Tech News
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I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC @ ExtremeTech
There has been a TON of news following the unveil of Windows 11 from TPM woes to the fact that the new OS actually requires modern hardware to run. All of this is simply news because Microsoft is pushing their weight around and the hardware media needs something to complain about.
However, there is one Microsoft feature that has annoyed me for a long time and one writer at ExtremeTech finally posted something about it. I'm in full agreement with this article (which is rare) and wanted to share it with the Hardware Asylum readers.
I’m willing to cop to the fact that this may be an artifact of the time in which I grew up. To me, my PC and “the internet” are two entirely different things. I connect to the latter to download files, read news, and watch content, but it is not the totality of my personal computer. Using an online account to log into my personal PC breaches the distinction between the two. Weird as it is — because I’m willing to admit this is a personal oddity — I find that distinction matters to me. It actually matters a lot. I don’t want my local Windows account to be synonymous with an online login.
But that’s not my only reason.
I got duped into creating an Online Microsoft account once. Actually it became an extension to my old @hotmail.com account that I created so I could run MSN Messenger back in the day. Since then it has also been linked to my Xbox Live account and to at least a couple Windows System login instances. The first is when I got duped into creating one thinking there was no alternative and the second was so I could access the Windows App store to install an update so I could convert a Windows 10 Home installation to Windows 10 Pro (which also required a new key).
Personally, I don't like having to login to my Microsoft account just to access my computer, there are plenty of times when I don't have or, don't WANT, internet access when using my PC and with an online only account that will never be possible.
But, like the author, I just have a higher understanding and expectation of my PC that a large majority of users have no interest in.
Sad as it might be, it is the future we live in.
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Thermaltake Announces the Core P6 TG and Core P6 TG Snow PC Cases
Transformable, innovative, and stylish mid-tower chassis.
Walnut, California-June 2nd, 2021-Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Cooling, Gaming Gear, and Enthusiast Memory solutions, is pleased to introduce their new mid-tower chassis, the Core P6 TG, and Core P6 TG Snow. Inheriting classic features from the existing Core P5, the Core P6 TG can be either used as a closed or open configuration and giving users the option to switch from a regular mid-tower design to an open frame by simply removing the top and front panels. The 4mm thick tempered glass side panels give users a quality viewing platform to display chassis cooling components and RGB while offering stability and protection. The smaller size combined with two-way chassis placement gives users more options on how their builds are displayed, either in a traditional tower configuration or vertically using the innovative wall-mount. Two graphics card support brackets are included supporting both vertical and traditional GPU mounting configurations. The bracket helps to remove weight from the motherboard and prevent heavy graphic cards from sagging.
Closed and Open Frame Design
The Core P6 TG Mid-Tower Chassis allows users to display their build in two different ways. The case can be converted between a closed and open frame design by removing the front, top, and side panels.
Handy I/O Ports
Connectivity is enabled over a single Type-C port, two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0, and HD Audio ports on the front panel.
Tempered Glass Panels
4mm tempered glass panels comprise on the top, front, and left of Core P6 TG. The tempered glass panels are thicker and more scratch-resistant compared to standard acrylic panels.
Vertical GPU Mount
Specially designed with dual GPU placement options, the Core P6 TG has support for both vertical and horizontal graphics card layouts. With dual PCI-E slot designs and a PCI-E riser cable, the included riser GPU support bracket can prevent graphics card sag while reducing the overall weight on the motherboard.
Excellent Dust Reduction
Magnetic fan filters located on the top, side, and bottom panels provide an easy solution to collect and reduce dust buildup inside vital cooling components. These filters provide excellent ventilation even when the case is configured as a closed chassis.
High-End Expansion Possibilities
Core P6 TG Mid Tower Chassis contains excellent expandability options; it can support motherboards up to an E- ATX, a CPU cooler with a maximum height of 180mm, VGA placement of up to 300 (with LCS reservoir) and 335 (without LCS reservoir). The Core P6 TG also provides seven expansion slots and supports up to four 3.5" or eight 2.5" storage devices.
Optimized for excellent cooling, the Core P6 TG supports a total of thirteen 120mm and seven 140mm fans. There are three 120mm fans on the front, top, right, and bottom, and a single fan at the rear. Radiator compatibility matches the fan placement with one 360mm at the front, one 360mm on the right, and one 360mm at the top. -
Funky Kit Review - Silicon Power XD80 2TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD
NVMe is the bomb when it comes to fast storage and with everything more is better.
The Silicon Power XD80 2TB M.2 SSD is an amazing storage device for any modern computer. It's fast, reliable, and available at a reasonable price. The perfect mix of features makes it a very interesting SSD for gamers, and those who need fast storage for daily challenges.
The important thing to remember is that the bus speed matters so if you have a system supporting PCI Express 3.0 then get a 3.0 drive. If you have system supporting PCI Express 4.0 you can run a PCIe 3.0 drive but a 4.0 enabled system you owe it to yourself to get a NVMe Gen4 drive, eg not the one in this review.
