Monday 2 June 2014

HyperX Sets Overclocking World Record Mark at 4500MHz, Partners with HWBOT


Hsinchu, Taiwan June 3, 2014 –HyperX®, a division of Kingston Technology, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced its memory was overclocked to 4500MHz, the highest frequency in the world. The mark was set by overclocker “Hicookie” of GIGABYTE™.  He achieved the frequency using one 4GB HyperX DDR3 2933MHz module (not yet available) on the new GIGABYTE Z97X-SOC FORCE LN2 motherboard.


The frequency is posted on HWBOT, the premier site for PC enthusiasts looking for news, tips and information on overclocking, benchmarks and competitions. Beginning June 1, HyperX officially became the newest partner with HWBOT. Together with HWBOT, HyperX looks forward to continuing its association with the overclocking community.

During COMPUTEX TAIPEI, HyperX will hold its “HOT” HyperX OC Takeover competition. Overclockers from around the world will compete for $10,000 (USD) in total prize money for the top scores in Maximum Memory Frequency and SuperPi 32M, among others. During the remainder of 2014, HyperX will hold four online regional HOT competitions around the world leading up to the finals during 2015 International CES®.

HyperX is the high-performance product division of Kingston Technology encompassing high-speed DDR3 memory, SSDs, USBFlash drives, and headsets. Targeted at gamers, overclockers and enthusiasts, HyperX is known throughout the world for quality, performance and innovation. HyperX is committed to eSports as it sponsors over 20 teams globallyand is the main sponsor of Intel Extreme Masters. HyperX can be found at many shows including China Joy, PAX, Davao Cyber Expo, and TGS & Big Fest


For more information visit the HyperXhome page.

be quiet! announces their first PC chassis?


An insider news reveals that be quiet, Germany's leading Power Supply and PC cooling solutions manufacturer known to many enthusiasts has announced their first and ever PC chassis, along with a power supply unit and cpu cooler today! 


Leaked Photos

The motherboard tray seems to have plenty of spaces for a good cable management.


Striking appearance the the new PC chassis from be quiet!


Rear view of the chassis.


Metal brushed texture on the front panel, sweet!


What's on your mind?


The new PC chassis from be quiet! comes with pre-installed Silent Wings 2 fans at the front.


Technical Specifications
Dimension
N/A
Motherboard Support
ATX, mATX, ITX
Expansion Slots
Type
Mid Tower
Material
N/A 
Drive Bays
x 5.25” optical drive bays
x 3.5” HDD Bays
x 2.5” SSD behind motherboard tray
x 2.5” SSD in HDD Tray  
Cooling Option
Cooling Fans
x 140mm front ( included Pure Wings 2 )
x 120mm rear ( included Pure Wings 2 )
x 120/140mm top ( Optional )
x 120/140mm bottom ( Optional )
x 120mm side panel ( Optional )

Radiators
Front 120/140mm
Rear 120mm
Top 120/140 or 240/280mm
Front I/O
x USB 3.0 Ports
x USB 2.0 Ports
x Speaker/ headphone
x Microphone
Power Supply
Not included
Highlights
Supports CPU cooler max height 170mm
Supports PSU max length 290mm
Supports VGA max length standard (with HDD cage) 290mm
Supports VGA max length (without HDD cage) 400mm
Noise dampening mats on HDD mounting, Fan mounting
All air intakes have filters

be quiet! is expected to launch their new PC chassis this September 2014, with the MSRP of 119 EUR or US$ 129


Extras(?)

