Graphics, graphics, graphics! If it wasn't for the humble graphics card and the pursuit of improved gaming visuals, we probably would be playing board games. Instead, since the concept and initial applications of a graphical interface and "moving pictures" in electronic games began, the consumers demanded more, and in general the engineers in the respective hardware and software companies have tried to deliver. Fast forward to 2019 and finally in consumer game titles and graphics hardware, here is a mainstream attempt at Ray Tracing, a long standing visual effects promise that's just about to come true.
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Tag: Crysis 3
9 Posts
It's the end of an era..... or is it? Well, yes it is, the dawn of the new Nvidia RTX GPU bringing ray tracing to the masses, it has to be seen as a milestone in the computing and GPU world. Just like the features we take for granted, such as transform and light technology, the RTX technology signifies the start of a new generation of features and we should be excited.
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The ASRock Z270 Pro4 motherboard is a familiar site. ASRock is a familiar brand and since the birth of the ASRock company, it has secured a healthy and immediately identifiable place in the component market. With the recent launch of mainstream graphics cards, it's also clear that ASRock is looking for more. The Intel Z270 is getting on a bit now, and though it wasn't apparent at the time of launch, it has become a small part of Intel's chipset masterplan, with the release of the 3xx and other chipset models.
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Cast your mind back to the last couple of major AMD GPU releases, the Fiji range, and branded as the Fury range. Other than the interesting cooling setups and the fantastic glimpse into the future with HBM memory, the range had a couple of downfalls. For us, the lack of HDMI 2.0 forcing non DisplayPort users to 30Hz at UHD resolutions was a big issue. Also, other launch issues such as the failing cooler pump on the Fury X, which affected us as well, and a lock down on the reference boards with AMD basically manufacturing all the boards for the brand partners, at least for the Nano and Fury X. All of these just seemed to take the edge off the Fiji range.
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With all the fanfare around the AMD Radeon RX 480 release and the driver and power issues, we have put our review on the back burner in anticipation of the new drivers which resolve these issues. They have arrived so we’ll get that posted as soon as possible, but in the meantime we have something a little different, the Sapphire ITX Compact Radeon R9 380 graphics card.
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Asus are calling this their “Flagship micro-ATX Z170 with 5X Protection II for dependable stability, fantastic DDR4 performance, and reversible USB Type-C connectivity”. It’s a rather odd claim for this motherboard, Asus have flagship product lines, the Rampage and ROG series for example. Why would they call Z170M Plus motherboard a flagship?
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Every system builder these days will know the name ASRock, and it’s welcome, in the past ten years we have seen the number of motherboard manufacturers dwindle, losing the likes of Abit, Nvidia and even the mighty Intel from the motherboards arena.
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Anyone bought an Intel Z97 motherboard recently? We think it is one of the best Chipsets out there but Intel think it’s time for an upgrade. They recently launched their Skylake range of CPU’s and a supporting Chipset, the Z170. We have a couple of motherboard and CPU samples kicking around the office and we must admit we are already very interested in their capabilities and performance. We love mITX motherboards these days, and though still a compromise on what you can populate them with, there has been a step change from a couple of years ago, making a mini gaming rig possible and a performer too.
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Most gamers don’t even have 4K yet, but we know how the industry works – give them one set of technology, while pushing another, but work on an even better technology behind closed doors. Well, 8K is beginning to show...
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