Tech News
-
How Does PCI-Express Speed Impact Gaming Performance
Surfing around I found this article that looks at the impact of PCI Express speed and your video card. As some of you know I have the "Multi GPU Index" as a dedicated page in my motherboard reviews that basically maps out the PCI Express layout and suggested GPU configurations.
When I started the "Multi GPU Index" the intent was to settle the question on where users should install their video cards and rank motherboards based on expansion slot layout and PCI Express bandwidth. Those calculations were based on PCI Express bandwidth and the question came up, "is the Multi GPU Index still valid?"
The short answer is, yes. Despite the bandwidth increases with PCI Express 3.0 I still use the 2.0 standard to do the calculation. This makes things easier and puts more focus on overall layout then pure bandwidth.
Many hardware sites (such as TechPowerUp and AnandTech) have shown in the past that most video cards do not show any performance decrease by running in x8 mode and cannot utilize the larger bandwidth provided by the latest Gen3 specification. However, video cards are getting faster and faster so we felt it was worth revisiting to find out if the fastest video cards available still do not have any performance advantage running at PCI-E x16 Gen3 versus PCI-E x8 Gen2. In addition, multiple GPU setups has not been throughly tested and with the gaining popularity of 4k displays, we felt it was important to see if the PCI-E revision/speed would affect a dual GPU setup at the much more demanding 4k resolution.
PCI Express 3.0 has the benefit of bandwidth and the only reason their 16x vs 8x tests are valid is because current games no longer saturate the buss. This is why AMD was able to ditch the Crossfire connection on the R9 290X and why future versions of GPU hardware will likely follow suit. It is an exciting time for hardware enthusiasts and I can't wait to see real world 4K results.
-
Galaxy Overclocking Carnival Hosted in China
This page is all in Chinese but it speaks of an overclocking competition sponsored by Galaxy. Some of you may remember that I posted some really awesome video cards from Galaxy in a product line called the "Hall of Fame". These are China only cards and resemble what MSI has been doing with the Lightning.
????????????,????? GALAXY ?????? GPU Party ???,??????????????????????????, GALAXY ?? 12 ? 14- 15 ????????????? GPU Party ?????, ??????????????????????? ??????,? GPU Party ????????????????????
Pretty sure I have no idea what that says but it goes a little something like
"In an effort to promote the games and overclocking activities, graphics card vendors GALAXY GPU Party will hold annual carnival, and has worked in Beijing and Guangzhou held the annual session of the event. This year, GALAXY will be held December 14 - 15, 2011 moved to the economic prosperity of Shanghai held GPU Party Carnival activities, but also to invite more than twenty different countries and regions worldwide professional games and overclocking players participating, let GPU Party Carnival further sublimated into "international level "events." ~Google translate
This should be an awesome event
-
Funky Kit Review: Noctua NH-U12S Cooler & NF-F12 Fan
Everyone loves a good Noctua cooler. They look great, run silent and generally have the best installation hardware in the industry. If only they overclocked better we would have a quadfecta!
If the saying "there's a different version for everyone," is actually true, then Noctua is a prime example. What we have today is essentially a smaller counterpart to the NH-U14S which, if you'll recall my review on it, is probably a good sign. The U14S really impressed me with not just cooling and noise levels but extra features and pricing as well. So, we're going to see if this heatsink can hold a candle to its predecessor. This is the U12S.
I reviewed the larger NH-U14S not to long ago. you can see the results here.
-
Internet Explorer chief steps aside
In more interesting news there was a twitter post out of Redmond indicating that Joe Belfiore is taking over IE development. Which also means that the one person who actually improved a Microsoft product is moving on to something different.
Internet Explorer will now be led by Joe Belfiore, who already runs the Windows Phone design team.
This isn't uncommon in the corporate world but you have to wonder why they didn't pass the reins on to someone on the team. At least then it would be headed up by someone who might actually know something about the project. Instead they gave the team to the guy heading up Windows Phone development.
*rant* This is what I hate about big business, I know they need to keep a cost structure to stay profitable but, when you have many hardworking people on a team why not give them a chance to rise up and become more than a programmer or more than an a coffee gett'r. Instead the business does what it can to keep people locked into their positions on a semi fixed salary so they can stay on budget.
#oversimplification I know but, still pisses me off.
'80's movies taught us that the only way to get ahead is to start in the mail room and work your way up, sleep with the right people and be in the right place at the right time. It boils down to going after what you want and taking a chance. The reality is things are a little more complex and one wrong move can destory everything. */rant*
If I was into speculation I'd say that the MS execs are going to put IE on autopilot and figure it is already as good as it is going to get.
