ASUS has made a name for itself when it comes to desktop components. It should come as no surprise that the company also has a lineup of pre-built desktops. This year, the desktop lineup is more focused and streamlined. There are three new entries into their offerings this year with each one taking laser focus on a feature to champion.
ROG G22CH – Redefining “Small but Mighty”
When it comes to desktops, it’s generally been a battle between space and performance. However, with the ROG G22CH, ASUS is proving that both aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. The small 10L chassis small form factor PC packs a punch with the latest generation 13th Generation Intel Core processors with configuration supporting the Core i9-13900K. Together with this, the G22CH comes with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUS with up to 32GB of DDR5 4800MHz RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage.
Together with the power-packed internals, the G22CH is designed with a focus on airflow. The new pre-built desktop system supports both AIO liquid coolers and traditional air cooling for the CPU. It even features an internal power supply in its minute chassis. It’s also easy to upgrade and access with its toolless design.
ROG Strix G16CH – Made to Game
The ROG Strix G16CH is a mid-tower gaming desktop built for multitaskers. The system supports configurations that cap out with the Intel Core i7-13700KF and the NVIDIA RTX 4080 GPU. On the memory side of things, the setup supports up to 3TB of storage and a whopping 128GB of DDR4 RAM.
However, it’s not just about the insides, the Strix G16CH comes with some of the best ventilation-focused designs. The front panel and top exhaust allow for plenty of airflow. It’s also built to accommodate a high-performance 240mm liquid cooler for the CPU. It’s also built with all the signature ROG design cues including the ROG Slash aesthetic, an integrated headset holder and a reinforced double D ring strap.
ROG Strix G13CH – Air Flow for Maximum Cooling and Performance
The Strix G13CH follows suit with ASUS’s focus on better cooling and airflow with a redesign which marries both ROG’s signature style and improved airflow. It comes with configurations which support up to the Intel Core i&-13700 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPU. Complementing this is up to 64GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage.
Pricing and Availability
No pricing or availability has been announced just yet.
NVIDIA’s RTX 40 series GPUs are finally making their way to the mobile computing space, just as Intel’s 13th generation CPUs are also making their way to the mobile computing space. Alongside the new hardware, Ada Lovelace on mobile also comes with a slew of updates that was also brought along from the RTX 40 series for the desktop market. Alongside NVIDIA introducing the laptop market to Ada Lovelace, they also launched their new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti.
Unsurprisingly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series for laptops focus more on the content creation aspect more than anything. To be fair, while gaming performance on a laptop has never been better with the RTX 40 series, content creators are the ones who will get the biggest bump in benefits with Ada Lovelace this time around. That said, there are still some interesting developments from NVIDIA for games with the new Max-Q Ada Lovelace architecture.
Thanks to some clever implementation for the Studio platform, NVIDIA brings RTX Remix made mostly for gamers. The technology allows more creative gamers to quickly create mods for older titles with full ray tracing technology to modernize those games. You even get enhanced details ad materials with DLSS3 and NVIDIA Reflex. All of these and you never needed to learn to code or knowledge to work in the 3D design space in the first place. NVIDIA is also bringing official RTX support to Portal Prelude, a Portal mod.
Back to the more content creator aspect of things. NVIDIA is introducing a new Studio driver to update their new and existing GPUs too. With The new Studio platform comes an improved NVIDIA Omniverse, a connected world where 3D artists can collaborate in real-time with the power of NVIDIA’s RTX engines. The have expanded the Omniverse with better support for Blender, a rather popular 3D rendering tool. Users can also experiment with regenerative 3D tools alongside Universal Scene Description assets added into Omniverse to create even more life like 3D scenes than ever before.
If you are more of a videographer, or a streamer, the new NVIDIA Studio suite offers improved NVIDIA Broadcast and Canvas apps. Broadcast new features a new eye-tracking and replacement tool that cleverly and naturally makes it look like you are actually looking into your webcam instead of your screen in both video conferences and game streams. Canvas allows you to work with 360-degree images that can be used as environment maps in 3D apps like Blender. On top of all of these, Ada Lovelace also comes with AV1 support which should allow for a more efficient video workflow in compatible apps.
