Tech News

  • LIAN LI and PCMR Launches the O11 VISION

    Published: Thursday, November 16, 2023 | By: Dennis

    November 16th, 2023, Taipei, Taiwan – LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of chassis and PC accessories, launches the latest addition to its O11 series with the O11 VISION. Designed in collaboration with PC Master Race (PCMR), the O11 VISION is the perfect showcase tower, featuring tempered glass panels on the front, top, and left side. The O11 VISION offers flexible configurations with the removable motherboard tray, which is adjustable to 2 positions. There is no compromise in airflow, thanks to the elevated base to 27mm and rear support for up to 2 x 120mm fans. The O11 VISION is available in black and white at an MSRP of $139.99 and $149.99 respectively. A Chrome version with black frame and mirror-like panels will also be available at an MSRP of $149.99.

    • 3-sided tempered glass without support frame and column for unobstructed view
    • Removable motherboard tray; adjustable in 2 positions (low mode, high mode)
    • Low mode supports up to 2 x 120mm fans / 240 radiator at the rear
    • High mode supports 95mm thick fan/radiator combo at the bottom
    • 27mm elevated base for increased air intake
    • Comprehensive cable management and flexible storage solutions

    "The collaboration brings together LIAN LI's exceptional craftsmanship in case design and mechanics with insights from the PCMR community. The O11 series continues to evolve with the tastes and preferences of the community, delivering what is the O11 VISION." Jameson Chen, CEO of LIAN LI.

    “Today, we've harnessed the boundless enthusiasm of PCMR, turning the PC case into an extraordinary centerpiece of the digital world. The PC is not just the most powerful and versatile tool there is; it's a canvas for limitless creativity and beauty, showcasing individual taste without constraints." Pedro Valadas, Founder of PMCR

    Built with Unobstructed View
    The O11 VISION is the first case to offer a completely unobstructed view of the system with its top, front, and left-side tempered glass panels. The support structure along the glass edges has been eliminated. For structural support, the glass panels meet at the top left corner, held in place by a mounting key that aligns with magnets that provide up to 35kg of support force. The mounting key is discreetly concealed behind a triangular silk screen, with the white version featuring an elegant gradient white and grey, elegantly blending with the case.

    2 Configurations
    The O11 VISION offers a removable motherboard tray for ease of installation, which can be adjusted in two different positions. In low mode, the O11 VISION supports up to 2 x 120mm fans / 240 radiator at the rear. In high mode, the case supports up to 3 x 120mm/140mm fans and up to 360 radiator at the bottom removable bracket, with maximum thickness of 95mm, ample space for push-pull setup. Additionally, the O11 Vision supports 3 x 120mm fans / 360 radiator or 2 x 140mm fans / 280 radiator beside the motherboard. For optimal bottom air intake, the base is elevated to 27mm, and with fans mounted on the bottom fan bracket, the height of the bottom fans can be raised to 40mm in total.

    Cable Management Focused
    In the second chamber, the cable management bar is held in place by magnets. The PSU mounting bracket also protrudes from the rear of the case by 15mm to provide more clearance in the second chamber for excess cables. Additionally, the 2 drive cages located above the PSU can be removed individually if not used, freeing up more space in the second chamber, or providing another location for mounting a fan hub/controller. Lastly, the O11 VISION comes equipped with two dual-layer cable clips that can be mounted anywhere along vertical grommets pass through.

    High-end Build Ready
    The O11 VISION offers support for large components, including compatibility with up to E-ATX motherboards, 455mm long GPUs, and CPU cooling towers as tall as 167mm. It can accommodate a total of 5 x 2.5” SSDs or 2 x 3.5” HDDs, along with 3 x 2.5” SSDs. With such support and its unique hardware display capabilities, the possibilities are endless.

    Availability
    The O11 Vision is available for pre-order on November 16th, 2023, at an MSRP of $139.99 for the black, and $149.99 for the white version. The Chrome version of the O11 VISION will be available at a later date at an MSRP of $149.99.

