Anandtech News

**FEED** · 12-07-18, 11:13 AM

To celebrate the end of the year and the launch of our recently-revamped forums, the AnandTech Forums community team is holding a holiday swag giveaway.
Now through December 14^th, the team is taking contest entries for five AnandTech-branded swag packages, including Bluetooth speakers and coffee mugs. So if you like AnandTech and would like to win some free stuff, please be sure to stop by our forums to enter the contest.

More...

**FEED** · 12-07-18, 01:36 PM

The number of news stories about gaming displays that we post has increased significantly in the past couple of years. Established suppliers have broadened their lineups of gaming LCDs, and meanwhile new players have decided to join the party. Apparently, our coverage has been reflecting market sales trends, as sales of such monitors have been increasing at a rapid pace. According to WitsView, shipments of displays with a 100 Hz refresh rate or higher (i.e., gaming LCDs) will exceed five million units in 2018. Moreover, over half of them will be curved monitors.
Curved Gaming LCDs Leave Flat Displays Behind

Global sales of gaming displays with high refresh rates are expected to reach 5.1 million units in 2018, an annual growth of 100%, reports WitsView, a division of TrendForce. This is still a small fraction of the 126 million total LCDs projected to be sold in 2018 (up 1.5% year-over-year), according to the company. The researchers attribute the growing demand for displays with high refresh rates to recommendations from game developers, with groups such as the PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds devs recommended 144 Hz+ displays. Meanwhile, it is evident that as the number of available models on the market is increasing, their prices are getting lower and gamers are more inclined to buy them.

One interesting point about gaming displays in general is that 54% of gaming LCDs sold this year will be curved monitors, leaving only 46% of them to be flat. Last year 77% of gaming displays were flat and only 23% were curved, according to WitsView. Shipments of around 2.75 million units is a big win for curved LCDs at large. In fact, keeping in mind that there are even more numerous curved models with refresh rates below 100 Hz, it is safe to say that sales of such displays in general will clearly surpass 5 million units, up from around a million in 2015. Since price difference between curved and flat monitors is diminishing, curved displays are no longer penalized with a price premium.
ASUS Leading the Pack

When it comes to suppliers of gaming displays, ASUS has been leading the pack for quite a while now, and this year was no exception. Acer maintained its second spot in 2018. By contrast, BenQ left the Top 4 and the third place now belongs to TPV, which sells products under AOC and Philips brands and is particularly successful in the Chinese, European, and APAC markets. Samsung moved up to fourth place (from the No. 5 spot) after expanding its gaming lineup with numerous new models in 2017 – 2018 timeframe, including the world’s first FreeSync 2-supporting monitors and numerous curved models of various sizes. It is noteworthy that 95% of Samsung’s gaming displays are curved.

Top Suppliers of Gaming LCDs in 2017 - 2018 Data by WitsView, December 2018
Ranking	2017	2018 Estimation
1	ASUS	ASUS
2	Acer	Acer
3	BenQ	AOC/Philips
4	AOC/Philips	Samsung
Shipments	2.5 million	5.1 million

Other vendors with impressive sales growth in 2018 noted by WitsView are MSI, HKC, and SDC. The latter two are particularly successful in China, whereas MSI is promoting its Optix gaming displays globally. Meanwhile, general LCD market leaders like Dell, HP, Lenovo, and LG are not exactly among the frontrunners on the market of gaming monitors.

Top LCD Suppliers: 2017 - 2018 Data by WitsView, October 2018
2017			2018 (Estimated)
Ranking	Brand	Market Share	Ranking	Brand	Market Share
1	Dell	18.5%	1	Dell	19.6%
2	AOC/Philips	13.5%	2	HP	13.8%
3	HP	12.7%	3	AOC/Philips	13.1%
4	Lenovo	9.8%	4	Lenovo	9.6%
5	Samsung	9.6%	5	LG	8.7%
6	LG	9.3%	6	Samsung	7.6%
7	Acer	6.0%	7	Acer	6.8%
Others	-	20.5%	Others	-	20.8%
Shipments	-	123.7 million	Shipments	-	125.6 million

Related Reading:

Source: WitsView/TrendForce

More...