If you are not into any of that, there are still some benefits to using NVIDIA’s RTX 40 and RTX 30 series GPUs. They are bringing their upscaling technology to the masses with RTX Video Super Resolution. The feature uses AI to improve videos from any sources, including your browser. The algorithm removes compression artifacts and upscales video resolutions to improve its sharpness and even overall detail so that you watch online contents at your display’s native resolution even if the YouTube video only offers up to 480p in resolution. The feature will only be available for Chrome and Edge browsers in February 2023, for now.
The other added benefit of Ada Lovelace is its power efficiency. That also means that gaming and studio class laptops can be made thinner with smaller and more power efficient fans. On top of enhanced battery life as well, the power bricks can be made smaller than ever.
Availability
NVIDIA has teased the first few laptops that will get their RTX 40 series treatment. They named the Razer Blade, MSI’s Stealth series, and ASUS’s Zenbook Pro series laptops for now. For now, NVIDIA has teased the availability of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 and GeForce RTX 4090 series for mobile computing, but we are convinced you will see the likes of the GeForce RTX 4080, and GeForce RTX 4060 series Max-Q GPUs when laptop manufacturers release more details about their next-generation content creator and gaming laptops soon. More about Ada Lovelace architecture can be found on their website.
At NVIDIA’s next-generation GPU launch the last round, Jensen Huang unveiled two new flagship class GPUs; the GeForce RTX 4090 and GeForce RTX 4080. The range-topping GeForce RTX 4090 packs more Ada Lovelace architecture CUDA cores than the GPU it replaces and 24GB of GDDR6X RAM for performance like no other. The slightly lower end GPU, which is still a powerful flagship class GPU, the GeForce RTX 4080 packs just over half the CUDA cores of the flagship and about 16GB GDDR6X RAM.
Alongside these two GPUs, the team in green teased another GPU that is meant to be a more budget friendly version of the GeForce RTX 4080 with less CUDA cores and less RAM. For the longest time, the GPU is known as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. With a smaller potential asking price for it, the rumoured GPU is a highly anticipated one.
For CES 2023, they launched the GPU for US$ 799. Except, they did not launch the GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. They launched the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ahead of the regular GeForce RTX 4070.
NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the exact same GPU that is the unlaunched GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. It packs 7680 CUDA cores, less than half of the GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. Its 12GB RAM RAM is also exactly half the top-of-the-line RTX 4090 flagship GPU. It is still a fast GDDR6X RAM that you get from the RTX 3090 and RTX 4090. In the grander scheme of things, the new GPU is targeted squarely as a mid-range GPU that should prove to be one of the more popular GPU choices for the more value conscious gamers.
In terms of features, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti packs the latest DLSS 3 algorithm for upscaling that is better than before. They also say that the RTX 4070 Ti is supposed to be a more powerful GeForce RTX 3090 Ti that was replaced by the GeForce RTX 4090. In NVIDIA’s benchmarks though, the newly launched GPU looks like it performs about the same as the RTX 3090 Ti in non DLSS titles. The benchmark has not accounted for the improved ray tracing performance from the Ada Lovelace architecture though. According to NVIDIA as well, the GPU is supposed to be more efficient than before too with 226W TDP.
Source: NVIDIA
The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti will be available in the market worldwide 5th of January 2023 onward. NVIDIA suggests a starting retail price of US$ 799 (MYR 3520*). The pricing is really just a guideline though since they also mentioned that there will not be a Founders Edition GPU from NVIDIA for this one. In that case you can expect GPUs from board partners like ASUS, Colorful, Gainward, GALAX, GIGABYTE, INNO3D, KFA2, MSI, Palit, PNY, and ZOTAC. More information on their new GPU can be found on their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1=MYR 4.41 as of 04/01/2023 on xe.com
ASUS’s Republic of Gamers has been creating astonishing offerings over the past few years with a more streamlined, power-packed line up of gaming laptops for every gamer. This year at CES, the company is putting their best foot forward with new form factors and a refreshed design for their most popular Strix SCAR and Strix G line ups.
