Tech News
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Thermaltake ARGENT K5 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review @ APH Networks
Thermaltake recently launched a new line of gaming components they call Argent. No, this isn't a Doom reference or will open up a portal to hell but, it should help you translate your physical input into tangible results when playing Doom (or any other computer related activity).
The Thermaltake ARGENT K5 RGB is a unique gaming keyboard that pairs clean looks with great performance.
Call me crazy but, I kinda like the design. You can clearly see the business end with the party part with a solid color change between them. The RGB seems to be a little over the top but, that is the name of the game these days and until gamers in China start saying "no" to RGB it will only be getting worse.
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GeIL Ready to Launch the Next Generation DDR5 RGB High-Performance Gaming Memory
Capacities ranging from 16GB (16GB x1) up to 128GB (32GB x4)
Taipei, Taiwan – May 19th, 2021 – GeIL, Golden Emperor International Ltd. – one of the world's leading PC component manufacturers, is proud to announce the next-generation DDR5 RGB high-performance gaming memory, Polaris RGB, is ready for the upcoming DDR5 platform. The GeIL Polaris RGB Gaming Memory will be available in Q4, 2021, with capacities ranging from 16GB (16GB x1) up to 128GB (32GB x4).
It has been seven years since DDR4 launched into the market, and GeIL has put countless hours into developing the new DDR5 memory modules. And in doing so, GeIL has designed the Polaris RGB to provide RGB illuminated high-performance DDR5 gaming memory and has been working closely with motherboard makers to guarantee the best compatibility and reliability among the latest Intel and AMD motherboards.
The GeIL Polaris RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory is designed to deliver unprecedented performance through larger capacities, enhanced speeds, and broader bandwidth per processor core. Increasing system performance and efficiency is the cornerstone of any new memory generation, and GeIL is dedicated to offering a better enthusiastic extension and exceptional overclocking potential to its customers. The new DDR5 memory incorporates the latest DDR5 PMIC (Power Management IC) architecture design for smart voltage and power management, allowing a more comprehensive range in voltage adjustment and tweaking. This embedded PMIC and module design are sure to boost the overall performance, stability, and overclocking potential dramatically.
The GeIL DDR5 memory specification starts at 4800MHz with the sub-timing latencies of CL40-40-40 at 1.1 volts. The overclocking products are also under development, including 6000MHz CL32-36-36, 6400MHz CL32-36-36, 6800MHz CL36-44-44, and 7200MHz CL36-44-44, and will be available with non-RGB product versions at the same time.
GeIL has been the brand name representing gamers and computer hardware enthusiasts. The upcoming DDR5 memory is a culmination of that knowledge and is inviting gamers and hardcore users to look before the global market launch.
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Watercool Heatkiller Rad 360-S @ TechPowerUp
I have been using Heatkiller waterblocks for years finding them to be some of the BEST waterblocks you can buy both from performance and usability. However, in all my time bulding water loops I never noticed that Heatkiller made radiators. I usually pick a Black Ice rad and call it a day.
Watercool makes a much awaited debut with the release of the all-new Heatkiller radiators. We take a look at the Heatkiller Rad 360-S here, published alongside the thicker Heatkiller Rad 360-L. Both come in multiple color finishes, excellent build quality, and increased case compatibility!
According to the review, either the Watercool Radiators are "new" or TechPowerUp has never reviewed one before. Either one seems reasonable.
The new rad looks amazing and might be worth checking out!
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MSI MEG Z590 ACE Review @ Vortez
I remember a time when motherboard makers had a plan, a clear vision and they delivered. Some boards were built for overclocking, some for gaming and some for China. Well, it would seem that most of them have fallen off the wagon and now are walking aimlessly into the cloudy future of the unknown.
I mean, seriously, Thunderbolt 4? Nobody got time for that?!?
Characterised as one of their flagship solutions, MSI have presented us with the MEG Z590 ACE – a high-end model which seeks to supply tech enthusiasts and gamers with some of the finest features on offer for this new platform. One of the most significant of those features being Thunderbolt 4 ports.
One of my recent and much-loved boards from MSI was the Z390 Ace, that board can do anything, overclock to 6+ Ghz for DAYS, loves the cold and never complains about being put back in the box. The board is perfect and, well, you get the idea.
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Gigabyte Z490 AORUS Master Motherboard and Intel Core i9-11900K CPU @ Funky Kit
What is this, Rocket Lake on the Z490?? Say it ain't so plucky!!
I really enjoyed reviewing the Z490 AORUS Master. This motherboard worked perfectly with the new 11th gen 11900K. No need in upgrading to a new motherboard. Just update your bios and you are ready to go!
OMG, what a lackluster quote. It is almost like "we know" that very few sites actually post a quote with the web review news so why bother including any helpful text. Well, I do and I demand more!
