Tag Archives: AMD

Editorial, Gaming

PlayStation 5 Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know About Sony’s New Console

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Sony has announced its newest PlayStation 5 and is ready to take on the market this holiday. The company has revealed some specs to give fans a brief look of just how powerful the machine will be. Looking at some of the things we already know, the new PlayStation 5 is shaping up to be one of the most revolutionary consoles in comparison to it’s predecessor, the PS4; and even next generation Xbox Series X and Xbox Series. The PS5 is set to change the playing field for consoles in the next generation.

Source: TechRadar

Powerful Insides with at least 60 fps Gameplay

The PlayStation 5 will be running on a customised build of AMD’s graphics and processing architecture. The GPU is based on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture while the CPU is based on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture with 8-cores. The new processing unit will allow the PS5 to support ray tracing making it possible to have more realistic light textures and deeper realism built into the graphics. This is complemented by 16GB of GDDR6 RAM.

It will launch with native 4K resolution support which makes sense given the current landscape of TV ownership. However, there is evidence showing the PS5 will be able to support up to 8K resolution in the future. The console is able to reach 120fps in games but most of the game are guaranteed tor run at 60fps with stable gaming performance. We will probably see a few games reaching 120fps as the console generation progresses.

Speedy Internal Storage for Quick Load Times

The console will sport a customised solution when it comes to internal storage. Sony’s customised SSD solution will be its backbone for the lightning-fast loading times the company is promising for the PlayStation 5. It will support extra storage through an easily accessible slot for an M.2 SSD chip which is disabled at launch. However, Sony PS5 architect, Mark Cerny, has stressed that support will be enabled with a firmware update at a later date. The reason behind this staggered activation is to give the team enough time to test and ensure compatibility as not all M.2 SSDs will be able to interface correctly with the PlayStation 5’s I/O controller which can lead to slowdowns or worse. Out of the box, the PS5 comes with 825GB of internal storage, it will also support USB storage.

The PS5 will come in two flavours: a digital-only version and one sporting an optical drive. The latter will come with a 4K Blu-ray drive. This will be able to play actual physical PS5 games which will be released on Blu-ray discs. It will also play movies and DVDs. As the name suggests, this will be omitted in the PS5 Digital Edition.

The hallmark of the PS5 experience is the unique, immersive experience of the new DualSense Controller. It is being lauded as a leap forward in gaming. The resistive triggers are able to convey a different, more immersive textures which bring a depth to the gaming experience that we have yet to experience.

New PSN Experience & Backward Compatibility

The PSN web and mobile store have been overhauled in October. As part of this change, PS3 games, PS vita games, avatar and themes will no longer be purchase. Sony seems to be more focused on newer things. This has entailed the removal of themes and content for the PS3 and, the short-lived, PS Vita.

Sony has also revealed the PS5 UI in an official walkthrough video hosted by the head of Sony Worldwide Studios, Hermen Hulst. The UI drops the spartan approach that it used for the PS4. In its stead, the PS5 will sport a user experience-centric interface which brings games and the PSN community to the forefront. Even the in-game overlay is feature-rich and comes with easy access to the many in-game features that the PS5 has including the ability to get friends to help you in-game.

In addition to an overhauled UI, the PS5 comes with backwards compatibility with games from previous generations of PlayStations. For now, Sony has confirmed that 99% of PS4 titles are supported by the PS5 with more to come. However, compatibility with games from the PS3 and before is still up in the air.

Pricing & Availability

Both Editions of the PlayStation 5 will be available starting on November 12, 2020, in the U.S, UK, Japan, and a few other countries, with a global release starting on November 19. The disc drive touting PS5 will run you USD $499 while the digital only edition will cost $399.

In Malaysia, the PS5 will be laucnhing on 11 December 2020 with pre-orders already underway with e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada already taking orders. The PS5 Digital Edition will be available for MYR 1,869, and PS5 with an Ultra HD Blu-ray™ disc drive will be available for MYR 2,299.

Computers, News

AMD’s Big Navi Launches! The RX 6000 Takes on the World!

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AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series launched just a few weeks ago wowed the world with not just improved performance. It wowed the world by beating Intel in their own game. With their new Zen 3 architecture, they somehow managed to catch up to Intel’s gaming prowess in their processors and now team Red is an even better CPU choice for creators around the world. Even we want an AMD Ryzen build for our gaming PCs now.

In that launch as well, they teased something else that we all knew was coming along. They teased their new AMD Radeon RX6000 series GPUs. In their demo from the Ryzen launch, the GPUs look to be very promising too running Borderlands 3.

Still, nothing compares to the real thing, and so AMD launches their AMD Radeon RX6000 platform. The internet world calls the new GPU “Big Navi”, as a succession to the Navi based Radeon RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT. AMD also thinks that this new GPUs will take the fight to their biggest GPU competitor, NVIDIA and their new platform, Ampere.

Source: AMD

Here are the headline figures; 80 compute units clocked at a maximum of 2,250MHz (Boost Clock) with 128MB of cache, 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, all at 300W power draw. Welcome to RDNA 2 on AMD’s Radeon RX 6900 XT. Welcome to the new standards in gaming GPU.

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT

Source: AMD

As mentioned, the headline figures are quite impressive. This is a comparable GPU to NVIDIA’s RTX 3090, if you need the nearest comparison baseline. There are some interesting figures from the headline figures you see above though.

For one, AMD’s Radeon RX 6900 XT is only using GDDR6 technology while the NVIDIA card works with a GDDR6X technology which is, in theory, faster. The AMD card also has less RAM at 16GB compared to 24GB. The AMD card’s GDDR6 RAM also only features a 256-bit memory interface, and its direct competitor uses a 384-bit interface.

The AMD Radeon is clocked faster though at about 2GHz in base clocks and a maximum of about 2.2GHz in maximum clock. Even its base clock is much faster than its direct competitor’s 1.7GHz boost clock. All of that while drawing 300W, 50W less than its competitor.