**FEED** · 12-10-18, 08:13 AM

OWC has released its new Drive Dock external storage solution that can accommodate two hot-plug-capable HDDs or SSDs. What makes this latest drive dock particularly notable is that it uses a USB Type-C interface, so it can be used with the latest laptops.
OWC’s Drive Dock (OWCTCDRVDCK) with a USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 interface can house two 2.5 or 3.5-inch SATA drives, supporting both HDDs and SSDs. The dock also supports RAID stripe or RAID mirror modes for extra performance or redundancy. Under the hood, the device uses Via Labs' VL820 USB 3.1 Gen 2 controller as well as ASMedia’s ASM1151 USB to SATA bridge, with OWC presumably layering software RAID on top of that.
Keeping in mind that the maximum performance a USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface can provide is just shy of 1GB/sec, it makes sense to run two SATA HDDs in RAID 0, though two high-performance SATA SSDs will likely be bottlenecked by the interface.

When it comes to compatibility, OWC’s dual drive bay solution should work with all standard SATA HDDs and SSDs. Capacity wise, this means that it can accommodate two 14 TB HDDs providing up to 28 TB of storage space and over 500 MB/s throughput in RAID 0. Alternatively, two SSDs can be used for a combination of maximum performance, or mixing & matching an SSD and HDD.
Also of note in terms of features, the Dual Drive Dock has an internal power supply; so while it does require external power (via an AC cable), it doesn't require plugging in a bulky external transformer to power the device. The internal power supply also means that OWC has been able to add some frills by allowing each drive bay to be individually powered on and of. All told, the OWC ships the Drive Dock with a USB 3.1 Gen 1 A-to-C cable, a USB 3.1 Gen 2 C-to-C cable, and a power cable.
Being rather simplistic, the OWC Drive Dock for two storage device with a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C interface is also a pretty affordable at $119. If populated with two 8 TB HDDs (around $220 these days), the whole storage solution will cost about $560, which is cheaper than Western Digital’s 16 TB MyBook Duo, which retails for $599 and offers throughput of up to 360 MB/s.
Buy OWC Drive Dock w/ USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C on Amazon.com
Related Reading:

Source: OWC

More...

**FEED** · 12-10-18, 10:34 AM

Enermax has introduced its new family of all-in-one liquid cooling systems (AIO LCS) for mainstream and high-end desktop CPUs. Capable of dissipating upwards of 500W of heat, the LiqTech II lineup includes models with 240-mm, 280-mm, and 360-mm radiators, all featuring a high-performance pump. To make the devices more attractive to modders, Enermax is also offering one of the LiqTech II SKUs in white.
Interestingly, Enermax seems to be aiming for overkill here. The company, one of a handful of AIO LCS makers to target AMD's Threadripper platform, is porting their TR4 cooler design to this more mainstream cooler.

The Enermax LiqTech II coolers are compatible with all mainstream sockets in use today, as well as Intel's HEDT socket, meaning it works with Intel’s LGA2066/2011/1366/115x sockets as well as AMD’s AMx/FMx. However AMD's TR4 socket continues to require one of the company' specialized extra-large TR4 coolers.
The new AIO LCSes use the EF1 pump featuring a ceramic nano PI bearing, a micro-channel cold plate (complete with a shunt channel), a flow rate of 450 Liters/hour, and addressable RGB lighting that connects to its radiator using weaved polyamide rubber tubing. Depending on exact model, the LiqTech II coolers are equipped with two or three fans featuring a high-pressure blade design as well as anti-vibration rubber pads to reduce noise.

All of Enermax's LiqTech II LCSs are rated for over 500 W of cooling, which is a steep upgrade from the first-gen LiqTech LCS (~300 W), which pre-dated the company's more recent TR4-inspired designs.

Specifications of Enermax LiqTech II-Series Cooling Systems
			LiqTech II 240 ELC-LTTO240-TBP	LiqTech II 280 ELC-LTTO280-TBP	LiqTech II 360 Black: ELC-LTTO360-TBP White: ELC-LTTO360-TBP-W
Dimensions	Waterblock Pump	Length	71 mm
Width	71 mm
Height	63 mm
Radiator	Length	274 mm	313 mm	394 mm
Width	120 mm	140 mm	120,,
Depth	39 mm	28 mm	28 mm
Fan	Length	120 mm × 2	140 mm × 2	120 mm × 3
Width	120 mm × 2	140 mm × 2	120 mm × 3
Depth	25 mm
Fan (single)		Speed (RPM)	500-2300	500-1500	500-2300
Airflow (CFM)	23.81 ~ 102.17	31.86 ~ 80.71	23.81 ~ 102.17
Static Pressure (mm-H₂O)	0.673 ~ 6.28	0.960 ~ 4.812	0.673 ~ 6.28
Noise (dBA)	14 ~ 28	14 ~ 25	14 ~ 28
Power	3.6 W	2.4 W	3.6 W
MTBF (hrs)	?160,000 @ unknown ^oC
Connector	4-pin PWM connector
Pump		Speed (RPM)	3000 (needs to be confirmed)
Life Expectancy	?100,000 @ unknown ^oC
Power	4.8 W
Tubing Length	400 mm
Compatibility		AMD	AM4/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2/FM2+/FM2/FM1
Intel	LGA 2066/2011-3/2011/1366/1156/1155/1151/1150
TDP	?500 W

