Tuesday, April 12, 2016

IT News Head Lines (Overclockers Club) 13/04/2016

Overclockers Club



Hitman Review


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AMD Gives Radeon Pro Duo a Release Date of April 26
At its Capsaicin Event at the most recent Game Developers Conference, AMD showed off its upcoming beast of a card, the Radeon Pro Duo. The card packs two Fiji GPUs, 8GB of first generation High Bandwidth Memory, and four DisplayPort outputs into a single offering. The card boasts 16 teraflops of computing power and a premium price tag of $1500. The card will be available starting April 26 and could be an attractive choice for users looking to get into VR. It is worth noting that Fiji is the last generation of AMD GPU and the second generation of High Bandwidth Memory is already on the way. It will be interesting to see how this stacks up against single GPU offerings or systems that utilize multiple GPUs in an SLI or CrossFire setup.
Source: Tweak Town


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G.SKILL Adds Low Latency Kit to Trident Z Line
G.SKILL Adds Low Latency Kit to Trident Z Line
G.SKILL has announced the addition of a new set of memory to its Trident Z line. The DDR4 set operates at 3600MHz with CL15-15-15-35 timings at an operating voltage of 1.35V. Timings such as this are typically seen in memory at lower frequencies, but G.SKILL used "specially selected high performance memory components" in order to reach those timings. The new set is available as a pair of 8GB sticks and is compatible with XMP 2.0 profiles.
Source: Press Release


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Hardware Roundup: Monday, April 11, 2016, Edition
A new week is here, bringing with it a few items to kick it off. There is a review on the Cooler Master QuickFire XTi mechanical gaming keyboard, featuring Cherry MX Brown switches and multi-color backlighting to change between blue and red with ease. We also have the Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum gaming mouse getting tested to see if this is Logitech's best mouse ever, with its dual-mode wired/wireless design and 12,000 DPI sensor. Wrapping things up for today is a look at 20 of the worst PC setups seen during March.
Keyboards/Mice

Cooler Master QuickFire XTi Mechanical Gaming Keyboard @ Madshrimps

Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum Gaming Mouse @ TechSpot
Miscellany

20 of the Worst PC Setups - March 2016 @ ThinkComputers


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New Method Developed to Quickly Transmit Quantum Encryption Keys
Undoubtedly encryption is a very important tool for securing communications, but modern encryption methods can all be beaten with clever tricks or brute force. In the future though, quantum encryption could be used to protect sensitive information in such a way that it cannot be compromised without the intended user's knowledge. Central to this kind of security is quantum key distribution, which has been limited to just hundreds of rather slow data rates, but researchers at the University of Cambridge have found a way to speed it up by up to six orders of magnitude.
Quantum encryption protects data because the key to decrypt it is transmitted using quantum mechanical particles, such as photons. When these photons are observed, to determine what the key is, their quantum mechanical properties change, meaning the key is altered and this can be detected. While theoretically quantum encryption cannot be broken, by attacking the real hardware components involved, it could potentially be compromised, so a protocol called measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) was developed. While this has been demonstrated successfully, it has been limited to operating at just a few hundred bits per second, or less, because of how hard it is to create indistinguishable particles from the different lasers involved. The Cambridge researchers have addressed this problem by developed pulsed laser seeding for injecting photons from one laser beam into another. This method reduces the time jitter of the pulses, allowing them to be significantly shorter.
Using pulsed laser seeding, a data rate of up to one megabit per second is possible, which represents a one hundred to one million improvement factor. This new protocol could be leading us to the practical implementation of quantum cryptography.
Source: University of Cambridge


