Category Archives: Computers

Computers, News

Dell Precision brings Portable Power for Creators & VR

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Dell is arguably one of the first companies out there that recognized the unique needs of creators. In fact, they were one of the only ones to acknowledge the unique demands for a portable solution for creators before the market started shifting towards it.

This year, the Dell Precision series is getting refreshes that pack even more power in a redesigned body. The mobile workstations in the Precision line up are shedding the pounds while upping the ante when it comes to raw power.

Dell Precision 3000 Series Workstations

The new Dell Precision 3000 series workstations are packing more power in a slimmer chassis. Dell’s Precision line up is spearheaded by the refreshed Precision 3440 SFF and the Precision 3640 Tower. Both of these workhorses come packed with options ranging from the 10th generation Intel Core i3 to the Intel Xeon processors. With up to 10 cores, 20MHz of cache and 5.2 GHz of processing speed, the Precision Workstations are built for heavy duty work.

Being built for complex compute, design and animation tasks, the Dell Precision workstations come with configurations supporting high end graphics cards. These graphics cards include the NVIDIA Quadro RTX series, the AMD Radeon Pro series. For workloads that don’t require that much graphical prowess, the workstations also support configurations with the NVIDIA Quadro P1000 and AMD Radeon Pro WX32000.

Of course, processors aren’t the only thing that’s supped up on the Precision workstations, the new Precision 3000 workstations come with options for self encrypting drives as well as M.2 SSDs for fast performance. The Dell Precision 3640 Tower has support for up to two M.2 PCIe SSD on motherboard slot and up to three 3.5” SATA or four 2.5” SATA drives. It also supports Intel Ready Mode technology and an additional PCIe SSD on Dell Precision Ultra-Speed drive (x8) with active cooling. While the Precision 3440 SFF supports up to two M.2 PCIe SSD on motherboard slot and Up to (1) 3.5” SATA or two 2.5” SATA. It also supports Intel Ready Mode technology and an additional PCIe SSD on
Dell Precision Ultra-Speed drive (x8) with active cooling.

Both workstations have a bevvy of ports to support the workflow and needs of a creator. It also comes with options for high-end WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet and vPro. For a full rundown, check out the official specs sheets below.

Dell Precision Mobile Workstations

Dell’s Precision mobile workstations are built for creators on the go. They are spec’d to support large compute workloads on the go and come with new cooling technology built for a new generation of work. The new generation of Precision mobile workstations are slimmer and lighter than before.

Spearheading the new generation of Precision Mobile Workstations is the 17-inch Dell Precision 7750. However, the star of the precision line up is its younger, slimmer sibling the Dell Precision 5750. Dell is lauding the 5750 as the world’s first thin and light workstation. Wthe 5750 comes in at 8.67mm at its thinnest point and 13.15mm at its thickest. It’s body is only 374.48mm by 248.08mm and weighs only 2.13kg. In fact, the new Dell Precision line up comes with near bezel-less displays with the 5750 coming in with a stunning 94% screen coverage.

The Precision line up comes with support for the latest, 10th generation of Intel Core i processors; ranging from the Core i7 to the Core i9 and they also support Intel Xeon processors. On the graphics end of things, the precision mobile workstations support NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards. They also have support for up to 3 PCIe SSDs with a total of up to 4TB of memory on single workstation.

Pricing & Availability

Internationally, the Precision series will be hitting the market starting on May 19, 2020. The specifics are tabulated below.

ModelStarting PriceAvailability Date
Precision 3240 Compact (USFF) WorkstationTBASeptember 1, 2020
Precision 3440 USD$ 749
(MYR3,258.13)		June, 2020
Precision 3550USD$ 1,049
(MYR4,563.13)		May 19, 2020
Precision 3551USD$ 939
(MYR4,084.63)		May 19, 2020
Precision 3640USD$ 819
(MYR3,562.63)		June, 2020
Precision 5550USD$ 1,999
(MYR8,695.56)		May 28, 2020
Precision 5750USD$ 2,399
(MYR10,435.54)		June 9, 2020
Precision 7550USD$ 1,709
(MYR7,434.07)		May 28, 2020
Precision 7750USD$ 1,999
(MYR8,695.56)		May 28, 2020

In Malaysia, the following models will be available starting from the end of June, 2020.