By the looks of it, the new processor is a drop-in replacement for the "faster" Core i9 10900k giving you fewer cores and the title of "king of the 11th Gen". I might have to try this out. I mean Intel did say they weren’t going to do any more Tick Tock BS so this 100% should not be possible.
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Phanteks Eclipse P200A Performance @ TechPowerUp
I have said many times that the MiniITX motherboard, despite its small size and limited expandability is the future of the PC. Nvidia has taken away multi GPU, crypto "get rich quickers" have taken away GPUs and Storage and the heat bound nature of CPUs has taken away overclocking so, what is left?
Well, the pure essence of what makes a PC, the fun factor.
The Phanteks Eclipse P200A ITX is both the smallest and most affordable product of the Eclipse line. It still features the fine metal mesh and continues to focus on steel as opposed to plastic as a material, but also has a few nifty surprises within, which one would not expect from an enclosure that costs $50 in today's tariff-burdened market.
To help contain all that fun'ness while protecting that single GPU so you can use onboard audio and proper CPU cooling you need a case that is as cool as your motherboard and Phanteks has the solution.
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Thermaltake USA Announces the Availability of TOUGHAIR 510 and TOUGHAIR 310 High-Performance CPU Air Cooler
Cutting-edge vertical tower design with high-performance fan and fin. Delivers cooling performance to hardcore gaming desktops.
Walnut, California- April 26th, 2021-Thermaltake, the leading PC component brand offering premium solutions for cooling, gaming peripherals, and enthusiast memory solutions, is proud to announce the availability of the TOUGHAIR 510 and TOUGHAIR 310 CPU Air Cooler in North America. TOUGHAIR CPU Air Coolers utilize next-gen high static pressure fans leveraging the advanced design concept from TOUGHFAN 12 as well as providing a new level of thermal performance and reliability to the vertical heatsink tower. The dual-fan tower design, TOUGHAIR 510, and the vertical single-fan tower, TOUGHAIR 310, are the smart choices for hardcore gaming systems to guarantee excellent air-cooling performance on the latest Intel and AMD platforms.
"The launch of the TOUGHAIR 510 and TOUGHAIR 310 is the great pride from our engineering team who have created a no-compromise cooler with excellent thermal performance and done our best to deliver what PC enthusiasts are expecting from the products deserving of the name TOUGH.," said Michael Guo, VP at Thermaltake USA.
The high static pressure fan configurations found on THOUGHAIR 510 and THOUGHAIR 310 provide approximately 58.35 CFM @ 2,000 RPM of airflow and features a controllable fan speed between 500 RPM to 2,000 RPM. Each fan is equipped with an advanced Gen.2 hydraulic bearing, LCP-made fan blades, and an anti-vibration mounting system for the best long and silent operation.
The heatsink is built using four direct contacted 4 x Ø 6 mm copper heat pipes with a maximum power handling of 180W TDP, ensuring the CPU's heat will be bringing up to the fins entirely. The heatsink is designed with an optimized asymmetric fin structure to maximize the airflow and minimize air turbulence. Installing the TOUGHAIR 510 and TOUGHAIR 310 is simply easy due to the universal socket design retention system that is fully compatible with all the latest Intel and AMD CPU sockets.
Backed by a Thermaltake limited 2-year warranty, TOUGHAIR 510 and 310 CPU Cooler are now available at major retailers in the USA and Canada.
About Thermaltake
Thermaltake launched in 1999, first specializing in air cooling and successfully debuting the world's first turbine air cooler, the "Golden Orb". Since then, Thermaltake has taken the world by storm and become the leader in computer hardware and peripherals in the DIY PC market. Homing in on their 3 main lines ("Key 3"), Thermaltake delivers seamless cases, power supplies, and cooling products. The "Key 3 Spirit" represents Thermaltake's promise toward its users; the promise to provide products that display "Quality Performance & Reliability." The "Key 3 Spirit" is the foundation for all Thermaltake products and is the reason for Thermaltake's continuous success worldwide. -
Cryptominers scramble for large-capacity SSDs
I normally come up with an elaborate introduction to stories like this but, I think the one from Digitimes is spot on.
The crytopmining fever is sweeping across China where miners are buying out all large-capacity SSDs available on the spot market ahead of the start of trading of the new crypto coin Chia. Supply of SSDs has been constrained by shortage of controller ICs. NAND flash device controller and module supplier Phison Electronics recently has raised its product prices again. Meanwhile, Taiwan's top LCD panel makers, AUO and Innolux, are optimistic about miniLED applications.
Cryptomining demand for large-capacity SSDs surges in China: China-based cryptomining hardware makers are "panic buying" all the available large-capacity SSDs from the spot market, according to industry sources.
