Tech News
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Redragon K552-R Kumara Keyboard @ TechPowerUp
This company name always makes me chuckle, I know it isn't a 1:1 but, I am easily reminded of the "Flaming Dragon" scene in Tropic Thunder and how nobody believes who they are because their group has an unfamilar name.
Names aside, the keyboard looks pretty much like a keyboard with some new lighting effects.
What happens when you combine a minimalist design, gaming keyboard features, TKL form factor, and great price? You end up with the Redragon K552 Kumara, a budget-prioritizing keyboard that aims to replace your OEM keyboard at not much more in cost, but way more in functionality and customization.
I'm not sure I would call a "10-key-less" keyboard a minimalist design but I do like how the keyboard switches are clear offering a new way for the RGB light to leak out around the keycaps. Not a new idea and would likely offer a ton of glare but, it makes the keyboard look pretty good from a distance.
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Noctua presents CPU coolers for Intel’s LGA4189 Xeon platform
Vienna, July 29th 2021 – Noctua today presented four CPU coolers and a separate mounting kit for Intel’s LGA4189 platform. The new NH-U14S DX-4189, NH-U12S DX-4189, NH-U9 DX-4189 and NH-D9 DX-4189 4U are ideal for creating whisper-quiet high-end workstations using Intel’s just-announced Ice Lake-64L based W3300 series Xeon processors for LGA4189. In addition to the new DX-4189 coolers, the NM-i4189 mounting kit allows Noctua DX-3647 and TR4-SP3 series coolers to be installed on LGA4189.
“DX line CPU coolers have become a default choice in premium grade quiet cooling solutions for Intel Xeon processors”, says Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). “The latest revision for LGA4189 comprises 14, 12 and two 9cm models, covering anything from spacious workstation cases to 4U rack-mount servers.”
The new NH-U14S DX-4189, NH-U12S DX-4189, NH-U9 DX-4189 and NH-D9 DX-4189 4U are dedicated, customised solutions for Intel’s professional LGA4189 platform (Whitley), which makes them an ideal fit for both Ice Lake-SP based 3rd generation Xeon Scalable CPUs (Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze) and W-3300 series Xeon processors for workstations (Ice Lake-64L). Whereas the large 14cm NH-U14S DX-4189 and 12cm NH-U12S DX-4189 are an excellent choice for tower-style cases and thus lend themselves to use in high-performance quiet workstations, the smaller NH-D9 DX-4189 4U and NH-U9 DX-4189 fit 4U cases, which makes them perfect for more compact workstations as well as 4U class rack-mount servers that need to run as quietly as possible. While the 14cm model relies on a single NF-A15 PWM fan to achieve maximum performance, thanks to its large surface area, the 12cm and 9cm models use dual fan configurations with two NF-A12x25 (NH-U12S DX-4189) and NF-A9 (NH-D9 DX-4189 4U and NH-U9 DX-4189) fans to ensure outstanding performance despite their smaller size and surface area.
While the NH-U9’s direction of airflow is perpendicular to the long axis of the LGA4189 socket, the NH-D9’s direction of airflow is parallel to the long axis of the LGA4189 socket. This makes the NH-U9 ideal for workstation builds where the top PCIe slot must not be blocked and this orientation is required for having the cooler exhaust towards the I/O panel. By contrast, the NH-D9 is a great choice for server builds where the cooler’s fans should work in tandem with the airflow inside the chassis, or for workstation builds where this orientation is required for having the cooler exhaust towards the top of the case.
Integrating standard Intel parts such as the anti-tilt mechanism, Torx® T30 PEEK nuts and the LGA4189-4 (P4) CPU carrier frame, the coolers’ SecuFirm2™ mounting system is fully compliant with Intel’s installation guidelines and provides a familiar mounting procedure for experienced LGA4189 users. A Torx® T30 mounting tool is included.
In addition to the new DX-4189 coolers, the NM-i4189 mounting kit allows Noctua DX-3647 and TR4-SP3 series coolers to be installed on LGA4189.
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Amazon is Killing off Nvidia GPUs with its new MMO
I've never been into playing MMO, there is something about the monthly fee and pressure to play that doesn't make it fun. Then you have to deal with "other people" messing with your stuff and I aint got time for that.
