Tech News
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NVIDIA binning 20-Series GPUs to limit factory overclocking @ TechPowerUp
Published: Sunday, December 2, 2018 | By: DennisI remember back in the "old" days Intel was having piracy problems with processors where shady companies would rebrand lower-end chips and sell them at the higher price claiming they were higher-end chips.
It would seem in an attempt to help control shrinkage due to RMA'ers NVIDIA is now pre-binning chips and only allowing certain chips from being sold as factory overclocked.
We reached out to industry sources and confirmed that for Turing, NVIDIA is creating two device IDs per GPU to correspond to two different ASIC codes per GPU model (for example, TU102-300 and TU102-300-A for the RTX 2080 Ti). The Turing -300 variant is designated to be used on cards targeting the MSRP price point, while the 300-A variant is for use on custom-design, overclocked cards. Both are the same physical chip, just separated by binning, and pricing, which means NVIDIA pretests all GPUs and sorts them by properties such as overclocking potential, power efficiency, etc.
When a board partner uses a -300 Turing GPU variant, factory overclocking is forbidden. Only the more expensive -30-A variants are meant for this scenario.This is actually quite smart as it not only helps NVIDIA make appropriate money but allows them to pass the savings on to the board partners who will then (re)bin the chips again so they can offer different levels of factory overclocking.
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Patriot Launches VIPER STEEL DDR4 16GB 4400MHz Extreme Performance Memory
Published: Friday, November 30, 2018 | By: DennisFREMONT, CA — November 29th, 2018 — PATRIOT, a global leader in performance memory, SSDs, gaming peripherals, and flash storage solutions, has announced the release of their fastest kit ever of DDR4 memory today, VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 16GB (2x8GB) 4400MHz. Built for the latest Intel® and AMD™ platforms, the VIPER STEEL SERIES provides extreme performance and stability for the most demanding computer environments. The VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 memory kit brings Intel XMP 2.0 performance to new heights and is able to achieve up to 4400MHz with a simple setting on supporting Intel’s latest processors and motherboards.
The VIPER STEEL SERIES utilizes a custom designed high-performance aluminum heatshield for providing optimal heat dissipation when overclocking and foregoing high-performance tasks. These hand-tested memory modules feature the highest quality memory chips and are running performance timings of CL19-19-19-39 at 1.45V. VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 4400MHz is optimized for PC enthusiasts, overclockers, or those who want to push their system’s performance to the limit through the use of extremely fast components.
VIPER STEEL SERIES offers hardcore overclockers and budget-gamers a wide range of speeds and options as well as an outstanding performance from 3000MHz up to the highest, 4400MHz. The VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 is backed by a limited lifetime warranty and global technical support. Lead the way to extreme DDR4 performance with VIPER STEEL.
- VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 8GB (1X8GB) 3000MHz PVS48G300C5 15-19-19-39
- VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 16GB (2X8GB) 3200MHz PVS416G320C6K 16-18-18-16
- VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 16GB (2X8GB) 3866MHz PVS416G386C8K 18-22-22-40
- VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 16GB (2X8GB) 4000MHz PVS416G400C9K 19-19-19-39
- VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 16GB (2X8GB) 4133MHz PVS416G413C9k 19-21-21-41
- VIPER STEEL SERIES DDR4 16GB (2X8GB) 4400MHz PVS416G440C9K 19-19-19-39
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GeIL Launches New Additions to its SUPER LUCE RGB Sync DDR4 Lineup
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2018 | By: DennisTaipei, Taiwan – November 28, 2018 – GeIL – Golden Emperor International Ltd. – one of the world's leading PC components and peripheral manufacturers today announced the new additions to their SUPER LUCE RGB SYNC Series DDR4 memory. The new modules are available in three capacities and speeds: 4133MHz 16GB (8GBx2) CL19-19-19-39 1.40V, 3600MHz 16GB (8GBx2) CL16-18-18-36 1.35V, and 3200MHz 16GB (8GBx2) CL14-14-14-34 1.35V
The 4133MHz 16GB (8GBx2) CL19-19-19-39 1.40V DDR4 kits can be the overclocker’s new favorite with support for most ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI and ASROCK Z390 and Z370 motherboards as well as giving enthusiasts the room to push their systems to the limit without exception.
