Computex 2014 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 19 Sep 2014 04:32:16 +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 Computex 2014 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Leading makers of display scalers to support Adaptive-Sync, FreeSync technologies https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/leading-makers-of-display-scalers-to-support-adaptive-sync-amds-freesync-technologies/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/leading-makers-of-display-scalers-to-support-adaptive-sync-amds-freesync-technologies/#respond Fri, 19 Sep 2014 04:25:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=212674 Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday said that has partnered with leading suppliers of display-scalers – MStar, Novatek and Realtek – in order to ensure industry-wide support of DisplayPort’s Adaptive-Sync as well as AMD’s FreeSync technologies. The collaborations will allow makers of displays to build monitors supporting both technologies next year. VESA’s Adaptive Sync and AMD’s …

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Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday said that has partnered with leading suppliers of display-scalers – MStar, Novatek and Realtek – in order to ensure industry-wide support of DisplayPort’s Adaptive-Sync as well as AMD’s FreeSync technologies. The collaborations will allow makers of displays to build monitors supporting both technologies next year.

VESA’s Adaptive Sync and AMD’s FreeSync technologies enable the display to dynamically match a GPU’s rendering rate, on a frame-by-frame basis, to produce a smoother, low latency, gaming or movie watching experience. This year the Adaptive Sync technology was incorporated into the DisplayPort 1.2a specification (previously it was a part of the eDP standard). To build monitors supporting Adaptive Sync and FreeSync technologies special display scalers are required.

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A display from Samsung

Under the technology partnerships, MStar, Novatek and Realtek each will develop a range of DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync-ready scalers by the end of 2014 to complement the new monitor product cycle in Q1 2015. Monitors equipped with such DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync-aware scalers will allow select contemporary AMD Radeon graphics cards to enable tearing and stutter-free gaming along with low input latency. Since the scalers will be specially build for mass market monitors, they will support all the necessary features, including picture scaling, on-screen display (OSD), HDMI/DVI inputs and DisplayPort high bit rate audio.

The initial Project FreeSync-compatible scalers from MStar, Novatek and Realtek will enable display vendors to build monitors with FHD (1920*1080) and QHD (2560*1440) panels and up to 144Hz refresh rate as well as with 4K/UHD (3840*2160) panels with up to 60Hz refresh rate.

AMD and its display partners intend to reveal Project FreeSync-ready monitors in Q1 2015. Mass availability of Adaptive Sync- and FreeSync-supporting displays is expected in 2015.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is nice to see AMD collaborating with other companies in the supply chain to finally enable monitors with the FreeSync technology demonstrated many months ago. The question now is when exactly the new displays are expected to reach the market.

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G.Skill Phoenix Blade promises 1.9GB/sec SSD transfer speeds https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/bill-smyth/g-skill-phoenix-blade-promises-1-9gbsec-ssd-transfer-speeds/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/bill-smyth/g-skill-phoenix-blade-promises-1-9gbsec-ssd-transfer-speeds/#respond Sat, 21 Jun 2014 14:01:55 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=199448 Famous for giving high end overclockers some of the fastest memory of all time, G.Skill used Computex 2014 to add some exciting new products to its line-up. KitGuru was on hand to capture the pixels. Arguably one if the most dramatic stands in the Nangang Exhibition Halls belonged to G.Skill. Designed around an enormous stage, …

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Famous for giving high end overclockers some of the fastest memory of all time, G.Skill used Computex 2014 to add some exciting new products to its line-up. KitGuru was on hand to capture the pixels.

Arguably one if the most dramatic stands in the Nangang Exhibition Halls belonged to G.Skill.

Designed around an enormous stage, which showcased an extended battle between some of the world's top overclockers for a prize of $10,000 and some serious bragging rights.

Behind this stage was an equally large wall of new products.

On the memory front, G.Skill was running demos of its 3500 kits – while at the same time showing off designs for DDR4.

Here's G.Skill product guru Frank Hung with ‘the board'. The future is almost upon us in terms of standard system memory.

Roll on the new Intel high end pro-chips!

Frank-GSkill-DDR4-KitGuru-Computex

Finally, there is the turbo-charged PCI-Express goodness that is the latest G.Skill SSD.

With 480 and 960GB versions coming soon – the marketing team told us that that they would be very price competitive.