But, that is just my opinion and I know there is a HUGE group of people who not only disagree but have extra time to devote to playing a game with friends. Funny thing is, I have been known to play a little Golf which is basically the real world version of a MMO, esp if you throw in Country Club fees.
Anyhow, I digress because the new Amazon MMO has been cited as killing off high end RTX 3090 cards due to unchecked framerates in many of the loading screens. Normally the NVIDIA hardware will monitor this but, something in the game is bypassing those checks and killing the VRM.
Here is a clip from PCGamer.com who has been following the story.
New World makes standard DirectX calls as provided by the Windows API. We have seen no indication of widespread issues with 3090s, either in the beta or during our many months of alpha testing.
The New World Closed Beta is safe to play. In order to further reassure players, we will implement a patch today that caps frames per second on our menu screen. We’re grateful for the support New World is receiving from players around the world, and will keep listening to their feedback throughout Beta and beyond."
Update: An Amazon customer service rep acknowledged an issue with "Nvidia RTX 3090 Series & 100% GPU Usage" in a forum post on Wednesday. The developer recommends turning off "the overrides in the driver settings," but the only specific instruction given is to set 'Max Frame Rate' to 'Off' in the Nvidia control panel (its default state) and rely on the in-game frame rate limiting option.The post does not respond to claims that the issue has broken certain RTX 3090s.
They go on to say that things like "overclocking" and "voltage tweaks could be a contributing factor along with being mostly isolated to EVGA RTX 3090 cards.
This would not be the first time that EVGA cards have been singled out, or maybe it should be the EVGA "users" doing what EVGA "users" do that should be to blame.
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ZOTAC Launches the MEK HERO High-performance Gaming Desktop Series
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 graphics cards paired with AMD Ryzen Processors for a premium gaming experience.
All assembled and tested in the United States, now available as a Newegg exclusive.
Irwindale, California – July 20, 2021 - ZOTAC USA Inc., a manufacturer of innovative hardware solutions, is excited to announce the market launch of the newest addition to the popular MEK gaming desktop series. Introducing the MEK HERO PC Gaming series - bringing PC gamers a high-performance gaming desktop with hassle-free operation and unrivaled quality.
Powered by ZOTAC and exclusive for the United States, the MEK HERO series features ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 30 series graphics, AMD's latest Ryzen 5000 series processors, and EK liquid cooling.
"The MEK HERO is an advanced extension of our hardcore gaming line," said Gary Lau, President of ZOTAC USA Inc. "It’s designed to meet the demands of modern games from fast-paced FPS to immersive simulations, and our component partners help us achieve our goal to build a hassle-free high-performance gaming PC with unparalleled stability and compatibility," he explained. "Excellent thermals are essential to keep a high-performance gaming system operating smoothly, and our MEK HERO team has made this as one of the focal points of our design. In addition, we have partnered with the liquid cooling expert, EK, to provide an excellent AIO liquid cooling solution to the MEK HERO G1 A5837 model. Most importantly, each MEK HERO desktop PC is assembled in the US and has been strictly tested by our local engineers. The first two models of the new series are available now as a Newegg exclusive for the North America market." he added.
ZOTAC MEK HERO G1 A5636 and G1 A5837 gaming desktops are built from a sturdy, compact minimalistic Micro ATX chassis that features a tempered 4mm thick magnetic and hinged glass side panel with easy to access USB and audio ports located on the top-front. Preinstalled are three 120mm RGB intake cooling fans located at the front and a single 120mm exhaust fan at the rear to ensure strong airflow and heat dissipation.
For superior processor cooling, the MEK HERO G1 A5837 is equipped exclusively with an EK AIO 240D-RGB CPU liquid cooler with the 240mm radiator placed at the top panel, for cooling components effectively and without restriction.
"We are extremely excited to be the official liquid-cooling partner for ZOTAC's new MEK HERO line of gaming PCs," said Kat Silberstein, CEO Americas, EK. "Our EK-AIO 240 D-RGB is the perfect choice for MEK HERO G1 A5837 to keep the processor temperatures low and guarantee the performance high, while remaining whisper quiet."
