faith | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 30 Mar 2023 18:41:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png faith | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Win Game Max gear in our exclusive competition! https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/faith/win-game-max-gear-in-our-exclusive-competition/ Wed, 24 Feb 2016 09:28:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=284493 You might have yourself a decent gaming PC with a powerful graphics card, GPU and boat loads of memory, but do you have a decent set of peripherals to go with it? Do you have a brightly lit up keyboard? A highly-sensitive optical mouse? What about a 2.1 set of speakers? If you're missing any or …

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You might have yourself a decent gaming PC with a powerful graphics card, GPU and boat loads of memory, but do you have a decent set of peripherals to go with it? Do you have a brightly lit up keyboard? A highly-sensitive optical mouse? What about a 2.1 set of speakers? If you're missing any or all of those aspects to your gaming PC, look no further than our exclusive Game Max Competition.

This is all to help celebrate the launch of the Game Max brand, which is now available direct from CCL, Aria and Box. The full prize pack for one lucky reader is described by Game Max as follows:-

  • Game Max Hurricane keyboard
    With 9 multimedia keys, 3 profile keys, 6 macro keys and LED illumination
  • Game Max Destroyer case
    Dramatically styled mini-tower with side window, full I/O panel (includes card readers) and fan controls
  • Game Max Tornado mouse
    Up to 2000DPI, 6 buttons and ergonomic soft touch finish
  • Game Max Pro 2.1 speakers
    Rich, deep sound from the sub-woofer with clear treble at the high end

 

Game-Max-Exclusive-Competition-with-KitGuru

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But what do they have to do to be in with a chance of winning such a prize pack? Just answer one question and let us know what you think it is:

How many dedicated macro keys does the Hurricane keyboard have? 

If you think you know the answer, email it to us with your name and a Facebook profile link (so we know you're a real person) using competitions2016@kitguru.net and subject title ‘GAMEMAX COMPETITION'. All those who get the correct answer will go into a pool, with the winner chosen on Monday, 7th March. The winner will be announced on the following day. If you win, we will be in touch to get  your address so GameMax can post the goodies.

This competition is open worldwide and the winner is chosen solely at the discretion of KitGuru staff. All decisions are final. One entry per reader.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Good luck guys.

 

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Thermaltake CEO Kenny Lin: We created some memorable designs over the years https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/faith/thermaltake-ceo-kenny-lin-we-created-some-memorable-designs-over-the-years/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/faith/thermaltake-ceo-kenny-lin-we-created-some-memorable-designs-over-the-years/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:55:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=252467 At Computex 2015, KitGuru managed to catch up with Thermaltake CEO Kenny Lin. After a hiatus from product design, Kenny became very much more hands and a wave of new designs began to flow last year – including a KitGuru Annual Award for the Frio 14. In the Nangang Exhibition Hall this year, the emphasis …

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At Computex 2015, KitGuru managed to catch up with Thermaltake CEO Kenny Lin. After a hiatus from product design, Kenny became very much more hands and a wave of new designs began to flow last year – including a KitGuru Annual Award for the Frio 14. In the Nangang Exhibition Hall this year, the emphasis is very much on creativity.

First, we asked Kenny about the new wave of product launches.

“We have been manufacturing unique products for 16 years and our passion is still as intense today as it was when we started”, he told us. “Our chassis designs plateaued after the Level 10, but last year we re-energised the chassis design team and the result was the stackable Core X case series, that has been really well received in all of our markets. Especially the Core X9 is a perfect chassis to go wild with our Pacific liquid cooling components”.

kg_thermaltake_interview
Surely one of the largest chassis ever produced is the latest ‘Core W' dominates the stand at this year's show.

“Thermaltake has created some memorable designs over the years”, said Kenny. “One that really stands out in people’s minds was the Mozart TX which we launched at CES in 2007 with 8 drive bays. Now, for Computex 2015, we have something even more substantial – the Core W Case Series”.

Do people really want this much space?

“Sure”, he exclaimed. “Over the past 12 months, our theme has been ‘expandability’, with cases that are easy to upgrade or even stack on top of each other”.

kg_thermaltake_interview_3
So is it all about the chassis?

“As well as the best range of cases that we’ve ever had, Thermaltake now also has a great range of water cooling products for advanced overclocking – something that will become more important with ASUS’s new launches in 2015”, he said. 

With Luxa2, Thermaltake has touched lifestyle products already. What about other markets?

“The growth of the Tt eSports brand has also been amazing – especially when you consider how much competition there is in the market”, said Kenny. “Our new CONTOUR mobile gaming controller which has just received the APPLE MFI Certification will soon allow Apple enthusiasts world wide to experience a console-like gaming experience on their device when they want and where they want”.

kg_thermaltake_interview_1

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: We thank Kenny for taking the time to speak with KitGuru. While the Level 10 was a bright beacon in the past, overall, Thermaltake's line up today seems far more appealing to an enthusiast audience – with a firm emphasis on modding.

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Kitguru TV: Which Gigabyte X99 board to choose? https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/faith/kitguru-tv-which-gigabyte-x99-board-to-choose/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/faith/kitguru-tv-which-gigabyte-x99-board-to-choose/#respond Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:52:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=215475 As the dust starts to settle from the launch of Intel's X99 platform and the latest GTX9xx cards from nVidia, level heads are looking at the benefits being offered by the new technologies, and beginning to think about making the investment. With prices varying so much, which mainboard is right for your project? KitGuru gets …

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As the dust starts to settle from the launch of Intel's X99 platform and the latest GTX9xx cards from nVidia, level heads are looking at the benefits being offered by the new technologies, and beginning to think about making the investment. With prices varying so much, which mainboard is right for your project? KitGuru gets up close and personal with Andrew Ditchburn, technology guru for Gigabyte.

Intel's initial Haswell processors left everyone feeling a bit wet. Like buying a really expensive firework, but not getting anywhere near as much bang as you had hoped for. That was followed up by the Z97 mainboard, which will still have features added to it in the future. In comparison, X99 really felt like an Intel launch of old.

New boards, new features, news CPUs. What's not to like?  But it's definitely not a budget option – with all of the key components carrying a premium. You need to NEED an X99 solution for it to make sense. So let's say you are a regular KitGuru reader and X99 suits you perfectly, that leaves one question: Which Gigabyte board is perfect for your needs?

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

KitGuru says: All of the top manufacturers will have X99 options, but we hope that Andrew's guide to the Gigabyte offering has been useful.

 

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Up close and personal with the MSI GT72 Gaming Laptop https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/faith/up-close-and-personal-with-the-msi-gt72-gaming-laptop/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/faith/up-close-and-personal-with-the-msi-gt72-gaming-laptop/#comments Fri, 03 Oct 2014 08:38:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=214988 Without doubt, the MSI GT72 2PE Dominator Pro was one of the best received laptops we have ever seen in the KitGuru Lab. But still pictures can only take you so far. We were lucky enough to get MSI Laptop Guru Kian into the studios for an on-camera walk through on this beast of a …

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Without doubt, the MSI GT72 2PE Dominator Pro was one of the best received laptops we have ever seen in the KitGuru Lab. But still pictures can only take you so far. We were lucky enough to get MSI Laptop Guru Kian into the studios for an on-camera walk through on this beast of a box.

Top end Intel Core i7 processors and nVidia mobile graphics tell only part of the story. What this gaming laptop does better than most is pack in the memory. Not only system ram and SSD storage memory, but also video ram for supreme mobile gaming graphics.

Kian also gives us an idea of how it has done in terms of sales – which might be a shock given the £2,299 price tag.

Here's the video, but if you want the in-depth picture, then we suggest you read the full 22-page review here.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

KitGuru says: When it comes to high-end mobile computing, our tastes tend toward the thin-n-light. However, the MSI GT72 2PE Dominator Pro took KitGuru Labs by storm and this video shows you why.

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Build your first PC: Step by step video guide with KitGuru TV https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/announcements/faith/build-your-first-pc-step-by-step-video-guide-with-kitguru-tv/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/announcements/faith/build-your-first-pc-step-by-step-video-guide-with-kitguru-tv/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2014 07:47:33 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=214384 Building a PC does not need to be difficult or complicated – and it can be hugely rewarding. Today, we are launching our first system building tutorial. A simple step-by-step video that will take the beginner by the hand and lead them down the path to independence and true knowledge. Your guide is our very own engineering …

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Building a PC does not need to be difficult or complicated – and it can be hugely rewarding. Today, we are launching our first system building tutorial. A simple step-by-step video that will take the beginner by the hand and lead them down the path to independence and true knowledge. Your guide is our very own engineering guru, Leo Waldock. 

If you've never built a PC for yourself before, it can be a daunting task, but you need to remember that the essentials are fairly straightforward and that factories around the world have turned out hundreds and hundreds of millions of them.

At it's most basic level, you need to populate the mainboard with a CPU and cooler, then add memory, before installing it into your chassis. You can then add a power supply and storage drives as well as a graphics card. Cable everything together and you're done.

Leo has done all of this for you, talking through every part of the process – explaining what you will see and how to approach each task. Make sure you take antistatic precautions.

PLEASE NOTE: In follow up videos, we will do a ‘deep dive' into the techniques surrounding the application of thermal paste, the optimal method for cable routing/tidying and a host of other options which have been stimulating debate across the web for 20 years.