There are differences in the cards, which are quite expected. Which card might perform better in different situations can be arguable as well thanks to the differences in specs. From the presentation by AMD’s Lisa Su though, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is more powerful that its direct competitors in up to 4K gaming conditions. Oh yes, the NVIDIA RTX 3090 is no longer the most powerful GPU in the world. NVIDIA is no longer the only choice when it comes to high-performance gaming. Did we also mention that the RX 6900 XT is the same size as the RX 6800 XT?

AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

Source: AMD

To be fair, we should have started with this GPU since AMD started their presentation with this card. It is just one step down from the all-powerful and mighty AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT. It features mostly the same headline figures with 8 less compute units, bringing a total of 72 Compute Units.

That does not mean that the RX 6800 XT is a huge compromise over the almighty RX 6900 XT. It is less powerful thanks to less Compute Units. But it is still more powerful than its closest competitor the NVIDIA RTX 3080.

How do we know? We do not. We can only take the words of AMD as truth for now, until independent reviewers pick up the cards to test out.

AMD Radeon RX 6800

Then they brought out a slightly more budget conscious choice of the AMD RX 6800. This consumes less power than the big RX 6800 XT at 250W, 50W less. But that is also because it is clocked at a lower speed.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is clocked at about 1.8GHz at the base and pushes 2.1 GHz at maximum clock. It also has 128MB in Infinity Cache (like the RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT), and 16GB GDDR6, also like its bigger brothers. But it has 12 less Compute Units compared to the RX 6800 XT at 60 Compute Units.

RDNA 2

Source: AMD

The new AMD Radeon RX 6000 series cards come with what AMD calls the RDNA 2 architecture technology. What does it mean for you? It means a 65% performance increase from the RX 5000 series of Radeon GPUs (RDNA). But that is still a little general, to be honest. The RX 6800, for example, is more powerful than the NVIDIA RTX 2080Ti, and even more powerful than AMD’s older Radeon RX 5700 XT. The RX 6800 is also a very different GPU compared to the RX 5700 XT. In fact, the RX 6800 XT is twice more powerful than the RX 5700 XT

So the only way to measure this difference is in the performance of other computational capacities. For example, memory access. While the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT has a smaller memory bandwidth at 256-bit and less memory at 16GB of RAM and 128MB in cache (a very fast cache, if I might add), it could outperform its closest competitor. That is thanks to something they call Infinity Cache.

The Infinity Cache, in an oversimplified form, is basically a memory sharing technology. That is an oversimplification to the technology. To say that the GPU can draw some compute power via accessing a super-fast cache is still oversimplifying it. But that also means that AMD could get up to twice more memory bandwidth from just 128MB cache, 16GB RAM, and a 256-bit interface compared to 384-bit 24GB RAM system while also drawing less power.

Source: AMD

Mind you, you might get even better performances if you are using an AMD Ryzen 5000 CPU paired to the Radeon GPU. This one is called Smart Access Memory, which is also another word for memory access sharing between an AMD Ryzen CPU and an AMD Radeon GPU. This also means that there is an even higher memory throughput from the PC to give workloads more speeds to work with. That might mean a bigger performance boost on games or other workload processes.

But having both AMD’s CPU and GPU does not just add performance on your screen. It helps you improve your competitiveness in games. With AMD’s Radeon latency boost combined with FreeSync, it reduces your input lags up to 40ms. This also means that in games like Counter-Strike, or Dota2, or Valorant, or even Overwatch, your clicks converts to an action even faster and more instantly.

There is more to RDNA 2 as well. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is quite expected. But more than that, it works with DirectX to enable Ray Tracing and something called Super Resolution. We are guessing that it is AMD and Microsoft’s version of DLSSS technology.

All these are under the surface though. On the surface, there is a new control app for the AMD GPUs. On that new app, there is something called RAGE mode for the GPUs. This is a one-click overclock mode built-into the GPUs. You do not even need to know how to overclock to under-volt GPUs or CPUs to do this. You just needt to hit RAGE mode and let the GPU rip apart every game you play.

Pricing and Availability

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 will be available from 18th November 2020 onward for US$ 579 (MYR2,407.81). The Radeon RX 6800 XT will be available also on the same day onward for US$ 649 (MYR2,698.91). The more powerful and extreme AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT will be available 8th December 2020 onward for US$ 999 (MYR4,154.41). These are extremely attractive prices compared to its competitors. These prices are also for reference cards from AMD and may not reflect the prices of Radeon GPUs from OEMs.

Computers, News

The AMD Ryzen 5000 Has Been Revealed, and it is Glorious

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The race to create the fastest PC has been heating up over the past few years with AMD making a huge come back with their highly acclaimed AMD Ryzen line-up of CPUs. With the introduction of their AMD Ryzen 3000 series with their Zen 2 architecture, the Taiwan based chip maker has more than made up the lost grounds that Intel has for so many years.

When AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series line-up was launched, they became some of the most advanced processor that you could get for your money. With state-of-the-art 7nm processing, the Ryzen 3000 series proved to be a lot more efficient and could run even more cores at respectable speeds. This also means that the AMD Ryzen 3000 series of processors pack more cores than their competition, and perform admirably better in multiple instances, when productivity matters. They still lose out in gaming performance though.

Source: AMD

AMD introduced their AMD Ryzen 4000 some months ago, if you remember. The only issue is that the AMD Ryzen 4000 series was not what we expected it to be. It looked like a rehashed AMD Ryzen 3000 with Zen 2 architecture that performed just slightly better than the older processor, and more efficiently. It could not be purchased as a single product on its own too. The only way to get the AMD Ryzen 4000 desktop CPUs is through system builders like Acer, ASUS, Dell, and such.

