Tech News
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Radeon TX 6600 Launch Day
It may sound crazy but for "most" the latest and greatest is not a concern. These people don't pour over benchmarks or even read any online reviews and let their wallets do the talking. Provided what they buy will do what they need then, they are happy.
Sadly, this sort of thinking is why we have massive price wars and also why technical innovation has stagnated somewhat and no longer compels users to buy one brand over another. Except in the video card space, it is here that we have a reason for buying one product over.
Case in point. the Radeon RX 6600, this card is intended to be a low cost RDNA 2 card for those looking to upgrade but cannot afford to get anything better.
Web Reviews
Radeon RX 6600 (Sapphire Pulse) review @ Guru3D
AMD Radeon RX 6600 Review: Lower-Cost RDNA 2 For 1080p Gamers @ Hot Hardware
PowerColor RX 6600 Fighter @ LanOC Reviews
AMD Radeon RX 6600 @ TechPowerUp
GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 Eagle Review @ VortezNow all we need is the ability to buy any of these cards and we will have some happy customers.
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GeIL Announces the Availability of POLARIS RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory Kits
The world's first RGB DDR5 is now available for Intel's 12th Generation Alder Lake desktop processors and Z690 motherboards Frequencies from 4800MHz to 5600MHz with full overclocking potential
Taipei, Taiwan — October 12th, 2021 -- GeIL – Golden Emperor International Ltd. – One of the world's leading PC components & peripheral manufacturers, is proud to announce the launch of their latest Polaris RGB DDR5 Memory providing high-speed modules ranging from 4800MHz to 5600MHz and available in large kit capacities of 16GB to 64GB with excellent heat spreader and stunning RGB illumination for gamers and PC enthusiasts.
"GeIL has been representing gamers and PC hardware enthusiasts for decades. We have put countless hours into developing the new DDR5 memory platform to ensure that desktop and laptop users will get the best performance from day one." Said Jennifer Huang, the VP of GeIL Memory. "The POLARIS DDR5 is the first RGB illuminated DDR5 memory module available in the market. GeIL has been working closely with all major motherboard makers to guarantee that the new POLARIS RGB DDR5 and other upcoming GeIL DDR5 Memory products have the best compatibility and reliability across both Intel and AMD motherboards, including Z690 and Zen4 platforms." She added.
GeIL's next-generation POLARIS RGB DDR5 Memory products do not only represent a fundamental frequency/speed upgrade but are designed to deliver unprecedented performance through the combination of larger capacities, enhanced speeds, and broader bandwidth per processor core. Increases in system performance and efficiency are the cornerstones of any new memory generation. The new architecture has plenty of features to support that, such as the increased burst length, improved refresh schemes, and the increased bank groups significantly boosting performance. In addition, the introduction of the local voltage regulation based on the PMIC (Power Management IC) provides current monitoring, offers threshold protection, and intelligent voltage and power management for a more comprehensive range of voltage tweaking and adjustment. Finally, a newly added on-die ECC function further improves data integrity and performance enhancements.
PolairsDDR5.jpgGeIL POLARIS RGB DDR5 Memory fully implements the exclusive ORI (Optimized RGB Illumination) design to avoid the light bulb effect across the RGB light bar and bring the user a well-blended and fantastic RGB lighting effect. The heat spreader has three different color themes: Racing Red, Titanium Gray, and Glacier White, which perfectly matches the fluid RGB illumination. Additionally, the physical height of its heat spreader is customized to fit most CPU coolers in the market without any mechanical interference.
B6_Front+Back(POLARIS_RGB_W_DC).pngGeIL POLARIS RGB DDR5 Memory is now available in major retailers worldwide with speeds from 4800MHz up to 5600MHz at 1.1V/1.25V and available in capacities from 16GB up to 64GB.
Product Specification
Product : POLARIS RGB
DDR Generation: DDR5
Frequency: 4800MHz / 5200MHz (O.C.) / 5600MHz (O.C.)