The motive behind Enermax’s the move to adapt its LiqTech TR4 II to other CPUs is clear: Intel’s ‘extreme’ Core i9-9980XE dissipate 165 W of power at stock clocks and will dissipate far more when overclocked. Besides, Intel’s mainstream Core i7/i9 processors go well above their official sub-100W TDPs provided that they are cooled properly, which means that better cooling translates into higher performance in many cases.
Enermax plans to start sales of its LiqTech II coolers in early December. The company has not announced pricing, but considering the fact that the LiqTech II TR4 LCS starts at $140, it is likely that versions for other CPUs will start at around the same price point.
Related Reading:

Source: Enermax (via Hermitage Akihabara)

More...

**FEED** · 12-10-18, 02:25 PM

TP-Link has announced pre-orders for their first 802.11ax router - the 8-stream Archer AX6000, along with technical details, pricing, and other information. In addition, a higher-end model, the Archer AX11000 is slated to become available in January 2019.
Most of the leading consumer networking vendors have already announced their first-generation 802.11ax routers lineup. In fact, Netgear and Asus already have their units available for purchase or pre-orders. Today, TP-Link is announcing their corresponding lineup for the North American market.
Traditionally, the flagship routers from TP-Link have been based on Qualcomm silicon, but, the company has opted to go in with Broadcom-based platforms for their first two 802.11ax products. The entry-level product from all the vendors is based on the Broadcom 8-stream platform (one 4x4 5 GHz radio, and one 4x4 2.4 GHz radio). For the high-end, Netgear opted for the Qualcomm-based 12-stream platform (one 8x8 5 GHz radio, and one 4x4 2.4 GHz radio). However, TP-Link, like Asus, has gone in with Broadcom for their high-end AX11000 router too. This product adopts a tri-band design, with two 4x4 5 GHz radios and one 4x4 2.4 GHz radio.
The benefits of Wi-Fi 6 have been brought out in multiple articles before, but, it is important to have a recap for context:

Availability of both uplink and downlink OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access) to improve spectral efficiency
Usage of both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands (unlike the 5 GHz-only 802.11ac standard)
Standardization of 1024-QAM and and making MU-MIMO a mandatory feature (dissimilar to its optional downlink-only nature in 802.11ac Wave-2)

Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11ax doesn't target peak data-rates, but, improves the aggregate performance over several simultaneously active clients. The OFDMA-enabled simultaneous transmission to several users results in increased efficiency. Thanks to the lowered waiting time, the battery life of client devices also increases.
The first 802.11ax product to ship from TP-Link will be the Archer AX6000 router based on the Broadcom BCM49408 SoC with two 802.11ax radios - the BCM43684. The BCM49408 has a 1.8 GHz quad-core ARMv8 processor (Cortex A53) supplemented by a 800 MHz network packet co-processor that keeps the main CPU free for other tasks. The radios are in a 4x4:4 configuration, with one dedicated to 2.4 GHz duties (bgn+ax, with 40 MHz channels for 1148 Mbps of theoretical throughput), and another dedicated to the 5 GHz channel (an+ac+ax, with 160 MHz channel support for 4804 Mbps of theoretical throughput).
The high-end product, the AX11000 is a tri-band platform, with the same BCM49408 SoC. Attached to this SoC, we have three BCM43684 radios in 4x4:4 configuration - two dedicated to 5 GHz, and one to 2.4 GHz duties. TP-Link is aiming to target the gaming market with this product. The integrated 'Game Accelerator' QoS and the tagging of one of the 5 GHz radios as '5G_Gaming' along with a gamers-focused UI are some of the marketable features to please the gamers.
Both routers come with 1GB of RAM, a 2.5 Gbps WAN port, 8x gigabit LAN ports, and two USB 3.0 ports (1x Type-A, and 1x Type-C). They also support link aggregation, band steering, and DFS. The setup and usage process is being made user-friendly thanks to the Tether app that allows for initial configuration using Bluetooth. The routers also come with a 3-year subscription to the TP-Link HomeCare security feature (operated in partnership with TrendMicro).
The Archer AX6000 is available for pre-order on Amazon for $350. The Archer AX11000 will be available towards the end of January 2019 at a price point of $450.

