Category: Article

Popularity of the compact mini PCs is on the rise, because not everybody needs massive gaming PC locked in an oversized case. Many users actually prefer the small compact factor and also great consumption numbers. Chinese brand CHUWI is mostly known for their tablets and laptops, but they have recently delved also in this area as well. And their CHUWI HeroBox mini PC is still one of the best options in the category of affordable models with solid specs. So what can we expect from it ?

For starters CHUWI HeroBox is a really compact MiniPC with 37,3 x 187,6 x 138,3mm and 0.59kg of weight. The design would indicate a gaming platform, but that’s certainly not the case. But the little metal box at least looks nice. Inside we can find Intel N4100 processor from the Gemini Lake platform paired with dual-channel 8 GB LPDDR4 RAM and fast 180 GB SSD disk. You can also easily add up to 2 TB SATA drive in the available 2.5″ bay. Thanks to effective passive cooling it’s completely fanless and thus quiet, points for the HeroBox.

HeroBox is also not short of very solid connectivity options featuring 2 x USB 3.0 ports, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, USB Type-C port, HDMI 2.0 supporting 4K@60Hz, gigabit LAN and even older D-Sub port. Wireless is also nothing to scoff at with dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0. Full consumption of the unit is under 10W, so it’s really very efficient little gadget. With VESA bracket you can also easily mount it on the back of your monitor. And of course you are getting a licenced Windows 10 system with your purchase, but HeroBox also supports Linux if needed.

So if you are looking for a rock solid office mini PC, HTPC or media server, then you can’t go wrong with CHUWI HeroBox. It’s not scared of 4K videos thanks to VP9 10bit codec support, so as a multimedia platform it will do pretty good as well. And the price is currently around $230 on the official store. More information about the nifty mini PC can be of course found on the official website.

Following a resurgence of motherboards decked out with custom monoblocks, ASRock has announced details on its Z490 Aqua. It includes a familiar aluminium plated copper custom monoblock, with just 999 units available for purchase. It includes two Thunderbolt 3 Type-C ports, three PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, an Aquantia 10 G and Realtek 2.5 G Ethernet controller pairing, including hardline water cooling fittings within the accessories bundle.

During Computex 19, ASRock unveiled its X570 Aqua motherboard which we since reviewed, which is currently one of the most stunning desktop models in existence. The new ASRock Z490 Aqua builds upon the success of its AMD based model, with a full cover block monoblock which cools the CPU and the 16-phase power delivery. Following the same design as the X570 model, the ASRock Z490 Aqua adds an OLED display which can display with CPU voltages, temperatures, system and POST statuses, with an abundance of premium controllers and features onboard.

Included in the long list of features are three full-length PCIe 3.0 slots which run at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/+4, with two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. It uses a 16-phase power delivery which is kept cool by the large monoblock, and benefits from 90 A power stages with a maximum Vcore current of up to 1260A. Providing power to the CPU is a pair of 8-pin 12V ATX CPU power inputs, with an Intersil ISL69269 PWM controller operating in a 14+2 configuration. There is support for DDR4-4700, with a total capacity of up to 128 GB across four memory slots. It does have support for ECC DDR4 UDIMMs, but these will operate in non-ECC mode.

New for the Z490 Aqua is a pack of hardline water cooling fittings which come in the board’s accessories bundle. This includes six knurled silver straight fittings, four 90° right-angled fittings, with a filling and drawing value, and two stop-cap fittings with the Aqua logo, all packed into a nice presentation box.

The rear panel of the ASRock Z490 Aqua is stacked with two Thunderbolt 3 Type-C and two accompanying Mini DisplayPort input ports. Also present are three USB 3.2 G2 10 Gbps Type-A, one USB 3.2 G2 10 Gbps Type-C, and four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A ports. For users intending to leverage Intel’s integrated graphics, there is a single HDMI video input. For users demanding premium networking, the Z490 Aqua is using an Aquantia AQC107 10 G and Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 Ethernet controller pairing, as well as an Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface which provides support for BT 5.0 devices. There are five 3.5 mm color-coded audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output which are powered by a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec, which is assisted by an ESS Sabre 9128 DAC which controls the front panel audio. Finishing off the rear panel is a clear CMOS switch and a BIOS Flashback button.

