Thread: Anandtech News

One of the biggest names on the extreme overclocking scene is Vince 'K|NGP|N' Lucido, who is highly regarded as one of the best sub-zero overclockers. He is a longtime employee of EVGA, and collaborates exclusively with its hardware team to develop unique overclocking-centric hardware. The latest collaboration is the EVGA Z490 Dark K|NGP|N - a limited edition motherboard with an 18-phase power delivery designed for overclocking. There is also more conventional features such as two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, eight SATA ports, U.2 port, with a 2.5 G Ethernet controller and Wi-Fi 6.
One of the most interesting elements on the EVGA Z490 Dark is its unconventional desktop design, with just two memory slots mounted horizontally across the top, just above the transposed LGA1200 socket. The 90-degree angle is usually done for airflow reasons with specific chassis in mind, and only two memory slots assists in memory-latency driven workloads.
The memory slots are qualified up to 64 GB of DDR4-5000, although for this board it wouldn't be a surprise to see overclockers push speeds further. The socket is also better angled for easier mounting of the large copper pots that sub-zero overclockers use with liquid nitrogen. Overclocking features for this sort of board usually extend to driving extra power, sometimes even external voltage control, as well as monitoring tools for accurate thermal and voltage measurements.

Vince 'K|NGP|N' Lucido personally signs the packaging of each limited edition Z490 Dark

For storage there is a pair of PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, with a single U.2 port and eight SATA ports with six of these supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays, while an ASMedia SATA controller powers the other two ports. Three full-length PCIe 3.0 slots operate at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/+4, with a secondary half-length PCIe 3.0 x4 slot.
The top right-hand corner features two 2-digit LED panels that monitor CPU voltage and temperature, with a power and reset button also added. Focusing on networking, the Z490 Dark is using a pair of Intel-based Ethernet controllers, one I225-V 2.5 GbE and one I219-V Gigabit, with an Intel AX201 providing both Wi-Fi 6 and BT 5.1 device support. The audio codec looks 'amped' as well.
The limited-edition EVGA Z490 Dark K|NGP|N model is currently available for $600 direct from EVGA, with a limit of two per household. This is $100 more expensive than the standard EVGA Z490 Dark model ($500), although the K|NGP|N variant is likely to use perhaps better binned components to ensure extreme overclocking consistency. Both models come with a 3-year manufacturer warranty.
Gallery: EVGA Unleashes Z490 Dark K|NGP|N Edition, For The Extreme


Related Reading

• The Intel Z490 Overview: 44+ Motherboards Examined
• The Z490 Mini-ITX Showdown: GIGABYTE's Z490I Aorus Ultra and MSI's MEG Z490I Unify Reviewed
• MSI MPG Z490 Carbon EK X: LGA1200 Motherboard with an EKWB Monoblock
• The ASRock Z490 Taichi Motherboard Review, Punching LGA1200 Into Life

More...

ASRock Industrial has been at the forefront of AMD-based UCFF PCs, being one of the first to bring out systems based on the Ryzen Embedded APUs in mid-2019. In fact, their boards have been adopted by vendors such as OnLogic in their ML100G-40 systems. These 4x4 BOX systems definitely got the footprint right, matching the Intel NUCs in that department. However, the performance of the Embedded R-Series made them a better fit for embedded systems with single-purpose use-cases. On the general purpose computing front, they could not match up against the large variety of Intel-based NUCs with different performance profiles. Today, this aspect is being rectified with the launch of three new SKUs in the 4x4 BOX-4000 series. These systems use the latest AMD Ryzen 4000U series APUs with TDPs ranging from 10W to 25W. In addition to the markets served by the first-generation 4x4 BOX systems (digital signage, kiosks, thin clients, and other embedded applications), the 4x4 BOX-4000 series will also make its presence felt in the general-purpose small form-factor computing space.
The second-generation systems have a slightly smaller foot-print, coming in at 110mm x 117.5mm x 47.85mm. The system is slightly heavier by around 300g, coming in at 1kg. The specifications of the three SKUs are reproduced in the table below. The move to Ryzen 4000U brings premium features to the UCFF PC space - in fact, surpassing the features offered by Intel NUCs in the same form-factor - these include support for NBASE-T with a 2.5 Gbps LAN port (backed by the Realtek RTL8125BG controller), native support for DDR4-3200 without overclocking, and support for four simultaneous 4Kp60 display (including two via the front-panel USB Type-C ports) outputs. Intel's AX200 module brings in Wi-Fi 6 support. Another welcome upgrade is the support for M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe SSDs (the first-generation SKUs only supported 2242 and 2260)

