Tech News
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ECS LIVA One Mini-PC @ techPowerUp
ECS? now there is a name I haven't heard in a long time.
Back in the day ECS was a rather popular motherboard brand in my area. It seemed that every computer shop stocked their motherboards and everyone was happy because they were inexpensive and the only thing you could buy.
At least now, in modern times, you can hit up online stores like Newegg and find something better.
Speaking of better, Did you know ECS is making ultra small PCs now? Ya neither did I
Here's another $400 option for ultra-small PCs, this time based on Intel's 35W Skylake CPU, the Core i3-6100T. The ECS LIVA One ups the performance a notch compared to past LIVA units, but the ECS LIVA One also ups the size a fair bit.
The Core i3 means it won't be all that powerful but should work well for Email and Facebook. Assuming you are into that sort of thing.
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Thermaltake CaseMOD Invitational Season 2
Thirteen of the WorldTop Modders Compete to Win
Taipei, Taiwan-September 22nd , 2016-Thermaltake, a leading brand in CaseMOD community, together with its premium partner Newegg Inc., bring back the largest international modding event of the year, the 2016 Thermaltake CaseMOD Invitational Season 2. The event takes place in the Tt Community starting from today, and features thirteen of the world’s most excellent casemodders from the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Germany, France, Poland, Russia, China, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia. Especially to mention is that modders from five new countries join this time to make the competition more exciting. Constants will use Thermaltake liquid cooling components and the Toughpower DPS G RGB 1250W Titanium smart power supply to transform the Core X71 Full Tower Chassis or the Core X5 ATX Cube Chassis into their own creation!
This season Thermaltake added voting function to the Tt MOD App. Now people can use either the desk version of Tt Community or the mobile app to vote for their favorite modders. The Prediction Voting Event begins from September 26th and ends on November 18th. The Final Voting Event will start from December 15th and end on December 29th. Everyone is welcome to register and vote on Tt Community. Voters will have the opportunity to win incredible prizes from Thermaltake, TT Premium, Tt eSPORTS, LUXA2 and other sponsors, including Newegg, Intel, ASUS, and AVEXIR. Thermaltake also offers up to $15,000USD cash prizes in total for the top 3 winners. The winners will be revealed next January.
More details about the event can be found at: http://casemod.thermaltake.com/2016s2
2016 Thermaltake CaseMOD Invitational Season 2 Highlights
CaseMOD with Core X71Full Tower Chassis
Thermaltake’s first chamber concept full tower chassis, the Core X71 delivers a streamlined experience that makes it easier for PC makers and hobbyists to put together high-end systems. With its groundbreaking interior design and the adjustable installation of HDD cage, the Core X71 offers full assembly capacity and expandability for enthusiasts to create massive liquid cooling systems. Moreover, the enlarged side panel window allows users to show off their dedication and skill sets. For more details on the Thermaltake Core X71 Full Tower Chassis, please visit: http://www.thermaltake.com/products-model.aspx?id=C_00002790
CaseMOD with Core X5ATX Cube Chassis
The Core X5, the new ATX chassis that completes the Core X Series case line, is a cube case offering endless stackable capacity and expandability for enthusiasts to create massive liquid cooling systems for a single system, file server, or even dual systems. Users can customize the chassis for the best viewing presentation with an interchangeable window and I/O panel design. The Core X5 delivers outstanding cooling performance with compatibility for extensive DIY/AIO LCS and overclocking components, further enhancing the reputation that the air-cooling units in this series has become renowned for. It is guaranteed to be an immensely powerful system!
For more details on Thermaltake Core X5 ATX Cube Chassis, please visit:
http://www.thermaltake.com/products-model.aspx?id=C_00002806
CaseMOD with Toughpower DPS G RGB 1250W Titanium Smart Power Supply
The Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G RGB 1250W Titanium is the world’s first PSU pre-installed with a patented 256 colors RGB fan that incorporate various high-tech components, leading technology and Eco-friendly commendations. Featuring 80 PLUS Titanium certification with individually sleeved cable and flat cable, Toughpower DPS G RGB Titanium Series adopts the highest quality components and fully modular design that always accommodate any mainstream build under any circumstance. The combination of Toughpower DPS G RGB Titanium and Smart Power Management (SPM) Platform helps users not just monitor smart power supply units, but also save the energy, reduce CO2 emission, and eventually protect the Earth.