Straight Power 10 Power Supply Unit
  • Due to SilentWings 3 even quieter than before
  • Active Clamp + SR (Synchronous Rectifier) and DC-to-DC for more stability on minor rails of 3.3V & 5V
  • Fixed Cables: 400, 500, 600, 700W
  • Cable Management: 500, 600, 700, 800W
  • Connectors all black on backside
  • Longer P4/8 connector
  • Price on level (or less) than E9
  • To be launch on September 2014


Pure Rock Cooler
  • Compact design
  • Pure Wings 2 120mm PWM fan pre-installed
  • Four 6mm heatpipes
  • Max 26dB(A) at full load
  • 130W TDP
  • New mounting kit, cooler can be mounted from top
  • MSRP 29,90 EUR or US$ 34.90
  • To be launch on September 2014







OCZ Storage Solutions to Unveil Latest Vector Solid State Drive at Computex 2014




SAN JOSE, CA – June 2, 2014 - OCZ Storage Solutions - a Toshiba Group Company and leading provider of high-performance solid state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, will showcase its comprehensive storage portfolio supporting both enterprise and client applications, and will unveil a new Vector Series drive at Computex 2014, Taipei, Taiwan, June 3 through June 6, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Suites 1005-1006. Building on the leading sustained performance, reliability and endurance of the previous generation, the latest addition to the Vector family includes an advanced feature-set specifically designed for workstations and entry-level servers.

Along with the new Vector SSD, OCZ will also display its current product line which has completely transitioned to in-house Toshiba NAND flash. OCZ’s current client lineup offers high-performance yet cost-efficient SSDs for a variety of applications, targeting the mainstream and enthusiast markets with storage upgrades for workstations, desktops, and notebooks that include:

  • RevoDrive 350 PCI Express SSD - Featuring ultimate bandwidth and high capacities ideal for power users, content creation, and intensive workstation applications, the PCIe RevoDrive 350 delivers three times the performance over SATA-based SSDs and targeted for design professionals and extreme gamers. OCZ will feature a RAID demo of dual RevoDrive 350 drives to showcase the incredible performance of the product line.
  • Vector 150 and Vertex 460 SATA SSDs – These homegrown Barefoot 3-based SSDs have received praise from global trade media for their innovative designs that put emphasis on high sustained performance. While Vector 150 is geared towards the high-end enthusiast market with best-in-class IOPS performance and endurance, Vertex 460 offers exceptional speeds for mainstream users at a cost-conscious price point to enhance laptop and desktop application performance.

Continuing to drive innovations within the business and large-scale IT storage sector, OCZ will also display its comprehensive portfolio of enterprise flash and software storage solutions including:
  • ZD-XL SQL Accelerator 1.5 – The next generation ZD-XL SQL Accelerator continues to provide optimized and efficient flash acceleration for SQL Server environments through its tight integration of innovative hardware and software elements.  It supports SQL Server 2008 R2, 2012, and now the new 2014 version released April 1st by Microsoft that builds on the key features delivered in previous versions, improving storage performance, availability and manageability.  ZD-XL 1.5 enables DBAs to unleash the full power of SQL Server 2014 features, such as flash Buffer Pool Extension (BPE) support, that enables database pages to be accessed faster by loading them directly from flash.
  • Z-Drive 4500 PCI Express SSD – More than just a high-performing SSD, the Z-Drive 4500 is a full-featured flash solution that enables robust performance, data and thermal protection, reliability, and monitoring functions for OEMs and enterprise applications. As OCZ’s most advanced PCIe card to date, the Z-Drive 4500 integrates with proprietary OCZ software solutions, enabling Windows® application acceleration through OCZ WXL Software along with flash server virtualization through OCZ VXL Software.
  • Intrepid 3000 SATA SSDs – This new series is the consistency king for enterprise applications, with the fastest sustained performance on the market for a variety of workloads and latency consistency for an ultra-responsive and predictable storage infrastructure. Its advanced feature-set also delivers the endurance and reliability ideal for mega-data centers and storage appliances.

Visit OCZ at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Suites 1005-1006, June 3 through 6, to view OCZ’s complete line of storage solutions designed to optimize enterprise and client applications for maximum productivity, efficiency, and superior total cost of ownership (TCO).

Friday 30 May 2014

ASUS R7 260 Performance Review


Having a high-end graphics cards like the GTX780 Ti, R9 290X has always been the dream to many gamer and enthusiasts, but the cost might be out of hand to budget gamer whos unable to afford these beast. This is when middle-end graphics cards with a decent performance and affordable price comes to play. 