In that case, we thought that the later announcement by AMD (which just happened last week) would be a special one. Our patience has been awarded by Dr. Lisa Su, and her team, with the highly anticipated Zen 3 architecture. It is just that it came in a different format.

Source: AMD

Instead of Ryzen 4000, they call it the AMD Ryzen 5000 and claims it to be their biggest step up in their CPU line-up. Rightly so, with AMD’s Zen 3 architecture allowing a larger and more instant access to the memory banks. That also means twice faster memory read speeds on your storage front. That, while maintaining great efficiency.

In this generation as well, AMD claims that the Ryzen series can now claim to be the world’s most powerful CPU for both work and play. They claim that the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X (their flagship CPU) is now the fastest, most powerful CPU for gaming. While there is no direct benchmark comparison just yet with Tiger Lake, we want to believe them.

Source: AMD

AMD has made significant step up in terms of both multi-core and multi-thread performance. That also means that the Ryzen series is still kings when it comes to things like video processing, 3D rendering, and even heavy multi workloads (multitasking). But that is not all the progress they have made.

They have also stepped up in single-core performances as well. According to them, their performance bump in single-core performances are in the double digits, in percentages anyway. In that sense, we have not seen double digit performance gains all too often in the CPU industry.

Source: AMD

The double-digit increase in performance though is not just beating out the AMD Ryzen 3000 line-up though. In their own tests, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X outperformed its slightly older generation competition by an impressive margin too, in gaming performance and other single-core workloads (Blender). That also means, in theory anyway, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X should be more powerful than even the latest generation Intel Tiger Lake line-up.

What this also means for you gamers, is that you can now push your games to get more frames per second than before, way more. Considering that all your other work-related stuff will not be affected, this should now be the CPU of choice for you PC builders. It is just as power efficient as before too with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X consuming a rated power of 65W and the top of the line AMD Ryzen 6 5950X pulling only 105W.

MODELCORES/
THREADS		TDP
(Watts)		BOOST/BASE FREQ. (GHz)TOTAL CACHECOOLERPrice US$ (MYR*)EXPECTED AVAILABILITY
AMD Ryzen™ 9 5950X16C/32T105WUp to 4.9 / 3.472MB
N/A$799November 5, 2020
AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X12C/24T105WUp to 4.8 / 3.770MBN/A$549November 5, 2020
AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X8C/16T105WUp to 4.7 / 3.836MBN/A$449November 5, 2020
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X6C/12T65WUp to 4.6 / 3.735MBWraith Stealth$299November 5, 2020

The AMD Ryzen 5000 series will be available internationally from the 5th November 2020 onward. Malaysia will be included as the first few countries to get the AMD Ryzen 5000 series as well. We do expect a few delays there and here though, which also means the processors can be expected to be available a few days after the 5th of November 2020. They are even priced similarly to the older AMD Ryzen 3000 series to begin with. The AMD Ryzen 5000 series starts at US$ 299 (MYR 1,237*) with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and tops out at US$ 799 (MYR 3,306*) with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. Bring on the Big Navi.

*Based on Approximate Rate US$ 1 = 4.14

Computers, Editorial, Reviews

Acer Swift 3 (AMD) Review – Productivity & Portability Made Unremarkably Affordable

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Thin and light and affordability don’t usually go hand in hand. However, Acer’s Swift 3 has always been one of the best value for money options when you’re looking at getting something affordable, thin and light. However, unlike previous years, the Swift 3 comes with an AMD Ryzen option which promises top notch performance while maintaining a lot of the features of the popular laptop.

We’re going to be asking the hard questions when it comes to the Swift 3 in this review – should you buy it? Is it worth your money? And does the Ryzen variant hold up to the hype AMD has built around their silicon offerings?

Design

Let’s start by taking a look at the overall design of the Swift 3. Overall, the design approach that Acer took to this laptop is more utilitarian compared to the rest of the Swift line up (barring the Swift 1). In fact, you’d be hard-pressed in finding any of the design finesse of the 5 or 7; which is, to be honest, expected at the price point that the Swift 3 sits at.

The laptop is a rectangular slab which tapers gradually from the hinge to the tip. That said, the larger, thicker back of the hinge area allows it a better, more stable footing when it is open. There were rarely times when the display ended up rocking back and forth on a rocky, uneven surface during the review period. The thickness also allows ample space for Acer to equip the Swift 3 with a full array of ports from HDMI to USB Type-C.

While this also means that the laptop lacks in design flair, it makes more utilitarian sense. Its ports are readily accessible while minimising its footprint. However, unlike its siblings, the Swift 3 is a whole lot heftier; coming in at 1.2kg. Yes, I did call 1.2kg hefty. Keep in mind, the rest of the Swift series come in at below 1kg. That said, Acer’s decision to have the Swift 3 in purple a touch of pizzaz that keeps the Swift 3 fresh. It’s also one of those colours that seems to grow on you.

Hardware

The Acer Swift 3 may be a little lacking on the design flair but it’s utilitarian approach to the thin and light has spurred the company to pack a formidable punch when it comes to the hardware. Coming with the Ryzen 5, the laptop is no slouch when it comes to performance. It clocks in a respectable 2.3Ghz with 6 cores for better multicore processing; enabling it to undertake more demanding tasks.

