Category Archives: Computer Hardware + Systems Articles!

Here is everything on computer hardware and systems articles at Tech ARP!

This is where you will find our articles on computer hardware like CPUs, graphics cards and monitors, to computer systems like laptops and gaming desktops!

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2021 Dell Latitude 5520 : Our Hands-On Preview!

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Made with bioplastics from trees, the Dell Latitude 5520 is not only more powerful, it promises a longer battery life and other improvements.

Join us for a close look at the new 2021 Dell Latitude 5520 business laptop!

Dell Latitude 5520 : 15.6-inch Business Laptop

The Dell Latitude 5520 is a 15.6-inch laptop powered by the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processor, with a longer battery life.

The first Dell laptop to be made with bioplastics from trees, it offers environmentally-conscious businesses a way to minimise their ecological footprint.

Dell Latitude 5520 : Specifications + Options

The Dell Latitude 5520 can be configured to suit your requirements.

Here are the options available in Malaysia. You may get different options in other countries.

Specifications	2021 Dell Latitude 5520
Display Size	15.6-inch
Display Options	Full HD IPS (1920 x 1200, 250 nits) HD TN (1366 x 768, 220 nits)
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64 bit)
CPU + GPU Options	Intel Core i7-1185G7 + Iris Xe Graphics Intel Core i5-1145G7 + Iris Xe Graphics Intel Core i5-1135G7 + Iris Xe Graphics
Memory Options	DDR4-3200 (8 / 16 GB)
Storage Options	PCIe NVMe SSD (256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB)
Audio	Realtek Waves MaxxAudio Pro audio 2 x 2 watt speakers Dual array microphones 3.5 mm audio jack
Wireless	Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2×2) Bluetooth 5.1
External Ports	2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type C) ports – with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port with PowerShare 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port 1 x HDMI 2.0 port 1 x 3.5 mm audio port 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port 1 x microSD card slot 1 x (optional) micro SIM tray 1 x (optional) smart card reader
Camera	720p webcam only 720p webcam + IR camera 1080p webcam + IR camera
Fingerprint Sensor	Optional, integrated into Power button
Keyboard	Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad
Battery	3-cell 42 Whr lithium-ion battery 4-cell 63 Whr lithium-ion battery
Charger	45 watt USB Type C charger
Dimensions	357.8 mm wide 233.3 mm deep 19.87 mm thick
Weight	Starting from 1.59 kg

Dell Latitude 5520 : Box Contents

The Dell Latitude 5520 comes in a plain brown cardboard box, with minimal materials to waste. Inside, you will find :

Dell Latitude 5520 laptop
Dell Latitude 5520 quick user guide + safety and regulatory information
65 watt compact charger with USB Type C cable
Localised power cord

Next Page > Dell Latitude 5520 : A Closer Look!

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Dell Latitude 5520 : A Closer Look!

15.6-inch IPS Display

The Dell Latitude 5520 comes with a large 15.6-inch IPS display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It does not have touch capability, which is not needed by most business users.

It has a maximum brightness of 250 nits, which is good enough for indoor use. However, you may have issues using it outdoors in bright sunlight.

For companies on a budget, Dell also offers a HD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, and a lower brightness of 220 nits.

Built-In Privacy Shutter

Our review unit came with a high-resolution 1080p webcam, with an IR emitter and camera for Windows Hello facial authentication.

Dell also offers a cheaper 720p webcam, with and without the IR camera.

Both options come with a built-in privacy shutter – a critical feature for security-conscious business users.

Performance

Our Dell Latitude 5520 is powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor – a 4-core, 8-thread processor with 12 MB of cache and Iris Xe graphics.

You can also opt for the Core i5-1145G7 or the Core i5-1135G7 – both 4-core, 8-thread processors with Iris Xe graphics.

The processor and its integrated graphics are kept cool by the Dual Opposite Outlet fans, with side venting for improved airflow and cooling performance.

Our unit came with 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory running at 3200 MHz, and a 512 GB Western Digital SN730 NVMe PCIe SSD.

Ports

Despite its large 15.6-inch form factor, the Latitude 5520 is slim at just under 20 mm.

Even so, its slightly thicker chassis lets Dell fit in more ports than slimmer designs like the XPS 13.

On the left side, you will find two Thunderbolt 4 (USB 3.2 Gen 2) Type C ports, both of which support PowerDelivery and DisplayPort output.

The Latitude 5520 is charged using a USB Type C cable, so it must be plugged into one of these two USB Type C ports.

There is a large row of cooling vents, and a slot for the optional Smart Card reader.

On the right side, you will find a microSD card reader, a 3.5 mm microphone and headphone combo port, with two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports.

And next to them are a full-sized HDMI 2.0 port, an RJ-45 LAN port, and a wedge security lock.

Keyboard + Touchpad

The Dell Latitude 5520 has a full-sized backlit keyboard, with a numeric keypad.

Business users will love the numeric keypad, but it may need some getting used to for those who are migrating from “regular laptops”.

The touchpad is reasonably sized, but offset to the left – something you may need to get used to.

Connectivity

Our Dell Latitude 5520 comes with the Intel AX201 module, which offers Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with 2×2 antennas and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.

On top of that, it comes with an RJ-45 LAN port built-in, giving you access to the best and fastest possible network connectivity.

Audio

The Dell Latitude 5520 features two front-firing speakers with 2 watts power output, powered by Realtek Waves MaxxAudio Pro.

It also comes with a 3.5 mm microphone / headphone combo jack, and dual microphone array.

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Acer Nitro QG241YP : 165 Hz Gaming Monitor Preview!

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Acer just introduced the Nitro QG241YP gaming monitor, which boasts a 165 Hz refresh rate with HDR10 support!

Here is what you need to know about the new Acer Nitro QG241Y gaming monitor!

Acer Nitro QG241YP : 165 Hz Gaming Monitor

The Acer Nitro QG241YP is a 23.8-inch gaming monitor, with a VA panel that supports up to 165 Hz refresh rate and 1 ms VRB response time.

It also features AMD FreeSync Premium technology for smooth, tear-free gaming; and HDR10 with Black Boost technology for greater immersion.

