Hardware Asylum CES 2025 Coverage
I would like to thank Yeyian Gaming for helping sponsor Hardware Asylum during CES 2025. The Consumer Electronics Show starts Jan 9th and runs through Jan 12th.
Yeyian Gaming offers an wide range of solutions for the PC gamer including pre-built PCs to fully customized gaming computers with an online configurator. Their builds feature the latest in computer hardware including Intel Ultra, AMD Ryzen 9 and the latest in Nvidia RTX.
Be sure to check them out at https://us.yeyiangaming.com and the Venetian Tower if you'll be attending CES 2025.
Tech News
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Funky Kit Review - Thermaltake Floe RC Ultra 240 CPU & Memory AIO Liquid Cooler
This AIO cooler was shown during CES 2022 and while it is nothing more than a standard AIO with additional memory cooling block it does come with a very special feature
OLED Screens! and lots of them.
Thermaltake Floe RC Ultra 240 CPU & Memory AIO Liquid Cooler not only offers good cooling performance for both CPU and memory, the 2 large colour LCD displays make it a unique feature that modders will love. You can monitor CPU and memory frequency, temperatures, memory speed, CPU/Memory load, as well upload your own GIFs and photos for extra personalization!
To be honest the memory cooler is a total waste of time and money BUT, when you consider that it was only added to give you MORE screen space I can see why they included it. Plus, its not like you have to use the memory cooler, you just need to place it and enjoy the magical screens.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Launch Day
I have been a little "lax" when it has come to posting news about the RTX 3090 Ti launch and from what I have seen there wasn't much to say. However, TechPowerUp made this comment in their ASUS Strix 3090 Ti Review and seems to tie things up nicely.
The ASUS ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3090 Ti "Ampere" is being launched today, as a finale for the Ampere graphics architecture and the fastest graphics card from ASUS. The RTX 3090 Ti is designed to be a double-digit percentage faster than even the RTX 3090, and improves in several areas we didn't even think NVIDIA could tap into. It enables all shaders physically present on the GA102, the largest graphics silicon based on Ampere, and pairs it with even faster memory than the one powering the RTX 3090, along with higher clocks and power limits. The RTX 3090 Ti targets those who want to play any of today's games at 4K native resolution with maxed out details, including ray tracing, and even explore higher resolutions such as 8K with the help of the DLSS 8K feature NVIDIA debuted with Ampere. ~TechPowerUp
This quote from the PR post also helps to fill in the blanks
With the ASUS STRIX LC, ASUS is betting big on their liquid cooled thermal solution. The card itself is more compact than other RTX 3090 Ti models, because the cooling magic happens in the radiator. A large factory overclock is included, too, and the power limit adjustment range goes up to 525 Watt.
Web Reviews
ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 Ti STRIX Liquid Cooled @ TechPowerUp
MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X @ TechPowerUp
EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti FTW3 Ultra @ TechPowerUp
ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 Ti TUF Gaming OC @ Guru 3D
Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Amp Extreme @ TechPowerUpThe way I see it, the gist of this release is that to take full advantage of Ampere you need a 4 slot cooler and at least a 1000w PSU. This reminds me of the SLI recommendations from back in the day. What is most interesting is that despite everything most sites are reporting a 10% performance boost which tells me that we are more than CPU bound and it takes a very special Hardware Enthusiast to take advantage of this GPU.
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Mushkin Launches New Vortex Series Solid State Drives
Austin, TX, March. 15, 2022 -- Mushkin Enhanced MFG – An industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance and high-reliability computer products, today launched its new Redline VORTEX Series of high-performance NVMe solid-state drives.
Featuring a carbon nano heat dissipating label, the Redline Vortex delivers colossal throughput of up to 7,415 MB/s sequential read and up to 6,800 MB/s sequential write. In combination with Dynamic SLC Caching and DRAM Cache Buffer, the Redline Vortex gives you a performance boost needed for content creators, gaming, and professionals alike.
Redline VORTEX:
The Redline VORTEX series, powered by Innogrit’s IG5236 series (Rainier) controller, features the next evolution of the PCI-Express Gen4 interface offering an impressive range of performance, security, and reliability. Delivering up to 10 times the sequential read and sequential write speeds of some SATA SSDs and up to 50 times the speed of some traditional HDDs.
- Capacities: 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB
- Max Sequential: Up to 7415MB/s (Read) / 6800MB/s (Write)
- 4KB Random: 730,000 IOPS (Read) / 1,500,000 IOPS (Write)
- Dimensions: 22mm x 80mm X 2.25mm
- Warranty: 5 Year Limited Warranty*
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Lexar Adds a Professional USB-C Dual-Slot Reader to Its Workflow Solutions
San Jose, USA, March 15, 2022 — Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, is proud to announce the new Lexar® Professional USB-C™ Dual-Slot Reader. This reader is perfect for professional photographers and videographers who want to speed up their workflow with high-speed file transfer on the go.
