Thread: Anandtech News

USB IF published the final USB 3.2 specification in September last year and so developers of controllers and physical interfaces (PHY) started to design their solutions supporting the new tech. As it appears, the development process is proceeding well at ASMedia, which is demonstrating its USB 3.2 PHY at Computex.
The USB 3.2 uses two high-speed USB Type-C Tx/Rx channels to achieve 20 Gbps maximum throughput and while the technology retains the USB 3.1 physical layer data rates and encoding techniques, it still needs a new PHY to work. Just several days ago Synopsys demonstrated its USB 3.2 prototype solution, and apparently, ASMedia also has its USB 3.2 PHY ready. The company does not disclose which process technology it uses for the physical interface, but 10 Gbps data transfer rate is not something that has serious requirements.

Based on the oscilloscope readings, ASMedia’s PHY works nearly ideally, so the next step for the company is building a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 controller featuring this physical interface.

ASMedia says that its controller will be ready in 2019, but does not specify when exactly. Keeping in mind that it takes some time for actual hardware makers to adopt new controllers, do not expect USB 3.2 devices to hit the market earlier than in 2020.

Want to keep up to date with all of our Computex 2018 Coverage?
	Laptops		Hardware		Chips
Follow AnandTech's breaking news here!

More...

At Computex 2018, Patriot has shared that it's preparing to ship two new SSDs, the Viper M.2 SSD, and an S12 SATA SSD, to round out its 2018 product line. The Viper M.2 SSD packs up to 1TB of NVMe high-speed storage on a slim 2280 form factor with up to 3,200 MB/s read and 3,000 MB/s write speeds using sequential data. The random performance will peak at 600,000 IOPS, enough to satisfy any gamer, the line's target audience.

What Patriot adds to the story is just how close the Viper M.2 is to market. The company plans to ship the drive in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB sizes in the next 30 days and hopes to sweep others with similar products as well as those based on Silicon Motion's SM2262EN coming later in the year. We didn't hear anything about retail pricing from the company, but don't expect this SSD to break the bank.
The successor to Phison's successful and diverse S10 SATA controller, which played dual roles as a high-performance beast with MLC flash and low-cost general use SSD with TLC, is closer to reality. The Phison S12 will play a similar role with support for both 3D TLC and QLC making it a potent weapon in any SSD manufacturer's arsenal.

Patriot displayed the first retail S12 SATA SSD at Computex 2018 but says this model will only come after the Viper M.2 ships. With performance limited by the SATA bus at roughly 550 MB/s, the drive feels best suited for legacy system upgrades not compatible with NVMe and lower cost mainstream builds pieced together with a focus on maximizing the best bang for the buck.

Want to keep up to date with all of our Computex 2018 Coverage?
	Laptops		Hardware		Chips
Follow AnandTech's breaking news here!

Chris Ramsayer Contributed to this Report.

More...

They say you can't take it with you and, when it comes to mechanical keyboards, they are usually right. While there's nothing like the feel of a good mechanical keyboard on your desk, for many, attempting to travel with one can prove to be a cumbersome experience. Enter Cooler Master's CK620. Due out at the end of this year or in early 2019, this compact mechanical keyboard can fit into most handbags and has an optional Bluetooth connection.
The CK620 is one of the thinnest mechanical keyboards around thanks to Cherry's new, low-profile red switches. Red switches, particularly those from Cherry, have long been prized among gamers for their quick response time. These low-profile switches are 35-percent thinner than their regular counterparts and still have the great mechanical feel that power users crave.

Overall, the Cooler Master CK620 is 60 percent the size of a full keyboard and much more compact than a typical tenkeyless keyboard. Even the keycaps are optimized for space-saving because they are completely flat.
Having the chance to spend a few minutes with the CK620, we were left feeling impressed with just how great it looks and feels. The keys appeared to have plenty of travel and were more than large enough for adult fingers. They had the snappiness you expect from a mechanical keyboard too. Even with all the space-saving, Cooler Master found room for RGB LEDs under each key. The silver base and black keys round out this impressive package.

Buy Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro S on Amazon.com
Cooler Master stated that when it launches at the end of this year or early next year, the CK620 will be available in both a wired-only configuration and a model that can connect via Bluetooth and USB Type-C. They said to expect a modest five hours of battery life with the RGB lights on, but a good deal more with the lights off.
In addition to the CK620, Cooler Master is coming out with two other low-profile keyboards. The CK630 is a less-compact, tenkeyless model that has more blank space around the arrow keys. The CK640 is a full-size keyboard with number pad. Pricing was not revealed.

