| Crucial's MX100 SSD Blazes a Trail at 550MB/s, Calls It 'Mainstream Performance' Posted: 03 Jun 2014 11:48 AM PDT  Refreshingly modest marketing
Color us impressed with Micron's marketing of its new Crucial MX100 solid state drive line. Rather than try and oversell the drive with exaggerated rhetoric and fancy pants nomenclature, Micron is billing the Crucial MX100 SSD as a drive that offers cost-effective mainstream performance. Indeed, while the drive's sequential read and write speeds of up to 550MB/s and 500MB/s, respectively, are no longer unique, they're still some of the fastest available in the SATA space. Micron's Crucial MX100 is available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities. Both the 256GB and 512GB models use Micron's new 16nm NAND flash memory, which is paired with a SATA 6Gbps controller and custom firmware. That combination results in up to 90,000 IOPS. "The Crucial MX100 represents a significant step forward for the mainstream SSD market, delivering outstanding performance and robust features at an excellent price," said Jon Weech (PDF), senior worldwide product manager, Crucial. "This product truly broadens the storage consideration set and enables more users than ever to make the jump from traditional spinning hard drives to a solid state drive." These are 2.5-inch 7mm form factor drives. Each one ships with Acronis True Image HD data migration software and is backed by a 3-year warranty. The drives are available now for $80 (128GB), $110 (256GB), and $225 (512GB), which are MSRPs. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| NEC Brings 4K Ultra HD to MultiSync EA Series Starting with 24-inch EA244UHD Posted: 03 Jun 2014 10:18 AM PDT  NEC's first 4K desktop display
The newest company to hitch a ride on the 4K train is NEC, which just launched its first Ultra HD display. NEC's new MultiSync EA244UHD is a 23.8-inch LED-backlit monitor with a 3840x2160 resolution, which we know by now is four times the typcial Full HD 1080p space (a point monitor makers have been hammering into our heads ever since 4K panels first emerged on the market). NEC isn't marketing the EA244UHD at the average user or even gaming enthusiast -- instead, the company is taking aim at the professional crowd (graphic artists, photographers, and the such). Like NEC's other professional grade panels, this one is compatible with the company's SpectraView calibration software. The monitor sports an AH-IPS panel. Rated specs include 350cd/m2 brightness, 99.3 percent coverage of Adobe RGB with 1.07 billion displayable colors, 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (1,000:1 typical), and 6ms response time. It also features two DisplayPort connectors, two HDMI connectors, two DVI-D inputs, integrated 3-port powered USB 3.0 hub (1 up/3 down), two 1W speakers, a headphone jack, and an adjustable stand with 13mm height-adjust, tilt, swivel, and pivot. NEC's MultiSync EA244UHD will be available this month for $1,349 (estimated street price). It's backed by a 3-year limited parts and labor warranty. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600, Intel Core i7 3770, and More! Posted: 03 Jun 2014 09:14 AM PDT |
| Asus Expands ROG Collection at Computex Posted: 03 Jun 2014 08:54 AM PDT  Everything but the kitchen sink
Asus didn't make the trip to Computex unprepared, that's for sure. Instead, Asus unloaded a rather large collection of Republic of Gamer (ROG) products, including a new mouse, keyboard, a couple of new motherboards, monitor, gaming laptop, and several other items. There's even a console-like gaming PC in the mix -- it's not a Steam Machine, though it's ready to take residence in your living room or dorm. Dubbed the ROG GR8, the console gaming PC is a full-on system with an Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti graphics, SupremeFX audio, GbE LAN, 4K UHD output, Miracast support, upgradeable storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and more packed into an aggressively designed chassis. If you need a bit more power, the Asus ROG G20 gaming desktop kicks things up a notch with a GeForce GTX 780 graphics card, though it still sports a compact case design and near silent operation. Asus also rolled out its ROG GX500 gaming laptop. It features a 15.6-inch 4K Ultra HD display powered by an Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M graphics. The laptop weighs less than 5 pounds (4.85 pounds) and measures a scan 0.75 inches thick. You can check out everything else Asus unveiled here. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Roccat's 'Tyon' Reveal is a Gaming Mouse with 16 Programmable Buttons Posted: 03 Jun 2014 07:42 AM PDT  The first mouse with a dorsal fin switch
Roccat released a Tyon teaser trailer in May that was big on hype but woefully short on details. All Roccat was willing to divulge at the time was that Tyon was something intended for FPS gamers and that we'd have to wait for Computex for more information. Now that Computex is here, Roccat has made good on its promise by revealing Tyon in full form -- it's a unique gaming mouse with 16 programmable buttons, 31 distinct functions, and a dorsal fin switch. Tyon sports Roccat's Easy-Shift[+] button, which is a dedicated button that allows you to program a second set of commands to each of the remaining buttons. As for the above mentioned dorsal fin switch, it's a two-way button placed and controlled mid-knuckle. "The dorsal fin switch is a brilliant tactical design to move ever more vital functions away from the keyboard and to your gaming mouse," Roccat explains. Roccat also equipped the Tyon with what it calls an X-Celerator, a single-axis analog thumb paddle that you can use to tilt left and right, pitch up and down, increase or decrease the throttle, and much more, depending on the type of game you're playing. Other features include an 8200 dpi laser sensor, two-level light system, tracking and distance control, 32-bit processor, and 576KB memory to store macros and profiles. The Tyon is "coming soon" and will be available in black or white. No word yet on price. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Corsair Goes 80 Plus Platinum with HXi Series Power Supplies Posted: 03 Jun 2014 06:05 AM PDT  High wattage meets high efficiency
You don't want to match your high-end system build with a wimpy or generic power supply, trust us on this one. We've seen things, man -- things we can't ever forget (like smoke emitting from our rig). That's why we're a little excited to see Corsair announce its new HXi Series of power supplies with 80 Plus Platinum certification, which is only achieved when reaching greater than 92 percent energy efficiency. The HXi Series is available in 750W, 850W, and 1,000W models, each of which offer fully modular cables, near-silent operation, Japanese electrolytic capacitors, and Corsair software monitoring and customization. "When we launched the first PSUs in 2006, the HX Series redefined what a PC PSU should be, raising the bar for PSU quality and performance and making them a long-trusted favorite of PC enthusiasts," said Aaron Neal, product manager of PSUs at Corsair. "The new HXi PSUs build on that legacy with upgraded efficiency, fully modular cables, software monitoring, and some of the best voltage regulation, noise, and ripple specs in their class." For those who take PSUs seriously, the Corsair Link software has your name written all over it. The software serves up real-time temperature, power usage, efficiency monitoring, and selectable single/multi-rail mode from the desktop. Corsair's HXi Series is backed by a 7-year warranty and will be available in August for $170 (HX750i), $190 (HX850i), and $230 (HX1000i). Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