In addition to usage as a UCFF desktop PC, the 4x4 BOX-4000 series also targets embedded applications. As a result, it is equipped with a watchdog timer and is rated to run at temperatures of up to 40ºC. It also comes with a TPM module.

ASRock Industrial's 4X4 BOX-4000 PCs
Model		4X4 BOX-4800U	4X4 BOX-4500U	4X4 BOX-4300U
CPU		AMD Ryzen 7 4800U 8C/16T 1.8 - 4.2 GHz 10 - 25 W (15W)	AMD Ryzen 5 4500U 6C/6T 2.3 - 4.0 GHz 10 - 25 W (15W)	AMD Ryzen 3 4300U 4C/4T 2.7 - 3.7 GHz 10 - 25 W (15W)
GPU		AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 Graphics @ 1.75 GHz	AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 Graphics @ 1.5 GHz	AMD Radeon RX Vega 5 Graphics @ 1.4 GHz
DRAM		Two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots Up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 in dual-channel mode
Motherboard		Proprietary
Storage	SSD	M.2-2280 (PCIe x4 or SATA)
DFF	1 × 2.5-inch/7.5-mm SATA 6 Gbps
Wireless		Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2x2 802.11ax Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module
Ethernet		1 × GbE port (Realtek RTL8111FPV) 1 × 2.5 GbE port (Realtek RTL8125BG)
USB	Front	1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
Rear	2 × USB 2.0 Type-A
Display Outputs		1 × DisplayPort 1.2a 1 × HDMI 2.0a 2 × DisplayPort 1.2a (using Type-C)
Audio		1 × 3.5mm audio jack (Realtek ALC233)
PSU		External (90W)
Warranty		Typical, varies by country
Dimensions		Length: 117.5 mm Width: 110 mm Height: 47.85 mm
MSRP		?	?	?

The 4x4 BOX-4000 series UCFF PCs are not the first to use the AMD Ryzen 4000U APUs in this form-factor. The Asus PN50 was introduced a few weeks back, though its availability in the North American market has not been confirmed. Given that the first-generation 4x4 BOX series has been available for purchase at many US e-tailers, it does look like the 4x4 BOX-4000 SKUs from ASRock Industrial are going to be the first set of AMD Ryzen 4000U-series based UCFF PCs on this side of the pond. In addition, the premium features of the 4x4 BOX-4000 series is sure to invoke keen interest in the SFF computing community.

More...

Blitzing around a race track in a fast car only ever convinces you of one thing: I need to go around the track even faster. I need a better car, I need a better engine, better brakes, or better tires. I need that special go faster juice, and I need to nail the perfect run. The world of professional computing works the same, whether it comes down to rendering, rapid prototyping, scientific compute, medical imaging, weather modelling, or something like oil and gas simulation, the more raw horsepower there is, the more can be done. So enter the new Armari Magnetar X64T – an overclocked 64-core Threadripper 3990X that holds the new SPECworkstation3 world record. We got hold of one. It’s really fast.

More...

AMD today has announced that they will be making a pair of consumer product presentations in October. The chipmaker, who has been fairly quiet since the spring, will be holding events for both their consumer Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU product segments. Dubbing the events “A New Journey Begins”, the company will be announcing the first products based on their eagerly anticipated Zen 3 CPU architecture and RDNA 2 GPU architecture.
Leading the charge will be AMD’s CPU division. On October 8^th at noon Eastern, the company will be presenting their Zen 3-based Ryzen desktop processors. AMD’s CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, will be among the presenters.
Following that up just under 3 weeks later will be AMD’s Radeon presentation, which again is at noon Eastern. There the company will be showing off its first products based on the company’s forthcoming RDNA 2 GPU architecture. Meanwhile, tipping their hand a bit early on naming, AMD has confirmed that this will be called the Radeon RX 6000 series.

