Techreport

Corsair is making the jump from monochromatic LED-illuminated memory to the full-boogie disco party stuff with its Vengeance RGB DDR4 memory modules. Corsair's rainbow-colored offerings compete with RGB LED-enabled memory offerings from Geil, G.Skill, and Zadak5. Corsair says its RAM chip screening process, built-in heat spreaders, custom PCBs, and XMP 2.0 support prepare the Vengeance RGB DD4 modules for the rigors of overclocking. ...Read more...

ARM's big.LITTLE scheme pairs clusters of hefty CPU cores along with groups of less capable, more power-efficient cores. The company is now taking the concept to the next level with its DynamIQ technology. The new tech grants chip designers increased flexibility in grouping cores of varying characteristics within a single SoC. This move has should net increased performance, power efficiency, and reliability. ARM says that some of DynamIQ's features are useful for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and VR scenarios. ...Read more...

Apple's iPhone 7 family didn't step out in any colors flashier than rose gold at launch. This morning, however, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus join the long line of Apple devices that have gotten the Product (RED) treatment. Aside from the florid finish, these special-edition iPhones are internally identical to their more subdued siblings. ...Read more...

Apple quietly updated its entry-level 9.7" iPad this morning. The new iPad—called, simply, iPad—replaces the Air 2 at the base of the full-size iPad lineup. The new slate offers the same A9 SoC found in the iPhone 6S, a 2048x1536 Retina display, a claimed 10 hours of battery life, and 32GB of storage for $329. That's a significant slice off the Air 2's $399 base price. 128GB models start at $429. ...Read more...

HDR is coming into its own in the television world, but the new color standard is just beginning to make its way into the PC side of things. Right now, each and every display that supports HDR is noteworthy. LG's new 4K, 32-inch 32UD99-W monitor was first displayed during CES earlier this year and is now available. ...Read more...

Even the most hard-core gerbils may never have heard the name EpicGear before. We've only mentioned the company once before outside of Shortbread posts. However, you've probably seen the name Golden Emperor International—or GeIL—when browsing system memory. EpicGear is GeIL's new gaming peripheral brand, sort of like Razer and Monster Energy. (We kid, we kid.) The company sent over two of its new modular gaming accessories for us to put through the wringer, and over the next few weeks I'll be doing just that. ...Read more...

High-end smartphones with four or eight processor cores are great, but not every device in every market needs that kind of horsepower. Qualcomm's 205 mobile platform is designed to bring relatively modern connectivity to low-power and low-cost devices. Mobile phone buyers that want a no-frills device that works with modern connectivity standards might find a lot to like in the don't-call-it-a-Snapdragon 205 SoC. ...Read more...

Smartphones and connected devices keep adding new capabilities, and Samsung thinks users might need some help keeping up. The company says its Bixby AI assistant is designed to step in and help users in a way that's fundamentally different from the approach taken by Amazon, Apple, and Google. Bixby is the product of Samsung's acquisition of Viv Labs last year.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to pick up Bioware's Mass Effect series 600 years after from the original trilogy, and Nvidia is prepared for it with its latest GeForce drivers: version 378.92. Space tourists will be able to take high-resolution in-game photos thanks to full Nvidia Ansel support for the game. Andromeda supports HDR and 4K resolutions, as well, and Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is Nvidia's unsurprising favorite card to let gamers enjoy those features at speed....Read more...

Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to pick up Bioware's Mass Effect series 600 years after from the original trilogy, and Nvidia is prepared for it with its latest GeForce drivers version 378.92. Space tourists will be able to take high-resolution in-game photos thanks to full Nvidia Ansel support for the game. Andromeda supports HDR and 4K resolutions, and Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the runaway favorite to let gamers enjoy those features at speed....Read more...

If you've ever tried to launch apps from an SD card, you already know that "Class 10" or "UHS-1" ratings tell you little about how that'll actually work out. To help avoid this conundrum, the SD Association created the new Application Performance Class A1 standard, meant to let consumers know how the card will behave when running Spotify off it. Just four months after the standard was finalized, Toshiba let the world know that its Exceria Pro M402 line of SD and MicroSD cards already meet the requirements for the A1 standard. ...Read more...

Just yesterday, we reported on an AOC monitor with 4K resolution and support for Nvidia's G-Sync. If cramming 3840x2160 pixels and Nvidia's variable refresh rate technology into a 27" panel isn't impressive enough for you, perhaps the pixel density in the 17" 4K G-Sync display in EVGA's SC17 1070 gaming laptop will be satisfactory. The mobile gaming station packs an Intel sixth-generation Core i7-6820HK CPU, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070, and 32 GB of system memory to go with that UHD panel. ...Read more...