The new Strix SCAR line up features an updated design which features a new armour cap which looks to be replacing the keystone we’ve seen in previous versions. The armour cap also comes in multiple designs at launch. ASUS has updated the Strix SCAR design with a more subtle design language with the ports on either side. They’ve also increased the number of vents on the SCAR for better cooling.
The new Strix G Line up comes with same subtlety in design but also comes with more apparent Aura Sync lighting. It also shares the same design cues with the Strix SCAR including the new armour cap. Both laptop lineups come with ASUS NumberPad which turns the TouchPad into a fully functional NumPad when needed.
When it comes to specifications, the ROG Strix G and Strix SCAR laptops come with configurations supporting Intel’s latest 13th Generation Core processors capping out at the Core i9-13980HX. Both also come with configurations supporting the latest from NVIDIA – the RTX 40 series laptop GPUs. The ROG Strix SCAR line up has configurations supporting up to the NVIDIA RTX 4090 Laptop GPU while the ROG Strix G supports up to the RTX 4080 Laptop GPU.
When it comes to displays the ROG Strix series is gunning for firsts with both of the lineups supporting ASUS’s Nebula HDR displays. Both the Strix SCAR and Strix G series comes in two flavours – 16-inch (Strix SCAR 16; Strix G16) and 18-inch (Strix SCAR16; Strix G18). The SCAR 16 comes with options for QHD IPS panels with up to 240Hz refresh rate. The only difference between the two QHD IPS panels are colour accuracy and Pantone Validation. The larger SCAR 18 comes with an additional option for a 165Hz FHD panel which covers 100% of the sRGB gamut. The Strix G16 and G18 come with options for a 240Hz, Pantone Validated Colour accurate QHD IPS panel or an FHD panel with 165Hz refresh rate.
When it comes to memory, the Strix G comes with options with up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD memory with up to 32GB DDR5 RAM while the STRIX SCAR lineup comes with up to a max of 4TB (2 x 2TB) memory with up to 64GB DDR5 RAM.
Both lineups also come with option which support AMD’s latest Ryzen processors. The Strix SCAR 17 and the Strix G17 both support up to the Ryzen 9 Zen 4 processor. Together with this, the laptops also sport a smaller 17-inch display. The SCAR 17 comes with a QHD IPS panel with support for Dolby Vision HDR and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut. The Strix G17 comes with an additional option for a FHD display with 144Hz Value IPS display.
Acer’s s Swift lineup has been the cornerstone of the company’s thin and light laptops. This year, they’re taking their proven approach to thin and light laptops and supercharging it with more power and an even more premium build. It also looks like they’re streamlining the naming for the Swift family of laptops.
Acer Swift Go – The new Entry to Thin and Light
Acer’s new entry-level thin and light laptop – the Swift Go series – is looking to redefine its approach to thin and light machines. The new series makes its debut with two entries: the Swift Go 16 and the Swift Go 14. The new laptops bring the latest 13th-generation Intel Core processors with Intel’s Movidius VPU. The dedicated AI engine that comes with Intel Core and Movidius VPU gears the laptop for video collaboration and seamless integration.
The Swift Go 16 comes with a 16-inch, 3.2K OLED display with a 3000×2000 pixel resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate while the Swift Go 14 comes with a 2.8K OLED display with a 2880×1800 pixel resolution with a 90Hz refresh rate. Both come with 500-nit peak brightness with 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification. They also have TUV Rheinland Eyesafe display certification.
Acer Swift 14 – Portable Premium Style with Productivity Front and Center
The Acer Swift 14 continues the legacy of the Swift series with its premium build and lightweight portability. The Swift 14 comes with a fresh new design which highlights the double anodized CNC-machined aluminium body of the laptop accented by diamond cut edges. The new materials don’t add much heft to the laptop with the Swift 14 coming in at only 1.2kg in weight and a slender 14.95mm thin.