The Lexar® Professional USB-C™ Dual-Slot Reader works with SD™ and microSD™ UHS-II cards and offers creatives fast transfer speeds up to 312MB/s1 read. It also features a USB-C™ connector which is reversible for convenient plug-and-play functionality making it perfect for USB-C™ computers.
Key Features
- Read speeds up to 312MB/s
- Backwards compatible with SD™ and microSD™ UHS-I cards (up to 170MB/s)
- Supports USB3.2 Gen1 (Type-C)
- Compatible with USB 3.1 and 2.0 ports
- LED activity light to indicate working status
- Two-year limited warranty
Designed with a USB 3.2 Gen1 interface, the Lexar® Professional USB-C™ Dual-Slot Reader is also backwards compatible with USB 3.1 and 2.0 ports to make your creative process more versatile. It is also built with a LED activity light, so you know when the transferring of your content is completed.
The compact design of the Lexar® Professional USB-C™ Dual-Slot Reader also makes it easier for photographers and videographers to slip it in their pocket and go.
“We are excited to announce the new Lexar® Professional USB-C™ Dual-Slot Reader to our line of workflow solutions. This reader is made for USB-C™ computers and will make your workflow and files transfer much faster, even when on the go." said Joel Boquiren, General Manager of Lexar.
Lexar® Professional USB-C™ Dual-Slot Reader is available this month for purchase online at an MSRP of $29.99.
Availability:
- Amazon
- B&H
- Adorama
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Lexar Announces Development of 2000x 256GB SDXC UHS-II V90 Card GOLD Series
San Jose, USA, March 8th, 2022 – Lexar, a leading brand of flash memory solution, is proud to announce the Lexar® Professional 2000x SDHC™ /SDXC™ USH-II Memory Card GOLD Series in the 256GB capacity option. With speeds up to 300MB/s read, the Lexar® Professional 2000x SDXC UHS-II Card GOLD Series is design for DSLR and cinema-quality video cameras.
Key Features:
- High-speed performance—leverages UHS-II technology for a read transfer speed up to 300MB/s
- Captures high-quality images and extended lengths of Full-HD and cinema-quality 8K video
- Designed for durability
- Backwards compatible with UHS-I devices
- High capacity of 256GB
- Limited lifetime warranty
The cards can leverage the UHS-II technology that allows you to handle sequential burst mode of RAW footage effortlessly, and provide users with super-fast file transfers for expedited post-production.
The new Lexar® Professional 2000x SDXC UHS-II Card GOLD Series 256GB fully meets the growing demand for larger storage capacity, which helps users save time and dramatically accelerates workflow from start to finish.
The Lexar® Professional 2000x SDHC™/SDXC™ UHS-II Card GOLD Series provides the performance you need to capture and store valuable data in a variety of elements which is water-proof, temperature-proof, shockproof, vibration-proof, and X-ray-proof3. For added versatility, the cards are also backwards compatible with UHS-I devices, performing up to the maximum thresholds of UHS-I speed capabilities
“We are excited to announce the Lexar® Professional 2000x SDHC™/SDXC™ UHS-II V90 Card in 256GB. The new larger capacity will dramatically help professional content creators capture more of what they love while maintaining the top performance known from our 2000x Series of Professional SD Cards.”
~ Joel Boquiren, General Manager of Lexar.Lexar® Professional 2000x SDXC UHS-II Card GOLD Series 256GB is available this month for purchase online at an MSRP of $299.99.
Availability
- Amazon
- B&H
- Adorama
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Funky Kit Review - ASUS TUF Gaming H670-Pro WiFi D4 Motherboard
TUF Stuff motherboard from ASUS. I have to say there are two great things about the ASUS TUF.
- It seems to be cheaply made so to pass the savings on to the consumer
- It still has style enough for those who care even though most buy TUF cause: money
Even the logo is TUF!
If you want to run Intel's latest 12th Gen Alder Lake processors, and you're not too bothered about overclocking your CPU, then there's no need to buy an expensive Z690 motherboard. The Asus TUF Gaming H670-Pro WiFi D4 motherboard has it all. It supports DDR4 ram and offers plenty of features, stability, reliability and performance.
