Tech News
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BAPCo Releases SYSmark 25
I have been using BAPCo benchmarks, namely SYSmark, since the inception of Ninjalane and continues to be one of my "go-to" benchmarks when it comes to testing real world performance. Of course, choosing a benchmark depends on what you are trying to test and what you are using to run that test against.
Basically, do your homework when trusting scores online.
There are a number of enhancements with SYSmark 25 and to be honest I'm looking forward to the 1 hour run-time. BTW, if 1 hour seems like a long time consider for a moment that SYSmark 2018 SE takes 4 hours to complete.
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SYSmark® 25, the latest and 25th workload generation of the premier PC benchmark that measures and compares system performance using real-world applications and workloads. The 25th workload generation of the premier PC performance metric features new Productivity, Creativity, and Responsiveness Scenarios.
The new Productivity Scenario has updated workloads and applications geared towards office centric user activities. The new Creativity Scenario features updated workloads and applications geared toward media-centric user activities. The new Responsiveness Scenario models ‘pain points’ in the user experience. These common activities that include: application launches, file launches, web browsing with multiple tabs, multi-tasking, and background application installation.
What’s new in SYSmark® 25:
- The 25th workload generation based on new Productivity, Creativity, and Responsiveness Scenarios
- Updated third-party applications
- Shorter install and run times
- Dark mode support
- A streamlined “click-and-run” user interface
- Results consolidated into a single file
- Localized GUI support for nine languages
- All new updated applications: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Audacity, AutoIt, Corel WinZip 24.0 Enterprise, Google Chrome (v 81.0), Microsoft Excel 2019, Microsoft Outlook 2019, Microsoft PowerPoint 2019, Microsoft Word 2019, Shotcut. SYSmark 25 uses only unmodified, retail versions of real-world applications for measurement
- New Productivity Scenario which has updated workloads and applications geared towards office centric user activities
- New Creativity Scenario which has updated workloads and applications geared toward media centric user activities
- The new Responsiveness Scenario models ‘pain points’ in the user experience. These common activities that include: application launches, file launches, web browsing with multiple tabs, multi-tasking, and background application installation.
- Improved results (FDR) formatting. New combined, single results PDF. Automatically generates results as PDF
- Allows active Internet connection during benchmark installation and execution
- Energy Consumption feature which records energy usage in watt-hours during the workloads. Requires a Watts Up Pro meter (buy @ the BAPCo Store). Compatible meters include: Watts Up PRO, PRO ES, and .NET models. Watts Up meter is suitable for connection only to 120V, 60 Hz power. Not suitable for Europe (230 VAC 50 Hz)
- Minimum system requirements ensure that SYSmark 25 runs on broader categories of PC systems
- CPU: 2015 or newer x86 processor (Intel 6th Generation Core or AMD 7000 series APU)
- RAM: 8 GB
- HDD/SSD: 25GB of free space on the primary drive
- Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 10 64-bit version 1803 (RS4) or higher
- Resolution: 1280×800 or 1366×768
- Graphics: DirectX 10 compatible, 2GB of VRAM
- Supported Languages on Windows 10: English (US)
- Additional languages to be added in future update: Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Spanish (SP)
- Approximate Running Time: 1 hour (1-iteration)
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Creative SXFI GAMER Headset: REKT Everyone Else
Super X-Fi Gen2 Ultra-Realistic Holographic Audio Set to Stun Beyond Limits with All-New BATTLE Mode and CommanderMic
Milpitas, Calif. July 9, 2020 – Creative Technology has launched its flagship gaming headset, the Creative SXFI GAMER. Powered by the exceptional BATTLE Mode audio profile, a brand-new CommanderMic with professional-grade clarity, wired through a Kevlar-reinforced USB cable and topped off with a stunning RGB light design, SXFI GAMER is simply the ultimate weapon for complete gaming immersion and domination.
Gaming Sounds Real Like Never Before
Having snagged 23 best-of-show awards over the last two editions of CES 2019-2020, users and critics have been blown away by the next-generation realism of Super X-Fi headphone holography.
Since the start of this year, Super X-Fi products have been upgraded to Gen2, an improved and expanded version of Super X-Fi which incorporates key enhancements like higher accuracy in personalizing a user’s audio profile, extending more details in the surround sound configuration, better audio positioning and fidelity.
The SXFI GAMER incorporates all of these and goes one step further with BATTLE Mode, a specially-designed audio profile which optimizes Super X-Fi to a perfect fit for FPS games – environmental imaging, audio cues, distance projection and directionality are all enhanced with unprecedented levels of accuracy for the competitive gamer’s benefit, while preserving the essence of the award-winning holographic audio experience.