More...

**FEED** · 12-10-18, 04:10 PM

Most of the 5G deployments to date are using mobile hotspots – devices that convert a 5G signal into another form of data transfer, usually some form of ubiquitous Wi-Fi. So while there are no direct 5G devices right now, the initial business deployments are going to center around the mobile hotspot concept, allowing other devices to take advantage of the new technology, albeit indirectly. At the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit, both Netgear and inseego had their mobile hotspots on display.

More...

**FEED** · 12-10-18, 04:10 PM

My inbox has been awash with emails regarding 5G ‘firsts’ this past year. Every time a company seems to demonstrate the smallest new ‘first’, such as mmWave through an x-inch wall or sub-6 GHz from base station to small cell, it seems to be something to shout about. A cynical journalist might think that these emails are to eradicate the lack of 5G hype in the air! However despite this, both Verizon and AT&T did set up small 5G transmitters for the demos at Qualcomm’s Tech Summit.

More...

**FEED** · 12-11-18, 08:37 AM

From the few second-generation AMD B450 and X470 motherboards we have tested, the majority have been refreshed models of pre-existing boards. Over time, the vendors have had the opportunity to make minor tweaks and upgrades to keep ahead of current technological advances and inevitable design choices. MSI has tried to tick both boxes with the new B450 Tomahawk which comes with an extended CPU heatsink, USB 3.1 Gen2 support and RGB LEDs.

More...

**FEED** · 12-11-18, 09:40 AM

One of the exciting things on display at Qualcomm's Snapdragon tech summit was their 5G reference smartphone design – the one that gets handed around to the smartphone vendors so they can initiate their own designs. Reference platforms are usually base and ‘generally good’ all-around designs that OEMs can take as a starting point, and so Qualcomm had to address one of the main issues with 5G with its QRD: size. Thanks to the extra 5G modem and the many antennas required for mmWave frequencies, 5G requires a good deal more hardware than current 4G phones. Qualcomm's reference design, in turn, is of reasonable dimensions, and not completely out of place amongst the larger modern smartphones of today.

More...

**FEED** · 12-11-18, 02:38 PM

Greenliant, a developer of special-purpose NAND-flash storage devices, this week introduced its new lineup of SSDs featuring ultra-high endurance. The NANDrive SSDs use the company’s proprietary EnduroSLC technology that is enabled by its in-house controllers and are aimed at write-intensive industrial applications.
Greenliant’s NANDrive SSDs featuring EnduroSLC offer endurance of 50K, 100K, and 250K per-cell program/erase (P/E) cycles, which is well beyond everything offered by "conventional" NAND flash memory manufactured today (SLC is typically rated for ~100K, MLC ~10k, and TLC ~3k).
Right now, the only other storage solutions from Greenliant that offer 250K P/E cycles are the GLS85VM eMMC 5.1 drives featuring capacities of 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32GB as well as sequential performance of up to 185 MB/s read speeds and up to 140 MB/s write speeds in HS400 mode. The drives are designed to operate at industrial temperatures between -40°C and +85°C, so they can address virtually any type of application.
Typically, SLC NAND is rated for 100K P/E cycles, but Micron and Sun introduced SLC NAND rated for a million of P/E cycles almost exactly 10 years ago. Companies like Samsung and Toshiba these days offer enterprise-grade Z-NAND and XL-Flash memory that is designed to physically withstand tens of thousands of P/E cycles while offering high performance.
Greenliant does not make its own memory dies, so the EnduroSLC tech allegedly uses enterprise-grade NAND chips produced by an unnamed manufacturer. The company does not disclose a lot of information about its technologies, but as far as we can tell, Greenliant uses a lot redundant raw NAND memory along with a special in-house-designed controller supporting an elaborate feature set and sophisticated algorithms.
Greenliant’s GLS85VM eMMC 5.1 NANDrive SSDs with endurance of 50K, 100K, and 250K P/E cycles are currently available to select customers with select product engagements.
Related Reading:

Source: Greenliant

More...