Computex 2013: ASUS PQ321 is a 31.5" 4K monitor

Subject: General Tech, Displays, Shows and Expos | May 31, 2013 - 02:12 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: PQ321, computex, asus, 4k

Computex, the second largest expo for computer hardware, is less than a week away but its influence tends to bleed over a little bit. And, since we know our readers love 4K displays, we thought we might pass along a leak we found for a new ASUS monitor.

Image source, ASUS via TechPowerUP

And yes, that is a 32"

The Asus PQ321 is both a relatively easy-to-remember model number and a 31.5" computer monitor with 4K2K resolution. Connect it to your computer with DisplayPort or, for at least some US models, dual HDMI to have the same resolution as IMAX Digital as well as have a legitimate reason to pick up multiple GeForce Titan graphics cards.

The raw specifications are:

• 31.5 inch display size (16:9 aspect ratio)
• Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) panel, LED backlit
• 3840x2160 resolution (140ppi)
• 1.07 billion colors (10-bit RGB)
• 176 / 176 (H / V) degree viewing angle
• 350 cd/m² brightness
• 8ms (gtg) response time
• Color temperature and gamma adjustments
• I/O: DisplayPort, 2x HDMI ("optional"), RS-232C, 3.5mm audio in and out
• 2W stereo speakers
• Tilt, swivel, height adjustments; VESA mount (no landscape/portrait pivot)
• 750mm x 489mm x 256mm with stand, 13kg net weight
• Comes with DisplayPort 1.2 cable and an RS-232C conversion cable (???)

Looking at these specifications, it certainly feels like an IPS-equivalent technology with some very telltale characteristics: the relatively slow response time for seemingly no reason, the 1.07 billion colors, the very wide viewing angle, and the relatively high pixel density per inch. This prompted me to look over at the ASUS website for some tea leaf reading. It looks as though all P- or M-series monitors utilize some form of IPS technology, the M-series referring to thin-bezel options and the P-series to relatively image quality-focused products.

So as best as I can tell, the PQ321 is a 31.5" 4K IPS monitor.

ASUS is expected to display this at Computex 2013 in Taipei along with a 39" 4K monitor. No word on pricing or availability, at least not yet.

NVIDIA Rumored To Release 700-Series GeForce Cards At Computex 2013

Subject: Graphics Cards | April 15, 2013 - 03:34 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: rumor, nvidia, kepler, gtx 700, geforce 700, computex

Recent rumors seem to suggest that NVIDIA will release its desktop-class GeForce 700 series of graphics cards later this year. The new card will reportedly be faster than the currently-available GTX 600 series, but will likely remain based on the company's Kepler architecture.

According to the information presented during NVIDIA's GTC keynote, its Kepler architecture will dominate 2012 and 2013. It will then follow up with Maxwell-based cards in 2014. Notably absent from the slides are product names, meaning the publicly-available information at least leaves the possibility of a refreshed Kepler GTX 700 lineup in 2013 open.

Fudzilla further reports that NVIDIA will release the cards as soon as May 2013, with an official launch as soon as Computex. Having actual cards available for sale by Computex is a bit unlikely, but a summer launch could be possible if the new 700 series is merely a tweaked Kepler-based design with higher clocks and/or lower power usage. The company is rumored to be accelerating the launch of the GTX 700 series in the desktop space in response to AMD's heavy game-bundle marketing, which seems to be working well at persuading gamers to choose the red team.

What do you make of this rumor? Do you think a refreshed Kepler is coming this year?

... OK, just a bit more Computex

Subject: General Tech, Shows and Expos | June 13, 2012 - 09:03 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: trinity, spire, Silverstone, rosewill, nzxt, corsair, computex 2012, computex, asus, amd

The Tech Report found a few more Computex 2012 pictures to show off, including a teaser from NZXT of the previous Phantom model as the new model is still under NDA, no such problem for the case modders showing off at the Thermaltake booth nor for InWin and their new H-Frame case.  Sticking with the cooling motif is this new fan from Spire which uses a new type of bearing to provide a longer life and Corsair's two new lineups of 120mm and 140mm fans, the AF series designed to maximize air flow through a case and the SF series for heatsinks and radiators which benefit more from the increased static pressure larger fan blades can provide.  From Rosewill they spotted a silent PSU, SilverStone a SFX model perfect for an HTPC and big 1200W digitally controlled PSU from Corsair.  Wrap up the tour with some bad news about the expected delay of Trinity on the desktop and some good news for audiophiles from ASUS' Xonar team.

