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ASUS's ultra-thin ZenBook 3 is twice as fast as a MacBook
Computex 2016 - ASUS has just revealed its new ZenBook 3 at the Zenvolution event in Taipei.
The ZenBook 3 is a direct competitor to Apple's MacBook, with an incredibly thin 11.9 mm lightweight frame and powerful specs that beats the MacBook's performance two-to-one. ASUS's Johnny Shih boasts that the ZenBook 3 is "the world's most prestigious laptop," with onboard specs ranging up to an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM, and a 1TB PCIE SSD. The sleek laptop features a 12.5-inch display and is powered by the "world's thinnest" 3mm fan for cooling.
The ZenBook 3 also sports fast-charging capabilities with built-in Thunderbolt 3/USB-C support. ASUS affirms the laptop can jump from a depleted charge up to 60% in just 49 minutes flat, with overall battery life ranging from 9 hours of use. The ASUS ZenBook 3 has three different pricing tiers: $999 for the Intel Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 256GB SSD; $1,499 for the Intel Core i7 CPU and 512GB SSD; and $1,999 for the Intel Core i7, 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM and 1TB SSD variant.
Continue reading: ASUS's ultra-thin ZenBook 3 is twice as fast as a MacBook (full post)
IN WIN modders have created some truly beautiful custom PCs
There's no better way to celebrate your 30th anniversary than inviting the world's best modders to Taiwan to have a modding competition, with IN WIN seeing some truly great results and amazing modded PCs. Remember you can vote for your favorite mod right here!
We have a round up of all of the designs, which you can check out below.
BSMods
Continue reading: IN WIN modders have created some truly beautiful custom PCs (full post)
IN WIN's Mod in Taiwan event kicks off, with the world's best modders
IN WIN has kicked off its 30th birthday in a serious way, kicking off its Mod in Taiwan live modding competition. The company called upon eight teams from seven countries, gave them all a new IN WIN chassis, some pretty damn good hardware, and all the tools required to make the best custom PC they could in 24 hours - split across 3 x 8-hour days.
The company hosted the event at their factory complex in Taoyuan, with the first day over and done with and pretty damn hectic. There are some big prizes up for grabs, with the public voting on the Best Design Award and the Innovation Award, with votes taking place online and on-site at Computex.
All of the completed mods will be on display, with IN WIN giving the winner $5000, a slew of hardware, and their choice of chassis from IN WIN's amazing line of products. IN WIN will be choosing a modder for its Choice Award, with the price consisting of $3000. The winners will also receive an all expenses paid trip to Las Vegas for CES 2017, where their mod will be on show. As for who is participating:
Continue reading: IN WIN's Mod in Taiwan event kicks off, with the world's best modders (full post)
New 4K Xbox Scorpio targeting 6TFLOPs, 1.5 times faster than PS4K
Microsoft is plotting to overthrow Sony's console reign with a new high-performance 4K-ready Xbox console that's four times as powerful than existing Xbox One hardware.
According to recent reports, Microsoft will release a dramatically overhauled Xbox console (codenamed Scorpio) in late 2017. Inside sources told Polygon that Microsoft is targeting 6 TFLOPs of performance with the Xbox Scorpio, making the new Xbox 1.5 times faster than Sony's new upgraded PlayStation Neo (PS4K, PS4.5). Like the PS4K, the Xbox Scorpio will leverage its higher-end hardware to push 4K gaming and 4K video playback. It's likely the Scorpio will upscale 1080p to 4K instead of native 4K gaming, and the console is expected to be fully backward compatible with all existing Xbox One games.
Reports indicate the new Xbox will ship with Oculus Rift support baked in, with Microsoft partnering with Oculus to counter Sony's PlayStation VR headset. If these reports are true, the Xbox Scorpio would theoretically be capable of delivering desktop-grade VR performance with the Rift. PC-quality VR is quite demanding, so the Xbox Scorpio would likely need a dedicated video card solution, and we may even see the first-ever external console video cards with AMD's new GPU enclosure. Armed with powerful dedicated video cards or external GPUs the Scorpio could likely hit native 4K 30FPS depending on the card.
Continue reading: New 4K Xbox Scorpio targeting 6TFLOPs, 1.5 times faster than PS4K (full post)
E3 site lists Xbox One VR category with Oculus Rift devs attached
ESA's official E3 2016 website lists a "Xbox One VR" category, further hinting that Xbox will leverage the Oculus Rift to face-off against Sony's PlayStation VR.
Earlier today we reported that the Oculus Rift headset may be supported on Microsoft's new upgraded 4K-ready Xbox (codenamed Scorpio). Anonymous devs confirmed Xbox VR projects to Ars Technica, adding further evidence to Kotaku's previous leaks. Now the official E3 site seems to corroborate those claims.