Kit Capacity: 16GB / 32GB / 64GB
Module Capacity: 16GB / 32GB
Package: 1 DIMM / 2 DIMMs
CAS Latency: CL 34~40
Operating Voltage: 1.10V / 1.25V
Heat Spreader Colors: Racing Red / Titanium Grey / Glacier White
Compatibility: Intel XMP 3.0 (O.C.)
Country of Origin: Designed & Made in Taiwan -
Colorful GeForce RTX 3060 Bilibili 12GB @ Guru3D
I have to say the only reason I'm posting this is because of the stupid product name. Yes it caught my attention and that is, like, 134% of what marketing is paid to do and.. it worked.
I am also certain there is a logical reason for why they would name their e-Sports edition RTX 3060 "Bilibili" and even if it turns out that they are a fans of the movie Caddyshack and didn't understand that the putters name was "Billy Barou" this translation not good.
All your base are belong to Colorful, join us as we review their iGame GeForce RTX 3060 bilibili E-Sports edition OC, also with 12GB, 3584 shading processors activated but with a proper factory boost clock of 1822 MHz, a graphics card has been tweaked straight out of the box for you and our tested model, comes in a two fan design.
With that being said. the card does look pretty darn good. White shell with colorful graphics and some nice "encouraging" words to help you get better scores on a video card offering RTX effects at a GTX 1070 speed point.
Still, the name could have been better.
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Building A Plex Media Server with TerraMaster 10GbE Series
Create a powerful Plex multimedia server for home entertainment and more with TerraMaster 10GbE NAS series
September 29th, 2021 Shenzhen, China - TerraMaster, a professional brand that specializes in providing innovative storage products for home, businesses and enterprises, announces support for Plex – a popular media platform used for home entertainment and more. With this, TerraMaster 10GbE Series NAS users can build a powerful Plex Media Server with the help of excellent transcoding capabilities of the Intel quad-core processors to deliver smooth high-definition video playback.
What is Plex
Plex brings together all the media that matters to you. Your personal collection will look beautiful alongside stellar streaming content. Enjoy Live TV & DVR, a growing catalog of great web shows, news, and podcasts. It's finally possible to enjoy all the media you love in a single app, on any device, no matter where you are.
Building a Plex Media Server with TerraMaster
The Plex Media Server application is now available at the TerraMaster TOS app. Simply download and install the application to create your own Plex Media Server using your TerraMaster NAS device.The TerraMaster 10GbE NAS series products are all equipped with the Intel quad-core J3455 processor which offers smooth 4K H256-level decoding delivering quality images and videos. Furthermore, the Plex Media Server application comes with its own multimedia content management that allows you to easily organize audio and video files to create a family-friendly library.
Plex Media Server Offerings
Having your own Plex Media Server can help you achieve the best entertainment experience with your Smart TV, TV Box, and mobile device. See set up ideas below.TerraMaster NAS and Smart TV: Best Home Theater Experience
Store all your favorite videos, films, music, and photos from you and your family to create a unified media server which you can easily share and access using your Smart TV.TerraMaster NAS and TV Box: Multimedia Experience at your Fingertips
It is easy to setup a Plex Media Server and use your favorite TV Box device to stream audio and video with ease. Supported TV Box devices include Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and others.TerraMaster NAS and Smartphones/Tablets: Multimedia Player Anytime, Anywhere
There’s no need to sync all your audios, videos, and photos on your phone or tablet, simply install Plex app on your phone or tablet to access all your media files stores in your TerraMaster NAS. Plex application delivers smooth streaming and video playback, allowing you to enjoy quality entertainment anytime, anywhere.Plex Media Server is supported by all TerraMaster NAS models but best with the TerraMaster 10GbE Series with faster 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking. With 10GbE, enjoy smooth 4K/8K video playback and be able to access your media files quickly. To learn more, please visit TerraMaster
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ASUS and Noctua announce ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition graphics card
Taipei/Vienna, October 4th 2021 – ASUS and Noctua today announced the ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition: the world’s first graphics card to use Noctua fans and a tailored heatsink that has been co-engineered by Noctua. Allowing for a reduction in noise levels of up to 15dB(A), this refined cooling setup makes the Noctua Edition the quietest card in its class and the perfect choice for customers who demand serious GPU performance without sacrificing quietness of operation.