ModelStarting PriceAvailability Date
Precision 3240 Compact (USFF) WorkstationTBAAugust, 2020
Precision 3440 SFFTBATBA
Precision 15 3550MYR6,549End June, 2020
Precision 15 3551MYR6,779May 19, 2020
Precision 3640 TowerTBATBA
Precision 15 5550TBATBA
Precision 15 7550TBATBA
Precision 15 7750TBATBA

Official Specifications

Dell Precision 3000 series

Precision 3440 SSF Tower

Precision 3640 Tower

Precision 3550 Mobile Workstation

Precision 3551 Mobile Workstation

Dell Precision 5000 Series

Precision 5550 Mobile Workstation

Precision 5750

Dell Precision 7000 Series

Precision 7550 Mobile Workstation

Precision 7750 Mobile Workstation

Computers, News

Acer Spinning Swiftly – Introducing the New Spin 3 and Swift 3

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Acer in 2019 impressed with the ultra-thin, ultra-light Swift 7. Even the Swift 5 became a fan favourite with plenty of power on offer and even more value to give. Our favourite in their line-up was also the Swift 5, to be honest. It was a perfect workhorse for the likes of us.

This year, they kick it off with updating two line-ups. They kick off with the Acer Spin 3 and the Acer Swift 3.

We start with the Spin 3 first. The Spin series is Acer’s answer two Lenovo’s very popular and very highly rated Yoga series. The Spin is Acer’s two-in-one line up, in short.

The Acer Spin 3

The new Acer Spin 3 has a new look and body to match its new internals. Not only is it more powerful, it is lighter too at 1.5kg. Yes, more powerful from the latest 10th Generation Intel Ice Lake Core processors. You get to choose between a Core i5 or a Core i3, no Core i7 option here. But they are the entry level class 2-in-1 type notebooks for Acer anyway.

Source: Acer

Both does not feature a discrete GPU, but Intel’s Iris Plus Graphics is a big improvement over the older Intel HD Graphics integrated GPU. Iris Plus Graphics also allows you get working on Adobe’s Photoshop and Premiere Pro averagely at least.

You can opt for up to 8GB in RAM. Of course, if that is not enough, you should be able to open it up and add more yourself. The Intel Core i3 model only comes with a 4GB RAM, which most likely is not enough.

The 14-incher is slightly smaller than before with a tinier bezel around the Full HD display. Like before though, you still get a stylus packed in with the notebook PC. Like before too, there is a dock for the stylus so that you do not lose it.

Speaking of stylus though, the touch screen is WACOM digitised. They are the best in touch screen and digital drawing industry. On the Acer Spin 3, you get up to 4096 pressure levels thanks to the WACOM developed digitiser. You can draw with your fingers too, but why do that when you have a nice stylus?

Source: Acer

Technically on the Acer Spin 3, there are about four speakers on the device. Acer says that there are always two speakers that will face you for better audio projection. We believe them on that front of course. They also included Acer’s very own True Harmony technology and tuning for a premium audio experience.

With all that power packed in the Acer Spin 3, Acer quotes a battery life of up to 13-hours in a typical case. Considering modern battery life – that is a pretty decent battery life to boot. If you run out of battery life on the Acer Spin 3 though, the notebook PC is a quick charging one. You get 90 minutes of run time out of 15 seconds in charging.

Of course, a modern notebook PC has to have modern peripherals to keep you connected. WiFi 6 capabilities is a given of course. This has two antennas to keep connections stable and strong though. It has all the right ports as well, including a Thunderbolt 3 port to power another monitor if need be. If not, this can be your biggest power bank in the world. It can charge your devices even with the power turned off; not something plenty of notebook PCs can do actually.

  • Source: Acer
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The Acer Spin 3 is available now starting from MYR 2,799 (Intel Core i3 variant) and MYR 3,299 (Intel Core i5 variant). Both are only available in Silver colour. Silver is still a premium looking colour though. If you are spending on the more powerful Core i5 variant, stocks are available now. For the Core i3 variant, Acer says that the stocks are arriving and will be shipped out as soon as it is available later this month. You can visit Acer’s webstore to purchase one, or their online marketplace partners for more information.

Acer Swift 3 in Two Flavours

One of the most popular series in Acer’s line-up must be the Acer Swift series. The Swift series is Acer’s thin and light offering that caters to all kinds of users. The Swift 3 caters to the mid-range market that is looking for something that will not break the bank yet practical and powerful enough to work on all kinds of projects.

Source: Acer

That has been the Swift 3 and it is the Swift 3 still now. The new Swift 3 comes in either an Intel guise or an AMD guise though, for your discerning choice. To make things easier for you, the cheaper one is the AMD variant.

