Tech News

• Funky Kit Review - ASUS TUF Gaming H670-Pro WiFi D4 Motherboard

  Published: Friday, March 11, 2022 | By: Dennis

  TUF Stuff motherboard from ASUS.  I have to say there are two great things about the ASUS TUF.

  1. It seems to be cheaply made so to pass the savings on to the consumer
  2. 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

  Published: Thursday, March 3, 2022 | By: Dennis

  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

  Published: Monday, February 21, 2022 | By: Dennis

  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

  Published: Monday, February 21, 2022 | By: Dennis

  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

  Published: Monday, February 21, 2022 | By: Dennis

  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!

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• Introducing the EVGA Z690 DARK K|NGP|N Motherboard

  Published: Thursday, February 17, 2022 | By: Dennis

  The long awaited Z690 Dark has been revealed.

  We have already seen photos of the motherboard and visually the board looks much like the previous edition Dark boards.  The CPU socket is rotated 90 degrees with the DDR5 memory being positioned across the top.  This locates the power connections along the right side with a more direct route for cable routing and airflow control.

  The board comes with only two 16x PCI Express slots with a huge heatsink in the middle for M.2 drives.  Of course, the real power is the 12th generation Intel processor support and with past Dark motherboards focused on memory overclocking you can be assured that the advertised 6600Mhz+ (OC) memory support gives you plenty of room to play.

  
  1. Intel® LGA1700 CPU Socket
  2. 2x DDR5 DIMMs
  3. 3x M.2 Gen4 Key-M Slots
  4. PCIe 5.0 x16 (x8) Slot
  5. 3x 110mm M.2 Gen4 Key-M Slots
  6. U.2 Port
  7. USB BIOS Update Port
  8. 21 Phase Digital VRM
  9. Pump Headers
  10. 2x ARGB / 2x RGB Headers
  11. Supplemental PCIe 6 Pin Power
  12. ProbeIt Header
  13. PCIe Disable Switch
  14. Slow Mode Switch
  15. Right Angle Power Connectors
  16. Multi-Function POST Indicator
  17. BIOS Select Switch

  Introducing the EVGA Z690 DARK K|NGP|N - The Motherboard Designed by and Used by Professional Overclockers. EVGA DARK motherboards blaze the trail for other boards to follow, and the Z690 DARK K|NGP|N is no exception. The ability to destroy world records is insignificant next to the power of a 21-phase VRM and a 10-layer PCB – capable of driving the most powerful 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. With support for 64GB of DDR5 memory at up to 6600MHz+(OC), PCIe Gen5, and PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSDs, a new DARK age of overclocking will rise as quickly as new hardware becomes available. The Z690 DARK K|NGP|N is today’s choice for the future of overclocking and gaming. 

  To learn more about the EVGA Z690 DARK K|NGP|N, visit https://www.evga.com/articles/01543/EVGA-Z690-DARK-K|NGP|N/

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• Micron To End-of-Life (EOL) Crucial Ballistix Product Lines

  Published: Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | By: Dennis

  BOISE, Idaho; Feb. 16, 2022 – Micron released the following information about a change to its business strategy for Crucial^® memory. 

  • The company will end-of-life (EOL) its Crucial Ballistix, Crucial Ballistix MAX and Crucial Ballistix MAX RGB product lines. 
    
    
  • The company will intensify its focus on the development of Micron’s DDR5 client and server product roadmap, along with the expansion of the Crucial memory and storage product portfolio. 
  • The company will continue to support the performance compute and gaming communities with its award-winning SSD products, such as the Crucial P5 Plus Gen4 PCIe NVMe SSD, Crucial P2 Gen 3 NVMe SSD, and the popular Crucial X6 and Crucial X8 portable SSDs. 
    
    
  • Teresa Kelley, Vice President and General Manager, Micron Commercial Products Group: “We remain focused on growing our NVMe and Portable SSD product categories, which both offer storage solutions for PC and console gamers. Additionally, Crucial JEDEC standard DDR5 memory provides mainstream gamers with DDR5-enabled computers with better high-speed performance, data transfers and bandwidth than previously available with Crucial Ballistix memory.” 

  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),

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• Funky Kit Review - ASRock Z690 PG Riptide Motherboard

  Published: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 | By: Dennis

  You know, I like ASRock, they make some pretty good motherboards and include some questionable features in their BIOS but, if you are looking for a nice, down market, motherboard with some great overclocking features you cannot go wrong with ASRock.

  

  The ASRock Z690 Riptide is an excellent motherboard for gamers who want all essential features, but don't want to pay for additional controllers or rarely used functionality. The motherboard is fast and stable, but more importantly it can handle most daily tasks with ease, plus there's plenty of room for expansion.

  Now, all I need to do is get them to send me product samples so I can, once again, have first hand experience.  However, being a down market company the marketing budget is generally less than stellar.

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• Genesis RX85 RGB Mechanical Keyboard @ TechPowerUp

  Published: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 | By: Dennis

  Something tells me that I have seen this keyboard before.  Maybe not exactly the same but, close enough to make me question if I have seen it.

  On a related note, it is not uncommon for companies to buy "white box" products from a supplier.  As part of the deal the supplier will customize the product with logos and generally tweak the software to match.  You see this sort of thing at CES all the time while at Computex (where you would expect to see this sort of thing) you may find the supplier but not any of the resellers.

