Tech News
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Gigabyte X99-UD4 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers
I actually like how you can get many of the top-end features on a mid-range motherboard. Of course things like that really eat in to the profit margins but that is what people want these days.
When it comes to X99 motherboards we have taken a look at boards from ASUS, MSI, ASRock and EVGA. The company not on that list is Gigabyte and today we are getting our first look at one of their X99 motherboards. The X99-UD4 is set to be a more affordable motherboard in their X99 stack and is not really aimed towards gamers or overclockers, but offers a great set of features any user will appreciate. The board is part of the companies Ultra Durable line and features an all digital power design, 4-way graphics support, dual M.2 slot, SATA Express support, Intel Gigabit LAN, and the companies AMP-UP audio solution. Did I mention the board lights up too? Let’s get the board on the test bench and see if Gigabyte has a winner on their hands.
I'm hoping to get more X99 motherboards in for review, they really are an untapped market.
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MAINGEAR Ships World’s First X99 Small Form Factor Gaming Systems
Blazing fast, 8 core processor performance now available in compact PCs, including Potenza, DRIFT and TORQ Super Stock editions
Kenilworth, New Jersey – April 10, 2015 – MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system integrator of custom gaming desktops, notebooks, and workstations, unveils the world’s first lineup of high-performance compact mini ITX based gaming systems with Intel’s X99 chipset Intel Core i7 extreme edition processors.
Designed to deliver unmatched performance in full-sized desktops, Intel’s X99 chipset is now available in Super Stock editions of the compact POTENZA with VRTX cooling, the console-sized and STEAM ready DRIFT, and the fully custom liquid-cooled ultra-compact TORQ. Each desktop is fully customizable, comes standard with liquid cooling, and is available in MAINGEAR’s true automotive paint finishes.
“Our selection of compact gaming beasts with the X99 and extreme edition processors are roadsters with the power and performance of V8 engines,” states Wallace Santos, CEO and Founder of MAINGEAR. “Our goal is to provide the best in computer gaming and our selection of world’s first small form factor X99 desktops proves that MAINGEAR is still the leader.”
The X99 chipset delivers massive gaming output in a small form factor by supporting up to the Intel i7 5960X 8 core hyper threaded processor and ultra-fast DDR4 memory. It is compatible with all Haswell-E Intel Core i7 processors with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, enables overclocking for even faster speeds, and features an array of speed boosting features designed to maximize performance.
MAINGEAR’s compact line of gaming systems with Intel’s X99 platform is now available at www.maingear.com/sffx99. For more information about MAINGEAR’s lineup of high performance gaming units, visit www.maingear.com.
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About MAINGEAR
MAINGEAR is a high performance PC system integrator that offers custom desktops, notebooks and workstations. Each system is hand crafted for precision performance and uncompromised quality, and has won multiple Editors' Choice awards from publications such as PC Gamer, Hot Hardware, PC World, Maximum PC, Computer Shopper and more. With a passion to build the best and most innovative high performance computers, MAINGEAR sets the standard among system integrators. -
Voltivo 3D Creation Contest
Some say that 3D printing is the future and while the devices aren't all that common there are a few talented folks out there printing some really amazing things.
Voltivo 3D is hosting a 3D modeling contest where they are inviting people to submit their orginial 3D designs for a chance to win some great Voltivo products.
Check out the following page for more details including prizes and rules.
Voltivo 3D Creation Contest Runs from April 10th – May 15th 2015
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Scythe Ashura SCASR-1000 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
Love the logo on Scythe products, hate their fans.
On the review bench today we have Scythe's Ashura heatsink; this is a fairly standard tower cooler equipped with a 140mm fan. The Ashura cooler stands 162mm tall, making it suitable for full tower cases where AIO liquid coolers are often too bulky.
This is actually a rather large tower cooler when compared to other more standard towers. I find that this is done for one of three reasons. 1) everyone else is making big coolers, 2) need more heat capacity, 3) looking to make their coolers quiet
Which one do you think they decided on.
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Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4-3400 Review @ Hardware Canucks
Have you found yourself with a Gigabyte X99 SOC Champion and can't decide on what memory would go best with the motherboard? Do you like limited edition products and don't mind paying for them? Is there a grand burning a hole in your pocket?
If so this memory kit from Corsair might be exactly what you are looking for.
Corsair's $1000 Dominator Platinum DDR4-3400 Orange kit is the fastest currently on the market and it's meant exclusively for Gigabyte's X99 SOC Champion motherboard.
Most enthusiasts would pick up this kit simply to color match their motherboard and ignore the 3400Mhz memory speed. Overclockers on the other hand might actually find the super speed an easy way to buy some extra speed in their benchmarks.
Dunno, either way a grand for memory is a little steep esp after spending a grand on a processor.
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XSPC X20 420 Single Bayres/Pump Combo @ PureOverclock
I have been looking at building a custom watercooler again and am really amazed at how much things have changed. In a way it seems like the innovation has been drained from the niche leaving only a few select brands to choose from.