In addition, it comes with ComfyView, BlueLightShield and Low Dimming technologies to help reduce eye strain during long gaming sessions.

The Nitro QG241YP has wide vertical and horizontal viewing angles, but can be tilted for a better viewing angle, or attached to monitor arms using its VEGA mount.

Acer Nitro QG241YP : Specifications

Specifications	Acer Nitro QG241YP
Display Size	23.8-inch
Panel Type	VA
Max. Resolution + Refresh Rate	HDMI : 1920 x 1080 @ 144 Hz DP : 1920 x 1080 @ 165 Hz
Response Time	1 ms VRB
Contrast Ratio	100 million : 1 max (ACM)
Max. Brightness	250 nits (cd/m²)
HDR Support	HDR10
Adaptive Sync	AMD FreeSync Premium
Viewing Angle	178° horizontal, 178° vertical
Max. Colours	16.7 million (8-bit)
Colour Gamut	72% NTSC
Input Ports	1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x DisplayPort
VESA Mount	Yes, 100 x 100 mm
Speaker	Optional (2 watt x 2)
Adjustments	Tilt : -5° to 20°
Power Consumption	Off : 0.4 W Sleep : 0.5 W On : 20 W

Acer Nitro QG241YP : Price + Launch Deal!

The Nitro QG241YP will retail for just RM 749 (about US$181 / £132 / A$237 / S$243), but Acer is offering it at just RM 699 for two days!

You can get this awesome deal even lower at just RM 653!

Here are purchase options in other countries (prices as of 14 April 2021) :

Singapore : $320.13 | $341.81 | $341.81

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NXP iMX 8M Plus To Use Kingston eMMC Memory!

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Kingston just announced that their eMMC memory has been selected to be used in the NXP iMX 8M Plus reference board!

NXP iMX 8M Plus To Use Kingston eMMC Memory!

On 8 April 2021, Kingston Technology announced that their eMMC embedded memory will be featured in NXP iMX 8M Plus evaluation kits.

Although Kingston did not reveal which eMMC part was selected, the picture they released appears to show the EMMC08G-MB29, which boasts these key features :

8 GB capacity
3D TLC in pMLC NAND memory
eMMC 5.1 standard
11.5 x 13 x 0.8 mm package size

They will be used as storage in the NXP iMX 8M Plus reference boards, which will be used for development and engineering verification.

NXP iMX 8M Plus : What Is It?

The NXP iMX 8M Plus is an application processor – a System-On-a-Chip (SoC) designed for infrastructure solutions like smart home, intelligent city and industrial IoT devices.

two or four ARM Cortex-A53 processors (up to 1.8 GHz)
a neural processing unit (NPU) operating at up to 2.3 TOPS
ARM Cortex-M7 controller (up to 800 MHz)
32-bit DDR4 and LPDDR4 interface (up to 4.0 GT/s)
dual image signal processors (ISP) : up to 12 MP, up to 375 MPixels per second
two MIPI CSI camera interfaces
two Gigabit Ethernet LAN interfaces
two USB 3.0 / 2.0 with Type C PHY
PCI Express Gen 3 support
14 nm FinFET process

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Scammer vs Scalper : Five RTX 30 Series Cards Gone!

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A scammer just cheated a scalper out of FIVE GeForce RTX 30 series cards in a COD deal!

Find out how he got cheated in a Cash-On-Delivery exchange, and learn from his mistake!

Scammer vs Scalper : Five RTX 30 Series Cards Gone!

Scalpers have been taking advantage of the graphics card shortage, and massive increase in GPU mining, to make a killing on every graphics card they lay their hands on.

But the high prices and massive profits associated with graphics cards have also attracted scammers, who prowl online marketplaces looking for their greedy marks…

One scalper today shared how he was cheated of five NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards. What was even more shocking – he got scammed in a Cash On Delivery deal!

What Did The Scalper Lose?

The scalper lost five GIGABYTE graphics cards :

RTX 3070 AORUS Master (S/N : 210841066018)
RTX 3070 AORUS Master (S/N : lost)
RTX 3070 Gaming OC (S/N : 210841068841)
RTX 3070 Gaming OC : (S/N 210341039296)
RTX 3060 Gaming OC : (S/N 210441056468)

How Much Did The Scalper Lose?

We have no idea how much the deal was supposed to be, but he was quoting freaking high prices of :

RM4,699 (~US$1,135) for ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3060
RM5,500 (~US$1,329) for ASUS RTX 3060 Ti TUF Gaming

As you can tell, that is something like 2.5X more than what the cards really cost.

Based on that, we guesstimate that the entire deal was probably “worth” RM 34,000 (~US$8,200) to the scalper.

How Did The Scammer Fool The Scalper?

Here’s the interesting part – how the scammer fooled the scalper in a Cash On Delivery (COD) deal.

The scalper is not very clear about certain aspects, but from what we can gather with some investigations of our own…

The scammer arranged to meet the scalper in a shopping centre, probably to gain his trust.
He made an Instant Transfer, which failed. He probably set the transaction limit low.
He blamed the bank transfer transaction limit, and said he would ask his wife (???) to change the limit.
He then offered to transfer the money via a CIMB IBG GIRO transfer.
The scammer likely initiated a Scheduled Transaction (which can be cancelled), and showed the scalper the online transaction receipt.
By giving the scalper only a glance at the transaction receipt, or covering up the scheduled part of the receipt, he conveys the impression he had already transferred the money.
To his credit, the scalper checked his own bank account and saw that the money was not deposited.
The scammer then called the bank in front of the scalper, who confirmed that a GIRO transfer cannot be cancelled.
The scammer sent the scalper a picture of his identity card and bank transaction receipt (probably through WhatsApp), to seal the deal.
Once he walked away with the five graphics cards, the scammer quickly deleted the picture of his identity card and the bank transaction receipt, and cancelled the scheduled transaction.

So that was how the scalper went from potentially making a killing on his five GeForce graphics cards, to getting slaughtered by a scammer in a Cash On Delivery deal!

The scalper wondered if there was “Black Magic” involved. The truth is – the scammer used his greed to stop him from just walking away with his cards.

What Do We Know About The Scammer?