Here's a little kit list for what we used, but the process varies little from system to system:-

  • Aerocool DS 200: This is an ATX tower, which gives you plenty of space to build in, without taking up too much desk space or hard earned cash.
  • Gigabyte Z97MX-Gaming 5: One of the better micro ATX mainboards around, clearly labelled and straightforward to set up – while still including superior audio and networking for gaming.
  • Intel Core i7 4770K: In fact any Core i5 or Core i7 processor that has been designed  for a socket 1150 board would do.
  • Intel Stock Cooler: We use the cooler that ships with Intel processors because the mounting system is straightforward.
  • Avexir 1600MHz DDR3 Memory: We happened to have this to have in the studio, but Corsair, G.Skill, AData, Kingston etc are all equally easy to install.
  • Sapphire R9 290 Graphics Card: One area where you will find variation, is in the installation process for your graphics card.
  • DVD Re-Writer: One item that many people can live without these days, but we wanted to cover it – just in case it's relevant to you.
  • 128GB SK Hynix SSD Boot Drive: Again, you can do this with any Solid State Drive and the process is the same, but we happened to have the SK Hynix to hand.
  • 2TB Seagate Hard Drive: Arguably one of the easiest/most standard products in the market when it comes to installation.
  • Seasonic Platinum Power Supply: The set up for all high-quality, modular power supplies would be the same, but when you have a Seasonic Platinum to hand you may as well use it.

When you have watched the video, you may decide that you want to get stuck in straight away.

To help you, we have asked Overclockers and YOYOTech to set up bundle codes which will get you a set up very similar to the one you will see Leo working on.

That said, if you're still uncertain, then remember that good local system builders like Dino PC, MESH and PC Specialist can all provided you with a similar gaming specification that's pre-built and guaranteed as a unit – which you can upgrade yourself later.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

KitGuru says: While many of you will have performed an upgrade at some stage in your PC's life, it is something quite different to know that the beast under your desk/bed/shelf is 100% your creation. We hope you enjoyed this video and that it has encouraged you to have a go yourself.

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Exclusive interview with Dino PC CEO Vladimir Kuznetsov https://www.kitguru.net/channel/faith/exclusive-interview-with-dino-pc-ceo-vladimir-kuznetsov/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/faith/exclusive-interview-with-dino-pc-ceo-vladimir-kuznetsov/#comments Sat, 19 Jul 2014 08:29:33 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=203321 One of the most unusual names in the UK gaming market, Dino PC has now been supplying high-end hardware to gamers and enthusiasts alike for more than a decade. KitGuru took the opportunity to catch up with the company's founder, Vladimir Kuznetsov.  Based in North West London, Dino PC has been a low-overhead, e-commerce enterprise …

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One of the most unusual names in the UK gaming market, Dino PC has now been supplying high-end hardware to gamers and enthusiasts alike for more than a decade. KitGuru took the opportunity to catch up with the company's founder, Vladimir Kuznetsov. 

Based in North West London, Dino PC has been a low-overhead, e-commerce enterprise from the start.

How did Vladimir get into this industry in the first place?

“When I started the company 10 years ago, most of the major PC manufacturers were still using standard components and overclocking was largely for the specialists and enthusiasts that did it for themselves”, said Vladimir.

So his angle was different?

“While a lot of people come into the system building market from a business perspective, I am a hardcore gamer at heart”, he told us.

Vladimir-Dino-PC-Hardcore-Gamer

How important is it to create systems specifically for gaming?

“Take a look at graphics cards”, he explained. “System builders were ‘playing it safe' for years and offering low cost cards that struggled with most games. That's because they were looking only at the bottom line. They had no passion for gaming and building. When you experience weak frame rates yourself, it makes you focus more on GPU technology in your system specifications”.

We have to ask. Why the name?

“Really, it was a bit of fun”, said Vladimir, smiling.

“People remember when Dino PC first launched. They remember the name and the adverts, because we didn't take ourselves so seriously. We produce some great machines and they're all backed by our 3 year warranty, but they are for gaming”, he said. “For fun”.

“Customers should be thrilled when they get a new box, excited by the specs. Like opening a present”.

“When you walk around the chain stores with their hum-drum systems for £299 or £399, you just feel depressed, said Vladimir. “We want to add some excitement. That's why we create machines like the MicroRaptor, Pegasus and Infernodon. People want ‘different' in their lives”.

So is it all about desktops?

“Laptop gaming has exploded”, Vladimir tells us excitedly. “We are finally at the stage where you can get a desktop-level specification, capable of playing all the latest games at sensible frame rates, but in a portable solution that doesn't need massive biceps to move around”.

“The keyboards and screens are also way better these days, but most gamers will still plug in a keyboard and mouse themselves”, he said.

“The real improvement has been in mobile graphics”, he explained. “The nVidia 800 series is really special. Even our £699 Pegasus now has a 2GB GeForce GTX 860M with a Core i5 processor”.

Dino-PC-Gaming-Laptops-Vladimir-Kuznetsov-KitGuru

KitGuru says: If you've never seen Dino's full range, we'd recommend you have a look at Vladimir's site. It's angled toward gamers and they use every dinosaur image/pun available.

What do you look for in a pre-built gaming rig?  Do you use a laptop for gaming?  Let us know over on Facebook!

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Nothing stark about Aerocool’s Iron Man inspired chassis https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/faith/nothing-stark-about-aerocools-iron-man-inspired-chassis/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/faith/nothing-stark-about-aerocools-iron-man-inspired-chassis/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2014 12:41:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=198625 One of the best exchanges in the original Iron Man film was between Tony Stark and his design-bot when it comes to improvements for his suit, as it moved from early prototype to crime-fighting readiness. KitGuru checks out Aerocool's use of Hotrod Red. The Dead Silence range is understated. Aerocool's latest design for this form …

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One of the best exchanges in the original Iron Man film was between Tony Stark and his design-bot when it comes to improvements for his suit, as it moved from early prototype to crime-fighting readiness. KitGuru checks out Aerocool's use of Hotrod Red.

The Dead Silence range is understated.

Aerocool's latest design for this form factor is anything but.

While the outside looks like it belongs alongside Robert Downey Jr in the next Avengers blockbuster, the inside is like an F1 engineers wet dream.

Aerocool-XPredator-Devil-Red-Iron-Man-Chassis-KitGuru

As well as the intelligent airflow that we've come to expect, this (largely) tool-free design also features a completely removeable motherboard tray.

Aerocool-XPredator-Inside-Outside

This has the advantage of letting you get your CPU etc perfectly situated/cooled, while at the same time making it very easy to sort your drives and cables inside the (now very empty) chassis itself.

You can then insert/lock down the motherboard tray and, hey presto, your build is almost built.

Aerocool-XPredator-Black-Orange-Chassis-KitGuru

Overall, there are a host of cool features that take this from ‘gimmick' to ‘interesting' when it comes to chassis classification.

Aerocool-XPredator-Black-Orange-Control-Chassis-KitGuru

KitGuru says: Like most of the product samples we have seen in recent weeks, the target date for mass market availability will be around the summer holidays. Plenty of time to build a system worthy of a battle with Ultron wethinks.

Do you prefer the strong/silent type of chassis or is a little splash-n-dash allowed? Let us know over on Facebook.

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Top 5 technology gift ideas for Father’s Day https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/top-5-technology-gifts-for-fathers-day/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/top-5-technology-gifts-for-fathers-day/#respond Fri, 13 Jun 2014 07:16:55 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=198118 As the conveyor belt of made-up holidays continues its never ending cycle past us punters, the next on the list is Father's Day. This year, it falls on 15th June – which gives you a last window of opportunity to show your appreciation. Go on. You know you want to. Although birthdays and Xmas/Eid/Diwali/Chanukkah are …

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As the conveyor belt of made-up holidays continues its never ending cycle past us punters, the next on the list is Father's Day. This year, it falls on 15th June – which gives you a last window of opportunity to show your appreciation. Go on. You know you want to.

Although birthdays and Xmas/Eid/Diwali/Chanukkah are the biggies, it's not good to miss Father's Day. That said, you don't want to be spending a fortune. The ‘win' here for all you off-spring out there, is to pick something that costs less than a tank of petrol, but makes it look as though you are a thoughtful and considerate son/daughter.

For a dad, that usually only means one thing: Tech.

In no particular order, here are 5 ideas from the KitGuru team:-

Boost your home network
While modern wireless routers are pretty decent – even the freebies you get with BT Infinity etc – there will still be situations where one person might want a much faster, more stable connection in a room that's far away from the router. If your dad likes to escape, then maybe something like a TP-Link AV500 Gigabyte Powerline adapter for £49 might come in handy. Plug one end into the mains/router and the other into another one of your home's power sockets far away and, hey presto, high speed internet from a distance.

Back up now, before it's too late
Sure, your dad has been promising himself for years that all of his most important files will be backed up – but has he ever done anything about it?  Remove the doubt with a 1TB Samsung USB3 portable drive – also around £49.

Bluetooth Bass Boost
If you're honest, you've driven your dad from the sitting room TV and the second telly is being used for soaps/console gaming. Now, the poor old chap is resigned to an iPad or smartphone screen. While the image quality is pretty decent, the volume is weak. Solve the problem with a Wavemaster MOBI-2 Bluetooth speaker. It's rechargeable and will go for more than one day with a single juicing session. Connection is easy and the sound quality is great for its size. Available from Amazon for around £24.

Brand new HD screen
OK, this will be toward the top end of your budget, but if your old man has been suffering with a wobbly old monitor that can't even support 1920×1080, then maybe you should treat him to an Asus VS228DE 22″ HD monitor. It connects on VGA, so his old cable should do the trick. We managed to find this online for £79.

USB everywhere and not a port to dock with
If you see your dad constantly swapping plugs in and out of his PC, then maybe you can splash the cash to the tune of £12 and get him 4 new USB 3.0 ports on the back of his system. Dynamode make some very affordable products and this one is no exception.

Alternatively, just get him flowers and chocolates and watch him pretend to like them.

DadTech

KitGuru says: Whether you go for something on this list – or you get creative on your own – technology is as safe a bet for most blokes as chocolate is for the ladies. Share this article with any friends that are stuck.

Let us know what you think about Father's Day gifts over on Facebook.