We will start with the AMD variant with that. It comes with a Ryzen 4000 Mobile series that was just announced not too long ago by AMD. Specifically you get an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U CPU with eight cores and 16 threads. Yes, quite a powerful chipset for your money. You get up to 8GB of RAM. Unfortunately you cannot upgrade or add additional RAM sticks into the PC, so you have to make do.

Still, at least you are getting a powerful AMD Radeon Graphics GPU to work with. That should make games like DOTA 2 a breeze to play. That should also make some Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop work pretty nicely on board.

Source: Acer

From that powerful processor you get about 11 hours of battery life. That may not sound like a lot of time to work on the PC, but it is enough to at least last you a whole day in the office or campus, if you are a student. As if the PC is not fast enough you get 512GB in SSD storage too, out of the 14-incher.

There are two Intel variants for the Acer Swift 3. There is the more powerful Intel Core i7 (10th Gen) and an Intel Core i5 variant. On the Swift 3 that comes with Intel’s 10th Generation Core i7-1065G7 CPU, you are getting an NVIDIA GeForce MX250 discrete GPU. This makes it the most powerful Notebook PC that is recently announced by Acer.

The 14-incher also comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM for maximum performance with a 512GB SSD storage. All this is packed in a package that is slightly under 1.2kg and can last up to 16-hours on a single charge. If you are a workaholic, this can last you through a workday in the office and more outside the office. Keep it charged, you can go all night without a charger to prepare that beautiful slideshow for your latest project. We are not responsible for your all-nighter, nor do we encourage that. We encourage a balanced and healthy work-life separation and balance.

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In a more budget friendly guise is the Acer Swift 3 with Intel’s Core i3-1035G1 CPU. You do not get a discrete GPU with this, you make do with Intel’s trusty UHD Graphics GPU. It is not as terrible as we put it. It still works nicely with Adobe Photoshop especially with 8GB of onboard RAM. It is also fast enough with 512GB of SSD on board. Of course with Intel, you get Thunderbolt on the USB Type-C ports.

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All the available Acer Swift 3 are now available via Acer’s webstore or their retail partners. There are some limited colour options to each variant though. If you are planning to get the top-of-the-line Acer Swift 3 with Intel’s Core i7 and MX250 that sets you back MYR 4,299, you only can get it in Glacier Blue. Not a bad colour, quite funky. For the Intel Core i5 variant, setting you back MYR 3,099 you get to choose between Steel Grey, Millenial Pink, and Glacier Blue. The Swift 3 with AMD’s Ryzen 5 will set you back MYR 2,599 and comes in either Pure Silver, and Mauve Purple.

Computers, News

Dell Announces New XPS 15 & XPS 17 with 10th Gen Intel Processors & NVIDIA Graphics

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Dell’s XPS series continues to be one of the company’s most popular device line ups. In recent years, the line up was revitalised with a new, slim form factor and a more compelling feature set. Even more recently, Dell has been continually increasing the ability of the XPS series to cater to the mobile workforce while appealing to those that need a powerful laptop with a slim form factor.

This year, the XPS series is getting an even more compelling feature set with more power packed internals, large form factors and the same thin and light design that has become an XPS signature. The new additions to the line up join a newly refreshed XPS 13 which was introduced earlier at CES 2020.

Dell XPS 15

The Dell XPS 15 brings a unique balance of portability and performance to XPS series. It comes in slightly larger than the successful XPS 13 and packs more powerful insides. The XPS 15 is continuing the ethos of the series with premium build quality and it gears itself to catering for a user requiring an increased level of power to remain productive.

The new XPS 15 comes in a sleek 13.57-inch by 9.06-inch body with a thickness of only 0.71 inches. However, the sleek dimensions didn’t hinder Dell from packing in as many ports as they could in the 15. It has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, 1 USB Type-C port with support for USB 3.1, a full sized SD card reader, and a 3.5mm combo jack.

When it comes to displays, the new 15 comes with a 15.6-inch display. Depending on its configuration, it can either be a 4K UHD+ panel with touch support or a Full HD+ panel. The display choices are all Dolby Vision certified, support HDR and covers 100% of the Adobe RGB gamut and 94% of the DCI P3 colour gamut.

The XPS 15 will be powered by the 10th generation Intel Core i processors ranging from the Core i5 to the Core i9. This will be complemented by an NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Ti in addition to the built-in Intel UHD Graphics. It will support up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. It comes powered by either a built-in 56Wh or 86Wh battery.

