| CES 2015: Roccat Unveils Modular Gaming Mouse Nyth and New Ryos Mechanical Keyboards [Video] Posted: 09 Jan 2015 05:46 PM PST  A mouse that can be adapted for various video game genres
When it comes to your mouse, you want one that is comfortable to use when it comes to work and playing games. But when it comes to gaming, sometimes a standard mouse isn't going to cut it. For some consumers, a different kind of mouse that is designed specifically for massively multiplayer online games (MMO) and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games are needed for a more efficient and enhanced playstyle. However, players may no longer have to worry about buying a specific mouse for a certain type of game. At CES 2015, Online Managing Editor Jimmy Thang was able to see Roccat's modular gaming mouse Nyth along with the Ryos MK FX and Ryos TKL FX mechanical keyboards. The Roccat Nyth is the company's solution to consumers who play games from multiple genres what might want a mouse that can be adapted to enhance the gaming experience when switching from a game like World of Warcraft (MMO) to Dota 2 (MOBA). While designed as an MMO mouse, consumers will be able to transform the MMO layout of the Nyth into a MOBA or FPS layout due to the device's custom button placement and interchangeable side-parts. But instead of having to purchase different kinds of buttons, though the Nyth will come with two or three sets of buttons according to the rep, those who own 3D printers will be able to print buttons and side-parts from an online file library in order to customize the Nyth (there will also be a third-party service available to print buttons for consumers). Users will be able to add up to 12 buttons. The Roccat Nyth is expected to be out in Q2 or Q3 this year but no price was provided. Meanwhile, Jimmy was also able to check out the prototypes of two new additions to the Ryos series of mechanical RGB keyboards. The Ryos MK FX version excludes the numpad while the Ryos TKL FX is a full-sized keyboard. Both devices feature Cherry MX switches and require two USB ports in order to be used. But regarding the two USB port requirement, Jimmy brought up the fact that Logitech's keyboard requires only one USB port to be powered and asked the rep why Roccat still requires dual USB ports who replied that it was necessary because of the Cherry MX switches and that the "RGB LEDs are much more power-consuming than the single-color ones." The Ryos MK FX and Ryos TKL FX are expected to be out in Q3 2015 but no price was forthcoming. What do you think of the Roccat Nyth and its ability to be adapted for various types of video games? Sound off in the comments below! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair HX Series 750W PSU, Samsung 32-inch LED Monitor, and More! Posted: 09 Jan 2015 11:34 AM PST |
| CES 2015: A Look at Lepa's New Water Cooler and Futuristic Looking Chassis [Video] Posted: 09 Jan 2015 11:21 AM PST 
Getting to know Lepa There's a close relationship between Enermax and Lepa, the latter of which you may not be as familiar with. Lepa is a brand that belongs to Ecomaster, which itself is a U.S. distributor for Enermax. You can also view Lepa as Enermax's house brand, or as siblings under parent company Ecomaster. Make sense? Let's move on to what we saw from Lepa at the Consumer Electronics Show -- a new water cooler and a promising case design. The first thing Lepa introduced us to was its new AquaChanger series, the company's first all-in-one liquid cooling solution. There are two versions, one with single fan radiator (120) and another with a dual fan design (240). Both of them use Lepa's own patents, as opposed to being a rebrand of an Asetek or CoolIT product. Lepa also showed us its forthcoming LPC801 chassis, which comes standard with a 120mm fan up top, 200mm fan up front, and a 140mm fan in the back. Other features include tool-less installation, support for various sized radiators, two USB 3.0 ports on top, three USB 2.0 ports, and a SuperCharge port. Take a look: Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| CES 2015: Enermax Gets Enthused About a New 1250W PSU and Liqmax II Coolers [Video] Posted: 09 Jan 2015 09:58 AM PST  Solving the single versus multi-rail dilemma
There are plenty topics of debate in the tech industry. One of them has to do with single rail versus multi-rail designs in power supplies. Multi-rail PSUs became super popular for a period of time several years ago, though many high end models have since switched back to single rail setups, which refers to the all-important +12V rail. It's a topic worthy of a much longer article, but as it pertains to our Consumer Electronics Show coverage, we happened by Enermax's section where we got a look at a 1250W PSU that lets you switch between single and multi-rail mode. You might already have a preference towards one design over the other, though being able to switch allows you to change your mind should new information come out that says one design is superior to the other. Or maybe you can't decide between one over the other but