boutique PC | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Tue, 10 Apr 2018 14:17:37 +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 boutique PC | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 MESH launches new enthusiast range of gaming PCs https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/matthew-wilson/mesh-launches-new-enthusiast-range-of-gaming-pcs/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/matthew-wilson/mesh-launches-new-enthusiast-range-of-gaming-pcs/#respond Tue, 10 Apr 2018 14:17:37 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369759 Mesh has been in the PC building business for quite some time now, and with high markups currently affecting retail graphics cards, now seems like a better time than ever to turn towards a pre-build. This week, Mesh launched its new enthusiast range of systems, filled with different hardware customisation options so that you can …

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Mesh has been in the PC building business for quite some time now, and with high markups currently affecting retail graphics cards, now seems like a better time than ever to turn towards a pre-build. This week, Mesh launched its new enthusiast range of systems, filled with different hardware customisation options so that you can get your ideal PC.

Each PC in the Enthusiast range comes with a 250GB M.2 SSD and 1TB HDD combo as standard, allowing for speedy boot times and a decent chunk of mass storage space. This can be configured to your liking, but it's a solid starting point. Another thing of note is that each system uses ASUS motherboards and graphics cards specifically, with motherboards ranging from the Z370 TUF range up to the ROG Maximus X Hero. Each Asus graphics card is a Strix model as standard, which has a particularly strong cooler.

The base system in the range is the E-Hercules, featuring a Coffee Lake Core-i3 processor, a GTX 1060 6GB GPU and 8GB of RAM for £1149. You can step up to the E-Pegasus at £1399, which features the Core i5-8400 instead and 16GB of RAM. The E-Pro7 is where your overclocking options start to come into play. This system starts at £1449 and features a Core i5-8600K, a GTX 1070 GPU and 16GB of RAM, all on an ASUS Z370 Prime motherboard.

The two highest end PCs in the range are the E-Titan and the E-Hero. The former starts at £1559 and opts for a Core i5-8600K, a GTX 1070 and 16GB of 3466MHz RAM. It also comes with the Asus Z370 ROG Strix-F motherboard. Finally, the E-Hero is the top of the bunch, with a Core i7-8700K, a GTX 1080, 16GB of 3466MHz RAM, and a ROG Maximus X Hero motherboard.

In the Mesh configurator tool, you can opt for different cases, power supplies, fans, LEDs and custom cable sleeves. You can also pick from a different selection of CPUs, AIO liquid coolers, motherboards, and storage options. Each one will have a different impact on the final price.

The last point of note is that each system comes with a lifetime warranty for labour, and 12 months coverage for parts in case anything goes wrong. This can be upgraded so that you have longer coverage on part replacements.

You can check out the full MESH Enthusiast range, HERE.

KitGuru Says: With retail prices currently at a high point, more of our readers have been looking into pre-builds as an alternative. Let us know if any of this ends up being helpful to you.

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AMD’s project Quantum may never make it to the market https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/anton-shilov/amds-project-quantum-may-never-make-it-to-the-market/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/anton-shilov/amds-project-quantum-may-never-make-it-to-the-market/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2015 00:38:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=262199 Small form-factor multi-GPU project Quantum concept personal computer that Advanced Micro Devices demonstrated earlier this year was an impressive piece of hardware. Unfortunately, it may never really hit the market, despite of early claims by the company. Richard Huddy, chief scientist of AMD, claims that even if project Quantum will be made commercially, it will …

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Small form-factor multi-GPU project Quantum concept personal computer that Advanced Micro Devices demonstrated earlier this year was an impressive piece of hardware. Unfortunately, it may never really hit the market, despite of early claims by the company. Richard Huddy, chief scientist of AMD, claims that even if project Quantum will be made commercially, it will be a very rare product.

“I don’t know whether we have an OEM who is committed to building something like it,” said Richard Huddy in an interview with PCR. “We built it as a concept PC, so like concept cars it’s not usually practical to take it straight to market, that wouldn’t make a great deal of sense. But it’s not far from that.”

amd_quantum_pc_2

AMD’s project Quantum concept is powered by a customized version of Asrock’s Z97E-ITX/ac mainboard, Intel Corp.’s Core i7-4790K “Devil’s Canyon” processor as well as dual-chip AMD’s Radeon R9 Fury X2. The system sports innovative liquid cooling system as well as a dual-chamber design. The PC was specifically built to demonstrate ultimate performance in 4K ultra HD (3840*2160) resolution.