For more details on the Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G RGB 1250W Titanium, please visit: http://www.thermaltake.com/products-model.aspx?id=C_00002785
Smart Power Management (SPM) Platform – http://dps.thermaltake.com
Intro to SPM – http://www.thermaltake.com/products-model.aspx?id=C_00002578#tab1
SPM Guided Tours – https://dps.thermaltake.com/en/video
Meet the Modders
Jon Hansz from the United States, alsoknown as PennyWise, has been a PC game for many years, but it was only around 7 years ago through casemodding he started to combine his passion for PC and art together.
Andrés Sebastián Barés, a modder from Argentina, has transformed several cases since he was 17 years old. He likes to build a case which is not only functional, but also aesthetic. Most of his projects are made for his clients or modding competitions.
Maciel Barreto is a Brazilian modder. He always seeks a chance to create something that is not only innovative and unique, but also can reflect his own style. 80% of his builds are handmade.
Simon Zambrano from Ecuador has done several modding projects since 4 years ago. Some of his builds have been displayed by GIGABYTE and Intel.
Stefan Ulrich is a 30 years old artist from Germany, and established RandomDesign with his wife in 2013. Since 2014, he has already completed many PC modding projects. To him, casemod is more than a hobby, it is a passion.
Bertrand Cucmag has been part of the French modding community for 5 years. His first mod inspired him a lot. The techniques he learned from the build allow him to apply to his future projects, and create cases that have a theme and tell a story.
Michal Lamtych, a programmer from Poland, is passionate about PC modding, and has been involved in this field for14 years.
Anton Popovich from Russia is famous with his casemods for Project Armata and League of Legends. He is also the founder of Godlike Machine that is a community for those who are interested in music, games and PC modding.
Stephen Hoad is a 29 years-old Australian modder from Oz Mods. He has always had a knack and passion for building and creating new things, so PC modding is such a natural fit to him. The Far Cry Primal build is his representative work.
Yu Han is an excellent Chinese modder. He has been engaged in casemod for 6 years. Initially, he just transformed cases for fun, but now he is fully dedicated to this field.
Siwasak Sirisomboon is a professional modder from Thailand. Most of his projects are done by handcraft. To him, casemod is the combination of innovation and creativity.
Irie Ahmad, nicknamed Iren Modz, is from Malaysia, and is doing community works related to IT and PC modding to promote the fun of DIY and PC modding. He believes that modding is an art infused with tech, and most people can do it if they have interest and passion.
Rakesh Sharma is not only a high reputation PC modder in India, but he is also the founder of a review blog site called PCTekindia.com. Recently, one of his builds “HAF X APM Case” received “Cooler Master Maker Challenge” award.
How to Vote and Voting Rules
A weekly voting event will be held on the Tt Community forum and prizes will be given out to members who vote. People can choose to vote via the desktop version or Tt MOD App. The total percentage of the score allocated to Community voting is approximately 25%, with 25% by Thermaltake, 25% by professional modders, and 25% by Newegg.
The Tt Community platform (http://community.thermaltake.com/) is open to all users. We welcome you to join us by interacting and sharing valuable information and experiences with one another. Most importantly, your opinions and ideas will help us better understand your desires and expectations of our products and services. Don’t hesitate; come register and vote for your favorite modder right away!
For more details on the 2016 Thermaltake CaseMod Invitational Season 2, please visit:
Official Website –http://casemod.thermaltake.com/2016s2
Modder Introduction Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKTJhr80UXg&feature=youtu.be -
ENERMAX Platimax D.F. PSU available now
July 19th, 2016, Taoyuan, Taiwan - ENERMAX new 80PLUS® Platinum certified power supply with up to 93% high efficiency, Platimax D.F. made its debut on CeBIT 2016 and is now available on the market with two models: 500W and 600W.
ENERMAX Patented Dust Free Rotation Technology
Platimax D.F. is the successor of ENERMAX awarding-winning series, Platimax, with full modular cable design. Platimax D.F. capitalizes on 2016 ENERMAX innovation, patented Dust Free Rotation (DFRTM) technology which enables the PSU fan to spin in reverse for 10 sec. upon startup to blow away the dust swiftly for self cleaning. The DFRTM technology can reduce the dust accumulated on the fan blades and around fan guard to provide a smooth intake airflow path without obstruction.
