Tech News
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Asus ROG Matrix R9290X and Matrix GTX780Ti
You all knew this was going to happen and I wonder why it didn't happen sooner.
It would appear that ASUS has been pulling an EVGA and teased the release of their new ROG Matrix video cards until finally revealing an entire set of photos.
Both of ASUS' cards make use of a custom PCB and come equipped with a dual-slot cooler featuring two fans (one of which is a CoolTech fan), and a black nickel-plated heatsink boasting five direct contact copper heatpipes. The upcoming MATRIX models also have dual 8-pin power connectors, a 14-phase DIGI+ VRM, a backplate, dual-DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and OC-oriented additions like the LN2 Mode Switch.
ASUS has always been keen on incuding the LN2 Mode switch which does something with the low level hardware. Chances are on the video card it is just an alternative BIOS. The cards look great and they extended the PCB to accomidate the 14-phase VRM but didn't bother making the card square. As a result you have a strange looking backplate and even stranger looking PCB with an entire section with nothing on it.
Despite the coolness of this card there is very little chance that I will get one for review but, that won't keep me from trying.
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Use Your Borderlands 2 Golden Keys!?!
For those of you who have played Borderlands 2 there is a chance you have seen the Mysterious Golden Chest in Sanctuary. As you are progressing thru the game it becomes difficult to get "good" high level loot making your game progress take longer. The Golden Chest is a way around that and by spending a Golden Key you are rewarded with a guaranteed purple drop that is level matched to the character who spent the key.
If you follow Gearbox Software on Facebook or @DuvalMagic (Randy Pitchford) on Twitter you will get a chance at getting more Golden Keys. For instance they posted keys for 5 Golden Keys today on twitter with a follow up message.
Randy Pitchford @DuvalMagic
PS3: CT5BJ-6FZCH-TXX5T-SB5BJ-3CHC5
WinPC/Mac: KB5TJ-CJB3Z-H6KKT-BB33B-KH33B
X360: CBWJ3-BKXSX-HSJ5X-WX3TJ-6BBZS
Randy Pitchford @DuvalMagic
SHiFT codes for five Golden Keys for Borderlands 2 on the way. Use them, don't horde them. Good luck, and happy hunting!The ongoing rumor in the community is that every time a Golden Key is spent a snapshot of your player and game data is sent back to Gearbox so they can determine how often you play, what level your character is and what loot you have. I suspect they can also gauge how popular the game is which might have also been a driving force behind all the DLC they released.
As listeners of the Hardware Asylum Podcast will know, Darren and I have played a bunch of Borderlands 2, and still play on occasion. Sadly there comes a time when the loot you have is actually better than what the Golden Chest can provide so you tend to horde the keys figuring that you might use them when you need extra cash or when a playing partner needs a better gun or something.
Right now I have a total of 186 Golden Keys and stopped spending them when I realized that the purple gear in the chest was rather crappy compared to what I have collected. I'll continue to collect keys for as long as Randy keeps posting them however, unless they start allowing legendaries and pearls to crop up in the chest the chance that I'll spend them is pretty slim.
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Asylum: Review Block - Random Stuff Edition
Most of the time when I do a review block it is because I get (x(n)) number of (y) reviews and figure it would be a good chance to post them all. Well, it has been awhile since I did one and figured it was time to post some random stuff the hardware sites are looking at these days.
Case
Thermaltake Urban S71 @ HW-Journal.deDIY Watercooling Radiator
XSPC RX360 V3 Radiator @ PureOverclockMotherboard
ASUS Z87 Maximus VI Impact ITX Motherboard Review @ Hardware CanucksHead/Ear Phones
Meze 11 Deco In-Ear Headphone – Beech Wood Creates Great Bass
Bitfenix Flo Gaming Headset Review! @ Bjorn3DInput Device
Logitech G430 @ LanOC Reviews
Gigabyte Avia Uranium Gaming-Mouse Review on Technic3DCoolers
Cryorig R1 Ultimate CPU Air Cooler Review @ [H] <- HardOCP if you didn't knowOpen Source Drivers?
Radeon Gallium3D Performance Gets Close To Catalyst On Ubuntu 14.04 @ PhoronixWhile I often prefer to focus on the high-end hardware the truth is a review site is designed to provide informed and trustworthy opinions on hardware (some do this better than others). That way consumers and hardware enthusiasts can see what is available and make informed decisions on what to buy.
