MSI B85I and B85M Gaming, Mini-ITX/Micro-ATX Military Class 4 Motherboards

Micro-Star International's Gaming line of hardware has just welcomed a new pair of motherboards, one of which isn't exactly as large as one would expect, but should enable some decent PC specs regardless.

Even now, gaming hardware and computers come in large, solid, sophisticated packages, but there has been a steady rise in the number of small products as well. Most notably, mini PCs have begun to provide specs on par with those of the high-end desktops of half a decade ago. And since DirectX 11 support is pretty much always included in the spec sheet, that basically means that it's possible to play even the latest game on a mini personal computer now. It all boils down to the power supply unit, the cooling, how big the case is (on the inside, since video cards can be pretty big) and, lastly, how good the motherboard happens to be. Micro-Star International has just released a pair of the better new models, which can power a good LAN party system.

The B85I micro-ATX is one. Such motherboards don't really stand out anymore, with their two memory slots, one/two PCI Express x16 slots and standard I/O support and storage interfaces. There is a mini-ITX B85 motherboard as well though, also bearing the Gaming logo. MSI's new creations have Military Class 4 components though: Hi-C CAPs, Solid CAPs, Dark CAPs, SFC and Dark Chokes. They allow the platforms to stay stable even at high load, and to survive for a long time. EMI protection and ESD protection is present as well. Another asset is the USB Audio Power technology, which prevents sound quality from suffering (on external DACs and such) when the other USB ports are populated as well (with chargers, flash drives, peripherals, etc.).

The USB Audio Power design powers each port individually, instead of splitting energy between all of them, hence the clearer sound and less noise. A third asset is the onboard software: OC Genie 4 (for overclocking of the CPU, memory and video), Click BIOS 4 and the Command Center (combines monitoring, tuning and hardware control in a single interface). Finally, the MSI B85 microATX and Mini-ITX Gaming motherboards both benefit from Killer LAN, special networking tech that prioritizes games over torrent programs and everything else web-connected when you're playing something online. Especially when said title comes with in-game chat of some sort (for MMOs or co-op play).

MSI B85I Gaming
Image credits to MSI

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ASUS ROG G56JR with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M Sells for €999 / $1,373

The Republic of Gamers line of notebook has a new member addition. ASUS quietly introduced the ASUS G56JR, an elegant new laptop with a more classic look than what we're used to seeing with this line.

The notebook boasts a 15.6-inch screen and comes with a brushed metal surface, but compared to other ROG models looks like it’s targeted at the average consumer. However, the red trim around the notebook’s edges and the red ASUS logo plus the blacklit keyboard help maintain the overall ROG feel. In the specifications department, we have a decent configuration, although ASUS doesn't go as far as it did with the brand new ASUS G750. The idea is that the laptop has been designed in such a way as to attract a larger number of customers, gamers or not. ASUS still offers the option of choosing the specific configuration, so users can go for either an Intel Core i5-4200H or the more powerful i7-4700HQ processors under the hood. In both cases, the lappy can be fitted with up to 16GB of RAM. Unlike the G750, the G56JR will not come with the latest NVIDIA GPU, but will take advantage of the previous generation, in the form of GeForce GTX 760M. Like those familiar with the ROG line-up might know, ASUS offers a wide range of storage solutions, starting from the traditional hard drives of 500, 750GB or 1TB 5400 RPM (or 500, 700 GB 7200 RPM) and as far as hybrid model with 750GB and 5400 RPM with 8GB cache.