Keeping things sustainable, the Acer Swift 14 comes with an OceanGlass trackpad made of reclaimed abandoned ocean-bound plastics. The OceanGlass trackpad looks and feels premium fitting the overall design of the new Swift 14.
It’s not just about the aesthetics with the Swift 14, Acer is packing the latest 13th Generation Intel Core H processors. The Swift 14 comes with configurations topping out with the Intel Core i7. This is paired with up to 2TB of internal memory and 32GB of RAM. Intel’s Unison also comes integrated with the laptop. This allows users to collaborate across operating systems. T
The Swift 14 comes with a touch-enabled, 14-inch display. Users will be able to choose from two options: a WQXGA display with a 2560×1600 pixel resolution or a WUXGA display with a resolution of 1920×1200 pixels. Both options come with Corning Gorilla Glass for added durability and even come with antimicrobial properties.
To top things off, the Swift 14 comes with a 1440p, QHD webcam with temporal noise reduction (TNR) and is complemented with dual speakers with DTS Audio and Acer’s PurifiedVoice.
Acer Swift X 14 – The Compact Powerhouse
Acer is keeping its Swift X lineup in the new, streamlined Swift family. This year’s addition – the Swift X 14 – is continuing the lineups power packed ethos. The Swift X 14 comes with the latest 13th Generation Intel Core H processors with configurations topping out with support for the Intel Core i7. It comes with 2 PCIe 4.0 slots which support a combined maximum of up to 4TB of memory with up to 64GB of RAM.
Of course, like its predecessors, the Acer Swift X 14 comes with a discreet GPU. This year it’s the NVIDIA RTX 40 series GPUs. The X 14 will have configurations supporting up to the NVIDIA RTX 4050 Laptop GPU at launch. The laptops come with NVIDIA Studio validation giving them access to stable Studio drivers. These drivers are also optimised to support the latest programs for content creation.
Of course, having such a powerful GPU necessitates good cooling. The new Swift X 14 comes with updated thermals that have better cooling than before. A larger fan draws in more air to keep the system cool. This works in tandem with the dual D6 copper heat pipes and the air-inlet keyboard to cool the system more efficiently.
The chassis has also been redesigned. The new, updated design allows for a larger battery for better, all-day battery life. It’s also sleeker and thinner than before. It’s designed to be more subtle and classy while being fully prepared for any workload.
It comes with a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 500 certified and covers 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut. It also has a 500-nit peak brightness for added clarity. The laptop is also equipped with a 1080p FHD webcam which supports Acer’s PurifiedView, PurifiedVoice and AI noise reduction.
Yes, you read that right. You read Bionic Shark Fans, not Fins, and you are reading that right, it is not a typo. Now that we got that out of the way, let us talk about NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090 as envisioned by Gigabyte.
NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 40 series promises a lot of performance and power. The ADA Lovelace architecture, as they call it, is claimed to be miles ahead of its competition and is significantly more powerful than NVIDIA’s older 30 series GPUs. Of course, we are all waiting to see if that claim can be substantiated.
While we are waiting around though, NVIDIA’s board partners are not. One of them, GIGABYTE has started introducing new GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs for the market. They did away with not just one GPU offering; they are offering four variants of the GeForce RTX 4090 alone.
AORUS MASTER
Source: GIGABYTE
First up is the AORUS MASTER GPU. Like all the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 cards released by Gigabyte, the AORUS MASTER offers better cooling performance with up to 30% more static pressure while reducing noise by up to 3dB. All this is possible thanks to Gigabyte’s latest WINDFORCE bionic shark fan design, and the AORUS MASTER gets three of them lined with RGB rings to keep the card cool in all kinds of conditions. Those are on top of larger heatsinks over the previous generation GPUs.
The AORUS MASTER cards also offer an LCD read out at the side of the card. The read out allows you to personalise your PC’s look even further with your own graphics and what not. If not, you can access and monitor critical stats like power consumption, GPU temperature, and even its fan speed.