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Corsair Officially Launches the SPEC-ALPHA Case
Corsair Officially Launches the SPEC-ALPHA Case
During CES this year, Corsair unveiled several new cases, with the 400C and 400Q launching soon after the show. The other new case, the SPEC-ALPHA, was going to take a bit longer, but now the wait is over as the Corsair SPEC-ALPHA is available to purchase. The SPEC-ALPHA features a unique angular design that sets it apart from other cases, while offering plenty of cooling and hardware potential inside. It's a mid-tower case with a tool-free design that can fit up to an ATX motherboard, video cards up to 380mm long, CPU coolers up to 156mm high, and a 190mm long power supply.
The side window can show off your components, while the three included 120mm fans can keep things cool, thanks to the built-in fan controller (up to five total fans can be installed). If water cooling is your thing, a 240mm radiator can fit inside the front of the SPEC-ALPHA, with a 120mm rad in the rear. Three 3.5" drive bays and four 2.5" drive bays offer plenty of storage options, while the Direct Airflow Path design means no 5.25" bays to mess up the cooling. Inside there are also cable routing cutouts and tie downs to keep everything neat and tidy, further helping get the air directly where it's needed. Two USB 3.0 ports and audio in/out adorn the front of the case, while the rear has seven expansion slots to perfectly fit those ATX motherboards.
The Corsair SPEC-ALPHA is available now in black/grey, white/red, and the previously unknown black/red color schemes. Each case is $79.99 and comes with a two-year warranty.
Source: Press Release


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Corsair Extends Warranty of Select Power Supplies to 10 Years
Corsair, maker of many components for your computer, has extended the warranty of several of its power supplies from seven years to ten years, giving you that much more peace of mind. Starting right now, all current and future PSUs in the AXi, HXi, RMi, and RMx series get an additional three years added to their warranty with no input required from you. This gives a ten-year warranty on all these PSUs, ensuring they can last you through multiple builds without fear. Corsair decided to extend the warranty to show its trust and confidence in these PSUs to last for a long time. The extended warranty is available worldwide on these four PSU series, so regardless of where you are, you get a full decade of protection. Only the AXi, HXi, RMi, and RMx PSUs receive the extension, with all other Corsair PSUs remaining at their initial warranty length.
Source: Press Release


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Hardware Roundup: Friday, April 8, 2016, Edition
The end of the week is here, with Friday bringing a few items to help get you to the weekend. There is a review on the Corsair M65 PRO RGB Gaming Mouse, featuring the company's highest ever DPI and customizable lighting to set itself apart on your desk. If you're needing a smartphone on the cheap, perhaps the Oppo F1 with its 5" 720p display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 SoC is the one for you. Wrapping things up is a new case mod that would look right at home in a mad scientist's lab, which is fitting considering it's called the Mad Scientist.
Keyboards/Mice

Corsair M65 PRO RGB Gaming Mouse @ Neoseeker
Mobile

Oppo F1 @ TechSpot
Miscellany

Case Mod Friday: Mad Scientist @ ThinkComputers


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Pulverizing Material Improved it For Use in Batteries
Many technologies we have today are only possible because of how much energy lithium-ion batteries can store, and their ability to be recharged. As the devices they power have improved though, these batteries have been approaching their limits, requiring new technologies or chemistry for the future. Thankfully researchers at NIST have found a way to improve the characteristics of a material that one day could serve as an energy storage medium.
The material in question is a compound of hydrogen and boron, and either lithium or sodium, with one of the boron atoms replaced with carbon. The researchers previously discovered this substitution improved the compound's ability to conduct ions by a factor of ten. What they have now found is a way to overcome an issue with its behavior at different temperatures. When in an environment hotter than boiling water, the material would conduct ions quite well, but at lower temperatures, such as room temperature, it lost its conductivity and thus its performance. The recent discovery is that by crushing the material into nanoscale particles, it maintains it conductivity at room temperature and far lower, making it potentially viable for batteries.
Now the researchers are investigating how the material might be used in next-generation batteries, with the hope of convincing people of the material's potential.
Source: NIST