GSkill-Phoenix-Blade-PCIe-SSD-1900MB-sec-Computex-2014-KitGuru

The branding around the G.Skill Phoenix Blade SSD promises 1,900MB/sec sequential read and 950MB/sec write speeds.

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To give you a baseline for comparison with that figure, KitGuru Labs testing on the Plextor M6e PCI Express drive peaked at 770MB/sec.

Here are some of the numbers being generated by G.Skill on their stand. Bear in mind that there is a slight difference in performance profile between the 480 and 960GB versions of the G.Skill Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD.

GSkill-Phoenix-Blade-SSD-1900MB-sec-AS-SSD-Benchmark-Computex-2014-KitGuru

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KitGuru says: The prospect of serious speed in the PCI Express SSD department is really exciting. Right now, it feels as though there is a cascade of development, blasting aside all of the traditional bottlenecks. We loves this future stuff! 

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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

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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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Asrock prepares to attack the high end with X99 Extreme6 https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/bill-smyth/asrock-prepares-to-attack-the-high-end-with-x99-extreme6/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/bill-smyth/asrock-prepares-to-attack-the-high-end-with-x99-extreme6/#comments Thu, 12 Jun 2014 11:43:21 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=197804 After so many years of knocking out new processors with silky smoothness using its Tick-Tock production strategy, Intel's ‘Tick-ety-Tock' mis-step on Haswell has left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. All the more reason for the market to be interested in the X99 update – rumoured to be hitting the streets in …

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After so many years of knocking out new processors with silky smoothness using its Tick-Tock production strategy, Intel's ‘Tick-ety-Tock' mis-step on Haswell has left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. All the more reason for the market to be interested in the X99 update – rumoured to be hitting the streets in Q3. Asrock seems ready for the change.

The days when Intel enjoyed controlled launches for new products seem to be over. The spluttering stop-start around Haswell, caught a lot of people by surprise and the Z97 launch wasn't any better.

Processors are thin on the ground (although KitGuru has the latest samples being tested as we speak) and everyone is left wondering how big an issue Intel is experiencing behind the scenes to cause such disorganisation.

At times like these, PR folks look around and hope for a bit of distraction. For Intel, that distraction could well take the form of the Asrock X99 Extreme6.

In what would appear to have been the first public outing of a full-blown Intel X99 chipset mainboard at Computex 2014, Asrock is planting a flag: Telling the world that it does not intend to follow when it comes to advanced design.

When the Asrock Z87 OC Formula picked up our Technical Excellence Award for 2013, it was for a product that had become a standard addition to the advanced testing labs for memory companies across the globe. Indeed we found it handled the highest performing memory with substantial overclocking headroom available.

Taking that ability to create fast-throughout boards and then adding in new technologies like DDR4, bodes well for Asrock's X99 offers.

Asrock's Mike Yang told us that his R&D team have spent a lot of time reducing latency in the new X99 boards.

The addition of 12k capacitors, while other companies believe that 10k is high, shows you the kind of focus Asrock is giving to Haswell-E performance.

While Haswell left a lot of people cold, the promise of new high-end CPUs in Q3 – on boards like these  – has us eager for new levels of performance. We have been stimulated.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

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KitGuru says: Will the combination of X99 ‘Wellsburg' and Core i7 ‘Haswell-E' be enough to restore Intel's reputation for nailing processor production?  We'll have to wait and see. Having seen the level of development that the mainboard vendors have put into their new products, we have no doubt that records will be tumbling in Autumn, like leaves off a tree.

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Gigabyte expert writes the book on overclocking, again https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/bill-smyth/gigabyte-expert-writes-the-book-on-overclocking-again/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/bill-smyth/gigabyte-expert-writes-the-book-on-overclocking-again/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2014 08:25:45 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=197388 One of the most popular sites at any technology show, is that of an expert overclocker pouring LN2 into a record breaking build. Gigabyte's suits in Taipai 101 was no different. KitGuru gets an introduction. To say that someone ‘ Wrote the book on overclocking', might sound like an overstatement. In the case of Steven …

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One of the most popular sites at any technology show, is that of an expert overclocker pouring LN2 into a record breaking build. Gigabyte's suits in Taipai 101 was no different. KitGuru gets an introduction.

To say that someone ‘ Wrote the book on overclocking', might sound like an overstatement. In the case of Steven B, it happens to be true.

Online he goes by Sin0822 and when he creates his famous guides, he does so with contributions from fellow OC-Holics like Hicookie and Dinos22.