-
Meteorite impacts create time capsules of what they destory
I was surfin Ars today and stumbled across this interesting article that talks about how when a meteorite impacts the earth it creates glass crystals that encase any nearby organic matter. It seems a little farfetched but has been proven based on the article.
What this means is that we now have another way to look into the past and see things the way they were like how the earth was right before the dinos became oil or when mars had an atmosphere.
The only problem is, these crystals are extremely small and after millions of years they can get broken, stolen or consumed by other animals in the area.
-
Introducing the EVGA Tegra NOTE 7
November 12th, 2013 - The EVGA Tegra NOTE 7 tablet is the perfect traveling companion - combining a lightning-fast mobile processor with a brilliant 7-inch HD display in a sleek, comfortable design. Play the latest games at full speed. Capture stunning photos. Watch HD video for up to ten hours. And listen to your favorite music with booming, room-filling NVIDIA PureAudio. It's mobile freedom at the speed of life.
Learn more here http://www.evga.com/articles/00790/
Preorder at Newegg here http://promotions.newegg.com/tablet/13-5047/index.html
Exceptional technology:
First 7-inch tablet to feature the fastest mobile processor, the NVIDIA Tegra 4
- World's fastest 7-inch tablet
- Quad-core, plus a 5th battery-saver core
- Features a 72-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU
NVIDIA DirectStylus for an incredibly responsive and natural writing experience
- Patented stylus system allows for highly sensitive variable stroke width
- 3x more responsive than other available stylus solutions
- Only Chisel-tip stylus on the market
- Intuitive note taking, annotation, capturing, and sharing
- Edit PDFs: write, save, share
- Full lasso selection for easy editing
- Grab images in any app, and easily share
- Stylus support, plus finger and palm recognition
NVIDIA Chimera computational photography for Always-On HDR
- World's first HDR camera in a tablet: Capture exactly what your eye sees
- Tap-to-Track: Choose any object to track so it's in focus when you're ready to take the shot
- Slow-motion: Gear down the action for drama and effect
NVIDIA PureAudio for the deepest, richest tablet audio
- Front facing stereo speakers with a bass reflex port for true stereo sound
- Extended frequency response 380-12 kHz - compared to typical 800-5 kHz range
Premium Tegra 4 audio processing for louder, cleaner, richer sound
NVIDIA PRISM 2 display processing, which modulates the display backlight and per-pixel color values to extend battery life up to 40%
NVIDIA TegraZone for the best gaming experience on Android
- The one-stop shop for all your enhanced Tegra HD games
- Enjoy HD Tegra gaming on your big-screen TV via HDMI
-
Patriot Supersonic Magnum 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review @ Hardware 360
Only posted because its funny.
The name of the product, not the review.
-
NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 On Linux @ Phoronix
Ever wonder why hardware sites don't test products on Linux? Let's just say "it's difficult".
Phoronix has been doing hardcore Linux product testing for years and they have another great article posted highlighing a rather old card, GTX 610, running on Linux.
If you are after a low-end graphics card for use on Linux, up for review today is the Zotac GeForce GT 610 Synergy 1GB graphics card that sells for less than $50 USD. The results in this Linux hardware review compare the GT 610 to a range of other AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards using the proprietary drivers under Ubuntu Linux. Even if you're not interested in the GT 610, this article makes for a nice 12-way Linux graphics card comparison with the very latest AMD/NVIDIA GPU drivers.
I remember, back in the day, trying to organize an overclocking contest using a GTX 610 but decided that the level of effort was too much despite how versatile the card is.
-
GIGABYTE Launches G1.Sniper Z87 Motherboard at Blizzcon 2013
As the Official Motherboard Sponsor of Blizzcon 2013, GIGABYTE Unveils Latest G1.Killer Gaming Platform
City of Anaheim ,CA, November 8th, 2013 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the launch of its latest gaming motherboard the GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z87 at Blizzcon 2013, one of the biggest US gaming events of the year. The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z87 combines our signature AMP-UP Audio feature set with Killer™ E2200 networking, gold hardware, ruthless performance and looks that could kill.
”The new G1.Sniper Z87 has PC gaming built-in to its DNA, an utterly compelling choice for any high performance PC built with fragging in mind,” commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. “It’s fantastic to be here as the exclusive motherboard sponsor at Blizzcon 2013, and also have the opportunity to showcase our latest gaming platform to thousands of true hard core gamers.”
