The wait is over and AMD has finally revealed their first graphics card that will be part of their new Polaris architecture. Enter the Radeon RX 480, the first card to feature AMD's new Polaris architecture and the card will be available beginning June 29 for just US$ 199 (~MYR 820)
With 5 teraflops of compute power, AMD says that the Radeon RX 480 is definitely capable of powering VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. For a mere $199, AMD is seriously pricing the RX 480 for success when compared to Nvidia's latest offering which is the $380 GTX 1070 that pumps out 6 teraflops of compute power.
AMD Radeon RX 480 Key Specifications
— 1.08GHz Boost clock
— 2,304 Stream processors
— 36 CUs
— 4/8GB GDDR5 memory @ 8GHz
— 256-bit memory bus
— AMD Freesync
— HDMI 2.0b
— 150W TDP
AMD's new Polaris architecture is based on the new 14nm FinFET process which enables the Radeon RX 480 to have a 150W TDP which is a big improvement over the R9 series cards. Expect to hear more about other cards based on the Polaris architecture in the coming weeks.
These days when buying a laptop, all you hear about is Intel, Intel and more Intel. But it looks like AMD is planning to change that mindset with their brand new 7th generation APUs (AMD's fancy word for a CPU with their Radeon graphics) which is based on the Excavator cores. Specifically for their launch in Computex 2016, AMD is focusing on mobile processors.
According to AMD, their new 7th generation AMD FX processors are 51% faster in terms of graphics when compared to Intel's highest end Core i7 mobile CPU. That's a bold claim there but it isn't surprising since AMD is using their Radeon graphics.
As for the actual processors themselves, this time around AMD has two series namely the Stoney Ridge series that is aimed towards entry level laptops and the Bristol Ridge series for the mainstream laptops. Since these new chips are bound for laptops, AMD says that they have optimized the chips to be both more power efficient.
The highest end 7th generation AMD FX is comparable to Intel's Core i5 processor and the AMD A9 is similar in term of performance to Intel's Core i3 chip. At launch, AMD has partnered up with HP with an updated HP Envy x360 2-in-1 laptop that has a 15.6-inch display and is powered by either the Bristol Ridge or Stoney Ridge processors.
Expect to see more laptops with AMD's new 7th generation processors from Dell, HP, ASUS and Lenovo in the coming weeks.
At Computex 2016 today, Dell refreshed their Inspiron laptops with new hardware and designs. The latest edition to the family is the Dell Inspiron 17 2-in-1 laptop that is part of Dell's Inspiron 7000 series laptops which also includes 13 and 15-inch models. This new 17-inch convertible is also the world's first 17-inch convertible 2-in-1 laptop.
Dell's new Inspiron 7000 series laptops features 1080P displays, backlit keyboards and will come with Intel's new 6th generation Skylake processors. All three sizes of the Inspiron 7000 (13, 15, 17) will features a 360 degree hinge, a USB Type C port and Wi-Fi ac connectivity. The Inspiron 700 series will be available in US and China beginning June 2nd with a starting price of US$ 749 (~MYR 3,000)
Moving down the chart is the Inspiron 5000 series which includes 13 and 15-inch 2-in-1 devices that will come with 1080P LED screens, and up to 16GB of DDR4 memory. Dell is also putting out an option for Windows Hello facial recognition with these models. These 5000 series 2-in-1s will also be hitting US and China stores for a starting price of US$ 529 (~MYR 2,180)
Also, Dell is also releasing 15 and 17-inch laptops under the Inspiron 5000 series that can be configure with Blu-ray drives. And last but not least is the new 11-inch model that is part of Dell's Inspiron 300 series. The 2-in-1 laptop (pictured above) is an affordable laptop that comes with Intel's new processors and USB 3.0 ports. Dell will begin rolling out the 13-inch Inspiron 3000 in China and US beginning June 2nd for a low price of US$ 249 (~MYR 1,000)
Expect to see these new Dell Inspiron laptops hit Malaysia sometime this year.
At Computex 2016, Intel officially debut their new 6th generation extreme edition CPUs that feature the new Broadwell-E architecture. At launch, Intel will offer four different SKUs which is a bump up of the three that they usually do with extreme edition processors. The addition of the 4th SKU is mainly because the highest end option now includes 10 cores and 20 threads which is a first for intel in terms of the consumer market.