As previously mentioned, the G56JR has a 15.6-inch HD display and users can add even an optical DVD, Blu-ray combo drive. Furthermore, ASUS has added four USB 3.0 ports, VGA, HDMI video outputs, audio jacks for headphones and microphone, memory card 3-in-1 (SD/MS/MS Pro/MMC), Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HD webcam and sound system SonicMaster with Digital Amplifier Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. The G56JR is currently available for purchase in select markets across Europe (including Poland, France, Spain) and Singapore, South Africa. The laptop sells in Europe for €999 / $1,373 a pop. In other news, we should probably remind you that the ASUS ROG GT70JZ line-up is available for pre-orders. For those craving to have a notebook bundled with the latest NVIDIA GPU, these laptops come equipped with either the high-end GTX 880M with 4GB of video memory or the GTX 870M / 860M. Pricing for the base model with the 860M graphics card starts at $1,399 / €1,007.

ASUS quietly introduces ROG G56JR
Image credits to ASUS

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HTC One M8 with 2.5GHz CPU (Asian Version) Tops Benchmark Scores

Only two days have passed since Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation took the wraps off of its latest flagship Android-based device, the HTC One M8, and people have already found out that it can perform much better than other high-end devices.

According to a recent article on ePrice, the Asian version of HTC One M8, which was unveiled with a 2.5GHz processor inside, is capable of delivering higher benchmark scores than Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2. The LG G Pro 2 was also compared to the new device. The phone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974-AC CPU, which is faster than the 2.3GHz MSM8974-AB processor inside the US version of the handset, thus offering better performance capabilities, it seems. Screenshots that emerged at ePrice show the phone’s performance in benchmarking tests such as AnTuTu, Quadrant, Vellamo, Basemark, and 3D Mark, and unveil that it is indeed capable of leaving its rivals behind. Based on these results, the HTC One M8 can be considered the most powerful Android-based smartphone to date. However, it appears that only people in Asia will actually enjoy such performance levels when purchasing it.

The 2.3GHz version of the mobile phone will still have a lot to offer to its customers, that’s for sure, even if it is a bit behind the Asian model in terms of performance, as similar test results have unveiled not long ago. Apparently, while the 2.5GHz model managed to top 35,000 points in AnTuTu, the 2.3GHz variant of the device did not go beyond the 30,000 mark. All in all, it is clear that HTC managed to bring to the market a great, powerful Android smartphone, one that will certainly prove a worthy rival to other flagship smartphones out there, especially since it has already been put up for sale in some markets. For those out of the loop, we should note that HTC One M8 was launched with a 5-inch full HD touchscreen display, the aforementioned quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor inside, and 2GB of RAM.

Moreover, it features 32GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes, dual-cameras on the back, and a 5-megapixel camera on the front, for making video calls and shooting great selfies. The smartphone runs under the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system but features HTC’s own user interface loaded on top of it, none other than Sense 6.0, with exclusive features such as BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe, and others.

HTC One M8 tops benchmark tests
Images credits to ePrice

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Axiomtek Designs Overpowered Half-Size Single-Board Computer

Single-board computers used to be small, meek, unassuming things barely ever used for anything more than point-of-sale cash-in boxes and the like, but companies have been releasing stronger and stronger ones over the years, like Axiomtek has just done.

The new product to leave the company's labs, called SHB230, is a half-size single-board computer with an LGA 1150 socket, meaning it supports 4th Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 and Celeron processors. It also has a pair of DDR3-1333/1600 memory slots, SO-DIMM slots to be exact, for up to 16 GB RAM. A pair of SATA-600 slots are present too, along with a CFast socket, four USB 2.0, two USB 3.0 and two RS-232/422/485 ports. There's support for RAID 0/1, and Axiomtek also tossed in a PCI Express x16 (routed to the back plane) and four PCI Express x1 slots (or one PCI Express x4). Medical equipment, DVRs, process control, the network security market, and the field of industrial automation have been pegged as the intended market for the SHB230.

Intel Active Management Technology 9.0 (AMT 9.0) is included (for remote control management) and so are DVI-I and LVDS interfaces. Sales will start in May this year (2014), for a price that has yet to be disclosed.

Axiomtek SHB230
Image credits to Axiomtek

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NVIDIA Jetson TK1 Developer Kit, a $192 / €192 Mobile Supercomputer

For a mobile processor, the Tegra K1 is pretty overpowered, and because NVIDIA itself is well aware of that, it decided to use it for a new type of supercomputer: the embedded supercomputer.