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MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Suprim X @ Guru3D
When the RTX 3070 Ti Launched so did a number of 3rd party board partner cards. I got to see the full list and to be honest some of them look like total garbage like they were designed by a 5 year old and nobody bothered to remove the excess crayon.
I suppose for some that might be a desirable feature and maybe the thought process is that with the limited supply it won't matter what the card looks like as long as someone can buy one.
Well, despite the garbage out there some cards really do look amazing and this card from MSI is one of them.
Hot on the heels of the 3080 Ti launch we now can show you the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti performance review for the MSI SUPRIM X edition. This card has been beefed up to the max, with a custom design PCB, components, a massive cooler, a factory tweak and of course, sheer silence.
Guru3D does a pretty good job so give it a read if you have time.
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System76 Launch - A Very Well Built, Highly Configurable, Open-Source Keyboard @ Phoronix
What is this? an Open Source keyboard?? I hope it works out better than something silly like an open source test bench or open source software they charge you to use.
Last month System76 launched their Launch Configurable Keyboard. They sent over this new open-source keyboard for some brief testing and I must say the build quality has been top notch and while this is their first keyboard they are bringing to market, with their US manufacturing expertise that began with their Thelio computer cases, it has carried forward with their Launch keyboard. This keyboard is beautifully crafted and among the most durable (and heaviest) keyboards I've used in the past two decades. It reminds me of the IBM Model M from a quality perspective but with its own unique advantages.
I'm not sure about the double space bar but the rest of this compact super square keyboard looks pretty good. It even has RGB!!
Be sure to check out the review for more information.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Launch Day
While extremely cut down the RTX 3070 Ti still delivers some amazing performance that is only matched by the RTX 2080 Ti. Assuming you can buy one, this will be the card to buy.
Be sure to check out our review of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Founders Edition video card and my fancy unboxing video!
Web Reviews
Zotac GeForce RTX 3070 Ti AMP Holo @ TechPowerUp
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Suprim X @ TechPowerUp
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Review: Supercharged Midrange Gaming @ HotHardwareI'm sure there will be others along with the YT peeps that I don't bother posting.
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VIPER GAMING Launches VIPER ELITE II Performance DDR4 Memory
The VIPER theme heat spreader brings exceptional reliability and performance potential. Now available in single and dual kit configurations with module densities of 4GB/8GB/16GB/32GB and speeds ranging between 2666MHz and 4000MHz.
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA — June 2nd, 2021 — VIPER, a trademarked gaming brand of PATRIOT and a global leader in performance memory, solid-state drives and flash storage solutions, today is proud to announce the market launch of their VIPER ELITE II DDR4 PERFORMANCE MEMORY. The VIPER ELITE II inherits its successful design from the award-winning ELITE PERFORMANCE MEMORY series and continues to deliver unparalleled stability and overclocking potential to hardware enthusiasts and hardcore gamers. It is customized for the PC builder looking for an RGB-free performance-centric memory solution with a wide range of speeds and capacities.
"The VIPER ELITE II is a sensible upgrade to our popular and award-winning VIPER ELITE series, and with it, we take everything back to the basics and essentials to how an excellent DRAM module should be built. For the VIPER ELITE II, we have focused on speed, capacity, and stability," said Roger Shinmoto, the Vice President of VIPER. "These memory kits offer many options for gamers or content creators who are looking to escalate their system performance to the next level and still maintain a stealthy look inside their PCs."
The VIPER ELITE II features a clean and stealthy new heat spreader design to showcase the VIPER brand elements. A military-grade aluminum heatshield wraps up the module to provide outstanding thermal performance and maintain system stability under the heaviest of loads. In addition, each module is built from a 10-layer PCB using only the highest quality hand-tested memory chips and components to ensure that each module meets VIPER's strict quality standards for excellent stability and reliability.
The VIPER ELITE II fully supports XMP 2.0 for profile-based automatic overclocking and is validated against the latest Intel and AMD motherboard platforms for compatibility. Backed by a limited lifetime warranty, the VIPER ELITE II is now available in selected global retailers in both single module and dual kits with frequencies of 2666MHz/3200MHz /3600MHz/4000MHz and module densities of 4GB/8GB/16GB/32GB, offering a maximum kit capacity of 64GB (2x32GB).
FEATURES:
- Product line: VIPER ELITE II
- Edition: Red heatshield with black VIPER signatures
- Aluminum heat spreader with the unique and specific design element
- Feature Overclock: XMP 2.0 support for automatic overclocking
- Compatibility: Tested across the latest Intel/AMD platforms for reliably fast performance
- Limited lifetime warranty
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Hardware Asylum Summer Celebration Giveaway with Viper Gaming
With summer quickly approaching it is time to think about back yard BBQs and how you make your game time better and Viper Gaming is here to help with three great products!
Up for grabs are the following.
- Viper Gaming V380 RGB Virtual 7.1 Gaming Headset x 1pc
- Viper Gaming V765 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard x 1pc
- Viper Gaming V570 Blackout Edition Gaming Mouse x 1pc
Contest ends June 30th, 2021 at 11:59 PM PST and a Total 3 winners will be announced on July 1st, 2021.