It seems like the industry events never stop coming. Next week in Hannover, Deutsche Messe will be hosting its annual CeBIT technology expo. Most of the big names in tech will be there, and Zotac will be among them. The company sent over some info about the products it'll be showing at the expo, including those new GeForces we heard about last week. Zotac is also taking the opportunity to debut Kaby Lake-powered versions of some of its Zbox mini-PCs. ...Read more...

Waiting for images to load is no fun. Neither is paying for bandwidth to serve or receive those images. We've reported in the recent past on Google's efforts to get more detail out of small images and reduce file sizes of images and other web files. The company's Guetzli JPEG encoding algorithm improvement effort looks to have a greater immediate impact because of its ability to potentially reduce image file sizes by up to 35% at the same image quality level when compared to traditional encoders, while maintaining decoding compatibility with existing browsers.Left: original, center: libjpeg, right: Guetzli.

Do you know what day it is? That's right, it's deals day! We know you've been waiting with bated breath for this. With Kaby Lake and Ryzen around, everyone's in a PC-building frenzy, and on the lookout for juicy deals on hardware. Here's what we have in store for you.That's it for today, folks! If you come across any juicy deals that we ...Read more...

MSI hasn't left prospective Z270 gamers starving for options. After launching an opening salvo of models equipped with the latest chipsets from Intel, MSI has now released another motherboard for gamers looking to overclock a high-performance Core processor: the Z270 MPower Gaming Titanium. ...Read more...

MSI hasn't left prospective Z720 gamers starving for options. After launching an opening salvo of models equipped with the latest chipsets from Intel, MSI has now released another motherboard for gamers looking to overclock a high-performance Core processor: the Z270 MPower Gaming Titanium. ...Read more...

When we talk about cooling our computers, usually we're talking about making them a bit less warm. But sometimes that's not enough. Maybe you're Batman villain Mr. Freeze and need something truly industrial-strength to get the job done and make things cold. That's where Alphacool's new Eiszeit Chiller compressor cooler comes in....Read more...

A while back, Microsoft let the world know that it'd only support recent CPUs in the Intel Kaby Lake, AMD Ryzen, and Qualcomm 8996 families under Windows 10. Now, there's a little smoke and fire in some corners of the internet, though, since a Microsoft Knowledge Base page has popped up about a potential error message that users with systems based on the forementioned CPUs might encounter when running Windows Update. More to the point, you might be told that "your PC uses a processor that isn't supported on this version of Windows," and that you'll need to upgrade to Windows 10.Despite this bit of news making the rounds around the web, and the fact that there's a running Reddit thread with close to 600 comments on the subject, there have yet to be reports ...Read more...

If your time at the computer is spent primarily for entertainment rather than work, you might not need all the 104 keys provided by a full-size keyboard. If you're a gamer, though, you probably still want a sleek, feature-packed mechanical keyboard. If that's the case, then Corsair has your back with its K63 mechanical gaming keyboard. ...Read more...

Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the first graphics card we've tested at TR that makes gaming at 4K a truly realistic option. The release of AOC's first 4K gaming monitor seems to be well-timed, then. The 27" AOC Agon AG271UG is built around a high-pixel-density IPS panel with G-Sync variable refresh rate technology. ...Read more...

We tend to recommend desktop PCs for gaming, because the compromises you have to make to get good gaming performance into a portable form factor are significant. Still, if you're on the road all the time, it's just not convenient to haul around a gaming desktop. Over at Asus' ROG blog, the company is showing off the 15.6" Strix GL502VS and 17.3" Strix GL702VS. These machines promise to pack serious gaming speed into a size that won't cause back injuries if you have to carry it around all day. ...Read more...

PC hardware and computingGames and VR ...Read more...

Not to be outdone by G.Skill, Adata has its own memory kits ready for Ryzen. The Adata XPG Z1 and XPG Flame DDR4 memory modules have been validated by AMD itself as compatible with Ryzen processors. The XPG Flame kits have been validated at 2400 MT/s, 2666 MT/s, and 2933 MT/s speed grades. Meanwhile, the XPG Z1 kits get a big fancy heatsink and an additional 3200 MT/s option. ...Read more...

Thermaltake has developed an entire family of wall-mountable open-frame PC chassis with its Core P3, P5, and P7. The Core line's newest addition is the pint-sized Core P1 TG, a mini-ITX case that puts everything on display. The motherboard tray is made of steel and the transparent top panel is made of 5-mm-thick tempered glass. The case includes additional brackets and a PCIe riser cable that allows the graphics card to be the center of attention, maybe as part of a liquid-cooled gaming system. ...Read more...

Asus showed off its first Kaby Lake gaming desktops a couple months ago. The ultra-slim, VR-focused variant called the GR8 II is now available for purchase, so it's time to take a look inside and see what Asus is offering up. ...Read more...

