By Admin 29 September 2014 0 comments

• Corsair Graphite Series™ 380T Mini ITX Case Features and Overview

By Admin 24 September 2014 0 comments

• ASUS X99-E WS Workstation Motherboard Review

This article is a review of the ASUS X99-E WS Workstation motherboard recently announced by ASUS. This post consists of the announcement along with an overview of the motherboard and its specifications. Firstly, the announcement was as follows:

ASUS Announces X99-E WS

X99 chipset-based workstation motherboard supports PCI Express 3.0 x16 four-way graphics power, leading connectivity and premium components for premium efficiency

ASUS X99-E WS Workstation Motherboard Overview

By Admin 19 September 2014 0 comments

• ASUS Strix R9 285 Gaming Graphics Card Review

This article is about the announcement of ASUS Strix R9 285 gaming Graphics card made on the 2014/09/13. This graphics card includes DirectCU II and features 0dB fan technology. The article, as posted by ASUS is available below:

ASUS Announces Strix R9 285 Gaming Graphics Card

Featuring 30% cooler operation and near-silent acoustics

Taipei, Taiwan (2nd September, 2014) — ASUS today announced the new Strix R9 285, a gaming graphics card packed with exclusive ASUS technologies, including DirectCU II to deliver cooler, quieter, and faster performance for incredible action gaming experiences. Strix R9 285 also features 0dB fan technology to let gamers enjoy total silence during light gameplay as well as Blu-ray movie playback free from distracting background noise.

Strix R9 285 features exclusive ASUS Super Alloy Power components for enhanced durability and cooling, and GPU Tweak for overclocking and online streaming that is as simple as it is flexible. It also comes equipped with a DisplayPort interface to support connections up to 4K/UHD (ultra-high definition) resolution.

Strix R9 285 is factory-overclocked at 954MHz and is fitted with 2GB of high speed GDDR5 video memory. All this raw performance adds up to smoother, more-engaging and better overall gameplay experiences for players.

Play in total silence, and enjoy performance 3% faster and 30% cooler than reference

Strix R9 285 features 0dB fan technology, an exclusive fan design that lets players enjoy light gaming sessions in total silence. As long as the GPU temperature remains below a set level, Strix R9 285 keeps its fan off, resulting in a totally-quiet gaming experience. When the GPU temperature increases during more intensive gaming, the fan turns on to keep the graphics card cool, while performing at a level that is 30% cooler and 3X quieter than reference cards.

Power up for the win - DIGI+ VRM with 8-phase Super Alloy Power

Strix R9 285 includes Digi+ voltage-regulator module (VRM) technology, an 8-phase power design that reduces power noise by 30% and enhances energy efficiency by 15%, compared to reference designs. Digi+ VRM also widens voltage-modulation tolerance and improves overall stability and increases overclocking potential.

Real-time monitoring and control with GPU Tweak

Strix R9 285 comes with GPU Tweak, an exclusive ASUS tool that enables users to squeeze the very best performance from their graphics card. GPU Tweak provides the ability to finely control GPU speeds, voltages and video memory clock speeds in real time, so overclocking is easy and can be carried out with high confidence.

GPU Tweak also includes a streaming tool that lets users share on-screen action over the internet in real time, meaning others can watch live as games are played. It is even possible to add a title to the streaming window along with scrolling text, pictures and webcam images.


Source:
http://www.asus.com/News/rDDGDs7u9efsbesQ

By Admin 13 September 2014 0 comments

• ASUS X99 Series Motherboards Review | X99-Deluxe, X99-Pro and X99-A

This is a review on the ASUS X99 series motherboards, as announced by ASUS in  a previous press release. An overview of the ASUS X99-A motherboard is also presented, as well as its specifications. All data from taken from ASUS. Links are available at the end of the post.

ASUS Announces X99 Series Motherboards

X99-Deluxe, X99-Pro and X99-A release ultimate performance from X99 chipset with patent-pending OC Socket and exclusive 5-Way Optimization technology

Taipei, Taiwan (30th August, 2014) — ASUS today announced X99-Deluxe, X99-Pro and X99-A, three new ATX motherboards based on the Intel® X99 chipset and packed with exclusive technologies, including OC Socket and 5-Way Optimization, to ensure ultimate performance from the latest LGA 2011-v3 Intel Core™ i7 processors.