"We've wrapped up our Computex coverage with another round of news. On tap: the PSUs and case mods that stood out at the show, new fans from Corsair and Spire, a chat with Asus' Xonar audio team, details on NZXT's next-generation Phantom enclosure, and word of a delay to AMD's desktop Trinity APU."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• AMD and ARM joined by Imagination, TI, and MediaTek @ SemiAccurate
• AMD 2013 APUs To Include ARM Cortex-A5 Processor For TrustZone Capabilities @ AnandTech
• TSMC reiterates supply of 28nm chips to come close to demand in 4Q12 @ DigiTimes
• TSMC joins giant fab race @ The Register
• Open Rail, or, why didn’t we think of this? @ Hack a Day
• nstall Windows 8 from a USB Drive, Dual-boot with XP, Vista and 7 @ TechSpot
• Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 @ Legion Hardware
• Computex: Thunderbolt is coming, slowly for now @ Kitguru

New Link_A_Media Devices controller scores Corsair Neutron 'Best of Computex 2012' Award

Subject: Storage | June 12, 2012 - 08:50 PM | Allyn Malventano
Tagged: ssd, neutron, LAMD, corsair, computex

Last week during Computex, Corsair jointly announced a new SSD to their lineup. Their partnership was with Link_A_Media Devices (LAMD), and the new Corsair Neutron Series scooped up Tom Hardware's "Best of Computex 2012" award:

The LAMD press blast for this event included some additional technical specs:

• SATA 6G host interface
• 8 NAND channels, up to 4CE per channel
• Support for 2y-nm and 1x-nm NAND Flash from all major Flash vendors
• ONFi 2.3, Toggle Mode 1 and Legacy NAND interfaces
• Proprietary endurance improving eBoostTM technology
• End-to-end user data path protection
• Strong BCH ECC capability with area/power efficient decoder architecture
• Enterprise-class proven firmware for NAND management and data transport operations
• Variable NAND over-provisioning
• Efficient garbage collection and global wear leveling
• RAID/Chipkill technology
• Proven unsolicited power loss management
• Low power design
• S.M.A.R.T. support
• Microsoft® Windows® 7 TRIM support

• Sequential Read: 550 MB/s
• Sequential Write: 550 MB/s
• Random Read (4KB): 90K IOPS
• Random Write (4KB): 90K IOPS

What caught my eye was the "Enterprise-class proven firmware" part. If this is LAMD's first entry to market, how can they possibly have 'proven' anything, especially in the enterprise sector? If it wasn't for the lack of compression, I'd be inclined to think this was some sort of re-brand of SandForce tech. Clearly this is something to remain curious about as more information is disclosed.

Full press blast after the break.

Wrapping up Computex

Subject: General Tech, Shows and Expos | June 11, 2012 - 11:55 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: nuc, computex 2012, computex

The Tech Report are still trying to catch up on all of their coverage of Computex as there were a lot of exhibits to make it to.  Intel has once again come up with a questionable name for an interesting product, the Next Unit of Computing is a 4" x 4" x 1" system which could be used for tasks similar to the Raspberry Pi, but as they were running Cinebench on an i5 powered version you can expect quite a bit more from the NUC.  Contrast that with EVGA's lineup of GTX 680's all of which are larger than the Intel system.  The Classified version sports a larger cooling fan as it has double the amount of memory typically found on a GTX 680 at 4GB, they also have a watercooled GTX 690 and a model of the card which claims to have a hot clocked GPU which will be interesting to examine when it arrives on a test bench.

Cooling enthusiasts might be very interested in Enermax's dive into watercooling or for air cooling you could see how Noctua's active noise cancellation works.  BitFenix displayed an interesting miniITX encloure and SilverStone showed off a pair.  Check out all the pictures and more by following the links.

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Corsair new Link_A_Media SSD’s, memory and more @ Kitguru
• Ultrabooks is the future, but it isn’t quite here, yet @ Kitguru
• Intel offers 56Gbit/s Infiniband on Xeon E5 server motherboards @ The Inquirer
• Ninjalane Podcast - Skyrim Tower Defense Processor Selection for Overclocking CyberpowerPC
• US Navy buys Linux to guide drone fleet @ The Register
• Average selling price of tablets drops 21% in three months @ The Register
• Zeo Bedside Sleep Management System Review @ Madshrimps
• What is a CSC? featuring Samsung NX200 @ HardwareHeaven

Rosewill's Cherrys, Antec's case and MSI's take on a tablet hybrid

Subject: General Tech, Shows and Expos | June 8, 2012 - 02:30 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: computex, computex 2012, msi, slider s20

We've seen a few hybrid tablet/notebooks, from the familiar ASUS Transformer to Acer's Iconia but MSI has one that really stands out.  As you can see from the pictures that The Tech Report snapped, MSI's Slider S20 has a retractable keyboard instead of a detachable one which will likely add to the weight but could be more convenient than a keyboard dock especially as it also acts as a stand.

Antex is working on their P280 series, with a microATX version and a full sized version with an integral housing for a radiator on the top for those who want a tidy watercooling solution.  If you more into CherryMX switches then it is the Rosewill pictures that will interest you as they showed off a few new models at their booth.