That isn’t likely to be a bad thing, just a bit of a change. Kind of like this combo unit reviewed at PureOC
With advances in pump, radiator, reservoir and fitting designs, things have gotten to the point where almost anyone can create and install a custom cooling solution specific to their system. XSPC is one of the handful of pioneering companies that made custom liquid cooling so commonplace today. The new X20 420 Single and Twin pump BayRes may save on space and and your hard earned money.
I'm not sure I would ever go combo unless it was a bayres design. They are compact and really are the best of both worlds. Sad thing is, very few cases have 5.25" drive bays anymore.
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Why The National Consumer Electronics Superstore Model Is Obsolete @ Forbes
I noticed this story flipping through my google news feed, (Something that Hardware Asylum has been barred from contributing to, thanks again Google) and found this story at Forbes.
The article takes a stab at why brick and mortar electronics stores are closing. Case in point, Circit City and CompUSA both sold consumer electronics and they were forced to close. Most would say that online shopping took away their consumers and they were forced to go out of business. While I agree with that statement you can also add a lackluster selection of components and poorly trained staff. Of course, with that being said, what about Best Buy, Frys and Microcenter? don't these places sell consumer electronics?
And while online shopping (translation, Amazon,) has no doubt voraciously siphoned market share from physical stores on everything from computers to TVs, e-commerce isn’t the only reason consumer electronics no longer appears to work as a single product category at a national big box chain.
Over the past 15 years, “There’s been a proliferation of competition, from mass retailers to highly specialized retailers, as more and more retailers are carrying electronics since it’s more important to consumers,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis, consumer technology, for market research firm The NPD Group, listing chains as diverse as Wal-Mart, Staples, Kohl’s, Big Lots and Costco, which have dramatically expanded their electronics assortments both in store and online.According to the article the solution is diversity. Diversity to the extent of removing EVERY computer part from their stores OR stocking only cheap mainstream hardware. The idea here is that consumers who actually want good stuff know where to get it leaving the computer illiterate and shoppers with no budget to buy whatever is cheapest item on the shelf.
I was once asked the following questions
- "Why there are no Overclockers in Boise Idaho?"
- "Why doesn't anyone care about Overclocking in the US?"I think this article answers the question and sadly having the US consumer electronics market is being driven by the Apple/Samsung hardware market model "Buy it, Break it then Buy Another" doesn't help.
As hardware enthusiasts it is difficult to draw attention to the hobby in a market situation like this. First of all without a common place to go (like a computer shop) it is difficult to know who in your area is interested in this stuff. Furthermore since the target demographic is buying online there is no incentive for them to even bother going out or anyone pushing them to actually buy higher end hardware. (I shudder to think there are kids out there who are proud of their Dell black boxes).
The one positive is the role of the professional hardware reviewer. Given that you cannot go down to the local computer shop to inspect a product in person you are left reading looking for reviews. Most of these are written by "idiots" complaining about something they didn't understand and a few are the results of doing extensive searches to find the answers. Either way, review sites will play a key role in this ecosystem and with any luck there are a few out there getting it right.
I'll save my opinions on that topic for another rant.
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Springtime is Boring for the Hardware Enthusiast
Springtime is one of the worse for PC hardware. Sure there might be a random awesome speed SSD released, "big whoop" There might even be a video card out there so powerful it has been dubbed the GPU of Power, "meh, needs more VRM" and yes there is always LN2 but after you figure delivery and kneaded eraser invoices you have blown your wad and have nothing left for beer.
I guess it might be time for something new, something totally fresh and new. Something I haven't done in awhile.
Watercooling.
Seems I have one of those "S-Frame" cases and a closet full of hardware but nothing exotic enough in the cooling department to really make the case stand out.
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PNY GTX 980 XLR8 Pro OC Review @ Hardware Canucks
PNY still makes video cards! This is pretty impressive. Not only does it come with a custom (larger) VRM but features a very sleek heatsink design and comes with a custom backplate.
It my be a bit late to the market, but the GTX 980 XLR8 Pro OC is one of the best Maxwell-based cards on the market and boasts a lifetime warranty to boot.
In terms of layout the card looks to be following the 980 KPE with a single loaded site of video connections and has a few voltage test pads across the top. Keep in mind that PNY is still bound by the NVidia rules for overclocking so to get the most from this card you'll likely need a custom bios image and some great overclocking software.
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GIGABYTE Z97X Gaming 7 LGA 1155 Motherboard Review @ [H]
I have always iiked the Gigabyte Gaming motherboards, they seem extremely solid and come with the right amount of features.
GIGABYTE's Z97X Gaming 7 promises solid overclocking and performance. The feature list for the Z97X Gaming 7 is long and includes gamer focused features like a dedicated audio amplifier, Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 support and more. We've had mixed results with the GIGABYTE lately, so the real question is; does it work?
This might just be my opinion but, I really liked the green and black boards from the G1 series. It would seem that green is just too progressive for some folks or brings back frightful nightmares of that one time with Kermit.
