Monthly Archives: April 2016

GeForce GTX 660

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The graphics produced are very well and precise compared to most GPU’s.  If you buy this from the company’s website you will get it for only $229. If you were to go to any other website the price would vary. If you have a son or daughter that loves to play games then this would be good for them. This video card is actually very small if you are comparing it to its wonderful performance.

Specifications: 

Chip GK106
CUDA Cores 960
Base Clock 980
Boost Clock 1033
Memory Configuration 2 GB
Memory Speed 6.0 Gbps
Memory Bandwidth 144 GB/s
Power Connectors 6-pin
Outputs 1 x DL-DVI-I
1 x DL-DVI-D
1 x HDMI
Mini-DP
TDP 150 Watts
SLI Options 2-way
Price $229
Maximum GPU Temperature 97 C
Maximum Graphics Card Power 140 W
Minimum System Power Requirement 450 W
Supplementary Power Connectors 1 6-pin
Works Cited
GeForce. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/geforce-gtx-660-650-launch#1>.
Toms Hardware. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-geforce-gtx-650-benchmark,3297-2.html>.

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GeForce GTX 980 Graphics Card

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The GeForce GTX 980 is a high end video card made for gaming. It is one of the top rated video cards according to videobenchmark.net. The GPU (graphics processing unit) is made by Nvidia which is one of the leaders in graphics cards.
Here are some of the specifications of the card:
Core Clock Speed 1190 MHz
Memory Size 4GB
Memory Type GDDR5
Ports  1 x HDMI, 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x DVI
Max Resolution 4096×2160
SLI Support Quad SLI
Power Requirements Recommended 500W Minimum Power Supply
Interface PCI Express 3.0 x16
This card also features DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.4 which lets you render 2D and 3D graphics. The core clock speed is how fast the GPU operates so the higher the better. It features 4GB of memory on the graphics card so it can be faster and not have to transport data across the motherboard to the RAM. It has GDDR5 which is the newest and fastest memory available. SLI is how many other video cards it will work with, so in this case it can link 4 video cards together to produce a single picture. It uses two fans to cool it and requires a power supply with a minimum of 500 watts. The graphics card also requires two 8-pin power connector. It features 3 different clock speeds including OC (over clock) mode which is maximum performance, Gaming mode which is a balance between best speed and increased fan performance and silent mode which is best for the least amount of fan noise. It is priced on newegg.com for $479.99.

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ASUS Radeon R9 390 Graphics Card

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Radeon

Who is ASUS?

ASUS is a Taiwanese company named after the Greek creature, the Pegasus, a mythical winged horse, to symbolize both wisdom and knowledge. ASUS has made incredible technological advancements through an array of PC components, tablets, and ultrabooks, all developed with their over 11,000 employees. It is a trusted company who lives by it’s slogan “In Search of Incredible.”
Style Graphics Car

Card Background

The ASUS Radeon R9 390. It is AMD’s most recent line up of available graphics cards. Advanced Micro Devices or AMD is a semiconductor and microprocessor company, which is very well known and the leading competitor to Intel, and who runs the Radeon GPU models. The card I am looking at, the ASUS Radeon R9 390, is an exceptional choice for gaming with an average of 4 to 5 star reviews. Many times people get caught up in poor customer support, but in an article by www.laptopmag.com they ranked ASUS in the top 10 of tech support, finding that the company was extremely responsive and active with social media and their customer support services, than in past years. ASUS is doing all it can to better improve its company, and the service it gives to their customers.
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Specifications:

Graphics Engine

AMD Radeon R9 390

Bus Standard

PCI Express 3.0

Video Memory

GDDR5 8GB

Engine Clock

1050 MHz

Memory Clock

6000 MHz (GDDR5)

Memory Interface

512-bit

Resolution

Digital Max Resolution:4096×2160

Interface

DVI Output x1

HDMI Output x1

Display Port x3

Included HDCP Support

Power Consumption

Up to 300W additional 6+8 pin PCIe power required

Accessories

1 x Power Cable

1 x STRIX Laser Sticker

Software

ASUS GPU Tweak II and Drivers

Dimensions

11.8” x 5.42” x 1.57” Inch

30 x 13.77 x4 Centimeter

Interface Details:

This card includes some interesting digital ports and connections. Such as HDMI, Display port, and HDCP support. DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface and can be used to connect computer monitors. DisplayPort can connect computer monitors, and carry audio, USB, and other forms of data. DisplayPort is very similar to HDMI, or High Definition Multimedia Interface. It has become the main standard, and can connect an array of digital devices. It is very important to have a selection of digital connections, especially HDMI.
Along with the connections, there are some slightly hard to understand words in the specifications. The bus standard is the standard that at which data can be transferred and the connection it needs to do so. The video memory allows the graphics card to handle its own processes, and can use its own memory to handle complex graphics at a faster rate. The memory clock speed is the rate and speed at which the memory actually runs, while the memory interface is basically how much memory can go through, but isn’t as important as it used to be. When comparing the memory interface on Graphics Cards, I recommend a higher model, and increased number, for they are preferred for better performance. The card also includes a OpenGL of 4.4. This means that the standard application interface can be used to define 2-D and 3-D graphics, which works with the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) to render images.
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Features:

The features on the ASUS Radeon R9 390 are very expansive and can be utilized very well. The fans on the Radeon are made with aero-space grade quality in mind,  making it a reliable choice with a silent Triple Wing-Blade 0dB Fan Design, which allows max air flow. Not only does this graphics card have fans, but has it’s own heat-sink capabilities as well. The DirectCU III with 10mm Heatpipe allows your GPU to have 40% less heat going to it for cooler gaming performance.  Not only does this card have incredible hardware, but software too. Introducing the GPU Tweak II with XSplit Gamecaster, you can overclock and monitor your card, in a visual and easy to use way. You can also use the gaming booster to help the game run, and even record and stream your game-play directly without any other software than what comes in the box.
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Company Trust

The following video deeply describes ASUS Auto-Extreme Technology, which adds aero-space grade quality and reliability to their products.
https://youtu.be/4gRpuurPsuc
If interested in this graphics card, you can buy it here. Thank you for viewing and reading this article.

