Tech News
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EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 Series Available Now
The EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 is powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture. Built with enhanced RT Cores and Tensor Cores, new streaming multiprocessors, and high-speed G6 memory, it gives you the power you need to rip through the most demanding games at 1440p resolution. Combined with the next generation of design, cooling, and overclocking with EVGA Precision X1, the EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 Series creates a definition for ultimate performance.
The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs, the 2nd generation of RTX, features new RT Cores, Tensor Cores and streaming multiprocessors, bringing stunning visuals, amazingly fast frame rates, and AI acceleration to games and creative applications. Powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, which delivers increases of up to 1.9X performance-per-watt over the previous generation, the RTX 30 Series effortlessly powers graphics experiences at all resolutions, even up to 8K at the top end. The GeForce RTX 3090, 3080, and 3070 represent the greatest GPU generational leap in the history of NVIDIA.
EVGA iCX3 Cooling TechnologyARGB GeForce RTX 30 Series LED - Vibrant, customizable range of color and brightness to light up your system.
Triple Fan Cooling - Three fans are installed on all air-cooled EVGA GeForce® RTX?? 3070 Series graphics cards to optimize airflow, increase cooling performance, and reduce fan noise.
Unified Copper Block for GPU and Memory - A unified copper block which EVGA has previously used on the HYBRID cooler solution and is proven to lower both GPU and memory temperatures.
Asymmetry Fan Arrangement and Design - Asymmetry fan layout to allow the airflow to cover nearly the entire heatsink increasing airflow for better heat dissipation.
Air-Through PCB - Carefully placed cut-outs in the PCB and backplate improve airflow and decrease exhaust recovery.
Through-Hole Heatsink Fins - The EVGA iCX3 heatsink features many L-shaped fins with hundreds of through-holes to allow cool air to run through the entire heatsink evenly and quietly.
Built for EVGA Precision X1
Built for NVIDIA GeForce RTX, EVGA Precision X1 is the next generation overclocking software to maximize and control your EVGA graphics card. With the new EVGA Precision for Game Bar widget, you can get instant access to monitoring and overclocking built right into Windows Game Bar. Want to overclock and monitor without even exiting your game? It’s all here.
DXR (DirectX Ray Tracing)
DirectX Ray Tracing allows games to simulate how light works in real life, providing incredibly realistic and beautiful graphic effects like global illumination, reflections, and shadows. GeForce RTX GPUs were designed from the start for the demands of ray tracking workloads. Specialized RT cores, found only on GeForce RTX graphics cards, provide billions of rays per second of performance, and up to 3X the frame rate with DXR games and applications. This makes ray tracing at real-time frame rates possible for the first time.
DirectX 12 Ultimate
DirectX is an API that enables developers to add amazing graphics effects to Microsoft Windows-based PC games. DirectX 12 Ultimate is the newest version of the API and new gold standard for the next-generation of games. DX12 Ultimate takes games to a whole new level of realism with support for ray tracing, mesh shaders, variable rate shading, and sampler feedback. GeForce RTX is the first and only PC platform with support for these game-changing features. -
Noctua expands chromax.black line of CPU coolers
Vienna, October 28th 2020 – Noctua today expanded its chromax.black line with all-black versions of the award-winning NH-D15S and NH-U9S CPU coolers: Staying true to the successful formula of the original models, the new chromax.black versions with their black fans and black coated heatsinks combine the same signature quiet cooling performance with a sleek stealth look.
“Our chromax.black coolers have been very well received and we’re thrilled to expand the line-up with further models”, says Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). “With the NH-D15S and NH-U9S, the chromax.black line now includes a top-tier dual tower model with excellent compatibility as well as a compact 9cm-class cooler that is ideal for space-restricted builds.”
The new NH-D15S chromax.black and NH-U9S chromax.black are identical to the regular models except for the colour: Featuring black coated heatsinks, black fans with black anti-vibration-pads, black fan clips and black mounting parts, they are literally black from head to toe. Thanks to thoroughgoing optimisations of the coating material and process, the chromax.black models provide the same, renowned quiet cooling performance as their regular, non-coated counterparts.