The 3600MHz 16GB (8GBx2) CL16-18-18-36 1.35V DDR4 kits meets the memory needs for any gaming system using the latest Intel platforms and is an excellent solution for first time overclockers. The 3200MHz 16GB (8GBx2) CL14-14-14-34 1.35V DDR4 kits are compatible with both Intel and AMD AM4 platforms and feature a low latency design to enhance performance and offer the most affordable upgrade option for users.
The SUPER LUCE RGB SYNC Series modules are wrapped in a matte metallic black and the sleek white heat spreader, the RGB lightbar appears more vibrant than ever with the purpose of offering better performance, hundreds of customizable RGB lighting combinations and a characteristic new look.
Performance and heat dissipation are a significant factor in desktop computers especially when users overclock their system. To help alleviate the stress, SUPER LUCE RGB SYNC Series features high-quality aluminum heat spreader that works to dissipate heat while maintaining performance and stability even while overclocking highest frequencies.
In addition, the heat spreader designed with the aesthetic LED illumination light bar on the top, the top-lid lightbar fully compatible with the motherboard RGB illumination APPs including ASUS Aura sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASROCK Polychrome sync. The SUPER LUCE RGB SYNC Series provides the largest compatibility and stability for case modders and gamers when paired with the biggest motherboard RGB illumination playground.
GeIL SUPER LUCE RGB SYNC Series is verified to offer an ultra-stability support for pro-gamers and overclockers, which guarantees a hassle-free game playing environment and fully backed by the GeIL limited lifetime warranty. GeIL SUPER LUCE RGB SYNC Series are now available at select retail and e-tail outlets. -
COLORFUL Goes Ultra with new iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC Graphics Card
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2018 | By: DennisNovember 29th, 2018, Shenzhen, China – Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and high-performance storage solutions proudly introduces the latest graphics in its prestigious iGame series of gaming equipment. The COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC combines excellent cooling with excellent design to bring out the best of the new GeForce RTX graphics card from NVIDIA. Featuring the new Turing architecture to deliver real-time ray tracing, NVIDIA’s new GeForce RTX series graphics card bring realism to life and COLORFUL’s iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC is your top choice.
The new graphics card joins the iGame family of high-performance graphics cards design for gamers that demand uncompromising performance to bring gamers the best gaming experience thanks to feedback from gamers themselves.
Plus Ultra Thermal Design
New saw sickle fans are specially designed to bring in 115% more static pressure for better cooling performance. The COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC also features a fan-stop technology for dead-silent operation at below 55*C. Compound heat pipes assist in drawing heat away from vital components of the graphics card and into the massive heatsink for improved performance and longevity.
COLORFUL has also integrated MosFET cooling directly on the heatsink of the iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC. The compound heat combines good thermal conductivity as well as phase transition to manage heat transfer from the GPU to the heatsink efficiently. COLORFUL has also taken time to implement a good MosFET cooling solution integrating the MosFET heatsink with the entire GPU cooling solution for improve power condition. A cooling plate is fused with the heatsink which directly touches the MosFETs so power delivery components are kept cool for longer lifespan and better operation.
High Quality Components
In true iGame tradition, COLORFUL uses only the best and finest components in their iGame products to deliver the best quality and performance that gamers demand. The iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC uses ultra longlife Hi-C capacitors that ensure extended durability versus traditional solid-state capacitors. DrMOS on the other hand lets COLORFUL maximize PCB space to optimize cooling and deliver superior performance. COLORFUL’s signature Silver Plating Technology (SPT) allows the iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC to operate with less heat to compliment the cooling innovations on this graphics card.
iGame Features
Fully customize your iGame product to reflect your gamer passion with customizable iGame Dynamik Light for a high degree of freedom in adjusting and creating your own light effects. iGameZone II lets you take your COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC further and unleash its full power.