Next Generation Ryzen Desktop Processors – 10/8, 12 p.m. ET
We are incredibly excited to invite you to learn more about the next wave of Ryzen desktop processors with “Zen 3” architecture, taking our PC gaming and content creation leadership to new heights. Dr. Lisa Su and other AMD senior executives will kick-off this new journey for “Zen 3” and AMD Ryzen at 12 p.m. ET, October 8^th.
Next Generation Radeon Graphics – 10/28, 12 p.m. ET
Preparing to delight gamers globally with the next horizon of Radeon Graphics, we invite you to learn more about our RDNA 2 architecture, Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards, and our deep collaboration with game developers and ecosystem partners who will help us bring the best of Radeon to gamers. Tune in for the reveal of the future of Radeon PC gaming at 12 p.m. ET, October 28^th.

AMD hasn’t disclosed any other details about these events at this time, but over the last several months the manufacturer has shared bits and pieces of information relating to its upcoming chip architectures. Based on AMD’s roadmaps, Ryzen Zen 3 processors will be built on an improved version of TSMC’s 7nm process, most likely TSMC’s N7P process given AMD’s comments clarifying that they aren’t committing to EUV for 7nm. Otherwise, for the moment AMD is remaining tight-lipped on the Zen 3 architecture itself, though given that AMD isn’t going to get the benefits of a full node shrink, we’re expecting Zen 3 to deliver some interesting and meaningful architectural improvements over Zen 2.

Meanwhile on the graphics front, AMD and partners have previously confirmed that RDNA 2 will be a DirectX 12 Ultimate (feature level 12_2) compliant GPU architecture, meaning that AMD will be making significant changes to the graphics side of their GPU designs. The Navi 2x family of GPUs will gain support for ray tracing, variable rate shading, and other features that will put AMD’s new GPUs at parity with the competition, both for consoles and PCs. Meanwhile from a performance standpoint, AMD is aiming for a hefty 50% jump in performance-per-watt, which could potentially eliminate the efficiency gap with NVIDIA. As well, the company has previously promised a high-end "top-of-stack" GPU for 4K gaming, so we're expecting some ambitious performance goals from AMD.

Be sure to check in on October 8^th and October 28^th for more details on AMD’s next generation of consumer parts!

It’s going to be an exciting fall for gamers... time to start a new journey with @AMDRyzen Zen3 and @Radeon RDNA2 pic.twitter.com/O9SXvLo4y0
— Lisa Su (@LisaSu) September 9, 2020

Source: AMD

More...

Accessing the internet is one of the most basic tasks for any computer, but webpages in 2020 are incredibly complex so how the browser interprets the code and renders it as a viewable webpage is no simple task. Modern browsers have both a rendering or layout engine, as well as a scripting engine, and both factor into how well the browser can handle any particular task.

More...

Synology is one of the top-tier vendors in the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) network-attached storage (NAS) market for SOHOs, SMBs, and SMEs, with QNAP being the other major player. While QNAP has a wide variety of hardware platforms to choose from in each market segment, Synology has been big on segmentation - restricting Xeon CPUs and native 10GbE to their rackmount offerings. Only their Annapurna Labs SoC-based desktop units have had 10G SFP+ support till now. That changed recently with the introduction of the DS1621xs+.
The Synology DS1621xs+ uses a Broadwell-DE Xeon-D processor (D-1527) - These SoCs are a better fit for storage platforms compared to the networking-focused Skylake-D SKUs. The 6 built-in 3.5" hot-swappable drive bays are complemented by two M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots. There are two 1 GbE LAN ports and a 10GBASE-T port. Two eSATA ports help the unit support two DX517 expansion chassis, allowing the unit to support a total of 16 bays.