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AMD’s John Byrne gets another promotion https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/faith/amds-john-byrne-gets-another-promotion/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/faith/amds-john-byrne-gets-another-promotion/#comments Thu, 12 Jun 2014 22:27:02 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=198109 At the same time that we learn about Intel suffering another huge fine for illicit business practices, AMD seems to be stepping it up again with another reshuffle at board level. So far, the changes seem to have had a positive effect. KitGuru ponders the size and likely impact of the changes. With Dr Lisa …

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At the same time that we learn about Intel suffering another huge fine for illicit business practices, AMD seems to be stepping it up again with another reshuffle at board level. So far, the changes seem to have had a positive effect. KitGuru ponders the size and likely impact of the changes.

With Dr Lisa Su appointed as the new Chief Operating Officer, the company will be effectively divided into two major groups under her. One will take care of Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom Business – which Dr Su will be heading up directly.

The second sees the creation of a Computing and Graphics Business Group under John Byrne, who gets promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager.

Both of these groups will be having dealings with ARM – arguably AMD's most crucial relationship over the next 3 years, as it aims to deliver its Ambidextrous solution to market.

With some analysts predicting that ARM-based solutions can take half of Intel's business in some markets in the near future, it makes sense to have every top player in your team interfacing with the chaps who provide the computing architecture for Apple's iPad etc.

The job titles themselves are all well and good, but what does it mean in terms of the sizes of the teams being managed and the likely changes that will follow in terms of how AMD does business?

In John Byrne‘s case, as Chief Sales Officer he would have been responsible for around 600 sales and marketing people. This new role will more than triple the number of people under him – specifically by bringing in the engineering teams etc.

The logic here is that if you can ‘glue together' customer requirements with the innovative abilities of your engineers, then you can make chips that have just the right specifications to satisfy market demand – without any undesirable/unnecessary features.

Simpler, more focused chips mean easier production phases, quicker time to market and lower prices once you get in front of the customer.

All of which could make the world a more difficult place for Intel. Hot on the heels of being told that it will have to cough up close to $1.4 Billion for violating anti-trust rules and a serious stutter in its tick-tock processor release schedule on 14nm, the last thing that Intel probably wanted to hear today is that AMD is re-energising.

AMD-John-Byrne-Promotion-KitGuru-Portrait

KitGuru says: Top execs within any company are unlikely to tell you their weakest link. That said, if we had to guess with AMD in the past, it would be execution. Having a great idea is one thing. bringing it to market in a timely fashion is something completely different. Combining the sales, marketing and engineering teams for the computing and graphics areas under one person, has the potential to be a game-changing move by CEO Rory Read.

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Ablecom launches new digital signage solutions https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/base-unit/faith/ablecom-launches-new-digital-signage-solutions/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/base-unit/faith/ablecom-launches-new-digital-signage-solutions/#respond Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:42:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=197911 The market for digital signage is already big, but in 2014 it is only a fraction of the size that it will be in 10 years time. Right now, there are no clear leaders in this field – in the sense that you can ask someone in the street and they will be able to …

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The market for digital signage is already big, but in 2014 it is only a fraction of the size that it will be in 10 years time. Right now, there are no clear leaders in this field – in the sense that you can ask someone in the street and they will be able to name a brand. Ablecom is planning to change all that. KitGuru caught up with Ablecom VP Rover Chen to find out more.

While most of the attention at Computex 2014 was given to the biggest names in component manufacture, products that have been designed to target the fastest growing markets didn't get so much attention.

On our last day at the show, we made a point of seeking out these companies – one of which is Ablecom.

Established in 1997, this Taiwanese specialist manufacturer has 17 years experience in the industrial/professional market place.

In recent years, that focus has moved to digital signage and they are now pushing a lot of R&D resource into this field.

We saw some larger units at CeBIT, back in March, but at Computex we were presented with some gorgeous looking mini units by Rover Chen, Global VP for Sales.

To add a little glamour, we added a couple of passing showgirls for the first shot.

Essentially, the smaller unit is memory-only and does not have space for a drive – hence the dual wireless antennae. The larger unit can be fitted with a big drive if necessary.

Rover told us that, in addition to new 4K enabled Intel units, he is also working on some AMD-based devices.

Maybe this is what AMD's John Byrne meant when he said that his company would be focusing more on embedded systems in rapidly expanding markets.

Ablecom-Rover-Computex-2014-KitGuru

Ablecom-DS-511-Computex-2014-KitGuru

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Ablecom-DS-512-Computex-2014-KitGuru

.
KitGuru says: To be honest, if an Ablecom customer doesn't want these units, we'd take em ourselves. Solid construction, gorgeous colours and the ability to house a sensibly powered PC. With companies like Ablecom driving this hard, you get the feeling that the hardware is developing faster than the software in this arena.

Do you find digital signage useful or intrusive?  Would you be happy being recognised and receiving a personal message? Let us know on Facebook.

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Gigabyte’s Nigel Sutch chats with KitGuru at Computex https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/faith/gigabytes-nigel-sutch-chats-with-kitguru-at-computex/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/faith/gigabytes-nigel-sutch-chats-with-kitguru-at-computex/#respond Tue, 10 Jun 2014 07:15:06 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=197321 Founded in 1986, Gigabyte is one of the Taiwan Top 20 Global Brands, with a company motto that suggests you ‘Upgrade your life'. With four new ranges of boards coming into the market, we wanted to make sure we got a complete tour. Enter Nigel Sutch, regional sales and marketing guru for the technology giant.  …

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Founded in 1986, Gigabyte is one of the Taiwan Top 20 Global Brands, with a company motto that suggests you ‘Upgrade your life'. With four new ranges of boards coming into the market, we wanted to make sure we got a complete tour. Enter Nigel Sutch, regional sales and marketing guru for the technology giant. 

Even from the 36th floor of Taipei's famous 101 story building (of the same name), cars and people look like minute toys below.
Perfect environment to show off a ton of new products if you're hoping they will be head and shoulders above the competition.

Gigabyte-Computex-2014-Room-with-a-View

Nigel spent time going through the Ultra Durable, Black Edition and peak performance products. We'll start with the most reliable.

So which CPU markets do they cover?  Nigel explained, “As you would expect, the Ultra Durable range of Z97 chipset boards will support both 4th and 5th generation Intel Core processors. There's plenty of connectivity on offer as well, with 10Gb/sec data transfer and Thunderbolt 2”.

So what makes then ‘Ultra Durable'?

“As well as the 2x copper PCB board design, we also use Nippon Chemi-Con and Nichicon capacitors that are rated for 10,000 hours use”, Nigel told us. “We're also using 5 times more gold on the CPU contacts, to minimise bad contacts and corrosion – which is important for long life and reliable use”.

Gigabyte-GA-Z97X-UD7-TH-Computex-2014-KitGuru

It's one thing to include a load of features, but how can you be certain you're getting the right result.

“Testing is everything with our Black Edition mainboards”, Nigel told us. “Each one is tested for 168 hours to the same performance and reliability levels we demand from our mission critical server products”.

“Naturally, you'll also get support for Gigabyte's exciting new Cloud innovations”, he added. Good to know.

Finally, for this part of our coverage on Gigabyte, here's a shot of Nigel holding a board designed for setting records (more on that soon), surrounded by Taiwanese CosPlay beauties.

Nigel-Sutch-Gigabyte-Computex-2014-101

KitGuru says: Gigabyte motherboards are in a strong position this year – we just need the new Intel processors now for those upcoming system builds!

Let us know what you think about Gigabyte mainboards, Devils Canyon processors or Nigel's CosPlay beauties over on Facebook.

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Seasonic take the gentle, friendly approach at Computex https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/faith/seasonic-take-the-gentle-friendly-approach-at-computex/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/faith/seasonic-take-the-gentle-friendly-approach-at-computex/#respond Sun, 08 Jun 2014 08:35:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=197167 Approaching Computex from the Geeks point of view – it provides a gorgeous concentration of technologies spread across multiple locations in Taipei for a week. But this year, there was a serious restriction placed on the number of local folks who could get in. The show's organisers had listened to exhibitors and the result was …

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Approaching Computex from the Geeks point of view – it provides a gorgeous concentration of technologies spread across multiple locations in Taipei for a week. But this year, there was a serious restriction placed on the number of local folks who could get in. The show's organisers had listened to exhibitors and the result was a much more serious, customer-focused show. KitGuru brings the story to life, Kodak style.

In the highly competitive power supply market, few companies manage to develop new high-level products as consistently as Seasonic. Even when the company gave extra emphasis to ‘affordable designs' last year, it still managed to command a premium in most markets. What you will have seen is the kind of results the company's power supplies achieve in KitGuru Labs' testing.

What you wouldn't normally see is the way that Seasonic deals with customers behind the scenes. It is, quite literally, one of the friendliest companies you're ever likely to encounter.

Computex is a fast paced setting, but this year there was an active effort to restrict ‘regular people' from getting in. The focus was pushed onto corporate buyers – the chaps who place orders for the likes of Overclockers etc. Even so, the halls were still constantly buzzing.

Computex-2014-Seasonic-Meeting-Customers-KitGuru

With so many people roving through, you need a sizable stand to (a) attract attention and (b) provide creature comforts while you show off your latest products.

If you took a stand like Seasonic's and dropped it into a UK show, it would seem massive. In the context of Computex, it is actually quite modest.

Seasonic-Stand-Busy-Computex-2014-KitGuru

Overall, the Seasonic approach is relaxed. When you're capable of producing the ‘Rolls Royce' of power supplies, then there's no need for a lot of ‘18,000 rpm noise-making' to attract attention.
Maybe just add a little heart.