“Using our extensive thermal R&D experience, we’ve created a new GPU heatsink that's tailor-made for the performance characteristics of their state-of-the-art NF-A12x25 fans,” said Kent Chien (Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the ASUS Multimedia Business Unit). “Our teamwork gives noise-conscious gamers and Noctua enthusiasts a unique graphics card that maximizes heat dissipation per decibel of noise emitted, all in a package that coordinates perfectly with other Noctua products in a DIY PC.”
“Customers have been asking us to create GPU cooling solutions for quite some time, so we’re excited and honoured to team up with ASUS in order to make this happen. Using our NF-A12x25 fans and fine-tuning the heatsink for use with them, we’ve managed to achieve a significant boost in performance-to-noise efficiency”, explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). “ASUS’ GeForce RTX 3070 was certainly an outstanding card already, but we’re confident that the further improved cooling solution of the Noctua Edition will be the cherry on top for noise-conscious customers.”
Measured side by side, the improvements of the Noctua Edition are substantial with a massive reduction in noise levels of 15dB(A) at medium fan speeds and 9dB(A) at maximum fan speeds. When used in cases with good ventilation and at moderate ambient temperatures of 24°C or lower, the card will keep its fans at very low speeds even at 100% GPU load. In such a typical setting, the Noctua Edition achieves a reduction in noise levels of 5.7dB(A) as compared to the standard version. Registering at only 12.6dB(A), it is not only quiet but near inaudible. This enables customers with well-ventilated cases and moderate ambient temperatures to play games or run other GPU intensive tasks in almost complete silence.For more information -
Thermaltake and Studio F. A. Porsche Announce a Design Collaboration on the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair
A Pursuit in Uncharted Experience
Walnut, California-September 30th, 2021-Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Cooling, Gaming Gear, and Enthusiast Memory solutions, is delighted to announce a new collaboration with Studio F. A. Porsche, a union where exclusive functional design meets with cutting-edge gaming peripheral technology. Thermaltake and Studio F. A. Porsche has reimagined the traditional gaming chair and took it to the next level regarding aesthetic design, quality, and engineering. Together, Thermaltake and Studio F. A. Porsche has created a premium gaming chair that is not only exclusively designed for gamers. The new ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair is also an excellent fit for the working professional. It will be available in six colors allowing users to select the best chair for their taste.
"The new ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair is more than just a gaming chair – our goal was to find the perfect balance of refined ergonomics, convincing comfort, and outstanding aesthetics. The result of this collaboration with Thermaltake defies any categorization – it is both a sporty gaming chair as well as an advanced office chair, executed in the best possible way", says Christian Schwamkrug, Design Director and Deputy Managing Director of the Studio F. A. Porsche.
"We are excited to have collaborated with Studio F. A. Porsche to develop a highly refined and expertly executed gaming chair— the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair draws inspiration from the comfort & luxury of top-tier sports car seats and combines it with the multi-functionality of a professional gaming chair. This versatile real leather gaming chair is perfect for the modern office, gaming room, and home space, "says Kenny Lin, Thermaltake Founder & CEO.
New Style Design: inspired by high-end race cars
Designed by Studio F. A. Porsche, the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair combines the best of both worlds - the aesthetics of a racing bucket seat with the functionality and elegance of a modern lounge or office chair. The design ingenuities are inspired by high-end race cars and translated to a gaming chair. Firstly, the side integrated aluminum alloy handles are designed for tilting and elevating. The left-side handle can adjust the seatback up to 126°, and the right-side handle can alter seat height in between 16.1" - 20.8" (41 – 53 cm).Furthermore, the seated part features a built-in wire-control mechanism that guarantees superior functionality and gives a neat overall appearance. In addition, the E700 features a class-4 gas spring for height adjustments, a premium grade 5-star aluminum alloy base, and large 3" caster wheels covered by PU to ensure stability, reliability, and safety. Lastly, located at the front middle of the chair is a Thermaltake logo plate in polished metallic silver aluminum finish, which is both unique and sophisticated.
