Nexus 2016 leaks, rumors: two devices codenamed Sailfish, Marlin; to run on a Snapdragon 820 ...

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Sailfish is also said to have a 5-inch display with a quad-core 64-bit processor, although the model is indicated as unknown. This is paired with a 4GB ...

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TE Connectivity's LGA Socket to Be Used in Intel Processors

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Swiss-based manufacturer of electronics and sensors, TE Connectivity Ltd.TEL announced that its LGA (land grid array) 3647 Socket would be used in ...

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This cloud-connected Das Keyboard does so much more than type

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Das Keyboard has kicked off its first-ever Kickstarter for of all things a cloud-connected keyboard called the 5Q.

The Das Keyboard 5Q has everything you want from a modern, mechanical keyboard including a RGB lighting system that's customizable down to each individual key. On top of giving the keyboard your personal flair, the lights can be used as notifications for information streamed directly from the internet.

The premium peripheral maker explains that the RGB LED in each key can be color-controlled remotely to represent a specific piece of information such as weather info, stock quotes and urgent emails. The idea here is instead of keeping separate tabs open or checking your phone 150 million times a day, the 5Q will remind you subtly by changing the colors of the keys.

The entire experience is customizable and users will be able to setup triggers from a cloud-based Q-app. Alternatively, users could also connect the Das Keyboard 5C to services like Zapier and IFTTT.

The keyboard itself is fairly high-end with a long braided cable and a magnetic palm rest. Meanwhile, the underlying Gamma-Zulu mechanical switches offer a soft-tactile feel and are of Das Keyboard's own design.

As of this writing, the Das Keyboard 5Q has just passed the three-quarters mark of its $100,000 Kickstarter goal and you can nab your own cloud-connected keyboard for $109 with shipping expected in January 2017.

• Your search for the best gaming keyboards is over

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Apparently, There Are Going To Be Two Variants Of Snapdragon 821

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While this is one-half of the processor, we still do not know what the remaining dual-core CPU's frequency is going to be running at. As for the GPU, ...

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How To Choose A Motherboard

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While the processor, graphics card, and even the RAM speak directly to questions ... Can I make the CPU run faster than factory specifications? Safely ...

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Intel & AMD Processor Hierarchy

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Here is a resource to help you judge if a CPU is a reasonable value: The gaming CPU hierarchy chart groups CPUs with similar performance.

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AMD Zen Processor “Naples” with 32 Cores / 64 Threads Enters Prototyping Phase – Spotted On ...

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These processors are going to be pit against Intel's offerings in the x86 sector and depending on how they are priced could find quite a market share ...

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Le Max2 by LeEco – The best-in- class Snapdragon 820 Smartphone

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It is therefore imperative that smartphones, that makes this multi-tasking possible, are backed by powerful processors. In addition to demanding specs ...

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The octa-core Kirin 650 blows the competition out of the water

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If you're in the market for a new smartphone, it might be smart to pick something that uses a next-gen processor, such as the Kirin 650. Better battery ...

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Huawei's Honor 5C with Kirin 650 16nm CPU goes on Flash Sale at 2PM on June 30

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SmartImage 3.0 image processor with a variety of creative filters and shooting modes: Light Painting mode gives manual control of the shutter for long ...

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STMicroelectronics' EyeQ5: Too late in the game?

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He sees some dedicated processors for specific sensors and central processors for fusion and decision making; the latter function being performed by ...

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7-inch touch display

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Incostartec's HMI TBT-Ax-070T IP54 consists of a 7-inch resistive touch-display and a processor-module-system. It has one optional CAN interface and ...

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Impact of Kirin 650

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The processor is the heart of any smartphone and today we look into how ... It is a low power consuming unit that assists the main processors to run ...

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Fujitsu sheds its solo approach to supercomputers

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How efficiently computational labor is divided among a supercomputer's several hundred-thousand to several million processors is what sets the ...

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TE Connectivity's LGA Socket to Be Used in Intel Processors

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The new socket will provide consistent connectivity for CPUs in high ... performance and advanced system scaling of Intel's latest CPU processors.

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Electronic Design's Products of the Week (6/26-7/2)

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VersaLogic Osprey, a compact, rugged, embedded computer is the next generation of VersaLogic's EPU format which combines processor, memory, ...

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Core i7-6700K falls to $299 (finally) this week in Deals

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Do the new NVIDIA GTX 1070 and 1080 graphics cards have you also needing up bump up your processor? Today the high end Core i7-6700K CPU ...

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ASUS N552V review: How bulk can be beautiful

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Rather than limiting the peak performance of the CPU, this shows that the processor is still trying to reach its peak of 3GHz. Despite that however ...

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Win Killer Technology Enabled ASRock Motherboards

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... i5 processor, AMD Radeon RX480 8GB or you can award yourself with a GeForce GTX 1070 (saving $100 on a mainboard, $100 on a CPU can ...

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Corsair Unveils Vengeance LED Modules: DDR4 Gets Lighting, 4333 MT/s Data-Rate

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Corsair has introduced its Vengeance LED family of memory modules designed for enthusiasts of high-performance PCs and modders. The fresh range of Corsair’s memory combines new design featuring LED lighting with high capacities as well as increased data-rates. Initially, the Vengeance LED DDR4 DIMMs will be available with data-rates up to 3466 MT/s, but in the near future the company promises to add DRAM sticks with speeds up to 4333 MT/s.

Each Corsair Vengeance LED unbuffered memory module is based on a custom 10-layer PCB as well as pre-binned DRAM chips that can run at data-rates well beyond 2133 MT/s and 2400 MT/s officially supported by today’s CPUs. The modules are equipped with aluminum heat spreaders featuring red or white lighting to complement design of modern motherboards, graphics cards, cases and PSUs. All new Vengeance LED DIMMs are optimized for Intel’s X99 and 100-series platforms and come with XMP 2.0 profiles to make it easier for end-users to run them at their data-rates with the right timings and voltage.

Initially available Corsair Vengeance LED memory modules come in 8 GB and 16 GB capacities (which means that they are likely based on the latest 8 Gb DDR4 ICs) and are shipped in dual-channel and quad-channel kits. The modules are rated to run at 2666 MT/s, 3000 MT/s, 3200 MT/s, 3400 MT/s as well as 3466 MT/s data-rates with CL15 17-17-35, CL16 18-18-35 or CL16 18-18-36 latencies. Depending on exact speed bins, the modules feature 1.2V or 1.35V power supply.

