ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 Is a Surprisingly Powerful Mid-Range Motherboard

ASRock may have unleashed five different Z97-based motherboards, but one of them is likely to outsell all the others, because mid-range products always sell the best. There's a reason they're called “mainstream” after all.

The motherboard in question is called ASRock Z97 Extreme 4, which means that it still has some pretty nifty assets but manages not to cost an arm and a leg. Presumably, anyway. Since ASRock hasn't exactly shared the prices with us, we can't really do anything other than guess at this point in time. Anyway, the newcomer has a similar black and blue color theme as the ASRock Z97 Extreme 6, sharing many of the visual elements with it really. Still, it does only have 8 SATA 6.0 Gbps ports instead of 10, and a single Gigabit Ethernet port instead of a pair. The rest of the spec sheet seems to be pretty similar though, from the 12-phase VRM (voltage regulation module) to the four DDR3 DIMM memory slots (which allow for up to 32 GB memory at any given time).

Moving on, there are three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, leading to the possibility of triple-SLI and CrossFireX multi-GPU configurations. Add to that three PCI Express x1 slots and you have expansion slots for pretty much everything, from video to audio and I/o adapters of all kinds. You can even install an audio card if you think the on-board solution is not good enough. Do keep in mind, though, that Purity Sound technology with 7.1 channel surround sound is actually pretty good. ASRock may have designed the Z97 Extreme 4 as a mid-range board, but only in comparison to the others in the 9-Series. In the big picture, it's still pretty powerful. If the company manages to keep prices on the level, it might steal customers from Gigabyte's own Z97 Enthusiast motherboards that came out a couple of days back.

That said, other than the parts we have already enumerated, the ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 boasts VRM heatsinks, a separate PCI Express power connector (for extra stability), M.2 slots (for add-in mini PCI Express cards and SSDs) and eSATA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. A VGA port, two USB 2.0 connectors, 6 USB 3.0 ports and PS/2 exist as well. Make sure to read the name of the product carefully when you start browsing online. The ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 and Z97 Extreme 6 don't just sound but also look a lot alike.

ASRock Z97 Extreme 4
Image credits to ASRock

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ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 Motherboard Released with 7.1 Channel Purity Audio

The Z97 OC Formula may be ASRock's latest and greatest motherboard, not counting anything larger than the ATX form factor anyhow, but it's not the only one that the company released. In fact, it's just one of five.

Still, of the four that we haven't checked out, the Z97 Extreme 6, at least, deserves to be looked at independently, so here we go. You can tell that the Z97 Extreme 6 isn't meant for the same ludicrous overclocking opportunities as the OC just from looking at the power distribution. The CPU only gets one 8-pin ATX power connector instead of two, even if the VRM (voltage regulation module) still has 12 phases. Even without overclocking, though, any PC powered by the Haswell refresh CPU from Intel will perform well. And since Devil's Canyon CPUs are also supported, that means that high-grade, powerful computers are just as easy to set up too, even if they won't score any OC records. In case you were wondering, Devil's Canyon is the codename that Intel is currently using to refer to the unlocked Haswell refresh CPUs, the ones that are not coming out until the second half of the year.

On that note, future-generation Broadwell central processing units will work on the new ASRock motherboards as well, since they, too, will boast the LGA 1150 socket. But we digress. The ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 boasts three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, two PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots, Ultra M.2 and M.2 slots (for add-in mini PCI Express cards and SSDs), a separate PCI-e power connector at the bottom (for more stability) and 10 SATA 6.0 Gbps ports. You'll have a hard time filling your desktop computer with enough SSDs, HDDs, HHDs and/or SSHDs to get something out of all those connectors, that's for sure. Furthermore, ASRock provided four DDR3 DIMM memory slots, plus OC and LED for Diagnostics. Because even if this is not a mainboard intended for a lot of overclocking, that doesn't mean it can't be done. It's called “Extreme” for a reason after all.