As you can see from this list there is a good majority of low-end inexpensive products out for review and even more random'ness left in my inbox.
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G.Skill TridentX 32 GB CAS7 F3-1600C7Q-32GTX @ techPowerUp
Some people wonder why review sites don't do reviews of system memory anymore. While the answer is political the truth is, memory companies are reluctant to send out high-dollar-low-margin modules to hear the reviewer say that "more memory is good, doesn't overclock well"
This 1600Mhz kit reviewed at TPU is part of the overclocking line at GSkill and looks to work pretty well in that department. Sadly these modules are 1600Mhz so the only performance gain out of the box is memory size.
G.Skill sent me a fancy new memory kit with huge capabilities, both in size and for overclocking! Clocking in at a normal 1600 MHz, but with CAS 7, the G.Skill F3-1600C7Q-32GTX's sticks aren't average, and their red and black tridents are nearly the perfect match for any watercooled and overclocked build.
CAS 7 is always good and if your system will use them you'll have a plethora of tweaking opportunities.
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Unmask the Fake Microsoft Support Scammers
By now we should all be aware that most everything is a scam. Those telemarketers that call you asking you to fill out a survey are getting profile information on you and getting paid to collect that data. Door to door art sales people are often selling cheap prints after being scammed themselves to try and make a few extra bucks.
One of the worst scams revolves around malware, sometimes the scam is a program holding your computer hostage while others take a more human approach can call you saying they are from Microsoft and claim you are infected and we can fix it for you.
This is along the lines of a person impersonating a police officer to do whatever they want.
Computer savvy users can recognize these scams and one security expert decided to fight back.
I just want to mention that there is no such department at Microsoft, and they would never call up customers offering this. So if you ever get a call ‘from Microsoft’ stating that there are some indications that your computer is broken or infected - please hang up!
Well, they have called me several times, and finally Ii got fed up with this and started to play along. At the same time I had my virtual machines running and was recording everything that they were doing. The goal was to find out who they were and exactly what the scam was. Luckily I was able to get hold of information such as their internal IP addresses, the PayPal accounts used to wire money and the numbers they are calling from.Their approach is pretty simple and reminds me of a fake lotto or Fedex scam where they contact you saying they can help but require that you send them money first, or re-send a package when you receive it. The end result is you being separated from your money and no way to get it back.
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Lotus Motorcycles C-01 Brings Tron to the Real World
Some readers of this site will remember that I'm a bit of a motorcycle guy and even named a hardware review site after one, (eg Ninjalane). When I was in college I would pick up a copy of "Sport Rider" and followed many of the trends in World Superbike racing. One of the controversial aspects of the sport was when outsiders attempted to enter competition with new bike designs and MV Agusta did so with the F4. This was a Cagiva based motorcycle with an inline 4-cylinder engine that was co-designed with Ferrari.
Needless to say, I was impressed and have always wanted one.
It would seem another player has decided to hit the motorcycle scene, maybe not to race but to really show off what they can do. Thing is, this company is better known for building high-end sports cars so you have to wonder what their motorcycle will eventually become.
The Lotus Motorcycles C-01, described by the creators as a “hyperbike,” is the creation of former Bugatti Automobiles designer Daniel Simon and Germany’s Kodewa racing team, who have licensed the U.K. sports-car manufacturer’s name. Holzer Group will carry out the development, production, and assembly of the machine.
The motorcycle will be produced in a limited run of 100 units and is the two-wheeled equivalent of such ultra-exotic cars as the Italian Pagani Huayra.
I have to admit I'm not impressed with the overall styling, the bike looks dated and not unlike a British cafe racer but, it is made from exotic materials and generally looks fun to ride. Given that only 100 will be built you can be assured that 98 of them will likely never see more than 2000 miles.
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How To Lose or Earn A Customer
I was never good at retail sales but have spent a good portion of my life in the consulting world. One thing I have learned over the years is that the adage "The customer is always right" doesn't always apply in every situation. Most of the time the customer is misinformed and too proud to ask for help. Other times they have a really good idea but lack the ability to describe what they want. It was my job to figure out which it was and deliver.
They say working at a retail store is similar but the way I see it, I can fire a client, doing that to a customer can have some adverse effects.