One of the key items on display at their stand is the excellent Platinum 1200W Modular Power supply which scored very highly in our review. We managed to get 1345 watts from the supply before the protection circuity kicked in. Ripple suppression was also excellent – rating well within industry specifications. Maximum efficiency rated at 94.3% in our tests.

If you own a high end Crossfire or SLi system then this power supply should definitely be making the final shortlist. We also managed to get access to another high end unit from Seasonic so check back in a couple of days for a full analysis on that one.

Seasonic-Computex-2014-Full-Range-KitGuru

.So having traveled for a day to Taipei, checked in, fought jet-lag and finally made it to the hallowed halls of the Nangang Exhibition Centre, what kind of welcome awaits?

On the Seasonic stand, customers were greeted by the soft and inviting partnership of Nils Stallmach and Ray Milton.

There now weary traveler. Doesn't that make it all worth while?

Seasonic-Computex-2014-Ray-Milton-Nils-Stallmach-KitGuru

KitGuru says: One of the biggest problems with shows like CeBIT is that the organisers are worried that the show looks dead. As a result, they pushed tickets to the German public – which resulted in companies pulling back their stands inside the ‘Planet Reseller – Trade Only' area. Computex has taken the step to reduce the number of consumers entering and, as a result, has made the show stronger – to the benefit of companies like Seasonic.

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SanDisk shows 400GB in each socket of Supermicro board at Computex https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/faith/sandisk-shows-400gb-in-each-socket-of-supermicro-board-at-computex/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/faith/sandisk-shows-400gb-in-each-socket-of-supermicro-board-at-computex/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2014 19:26:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=197108 In any given month, less than 1 million people read KitGuru. That makes you, the knowledgeable hardware enthusiast, part of an exclusive minority. Your system is likely to be an order of magnitude more powerful than any of your friends and YOU are the person they ring when they need help and buying advice. Well, …

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In any given month, less than 1 million people read KitGuru. That makes you, the knowledgeable hardware enthusiast, part of an exclusive minority. Your system is likely to be an order of magnitude more powerful than any of your friends and YOU are the person they ring when they need help and buying advice. Well, prepare to feel hopelessly inadequate.

Dropping onto the Supermicro stand at CeBIT proved very interesting.

Naturally, we felt the urge to repeat the experience at Computex 2014 over in Taipei – and we were not disappointed.

The high-end/corporate companies tend to be more restrained when it comes to presentations and demos. You really need to get onto the stand and find out exactly what they're showing.

One board in particular grabbed our attention.

SanDisk has crammed a pile of SSD memory technology into a regular-looking module. Having announced its intention to push out these modules in the first half of 2014, we know that they are already working on faster versions with even more storage – especially given that Intel is revamping its high-end/pro-products in the later half of the year.

Each of the monster modules being demonstrated at Computex can make a whopping 400GB of memory available to your CPU, on the fastest and most directly linked bus possible.

Given that they are server boards, you have 8 sockets available – and these can be fully populated to allow your CPU access to 3.2TB of memory at lightning speed.

We were given the tour by Rob Callaghan, a very happy looking Senior Product Manager for SanDisk.

Check out his big grin, big modules and the fully loaded board itself.

Rob told us that there are two key advantages for customers who operate in the money-saturated trading markets:-
1) The reduced distance to the CPU means speed is maximised
2) The shorter distance increases predictability, which means you can calculate – with some degree of certainty – how much work can be done each cycle. This is crucial for High Speed Trading (HST) systems, where you need to come to a buy/sell conclusion as fast as possible

SanDisk-Rob-Callaghan-Product-Manager-400GB-DIMM-SSD-KitGuru-Computex-2014

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SanDisk-400GB-DIMM-SSD-KitGuru-Computex-2014

KitGuru says: The traditional barriers around system performance are melting away. Very soon, it seems that only the internet will be holding us back. Until the Google Satellites come online, maybe.

How much do you want 3.2TB of memory in your DIMM sockets?  Let us know over on Facebook.

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Coolermaster Computex launches Resonar bass control earphones https://www.kitguru.net/channel/computex/faith/coolermaster-computex-launches-resonar-bass-control-earphones/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/computex/faith/coolermaster-computex-launches-resonar-bass-control-earphones/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2014 06:19:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196957 In a secret room on the 4th floor of the Nangang Exhibition hall in Taipei, there was a blanket ban on cameras by the Coolermaster product meisters. Imagine our surprise when we saw one of the secret squirrel samples left out in the open on the company's main stand. KitGuru snaps to it. Everyone hears …

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In a secret room on the 4th floor of the Nangang Exhibition hall in Taipei, there was a blanket ban on cameras by the Coolermaster product meisters. Imagine our surprise when we saw one of the secret squirrel samples left out in the open on the company's main stand. KitGuru snaps to it.

Everyone hears music slightly differently and we all have very specific preferences when it comes to how audio is delivered.

That said, as long as there is clarity, what could be better than access to serious volume and thumping bass?

Generating the perfect combo, is something that Coolermaster scientists have been working on.

The result is the company's latest set of earphones, complete with a bass-volume-dial on each earpiece.

Talk about fine tuning the control.

Coolermaster-Resonar-Headset-KitGuru-Box

Coolermaster-Resonar-Headset-KitGuru-Product-Shot

KitGuru says: When faced with the lyrics, “Bass, how low can you go?” – our urge is actually to crank it right up. While there is a certain satisfaction to clarity at the high-end, music you can feel is what gets your heart beat racing. Our initial try showed a lot of promise. Can't wait to put them through their paces in the KitGuru Labs.

Do you have a strong opinion on headsets/phones? Share your views over on Facebook.

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Exclusive interview with Ken Ho, President of Inno3D at Computex https://www.kitguru.net/channel/computex/faith/exclusive-interview-with-ken-ho-president-of-inno3d-at-computex/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/computex/faith/exclusive-interview-with-ken-ho-president-of-inno3d-at-computex/#respond Fri, 06 Jun 2014 05:39:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196946 In the graphics industry, Ken Ho is a bit of a legend. Having been in the manufacturing game for many, many years – he has worked with them all and seen a lot of trends coming and going over the decades. At Computex 2014, he was very excited about something different. KitGuru spent time with …

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In the graphics industry, Ken Ho is a bit of a legend. Having been in the manufacturing game for many, many years – he has worked with them all and seen a lot of trends coming and going over the decades. At Computex 2014, he was very excited about something different. KitGuru spent time with Ken as he discussed new possibilities for his company.

“We have the most powerful nVidia graphics card available on the stand”, Ken Ho told KitGuru. “But more people stop to look at my brand new 3D printer. It's crazy how much people are interested in this kind of device”.

You can use a top end Titan Z to drive serious apps or games like no other nVidia card before it. It is substantial, refined and in the market at just under £2,400.

We asked Ken to tell us about his show-stopping printer.

Interest-Inno3D-with-3D-Printer-Computex-2014-KitGuru

“It's quite simple”, he told us. “We just print basic models, all day long, and we have queues of people standing there watching it happen. It's a very slow process, but people don't seem to care. They are fascinated”.

He's right about that.

Watching the print head make the same movement pattern over and over again is enough to make you feel like you have OCD if you're not careful.

“It's hard to walk away once you start watching”, said Ken. “You really want to see it finish. Even if it just a simple object like a cat or a pyramid”.

So how much do these things cost?

“The Inno3D Printer is around £1,000 right now, but we are working hard to get that price down”, Ken told us. “As the technology becomes more widely available and the need for maintenance reduces, we're expecting the price to come down a lot”.

So what is needed in order to increase the market size?

“Simple”, said Ken. “We need a killer application for the mass market”.

“Right now, most people who use this kind of technology are doing prototypes. We even use it ourselves to test new ideas for cooling solutions”, he said. “They create a model, then press ‘print' before they go home at night – so the final article is ready for them in the morning”.

That begs the question, ‘Is the model itself ever useful'?

“Oh yes”, exclaimed Ken. “I have seen it with sports shoes and some special rubberised printing materials. You can mold a customer's feet, then tell the computer to make them a pair of trainers that exactly fit that shape. I can see that kind of mass customisation happening a lot more in the future.

Ken-Ho-President-Inno3D-with-3D-Printer-Computex-2014-KitGuru

KitGuru says: Big Thank You to Ken Ho for taking the time to speak exclusively to KitGuru. Without doubt, the 3D printing industry will be a major market in the future. When it will reach the mass market is likely to depend on finding the killer app as much as the right price point. But the idea of ‘personalised footwear' that you print yourself does seem appealing.

Let us know what you think about 3D printing over on Facebook.

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MSI displays Intel-based World Firsts at Computex 2014 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/computex/faith/msi-displays-intel-based-world-firsts-at-computex-2014/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/computex/faith/msi-displays-intel-based-world-firsts-at-computex-2014/#respond Fri, 06 Jun 2014 05:13:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196937 Hot on the heels of its ECO drive, MSI has also been showing two World Firsts in the mainboard area. One is set to improve all round performance through superior bandwidth, while the other promises a high-speed interconnect for your everyday peripherals (or, at least, the ones you will buy when they are available). KitGuru …

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Hot on the heels of its ECO drive, MSI has also been showing two World Firsts in the mainboard area. One is set to improve all round performance through superior bandwidth, while the other promises a high-speed interconnect for your everyday peripherals (or, at least, the ones you will buy when they are available). KitGuru interrogates Joran Schoonderwoerd about his recent public displays.

While the world is starting to dip its toe into Intel's Tickety-Tock ‘K' chip refresh goodness, corporate eyes are on Q3 and the promise of a new set of serious chips for high-end professional chips and boards.

The idea of having memory sticks that have much faster throughput – sitting on a quad channel board – certainly bodes well for applications that saturate the bus on a regular basis.

In this area, MSI is claiming a World First. Please ignore the burst of green goodness in the bottom right hand corner, new batteries in the KitGuru flash gun seem to have temporarily saturated one corner of the board.