To know more about the COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 2070 Ultra OC, visit the official product page here: https://en.colorful.cn/contents/408/817.html -
NVIDIA Confirms Issues with Early Versions of GeForce RTX 2080 Ti @ TechPowerUp
Published: Thursday, November 15, 2018 | By: DennisThe lines between clickbait and actual news have become blurred enough that it is often difficult to tell what the truth actually is. In the November mainshow for the Hardware Asylum Podcast we take a jaded look at clickbait and how powerful it can be.
As annoying as it is, I cannot argue at how well it works and sometimes which I could stoop to that level.
It would seem that NVIDIA has finally admitted that there are issues with the RTX 2080 Ti, which is something we addressed in our podcast, and as we predicted it really was a minor issue in the grand scheme that exploded in the hardware circles.
The issues started cropping up throughout tech forums, before reaching a critical mass that warranted coverage - just in case this was exactly what it seemed, ie, a production issue.
It seems this was just so, and that the problem was luckily limited to some early manufacturing issues or QA controls. As NVIDIA themselves put it, "Limited test escapes from early boards caused the issues some customers have experienced with RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition." The company then says that they stand ready to help customers who are experiencing problems - but nothing else was to be expected, really.As you can imagine dropping 1200 bux on something will get people rather excited when the stuff don't work.
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Gigabyte’s latest RTX 2080 Ti and 2080 cards are liquid cooled @ PC Gamer
Published: Monday, November 12, 2018 | By: DennisSo, it is no secret that watercooling is "the hot thing" right now when it comes to custom PCs. The YT guys do builds for various reasons, watchers of YT content trigger off someone filling a loop with the 24-pin power connected and experienced builders like myself pretty much go "pfft" at all of it.
Gigabyte is getting on the EVGA and ASUS bandwagon to capture some of that custom waterblock action, adding their own brand of RGB and even hotclocking the cards 140Mhz to make them worth buying.
These are factory overclocked models with relatively aggressive boost clocks. The 2080 Ti boosts to 1,770MHz, which is 225MHz faster than Nvidia's reference blueprint, and 135MHz higher than Nvidia's own overclocked Founders Edition model. Similarly, the 2080 hits a 1,890MHz boost clock out of the box. That's 180MHz faster than reference, and 90MHz higher than the FE model. Gigabyte also goosed the memory on both cards, to 14,140MHz (up from 14,000MHz).
There could be headroom to spare.
To help keep things stable, Gigabyte opted for a 16+3 power phase design on the 2080 Ti and a 12+2 power phase design on the 2080. Both cards are backed by a four-year warranty.Be sure to check out the post over at PC Gamer to get all of the hot and juicy details including photos, specs and speculation.
On a side note I do like that these are custom PCBs making them not only better in the PC but better for you too.
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Thermaltake TT Premium X1 RGB Review @ Vortez
Published: Thursday, November 8, 2018 | By: DennisSpeaking of keyboards here is a board that will set you back 2 bills and then wil ask you questions like "why did you buy me?"
The X1 RGB gaming keyboard comes in a sleek and stunning finish that delivers 16.8 million of true RGB color illumination with 12 dynamic lighting effects. Best yet, it is exclusively compatible with all Thermaltake TT RGB Sync Power Supply and Liquid Cooling Solutions – iRGB PSU, Riing Plus, Pacific W4 Plus CPU Water Block, Pacific RL360 Plus RGB Radiator, Floe Riing RGB 360, Pacific Lumi Plus LED Strip – and any other product range sporting the TT RGB Sync logo, enabling enthusiasts to sync all RGB colors seamlessly to all Thermaltake compatible product lines for even greater color coordination. In addition, the X1 RGB comes with an exclusively designed smartphone/tablet app with voice controlled AI for access to light functions and essential macros. The app also includes an exclusive patented designed Virtual Game Controller (VGC) mode for a truly unique and astounding mobile gaming experience.