With the latest Gigabyte Ultra Durable technology permeating all of the company's high end mainboards, there were some very special units on show at Computex 2014, including the Gigabyte Z97X-SOC Force LN2. R&D money has been poured, like coolant, in to making a mainboard that doesn't even have the mounting points for conventional cooling.

This is an LN2 board, designed to take records and – like Intel says – Unleash the Beast when it comes to extreme frequencies.

And it was successful, picking up the top score (and a cheque for $4,000) for getting the highest 4-core/thread number on a Devil's Canyon chip. It's worth bearing in mind that when records are set using AMD FX technology, cores seem to get turned off in order to hit the very highest clocks – so a ‘fully working chip score' is much more complicated to achieve.

Gigabyte's sales and marketing guru, Nigel Sutch, introduced us to a colleague of his called Brian Lai – who in turn introduced us to Steven B, AKA Sin0822.

We got a chance to see Sino822 in action. He's seen here with the more public-friendly version of the OC board – this one HAS the mounting points for non-LN2 cooling.
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Billowing clouds of LN2-goodness as Sino822 excites more visitors.
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Here's a shot of the full Gigabyte Pro-OC line up. When you see a cool OC feature on a Gigabyte mainboard, it's probably one of these guy's ideas.
Gigabyte-Computex-2014-Overclocking-Sin0822-KitGuru

Gigabyte expert Brian Lai took us through lots of the special features you need in order to crack work records. Example?
Brian-Lai-Gigabyte-5-Power-Connectors-Per-Graphics-Board-Computex-2014-KitGuru
The Gigabyte G-Powerboard, it is used to add additional phases and power to devices for overclocking. Here is a video on Overclocking TV where Hicookie explains exactly what it can do:
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOaMyBQ3Ccs#t=82′] Want to know more about serious performance enhancement?

When we say that Sino822 wrote the book on overclocking, then that is literally what we mean.
Here are links to his various guides for the Z77, Z87 and Z97 boards. Impressive stuff:-

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.
KitGuru says: This experience was interesting to us for a number of reasons. It's good to see such a wide-range of product development from Gigabyte, we love the interactive demos and it's nice when top overclockers like Sino822 share OC knowledge.

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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.

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.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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Intel Core i7-4790K overclocked to 4.50GHz with passive cooling https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-core-i7-4790k-overclocked-to-4-50ghz-with-passive-cooling/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-core-i7-4790k-overclocked-to-4-50ghz-with-passive-cooling/#respond Fri, 06 Jun 2014 22:27:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=197080 Earlier this week Intel Corp.’s Core i7-4790K “Devil's Canyon” central processing units already demonstrated their impressive overclocking potential when overclocked by professionals with advanced cooling systems. As it turns out, the chip can work in overclocked state at 4.50GHz even with passive cooling. At the Computex Taipei trade-show this week Intel demonstrated a passively cooled system …

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Earlier this week Intel Corp.’s Core i7-4790K “Devil's Canyon” central processing units already demonstrated their impressive overclocking potential when overclocked by professionals with advanced cooling systems. As it turns out, the chip can work in overclocked state at 4.50GHz even with passive cooling.

At the Computex Taipei trade-show this week Intel demonstrated a passively cooled system with Intel Core i7-4790K “Devil’s Canyon” (4.0GHz default clock-rate, 4.40GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency) inside. The processors worked without any problem when overclocked to 4.50GHz with all four cores and the HyperThreading enabled during demonstrations, reports SweClockers.

While it is obvious that the demonstrations were not run non-stop for hours, it is still remarkable that the chip could handle the 4.50GHz clock-rate without throttling while being cooled passively.

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At present boutique PC makers sell factory-overclocked personal computers with the Core i7-4770K processors inside that are clocked at 4.20GHz – 4.40GHz and are cooled-down using closed-loop liquid-cooling solutions.

If commercial versions of the i7-4790K behave the same way as the samples that Intel demonstrated at Computex do, it looks like high-end PC makers will offer rather interesting solutions featuring the “Devil’s Canyon” microprocessors later this summer.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Keep in mind that the passive cooling in general heavily depends on environmental temperatures, hence it is not really suitable for any serious overclocking. The fact that Intel could show a chip capable of running at 4.50GHz inside a special fanless case that acts like a huge cooler itself does not mean that you should try something like this at home. What Intel wanted to show with the demonstration is that the new “Devil’s Canyon” CPUs are good overclockers in general.