"For our third Computex digest, we have news about an MSI Windows 8 tablet with a slide-out keyboard, a new version of Antec's famous P280 enclosure, and upcoming Rosewill mechanical keyboard with configurable backlighting."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• BIWIN shows off SSD With New Controller, World First Interview @ TechwareLabs
• Computex 2012: AMD targets US$599-899 range for APU-based ultrathin notebooks @ DigiTimes
• Intel phone boss: 'Multi-core detrimental to Android mobes' @ The Register
• The problem with passwords @ The Inquirer
• HDD oligopoly to keep post-flood prices high till 2014 @ The Register
• Globalfoundries looking to beat UMC in 2012, eyeing top spot among foundries @ DigiTimes
• Thermaltake New Products at Computex 2012 @ TechwareLabs
• The md5crypt() author says the algorithm is no longer secure @ The Inquirer
• Apple iPad Mini Secret Pics Leaked and Revealed @ TechwareLabs
• Win an Asus GTX680 courtesy of ARIA and Kitguru!

Computex: AMD Launching Tahiti 2 Graphics Cards Next Week

Subject: Graphics Cards | June 8, 2012 - 01:23 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: tahiti, graphics, gpu, computex, binning, amd, 7970 ghz edition

AMD is having a string of successes with its 28nm 7000 series graphics cards. While it was dethroned by NVIDIA’s GTX 680, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 is easier to get a hold of. It certainly seems like the company is having a much easier time in manufacturing its GPUs compared to NVIDIA’s Kepler cards. AMD has been cranking out HD 7970s for a few months now and they have gotten the binning process down such that they are getting a good number of pieces of silicon that have a healthy bit of overhead over that of the 7970’s stock speeds.

And so enters Tahiti 2. Tahiti 2 represents GPU silicon that is binning not only for HD 7970 speeds but is able to push up the default clock speed while running with lower voltage. As a result, the GPUs are able to stay within the same TDP of current 7970 cards but run faster.

But how much faster? Well, SemiAccurate is reporting that AMD is seeing as much as a 20% clock speed improvement over current Radeon HD 7970 graphics cards. This means that cards are able to run at clock speeds up to approximately 1075MHz – quite a bit above the current reference clock speed of 925MHz!

The AMD 7970 3GB card. Expect Tahiti 2 to look exactly the same but run at higher clock speeds.

They are further reporting that, because the TDP has not changed, no cooler, PCB, or memory changes will be needed. This will make it that much easier for add in board partners to get the updated reference-based GPUs out as quickly as possible and with minimal cost increases (we hope). You can likely count on board partners capitalizing on the 1,000MHz+ speeds by branding the new cards “GHz Edition” much like the Radeon 7770 has enjoyed.

With 7970 chips having overhead and binning higher than needed, an updated and lower-power using refresh may also be in order for AMD’s 7950 “Tahiti Pro” graphics cards. Heck, maybe they can refresh the entire lineup with better binned silicon but keep the same clock speeds in order to reduce power consumption on all their cards.

MSI Unveils Ultra Portable Laptop and Windows 8 Tablet

Subject: Mobile | June 7, 2012 - 11:22 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: x460dx, video, ultraportable, tablet, slider s20, notebook, msi, laptop, computex

MSI has been extremely busy at this year’s Computex trade show by releasing tons of new hardware. The company today officially announced two new Ultra series laptops that are less than 1” thick and made to be ultraportable and stylish.

The MSI X460DX is a 14” thin and light notebook with metal alloy chassis, Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor, NVIDIA GT630M graphics card, HDMI, Bluettoth, and USB 3.0 technology. It also supports the company’s Turbo Battery+ technology and a hotkey to turn off idle hardware. The computer sports a stylized trackpad, chiclet keyboard, and metal accents.

The MSI X460DX weighs in at 2kg and is less than an inch thick. No word yet on pricing or availability.

The other MSI Ultra series notebook is the Slider 20. The 11.6” device is constructed of plastic with brushed metal textures, weighs in at 1.3kg and is stated to be “less than 2 centimeters thin.” The interesting bit about the MSI Slider S20 is the touchscreen, however. The 11.6” screen (which has a resolution of 1366x768) can lay flat over the keyboard in slate mode or slide back and tilt upwards. In laptop mode, the chiclet keyboard is exposed. The computer will run Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system. Powering the ultrabook is an Intel Chief River based Core i3 CULV processor, Intel IGP for graphics, and accelerometer. On the outside it features an Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, audio output, and webcam.

The MSI Slider S20 is certainly an interesting form factor, and I suspect it will be sturdier than other convertible tablets that utilize a single hinge in the center to connect the display and keyboard. Engadget managed to get their hands on the device. They reported that although the Slider S20’s keyboard is a bit cramped and even a little too flexible, the screen hinge felt sturdy and the device felt rather lightweight. Beyond that, MSI isn't talking detailed specifications.

Word around the Internet is that the S20 will be sold for under $1,000 USD which is pretty good (depending on just how far under it is). I’m certainly interested in seeing what this Windows 8 tablet can do.