Corsair Vengeance LED DDR4 DIMMs and Kits
Data rate	Latency		Module Capacity	Kit Capacity	Number of Modules	Voltage	Part Number
2666 MT/s	CL16 18-18-35		8 GB	16 GB	2	1.2 V	CMU16GX4M2A2666C16 CMU16GX4M2A2666C16R
				32 GB	4		CMU32GX4M4A2666C16 CMU32GX4M4A2666C16R
			16 GB	32 GB	2		CMU32GX4M2A2666C16 CMU32GX4M2A2666C16R
				64 GB	4		CMU64GX4M4A2666C16
3000 MT/s	CL15 17-17-35		8 GB	16 GB	2	1.35 V	CMU16GX4M2C3000C15 CMU16GX4M2C3000C15R
				32 GB	4		CMU32GX4M4C3000C15 CMU32GX4M4C3000C15R
			16 GB	32 GB	2		CMU32GX4M2C3000C15 CMU32GX4M2C3000C15R
				64 GB	4		CMU64GX4M4C3000C15 CMU64GX4M4C3000C15R
3200 MT/s	CL16 18-18-36 CL16		8 GB	16 GB	2		CMU16GX4M2C3200C16) CMU16GX4M2C3200C16R)
				32 GB	4		CMU32GX4M4C3200C16) CMU32GX4M4C3200C16R)
			16 GB	32 GB	2		CMU32GX4M2C3200C16 CMU32GX4M2C3200C16R
				64 GB	4		CMU64GX4M4C3200C16 CMU64GX4M4C3200C16R
3400 MT/s			8 GB	32 GB	4		CMU32GX4M4C3400C16 CMU32GX4M4C3400C16R
3466 MT/s							CMU32GX4M4C3466C16 CMU32GX4M4C3466C16R

Eventually, Corsair plans to introduce Vengeance LED modules capable or running at higher data-rates, including 3800 MT/s, 4000 MT/s as well as 4333 MT/s. Right now, the world’s highest-performing memory modules have 4 GB capacity and can run at 4266 MT/s. Therefore, with the introduction of DDR4-4333 DIMMs, Corsair would formally offer the world’s fastest memory sticks.

Pricing of Corsair’s Vengeance LED memory kits depends on specifications and capacity. The most affordable DDR4-2666 16 GB (2×8 GB) dual-channel kit costs $105, a faster DDR4-3200 16 GB (2×8 GB) dual-channel kit is priced at $115, whereas a DDR4-3200 64 GB (4×16 GB) quad-channel kit costs $485. All Vengeance LED modules and kits from Corsair are backed by the company’s lifetime warranty.

Gallery: Corsair Unveils Vengeance LED Modules: DDR4 Gets Lighting, 4333 MT/s Data-Rate

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Qualcomm Expands Support for Google's Project Tango

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For example, the Snapdragon 820 not only includes the Kyro CPU and Adreno graphics technology, but also the Hexagon digital signal processor ...

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InfiniBand-on-die MIA in Oracle's new 'Sonoma' Sparc S7 processor

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Oracle's Sparc S7 processor codenamed Sonoma will not feature on-chip InfiniBand interfaces as expected. The CPU, designed for scale-out systems ...

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eBay's Billion Daily Transactions Cooled with Water

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The result: according to Dell, Triton's ability to sub-cool the processor and operate ... sled to cool the CPU, which Gan said delivers enhanced cooling efficiencies along with the lowest water consumption of any liquid cooled solution.

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AMD RX 480 8GB Review, Overclocking, & Exhaustive Benchmark

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The Graphics Command Processor takes instruction from the CPU and sends it to the scheduler, which is a GPU component. The scheduler then ...

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Qualcomm looks to get into augmented reality with new chips on Project Tango

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Qualcomm has revealed one of its processors has been used to help make augmented reality possible in Google's Protect Tango tablets.

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TE Connectivity Ltd (NYSE:TEL) & NCR Corporation (NYSE:NCR) Technology Stock's Trend ...

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TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, declared its LGA 3647 Socket for Intel Corporation's new processors specified under ...

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General Micro Systems Unveils Super-rugged, High-Performance “Server Room in a Box” Family ...

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The Intel Xeon D processor, which is designed to fit easily between the Core i7 desktop and Xeon E5 server-room processors (and above the Xeon ...

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Imagination's multi-threaded MIPS CPUs streamline system development in Valens' new ...

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Says Jim Nicholas, EVP MIPS Processor IP, Imagination: “MIPS CPUs have a strong presence in automotive, and are found inside the large majority of ...

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Imagination's multi-threaded MIPS CPUs streamline system development in Valens' new ...

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EVP MIPS Processor IP, Imagination: "MIPS CPUs have a strong presence in automotive, and are found inside the large majority of ADAS solutions in ...

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Executive Insight: Grant Pierce

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Pierce: Back in the 1980s, processors needed to be more efficient and complemented by the software we were going to run. Instead of designing the ...

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Lenovo Vibe K5 2nd flash sale today; get it at Rs 6999

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... Snapdragon 415 Octacore CPU combined with a 12.7cm (5) high-definition display with 720x1280 pixel resolution. ... For multitasking efficiency, Vibe K5 comes with 64-bit Qualcomm octa-core processor and 2GB of DDR3 RAM.

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AMD Zen CPU release date: Processor expected to launch by the holidays

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AMD has officially unveiled the new AMD Zen CPU, which is currently going ... The basic design of the processor is aimed toward mid-range and ...

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Google and Qualcomm team up to make Project Tango easy on your CPU

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With no extra co-processors to add, the difference between a Tango and non-Tango phone is just the extra depth sensor and motion tracking camera.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 and 820 SoCs Can Both Run Google's Tango Technology

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It's no easy task for a processor, though. Right now ... while information from the depth sensor gets sent to a dedicated Neon processor within the CPU.

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This mini computer is ideal for the office

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In comparison, an enthusiast-class Intel Core i7-6700K desktop processor managed 892 while an ultrabook CPU (Core i7-6500U) scored 321.

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Best CPUs: Q2 2016

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When building a custom PC, especially on the consumer side, the processor is typically second or third down the list of priorities, behind graphics (for gamers), storage or specific motherboard features. A lot of choosing a processor comes down to budget, whether there is a preference for one brand or the other, or if the performance is similar enough that the money saved on a cheaper model can be spent elsewhere. By contrast, when it comes to workstations or enterprise situations, it helps to have an accurate profile of the intended workflow in order to choose which platform is needed, how much memory or how many expansion cards will be used, and if the software can prioritize cores over frequency or vice versa.