To ensure that the GPU always works at optimal temperature, it is not just about having bigger coolers. It is also about using the right components in the construction of the card. That is why Gigabyte opted for aerospace grade PCB alongside Dual BIOS and 24+4 power phase design underneath an upgraded metal backplate to keep every component running at lower temperatures. Of course, the back plate also adds some rigidity to the card to minimise GPU sagging for a better look overall.
GIGABYTE GAMING OC
Source: GIGABYTE
Then there is the GIGABYTE GAMING OC card. It is no AORUS, but it is still an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU which also means it packs a lot of power. It comes with the same WINDFORCE fan blade design as the AORUS MASTER. The WINDFORCE fans also uses graphene nano lubricant that is supposed to extend the fan’s life by up to 2.1 times compared to regular double ball bearing fans. The GAMING OC GPU also has three of the WINDFORCE fans that comes with the same RGB Halo from the AORUS MASTER GPU to keep everything cool alongside ULTRA DURABLE certified components. Dual BIOS should keep the card operating at lower noise levels.
GIGABYTE WINDFORCE
Source: GIGABYTE
Sometimes you do not need the extremities that the AORUS MASTER offers. You do need the flashy RGB that the GAMING OC card offers too. You just want something that works. That is the GIGABYTE WINDFORCE NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 card.
It still packs the same WINDFORCE coolling system, which also means you should not be getting any less cooling performance with the entry-level GeForce RTX 4090 GPU from GIGABYTE. Like its more extreme brothers too, it has a large vapour chamber in direct contact with the GPU to keep everything cool and optimised. It even comes with Dual BIOS to keep things quiet when you need it to.
AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE
Source: GiGABYTE
The AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE is GIGABYTE’s answer to keeping the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 optimally cool in more extreme loads. It offers everything that the AORUS MASTER card offers, but with a slightly different cooling solution. Instead of relying on regular fan and heatsinks, it comes with a large water block and all-in-one aluminium radiator attached with three 120mm fans to keep things icy cold.
Space management with liquid cooling designs are usually quite complex. You want to think about the placement of the radiators, especially if you are also going with an all-in-one cooling solution for the CPU as well. To make things easier, the inlet and outlet ports are placed at the back of the card, so that it is easier to place the radiator. The pipes are also 460mm soft tubes to give you that extra flexibility in radiator placements.
GIGABYTE UD1000GM and UD850GM Power Supplies – PCIe 5.0 Empowerment
The new GPUs are rather power hungry with a quoted TDP of up to 450W. That is not even considering the spikes that the GPUs might go through from time to time. You need a power supply with a tonne of capacity. Since these are PCIe 5.0 cards too, you want your PSU to have PCIe 5.0 support out of the box for the best experience with the GPUs.
Introducing GIGABYTE’s UD1000GM and UD850GM 1000W and 850W power solutions made for PCIe 5.0 parts. As per PCIe 5.0 standards, the PSU offers a high-quality 16-pin connector that supports up to 600W of power output should your GPU need it. It is also a modular design with detachable cables for convenient cable management.
Price and Availability
There are no mentions on its local availability just yet. There are also no specific mentions on its pricing. You can expect the GPUs to be available once the reference cards from NVIDIA goes to market. You can also expect prices to be on the higher end of the scale compared to the reference cards with all the custom cooling solutions and components on their cards. More on GIGABYTE’s custom solutions for NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs can be found on their website.
NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 30 series, which they fondly refer to as the Ampere architecture processors, were rather potent. At its introduction, it presented the largest generation leap in performance from its predecessors. There were a lot of excitement for the Ampere built GPUs because of the generational gap presented between it, and the older GeForce RTX 20 series GPUs. Then there is the GeForce RTX 40 series that was just introduced by Jensen Huang last night.
NVIDIA calls it the Ada Lovelace, and it builds upon the technologies presented in its predecessor, the Ampere platform. It is even more capable in its real-time ray tracing functions. It also packs enough power to run an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm of its own for 3D rendering and processing. That also means this time, AI is involved in rendering the pixels you see on your display.
