John Morrison – Page 49 – SFF.Network

Intel Introduces a Non-Barebones NUC

Currently the NUC is the ‘default’ (to the regular consumer) mini-PC on the market, the Intel Next Unit of Computing has added yet another family member to it’s lineup. Yet this one is different – it isn’t a barebones unit like it’s brethren. Featuring the Intel Pentium N3700, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and 32GB of storage, and Windows 10 preinstalled, the NUC5PGYH is ready to go, out of the box. The soldered down (not upgradeable) Pentium CPU is the N3700, a Braswell based quad-core running at 1.6GHz, with burst up to 2.4GHz. This processor has a TDP of 6 watts, …

News

Spire Launches New Fan Range

PC cooling manufacturer Spire has introduced a new line of cooling fans – the ‘CLEARSTAR’ series. This product line adds to Spire’s large existing range of fan models. Spire’s proprietary Nano-Tech bearing is featured in this line, which they claim is quieter than traditional sleeve or ball bearing fans. Specially designed blades have been shaped and balanced to move more air and reduce noise, as well as produce more air pressure. Two models are available at launch, the SP14025NTL3-B-LED is equipped with 4 bright blue LED’s, and the SP14025NTL3/4 which does not include LEDs. Both models are 140mm in diameter. All the new …

News

AMD’s Dual Fiji Card Could Be Named Gemini

Thanks to India’s relatively transparent Customs agency, we may have our first hint as to the name for the upcoming AMD dual-Fiji card. As an engineering sample of the new card passed through India, someone spotted the shipping manifest, which read “FIJIGEMINI”. The Gemini name makes sense, as the single GPU card is known as the ‘Fury’ – a reference to the ‘Furies’ (Erinyes)- female deities of vengeance. This new card may be named after Greek-Roman mythological figures and twins Castor and Pollux. These two are sometimes referred to as the “Gemini twins.” The same manifest also mentions that the sample had its …

News

Shuttle Launches Budget XPC Nano SFF PC

Shuttle Computer Group, Inc., today announced its XPC Nano line of barebone computers, including the NC01UBING, a fully configured system with Windows Bing 8.1 pre-installed, designed for commercial applications. Marty Lash, director sales and marketing, Shuttle Computer Group states “These small, sophisticated beauties fit everywhere, and our new pre-configured NC01UBING comes with 2GB RAM, 32GB SSD and Windows Bing 8.1 at an ESP of $299. It’s a killer product.” The new line of Nano SFF computers boast low price points and an absolutely tiny, 0.5 liter, design. Available with Intel’s Ultra Low-Power CPUs, embedded processor choices include Celeron, and Core …

Feature Graphics Reviews

Gigabyte R7-360 – Mid-Range Miniature

With the current trend towards ‘ITX-ing’ graphics cards, I thought I would have a look at a current generation card – the Gigabyte GV-R736OC-2GD. This card features the AMD R7-360 GPU, with 2GB of GDDR5 and a dual-slot, full height, form factor. A little history of the R7-360 This card features the ‘Tobago’ core – also known as the ‘Bonaire Pro’ – a derivative of the Bonaire core first featured, in ‘XT’ form, in the HD7790 from early 2013. The core is based on Graphics Core Next (GCN) 1.1 architecture, which we will detail later on. Later in 2013, AMD launched the …

Peripherals Reviews

Logitech M185 Wireless Mouse Review – A SFF Mouse?!

A few weeks ago, the bluetooth mouse we use for our HTPC failed. In the search for a replacement (we were never really happy with the previous mouse) the Logitech M185 Wireless Mouse became the chosen candidate. System Requirements Logitech lists support for Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 10, Mac OS X 10.5 or later, Chrome OS and Linux kernel 2.6+. Of course, the system does need a USB port – 2.0 or above. The mouse comes with a 3-year limited hardware warranty – the specifics of which will vary depending on your locality. The mouse measures 60 mm (2.36 in) high, 99 mm (3.89 in) …

News

Shuttle Releases the Fanless Barebones DS57U

Small and quiet is the holy grail here on SmallFormFactor.net. Shuttle has been trading blows in the SFF market since the early days, and they continue that with the fanless DS57U. Based on the Intel Celeron 3205U embedded processor with Intel HD GT2 graphics, this isn’t a powerhouse, but at 1.3L of external volume, it sure is small. The system currently has a price of around $215 US on NewEgg. Guru3D has reviewed this product, mentioning that it is quiet (duh), and a little weak on the performance. This is to be expected though, as it is a Celeron based system. …

News

Sapphire ITX Compact R9-380 Launched

While we all wait with bated breath for the R9 Nano, Sapphire has released an ‘ITX form factor’ R9-380 graphics card on to the market. With similar performance to the previous generation R9-285 and price of around $205US on NewEgg, it doesn’t cost any more than the full fat R9-380 cards that are also currently on the market. Tom’s Hardware reviewed the card, stating that the small cooler did a great job in keeping temperatures low, and isn’t too loud. Read the article here. Thoughts? Discuss them in the forums.