Want to keep up to date with all of our Computex 2018 Coverage?
	Laptops		Hardware		Chips
Follow AnandTech's breaking news here!

Avram Piltch Contributed to this Report.



More...

AMD has yet to officially launch the B450 chipset, but that didn’t stop motherboard manufacturers from showcasing their upcoming AM4 B450 motherboards at Computex 2018. Of all the major motherboard brands present at this year’s venue, ASRock brought one of the most diversified lineups of B450 motherboards.
B450 Gaming K4

The B450 Gaming K4 is ASRock’s standard ATX offering. There’s a nine-phase VRM present drawing power from a single 8-pin EPS connector. The motherboard is equipped with four DDR4 memory slots that support frequencies scaling to 3,200MHz through overclocking. The motherboard also features two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots and four PCIe 2.0 x1 slots. This opens the door to the possibility of running an AMD Quad CrossFireX configuration on this motherboard. Graphics output consists of an HDMI port, DisplayPort, and D-Sub port with support for up to three monitors.
The storage options on the ASRock B450 Gaming K4 consist of four SATA III ports, an M.2 PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 port, and an M.2 PCIe Gen3 x2 port. The audio solution is based on the Realtek ALC892 audio codec – while not the latest and greatest, will still put out good sound for most users. The rear I/O hosts two USB 3.1 (Type-A and Type-C) and four USB 3.0 ports.
B450M-HDV

The B450M-HDV is a micro-ATX motherboard aimed at consumers who prefer to build compact systems. The motherboard is armed with a seven-phase VRM and a single 4-pin EPS connector feeding them the power. Two DDR4 memory slots can handle memory modules that exceed the DDR4-3200 specification. Options for expansion are a bit limited with only a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot and PCIe 2.0 x1. Similar to the B450 Gaming K4, the B450M-HDV also comes equipped with one HDMI port, DisplayPort, and D-Sub port with support for triple monitors.
There are a total of four SATA III ports, a M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 port, and a M.2 SATA III port for users to connect their storage devices. The motherboard utilizes the Realtek ALC887 audio codec for its audio responsibilities and shares the same number of USB ports as the larger B450 Gaming K4.
B450M Pro4

The ASRock B450M Pro4 falls into the micro-ATX category as well. In terms of feature set, it’s almost identical to the B450M-HDV except for a few key differences. Unlike the B450M-HDV’s seven-phase VRM, the B450M Pro4 rocks a more robust nine-phase VRM and an 8-pin EPS connector. They also differ from each other in the number of expansion slots and audio codec. The B450M Pro4 has an extra PCIe 2.0 x16 slot while also employing the Realtek ALC892 audio codec instead of the ALC887 codec found on the B450M-HDV.
B450 Gaming-ITX/AC

It's comforting to see that ASRock didn’t forget about Mini-ITX lovers. Like its micro-ATX siblings, the tiny B450 Gaming-ITX/ac packs two DDR4 memory slots. However, ASRock said the motherboard supports memory frequencies over 3,466MHz. Due to the nature of the form factor, the motherboard comes with a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. Video connectivity comes in form of an HDMI port and DisplayPort.
The ASRock B450 Gaming-ITX/ac possesses four SATA III ports and a M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 for storage. ASRock opts for the latest Realtek ALC1220 audio codec for this particular model. The rear I/O carries two USB 3.1 (Type-A and C) and two USB 3.0 ports at the rear. The itty-bitty motherboard also comes with built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity.
Pricing and availability were not shared. But we do expect to see the boards soon.
Buy ASRock X370 Gaming X Fatal1ty on Amazon.com

Want to keep up to date with all of our Computex 2018 Coverage?
	Laptops		Hardware		Chips
Follow AnandTech's breaking news here!

Zhiye Liu Contributed to this Report.

More...

Silicon Motion, Inc controllers shipped in 30% of the world's SSDs last year. The company had a successful entry into the consumer SSD market and within just five years is ready to challenge Samsung for the performance crown.
The top-tier performance comes from the SM2262EN, the successor to the SM2262 found in well-priced products like the Adata SX8200, HP EX920, and Intel 760p. The new controller features a software upgrade that significantly increases performance and pushes the user experience to new heights with commodity flash.
The SM2262EN supports existing and next-generation flash memory with speeds of up to 800MT/s per channel. The 8-channel controller is also a drop-in replacement for existing SSDs designed around the SM2262 controller. A powerful 4th generation LDPC engine provides the robustness to support next-generation QLC memory as well as the 96-layer TLC coming to market in 2019. We've learned from manufacturers that the SM2262EN already has design wins. Adata plans to update the SX8200 with a new model in the same 8000 series family using the controller.