The NH-D15S is an asymmetrical single fan version of the award-winning NH-D15. Thanks to its asymmetrical design, the NH-D15S clears the top PCIe slot on most µATX and ATX motherboards. At the same time, the single fan setup and recessed lower fins guarantee 100% RAM compatibility with memory modules of up to 65mm height. Users who have sufficient room can also upgrade the cooler with either a 120mm or round 140mm fan on the front fin stack for further improved performance in dual fan mode.
The NH-U9S is a compact premium cooler in classic 9cm size. Its asymmetrical design with 5 heatpipes provides strong quiet cooling performance and tanks to its 95x95mm footprint, the NH-U9S clears the RAM and PCIe slots on all current mainboards, including µATX and ITX. Combined with its 125mm height, this makes the NH-U9S a highly versatile solution with outstanding case, RAM and PCIe compatibility.
In addition to the new CPU coolers, Noctua also introduced retail sets of its signature brown anti-vibration pads for 200, 140, 120, 92 and 80mm fans for customers who want to accent their chromax line fans and coolers with a slight touch of the classic Noctua colours. Each set contains 16 pads for up to two fans.
Links
Press release: https://noctua.at/en/noctua-expands-chromax-black-line-of-cpu-coolers
NH-D15S chromax.black: https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15s-chromax-black
NH-U9S chromax.black: https://noctua.at/en/nh-u9s-chromax-black
NA-SAVP1 anti-vibration pads for 140mm & 120mm fans: https://noctua.at/en/na-savp1
NA-SAVP3 anti-vibration pads for NF-A15: https://noctua.at/en/na-savp3
NA-SAVP5 anti-vibration pads for 92mm & 80mm fans: https://noctua.at/en/na-savp5
NA-SAVP6 anti-vibration pads for 200mm fans: https://noctua.at/en/na-savp6 -
AMD to acquire Xilinx
It would seem with the rise in stock prices the big tech companies are looking to make some purchases. Earlier this year NVIDIA announced they were buying ARM and will likely be a centerpiece in their AI efforts. It would seem that AMD is also on the hunt and will acquire Xilinx.
I'll be the first to admit saying "AMD is buying who?"
"Our acquisition of Xilinx marks the next leg in our journey to establish AMD as the industry's high performance computing leader and partner of choice for the largest and most important technology companies in the world," AMD president and CEO Lisa Su said. "This is truly a compelling combination that will create significant value for all stakeholders, including AMD and Xilinx shareholders who will benefit from the future growth and upside potential of the combined company. The Xilinx team is one of the strongest in the industry and we are thrilled to welcome them to the AMD family. By combining our world-class engineering teams and deep domain expertise, we will create an industry leader with the vision, talent and scale to define the future of high performance computing."
"We are excited to join the AMD family. Our shared cultures of innovation, excellence and collaboration make this an ideal combination. Together, we will lead the new era of high performance and adaptive computing," said Victor Peng, Xilinx president and CEO. "Our leading FPGAs, Adaptive SoCs, accelerator and SmartNIC solutions enable innovation from the cloud, to the edge and end devices. We empower our customers to deploy differentiated platforms to market faster, and with optimal efficiency and performance. Joining together with AMD will help accelerate growth in our data center business and enable us to pursue a broader customer base across more markets."
Even after reading that I'm still a little confused as to what Xilinix does but, it seems that whatever they are doing they did it well enough to cost $35 Billion US in transacted stock. It will be interesting to see what they end up doing.
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Cooler Master Introduces the Hyper 212 EVO V2
LOS ANGELES, CALIF., September 4, 2020 - Cooler Master, a global leader in PC component manufacturing, is introducing the Hyper 212 EVO V2, an enhancement of our legendary Hyper 212 line. The Hyper 212 EVO V2 has improved on all aspects of the earlier editions. Upgraded with an asymmetrical heat pipe design, it now provides 100% RAM clearance for guaranteed compatibility across motherboards. The cooler heatsink profile has been shortened as well, making case compatibility even better. Cooler Master's exclusive Direct Contact Technology, paired with the new SickleFlow 120 Fan delivers the ultimate balance of cooling performance and quiet operation. Additionally, the universal brackets have been improved further, making installation simple and hassle free.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V2
- Asymmetrical 4 Heat pipe Design - Asymmetrical heat pipe design delivers maximum RAM compatibility and clearance space across various motherboard platforms
- New SickleFlow 120 Fan - Redesigned curved blades and frame optimizes airflow and static pressure
- Direct Contact Technology - Exclusive Direct Contact Technology using 4 copper heat pipes delivers exceptional heat dissipation
- Precise Combination of Air Flow and Heat sink - Stacked-fin array provides low airflow resistance allowing cooler air flow through the heatsink All rights reserved.