MSI-Worlds-First-X99-DDR4-Mainboard-KitGuru

MSI-Worlds-First-X99-DDR4-Mainboard-Spec-KitGuru

Similarly, while Intel's promise of USB 3.1 with Z97 has failed to materialise (with rumours rife that it has been let down by a chip supplier), MSI seems to have found an alternative source and ploughed ahead anyway.

Here's Joran, chipping in with an index finger – just when we needed it most.

MSI-Worlds-First-USB-3.1-Mainboard-KitGuru

You just KNOW how much Cartman would appreciate the controller being made by ASMedia.

MSI-Worlds-First-USB-3-close-up-performance

KitGuru says: Anyone who's sat at on their PC when a full backup kicks in, will have desired the kind of bandwidth that DDR4 on X99 promises. At the same time, we've ALL wished for a faster data transfer to/from USB devices. Nice to see someone innovating with technology that will improve many, many lives.

Let us know over on Facebook if you feel the need for more transfer speed.

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MSI highlights the green way with H97M ECO demo at Computex https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/faith/msi-highlights-the-green-way-with-h97m-eco-demo-at-computex/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/faith/msi-highlights-the-green-way-with-h97m-eco-demo-at-computex/#comments Thu, 05 Jun 2014 18:57:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196873 Deep inside the huge Nangang Exhibition centre at Computex 2014 in Taipei, one corner of one stand was drawing significantly less power than its neighbours this year. KitGuru wondered watt was going on. Joran Schoonderwoerd, MSI product guru, was on hand to help explain. While the majority of the kit on show this year echoes familiar themes …

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Deep inside the huge Nangang Exhibition centre at Computex 2014 in Taipei, one corner of one stand was drawing significantly less power than its neighbours this year. KitGuru wondered watt was going on. Joran Schoonderwoerd, MSI product guru, was on hand to help explain.

While the majority of the kit on show this year echoes familiar themes of wanton power and money-no-object performance, the folks at MSI have some new Z97 boards on show that aim to give visitors new insight into what's possible on less power.

The demonstration is simple.

It puts a working, basic PC set up against a light bulb – with a similar power draw on both sides.

If you consider how much we all get done with a modern tablet PC (running off internal batteries), then it makes sense that a green system like this should be able to deliver a usable amount of what we like – at a fraction of the electrical cost for traditional systems.

While the system was on, it wasn't doing much when we saw it – so you can't expect to put ‘bulb power' into the device and get ‘serious system' performance – but it's a good indicator of what might be possible if companies put their best engineers on the job.

MSI is presently deciding on whether to go with a black or white PCB. Here's the baseline spec:-

  • Intel Core i7 4765T
  • Kingston LoVo 8GB Kit
  • Kingston KC300 SSDNow 120GB
  • FSP Aurum 92+ 550w

MSI-H97M-Eco-Computex-2014-Green-Computing-Measurement

MSI-H97M-Eco-Computex-2014-Green-Computing-In-Action

MSI-H97M-Eco-Computex-2014-Green-Computing-Initiative

KitGuru says: More power to MSI. This kind of initiative needs to be followed up with significant investment.

Let us know whether green is important to you over on Facebook.

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Phanteks unveils gold edition Enthoo – let the rush begin at Computex https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/faith/phanteks-unveils-gold-edition-enthoo-let-the-rush-begin-at-computex/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/faith/phanteks-unveils-gold-edition-enthoo-let-the-rush-begin-at-computex/#respond Wed, 04 Jun 2014 19:16:51 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196646 When KitGuru first set eyes, and Lab Tests, on the Phanteks Enthoo series – it was immediately impressive. At Computex 2014, the world's leading show for computer components and peripherals, we got eyes-on something rather cool in a private suite inside the luxurious Hyatt hotel. Let's feel the fabric of your desire for gold. Given …

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When KitGuru first set eyes, and Lab Tests, on the Phanteks Enthoo series – it was immediately impressive. At Computex 2014, the world's leading show for computer components and peripherals, we got eyes-on something rather cool in a private suite inside the luxurious Hyatt hotel. Let's feel the fabric of your desire for gold.

Given that we torture-test hundreds and hundreds of products each year, for any individual piece of hardware to win one of our highly coveted Annual Awards is tough. But that's exactly what the Phanteks Enthoo Prime managed in 2013.

The ‘Drop In' SSD cages are interesting, as is the continued focus on ways to keep PSU heat away from the rest of the components.

That's all part of the inspiration that Caseking fed into Phanteks on this chassis – and the collaboration certainly seems to have worked. Certainly it has led to a Caseking Exclusive design.

There will be a subtle change in colour across these images – they were shot in ‘real world' conditions – but the overall feeling is one of quality.

Computex-2014-KitGuru-Phanteks-Boon-Tuoh-Khor--Enthoo-Gold-Edition-Front-Reverse

Tool-free access and colour co-ordination rocks.

Computex-2014-KitGuru-Phanteks-Boon-Tuoh-Khor--Enthoo-Gold-Edition-Two-Views

The internal details have been designed to be practical and attractive. We were taken through all of the possible options in terms of cooling, component location and modding/upgradeability – there are loads.
Computex-2014-KitGuru-Phanteks-Boon-Tuoh-Khor--Enthoo-Gold-Edition-Inside-Front

The gold-clad case is built from aluminium and is expected to be less than £299 when it is launched by Overclockers, according to Caseking business development guru Miodrag Relic, and that will happen before the summer kicks in for real.

Heading up the drive to get this unique chassis to market is Boon Tuoh Khor, seen here with his baby.
Computex-2014-KitGuru-Phanteks-Boon-Tuoh-Khor--Enthoo-Gold-Edition

KitGuru says: The levels of innovation that Phanteks' engineers have reached for is impressive. Add on the smooth gold finish and you have the makings of a very interesting chassis. We'll need to test it in order to give a definitive opinion, but it's seriously desirable when you're up close and personal. 

Let us know if you lust for the luster over on Facebook.

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CSO John Byrne claims AMD is leading in exclusive KitGuru interview https://www.kitguru.net/channel/faith/cso-john-byrne-claims-amd-is-leading-in-exclusive-kitguru-interview/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/faith/cso-john-byrne-claims-amd-is-leading-in-exclusive-kitguru-interview/#comments Wed, 14 May 2014 09:38:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=193027 “Technology leadership is all about understanding where the market will go next”, claims AMD Chief Sales Officer, John Byrne. “It's about predicting the future”. KitGuru was fortunate enough to catch up with AMD's CSO – the driving force behind AMD's recent sales resurgence. This interview gave us a unique and interesting perspective on how AMD …

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“Technology leadership is all about understanding where the market will go next”, claims AMD Chief Sales Officer, John Byrne. “It's about predicting the future”. KitGuru was fortunate enough to catch up with AMD's CSO – the driving force behind AMD's recent sales resurgence. This interview gave us a unique and interesting perspective on how AMD sees itself in 2014 and how it aims to position itself for the future.

.
When Rory Read took over at AMD, as reported by KitGuru in August 2011, wholesale changes were not far behind.

Those changes started right at the very top – with the board.

Read brought together several key people, including:-

  • Dr Lisa Su
    In from Freescale to head up the global Business Units.
  • Mark Papermaster
    Joined as CTO following successful spells at Apple and Cisco.
  • Colette LaForce
    Brought in from Dell to take responsibility for marketing and – most importantly – the corporation's brand management/thought leadership.
  • Devinder Kumar
    Another crucial part of Rory's new team was the positioning of someone who already had 30 years’ experience understanding how the money moves in, around and out of AMD. Devinder was made Chief Financial Officer to help ensure the most important beans stay counted.

Completing the line-up was the addition of John Byrne, to fire up AMD's global sales effort and make sure that the all-important cash starts to flow through the business.

No matter how well organised a corporation is, it means nothing without sales. When executed properly, it is the ability to sell what you have in your inventory right now, as well as setting up orders far into the future – for what your engineering teams will be developing tomorrow.

“When we took over as a leadership team”, explained Byrne, “AMD was generating 95% of its revenue from the classic PC markets and that was a dangerous place to be”.

“By the end of 2013, that was below 80% and by 2015, approximately half of our revenue will be from growth markets”, said Byrne. “We must and will continue to attack the growth markets we have identified”.

Byrne specifically outlines these high-growth markets as semi-custom, embedded, dense server, professional graphics and ultra-low power client.

Positive words. But let's go deeper.

AMD-John-Byrne-Interview-KitGuru-Portrait

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Insomnia has grown enormously at i51 – Impressive stuff https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/insomnia-has-grown-enormously-at-i51-impressive-stuff/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/insomnia-has-grown-enormously-at-i51-impressive-stuff/#respond Mon, 21 Apr 2014 16:24:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=188362 Parents all want, pretty much, the same thing for their kids. It's all university, professional career, kids and retirement near the sea. So what happens when a ‘bad seed' comes along and decides that being a surgeon is a bad idea and that playing games for the rest of your live is a good idea? …

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Parents all want, pretty much, the same thing for their kids. It's all university, professional career, kids and retirement near the sea. So what happens when a ‘bad seed' comes along and decides that being a surgeon is a bad idea and that playing games for the rest of your live is a good idea?  Luckily, Craig Fletcher's parents backed him 100% and now ‘Wizzo' is the Managing Director of the UK's biggest gaming organisation, Multiplay. KitGuru wishes it had packed a wider lens when visiting Multiplay i51. This is getting REALLY big.

Running a small LAN for your mates might seem more like ‘fun' than the best way to build a multi-national, multi-million dollar empire, but you'd be wrong.