Look, Feel and Talk like a Pro Gamer
Besides its sharpshooter audio quality, the SXFI GAMER performs in various ways befitting bona fide pro gamers.The CommanderMic makes its debut in a completely new acoustic design which includes an integrated pop filter. It sports Creative’s latest SXFI inPerson microphone technology, which uses a special algorithm to enhance speech pick-up while suppressing ambient noise effectively.
The SXFI GAMER also ups the cool factor with its custom-designed, Kevlar-reinforced USB cable, which is meticulously engineered for strength and durability as it drives high-speed data transfer to deliver its maximum potential for gaming. The new RGB lighting design on the earcups, which allows users to customize their combat get-up with 16.7 million colors to choose from, provides the finishing move for the SXFI GAMER’s assault on gaming headsets.
Creative’s CEO Sim Wong Hoo said, “Gaming has always been entrenched in our DNA, since the earliest days of Sound Blaster more than 30 years ago.
“After we successfully created Super X-Fi, which critics have hailed as the holy grail of headphone technology, we did not rest on our laurels. We went ahead and spent a great deal of effort and resources to further improve Super X-Fi, especially targeting the gaming sector. The BATTLE Mode is here, and together with the CommanderMic and other features, the SXFI GAMER truly embodies the culmination of our very best technologies in a gaming headset.
“At the same time, the SXFI GAMER allows you to communicate with others as if they were in front of you, and also they would be able to hear you clearly. Hence it would be a great tool to Work-Learn-Play from home with.”
Pricing and Availability
SXFI GAMER is priced at US$129.99 and is available at Creative.com.For more information, visit us.creative.com/sxfigamer.
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Lexar Announces New SL200 Portable SSD
San Jose, USA, June 25, 2020 – Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, today announced the new Lexar® SL200 Portable SSD.
Key Features:
- SSD-level performance – with speeds up to 550MB/s read and 400MB/s write1
- Sleek, slimline styling with a premium finish
- Durable, portable design—resists harsh temperatures and vibration2
- Includes an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption
- Features a USB Type-C port. Includes a USB Type-C to USB Type-C and USB Type-C to standard USB Type-A cable
- Three-year limited warranty
The family line of SSD products continues to expand and grow stronger with this latest addition to the SSD portfolio. This portable drive lets you take your data on-the-go, so you're covered in the field or the office. To keep your data secure, it's drop-, shock-, vibration-resistant, and features an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption. The sleek SL200 has a premium finish available in 512GB and 1TB of storage space. It also displays more than adequate transfer speeds of up to 550 MB/s and a write speed of up to 400 MB/s1. It's easy to connect to your system using the included USB Type-C to USB Type-C or USB Type-C to Type-A cable, and it's ready to use.
Lexar® SL200 Portable SSD is available this month for purchase online at Adorama and B&H at an MSRP of $89.99 USD (512 GB,) followed by the 1TB at $159.99 USD in July.
All Lexar product designs undergo extensive testing in the Lexar Quality Labs, facilities with more than
1,100 digital devices, to ensure performance, quality, compatibility, and reliability. For more information
visit www.lexar.com
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Thermaltake AH T600 @ TechPowerUp
One of the stragest case designs to come out of Thermaltake during CES 2020 the Thermaltake AH t600.
From a design perspective, the Thermaltake AH T600 is a bold chassis. Thermaltake utilizes an almost insane material mix with heavy inspiration drawn from modern military helicopters to create a large full-tower chassis with all the capabilities one looks for in a liquid cooling case.
Thermaltake has been caterig their case builds to be exclusively for Watercooling, it helps sell their watercooling gear and puts their caes in the spotlight whenever someone posts a build. The one issue I have with the case is that it is very different from a traditional chassis and what might look cool may not be the best chassis to build in.
Then again, TT wasn't looking for a ground breaking chasis but rather one to show off what they can do. Think "S-Frame"
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EVGA Z490 FTW WIFI @ LanOC Reviews
It is nice to know that there are a few reviewers that agree with me. Wes over and LanOC took the new EVGA Z490 FTW out for a spin and it seems they also had trouble deciding how to put the board into a positive light. (Must have been ROG envy, #justsayin)
One thing I didn't include in my review was the frustration I had getting things installed. Not so much drivers but, getting memory installed took way more force than it should have. The same was true for PCI Express cards and even the power plugs. I did ask EVGA about this and they claim it must have been a fluke with my particular sample and AND, I believe them. It is not uncommon to have a bad batch of components and more often than not *that* is why RMA exists.
(BTW RMA doesn't exist for people who break stuff on purpose or for those who cannot get something to work correctly.)