All the new Broadwell-E processors will support existing X99 motherboards but some boards might require a BIOS update in order to work. The new extreme edition processors are based on the 14nm process node and the new Broadwell-E architecture can have up to 3.4 billion transistors which is nearly twice the amount found in the i7-6700K.
But what's new across the board is that intel is launching Turbo Boots Max 3.0 which will help improve performance of both single and multi threaded applications by up to 15%. Intel says that this new Turbo Boost Max technology can be configured to boost the performance of the highest performing core for single threaded applications.
Finally, intel also improved overclocking features because this is an unlocked and extreme edition processor. Thew new Broadwell-E processors features a new heat spreader and a new fully soldered design to improve the thermals. New technologies like per voltage overclocking, AVX ratio offset and VccU voltage control are in place for better fine tuning.
Check out Anandtech's full review of the new Broadwell-E processors here
Motherboard maker, Gigabyte is announcing a new thin and light gaming laptop that features USB Type C with USB 3.1 support and DDR4 memory. At just 19.9mm, the Aero 14 from Gigabyte is a pretty slim gaming laptop that can be configured with up to a GTX 970M graphics card.
The Aero 14 will be availablein three different colors and Gigabyte says that their gaming centric keyboard that they included with the Aero 14 will help users excel in games with the help of the row of programmable macro keys.
Virtual reality has risen up in popularity in the last two years mainly because we finally have the hardware to pull it off. As the Oculus Rift has shown, gaming grade VR will still requires a powerful graphics card even by today's standard.
Enter the MSI Backpack PC. As the name suggests, MSI has built a computer that is also a backpack. Similar to the HP OMEN X, the Taiwan based company is also imagining the possibilities of a portable VR gaming setup. The backpack itself will come with hardware of a high end gaming computer.
The backpack itself will come with an integrated battery that will apparently enable the user to play upwards of 90 minutes of VR gaming. But the backpack itself is perfectly capable of running as a high end computer when plugged into a wall outlet. And just like the OMEN X, MSI's Backpack PC will also come with a Core i5 or Core i7 processor alongside a GTX 980 desktop graphics card.
No pricing nor availability has been revealed but don't expect it to be cheap. Head over to the source link to check out more photos.
Motherboards for the most part have been pretty identical in the last couple of years but ASUS is bringing back the signature ROG overkill flare with the new ROG Rampage V Edition 10 motherboard that is built in conjunction with the Republic of Gamers 10th anniversary.
The motherboard which is based on Intel's X99 chipset will support the upcoming Broadwell-E processors alongside existing LGA 2011 socketed processors. What's special about this anniversary edition motherboard is that ASUS has implemented an RGB lighting system that includes five independently controlled LED zones that can be configured through their Aura software. There's also one 4-pin RGB header that can be linked up with third party RGB strips from CableMod, IN WIN, DEEPCOOL, BitFenix and Phanteks.
Additionally, the Rampage V Edition 10 motherboard also comes with a patent pending integrate I/O shield. Alongside with the typical ROG add-ons like Extreme Digi+ VRM system, Fan Xpert 4 and ASUS's SafeSlot PCI Express slots make the Rampage V Edition 10 one beat of a motherboard.
To top things off, the ROG Rampage V Edition 10 comes with next generation I/O like U.2, M.2, USB 3.1 and integrated 3x3 Wi-Fi.
Just like the ROG Avalon, the new ROG G31 Edition 10 is also built in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of ASUS's Republic of Games division. But the ROG G31 Edtion 10 is an actual product that will hit the market later this year.
What's so special about the ROG G31 Edition 10? Well, for starters, it comes in a sleek looking design that serves as a purpose. The Mayan inspired markings around the system includes dual hidden airflow channels that help cool the dual GTX 1080 graphics card that will be fitted into the ROG G31 Edition 10. Yes, ASUS is cramming in two 1080's in SLI.
To cool the pair of GTX 1080's, ASUS is implementing their ROG-exclusive 3D vapor chamber thermal technology that assures all the hardware inside the system will run in optimal temperatures. All this coupled with a Core i7 6700K, up to 64GB of RAM, up to four M.2 SSDs makes the ROG G31 Edition 10 a compact gaming powerhouse.