    For more information on the O11 VISION, please visit: https://lian-li.com/product/o11-vision/

  • Biostar Silver Series Motherboards for Intel Core i7 14700K

    Published: Saturday, November 11, 2023 | By: Dennis

    We recently launched Episode 153 of the Hardware Asylum Podcast and in it we talk about how stupid motherboard designs have become due to the absence of expansion card availability.  Despite this motherboard makers are still selling full sized motherboards which is not only wasteful but has been fully enabled by consumers.

    The underlying message is that we only "need" a full sized ATX motherboard if we are going to use the available expansion slots, if not we can go with something smaller.  Well, how about Micro ATX?!?

    Leave it to Biostar to be ahead of the curve and actually use their brains. 

    November 10th, 2023, TAIPEI, TAIWAN – BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, introduces SILVER series motherboards that synergize well with the latest Intel Core i7-14700K Raptor Lake-S Refresh processor.



    Intel's Raptor Lake-S Refresh, the Intel Core i7-14700K processor emerges as a powerhouse in the computing landscape, surpassing its predecessor with an impressive array of 20 cores and 28 threads. This substantial increase from the 16 cores and 24 threads of the i7-13700K translates into a notable uptick in multitasking prowess and efficiency in managing complex tasks.



    Precision-engineered to the highest standards of technological excellence,

    BIOSTAR’s B760A-SILVER, B760M-SILVER, B760T-SILVER, and B660T-SILVER motherboards stands as the quintessential companions to the Intel Core i7-14700K processor. These motherboards exemplify BIOSTAR's unwavering commitment to cutting-edge technology, ensuring each motherboard is a perfect match for the i7-14700K's powerhouse of performance. Crafted for those who demand reliability and peak performance, the synergy between BIOSTAR's meticulous design and the robust capabilities of the Intel i7-14700K processor facilitates a computing experience that is as seamless as it is powerful. Whether for intensive gaming, professional workloads, or content creation, this pairing guarantees a platform that meets the rigors of modern computing with unmatched precision and prowess.

    This motherboard release offers up four new designs built on the B760 chipset.  This chipset is not intended for performance applications but is a down market alternative with the intention that users will also use a down market processor such as the Core i7 14700k.  One board is full ATX while the other three are enjoying the Micro ATX and Mini ITX form factors.

    Bravo!! 

  • Nvidia plans to release three new chips for China @ Reuters

    Published: Thursday, November 9, 2023 | By: Dennis

    I have been watching the NVIDIA situation for quite a while seeing things rise and fall with every news and analyst report coming out with speculation on who will win.  the US and their export restrictions or NVIDIA with their endless number of ways to chop up a GPU.

    From a technology standpoint, it doesn't matter if your AI chip is 800 series of 200 series, the underlying technology allows these chips to scale indefinitely so while a 800 Series chip would be cost effective, buying four 200 series chips will get you the same thing.

    The real question that should be asked is "how will these export bans impact competition?"  For instance, if China cannot get NVIDIA chips they will simply go to a China friendly supplier and either buy from them OR, find another fab that can create clones of these chips.  Not only will that kill a revenue stream BUT, will also create a new competitor who won't be bound by the rules of the governing country.

    The new rules put a cap on how much how much computing power a chip can pack into a small size. The rules also include what analysts call a "grey zone" in which the chips might still be allowed to ship to China but will require a license.

    In a note to clients,



     

    Wells Fargo analyst Aaron Rakers wrote that all three of Nvidia's reported chips appear to fall below the absolute caps on computing power, but one of them appears to be in the grey zone and will require a license.

    It will be interesting to see how this trade war will escalate,  I suspect they are playing a war of attrition though, eventually something will break and that is when the real trouble will start.

