| Asus and iBuyPower Announce Partnership That Brings Optiboost to Asus Desktops Posted: 25 Jul 2014 04:49 PM PDT  Optiboost experience expanding
It appears that iBuyPower isn't done expanding the reach of its customization program Optiboost. Today, iBuyPower announced its partnership with Asus that will bring Optiboost to Asus desktops. Commenting on its latest partnership, iBuyPower vice-president Darren Su said, "We're proud to add Asus to the Optiboost family. Asus and iBuyPower aim to bring the best desktop experience to a wide variety of consumers through trusted product engineering, cutting-edge customization, and turning options." Consumers will be able to customize core components of their systems such as the graphics card, SSD or HDD, processor, and more. A number of high-performance options have been selected from Asus' desktop line for the Optiboost program that includes the M11AD, M51BC, M51AD, and G10AC desktops. "Asus believes in bringing the latest product design backed by leading desktop reliability to customers," said David Wung, senior director of product management of open platform business for Asus. "With Optiboost by iBuyPower, users will easily be able to customize their own systems while taking advantage of Asus' latest desktop technology." Asus is just the latest partnership for iBuyPower. Back in May, a similar partnership was announced between iBuyPower and Gigabyte that would bring Optiboost to Gigabyte's gaming laptops. Have you purchased a laptop or PC through the Optiboost program? Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Aorus Launches the Thunder M7 MMO Gaming Mouse Posted: 25 Jul 2014 04:48 PM PDT  Looking to satisfy your MMO macro needs
As the MMO genre continues to expand, so does the options for a suitable gaming mouse designed for MMOs. The newest addition to the roster of MMO gaming peripherals comes from Aorus that has announced its Aorus Thunder M7 gaming mouse that features 16 programmable buttons. According to Aorus, "The Aorus Thunder M7 is specifically designed for MMO gamers, who emphasize on emitting accurate and fast attack commends at the battlefield; therefore, Aorus developed the best allocation of the MMO hot-keys with great effort and time to bring the most ergonomically mouse for the gamers." Of the 16 programmable buttons, 11 of them are located on the sides. Eight of those buttons are located on the left side of the mouse. For those wishing to change the device's DPI on the go there are two buttons assigned to change it from 800 DPI to 8200 DPI. If you are worried about the durability of the buttons then you should know that, according to Aorus, the Thunder M7 is equipped with Omron switches that are expected to last up to 20 million clicks. It also has the Aorus Macro Engine built-in that allows users to switch between five different gaming profiles. The Aorus Thunder M7 mouse is currently available at participating retailers. Will the Thunder M7 suit your MMO needs? Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| No BS Podcast #229: Nvidia Responds to AMD's Allegations (and Shows off Shield Tablet) Posted: 25 Jul 2014 04:08 PM PDT 
Nvidia defends themselves against AMD's cheating allegations A few weeks back in the Maximum PC No BS Podcast #226, AMD's newly arrived Gaming Scientist Richard Huddy made some bold accusations about Nvidia's developer relations, such as accusing the company of handing out "black box" files designed to make Radeon cards look bad, and using sketchy contract clauses. Nvidia's Distinguished Engineer Tom Petersen and Senior Director of Engineering Rev Lebaradian came on to the podcast to tell Nvidia's side of the story (Spoilers: They deny the cheating allegations). Also,they bring in the newly launched Shield Tablet and talk about it for a bit. They also answer several reader questions.   
Subscribe to the magazine for only 99 cents an issue: Stalk us in a number of ways: Become a fan on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Subscribe to our RSS feed Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes email us at: maximumpcpodcast AT gmail DOT com Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 |
| Twitter Picture Teases a 12-Core AMD A-Series APU Posted: 25 Jul 2014 11:14 AM PDT  Don't bet the farm on this one
A picture making the rounds on Twitter and elsewhere has AMD fans crossing their fingers that it means what it looks like it means. And just what would that be? A 12-core chip! Bear in mind that nothing has been confirmed, and furthermore, there are some alternate explanations as to what the picture actually depicts. Disclaimer aside, the image appears to hint that a 12-core AMD A-Series APU is around the corner. News and rumor site WCCFTEch offered up some analysis on the picture, which apparently was posted by an AMD PR person with an #AMDEvolved tag. What the picture shows is a truck with a dozen AMD robots on the side and AMD's A-Series logo on the back. At a glance, that would seem to suggest a chip with 12 Steamroller cores, right? Possibly. The thing is, AMD can be funny about labeling its chips. For example, AMD advertises Kaveri as having 12 compute cores, but only four of those are CPU cores; the remaining eight are GPU cores. On the flip side, all the robots in the pic are the same color, so in theory, they'd all be CPU cores, right? Then again, it could just be much ado about nothing -- we'll have to wait and see. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Amazon Feeling the Heat From Fire TV and Phone Launches, Posts $126 Million Q2 Loss Posted: 25 Jul 2014 09:47 AM PDT  What a difference a quarter makes