But there is a drawback of this design, the main system itself is filled up with the hardware and that is why there is a separate tower included with the device. That second tower is (you guess it) the 600W power supply that will make the ROG G31 Edition 10 work.
Back in CES 2014, Razer showed off Project Christine. A full tower computer that features a modular design. That product is still a piepedream with Razer but in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of ASUS's Republic of Games (ROG) division, the company is showing off ROG Avalon; their vision of a hybrid motherboard and chassis.
ASUS says that the ROG Avalon is a computer that improves the DIY building experience. By building both the motherboard and chassis together, ASUS says that they managed to improve upon the frustrating parts of building a custom computer.
Unlike regular DIY computers, the Avalon's Z170 motherboard is a custom solution that works directly with the chassis.There is a custom adapter board for the SSD, graphics card and power supply that enables plug and play simplicity. Even the rear I/O can be customized with ports that matter.
But then again, this is just a prototype and it might never see the day of light.
Lat year, Asus revealed an ambitious product that brought high performance liquid cooling to their ROG GX700 gaming laptop. And just less than a year later, Asus is ready to bring this to the next level by claiming that their new ROG GX800 laptop is the most powerful gaming laptop in the world.
How powerful? 2 Nvdia GTX 980 GPUs in SLI powerful. With the help of the detachable water cooling system, the ROG GX800 is perfectly capable of taking advantage of the compute power that a pair of high end graphics card can put out. Without the thermal limitations, the CPU, GPU and DRAM will be open to overclocking for even better performance.
In terms of design, this is a 17-inch laptop so don't expect it to be small and portable. In addition to that, Asus says that the GX800 will come with two 330W power supplies to enable unrivalled gaming experiences and paired with a new RGB mechanical keyboard called MechTAG makes the GX 800 the ultimate gaming laptop.
ASUS is still keeping mum about the pricing and availability but given that this is even more powerful than the ROG GX 700, expect it to be priced higher than it.
Alongside the announcement of the new Transformer lineup, Asus also sneaked in a new accessory called the ROG XG Station 2 that is a external graphics card dock that connects through Thunderbolt 3. Just like the Razer Core that we saw at CES this year, Asus's graphics card dock will also unlock desktop grade graphics to laptops.
The ROG XG Stations 2 will be compatible with the new Transformer 3 and Transformer 3 Book tablets that Asus just announced and will certainly also support ROG laptops with Thunderbolt 3. Asus says that the ROG XG Station 2 will turn a laptop into a VR gaming powerhouse provided that you have the graphics card.
While, Asus has not revealed any pricing or availability yet. We do know that the ROG XG Station 2 will support both AMD and Nvidia graphics card. The graphics card dock itself will have a 680W power supply and comes with an exclusive proprietary connector that improved performance up to a further 15%.
Additionally, the dock also comes with four extra USB 3.0 ports and a network LAN port.
Towards the end of Asus's Computex press conference this year, Johnny Shih took some time to tlak about his vision of a robotic computing platform. And that is where Zenbo is born. Unlike smart home assistants that have existed in the past, Asus's answer to the smart home is not merely just a speaker that answers your question.
Zenbo is a robot that can be a companion for your child, answer questions, help you find a recipe, tell you a bedtime story and even take a photo for you. The robotic home assistant built with the help from Intel acts similar to products like Amazon's Echo speaker but in a more humanly way.
Asus says that Zenbo was designed to help you around your house by moving from place to place. And being a home assistant, Zenbo also connects to smart home appliances like the television, air conditioners and lights to help automate tasks.
The Asus Zenbo will cost US$ 599 (~MYR 2,500) when it hits the market later this year and Asus is inviting developers to sign up for the free Zenbo Developer Program that enables developers to create apps and services that Zenbo can access through the free Zenbo SDK.
Check out the video below to learn more about Zenbo
Besides announcing a new laptop, Asus also showed off a couple new 2-in-1 PCs during their Computex 2016 keynote. The new 2016 Asus Transformer lineup consists of three new devices aimed at different audiences. At the top is the Asus Transformer 3 Pro and just below that is the Asus Transformer 3 and the smallest of the bunch is the 10.1-inch Asus Transformer Mini
The Transformer 3 Pro is the best out of the 3 and it comes head to head with the Microsoft's own Surface Pro 4 in terms of hardware specs. Asus topped the Transformer 3 Pro with a speedier PCIe x4 SSD, Harmon Kardon audio, a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 port, an HDMI port and a gold color. The device also supports Windows Hello facial recognition, a keyboard cover, an active stylus and heck yeah, Asus also built a Universal dock that expands the Transformer 3 Pro's ports.