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Team Group awards Overclockers UK with its ‘Excellent Reseller Award’ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/team-group-awards-overclockers-uk-with-its-excellent-reseller-award/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/team-group-awards-overclockers-uk-with-its-excellent-reseller-award/#respond Fri, 06 Jun 2014 19:04:53 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=197100 Team Group is a very well-known name in the world of professional overclockers. Their memory modules have set numerous world records throughout the history of the company. It is hard to imagine that just several years ago Team Group was not really recognised in the U.K. However, Overclockers UK, a popular retailer that needs no …

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Team Group is a very well-known name in the world of professional overclockers. Their memory modules have set numerous world records throughout the history of the company. It is hard to imagine that just several years ago Team Group was not really recognised in the U.K. However, Overclockers UK, a popular retailer that needs no introduction to KitGuru readers, has changed that.

In just several years Overclockers UK has managed to transform Team Group from a hidden gem of the market into a popular brand recognised both by gamers and enthusiast overclockers looking for capable hardware. Today OcUK, an exclusive reseller of Team Group’s memory, sells a broad range of DDR3 modules from Team in the U.K., including the top-of-the-range kits that are rated to operate at 2666MHz or 2800MHz.

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Being presented the award in the photograph is purchasing manager of Overclockers UK, Andrew Gibson, better known by his forum name Gibbo.

At the Computex 2014 trade-show in Taipei, Taiwan, Team Group awarded Overclockers UK with its prestigious Excellent Reseller Award

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: KitGuru congratulates our friends at Overclockers UK with this award and wishes the two companies a lot of success and prosperity going forward.

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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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AMD demonstrates the first FreeSync display prototype https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/anton-shilov/amd-demonstrates-the-first-freesync-display-prototype/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/anton-shilov/amd-demonstrates-the-first-freesync-display-prototype/#respond Thu, 05 Jun 2014 22:59:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196889 At the Computex 2014 trade-show this week Advanced Micro Devices demonstrated the industry’s first prototype of a monitor that features the company’s FreeSync technology, which is largely based on the recently announced Adaptive Sync technology from VESA. While the monitor works pretty fine, it seems that it has certain limitations, which may not be a …

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At the Computex 2014 trade-show this week Advanced Micro Devices demonstrated the industry’s first prototype of a monitor that features the company’s FreeSync technology, which is largely based on the recently announced Adaptive Sync technology from VESA. While the monitor works pretty fine, it seems that it has certain limitations, which may not be a problem for now as the first commercial FreeSync displays are only expected to emerge in 2015.

Just like Nvidia Corp.’s G-Sync as well as VESA’s Adaptive Sync technologies, AMD’s FreeSync enables the display to dynamically match a GPU’s rendering rate, on a frame-by-frame basis, to produce a smoother, low latency, gaming or movie watching experience. The Adaptive-Sync has been a standard component of VESA’s embedded DisplayPort (eDP) spec since 2009 and so far has been used primarily to reduce power consumption of notebook displays by decreasing their refresh rates. As a result, many building blocks of monitors as well as graphics processing units already support the Adaptive Sync.

Recently the Adaptive Sync technology was incorporated into the DisplayPort 1.2a specification, so eventually it will be supported rather widely by various high-end displays.

The FreeSync-capable display that AMD demonstrated at the Computex 2014 was based on a retail monitor with 2560*1440 resolution that was hardware-capable to support the tech and could be converted with updated firmware, according to AnandTech. The prototype reportedly operated with a rather narrow range of rates of just 40Hz to 60Hz, which is not bad for a prototype, but may not be good enough for a technology that is due to be released commercially six months from now. AMD ran its fan-blade demo to show off the advantages of the FreeSync.

amd_freesync_demo_pcper_1

The prototype display that supports the FreeSync technology. Image by PCPerspective.

The demonstration was meant to show that existing hardware – panels, scalers, GPUs, etc. – already supports variable refresh. Accordingly, it should not be too expensive for manufacturers of monitors to add support of the FreeSync to their products. However, it should be noted that the FreeSync will only be supported by the Radeon R9 290/290X/295X2 and the Radeon R7 260/260X graphics cards based on the Hawaii and the Bonaire graphics processing units, respectively, according to PCPerspective.