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BitFenix Introduces Alchemy 2.0 Individual Wires, Connectors, and Combs
Back in February of this year, BitFenix introduced Alchemy 2.0 modular cables, which continue to provide system builders with high-quality connections in a variety of colors. Now, the creator of various hardware and peripherals has officially introduced Alchemy 2.0 individual wires, connectors, and combs. The new components provide consumers with some of the most customizable sleeving products available, as each is built with truly high quality materials. The individual wires boast 16AWG thick pure copper strands, new High Current Alloy Terminals, and an ultra-dense sleeve that stays in place, all while being very flexible. The Alchemy 2.0 connectors are made with a special rubber for a perfect fit, are certified by CUL and TUV, and are capable of operating in a wide range of temperatures from -10 to 150-degrees Celsius. Lastly, the combs from BitFenix offer a unique SoftHold protection for excellent aesthetics and can be cut to fit various cable lengths.
Source: Press Release


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RIOTORO Announces CR1080 Case
RIOTORO Announces CR1080 Case
RIOTORO has announced a new case targeted at users that are looking to fit a full size ATX motherboard into a small form factor. The CR1080 has dimensions of 9.625" x 14.125" x 15.5" with a dual compartment design, separating the motherboard and GPU from the power supply and hard drives. A single 120mm fan with blue LEDs is included and the case has space for a total of four 120mm fans and one 80mm fan. The case has a translucent side window with space for full size GPUs, two 3.5" or 2.5" drives, and an additional 2.5" drive. VP of Sales Nelson De Moraes described the case stating, "The style and size of the CR1080 was designed to fit into any environment while delivering the expandability and cooling efficiency of a full-size gaming PC." The CR1080 has an MSRP of $79.99.
Source: Press Release


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Offworld Trading Company Getting Full Release April 28
Offworld Trading Company Getting Full Release April 28
Today it has been announced by Stardock and Mohawk Games that Offworld Trading Company will have its full release on April 28. Like many Stardock titles, it has been available for some time in a pre-release state, allowing players to provide feedback before the game reaches version 1.0.
Offworld Trading Company is not your usual strategy game, as instead of simulating large military battles, it is an economic real time strategy game. You are trying to build up your company on Mars, with the ultimate goal of taking control of the Martian market by driving your competition back to Earth. With enough capital you can access the offworld markets to buy out rivals, or turn to the black market to disrupt their production.
Source: Offworld Trading Company Official Website


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Hardware Roundup: Thursday, April 7, 2016, Edition
The first full week of April is nearing its end, but before it does we have a couple of items for you to see. The VIVO Titan mid-tower case is a new model from a new company, yet it offers plenty of internal space and a clean exterior design that is sure to appeal to many. Our other item for the day is the Cooler Master Masterkeys Pro S gaming keyboard, which offers Cherry MX switches, RGB LEDs, and a tenkeyless design to fit in smaller spaces.
Cases

VIVO Titan @ PC Perspective
Keyboards/Mice

Cooler Master Masterkeys Pro S @ LanOC Reviews


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AMD’s R9 490 and 490X GPUs Might Release Late June
For anyone waiting for the release of AMD's next series of GPUs, the latest rumor puts the release in June. Supposedly, the R9 490 and R9 490X will have their paper-release at Computex, which runs from May 31 to June 4, with the official launch later that month. Given the naming, these are likely meant to be the replacements for the Hawaii based R9 390 cards, so where exactly the Fury cards will be relative to these is hard to guess, before we get some performance numbers and definite specs.
The R9 490 and R9 490X GPUs should be based on the Polaris 10 core, which is the higher end Polaris core we saw demonstrated at the Capsaicin event. It was the lower powered Polaris 11 core showing off its power efficiency off at CES earlier this year. Polaris cores are based on the GCN 4.0 architecture and are going to be manufactured using 14 nm FinFET processes. Current GPUs use 28 nm processes and this reduction in size and change in transistor design will bring with it significant power savings and performance improvements.
Source: WCCFTech


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Available Tags:AMD , Radeon , Hardware

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