Specifications

Acer Swift 3 | SF314-42-R43GAs tested
Processor (clock)AMD Ryzen 5-4500U
Hexa-core
2.3 GHz
GPUAMD Radeon Vega 6 Graphics
Display14-inch Full HD
TFT LCD
1920×1080 pixels
Memory8GB LPDDR4 SDRAM
512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Networking and ConnectionsWiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Bluetooth 5.0
HDMI
1 USB 2.0 Type-A
1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A
1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack
Battery3-cell Lithium Ion
11 Hours battery life (claimed)
Operating SystemWindows 10 Home 64-bit
MiscellaneousFingerprint Reader
Backlit Keyboard
Stereo Speakers
Microphone
DisplayPort over USB-C
USB-C charging 5 V; 3 A
DC-in port 19 V; 65 W

Features

While the Swift 3 may not be as feature packed as it’s siblings, the laptop comes with features that make sense and fit the utilitarian and functional approach that Acer has taken for it. The laptop comes with a full array of ports including a USB-C, a USB-A with support for USB2.0, a USB-A with support for USB3.1, an HDMI port and even a 3.5mm headphone jack which its competition seems to be missing. The full array of ports should ensure that users are well equipped to handle any connectivity hurdles that may come their way. However, like most laptops nowadays, the Swift 3 is powerless when it comes face to face with a dreaded VGA port; you will be resigned to the dongle life for VGA. In addition, the laptop also doesn’t come with an SD card reader.

Ports aside, the Swift 3 does have many other features. However, it does come with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.  The former allows the laptop to take advantage of the faster 802.11ax WiFi bandwidth which gives it an edge over other laptops in a similar price range. That said, not many networks use WiFi 6 just yet – but getting ready for the future is always a plus now, isn’t it. Bluetooth 5.0 allows you take advantage of wireless earbuds and other peripherals without sacrificing too much battery life.

However, the biggest advantage that the laptop over its competitors is the fact that it’s lightweight. The Swift 3 is definitely a contender for one of the lightest laptops in its price range. Coming in at slightly over 1kg, it will definitely be one of the go-to laptops for people looking for one which they can easily take on the go without worrying about overloading the bag or breaking your back from carrying it around.

Performance

Since the Swift 3 is so utilitarian and focused on keeping you productive, it comes as no surprise that Acer has chosen to offer an Ryzen 5-4500U processor option in the Swift 3. AMD’s new processors have outperformed its competition in benchmarks consistently over the past few years since the release of AMD’s Zen architecture. The same holds true for AMD’s mobile processors which is being used here in the Swift 3. However, benchmarks are only part of the story, we’re focusing on the overall user experience when it comes to using the laptop.

The Swift 3 is definitely a capable power house when it comes to everyday tasks. Word processing, working with PowerPoint and even large excel files are definitely not a problem for the laptop. What did stand out was the laptop’s ability to edit 1080p video in Adobe Premiere with ease. In fact, it could even handle 4K video editing with limited overlays and additions. However, if you’re going to be doing massive video editing this isn’t the laptop for you. The Ryzen 5 is good, but it is let down by the limited RAM and lack of graphics processor in the laptop.

This was made pretty clear when we tried to game on the Swift 3. On older games, it was able to handle settings at medium. It ploughed through Diablo 3 without much noise but when it came to games like Overwatch or even No Straight Roads, the laptop ran a little hot and had quite a lot of stuttering and screen tearing to keep up. It could hardly keep 30fps even with low settings. This isn’t really surprising for us as the gaming capabilities of the laptop are severely limited even though there is the built in Radeon Vega 6 graphics. The laptop also performs well with multimedia. However, the audio experience on the laptop could use some polish as the speakers sound tinny and distorted when the volume is pushed. However, at lower volumes, the audio lacks body and is, to be frank, incredibly soft. You only start hearing it audibly after the indicator passes the 40% mark in Windows.

That said, the laptop isn’t really built for gaming. In fact, it’s built for productivity on the go and the Swift 3 comes with ample battery life. Acer claims 11 hours of battery life on the Swift 3. During our time with the laptop, we easily got about 13 hours of active use time. On standby, the laptop was able to last well over a day. In fact, when we opened it about 8 hours later, the laptop had slightly more than 40% battery remaining. Even editing 1080p video on battery, the Swift 3 lasted about 3-4 hours before it needed to be plugged in.

Display

When it comes to the display of the Swift 3, it has a pretty good one for it’s price point. It comes with a 13.5-inch, 1080p Full HD display which is more than enough for a laptop of its size. The screen is crisp and the colour is relatively accurate. While it doesn’t have a touch display like the Swift 5, the screen fulfils its purpose. It allows you enough display real estate to get things done without straining your eyes too much.

The display is also near bezel-less. There is about 1-3mm of bezel on either side of the display with about 5mm on the top and bottom. The slim bezels allowed for a pretty immersive visual experience. You don’t have much pulling you out of your work or multimedia.

An unremarkably affordable laptop that does only slightly more than the basics

Overall, the Swift 3 is an unremarkable device. It’s not a jack of all trades, but it’s a thin and light laptop for those on a budget. It packs as much performance it for the price point it’s at. That said, it is a device geared for productivity and it does deliver on its promise of keeping you productive on the go. In fact, I would say it excels in it given the extra feats it accomplished. Editing 1080p video on the Swift 5 was also a feat, to see the Swift 3 able to do it without much problem is a definite plus. However, we also have to keep in mind that the Swift 3 is playing in an arena which is quickly getting crowded with similarly spec’d devices. It needs to find a way to stand out from the crowd; and, in all honesty, if it boils down to the brand, Acer is looking at an uphill battle with the Swift 3. That said, the AMD powered Swift 3 holds a peg above the competition with its performance right now – whether this holds true in the near future; we’ll have to see. All-in-all, the Swift 3 delivers on all its promises and excels further than its competition on certain fronts. However, when considering this device, it would be prudent to see if other, more powerful devices with a dedicated graphics card could serve you better. That said, if you’re looking for a slim and light productivity machine for everyday tasks, you don’t have to look further for a package that’s both affordable and give you some really good value for the money you invest in it.

Computers, Contributed

5 Reasons to Put Your Old PCs Out to Pasture

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In today’s uncertain times, a PC modernization strategy can both turbo charge employee productivity and deliver a competitive edge.

It’s tempting with the rapid rise of remote work due to COVID-19 to think that out of sight is out of mind when it comes to your PCs. If your employees can still hop on a video call, they must be working at maximum productivity. The truth is much more complicated.