The scalper provided these details about the scammer who cheated him of his five graphics cards :

Surname : Ng
Race : Chinese
Identifying Features : Scar below right eye, tattoo on back of neck
Identity Card Number (partial) : 800831
State of Origin : Johor
Mobile Number : 013-277-6995
Vehicle Type : Honda HRV (Charcoal colour)
Vehicle Number Plate : 3553 or 5335

We have to point out that we cannot vouch for the authenticity of the scalper’s claims, or the details he shared.

Scammer vs Scalper : The Original Post

This was what the scalper posted on the issue :

*Scammer Alert *

Chinese Guy , Have Scar below right eye , tattoo behind neck
Beware of this person phone number 013-277-6995 Surname NG
IC No 800831, ic from Johor, Driving Honda HRV Charcoal Colour car plate could be (3553 or 5335) security doesn’t allow to take the file , too blur , i can only remember that, This person contacted me at Carousell ,mainly fishing graphic card seller in Carousell, couldn’t speak english , starting he will text in malay , He is scamming a lot of Graphic Card , Im a seller , i met him and COD at Cheras Connaught Avenue and Eko Cheras, his tactic is he will make instant transfer first , then failed, then he say he will ask his wife to change the limit , and then he will transfer you CIMB IBG GIRO transfer, and cancel it (after you leave) , i did check my bank account , money is not in, after that just in front of you he call the bank , the bank said once GIRO transfer has been made it cannot be cancel , he will ask u to snap his car plate no , but later give more excuse say that his wife drove away the car, but he came alone, im not sure is there any Black Magic ,he will keep on mentioned about his Wife he will send you the receipt and ic , he was nervous too , after he send me his ic , his uc image face was totally covered , after sending u the receipt he will quickly leave within a sec but he will delete the IC and Receipt , after the next sec you leave , so u are not able to trace him. mainly talking about mining have few farm in Seremban, and how do police trace using a thermal gun, evolving from using old bitcoin mine machine to graphic card, want to get 60 pieces, as a victim , i know that this is very stupid but I hope that no one will be the next victim after me.
5 pieces of graphic card has been scammed
rtx 3070 aorus master SN210841066018
RTX 3070 AORUS MASTER SERIES NUMBER LOST
RTX 3070 GAMING OC SN210841068841
RTX 3070 GAMING OC SN210341039296
RTX 3060 GAMING OC SN210441056468

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NVIDIA Reflex Guide : How To Reduce System Latency!

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NVIDIA Reflex is being integrated into games, reducing system latency for GeForce graphics cards.

Find out what NVIDIA Reflex is all about, and how to use it to reduce system latency in supported games!

NVIDIA Reflex : What Is It?

NVIDIA describes Reflex as “a revolutionary suite of GPU, G-SYNC display and software technologies” that measure and reduce system latency.

System latency is basically the click-to-display latency – the delay between a key press or a mouse click to the actual action appearing on the display.

It is important for competitive e-sports gamers, because high system latency can impact their performance :

Delayed responsiveness : When you move your mouse, but your aim on the screen lags.
Delayed shots : When you shoot, the shot and weapon recoil lags.
Delayed enemy positions : peeker’s advantage is impacted by system latency

NVIDIA Reflex : How Does It Reduce System Latency?

A careful reading will reveal that the key to this technology is the NVIDIA Reflex SDK – a new set of APIs for game developers.

The NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer, which is being integrated into the new 360 Hz G-SYNC Esports monitors, is only eye-candy, and not necessary for Reflex Low Latency Mode to work.

Once integrated into a game, the Reflex Low Latency Mode adjusts the game engine work to complete “just in time” for rendering. This eliminates the GPU render queue, and reduces CPU back pressure.

Like NVIDIA Ultra Low Latency (NULL) mode, Reflex prevents the CPU from processing faster than the GPU, eliminating extra frames from being queued up for rendering, which would normally increase render latency.

The difference really is this – by integrating with the game, the NVIDIA graphics driver can control the amount of back pressure the CPU receives from the render queue and other later stages of the pipeline.

This makes NVIDIA Reflex superior to NULL, but only with games that integrate the SDK.

NVIDIA Reflex : How Much System Latency Does It Reduce?

This NVIDIA chart shows the amount of system latency that Reflex shaves off in the first four games to support it.

The biggest improvement was seen with Destiny 2 and Fornite – system latency was down by about ⅓.

System latency was down by 22% in Apex Legends, and 18% in Valorant.

NVIDIA Reflex : Requirements

Reflex is only supported by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 900 series graphics cards onwards, using the GeForce Game Ready 457.09 driver or newer.

It is currently supported on these games :

Apex Legends
Destiny 2
Call of Duty : Warzone, Black Ops Cold War
CRSED : F.O.A.D.
Enlisted
Fortnite
Mordhau
Overwatch
Rainbow Six Siege
Valorant
Warface

NVIDIA Reflex : Automatic, With Max Performance Option

There is really nothing much to set for NVIDIA Reflex. Games that support it will enable it by default, if it detects the presence of a compatible NVIDIA graphics card.

The latest GeForce Experience also comes with an automatic performance tuning option, that will turn on low latency options for supported games.

NVIDIA Ultra Low Latency mode is still there, to support games that do not support Reflex.

It is recommended that you enable NULL by selecting the Ultra option. Reflex Low Latency mode will automatically take priority over NULL in games that support it.

There is, however, a “hack” of sorts for those who want to squeeze every last microsecond of latency out of the pipeline.

The NVIDIA Control Panel has a Power Management Mode option that defaults to Adaptive, allowing the GPU to clock down and save power when the load isn’t high.

You can set this to Prefer Maximum Performance, to override the power saving feature. This forces the GPU to always run at the higher clocks, reducing latency in CPU-bound instances at the expense of higher power consumption.

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NVIDIA Resizable BAR : What You Need To Know!

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NVIDIA finally released Resizable BAR support, and it is currently limited to RTX 30 series graphics cards only.

Here is what you need to know about Resizable BAR, and how to get your FREE performance boost!

NVIDIA Resizable BAR : What Is It?

Resizable BAR is an optional PCI Express feature, that can deliver a small but free boost in performance for the graphics card.

CPUs are traditionally limited to a 256 MB I/O memory address region for the GPU frame buffer. This of it as an “data dump” for stuff like textures, shaders and geometry.

