Tech News
-
MSI Radeon RX 6950 XT Gaming X Trio @ TechPowerUp
I have been so caught up with things not related to the latest AMD Radeon video card launch that I totally missed that AMD launched a new Radeon video card.
The MSI Radeon RX6950 XT Gaming X Trio looks like a pretty amazing card and if the reviews are any indication it is going to be monster under the covers of your custom watercooled PC for a night of hot gaming.
Makes me wonder if this will be another Radeon launch where you cannot find the card in the wild?
MSI's Radeon RX 6950 XT Gaming X Trio is the fastest RX 6950 XT that we tested today, making it the fastest Radeon we ever tested. It can beat the NVIDIA RTX 3090 and almost matches the much more expensive RTX 3090 Ti, with very little noise and good temperatures.
This is a pretty tall order and with the Crypto Crash we might even be able to buy one.
-
Nvidia pays $5.5 million for hiding how gaming GPUs were sold
So, the big news this week is how the SEC has fined NVIDIA for allegedly hiding how many GPUs were being sold to gamers vs how many got allocated for crypto mining. According to the SEC this lack of disclosure left investors in the dark when it came to their evaluation of NVDA and could have impacted the overall stock price.
It is no secret that the NVIDIA stock (NVDA) has been on fire the past several years and in 2021 the stock split 4:1 allowing current shareholders to quadruple their holdings while also lowering the overall price for new investors.
The charges stem from Nvidia’s fiscal year 2018 financial reports. The SEC notes Nvidia saw an explosion in crypto mining-related sales in 2017, when the rewards of mining Ethereum grew dramatically. Crypto mining was widely reported as a cause of GPU scarcity, and Nvidia launched a separate CMP line specifically for mining, attempting to prevent shortages for gamers. But employees apparently acknowledged that many gaming GPUs were still going to miners. “The company’s sales personnel, in particular in China, reported what they believed to be significant increases in demand for Gaming GPUs as a result of crypto mining,” the order says. ~The Verge
As part of running Hardware Asylum it is in my best interest to follow what my mfg partners are doing. Sure, I miss a few things here and there but, when it comes to NVIDIA I didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
What we know is that video cards were in high demand and crypto farmers were bragging about how many cards they got. It isn't difficult to make the connection. On the side of NVIDIA they sell GPUs which are then installed on a variety of expansion boards (Video Cards). Some are built by NVIDIA and white boxed to OEMs while the majority go to board partners who build their own designs. All NVIDIA would know is that they sold a certain amount of chips for video cards and those cards are designed for video GAMING.
AKA, This puts those sales under "GAMING"
What I find interesting is that these investors uncovered this doing their "real research" and have drawn a line between NVIDIA selling GPU Chips designed for gaming to how consumers are ultimately using those products for something else. NVIDIA doesn't care what customers do and some would say (myself included) that the NVIDIA GPU was designed for more than just gaming.
To further complicate matters you also have to consider that the majority of the GPUs (if not all) that were sold into crypto slavery were done so at the OEM level. These companies will put in massive bulk orders with the intention of selling off a portion to crypto farms. This was uncovered a LONG time ago when AMD/ATI video cards were in short supply and has now migrated to the NVIDIA camp.
What NVIDIA sees is that the board partner bought a number of GPUs and that card maker then sold a number to their customers. I am sure NVIDIA keeps track of individual GPUs for warranty purposes but, they deal directly with the board partner and, all the board partner see is that a video card came back broken.
Seems to me that someone at the SEC lost out on their NVIDIA investment and is just looking for payback.
-
VIPER Gaming launches VIPER VENOM RGB and non-RGB DDR5 Performance Memory Kits
Absolute gaming advantage- DDR5 memory delivers outstanding performance, stability, and overclocking potential with the latest PMIC support. The VIPER VENOM RGB and Non-RGB SKUs are now available with frequencies from 5200 MHz to 6200MHz.
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA — April 28th, 2022 — Viper™, the trademarked gaming brand of PATRIOT™ and a global leader in performance memory, solid-state drives, and flash storage solutions today is proud to announce the market launch of their new VIPER VENOM RGB and non-RGB DDR5 high-performance DRAM memory kits. These brand-new VIPER VENOM DDR5 memory kits are available with and without the RGB illumination, it provides enhanced speeds ranging up to 6200MHz with kit capacities of 16GB-32GB to meet the harsh demand for PC enthusiasts and hardcore gamers.