X99-Deluxe is the flagship model, with a bundled ASUS Hyper M.2 x4 expansion card for ultra-fast 32Gbit/s transfer speeds; onboard 3x3 (3T3R) 802.11ac for ultra-fast Wi-Fi speeds of up to 1,300Mbit/s; and an ASUS Fan Extension Card for flexible additional cooling. With a cool, streamlined outlook that includes a broad, striking-white shield, X99-Deluxe and X99-Pro also deliver the futuristic style and strong performance demanded by PC enthusiasts

All new X99 Series motherboards also feature Crystal Sound 2 for flawless audio; Turbo LAN technology for lag-free online gaming and productivity; and our renowned UEFI BIOS for intuitive setup and control.

OC Socket and 5-Way Optimization for pumped overclocking performance

X99 Series motherboards are equipped with a brand-new ASUS invention — our patent-pending OC Socket. This unique socket includes extra pins that connect proprietary circuitry to extra contacts found on Haswell-E's land grid array (LGA), and is 100% compatible with Intel’s new LGA 2011-v3 (‘Haswell-E’) processors. In combination with the ASUS UEFI BIOS, OC Socket enables higher DDR4 memory frequencies, lower latencies and enhanced stability while overclocking, extending all the way to extreme overclocking conditions, such as Liquid Nitrogen (LN2).Users are also able to increase DDR4 memory frequencies to 3200MHz and beyond, even with all eight DIMM slots populated.

PC enthusiasts also benefit from exclusive 5-Way Optimization technology to dynamically optimize an X99-Deluxe-based PC with one click. First up is Turbo Processor Unit (TPU), which offers precise voltage control and advanced monitoring for both the CPU and the graphics card. Then there’s Energy Processing Unit (EPU) to deliver system-wide real-time power savings, controlled via a simple onboard switch or the easy-to-use AI Suite 3 utility.

5-Way Optimization technology also includes the Digi+ voltage-regulator module (VRM) to enhance performance, increase efficiency and ensure reliability, and Fan Xpert 3 for peerless customized fan control. Completing the 5-Way Optimization technology line-up is Turbo App, an intuitive tuning panel to tailor and boost all parts of the system for specific games or programs.

Loaded with extreme hardware for extreme builds

X99-Deluxe is a high-end motherboard loaded with extras for truly awesome builds. The bundled Hyper M.2 x4 expansion card gives users flexibility to equip their systems with up to two M.2 devices to enjoy transfer speeds of up to 32Gbit/s. Hyper M.2 x4 supports M.2 devices from the smallest 30mm (2230) to full-length 110mm (221100) cards.

The supplied ASUS Fan Extension Card provides flexible additional cooling in the shape of three 4-pin/3-pin fan headers. With a hardware-level PWM/DC mode, Fan Extension Card offers exceptional control and is ideal for water-cooled or extreme-airflow high-performance systems.

X99-Deluxe also has super-fast 802.11ac wireless connectivity on board. The three-transmit, three-receive (3x3) antenna configuration enables wireless speeds of up to 1,300Mbit/s.

In common with the other X99-series motherboards, X99-Deluxe supports the ASUS ThunderboltEX II expansion card. This gives users the freedom to add Thunderbolt™ 2 connectivity to X99-Deluxe at any time for bi-directional transfer speeds up to 20Gbit/s — that's four times (4X) faster than USB 3.0.

A complete X99 line-up

X99-Pro and X99-A complete the ASUS X99 motherboard line-up. Both boards will arrive slightly later than X99-Deluxe but share many of the same powerful features.

ASUS X99-A Motherboard Overview and Specifications

Unmatched performance, flawless Crystal Sound 2 audio and customizable Turbo App for your X99 build.

Asus X99-A Specifications

Sources:
http://www.asus.com/News/tch8YDw8vmCrGthg
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/X99A/

By Admin 08 September 2014 0 comments

• AX760i | AX1200i PSU - Quieter one?

This post is a comparative study between the AX760i and AX1200i PSU to see which one is quieter. The specifications of the hardware used are given below. Note that the article was originally written at the Corsair blog on June 18, 2014. All credit goes to them. A link to their page is available as the end of this post. The article is as follows:



 





























Source:
http://www.corsair.com/en/blog/2014/june/rm_fan-speed