The ASRock Z490 Aqua is expected to weigh a considerable amount when all the aluminium, the backplate, and custom monoblock is factored in; the ASRock X570 Aqua for reference weighed a whopping 2.5 kg (~5.5 lbs). Only 999 units will be available for purchase which will add an element of exclusivity, which we expect to add to the price tag. ASRock has also enabled support with redrivers and a PCIe 4.0 clockgen designed for Intel’s Rocket Lake when it is ready to launch. While this doesn’t benefit the Intel’s Comet Lake processors, 

ASRock hasn’t unveiled pricing at this time, but we expect the Z490 Aqua to be available either at the launch of Intel’s 10th Generation Comet Lake processors or shortly after.

Memory manufacturer Golden Emporer International Limited, or known generally as GeiL, has announced its new memory line with support for Intel 10th Gen and AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors. Casually calling its new 64 GB product simply ‘SO-DIMM’, it will be available in a 2 x 32 GB DDR4-3200 kit.

With mobile processor architecture improving at a steady rate, memory capacity limits have increased designed to give gamers and content creators more robust memory capabilities. Designed to support Intel’s 10th generation and AMD’s Ryzen 4000 mobile series, the GeiL SO-DIMM offers users to upgrade its notebooks with 64 GB of memory. Not only DDR4-3200, but the GeiL SO-DIMM series also includes DDR4-2666 and DDR4-2933 variants.

With its black and simplistic design, the DDR4-3200 64 GB (2 x 32) kit has a CAS latencies of 22-22-22-52. GeiL states every kit is tested with its DYNA 4 SLT technology but doesn’t state publically what that entails. The DDR4-2666 kit has latencies of 19-19-19-43, while the DDR4-2933 has latencies of 21-21-21-48 (these sub-timings are similar to other vendors). Every 2 x 32 GB kit has an operating voltage of 1.2 V and is also backed by GeiL’s limited lifetime warranty.

While the product naming scheming is somewhat unimaginative, the SO-DIMM range of dual-channel 64 GB kits for mobile platforms is GeiL’s first 64 GB SO-DIMM kit. Geil hasn’t announced when the SO-DIMM 64 kits will be available, nor has it revealed pricing at this time.

One of the more significant announcements from CES 2020 (which honestly feels like a million years ago at this point) was that JBL was joining the ranks of other premium gaming headset manufacturers releasing its own line of PC gaming headsets and speakers. I’ve been spending some quality time with the flagship headset of the JBL Quantum range of headsets, the Quantum One, over the last couple of weeks.

What the Quantum One does differently than the rest of the Quantum line of headsets is its handling of spatial sound. Once calibrated with a special mic, its propriety “Quantum Sphere 360” tech uses built-in head tracking and a custom algorithm to produce a surround sound effect.

JBL’s Quantum Engine software does a decent enough job of being an easy to use source for doing things such as customizing your EQ, headset lighting and, more importantly, setting the Quantum Sphere 360 surround sound. As it turns out, though, it’s a little bit more of a process than just hitting a switch.

First, you need to calibrate the headset to your height then you have to pop in a special earplug that measures your earholes to best attune the sound to your own unique ear canal shape. The process only took a few minutes and had to be done every time a new firmware update dropped throughout pre-release. 

Thankfully, calibrating the head tracker is a bit easier to do, though, I did find I have to recalibrate every few days whenever the surround sound felt a bit off. The fact that there’s a button on the headset to calibrate head tracking lets me think this sonic drift is probably a more prevalent issue that needs addressing. Sometimes it was easier just to turn it off when just listening to music.

Quantum Sphere 360, when compared to DTS (which is also available on the wireless Quantum 800s), gives you a fuller, more balanced sound when listening to music (when it works). I hear a lot of bass-heavy tracks, so it’s nice to feel it creep up from behind you when listening to artists like Future or Travis Scott. Currently, I’ve gotten into the all-nighter playlist on Spotify that play a lot of electronic and trap beats. It’s a strange sensation being entirely enveloped by the music while I work, which is kind of cathartic. 

The Audeze Mobius, and its HyperX Cloud Orbit S derivative, are the best new headsets with 3D head tracking, but this comes in at a pretty close second. I did run into a problem where the Sphere 360 occasionally would wig out and would make music sound distant and would mess around with the balance on game audio. 