Since this “data dump” is limited to 256 MB, the CPU can only send texture, shader and geometry data as and when the GPU requires them.

This introduces some latency – delay from when the GPU requires the data, and the CPU send them.

Turning on Resizable BAR or Smart Access Memory greatly expands the size of that data dump, letting the CPU directly access the GPU’s entire frame buffer memory.

Instead of transferring data when requested by the GPU, the CPU processes and stores the data directly in the graphics memory.

Graphics assets can be transferred to graphics memory in full, instead of in pieces. In addition, multiple transfers can occur simultaneously, instead of being queued up.

Do note that Resizable BAR will not increase memory bandwidth.

What it does is let the CPU directly access the entire GPU frame buffer memory, instead of using the usual 256 MB “dump”. That reduces latency because the graphics assets are now accessible by the GPU at all times.

NVIDIA Resizable BAR : Delayed From February 2021!

AMD was first out the door with Resizable BAR in November 2020, launching it as Smart Access Memory.

It gave their Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics card a free performance boost of up to 16% in some games, but no effect in other games.

You can check out the performance difference in our article, RX 6800 XT Smart Access Memory Performance Comparison!

On 12 January 2021, NVIDIA announced that they will be able to introduce Resizable BAR support in GeForce drivers from Late February 2021 onwards.

They finally released Resizable Bar support on 30 March 2021, through GeForce Game Ready Driver 465.89.

It will be limited to their GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards and laptops, but will work with both Intel and AMD CPUs.

However, it’s not as simple as just installing GeForce Game Ready Driver 465.89.

The newly announced GeForce RTX 3060 will ship with support for Resizable BAR. However, older GeForce RTX 30 series cards will need to have their VBIOS updated from March 2021 onwards.

The motherboard must also be updated with Resizable BAR support. According to Intel, this will be limited to 11th Gen platforms, and select 10th Gen platforms.

So ironically, Resizable BAR will first work on GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards paired with AMD Ryzen 5000 processors and AMD 500-series motherboards!

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HUAWEI MateStation S : Why It’s Perfect For WFH!

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You may not know this, but HUAWEI just launched the MateStation S, which is just great for the new WFH normal!

Find out what the HUAWEI MateStation S offers, and why it is perfect for WFH!

HUAWEI MateStation S : Why It’s Perfect For WFH!

The HUAWEI MateStation S is their first-ever desktop PC, and is designed for the new WFH (Work From Home) normal.

What do we mean by that? Desktop computers are known for offering excellent performance, but are usually bulky, expensive and lack wireless connectivity.

The HUAWEI MateStation S changes that by offering desktop performance in a small package, with wireless connectivity and smart sharing capabilities.

In other words, you don’t have to worry about wires, space or battery life. Just plunk it anywhere at home, and you can start working!

Meanwhile, the HUAWEI AX3 Dual Core router with Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi Mesh capability is also coming soon, at just RM 199!

Super Compact!

The HUAWEI MateStation S is super compact. At 9 cm wide and 29 cm tall, with a cubic volume of just 8.6 litres, it is just a third of a standard PC case!

With a stylish star trail design, you can place it on your desk, under it, or even on a nearby bookshelf!

6-Core Powerful Performance!

The HUAWEI MateStation S is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G, a 7 nm processor with 6 cores for excellent multi-tasking performance.

It also comes with integrated 7-core Radeon Graphics, dual-channel memory, and a PCIe x4 NVMe SSD, which delivers ultra-quick start up and response times thanks to its 32 Gbps throughput.

Users have the option to add extra SSD / HDD and even RAM, if they wish to upgrade it after purchase. It comes with two M.2 2280 slots.

23.8-inch FullView Monitor!

It comes with a 23.8-inch FullView monitor, with ultra thin bezels that delivers a 90% screen-to-body ratio.

To ensure eye comfort during long hours of use, the monitor is flicker-free and TÜV Rheinland-certified for low blue light emissions.

Ultra-Quiet Cooling System

To ensure minimal noise impact on your home environment, the MateStation S comes with an ultra-quiet cooling system.

The fan features vertical blades, and works in tandem with a “high-density bionic heat sink” to deliver superior cooling performance at low noise levels.

The fan usually has a noise level of only 22 dB. Even at full throttle, it maxes out at 28 dB, so it won’t disturb anyone sleeping nearby.

Integrated Wireless Connectivity!

Unlike many desktops, the HUAWEI MateStation S offers the wireless connectivity of a laptop.

It comes with WiFi-AC – 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band with 2×2 MIMO – and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity built-in.

So you can easily connect to the Internet and other devices, without worrying about cables!

But in case you need LAN connectivity, it also comes with an RJ45 Ethernet port!

Smart Connectivity!

The HUAWEI MateStation S supports improved HUAWEI Share capability, allowing you to easily share files, images and even text between two devices using drag-and-drop or a simple tap.

You can also connect your smartphone and open three mobile app windows on the large display at once. This allows you to handle multiple tasks on one display, improving your productivity.

For instance, you can attend a video call on one mobile app screen, and take notes on a second screen, while chatting with colleagues on a third screen.

Loads Of Ports!

The HUAWEI MateStation S offers loads of ports – something laptops lack, and many users desperately need.

In The Front

3.5 mm audio jack
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type A) port
USB 2.0 (Type C) port

We should point out that this USB Type C port in the front supports 18 watt fast charging for your smartphone, so you can plug it in to charge while using the MateStation S!

In The Back

Audio input port
Audio output port
Microphone input port
HDMI port
VGA port
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type A) ports
2 x USB 2.0 (Type A) ports
RJ45 Ethernet port
Serial port

The HDMI port connects to any monitor or TV, while the VGA and serial ports offer backward compatibility with many commercial and industrial devices, like projectors and bar code scanners.

Smart Keyboard!

The HUAWEI MateStation S comes with a HUAWEI Wired Keyboard with a built-in fingerprint sensor.

This makes it the world’s first desktop to feature a fingerprint power on and unlock capability! A single touch is all it needs to power on and log-in.

This is a full-sized keyboard with a numeric keypad, and a scissor key mechanism that offers 2.5 mm key travel.