In our CPU Guide for Q2 2016, we’ll consider certain environments and budgets and give you our pick of some of the best processors available, supplying data from our Benchmark Database where possible.

Since our last update for Q1, AMD has launched their Carrizo based Athlon X4 845 at $70, marking a very interesting offering, and Intel tackled the high-end desktop market both for Consumer (via Broadwell-E and the i7-6800K and i7-6900K/X range) and Enterprise (the Xeon E5-2600 v4, E7-4800 v4 and the E7-8800 v4 lines).

If All You Need is Single Thread Performance:

Buy Intel Pentium G3258 on Amazon.com

Intel Pentium G3258 with an Overclock ($67)

Some environments are mostly single threaded, such as single use servers or basic home systems for email, writing reports or accessing the web. Even video streaming performance can benefit from single threaded speed in certain situations, so for this segment we’re going with the Pentium G3258. This is Intel’s overclockable dual core processor without hyperthreading, and comes out of the box at 3.2 GHz for only $72. In our review, with a good air cooler and some patience, we were able to extract 4.7 GHz stable with only a small increase in voltage, or 4.4 GHz was a nice point for power/voltage.

This makes it as fast as the Intel i7-4790K, Intel’s highest frequency consumer processor, in single threaded performance while costing ~$230 less when you also buy a reasonable cooler. Most motherboards will come with automatic overclock settings as well, making the job easier. On gaming, even when overclocked, the G3258 can fall behind on triple-A titles when equipped with a strong graphics card, which is something to note. The G3258 uses the Haswell platform and chipset, the 9-series (Z97), so there are a small number of USB 3.1 motherboards but full M.2 NVMe support will be limited. But if this is for a budget build, chances are M.2 NVMe won’t be high on the list anyway.

Some could argue that going for a Crystal Well based processor, with added embedded DRAM (eDRAM), might be more helpful in certain memory limited situations. This is true, and in benchmarks which need it, like WinZip compression, this shows in the results. Something like the i5-5675C ($296) and the i7-5775C ($397) have 128MB of eDRAM that acts like a victim cache and can optimise most gains (up to 128MB) as long as the software is recalling frequently used memory due to the victim cache nature.

But if we’re going down that route, I’m going to put an honourable mention here to a Xeon part because the fact that it exists: the E7-8893 v4. This is a highly focused and optimised part for eight socket servers, and chances are you can only buy it from select Intel partners (Supermicro, Dell, HPE, Tyan) anyway, but it gets around the quad core plus eDRAM by just having a large L3 cache. This part uses the high-end desktop silicon die design, and Intel has opened it up to have a full 60MB of L3 cache for only four cores, and these cores run at 3.2-3.5 GHz. Sounds fancy, especially when you can have eight in one system. The only drawback is the price: $6841 each at tray (1k unit) price. If you believe the Amazon reseller actually has them, they’re currently available for $7785. It’s a crazy part not designed for home use, but fun to know about.

Going Cheap to Bump the Single GPU System; aka Gaming on a Budget:

Buy AMD Athlon X4 845 on Amazon.com

Intel Pentium G3258 ($67) or
AMD Athlon X4 845 ($66 with 95W cooler)

This is a new segment, added for the fact that sometimes going up from a mid-range to a high/mid-range GPU is more enticing in a system build than another couple of cores, especially if you plan to upgrade it later or want to shave off a few bucks here and there.

There’s little need to cover the G3258 again, but it’s worth noting that the retail cooler comes with is one of Intel’s low profile stock coolers. This is in comparison to AMD’s new Athlon X4 845, which instead comes with a 95W cooler for silent operation and a bit of overclocking headroom. In order to get the same overclocking benefits with the G3258, another $30 may need to be spent to get a better cooler. We actually have Tracy testing the efficacy of AMD’s new coolers, so keep your eyes out for that review.

The Athlon X4 845 is an interesting part from AMD, under the Carrizo design family. It sits near the bottom of a stack of Kaveri parts, despite using AMD’s latest microarchitecture. It looks like it will be the only FM2+ processor that will have the Carrizo cores, and due to the laptop-focus of the CPU design, running it at 65W is not normally advisable for efficiency. So it is in a low-efficiency bracket, it is lower on frequency compared to older chips, and it only runs eight lanes of PCIe 3.0. So why is it recommended?

We reviewed the principle of the Carrizo design earlier this year (in laptops) with good news for the base microarchitecture. I’ve made enough excuses about where the exact review of the X4 845 is (Computex + 2x illness), and the full CPU review is still coming, but I’ve made the results available in Bench for everyone to compare.

Given that AMD’s next platform starts with an updated version of Carrizo, Bristol Ridge, it will be interesting to see where the performance lies. There’s still no word on when Bristol Ridge is arriving, so the X4 845 seems a nice jump for someone who wants that ‘plus one’ class on a GPU by saving a bit on the CPU.

That Triple-A Gaming CPU for Single GPU Systems:

Buy Intel Core i5-6600 on Amazon.com

Intel i5-6600 ($226) or Intel i5-6600K ($229)

The nature of high end gaming is currently in a state of flux. Most of Intel’s quad-core processors do the job up to 4K single player gaming quite easily, with or without overclocks, and the i5-6600 is the one we’ve tested where it stands toe-to-toe with the larger i7 parts or the high-end desktop processors. The i5-6600 is a quad-core part without hyperthreading, starting at 3.3 GHz and pushing to a 3.9 GHz turbo for an official TDP of 65W.

The reason I say gaming is in flux is the big unknown in DirectX 12: as part of the DX12 platform, having more cores to perform asynchronous CPU physics or issue more kernel calls should help with graphics fidelity, making more complex scenes quicker to render: but will it allow simpler scenes to push 60, 90 or 120 frames per second? At this point, until some triple-A DX12 titles hit the market in full swing, we won’t know. What we do know is that for virtual reality, a modern Core i5 certainly fits the bill, especially in terms of latency to hit the 90 FPS quoted to ensure immersion without inducing nausea. For most current titles out however, the Core i5 will hit the asymptotic frame rate limit of a high-end GPU or be within 5-10% of it.