It's easy to see why companies plan to launch products with the new controller. SMI's internal testing shows the drive outperforming the Samsung 970 Pro in several key 4-corner tests and, unlike the 970 Pro, partners plan to launch 2TB models to gain market share in the void.
The SM2262EN display is far from a parlor trick. The company, just like years past, allowed us to run tests on the system to see firsthand how fast the new SM2262EN paired with 64-layer memory is. So far, the initial performance shows a strong user experience that is simply the next step up from the retail drives shipping today with the SM2262 controller.
If Silicon Motion's partners are able to meet or exceed the current mainstream NVMe price points where the SX8200 and EX920 reside, this will be a very popular controller for our readers.

Want to keep up to date with all of our Computex 2018 Coverage?
	Laptops		Hardware		Chips
Follow AnandTech's breaking news here!

Chris Ramsayer contributed to this article.

More...

Back in April, as punishment for continued violations of a previous export ban settlement with the US, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security enacted a denial order against ZTE. The order effectively cut off the company off from receiving most US technology, and as a result of this ban, ZTE’s operations, which heavily relied on importing both hardware and software from the US, ground to a halt, putting the future of the company in doubt. However ZTE’s immediate woes now appear to be coming to an end; the Bureau of Industry and Security and ZTE have come to an agreement that will see the US tech ban suspended in return for a massive settlement, leadership changes, and allowing significant & ongoing US oversight of the company’s compliance.
Under the terms of the settlement, ZTE is paying an immediate $1B fine, on top of the existing $892M in fines they’ve already paid related to their misconduct in this case. Furthermore the company will have to completely clean house on its executive team and board of directors, replacing all of the members in both of those groups. Meanwhile to ensure ongoing compliance, ZTE is being required to put a further $400M in escrow, which would be forfeit if they violated US export regulations again. And the company will be required to host and pay for a US-selected compliance team that will oversee the company’s compliance over the term of the agreement.
In return, the US will be suspending – but not removing – the US technology export ban that has caused the company to grind to a halt to begin with. This would allow the US to quickly re-instate the ban if ZTE violates the terms of the 10 year agreement. Overall this an unprecedented agreement with the BIS in both the size of the fines and the overall scope of the compliance monitoring.
The immediate ramifications of this deal are that although ZTE is becoming cash-poorer, this will allow them to resume day-to-day business operations and get the business moving again. This includes once again being able to receive Qualcomm SoCs and the Android OS for their smartphones, along with the numerous components used in their networking gear.
There are also some political ramifications to this deal – which are outside the scope of AnandTech’s purview – but as the New York Times notes, many see this as part of a larger peace offering in ensuring a new trade deal between the US and China.

More...

When Intel demonstrated its 28-core system running at 5 GHz at the Computex 2018 keynote this week, there were many questions surrounding the hardware and what was required in order to showcase this. The presentation was relatively light on details – perhaps purposefully so – however Intel SVP and GM Gregory Bryant stated that the processor was set to come out during Q4.
Now there were obviously a lot of questions about the demonstration. Was the CPU overclocked? What cooling was used? What platform did it run on? Which motherboard did it run on? What architecture is being used? What process node? What was the power consumption? We met with an Intel representative yesterday who answered some of these questions.

More...

Since Imagination’s original announcement of the PowerVR Series2NX Neural Network Accelerator (NNA) last fall, the machine learning and AI “hype train” has not paused in the slightest. For the embedded and mobile space where the 2NX NNA competes in, there have been plenty of AI hardware developments in that time: CEVA’s NeuPro, Cambricon’s neural processing unit (NPU) in the Kirin 970, and yet more details of Arm’s “Project Trillium” machine learning processor, which has yet to be finalized. Today is Imagination’s turn, and the company is announcing the first products in the 2NX NNA family: the higher-performance AX2185 and lower-cost AX2145.

Given the traditional spectrum of embedded and mobile markets, Imagination is positioning the AX2185 for higher-end smartphones, smart surveillance systems, and automotive, while pushing the low-bandwidth-tuned AX2145 for lower-end applications, including DTV and set-top boxes (STB). For all these use-cases, particularly mobile and smart surveillance, Imagination sees these two new IP blocks as providing superior inferencing performance within a given power profile and silicon footprint. But as with their previous briefing, specific numbers were sparse.

In any case, Imagination is claiming up to 4.1 TOPS on the AX2185 and 1 TOPS for the AX2145; these metrics seem based off of the maximum 2048 8-bit multiply-and-accumulate operations (MACs) per clock capability. It was noted that AX2185 comes equipped with eight full-width compute engines, but it is not clear if this is the same for the AX2145, which was optimized for ultra-low-bandwidth.

