Techreport

Memory and storage specialist Mushkin brought a bevy of new and updated products to last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Like most SSD vendors, Mushkin had updated SATA drives based on 3D NAND on display, as well as next-generation M.2 PCIe SSD models. The company also showed a mechanical gaming keyboard that it says is the first entry in its debuting line of Carbon-branded peripherals. ...Read more...

Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti graphics cards pack a lot of graphics punch into a small power envelope. Not to be outdone by MSI, Gigabyte is now capitalizing on those cards' low thermal and power footprint by packing them into half-height PCIe cards. The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 OC Low Profile 2G and GTX 1050 Ti OC Low Profile 4G cards can transform a pre-built desktop or SFF machine into a very capable gaming and media playback platform. The cards don't need a six-pin PCIe power connector, so owners of small systems should be able to plunk these cards in without a PSU upgrade. ...Read more...

Well, CES 2017 is over. We don't know if you were busy last week, but things were pretty crazy here at TR HQ. We doubled down on CES coverage and did our best to take a good look at all the hardware news that poured out from the show.The biggest individual bit of news was probably the launch of Intel's 7th-generation Core processors, codenamed Kaby Lake. We did an in-depth review of the Core i7-7700K , so if ...Read more...

Adding RGB LEDs to system components is well and good, but we've had a good laughs at the TR virtual office picturing that shiny hardware being stuck inside a windowless computer case. On the other hand, a headset may be the perfect place to stick some blinkenlights. Enter Thermaltake's Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headset, making its presence known with big pair of LED-backlit Tt eSports logos on the ear cups....Read more...

With new processors from Intel on the market, a new line of CPUs from AMD on the way, and virtual reality making headlines, 2017 is looking like an interesting year to be a boutique builder. CyberPowerPC and Syber Gaming are certainly making the most of the moment, and have announced plans for refreshing their desktop and notebook lines with 2017's hot hardware. ...Read more...

Thus far, VR experiences have required a PC, a console, or at least a high-end smartphone to go with the headset. The VR specialists at Pico want to remove that restrictions with the Neo CV stand-alone headset. Pico says the Neo CV puts users first with a VR experience that is ready to use straight out of the box. ...Read more...

Those in the know are already aware that Enermax sells some of the finest power supplies around. The company announced at CES that it's adding a ton of new models to its range of PSUs, and it's also spinning up a pile of new fans that incorporate its "Dust-Free Rotation" (DFR) technology....Read more...

In our hands-on review of Cooler Master's MasterAir Pro 4 and MasterAir 3 CPU heatsinks, we found ourselves impressed by the company's MasterFan Pro series fans, particularly the 120-mm variety that accompanies the Pro 4. Those fans are not, however, particularly colorful. Cooler Master, always ready to supply an RGB LED to a gamer in need, has a solution to that problem in its new MasterFan Pro Air Balance RGB fans. ...Read more...

Dell has been pretty busy at CES. Amidst a whole bunch of other announcements, it would have been easy to miss this one: Dell is launching its first gaming machine in the mainstream Inspiron line, the obviously-named Inspiron 15 Gaming. The company's Alienware catalog is also getting a Kaby Lake makeover. Finally, Dell is partnering with ELeague to supply hardware for the competitors. ...Read more...

Linksys is letting loose the WRT32X router with Killer Networking features onboard, courtesy of a partnership with Rivet Networks. A quick perusal of the spec sheet suggests the companies might have started with the recently-released WRT3200ACM before giving it a matte-black-and-blue getup and Killer's traffic prioritization scheme. ...Read more...

Intel continues to refine and update its Next Unit of Computing (NUC) mini-PCs, which take much of the hardware from its Ultrabook line and package it into a tiny square chassis. The major updates for this year's NUCs include the latest seventh-generation Intel Core processors and support for Optane memory.Intel's Optane memory , co-developed with Micron, is a non-volatile memory technology that's faster than flash but denser than DRAM. It doesn't replace standard RAM in these NUCs, which have two familiar ...Read more...

"IoT" was probably the number three technology buzzword of 2016, behind "machine learning" and "virtual reality" and just ahead of "RGB LEDs." Intel wants in on the IoT action, and to that end the company showed off its Compute Card at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Compute Card contains all the necessary parts for a contemporary computer: a system-on-a-chip, RAM, some storage, and wireless connectivity. Intel says the Card has "flexible I/O options" that allow hardware makers to easily integrate the Card into their devices, and mentions "digital signage and kiosks, All-in-Ones, smart TVs and appliances" among the intended use cases. ...Read more...

