XMA | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 09 Mar 2018 12:12:49 +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 XMA | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 XMA, Blizzard, Playstation and more back innovative project for computing in schools https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/andrzej/xma-blizzard-playstation-and-more-back-innovative-project-for-computing-in-schools/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/andrzej/xma-blizzard-playstation-and-more-back-innovative-project-for-computing-in-schools/#respond Fri, 09 Mar 2018 07:00:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=364612 For most of us, it's hard to imagine a world where you don't have access to powerful computing devices and high speed internet 24/7. While a quarter of UK pupils are now classed as ‘extreme' internet users (spending up to 3 times the international average online), as many as 10% have little/no access at home. …

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For most of us, it's hard to imagine a world where you don't have access to powerful computing devices and high speed internet 24/7. While a quarter of UK pupils are now classed as ‘extreme' internet users (spending up to 3 times the international average online), as many as 10% have little/no access at home. UK system builder XMA is working to help boost access, in conjunction with an organisation called The Digital Schoolhouse.

“Digital Schoolhouse is a national programme that aims to give computer access to children aged 9 to 11 who are most likely to benefit”, explained Shahneila Saeed, Director of Digital Schoolhouse and founding member of the Computing At School initiative. “It’s actually about inspiring and engaging kids with a interesting computing curriculum – in an effort to help encourage them to continue with the subject as they get older. It’s about giving them creative problem solving & digital skills they will need to be successful in the 21st century”.

The process also includes plenty of ‘unplugged’ creative sessions, designed to introduce key computing concepts and computational thinking.

“By analysing every part of the programme, we are able to assess pupil progress, increase the teacher's confidence when delivering these technology-based sessions and, most importantly, to find new and innovative ways in which we can improve what we are doing”.

Part of the project involves running large-scale eSports tournaments. The inaugural event kicked off in 2016 with the first finals in April 2017. This year's final will see over 1,500 kids from 20 schools across the country taking part.

While on the surface, this may seem like pure fun, it was set up as part of a reward system surrounding greater participation in STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths). On that basis, the experiment was a success, with an 87% increase in interest in computer science and careers in the gaming industry among the pupils who took part in the competition.

Warwickshire County Council has been very enthusiastic about the initiative. With more than 30 Digital Schoolhouses (DSH) already up and running the programme has already had a positive impact on hundreds of schools. The target for 2018 is to help over 15,000 students and 1,600 teachers.

We asked about other, specific benefits that the DSH anticipated.

“The DSH project is a holistic solution to solving the digital skills gap crisis this country currently faces. With improved teaching pedagogy and effective use of industry partnerships we can make a real difference in inspiring a greater number of students (especially girls) to enter the creative tech sector”, Saeed told us.

“I’d like to see the project continue to expand, with the addition of schools in Scotland and Wales, as well as the Northern Ireland cluster that we currently have”, Saeed told us. “Our industry partnerships grow stronger by the day and we’d like to continue to find creative ways to utilise their expertise in the classroom. The DSH eSports tournament has been a huge success, and we have some exciting plans to continue to develop this branch of our work over the coming years”.

Rich Kettle and Craig Connell from XMA are also vocal supporters of the project.

“XMA has been involved in the education sector for decades, so we see the Digital Schoolhouse project as a natural long term partnership for us”, Connell told us. “The addition of eSports, lines up perfectly with the launch of our new Incepta gaming series”.

The project certainly has broad appeal, with other partners including Blizzard, GAME, SEGA, PlayStation, GFinity, Staffordshire University, the Department of Education, The Mayor of London, Warwickshire County Council and UKIE.

KitGuru says: Anything that gives greater access to education opportunities for less fortunate kids has to be a good thing. The fact that DSH has managed to bring together so many industry players to support the project is very impressive. We will be following their progress, while wishing Shahneila and her team good luck!

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Viglen gaming PC range appears on eBuyer https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/andrzej/viglen-gaming-pc-range-appears-on-ebuyer/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/andrzej/viglen-gaming-pc-range-appears-on-ebuyer/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2017 12:12:18 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=356426 Back in September, we reported that XMA was preparing to launch Viglen PCs in to the UK retail channel. Systems were on show at the EGX gaming event at the NEC and were well received by gamers. Now a full range of systems has appeared on eBuyer. How much impact can this established brand have …

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Back in September, we reported that XMA was preparing to launch Viglen PCs in to the UK retail channel. Systems were on show at the EGX gaming event at the NEC and were well received by gamers. Now a full range of systems has appeared on eBuyer. How much impact can this established brand have on the gaming market?

While the full range does include Intel-based systems, it is the AMD line-up that seems particularly wide-ranging, with Ryzen 5 1400 units from £779 through to a Ryzen 7 rig at just over £3,200. You can see the specs here.