Dell XPS 17

The XPS 17 is the hulk of the series packed with power for creators. It shares most of the same specifications of the XPS 15. This includes options for processors which also range from the Core i5 to the Core i9 with up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage.

The display options on the XPS 17 are also similar albeit in a larger 17-inch size. However, in addition to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Ti, the XPS 17 has an additional option for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. Connectivity wise, the Dell XPS 17 shares the Bluetooth 5 and WiFi 6 connectivity of its smaller sibling.

The XPS 17 shares the sleek form factor of its siblings as well. Although, it measures a larger 14.74 inches by 9.76 inches with a slightly heftier 0.77-inch thickness. However, with the larger measurements come a larger number of ports. It comes with four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full sized SD card reader and a 3.5mm combo port. It also has a slightly larger battery coming in at 56Wh or 97Wh.

Both new members of the XPS family come with Dell’s Creator edition recommendations but the XPS 17 is the only one that is part of the NVIDIA’s RTX Studio program.

Pricing & Availability

The XPS 15 will be making its way globally starting at USD$1299.99 (MYR5,626.31). It will be available starting May 13, 2020. It will be arriving in Malaysia starting on May 15, 2020 for MYR7,999.

The XPS 17 will run you USD$1,499.99 (MYR6,491.52). It will be available internationally in Summer 2020. As of now, the XPS 17 will not be available in Malaysia.

Official Specifications

Dell XPS 15

Dell XPS 17

Computers, Gaming, News

Alienware Lands with New Line Up Spearheaded by the Area 51m R2

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Alienware saw a return to the spotlight last year thanks to a large, power packed champion: the Area 51m. The new form factor paired with a major redesigned pushed the Alienware offerings into the spotlight. The new Legend design language brought a sense of imposing elegance to the new offerings which enhanced their offerings.

This year, Alienware is continuing with their Legend design and is packing more performance into their products.

Alienware Area 51m R2

The Alienware line up continues to be spearheaded by the Area 51m R2. This year’s Area 51m R2 comes in the same larger than life form factor as last year. However, it has a slimmer silhouette coming in at 1.7 inches at its thickest and 1.089 inches at its thinnest. It’s 15.85 inches by 12.565 inches in size and comes in at only 4.7kgs at its most specc’d out. However, the slimmer body of the R2 isn’t lacking in ports it comes with 2 USB 3.2 ports, 1 USB 3.2 with powershare, 1 card reader, 1 Thunderbolt 3 Port, an Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port, an HDMI port, 1 Audio Out, a microSD card reader and a global headset port.

The Alienware Area 51m R2 comes with a 17.3-inch display with options for Full HD and UHD panels. These display panels are also available with NVIDIA G-SYNC and come with up to 300Hz refresh rate. It also has options for Tobii Eyetracking. The panels support 100% Adobe RGB gamut and RGB gamut where compatible. Otherwise, the panels cover 72% of the NTSC gamut.

The new refresh also comes equipped with 10th generation Intel Core i7 or Core i9 processors for power. This is complemented with up to 64GB of RAM. Storage wise, the Alienware Area 51m R2 comes with options for single storage, dual and even RAID0 Plus configurations of up to 4TB. Graphics wise, the laptop is available with the AMD Radeon RX 5700M, NVIDIA GeForce GTX1660 Ti, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER.

Alienware m15 & m17

Alienware’s m15 and m17 are also getting a new refresh. The new offerings retain the Legend design language but come with more power so users can be productive and game on the go. They also come in the same, familiar size that users have already fallen in love with.

The Alienware m15 and m17 both come with the latest generation of Intel Core i processors with i5, i7 and i9 options to choose from. They also come packed with gaming and graphical prowess with the choice of AMD RADEON RX5500M or NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX1650 Ti, GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 2060, RTX 2070, RTX 2070 SUPER and RTX 2080 SUPER. They also come with up to 32GB of RAM. This is complemented with up to 4.5TB of storage in either single, RAID0 or RAID0 Plus configurations.

The displays on the Alienware m15 and m17 are similar to the Area 51m options. The only difference would be in the m15’s smaller 15.6-inch size and an additional OLED option for UHD resolution. Both the m15 and m17 have options that include Tobii Eyetracking technology too. They also share a similar number of ports as the Area 51m.

Alienware Aurora R11

Together with the laptops, Alienware is also refreshing the Aurora with the latest Intel Core i processors. The R11 will be coming with options with the Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9. It comes with options for up to 32GB of RAM in both 2933MHz and 3200MHz flavours depending on your performance needs. It will also be sporting up to 4TB of storage. These will be available in Single, Dual and Intel Optane configurations.