The fix was, again, recalibrating. JBL is releasing a firmware update at launch that it says should address some of these issues.

The Quantum One shines in shooters. Lately, I’ve been playing an ungodly amount of Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends, both are games where being able to decipher where gunshots and footsteps are coming from is crucial to surviving and getting those Ws. Hearing footsteps frantically running around adds a fun level of tension towards the end of the game, where only a handful of players remain in tight quarters. I also played Resident Evil 3 Remake, which only heightens the stressful encounters as you hear Nemesis’ murderous stomp slowly approaching you. 

If you’re a competitive gamer and don’t need the bells and whistles, you might opt for a lighter wireless headset with a great mic. It feels like this gaming headset is designed to cut you off from the rest of the world. Honestly, it’s kind of what I’ve needed for the last couple of weeks.

Design-wise, JBL really went for it. The RGB lighting circuit board design took a while for me to warm to since I’m always apprehensive about excessive lighting in general. A feature that worked well was the TalkThru that lowers the background sound enough so you can have a chat with your friends on Discord. 

The left earcup is where all the buttons live, such as the volume wheel, ANC, TalkThru, and mute. I do wish the placement of the buttons was a smidge lower.

The detachable boom mic works just fine. But just fine. For $300, I want a microphone that’s more than just fine. I recorded some lines so you can hear how it compares with other headsets and microphones we’ve tested this year. As you can hear, my voice sounds clear, but a bit tinny when compared to other headsets. When playing Apex Legends, my teammates had no problem hearing me call out things. Right now, however, the gold standard for a detachable mic is still clearly the Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless SE.

That $300 price tag is a big ask for a gaming headset that isn’t wireless and doesn’t have audiophile-quality drivers, but the sound and build, especially the Quantum Sphere 360 surround sound, really suck you into whatever you’re playing—when it works. 

Even with the shortcomings of JBL’s propriety tech, the Quantum One still provides you rich, crisp game audio, easy-to-use software, and overall excellent build quality. For JBL’s first attempt at a gaming headset, the Quantum One is a fine headset to lead the charge. But really only just fine.

LG’s Android phones haven’t really demanded much attention over recent years, but leaked pictures of a 5G-capable LG Velvet show it could be poised to take on the Samsung Galaxy S20.

We’ve seen leaks and teases of the LG Velvet before, showing how it will have a dramatic look that’ll stand out from previous LG phones. But this new leak really hammers home the phone’s neat curved rear design — not unlike that of the Galaxy Note 10 Plus — with interesting circular camera modules embedded on the top left-hand side. Vivid orange and green colour options, along with a pearlescent white and shiny gunmetal grey finishes, complete the phone’s striking look. 

In comparison to the Galaxy S20’s more subdued colors, the LG Velvet really stands out in these photos that were snapped as part of a hands-on experience in Korea. 

The photos also highlight how the rear camera array has a pleasing layout where the large main lens sits above the smaller cameras in size order. This creates the “flowing form factor” that LG has previously teased the phone will have.

A photo of the spec sheet was also posted onto Korean site Naver, which gives us an idea of just how powerful the LG Velvet will be. 

Most notably, it’ll use a Snapdgraon 765 5G-capable chipset from Qualcomm. This chip sits below the flagship-grade Snapdragon 865, but still promises capable if not quite blistering performance, especially as its matched with 8GB of RAM. We’d expect it to do a good job of handling pretty much any demanding app or game. 

Storage comes in at 128GB, with what appears to be an option to add in a microSD card to increase the storage by 2TB. And a 4,500mAH battery should keep the phone going for a good day’s worth of use, especially as it’ll only have an FHD+ display rather than a 4K screen.

The camera looks to have a 48MP lens, which will be supported by an 8MP camera — presumably for wide-angle photography — and a 5MP camera likely used for depth-sensing. 

All in all, this leak points towards the LG Velvet having a powerful just-below-flagship spec, a decent if not top-end display, and a solid camera array, all wrapped up in a sticking design. If LG can offer the phone at a price that undercuts the likes of the OnePlus 8 Pro, it could be onto a winner. 