  • Top Noctua presents chromax.black versions of NH-D9L and NH-L9x65

    Published: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 | By: Dennis

    Aircooling is still a major part of custom PCs and becomes a bigger deal when the form factor of the PC has been shrunk.  Noctua has developed a number of thermal solutions for SFF builds including the Noctua L9x65 Low Profile Heatsink and Noctua NH-D9L 92mm D-Type Heatsink.  These coolers are considerably smaller than most and work quite well when matched with an appropriate CPU.

    For instance, we use the L9x65 in the multi-purpose SFF build used to record the Hardware Asylum Podcast and various streams and media captures for the Ninjalane Twitch.tv Channel and Hardware Asylum YouTube Channel.  The cooler is exceptional quiet and offers the right amount of cooling to maintain maximum performance.

    Noctua has announced a variation of these popular coolers in the more "globally acceptable" chroma.black color scheme.

    Vienna, November 7th 2023 – Noctua today expanded its chromax.black line with all-black versions of the award-winning NH-D9L and NH-L9x65 CPU coolers: Staying true to the successful formula of the original models, the new chromax.black versions with their black fans and black coated heatsinks combine the same signature quiet cooling performance with a sleek stealth look.

    “Many users who build Small Form Factor systems value build-aesthetics just as much as performance and quietness of operation”, says Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). “Our NH-D9L and NH-L9x65 are highly popular among Small Form Factor builders, so we’re excited to introduce them in all-black chromax versions!”

    Be sure to check them out before building your next SFF system and check out our reviews for more detailed performance information.

  • MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX Review @ Guru3D

    Published: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 | By: Dennis

    Leave it to the Guru to get the exclusive review of this fine MSI motherboard.  Seems that after the compounding issues plaguing MSI they closed their marketing doors and went silent.  After that we had the global lockdown and things with MSI have never been the same.

    I'm still a big fan of MSI boards, they seem to be solid performers and the dragon logo just goes with everything.

    With the launch of the Raptor Lake refresh processors, MSI has decided it's time to give their motherboards a refresh as well. Allow us to introduce you to the all-new MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX, which stands as one of MSI's top-performing motherboards for the Z790 platform. This motherboard boasts a robust 24+1 VRM design, PCI Express 5.0 lanes, an abundance of M.2 slots (supporting both PCIe Gen4 and Gen5), dual 2.5 GigE ports, and, believe it or not, it even comes equipped with WIFI7.

    Hopefully we can get one of these boards in the lab soon.

  • YEYIAN Gaming Unveils INTEL Coreā„¢ 14th Gen Raptor Lake CPU-Powered Gaming PCs with Unprecedented Gaming Performance

    Published: Monday, October 30, 2023 | By: Dennis

    Brand new ODACHI and YARI prebuilt gaming desktop PCs release the utmost gaming experience.

    San Diego, California, October 24th, 2023 - YEYIAN GAMING, a leader in innovative pre-built gaming PCs, peripherals, and computer components, is thrilled to announce the market launch of eight new gaming desktop PCs powered by the latest INTEL Core i9/i7/i5 14th Gen unlocked CPUs. Four of the eight new models are available exclusively for purchase on Newegg. These newly launched models are meticulously crafted to redefine the gaming experience, catering to both professional gamers and avid enthusiasts alike.

    The highlight of this remarkable launch is the fusion of INTEL 14th gen processors with NVIDIA RTX 4000 series graphics cards, culminating in an unparalleled gaming extravaganza that redefines the boundaries of what's possible in the gaming world.

    These new models are designed to deliver the ultimate gaming performance and experience for pro gamers and enthusiasts. The new models include five ODACHI models and three YARI models, each featuring a different configuration for various gaming and performance levels, which are: ODACHI 49KFD-4901U, ODACHI 49KFC-4901U, ODACHI 49KFC-4901N, ODACHI 49KFC-47T1N, ODACHI 49KFC-47T1U and YARI 47KFB-47T1N, YARI 47KFB-47T1U, YARI 47KFB-46T1N.  