The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z87
The latest addition to the GIGABYTE G1-Killer series of gaming motherboards, the G1.Sniper Z87 motherboard, is packed with an exclusive range of features that make it a champion’s choice in the gaming arena.GIGABYTE AMP-UP Audio: Redefining Motherboard Audio
The G1.Sniper Z87 motherboard features a range of unique features and technologies that are designed to give gamers more control over the game’s audio, a crucial aspect of the modern gaming experience.Exclusive Upgradable Onboard OP-Amp
GIGABYTE motherboards are the world’s first to feature an upgradable onboard operational amplifier (OP-Amp). OP-Amps are commonly found in high-end audio equipment and offer not only amplification of the audio signal, but a superior audio experience generally. The motherboard’s OP-Amp is mounted on a socket which allows users to physically switch out and try different OP-Amps which offer distinct and nuanced properties that make the audio clearer, punchier and more life-like. Additional OP-Amps can be purchased separately to further expand audio capabilities.USB DAC-UP
Featuring a gold plated USB 2.0 port, GIGABYTE USB DAC-UP provides clean, noise-free power delivery to any Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). DACs can be sensitive to fluctuations in power from other USB ports; this is why GIGABYTE USB DAC-UP takes advantage of an isolated power source that minimizes potential fluctuations, ensuring the best audio experience possible.Gain Boost
To optimize the audio experience provided by the onboard OP-Amp, the G1.Sniper Z87 motherboard also features Gain Boost with onboard switches to select between 2.5x and 6x amplification modes depending on output device. Most OP-Amps are capable of providing a high-gain audio output that is ideal for high-end headphones and speakers that have higher impedance headroom.Creative Sound Core3D™
The G1.Sniper Z87 features a dedicated Sound Core3D™ audio processor from Creative, a multi-core sound and voice processor offering high-performance hardware audio processing, with leading-edge audio technologies including the latest SoundBlaster software suite.Audio Noise Guard
To help protect and insulate the Creative Sound Core3D™ audio processor and onboard amplifiers from electromagnetic interference (EMI), the GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z87 motherboard features an audio noise guard that essentially separates the board’s sensitive analog audio components from potential EMI noise at the PCB level. LED trace path lighting illuminates to show the separation of the PCB layers.Nichicon Pro Audio Caps
The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z87 motherboard uses the highest quality Nichicon MUSE ES series bipolar audio capacitors at each channel layout. These professional audio capacitors deliver the highest quality sound resolution and expansion to create a true Hi-Fi audio experience.Gold Audio Plated Hardware
The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z87 motherboard uses top quality gold plated hardware for improved connectivity and long lasting durability for the USB DAC-UP port, DisplayPort and HMDI ports and audio connectors. Gold has superb signal conductivity and will not tarnish over extended periods of use. The Sound Core3D™ audio processor is also shielded by a gold-plated cover which eliminates electrostatic interference.For more information about the GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z87 motherboard, please visit:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4802#ovTo learn more about GIGABYTE G1-Killer series gaming motherboards, please go to:
http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/335/gaming.html -
Ivy Bridge-E Overclocking With EVGA And Corsair
I did an article on overclocking the Ivy Bridge-E Core i7 4930K using an EVGA X79 Dark and was very impressed with the performance. I suspect my chip isn't that good but LN2 results could improve and with the new BIOS images being released since then I'm sure my chip could do better..
It has been a while since I personally have setup a bench, rolled up my sleeves and built a test system with top-shelf components, a fresh OS install and some overclocking mojo. However, Intel's recent release of Ivy Bridge-E gave us a hankering to do just that. We've been testing a lot of tablets, smartphones and Ultrabooks but there's a satisfaction with building a high performance system from the ground up, that you just don't get from pre-built devices...
EVGA recently took the wraps off a new high-end X79 motherboard dubbed the X79 Dark and its black PCB with red accents, as it turned out, matched quite nicely with Corsair's Vengeance Pro series memory and H90 water cooler. But we needed stable clean power too, so we enlisted an EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G2 power supply to offer up the juice. All told, with an OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPs SSD for storage, we ended up with quite a test platform to explore the out limits of clock speed with Intel's Core i7-4960X Ivy Bridge-E six-core processor.I do hate it when hardware reviewers claim that they don't use top shelf components and then set out to do an overclocking article. Not to mention their 3.6Ghz overclock? WTF?? At least I was able to hit 5Ghz+ and prove that IVB-E can be a viable overclocking platform.