Despite a 23 percent increase in sales to $19.34 billion, Amazon reported a net loss of $126 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, for its fiscal second quarter ended June 30, 2014. That compares to a profit of $108 million in the first quarter, and a loss of $7 million, or 2 cents a share, on revenue of $15.7 billion in the same quarter a year prior. The lesson here is that Amazon isn't afraid to take a loss in order to launch new products and services. Amazon rolled out its Fire TV and Fire Phone during its fiscal second quarter, along with Prime Music, a subscription-based streaming music service with over 1 million songs available, and Kindle Unlimited, a similar service but for Kindle Books. That's quite a bit to take on in a single quarter. "We continue working hard on making the Amazon customer experience better and better," Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement. Though Amazon can afford to make multi-product and service investments, the company's stock is taking a beating. It's down by more than 10 percent today, which is largely the result of coming up short of Wall Street's expectations for the second quarter in a row. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Asus ROG Readies Swift PG278Q Monitor with Nvidia G-Sync for August Release Posted: 25 Jul 2014 09:05 AM PDT  This might be the gaming monitor you've been looking for
Slow your roll, early adopter -- before you go checking out with that 4K Ultra HD monitor in your virtual shopping cart, you should familiarize yourself with Asus ROG's Swift PG278Q panel. Teased earlier this year, Asus ROG officially announced the Swift PG278Q this week, a 27-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate, blazing fast 1ms response time, and Nvidia G-Sync technology. It isn't 4K, but it is prepped and primed for gaming at high res. User can cycle through 60Hz, 120Hz, or 144Hz display modes courtesy of the panel's Turbo key for one-click switching. With a compatible graphics card, Nvidia's G-Sync technology will synchronize the display's refresh rate to the GPU to eliminate screen tearing and minimize display stutter and input lag. And regardless of refresh rate, you'll enjoy a 2560x1440 resolution spread out over 27 inches of screen real estate for a pixel density of 109 ppi. "The ROG Swift PG278Q Gaming Monitor features the ASUS-exclusive GamePlus hotkey with crosshair overlay and timer functions. The former gives gamers a choice of four different crosshairs to suit their gaming environment, while the latter provides an on-screen timer to help keep track of spawn and build times," Asus explains. There's also a 5-way navigation joystick for easy access to the OSD settings, a smart air vent design that helps in dissipating heat after extended gaming sessions, a slim profile with a 6mm bezel, a cable management design feature found on the back of the panel, built-in USB 3.0 hub (2 down, 1 up), and an ergonomic stand that supports tilt, swivel, and pivot. The Swift PG278Q will be available in North America by the end of August for $799. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Biostar's Hi-Fi B85S2G Motherboard Means Business Posted: 25 Jul 2014 08:39 AM PDT  A business-friendly board for big and small firms
Biostar this week added to its motherboard lineup with the launch of its Hi-Fi B85S2G built around Intel's B85 chipset. The B85 is intended to be a budget option for businesses, though Biostar is reluctant to pigeonhole its board into a single demographic -- the company says it's a suitable option for big IT departments in larger companies, small firms, or even virtual currency miners. Some business friendly features include dual GbE LAN ports with Load Balancing support, Intel Small Business Advantage (SBA), and 100 percent solid capacitors for added reliability. As for the virtual currency mining crowd, it's the expansion slots that Biostar uses to justify its claim (1 x PCI-E x16 3.0, 1 x PCI-E x16 2.0, 1 x PCI-E x1 2.0, and 3 x PCI). Other features include two DDR3-1600 DIMM slots with support for up to 16GB of RAM, four SATA 6Gbps connectors, two SATA 3Gbps connectors, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a single USB 3.0 header, two USB 2.0 headers, Realtek ALC892 8-channel Blu-ray audio, onboard headphone amp, and various other bullet points. No word yet on when the Hi-Fi B85S2G will be available or for how much. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Asus Super Narrow Bezel 23.8-inch LED Monitor, Intel Core i7 4770, and More! Posted: 25 Jul 2014 07:32 AM PDT  
Top Deal: It's no surprise that the sales person at your local electronics store is aggressively trying to sell you on the merits of a 4K monitor, and there are certainly some good points to be made. However, it's still early, the technology isn't fully baked, and the return for your investment isn't the same as with a quality 1080p panel. Take, for example, today's top deal for an Asus VN248H-P Super Narrow Bezel 23.8-inch Widescreen LED Monitor for $135 with free shipping (normally $170 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHF22]; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). In addition to a narrow bezel, this monitor sports an IPS panel with a 5ms (GTG) response time, 80,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, built-in speakers, a D-Sub port, and two HDMI ports with MHL support. Other Deals: Intel Core i7-4770 Haswell Quad-Core 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Desktop Processor for $295 with free shipping (normally $310 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHH23]) G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory for $170 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHH26]) Western Digital WD VelociRaptor 300GB 10000 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $80 with free shipping (normally $90 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHH35]) Crucial M550 2.5-inch 256GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Internal Solid State Drive for $140 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHF28]) |