“Our VIPER Gaming fans waited quite a while for quality DDR5. The VIPER VENOM DDR5 is the first DDR5 DRAM that we distributed for hardware enthusiasts, hardcore gamers, and case modders addicted to unparalleled system performance and stability. VIPER’s engineering team has put countless efforts to guarantee excellent compatibility and higher reliability across Intel®’s latest platforms, currently.” said Roger Shinmoto, Vice President of VIPER GAMING. “Our first launch of Venom DDR5 on 4/28 will feature the highest frequency version at 6200MHz. We hope the enthusiasts or overclockers be able to experience the physical power of Viper Venom DDR5 at the market launch. However, due to the global shortage of memory chips, we have decided to launch the mainstream frequency models like 5200/5600/6000MHz sometime in the coming months.” He added.
The VIPER VENOM DDR5 memory kits include the RGB and Non-RGB versions. The new design of the VENOM heatshield combines the unique RGB light bar and custom aluminum heat spreader featuring matte black/silver patterned graphics. The high-quality modules feature a built-in thermal sensor for performance monitoring, while the excellent heat dissipation helps prevent the hazard of overheating. The physical height of the module can avoid interference with most CPU coolers on the market. In addition, the RGB light bar is an entirely new design with updated synchronization software and illumination patterns. Most importantly, all VENOM RGB DDR5 modules are 100% compatible with ASUS, ASROCK, GIGABYTE, and MSI’s latest motherboards and can be synced with their RGB systems.
The unique architecture of DDR5 memory features localized voltage adjustments based on a locked/unlocked PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit) and SPD HUB (Serial Presence Detection), which can provide simultaneous monitoring, and threshold protection, intelligent voltage control, and power management to achieve more comprehensive voltage control. Moreover, the on-die ECC function enables active error correction to improve data integrity and enhance performance and stability. The VIPER VENOM DDR5 memory kit supports the latest® Intel XMP 3.0 profile overclocking and delivers precision and stability to easily customize the performance to match specific overclocking tasks. Each module is built using a ten-layer PCB and strictly sorted ICs to offer excellent signal integrity and unmatched reliability to the system performance.
The VIPER VENOM DDR5 memory kits are now available in major US retailers with RGB and Non-RGB models and are backed by the VIPER limited lifetime warranty.
Availability
Amazon.com
Venom 32GB (2 x 16GB) 6200MHz UDIMM- Amazon.com RGB Venom: https://amzn.to/3jXJfoE
- Non-RGB Venom link: https://amzn.to/3EuONAs
Newegg: https://bit.ly/3KZwoOB
-
Viper Venom RGB DDR5 2x16GB 6200MHz @ LanOC Reviews
DDR5 was in short supply when it launched with Alder Lake which has prompted memory makers to re-think how they position their DDR5 products. Patriot Viper has decided to release the halo version at 6200Mhz in hopes of taking advantage of the extra performance.
LanOC has a review of the new Viper Venom and we will have our review launched later this week.
With Intel’s 12th generation Core CPU launch alongside the new CPUs, CPU Socket, and Motherboards/Chipset it also brought DDR5 into the mainstream market. Initially, DDR5 was hard to come by, but things have gotten better and along with that we are seeing some of the companies who didn’t have memory available at the launch getting their kits introduced. A good example of that is Patriot with their Viper Gaming lineups first DDR5 kits. They have named the new kits Venom which goes well when you combine it with the Viper branding. They have standard and RGB kits available and the kit that they sent over for us to check out is the Viper Venom RGB in a 2x16GB configuration running at 6200 MHz.
What kind of performance could you get from modules like this??
-
ARCTIC Freezer A35 A-RGB CPU Cooler Review @ APH Networks
It is strange to think that aircooling is still a thing in the custom PC world but, it will likely never totally die out. In fact, these coolers are getting brighter than ever with all sorts of Addressable RGB lights.
The ARCTIC Freezer A35 A-RGB is a solid-performing CPU cooler with neat looks to match at a very affordable price.
Personally, I have only reviewed an Arctic product once during my time at Ninjalane and Hardware Asylum and, I'm gonna tell ya, it didn't go so well. But, this product looks pretty good so, check out the review.
-
Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review @ APH Networks
Corsair has been taking the hardware world by storm lately and doing their best to occupy every aspect of the gaming PC from top tier streamers on Twitch to the sponsorship hungry techTubers on the YoubeTubee.
In this review APH Networks is checking out the popular K70 Keyboard from Corsair. This is one of them glowy keyboards with the underkey glow and overall design that we have seen on 100's of other keyboards any day of the week.