Even more annoyingly, not only is Craig a bit of a business guru – he's also a genuinely nice chap. Sure, he's had as much fun as the next geek at these events over the past 17 years, but his family always push hard to support local charities and, this weekend, the drive was for the Godiva Appeal to help blind and partially sighted people enjoy life more (Craig's the smug sod on the left, the cute one on the right is a puppy).

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Craig-Fletcher-Guide-Dogs-Godiva

When Ricoh offered to sponsor a £113 million, 32,000 seater stadium for Coventry, they would have imagined that football matches would have been player there. A dispute over payments has seen Coventry City football team take their jumpers down to Northampton and there is a chance that they will never come back.

Coventry City's loss is Multiplay's gain, it would seem.

“This arena is absolutely fantastic for us”, said Multiplay's operations guru, Stewart Fletcher – Craig's brother and right hand. “We always knew that with the right venue, we could increase the number of visitors over a weekend well past the 10,000 mark, and i51 looks like it might see the turnstiles clicking almost 20,000 times over the course of the Easter bank Holiday weekend”.

“While i51 has been amazing, we know that i52 over the August Bank Holiday will be even better”, said Stewart. “Now that space isn't limited, we have big plans”.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Stewart-Fletcher-Ricoh-Arena

The Arena, entrance way and overall set up for i51 are very impressive – and on a grand scale. Truly a gaming paradise.

On a human level, running such a massive event takes lots of fuel, determination and communication. Here are some neat behind-the-scenes shots from the Multiplay Management Hub.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Running-Major-Events-Fuel-Communications

That's the personal side of things. Under the rug/radar. The visible front line looks different.
In the first shot, Steve ‘Shed Boy' Wilson balances his enormous brain while considering which button to press next in order to make Multiplay work.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Shed-Boy-Shedboy-Steve-Wilson

To the right of the main Battle Stage, we have pro-casters, all of the necessary feeds and an archetypal referee (smooth paunch intact).
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Casters

The main stage looks amazing, we can tell you.
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Main-Stage

But what you have to remember with the way that Insomnia has grown, is that we're not just talking about one main stage. In the main exhibition hall, there's another stage. When we snapped it, the masses were being professionally messaged by super hunk Sam Deans (right) – full time combat expert and part time multimedia guru.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Exhibition-Stage-Sam-Deans

Traditional favourites like the major raffle and Om Nom Nom stores are still in place – but bigger!
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Nom-Nom-Raffle

The food on offer at Multiplay i51 was truly awesome. Fresh, loads of variety and – for a change with a major venue – reasonably priced.

Example?  A tray of chilli nachos with unlimited guacamole and salsa for just £3.50 – and you can eat it all while sitting on real hay bales – Yee Har!
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Great-Food-Hand-Cooked-Cool-Location

Stacks of prizes, enormous entrance ways for the thousands of people who keep coming and going and – in the aerial shot – Yvonne ‘Mamma' Fletcher ensuring the smooth flow of comfort food.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Prizes-Entrance-Yvonne-Fletcher-Tuck-Shop

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

KitGuru says: Without doubt, Multiplay i51 is the biggest gaming event that the UK has ever seen – and there's plenty more to come.

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The most gorgeous systems at Multiplay i51 – Part Two https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/the-most-gorgeous-systems-at-multiplay-i51-part-two/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/the-most-gorgeous-systems-at-multiplay-i51-part-two/#respond Mon, 21 Apr 2014 14:38:23 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=188338 Welcome back hardware lovers. Did we successfully get your juices flowing in Part One?   Good.  We didn't stop searching for beauty all day long and we were up late last night picking the very best for you. Here's the second instalment of the Most Gorgeous Systems from Multiplay i51 at the Ricoh Arena in …

The post The most gorgeous systems at Multiplay i51 – Part Two first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Welcome back hardware lovers. Did we successfully get your juices flowing in Part One?   Good.  We didn't stop searching for beauty all day long and we were up late last night picking the very best for you. Here's the second instalment of the Most Gorgeous Systems from Multiplay i51 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry over the Easter Bank Holiday.

Gaming with your mates normally means a few guys pop over and slump on your sofa.

If you're more serious about gaming, then maybe your crew bring their rigs over to your house and spend a day or three raiding.

Multiplay is on a completely different scale. Hall after hall after hall – full of hardcore gamers – playing non-stop for 4 days.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Main-Gaming-Hall

So, walking around all of these halls, we came across some impressive rigs. Including this one from Eclipse.
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Eclipse-Orange-Nuclear

We love the contrast of colours in that rig, but we also love the more traditional blends.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Deepest-Secrets

But what if a system's blood wants to run white instead of red or blue.
There's no mist inside, but way these tube glow, it almost feels like there is.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-White-Blood-System

We can take liberties with the next system, because YOYOTech's design guru Kevin managed to ping us a perfect studio shot (right hand side) earlier today.
It gives you an idea as to why YOYOTech's sales guru Ryan is giving the thumbs up to this new design at i51. Very 70's retro chic chaps.
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-YOYOTech-901

Whenever we saw a deep red glow emanating from a gamer's rig in the main hall, there was a fair chance that we'd see a small ‘Start' button.

To those in the know, only one mainboard has this feature in the top corner. Can you guess which?
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Blood-Red-Rampage
While we should restrict the number of times a system builder can appear in this line-up, there was a very cool rig on the Antec stand which must be given a mention. It's based on the whopping great Nineteen Hundred chassis and it has been fitted with a load of liquid cooling goodness. We couldn't shoot the crowd on the Antec stand AND get the system right at the same time, so here's a crowd and a fully loaded system combined. You can composite them yourself in your mental eye.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Antec-YOYOTech-OC-Rig

Lastly, here's a beautiful shot of PC Specialist‘s master creation. The ‘items' in the bottom left hand corner are, in fact, wrist bands.
John Medley and the guys up in Huddersfield put together a mean rig when they put their collective minds to it.
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-PC-Specialist

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.
.
KitGuru says: You've been thinking about a new rig for a while, which is cool. But even if you're only upgrading your existing box, there's no excuse to save on the pimping. Give your hard-working rig some love – because it's worth it.

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The most gorgeous systems at Multiplay i51 – Part One https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/the-most-gorgeous-systems-at-multiplay-i51-part-one/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/the-most-gorgeous-systems-at-multiplay-i51-part-one/#respond Mon, 21 Apr 2014 12:55:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=188305 While the event itself is a celebration of pure gaming enjoyment, and most of the 19,000 turnstile clicks over the Bank Holiday weekend will belong to gamers with regular style PCs, there's no denying that some folks make a lot more effort and boy does their work attract some serious attention. KitGuru pays homage to …

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While the event itself is a celebration of pure gaming enjoyment, and most of the 19,000 turnstile clicks over the Bank Holiday weekend will belong to gamers with regular style PCs, there's no denying that some folks make a lot more effort and boy does their work attract some serious attention. KitGuru pays homage to the horniest systems in the house.

The audience at Multiplay is big. Really big. Lots of gamers – all serious about winning.

For the most part, they will be focused on frames-per-second.

But, as we all know, once you start to increase the performance of your gaming rig – you are inside with a screwdriver – at which point you may as well make it look awesome.

Some of these systems are pro-class, built by the exhibitors at the event – while others belong to the gamers themselves.

Our earlier coverage featured some cool stuff, this is a tech-porn follow up that we hope you enjoy.

Walking through the main hall at the Ricoh Arena is like walking through a very large Christmas tree. We almost walked straight past this system, nestled between a pair of bright HD screens, but we're so glad we did. Check the close up on this Parvum creation (Get used to that name – you will be seeing more of it!)

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Parvum-External-White-Chassis-Internal

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Parvum-White-Chassis-Internal

In Ye Olde Dayes, men might show their love for a woman by creating a sculpture or painting.
These days, love struck folks with a Dremel choose a different solution to romance.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Tardis-Chassis

The outside grabs your attention immediately (as well as the fact that the owner is a babe!), but check the up-close detail.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Tardis-Chassis-Internals

One of Prince's most famous songs was ‘Blue Light'. Maybe he has this system in mind when he penned that hit.
Love the Glug-Glug water cooling reservoir at the back.
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Blue-Light-Chassis

Finally, for Part One, we have the Parvum system that took pride of place on the Asus stand.

We grabbed an up-close and personal shot while the chaps were configuring for even higher performance.

This kind of chassis IS available to the public from Overclockers.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Parvum-Asus-Chassis

KitGuru says: While there are clear differences between modding and performance – there's no denying that a beautiful looking system can make everything you do feel better. Whether you prefer the hardcore tube works of a YOYOTech/8-Pack or the sculpted beauty of Parvum – Multiplay Insomnia i51 is a cracking place to get new ideas and fire the imagination for your next build. Come back for Part II shortly.

We LOVE seeing your systems over on our Facebook page. Show your hard work off to an audience of more than 180,000 hardware lovers today!

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Overclockers unleash 8-Pack and X-Men attack at i51 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/overclockers-unleash-8-pack-and-x-men-attack-at-i51/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/faith/overclockers-unleash-8-pack-and-x-men-attack-at-i51/#respond Mon, 21 Apr 2014 08:31:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=188264 For any of you who follow comic strips, you know that even if our side is threatened with defeat, there is always a hero or two on standby – ready to avenge the fallen. At Multiplay's i51 event up at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, Overclockers brought plenty of back-up. KitGuru drops down from Fury's …

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For any of you who follow comic strips, you know that even if our side is threatened with defeat, there is always a hero or two on standby – ready to avenge the fallen. At Multiplay's i51 event up at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, Overclockers brought plenty of back-up. KitGuru drops down from Fury's sky base to investigate.

Plenty going on at the Ricoh this Bank Holiday weekend for the 51st instalment of Multiplay's Insomnia gaming series.

