Z390 AORUS XTREME motherboard’s Triple PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 with Thermal Guards and dual-mode SATA M.2 slots, users can build a RAID 0/1 or RAID 5 array and take advantage of the benefits of both enhanced storage performance and solid data integrity.
GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME comes with built-in AQUANTIA 10 Gigabit Ethernet , Intel® Gigabit Ethernet, and Gigabit surpassing Intel ® CNVi 802.11ac 160MHz 2x2 WIFI for users to enjoy blazing-fast connectivity with versatile network configuration and for them to make use of both Ethernet and WIFI. The all new 4dBi ultra high peak gain antenna not only supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz WIFI frequencies but also has twice the signal strength compared to traditional antenna designs. The magnetic base and dual antenna design of Smart Antenna technology makes it so the device can be installed on magnetic surfaces and can search for WIFI signals at different angles. This fixes the positioning of the antenna and prevents the issue of users not being able to obtain strong WIFI signals, offering greater flexibility from the motherboard’s network connectivity.
Aside from exceptional performance and high-speed connectivity, GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME also has two sets of built-in USB Type-C™ Thunderbolt™ interface, which not only support native USB 3.1 Gen 2 specifications but also delivers 40 Gbps data transmission speed. Users can also daisy chain 6 devices + 1 display on a single connection, for high-speed data transfer and high-definition resolution all at once.
Professional grade audio is one of the trademarks of AORUS motherboards and the Z390 AORUS XTREME is no exception. The motherboard puts together an ALC1220-VB high-SNR audio codec with professional audio components such as ESS SABRE DAC and studio grade audio capacitors, to present users with studio grade sound. Left and right side channel audio lines are processed separately and the new inclusion of a TI Burr-Brown high quality audio OP AMPs with its signal-enhanced design makes the audio clearer and more immersive. Whether destroying enemies in-game or enjoying multimedia, users can enjoy the high-fidelity audio of a HI-FI sound system.
RGB Fusion returns to the Z390 AORUS XTREME with support for digital LED lighting strips and a newly designed lighting configuration. LED lighting on this motherboard is more subtle and understated while exuding low key luxury. RGB Fusion adds aesthetic flair to the Z390 AORUS XTREME and provides customizability for users to sync their lighting strips and peripherals with the lighting technology. An exciting bonus inclusion is the AORUS RGB Fan Commander which allows users to control the lighting patterns and fan speeds of external devices. Users can connect up to 8 fan devices, 8 digital lighting strips, and 8 sets of RGB LEDs, and indulge in the glory of RGB Fusion with added customizability and heat dissipation.
GIGABYTE exclusive Smart Fan 5 Intelligent Fan Control also makes its return. Paired with Smart Fan 5, the technology enhances support for liquid cooling setups. Fan Stop technology enables users to configure the fans to stop when system temperatures drop below selected temperature thresholds and restart the fans when necessary. This function saves energy and reduces unwanted fan noise, giving users that perfect balance between quiet and cool. Upgraded Smart Fan 5 intelligent fan control monitors GPU temperatures so users can keep track of them in-game. FPS drops due to GPU overheating during an intense teamfight in-game are no longer a problem with this excellent cooling solution.
GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME features the newest motherboard technologies and uses highly-acclaimed GIGABYTE Ultra-Durable components for added durability. Utilizing all-solid capacitors and digital power designs with intelligent fan control design for low-temperature energy saving performance. Energy-saving and environmental friendly, the motherboard offers impressive performance and durability, for the best user experience. For more related news, please visit the AORUS official website: https://www.aorus.com/
For more information and news on GIGABYTE products, please visit the official GIGABYTE website: http://www.gigabyte.com
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Patriot Launches Viper V765: The cutting-edge RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Published: Monday, October 29, 2018 | By: DennisFREMONT, CA — October 23th, 2018 — Patriot, a global leader in performance memory, SSDs, gaming peripherals, and flash storage solutions, has announced the release of their brand-new, Viper V765 Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard. Fully equipped with Kailh White Box DIP Switches and an impressive protection rating of IP56, for the ultimate protection from dust and water. Customize 103 programmable macro keys and RGB illumination settings through the included Viper software for an incomparable gaming experience! Built with an aircraft grade aluminum chassis and magnetically detachable palm rest, the Viper V765 offers ultra-durability and support without sacrificing performance.