Iconic Colors: light up your space
On the foundation of functionality, Thermaltake adds another exciting addition to the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair by offering a whole range of multicolored options, including Glacier White, Flaming Orange, Ocean Blue, and Racing Green offering vivid colors and a highly scratch-resistant surface with minimal color fade. Storm Black and Space Gray represents the finest quality through a subtle and elegant matte finish, and the calm tone is simple but classic. Despite the color, a refined chair can light up your space and bring ambiance to your gaming stations, and bling to your office. Users can create their styles with these unique colors no matter the situation.Superlative Comfort: For a satisfying user experience
The ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair is fully covered by genuine real leather with 1 - 1.1 mm thickness complimented with delicate stitching over the entire seat and headrest. The seated area is constructed with perforated leather for extreme heat dissipation and ventilation. High-density molded foam provides firm body support while maintaining a sedentary posture and even weight distribution. Additionally, the unique one-piece curved-back chair design allows users to achieve full-body immersion by either sitting straight up or relaxing in four lockable angles, 107°, 113°, 119°, 126°. In comparison, the quad-directional armrest adjustments provide support for the forearm and help to relieve wrist pressure. Pushing both the function and aesthetics to another level, the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair is more than just a chair; it is the perfect fit for you to immerse yourself in virtual adventures or working environments for hours.Features of the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair:
Premium Genuine Leather
It is fully wrapped by genuine leather with 1 - 1.1mm thickness over the entire seat and headrest. The genuine leather is known for its durability, moisture resistance, and easy maintenance, and embroidered with elegant red stitching and unsurpassed breathability design for optimal aeration and style.Race Car inspired Side Handles
Designed to reflect a race car, the integrated side handles can be tilting and elevating, allowing users to find the perfect posture! The left side handle positions the seat back up to 126°. The right side handle adjusts the seat height between 16.1 - 20.8" (41 - 53cm).Polished Aluminum Logo
The Thermaltake logo plate located in the front middle is aluminum polished, be unique!First-Class Seating Experience
The one-piece curved-back design intends to appear aesthetic and futuristic; additionally, its formation provides a full-body immersion, imitating a first-class seating experience.Perforated Leather Seat Design
Perforated leather offers breathability to achieve heat dissipation and ventilation.Versatile Adjustments
Four-directional armrest movements in height and width for optimal support of the forearm to relieve wrist pressure and muscle strain.Adjustable Headrest
Integrated headrest with lift adjustment up to about 1.9" (5cm).High-Density Molded Foam
The genuine leather gaming chair is packed with high-density molded foam of 143.3lbs/ft³ (65kg/m³). High-density and premium foam offer even weight distribution and firm body support while maintaining a sedentary posture.Sit Straight or Relax
Sit back in four lockable angles: 107°, 113°, 119°, 126°.Class-4 Gas Spring
Class-4 gas spring for maximized safety and reliability during height adjustments.5-star Aluminum Base & Caster Wheels
Premium grade 5-star aluminum alloy base with large 3" (7.5cm) caster wheels for enhanced stability. Suitable for soft and hard floors, without scratching the floor.Recommended Measurements
- Height: 5’6” – 6’2” (170cm – 190cm)
- Weight: 331 lbs (150kg)
Thermaltake ARGENT E700 gaming chairs will be available in the middle of October at the Thermaltake USA web store.
To learn more about the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair, please visit:
Glacier White:
Space Gray:
Storm Black:
Flaming Orange:
Racing Green:
Ocean Blue: -
Intel Confirms AIB Partners Are Building Custom Arc Alchemist Graphics Cards @ Hot Hardware
In the broad spectrum of the PC Hardware world there are several truths.
One, when upgrading your processor, you will almost always need a new motherboard and the only thing stopping motherboard makers from fusing the CPU to the PCB is because it is cheaper.
Two, there is such thing as a perfect case design and much like a motherboard it is paired with the hardware. Everyone complaining about cases, case cooling and case design has picked the wrong case for their hardware platform.
Three, nobody wants a stock video card, the only reason stock video cards exist is because of OEMs and that consumers are penny pinching tight asses who what the cheapest price, NOT the best deal.