Each key measures 16.05 x 6.05 mm, offering a comfortable touch type experience with tactile feedback.

HUAWEI MateStation S : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI MateStation S is available for sale with immediate effect at these launch prices :

Desktop + Keyboard : RM 2,488
Desktop + Monitor + Keyboard : RM 2,999

Every purchase of the full bundle (including monitor) will receive FREE GIFTS worth up to RM 855* upon purchase.

* Terms and conditions apply, while stocks last.

Shop now at the HUAWEI Online Store, or learn more about the HUAWEI MateStation S.

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AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 Mobile Processors Revealed!

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AMD just introduced the Ryzen PRO 5000 mobile processors, with new Zen 3 cores for professional laptops!

Here is EVERYTHING AMD has revealed so far about the new AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 mobile processors!

AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 : Zen 3 For Mobile Business Laptops!

The AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 uses the new AMD Zen 3 architecture, and is fabricated on the 7 nm process.

The Zen 3 architecture delivers 19% more instructions per cycle (IPC) over the last generation, thanks to these new features :

improved load / store performance and flexibility
L3 cache doubled to 16 MB vs. 8 MB in 4000 Series
unified L3 cache accessible to all cores
wider issue in floating point and integer engines
Zero Bubble branch prediction

The new mobile processors also uses a single, monolithic die, which eliminates the I/O latency between dies.

Placeholder : AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 tech briefing video coming soon!

In addition to its improved performance, the AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 mobile processors also come with these AMD PRO technologies :

AMD PRO security provides a multi-layered approach to security features by embedding defenses at every level, from silicon through operating system.
– AMD Memory Guard, automatically enabled on Microsoft Secured-Core PCs, helps enable data and identity protection, while
– AMD Shadow Stack helps provide hardware enabled protection against malware attacks.
AMD PRO manageability enables a full manageability feature set for simplified deployment, imaging and management that is compatible with modern IT infrastructures.
AMD Ryzen PRO processors offer full support for Microsoft Endpoint Manager to deliver a flexible and integrated cloud management solution.
AMD PRO business ready technologies bring enterprise-grade computing solutions designed for quality and reliability, in addition to platform longevity.
AMD Ryzen PRO processors feature 18-months of planned software stability and 24-months of planned availability.

AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 : Models + Specifications

AMD announced three Ryzen PRO 5000 models to replace the three Ryzen PRO 4000 models from last year.

Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U : 8C/16T | 15W | 1.9 to 4.4 GHz | 20 MB cache
Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U : 6C/12T | 15W | 2.3 to 4.2 GHz | 19 MB cache
Ryzen 3 PRO 5450U : 4C/8T | 15W | 2.6 to 4.0 GHz | 10 MB cache

For easier comparison, here is a table comparing their key specifications :

Specifications	Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U	Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U	Ryzen 3 PRO 5450U
Process	7 nm
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	6 / 12	4 / 8
Base Clock	1.9 GHz	2.3 GHz	2.6 GHz
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.2 GHz	4.0 GHz
L2 Cache	4 MB	3 MB	2 MB
L3 Cache	16 MB		8 MB
TDP	15 W

AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 : Availability

According to AMD, enterprise customers will be able to purchase the new Ryzen PRO 5000 laptops from top PC vendors like HP and Lenovo starting in Q2, 2021.

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HP Launches Virtual Showroom In Southeast Asia!

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HP just launched their first virtual showroom in six countries across Southeast Asia, including Malaysia!

HP Launches Virtual Showroom In Southeast Asia!

On 9 March 2021, HP officially launched their HP virtual showroom in six countries across Southeast Asia, including Malaysia!

HP created their virtual showroom in collaboration with Intel and Lazada, touring their latest PC and print innovations to customers in the comfort of their homes.

The HP virtual showroom offers HP virtual showroom, each with a 360-degree view of multimedia content, including animation and videos. This lets customers get as close to real life as possible.

The experience begins with a wide-frame scene of a lifestyle apartment building set in the city as lights from the windows illuminate the night. You can explore this virtual world whenever you want, and wherever you are.

HP Virtual Showroom Highlights

Here is a section of highlights in the new HP virtual showroom :

For Gamers

OMEN 30L Desktop PC with a powerful processor and graphics, and a large front fan to keep it cool
HP X24c Gaming Monitor, with ultra-wide viewing angles, and smooth, a 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync technology
OMEN Laptop 15 with desktop-class graphics performance
OMEN Sequencer Keyboard, OMEN Photon Wireless Mouse and OMEN Mindframe Prime Headset

For Productivity

The HP Spectre x360, with 90% screen-to-body ratio and premium design
HP Spectre Rechargeable Mouse 700, with easy-switch technology and a laser sensor.
HP 24mq 23.8 Display with up to 178° ultra-wide viewing angles and vibrant colour.
HP OfficeJet Pro 9010 All-in-One Printer, with fast colour printing and automatic 2-sided scan and copy.
HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 2776 All-in-One Printer, with wireless connectivity.

For Artists

HP ENVY Laptop 15, with its 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and durable 360-degree geared hinge that switches between laptop, tent and tablet mode.
HP Color LaserJet Pro that produces sharp, black text and crisp colour graphics.

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Dell XPS 13 (9300) Review : Incredible Ultra-Light Laptop!

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The Dell XPS 13 (9300) features the first-ever InfinityEdge display with Gorilla Glass 6 protection.

Find out why we think it’s an incredible ultra-light laptop worthy of our Reviewer’s Choice Award!

Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Featuring The InfinityEdge Display

The Dell XPS 13 (9300) continues the evolution of the XPS 13 line, with an ultra-light chassis built from machined aluminium and woven glass fibre, with Gorilla Glass 6 protection.

With the first-ever InfinityEdge display, the XPS 13 (9300) offers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor, that fits neatly on an airplane’s seat tray.

Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Colour Options

Our unit comes in the Frost White colour with an Arctic White woven glass fibre palm rest.

Dell also offers the Platinum Silver colour option, with a Black carbon fiber palm rest.

Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Specifications + Options

Specifications	XPS 13 9300
Display Size	13.4-inch
Display Options	4K touch screen (3840 x 2400) Full HD touch screen (1920 x 1200) Full HD non-touch (1920 x 1200)
Display Features	WLED backlight 60 Hz refresh rate 500 nits max. brightness 35 ms response time 1200:1 contrast ratio
Colour Gamut	4K : 90% DCI-P3 Full HD : 100% sRGB
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home
CPU + GPU Options	Intel Core i7-1065G7 + Iris Plus Graphics Intel Core i5-1035G1 + UHD Graphics Intel Core i3-1005G1 + UHD Graphics
Memory Options	LPDDR4X-3733 (8 / 16 / 32 GB) LPDDR4-3733 (4 GB)
Storage Options	PCIe NVMe SSD (512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB)
Audio	Realtek ALC3281-CG audio chip 2 x 2.5 watt speakers Dual microphone array 3.5 mm audio jack
Wireless	Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2×2) Bluetooth 5.1
External Ports	2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) ports – with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1 x 3.5 mm audio port 1 x microSD card slot
Camera	HD webcam
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, capacitive 500 dpi sensor
Keyboard	Backlit keyboard 19.05 x 18.05 mm key pitch
Touchpad	1300 x 722 pixel resolution
Battery	4-cell 52 Whr lithium-ion battery
Charger	45 watt USB Type C charger
Dimensions	296 mm wide 199 mm deep 14.8 mm thick
Weight	1.27 kg (touch screen) 1.20 kg (non-touch)

Unboxing The Dell XPS 13 (9300) Laptop

The Dell XPS 13 (9300) comes in a premium white cardboard box. Once you fully unbox it, you will find these items :

Dell XPS 13 (9300) laptop
Dell USB Type C to USB Type A dongle
45 watt charger with integrated USB Type C cable
Power cord with localised plug
XPS 13 9300 Quick Start Guide + Safety and Regulatory Information

Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Hands-On Experience!

This Dell XPS 13 (9300) is an eminently thin and light laptop. It offers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor that weighs only 1.27 kg, and is less than 15 mm thick.

It easily fits into the smallest laptop bag, and even a large handbag. And when you can fly again, you will love how it fits onto the airplane’s seat tray!

Once you try it out, you will find it hard to go back to regular laptops – you will find them heavy and unwieldy!

Next Page > Dell XPS 13 (9300) : A Closer Look!

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Dell XPS 13 (9300) : A Closer Look!

13.4-inch Display In 11-Inch Form Factor

This Dell XPS 13 (9300) model comes with a 4K UHD+ touch display, with a resolution of 3840 x 2400 pixel, a colour gamut of 90% DCI-P3 and DisplayHDR 400 certification.

The incredibly high resolution and wide colour gamut allow your high resolution photos and HDR content to really pop.

Dell also offers a Full HD+ display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and 100% sRGB colour gamut; in both touch and non-touch options.

All three display options are 25% brighter at 500 nits, and are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 against scratches and impact.

Cameras + Security

The thin bezel at the top conceals two cameras – a regular 720p webcam, and an infra-red camera for facial recognition.

So you can either unlock the XPS 13 using the IR camera and Windows Hello, or the fingerprint sensor, which integrated into the power button.

While its 720p webcam may be rather low in resolution, it uses a new 4-element lens for sharper image quality. It also supports temporal noise reduction to improve video quality in low-light conditions.

We hope that Dell would look at upgrading it to a 1080p camera, with a physical or electronics privacy shutter.

Performance

Our Dell XPS 13 (9300) is powered by the Intel Core i7-1065G7 – a 4-core, 8-thread processor with 8 MB of cache and built-in Iris Plus Graphics.

You can opt for a Core i5-1035G1 or the Core i3-1005G1, both of which come with integrated UHD Graphics.

A redesigned cooler keeps things cool, using a single heat pipe and evaporator design with dual condensers and GORE thermal insulation. The hot air is exhausted through the hinge at the back.

It can get a little toasty from the hot exhaust when you use it on your lap, especially if you’re doing compute-intensive tasks like rendering videos.

It also comes with 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4X memory running at 3733 MHz. The memory is soldered onto the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.

Our unit came with a 1 TB SK hynix PC611 PCIe NVMe SSD, but you can opt for a smaller 512 GB SSD, or a larger 2 TB SSD.

Ports

Due to its ultra-slim profile – 14.8 mm at its thickest point, the XPS 13 has very limited ports.

On the left side, you will find a microSD card reader; as well as a single Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) port, which supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort output

On the right side, you will find a 3.5 mm microphone and headphone combo port, with a second Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) port, which also supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort output.

You can plug the USB Type C charging cable into either Thunderbolt 3 port. But unless you are using it on-the-go, you really only have one free port to use.

The good news is Dell actually bundles the XPS 13 (9300) with a free USB Type C to USB Type A dongle, so you can use your USB Type A drives and devices (including cables) with it.

Keyboard + Touchpad

The Dell XPS (9300) comes an edge-to-edge keyboard, and a 17% larger touchpad for maximum working comfort. The keyboard is backlit, and comes with larger key caps!

It definitely offers a far superior typing experience to the horrible butterfly switch keyboard used in Apple MacBook Pro laptops.

Connectivity

Our XPS 13 (9300) comes with the Killer AX1650 module, which offers Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with 2×2 antennas, and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.

It is much too thin to support a LAN port, but you can add LAN connectivity using a USB-C dongle.

Audio

The two long stripes on both sides of the XPS 13 are not cooling vents, but ports for its 2.5 watt stereo speakers, which are tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro.

Its 3.5 mm microphone / headphone combo jack is also optimised with the 360-degree Waves NX 3D virtual surround sound with head tracking.

Finally, its dual microphone array is powered by Waves MaxxVoice Pro, which supports VOIP and is Cortana Farfield-capable.

Next Page > XPS 13 (9300) Performance, Verdict + Award

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Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Performance

Our Dell XPS 13 (9300) is powered by the 15-watt Intel Core i7-1065G7 (Ice Lake) with 4 cores and 8 threads, and Iris Plus Graphics with 64 Execution Units.

It comes with 8 MB of cache, and has a 1.3 GHz base frequency that ramps up to 3.5 GHz during intensive tasks.

