General Gaming Article |
- Nvidia May Release New Mainstream Mobile GeForce GPUs
- G.Skill Shifts 64GB DDR4 RAM Kit Up a Gear, Now Available at 3200MHz
- AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.12 Drivers
- Newegg Daily Deals: Intel 750 Series 400GB SSD, Rosewill 850W PSU, and More!
- Surface Pro 4 Review
| Nvidia May Release New Mainstream Mobile GeForce GPUs Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:07 AM PST Memory upgrade Nvidia is said to be readying a new batch of mobile GPUs to replace its current GeForce 920M, 930M, and 940M for entry-level and mainstream laptops. Citing information obtained from an "industry insider," the folks at Notebookcheck say the new parts will be called GeForce 920MX (N16V-GMR), GeForce 930MX (N16S-GMR), and GeForce 940MX (N16S-GTR). For the most part, the specifications for the new GPUs should be the same or on par with the ones they're replacing, but more efficient. The new GPUs also bring optional support for GDDR5 memory. Will the memory swap matter? It very well might -- Notebookcheck compared a pair of Surface Book systems, one running a GeForce 940M with DDR3 memory and the other with the same GPU paired with GDDR5. In same instances, the latter ran more than 20 percent faster, as was the case in Bioshock Infinite. Here's something else that's interesting. The GeForce 920M is a Kepler-based GPU, while both the 930M and 940M are Maxwell 1.0 parts. According to WCCFTech, this time around all three GPUs -- 920MX, 930MX, and 940MX -- will all be Maxwell. It was previously rumored that Nvidia was running short on Maxwell 1.0 chips, and if that's the case, these new parts might all be based on Maxwell 2.0. That would bring a small increase in IPC along with a few other benefits, like support for encoding at 1440p at 60fps and 4K at 60fps (Maxwell 1.0 only supports H.264 1080p at 60 fps), and HDMI 2.0. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| G.Skill Shifts 64GB DDR4 RAM Kit Up a Gear, Now Available at 3200MHz Posted: 18 Dec 2015 06:00 AM PST Capacity and speed collide G.Skill has been making a lot of noise about its growing DDR4 memory line, and in what could possibly be its last announcement for 2015, the company is championing what it claims is the fastest 64GB (4x16GB) memory kit on the market. The kit in question is rated to run at 3,200MHz and is part of G.Skill's Trident series. I did a quick search on Newegg for other 64GB kits and found two others, one also from G.Skill and another from Corsair, but with looser timings than the new Trident kit. Here's how they stack up:
"Seeing the future trend of DDR4 16GB module-based kits becoming the mainstream in the hardcore PC enthusiast communities, G.Skill is now providing higher speed in ultra-high density memory solutions," G.Skill said. "The flagship DDR4 3200MHz CL14 64GB (4x16GB) memory kit provides enthusiasts with the perfect combination of higher capacity and faster frequency, with an incredible CL14-14-14-35 low CAS Latency. This memory kit represents the fastest DDR4 64GB memory kit by far." There may be other 64GB kits out there, but of the ones I dug up with a quick search, G.Skill's claim holds true, albeit "by far" is up for debate. In any event, G.Skill says its new RAM is prepped and primed for Intel Z170 chipset motherboards running Skylake. The one all-important detail it left out is price, though we'll find out soon enough -- the new kit is supposed to hit retail before Christmas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.12 Drivers Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:30 AM PST Following through with promises There's a new version of AMD's Radeon Software Crimson Edition available to download, version 15.12. It brings with it a bunch of fixes, but perhaps just as importantly, it's a sign that AMD is committed to following through with its promise to deliver more frequent driver updates. AMD talked a big game when it created a dedicated graphics division, Radeon Technologies Group, to oversee the future of its graphics development under the leadership of Raj Koduri. One of the first things the group did was get rid of the Catalyst Control Center and replace it with its Radeon Software suite, which AMD describes as a "mini graphics operating system." Crimson is the first major edition. It remains to be seen what followup versions will be like, but in the meantime, AMD said it hoped to push out half a dozen WHQL-certified drivers per year. Well, there's still a couple of weeks left in 2015 and already AMD has made available a new version, so things are looking good. As with previous versions, this driver isn't intended for AMD products running in Apple Boot Camp. To install it, you'll need Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or later. According to the release notes, version 15.12 fixes a whole bunch of issues. Here's the full list:
The list of known issues is even longer and includes several instances of flickering in various situations, such as in shaded areas in Star Wars: Battlefront while game levels are loading, and during gameplay and on menu screens in Just Cause 3. You can download the new driver here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Newegg Daily Deals: Intel 750 Series 400GB SSD, Rosewill 850W PSU, and More! Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:00 AM PST Top Deal: Remember when read and write speeds in the 550MB/s range used to be exciting? That was before there were options in the PCI-E space. If you need mind boggling read and writes, then check out today's top deal for an Intel 750 Series 2.5-inch 400GB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 MLC Internal Solid State Drive for $300 with free shipping (normally $400). It's rated to reach up to 2,200Mbps sequential reads and up to 900MB/s sequential writes,and comes with a free M.2 to mini SAS HD adapter. Or opt for the AIC model and use coupon code EMCKNKS29 for $40 off. Other Deals: Acer Black 21.5-inch 5ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LED Backlit LCD Monitor, IPS Panel for $99 with free shipping (normally $110 - use coupon code: [EMCKNKV24]) Rosewill B2-Spirit ATX Full Tower Gaming Computer Case, supports up to 400 mm long VGA Card, up to 280 mm Long Liquid-cooling Radiator, support up to 8 fans for $136 with free shipping (normally $170 - use coupon code: [EMCKNKV36]) Rosewill 850W Full Modular Power Supply with LED Indicator, 80 Plus Platinum Certified, Single, SLI & Crossfire Ready for $120 with free shipping (normally $149 - use coupon code: [EMCKNKV36]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $102 with $8 shipping (normally $120 - use coupon code: [EMCKNKV22]; additional $10 Mail-in rebate) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 18 Dec 2015 12:00 AM PST A coming of age taleat a glancePro (+) Super sharp screen; extremely portable; fast and quiet; very adjustable hinge. Noob (+) Keyboard sold separately; only one USB port; makes concessions as a laptop and tablet. When the original Surface Pro came out in 2012, it was seen as the awkward redheaded stepchild in both the tablet and laptop scenes. Through multiple iterations and levels of refinement, the two-in-one convertible has begun to blossom into its own. It's now seen as edgy and practical. It's Microsoft's Ugly Duckling story, if you will. As with the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft maintains its unique 3x2 aspect ratio, but bumps up the resolution to 2736x1824. The 12.3-inch screen looks absolutely crisp. Its size makes it a little awkward to hold as a tablet, but its built-in kickstand allows you to prop it up at just about any angle. All of this is housed in a silver-colored magnesium casing, which feels premium and cool to the touch. The Surface Pro keyboard is sold separately, but you'll definitely need it. One gripe that we had with past Surface models is that Microsoft sells the keyboard separately, and that problem persists. Even with its $130 price tag, we consider the keyboard to be vital to the Surface experience (and have adjusted the overall price at the bottom to reflect as such). Despite the small size, the Surface Pro 4 keyboard is actually very good. There's pretty much all the same keys you'd find on an Ultrabook, including arrow keys, and the plank has a subtle LED glow to it too. There's also some decent travel time and satisfying clicky noise. And the magnet that holds it in place is super strong and easy to snap on. It's so strong that you can even dangle the Surface upside down holding nothing but the keyboard. The trackpad is a bit small, but it does the job for the most part. There was one instance where it wasn't very responsive, but we suspect it was a software issue and haven't encountered the situation since. While the keyboard isn't included, Microsoft does include a stylus that works well and snaps onto the side of the Surface magnetically when not in use. We really liked the speakers as well, which sounded plenty loud and clear. Most of the improvements to the Surface Pro 4 are under the hood. In conjunction with Windows 10 is Intel's new mobile Skylake CPU. Ours came with an i5-6300U clocked at 2.4GHz, but you can get it in Intel Core m3 and i7 flavors as well. Coupled with the CPU is Intel's HD 520 graphics. Compared to our new zero-point, Dell's XPS 13 (reviewed in the August 2015 issue), the Surface Pro 4 really does impress. CPU-side, it was faster than the XPS 13 from 2–29 percent, giving it its biggest thrashing in our multithreaded test. But graphics is where Skylake was really able to beat on its Haswell counterpart with a 29–36 percent lead. In real-world terms, we were able to play CS:GO at 1920x1440 resolution with medium settings and AA turned off at around 50fps. That's not bad and is certainly playable. You should be able to play a lot of popular non-taxing games on this at either low or medium settings. The Pro 4 was also extremely quiet during our gameplay sessions. In terms of battery life, the Pro 4 lasted 270 minutes in our run-down test. We also saw similar numbers in our real-world experiential test, with the convertible keeling over in 290 minutes. It's okay, but probably won't last you all day. The biggest sins of the previous and current Surface models are the compromises it makes as both a laptop and a tablet. There were times where we forgot that it's not a laptop and tried to pull the monitor towards us only to have it almost flop face first down onto the keyboard. In addition, while you can put it on your lap, it isn't as comfy or stable as a laptop. Another gripe we had with it is that it only has one USB port; most Ultrabooks offer more. Still, we think the Surface works better as a laptop than a tablet. Typing with Windows 10's built-in virtual keyboard is ungainly because of the tablet's big size. The issue is only complicated further because the digital keyboard lacks swipe gestures and predictive text. Still, those issues aside, this is the best Surface Pro yet and it even beats several top-tier Ultrabooks in performance. It's also super easy to carry around in a backpack. We're just not sure if there is truly an "all" in one device out there just yet. $1,430, www.microsoftstore.com Benchmarks
Our zero-point Ultrabook is a Dell XPS 13 with an Intel Core i5-5200U clocked at 2.2GHz with 8GB DDR3 RAM, running Windows 10 64-bit. 3DMark 11 was run in Performance mode; Tomb Raider was run using low settings.
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