Knowing this I am surprised to see a news headline indicating that Intel confirms that board partners will be able to build custom versions of Arc Alchemist graphics cards. Most of the time a "custom" graphics card indicates an aftermarket cooler and maybe a tweaked VRM and memory layout however, I'm not sure how far Intel will allow things to be pushed. Maybe they allow some extreme overclocking with dynamic frequency adjustments and full voltage control OR maybe they follow the NVIDIA lead and lock everything down.
Unless plans change between now and then, the answer is yes, Intel's hardware partners will offer up custom models rather than just sticking with Intel's reference design. This is the same approach AMD and NVIDIA take with their graphics cards—they each launch their own models (NVIDIA calls them Founders Edition), while AIB partners can decide whether to stick with reference designs, or offer up custom-cooled and overclocked variants. Or both.
It will be interesting to see what finally comes out of the Intel camp when the Arc is released.
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Shurikey Gear Hanzo Keyboard @ TechPowerUp
Are you looking for a compact keyboard but can't seem to find one with a arrow pad? Well, look no further the Shurikey Gear Hanzo has your fingers covered in up arrow, down arrow right arrow and left arrow clickness.
Shurikey Gear is a new brand with ties to Varmilo and focuses on bolder ideas with more fun ventures promised. Their first keyboard, the Hanzo, is a 65% form factor unit that adopts a retro-industrial design, comes in three themes with unique color combinations, and uses the new Varmilo EC V2 switches.
I guess they are calling it a 65% form factor, I call it just another flat keyboard with gimmick keys and fresh new design. The logo is nice too.
The project launched on Indegogogo, giving you a chance to back this project if you find it of interest.
Shurikey HANZO EC V2 Mechanical Keyboard -
Crucial Ballistix 32GB DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory Kit @ Funky Kit
For years I talked about how Crucial was just down the street, I could literally throw rocks at their building and they rarely supported me with review product, or even answered my emails. Of course, that has changed but, not after quite a bit of work and getting the right connections.
It would seem that Funky Kit has picked up a better connection than me given their review of the Crucial Ballistix 32GB DDR4 3600Mhz CL16 Memory Kit in Red and the distance that memory needed to travel just to be tested and written about.
The Ballistix 32GB DDR4-3600 memory kit is yet another exceptional product from Crucial. It's inexpensive but performs great, and gives you amazing overclocking potential. Every gamer or overclocking enthusiast will be fully satisfied with its results.
With DDR5 on the horizon and a new set of processors and chipsets due to be released I suspect there will be very few DDR4 reviews in the future which will eventually be replaced with DDR4 vs DDR5 - What is the difference and should you care.
The quick answer is... You will have no choice, if you want to use the new platform you will need to use the new memory.
On a side, and somewhat related note, I'm not a fan of the new Ballistix heatspreader design.
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Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 AMP Extreme Holo Graphics Card Review @ ThinkComputers
GeForce RTX 3090 from Zotac. Now that, is an amazing score! Though, it makes you wonder if the card is any good??
It has been a while since we’ve reviewed a graphics card here at ThinkComputers. In that time we have seen a few lower-end launches, but as of right now the RTX 3090 remains as the top dog in NVIDIA’s consumer lineup. At launch there were only a few models available from different NVIDIA add-in board partners, but since then some really awesome high-end models have been released. One of those is Zotac’s RTX 3090 AMP Extreme Holo, which sits at the top of their RTX 3090 product stack. This card features Zotac’s highest factory overclock on a 3090 at 1815 MHz GPU Boost. In addition to that you have a 16+4 power phase design, Zotac’s IceStorm 2.0 triple-fan cooling solution, a very cool holographic design on the side of the card, and some interesting RGB lighting. Is this the ultimate RTX 3090? Read on as we find out!
From a visual standpoint the Zotac AMP Extreme is on point, the design is solid and the cooler can rival many of the awesome MSI designs. Zotac has also been pretty good with the RGB lighting and with curb appeal like that the card has to be good right?
I guess I'll have to get one to find out, or you can check out the review.