Exclusive SLEEMAX Cable Design
Platimax D.F. is full modular cable design and features a new stylish individual sleeved modular cable, named SLEEMAX, which is made with delicate and selected fabric. The texture of SLEEMAX is smoother and softer, making the cable a hassle-free choice for cable management.
Patented Twister Bearing Fan & 100% Japanese Electrolytic Capacitor
Platimax D.F. delivers a stable and silent performance. It is equipped with ENERMAX patented Twister Bearing fan, 100% 105°C Japanese electrolytic capacitors and DC to DC converter circuit for rock-solid voltage stability and higher efficiency. Platimax D.F. is also compliant with 2013 ErP Lot 6 standard for energy saving (<0.5W power consumption at standby mode).
Accessory Kit
Platimax D.F. comes with a decent black storage bag, velcro ties, cable ties and cord organizers with different sizes which provide a convenient way for users to manage the cables.
Quality first is always ENERMAX's philosophy in designing and producing solutions. Platimax D.F. provides an alternative for highly-efficient systems or graphics workstations. Multiple protection setting further makes Platimax D.F. a reliable PSU; the protection circuitry includes OVP, UVP, OPP, SCP, and SIP. For more information, please visit ENERMAX website www.enermax.com or YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Nms-kSyS8VU -
MSI X99A Gaming Pro Carbon Motherboard Review @ Guru3D
It is sometimes difficult to know which motherboard is the best. Do you look at performance or features to make that decision?
Well, one thing is for sure, Guru3D will be one of the only sites to bring you all of the MSI coverage including the elusive MSI video cards that seem to be in short supply.
We review the MSI X99A Gaming Pro Carbon, this motherboard from the Gaming series is among the best X99 chipset based motherboards we have tested to date. Not just that, it looks pretty awesome as well in an all dark design with carbon elements and a color configurable LED system. Obviously it is loaded with features so much more in regards to SLI/Crossfire support, SATA3 connectors, M.2., overclock features, a very nice audio solution and much more.
I do like the look of the new Carbon series boards and the LEDs are a nice addition.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Specifications Leaked
I'm usually not one to fan the flames of speculation but if NVIDIA is planning to have 1080 Ti ready and launched by the holiday season then why not push and make it true.
As we all know the new 10 Series has been extremely popular since it was launched earlier this year. So much in fact that it is difficult to keep product on the shelves and mfgs are having an even harder time getting product to market. Adding another, more powerful GPU to the mix will only compound the problem unless they take the Titan X approach and make the GTX 1080 Ti an NVIDIA exclusive.
NVIDIA is giving finishing touches to its next enthusiast-segment graphics card based on the "Pascal" architecture, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Its specifications were allegedly screengrabbed by a keen-eyed enthusiast snooping around NVIDIA website, before being redacted. The specs-sheet reveals that the GTX 1080 Ti is based on the same GP102 silicon as the TITAN X Pascal, but is further cut-down from it. Given that the GTX 1080 is unflinching from its $599-$699 price-point, with some custom-design cards even being sold at over $800, the GTX 1080 Ti could either be positioned around the $850-mark, or be priced lower, disrupting currently overpriced custom GTX 1080 offerings. By pricing the TITAN X Pascal at $1200, NVIDIA appears to have given itself headroom to price the GTX 1080 Ti in a way that doesn't cannibalize premium GTX 1080 offerings.
Of course leaks being leaks this could be just something made up to increase traffic. Either way the specs listed are extremely realistic though I still question the launch date. Typically NVIDIA launches product in the spring making a holiday release a little aggressive.
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Energy Comission Threatens Pre-Built Gaming Computers
When I was growing up watching game shows in the afternoon there was a familiar saying whenever a car was being offered as a prize.
"California Emissions"
At the time I didn't know what that ment however when I entered High School and started working on my own cars my research turned up different car configurations for 49 State and California. As it would turn out for cars to be sold in in California they must meet strict emissions standards which often ment tweaking with the car to make it more efficent and in most cases robbing it of power. (eg. less fuel = less emissions)
It would seem that with the past history of rolling power outages in California they have decided that stuff needs to get efficient quick and they are targeting the standard desktop PC.