Grand Theft Auto V

For users willing to push the boat for an overclock, the Core i5-6600K (at 3.5-3.9 GHz) is another $5 ($229). Many users consider Xeons for the i5-K part, and the most applicable one here is the E3-1230 v5 (at 3.4-3.8 GHz). At $250 it loses overclocking, high-speed memory and 100 MHz from the CPU frequency but enables hyperthreading, making it more like a Core i7-6700 but $50 cheaper. The only downside is that Intel’s Skylake Xeons require a server class chipset, the C232 and C236, which restricts motherboard choice.

Going for eSports without a Graphics Card:

Buy AMD A10-7860K on Amazon.com

Buy Intel Core i5-5675C on Amazon.com

AMD A10-7860K ($105 with 95W cooler) or Intel Core i5-5675C ($296)

My personal list of eSports or eSports-like titles comes in with DOTA 2, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends and Rocket League. These titles are relatively simple to run on most graphics situations, and even when pushing the extreme details are fairly easy to render on any graphics card north of $150. This makes integrated graphics a nice entry point for users interested in eSports, allowing them to upgrade to a larger graphics card at a later date when they want to run the latest graphics cruncher. The two CPUs I’ve chosen here are the A10-7860K, one of AMD’s latest Kaveri Refresh parts that comes with a 95W cooler as standard and a really nice price, and the a king of integrated graphics in the Core i5-5675C, using 128MB of eDRAM to handily accelerate CPU-to-memory transfers which are vital in integrated graphics.

Rocket League

The A10-7860K from AMD is a new Kaveri Refresh part, replacing a few other older Kaveri units, but comes in with four threads, a full complement of eight compute units (512 SPs, the most we’ve seen on an APU), a 65W TDP, but is bundled with a 95W cooler as standard all for $118. Users can also look into overclocking this APU with that extra headroom, promising more performance. When we reviewed the A8-7670K with Rocket League, with 25% less GPU power we saw 1080p Medium settings going above a minimum 35 FPS, and with the A10 should be near a full 60 FPS average, especially with an overclock and/or fast memory.

The Core i5-5675C from Intel uses two things: Intel’s largest integrated graphics on a desktop CPU, and 128MB of eDRAM as a quicker memory store to pull graphics and texture data from. With gaming, the bandwidth between the graphics cores and video memory is a vital factor in performance, and the eDRAM boosts the potential bandwidth from 25 GB/s on DDR3 to 50 GB/s bi-directional, while also decreasing latency. This eDRAM is part of Intel’s Crystal Well line, of which only two desktop parts have ever been released (and can be difficult to find). But when we reviewed both this i5 and the more expensive i7-5775C they came top of the roost for integrated graphics performance.

It is worth noting that DirectX 12 enables multi-adapter gaming, and if the game engine supports it (a very important distinction), an integrated graphics unit can work with a discrete graphics card for improved gaming performance. So users investing in an eSports-focused integrated graphics system today and then a larger discrete graphics card for triple-A titles later might be able to take advantage of multi-adapter gaming on certain titles.

Going High-End Desktop (HEDT):

Buy Intel Core i7-5820K on Amazon.com

Intel Core i7-5820K ($375) for 6-cores or
Intel Xeon E5-1620 v4 ($294 MSRP, $318 re-seller) for 4-cores

This is where things get messy. Intel recently released its Broadwell-E line of processors: the cheaper 6-core i7-6800K ($429) with 28 PCIe lanes; the 6-core i7-6850K ($628) with 40 PCI lanes; the 8-core i7-6900K ($1120); and the 10-core i7-6950X ($1730). The first three are all architectural updates compared to the older Haswell-E Core i7 parts launched back in August in 2014, with the new 10-core commanding another couple of cores and an exorbitant new price. As expected, the newer parts also cost more, but surprisingly they cost a lot more than expected.

So let us put it this way. The ‘low-end’ six core Haswell-E, the i7-5820K, is $54 cheaper than the equivalent Broadwell-E part, the i7-6800K. That’s a 14.4% jump in price, for a sub-5% jump in performance. Both processors work in the same motherboard platforms, so it doesn’t really make sense to go for the more expensive part. Spend the money on a better graphics card.

The E5-1620 v4 gets a mention here, even though users would be lucky to find many on sale anywhere. The E5-1600 line from Intel are the single LGA2011-3 socket Xeons, using the same dies and are typically similar in price to the Core i7 HEDT consumer products. This one we’ve picked out for a couple of reasons. The main one is the price, which if you can find it around the tray price of $294 is around $81 cheaper than the Core i7-5820K. Also, it shows the cheapest way to get on the quad-channel memory bandwagon that the HEDT platform gets you – if all you want is lots of memory for VMs, to run ECC, or the opportunity to upgrade later, it becomes an interesting processor if you don’t mind four cores. Some users will say that two more cores for $81 might be a worthwhile upgrade, but it depends on the specific user workflow (e.g. ECC).

Alternatives to the 140W, 3.0 GHz 10-core Core i7-6950X at $1730:

1x Intel Xeon E5-2660 v4 ($1445 MSRP, $1500 reseller),
1x Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4 ($1745 MSRP, $1800 reseller), or
2x Intel Xeon E5-2630 v4 (2x$667 MSRP, $690 reseller)

You might think that if you need 10 cores, then there might only be one choice in the i7-6950X. Intel’s Xeon E5-2600v4 range, which typically designed for workstations and servers equipped with two processors, can be for home/office use as well. Certain parts on the list can be an apt comparison to the i7-6950X, although like other Xeons, depending on how Intel sells these your mileage may vary. If will also depend if you want overclocking, or have software that can use more cores at a lower frequency. Or you specifically want ECC support. These Xeons use the larger Broadwell-EP dies, which have dual memory controllers, which can afford a (rated) 5% speed up.

The first two on the list should fit into any X99 motherboard with a BIOS update. The price difference is $300, going from $230 cheaper to $70 more expensive, and the difference is purely in the CPU frequency, L3 cache (up from 25MB to 35MB) and power consumption.

The cheaper E5-2660 v4 has a base of 2.0 GHz, can turbo up to 3.2 GHz (that’s 4/4/4/4/4/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/12/12), and runs at 105W. So that is some frequency lost over the i7 in exchange for 40% more cores and a 25% power saving.

The more expensive E5-2680 v4 has a base of 2.4 GHz, but can turbo up to 3.3 GHz (that’s 5/5/5/5/5/5/5/5/5/5/6/7/9/9) for 120W. Technically that means in mixed thread workloads, the E5-2680 v4 should have a frequency gain over the E5-2680 v4. Also, it’s 40% more cores over the i7 with a 14% power saving.