The Viper V765 mechanical RGB gaming keyboard features the first ever, DIP Kailh White Box Switches, which are designed to provide a prominent clicky and tactile feel. Each key has been vigorously tested with over 80 million key presses to guarantee the highest durability and anti-ghosting for your intense gameplay. Viper Gaming’s V765 aims to deliver superior performance to all gamers and tech enthusiast. Dive into your next RTS or FPS games and experience the change in maximized durability and 45% quicker response time.
RGB lighting has taken over the gaming world with its brilliant display of colors – over 16.8 million colors – making the possibilities endless! Personalize various stunning RGB lighting settings, including 14 light control keys, 10 LED reaction management, and multi-level LED backlight dimming, with Viper’s software to match your unique setup. In addition, the software allows the user to Individually customize 103 keys and save up to 5 different profiles. Perfect for gamers that are looking to boost efficiency and response time
The Viper V765 mechanical RGB gaming keyboard is equipped with the ultimate RGB lighting customization software combined with a unique design and unparallel durability.
Specifications/ Features
- Kailh mechanical White Box Switches for superior durability and quicker response
- Water and dust resistant of IP56 rating
- Full spectrum RGB, 16.8 million color backlighting
- Dedicated multi-media controls
- Volume wheel w/ mute function
- N-key rollover and anti-ghosting
- Multi-level LED backlit dimming
- Removable magnetic palm rest
- Aircraft grade aluminum chassis
- Unit Physical Dimensions: 1.1” (H) x 18.4” (W) x 6.4” (D)
- Weight: 2.5 lbs
- Warranty: 2 year
- Kailh mechanical White Box Switches for superior durability and quicker response
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G.SKILL Demonstrates DDR4-4800 16GB(2x8GB) and DDR4-4500 32GB(4x8GB) Kits For Intel Z390 Motherboards
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | By: DennisTaipei, Taiwan (9 October 2018) – G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world’s leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, demonstrates two extreme DDR4 RGB specifications on the latest Intel Z390 chipset, including DDR4-4800MHz CL19 16GB (2x8GB) and DDR4-4500MHz CL19 32GB (4x8GB). Both kits are built with high performance Samsung DDR4 B-die ICs and provide the fastest XMP speed of each capacity configuration.
DDR4-4800MHz CL19-22-22-42 16GB(2x8GB)
Engineered for maximum overclocking performance, the DDR4-4800MHz memory kit is the fastest XMP speed available. The following screenshot shows the kit running stable on the latest ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI GENE motherboard based on the Intel Z390 chipset:
DDR4-4500MHz CL19-22-22-42 32GB(4x8GB)
In addition to the extremely high-speed memory kit, G.SKILL also raises the frequency limit on 32GB (4x8GB) capacity configurations to a staggering DDR4-4500MHz, which results in an outstanding combination of extreme speed and high capacity. The screenshot below displays this new specification being torture-tested with the latest ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI Extreme motherboard:
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Blue Yeti Nano Review @ Vortez
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | By: DennisQuestion: how do you make the Blue Yeti Better?
Answer: you can't, the microphone is pretty darn good out of box and it has the weight required to stamp out vibration and prevent noise.
But, But. what about making it smaller? Well, lets see what Vortez has to say.
Looking solely at the Yeti Nano now and it has some impressive attributes of its own, one such feature is the inclusion of a zero-latency 3.5mm port for monitoring your audio in real time. It also boasts an impressively wide frequency range pickup of between 20Hz to 20kHz as well as dual condenser capsules, a multifunctional volume control dial and an impressive SPL of 120dB.