With a small B550 break out of the way, I did still have another Z490 motherboard come in after the Z490 launch that I wanted to check out. That board is from EVGA and unlike all of the other board manufacturers, EVGA doesn’t have 15 or 20 different options. They always like to keep things a little simpler. They have two Z490 motherboards and only one available just yet, the Z490 FTW WiFi. I’m excited to see what EVGA has going on for this generation so let’s dive in and take a closer look then put it through its paces.
Be sure to check out my review of the EVGA Z480 FTW WiFi Motherboard. Its not a bad board but, did leave a LOT on the table when you start looking at what else is out there.
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Intel Rocket Lake-S 8-Core 11th Gen Desktop CPU Benchmark Leaked
It is interesting to see that most of the processor leaks these days are coming from when benchmark results are uploaded to the company website instead of being emailed around. This was a serious problem back in the day and would incite some pretty serious witch hunts to find where the leak came from. Some of the classic ones to stir up the hornets were when NVIDIA results made it to the Futuremark Hall of Fame. As we know NVIDIA plays their product releases very close to the chest and when leaks happen they tend to make a big deal out of it.
There seems to be less honor in the community these days and maybe it is a case of "leaked sex tapes" that might get a day in the press only to quickly go away provided that nobody says something. However, when the person in the tape makes a big deal out of it that tends to make things worse.
In this case we have leaked Rocket Lake benchmark samples making it to Geekbench not only does Geekbench allow the results to remain online but rumor mill sites latch on to it and start dissecting what has been posted. It is almost like they were tipped off because, seriously, who the F browses the Geekbench results on a daily basis. #facepalm
https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/compute/1124595Check out the news release on HotHardware as they report on data collected from the new Intel Xe onboard GPU that should be available in the new 11th generation Intel CPUs. I don't suspect onboard graphics will replace your RTX 2080 Ti any time soon but, you never know.
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Redragon Cobra M711 FPS @ TechPowerUp
I'm going to short cut my normal rant about poor product names and refer to the opening paragraph in the review over at TechPowerUp. (It is that good)
Redragon is the gaming peripheral brand of Eastern Times Technology Co., Ltd., which is based in China and was established in 1996. The Cobra M711 FPS is an upgraded version of the Cobra M711. While the right-handed ergonomic shape hasn't changed, the sensor has been updated to the PMW3360, which is one of PixArt's top-tier optical sensors. Furthermore, LK optical switches are used for the main buttons, which promises low button latency. Lastly, rich RGB lighting is included as well, which can further be customized in the software, along with many other settings.
~TechPowerUpThat alone should explain everything.
As a mousa (yes the Red Dragon Cobra is a mouse) it looks really good, has nice weight (kinda), a good shape and some good RGB accents. What I cannot place is where I have seen this design before. OR if the shape of a good mouse is following the car trend where that one shape just works so everyone uses it.
Either way check out the article.
BTW this bad boy is on Amazon for $22 Bux!!
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GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS XTREME Review @ Vortez
Not sure if I have ever mentioned this but, I really like the new Aorus product naming scheme. The names are clear and indicate a level of quality that anyone can understand. Of course, we won't mention how they were sampled from MSI and ASUS but, I can say that it worked for them and it is working for Aorus (Gigabyte)
Now, what is not working is having to flip through two pages of review documentation just to get a shot of the motherboard and in which case was not even the first photo in the review. #justsayin
And, this quote isn't really doing much fror me either.
The Z490 AORUS XTREME follows in the footsteps of other products using the XTREME moniker by offering the very best for overclockers and hardware enthusiasts. Across this motherboard there are an abundance of features regardless of which region is under consideration.
What I can say is that the Aorus X490 Xtreme is a pretty pimp motherboard with a full coverage shroud protecting our fragile eyes from the beauty, which is the PCB. On top of that a large section if it covers the critical M.2 drive slots while the CPU and memory are left hanging in the wind for everyone to see.
I guess those RGB M.2 drives won't be much use in a build using this board.
Gotta say, I'm a fan.
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Hardware Asylum and Lexar Fathers Day Giveaway Winners
I hope everyone had a wonderful Fathers Day. The winners have been picked and notification of prize will be sent via Gleam using your account information.
There was a really good turn out this time around and I wanted to personally thank everyone who entered!
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Kingston KC2000 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD @ TechPowerUp
The adoption of NVMe drives has been slow since they first started hitting shelves. Some of that can be attributed to low capacity while others might be related to performance. Now that drives are getting easier to buy the selection has grown.
Last year we found a bug in Kingston's SSD firmware, which inflicted a significant performance penalty. Now a software fix is publicly available, and it makes a big difference. The Kingston KC2000 is now the fastest SSD we ever tested, it even manages to beat the Samsung 970 Pro.
I hate to see things like this but that is the nature of the review business. Equally annoying are the instances where independent reviews don't match the advertised performance because there was a manufacturing variance added to accomidate for huge margins in performance.