The final suggestion on the list is a bit different – using two processors in a single system. There are many advantages and disadvantages to what we’ve chosen here.

Advantages: At current pricing, $1380 combined saves a lot over $1730. In exchange, you get 20-cores and 40 threads rather than 10/20, and double the amount of potential in unbuffered DRAM for the system, allowing for 256GB in total.

Disadvantages: Have to source a 2P motherboard, which can double motherboard costs. More memory slots is also more cost (depending on how budget is allocated). CPU frequencies are 2.2-3.1 GHz, and total TDP is 170W, which is more than any other option listed. The big one though is the one most non-workstation users don’t know about: non-uniform memory access (NUMA). In a 2P system, there is a communication link between the two processors, running through the QPI at 8.0 gigatransfers/sec. Unless the software you use knows how to deal with that, then memory required by a thread for one core could be on the DRAM on the other processor, which makes memory accesses (and thread stalls) very, very long. This is why when some users build a 2P system and they only see a slight speed up (or a speed decrease), rather than a 2x increase, they wonder why performance is not what they expected. It’s because 2P is more complex than 1P. If you run multiple VMs anyway, it’s less of an issue.

A VR/Future Proof dual GPU System:

Buy Intel Core i7-4790K on Amazon.com

Buy Intel Core i7-6700K on Amazon.com

Intel Core i7-4790K ($331) or
Intel Core i7-6700K ($365)

H2 2016 is set to be the time when Virtual Reality gaming starts becoming ‘a thing’ now that users are getting their hands on headsets and games are being released. One of critical points that both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive will have to combat is the fact that (as quoted by several sources) only 1% of the current gaming PC community has enough grunt or the required connections to run a VR headset (compared to Playstation VR, where everyone has the hardware). Both Oculus and HTC have announced minimum specifications that all games will have to hit 90 FPS as a minimum to be considered ready for VR: this is typically a Core i5 processor and a GTX 970 or AMD R9 290 in tow, making the minimum price for a new VR build around $200 for the CPU and $300+ for the graphics card, plus another $300-$500 in other components. What if you’ve got a pair of high-end graphics cards ready to go? What CPU would give the most benefit here?

The simple answer here usually comes down to two choices – the latest Intel Skylake Core i7-6700K or the higher frequency and overclocking focused but slightly older Devil’s Canyon update in the Intel Core i7-4790K.  Out of the box the i7-4790K has a higher turbo speed, but an older microarchitecture, and both can be overclocked to around 4.7 GHz fairly easily as shown in our reviews. Because the i7-4790K is older, it can arguably found in bundles and cheaper than its original MSRP: $320 at Newegg and Amazon with cheaper Z97 motherboards compared to the inflated price of the i7-6700K which sits at $365 with newer Z170 motherboards. If we’re going for futureproof, then the i7-6700K uses the 100-series chipsets on its motherboards, allowing for access to DDR4, M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 support with NVMe, some motherboards with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1, and the voltage regulator is back on the motherboard which has the potential to reduce heat issues.

Our discrete GPU testing doesn’t show much difference between the two processors at stock, and with the i7-6700K being more feature-packed I would perhaps be prepared to absorb the inflated price difference if I already had graphics cards on hand.

Honourable Mention for Price/Performance:

Buy AMD Athlon X4 880K on Amazon.com

AMD Athlon X4 880K ($98 with 125W cooler)

For anyone building a budget conscious mid-range possible gaming system with a discrete graphics card, the Athlon X4 880K processor from AMD offers some nice value. Under the hood this is essentially a 100 MHz faster version of the A10-7870K which we reviewed, but as it does not have integrated graphics this allows all the power budget to be put squarely onto the overclockable CPU. Pairing it with a mid-range graphics card, such as the R9 370 or GTX 960 for around $200, makes a system easily capable of high-end graphics consistency on eSports titles and mid-range quality settings at 1080p for the major titles of the year.

Update of Best CPUs:

On user feedback, here's the comparison between what we suggested last quarter and this quarter.

Best CPU Updates
	Q1 2016	Q2 2016
Going for Single Thread	Pentium G3258+OC ($72)	Pentium G3258+OC ($67)
Gaming on a Budget	-	Intel Pentium G3258 ($67) or AMD Athlon X4 845 ($66)
Single GPU Gaming	Intel i5-6600 ($213)	Intel i5-6600 ($226) or Intel i5-6600K ($229)
Going for eSports on IGP	AMD A10-7860K ($118) or Intel Core i5-5675C ($277)	AMD A10-7860K ($105) or Intel Core i5-5675C ($296)
High-End Desktop (HEDT)	Intel Core i7-5820K ($396) Intel Core i7-5960X ($999)	Intel Core i7-5820K ($375) Intel Xeon E5-1620 v4 ($318)
HEDT Alternatives	-	E5-2660 v4 ($1500), E5-2680 v4 ($1800), or 2x E5-2630 v4 (2x $690)
VR/Future Proof CPU for Dual GPU	Intel Core i7-4790K ($350) or Intel Core i7-6700K ($350)	Intel Core i7-4790K ($331) or Intel Core i7-6700K ($365)
Honorable Mention for Price/Perf	AMD Athlon X4 880K ($95)	AMD Athlon X4 880K ($98)

In the next few months, we are not expecting many major releases. AMD has started talking about their next platform, the 7th Generation APU named Bristol Ridge, but only in the sense of laptops right now with no word on desktop. Zen is still further out, with original plans for nearer Q4/Q1. On the Intel side, We've seen Apollo Lake (sort of) at Computex but on the mini-PC side, we're still waiting for more information. Kaby Lake is, like Zen, expected to be much further out. Intel does have its Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in August, which we will be attending, which might have some new information on upcoming features. We're expecting to hear some Optane (SSD, 3D XPoint) and Knights Landing (Xeon Phi) news for sure, though whether anything CPU relating comes out we will have to see.

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Asus Flip Chromebook successor could boast Skylake CPU

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Now, there's word that Asus is prepping a new Chromebook with a Skylake processor under the hood. The new system has been unearthed via ...

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System Shock PC system requirements

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The PC system requirements for this year's System Shock remake have been released, requiring an Intel quad-core CPU and at least an HD 7870.

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The Huawei MateBook Review: A Denial-of-Surface Attack

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The MateBook only ships with Core m processors, a necessity of the incredibly thin and fanless design that Huawei is using. That obviously will put the ...