AMD expects retail prototypes of monitors with the FreeSync technology to show up around September, which means that in the best case scenario such displays will be available before the end of the year. However, mass availability of FreeSync-enabled monitors will probably occur only in 2015.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Since the FreeSync is largely based on the VESA’s industry-standard Adaptive-Sync technology, it is unclear why AMD and display makers want to commercialize the FreeSync instead of the Adaptive-Sync first. The latter will be supported by AMD, Nvidia and Intel, whereas the FreeSync is essentially another proprietary technology. In the end, the industry will run into a situation when there are three competing adaptive refresh standards, which will be very confusing for the consumer.

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Intel wants to get rid of cables with ‘Skylake’-based devices https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/anton-shilov/intel-wants-to-get-rid-of-cables-in-2015-2016-with-skylake-based-devices/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/anton-shilov/intel-wants-to-get-rid-of-cables-in-2015-2016-with-skylake-based-devices/#respond Thu, 05 Jun 2014 22:59:51 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196881 The upcoming systems powered by the Core M “Broadwell” microprocessors will certainly be impressive. But the real revolution awaits us sometimes in 2015 – 2016, when Intel Corp.’s partners roll-out devices based on the code-named “Skylake” central processing units. Those mobile systems are expected to be completely wireless and therefore easier to use. During a …

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The upcoming systems powered by the Core M “Broadwell” microprocessors will certainly be impressive. But the real revolution awaits us sometimes in 2015 – 2016, when Intel Corp.’s partners roll-out devices based on the code-named “Skylake” central processing units. Those mobile systems are expected to be completely wireless and therefore easier to use.

During a Computex 2014 event, Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of the PC client group at Intel, outlined how the company plans to eliminate wires from computing devices with reference designs coming for the Intel Core processor family after Broadwell, which is known as the code-named Skylake. In particular, Intel wants to eliminate power cables and enable wireless “docking”, something that will make PCs in tablet and 2-in-1 form-factors truly wireless.

At the event Mr. Skaugen demonstrated the Rezence technology, which is developed and promoted by the members of the Alliance 4 Wireless Power (A4WP). The magnetic resonance wireless charging technology can charge many devices at once even through wood or other materials. Intel also announced at the event that Lenovo and Logitech had joined the A4WP organization, so expect the ThinkPad and other products from Lenovo to get the Rezence support in the coming years.

intel_wireless_charge_demo

Intel demonstrates a table with a magnetic resonance charging system attached under its surface. Image by Cnet News.

The world’s largest chipmaker also proposed to use the WiGig 7Gb/s wireless technology for short range “docking” of devices. The WiGig docking is projected to connect to displays, high-capacity storage and peripherals when a device is moved within range and then swapping back out to standalone mode by just picking up and walking away, reports Cnet News.

While we can now expect the Skylake-based devices in 2015 – 2016 to feature the Rezence and the WiGig support, it should be noted that to truly take advantage of both, they need to be supported broadly. For example, café tables should be equipped with the Rezence technology to bring real benefits to the owners of new devices, which is not going to happen two years down the road. The WiGig (IEEE 802.11ad) that uses 60GHz bands is clearly a performance champ, but it has its own limitations (e.g., the 60GHz signal cannot penetrate walls and therefore routers have to fall back to a different band and protocol) that can slow down its adoption.

All-in-all, while the first completely wireless devices will be available in 2015 or 2016, it will take years before they will be widely supported by the infrastructure.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It will be interesting to find out when these – Rezence and WiGig – technologies are used for desktop computers as well. Completely wireless displays, wireless speakers, wireless mice that need no charging, etc. should greatly improve the desktop PC experience too. Still, it is obvious that high-end wired interconnections like the Thunderbolt or the USB 3.1 will remain on the market for decades…

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AMD unveils mobile A-series ‘Kaveri’ APUs, FX-series APUs https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-unveils-mobile-a-series-kaveri-apus-fx-series-apus/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-unveils-mobile-a-series-kaveri-apus-fx-series-apus/#respond Thu, 05 Jun 2014 22:43:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196838 Advanced Micro Devices this week introduced its first accelerated processing units (APUs) based on the code-named Kaveri design aimed at mobile computers . The new chips bring AMD’s latest technologies, including the heterogeneous system architecture (HSA) and the Radeon graphics with the GCN architecture, to mainstream and thin laptops. The new line-up of chips includes the …

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Advanced Micro Devices this week introduced its first accelerated processing units (APUs) based on the code-named Kaveri design aimed at mobile computers . The new chips bring AMD’s latest technologies, including the heterogeneous system architecture (HSA) and the Radeon graphics with the GCN architecture, to mainstream and thin laptops. The new line-up of chips includes the A-series APUs, the AMD Pro-series products as well as the all-new FX-series APUs for notebooks.