It seems like just yesterday that graphics cards with HDMI 2.0 support started shipping. That specification was first released at the tail end of 2013, and supports 4K resolution at up to 60Hz. Nvidia baked HDMI 2.0 support into most of its second-generation Maxwell in 2014 and 2015, while cards based on the Polaris architecture were the first from AMD to support the standard last year. The HDMI Forum isn't sitting still, and it recently announced that it's working on a new HDMI 2.1 specification, which includes support for 4K at 120Hz, 8K at 60Hz, dynamic HDR, and variable refresh rate technology. ...Read more...

Solid-state drives employing the cutting-edge NVMe protocol don't come cheap. People who can make use of the performance increase over traditional SATA SSDs are starting to get more budget-friendly options, however. Western Digital is putting its WD Black PCIe SSD out into the market, and its aggressive pricing might make more than a few shoppers look twice. ...Read more...

It's tough to stand out from the crowd in PC design these days, and there's so many variations one can make on the all-in-one theme. For the XPS 27 AIO, Dell decided to address an oft-ignored aspect of computers: audio. For all the space-saving benefits AIO systems provide, some of the charm disappears if you have to plug in a separate set of speakers to listen to music or watch people rap about cats. Dell teamed up with Grammy Award-winning music producer Jack Joseph Puig to design the XPS 27, an all-in-one PC that doesn't leave the speakers up to the user or compromise with sub-par sound. ...Read more...

7 Up

Microsoft's Surface Studio put other all-in-one systems on notice when it burst forth from Redmond at the software giant's Windows conference at the end of October. Dell showed off something similar at Adobe's Max Conference a short while later, but details on its offering were sparse. Now, the giant Texan computer manufacturer has shown its Canvas, a 27-inch "do" surface. The Canvas offers the same flat-tilting touch-screen functionality as the Surface Studio, but is meant to be used as a display with a variety of systems, instead of packing its own PC. ...Read more...

Corsair has updated its Bulldog living-room Mini-ITX barebones gaming system with a new Z270 motherboard from partner MSI and has given it the Bulldog 2.0 label. The company first showed off the original verison at Computex in 2015. The original black-and-red color scheme had given way to a more HTPC-ready all-black look by the time it showed up in the TR labs last summer. ...Read more...

Corsair is showing off two new series of ATX PC power supplies at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. The TX-M series has a semi-modular cable design and 80 Plus Gold certification, and capacities from 550 to 850W. The HX series (arguably a blast from the past) is for PC builders going all-out, with fully modular cables, 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, and power output up to 1200W. ...Read more...

During our CES meeting with Gigabyte today, the company happened to find some AMD AM4 motherboards from its upcoming lineup for us to look at. We can honestly say that this is the world's first official look at these motherboards anywhere.Here's the Aorus ...Read more...

If you're like most of the TR staff, you almost can't work on a single monitor, something that makes using laptops an exercise in frustration. It's pretty hard to justify grabbing something like the Valerie, though. AOC has us multi-monitor addicts covered with its new ultra-slim 15.6" USB monitor. The attractively-titled I1601FWUX is just 0.33" (8.5 mm) thick, and pulls both power and display data from a single USB Type-C connection. ...Read more...

When I got my first 1080p monitor, I felt like I had so much room for activities. How could you ever need more space than that? Now, Dell is offering up 16 times more pixels with its new UP3218K display, the company's first 8K screen—and probably one of first on the market. ...Read more...

The market for tablets may have stagnated, but several vendors hope that the extra functionality of convertible 2-in-1 computers might persuade shoppers to start purchasing slim laptops again. Dell's latest XPS 13 2-in-1 tries to woo consumers with an eye-catching display, a thin, durable chassis, and the latest processors from Intel. ...Read more...

A new year means new toys to play with, especially when Intel releases a new round of processors. To meet the needs of gamers everywhere, Asus refreshed its lineup of Republic of Gamers laptops, and they all come with the latest Intel processors and Nvidia graphics cards. ...Read more...

Remember IllumiRoom? You probably don't, but it used a Kinect and a projector to expand a game's display beyond the screen and onto your walls and furniture. Microsoft demonstrated it at CES back in 2013, but it ultimately didn't work out to much more than concept. Apparently Razer was pretty fond of the idea, though, because the company's new Project Ariana is very nearly the exact same thing....Read more...