    The ODACHI models are housed in the YEYIAN Vector Elite gaming PC case, offering a spacious interior and a sleek design. The YARI models are housed in the YEYIAN Arc gaming PC case, providing a compact and elegant solution to the gaming PC. All models are equipped with pre-installed ARGB cooling fans and an AIO liquid cooler for excellent thermal performance and maximized airflow to guarantee that 14th gen processors and RTX 4000 graphics cards will be operating with unparalleled stability and reliability.

    “YEYIAN and INTEL have partnered again and are thrilled to offer an entire line of gaming desktop PCs built on the 14th Gen platform. The first eight models are designed to unleash the full potential of the Core i9/i7/i5 14th Gen processors, which are the ultimate choice for gamers and enthusiasts. With the latest game titles demanding more power from the processor, the INTEL Core series processor delivers accountable and robust performance that gamers always rely on. And when these new gaming PCs are paired with NVIDIA’s RTX 4000 series graphics cards, the gaming experience will be taken to a whole new level.”  explained Frank Lee, the Vice President of YEYIAN GAMING. 

    The eight newly presented YEYIAN ODACHI and YARI gaming desktops are designed to be an affordable option for hardcore gamers. All INTEL 14th Gen desktop systems are built from carefully selected PC components, including NVMe M.2 SSDs, the DDR5 DRAM modules, 80+ Gold and Platinum power supplies, WIFI 6, and Windows 11 pre-installed. For the best in style and cooling performance, the YEYIAN Vector Elite and Arc gaming case are used and come with 4 PWM RGB system fans and CPU AIO liquid coolers. 

    The new INTEL 14th Gen CPUs Raptor Lake are the latest desktop processors from INTEL and offer higher clock speeds than the 13th Gen CPUs across both performance and efficiency cores. They are fully compatible with the 700- and 600-series motherboards with a simple BIOS update and include three unlocked and overclockable models: the Core i9-14900K/KF, the Core i7-14700K/KF, and the Core i5-14600K/KF. The Core i9-14900K/KF has 24 cores and 32 threads and can reach up to 6 GHz. The Core i7-14700K/KF has 20 cores and 28 threads with four more efficient cores than the previous generation. The Core i5-14600K/KF has 14 cores and 24 threads with two more performance cores than the previous generation. The new INTEL Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) also features the AI Assist feature, which allows one-click AI-guided overclocking for select unlocked INTEL Core 14th Gen desktop processors.

    These newly launched INTEL 14th Gen ODACHI and YARI II gaming desktop PCs are now available at major US retailers. All YEYIAN Gaming desktops come with the YEYIAN-Shield Silver Care program warranty to provide hassle-free customer support for gamers and content creators. 

    YEYIAN GAMING invites gamers, tech enthusiasts, and the media to explore the future of gaming with these remarkable machines. 

    To learn more about YEYIAN INTEL 14th Generation gaming desktops: https://us.yeyiangaming.com/intel-14th-generation

  • be quiet! Straight Power 12 1200W Power Supply Review @ APH Networks

    Published: Monday, October 30, 2023 | By: Dennis

    When it comes to power supplies you have good PSUs and you have overkill PSUs.  The Straight Power from be quiet! is pretty much middle of the road with a 1200w power handling.

    The be quiet! Straight Power 12 1200W proves to be a well-constructed power supply at a decent price for something that offers quite a lot of power while operating without much fanfare.

    Recently we reviewed the Dark Power 13 1300w Platinum Monster from be quiet and have to say, most of us are not worthy when it comes to a power supply like that.  Be sure to check out the reviews for more awesome power info.

  • Intel Core i9-14900K Raptor Lake Tested at Power Limits Down to 35 W @ TechPowerUp

    Published: Monday, October 30, 2023 | By: Dennis

    I've been using the new Core i9 14900K processor and have found it to be extremely efficent and has many of the same thermal limits from the Core i9 13900k.