We got snap-happy around the Overclockers stand and managed to capture a rather large overclocker called 8-Pack, telling us the way it is:-
Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-8-Pack-Number-One-Overclockers-OcUK

Also on hand with prize draw offers was Kingston's marketing X-Lady Eleonora – stay tuned for more about this X-Men promo tomorrow on KitGuru.

The stand itself drew a wide range of gamers – from OAP to those needing a booster seat. It seems that everyone wants to get their hands on some turbo charged gaming action when possible.

Ensuring that the whole thing runs smoothly is a freshly shaved Mark Purdy. His excuse for losing a massive amount of man-growth that day was that he only got one hour's sleep, totally forgot that he was supposed to be growing the biggest beard ever, and began shaving before he realised. Yep. We've all done that.

Multiplay-i51-KitGuru-Coverage-Eleonora-Mark-Purdy-Overclockers-OcUK

Overclockers were also providing ‘support to your desk' for any of the thousands of PC gamers who attended – which is a pretty cool feature and to be applauded.

Discuss on Facebook, over HERE.

KitGuru says: Plenty on at the Ricoh today as well (Bank Holiday Monday) – and a good chance to pick up some bargains after 4 days of this massive celebration of all the gaming genres. Go and ask 8-Pack to flex on the OcUK stand and be afraid, truly afraid of the bicep.

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Samsung unloads 60Hz 4K TV through OcUK at £499 https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/faith/samsung-unloads-60hz-4k-tv-through-ocuk-at-499/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/faith/samsung-unloads-60hz-4k-tv-through-ocuk-at-499/#respond Thu, 27 Mar 2014 18:53:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=184669 It had to happen and, finally it's here: The 4K screen price war is in full effect with the charge being led by Dell and now closely followed up by Samsung. KitGuru scans the Overclockers web site for details and comes back impressed. Over on the Overclockers Forum, Commissario Gibbo has just opened the pages …

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It had to happen and, finally it's here: The 4K screen price war is in full effect with the charge being led by Dell and now closely followed up by Samsung. KitGuru scans the Overclockers web site for details and comes back impressed.

Over on the Overclockers Forum, Commissario Gibbo has just opened the pages of the 4K gospel and preached impressive value to the waiting audience.

The subject of the sermon was 4K goodness, dropping to below the £500 level, for a Samsung monitor that supports 60Hz refresh at full res with 1ms response time.

In his own words, Gibbo said, “With the Samsung U28D590 the novel feature is the 4K resolution (3840×2160), which exceeds full HD (1920×1080) by four times. Natural colour reproduction with soft colour transitions is achieved by delivering over 1 billion colours. Response time is 1 MS, which perfect for advanced game content. It also offers PIP 2.0 which allows videographers to bring in a second source ‘Picture in Picture'”.

Samsung-U28D590-4K-60Hz-Monitor-Offer-Overclockers-OcUK-KitGuru

“Connectivity is well taken care of with 2 HDMI ports and one DisplayPort. This monitor can be easily connected to Microsoft's XBOX ONE or Sony's PlayStation 4”.

So what does the full spec look like?

– Size with stand (W x H x D ) : 660.9×486.3×169.4 (mm)
– Without stand (W x H x D ): 660.9×410.0x64.7 (mm)
– Packaging (W x H x D ): 794x452x109 (mm)
– Display Screen Size: 28″ (70.8cm)
– Aspect ratio: 16:9
– Panel Type: TN
– Brightness: 300cd/m2
– Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Typ)
– Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 10,000,000
– Resolution: 3840×2160
– Response Time: 1ms (GTG)
– Color Support : 1B
– Viewing Angle (H / V ): 170 ° / 160 °
– Connectivity: 2x HDMI (30Hz), 1x DisplayPort (60Hz)
– USB Hub: NO
– Speakers: NO
– Warranty: 2yr

All of this is available for just £499.

Incredible.

We can now expect 4K TV prices to drop like a stone in advance of the World Cup.

Samsung-U28D590-4K-499-Overclockers-KitGuru

KitGuru says: Utterly amazing. From the time the 30Hz Sieko 4K TV was launch through Sears in the USA mid-way through 2013, we've been waiting for the other shoe to fall. CLUNK. It's here at Overclockers.

If 60Hz 4K screens float your boat, then let us know over on the KitGuru Facebook page.

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AOC Q2963PM Ultra Wide Screen Productivity https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/faith/aoc-q2963pm-ultra-wide-screen-productivity/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/faith/aoc-q2963pm-ultra-wide-screen-productivity/#respond Thu, 27 Mar 2014 09:12:45 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=183978 Back in November 2013, a rather unusually shaped box arrived at KitGuru Labs. Inside was the AOC Q2963PM monitor with a rather unique resolution offer of 2560×1080. With the price now under £300, we decided to revisit our Budget Monitor of the Year 2014. But, this time, it brought a couple of mates. KitGuru loves …

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Back in November 2013, a rather unusually shaped box arrived at KitGuru Labs. Inside was the AOC Q2963PM monitor with a rather unique resolution offer of 2560×1080. With the price now under £300, we decided to revisit our Budget Monitor of the Year 2014. But, this time, it brought a couple of mates.

KitGuru loves novelty and innovation as much as we like technical excellence and value. It's not often you get all of those items in the one package, but that's what AOC's 29″ Q2963PM monitor delivers.

The additional real estate is enough to make anyone who sees it, want it. Simply put, it adds to your productivity.

Multiple studies have shown that the increase in productivity can be anything up to 90%. Here's a compilation of studies from Microsoft and others.

The AOC Q2963PM allows you to experience the increase flexibility and productivity from a second monitor, but on a single screen. From our experience of using the AOC Q3963PM since November, here are some typical set-ups:-

  • Split Evenly
    Allows you to run two applications with the same kind of priority/real estate, for example Photoshop on the left and Premiere on the right. It feels a little constricted at the start, but remember that each of these windows is 1280×1080, which would have been a complete LCD screen on its own a few years back
  • HD and Remainder
    Running something like a 1920×1080 screen on the left, with the remaining 640×1080 on the right. If you want to edit a full HD image in Photoshop while catching up with Battlestar Galactica and searching through images for your next edit, this is perfect – see example below
  • Full Screen
    We find that watching movies this way works best. The 29″ screen is big enough for you to kick back and relax before your next task. Also good for showcasing any videos you may have been working on or working on a massive image in Photoshop – also below

AOC-Q2963PM-Full-HD-plus-Two-KitGuru

AOC-Q2963PM-Full-Screen-Image-KitGuru

Video editors should be aware that the AOC Q2963PM can take a second input to offer ‘picture in picture', which can be very useful.
The ‘Key Features' list is impressive:-

  • Panoramic screen with screen-splitter function for multitasking ease
  • Cinematic Screen with 21:9 Aspect Ratio
  • WFHD maximum resolution of 2560 x 1080 @60Hz
  • In-built 3w speakers
  • PBP or PIP multitasking function for enjoying an image from two sources at once
  • Multimedia connectors for VGA, DVI-D with HDCP, HDMI (MHL), DisplayPort
  • Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) for connection to and charging of your phone
  • IPS Panel with 6ms refresh and 50,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

Colour reproduction takes some tweaking, but ultimately is very good.

We loaned an AOC2963PM to a professional photographer who used it to do the final edit on a product session for Lancôme, and they reported that the client was very happy with the results.

We thought it might help you visualise the width of the AOC's landscape if you saw it next to regular sized humans. In this shot, Storm applies to the finishing touches to her friend's make up, while Yaz grips the 29″ AOC monster in an artistic way.

AOC-Q2963PM-Monitor-Creative-Stuff-Storm-Yaz-Karen-KitGuru

.KitGuru says: Overall, we have found this screen to be reliable, accurate, flexible and useful. But now comes the real test. We will ramp up to a second and finally a third AOC Q2963PM monitor. Let's see how that kind of resolution plays out.

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Caseking bought by Equistone Partners Europe Limited https://www.kitguru.net/channel/faith/caseking-bought-by-equistone-partners-europe-limited/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/faith/caseking-bought-by-equistone-partners-europe-limited/#respond Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:32:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=184459 One of the year's most interesting channel moves so far is Equistone's acquisition of pan-European distributor Caseking. While the value of the deal itself is undisclosed, the move to buy a majority stake in a technology company with revenues around the €100 million mark will certainly get tongues wagging. KitGuru casts an eye over the …

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One of the year's most interesting channel moves so far is Equistone's acquisition of pan-European distributor Caseking. While the value of the deal itself is undisclosed, the move to buy a majority stake in a technology company with revenues around the €100 million mark will certainly get tongues wagging. KitGuru casts an eye over the fine print.

Originally set up and managed by the former executives of Barclays Private Equity, Equistone Partners Europe Limited is now headed up by Dr Peter Hammermann who, along with a Ph.D. in economics also has extensive industrial and investment banking experience.

So what attracted Dr Hammermann's team to Caseking?

Established in Berlin in 2003, Caseking has done a remarkable job of growing its IT distribution business through periods of market contraction and expansion. The acquisition of UK reseller Overclockers at the start of February 2012 gave Caseking a strong route to market for its ~9,000 product lines and it has continued to invest in that business.

Strong cashflow and relationships have meant that Caseking has managed to maintain stock availability of close to 95% – which is good news in today's fast moving market where no system builder or reseller wants to hold more stock than they have to. A team of close to 100 experts in Germany ensure swift and accurate logistics for the company and that has allowed them to grow under the leadership of Toni Sonn (CEO) and Kay Kostadinov (CFO).

Talking about Caseking's acquisition, Kostadinov told the markets: “We have been working for over ten years in an attractive, niche market, during which time we have established ourselves as a leading European supplier and well-respected partner for users, specialist shops, gaming-enthusiasts, and manufacturers in the gaming community. We are looking forward to working with Equistone to expand the Company into further European markets and reach new customers.”