Introducing the ASUS R7 260, the middle-end budget graphics card that we will be looking into in today's review. Let's find out what the ASUS R7 260 is capable of, compared to what's above it - ASUS R7 260X.

*SRP for the ASUS R7 260 is set at RM479.00.*

Technical Specifications
Technical Specs
ASUS R7260-1GD5
Dimensions
220.9mm x 111.17mm x40.06mm
Stream Processor
768
Base Clock
1000 MHz
Bus Standard
PCI Express 3.0
Video Memory
1024 MB
Memory Clock
6000 MHz
Memory Interface
128-bit
Display Output
DVI Output : Yes x 1 (DVI-I)
Display Port : Yes x 1
HDMI Output : Yes x 1
HDCP Support : Yes

Detailed specifications on TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.8

Overview


The feature highlighted at the front of the packaging is the Dual Fan Cooling where ASUS boast to provide twice as much airflow and 3 times quieter that the reference design R7 260.


Back of the packaging comes with a brief introduction on the features of the ASUS R7 260 such as the display output, appearance of the card, cooling options, etc.


what's in the box - the ASUS R7 260, driver & software CD, User's manual, DVI to VGA converter and a Crossfire bridge.


The ASUS R7 260 looks pretty identical to ASUS R7 260X (ASUS classic Black-Red themed shroud and fans), except that it's cooled by a big chunk of Aluminum heatsink instead of the directCU II heatsink.


Display output wise, the ASUS R7 260 comes with 3 options:
  • 1 x DVI port
  • 1 x Display Port
  • 1 x HDMI port
AMD Eyefinity isn't supported on this card, which we find it a little disappointing.


Flipping the card around, we can see that the actual PCB size is shorter.


6pin power connector is required for the card to actually work and giving some extra juice for minor overclocking if user finds it as an absolute necessity. 

Performance Test
Test Rig Configuration
CPU Cooler
Corsair H100i
CPU
I7 4770K @4.3 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS Sabertooth Z87
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB
Primary Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
Power Supply
Corsair AX650
Chassis
Bitfenix Ronin
Display Monitor
Dell U2312HM

We will be comparing the ASUS R7 260 with the ASUS R7 260X from our previous review as a quick comparison on both cards. Both cards is installed to our test rig with the above configuration and room temperature of 31C°.

Performance

The ASUS R7 260 is slightly overclocked where adjustments is as following:

1120 MHz on the base clock
6100 MHz on the memory clock
No adjustments is done to the voltage

We ran a quick test with several graphically demanding games and synthetic benchmark in our possession at the resolution of 1920 x 1080 and 4x Anti-aliasing, with the result as presented on the graph below:


When overclocked, the ASUS R7 260 appears to be able to perform closer to a non-overclocked ASUS R7 260X in most of the test but there's isn't much improvement in terms of performance from what we have tested so far.

Temperature
Temperature wise, we're using FurMark GPU stress test utility for our stress test for maximum heat output. Do note that purpose of this GPU stress test is to check on the highest temperature both cards will reach and this doesn't represent the actual temperature you will be getting during gaming session.

the large aluminum heatsink seems to be performing quite well on load compared to the DirectCU II cooler on the R7 260X. When it comes to idle, R7 260X DirectCU II cooler leads by a 3C° difference, leaving the R7 260 large aluminum heatsink hovering at 41C°.



Final Thoughts
The ASUS R7 260 performs fairly decent as an entry-level graphics card but it's in an odd position where it doesn't comes with AMD Eyefinity support nor able to Crossfire with any of the current latest AMD APU, leaving us with a mixed feelings.

Pros
  • Good heat dissipation and quieter operation
  • Support AMD Crossfire for that extra performance 
Cons
  • No AMD Eyefinity Support
  • Limited models for Crossfire configuration
  • Not much performance increase after overclocking
At the price of RM 479.00, the ASUS R7 260 is still a decent entry-level graphics card for medium low settings for several graphics demanding games we've tested. If there's still a little budget to stretch, with a little extra of RM 50.00, you can access to at least the AMD Eyefinity and slightly better performance.