In order to offer users an uncompromised PC gaming experience, the MEK HERO series features the latest NVIDIA GPU (Ampere) and AMD Ryzen CPU. The MEK HERO G1 A5837 come with a ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card and the MEK HERO G1 A5636 comes with an RTX 3060 graphics card. ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 30 series graphic cards feature enhanced RT Cores and Tensor Cores, new streaming multiprocessors, and high-speed GDDR6 memory to amplify gaming performance. NVIDIA Integrated Ray Tracing and DLSS 2.0 AI Acceleration technology create incredible in-game image quality, rendering capabilities, and visual experiences across supported games.
To further enhance performance, the MEK HERO G1 A5636 comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core processor - the MEK Hero G1 A5837 with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-core processor. Additional components consist of a Seagate M.2 NVMe SSD and HDD for storage, Crucial Ballistix DDR4 memory to deliver snappy performance, and a Gold Certified power supply for efficiency and stability. The MEK HERO series comes preinstalled with Windows 10 Home Edition and is Windows 11 ready.
Specifications
MEK HERO G1 A5636
Gaming DesktopMEK HERO G1 A5837
Gaming DesktopCPU
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7GHz (4.6GHz Turbo) 6-core/12-Thread Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8GHz (4.7GHz Turbo) 8-core/16 Thread Processor
Aerial Cooling
Front: 120mm RGB Fan x 3 pcs,
Rear: 120mm RGB Fan x 1pc.Front: 120mm RGB Fan x 3 pcs,
Rear: 120mm RGB Fan x 1pc.Liquid Cooling
N/A
EK AIO 240 D-RGB Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory
Ballistix DDR4 3200MHz 16GB (8GB X 2)
Ballistix DDR4 3200MHz 16GB (8GB X 2)
Hard Drive
Seagate 500GB M.2 NVMe SSD
+ 1TB 7200RPM HDD
Seagate 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD
+ 1TB 7200RPM HDD
Graphics
ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB
Audio
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Ethernet
10/100/1000 Mbps
10/100/1000 Mbps
Power Supply
600W 80+ Gold Certified
700W 80+ Gold Certified
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
MSRP
$1,799.99
$2,349.99
Availability
ZOTAC MEK HERO G1 A5636 Gaming Desktop
ZOTAC MEK HERO G1 A5837 Gaming Desktop
To learn more about the ZOTAC MEK HERO, visit: www.MEKHERO.com -
Intel Core i9-12900K Alder Lake-S 16-Core CPU Clocks to 5.3GHz
I caught this story over at HotHardware as they were talking about the new Adler Lake Core i9 12900k processor. Most everything about Alder Lake is speculation and if this rumor holds true then the new processor will be pretty amazing. High Clocks, PCI Express 4.0 and DDR5 goodness!
Within a matter of months, Intel will introduce its first Alder Lake processors, effectively marking a near wholesale transition to hybrid computing, and kicking off the DDR5 memory era. From an official standpoint, SKUs and specifications are still a mystery. Unofficially, however, leaks and rumors paint an interesting picture, the latest of which details a supposed Core i9-12900K processor.
What about this hybrid architecture, you say? Intel dipped its toes into hybrid waters with Lakefield, but will really embrace heterogeneous computing in the x86 space with Alder Lake. This comes by way of combining high performance Golden Cove cores with power efficient Gracemont cores in the same package.
In one of our most recent Podcasts we talked about picking a processor and what to look for if you are on a budget or looking to min/max your performance potential. In that discussion we noticed that between Comet Lake and Rocket Lake the Core i9 lost two cores and didn't increase in frequency.
It would seem Intel was saving them for Alder Lake and whatever trickery they have lurking under the "lid"
I wouldn't get to excited about overclocking these new processors, short of LN2 or a powerful SS Phase you aren't going to get anywhere beyond what Intel has programed into the "boost" controller.
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China's ban forces bitcoin miners to sell out
I haven't been following this story as closely as I should but, it would seem that China has banned cryptocurrency mining which is causing a rift in the hardware world with machines used to mine crypto are selling for scrap.