While Imagination stated that the AX2185 had already been delivered to select partners, Imagination considered the AX2185 and AX2145 more akin to 2^nd generation NNA cores, noting an unannounced predecessor that was developed alongside lead customers. Details of the resulting optimizations, however, were not disclosed.

Architecturally, then, nothing has changed since the initial announcement last September, and the same highlights apply: flexible bit-depths for data and weights, variable internal precision, data format interoperability with other system components (ISP, GPU, CPU), and the software ecosystem. For the latter, Imagination reiterates its NNA oriented development tools such as the PowerVR AI Toolkit and Imagination DNN API, with both new IP cores supporting the Android NN API. Ultimately, Caffe and TensorFlow are largely the primary intended frameworks for the NNA.
As we have mentioned throughout our ongoing coverage of neural network hardware IP, it is still too early to gauge competitiveness, particularly. Going forward though, Imagination’s natural integration opportunities with its own PowerVR GPUs will be something to keep an eye on.
The AX2185 and AX2145 are available for licensing today, and interested parties may contact Imagination directly.
Gallery: Imagination PowerVR 2NX Core Announcement Presentation


Related Reading

• Arm Details "Project Trillium" Machine Learning Processor Architecture
• HiSilicon Kirin 970 - Android SoC Power & Performance Overview
• Imagination Joins the AI Party, Announces PowerVR Series 2NX Neural Network Accelerator
• CEVA Launches Fifth-Generation Machine Learning Image and Vision DSP Solution: CEVA-XM6
• CEVA Announces NeuPro Neural Network IP

More...

AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper made quite a splash in the industry with its massive core count and a server-class TDP. Building a system based on such a processor seems alluring to a creative professional because of multi-tasking performance, but a loud air cooling system, or necessity to go liquid could be a turnoff. Thankfully, be quiet! has a solution.

Be Quiet!’s Dark Rock Pro TR4 mega-cooler (or should I say hypercooler?) has a massive aluminum base (no copper, sorry), seven heat pipes, two large fans, and loads of fins. The cooler is rated for 240 W, so it can support all the existing AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors as well as the upcoming AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2 CPUs. Keep in mind that TR II’s 250 W TDP is a very conservative range and in most cases, these chips will dissipate much less).

Although high-end desktops are not meant to be silent, be quiet!’s Dark Rock Pro TR4 is here to prove otherwise: it is possible to wed performance and silence without using a liquid cooling system.

Be quiet! says that the Dark Rock Pro TR4 will be available in the coming weeks at around the same price point as the regular one, so think about ~$90 with a screwdriver included.
Buy be quiet! Dark Rock Pro (non-TR4!) on Amazon.com

Want to keep up to date with all of our Computex 2018 Coverage?
	Laptops		Hardware		Chips
Follow AnandTech's breaking news here!

More...

Colorful is showing off its prototype of an all-in-one computer with a 49-inch display. At present, the system is closer to a proof-of-concept than a real product, but if the company finds that there is enough interest in such a PC, an AIO featuring an ultrawide LCD will be released commercially.
The Colorful Onebot S49 AIO PC is based on a standard (presumably Mini-ITX, but there is no formal confirmation for that) motherboard powered by Intel’s Core i7-7700 processor accompanied by NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, 16 GD of DDR4 memory and a 256 GB M.2 SSD. As expected, the system features all the connectivity options that a modern PC is supposed to have, including a GbE port, 802.11n Wi-Fi, four USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 headers, an HDMI connector and so on.

The key feature of the Colorful S49 is, of course, its 49-inch monitor featuring a 32:9 aspect ratio, 3840×1080 resolution, and a 144 Hz refresh rate. This panel is made by Samsung (again, not confirmed officially) and along with it, the company supplies a scaler that supports AMD’s FreeSync. However, because Colorful is a loyal partner of NVIDIA, the AIO PC does not support FreeSync, whereas NVIDIA’s G-Sync is not supported by the scaler (at least right now).

The Colorful S49 clearly looks impressive. At present this is the only AIO system in the world that has a 49-inch screen. Colorful clearly positions the product as a solution for gamers, but it will be equally good for users of multi-display setups used for productivity applications.

As already noted, the Colorful S49 will hardly make it to the market, at least not in the Western countries, in its current form. If the company actually decides to produce it, it will likely upgrade the CPU and ensure that the platform has up-to-date communication capabilities, such as 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB Type-C and so on.

Want to keep up to date with all of our Computex 2018 Coverage?
	Laptops		Hardware		Chips
Follow AnandTech's breaking news here!

Gallery: Colorful Demonstrates a 49-Inch All-in-One PC

More...