Finally, the ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 features Gigabit LAN (dual ports actually), eSATA, HDMI, DisplayPort, six USB 3.0 connectors, Purity Sound 2 technology (powers 7.1 channel audio jacks) and PS/2 (for normal peripherals). Unfortunately, ASRock didn't say what prices it will slap to the motherboard when it starts shipping them in a week or two. Look for the model with blue heatsinks if you're specifically interested in this one instead of any random ASRock Z97 mainboard.

ASRock Z97 Extreme 6
Image credits to ASRock

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Xiaomi’s Tablet to Come with Retina Display (2048 x 1536 Pixels) and NVIDIA/Intel CPUs

In case you were missing some more conflicting rumors regarding the mythical Xiaomi tablet, we have a new batch for you.

As you might remember, we were hoping the slate will make an appearance yesterday at Xiaomi’s media press event, but as it turned out, the company ended up launching two wireless routers and TV box instead. Like the next-gen Nexus 10 tablet, the Xiaomi slate has been said to arrive since forever. Even more puzzling, the rumor mill couldn't agree on its specifications whatsoever. Now a new report coming to us via Focus Taiwan claims the slate is indeed on its way and will arrive with a pretty amazing set of specs. For starters, the device will boast an iPad mini-like 7.85-inch display with an ultra-sharp resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. Furthermore, sources claim the device will be assembled by Taiwan-based Foxconn Technologies and Invantec and will retail for as little as $160 / €116 when it arrives on the market in the third or fourth quarter of the year. The information seems congruent, considering that Xiaomi and Invantec have partnered up before for the manufacturing of the high-end Mi3 smartphone and low-cost Hongmi models.

Moving along, the report also says Xiaomi is working alongside with chipmakers Intel and NVIDIA in order to bring the tablet to life and ensure the device is a success when it arrives on the Chinese market. This new turn of events certainly seems puzzling, especially since we were expecting a tablet with pretty mid-range specs. Prior to the current report, rumors claimed the Xiaomi slate would be arriving with a Snapdragon 400 processor fitted with Adreno GPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The slate was said to also offer the 4G LTE option, but disappointingly enough, the MiPad might arrive with Android 4.3 out of the box, as opposed to Android 4.4. KitKat.

At some point it was speculated that the tablet would come bundling a pretty awesome IGZO display, as the technology was getting more and more spread. The slate was also said to have a 7-inch screen and run on a quad-core MediaTek MT8125 CPU clocked at 1.5GHz. Other possible specifications included a 13MP camera (capable of recording video in 1080p). We also heard the tablet might arrive with a massive 9.2-inch display and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Judging by the render that leaked online at some point, the Xiaomi tablet might end up being offered in multiple colors, apart from the classic black we see in most tablets these days. So what will the Xiaomi tablet really bring to the table when it arrives on the market?

Xiaomi is working with Intel and NVIDIA on its first tablet
Image credits to Engadget

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Pantech IM-A888S Emerges in AnTuTu with Snapdragon 805 CPU

South Korean mobile phone maker Pantech is gearing up for the release of a new high-end handset, one that might land on shelves with the Snapdragon 805 processor packed inside, as a recent listing in AnTuTu shows.

The company has been rumored before to plan the release of such a device, but no proof of that has emerged until now. However, a certain Pantech IM-A888S has been spotted in the aforementioned benchmarking app powered by this processor. According to the listing, the handset should land on shelves as a flagship model, packing a screen capable of delivering a 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution, and pairing the Snapdragon 805 CPU with 3GB of RAM. The handset managed to score 36970 points in AnTuTu. As PhoneArena notes, considering the fact that this is still a prototype device, the score is a pretty good one. The news site also notes that the new phone might arrive on the market as the successor of Pantech Vega LTE-A, which was launched with model number IM-A880S attached to it, provided that the handset vendor continues to use the same naming scheme as before. 

No details on the release date of the new smartphone have been offered as of now, but chances are that it won’t go official for several months. Stay tuned for more on the matter.