If your organization, like so many others, has a four-year PC refresh cycle, the new wave of remote work should, if anything, accelerate that cycle. Even before the current global health crisis, users were becoming more mobile than ever before, raising risks around security, flexibility, efficiency and efficacy.

blank business composition computer
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

While the precautionary and voluntary remote work continues, IT staff is also facing unprecedented challenges. Onboarding employees, supporting current ones, and maintaining systems for maximum productivity are challenges they are struggling to solve, all while trying to stay afloat with their higher-level duties.

Managing aging systems at scale is difficult when everyone is in one place, and with that becoming rare, the issues multiply exponentially. No business can afford unplanned down time on a regular basis, and employees can grow increasingly frustrated as their productivity drops.

“Aged systems are costing businesses in terms of lost productivity and security risk, and with much of the workforce remote now, IT managers are faced with even bigger maintenance and support challenges.” says  Peter Chambers, Managing Director, APAC at AMD.

Speaking of aging systems, TechAisle found way back in 2016 that it can cost as much as $1,700 per year to maintain PCs older than 4 years. Those kinds of hidden costs can creep up on a business, raising TCO.

If your organization still sees PC refreshes as a luxury, try seeing it instead as an opportunity to unlock immense improvements in productivity, performance and collaboration. The AMD Ryzen™ PRO 4000 family of processors and partner platforms, for example, cover all the bases for any organization’s modern computing needs, delivering a straight line to productivity and PC modernization.

Still need convincing? Here are five great reasons to perform a PC refresh now.

Turbocharge performance. Here is the new reality of work in 2020: increased complexity, juggling workloads, mega multi-tasking, and operating remotely. Offering the most cores and threads in a mobile business processor for ultra-thin notebooks with the Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U processor, AMD Ryzen PRO processors deliver top-of-line performance and responsiveness across a wide variety of workloads, from crunching data to rendering videoconference calls to compiling code.

For example, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U platform delivers up to 37% faster performance running Microsoft Office in PCMark 10 Applications benchmark compared to the previous generation Ryzen 5 PRO 3700U processor.  In addition, the same AMD platform offers up to 19% faster performance in Microsoft Word, up to 77% faster performance in Excel, and up to 27% faster performance in PowerPoint versus the previous generation.

This leadership performance comes without compromise to battery life. AMD Ryzen PRO processors help to maximize workforce productivity by offering up to 20 hours of battery life on a premium platform.

Improve security features. Protecting sensitive corporate data has never been more important. Modern notebooks and PCs are often never fully turned off, raising the threat for stolen data. AMD Ryzen PRO processors, featuring AMD PRO security, deliver a multi-layered approach to security features, helping protect data from sophisticated attacks and avoiding downtime. In addition to a set of silicon and firmware-level security features, AMD Ryzen Pro processors employ AMD Memory Guard system memory encryption to help reduce the threat of physical memory attacks even if the laptop is left in standby mode.

working macbook computer keyboard
Photo by Negative Space on Pexels.com

Make IT management a breeze. IT departments, already spread thin, need all the help they can get with supporting remote workers. AMD PRO Manageability is a full cross-platform feature set enabled on all PRO processors that simplifies remote device management. With AMD PRO manageability, IT can manage a mixed environment of PCs in their fleet with ease, from simplified deployment with Windows® Autopilot, to efficient patch management to address security vulnerabilities, to ongoing management for a wide range of system issues.  AMD Ryzen PRO processors also fully enable support for Microsoft Endpoint Manager – a cloud-powered set of management tools to provision, deploy, manage, and secure endpoints and applications across an organization.  

Boost efficiency. Simply put, organizations need the latest hardware to drive today’s modern software experiences. There are also significant stealth costs associated with legacy systems, including on-going maintenance and repair services, that chip away at the bottom line and exceed the cost of upgrading PCs or laptops. New PCs powered by Ryzen PRO processors help boost efficiency by delivering leadership performance and up to 20hours of battery life on a premium platform – driving up productivity by eliminating downtime that comes with aged hardware issues such as long start up time, frequent crashes, and shortened battery life, and all things being equal, by helping to lower TCO with reduced power consumption vis a vis a high efficiency processor. 

With enterprise-grade quality, long-term reliability, and planned software stability, new PCs with Ryzen PRO processors can bring peace of mind to organizations and are a logical choice for today’s remote and highly mobile workforce.

Choose wisely and benefit. Whether it’s a notebook or desktop, AMD Ryzen PRO processors are available in a wide range of commercial OEM products across varying price points, giving enterprises an array of options to accommodate different budgets and user needs.

Even during a pandemic, business keeps moving faster than ever. Your organization cannot afford to slow down when there are so many options to keep your competitive edge and employee productivity high.

To learn more, visit the following links:

https://www.amd.com/en/where-to-buy/commercial-systems

https://www.amd.com/en/processors/laptop-processors-for-business

https://www.amd.com/en/ryzen-pro

https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/pro-technologies

https://community.amd.com/community/amd-business/blog/2020/05/07/the-new-standard-for-modern-business-notebooks-amd-ryzen-pro-mobile-processors

A properly configured HP EliteBook 835 G7 with AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U Processor, gets up to 24 hours of MM14 battery life: https://press.hp.com/us/en/press-releases/2020/hp-provides-ultimate-office-experience-at-home.html  Actual battery life will vary based on several factors, including, but not limited to: system configuration and software, settings, product use and age, and operating conditions. AMD has not independently tested or verified the battery life claim. See www.bapco.com for additional details. RNP-28

As of February 2020. “Most Cores and Threads” in a mobile business processor for ultrathin notebooks.  RNP-19

*Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – the cost to purchase + cost of operation. Electricity is a cost of operation; therefore, higher efficiency processors can enable a lower TCO than low efficiency processors that use more power.