Still, its value is much doubted if it were to be compared side by side with the NVidia GTX 750,  it's not doing really well with the features offered and performance compared its rival that doesn't even requires external power source from the 6pin connector.

Based on its performance and features as what we have tested in this performance review, the ASUS R7 260 is hereby awarded with our Tech-Critter Bronze Award.


GIGABYTE Introduces the World’s Most Powerful VGA Cooling Systems during COMPUTEX 2014

A new realm gaming experience with WINDFORCE & WATERFORCE











Taipei, Taiwan, 30th May 2014 – GIGABYTE, the leading manufacturer of graphics cards unveils the industry-leading graphics card cooling system during the COMPUTEX 2014. Whatever the preference of air-cooling or liquid-cooling, gamers can find the most outstanding VGA cooling system designs this year! Continuation of the stunning performance of WINDFORCE 450W cooling system, GIGABYTE once again self-breaks and launches the WINDFORCE Air Cooling System 600 Watt Edition. It is not only equipped with the patented “Triangle Cooling” technology, GIGABYTE also re-designs the fans and the fins of the cooling system and using the high-performance composite cooper heat pipes for new WINDFORCE. The heat dissipation performance is enhanced up to 33% than the reference card. GIGABYTE can proudly announce that WINDFORCE 600 Watt is the best air cooling system for graphics card in the world! Even more, GIGABYTE introduces WATERFORCE All-in-one External Liquid Cooling System with 3 GeForce GTX 780 Ti, specially designed for the gamers who dream about a silent and super gaming PC. With intuitive control panel, WATERFORCE allows gamers to separately control the GPU temperature, fans speed and pumps speed. No more noise nightmare or harass of uneven temperatures while using multi graphics cards. With the world’s first 3 way SLI water cooling solution, WATERFORCE, gamers can easily enjoy every moment and victory during the games. 

The best air-cooling system ever – WINDFORCE 600W
GIGABYTE understands that a fan is crucial to the graphics card, so only the fan with the most efficiency is selected for WINDFORCE. Therefore, GIGABYTE constantly evolving the WINDFORCE to provide the latest and the best cooling solution to gamers. The latest WINDFORCE 600W with excusive cooling technology can signifcantly disspate up to 600W heat. 


Patented “Triangle Cool” technology enhances 35% cooling performance
Features with the patented “Triangle Cool” technology, WINDFORCE 600W can bring away the heat easily from GPU. The cooling performance is 35% better than the regular fin designs. 


Unique fan design increases 23% CFM 
The whole new fan design with special 3D stripe curve can split the air flow, reduce the calm zone and increase the cooling performance. The air flow is amazingly increased up to 23%! 





Special fin architecture augments 45% heat dissipation area
GIGABYTE also designs WINDFORCE 600W with a special fin architecture. The height differentiation design increases more than 45% heat dissipation area for better cooling capacity and significantly reduce the air resistance. 


Composite heat-pipes increases 29% cooling capacity
The cooling system is supplemented by the composite heat-pipes, a heat-transfer device combines both thermal conductivity and phase transition for efficiently managing the transfer of heat between two solid interfaces which increases 29% of cooling capacity. 

With only 2-slot height heat sink, the compact WINDFORCE 600W increases more than 33% thermal performance. It is not only the most powerful air-cooling system, but the best choice for a ultimate gaming experience.

All-in-one external liquid cooling system – WATERFORCE


WATERFORCE is specially designed for the gamers who dream about a silent and powerful super PC. With the exclusive 3-way SLI closed loop liquid cooling system, it can dissipate the heat of GPU, memory and MOSFET. The WATERFORCE intuitive control panel can let gamers to check the performance of the 3 graphics cards from the panel and separately adjust the temperature, fan speed and pump speed for uniform temperature of the cards. 

42.9% lower temperature and 13.1dB lower noise than reference cooler
Comparing with 3-way SLI reference cooler, the cooling solution by WATERFORCE presents 42.9% lower temperature and 13.1 dB lower noises! 