Pantech IM-A888S
Image credits to Antutu

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Oppo R1S Goes Official with 5-Inch HD Display, Quad-Core CPU, on Pre-Order from April 25

After launching the Oppo R1 mid-range Android smartphone, the Chinese company decided to try its luck with a sequel, which is dubbed Oppo R1S. The Oppo R1 and R1S have been priced similarly, although they have different specs, so it’s up to each and every Android enthusiast to choose the right device for them.

The official launch of the R1S doesn’t come as a surprise given the fact that the smartphone received its certification in China last week. However, we did not know when exactly Oppo would announce the new smartphone. Powered by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system with Color ROM, Oppo R1S is another mid-range smartphone that offers more than decent hardware specs. According to fonearena, the R1S will be available for pre-order for 2,500 yuan ($400 / €290) outright beginning April 25. For the time being, the smartphone will only be released in China, but Oppo may decide to bring it to other countries in the region as well. It is also worth mentioning that Oppo R1S will be available in both blue and white color options and will be up for pre-order via Oppo’s official online store.

Just like the HTC Desire 816, the Oppo R1S is equipped with a more than decent 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, which is accompanied by an Adreno 305 graphics processing unit and 1GB of RAM. The R1S comes with 16GB of storage, but there’s no mention of microSD card slot for memory expansion, so we must assume that it lacks one. That may be its only downside, though there are plenty of companies that offer free cloud storage for various periods. Furthermore, the Oppo R1S sports a 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (720p) resolution. The phone is only 7.1mm thin and weighs 140 grams (battery included). Speaking of which, the smartphone is powered by a 2140 mAh battery, which has yet to be rated by the manufacturer.

Another strong point of Oppo’s mid-range smartphone is the 13-megapixel camera on the back, which features 6-element, f/2.0 aperture, 1/3″ Sony IMX214 sensor, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. There’s also a secondary, no less impressive, 5-megapixel photo snapper in the front, which is perfect for selfies or video calls. On the connectivity front, Oppo R1S does not disappoint, as the smartphone comes with 4G LTE support, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with A-GPS and microUSB.

Oppo R1S
Image credits to fonearena

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Meizu MX4 Coming to China in August with 2560x1536 Resolution Display

Word about Meizu planning a new flagship smartphone this year emerged over the weekend when Jack Wong took it on forums to confirm that the new MX4 would be bigger and better than its predecessor.

Although no details on the phone’s specs sheets were revealed by the company’s official, the mere statements regarding the existence of Meizu MX4 caught fans’ imagination. Today, new info on Meizu MX4’s possible release date emerged online via Phonearena. According to Chinese blog site 163.com, the MX4 should arrive in the Mainland sometime in August. Meizu MX4 is said to be priced at around $320 (€230), though Android fans should take the information with a grain of salt until the Chinese company confirms the smartphone’s suggested retail price. No details on the phone’s sheet have been unveiled in the leak, but the latest hearsay claims that Meizu MX4 will boast a stunning 5.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 2560 x 1536 pixels resolution.

The phone will be available in two versions and at least one of them will be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 805 chipset. It will also pack 3GB of RAM, 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Meizu MX4 is expected to ship with Flyme 4.0 OS, which is based on the latest version of Android. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Meizu MX3
Image credits to Meizu

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Motorola to Launch Moto E (XT1021) Model Soon

Last week, mobile phone maker Motorola was rumored to plan the release of some new handsets in the near future, including one that would feature model number XT1021 and a thin body, and some more info on the matter is now available.

According to a recent article on xataka.com.mx, the handset is expected to arrive on shelves in Mexico as Moto E, which will debut a new phone series at the vendor. Motorola was also said to plan the release of new versions of its Moto X and Moto G devices, and it seems that it is determined to expand its portfolio as much as possible this year, though it will continue to focus on the low- and mid-range markets. The new Moto E should pack rather appealing specs for a budget-friendly handset, including a thin form factor, and the latest version of Android loaded on top, which might help it gain traction on the market pretty soon. As previously reported, the mobile phone is expected to arrive on the market with a 4.3-inch touchscreen display of unknown resolution (though it might prove to be a 720p screen), and with a 1GHz dual-core processor packed inside.