There are endless stories talking about how Best Buy has been closing stores due to declining sales and increased competition from online e-tailers. The way I see it, if the stores stocked more diverse products and spent more time training their employees there might be a chance that the brick and mortar can be saved.
Here is an interesting story from "The Morning News Beat" talking about how they kicked Best Buy in the balls and are now faithful Microcenter followers.
At Micro Center the staffers in white shirts are busy and constantly on the run, just like at Best Buy. In contrast, though, they were quick to make eye contact and quick to promise me they were coming right over. In fact, when no one got free quickly enough, the department manager came to answer our questions and did so without irony or condescension, even though I will admit my technology questions are not always the savviest.
Needless to say, he got the sale. And when I told him how much I enjoyed working with him, he said, “There’s a reason we are opening stores while others are closing."Darren and I talked about some of the issues that plague the hardware enthusiast in our Vegas edition of the Hardware Asylum Podcast. Be sure to check it out.
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How much can you save building your own PC if you lived in the UK
Back in the early days I would go on and on about how you just HAD to build your own PC because it worked out to be cheaper and you got better components. Of course the downside to building your own PC is choosing what components to buy and as time went on the benefits of having a high-end motherboard over a middle of the road model diminished giving rise to OEM favoritism.
Personally I think everyone should know how to build a computer and actually cherish what a well build desktop can bring.
As a PC hardware enthusiast who fixes computers for people on a regular basis, I am frequently asked how much it would cost to put together a ‘brand new’ or ‘gaming’ computer that will either allow somebody to browse the internet and use office programs, or ‘be better than my games console’. There are a multiple facets to this question, and I have found that PC users are generally more willing to spend a lot of money on pre-built systems at large retail chain stores, rather than put in the time and effort to build their own for a much lower cost (and often better performance).
Keep in mind that this article is Euro based and geared towards European PC Enthusiasts. I cannot comment on the OEM market in the EU but based on the sample system they have it cannot be all that diverse.
Still the cost differences are large enough that if you have the skill it is something you should consider.
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Gigabyte mITX Z87N-WIFI Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps
I currently have a CyberPowerPC Zeus Mini in the lab and its powered by a Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI motherboard like the one featured in this review. So far the board is extremely solid and supports all of the normal overclocking controls and new UEFI dashboard style BIOS.
That small doesn't always imply slow or less strong has been shown by the ASUS Maximus VI Impact board. Setting several records with an Intel's Haswell CPU in the socket, the little mITX board has proven it has nothing to fear from its normal sized brethren, however the biggest drawback is the insane price tag, which makes it far less interesting for those that want to build a HTPC or mini gaming PC on a budget. The market has evolved in favor of the mATX and mITX platforms; demands for small yet powerful mini PCs is drastically increasing. Gigabyte's Z87N-WIFI is a perfect example that including Intel's flagship Z87 chipset does not necessarily imply an exuberantly elevated price, however is a high end chipset a requirement for most users out there? Time to unravel some of the myths and start to explore the wonderful world of the Gigabyte Z87N-WiFi mITX.
If I wasn't such a hardware snob I'd likely buy one of these boards for my daily driver. Or, pick up a Zeus Mini from CyberPowerPC and call it a day.
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NZXT H440 Mid-Tower Case Review @ Legit Reviews
The H440 was one of the highlight cases of CES and is one of the first to feature an integrated PSU cover plate and no external 5.25" drive bays. Yes that’s right no external drive bays.
NZXT really wanted to make a bold statement with their upcoming mid-tower H440 chassis. Outside of the minimalistic design, they minimized – or should I say eliminated – something that many of us have come accustom to: 5.25” drive bays. This means no more optical drives in NZXT’s eyes with this one! Can you imagine a desktop PC without an optical drive? I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that cannot, but I most certainly can. Read on to learn more about this new chassis!
Sadly, this case will end up getting a ton of press because NZXT was brave enough to release a case without external drive bays. Maybe that is where PC Building is headed but given that EVERY case since the beginning of time has come with external drive bays you can't ignore that case modders rely on those bays to store custom fan controllers and even reservoirs for their watercooling systems.
Personally I think it is too soon for companies to start removing the external drive bays but it will take a product generation for the public to decide if this is what they want.