2X Performance
First up, you want to know how much faster the new RTX 40 series is compared to the RTX 30 series. In terms of ray tracing performance, the RTX40 is capable of up to 191 teraflops, nearly threefold of its predecessor. Its tensor cores are also capable of up to 1.32 petaflops, about five times the previous generation. But it is not just 3D rendering and ray tracing the gets the performance bump, you also get twice more NVENC decoders that allows the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series to half video workload times.
How NVIDIA achieved these numbers is a little technical, so we might have to explore that in a different story. In short though, it is not like NVIDIA slapped twice more cores into their chip. They did put more cores into their processing chip, but they have also improved their RT cores with 4nm architectures (hence Ada Lovelace architecture). That results in an improved energy and thermal efficiency of their chips in their GPUs which also means they can push their cores even more than before. That also means that ray tracing performance is doubled over whatever that came before. Thanks to the new Micro-Mesh Engine, the new cores can also generate textures in greater detail than ever before without taking up performance and storage resources.
DLSS 3.0
DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), we think, was a rather clever technology when it was introduced. While plenty of electronic giants in the home entertainment industry spoke at lengths about how upscaling is the future of television, NVIDIA took it to the next level with DLSS in gaming. You could, for example, play your games in 4K resolution while the GPU only needs to render the graphics in 1080p Full HD, for example. DLSS 2.0 was a major upgrade to the clever feature and made DLSS properly good and reliable. DLSS 3.0 make DLSS a must have feature.
Where the previous iterations of DLSS lack is speed. While DLSS 2.0 was fast, it lagged behind when you compare it to playing games at native resolution. The AI still must take its time to render each texture from each frame and upscale them to whatever higher resolution you want your games to play in. DLSS 3.0 allows the GPU to now render entire frames for an improved gaming experience, much faster than before. This is thanks to a rather powerful and clever neural engine packed into the GPU.
Source: NVIDIA
2X Video Rendering
Like we pointed out earlier, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 is not just made for gaming. It is a powerful GPU made for the modern content creator too. For 3D artists, the added power and improved DLSS 3.0 makes rendering scenes and graphics on-site much faster than before. Ray tracing is much more accurate than before as well, allowing textures to be rendered more accurately and more lifelike over previous generation GPUS, and all of it can be done in real time, cutting production times.
Thanks to the inclusion of two eighth generation AV1 encoder, video editing suites gets an extra boost in power. That also means smoother real time rendering and scrubbing. It also means that videos gets rendered twice as fast now.
NVIDIA Broadcast also benefited from the dual encoders. Partners now have access to features like Face Expression Estimation, Eye Contact, and even more realistic Virtual Backgrounds. That also means you get better, more interactive video calls, or even better streaming graphics.
Introducing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 4080
Source: NVIDIA
For now, NVIDIA has only introduced the flagship GeForce RTX 4090 and high-end GeForce RTX 4080. They say that the GeForce RTX 4090 is about twice as fast as the RTX 3090 Ti while maintaining the same TDP at 450W. There are 76 billion transistors and 16,384 CUDA cores you can find on the silicon fitted on the flagship GPU. It is fitted with 24GB of the latest, fastest GDDR6X memory too.
The GeForce RTX 4080 packs up to 9,728 CUDA cores and up to 16GB of GDDR6S memory. There is also a 12GB edition with 7,680 CUDA cores and 12GB in GDDR6X memory. They say that the 16GB variant is twice more powerful than the current GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and more powerful than the current GeForce RTX 3090 Ti while maintaining a lower power consumption.
Price and Availability
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 will be available in select regions from the 12th of October 2022 onward. Prices will start at US$ 1,599, US$ 100 more than the RTX 3090 when it was launched. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 16GB variant will retail for US$ 1,199 while the 12GB edition will go for US$ 899. Both NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 variants will be available only in November 2022. For more information on the new GeForce RTX 40 series, you can visit NVIDIA’s website.