The family of the Kaveri-based chips for laptops currently includes ten models. The new accelerated processing units feature one or two dual-core Steamroller modules (two or four cores in total), 1MB or 4MB level two cache (512KB or 1MB cache per x86 core), the AMD Radeon graphics engine with three, four, six or eight GCN compute units (192/256/384/512 stream processors in total) operating at up to 686MHz, a dual-channel DDR3 memory controller with the hUMA [heterogeneous unified memory architecture] technology, 17W, 19W or 35W thermal design power and so on.

amd_kaveri_compute_cores

Thanks to the hUMA and the heterogeneous queuing (hQ) technology, optimized software applications can use both x86 and graphics compute cores at the same time and very efficiently. According to AMD, its mobile Kaveri APUs can run from five to twelve separate processes simultaneously, depending on the number of compute cores. Highly-parallel graphics compute units are often used to process highly-parallel workloads.

amd_kaveri_fx_mobile_huma_architecture

“AMD takes a major step forward today on our journey to transform and enhance the computing experience with the launch of the 2014 performance mobile APU family,” said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager of client business unit at AMD. “With a combination of superior total compute performance, stunning graphics and efficient power use alongside industry-first technologies, these new APUs set a new bar for cutting-edge consumer and commercial PCs.”

amd_kaveri_mobile_specs

Thanks to the new Radeon graphics cores based on the GCN architecture, AMD mobile APUs now support DirectX 11.2-class graphics capabilities as well as the company’s second-generation VCE and the fourth-generation UVD [unified video decoder] units that improve quality of video playback as well as add hardware-accelerated encoding to new formats (to support 60GHz wireless displays, for example). Select AMD mobile APUs based on the Kaveri design also support such technologies as EyeFinity and TrueAudio. It is interesting to note that the premium high-performance A10 and the FX-series chips do not support the TrustZone tech originally developed by ARM.

It is noteworthy that along with the new A-series APUs based on the Kaveri design, AMD also debuted two new types of mobile offerings: the AMD FX and the AMD Pro. The FX provide enhanced performance and are mostly designed for desktop replacement laptops. It is unclear whether the mobile FX APUs come with unlocked multipliers and allow overclocking. The AMD Pro chips for business PCs feature virtualization support, manageability features and robust silicon-level security along with 24-month lifecycles as well as 18-month image stability. The AMD Pro chips are not certified to run professional graphics applications, unlike the FirePro APUs.

Leading makers of notebooks, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba and others, have already showcased their first laptops based on the new Kaveri APUs at the Computex 2014 trade-show.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The new chips are clearly more competitive than their predecessors, which were basically overclocked APUs from 2012. It is also nice to see that the majority of new accelerated processing units feature thermal design power between 17W and 19W. It would be even better to see AMD’s high-performance APUs with integrated core-logic sets and 11.5W – 15W TDP, but it looks like high-end ultra-thin laptops are not a priority of company. What remains to be seen is how rapidly AMD ramps up the Kaveri for laptops. When it comes to desktops, the Kaveri represents only a fraction of AMD chips that power PCs from leading suppliers. The previous-generation APU offerings still represent a bigger share of AMD’s shipments.

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Asus unleashes Ares III, proclaims it ‘the world’s fastest graphics card’ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/asus-unleashes-ares-iii-proclaims-it-the-worlds-fastest-graphics-card/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/asus-unleashes-ares-iii-proclaims-it-the-worlds-fastest-graphics-card/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:59:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196686 Asustek Computer this week officially unveiled its new Ares III dual-GPU graphics card that belongs to the Republic of Gamers family of products. The new graphics board is expected to provide performance that will be higher compared to that of the dual-chip Radeon R9 295X2 thanks to very high overclocking potential and exceptional cooling. The …

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Asustek Computer this week officially unveiled its new Ares III dual-GPU graphics card that belongs to the Republic of Gamers family of products. The new graphics board is expected to provide performance that will be higher compared to that of the dual-chip Radeon R9 295X2 thanks to very high overclocking potential and exceptional cooling.