And probably the biggest difference is that Asus is including both the active pen and the keyboard cover alongside the purchase of the Asus Transformer 3 Pro which starts at just US$ 999 (~MYR 4,100).
As for the Transformer 3, it is basically a less powerful Transformer 3 Pro. But they are essentially the same when it comes to the feature set. The Asus Transformer 3 still has the USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 port and the Harmon Kardon audio but id does way with the kickstand and doesn't have Windows Hello facial recognition but that's replaced with a fingerprint scanner on the power button. For a less powerful processing package, the Transformer 3 begins at just US$ 799 (~MYR 3,300)
Finally, the Transformer Mini is the smallest one among the three. It is still comes with a USB Type C port but not Thunderbolt and the keyboard cover is also included with the purchase. All three new Asus Transformer tablets will be available later this summer.
Asus Transformer 3 Mini Key Specifications
— 10.1-inch TruVivid display
— 7th generation Intel Core processor
— Up to 8GB RAM
— Up to 512GB SSD
— 530g
— Windows 10
— Windows Hello with fingerprint reader
— Quartz Gray, Pearl White, Mint Green, Icicle Gold
Asus Transformer 3 Key Specifications
— 12.6-inch 2880 x 1920 display
— 7th generation Intel Core processor
— Up to 8GB RAM
— Up to 512GB SSD
— 13MP rear camera
— 695g
— Windows 10
— Windows Hello with fingerprint reader
Asus Transformer 3 Pro Key Specifications
— 12.6-inch 2880 x 1920 display
— Up to Skylake Intel Core 17 processor
— Up to 16GB RAM
— Up to 1TB PCIe x4 SSD
— 13MP rear camera
— Windows 10
— Windows Hello with IR camera
During the press conference at Computex 2016, Asus took the advantage to show off their latest thin and light laptop. Under the ZenBook name, the new Asus ZenBook 3 claims to be better than Apple's MacBook in every way.
Weighing in at just under 1kg and measuring in at 11.9mm at it's thickest point, the ZenBook 3 is stupidly thin. And the most amazing part is that Asus managed to fit in a Intel Core i series processor alongside a 3mm fan that Asus calls the world's thinnest fan. All of this is possible due to the aerospace grade aluminum that Asus used to build the ZenBook 3.
But what's still the same with the ZenBook 3 and the 12-inch MacBook is that they both still have a single USB Type-C port but the twist is that Asus has enables Thunderbolt 3 through USB-C on the ZenBook 3. Also, the ZenBook 3 will support Windows Hello through the dedicated fingerprint scanner on the glass trackpad.
Asus hasn't revealed any exact details as to when the ZenBook 3 will go on sale but the pricing starts at US$ 999 (~MYR 4,100) and goes up to US$ 1,499 (~MYR 6,170) and US$ 1,999 (~MYR 8,230) for the higher spec'd models.
At Computex today, Asus unveiled their third generation ZenFone series called the ZenFone 3. Unlike it's predecessor, the ZenFone 3 series this year ditches Intel processors for Qualcomm ones because Intel recently announced they will stop making chips for smartphones.
But what's new with this ZenFone 3 series is that Asus has upgraded the plasticky design from last year's ZenFone 2 series to a more premium metal unibody design for the ZenFone 3 Deluxe and ZenFone 3 Ultra while the standard ZenFone 3 will come in a glass and aluminum design. Asus says that they have worked hard to engineer a unibody aluminium design that doesn't include the antenna lines that metal phones usually come with.
In term of the actual hardware powering these devices, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe is the most powerful among the trio and is also the first smartphone to come with 6GB of RAM. All three devices come with USB Type-C as standard and the cameras in the back all support 4-axis OIS alongside a 3-axis EIS to make photos and videos look better. Also all three ZenFone 3 device have fingerprint scanners.