The Cortana beta app for Windows 10 reveived a fresh update today that adds a new hardware section to the settings menu. The section allows you to jump in and manage any of the Cortana devices you may use. That includes things like your Xbox One, Surface Headphones, and even Amazon Alexa devices you have connected to Cortana.

When you first open the hardware section, you’ll see a list of devices you already have connected. You can click through to each to manage different settings with each device. It also gives you a shortcut to setting up Surface Headphones for the first time, directing you to the Microsoft Store to download the Cortana Device Setup app.

The arrival of the new settings section comes at a good time for Surface fans in particular. It’s widely expected, due to recent leaks, that Microsoft will soon launch Surface Headphones 2, which, like their predecessor, should feature Cortana integration. Surface Earbuds, which were delayed late last year, are expected to launch soon as well.

If you’re using the Cortana beta app, you can update to version 2.2004.22762.0 to check out the new hardware settings.

Canon’s much-rumored and anticipated EOS R6—the mirrorless variant of the 6D line-up of DSLRs—was originally expected in May, but it sounds like we’ll have to wait a little while longer for this full-frame mirrorless camera to officially arrive.

According to Canon Rumors multiple sources are saying that Canon has been forced to delay the announcement of the EOS R6 until July, pushing shipping for the camera until Q3 of 2020. Assuming this remains the case, the camera should still arrive in plenty of time for the 2020 Holiday season, but it’s disappointing news for Canon mirrorless fans all the same.

It seems the rumored EOS R6 will, more or less, come to replace the current EOS R. And while it is expected to use a lower resolution image sensor, in many ways, it will be the camera the EOS R should have been. Here are the anticipated specs, which were originally leaked in March:

20MP full-frame sensor

IBIS

12fps max with the mechanical shutter

20fps max with the electronic shutter

4K/60p and 1080/120p video capability

Dual card slots

Compared to the EOS R5, sources say the R6 will use a lower-resolution EVF, lack the top-down screen, and represent a drop in overall build quality. These trade-offs will hopefully also mean a very attainable price tag.

For stills shooters who want buy into the RF ecosystem but aren’t happy with what the EOS R and EOS RP have to offer—and aren’t interested in the eye-watering video specs Canon is building into the EOS R5—it sounds like we’ll be waiting a bit longer for another option to hit the market. Then again, we all kind of expected that, didn’t we?

AMD B550 motherboards will be available starting June 16, 2020. Retailers should be stocking their shelves by now, and some have already posted the new motherboards on their online stores. Hardware investigator @momomo_us spotted some B550 listings from Interconnect IT Solutions, a distributor in Australia.

Keep in mind that we should take preliminary listings with a healthy dose of salt, since some retailers commonly use placeholders for upcoming products, while others randomly fabricate prices.

The Australian retailer posted the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (Wi-Fi), Asus TUF Gaming B550M-Plus (Wi-Fi) and Asus Prime B550M-A all with the same price tag. Given the different tiers in which the motherboard compete, it’s extremely unlikely that Asus would price the trio identically.

The B550 motherboard prices are listed in Australian dollars and include GST (goods and services tax). The GST in Australia is 10% for the the majority of products and services that are consumed in the country. For easy reference, we’ve deducted the GST from the prices and converted them to U.S. dollars.

For reference, the ROG Strix B450-F Gaming and TUF B450M-Plus Gaming currently retail for $129.99 and $89.99, respectively, in the U.S. Let’s look at the panorama from two different angles.

If Interconnect IT Solutions’ price corresponds to the ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (Wi-Fi), we’re looking at an increase of roughly 17.8%. If it’s for the TUF Gaming B550M-Plus (Wi-Fi), then the difference jumps to 70.2%. The first scenario is likely more accurate, since a 70% price inflation is very high and absurd.

AMD B550 motherboards should usher in PCIe 4.0 support for budget builders. PCIe 4.0 requires motherboard traces with wider spacing in comparison to PCIe 3.0. While you can carry a PCIe 3.0 signal on a single PCB layer, you need need at least six layers for PCIe 4.0, which should make B550 motherboards cost a little bit than B450 offerings.

Depending on the brand and model, a B450 motherboard can cost from $70 to up to $200 for the best motherboards in this category. Even if the B450 boards were around $150, it’d be a hard sell, considering that AMD X570 motherboards are going for a low as $160 with more premium features. 

