Hardware
Logitech's Wireless Charging 'PowerPlay' Solution & G903, G703 Mice
By Steve Burke
Logitech today announced its new wireless charging products for an upcoming pair of mice, the G903 and G703, which use familiar high-performance wireless hardware to the G900. The two mice (and, theoretically, subsequent mice) will use magnetic resonance rather than inductive or closed-couple charging, permitting a small form factor “under-mat” for mousepads.
The lower mat is dubbed “PowerPlay,” and emits an electromagnetic field in a radial pattern outward from the center. Used within reason – read: the mouse is probably not on the fringes of the pad for too long – the PowerPlay mat is advertised as being capable of wirelessly charging mice with an efficiency great enough to sustain ongoing use, plus some recharge. Magnetic resonance is not as efficient as induction, though neither is as efficient as just plugging the device in (which is still possible). Logitech worked to improve charge efficiency to a point that the mouse never has to be actively charged by the user, or by requiring user thought and effort, while also completely ridding of the cable. This is part of Logitech’s on-going evangelism promoting wireless mice as minimally equivalent in performance, if not objectively superior, to wired mice with regard to latency and response times. Now, though, the company has instituted a $100 mat to further entice users away from the wire.
Thermaltake's Level 20, Core G21, & View 21 Budget Tempered Glass Cases
By Ryan Greenberg
Thermaltake was one of our many stops upon our Computex 2017 journey, where the company was showing off a very expensive prototype case, as well as a more modest pair of ATX mid-towers. On the channel, we have a video showcasing these enclosures, so be sure to check that out if video format is preferable.
Samsung's FreeSync 2 Displays & 49" Gaming Panel (C49HG90)
By Eric Hamilton
Samsung is releasing a trinity of gaming displays sporting High Dynamic Range (HDR), quantum-dot composition (QLED), 144 Hz refresh rates, and curved screens.
Samsung has seemingly reserved their Quantum-Dot Technology for their high-end TVs, and we are slowly seeing more HDR enabled gaming panels suffusing across the market, with the likes of both Acer and ASUS having flagship displays with the technology. Samsung’s flagship C49HG90, along with the C27HG70 and C32HG70, denote an ambitious incursion into the high-fidelity gaming display market for Samsung.
5500MHz Memory Overclock Sets World Record (Ft. GSkill Trident Z DDR4)
By Eric Hamilton
Professional overclocker Toppc recently set another world record for DDR4 SDRAM frequency. Using a set of G.SKILL DDR4 sticks (an unidentified kit from the Trident Z RGB line) bestriding an MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard, Toppc was able to achieve a 5.5 GHz DDR4 frequency—approximately a 500 MHz improvement over his record from last year.
Toppc’s new record is verified by HWBot, accompanied by a screenshot of CPU-Z and Toppc’s extreme cooling setup, which involved LN2. Although an exact temperature was not provided, and details on the aforementioned G.SKILL kit are scant, we do know that the modules used Samsung 8GB ICs. Based on the limited information, we can infer or postulate that this is probably a new product from G.SKILL, as they announced new memory kits at Computex.
Gigabyte Burns $20,000 of Liquid Helium to hit 7.5GHz on 7740X
By Eric Hamilton
Gigabyte recently sponsored an extreme overclocking event throughout Computex, where their resident overclockers HiCookie and Sofos teamed with TeamAU’s Dinos22, Youngpro, and SniperOZ. The teams worked to overclock the Intel i7-7740X KBL-X CPU on the new X299 platform.
Gigabyte’s team was able to hit the 7.5GHz mark with the i7-7740X, with the help of LHe (Liquid Helium) – allegedly $20,000 worth. To give some perspective, when we spoke off-camera with Der8auer at the GSkill booth, we learned that LHe costs him about $4.4 per second in his region. With the use of LHe, the team of overclockers were able to drop temperatures to -250° Celsius. Opposed to LN2, LHe has a boiling point of around -269° Celsius, meaning it can take temperatures far lower than LN2.
With the employed LHe, Gigabyte was able to set 4 launch day records in 3DMark03, 3DMark06, and Aquamark. All scores were achieved using the Intel i7-7740X and the Gigabyte X299-SOC Champion motherboard. Memory and GPUs diverge a bit for different benchmarks, as can be seen below.