Follow the instructions below to enter and good luck!
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Launch Day
When the RTX 30-Series there was a card born inside that would sit between the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 (Titan). This card would have the power to reshape the world and change the world however it saw fit. This Super Ti graphics card has become a reality and it is good.
Be sure to check out our review of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition Graphics Card and/or check out some of these reviews from around the web.
Web Reviews
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 Ultra @ TechPowerUp
Zotac GeForce RTX 3080 Ti AMP HoloBlack @ TechPowerUp
ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 Ti STRIX LC Liquid Cooled @ TechPowerUp
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Review: Amped-Up Ampere For Gamers @ HotHardware
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition Review @ TweakTown
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming Performance At 4K @ TechGage
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti reviews at Guru3D
Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition @ LanOC ReviewsIf the NVIDIA announcement is true there will be another Ti in a couple days so stay tuned!
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It’s Time for Ti: NVIDIA Introduces Gaming Flagship — the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
1.5x Faster Than Previous Gen, Availability Begins June 3; Equally Impressive RTX 3070 Ti Available Next Week
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 31, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NVIDIA today unveiled two additions to the GeForce RTX™ family — the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti — available soon from its global network of GeForce partners. The new flagship gaming GPU of the GeForce RTX family, the RTX 3080 Ti will be available worldwide June 3 starting at $1,199, with the RTX 3070 Ti available next week starting at $599.
While previous-generation GPUs tackled the ambitious games of their era, contemporary games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Watch Dogs: Legion have elevated realism — and increased overall demands of modern graphics cards.
Powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, the RTX 3080 Ti delivers an incredible leap in performance and fidelity with acclaimed features such as ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS performance-boosting AI, NVIDIA Reflex latency-reduction, NVIDIA Broadcast streaming features and additional memory that allows it to speed through the most popular creator applications as well.
“With RTX such a huge success, gamers and creators will be thrilled with the performance and features the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti offers,” said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of the GeForce business unit at NVIDIA. “As the new flagship to the RTX family, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the ultimate upgrade for GPU enthusiasts of any generation.”
Unsurpassed Performance
Across a variety of ray-traced and rasterized DirectX and Vulkan titles, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a gaming powerhouse that also brings lower latency for better responsiveness and a competitive edge to the games millions of people are playing today.For gamers still rocking the well-loved GTX 1080 Ti, the RTX 3080 Ti is 2x faster in traditional rasterization and much faster with ray tracing and other cutting-edge gaming features enabled.
The GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is just as impressive in its price class, delivering 1.5x more performance over the GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER and 2x the frames per second over the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, which launched in 2017.
Watch the first 4K ray-tracing gameplay footage featuring DOOM Eternal running on a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti.
Perfect for Creators, Too
The world’s 45 million-plus creative professionals demand more from their hardware than ever, so GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPUs deliver amped up levels of creative performance as well.Backed by the NVIDIA Studio platform and powered with 12GB of GDDR6X(1) memory for creative applications, RTX is accelerating the No. 1 photography application — Adobe Photoshop; the No. 1 video editing application — Adobe Premiere Pro; the No. 1 broadcast application — OBS; and every major 3D renderer. There are now over 70 content creation applications that support RTX-accelerated ray tracing, DLSS or AI features.
NVIDIA DLSS: The AI Gift That Gamers Love
AI is revolutionizing gaming — from in-game physics and animation simulation to real-time rendering and AI-assisted broadcasting features. Powered by dedicated AI processors on GeForce RTX GPUs called Tensor Cores, NVIDIA DLSS boosts frame rates while generating beautiful, crisp game images and it gives gamers the performance headroom to maximize ray-tracing settings and increase output resolutions.Adoption of DLSS technology has been swift, and the game title count is set to increase quickly with support in the world’s leading licensed game engines, Unreal Engine and Unity Engine. The all-star lineup of gaming franchises that use DLSS to deliver a new level of graphics includes Battlefield, Call of Duty, Cyberpunk, Fortnite, Minecraft, Tomb Raider and many more.
NVIDIA Reflex and Broadcast: The Ultimate Play
NVIDIA Reflex technology reduces system latency (or input lag), making games more responsive and giving players in competitive multiplayer titles an edge over the opposition. In fact, 12 out of the top 15 most played competitive shooters now support Reflex, including Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, Overwatch, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant, and it is coming soon to Escape from Tarkov and Crossfire.NVIDIA Broadcast is a suite of audio and video AI enhancements, including virtual backgrounds, motion capture and advanced noise removal, that users can apply to chats, Skype calls and video conferences.
Where to Buy
The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti will be available on June 3 starting at $1,199, with the RTX 3070 Ti available on June 10 starting at $599. Both GPUs will be available for purchase as custom boards — including stock-clocked and factory-overclocked models — from leading add-in card providers, including ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galax, GIGABYTE, Inno3D, MSI, Palit, PNY, Zotac and other regional providers around the world.Limited-edition NVIDIA Founders Edition boards will also be available. Look for GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPUs at major retailers and etailers, as well as in gaming systems from major manufacturers and leading system builders worldwide.