Vortez did a review of the Thermaltake TT Premium X1 RGB gaming keyboard and even included a shot with the red keycap replacements.
The TT Premium X1 RGB is the keyboard in question, and it's off to a strong start. Out of the box, the TT Premium X1 RGB comes with Cherry MX Silver Speed switches - which we have on hand or MX Blues, so you get the idea as to the demographic this is aimed towards. Switches aside, the rest of the feature set is ample and impressive.
Cherry switch this, Cherry switch that.
With all the different Cherry colors coming out its no wonder the OCD keyboard warriors of reddit are arguing about actuation points and pressure sensitivity for their weak fingers to press. -
FNATIC Streak Gaming Keyboard Review @ ThinkComputers
Published: Thursday, November 8, 2018 | By: DennisWhen it comes to keyboard designs you must ask yourself two questions. Who is making this board? and when the company says they designed it themselves how much of it are they really designing??
My favorite keyboard of 2018 so far has been FNATIC’s miniStreak, which is their tenkeyless keyboard. I was so impressed with it, I gave it a 10 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award! Today we have the larger, full-size version of that keyboard, the Streak. It offers a similar design, Cherry MX mechanical key switches, full RGB backlighting, and much more! Could this be my favorite full-sized keyboard? Read on as we find out!
We got to see some FNATIC gaming gear at CES last year and while they keyboards were really quite nice they weren’t all that special either. Sure the branding was cool and they had hardware based macro support. AZIO did hardware based macros quite some time ago and don't get me started on switch types!
If anything I'm just jealous that ThingComputers got a keyboard while I had actually met with the team and said, "hey send me a board"
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MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus @ LanOC Reviews
Published: Wednesday, November 7, 2018 | By: DennisSo, everyone is talking about the 9900K thinking its like this super great processor all because Intel says they can finally beat the Ryzen. Ummm, hello? Intel has always been faster and as for the 9900K its a Coffee Lake CPU with two extra cores. pfft.
Of course if Intel would like to help change my mind and finally sample Hardware Asylum I'd gladly like to see what makes the 9900K better than everything else.
I can say this. For a CPU built using the Coffee Lake architecture and using the same LGA 1151 socket I'm surprised that you MUST use a 300 series chipset and that is just what Lan OC has done. Used a 300 series motherboard with a 9900K Intel cpu.
With the 9900K launch, a few weeks back along with the other 9th generation core processors Intel also released their new chipset, the Z390 chipset. This is the latest high-end chipset for the mainstream socket but you might be wondering what is even different when compared to Z370. Well as far as the chipset goes, it is adding USB 3.1 Gen 2 onto the chipset and the option to integrate Wireless AC. But it also means new motherboards and I’m curious what else might get changed. MSI, for example, has revamped their naming scheme. The board they sent over is the MPG Z390 Gaming Plus. So I wanted to touch on the new MSI naming and then check out the new board and see what it has to offer.
I really like how MSI is cutting their PCBs now similar to what EVGA and ASUS have been doing.
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GIGABYTE Launches The Z390 AORUS XTREME Motherboard
Published: Thursday, November 1, 2018 | By: Dennis16 Phase Digital Power Design With Advanced Thermal Design to Support 9th Gen. Intel® Core™ CPUs
City of Industry, California, October 31st, 2018 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, has launched its newest flagship Z390 AORUS XTREME motherboard. With the highest power phase count of any Z390 motherboard on the market, the new AORUS flagship motherboard features a 16-Phase Digital IR VRM design and state-of-the-art thermal design for optimized power and thermal management to unleash the full overclocking potential of the new 8-core Intel® Core™ i9 9900K processors. While Z390 AORUS XTREME is well-suited for gaming, it has even more to offer in terms of performance. With features such as advanced power and thermal design, Triple M.2 Thermal Guards, HI-FI audio, feature-rich I/O, dual Type-C™ ThunderBolt™ 3, 10 GbE LAN, and many other new technologies for impressive power management, heat dissipation, expansion capabilities, network connectivity, audio quality, and more, Z390 AORUS XTREME exemplifies the ultimate performance driven motherboard.