The project Quantum was designed by AMD Innovation Lab to demonstrate what can be done, which is exactly what the system did. It attracted attention to itself as well as to AMD’s forthcoming flagship Radeon R9 Fury X2 graphics card operating in CrossFireX mode with 8GB of HBM memory in total.

Unfortunately, since project Quantum uses a lot of custom components, it is unlikely that it will be made commercially since making custom components in low volume is economically inefficient, whereas making them in high volume may not make sense since demand for such systems would likely be limited.

“I would think that if we have the right kind of conversations with some of these OEMs, then we might well turn it into a real product,” said Mr. Huddy. “In that case, it will probably be a very small number. Maybe only one or at most a handful of PC manufacturers who would bring that to market, potentially. It’s a custom piece, not a high volume piece, but it is a thing of beauty.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There are a lot of advanced mini-ITX and micro-ATX PC chassis available today that allow to build high-performance PCs. Obviously, AMD's project Quantum looks remarkable, but would you pay extra money for such design? 

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AMD’s project Quantum systems are based on Intel Core i7 ‘Devil’s Canyon’ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/anton-shilov/amds-project-quantum-systems-are-based-on-intel-core-i7-devils-canyon/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/anton-shilov/amds-project-quantum-systems-are-based-on-intel-core-i7-devils-canyon/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2015 01:06:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=255063 Advanced Micro Devices’ project Quantum small form-factor system concept is nothing but impressive. It promises to deliver leading-edge performance in all games in ultra-high-definition resolutions thanks to two AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics processing units. Apparently, in order to provide truly uncompromised performance, AMD had to use Intel Corp.’s central processing unit inside its ultra-small …

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Advanced Micro Devices’ project Quantum small form-factor system concept is nothing but impressive. It promises to deliver leading-edge performance in all games in ultra-high-definition resolutions thanks to two AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics processing units. Apparently, in order to provide truly uncompromised performance, AMD had to use Intel Corp.’s central processing unit inside its ultra-small PC.

Leading-edge gaming PCs with several GPUs are usually either rather bulky or noisy. AMD’s project Quantum small form-factor system concept is designed to show end-users and PC makers that it is possible to build high-end SFF gaming PCs that are both small and silent. The Quantum uses dual-chamber system topology, where one chamber contains all processing hardware, whereas another contains a sophisticated cooling system. While AMD’s project Quantum is a custom-built PC, it uses a lot of off-the-shelf components too.

“The uniqueness of Quantum is the fact that it actually has split design, where the bottom side does all the water-cooling of the components and the upside does the cooling of the water itself,” said Ali Merrikh, thermal architect at AMD Innovation Lab.

amd_quantum_pc_2

Based on AMD’s own demonstration, the project Quantum is based on a customized version of Asrock’s Z97E-ITX/ac mainboard as well as an Intel Core i7-4790K “Devil’s Canyon” processor, which is currently the highest-performing mainstream CPU from AMD’s arch-rival. The SFF PC also uses AMD’s upcoming Radeon Fury X2 dual-GPU graphics card with unprecedented computing power, which is stacked beneath the motherboard.

amd_quantum_pc_inner

The inner design of the “processing chamber” uses a lot of custom hardware, such as waterblocks, risers, lighting and other. Obviously, the dual-chamber PC case itself is also custom-built by a leading maker of PC enclosures.

amd_quantum_pc_cad

With two AMD Radeon R9 Fury “Fiji” graphics processing units operating in CrossFireX mode with 8GB of HBM memory in total, one can expect AMD’s Quantum to deliver 60 to 90 frames per second in all games when played in 4K (3840*2160) resolution, something that not a lot of gaming PCs can provide. Thanks to the fact that DirectX 12 will provide a number innovative multi-GPU modes, the dual-GPU graphics card with 8GB of HBM memory will be able to demonstrate great efficiency, at least in certain games.