On the graphics front, the Aurora R11 will be able to handle single and dual GPU configurations. Alienware is offering NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards ranging from the GTX1650 to the RTX2080 Ti and AMD options ranging from the RADEON 5600 to the RADEON VII for single graphics card configurations. For dual graphics configurations, users can choose from the RTX 2070 SUPER with NVLink SLI, RTX 2080 SUPER with NVLink SLI and RTX 2080 Ti with NVLink SLI.

Being a tower, the Aurora R11 comes with a a slew of ports including a headphone jack/line out port, microphone/line in port, 2 USB Type A v3.2, 1 USB Type A v3.2 with Powershare Technology and a USB Type-C v3.2 with Powershare technology on the front of the tower. On the back, there are 6 USB Type A v2.0, 1 USB Type-C v3.2, 2 USB Type A v3.2 and various surround sound ports on the back. It has an RJ-45 Killer E3000 Gigabit ethernet port as do all the Alienware offerings.

Pricing & Availability

The Alienware Area 51m R2 will be available globally starting on June 9, 2020 starting at USD$3,049.99 (MYR13,202.69).

The m15 and m17 will be available globally starting on May 21, 2020. The Alienware m15 is priced starting at USD$1,499.99 (MYR6,493.10) while the m17 will be priced from USD$1,549.99 (MYR6,709.54).

The Auroro R11 wil be available from May 13, 2020 with prices starting at USD$1,129.99 (MYR4,891.26). Alienware mentioned that there will be additional configurations available starting May 28, 2020 for as low as USD$879.99 (MYR3,809.12).

Only the m15, m17 and Aurora R11 will be available in Malaysia. The m15 R3 will be available starting 22 May, 2020 with prices starting at MYR9,899. The m17 R3 will be going on sale at the same time with prices starting at MYR12,199 while the Aurora R11 will be available starting 30 June, 2020 with prices starting at MYR6,999.

Computers, Gaming, News

Dell Gaming Comes Back with More Power

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Dell’s gaming line up has always been one the company’s most compelling offerings when it comes to budget gaming systems. The Dell Gaming line up inherits some of the DNA of the older Alienware devices before the brand adopted its new Legend Industrial design.

This year, the line up continues to have the sleek build that we’re familiar with in Dell gaming laptops. This year’s comes a little sleeker with the Dell G3 15 coming in at 21.6mm thick and 365.5mm by 254mm in size. It’s also slightly lighter weighing at least 2.34kgs. The G5 15 comes in a little bit thicker at 24.5mm while maintaining the other dimensions.

This year, the G3 15 and G5 15 are both getting refreshed with the latest generation Intel Core i processors with options for the Core i5 and Core i7. The laptops also have options for NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards ranging from the GTX 1650 Ti to the RTX 2060. The Dell G5 15 comes with an additional configuration with support for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q design.

On the display side of things, the Dell G3 15 and the Dell G5 15 come with a 1080p, Full HD panel. These panels have configurations supporting 60Hz, 144Hz and 300Hz refresh rate. Both models come with single and dual storage configurations supporting up to 1.5TB of memory out of the box.

Connectivity wise, the G3 15 and G5 15 both support WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth. There is an additional option for WiFi 6 which will be available at a premium. Both models also have different configurations for ports. You can look at the official specifications for detailed information.

The Dell G5 15 comes with a chassis with 12 zone RGB lighting. This is not available on the G3 15 or models of the G5 15 with the RTX 1650 Ti.

Pricing & Availability

The Dell G3 15 will be available globally starting on May 21, 2020. Prices will start at USD$779.99 (MYR3,375.50).

The Dell G5 15 will be available starting the same day with prices starting from USD$829.99 (MYR3,591.88).

Malaysia will only be getting the Dell G5 15 for now. It will be available starting 26 May, 2020 with prices starting at MYR4,499.

Official Specifications

Dell G3 15

Dell G5 15

Business, Computers, News

AMD Takes Aim at High Performance Computing with the RADEON PRO VII

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AMD has been creating waves in the processor space for a few years now; dropping the gauntlet for its competitors when it comes to their Ryzen processors and also their RADEON graphics cards. The company is also expanding their reach to mobile in a collaborative effort with Samsung to bring their RDNA architecture to mobile processors.