The Asus Ares III graphics card carries two AMD Radeon R9 290X “Hawaii” GPUs and 8GB of GDDR5 memory (4GB for every chip). The card features specially designed printed-circuit board that boasts with the super allow power technology as well as three 8-pin PCIe auxiliary power connectors for maximum stability and overclocking capability possible.

asus_ares_3

According to Asus, the Ares III features hand-picked AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics processing units that are “25 per cent cooler than the reference”. The Radeon R9 295X2 designed by AMD provides over 11TFLOPS of single-precision compute performance. If Asustek Computer is right, the Ares III could offer up to 25 per cent higher performance than the R9 295X2.

The graphics board will come with a single slot, custom designed EKWB water block with Ares lighting. The water-block features G1/4 ports that fit any standard water cooling loop. It is noteworthy that the Ares III should be cooled-down by a custom-designed liquid cooling system, something that is not used by a lot of people. Previous-generation Ares graphics cards relied on more traditional cooling solutions.

asus_ares_3_2

While performance of the Ares III is unknown (Asus did not even reveal the official clock-rates for the board), the manufacturer has already called it “the only dual-GPU single card with real OC potential” as well as “the world’s fastest graphics card”.

The Asus Ares III will be available in the third quarter of this year. Only 500 numbered units will be made. The price of the upcoming graphics adapter for extreme enthusiasts is unknown.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It will be interesting to find out whether the Ares III will beat the Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan Z in terms of performance and… price.

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Intel wants 4K displays for the masses, Samsung preps $399 UHD monitor https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/anton-shilov/intel-wants-4k-displays-for-the-masses-samsung-preps-399-uhd-monitor/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/anton-shilov/intel-wants-4k-displays-for-the-masses-samsung-preps-399-uhd-monitor/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2014 19:27:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196609 Earlier this year Intel Corp. unveiled its new strategy designed to boost interest for desktop computers in general and for high-performance desktops in particular. So far the company has outlined a number of initiatives and there are several more to come. At the Computex 2014 trade-show Intel, Samsung Electronics and other partners announced a plan …

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Earlier this year Intel Corp. unveiled its new strategy designed to boost interest for desktop computers in general and for high-performance desktops in particular. So far the company has outlined a number of initiatives and there are several more to come. At the Computex 2014 trade-show Intel, Samsung Electronics and other partners announced a plan to greatly reduce the price of ultra-high-definition displays and PCs with UHD monitors.

One of the best ways to improve user experience is to improve visual and multimedia experiences, for example, by increasing a display resolution. The ultra-high-definition (UHD) is clearly the next big thing for multiple industries (video, gaming, imaging, etc.), but to support such resolutions high-performance personal computers with advanced graphics cores are needed. Since at present displays with 4K (3840*2160) resolution are pretty expensive, only select people buy them. As a consequence, the demand for high-performance PCs remains on a relatively low level. Being the world’s largest microprocessor maker, Intel clearly wants to change that.

intel_4k_initiative

At the Computex trade-show Intel and Samsung announced plans to release a 23.6” 4K display priced at $399 (approximately £238 or €292; readers in the U.K. and Europe should add VAT) by the end of the third quarter. The Samsung monitor will use a PLS [plane-to-line switching] panel, will support the UHD resolution at 60Hz refresh rate, will feature 100 per cent sRGB colour gamut and will be Technicolor-certified. Later on there will be reasonably priced 4K displays from other companies, including TPV and ViewSonic.

Separately, Intel announced at the show that several PC makers, including EVS, Hibertek, Mitac, MSI, Loop and Wibtek, plan to release their inexpensive Intel Core-based all-in-one (AIO) PCs with 4K/UHD displays that will start at $999 (approximately £596 or €733; readers in the U.K. and Europe should add VAT).

intel_4k_initiative_1

While Intel clearly deserves a praise for its initiative to bring UHD displays to the masses, it should be noted that many industry-wide initiatives of the world’s largest chipmaker do not really work very well. For example, the company has been trying to make notebooks thinner for years now, but many components of ultra-thin laptops are still too expensive for the mainstream market.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: A 23.6” 4K display for $399/£238/€292 sounds very interesting. But will the actual prices be that low? 