According to the article the ban is to reinforce the state run Cryptocurrency while also limiting all the "bad" stuff associated with anonymous money transactions.
Here are a couple quotes that stand out.
China's sweeping ban on cryptocurrency mining has paralysed an industry that accounts for over half of global bitcoin production, as miners dump machines in despair or seek refuge in places such as Texas or Kazakhstan.
Texas? really??
SHANGHAI, June 25 (Reuters) - China's sweeping ban on cryptocurrency mining has paralysed an industry that accounts for over half of global bitcoin production, as miners dump machines in despair or seek refuge in places such as Texas or Kazakhstan.
"Many miners are exiting the business to comply with government policies," said Mike Huang, operator of a cryptomining farm in the southwest province of Sichuan.
"Mining machines are selling like scrap metal."
The local government of Sichuan, China's No.2 bitcoin mining centre after Xinjiang, issued a ban on cryptomining a week ago.
China's State Council, or cabinet, vowed to crack down on bitcoin trading and mining in late May, seeking to fend off financial risks after the global bitcoin mania revived Chinese speculative trading in cryptocurrencies. The clampdown comes as China's central bank is testing its own digital currency.
Chinese authorities say cryptocurrencies disrupt economic order, and facilitate illegal asset transfers and money laundering. Analysts say Beijing is also worried about potential competition for the digital yuan and that the power-hungry business of bitcoin mining could damage the environment.
Of course with such a ban and crypto sell off the prices on Bitcoin have dropped and basically put all other crypto trades on hold. This will put a serious damper on the "get rich quick'ers" while also opening up the GPU market again allowing gamers a chance to finally get that upgrade they have been looking for instead of having the delivery truck get re-routed to a Chinese mining facility.
And, one nice thing about the lull is that the Crypto Zealots on social media will finally be shutting the F up while they lick their wounds and attempt to make amends with the "friends" they alienated by offering unsolicited advice on buying Crypto.
Serves them right.
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Micron to Sell Lehi, Utah, Fab to Texas Instruments
There are plenty of things I can say about this but, I'll simply settle on. Wow, times are changing and Micron has finally started to act like a "Global" company instead of owning its roots in America.
Selling the Lehi factory along with all of the employees is a pretty big deal and while I am glad to see Texas Instruments pick up the slack it speaks to how volatile things are in the global markets and that Micron is not afraid to burn some bridges along the way.
Btw, Micron is also opening up a HUGE factory in Taiwan. Could these events be connected? I suspect so.
All of this makes you wonder how long it will take before the HQ gets moved? Lets say 6 years.
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BOISE, Idaho, June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Lehi, Utah, fab to Texas Instruments. The economic value for Micron from the sale is $1.5 billion, comprised of $900 million in cash from TI from the sales transaction, and approximately $600 million in value from select tools and other assets. Micron has sold some of these assets and will retain the remainder to redeploy to its other manufacturing sites or sell to other buyers.
Micron’s Lehi, Utah, facility has been home to a highly skilled team with expertise in all aspects of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. TI will offer all Lehi site team members the opportunity to become employees upon the closing of the sale and intends to deploy its own technologies at the site. The sale is anticipated to close later this calendar year.
“Micron’s Lehi, Utah, facility has a strong history of technology innovation and leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing,” said Micron President and CEO, Sanjay Mehrotra. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Texas Instruments as it is an industry leader and truly values the talented Lehi team and the capabilities this site offers to deploy its technology effectively. We are greatly appreciative of the contributions that the Lehi team has made to Micron, as well as the collaboration and engagement Micron has had with the local community.”
Micron announced its intent to sell the Lehi facility in March 2021, at the same time the company confirmed plans to end production of 3D XPoint technology and pursue new memory solutions for data centers, enabled by the CXL interconnect. CXL delivers high-performance connectivity between compute, memory and storage, addressing increased customer workload requirements driven by the broad proliferation of artificial intelligence and data analytics.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP served as legal counsel to Micron, and Macquarie Semiconductor and Technology served as transaction advisors.
About Micron Technology, Inc.