That said, the company has long been working at providing compute capabilities to the industry as well. While they haven’t had a single product geared at taking on the market directly, their products have been used and optimised for years. This year, AMD is filling the void with their new AMD RADEON PRO VII graphics processor.

The new AMD RADEON PRO VII graphics processor uses AMD’s VEGA 20 architecture to help deliver top class performance at a more affordable price point for the industry. In fact, the new PRO VII comes in at about 25% of the price of competing products. This allows companies and workforces to free valuable resources for other functions.

With the new PRO VII, AMD looks to address the increasing demand for simulation workloads. The new card is capable of up to 6.5 TFLOPS of double precision performance and is equipped with 16GB of HBM (High bandwidth memory) to help process compute and simulation tasks more efficiently and at a faster pace. In fact, the RADEON PRO VII has about 1TB/s of memory bandwidth. This allows it to handle even more complex models and datasheets and even enables more efficient 8K broadcasting. It also runs at lower temperatures compared to the competition allowing it to function at high capacity for longer durations.

The RADEON PRO VII also supports AMD’s Infinity Fabric Link which allows two GPUs to share memory resources for bigger project workloads. The new GPU is also built with security in mind with hardware validated boot.

Software Geared for Professionals

Together with the announcement of the RADEON PRO VII, AMD also highlighted their continual support for industry and professional applications with their commitment to providing stable, industry grade software. The company announced the availability of Professional drivers which will be updated regularly. In addition, their software will have Day-0 certification from relevant parties to ensure that programs are stable and compatible for professionals. This certification process will be ongoing and will be applied to every update.

In the same vein, AMD also announced that their RADEON ProRender will have a more simplified licensing model to enable more widespread adoption. The company will be using the APACHE based licensing format to streamline licensing and ease adoption among professionals. At launch, the ProRender 2.0 is supported by Unreal, SideFX, Autodesk Maya and Blender.

Pricing & Availability

The AMD RADEON PRO VII card will be available starting June, 2020. It will cost USD$1899 (MYR8,215.05).

AMD’s entreprise drivers are already available for download as of the announcement.

Computers, News

AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 Mobile Series Comes Out to Work

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AMD announced their 4000 series mobile CPUs last month. The updated 4000 series mobile CPUs are supposed to be a huge upgrade over the older 3000 series mobile CPUs. They are supposed to be faster and more powerful with more cores as well.

The new 4000 series of mobile CPUs are also supposed to be much better for gaming. In reported benchmarks, it showed a huge improvement over the older 3000 series that it replaced. It also showed overall advantage over older Intel 9th generation processors. We do not have the numbers against the newer 10th Generation Core mobile processors for now, we can assume that they are somewhat on par.

There is a small niche of users who require a bit more than just processing power though. They require reliability, and efficiency in their work. They jump from one workspace to another very quickly too. In that case, they need something more secure. Security in terms of PC is mostly seen as a software implementation rather than hardware. Not anymore with the AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 series.

Source: AMD

The AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 series is offered in three flavours. It comes in a budget friendly form: an AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U. It comes with the value pack: an AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U. It also comes with the top-of-the-line no compromise package: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U.

This is not to be mistaken for the regular AMD Ryzen 4000 series CPUs, however. This is a class of its own. There is a difference between the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U. But, the U moniker at the back still stands. They are both made for ultra-thin notebook PCs.

There are several key differences between a regular premium ultrabook and a made for business ultrabook. Business grade notebooks usually are more robust for example. They also place more emphasis on data security more than everything else. Those are the key differences between the regular Ryzen 4000 series and the Ryzen PRO 4000 series. 

Source: AMD

The clock speeds are not actually that different from the regular AMD Ryzen 4000 series mobile CPUs. Which also means that they are supposed to have all the same power ratings, there or there abouts. Being an ultrabook type CPU, they should be similarly power efficient too.

What is different though is the PRO suite that comes with the AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 mobile CPU series. The suite built within the CPU itself is meant for make your work more secure and easily manageable by your IT team. They promised around 20+ hours of battery life with more premium platforms too. They did not mention the exact battery size used for this claim though, so take it with a pinch of salt.

Source: AMD

Still, the business grade processors are designed to fit any sort of businesses. There are businesses that refuses to upgrade their software until it is too late. There are some businesses that are always eager to update their software. AMD Ryzen PRO is designed to be stable and prepared for any eventuality in that regards. Of course, the AMD Ryzen PRO is also designed to last forever. Then again, that would also depend on manufacturer otpimisation in cooling solutions, or maintenance efforts.