- Quiet Operation - Performance silent fan with minimized vibrations provides noiseless operation
- Snap and Play - Intuitive bracket design allows for a hassle free installation process
Availability:
The Hyper 212 EVO V2 will be available for purchase on 10/31/2020 for a starting MSRP of $39.99. For more information, please visit: http://www.coolermaster.com/and.. be sure to check out our review of the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V2 right here on this website. You know, this one.
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EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra @ TechPowerUp
While Mini ITX might be the motherboard of the future you have to ask yourself what is the video card of the future. Is it the boring "factory" cards that people have been dying to get or custom cards built with custom coolers and custom PCB design??
I say custom is the future, stock sucks and even though you cannot overclock modern NVIDIA GPUs and there is no reason to have an oversized VRM or custom PCB layout I am here to say that custom is king!!
And, Ultra is even better
The EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra is extremely impressive. It is the fastest RTX 3080 we've reviewed so far, thanks to a massively increased power limit. The new iCX cooler works well, reaching amazing noise levels that are better than most other RTX 3080 cards, and fan-stop is included, too.
Now, if people could stop complaining that they can't buy them that woudl be great.
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Gigabyte B550i AORUS PRO AX Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers
Small Motherboard, Amazing results. Kinda.
Mini ITX motherboards really are the future of desktop computing. They have everything a modern computer needs and due to NVIDIA killing SLI there is no reason to have more than one expansion slot.
That is unless you are an audio enthusiast in which case you need at least two. So, ya Micro ATX is the future of desktop computing!!
I’ve always been a fan of mini-ITX motherboards. It is still very impressive to me that we can cram so much into such a small motherboard. With the Ryzen 3000 series and upcoming Ryzen 5000 series building a super-powerful small form factor system couldn’t be easier. Gigabyte has the perfect motherboard for you too, the Gigabyte B550i AORUS PRO AX! B550 motherboards lack full PCI-Express 4.0 support, but you will get it on a single x16 slot and an M.2 slot, which means in the mini-ITX form factor you really aren’t losing all that much. Gigabyte’s B550i AORUS PRO AX is loaded with features which include a 6+2 VRM with 90A power stages, USB 3.2 support, dual M.2 slots, WiFi 6, 2.5G LAN, RGB lighting and much more! Is this the ultimate mini-ITX motherboard for Ryzen? Read on as we find out!
The only drawback is that this board is a B chipset which means no overclocking.
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MSI Subsidiary Caught Scalping RTX Cards on eBay @ PCMag
Now this is a pretty interesting story. On one side you have a major hardware maker, building and selling components. On the other side you have an affilated company who typically sells returned and refurb products selling new goods and following the standard supply and demand rules.
Most would call that scalping but, it is the world we live in.
I would be one of the many who find this distrustful but also see it as an honest mistake exploited by dishonest people and not a total shitshow like what the title and YT crowd are making it out to be.
Back in the day hardware media was a very well respected source for the latest information on products and news from a variety of hardware companies. Generating that trust was key and focused on removing bias in an attempt to remain fair to ALL companies. That also ment we needed to carefully select ads so to not express bias while offering fair product reviews to our readers.
When a hardware site was caught selling review product that was quickly called out by the community and often started a witch hunt to determine if they could be trusted or was just into it for the money. The same was true for sites that advertised for companies they also did reviews for.
Sadly those days are gone. We now have YouTube channels hosting public garage sales to sell stuff and other channels flat out complaining when they get hard to find products instead of turning it down like they should. We all know these are media/review samples and are usually part of an advertising campaign but that doesn’t mean everyone should take advantage, it just shows where companies are spending their money and how dishonest outlets are taking advantage.