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TE Connectivity Announces New LGA 3647 IC Socket

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“Designers using the latest CPU processors for new server platforms and HPC applications need CPU sockets that deliver performance and reliable ...

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Neural network software framework extends support for AI in vision

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Combined with the CEVA-XM4 imaging and vision processor, CDNN2 ... from the CPU to the CEVA-XM4 for various neural network-related tasks.

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Intel Xeon Processor CPU E5-2697 v2 2.7GHz 30M 8GT/s 12 Core

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Up for sale are 2 GENUINE Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2 Processors CPUs - The processors has been removed from a working machines. The price for each ...

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First Chip Built with 1000 Processors

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The chip contains 1,000 independently programmed processors incorporating 621 million transistors, and it may be the first 1,000-processor chip ever ...

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Asrock's First Two Hyper-OC Non-K BCLK Motherboards Now Available

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Due to the precarious state of Asrock’s Hyper-OC motherboards, and strong opposition from Intel, it appeared for a long time that these boards would never be released. Asrock has now released some of them, at least, but it may be for just a short time.

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Asus convertible Chromebook tablet with Skylake CPU on the way?

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Cave seems to have a 6th-gen Intel Core “Skylake” processor. ... But the Skylake CPU suggests that the new model will be more powerful (and ...

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Intel Anticipating An Unexpected IBM Attack?

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Despite that Intel is claiming the latest Xeon is more efficient than IBM's (NYSE:IBM) Power8 family of high-end processors. Does that mean Intel is ...

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MediaTek introduces Helio X20 dev board with deca-core CPU

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MediaTek's Helio X20 processor is a 10-core chip two ARM Crotex-A72 processors and four Cortex-A53 CPU cores as well as ARM Mali-T880 ...

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AMD Wraith Cooler

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AMD's new stock CPU cooler is quiet and effective, much more so than its ... It is shipping with the FX-8370 processor for the time being, and may be ...

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ASUS launches its latest ROG gaming laptop – ASUS ROG G501

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Introducing the new Asus ROG G501VW, featuring the latest 6th Gen Intel Quad core CPUs along with Nvidia GTX960M Graphics in a Slim and ...

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vivo X7 clears TENAA with octa-core CPU, 5.2-inch screen, and 4GB RAM

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According to TENAA, the handset is powered by an octa-core 1.8GHz processor (SD652) and sports a 5.2-inch full HD display. RAM is 4GB, while ...

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Ruggedised modular ARM PC targets embedded designs

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Harting has launched the first of its ruggedised MICA (Modular Industry Computing Architecture) PCs based around processors from ARM.

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Attention users: New malware commits data theft by the sound of your processor!

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However, a team of Israeli researchers claim to have created a malware that can extract data from an isolated computer without an internet connection, ...

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i5-6600k processor & Asetek cl550 CPU Water Cooler

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This package of parts includes two (2) 120mm Fans (not attached to radiator) with screws, 1 tube of thermal paste, backplate to mount cooler on cpu, ...

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How To Choose A CPU Cooler

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More than simple sinks, a large surface area of fins helps CPU coolers ... These generally use far more energy than the processor does, and can scale ...

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How To Choose A CPU Cooler

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CPU cooling is a fairly basic concept, yet devices range from simple heat sinks to refrigeration units. While enthusiast choices are often split between the overly complex and overly price sensitive, we try to make a few realistic recommendations.

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Researchers Make Malware That Steals Data By Spinning Your Computer's Fans

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... computer with no internet connection, camera or audio hardware—all by using sounds generated by the machine's processor and cooling fans.

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Galaxy S7 edge equals an Intel i7-6700K in performance? How is this possible?

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However, to say that the processor present in the 5.5-inch smartphone can match up to ... Qualcomm is developed a second generation Kryo II processor, that will be running at a lower clock speed than the first generation Kryo CPU.

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GIGABYTE GA-H81M-HD3 Motherboard with i7-4770 Processor

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GIGABYTE GA-H81M-HD3 Motherboard with i7-4770 Processor (include CPU FAN) & 16GB Memory installed CPU Intel® Core™ i7-4770 processors ...

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LG K8 vs. Xiaomi Mi Max - Best Specs and Features Comparison

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Processor: quad-core Cortex A53 CPU clocked at 1.4GHz and a dual-core Cortex A72 CPU clocked at 1.8GHz or a quad-core Cortex A53 CPU ...

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AMD Zen CPU release date: Chip design has USB 3.1 issue; Motherboard prices may get affected?

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AMD has assigned ASMedia Technology the research and development work for its Zen-based processor. Now it is rumored that a USB 3.1 design ...

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Promethean Introduces Updates to ActivPanel

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The updated display from Promethean features externally accessible, upgradeable Android platform CPU and access to more than 500,000 apps. ... “By designing the ActivPanel with an externally accessible Android processor, the ...

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Microsoft Confirms Surface 3 Production To End In December

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File this under “I’m not shocked” but Microsoft has confirmed today that the Surface 3 tablet will cease production by the end of December. The Surface 3 first launched way back in the spring of 2015, and after its review it quickly jumped to the top of the stack in the Windows tablet space. The design, excellent display, and 3:2 aspect ratio still makes it one of the best sub-$500 Windows tablets today.

So the news that it’s going to cease production in six months is not especially exciting – after all it will be going on two years old by that point. The real question is what is going to come next. The Surface 3 is a Cherry Trail Atom design, with a quad-core x7-8700 processor. The successor to Cherry Trail has been axed by Intel though, leaving a big gap in Intel’s lineup. They have confirmed that Apollo Lake will be available for tablet makers, but it’s certainly not a drop-in replacement for Cherry Trail.

Certainly this long after Surface 3 launched, there is plenty of room for improvement. USB-C has become more commonplace, and could easily replace the micro-USB charging which was a major hindrance on the Surface 3, leading to excessive charge times. One of the biggest issues with the Surface 3 was the sub-par storage performance, and on a new model it would be great to see NVMe based storage. The Surface 3 is also 50% thicker and heavier than the iPad Air 2, but it does have a built-in kickstand of course.

Surface 3 on top of Surface Pro 3

We’ve not had any indication from Microsoft on a replacement device, so there’s no indication whether this model will be updated with a refreshed Surface 4, or just cancelled outright. The lack of a new Atom processor might force their hand. While it would be great to see this appear with a new Core M based part, unless Intel revamps that lineup, the pricing of that CPU would likely be the death knell of this smaller Surface device.