Granted, that's not the way NVIDIA phrased it, since it described the new product, called NVIDIA Jetson TK1, as a developer kit. Still, the Santa Clara, California-based company did mention that, among other things, the Jetson TK1 should be used in the "rugged and industrial embedded market." The actual list of potential applications is quite long in fact, including human-computer interface and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), computational photography, robotics, and augmented reality. Ultimately, NVIDIA was thinking of robots that would navigate through any place, or about machinery that would help medics perform ultrasound scans or enable drones/cars to detect and avoid pedestrians. Support for CUDA 6 technology is included in the module, which brings to the table such things as accelerated libraries for sparse matrix, FFTs, linear algebra, video processing, and so on.

So what is the Jetson TK1 exactly? A small “supercomputing module” featuring an NVIDIA Kepler 192-core GPU with a performance of 326 Gigaflops. That's three times the performance of any other embedded platform, and considering that the Jetson TK1 Developer Kit includes a full C/C++ toolkit based on NVIDIA CUDA, it should be straightforward enough to create software for it. As a parallel computing platform, it's more pervasive than, say, FPGA, custom ASIC and DSP processors. As for the hardware specs, here they are: the 192-core Kepler GPU is backed by 2 GB of memory. There's an I/O controller as well, which boasts connectors for Gigabit Ethernet, mini PCI Express, an S card slot, USB 3.0 and HDMI 1.4. OpenGL 4.4 is supported, as is the VisionWorks toolkit.

So, all in all, it might be a bit much to call this thing a supercomputer, but as a “mobile” product, it definitely has a high performance, and will let portable industrial systems and advanced robotic applications flourish further. The price of the NVIDIA Jetson TK1 Development Kit is of $192 / €192, but only pre-orders can be placed for now. You can do it straight from NVIDIA, or from Microcenter and Newegg, plus some of NVIDIA's confirmed partners like Avionic Design, SECO, Zotac (all three in Europe), or Ryoyo Electro Corporation (Japan). "Tegra K1 can change what's possible in the rugged and industrial embedded market. We expect to be able to offer solutions in the sub-10 watt space that previously consumed 100 watts or more," said Simon Collins, product manager at GE Intelligent Platforms.

NVIDIA Jetson TK1
Image credits to NVIDIA

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ZTE Nubia X6 Goes Official with 6.44-Inch Screen, Snapdragon 801 CPU

Today, Chinese mobile phone maker ZTE made official a new high-end smartphone in its Nubia lineup, in the form of ZTE Nubia X6.

The handset has been rumored quite a few times before and is now fully unveiled, set to arrive on shelves in China in the not too distant future. ZTE launched the phone during a press event in Beijing, but it did not announce specific info on when the phone might become available for purchase in other markets around the world as well. Although ZTE is expected to focus mainly on the Chinese market with the release of this device, there is a chance that it would be launched in other countries as well, so as to grab some more market share. In China, the smartphone will be released in three different flavors, with 32GB, 64GB and 128GB of internal memory, priced at 2999 Yuan ($484/€350), 3499 Yuan ($564/€408), and 3999 Yuan ($645/€467), respectively. ZTE announced the new mobile phone with a 6.44-inch LCD touchscreen display on the front, capable of delivering a 1080p resolution and a 344ppi-pixel density, and with a slim, 7.9mm body.

The new Nubia Z6 is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AB processor, while being paired with 3GB of RAM, a recent article on GizChina reads. Moreover, the handset was announced with a 13-megapixel camera on the back, with an f/2.0 aperture and Optical Image Stabilization, capable of delivering great imaging capabilities. There is also a 13-megapixel camera on the front of the device, with f/2.2 aperture, which should provide users with the possibility to make high-definition video calls while on the go. Not to mention that it will allow them to snap high-quality selfies at ease. The specifications list of the new device also includes dual-SIM capabilities, along with 4G LTE and 3G connectivity capabilities, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and built-in GPS receiver.