[1]Small Business PC Study, TechAisle, 2016

Computers, Lifestyle, News

An AMD Twist for the Acer Nitro 5 (2020)

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We reviewed the Acer Nitro 5 a few weeks ago and we thought that the gaming notebook is one of the best value-for-money devices of the year. It was worth MYR 4,899 and packs quite a lot of punch for that money.

You get a powerful Intel Core i7 (up to) and a not-so-entry-level NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti for your money. You now get 8GB of RAM and 512GB in SSD too in the entry-level gaming notebook. To sweeten the deal, the display is an IPS panel with 144Hz in response rate.

We did not think that it could be better in value, the Nitro 5. Acer proved us wrong with AMD though. The new Acer Nitro 5 now comes in AMD flavour for those looking for some distinction.

You are still getting the same 8GB RAM and 512GB in SSD storage. You also still get a 15.6-icnh IPS panel at Full HD resolution and refreshes at 144Hz. There is still the always reliable Killer Ethernet E2600 ethernet port. Even the keyboard is still the same 4-zone RGB type.

The differences are a little more than skin deep in this case. It comes packing AMD’s Ryzen 7 4800 8-core CPU power paired to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 instead of the GTX 1660Ti. While it might sound like a small downgrade, the differences are more minute than you know with the Intel pairing.

But the differences do not end at the hardware though. It is also differently priced at the same time. The Acer Nitro 5 with AMD’s Ryzen 7 4800 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is now available across the nation via authorised retailers and official online stores at MYR 4,099. That is MYR 800 in difference to the top specced Intel variant of the Acer Nitro 5. With the current Acer Day promotion, the AMD variant of the Acer Nitro 5 is available for MYR 3,999. For more information on the Acer Nitro 5, do check out their website.

Business, Computers, Gaming, News

AMD Ryzen 4000 Desktop Series is Here! No Zen 3 Yet Though.

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AMD finally released their highly anticipated latest Ryzen processor platform for desktops. We mentioned ‘desktop’ specifically because AMD has launched their Ryzen 4000 series for mobile computing earlier this year. So, here it is, the new AMD Ryzen 4000 series for desktop alongside AMD’s latest Athlon 3000 series offering.

MODELCORES / THREADSTDP (Watts)BOOST9/BASE FREQ. (GHz)GPU CORESCACHE (MB)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4700G8C/16T65WUp to 4.4 / 3.6 GHz812 MB
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4700GE8C/16T35WUp to 4.3 / 3.1 GHz812 MB
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600G6C/12T65WUp to 4.2 / 3.7 GHz711 MB
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600GE6C/12T35WUp to 4.2 / 3.3 GHz711 MB
AMD Ryzen™ 3 4300G4C/8T65WUp to 4.0 / 3.8 GHz66 MB
AMD Ryzen™ 3 4300GE4C/8T35WUp to 4.0 / 3.5 GHz66 MB
Athlon™ Gold 3150G4C / 4T65W​3.9 GHz36 MB
Athlon™ Gold 3150GE4C / 4T35W3.8 GHz36 MB
Athlon™ Silver 3050GE2C / 4T35W3.4 GHz35 MB
Source: AMD

This is not the end of the story though. Keen eyed readers will note that we did say that Zen 3 is not here yet (do not look at us, we are as surprised as you are). That is because the AMD Ryzen 4000 series we see here only packs AMD’s Zen2 architecture.

At least you are still getting AMD’s Radeon graphics integrated in the CPU. The previous AMD Ryzen 3000 series came with AMD’s highly acclaimed Radeon Vega graphics. We can safely expect the AMD Ryzen 4000 series for desktop systems that was just announced to come with AMD’s Radeon Vega graphics too in that case. Until they reveal it though, we do not know.

Source: AMD

They also touted that the new AMD Ryzen 4000 series for desktop performs 2.5x better in multi-threaded applications. There are some improvements on single-thread performance too, which is nice. With the integrated GPU, there are some expected added performance there too. All this means that this should perform better in video editing and rendering works and in games. With the integrated GPU, you can even properly game without having a dedicated GPU.

Alongside the regular consumer range of Ryzen 4000, AMD also announced the AMD Ryzen 4000 series with PRO technologies. Like the notebook range of AMD Ryzen 4000 Pro series, this one is made for AMD’s business customers. Like the mobile version as well, the desktop variant gets all AMD’s security features with the PRO series CPUs.

MODELCORES/ THREADSTDP (Watts)BOOST9/ BASE FREQ. (GHz)Graphics CoresL2/L3 CACHE (MB)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 4750G8C/16T65WUp to 4.4/3.6 GHz812MB
AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 4750GE8C/16T35WUp to 4.3/3.1 GHz812MB
AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 4650G6C/12T65WUp to 4.2/3.7 GHz711MB
AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 4650GE6C/12T35WUp to 4.2/3.3 GHz711MB
AMD Ryzen™ 3 PRO 4350G4C/8T65WUp to 4.0/3.8 GHz66MB
AMD Ryzen™ 3 PRO 4350GE4C/8T35WUp to 4.0/3.5 GHz66MB
AMD Athlon™ Gold PRO 3150G4C/4T65WUp to 3.9/3.5 GHz36MB
AMD Athlon™ Gold PRO 3150GE4C/4T35WUp to 3.8/3.3 GHz36MB
AMD Athlon™ Silver PRO 3125GE2C/4T35WUp to 3.4/3.4 GHz35MB
Source: AMD

What Do You Mean No Zen3?

The AMD Ryzen 4000 CPU has been touted and teased with a certain upcoming Zen3 architecture that is supposed to be way more powerful than what we see on the older generation AMD Ryzen 3000 series with Zen2. With the new AMD Ryzen 4000 desktop that just launched, it seems that AMD is not including the Zen3 architecture within the CPU just yet. They did not mention also if the architecture within the Ryzen 4000 series is Zen2+, which leaves us assuming that it is still the same Zen2 application that was on the Ryzen 3000 series.