MSI Upgrades Heat “Shield” In Response to Tests
By Steve BurkeMSI representatives were excited to show us the company’s new AIC M.2 adapter & cooler combo, noting that it should address our previous concerns (that the company had validated, with some SSDs) regarding the M.2 heat “shields.” The AIC is a PCIe x8 device that can run 2x M.2 SSDs (at full throughput) in RAID, or can mount a 2.5” drive to the back-side of the card. Each M.2 SSD is mounted under an MSI heat sink, which they still erroneously call heat “shields,” which is made of a yet-unknown material. If it is the same as the first generation of heat “shields,” it is a stainless steel. If it is the new generation, MSI has gone to aluminum, following our earlier complaints of poor thermal transfer and dissipation. The AIC also carries with it a small blower fan, which pushes air through the chamber and out the back. An acrylic cover and LED offer some more interesting visuals.
DeepCool Gammaxx GT Cooler, RGB EarlKase, DuKase, BaronKase
By Eric HamiltonDeepcool was at Computex this year with what seemed like an emphasis on cases and RGB lighting, although they did have a new CPU cooler to show off. Many of these cases seem to be updated models of previously announced cases at CES 2017, which are still pending release in the North America market.
In Win's Expensive Open-Air Case, Robotic WinBot, & Wood Panels
By Eric HamiltonIn Win wouldn’t deign to bring something so pedestrian as a “normal” chassis to Computex. In Win demonstrated two new case concepts—the Floating and the Winbot—that exemplify In Win’s commitment to mostly surpass themselves when it comes to feats of case engineering.
In addition to the technical marvels, In Win’s Computex exhibition included an array of other products including new cases from the 800 and 300-series, which will include wood in their design. Other new chassis from In Win are the 301C and 101C. In Win also showed off their new line of fans, the MARS and Polaris RGB case fans, which we’ve seen in limited capacity at previous shows. In Win’s new magnetic Mag-Ear headphone holder, ostensibly created in the vein of NZXT’s Puck, made an appearance, along with cases on display with the latest EKWB cooling products on show, presumably in honor of their revealed co-operative arrangement from earlier this year.
ASUS X299 Rampage VI Extreme, Prime-A, TUF Mark2 Motherboards
By Steve BurkeOut of all the Computex coverage we’ve posted thus far, X299 has proven to be the least successful in view count. Interest is low in X299, it seems, though X399 is doing a slight bit better. Regardless, it’s still important to go over everything: We’ve looked at the MSI X299 lineup (including XPOWER) and the Gigabyte Gaming 9, 7, and 3 lineup, with X399 between. Today’s focus is on the ASUS X299 boards, primarily the Rampage VI Extreme, with some additional details on the ASUS Prime X299-Deluxe, the Prime X299-A, and the TUF X299 Mark2. This all follows our X399 ASUS coverage, where we looked at the Zenith Extreme flagship.
Be Quiet! Silent Loop 360mm, Shadow Rock TF2, & White Dark Base Pro 900
By Ryan GreenbergContinuing our Coverage of Computex 2017, we met with the Be Quiet! team at their booth to discuss some of their new and upcoming products. We took a look at their Silent Loop CLC CPU cooler, the new SFX-L PSU, the Shadow Rock TF2 air cooler, and the limited edition Dark Base Pro 900 - White Edition case.
The Dark Base Pro 900 was a case we covered last year at Computex, if it feels familiar. This year, Be Quiet! displayed their new iteration of the Dark Base Pro 900 - now in white. The White Edition uses the exact same tooling as the Dark Base Pro 900, with changes entirely cosmetic. Be Quiet! reps noted that the color-matching process was the most time consuming, and that the run will be limited at first to gauge market reception. The first all white case from Be Quiet! will be limited to 2000 units worldwide, with a specific number being given to each enclosure (a nameplate in the top-right corner, near the drive cages). The White Edition will ship with an included three 140mm Silent wings 3 fans in black, contrasting the white (we’re not sure if we like that just yet), and hosts all the usual features of the DBP900. The chassis is capable of hosting three 140mm fans at the front, another three 140mm fans on top, a single 140mm at the rear for exhaust, and another single 140mm fan at the bottom, near the PSU; that brings it up to eight possible fans in total.
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