So, what does this have to do with MSI. Well, it is a story that has been blown out of proportion because it will generate traffic, hits and favoritism with other hardware vendors. It will pit the consumers against the manufacturer and basically cause major problems over a simple permissions issue.
After internet users began posting about the suspicious sales in a Reddit forum, MSI admitted today that its subsidiary, Starlit Partner, had indeed sold the graphics cards on eBay. According to the eBay listings, Starlit Partner sold at least four RTX 3080 cards for $1,359 and $1,399 and at least eight to 11 RTX 3090 units for as much as $2,599—far above the normal $759 and $1,589 pricing.
Some would like to think that this is on purpose and it would be a pretty good scam if the idea was to promote another seller with the same products for less but, that isn't the case.
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EK Releases a Perfect Cable Management System for RGB Cables
EK®, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, is introducing the EK-Loop CMS, a cable management system comprised of six touch fasteners and a self-adhesive fabric. These hook and loop fasteners allow you to securely connect RGB (and D-RGB) connectors without any worry about them coming apart later, which is pretty usual during the transport of a PC or regular maintenance and dust removal.
These stylish fasteners envelop the joint connection of the RGB connectors on each side and strap them together. Both cables are pulled through a fastener, connected, and in the end, the fastener is strapped together around the entire joint disabling any disconnection of the header. EK-Loop CMS fasteners are black with subtle grey EK branding on the middle that is visible once the cable management system is in place.
This cable management system provides another self-adhesive strap that is intended to be mounted to the backside of the motherboard tray, and it grabs the main part of the fastener and holds it in place of your choosing. These two together create the cable management system called EK-Loop CMS.
Availability and Pricing
The EK-Loop CMS is designed in Europe and produced in China. It is available for order through the EK Webshop or EK Partner Reseller Network. In the table below you can see the manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP). -
HP Introduces New Era of Virtual Reality for Developers and Enterprises
The world’s most intelligent VR headset1 with state-of-the-art sensor system captures physiological responses for a unique user-centric experience
Developers can now design applications that adapt to each user and take VR experiences to the next levelPALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, HP Inc. unveiled the HP Omnicept Solution, bringing the world’s most intelligent VR headset and a developer focused SDK into a single platform, equipping VR software developers with an ecosystem to create new hyper-personalized, engaging, and adaptive VR experiences for enterprises. The HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition VR headset enables real-time human insights that improve training and education outcomes as well as enhance collaboration and design.
The VR landscape evolves to keep pace with how people interact with technology and the world around them to stay and feel connected. Facial expression and body language account for up to 50% of effective communication and with 25% - 30% of the workforce projected to be working from home in 2021, new immersive tools are required for better remote collaboration in design and development workflows. HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition and the Omnicept SDK are designed to curate more human and personal experiences with technology. Since pre-Covid, there has been a 35% increase in the use of tech in training and VR is proven to significantly increase retention rates for learning and training. The HP Omnicept Solution is transforming how developers drive change and increase efficiency in enterprises by adding data for more insightful analysis.
“We’ve designed a powerful, adaptive VR solution to dramatically accelerate the use cases for VR, its potential to transform society, and the way we interact with technology,” said Jim Nottingham, general manager and global head, Advanced Compute and Solutions, HP Inc. “The HP Omnicept Solution will open new possibilities for VR development and its impact on enterprise training, remote education, collaboration, research and development, and specialized wellbeing. This type of data-driven approach will be fundamental to creating user-centric experiences for better VR in the future.”
The HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition is built with a highly secure pipeline for protecting end-user privacy. The headset’s firmware safeguards the sensor data at every moment of capture and no data is stored in the headset.