Part of the fun of CES week is seeing some of the craziest hardware concepts come to life. Even if the products in question don't make it to the market, it's a pleasure to see some creativity and risk-taking in a frequently conservative industry. While it's too early in the show to announce a winner, Razer might take home the unofficial TR award for "most surprising laptop design." Check out this video:...Read more...

Gigabyte-offshoot Aorus is updating its line of gaming-focused laptops with an overclockable Kaby Lake Intel Core i7-7820HK processor. The X3 Plus v7 packs substantial gaming power into a 14"-class chassis, while the larger X5 and X7-series laptops accept additional bulk as the price of increased gaming performance. All of these models sport a pair of M.2 slots for speedy storage options. ...Read more...

Depending on your feelings on the current wave of RGB LED-infused products, you either thank or blame the people over at Corsair for helping to usher in 2016's hottest PC peripheral trend. Corsair's Vengeance K70 was the first keyboard with per-key RGB LED lighting, all the way back in January 2014. The company's new K95 RGB Platinum keyboard renews the company's relationship with the switch specialists at Cherry, and the Scimitar Pro RGB gaming mouse reaffirms Corsair's love affair with programmable lighting. ...Read more...

Judging by the number of new gaming peripherals we're seeing from CES 2017, the market for them must be hot right now. Asus is rounding out its ROG lineup with a microphone, several new mice, and a pair of routers aimed at gamers. ...Read more...

Last night during its CES keynote presentation, Nvidia didn't talk up what it's ultimately one of its coolest new products, revealed via blog post at GeForce.com: G-Sync HDR, present in new 4K HDR monitors with Quantum Dot technology and 144Hz refresh rates. These might be the most capable, powerful displays we've yet seen, and we're drooling at the prospect of gaming on one of them. ...Read more...

We're at Dell's CES 2017 press conference. Join us as we see what innovations the company has in store for PC users this year. ...Read more...

Nvidia has subjected its Shield Android TV game console to a metamorphosis. Where before company emphasized the box's potence as a stand-alone game machine, at its pre-CES keynote last night, Nvidia re-introduced the Shield as "the world's most advanced streamer." To that end, Nvidia announced that an updated version of the little Android box can handle streaming 4K HDR video. The updated Shield is once again available in regular and Pro flavors. ...Read more...

Asus is overhauling its Republic of Gamers lineup of desktops, following the release of Intel's seventh-generation Core processors. Its ROG desktop line now includes four new desktops, ranging from maxed-out behemoths to tiny powerhouses. ...Read more...

Nvidia has been touting its GeForce Now game streaming service for its Shield tablets and Google TV boxes for a while now. The graphics giant announced a unique iteration of the service at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. GeForce Now for Mac and PC allows gamers to play games on any Windows or Mac system with high graphics quality, regardless of the hardware of the users' own system. Nvidia didn't mention how much CPU horsepower was available to virtualized gamers, but some reports say that GeForce GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 cards would underpin the new service. ...Read more...

Given the breadth of Samsung's penetration into the realms of smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, and traditional portable computers, it beggars belief that the Korean chaebol has never produced a gaming laptop. That unoccupied niche is now filled with the company's just-announced Odyssey sub-brand of gaming-focused notebooks. A pair of models with large 15.6" and goliath-class 17.3" displays were shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Their styling is subdued—at least when compared to other gaming laptops—and Samsung is offering the machines in both black-and-red and white-and-red color schemes. ...Read more...

Just a couple weeks ago, I was deep into the weeds of finding a replacement for my trusty Asus RT-AC66U. I couldn't help but focus my attention on the burgeoning world of mesh Wi-Fi gear for the home. I read up on Eero, Plume, Amplifi, Google Wifi, and Netgear's Orbi before deciding to wait a bit longer and see what other options came out of CES.We covered Linksys' Velop system on Tuesday, and yesterday Asus joined the mesh Wi-Fi party with its HiveSpot and HiveDot mesh Wi-Fi system. As a fan ...Read more...

Everybody's excited about AMD's upcoming CPUs based on the Ryzen core, but a CPU on its own doesn't get you very far. Fortunately, AMD announced last night that it has all of the biggest names in motherboards working feverishly to provide boards for the new chips. That list includes Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, ASRock, and Biostar. AMD will be showing a total of 16 ready-to-go motherboards from these companies at CES. ...Read more...

We recently bestowed a TR Recommended badge onto the HyperX's Cloud Stinger headset, for delivering good sound and build quality at price point around $50. The company's Cloud Revolver S Dolby 7.1-channel headset has its work cut out for it, then, to deliver the same kind of value-per-dollar at three times that amount. The new headset appears to truly be in another league, though. ...Read more...