Still, there are some performance gains on all the platforms they announced, including the Athlon offerings. While they may not be as big of a performance leap we expect from the Ryzen 4000 series, any improvements is welcome. The integrated graphics may also help with budget gaming and editing rigs.

Hope for Zen3 Still Alive with Big Navi

Source: AMD

Here is the kicker for the AMD Ryzen 4000 series for desktop PCs that was just announced though; you cannot buy them. To be specific, you cannot buy them on their own. You can only get these processors from OEMs in their desktop system offerings. AMD is teasing Lenovo and HP to be the first to produce a desktop system with the newly launched AMD Ryzen 4000 series somewhere after 21st July 2020.

That also creates a room and a gap for the enthusiasts’ market where Zen3 is yet to be available. Big Navi is also expected to be launched and announced later in 2020. With that also we expect AMD to announced another variant of the AMD Ryzen 4000 series that is available to consumers as an individual part and devoid of any integrated graphics. In that, we hope that the AMD Ryzen 4000 that we expect to launch with Radeon’s Big Navi to come with Zen3 or at least a Zen2+.

Computers, News

Dell Gears Up for Creators with new XPS Desktop & S series Monitors

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Hot off their international launch of a new line up of XPS laptops and their Malaysian launch of the Precision and Latitude lines, Dell is adding a new member to the XPS family: the XPS Desktop. The new XPS desktop draws inspiration from the minimalistic designs of its laptop brethren. Keeping it simple, elegant and performance driven. In fact, it’s even slimmed down to keep a sleeker profile. The once 24L body of the XPS Desktop is now only 19L and it doesn’t sacrifice much when it comes to space for internals.

The new XPS Desktop isn’t just elegant, it packs the power when it comes to specifications. It comes supped up with 10th generation Intel Core i processors ranging from the Core i3 to the creator focused Core i9. This is paired with a up to 128GB of RAM and complemented with up to 4TB of storage in various hardware configurations.

Built for Content

Keeping it’s eye on creators and hardware intensive processes, the XPS Desktop will be coming with a slew of options for it’s graphics card ranging from the NVIDIA GT 1030 to the NVIDIA RTX 2070 SUPER and even AMD graphics processors ranging from the AMD Radeon RX 5300 to the powerful Radeon RX 5700 XT. It also has options for a DVD-RW or Blu-ray burner in the optical drive department.

Of course, being a performance focused desktop, the XPS comes with a bevvy of ports on the back. On the front, it comes with 3 USB 3.1 ports, 1 USB Type C, a 3.5mm jack and a SD card slot. It also comes with support for Killer AX1650i WiFi 6 connectivity. Complementing the power packed internals are options for 150W or 500W power supply.

The Dell XPS desktop take a page out of its laptop brethren with voltage regulator cooling to more efficiently cool the processors. In fact, the engineers at Dell have designed the chassis to maximise airflow and cooling when it comes to the hard disks and processors. Accessing the internals shouldn’t be a problem with the toolless system that it adopts.

A Perfect Match with the New Dell S-series Monitors

Together with the new power packed XPS Desktop, Dell also announced three new S Series monitors. The new additions to the affordable S-series monitors bring even more options and larger sizes to the popular series of monitors.

The new additions to the S series monitors come in two different sizes: 27-inch and a larger 32-inches. The 27-inch monitor comes in Full HD and 4K Ultra HD resolutions. These monitors have 99% coverage of the sRGB gamut and are equipped with AMD FreeSync technology. The Dell 32 Curved 4K Monitor (S3221QS) comes with dual 5W speakers built-in.

Dell is bringing the Dell Premium Panel exchange program to the S series monitors during their limited hardware warranty period. The Premium Panel exchange will ensure that you get a consistent experience with the new monitors. Dell will replace defective IPS panels which result inconsistent bright spots. This program is available in the United States for now. No information if the Dell Premium Panel exchange will be coming to other regions.

Pricing & Availability

The Dell XPS Desktop is available immediately in the U.S. and Canada with prices starting at USD$649.99 (MYR2,774.41). It will be available in Malaysia starting the end of July 2020. Prices will start at MYR3,499 for a Core i5 with 8GB of RAM and a GTX1650 Super.

Europe and other regions will have the XPS Desktop within the month as well.

The Dell S-Series monitors will be available worldwide starting on 20 August 2020. Malaysia will be getting the monitors in late August with their prices to be announced at a later date. International pricing is as below:

  • Dell 32 Curved 4K UHD Monitor (S3221QS) will be priced starting at USD$499.99 (MYR2,131.13).
  • Dell 27 4K UHD Monitor (S2721QS) will retail with prices starting at USD$449.99 (MYR1,918.02).
  • Dell 27 Monitor (S2721DS) will retail starting at USD$349.99 (MYR1,491.78).
Computers, Gaming, News

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Takes on Malaysia with Compact Size & Powerful Specs

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ASUS announced their AMD Ryzen 4000 powered offerings which have already begun hitting the market a while back. Their most interesting offering yet, is making its Malaysian debut today, with the new Republic of Gamers (ROG) Zephyrus G14! The new power house spearheads a new segment which has been uniquely carved out by the ROG engineers.

The new ROG Zephyrus G14 combines portability and power in a form factor that is bound to become a go to for gamers. The compact 14-inch display is complemented by a body which is only 17.9mm thick and weighs 1.6kg. The compact size skirts the lines of being classified as a thin and light device. However, don’t underestimate it’s gaming prowess. As the saying goes, good things come in small packages; and that can’t be truer with the Zephyrus G14.

A 1-2 Punch for Top of the Line Performance

ASUS has opted to pack a punch with the ROG Zephyrus G14 with power packed processors with a proven track record. Running on the latest Ryzen 4000 processors with AMD’s cutting edge Zen 2 architecture, the G14 promises top of the line performance. It comes in variants with the Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 processors. Powered by up to 8 cores capable of processing 16 threads, the G14 is gearing itself to take the title of most powerful gaming laptop.