The E3 site lists four companies under the "Xbox One virtual reality" section, all of which are non-coincidentally working on VR games. The list includes Rebellion (Battlezone), Maximum Games (Loading Human), 3DRudder, who designed a feet-based VR controller, and Readily Studio, a Chinese outsourcing studio who builds VR games. What's more is that Rebellion's Battlezone and Maximum's Loading Human games are all confirmed for the Oculus Rift and PSVR, lumping on even more evidence the Rift could be used on the Xbox Scorpio.
Continue reading: E3 site lists Xbox One VR category with Oculus Rift devs attached (full post)
New 4K Xbox to support Oculus Rift VR headset
We've heard lots of things about Microsoft's new upgraded 4K-ready Xbox console, aka Scorpio, and now we have more evidence that the new Xbox will support the Oculus Rift's VR headset.
Sources recently told Kotaku that Microsoft is readying its own powerful mid-cycle Xbox upgrade to counter Sony's PlayStation 4K console. And like PS4K, the new Xbox will leverage VR hardware: since Microsoft has no VR solution ready, the new 4K Xbox will reportedly use the Oculus Rift.
According to Ars Technica, developers are already working on VR games for Microsoft's new upgraded 4K Xbox. An anonymous dev at a "well-known European studio" corroborated reports that the new Xbox would use the same Oculus Rift HMD used by PCs. The game itself is "set in the universe of an established, long-running franchise," Ars reports.
Continue reading: New 4K Xbox to support Oculus Rift VR headset (full post)
GeIL reveals new EVO FORZA DDR4 3866MHz RAM
Computex 2016 - GeIL has announced its new EVO FORZA line up of performance DDR4 RAM memory modules, offering performance-grade frequencies of up to 3866MHz with today's latest Z170 and X99 platforms.
GeIL's new EVO FORZA DDR4 RAM comes in a variety of sizes including 4GB, 8GB and 16GB modules packed in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB kits, with frequencies ranging from 2666 MHz to 3866MHz. Latency and CAS timings have yet to be revealed, but the RAM pulls in 1.2V to 1.4V and is outfitted with head spreaders designed with GeIL's Maximum Thermal Conduction & Dissipation (MTCD) technology.
The EVO FORZA DDR4 RAM modules have full Intel XMP 2.0 profile support and are dual- and quad-channel compatible. Each kit comes with the standard GeIL lifetime warranty, and the company will announce more details at Computex. Check below for current specifications.
Continue reading: GeIL reveals new EVO FORZA DDR4 3866MHz RAM (full post)
Tesoro teases new IR key switches for Computex
Computex 2016 - Tesoro teases a brand new mechanical keyboard powered by IR key switches for "extreme durability and breakneck response times."
Although Tesoro has recently unveiled the Gram Spectrum RGB mechanical keyboards outfitted with Kailh's custom 3.5mm travel distance Agile switches, the company plans to push the bar with new IR key switches. The optical-based infrared key switches should be a big jump in speed over the low-profile Agile switches, offering faster response by "eliminating metal bounce."
Here's what Tesoro said in their official press release: "The new switches use infrared technology to register keystrokes eliminating metal bounce and oxidation meaning extreme durability and breakneck response times. The new switches will reportedly offer advanced anti-particle and spill-resistant abilities and allow users to customize key switches on the keyboard."
Continue reading: Tesoro teases new IR key switches for Computex (full post)
Corsair launches Bulldog SFF chassis and Lapdog mechanical keyboards
Corsair's new Bulldog chassis are now available, offering convenient small form-factor solutions for high-performance living room gaming. The manufacturer also revealed its new Lapdog mechanical keyboard and mouse combo
Described as "a highly ventilated, stylish compact console, created for the living room," Corsair's Bulldog case won major CES innovation awards and has ample space to fit full-length 300mm video cards for 4K gaming and VR. Corsair has teamed up with MSI to make the all-in-one liquid-cooled Hydro GFX GeForce GTX 980 Ti video card exclusively for the Bulldog. The mini-ITX chassis comes outfitted with a Hydro Series H5 SF CPU liquid cooler and a SF600 600W 80 Plus Gold power supply
Corsair has also revealed the Lapdog, a performance-grade portable mechanical keyboard designed to compliment the Bulldog. The Lapdog has three different configurations--the base board that can slot in mechanical keyboards and mice, as well as the Lapdog K65 RGB model with Cherry MX Red switches and the K70 with Cherry MX Red/Blue switches.
Continue reading: Corsair launches Bulldog SFF chassis and Lapdog mechanical keyboards (full post)
G.Skill's TridentZ DDR4 RAM overclocked to an insane 5GHz
G.Skill has announced that it's TridentZ RAM is the first DDR4 modules to hit the 5GHz barrier, setting a new world speed record on the Skylake platform.