One thing is for certain, an additional injection of cash and expertise will make Caseking an even stronger proposition going forward.

Dr Hammermann commented: “In Caseking, we have invested in an established, mid-sized company with extremely high growth potential in a dynamic, cutting-edge industry. Caseking and Overclockers UK have built a strong brand over the last few years, exemplified by its reliability, recognition and popularity with customers. We look forward to working with Caseking’s distinguished management team, led by its founders Toni Sonn (CEO) and Kay Kostadinov (CFO), to support the Company’s future growth”.

This move goes some way toward explaining why the group has been adding personnel like ex-Asus marketing guru Miodrag Relic. If your business plan is set for serious growth, then you need the right kind of team around you.

Miodrag-Relic-Caseking

KitGuru says: Distributors are judged on a handful of factors, two of which are the ability to extend credit and the ability to hold stock. Additional financial muscle will naturally boost both of these abilities. Looks like the next 3 years will be getting very competitive as distributors look to build the strongest position possible during the boom period.

If you'd like to share an opinion on this story, please join over 177,000 fellow KitGuru readers over on Facebook.

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Ablecom launches DS-520 advanced digital signage device https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/base-unit/faith/ablecom-launches-ds-520-advanced-digital-signage-device/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/base-unit/faith/ablecom-launches-ds-520-advanced-digital-signage-device/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2014 13:08:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=183675 The market for digital signage is already huge and looks set to grow at a phenomenal rate over the next 10 years. Into this fast moving market, Taiwanese based Ablecom UK is launching a brand new range of systems that it hope will win market share. KitGuru takes a walk around Piccadilly Circus to see …

The post Ablecom launches DS-520 advanced digital signage device first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The market for digital signage is already huge and looks set to grow at a phenomenal rate over the next 10 years. Into this fast moving market, Taiwanese based Ablecom UK is launching a brand new range of systems that it hope will win market share. KitGuru takes a walk around Piccadilly Circus to see what the fuss is about.

As the use of electricity became widespread in the early 1900s, it wasn't long before pioneers in the field of marketing decided that Times Square and Piccadilly Circus needed to be awash in the neon glow of famous brands during the hours of darkness.

In December 1998, Coke experimented with a projected advert, but the market was moving fast and LEDs would become the order of the day within 5 years.

Following the changes in sign ownership gives us a quick lesson in the development of modern brands. Specifically, McDonalds kicking out BASF in 1987, Panasonic having to give up their spot to Samsung in 1994 and Hyndai replacing Sanyo in 2011.

The future of this market (albeit a nightmare scenario version) was shown clearly in the Tom Cruise hit Minority Report.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B96gtEP2To'] .

That's a quick look at both the past and future of public messaging, so where are we today? What's important?

Well the advent of 4K has been good for gaming and promises a better home entertainment experience when Sky finally decides to increase signal quality later this year. But for commercial enterprises, technologies like 4K could be vital.

Anyone who has upscaled a video signal will know the challenges. For example, if you've ever tried playing an old VHS film on a modern 50″ TV at 1920×1080 resolution. It's not good.  Now imagine that your target display is significantly bigger. Any additional pixels available will make the ‘exploded' version much clearer.

Ablecom-DS-520-CeBIT-2014-Digital-Signage-Gold-Silver-Craig-Connell-KitGuru

Sure, AMD has that kind of resolution built comfortably into its APUs, but with Haswell and Broadwell Intel can get into the game as well.

Other considerations for digital signage include the power draw (which needs to be low, because of how it will impact the cost of ownership), reliability (less moving parts the better – weather proofing is an advantage) and how it looks (just in case it's in a public place.

Enter the Ablecom DS-520.

Ablecom-DS-520-CeBIT-2014-Digital-Signage-Specification-Craig-Connell-KitGuru

This unit is nothing short of gorgeous looking and heavy enough to make you believe that it's ‘whole body as a cooler' will be effective. Pack atoms closer together and it's easier to draw the heat away, so heavier is normally better. Maybe not always, but generally.

In terms of its design features, the Ablecom DS-520 offers:-

  • Fanless digital signage
  • Weather proof for outdoor use
  • Supports 4K
  • Designed to run off 80w
  • Dual gigabyte ethernet
  • Wi-Fi support
  • VESA compatible

That's made possible by a core spec which includes:-

  • Intel Core i3 4330T
  • Intel Q87 chipset
  • Integrated HD4600 graphics

In terms of operating environments, straight from the box with no additional work, it will handle anything from zero degrees  through to 50 Celsius. That covers everywhere from Stockholm to Dubai, most of the year.

Ablecom-DS-520-CeBIT-2014-Digital-Signage-Fanless-Craig-Connell-KitGuru

KitGuru says: We'll be following this area a little closer in the future. We're all being touched/informed/influenced by digital signage on daily basis. It's good to know more about what's going on under the hood.

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Exclusive Interview with Richard Huddy from Intel at GDC https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/faith/exclusive-interview-with-richard-huddy-from-intel-at-gdc/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/faith/exclusive-interview-with-richard-huddy-from-intel-at-gdc/#respond Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:01:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=182785 When Lisa Graff, Intel VP for the Desktop Client Platforms Group, recently told KitGuru about her plans for 2014/2015, the focus was clearly on reinventing the desktop. As KitGuru reported a while back, there will be a resurgence on desktop for Intel going forward, which we believe will peak around 2017. To get a different …

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When Lisa Graff, Intel VP for the Desktop Client Platforms Group, recently told KitGuru about her plans for 2014/2015, the focus was clearly on reinventing the desktop. As KitGuru reported a while back, there will be a resurgence on desktop for Intel going forward, which we believe will peak around 2017. To get a different take on this information, we caught up with Intel’s Gaming Guru, Richard Huddy who was just eyeing up the hotel’s perfectly rendered breakfast fruit when we spoke.

“It’s all about delivering credibility with the game developers”, Richard told us. “With CPU and GPU performance increasing dramatically over recent years, there has also been pressure to reduce power consumption, to create a much better mobile experience”. This drive toward better graphics on the go seems to have spurred a lot of innovation at Intel.

Richard-Huddy-GDC-Interview-KitGuru

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Video tour of the MSI Nightblade at CeBIT 2014 https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/base-unit/faith/video-tour-of-the-msi-nightblade-at-cebit-2014/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/base-unit/faith/video-tour-of-the-msi-nightblade-at-cebit-2014/#respond Fri, 14 Mar 2014 10:59:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=182265 Reading an extensive, in-depth review of MSI's latest gaming bare bones rig, Nightblade, is a great way to familiarise yourself with the specification and performance characteristics. But if you really want to get a handle on whether this is the right rig for you, why not get MSI's tech guru, Joran Schoonderwoerd. KitGuru is careful to …

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Reading an extensive, in-depth review of MSI's latest gaming bare bones rig, Nightblade, is a great way to familiarise yourself with the specification and performance characteristics. But if you really want to get a handle on whether this is the right rig for you, why not get MSI's tech guru, Joran Schoonderwoerd. KitGuru is careful to avoid mentioning ‘020'.

While every major case manufacturer is still churning out mega-chassis that can store more drives than a weekend at the racetrack, there is also increasing market pressure for companies to offer something smaller, sleeker and altogether cooler.

Industry experts have long been drawing parallels between the world of the car and that of the PC. While manufacturers like Mercedes have plenty of cars with engines over 3 litres in their catalogue, they also have a new drive for efficiency. The 1.6 Mercedes A-180 is capable of 126mph, which is almost 60mph past the legal limit on UK motorways and easily enough to get you arrested before your license is removed.

So cool/powerful things can come in small shapes and sizes.

KitGuru caught up with Joran nice and early, just to get an exclusive tour around the gorgeously tiny Nightblade.

Remember: The full 28-page analysis from KitGuru Labs is one click away.

Now for the video tour.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuVZ6bLukGg']

KitGuru says: Neat design once you pull the side panel off. Remember to check out the full review to see if this is perfect for you!

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Mediacom presents new slimline smartphones at CeBIT 2014 https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/faith/mediacom-presents-new-slimline-smartphones-at-cebit-2014/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/faith/mediacom-presents-new-slimline-smartphones-at-cebit-2014/#respond Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:19:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=182178 Unless you are a disciple of Samsung or Apple, buying a new smartphone is a tricky business. You want all of the features but, ideally, not so much of the price tag. The chaps at Mediacom believe they have a plan. KitGuru captures their thoughts. Smartphones took ages to gain a foothold through early models …

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Unless you are a disciple of Samsung or Apple, buying a new smartphone is a tricky business. You want all of the features but, ideally, not so much of the price tag. The chaps at Mediacom believe they have a plan. KitGuru captures their thoughts.

Smartphones took ages to gain a foothold through early models like the Nokia Communicator, the XDA and Blackberry's initial efforts.

With processing power moving past the 1GHz level, screens offering HD/touch capability and batteries increasing the available juice to the point where advanced multimedia features can be used for extended periods of time, smartphones broke through the barriers and, today, they are most people's first choice for mobile communication.

Mediacom-Launches-new-Smartphones-at-CeBIT-2014-with-Andrea-Di-Giovanni-KitGuru

But what happens when you have a problem?   When you lose your phone or damage it in a significant way?

Sure, like any good dealer, your first contract phone hit is free, but – without expensive insurance – a replacement handset can cost you £300 or more.

This is one of the markets which Italy-based Mediacom believes it can attack.

KitGuru caught up with Mediacom's European sales guru, Andrea Di Giovanni at CeBIT 2014 and he gave us a glimpse of his new smartphone models.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF5Ba_Q8hN4′]

KitGuru says: According to Andrea, these phones are fully featured and – on average – will cost half as much as a similar top brand model from Samsung or Apple. If they can get the sales channel right, then an affordable replacement handset could do well.

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