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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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Intel reveals Core M ‘Broadwell’ 14nm microprocessors https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-reveals-core-m-broadwell-14nm-microprocessors/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-reveals-core-m-broadwell-14nm-microprocessors/#respond Wed, 04 Jun 2014 19:05:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196591 At the Computex trade-show in Taipei, Taiwan, Intel Corp. introduced its first microprocessors based on the code-named “Broadwell” micro-architecture aimed at ultra-thin high-performance tablets, notebooks and 2-in-1s. The new central processing units (CPUs) are called the Core M and will emerge on the market later this year. The chipmaker also introduced innovative Core M-based reference …

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At the Computex trade-show in Taipei, Taiwan, Intel Corp. introduced its first microprocessors based on the code-named “Broadwell” micro-architecture aimed at ultra-thin high-performance tablets, notebooks and 2-in-1s. The new central processing units (CPUs) are called the Core M and will emerge on the market later this year. The chipmaker also introduced innovative Core M-based reference designs.

Previously known as the code-named Broadwell-Y, the new Core M chips feature two x86 cores with the Hyper-Threading technology, the Intel HD Graphics core with 24 execution units and various enhancements, 3MB of L3 cache, dual-channel DDR3 memory controller as well as a core-logic placed on the same piece of substrate as the processor. At present Intel does not reveal actual power consumption of the new Core M (BDW-Y 2+2) chips, but it is likely that there will be CPUs with scenario design power of around 4.5W or lower.

intel_core_m_broadwell_llama_mountain

At the Computex show Intel also demonstrated two Intel Core M-based reference designs for 2-in-1 systems, code-named “Llama Mountain.” The 12.5” version of the Llama Mountain features 2560*1440 IGZO display (developed by Sharp), when its keyboard is detached, it measures only 7.2mm thin and weighs only 670 grams. The 10” tablet version of the “Llama Mountain” is just 550 grams and a mere 6.8mm thin, which is comparable to the Apple iPad 4.

Intel claims there are three times the volume of new 2-in-1 designs in the pipeline compared with a year ago; 50 per cent of these designs are expected to hit mainstream price points below $700.

The Intel Core M processor will be the first 14nm product on the market market in the second half of this year, Intel said. Earlier this year Intel said that the Core M-based systems would be available by Christmas.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While we have no doubts that Intel can built an Apple iPad-like tablet or even a 2-in-1 device of a similar size, it remains to be seen whether the “Llama Mountain” design will be actually adopted by commercial products. Usually Intel’s reference designs utilise state-of-the-art components that are pretty expensive or are not in mass production.

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Intel Core i7-4790K overclocked to 5.5GHz on air, to 6.3GHz with LN2 https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-core-i7-4790k-overclocked-to-5-5ghz-on-air-to-6-3ghz-with-ln2/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-core-i7-4790k-overclocked-to-5-5ghz-on-air-to-6-3ghz-with-ln2/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2014 18:08:11 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196596 While the Core i7-4790K central processing units (CPUs) should offer impressive performance even in default mode, the reason why computer enthusiasts are waiting for the new microprocessors to arrive is their improved overclocking potential. Apparently, the latter is indeed pretty impressive. At the Computex 2014 Intel Corp. held an overclocking competition, where experienced teams of …

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While the Core i7-4790K central processing units (CPUs) should offer impressive performance even in default mode, the reason why computer enthusiasts are waiting for the new microprocessors to arrive is their improved overclocking potential. Apparently, the latter is indeed pretty impressive.

At the Computex 2014 Intel Corp. held an overclocking competition, where experienced teams of overclockers could try to overclock the Core i7-4790K code-named “Devil’s Canyon” chip. The results of the competition confirmed good overclocking potential of the new product. One microprocessor could work at 5498.72MHz with all four cores and the Hyper-Threading enabled while cooled-down using air/liquid cooling; another chip could work at 6331MHz with all four cores and the HT activated when cooled-down using liquid nitrogen (LN2).

While the results are considerably lower compared to the CPU-Z OC World Records, it should be noted that the results at the OC Challenge Computex 2014 were achieved on stage without significant amount of tweaking and without cherry-picking the CPUs.

intel_core_i7_haswell_lga1150

It remains to be seen whether a lot of Intel Core i7-4790K processors will manage to run at 5.50GHz with air or liquid cooling, but the first results are rather impressive.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is unclear whether the chips used for overclocking were engineering samples, or commercial products. In case of the original Haswell offerings commercial versions were not really good overclockers…

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