Our review sample came with 16 GB LPDDR4X-3733 dual-channel memory, and a 1 TB SK hynix PC611 PCIe NVMe SSD.

Work Performance : PCMark 10

The Intel Core i7-1065G7 is a 25 watt processor that can be configured to run at a lower TDP of 15 watt – to improve battery life and reduce thermal output.

At the full 25 watt TDP, it should deliver PCMark 10 scores in excess of 4700. It is obvious now that Dell configured it for the cooler 15 watt TDP. This is why benchmarks are important.

This makes the Dell XPS 13 (9300) about 7.6% slower than the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro, which uses the Intel Core i7-10510U processor.

Gaming Performance : 3DMark Time Spy

The integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics sounds powerful on paper – with 64 Execution Units – but it is only about as fast as the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 / GeForce 940MX.

So this is most definitely NOT a gaming laptop, although you should have no problem playing older games and games that are not 3D graphics-intensive like DOTA 2.

Battery Life : YouTube + Modern Office

The Dell XPS 13 (9300) comes with a 4-cell smart lithium-ion battery that is rated for 52 Whr.

Dell claims a battery life of up to 18 hours and 49 minutes with the Full HD+ display, and up to 12 hours and 13 minutes with the 4K UHD+ display.

In our general use, we have no problem working a full day on it without recharging, which makes it really convenient when travelling.

That said, we locked the brightness at 50% – higher than the average of 40% – to see how it performs in these worst-case scenarios :

YouTube Streaming

The Dell XPS 13 (9300) lasted 8 hours 15 minutes streaming YouTube videos in theatre mode using WiFi, before its battery dropped to 10%.

PCMark 10 : Modern Office

The Dell XPS 13 (9300) lasted 6 hours 36 minutes before it powered off while running the Modern Office benchmark.

Battery : Recharging Speed

Its 65 watt fast charger took about 52.5 minutes to hit the mid-point (55%), but 2 hours 23.5 minutes to fully recharge its battery from 10%.

Here are the times it takes to recharge from 10% :

15% – 5 minutes 57 seconds
20% – 11 minutes 53 seconds
25% – 17 minutes 45 seconds
30% – 23 minutes 22 seconds
35% – 29 minutes 25 seconds
40% – 35 minutes 8 seconds
45% – 41 minutes 22 seconds
50% – 46 minutes 56 seconds
55% – 52 minutes 39 seconds
60% – 58 minutes 27 seconds
65% – 64 minutes 13 seconds
70% – 70 minutes 15 seconds
75% – 76 minutes
80% – 81 minutes 58 seconds
85% – 89 minutes 41 seconds
90% – 100 minutes 50 seconds
95% – 118 minutes 45 seconds
100% – 143 minutes 20 seconds

This gives it a battery life : recharging time ratio of 3.45 : 1 for video streaming, and 2.76 : 1 for office work.

As a rule of thumb, you will need to recharge its battery about 22 minutes for every hour of battery life.

Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Verdict + Award

The Dell XPS 13 (9300) is a really great ultra-light laptop for people who are always on-the-go.

It packs serious processing power, memory and a huge SSD with the latest wireless connectivity built-in, in a very thin and light package.

It is less than 15 mm at its thickest point, and weighs less than 1.3 kg. But this is something you have to hold in your hand to actually get a feel of how much engineering went into the XPS 13.

Even the latest 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro, powered by the new Apple M1 SoC, is larger, thicker at 15.6 mm and weighs more at 1.4 kg!

The extremely thin profile offers some challenges to first time users – limited physical ports. Yet the XPS 13 (9300) managed to squeeze in an extra microSD card reader over the new 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1).

Even so, you will have to live with just two USB Type C ports – one of which is not available when you recharge its battery. Fortunately, the XPS 13 (9300) comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connectivity.

Thankfully, Dell threw in a free USB-C to USB-A dongle, so at least you have ready access to your USB Type A drives and devices out-of-the-box.

Security-conscious users will love the fingerprint sensor and IR camera, which allows for easy and secure logins. However, the webcam lacks a physical shutter, and the lid clearance is too tight to safely use a third-party shutter.

As far as battery life is concerned, the XPS 13 (9300) will last more than full day’s work without recharging. After a while, you will get used to leaving the office without the charger!

All-in-all, the Dell XPS 13 (9300) is an engineering marvel that must be experienced to truly understand. If you want the very best Windows 10 ultra-light laptop money can buy, this should be right at the top of the list.

That is why we wholeheartedly award it our Reviewer’s Choice Award!

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Dell for sending us this review unit, and making us part of the #DellInsideCircle

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PS4 Consoles Now Used To Mine Cryptocurrency?

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Is it possible that cryptocurrency miners are now using Sony PS4 consoles to mine Bitcoin or Ethereum?

Take a look at the viral photo, and tell us what you think!

PS4 Consoles Now Used To Mine Cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency miners have turned the gaming world upside down, buying up graphics cards and even gaming laptops in bulk. As long as it has a GPU, they are snatching it up!

But their demand for more computing power does not seem to be sated, and it appears that they may have turned their attention to PS4 consoles!

Take a look at this viral photo of a very ghetto-looking mining rig made up of sixteen PS4 Slim consoles.

How Much Money Can This PS4 Mining Rig Make?

We have no idea if it’s actually running, or just a work in progress though, because we never heard of anyone actually mining cryptocurrency on the PS4.

The PS4 and PS4 Slim use a custom AMD Radeon 7970M GPU, with 18 compute units and 8 GB of GDDR5 memory with 176 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

It is roughly 20% slower than the AMD Radeon 7970M mobile GPU, but cryptomining is less about processing power, and memory bandwidth.

So let’s just call PS4 Slim equivalent to the Radeon 7970M for mining purposes, which delivers a hash rate of about 8.35 H/s.

Each PS4 console would be fast enough to generate 0.00013896 BTC worth US$7.62 per month.

And that 16-console PS4 mining rig above would generate about 0.00222336 BTC worth US$121.92 per month.

Even if they are stealing electricity, that’s really not a lot of profit, to be honest…

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AMD Smart Access Memory (Resizable BAR) Guide

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Find out what AMD Smart Access Memory is all about, and how to turn it on for a FREE BOOST in performance!