It's been five years since Bioware wrapped up the original Mass Effect storyline, and fans of the story-driven RPG are hotly anticipating the upcoming sequel. Due to be released on March 21, Mass Effect: Andromeda takes place in a new galaxy some 600 years following the events of the original series, and introduces a new cast of characters. AMD's latest Radeon 17.3.2 drivers are ready for prime time and optimized for the game.

AMD's Ryzen 7 CPUs have made a splash for the workstation-class builder with their many threads at friendly prices, but not all of us need eight cores and 16 threads to churn through our computing tasks. The logical step down for more mainstream folks is the Ryzen 5 series of chips. AMD revealed two of those parts—the Ryzen 5 1600X and the Ryzen 5 1500X—alongside the Ryzen 7 family, and today we're learning more about a new pair of Ryzen 5 CPUs that complete the midrange tier of AMD's new processor lineup.ModelCoresThreadsBase clockBoost clockXFRTDPPriceRyzen 5 1600X6123.6 GHz4.0 GHzYes95W$249Ryzen 5 16003.2 GHz3.6 GHz65W$219Ryzen 5 1500X483.5 GHz3.7 GHz$189Ryzen 5 14003.2 GHz3.4 GHz$169 ...Read more...

A while back during CES, we talked briefly about the Acer Aspire VX 15 gaming laptops. They've now arrived, and we have the skinny on them. Acer says the machines belong in the "budget gaming" laptop category. After taking a gander at their Pascal graphics cards, Kaby Lake CPUs, and price tags, we're inclined to think they should offer good value indeed. ...Read more...

Performance testing for VR apps is a tricky problem, and one we've not quite found a satisfactory answer for. As it turns out, Nvidia may have the solution. The GeForce guys just made good on that promise from GDC and released FCAT VR as a free download. As most readers of the site have probably already guessed, FCAT VR is a frame-time-based performance capture and analysis tool intended specifically for virtual reality apps. ...Read more...

We haven't really covered anything from the ergonomics fanatics at Kinesis. That's a shame, because at varying times both our editor-in-chief Jeff and TR alumnus Geoff Gasior used Kinesis keyboards as daily drivers. The company has resisted the siren song of the lucrative gaming market for a long time, but after 25 years in business, it announced its first gaming-focused keyboard: the Kinesis Freestyle Edge. ...Read more...

When we wrote about Chrome 56 about six weeks ago, we mentioned that Google was working on aggressively throttling background tabs in order to reduce CPU utilization and power consumption. The company's developers must feel like they've ironed out the kinks, because Chrome 57's headlinining feaure is its ability to "limit average CPU load to 1% of a core if an application uses too much CPU in background." The feature is a big enough deal it warrants its own page on the Chrome blog. The release notes for Chrome 57 don't even mention the new throttling policy, focusing instead on support for new features like CSS Grid Layout and Media Session API. ...Read more...

Almost six years have passed since the last entry in the series, but Valve's Portal games still have a substantial group of fervent fans, myself included. Surely there's some overlap between the aforementioned group and PC builders looking to build an HTPC or compact gaming rig. BitFenix's Portal mini-ITX-sized enclosure is small, stylish, and should satisfy buyers in the intersection of the Venn diagram we just described. ...Read more...

Following its acquisition of Curse this last summer, Twitch has now revealed its plans for the platform: an official Twitch desktop app. Set to launch in beta status tomorrow, this new app promises to offer streamers new and easier ways to interact with their communities....Read more...

Eurocom has offered plenty of machines with lots of powerful hardware inside laptop-shaped packages before. Now, the company's Sky X9E3 laptop really stretches the definition of what can be classified as a mobile device, packing a Intel Kaby Lake Core i7-7700K desktop processor, a pair of Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards in SLI, and support for up to five internal storage devices. ...Read more...

More like Ti day, amirite?

Howdy gerbils, this is going to be short and sweet. If you want to take the VR plunge and are one graphics card short, then you can head onto Newegg and take a good look at the deal the store's running on the HTC Vive virtual reality kit. ...Read more...

Sony's PlayStation Now game streaming service is pretty similar to the GeForce Now service that Nvidia offers. You pay $20 a month to play PS3 games on the PS4 or PC via OnLive-style streaming. Today, Sony announced that it's adding the ability to play PS4 games on the service, something that could make it pretty interesting for PC gamers that don't want to shell out for console hardware. ...Read more...

We're still gawping at the massive performance of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, but here's a nugget of news about Nvidia's next big thing. According to a report from Taiwan's Commercial Times, TSMC will be fabricating Nvidia's upcoming Volta GPUs on its new "12nm" process. Currently, TSMC's most efficient process is called "16nm FFC", and given that it debuted back in April 2015, it's about time for an update.We hadn't heard about the new process before, but it's no surprise that TSMC is moving forward, seeing as its competitors are already manufacturing 10-nm parts ...Read more...

Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1080 Ti offers amazing performance right out of the box. For some people, though, that still isn't enough. For the flock of framerate-mad fanatics, Phanteks offers its Glacier Series G1080Ti water block. Nvidia's Pascal GPUs tend to respond favorably to low operating temperatures by maintaining high boost clocks through long periods, and a custom waterblock may be just the ticket to wringing even more performance out of the GP102 GPU. ...Read more...

A scant six months ago, SoftBank acquired ARM Holdings for a whopping $32 billion. Now, the Japanese conglomerate is reportedly in "final-stage" talks to sell 25% of ARM Holdings to an investment fund, according to the New York Times.The sale should go for $8 billion, matching the original purchase price percentage-wise. The investment fund that's buying the slice of ARM is called Vision ...Read more...

In the wake of AMD's Ryzen launch, intrepid builders, hackers, and reviewers at PC hardware sites around the web have shared data that purport to explain performance deltas between Ryzen CPUs and their competition from Intel in some applications. Those explorations have raised concerns about Ryzen's simultaneous multi-threading (SMT) implementation, interactions between Ryzen's core layout and the Windows 10 scheduler, and to a lesser degree, the chip's Turbo behavior. That growing clamor has had many, myself included, waiting for some kind of official response, and now we have one. ...Read more...

Owners of Asus and MSI motherboards may be envious of the integrated CPU-and-motherboard waterblock on Asus' range-topping ROG Maximus Extreme IX. Those people can now add a smug smile to their faces and waterblocks to their motherboards, thanks to the Slovenian water-cooling fanatics at EK Waterblocks. There are two models on offer, each compatible with a handful of MSI or Asus motherboards. EK says the blocks will fit nicely no matter whether they're placed atop Skylake or Kaby Lake CPUs.Both types of block are made from nickel-plated copper with an RGB LED-illuminated transparent acetal top. EK says the blocks are designed for high flow, and will ...Read more...

Getting a portable console off the ground might be even trickier than launching a home console. Even Nintendo has had trouble in the past with new platform launches. When a company as well-funded as the 800-pound gorilla of portable gaming has trouble launching an on-the-go machine, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that the crowdfunded Sinclair Spectrum ZX Vega+ portable console from Retro Computers Limited (RCL) is having trouble getting to market. ...Read more...

PC gamers love the combination of Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs, but the two companies are actually bitter rivals in several markets. Just as Nvidia has been all up in the self-driving car market, so too is Intel. The world's largest CPU vendor actually already has an autonomous vehicle division, but today it took a flying leap by announcing its purchase of MobilEye. The $15-billion-dollar acquisition is the largest purchase of an Israeli tech company in history, according to the Times of Israel. Intel says that MobilEye will be merging with its existing autonomous vehicle team once the deal is finalized with shareholders and regulators.You might already have heard of MobilEye's technology. The company's offerings are already inside several semi-autonomous vehicles, including Tesla cars. That particular relationship has recently come to a close, though, ...Read more...

For a hot minute, all the attention was on AMD and its Ryzen CPUs. Lately though, all eyes are on Nvidia's biggest-and-baddest GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards. To wit, EVGA has announced its quartet of cards bearing the GP102 GPU.For the time being, EVGA will offer one Founders Edition card running at reference clock speeds with the reference-style cooler, along with three cards topped with custom thermal solutions. All cards come with an identical loadout of 11GB of 11 GT/s GDDR5X memory regardless of cooler style or core ...Read more...

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is finally here, and all the big vendors are unveiling their plans for Nvidia's latest design. Zotac revealed today a set of four 1080 Ti cards it's bringing to the market. The offerings include a standard GTX 1080 Ti, a pair of AMP-labeled cards, and a Founders Edition card.

Current Oculus CTO John Carmack is suing ZeniMax Media, his former employer, for $22.5 million in federal court. Carmack alleges that ZeniMax still owes him the final installment of his portion of the $150 million purchase of id Software, back in 2009. Carmack was one of the co-founders of id Software, the company responsible for the Doom and Quake series of FPS games that popularized the genre. ...Read more...

MSI offers a dizzying array of motherboards with Intel's LGA 1151 socket. Yesterday, MSI Deutschland let slip the latest model in the company's "Enthusiast" family: the Z270 Gaming M6 AC. The company says the board "redefines superiority." We're not sure about that angle, but despite being a few steps down from the very peak of MSI's motherboard offerings, the M6 AC still looks like a very nice ATX motherboard. ...Read more...

Hi gerbils! We at TR HQ are still reeling from the double-whammy of Ryzen and the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. But there ain't no rest for the wicked, as the song goes. We soldiered on and brought you the best hardware deals today. Check'em out.That's it for today, folks! If you come across any juicy deals that we ...Read more...