Tall socket FTW! and positioned on a rather normal looking motherboard. BUY TUF,
or whatever
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Lexar Professional 1800x SDXC UHS-II Card GOLD Series Memory Card
San Jose, USA, March 1, 2022 — Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, is proud to announce the new Lexar® Professional 1800x SDXC™ UHS-II Card GOLD Series. It is the perfect memory solution for professional photographers and videographers who want to dramatically accelerate their workflow from start to finish.
With speeds up to 270MB/s read, the Lexar® Professional 1800x SDXC™ UHS-II Card GOLD Series is designed for your DSLR or mirrorless cameras to speed up your workflow - saving you time and getting you back behind the camera to create more content.
It is built with the latest UHS-II technology with write speeds up to 180MB/s that allows you to handle photos in burst mode with ease. And, with V60 and UHS Speed Class 3 (U3), seamlessly capture stunning Full-HD and 4K video with large capacity options up to 256GB.
Key Features:
- High-speed performance – rated UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 60 (V60) for your Professional DSLR and mirrorless cameras
- Leverages UHS-II technology to deliver read speeds up to 270MB/s
- Capture high-quality images and extended lengths of Full-HD and 4K video with write speeds up to 180MB/s
- Designed for durability
- Backwards compatible with UHS-I devices
- Limited lifetime warranty
The Lexar® Professional 1800x SDXC™ UHS-II Card GOLD Series provides the performance you need to capture and store valuable data in a variety of elements. The 1800x is water-proof, temperature-proof, shockproof, vibration-proof, and X-ray-proof. For added versatility, the cards are also backwards compatible with UHS-I devices, performing up to the maximum thresholds of UHS-I speed capabilities.
“We are excited to announce the Lexar® Professional 1800x SDXC™ UHS-II Card GOLD Series. These cards offer high-speed performance and will dramatically accelerate digital photography work?ow from shooting in the field to post-production." said Joel Boquiren, General Manager of Lexar.
Lexar® Professional 1800x SDXC™ UHS-II Card GOLD Series is available this month for purchase online at an MSRP of $36.99 (64GB), $56.99 (128GB), and $109.99 (256GB).
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Fractal Torrent Compact Review @ Vortez
There once was a computer case that was designed with a single purpose in mind. A design so "in your face" that nobody could confuse it with being anything else. This new chassis design succeeded in its goal and was quickly lost to the void.
This case was the Factal Torrent, is was designed to get the praise of a single YouTube channel and wasn't that bad. The thing was F'IN HUGE but, executed everything perfectly and even introduced some RMA drama just to give the YT Tech Channel something more to talk about.
Well, it seems Fractal is now kicking it down a notch with the Torrent Compact. You know, cause most of the world can't have a freight train of a computer chassis in their house.
In the spotlight today is the Torrent Compact. The intention behind this new enclosure is that it will provide a downsized version of the original Torrent and of course, come in with a smaller price tag. Compact arrives in many different colour options and is armed with two 180mm PWM fans. Will it be able to match the prowess of its larger sibling?
180mm fans, bezel inspired by 40's era automotive design and now smaller?
I cannot complain
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Zaunkoenig M2K Gaming Mouse @ TechPowerUp
They say there are "mice" and then there are "MICE!". The question is what kind of "mouse" is this??
To be honest, I'm not sure this is a mouse but, rather a pointing device for computer users who have never used a mouse or for those who grew up with a grape iMac at their school and yet, has somehow been removed from technology ever since.
Exclusively intended for fingertip grip, the 24 g Zaunkoenig M2K is the world's lightest gaming mouse. With a carbon fiber body, Japanese Omron main button switches, and driverless 8000 Hz polling rate, the M2K is built for the lowest latency possible without compromising on anything.
I'd like to say that I have a pretty good eye for ergonomics and design. If this mouse was in an office setting or part of your "this is my computer" art installment that you never touch then we have a winner. However, if you are actually going to play a game then there will be carnage, and it will be you throwing the mouse at the wall.
Maybe this why they wrapped this brick in carbon fiber?
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SilverStone AR12-TUF CPU Cooler Review @ APH Networks
ASUS put forth a TUF marketing campaign that, on paper, would change how users purchased computer components. Instead of stressing over which was the "best" CPU cooler or "best" memory module for your build the user could simply look for the TUF name.
Not only would these products be fully compatible with ASUS TUF series products but, would also be color matched allowing users to show off their TUF stuff. The campaign went off without a hitch and, it seemed to have fallen right on its face.
The SilverStone AR12-TUF is a down-to-earth air cooler that adds a bit of color to your build at a very low price.
One nice thing to come out of the whole process is a renewed awareness that there are some pretty great products at the low end of the spectrum and the SilverStone AR12-TUF looks to be a Hyper 212 killa!