No more noise nightmare or harass of uneven temperatures while using multi graphics cards. No more try & error liquid cooling system DIY. With the world’s 1st 3 way SLI water cooling solution, WATERFORCE, gamers can easily install and enjoy the battles!

For more information, please visit GIGABYTE official website: http://www.gigabyte.com

Welcome to join us on GIGABYTE.VGA Facebook fan page to know more latest news:

About GIGABYTE

GIGABYTE, headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, is known as a global leading brand in the IT industry, with employees and business channels in almost every country. Founded in 1986, GIGABYTE started as a research and development team and has since taken the lead in the world's motherboard and graphics card markets. On top of Motherboards and Graphics cards, GIGABYTE further expanded its product portfolio to include PC Components, PC Peripherals, Laptops, Desktop PCs, Network Communications, Servers and Mobile Phones to serve each facet of the digital life in the home and office. Everyday GIGABYTE aims to “Upgrade Your Life” with innovative technology, exceptional quality, and unmatched customer service. Visit www.gigabyte.com for more information. 










Thursday 29 May 2014

GIGABYTE Launches The Ultimate Powerful GeForce® GTX TITAN Z, Dual-GPU Gaming Graphics Card



The unprecedented fastest gaming monster for the super gaming PC!



Taipei, Taiwan, 28th May 2014 – GIGABYTE, the world’s leading premium gaming hardware manufacture, is pleased to introduce the latest super gaming graphics card, GV-NTITANZD5-12GD-B.



Built with the GeForce® GTX TITAN Z Dual GPU architecture, GV-NTITANZD5-12GD-B utilizes the latest 28nm fabrication process, features 12GB of 7Gbps GDDR5 memory and a massive 5760 CUDA cores. GIGABYTE GV-NTITANZD5-12GD-B is designed with the highest-grade components to deliver the best experience—incredible fast, cool and quiet performance—all in a stunningly crafted aluminum case. Plus, it is loaded with advanced technologies like NVIDIA ShadowPlay™ to capture and share every moment of gaming domination, groundbreaking G-SYNC™ display technology, and NVIDIA GameStream™ to stream games to the NVIDIA SHIELD™ portable. With the use of GIGABYTE OC GURU II software, GV-NTITANZD5-12GD-B can increase the overclocking capacity by unlocking the hardware limitation and brings hardcore gamers an ultimate gaming experience base on the GPU Boost 2.0 technology.

OC GURU II, liberates the overclocking limitation






According to the latest NVIDIA® technology “GPU BOOST 2.0”, GV-NTITANZD5-12GD-B provides gamers an unlimited overclocking capability by using GIGABYTE OC GURU II to adjust maximum core voltage and synchronize the GPU temperature and power consumption. These main features not only increase the overclocking ability, but also deliver an extremely performance to make gamers enjoy the amazing gaming experience.


4K Ultra HD Gaming Experience



The GV-NTITAND5-12GD-B uses the new dynamic power balancing technology which ensures peak performance across two GPUs with optimal power delivery. This means you can game on multi-monitor displays and hyper PCs at high setting and super-fast frame rates. With support for NVIDIA SLI®, you can even add a second card and immerse yourself in graphically intense games in full 4K Surround.
For more details of GIGABYTE GV-NTITANZD5-12GD-B, please visit the GIGABYTE VGA website at: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/list.aspx?s=43&p=52,53@53@53,62&v=1,8@1@2,19



About GIGABYTE

GIGABYTE, headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, is known as a global leading brand in the IT industry, with employees and business channels in almost every country. Founded in 1986, GIGABYTE started as a research and development team and has since taken the lead in the world's motherboard and graphics card markets. On top of Motherboards and Graphics cards, GIGABYTE further expanded its product portfolio to include PC Components, PC Peripherals, Laptops, Desktop PCs, Network Communications, Servers and Mobile Phones to serve each facet of the digital life in the home and office. Everyday GIGABYTE aims to “Upgrade Your Life” with innovative technology, exceptional quality, and unmatched customer service. Visit www.gigabyte.com for more information.