Umm. I hate to break it to you but the Blue Yeti of old had all that stuff too.
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The Performance & Power Efficiency Of The Core i7 990X vs. Core i9 9900K @ Phoronix
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | By: Dennisso the Core i7 990X is old, like Gulftown old and part of a Intel processor generation that actually made overclocking fun. The CPU scaled and loved to be pushed provided you did the right things at the right time #TWSS
Phronix is doing a new vs old article and I'm pretty excited to see the results.
With my initial Core i9 9900K benchmarks out there following Friday's embargo expiration, for some weekend benchmarking fun I decided to pull out the old Core i7 990X to see how it compares to the new 9900K... The Gulftown and Coffeelake processors were compared not only on raw performance but also overall power consumption and performance-per-Watt.
My projection, 9900K draws more power but has higher performance. The 990X leaves most of its power in the form of heat.
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ADATA Establishes XPG Overclocking Lab
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | By: DennisTaipei, Taiwan – October 22, 2018 –ADATA® Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, announces that it has established a new facility at its headquarters in New Taipei, Taiwan dedicated to pushing the limits of memory performance, the XPG Overclocking Lab (XOCL). The XOCL is the first facility of its kind among worldwide DRAM makers, is an expansion of ADATA’s continued effort towards achieving record-breaking memory speeds, and will focus on experimenting with new techniques.
“With growing demand for memory modules that can operate at ever-higher frequencies, ADATA believes the future of overclocking lies beyond the established techniques of air and liquid cooling,” said Neo and Stin at ADATA Technology. “The mission of the XPG Overclocking Lab is to explore new, potentially more effective methods that can break the threshold of memory speeds and incorporate them into XPG products for the benefit of users.”
The XOCL will actively seek out partnerships within the industry, including with hardware makers and overclockers, to achieve its mission. Over the summer, ADATA overclocked its XPG SPECTRIX D80 RGB DDR4 memory module to 5531MHz in a liquid-nitrogen-cooled configuration, a new record. The milestone was achieved through a joint effort with MSI.
The XOCL will focus on experimenting with new techniques and methods. Pictured here is the use of LN2 in an overclocking experiment.
About XPG
Xtreme Performance Gear (XPG) is an ADATA Technology brand offering high performance PC hardware. XPG products distinguish themselves by surpassing stringent ADATA A+ Testing Methodology to ensure the highest standards for superior product stability and performance. XPG provides gamers, enthusiasts, and overclockers an extraordinary journey best experienced at full tilt. The XPG line sports advanced technical attributes and its strength shines through with sleek and powerful designs that have earned prestigious accolades worldwide. These include Good Design Awards from Japan and Taiwan Excellence Gold Awards. ADATA XPG products are recognized by overclockers and world-renowned professional gaming teams who use them as essential hardware for achieving victory. For more information, please visit www.xpg.com -
ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 2080 Ti OC Edition Review @ Legit Reviews
Published: Tuesday, October 23, 2018 | By: DennisSeems Legit, You gotta love when the teaser is not only about the best of the best but does a quick backstory as to why.
ASUS currently has three NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card models on the market today. They have the Turbo Edition that has a blower style GPU cooler that boosts up to 1560MHz, a dual-fan OC edition that boosts up to 1650MHz and then you have the flagship ROG STRIX model with three fans that boosts up to 1665 MHz. Today we’ll be taking a look at the best that ASUS has to offer, the ROG STRIX RTX 2080 Ti OC Edition that is available for $1249
Pascal and Turing both have overclocking limits and while you can push these cards on LN2 the effort required to get 50Mhz is almost too much. Granted that 50Mhz can be 200 points or more but still it wasn't like that in the 900 series days.
Of course, all three of these GPUs are better than previous generations where the hotclocked cards were maxxed the F out with only 5 to 10 Mhz left before they started causing problems.