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OCZ Z-Drive m84 PCI-E SSD Review

<![CDATA[OCZ Technology was started in 2002 and produced RAM, video cards, and USB drives. They filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and they were bought by Toshiba. They are now called OCZ Storage Solutions and they now sell high performance solid state drives (SSD).

I am reviewing the OCZ Z-Drive R2 m84 solid state drive. This SSD is priced for $1,299.88 on Newegg.com. I think this SSD isn’t worth the cost even though the max read and max write is very fast compared to other 1 TB SSD’s but the IOPS speed on the 4KB random read/write is very low. It is different from most other SSD’s because it uses a PCI-Express slot instead of a SATA connector which could allow for different builds.
Here are the OCZ Z-drive R2 m84 specifications:

Form Factor: PCI-Express
Size: 1 TB (Terabyte)
Max Read: 800 MB/s
Max Write: 750 MB/s
4KB Random Read: 29,000 IOPS (113 MB/s)
4KB Random Write: 7,700 IOPS (30 MB/s)
Sustained Write: 500 MB/s
MTBF: (Mean Time Between Failure) 1 million hours

This SSD has its pros and cons but I think that it is too expensive for what you are getting because you can get a Samsung 840 EVO for $599.48 on newegg.com and it has faster IOPS by a lot but its max read and write is slower but it is half the price. The OCZ’s price per gigabyte is $1.29 and the Samsung is only $.59 a gigabyte which is a lot less expensive. I wouldn’t recommend this product because of its price per gigabyte and its IOPS are lower than most other 1TB SSD’s.]]>

Samsung 850 Evo SSD Review

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Samsung, the company who fights with Apple, and dominates many markets and industries. They are versatile and well-known, leading electronics in our modern day.  The Samsung 850 Evo (not the pro version) Solid State Drive is one of their best and leading products in the Solid State Drive market. Though their selection comes in many forms and sizes, I will be discussing their 2.5″ model and over-viewing the companies long and strong history and background.
Samsung Company

Company Background and Sales

Samsung started off in 1938 as a trading company by Lee Byung-chul. Today, with almost a half of a million employees Samsung generates an annual $305 billion US dollars. When considering if Samsung is a trusted and well established company, the only answer you can give is: YES. 
Samsung has reached the far spectrum of an array of industries, making refrigerators, skyscrapers, ships, TV’s, and an abundance of smartphones, hoping to beat Apple in it’s competitive technological race.
Samsung has built the tallest building in the world, is made up of 80 separate businesses, and has more employees than Microsoft and Apple combined. Samsung is the best of the best, and will likely amaze you with it’s performance.
Samsung SSD Space

Available Samsung Drives and Models:

A wide variety of Samsung SSD EVO models are available, coming with different capacities. These include but are not limited to (at time of publish): 120GB, 250GB, 500GB, and 1000GB. The mSATA flash memory, and M.2 are also available but will not be covered in this article.
samsung_evo_250_review_box

Specifications and Details:

Below are the specification for the Samsung 850 EVO Model MZ-75E250B/AM:

Form Factor: 2.5″
Capacity: 250GB
Interface: SATA III
Controller: Samsung MGX Controller
Max Sequential Read: 540 MBps
Max Sequential Write: 520 MBps
Power Consumption (Idle): 0.4W
Power Consumption (Active): 3.5W

Click here for a link to the specifications PDF document provided by Samsung.

Recommended Computer:

When deciding if the 850 EVO is right for you, you must think big when it comes to capacity. The EVO is great for servers, but if you are running the EVO for simple performance or gaming, size may matter. If you have determined the 2.5″ internal SSD drive is right for you, then you must now decide what you will be putting on the drive itself.
Solid State Drives significantly increase the speed of booting your PC if your operating is installed on it. Programs will open faster, and you will notice the entire system will seem to run smoother, faster, and cleaner. The only downside to this the price of Solid State Drives, though getting better, is still fairly high. An SSD won’t hold as much as a Hard Disk Drive, a spinning disk that is more likely to crash or fail with it’s many moving parts. That doesn’t mean that you can’t integrate both into your system, but must know what files will go where and how you will be configuring your usage.
Let’s talk what you need, before what you can afford. If you expect to only be using your computer for basic online use, such as checking emails or opening a word processor once in a great while, a basic 250GB SSD or less will not cost as much as a 1TB, and as long as you are not downloading a major amount of files, videos and pictures, overloading your storage space, you will do fine.
If working for business more, this or higher models will work wonderfully for you, and if considering gaming, just know what sort of games you will be looking to play, and what you intend on using separately. The larger the capacity the more you can store, and depending on your setup, the faster some things will run.
If interested in the 2.5″ 250GB model, you are making a choice that is almost in the middle of a perfect low-end gaming, to business PC; an excellent choice for a faster machine!
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Overall:

Samsung is a company worth investing some money in. Their products are top of the line with guaranteed performance.
If interested, please check out the video below for a deeper review into the Samsung 850 EVO, and if wanting to buy, you can click here. Thank you for reading.