Smart Access Memory : PCIe Resizable BAR for AMD!

Smart Access Memory is AMD’s marketing term for their implementation of the PCI Express Resizable BAR (Base Address Registers) capability.

What does that mean exactly?

CPUs are traditionally limited to a 256 MB I/O memory address region for the GPU frame buffer. This of it as an “data dump” for stuff like textures, shaders and geometry.

Since this “data dump” is limited to 256 MB, the CPU can only send texture, shader and geometry data as and when the GPU requires them.

This introduces some latency – delay from when the GPU requires the data, and the CPU send them.

Turning on Resizable BAR or Smart Access Memory greatly expands the size of that data dump, letting the CPU directly access the GPU’s entire frame buffer memory.

Instead of transferring data when requested by the GPU, the CPU processes and stores the data directly in the graphics memory.

Graphics assets can be transferred to graphics memory in full, instead of in pieces. In addition, multiple transfers can occur simultaneously, instead of being queued up.

While this AMD graphic above suggests that Smart Access Memory will widen the memory path (and thus memory bandwidth) between the CPU and GPU, that is not true.

Smart Access Memory / Resizable BAR will not increase memory bandwidth.

AMD Smart Access Memory : Performance Gains

According to AMD, enabling Smart Access Memory will give you a small but free boost of 5% to 11% in gaming performance.

Here is a summary of the test results from our article, RX 6800 XT Smart Access Memory Performance Comparison!

You can expect up to 16% better performance in some games, but no effect in certain games. But overall, you get a free boost in performance. There is simply no reason not to enable Smart Access Memory.

1080p Resolution (1920 x 1080)

1440p Resolution (2560 x 1440)

2160p Resolution (3840 x 2160)

AMD Smart Access Memory : Requirements

Since Smart Access Memory is just an AMD implementation of PCI Express Resizable BAR. Therefore, it can be be implemented for all PCI Express 3.0 and PCI Express 4.0 graphics cards and motherboards.

However, AMD is currently limiting it to a small subset of components, having validated it only for their new Ryzen 5000 series CPUs, select Ryzen 3000 Series Processors and Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards.

So this is what you currently require to enable AMD Smart Access Memory :

Hardware

AMD 500 Series Motherboards
AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Processors, or
AMD Ryzen 3000 Series Processors (except Ryzen 5 3400G and Ryzen 3 3200G)
AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series Graphics Cards

Software

AMD Radeon Software Driver 20.11.2 or newer
Latest Motherboard BIOS (AMD AGESA 1.1.0.0 or newer)

AMD currently recommends these X570 motherboards, because they have updated BIOS available :

ASUS X570 Crosshair VIII Hero WIFI (US|UK|AU|SG|MY)
ASRock X570 Taichi (US|UK|AU|SG|MY)
GIGABYTE AORUS X570 Master (US|UK|AU|SG|MY)
MSI X570 Godlike (US|UK|AU|SG|MY)

AMD Smart Access Memory : How To Enable It?

If you have all of those supported components above, and updated your motherboard BIOS, you need to manually enable Smart Access Memory.

Now, the method will vary from motherboard to motherboard, and it probably won’t even be called Smart Access Memory.

Instead, look for variations of Above 4G Decoding, or Resizing BAR, or Resizable BAR, or Re-Size BAR Support.

AMD Generic Method

AMD has provided these generic steps to enable Smart Access Memory :

Enter the System BIOS by press <DEL> or <F12> during the system startup.
Navigate to the Advanced Settings or Advanced menu.
Enable “Above 4G Decoding” and “Re-Size BAR Support“.
Save the changes and restart the computer.

Step-by-Step Method For ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero

In our guide, we are using the ASUS CROSSHAIR VIII Hero (AMD X570) motherboard, as an example :

First you will need to turn off CSM (Compatibility Support Module), or make sure it’s disabled.Go to the Boot menu and look for a CSM / Compatibility Support Module option.

Set CSM (Compatibility Support Module) to Disabled.

Go to the Advanced menu and look for the PCI Subsystem. In other motherboards, look for PCIe / PCI Express configuration options.

Enable Above 4G Decoding.

This will give you access to the Re-Size BAR Support option. Set it to Auto.

Now go to the Exit menu, and select Save Changes & Reset.

It will ask you to confirm the changes. Just verify both, and click OK.

After the motherboard reboots, AMD Smart Access Memory (PCIe Resizable BAR) will be enabled for your Ryzen 5000 series CPU and Radeon RX 6000 series graphics card!

CSM Warning For GIGABYTE AORUS X570 Master

AMD currently recommends these X570 motherboards, because they have updated BIOS available :

ASUS X570 Crosshair VIII Hero WIFI (US|UK|AU|SG|MY)
ASRock X570 Taichi (US|UK|AU|SG|MY)
GIGABYTE AORUS X570 Master (US|UK|AU|SG|MY)
MSI X570 Godlike (US|UK|AU|SG|MY)

CSM is disabled by default for the ASUS, ASRock and MSI motherboards. However, it is enabled by default in the GIGABYTE AORUS X570 Master.

If you installed Windows without first turning CSM off, it will be configured as non-UEFI. It will NOT boot if you enable Resizable BAR Support (Smart Access Memory).

You will need to reinstall Windows with CSM support disabled.

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Smart Access Memory Now Enabled For Ryzen 3000 CPUs!

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AMD just enabled Smart Access Memory for select Ryzen 3000 desktop processors!

Find out what Smart Access Memory does, and how to enable it for a FREE boost in performance!

Smart Access Memory Now Enabled For Ryzen 3000 CPUs!

When AMD launched the Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics card, they also mentioned that Smart Access Memory is now enabled for Ryzen 3000 desktop processors, except :

AMD Ryzen 5 3400G
AMD Ryzen 3 3200G

This would give those older processors a small but FREE boost in performance, when paired with Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards and AMD 500 series motherboards.

To enable Smart Access Memory for your Ryzen 3000 / 5000 series PC, please follow the steps!

Unfortunately, AMD has not enabled Smart Access Memory for Radeon RX 5000 series graphics cards, or AMD 400 series motherboards yet.

Smart Access Memory : How Does It Boost Ryzen 3000 Performance?