Gigabyte probably feels that buyers of 15" gaming laptops need more choices. To wit, the company is offering two completely different machines with the same screen size. The P56 is a smaller version of the 17.3" P57X v6 desktop-replacement-style gaming laptop we recently put through the wringer, while the Sabre 15 has a more graceful approach to gaming on the go. ...Read more...

Lenovo's recently-announced Thinkpad Carbon X1 laptops are seriously light at 2.5 lbs. The engineers at Asus probably took those figures as a worst-case scenario for the new AsusPro B9440 business laptop, which crams an Intel Kaby Lake seventh-generation Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, 8GB or 16GB of RAM, up to 512GB of SSD storage, and a 1080p display into a 2.3 lbs (1 kg) package. ...Read more...

You probably already know that MSI makes some rather powerful gaming laptops. Did you know that the company also offers mobile workstations? The company currently has a WT series of desktop-replacement-style mobile workstations, and a WS series of thin-and-light machines that still pack serious performance. Both of those lineups have received CPU and graphics card updates. MSI is also launching a third series of mobile workstations, called the WE. ...Read more...

Many paragraphs have been posted on the internet over the last few months about Google's efforts to enable Chromebooks to run Android applications from the Play Store. TR took one of the few Play Store-enabled Chromebooks on a test drive a while ago, and while it's clear that Google has some work to do, the preliminary results are promising. Samsung's Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro look poised to help the browser-centric OS work more smoothly with applications written for Google's OS. ...Read more...

Just as Intel's CPUs have entered their seventh generation, MSI's Aegis, Nightblade, and Trident gaming desktops are entering their third generation. The machines are all getting updated with the latest hardware from Santa Clara. ...Read more...

One of virtual reality's biggest problems lies in just how unapproachable it is. It's tough to setup, tough to explain, and requires lots of bulky equipment. That's not even considering how expensive it is. Not only does it ask you for a whole room's worth of space, but asks you to have a big computer nearby that's capable of powering the whole thing. Asus is hoping to help with that last problem with the Asus VivoPC X, a pint-sized box meant to provide VR power. ...Read more...

Folks with a penchant for the highest-quality pixels will want to have a peek at the new monitors Asus is showing off. Comprising one monitor from the ProArt series, one from the Designo Curve series, and a new flagship for the ROG Swift family, these three monitors look to offer a feast for your eyes, if not for your bank account.Asus' ProArt series is aimed at graphics and video professionals. To that end, ProArt monitors focus on rich, accurate colors and high resolutions. The new PA32U is a 32" 3840x2160 display with a full-array LED ...Read more...

The ZenFone AR isn't the only feature-packed handset that Asus is showing off at the CES in Las Vegas. The Taiwanese mega-manufacturer also unveiled its ZenFone 3 Zoom, a phone that uses a pair of lenses to provide optical zoom capabilities without the moving parts and added physical depth that this functionality usually requires. ...Read more...

Prospective buyers bummed out about the lack of expansion options on Apple's latest MacBook Pro now have somewhere to turn to. Other World Computing's DEC semi-permanently attached dock brings back the ports Apple courageously omitted. An OWC spokesman said the company has been working on the DEC for three years, a claim that seems odd considering that the MacBook Pro was just refreshed at the end of October. ...Read more...

The first phone with support for Google's Tango augmented reality platform, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, was not well received when reviewers got their hands on it last week. Asus is hoping its ZenFone AR handset can shine a brighter light on the Tango technology that lets users scan and interact with their physical environment directly from their phones. The ZenFone AR also supports Google's Daydream mobile virtual reality platform and is the first smartphone with 8GB of system memory, as far as we know. ...Read more...

Logitech has lifted the veil on its G533 wireless gaming headset with DTS Headphone:X 7.1 surround sound. The G533 is positioned as a replacement for the popular G930 cans that used to be found in TR's System Guides. The G533 set uses Logitech-designed 40mm Pro-G drivers to deliver what it says is "the most immersive and accurate PC gameplay experience." ...Read more...

Acer has pulled back the curtain on gaming-focused GX desktops. These look to be designed for buyers that want to become part of the so-called "PC Master Race" without having to turn screws and route cables themselves. The black-and-red towers come packing Intel's recently-released seventh-generation Kaby Lake Core i5 and Core i7 processors. ...Read more...