The processor’s prowess is complemented by NVIDIA’s RTX graphics which brings cutting edge ray tracing capabilities to the forefront. Maxing out at the NVIDIA RTX 2060 Max-Q, the Zephyrus G14 is packing quite the graphical punch. With 6GB of dedicated RAM for the GPU, you’ll be playing a majority of AAA titles on maxed out settings thanks to the 1-2 punch the Ryzen-RTX combination provides. However, if your budget doesn’t allow, the G14 also comes with options with NVIDIA’s GTX1650, GTX 1650 Ti and GTX1660 Ti.

Quick as a Zephyr with all the Flash of Lightning

The display, while smaller than your average gaming laptop, comes with options for a 120Hz refresh rate and even Quad HD resolution. The compact powerhouse comes with a 14-inch, Pantone Validated display. There are options for a 1080p, Full HD IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate or a WQHD IPS display with 60Hz refresh rate. Both options cover 100% of the sRGB gamut and come with adaptive sync and are non-glare panels for a better viewing experience even under harsh lighting.

The display isn’t the only thing that’s quick, the Zephyrus G14 comes with either 512GB or 1TB of storage. Both are PCIe m.2 NVMe SSDs which promise quick read and write speeds for better performance. They support up to 24GB of RAM with 8GB soldered in the laptop and an additional RAM slot for user expandability.

Charging on the Zephyrus G14 is gonna be a breeze with options for performance and portability. ASUS has enabled both proprietary charging and USB C power delivery (PD) charging on the laptop. The little power house supports up to 180W via charging pin and up to 65W by USB C PD. Best part, ASUS is including 2 charged in the box: a compact USB-C charger for portability and the quick charging power brick for performance. It even comes with a fingerprint sensor so you can login quick and easy with Windows Hello.

Of course, the Zephyrus G14 made waves at its initial announcement at CES2020 thanks to the AniMe matrix which comes on the lid of the laptop. Users are able to customise and personalise the laptop further with self made animations.

Pricing and Availability

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 will be available starting 29 June, 2020 with prices starting from RM4,499. Ryzen 9 powered G14s will be coming with an ROG Sleeve, the ROG Impact Mouse in addition to the 65W USB-C PD Adapter. Those powered by the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 will be coming with the sleeve and adapter.

Official Specifications & Pricing

SeriesROG Zephyrus G14
Model NameGA401I-VHA231TGA401I-VHA232TGA401I-VHE340TGA401I-VHE341TGA401I-UHE099TGA401I-IHE102TGA401I-IHE103TGA401I-HHE027T
DesignEclipse Gray with AniMe MatrixMoonlight White with AniMe MatrixEclipse Gray with AniMe MatrixMoonlight White with AniMe MatrixEclipse Gray with AniMe MatrixEclipse Gray with AniMe MatrixMoonlight White with AniMe MatrixEclipse Gray (No AniMe Matrix)
ProcessorAMD Ryzen™ 9 4900HS Processor 3.0 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.4 GHz)AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800HS Processor 2.9 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.2 GHz)AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600HS Processor 3.0 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.0 GHz)
Operating SystemWindows 10 Home
Graphic CardNVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 Max-Q GDDR6 6GBNVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660Ti Max-Q GDDR6 6GBNVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650Ti GDDR6 4GBNVIDIA® GeForce® GTX1650 GDDR6 4GB
Display14-inch Non-glare WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS-level panel, 60Hz, 100% sRGB, Pantone® Validated, adaptive sync14-inch Non-glare Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS-level panel, 120Hz, 100% sRGB, Pantone® Validated, adaptive sync
RAM/SlotsDDR4 3200 8G*1 + 8G (on-board)
1x RAM Slot (used)		DDR4 3200 8G (on-board)
1x RAM Slot (empty)
StoragePCIE NVME 1TB M.2 SSDPCIE NVME 512GB M.2 SSD
Wi-Fi/BluetoothIntel Wi-Fi 6(Gig+)(802.11ax) 2*2
Bluetooth 5.0
I/O ports1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort™ 1.4 and Power Delivery
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
1 x HDMI 2.0b
1 x 3.5mm headphone and microphone combo jack
1 x Kensington lock
Power180W power adaptor
Support Type-C PD 3.0 up to 65W		150W power adaptor
Support Type-C PD 3.0 up to 65W
Battery76Wh lithium-polymer battery
Keyboard typeWhite backlit chiclet keyboard, N-Key rollover, Power key with Fingerprint, 1.7mm travel distance
Dimension (WxHxD)32.4cm x 22.2cm x 2cm32.4cm x 22.2cm x 1.8cm
Weight1.70 kg1.60 kg
Included in the BoxROG Sleeve + ROG Impact Mouse + 65W PD AdapterROG Sleeve + 65W PD adapter
Warranty2 Years Global Warranty (1st year with Perfect Warranty)
PriceRM7,699RM7,699RM7,699RM7,699RM6,199RM5,299RM5,299RM4,499
Availability DateAugust_2020Available nowSeptember_2020September_2020August_2020August_2020Available nowAugust_2020
Computers, First Look, Video

Acer Nitro 5 (2020) First Look

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The Acer Nitro 5 for 2020 is finally revealed on the big stage of Next@Acer! The new Acer Nitro 5 is Acer’s latest budget friendly gaming PC that packs plenty of punch with AMD’s Ryzen 7-4800H CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650Ti graphics. This time, you get up to 32GB of RAM as well. This thing is one powerhouse on a string.

The Nitro 5 for 2020 is Acer’s answer to the likes of ASUS TUF gaming notebook PCs and even Dell Gaming PCs. It strikes a balance between gaming performance and budget. For not very much money, you are getting the power of one of the highest rated CPUs in the market combined with the power of NVIDIA’s proven GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (up to). If you are looking for value, this is value on a platter.

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