The newest 8-Core Intel® Core™ i9-9900K processors are built on 14nm technology and support LGA 1151 sockets. GIGABYTE Z/H/B 300 series motherboards are fully compatible with and ready to faciliate the overclocking of these new processors. The 16-Phase Digital IR VRM design paired with solid pin power connectors not only provide a highly stable power supply but also reduces heat generated from overclocking or heavier workloads to prevent overheating from affecting performance. The automatic phase balance design not only regulates the loading of the 16-Phase power design but also reduces the operating frequency of the VRM controller chip, minimizing power consumption and heat generated from the PWM. This design improves power efficiency, durability, and service life significantly. Furthermore, GIGABYTE’s well-received 2x Copper PCB with a larger CPU power delivery plane not only offers more power supply stability, it also reduces excess heat generated from overclocking or heavy workloads to prevent power supply issues or overheating from slowing performance.
With 3 times more heat dissipation surface area compared to standard heatsinks, Fins-Array Technology bolsters heat dissipation on the Z390 AORUS XTREME. GIGABYTE upgraded its Direct Touch Heatpipe technology by implementing 4x heatpipes to improve heat transfer. The first two front side PCB heatpipes directly contact the PowIRstage and inductors while the third and fourth heatpipes use an exclusive design which increases the contact between the heatsink and the backside PCB components. The addition of a NanoCarbon coated baseplate means that the heat from the PWM is more efficiently transferred to the heatsinks which lowers the temperatures around the power design. The VRM uses a LAIRD brand thermal pad thickened to 1.5mm to increase the contact between the VRM and its heatsinks, improving heat dissipation immensely and mitigating the effects of overheating on system performance.
Nanocarbon Baseplate design with heat dissipation gives the Z390 AORUS XTREME extra rigidity to prevent PCB bending while also protecting builders from the sharper components on the backside during installation. Aside from its visually appealing design and easy installation, the integrated I/O shield provides solid protection to the feature-rich rear panel’s USB 3.1 Gen2, network connectivity ports, audio jacks, and other expansion ports. Users can troubleshoot PC problems more easily with the board’s power, restart, reset BIOS (Clear CMOS), and other buttons. Z390 AORUS XTREME employs a 90 degree design for the 24 solid pin power connectors which not only looks wicked cool when the power cables are configured but it also makes way for smoother air flow and a cooler system. Metal cladding on the pin connectors adds extra durability and reduces loosening caused by inserting and removing the power cables.
Many features on the board are designed to help users bring out the best performance from the new Intel® CoreTM i9-9900K processors. With the CPU Upgrade in the BIOS, Smart Boost and Auto Tuning in the APP Center, users can overclock with ease. For those who want more overclock control, don’t miss out on the OC Touch panel of the Z390 AORUS XTREME. OC Touch incorporates easy-to-use buttons and toggles for the user to configure key processor multipliers and adjust BCLK frequencies by units of 1MHz or 0.1 MHz. Regardless of whether the user is at the BIOS screen, using DOS or Windows® operating systems, these frequency changes can be adjusted and applied without rebooting the system. Users can quickly optimize their PCs’ performance and find the highest frequency for their processors. Additionally, the exclusive OC button can load overclock configuration presets so that less experienced overclockers can overclock at certain ranges. The OC-Touch function also helps users figure out the best overclocking settings for their processors. The built-in voltage measurement module keeps the user informed on the voltage of each component, making overclocking more convenient for users.