Last summer, news broke that AMD was partnering with Samsung to license its RDNA graphics for use in smartphones. Since then, it had pretty much been radio silence on the topic, until a thread recently spawned on the clien.net forums with benchmark figures, as spotted by Twitter user @Kaz9837.

According to the thread’s author, the RNDA-Exynos combo SoC put down some serious performance numbers in the GFXBench test, as you can see in the table below. The data on the Adreno 650 comes from Notebookcheck, as the source appears to have removed data on the Adreno 650.

The Adreno 650 is one of the most powerful mobile GPUs currently available and part of the Snapdragon 865 SoC, which is installed in the Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra, as well as smartphones from other manufacturers.

However, we are unfamiliar with the source of the purported RDNA-Exynos data. With the numbers not yet verified, don’t take results at face value. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be surprising to see such a performance uplift. After all, Samsung isn’t partnering with AMD for nothing.

Don’t expect to see an RDNA-infused mobile phone on the market anytime soon. Those aren’t expected to arrive until 2021 at the earliest.

Leaks to date surrounding the Google Pixel 4a have told us a lot about the upcoming phone’s design and performance, but very little regarding its camera quality. This past weekend, one blogger got their hands on a pre-release model and went on a photo-taking spree, giving us a complete picture of the Pixel 4a’s imaging capabilities.

The post comes courtesy of TecnoLike Plus out of Cuba. We originally covered impressions from TecnoLike’s Julio Lusson a few days back, though the site has since updated their initial camera review with many more samples and a YouTube video that dives even deeper into the new collection of images.

Overall, this early analysis of the Pixel 4a’s camera seems to be a favorable one. Judging from the photos TecnoLike has shared, it’s easy to see why.

First, the specs. Just as many had anticipated, the Pixel 4a repurposes the same 12.2-megapixel sensor and ƒ/1.78 wide-angle lens first used in the Pixel 3, then the Pixel 3a and Pixel 4. On the front, an 8-MP, ƒ/2.0 shooter handles selfie duties.

You’ll miss out on the additional telephoto shooter for improved hybrid zoom and portraits that the Pixel 4 has, but even so — getting the very same rear camera as Google’s flagship in a device that costs just $400 made last year’s Pixel 3a quite a steal, and it seems history is about to repeat itself. 

But the photos speak for themselves. Some of the shots in TecnoLike’s report are jaw-dropping — especially the one above, overlooking a forest. There are flagship phone cameras that will set you back twice or even three times what the Pixel 4a will probably cost that fail to deliver the kind of dynamic range you see here. Even details deep within the shadows of the trees in the foreground are clear, yet somehow not artificially over-brightened at the expense of contrast. It’s truly an impressive scene.

Also impressive is what the Pixel 4a can do at night. Google’s closest competitor here, Apple’s brand-new iPhone SE 2020, lacks a comparable night mode, meaning the Pixel 4a has an advantage here simply by showing up. But lots of other handsets have low-light modes these days, and Google’s implementation has always been one of the best. Behold how sharp those stars are up above, the gradient of the sky and the crisp focus on those trees immediately ahead.

Despite only having one rear lens, the Pixel 4a can capture excellent shallow depth-of-field bokeh shots as well, judging from this example taken next to a pool. The subject is clearly in focus and isolated from the blur behind; the bokeh itself is high-quality; and you can even make out the droplets of water suspended in mid-air in the background. Nothing is blown out or underexposed, and once again, this is simply an expertly-balanced image that you typically don’t see from cheap phones.

Overall, it’s hard not to be impressed with what Google’s apparently been able to pull off yet again with the Pixel 4a. This phone might not have a dazzling 108-MP sensor or a time-of-flight optic to suss out depth, but then, it seemingly doesn’t need one. It’s a reminder that one well-crafted camera can beat several, if you know what you’re doing.

And you shouldn’t have to wait long to get your hands on one. Leaked internal documents from European carrier Vodafone hint that Google’s next budget Pixel could arrive by the end of this month — May 22, to be exact. When it does drop, you can be sure we will put that camera through its paces, not to mention head-to-head against the iPhone SE’s. When was the last time cheap phones were this exciting?