We are an industry leader in innovative memory and storage solutions transforming how the world uses information to enrich life for all. With a relentless focus on our customers, technology leadership, and manufacturing and operational excellence, Micron delivers a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND and NOR memory and storage products through our Micron® and Crucial® brands. Every day, the innovations that our people create fuel the data economy, enabling advances in artificial intelligence and 5G applications that unleash opportunities — from the data center to the intelligent edge and across the client and mobile user experience. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), visit micron.com. -
Leading the Pack: TEAMGROUP Steps into the New DDR5 Era
Leading the Pack: TEAMGROUP Steps into the New DDR5 Era Global Launch of the TEAMGROUP ELITE U- DIMM DDR5
June 18, 2021, Taipei_ At the end of 2020, TEAMGROUP reached a cooperation agreement with top DRAM wafer manufacturers and started working on DDR5 technology. Since then, TEAMGROUP has dedicated to the research and development of DDR5 modules, collaborating with various major motherboard manufacturers to ensure that each R&D stage undergoes comprehensive testing and to deliver products of the highest quality that the industry has ever seen. TEAMGROUP is leading the industry today as we announce our official launch of the world's first DDR5 memory module for desktops, the TEAMGROUP ELITE U-DIMM DDR5, which is estimated to be available on major EC platforms for consumers worldwide by the end of June and the beginning of July.
The initial launch of TEAMGROUP ELITE DDR5 memory module will support 16GBx2 of capacity at a frequency of 4800MHz, with a voltage of 1.1V CL40-40-40-77, which complies with the standard specifications defined by the JEDEC association. Compared to the maximum 3200MHz standard frequency in the DDR4 generation, the DDR5 is able to increase the speed to up to 50%. The low 1.1V voltage is also more energy efficient than its previous generation; to ensure minimum noise interference for the memory module, the power management is transferred from the motherboard onto the memory with an additional power management IC (PMIC) for more effective system load control. The most incredible feature of ELITE DDR5 is doubling the 16 banks of DDR4 to those of 32 in DDR5 to improve the IC structure, providing double access availability. An on-die ECC (error correction code) included in the DRAM IC is also available for self-recovery of the DRAM unit, ensuring that DRAM systems with DDR5 can obtain higher levels of stability.
The memory module is applicable for Intel 600 series motherboards with DDR5 compatibility. TEAMGROUP's DDR5 will be available globally at the end of June and the initial product launch will be hitting the shelves at Amazon US, Newegg, Amazon Japan, and various major EC platforms in Europe. Gamers, get ready for the first taste of the next generation and embrace the glory of the new DDR5 era with TEAMGROUP.
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ROCCAT Kone Pro Optical Mouse Review @ APH Networks
There was a time when the armies of the German PR engines would flood the review market with samples to help promote the Roccat brand and everyone knew what a Kone was. I know from experience that Kone line of mine are quite good with some of the best support software on the market.
The Kone Pro appears to have the same shape and the subtle RGB clues (that are TOTALLY in your face) that seem to be what the world wants and... It is optical, using the Owl-Eye 19k Sensor, which is not new but, has a good following.
The ROCCAT Kone Pro Air is an impressive ultralight wired mouse for the discerning enthusiast.
Be sure to check out the review on APH Networks, they seems to always have some of the best "real world" photos of any review site out there.
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ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi @ TechPowerUp
Call me crazy but, I actually liked it when ASUS was adding color to their TUF series motherboards. It gave them style and something for people to care about. While most will argue that the color was completely covered by expansion cards and RGB.
My retort is simply "So do the fake plastic covers and oversized and ineffective heatsinks and yet those seem to stick around."
I think this is an issue of "sh1t or get off the p0t cause what you are doing aint working".
The latest entry in ASUS's popular TUF Gaming family is the ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi. Featuring a huge VRM heatsink, 16 power stages, and more sensible colors, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi promises compelling performance at an attainable price.
To be honest, I might be a little biased here, the chip shortage, global shutdown and constant changing of marketing folks has denied me of my Z590 experience and while I might be a little salty over the whole ordeal I know deep down that the 11th Generation Intel and Z590 is pretty boring, much like the ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus.
but, be sure to check out the review, cause that is what heros do.