desperately need a new PSU. Whatever, it's Enermax's job to figure out how best to market this beast, and the focus needn't be entirely on the switchable rail design. It also offers oodles of power and is 80 Plus Titanium certified for efficiency -- good stuff. Gigabyte also showed us its second generation Liqmax series dubbed Liqmax II. These are all-in-one liquid coolers with upgraded tubing, a copper plate design, and blue LED fans. It's also worth pointing out that the Liqmax II's various designs are all patented by Enermax, meaning they're not rebranded coolers. Have a look: Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| CES 2015: Spying Gigabyte's Wild Water Force Cooling System [Video] Posted: 09 Jan 2015 09:13 AM PST  Not your typical liquid cooling solution
Have you ever seen a water cooling setup that resembles Cthulhu? If not, then you've never seen Gigabyte's Water Force cooler, a unique and crazy looking apparatus that we had to see for ourselves. And now you can too, thanks to our Online Managing Editor and proficient deep water diver Jimmy Thang, who waded his way through the busy crowd at the Consumer Electronics Show to catch on camera Gigabyte's cool creation. Despite how it looks, Gigabyte maintains that its Water Force setup isn't difficult to install -- it's just a matter of pulling the large size box through your case and plopping it on top. From there, a series of cables dangle down and back into the case, where they're attached to cooling solutions on three included graphics cards -- Gigabyte describes its Water Force as an "all-in-one external liquid cooling system with three graphics cards" on its retail box. Inside the box that sits atop your case are three radiators. And on the front are digital controls, which allow you to configure how cool you want the graphics card to run. Have a look: Next up, Gigabyte showed off some new high end X99-based motherboards and a Brix PC. On some of the boards, like the X99 SOC Champion, there are additional pins in the socket you can enable with a DIP switch -- these are intended to allow for better overclocking by unlocking options for adjusting certain voltages. This is a feature that will mainly be of interest to record breaking overclockers who use liquid nitrogen. As for the Brix, it's been refreshed with Intel's 5th Generation Core processor (Broadwell) and has a slightly modified case. Have a look: Moving on, we also got a chance to see some of Gigabyte's gaming laptops, including a 14-inch model (P34W) and a 17.3-inch model (P37X), both of which are extremely thin and light in the gaming category. More here: And finally, Gigabyte showed off some gaming laptops under its Aorus brand. We got a look at the X5, a 15.6-inch laptop with dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M GPUs powering an optional 3840x2160 display. Gigabyte claims it's the thinnest and lightest 15.6-inch SLI gaming laptop around. Check it out: Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| CES 2015: AMD Demonstrates FreeSync Technology and Nano PC [Video] Posted: 09 Jan 2015 08:38 AM PST  Having fun with FreeSync
A visit to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas wouldn't be complete without popping by AVN AMD to see what the Sunnyvale chip designer is excited about as we embark on a new year of technology, and we got our answer to that when Online Managing Editor and freestyle rap legend Jimmy Thang moonwalked his way to AMD's location. It was there that he got a glimpse of AMD's FreeSync display technology in action. Like Nvidia's G-Sync technology, FreeSync is designed to eliminate screen tearing and reduce things like input lag for a much smoother gaming experience. It's an open source solution, so AMD's optimistic that it will be widely adopted in the very near future -- even Nvidia could take advantage of FreeSync, if it desired. AMD took some time to explain how FreeSync differs from G-Sync, saying it has "two fundamentally superior priorities," those being: - It's a monodirectional communication, versus G-Sync, which needs to sync between two parts (the monitor and the graphics card) for every frame. According to AMD's Richard Huddy, Nvidia's approach introduces extra latency that isn't present in FreeSync. How much? Huddy added that AMD will be able to measure the latency difference with production monitors within the next month or so.
- FreeSync is an open standard, giving manufacturers more options over the features they want to provide within things like on screen display (OSD) controls.
Huddy also said that FreeSync-enabled monitors are cheaper than G-Sync monitors. Find out more of what he said here: AMD also showed off Zotac's Zbox PA330 Pico Series, which is powered by an AMD A4 Micro 6400T APU with R3 Series graphics and 2GB of DDR3 RAM. These systems pack a bunch of features into a tiny form factor -- in this case, the PA330 looks like a thick cell phone. What AMD says these systems are good for include everyday use, streaming media, and some light gaming. Check it out: Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