Using liquid nitrogen cooling, MSI's Taiwanese overclocker Toppc pushed a single 4GB stick of G.Skill's TridentZ 2133 MHz DDR4 RAM to an insane 2501MHz (5002.4MHz effective) in single-channel configuration. HWBOT verified the new speed record, and you can check out the full build on CPU-Z.
Toppc chose MSI's mini-ITX Z170I GAMING PRO AC motherboard for the record-breaking overclock, along with an Intel Skylake Core i5-6600K CPU. Hitting the 5GHz barrier is a monumental achievement for G.Skill, as well as MSI and even Samsung, who supplies TridentZ's DDR4 IC's. G.Skill now holds the world's top seven DDR4 speed records and is confident that this is just the beginning.
Continue reading: G.Skill's TridentZ DDR4 RAM overclocked to an insane 5GHz (full post)
HP teases a high-end PC backpack for VR, still a work in progress
When a company thinks outside of the square, you don't think of an entire gaming PC in a backpack. Well, that's what HP has just unveiled; a gaming PC in a backpack, ready for VR.
HP's unnamed backpack PC can be configured with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, and a video card. HP promises that the weight will be under 10 pounds, with two fans that will push the heat out of the PC, and a waist belt that has two batteries that power both the CPU, and the GPU separately.
This backpack makes sense, as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive both have cables tethered to the PC - but when you've got the HP backpack on, that is no longer an issue. HP will be included a wireless display, mouse and keyboard as part of the package, and will iterate on the design of the VR backpack the more that people try it out. Right now, there's no ETA on when HP will release its VR backpack.
Continue reading: HP teases a high-end PC backpack for VR, still a work in progress (full post)
Corsair's custom-built Dominator Platinum RAM for ASUS ROG announced
Computex 2016 - Corsair has just announced a custom-built kit of RAM, with their new Dominator Platinum ROG Edition kit (CMD16GX4M4B3200C16-ROG) featuring 4 x DDR4 modules for quad-channel goodness, at up to 3200MHz with 16-18-18-36 timings, at 1.35V.
The new modules are built for Intel's new Skylake-S processors, for the Intel Z170 chipset, and more specifically, ASUS ROG-based motherboards. When installed into a Z170-based ASUS ROG motherboard, the Corsair Dominator Platinum ROG Edition RAM kicks up its frequency to 3333MHz.
Corsair has used aluminum heatspreaders and customizable LED lighting on the new DDR4 kit, with a slick black/red style to match the look of ASUS ROG motherboards. Corsair is setting the price at $224.99 without taxes in the US, which is much more expensive than competing kits from other manufacturers, and even alternative Corsair kits.
Continue reading: Corsair's custom-built Dominator Platinum RAM for ASUS ROG announced (full post)
EVGA's new GeForce GTX 1080 features ACX 3.0 cooling, and more
EVGA has chimed in with its new GeForce GTX 1080 video cards, announcing four new cards powered by NVIDIA's GP104 GPU.
The new cards feature EVGA's ACX 3.0 cooling tech, with SHP 3.0 providing better heat pipes and copper contact area for improved cooling performance, as well as optimized fan curves for quieter gaming. ACX 3.0 coolers feature optimized swept fan blades, double ball bearings and extreme low power motor, which pushes more air flow, with less power.
Select EVGA ACX 3.0 models will feature 10cm fans and RGB LEDs, which provides gamers with total control over the look of their card. The new EVGA cards also include PrecisionX OC software, that "unlocks the power of Pascal", says EVGA.
Continue reading: EVGA's new GeForce GTX 1080 features ACX 3.0 cooling, and more (full post)
Colorful's new iGame GeForce GTX 1080 has stock GPU clock of 1.84GHz
We have yet to have received a Colorful sample here in our GPU labs from Colorful, but we've been in deep discussions with them for weeks now, and hopefully we can get our hands-on their exciting new GeForce GTX 1080 iGame card, which looks delicious.
Colorful's new GeForce GTX 1080 iGame card features a factory overclock on the GP104 GPU, which is at 1847MHz. Colorful has used their iGame-Modular Structure Design (i-MSD) on their GTX 1080, with their cooling technology being separated from the cooler into "functional modules and appearance modules which has the PCB, cooling fins and rear plate integrated centering on the PCB. The rear-plate also reinforces the PCB which gives the card extra durability and negates deformation from stress and long usage".
There's also customizable RGB lighting that can be tweaked through Colorful's iGame-Zone software, with the fans on the card composed by a three-piece grooved design, with interesting zigzag diversion lines on the edge for improved airflow and cooling efficiency with up to 30% increased air volume
Continue reading: Colorful's new iGame GeForce GTX 1080 has stock GPU clock of 1.84GHz (full post)
NBC announces it will air Rio Olympics in 4K, HDR and even Dolby Atmos
NBC has announced that it will be airing the Olympic Games in 4K and HDR, but that it will be delaying the stream by 24 hours.