HP Omnicept-powered applications help ensure the capture and transfer of data comply with general data protection regulation (GDPR) requirements and keep user data confidential.HUMAN CENTERED VR EXPERIENCES
Personalized experiences based on analytics and actionable insights increase retention rates for training and learning and improve wellbeing. Sensors on the headset, including eye tracking, heart rate, pupillometry, and face camera, enable the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition to capture physiological responses. The integrated Omnicept SDK, powered by advanced machine learning algorithms, then interprets the data and allows developers to create a user-centric VR experience that provides actionable insights into how end users engage and respond during the experience.With this end-to-end intelligent platform, experiences built by product designers and developers for training, design, wellness, and research become data-driven, adapting to users in real-time via objective metrics vs. subjective feedback. HP Reverb Omnicept Editions features include:
- Reverb G2 DNA: Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition builds on the foundation of the Reverb G2, the highest resolution VR headset among major vendors5, delivering cutting-edge optics, inside-out tracking, spatial 3D audio, and improved controllers with natural gestures.
- Eye Motion and Gaze: Understand how the user is responding to content based on their focus area and understanding engagement levels, based on where they instinctively look.
- Facial Expression: Enables naturally expressive avatars while collaborating around 3D designs for more natural and engaging conversations, helping enable faster and more efficient outcomes in a cross-functional development processes.
- Heart Rate: Understand how a user is responding to an experience or training, based on their heart rate. For example, practitioners can adapt wellness treatments in VR-based on their specific client’s reactions.
- Foveated Rendering: With integrated eye tracking, this HMD is able to discern the user's gaze direction6, enabling a reduction in GPU load and improved image quality within the user's foveal region, enhancing VR realism.
HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition Pricing and Availability
- The HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition is expected to be available in Spring 2021. Pricing will be shared closer to product availability.
- HP Omnicept SDK is expected to be available in Spring 2021 and will include a flexible business model. To view options and learn more, visit developers.hp.com/xr.
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Realtek Second Generation 2.5GbE Provides an Advanced Ethernet Solution for Modern Demands
Upgrading to 2.5GbE brings comprehensive upgrades to commercial applications, entertainment needs and meets the demands for new remote work environments
HSINCHU, Taiwan – September 30, 2020 – As people around the world make the shift to a longer-term remote work environment caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for more Ethernet bandwidth to meet the needs of companies and their employees is rising. To help accelerate the upgrade of network environments and improve performance for the enterprise and gaming communities, Realtek Semiconductor, the market leader in integrated circuits (IC) for the past 30 years, has launched the second generation of its 2.5GbE chip.
While most companies continue to upgrade their wireless routers to Wi-Fi 6 with 2.5GbE ports, this solution falls short of truly increasing connection speed. The entire environment, including bridges such as internet cards and switches, needs to be equipped with Ethernet connections faster than 1Gbps to reach 2.5GbE speeds. Realtek’s second generation 2.5GbE, part of its RTL8125B series for business applications, provides original equipment manufacturers and enterprises with rapid development, while offering home entertainment enthusiasts, gamers, streamers, and audiovisual specialists quicker, more stable, and diversified interface solutions.
Key features of the Realtek second generation Ethernet solutions include:
- Eco-friendly, smaller design: The surface area has been reduced by 64% and power consumption by 50% compared to the first-generation models. Thinner and more energy-efficient, the 2.5GbE lowers the amount of power lost for long-term and large-scale transmissions, making it even more environmentally friendly.
- High compatibility and stable transmission: The Realtek RTL8125B series is compatible with existing network cables, and it does not require switches for connections under 110 meters. It is also capable of providing stable uni- and bi-directional transmissions (uploading and downloading) even when combined with multiple brands of switches. It provides enterprises and users with an high-speed network environment out of the box, giving them a stable and fast network for teleconferences, data recovery, file transmission, gaming and video streaming.
- Unique bandwidth-regulating software: The included ‘Dragon’ network bandwidth management software developed by Realtek can be used to assign packet priority. Smart distribution of bandwidth ensures that users most essential applications will not lag.
Ethernet is still the most stable method of network transmission. With demand for high-speed network environments on the rise, Realtek’s Second Generation 2.5GbE solution can be widely applied to motherboards, external PCIe cards, and USB network extenders. In addition, other network-related products including web cameras, online hard drives, servers, routers, cable boxes, printers, and base stations can all make use of Realtek’s network solutions, satisfying the need for stable, high-speed network environments from enterprise and network users.
For more information about Realtek’s 2.5GbE solutions, please visit https://www.realtek.com/en/.