On the software side, similar to all other x86 NAS units from Synology, the DS1621xs+ also comes with support for both ext4 and btrfs internal volumes. Synology claims read speeds of up to 3100 MBps with additional 10G NICs in the expansion slots.

Synology DS1621xs+ Specifications
Processor	Intel Xeon D-1527 (4C/8T Broadwell-DE x86 Cores @ 2.20 (2.70) GHz)
RAM	8 GB DDR4-2666 ECC SODIMM (upgradeable to 16GB x 2)
Drive Bays	6x 3.5"/2.5" SATA 6 Gbps HDD / SSD (Hot-Swappable) (Expandable with 2x DX517 up to 16 bays in total)
Network Links	2x 1 GbE 1 x 10 GbE
External I/O Peripherals	3x USB 3.0, 2x eSATA
Expansion Slots	1x PCIe 3.0 x8
VGA / Display Out	None
Full Specifications Link	Synology DS1621xs+ Specifications
Price	$1600 (Newegg)

It is heartening to see Synology finally introduce 10GBASE-T NAS units in the desktop form-factor. The DSM software carries some unique applications (like the Synology Office suite) that QNAP doesn't currently have in their QTS operating system. On the other hand, QNAP's hardware variety - particularly in terms of NBASE-T and 10GbE support even in their SOHO offerings is also attractive. Overall, it is good for consumers to have more options to choose from in the COTS NAS market.
Gallery: Synology Introduces DS1621xs+ - First Desktop x86 DSM NAS with Native 10GbE

More...

Following a number of rumors and leaks, NVIDIA this evening announced that it is buying Arm Limited for $40 billion. The cash and stock deal will see NVIDIA buy the semiconductor and IP design firm from SoftBank and its associated SoftBank Vision Fund, with NVIDIA taking an eye towards expanding Arm’s IP licensing business while also using Arm’s technology to further pierce into the datacenter market. The deal is just being formally announced today and will likely note close for some time, as it is expected to be required to clear multiple regulatory hurdles in the UK, US, China, and other governments across the globe.

More...

When things aren’t blowing up or burning down as of late, there’s still the matter of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While the first generation of vaccines move carefully closer to approval, there’s still a lot of research left to be done, and various technology industry companies and consortiums have been stepping up to provide computing resources for those efforts. One such participant has been AMD, whom in June announced that the company would be donating 7 petaflops of high-performance computing systems, and now this morning is announcing that they are preparing for a second round of awards, which will entail a further 5 petaflops of hardware.
As with AMD’s previous efforts, the second round of donations from the company’s COVID-19 HPC fund will see the company awarding AMD-powered systems to various research institutions. The hardware includes systems based on AMD’s EPYC “Rome” processors, which fittingly are being paired with AMD’s Radeon Instinct MI50 accelerators. According to the company, recipients can either take direct delivery of the hardware, or receive access to datacenter-hosted hardware courtesy of Penguin Computing.
Overall, 21 research institutions have or are now set to receive computing hardware under the program, including Cambridge University and Stanford School of Medicine. The new hardware for these institutions is expected to be operational by the start of Q4, at which point it will be used for “genomics, vaccine development, transmission science and modeling.”
Source: AMD

More...

Whether your business relies on cloud applications, big data, artificial intelligence, or something in-between, you need powerful, reliable hardware to act as a foundation. That's exactly what Tyan's new AMD server platform provides. Purpose-built for high-performance computing it's designed exclusively with the needs of the enterprise in mind.



More...

In a very brief teaser, AMD this afternoon has released a picture of their first Radeon RX 6000 video card.
No further details about the card are given, but based on the sizable triple fan design and dual 8-pin PCIe power connectors, it stands to reason that we’re looking at one of AMD’s high-end card designs. Overall the design looks reminicant of the Radeon VII, which is not terribly surprising since that is the last high-end (high-powered) video card released by AMD.
Don’t be surprised if we see more teasers over the coming weeks, as AMD gears up for its October CPU and GPU presentations. AMD will be holding its “Next Generation Radeon Graphics” keynote on October 28^th at noon Eastern.
Gallery: AMD Teases First Radeon RX 6000 Video Card Picture (Full Resolution)

More...