If you were looking at one of these, the 128 GB storage option also includes 4 GB of memory, and the price has dropped to $399/$449 without LTE. Stock is limited. It’s still one of the best Windows tablets around, despite its shortcomings.

Buy Microsoft Surface 3 (4GB, 128GB) on Amazon.com

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Intel wants to flog 100000 Phis

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“We have interesting sales coming in from each and every country, and these being high performance processors, they can be adopted widely across ...

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IBM prepares Power9 to take on Intel and ARM

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IBM already is being used in servers, while ARM server processors are largely still being tested. Intel dominates the data center server chip market ...

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Moto X 2016 Release Date, Specs News: Processor Shift From Snapdragon To MediaTek Helio ...

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... on the 2.1GHz MediaTek Helio P10 octa core CPU. The new processor is the first of the company's P series that uses TSMC's 28nm HPC+ process.

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Galaxy S7 Edge Almost Matches Intel i7-6700K Processor in New Geekbench Results

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It seems that upcoming Snapdragon 830 will be a real beast if this is true and if the testing unit actually packs a CPU with Kryo II cores. Nevertheless ...

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Use These Task Manager Alternatives to Better Control Running Applications

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The status bar reveals the total CPU usage, Physical memory, and ... the Processor Use (red), Responsiveness (green), Process Restraint (yellow), ...

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COM Express Type 6 starter kits for Intel gen-6 CPU-based modules

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Avnet Embedded has introduced two COM Express starter kits for Type 6 modules based on the 6th generation of Intel Core processors previously ...

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cpu i7 processor

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selling cpu i7 email me if interested i have 2 available $150 each obo thxs.

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Intex Aqua 3G Pro Q: Quad-Core Processor & Android Lollipop For Just Rs. 2999

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As you may be aware the chipset houses a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A7 CPU, ARM Mali 400 MP2 GPU and 512MB of LPDDR2 RAM which ...

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Intel expects to sell more than 100000 Xeon Phi units this year

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Chip-maker Intel Corp, which has begun shipping its new Xeon Phi processors targeted at High Performance Computing (HPC) applications, expects ...

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Holy Crap! Bloke finishes hand-built CPU project!

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Have you ever seen an up-close view of how a computer processor works? If you're in the UK, you can head over to Cambridge and see the process ...

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SMIC begins mass production of Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor in Beijing

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The Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor is redefining the entry-point of mid-tier processors. With 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a 64-bit CPU, and a 16 megapixel ...

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Intel and XenApp: Necessary Instruments for Orchestrated Cloud Success

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TXT support appears across a wide range of Intel processors aimed at corporate markets and feeds into Intel Cloud Integrity Technology (CIT), ...

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Inside Japan's Future Exascale ARM Supercomputer

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The ARM architecture now gets a heavy-hitter system maker with expertise in developing processors to support diverse commercial and technical ...

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AMD Athlon X4-845 Quad-Core Processor Review

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Earlier in the year, AMD announced that their Athlon X4-845 processor would be the first CPU of its kind to feature their new “Excavator” architecture.

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Why would you want a 1000 core processor?

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Instead, much of the past decade of computing has been about stuffing those extra transistors into multi-core processors and GPUs. See, GPUs are ...

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How To Find And Fix An Overheating Laptop?

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Similarly, the amount of processors was multiplied, the hardware was put into slimmer cases, and better graphics cards enabled bigger screens with ...

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SuperMicro X11 MicroBlade Solution Review

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The servers themselves cover a broad landscape, from single- or dual-processor Intel Xeon systems to ultra-dense blades offering quad Intel-Avoton ...

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Gigabyte's P57W gaming laptop reviewed

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Both laptops are powered by Intel's Core i7-6700HQ CPU and Nvidia's GeForce GTX 970M mobile graphics processor, an impressive combination.

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Next-Generation AMD “Zen” Processor Facing USB 3.1 Issues

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AMD managed to integrate the chipset into its next-generation processors and APU's based on the Zen microarchitecture. In other words, the company ...

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Microsoft Surface Book 2 Release Date hints 32GB RAM and 4K Display Specs

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In addition to Windows 10 Redstone 2 OS and Kaby Lake CPU, the ... by an Intel Core i7 processor with an addition of a rechargeable Surface Pen, ...

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Best Gaming Laptop for the Money

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Sure, you'll have to deal with a slightly slower CPU and limited RAM to get it, but for your money there simply isn't a better deal on shelves today.

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New KiloCore project packs 1000 CPU cores into tiny power envelope, 32nm process

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It's been almost a decade since CPU developers began talking up ... The routers, independent memory blocks, and processors can all spin up or down ...

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SanDisk Extreme 510 Portable SSD Capsule Review

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Rapid advancements in flash technology has coincided with the rise of USB 3.0 as an ubiquitous high-speed interface on computers. This has led to the appearance of small and affordable direct attached storage units with very high performance for day-to-day data transfer applications. We have already looked at many flash drives with SSD controllers and a USB 3.0 - SATA bridge over the last year.

SanDisk launched the Extreme 510 Portable SSD at the 2016 CES. In terms of external appearance, it looks very similar to the Extreme 500 Portable SSD that we reviewed late last year. The only differences lie in the fact that the Extreme 510 comes in only one capacity - 480GB. It also carries a IP55 rating (dust and water resistance), thanks to the rubber bumper around the unit. It is targeted towards content creators who want rugged high capacity storage in the field.

Gallery: SanDisk Extreme 510 Portable SSD

Unlike the Extreme 500 240GB sample (which was based on the SSD PLUS series with a Silicon Motion controller), the Extreme 510 480GB version is based on the Ultra II. The 480GB Ultra II sports the Marvell Renoir 88SS9189 SSD controller with SanDisk's 2nd Gen 128Gbit 19nm TLC NAND.

Disassembling the unit was quite similar to the process we adopted for the Extreme 500. The striking difference is the special coating for the PCB and the chips on the board. This makes the chip markings quite difficult to read. This coating does seem to affect the thermal situation, as we shall see further down in this review.

Gallery: SanDisk Extreme 510 Portable SSD

Buy SanDisk Extreme 510 Portable SSD 480GB on Amazon.com

Testbed Setup and Testing Methodology

Evaluation of DAS units on Windows is done with the testbed outlined in the table below. For devices with a USB 3.0 (via a Type-A interface) connection (such as the SanDisk Extreme 510 480GB that we are considering today), we utilize the USB 3.1 Type-C port enabled by the Intel Alpine Ridge controller (along with a Type-C male to Type-A female cable). The Alpine Ridge controller connects to the Z170 PCH via a PCIe 3.0 x4 link..