HP is updating their gaming lineup with the latest and greatest from AMD and Intel in a totally new, larger form factor. The new laptops announced are equipped with larger displays, higher refresh rates and more features to the company’s robust gaming offerings. Expanding both the OMEN by HP and Victus gaming lineups with more robust laptops and better build quality, HP is looking to bring something for every gamer.
Together with the new editions to their gaming lineup, HP Malaysia is also bringing back their HP Gaming Truck which will be making its way around Malaysia starting with the Klang Valley.
HP OMEN 16 – Supped up to Win
The new OMEN 16 expands the offerings under the OMEN by HP gaming brand with a more robust laptop with a larger 16-inch display. The OMEN 16 ushers in a new generation of OMEN by HP Gaming laptops which look to up the ante when it comes to gaming performance.
The OMEN Gaming Laptop 16 comes with an improved Tempest cooling system that brings physical changes that impact performance. The updated Tempest Cooling System comes with an added fifth heat pipe and an additional fourth outflow vent. The former allows for better heat dissipation from the processor and GPU while the latter allows the air to be channelled out of the chassis keeping temperatures lower. HP claims that these improvements have resulted in a 3% reduction in temperature at the GPU hinge and a 14% reduction in temperature on the bottom of the SSD. Aside from the increased cooling, the new Tempest system is also 5% quieter than the last generation.
In addition to the physical heating system, HP has also spent some time looking at the internals of the OMEN 16. The new generation of OMEN 16 Gaming Laptops come with 12th Generation Intel processors ranging from the Core i5 to the Core i9 internationally. In Malaysia, this caps off at the Core i7. There are also configurations supporting the AMD Ryzen 6000 SoCs. Like the Intel versions, this caps out at the Ryzen 9. These processors are complemented with at least 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage.
The HP OMEN 16 comes with a 16.1-inch, QHD IPS display with a refresh rate of 165Hz. It also has a 3ms response time. The display supports 100% of the sRGB gamut with a 300-nits brightness and a micro-edge design. The laptops have configurations supporting up to the NVIDIA GeForce 3070 Ti GPU. HP isn’t skimping on ports either, the OMEN 16 comes with a full array of ports including an RJ45 ethernet port, ThunderBolt 4 and USB-A ports.
HP Victus 16 – Affordable Powerhouse
The Victus inherits most of the ethos and DNA of the OMEN 16. However, it does it affordably; packing all the essentials. When it comes to processors, the HP Victus 16 comes with configurations supporting the 12th Generation Intel Core i7 and the AMD Ryzen 6000 series. This is paired with at least 8GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
On the display front, the 16.1-inch IPS display has a 1080p FHD resolution with a 144Hz refresh rate and 250 nits brightness. The display comes with the same micro-edge design and covers 45% of the NTSC gamut. The HP Victus 16 has configurations with up to the NVIDIA RTX3050 Ti or the AMD Radeon 6500M.
Pricing & Availability
The HP OMEN 16 and Victus 16 are already available from HP via their official store or retail partners and online stores.
The OMEN 16 is priced from MYR7,599 for the AMD version and MYR7,799 for the Intel version.
The Victus 16 is priced from MYR4,299 for the AMD version and MYR3,749 for the Intel version.
Acer’s Nitro 5 was always known for its strong value proposition and being the budget champion in gaming laptops. 2021 was a little bit of a turning point for the Nitro 5 though. It stopped becoming an entry-level option. You still can get the Nitro 5 with entry-level specs and a price to match, but the Nitro 5 expanded its option pool to hit the upper echelons of gaming with AMD’s Ryzen 9 and NVIDIA’s RTX 3080 bundle option. It was shocking to say the least, but a welcome.
Fast forward to 2022 though, there is a new Nitro 5 in town, and it looks good.