When Lord Alan Sugar (of ‘The Apprentice' fame) sold Viglen Technology to XMA almost 4 years ago, it was projected that the newly formed £200 million turnover company would ultimately grow to £300m and beyond. A significant part of that plan involves bringing in gaming channel experts like Craig Connell, who has previously driven sales for ATI, Nvidia and AMD.

We have visited the Viglen team at XMA's headquarters and the systems they are developing certainly look the part, with ROG branding prevalent.

KitGuru says: While the spend-per-person on gaming machines may have increase in 2017, the number of actual units shipped doesn't seem to have increased. Looks like the market for gaming PCs will become even more competitive in 2018 if traditional brands like Viglen, backed by Westcoast Distribution, start to focus more on performance systems. We will bring one of these Ryzen systems into the KitGuru Lab shortly and render an independent opinion as to whether or not the Viglen power/quality/value formula is correct.

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XMA launches Viglen PCs into the UK gaming market https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/andrzej/xma-launches-viglen-pcs-into-the-uk-gaming-market/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/andrzej/xma-launches-viglen-pcs-into-the-uk-gaming-market/#respond Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:41:53 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=347236 Viglen first opened its doors as a retailer way back in 1975. In the 1980s it sold and supported systems such as the BBC Acorn, but it steadily moved into PC manufacturing. In 1994, the company was acquired by Lord Alan Sugar and its focus slowly moved away from selling mainstream computers to consumers – …

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Viglen first opened its doors as a retailer way back in 1975. In the 1980s it sold and supported systems such as the BBC Acorn, but it steadily moved into PC manufacturing. In 1994, the company was acquired by Lord Alan Sugar and its focus slowly moved away from selling mainstream computers to consumers – instead establishing itself as the top supplier for schools, colleges, universities and local government departments.

That choice to focus on education and the public sector meant that Viglen continued to grow and flourish, while the majority of the local brands in the consumer space shrunk or went out of business completely. Today the Viglen brand is owned by a huge IT solutions reseller called XMA. In 2017, the Viglen brand will once again be seen online and on the high street – as a new team prepares to launch a new range of gaming and consumer PCs.

With custom designed facilities in St Albans, just north of London, the Viglen brand carries huge advantages into the mainstream PC market – namely its size and the fact that it’s part of the Westcoast group, a multi-billion dollar distributor with strong channel connections throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe.

We managed to catch up with Rich Kettle, Head of Product Design & Development, to find out more.

We started with the most obvious questions, so just how big is XMA?
Alongside the enormous facility we have in St Albans, XMA has its UK headquarters in a 30,000 square foot distribution centre in Nottingham and we have another warehouse facility in Milton Keynes that’s over 100,000 square feet. We work with over 100 partners, carrying more than 5,500 product lines and we manage that with a team of around 500 experts.

What attracted XMA to bring the Viglen brand into the gaming market?
We have a High Performance Computing team in house (HPC) – focused primarily on trading systems for the city and specialist computers for engineering & research companies – so we’re no strangers to fast PCs. As well as the experience in performance engineering, we also adhere to the highest standards when it comes to our production methods and customer service offering – from BSI to ISO. Given that some of our engineers have gone on to working for Formula One teams, we know we have the ability to compete at the highest level – so we’re relishing the challenge of competing in the gaming sector.

You mentioned support and partnerships – why should anyone care?
We hold the highest accreditations with our partners, for example Platinum status with Intel and Gold status with Microsoft – which means that we always get product early and our testing/integration strategies are professional and proven. Customers will know that Viglen systems have the very latest technology inside, tuned to perfection and with a solid after-sales support mechanism that’s ready to provide help anywhere in the country.

Can you bring anything new to the market?
We’re starting as we mean to go on – with our latest range of high-powered, affordable gaming PCs being presented to the public for the first time in the EGX Show at the Birmingham NEC. A full range of liquid cooled, highly overclocked systems will be the centrepiece of the Viglen/XMA stand in the main hall – so we invite any gamers who are attending to come over and check out what we are doing… We promise that you will be impressed!

So it will be purely gaming?
We’re also working very closely with Intel’s memory team to develop tiny, high speed NUC systems with Optane memory. This range will include the very latest Intel processors with Iris graphics. The fastest solution will clip onto the back of your TV or monitor and give you console-level gaming as well as plenty of power for content creation with Adobe Photoshop etc. We see a big future for powerful, small form factor PCs and it’s something that we’re going to work hard to develop.

KitGuru says: For a start up, the UK gaming PC market would be a tough sector to enter, but for a system builder with a 40-year pedigree, that already builds thousands of systems a month, the prospects are good and we will be watching them closely.  Rich's team includes people like Craig Connell, who has previously headed up regional sales for ATi, nVidia and AMD – which should also help. Expect to see an Optane-powered NUC in the KitGuru Labs shortly.

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