The mobile phone will arrive in China with support for various networks in the country, including TD-LTE, FDD-LTE, EVDO, CDMA, GSM, WCDMA and TD-SDCMA. Apparently, ZTE plans on selling it unlocked, which means that users will be able to connect it to the wireless network of their choosing. Moreover, the smartphone was unveiled with noise-canceling microphones, as well as with a huge 4250mAh battery packed inside. Although ZTE Nubia X6 does not sport a microSD memory card slot, the Chinese phone maker did pack it with USB On-The-Go capabilities, so that users could easily mount flash drives.

ZTE Nubia X6
Image credits to weibo via gizchina

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BlackBerry to Launch 1080p Smartphones, BlackBerry 10.3 Code Unveils

Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry might be preparing the launch of smartphones that would pack 1080p touchscreen displays, the latest news on the matter suggests.

Earlier this week, a BlackBerry 10.3 build leaked online for the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, unveiling some of the new features and capabilities that the platform would pack inside when made available for download. Some of those who took their time to have a closer look at the code discovered that there is support for 1080p screen resolution included, which suggests that a handset featuring such a display might arrive on the market sooner rather than later. As PhoneArena notes, the company has been previously rumored to plan the release of high-resolution smartphones, such as the BlackBerry Windermere and Ontario. The former will supposedly arrive on the market with a QWERTY keyboard that will accompany a 1440 x 1440-pixel screen, while the latter should hit shelves with a 1080 x 1920-pixel screen.

This would be the very first BlackBerry device to arrive on the market with a full HD touchscreen display, despite the fact that rival platforms can already be found loaded on devices with such capabilities. However, with no official confirmation on the device available as of now, it remains to be seen when exactly BlackBerry decides to make it official, so stay tuned for more on the matter.

BlackBerry 10.3 hints at 1080p screen rosolution
Image credits to BlackBerry

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NVIDIA Intros Pascal GPU, 3D Stacked Memory Chips, and NVLINK Technology

Even though NVIDIA hasn't even launched the real Maxwell GPU yet (that will only happen in late 2014, and the GTX 750 / 750 Ti don't count), the company has already introduced the Pascal GPU, scheduled for 2016.

Well, technically the company hasn't actually released the chip. More like it revealed its presence in the roadmap. The real highlight of the ongoing GTC, taking place in between March 24-27, 2014, in San Jose, California, was the NVLINK technology. What NVLINK does is unify the GPU and CPU cache in a system, allowing the two distinct processing units to divide tasks between each other much faster than right now. As allowed by the PCI Express 3.0 interface, this means that performance for the card, over PCI Express, can rise by 5 to 12 times. In turn, this enables supercomputing performance increases by a factor of 5 to 100. This is a huge leap in performance, on both counts. The Pascal GPU, which will succeed Maxwell, will supposedly have a bandwidth of thousands of bits on a single chip as well, compared to the 512 maximum of right now.

That raised another issue: how will you get enough memory to use that interface, and how will all the chips fit and communicate quickly, without having to wait in line as it were? The answer was 3D packaging for the VRAM chips. So you get a memory interface of thousands of bits, and dozens of chips stacked on top of one another, with holes in them through which silicon interconnects pass. The Pascal sounds like the superman of GPU technology, and it may very well be. In fact, NVIDIA spoke at length about the use of the chip module (which is as big as two credit cards) and how it does best in “machine learning.” Which is to say, computers, or supercomputers, that can learn from past experiences how to recognize things when asked. So far they've been limited to recognizing that human faces and cats show up most often on the Internet.