The project Quantum was designed by AMD Innovation Lab to demonstrate what can be done, but AMD expects select partners to offer such systems to end-users later this year. Actual pricing of Quantum PCs is completely unclear, but such systems will not be affordable. AMD’s project Quantum PCs will ship with Microsoft Windows 10 and DirectX 12, expect them to be available this fall or during the holiday season. Given the availability timeframes, it is possible that AMD’s partners will decide to use Intel Core i7-6700K “Skylake” processors along inside.

amd_quantum_pc_4

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: AMD’s project Quantum system look rather exotic, remarkable and its concept of liquid cooling seems like a good solution for enthusiasts. However, there is a computer with serious performance and rather extreme thermal design power, but which looks even more stylish and which is probably easier to build. It is called Apple Mac Pro (it features a multi-core Intel Xeon CPU with 95W TDP as well as two AMD FirePro graphics cards with “Tahiti XT” GPUs that have serious power draw too) and it has been available for well over a year now. Perhaps, makers of gaming PCs could adopt a similar concept? Of course, custom components are expensive and the Mac Pro is virtually unupgradeable. Nevertheless, it looks very well and is probably a tad more reliable since it lacks liquid cooling.

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AMD unveils project Quantum: Ultra-small PC with extreme performance https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-unveils-project-quantum-ultra-small-pc-with-ultra-high-performance/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-unveils-project-quantum-ultra-small-pc-with-ultra-high-performance/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2015 22:40:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254853 Small form-factor personal computers have gained significant popularity in the recent years. A lot of people want to have tiny PCs that can perform everyday tasks without overheating or causing too much noise. Back in 2012, Intel Corp. introduced NUC [next-unit of computing] PCs that can deliver enough performance for productivity and multimedia apps. On …

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Small form-factor personal computers have gained significant popularity in the recent years. A lot of people want to have tiny PCs that can perform everyday tasks without overheating or causing too much noise. Back in 2012, Intel Corp. introduced NUC [next-unit of computing] PCs that can deliver enough performance for productivity and multimedia apps. On Tuesday, AMD unveiled project Quantum, SFF PC with extreme performance in games.

AMD’s project Quantum is a small form-factor personal computer design that looks like a game console, but offers massively higher performance. Advanced Micro Devices expects Quantum systems to deliver 60 to 90 frames per second in all games when played in 4K (3840*2160) resolution, something that neither of modern consoles can provide. The systems will be sold later this year by select AMD’s “most elite” partners.

“I am really excited to be here today because I am about to unveil the coolest PC and the most excited PC we have ever made at AMD,” said Chris Hook, director of marketing at AMD, during the company’s press conference at E3.

amd_quantum_pc

The AMD Quantum personal computers will be based on an unknown multi-core processor by AMD, two AMD Radeon R9 Fury “Fiji” graphics processing units operating in CrossFireX mode with 8GB of HBM memory in total, storage and so on. The CPU and the GPUs inside Quantum systems use closed-loop liquid cooling system. The Quantum uses innovative design that has not been used by boutique PC makers yet.

“All of the processing technology is in the bottom, in the top we have got all the cooling solutions,” explained Mr. Hook. “It is whisper quiet; it is engineered and tooled out of beautiful materials, aluminium and magnesium.”

amd_quantum_pc_1

The project Quantum was designed by AMD, but it is not completely clear who will handle manufacturing. It is highly likely that certain contract makers will assemble the barebone, leaving final assembly and configuration to either AMD’s partners among makers of graphics cards or to local partners among system builders.

AMD’s project Quantum PCs will ship with Microsoft Windows 10 and DirectX 12, expect them to be available this fall or during the holiday season. Pricing is unknown, but do not expect such systems to be affordable. AMD and its partners will clearly charge a premium price for a premium system.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is not exactly clear why AMD wants to offer systems instead of cards. Perhaps, it is a way to address the most loyal fans and earn some additional revenue and profits. Alternatively, this may be a method to improve popularity of AMD’s FX microprocessors among gamers, which has dropped significantly. In any case, while the Quantum PC looks impressive, it will inevitably compete against gaming PCs made by boutique PC makers, something that will not make them happy.

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