The CEC is said to have conducted wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders in the industry, to formulate regulations that make certain kinds of computers energy-efficient, while not creating the kind of regulation that prevent certain other kind of computers from being sold altogether (eg: gaming desktops and workstations). For example, it's realistic to sell a desktop PC for Internet and office productivity apps that draws under 100W, but it's not realistic to make one for 4K Ultra HD gaming, or even industrial CAD. These kinds of computers will be governed by a separate set of rules, and as you'll find out, some of these rules are very arbitrary, and not very well thought out.
The article at TechPowerUp covers many of the details associated with the new regulations including 80 PLUS certifications and minimum levels of performance with the end goal being that the systems draw less power.
Of course this doesn't threaten folks who build their own PCs from scratch but will have a HUGE impact on boutique builders like CyberPowerPC who assemble custom machines and operate out of City of Industry in California.
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Registration required for Nvidia’s latest GeForce Experience Client
Way to go NVIDIA! I'm pretty sure this is what happens when you have a company who has run out of things to do and has no competition in the space they operate.
This article over at Digital Trends goes over the recent GFE (*not girl friend experience) update which includes a redesigned layout and forced registration. From what I can tell you can still decide if you want to install GeForce Experience and if it is installed they are not forcing you to use it.
HOWEVER, if you prefer to have someone else control how your games should be played and share your gaming habits with NVIDIA (likely to also include pirated games) then you'll need to register. In a way this is good for NVIDIA since they will no longer have to rely on Steam stats to understand that people still game on 1080p even if they spent the $700 bones on a GTX 1080.
Overall, GeForce Experience 3.0 appears to focus on simplicity, providing a toolbar that includes a “Home” button for the default window when the program launches, and a “Drivers” button to grab the latest GeForce Game Ready Driver. This toolbar also shoves a “Share” button, a “Settings” button, and a “Profile” button over to the right of the client, the latter of which contains a drop-down menu for accessing the user’s account and an option to log out.
On an unrelated note I tried to install the latest GeForce driver on my test rig and discovered that it would not install. I was running a fresh install of Windows 10 and it would fail claiming my OS wasn't supported. Figuring they somehow are getting kickbacks from Microsoft I installed a fresh copy of Windows 10 Anniversary Edition and wouldn't you know it. The driver installed correctly. Seems to install the latest drivers you must also have your PC updated with the latest patches.
Grrr
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Thermalright Le Grand Macho RT @ techPowerUp
A cooler this size has no practical use in a modern PC despite some very distinct advantages like passively cooling a 130w CPU and being virtually silent when paired with a properly cooled chassis.
Virtually silent and properly cooled usually translate into "big huge case" and not something you would want to use in an environment where things need to be quiet. At least without lowering performance expectations.
Thermalright's Le Grand Macho RT is massive in size, weighing in at 1060g with the fan. Capable of being used passively, it offers users a near-silent operation and top-tier performance when paired with the TY-147B fan. The competition should take note as Thermalright looks to steal the air-cooling crown.
No, the real reason I posted this news story is because of the name. "Le Grand Macho RT" That just rolls off the tongue and really describes this massive cooler that only a handful of people may actually want.
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Crucial MX300 750GB SSD, Now Packing Micron 3D TLC NAND @ Custom PC Review
It is Crucial that SSDs get big. (see what I did there?)
For over two years, Samsung has been the only mass manufacturer of 3D NAND and being the first to market SSDs with the new technology, they’ve reaped some serious rewards. In a recent report by analyst firm TrendFocus, Samsung owns a staggering 40.8% share of total SSDs shipped and their 3D NAND.
Ohh 3D NAND!?! now this should be interesting, not so much from if the drive will be fast but from a cost standpoint. Will going vertical save money? and will those cost savings trickle down to the college kids on a beer budget or retired folks on a fixed income.
You know, cause normal people shouldn't care so much about cost. #justsayin
It is Crucial that people know this. (there did it again)
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Lexar Portable SSD 512GB Storage Review @ Hardware Slave
Lexar is a Micron company and they have been heavily invested in flash memory for quite some time. Despite this their branded SSDs aren't seen very much in the online shops however I suspect the chips make it into many of the drives you already have.
Well, it seems they are going portable now too.
We reviewed the Lexar Professional Workflow DD512 last year and it got a Recommended award from us. We liked its speed, size and price, and all from a USB external SSD aimed at the professional consumer, hence the name Workflow. Fast forward a few months and Lexar release a new portable SSD, and it’s actually just called the Portable SSD.
It is too bad I can't portable one out of the local Crucial office. I do drive by it on a daily basis. All in due time I suppose.