AnandTech DAS Testbed Configuration
Motherboard	GIGABYTE Z170X-UD5 TH ATX
CPU	Intel Core i5-6600K
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws 4 F4-2133C15-8GRR 32 GB ( 4x 8GB) DDR4-2133 @ 15-15-15-35
OS Drive	Samsung SM951 MZVPV256 NVMe 256 GB
SATA Devices	Corsair Neutron XT SSD 480 GB Intel SSD 730 Series 480 GB
Add-on Card	None
Chassis	Cooler Master HAF XB EVO
PSU	Cooler Master V750 750 W
OS	Windows 10 Pro x64
Thanks to Cooler Master, GIGABYTE, G.Skill and Intel for the build components

The full details of the reasoning behind choosing the above build components can be found here.

The list of DAS units used for comparison purposes is provided below.

• SanDisk Extreme 510 480GB
• Corsair Voyager GS 512GB
• LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 500GB
• Samsung Portable SSD T1 1TB - No Encryption
• Samsung Portable SSD T3 2TB
• SanDisk Extreme 500 240GB - USB 3.1
• SanDisk Extreme 900 1.92TB

Synthetic Benchmarks - ATTO and Crystal DiskMark

SanDisk claims speeds of up to 430 MBps, and these are backed up by the ATTO benchmarks provided below. Unfortunately, these access traces are not very common in real-life scenarios.

SanDisk Extreme 510 480GB Corsair Voyager GS 512GB LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 500GB Samsung Portable SSD T1 1TB - No Encryption Samsung Portable SSD T3 2TB SanDisk Extreme 500 240GB - USB 3.1 SanDisk Extreme 900 1.92TB

CrystalDiskMark, despite being a canned benchmark, provides a better estimate of the performance range with a selected set of numbers. As evident from the screenshot below, the performance can dip to as low as 20 MBps for 4K random reads.

SanDisk Extreme 510 480GB Corsair Voyager GS 512GB LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 500GB Samsung Portable SSD T1 1TB - No Encryption Samsung Portable SSD T3 2TB SanDisk Extreme 500 240GB - USB 3.1 SanDisk Extreme 900 1.92TB

Benchmarks - robocopy and PCMark 8 Storage Bench

Our testing methodology for DAS units also takes into consideration the usual use-case for such devices. The most common usage scenario is transfer of large amounts of photos and videos to and from the unit. The minor usage scenario is importing files directly off the DAS into a multimedia editing program such as Adobe Photoshop.

In order to tackle the first use-case, we created three test folders with the following characteristics:

• Photos: 15.6 GB collection of 4320 photos (RAW as well as JPEGs) in 61 sub-folders
• Videos: 16.1 GB collection of 244 videos (MP4 as well as MOVs) in 6 sub-folders
• BR: 10.7 GB Blu-ray folder structure of the IDT Benchmark Blu-ray (the same that we use in our robocopy tests for NAS systems)

For the second use-case, we take advantage of PC Mark 8's storage bench. The storage workload involves games as well as multimedia editing applications. The command line version allows us to cherry-pick storage traces to run on a target drive. We chose the following traces.

• Adobe Photoshop (Light)
• Adobe Photoshop (Heavy)
• Adobe After Effects
• Adobe Illustrator

Usually, PC Mark 8 reports time to complete the trace, but the detailed log report has the read and write bandwidth figures which we present in our performance graphs. Note that the bandwidth number reported in the results don't involve idle time compression. Results might appear low, but that is part of the workload characteristic. Note that the same testbed is being used for all DAS units. Therefore, comparing the numbers for each trace should be possible across different DAS units.

Performance Consistency

Yet another interesting aspect of these types of units is performance consistency. Aspects that may influence this include thermal throttling and firmware caps on access rates to avoid overheating or other similar scenarios. This aspect is an important one, as the last thing that users want to see when copying over, say, 100 GB of data to the flash drive, is the transfer rate going to USB 2.0 speeds. In order to identify whether the drive under test suffers from this problem, we instrumented our robocopy DAS benchmark suite to record the flash drive's read and write transfer rates while the robocopy process took place in the background. For supported drives, we also recorded the internal temperature of the drive during the process. The graphs below show the speeds observed during our real-world DAS suite processing. The first three sets of writes and reads correspond to the photos suite. A small gap (for the transfer of the videos suite from the primary drive to the RAM drive) is followed by three sets for the next data set. Another small RAM-drive transfer gap is followed by three sets for the Blu-ray folder.

An important point to note here is that each of the first three blue and green areas correspond to 15.6 GB of writes and reads respectively. We do find that the temperature starts increasing sharply within the Photos suite itself. After the temperature reaches 75C (happens after more than 120GB of continuous traffic), the controller starts throttling the transfer rates.

SanDisk Extreme 510 480GB Corsair Voyager GS 512GB LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 500GB Samsung Portable SSD T1 1TB - No Encryption Samsung Portable SSD T3 2TB SanDisk Extreme 500 240GB - USB 3.1 SanDisk Extreme 900 1.92TB

We checked with SanDisk and confirmed that they could also reproduce the problem of extended writes triggering the thermal throttling on the controller. The water resistant coating was cited as the reason. SanDisk stressed that the Extreme 510 is best suited for consumers needing water resistance and durability / ruggedness in their portable flash drive.

Concluding Remarks

Coming to the business end of the review, the Extreme 510 builds upon the proven Extreme 500 design, and adds features required by photographers and other content creators in the field (namely, ruggedness with an IP55 rating).

The thermal throttling under sustained load is a minor point of concern. Given the 120GB of continuous traffic required to trigger the problem, it is likely that consumers are not affected by it in real-world situations. Another issue is that we were unable to confirm working TRIM, even though CrystalDiskInfo states that it is supported.

A typical name-brand 480GB GB SSD can be purchased or as low as $110. Even considering a small USB 3.0 enclosure for $20, the combination is definitely a whole lot cheaper than SanDisk's MSRP of $250 for the Extreme 510. The premium is for the smaller form factor as well as the waterproof nature.The IP55 rating does enable the Extreme 510 to effectively target a particular market segment despite the throttling problem. That said, most consumers (who don't need the IP55 rating) are better off with the Extreme 500 Portable SSD compared to the Extreme 510 discussed above.

Buy SanDisk Extreme 510 Portable SSD 480GB on Amazon.com

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