  

  The Genesis RX85 RGB is a full-size keyboard that comes with a dedicated volume wheel, plenty of pre-programmed controls for function and form, and software drivers for further customization. It uses the Kailh Brown switches and PBT keycaps to attract customers with a reasonable price, albeit in specific regions only.

  thing is, it doesn't matter where a product comes from, unless it was crap to being with and this design was pretty solid from the beginning.

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• INNFACT announced Krait Puzzle-like Modular PowerStrip on INDIEGOGO

  Published: Saturday, January 22, 2022 | By: Dennis

  Taipei, Taiwan, January 20th, 2022 – The puzzle-like modular PowerStrip manufacturer, INNFACT, is thrilled to announce the crowdfunding campaign kickoff for their innovative product, KRAIT, on INDIEGOGO. KRAIT's crowdfunding campaign has officially launched on January 15th and is ready to bring a new benchmark to the industry. INNFACT offers five early-bird plans and packages for early backers to experience the groundbreaking evolution of a PowerStrip with safety, reliability, and creativity. One of the VIP early-bird plans is a jaw-dropping markdown up to 49% off. The mass production is planned for this May, bakers can expect to receive Krait this Summer.

  After five days the KRAIT campaign has reached over 55% of its $15,000 funding goal as of this press release. Consumers will need to act quickly to get their chance at one of the five early bird plans and packages.

  

  "In order to show the flexibility that the KRAIT can offer, our early bird program on INDIEGOGO provides five kinds of module combinations along with a special perk plan. These plans allow users to make full use of KRAIT's excellent design and tailor the PowerStrip according to users' needs. KRAIT can be assembled into more than what is provided in the five available packages. Backers who truly want an all-in-one PowerStrip for their gadgets and home appliances now have an option to pre-order more than one set of the KRAIT PowerStrip with a better deal." said Daniel Chou, the CEO of INNFACT.

  

  The INNFACT KRAIT INDIEGOGO campaign includes five perk deal combinations and product packs with the choice of different colors, which are:

  • 49% off "VIP Exclusive Early-Bird Standard pack" for US$35 (Black and Limb White colors)
  • 40% off "Max Pack" for US$99. (Black, Limb White, Yellow, and Red)
  • 33% off "Standard Pack" for US$46. (Blue, Black, Limb White, Yellow, and Red,)
  • 30% off "Innsafe Pack" for US$55. (Black, Limb White, Yellow, and Red)
  • 29% off the "Build Your Own KRAIT" plan for US$119. (Choose different colors for 3 puzzles)

  The estimated shipping date is August 2022, and it will be able to ship to U.S., Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and China.

  
   

  INNFACT put countless hours into crafting the world's first modular fast-charging PowerStrip to deliver the intelligent design on safety, durability, and flexibility for laptops, hand-held electronic devices, and most home appliances. The KRAIT can be configured for a variety of different options.  When used at home or office it is an all-in-one power strip designed to be clutter-free allowing you to get rid of bulky adaptors. However, when the KRAIT is to be used outside of the office or home it can be built into a lightweight portable version by directly attaching the DC puzzles with the charger.

  "Safety and rock-solid reliability are important design concepts for INNFACT when building the KRAIT PowerStrip with safety topping them all! With almost 40% of all household fire accidents being caused by electrical failure from outlet extenders and power strips. That’s why we have strived to create a better solution. Our engineering team has created an exclusive AutoShut” design that delivers an auto-shutdown feature to protect the PowerStrip and your devices from overloaded, inappropriate plugging, and for when no load is detected.”
  CEO, Daniel Chou.

  KRAIT is comprised of four main modules: the source power puzzle, the AC puzzle, the DC puzzle, and the Plug puzzle. It supports three AC outlets, two USB-C, and two USB-A ports. Each module can be detached and re-attached separately, depending on the user's demand. The total AC power support of KRAIT is up to 1650W, and it comes with an intelligent overloaded/ unplugged and away sensor called “AutoShut” and is designed to protect the KRAIT and your devices from hazardous from electrical failures. The DC puzzle supports up to 100W PD with an optional QC fast charging option. The handy Bluetooth smartphone app allows users to control the KRAIT and set timers for when outlets on the PowerStrip will be active or disabled.

  The concept of KRAIT:

  

  The Source Puzzle
  The source puzzle part is the central part of the power strip; it supports total power output up to 1650W and comes with an intelligent overloaded shutdown feature along with surge protection for all downstream devices. In addition, it features 4 LED indicators for monitoring current loading from the AC puzzle and is available with a variety of power cord lengths for different occasions.  

  The AC Puzzle
  The AC puzzle includes three independent AC outlets supporting the US, Japan, and Taiwan plugs. It features intelligent AutoShut protection to ensure electrical safety for when devices are unplugged from the outlet or plugged in incorrectly. KRAIT will also be available with a Bluetooth remote control, allowing complete power control to each AC outlet, including a built-in programmable timer.

  The DC Puzzle
  The DC puzzle includes two USB Type-C ports and two USB Type-A ports that support between 65 to 100W and comes with a 100W GaN high-efficiency charger technology to support extra-fast USB charging for laptops, tablets, and smartphones. A one-touch power switch also offers instant power shutdown when your plugged devices are fully charged.

  Plug Puzzle
  The Plug Puzzle turns the DC Puzzle into a charger and allows a quick charge on the go.

  This puzzle is available for the United States, Japan, and Taiwan with ongoing product development for Australia and the EU.

  For more information on KRAIT, please visit:
  the INDIEGOGO campaign page,
  the official product page.

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