Of course, that conclusion was drawn after doing the equivalent of watching YouTube for 2 days, so it's not all that reliable, but still. The Pascal is smaller than a PCI Express slot, so with some hardware platform customization it could be installed in an HPC (high-performance computing) installation in high density. And with NVLINK working both CPU-to-GPU and GPU-to-GPU, performance will scale quite well there. Click for larger images.

NVIDIA Pascal GPU saves Moore's Law
Image credits to NVIDIA

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ASUS B85-Pro Gamer ROG Motherboard Has Elaborate Heatsink and 8-Phase VRM

The Republic of Gamers brand is one that ASUS only slaps on top of its absolute best consumer hardware, so it stands to reason that the B85-Pro Gamer has a lot of things to offer despite the choice of chipset.

Which is to say, the motherboard boasts the B85 chipset instead of the Z87 commonly found on high-end / gaming platforms. ASUS does have Z87-based motherboards, like the Z87-A. The ATX B85-Pro Gamer actually resembles it quite a bit, or at least its PCB does. For one, it has an 8-phase VRM (voltage regulation module), which controls the power that makes it to the LGA 1150 CPU socket. A single PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot is available, but there is a PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot as well, even if it does work in physical x4 mode (it is wired to the B85 PCH). On that note, a pair of PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots are found on the motherboard as well, along with three legacy PCI slots. On the matter of virtual memory, ASUS installed four DDR3 DIMM slots on the B85-Pro Gamer motherboard.

So there should, in theory, be room for 32 GB or even 64 GB of DDR3 RAM, assuming you can find modules with high enough individual memory capacity. And since fourth-generation Haswell central processing units (CPUs), like previous-generation Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge, have integrated graphics, ASUS included DVI, D-Sub and HDMI outputs on the I/O rear panel. Moving on, the newcomer has a pair of SATA 3.0 Gbps ports (SATA II) for hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs) and hybrid drives (HHDs or SSHDs), plus four SATA 6.0 Gbps connectors (SATA III). Obviously, you'll want to populate the latter type first, and only use the SATA II ports if you already have four storage devices in the PC for some reason.

Other features include a premium Intel I217V GbE controller (Gigabit Ethernet), SupremeFX audio (with a 115 dBA SNR CODEC), electrolytic capacitors, a 300Ω headphones amp (made by Texas Instruments) and ground-layer isolation. Finally, ASUS included high-grade black solid-state capacitors and DRAM over-current protection, plus ESD dampening circuits along the rear panel ports, as dictated by the “Gamer's Guardian” technology. UEFI BIOS is just the well-mixed and easily anticipated icing on the cake. Sadly, the price of the ASUS B85-Pro Gamer is not known, despite that the product page is already up and running. Image gallery below, click for larger images.

ASUS B85-Pro Gamer
Images credots to ASUS

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Leaked Screenshots Detail Upcoming BlackBerry OS 10.3 Features

Earlier today, we learned that a new OS flavor has leaked online for the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, in the form of BlackBerry OS 10.3, and we can now have a look at some of the enhancements that it will offer, courtesy of a host of leaked screenshots with the software.

As mentioned before, the upcoming operating system should bring along an updated user interface for the platform, with black and red accents dominating it, and the leaked screenshots, available courtesy of zonablackberry.com.ve, confirm that. Moreover, they also show that the shadow border of icons on the homescreen has been removed, transforming the overall looks of the platform into a flatter, minimalistic style, as GSMArena notes. At the same time, the leaked images will provide users with a closer look at other changes set to make an appearance in the upcoming OS version, such as a modified keyboard, an updated play button in the music player, and new features in the camera application.

At the same time, said screenshots offer a glimpse at the Personal Assistant that BlackBerry 10.3 has been rumored to come to devices with. The one thing that hasn’t been unveiled as of now is when exactly the new platform release will become available for download. However, BlackBerry might offer such info in the not too distant future, so stay tuned to learn more on the matter. Screenshot images below, click to view larger images.

Leaked BlackBerry OS 10.3 screenshots
Images credits to zonablackberry.com.ve via GSMArena

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