Moreover, the handset is said to pack 1GB of RAM inside, as well as 4GB of internal memory, and a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes. It will be powered by a 1900mAh battery and should sport a 5-megapixel camera on the back, rumor has it. Moreover, the new device is said to be only 6.2mm thick, which should add up to its appeal, that’s for sure. According to the aforementioned website, Motorola will make the phone available for purchase with Google’s Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system loaded on top. The same as Moto X and Moto G before it, the upcoming Moto E is expected to lack software customizations coming from Motorola, thus being capable of providing users with almost a pure Android experience.

Rumor has it that the new smartphone is next on Motorola’s roadmap for this year, and that it will land on shelves sometime in the next few weeks. No specific info on its release date, availability and pricing has been offered as of now, but chances are that it would cost anywhere between 2,999 pesos ($230/€166) and 3,199 pesos ($245/€177), it seems. Provided that the info leaked on this device will pan out, it should not be too long before Motorola makes an official announcement on the handset’s arrival, so stay tuned.

Motorola to launch Moto E soon
Image credits to Motorola

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Aqua Computer Full Water Block for Radeon R9 295 X2 Dual-GPU Graphics Card Released

Dual-GPU graphics cards are special products with equally special demands, and while NVIDIA managed to get away with a more or less common-looking cooler, the same cannot be said about AMD. It looks like there was still room for improvement though.

Aqua Computer has formally launched a full-cover water block for the Radeon R9 295 X2 dual-Hawaii “Vesuvius” graphics card. This is actually a more surprising development than one might think, because the dual-chip graphics card already has a surprisingly good cooler. Instead of using some air-based solution, AMD instead called on Asetek to make a hybrid cooling module that combines the benefits of a heatsink and fan with those of a radiator and two water blocks, one for each GPU. It's why most of AMD's OEMs aren't likely to launch custom-cooled versions of the board: it's not just a simple case of replacing a normal, lackluster reference cooler with a mildly better, custom one. Aqua Computer had the right idea: only a full liquid cooler could replace the default one, even if it did mean loss of independence.

What do we mean by that? The Radeon R9 295 X2 has a closed-loop, all-in-one hybrid liquid cooler, meaning that it can be installed, as is, in any PC. Water blocks need you to already have a water cooling system in your desktop PC though, one with a reservoir, pumps, connection to an outside water source, etc. Fortunately for Aqua Computer, those with enough money to create a PC strong enough to hold the overkill video card should have no trouble covering the costs. Indeed, they may choose water cooling as a default commodity regardless. And now for the actual product. The Aqua Computer kryographics Vesuvius for R9 295X2 is made of high-purity electrolytic copper raw material and weighs 2.72 kg / 5.99 pounds all on its own.

In addition to the GPUs themselves, the RAM chips and the VRM (voltage regulator module), it comes into contact with the PCI Express bridge chip as well. That last one usually doesn't get direct treatment. The areas above the GPUs have a micro structure with 0.5 mm grid, and maintain an even temperature thanks to how water flows through both in parallel. Another advantage is the high gloss polished base which, helped along by thermal grease, should be able to pull and neutralize heat very quickly. As for the cover, it is made of Plexiglass and milled from a single, solid block. It also totally lacks drilled threads, instead using a stainless steel frame to stay in place.The kryographics Vesuvius for R9 295X2 water block from Aqua Computer has a price of €170 / $170, but a nickel-plated variant will come out soon, for €185 / $185.

Aqua Computer kryographics Vesuvius for R9 295X2
Image credits to Aqua Computer

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iPhone 6 with 5.5-Inch Display Could Be Delayed Until 2015

Samsung’s SDI battery division and LG Chemical are being hard-pressed to produce some of their thinnest batteries yet for the unannounced “iPhone Air” launching towards the end of this year, as some analysts have predicted.