We start with what it packs. It is a 12th Generation Intel Core i7 (up to) that is paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (up to). While it just stops shy from its higher-end cousin that tops out at an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, the RTX 3070 Ti is plenty powerful enough for any sort of gaming situations. You also get to pack it with up to 32GB DDR4 RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. There is an additional SATA slot to give users the option to upgrade the notebook with another SATA storage.
The powerful insides keep games running optimally at up to 165fps on the 165Hz refresh rate QHD display (up to). You can opt for a Full HD 144Hz display if you are on a budget. The display also boasts 100% of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage which means that it is even more colour accurate than before. At the same time, if you are looking for a laptop for both work and play, especially if you are in the creative industry, the colour accuracy is what you want.
Underneath the 4-zone RGB, Acer’s improved cooling system for the new Nitro 5 allows Acer to increase the maximum power draw of the GPU to extract even more performance and power from the GPU. At the same time, the Killer DoubleShot Pro wireless network module and WiFi 6E ensures that the Nitro 5 is always connected to the fastest available internet source.
The Acer Nitro 5 is now available from Acer’s own eStore, and official online stores on Shoppe and Lazada. You can also find the Acer Nitro 5 in Acer’s authorized retailers nationwide. It will set you back from MYR 4,399 all the way to MYR 8,699. For more information on the Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop, you can head to their website.
Gaming laptops today are wonderful things. They are still not as powerful as their desktop counterparts, but still, they come close enough today. Because gaming laptops today packing the kind of power they do, they become some of the most popular choices even for among the hardcore gamers.
Even in 2021, before Intel introduced their most powerful CPUs ever, gaming laptops were the in thing. The Predator Helios 300 of 2021, for example, was a potent machine that could really take your gaming to the next level, anywhere and anytime. It packed Intel’s 11th Generation CPUs with the latest generation NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series cards for the best-in-class performance. It is 2022 though and the world needs something new, something a lot more powerful.
Welcome to the 2022 version of the Predator Helios 300. To be fair, this product should not be entirely new to you. It was launched globally a while back at one Next@Acer conference. It finally hits the shores in Malaysia though.
To recap, the new Predator Helios 300 is expected to be the weapon of choice for any sort of gamers everywhere. Its 15.6-inch display is a rather compelling one at QHD resolutions as well. It also boasts 165Hz refresh rate with 3ms response time for fast and smooth visuals in all sorts of gaming situations. At the same time, it is one display you can also rely on when you work with colour grading tools and editing tools with 100% of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage.
Keeping the screen happy and maxing the 165Hz refresh rate, the Helios 300 now comes with Intel’s 12th Generation Core CPU (up to Core i7). You get to pair it up with up to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 and 32GB of 4800MHz DDR5 RAM memory. While that may not sound like it will amount to too much of a performance gain compared to the older Helios 300, Predator has given it a treatment like no other to make it outperform the older laptop by a significant margin.
Instead of the traditional regular thermal paste to keep the CPU die attached to the heat transfer panels, Predator now uses liquid metal. That should also translate to better thermal transfer performance which should also directly translate to a bump in CPU performance. You also get the help of Predator’s 5th generation Aeroblade 3D which is redesigned for even better airflow without compromising noise and therefore better cooling.
The overall improvement in cooling performance also allows Predator to also increase the power draw of the GPU to increase its performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti now draws up to 150W of power to really give games a punch. You can also monitor the temperature of the Predator Helios 300 with the proprietary PredatorSense.
Besides up to 2TB in SSD space, the Predator Helios 300 now comes with mini-LED RGB backlit keyboard, which is an upgrade over the older Helios 300. You also get WiFi 6E connectivity with Killer DoubleShot Pro for more stable and faster internet speeds. Of course, there is always a Turbo button for you to overclock the laptop and make it even faster.
The Predator Helios 300 is now available from Acer’s official stores on Shopee and Lazada. You can also head to Acer’s authorized retail partners to get your hands on one. There will be no other colour option for it, but it is still a good-looking laptop, especially with the new light bar at the bottom of the laptop. It will set you back MYR 7,999 onward and tops out at 11,999. For more information on the Predator Helios 300, you can visit their website.