    There's no denying that Intel's Core i9-14900K is a power hog. This article examines the power, performance and thermals effects of limiting its power consumption, with very interesting results. Additionally, we investigate undervolting to determine if efficiency can be optimized even further.

    This should be a rather interesting article showing that with modern processors the issue of heat can mean the different between good performance and questionable decisions.  It also shows how pointless overclocking currently is without extreme cooling.

  • Nvidia to make Arm-based PC chips - We knew this was coming

    Published: Tuesday, October 24, 2023 | By: Dennis

    In the world of "oh that is obvious" we have reports of NVIDIA working on their own CPU design based on the ARM architecture. 

    Unless you have been living under a rock you will have heard that NVIDIA tried to buy ARM last year for a respectable amount of money.  However, the sensitive regulators in the UK blocked the sale and what would have eventually become a company bigger and more powerful than Intel and AMD.  (IMO)

    NVIDIA is not a company to abandon their plans and continued on.  Before the ARM buyout there was a system called GRACE.  GRACE was a data center product using a low powered ARM based CPU coupled with a powerful NVIDIA GPU designed to create a massively scalable compute module which was basically what crypto miners were building in their basements using off the shelf components, minus the ARM Processor.

    Had NVIDIA been able to complete the purchase they would be able to build their new CPU designs at a fraction of the cost while still getting income from Qualcomm (and others) due to the current ARM licensing agreement.

    Licensing and traditional architecture aside the ARM based CPUs RISC based processors and are extremely power efficient leading to their adoption into mobile devices and several Apple based laptops.  The power of the CPU comes in the form of multithreading and by adding more cores to the CPU they can easily scale past the power of current desktop CPUs without producing as much heat.

    Combine that with an NVIDIA GPU and you have an extremely powerful all-in-one system that could replace every x86 based notebook with better battery performance and lower temperatures.

    Exclusive: Nvidia to make Arm-based PC chips in major new challenge to Intel

     

     

    Oct 23 (Reuters) - Nvidia (NVDA.O) dominates the market for artificial intelligence computing chips. Now it is coming after Intel’s longtime stronghold of personal computers.

    Nvidia has quietly begun designing central processing units (CPUs) that would run Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) Windows operating system and use technology from Arm Holdings(O9Ty.F), , two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

    The AI chip giant's new pursuit is part of Microsoft's effort to help chip companies build Arm-based processors for Windows PCs. Microsoft's plans take aim at Apple, which has nearly doubled its market share in the three years since releasing its own Arm-based chips in-house for its Mac computers, according to preliminary third-quarter data from research firm IDC.

    It will be interesting to see what actually comes out of the NVIDIA camp and if puppetmasters controlling ARM actually allow them to compete in the market. 

    I am expecting big things and so far, the NVIDIA track record for new ventures has been extremely positive, even when they exit the new segment several years later.

    To read more about this "exclusive" story as reported by Reuters, check out the link below.

  • Amazon Prime Day Deals - Round Up

    Published: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 | By: Dennis

    Amazon is pretty good about having flash sales and special sales events that entice people to buy more stuff.  What is interesting is that many hardware makers have turned to Amazon as a major storefront for their products instead of relying on Newegg (and others) to promote and sell their products.

    Amazon Prime Big Deals Days happens October 10th and 11th with some pretty amazing discounts on a variety of different products.  Here are some that were sent in.

    YEYIAN: a PC and component maker

    Thermaltake: a PC and component maker

    Here is a link to the featured deals and some highlights below

    Zotac Gaming: Maker of some pretty good video cards, I wouldn't know since they rarely send out samples for media review.

    Here is a link to the Zotac featured deals and some highlights below

    Lexar Memory: Maker of some super speedy storage solutions

    Here is a link to their Amazon webstore with some great deals on memory products

    Be sure to check out Amazon for the Prime Day Deals for some discounts on your wanted and/or needed accessories.