Taiwan’s Commercial Times says Apple wants the battery for an upcoming iPhone to be less than two millimeters thick, in what is giving the aforementioned cell makers “headaches.” The unannounced phone is dubbed “iPhone Air” in the report, and it is this particular model that Apple wants to equip with a 5.5-inch “phablet” display, the paper says. Analyst Ming Chi Kuo working with KGI Securities wrote in a recent research note that Apple is indeed planning to deploy such a device, but that the Cupertino company won’t be able to deliver until the very end of 2014 because of several manufacturing issues (possibly including the battery problem). And while the 5.5-inch model will seemingly be called iPhone Air, the smaller 4.7-inch version will adopt the iPhone 6 dubbing, sources say. Apple has two more products called “Air,” one in the tablets category, the other in the notebook line.

iPhone 6 is expected to ship much earlier, indicating that manufacturers are having less trouble churning out the parts for this particular model. There’s even a chance the iPhone Air could be delayed until 2015. A rough machine translation of the key takeaway in the report reads, “By the large size of the cyclone blew smartphone, previously came on the market, Apple will launch two large iPhone, a 4.7-inch, two to emphasize slim 5.5-inch models. Currently 4.7-inch progress clearer, should be available in the second half of this year, but due to technical difficulties iPhone Air may only come out in the next year.” Apple’s first scheduled event for 2014 (in the absence of other announcements that may come soon) is the Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off on June 2 and lasts until June 6.

At the opening keynote, Tim Cook and his fellow executives are expected to spend a great deal of time discussing the latest innovations in software, perhaps with the release of early iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 snapshots (as developer previews). iPhone is no stranger to WWDC, but Apple has refrained from launching new iPhone versions at the event for the past two years. Most analysts expect the company to hold tradition and unveil its new smartphone(s) in fall, again.

iPhone Air concept
Image credits to SET Solution

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Premium Galaxy S5 Leaks as Project KQ with 2K Screen, Snapdragon 805 CPU

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics has been long rumored to plan the release of a premium version of its Galaxy S5 handset, and some new info on the matter has emerged now.

Previously, Samsung’s Galaxy S5 was said to hit shelves in two flavors, including one that would be called Galaxy S5 Prime, and which was expected to pack better hardware capabilities when compared to the standard model, something that could pan out soon. Although Samsung has denied any intention to launch a premium variant of the device, new information that emerged online over at SamMobile suggests that the new handset variant is real and that it could become official sooner rather than later. Said device is supposedly featuring the codename Project KQ, which clearly shows that it would be a Galaxy S5 variant. It should arrive on the market with a more powerful processor inside, as well as with a Quad HD screen, up from the Full HD one available on the currently available model.

Apparently, Samsung was planning the launch of S5 with a 2K screen right from the start, though it abandoned the idea and moved to the 1080p screen in the end. However, Project KQ (Galaxy S5 was known internally as Project K) should go official as the premium version of the device, the one that users have been waiting for ever since Galaxy S5 was still only a rumor. Moreover, it seems that Samsung might pack the new phone not only with the aforementioned 2K screen, but also with a more powerful processor inside. One flavor of the handset might land on shelves with an Exynos 5430 chipset, packing a 2.1GHz quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU and a 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 one, a nice improvement over the Exynos 5422 processor.

The chip should also feature a Mali GPU clocked in at 600MHz, along with HEVC hardware decoder, and a dedicated (Cortex A5) co-processor for audio encoding, decoding and audio equalization. The premium flavor of Samsung Galaxy S5 is also said to include an Intel XMM7260 Category 6 (300mbit/s) LTE modem, which would mark Intel’s debut into the LTE market for high-end devices. Moreover, Samsung is also expected to launch a version of the device with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor packed inside, which might hit shelves with model number G906S attached to it. No official confirmation on any of the above has been provided as of now, but chances are that the new very high-end Samsung smartphone is indeed nearing its official unveiling. Hopefully, it will be introduced in the next several months, so keep an eye on this space for updates.

Samsung said again to plan the launch of a premium version of Galaxy S5
Image credits to Samsung

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