The legend continues with the Corsair K70 RGB Pro with its excellent design, solid build quality, powerful hardware, and great features.
Be sure to check out the review and decide if you really trust your fingers to a keyboard with great features.
-
Funky Kit Review - DeepCool AK620 CPU Cooler
I am humbled when I find a CPU cooler that isn't huge but still cools at a decent rate. The dual tower design of the AK620 is a welcome change to the cheap single tower designs who lack surface area but make up for it with noisy fans.
The DeepCool CASTLE AK620 performs very well even under the harshest workloads. You can rest assured this cooler will keep, even the hottest CPU from throttling!
Be sure to check out our review of the DeepCool AK620, you will be glad you did.
-
EVGA Z690 CLASSIFIED LGA1700 Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps
This might be one of the coolest LGA 1700 motherboards I have ever seen and yet, it looks almost exactly like the EVGA Dark series. Same coolers, same PCB layout, same benchtop controls and even the same audio solution.
In fact, the only thing that seems to be unique is the lame arse RGB implementation.
The Z690 CLASSIFIED motherboard from EVGA is a fine example on how a high-quality mainstream to enthusiast board should look and be equipped, if money is not the main concern when building a system. It comes with a solid 10-layer PCB, a 19-phase VRM in order to handle overclocks, plenty expansion slots for both VGA/sound cards/other but also for M.2 storage, no less thank two 2.5Gbps LAN interfaces, a very well built audio interface which incorporates the proven Realtek ALC1220, integrated WiFi 6E via Intel’s AX211 adapter, dedicated voltage measuring points, a four-digit display for detecting init faults, which also doubles as a CPU temperature display, many PWM headers for system fans but also pumps and more…
Despite this, I am looking forward to checking out the new batch of EVGA motherboards though it seems the supply issues have finally started to catch up to them.
-
Funky Kit Review - Thermaltake Floe RC Ultra 240 CPU & Memory AIO Liquid Cooler
This AIO cooler was shown during CES 2022 and while it is nothing more than a standard AIO with additional memory cooling block it does come with a very special feature
OLED Screens! and lots of them.
Thermaltake Floe RC Ultra 240 CPU & Memory AIO Liquid Cooler not only offers good cooling performance for both CPU and memory, the 2 large colour LCD displays make it a unique feature that modders will love. You can monitor CPU and memory frequency, temperatures, memory speed, CPU/Memory load, as well upload your own GIFs and photos for extra personalization!
To be honest the memory cooler is a total waste of time and money BUT, when you consider that it was only added to give you MORE screen space I can see why they included it. Plus, its not like you have to use the memory cooler, you just need to place it and enjoy the magical screens.
-
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Launch Day
I have been a little "lax" when it has come to posting news about the RTX 3090 Ti launch and from what I have seen there wasn't much to say. However, TechPowerUp made this comment in their ASUS Strix 3090 Ti Review and seems to tie things up nicely.
The ASUS ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3090 Ti "Ampere" is being launched today, as a finale for the Ampere graphics architecture and the fastest graphics card from ASUS. The RTX 3090 Ti is designed to be a double-digit percentage faster than even the RTX 3090, and improves in several areas we didn't even think NVIDIA could tap into. It enables all shaders physically present on the GA102, the largest graphics silicon based on Ampere, and pairs it with even faster memory than the one powering the RTX 3090, along with higher clocks and power limits. The RTX 3090 Ti targets those who want to play any of today's games at 4K native resolution with maxed out details, including ray tracing, and even explore higher resolutions such as 8K with the help of the DLSS 8K feature NVIDIA debuted with Ampere. ~TechPowerUp
This quote from the PR post also helps to fill in the blanks
With the ASUS STRIX LC, ASUS is betting big on their liquid cooled thermal solution. The card itself is more compact than other RTX 3090 Ti models, because the cooling magic happens in the radiator. A large factory overclock is included, too, and the power limit adjustment range goes up to 525 Watt.
Web Reviews
ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 Ti STRIX Liquid Cooled @ TechPowerUp
MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X @ TechPowerUp
EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti FTW3 Ultra @ TechPowerUp
ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 Ti TUF Gaming OC @ Guru 3D
Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Amp Extreme @ TechPowerUpThe way I see it, the gist of this release is that to take full advantage of Ampere you need a 4 slot cooler and at least a 1000w PSU. This reminds me of the SLI recommendations from back in the day. What is most interesting is that despite everything most sites are reporting a 10% performance boost which tells me that we are more than CPU bound and it takes a very special Hardware Enthusiast to take advantage of this GPU.