Asus didn't bother to put a fancy 2.5K display on their new smartphones as they kept it at 1080P across the board but they did include big batteries and in the case of the ZenFone 3 Ultra, there's also a powerbank mode that enables the 4,600mAh battery to act as a powerbank to other devices.
While the ZenFone 3 Ultra is the biggest among the bunch, it doesn't come with the most powerful processing package out there. It does however come with the Snapdragon 625 chipset which takes advantage of Qualcomm's new 14nm process.
The ZenFone 3 series will begin at US$ 249 (~MYR 1,024) for the baseline ZenFone 3 and expect to hear more about specific pricing when the ZenFone 3 arrives in Malaysia (August 2016) later this year.
Asus ZenFone 3 Key Specifications
— 5.5-inch 1080P IPS display
— Snapdragon 625 SoC
— 3/4GB RAM
— 32/64GB expandable memory
— 16MP f2.0 rear camera with OIS
— 8MP wide angle front camera
— 3,000mAh battery
— Android 6.0 Marshmallow
— 152.6 x 77.4 x 7.7mm
— 155g
— Dual SIM LTE
— Shimmer Gold, Aqua Blue, Sapphire Black, Moonlight White
— US$ 249 (~MYR 1,024)
Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe Key Specifications
— 5.7-inch 1080P Super AMOLED display
— Snapdragon 820 SoC
— 4/6GB RAM
— 64/128/256GB expandable memory
— 23MP f2.0 rear camera with OIS
— 8MP wide angle front camera
— 3,000mAh battery w/QC 3.0
— Android 6.0 Marshmallow w/Zen UI 3.0
— 152.6 x 77.4 x 7.5mm
— 170g
— Dual SIM LTE
— Titanium Gray, Glacier Silver, Sand Gold
— US$ 499 (~MYR 2,050)
Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra Key Specifications
— 6.8-inch Tru2Life+ IPS LCD display
— Snapdragon 625 SoC
— 3GB RAM
— 64/128/256GB expandable memory
— 23MP f2.0 rear camera with OIS
— 8MP wide angle front camera
— 4,600mAh battery w/QC 3.0
— Android 6.0 Marshmallow w/Zen UI 3.0
— 186.4 x 93.9 x 6.8mm
— 233g
— Dual SIM LTE
— Titanium Gray, Glacier Silver, Rose Pink
Intel was hinting at a couple of Skylake technologies during their keynote in Computex 2015 a few weeks back but there was still no sight of a particular launch date being hinted at. Well, Digitimes is reporting that Intel plans to unveil their brand new lineup of Skylake processors during Gamescon 2015 in Gemany. The trade show for games will be on from 6-9 August 2015.
The two high end i7-6700K and i5-6600K will be launched alongside the Z170 chipset during Gamescon 2015 and other desktop grade CPUs for the mainstream crowd will slowly saturate into the market by the end of August. With the new chipset and motherboard, intel will be implementing the new LG 1151 socket as well as introduce DDR4 memory support for motherboards.
Finally, for mobile offerings, Intel is apparently only ready to release new chipsets for laptops during the 4th quarter of 2015.
As expected, during the Intel opening keynote at Computex 2015, Kirk Sakugen, SVP of Intel took the time to express Intel's vision of the wearable platform and while doing that he also sneaked in the official announcement of Thunderbolt 3. This new interface is probably the biggest change since Intel first announced Thunderbolt 1 in 2011.
Thunderbolt 3, will be coming to devices later this year and the new 40Gbps speeds is not the most radical upgrade but the choice to implement it on the new USB Type-C connector is definitely a big difference. Moving forward from the miniDP connector previous Thunderbolt interfaces featured, Intel's choice to go with the new USB Type-C connector ensures future proofing the interface.
As devices goes thinner, companies often just do away from including big ports on their device. Just take a look at the MacBook which only has one port which can do everything from outputting to a monitor to juicing up the device.
Whilst implementing the new Thunderbolt interface into the USB Type-C connector, Intel didn't drop any features of the existing connector and it's still capable of powering devices and display out content to a monitor. Besides being a ferrari for file transfers, Thunderbolt 3 is also capable of beaming out dual 4K 60Hz monitors without breaking a sweat.
From the looks of it, USB Type-C is the future of any mobile device and aesthetically, the new Thunderbolt 3 connector is identical to that of a standard USB Type-C and the difference is the lightning bolt icon.