And just when you thought the PC is dead you get "niche" flare ups requiring consumer grade hardware that brings the importance of the PC back into the limelight. Sadly, in this case it is the need for fast storage to keep track of the enhanced crypto.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Crypto only has value because a large group of people are driving the demand. When Bitcoin was down ALL of the bitcoin pushers were dead silent on social media however, once it started going up again, they had all become unstoppable chatter boxes urging people to "buy coin" to inflate their holdings.
It is like we have cabbies trying to sell the Brooklyn Bridge all over again.
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VIPER launches the NEW VP4300 PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 2280 SSD
Built on the latest high-speed Innogrit controller. To deliver ultra-fast transfer speeds for workstation PCs and performance gaming laptops. Now available in capacities of 1TB/2TB.
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA — April 15th, 2021 — VIPER™, a trademarked brand of PATRIOT™ and a global leader in performance memory, solid-state drives, and flash storage solutions, is proud to launch its Viper VP4300 PCIe Gen4 x 4 NVME M.2 2280 SSD today. The SSD is built using the latest Innogrit Gen 4x4 high-speed controller-IG5236 and the highest quality DDR4 DRAM cache, which delivers blistering transfer speeds for massive system DATA throughput. The drive provides the 4K Aligned Random-Read and Random-Write up to 800K IOPs and Sequential Read and Write speeds up to 7,400MB/s and 6,800MB/s, respectively. Faster overall performance from system boots to accelerating system responsiveness when loading games or data-intensive applications. The all-new Viper VP4300 is available in capacities of 1TB and 2TB.
Keeping the NVMe m.2 SSD thermally stable is essential for maintaining the drive's performance and stability, as every system is different. Motherboards come with integrated coolers, while ITX desktops and performance laptops have limited space.
The Viper VP4300 SSD comes with two heat spreaders to meet all thermal demands: an aluminum heatshield and an extremely thin, single-use, graphene thermal pad, which can be used together or independently in a variety of different system configurations from a full tower desktop to a restricted ITX tower or gaming laptop.
The aluminum and graphene heatshields offer two height profiles and can be used independently or together for superior heat dissipation in any build. The Graphene heatshield is recognized as an ultra-thin and lightweight thermal pad and best used when space is limited, or an integrated heatsink is being used, and best of all users can choose which one to use according to the allowed installation space.
Many traditional NVMe SSDs set performance restrictions that limit Read and Write data transfer speeds to maintain a workable operating temperature. The Viper VP4300 is designed with a cutting-edge Thermal Throttling technology that uses a built-in thermal sensor and firmware to manage the SSD temperature. This will prevent overheating and easily leverage the best performance under a variety of different system tasks.
Backed by VIPER GAMING's 5-year warranty, the Viper VP4300 M.2 SSD is one of the most reliable choices for PC enthusiasts, hardcore gamers, content creators, and animation rendering professionals who require ultra-fast bootup speed and instantaneous access for superior productivity. Joining the Viper VP4100 in the Gen4 x 4 segment, the Viper VP4300 is now expected to be available at suggested major retailers worldwide.
Features Highlights
- Built with the latest Innogrit IG5236 PCIe Gen 4 x 4 NVMe controller to unlock ultra fast sequential Read and Write speeds up to 7.400MB/s and 6,800MB/s.
- Thermal Throttling Technology and built-in thermal sensor to provide additional protection and sustain the best performance under intense workloads.
- Delivers the perfect combination of overall performance, ultra-fast transfer speeds, and enhanced multitasking capabilities.
- Built on a 10-layer PCB to guarantee excellent signal integrity for ultra-stability.
- Two optional heatshields included in the package: Aluminum heatshield x 1, Graphene heatshield x 1
- O/S Supported: Windows® 7*/8.0*/8.1/10 (*May require driver)
- Must be on the latest AMD CPU and Motherboard, at time of release, to obtain optimal Gen4x4 speed. Other platforms will be backward compatible with Gen3x4
Availability:
MSRP: 2TB - $499.99, 1TB - $254.99 -
GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS MASTER Review @ Vortez
An interesting thing happened during the Rocket Lake launch. Nobody contacted me to do a review and on top of that I haven't seen many reviews come through my inbox with can only indicate one thing.
Rocket Lake sucks. There have been plenty of records set with the Intel 11 Series processor but they all seem to be memory related which would indicate that the CPU is still heat bound and is likely marking the end of the "Core" era.
In the spotlight today we have the Z590 AORUS MASTER – a stellar offering which strives to leave no stone unturned in regards to features and outright performance. Boasting support for up to 5400MHz DDR4, a plethora of USB 3.2 connectivity and PCIe 4.0, MASTER is really designed for the tech enthusiast who does not have any intention of comprising.
I'll be picking up a 11 Series in the next couple weeks and will chrun through some motherboards but, until then check out thie review from Vortez and see what you think of the Gigabyte Master Z590.