Engadget reports: "4K UHD footage Opening and Closing Ceremonies, swimming, track and field, basketball, the men's soccer final, and judo is coming home on tape delay". NBC is downconverting 8K, which is what the Olympic Broadcasting Services and Japan's NHK are playing with, down to 4K, and then pushing out HDR and Dolby Atmos surround sound audio technology.
NBC Sports President Gary Zenkel explains: "The Olympics have been a consistent driver of technological advancements, and Rio will be no different".
Continue reading: NBC announces it will air Rio Olympics in 4K, HDR and even Dolby Atmos (full post)
360 million MySpace passwords can be purchased for just $2,800
We all remember the days of MySpace, and if you don't... well, you're probably too young. The social network has been hacked, with over 360 million passwords taken.
The 360 million passwords are being sold, of course, with the hacker being the same one who was selling the data of the 160 million users that were hacked on LinkedIn recently. The data was taken by a hacker called Peace, as well as LeakedSource, a search engine of hacked data.
The credentials haven't been shared just yet, but to verify the data, Motherboard gave the email addresses of five MySpace users and LeakedSource "was able to send back" passwords on all five accounts. The database has 427,484,128 passwords, but only 360 million emails that had a second password attached. Each of the 360 million records contain "an email address, a username, one password and in some cases a second password".
Continue reading: 360 million MySpace passwords can be purchased for just $2,800 (full post)
No Man's Sky officially delayed until August, for VR support?
After the rumors swirling around Hello Games delaying No Man's Sky, the confirmation is here: No Man's Sky has been officially delayed. Boo.
No Man's Sky was due in June, but has been pushed back to August. Hello Games founder Sean Murray announced the news of the delay on the PlayStation blog, but now we have to wonder why it was delayed. Jason Evangelho has recently joined us here at TweakTown, and he says it could be delayed to allow for VR support. It makes perfect sense, especially as it would launch very close to the release of PlayStation VR.
In the post, Murray said: "I have had to make the tough choice to delay the game for a few weeks to allow us to deliver something special. We understand that this news is disappointing. Making this game is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but we are so close now, and we're prepared to make the tough choices to get it right. The universe of No Man's Sky is incredibly vast. More than you can imagine. This is a type of game that hasn't been attempted before, by a smaller team than anyone would expect, under an intense amount of expectation".
Continue reading: No Man's Sky officially delayed until August, for VR support? (full post)
MSI's GeForce GTX 1080 feature new Twin Frozr VI cooling technology
We're so sorry for our total flood on the GeForce GTX 1080 cards, but how exciting is it! MSI has joined in on the fun, announcing a few different cards to drool over.
MSI has the new GeForce GTX 1080 GAMING X 8G, which has the new Twin Frozr VI cooler, designed to allow for higher GPU and memory clock speeds for improved performance. MSI has used their usual, and slick-looking red/black theme with a dragon RBG LED on the side that can be tweaked to nearly unlimited colors thanks to its 16.8 million colors.
The GTX 1080 GAMING X 8G has a new custom 10-phase PCB design, with an 8+6-pin power connector that allows for higher overclocking performance.
Continue reading: MSI's GeForce GTX 1080 feature new Twin Frozr VI cooling technology (full post)
Palit unveils their new GeForce GTX 1080 GameRock video card
The landslide of GeForce GTX 1080 announcements continue, with ZOTAC showing off their new cards, Inno3D and now Palit. Palit has unveiled their new GTX 1080 GameRock card, telling us that they want to 'rock'n'roll your game'.
What does Palit bring to the GeForce GTX 1080 table? We have 0dB tech fan, a honeycomb bracket, optimized air flow, TurboFan Blade and two 10cm fans. We have 8+2-phase PWM, dual BIOS, and RGB lighting on the Palit GeForce GTX 1080 GameRock card.
Not only that, but the company has unveiled their GeForce GTX 1080 Super JetStream, which excites me as the GTX 980 Ti Super JetStream was one of the most impressive cards from the GTX 900 series last year.
Continue reading: Palit unveils their new GeForce GTX 1080 GameRock video card (full post)
ZOTAC launches its new GeForce GTX 1080 video cards
ZOTAC has just unveiled their new AMP! and AMP! Extreme variants of the GeForce GTX 1080, with both cards including some nice cooling technology improvements over the already impressive GTX 900 series cards.
The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 AMP! cards feature Spectre, a new lighting system that allows gamers to customize the colors and feel of their gaming experience with mood lighting, which is all done through ZOTAC's FireStorm software.
Not only that, but the AMP! Extreme cards will push out some serious performance, with the triple-fan IceStorm cooling technology mixed with the EKO Fan system, promising up to 30% increased airflow compared to the traditional fans.
Continue reading: ZOTAC launches its new GeForce GTX 1080 video cards (full post)