Z390 AORUS XTREME has 3 sets of built-in PCIe slots so users can set up a 2-Way SLI and 3-Way CrossFire configuration for a boost in 3D performance. The boost in graphics allows for a more immersive and more enjoyable gaming experience. GIGABYTE exclusive Ultra-Durable one piece stainless steel shielding PCIe Armor with Double Locking Bracket reinforces PCIe slot strength so heavy graphics cards don’t bend the slots. The motherboard’s built-in PEG the solid power pin connectors provides independent auxiliary power to the PCIe slots so users’ graphics cards can receive sufficient and more stable power supply. Z390 AORUS XTREME motherboard’s Triple PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 with Thermal Guards and dual-mode SATA M.2 slots, users can build a RAID 0/1 or RAID 5 array and take advantage of the benefits of both enhanced storage performance and solid data integrity.
GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME comes with built-in AQUANTIA 10 Gigabit Ethernet , Intel® Gigabit Ethernet, and Gigabit surpassing Intel ® CNVi 802.11ac 160MHz 2x2 WIFI for users to enjoy blazing-fast connectivity with versatile network configuration and for them to make use of both Ethernet and WIFI. The all new 4dBi ultra high peak gain antenna not only supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz WIFI frequencies but also has twice the signal strength compared to traditional antenna designs. The magnetic base and dual antenna design of Smart Antenna technology makes it so the device can be installed on magnetic surfaces and can search for WIFI signals at different angles. This fixes the positioning of the antenna and prevents the issue of users not being able to obtain strong WIFI signals, offering greater flexibility from the motherboard’s network connectivity.
Aside from exceptional performance and high-speed connectivity, GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME also has two sets of built-in USB Type-C™ Thunderbolt™ interface, which not only support native USB 3.1 Gen 2 specifications but also delivers 40 Gbps data transmission speed. Users can also daisy chain 6 devices + 1 display on a single connection, for high-speed data transfer and high-definition resolution all at once.
Professional grade audio is one of the trademarks of AORUS motherboards and the Z390 AORUS XTREME is no exception. The motherboard puts together an ALC1220-VB high-SNR audio codec with professional audio components such as ESS SABRE DAC and studio grade audio capacitors, to present users with studio grade sound. Left and right side channel audio lines are processed separately and the new inclusion of a TI Burr-Brown high quality audio OP AMPs with its signal-enhanced design makes the audio clearer and more immersive. Whether destroying enemies in-game or enjoying multimedia, users can enjoy the high-fidelity audio of a HI-FI sound system.
RGB Fusion returns to the Z390 AORUS XTREME with support for digital LED lighting strips and a newly designed lighting configuration. LED lighting on this motherboard is more subtle and understated while exuding low key luxury. RGB Fusion adds aesthetic flair to the Z390 AORUS XTREME and provides customizability for users to sync their lighting strips and peripherals with the lighting technology. An exciting bonus inclusion is the AORUS RGB Fan Commander which allows users to control the lighting patterns and fan speeds of external devices. Users can connect up to 8 fan devices, 8 digital lighting strips, and 8 sets of RGB LEDs, and indulge in the glory of RGB Fusion with added customizability and heat dissipation.
GIGABYTE exclusive Smart Fan 5 Intelligent Fan Control also makes its return. Paired with Smart Fan 5, the technology enhances support for liquid cooling setups. Fan Stop technology enables users to configure the fans to stop when system temperatures drop below selected temperature thresholds and restart the fans when necessary. This function saves energy and reduces unwanted fan noise, giving users that perfect balance between quiet and cool. Upgraded Smart Fan 5 intelligent fan control monitors GPU temperatures so users can keep track of them in-game. FPS drops due to GPU overheating during an intense teamfight in-game are no longer a problem with this excellent cooling solution.
GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME features the newest motherboard technologies and uses highly-acclaimed GIGABYTE Ultra-Durable components for added durability. Utilizing all-solid capacitors and digital power designs with intelligent fan control design for low-temperature energy saving performance. Energy-saving and environmental friendly, the motherboard offers impressive performance and durability, for the best user experience. For more related news, please visit the AORUS official website: https://www.aorus.com/
For more information and news on GIGABYTE products, please visit the official GIGABYTE website: http://www.gigabyte.com