We should see some work class notebook PCs to feature the AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 CPUs. We have seen some consumer grade AMD Ryzen 4000 series launched in the new ASUS notebook PCs. It is only a matter of time before we start seeing more notebook PCs come packing a Ryzen processor.

Computers, News

Update Your Life with HUAWEI’s New MateBook Line-Up

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The Intel 10th Generation Core platforms have been out for a while now. Plenty of manufacturers have already taken advantage toward updating their line-up with the newer processors. Of course, newer is better and faster. One of the notebook PCs that we wanted to see updated though, was HUAWEI’s MateBook line-up. Until now, that is.

HUAWEI MateBook X Pro

The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro was one of the best value-for-money notebook PCs you can find in the market at its launch. The MateBook X Pro is exactly what it sounds like. It is a modern top class thin and light PC to haul all your work in one place. While thin, it was no slouch too.

Source: HUAWEI

The new 2020 version is a continuation of all those qualities from 2018. It gets the new Intel 10th Generation Core platform in the from of a Core i7-10510U processor (up to). Not top-of-the-line, but still a vastly powerful CPU for a body no thicker than 2 cm. That is thinner than most keyboard you can find the market even. You have up to an NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU if you have the urge to take it gaming. No, you may not run today’s AAA titles that well, but it is designed to be a workhorse, not a gaming PC this HUAWEI MateBook X Pro.

Still, up to 16GB of RAM does not hurt especially if you need to have multiple windows and browsers open at the same time. The MX250 would help you too if you ever need to quickly edit a video. Where it shines though is when you want to just wind down and watch a movie on HUAWEI’s beautiful 3K resolution display. It is also touch optimised just in case you are wondering. It even has four speakers for you to enjoy more than just music.

Of course, being a HUAWEI notebook PC, you still get the benefit of using HUAWEI Share. just tap and share a photo between your HUAWEI smartphone and your PC. We especially love this function when used with a HUAWEI smartphone.

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The HUAWEI MateBook PC will be available in Malaysia 16th May 2020 onward. It is available in Space Grey and Emerald Green colour options when it is available. The new HUAWEI MateBook X Pro will start from MYR 7,999. If you are looking for something more budget friendly, you might want to look at something else. If you go for this though, you are entitled to a free HUAWEI Sound X Bluetooth speaker, a HUAWEI Bluetooth Mouse, a backpack, and HUAWEI’s Band 4 fitness tracker. For more information on the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro, you can visit their website.

HUAWEI MateBook 13

By far one of our favourite Notebook PCs from HUAWEI, the MateBook 13 was an embodiment of what would be a perfect working laptop for us. It is small, light, powerful, and durable. Sure, it had an odd shape thanks to the odd display ratio. But its 13-inch display was beautiful at 2K resolution.

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They kept that 2K resolution on the 13-incher though. There is a new 10th Generation Core processor now. You still get up to 16GB of RAM to work with too, so it is still no slouch. You still get a discrete GPU in the NVIDIA GeForce MX250 for not just your entertainment. It is good enough to work with for light video editing.

One of our favourite things on the MateBook 13 was its very thoughtful fingerprint sensor embedded with the power button. It is not the first time we see this design anywhere, but we appreciate that subtlety and functional form. The other thing was that it was light. The new one, is a mere 1.3kg. It is not as light as some of the thin and light that we see out in the market, but the GPU is worth some cooling, trust me. Plus, it is an all-aluminium body. Of course, HUAWEI Share is that other thing we liked about it.

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The MateBook 13 will be available at the same time as the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro. It is only available in one colour option though. It is only available in Space Grey, which is actually not a bad colour to go with. You can get your hands on one for MYR 4,999. You get all the same free gift as the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro offer excluding the HUAWEI Sound X Bluetooth speaker. For more information on the HUAWEI MateBook 13, you can check out their website, or webstore.

MateBook D 14 & 15

Meant to be the more budget choice and targeted toward the student segment, the MateBook D 14 and 15 are the ones to go for if you are just looking to get work done on the go without much fuss. They are not the smallest or lightest things you can carry around, but they get the job done.

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They are still no slouch too though. You get up to an AMD Ryzen 7 3700U CPU on the 15-incher and up to an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U for the 14-incher. Both get Full HD displays still. Both also gets Radeon Vega GPUs to work with and game with. The 14-inch MateBook D 14 gets Radeon Vega 8 while the MateBook D 15 gets the Radeon RX Vega 10.

You still get up to 16GB of RAM for both devices though. You also get a 512GB SSD to work with, so these MateBook D notebooks are not what you would call slow as well. You also get a fingerprint sensor embedded to the power button, so it is not less premium than the more expensive MateBook 13 or MateBook X Pro. Of course, the HUAWEI MateBook D 14 and D 15 gets HUAWEI Share out-out-of-the box. If you already own a HUAWEI device, that is a bonus that you will want to have.

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The HUAWEI MateBook D 14 and D 15 will be available at the same time with the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro and HUAWEI MateBook 13. It is only available in Mystic Silver. At least you do not get a headache of choosing what colour suits your lifestyle. It will set you back MYR 2,899. You are entitled, while stocks last, for the same free gifts as the HUAWEI MateBook 13 offer. For more information, you can check out their website, or webstore.

Computers, News

Acronis Launches Cyber Protect to Empower Remote Work

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Working remotely or working from home has become a constant reality for businesses amid the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, with work from home, service providers and businesses are facing greater cybersecurity risk than ever before. To that end, Acronis has introduced a new product, Acronis Cyber Protect, to help service providers and businesses fortify their defenses and empower their workforce to continue being productive remotely.

Acronis Cyber Protect is a solution made for managed service providers to ensure that they have all their bases covered when it comes to keeping data and work infrastructure intact and secure. The new offering from Acronis allows managed service providers to cover all their bases and provide a complete service when it comes to securing their clients and enabling them to allowing the mobile workforce effectively.

RDP Remote Connection to Corporate Network | Acronis Cyber Protect | Acronis Cyber Cloud Demo Series

The new offering can be boiled down to three main components: Anti-malware, Backup and Recovery, and Security and Management. Using the anti-malware services offered by Acronis, service providers are able to dynamically detect and prevent malware infections of devices. This includes data within up to date backups created with the Backup and Recovery services provided by the new offering. These backups are done automatically with next generation continuous data protection technology from Acronis. Providers are also able to provide remote support via the remote desktop service as well. Service providers are also provided a simple, unified console to manage all the relevant services.

The new Acronis Cyber Protect has been tested by German security institute, AV-Test. During the test, the new offering was subject to a set of rigourous tests to ensure that the offering was able to handle what it claimed to. Cyber Protect scored an impressive 100% detection rate with a 0% false positive.

Acronis Cyber Protect is available now via their official website. Interested parties are able to request a fully functional trial. The new product will be available at the same cost of Acronis Cyber Backup Cloud until July 31, 2020.

Acronis Cyber Protect Demo for Zoom Protection
Computers, News

AMD Announces New Ryzen 3 with Zen 2 Architecture

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AMD has been bringing the gauntlet when it comes to pushing processor technology. The company has shown, in recent years, that it is able to compete and innovate in an industry which hasn’t seen much development. The company’s continuous development of new technologies and also investing bringing these technologies to consumers at an affordable price point.

The company has announced the availability of their new 3rd generation Ryzen 3 processors. The new processors will be running on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture which debuted last year with their announcement of brand new Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. The Zen 2 architecture brought increased performance efficiencies that allowed it to outperform the competition. The new Ryzen 3 processors have been a long time coming. The Ryzen 3 processors are the entry range of processors from AMD and are some of the most affordable in their lineup.

The new Ryzen 3 3300X and Ryzen 3 3100 introduce Simultaneous Multithreading, a feature reserved for higher performance processors, to their line up. The new processors come with 4 cores and are capable of processing 8 threads. This means that they will be able to process more information and also handle larger workloads.

AMD is touting increases in gaming and creator performances with their new Ryzen 3 line up. AMD claims that the processors show up to 20% increase in gaming performance and up to 75% increase in creator performance compared to its competition.

Here’s a little bit more technical details for the processors for all you data bugs out there.

MODELCORES/ THREADSTDP5
(Watts)		BOOST6/BASE FREQ7. (GHz)TOTAL CACHE (MB)PLATFORM
AMD Ryzen™ 3 3300X4C/8T654.3/3.818AM4
AMD Ryzen™ 3 31004C/8T653.9/3.618AM4

Together with their announcement of the Ryzen 3 processors, AMD also announced the availability of their new B550 chipset. The new chipset still runs on the AM4 socket and will be able to support all Ryzen 3000 processors.

Pricing and Availability

The new AMD Ryzen 3 processors will be available starting in May 2020. The Ryzen 3 3100 will be retailing at USD$99 while the Ryzen 3 3300X will be USD$120. In Malaysia, they will be retailing at MYR449 and MYR549 respectively.