Tag Archives: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970

Razer Core Pre-Orders Start Today

Leave a reply

IRVINE, Calif. – Razer today announced pricing, availability and compatibility of its 2016 “Best of CES” award-winning Razer Core. The device is the world’s first plug-and-play Thunderbolt 3 external graphics enclosure that debuted earlier this year in tandem with the Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook, itself an official “Best PC” and “People’s Choice” CES winner.

“Razer continues to innovate in the laptops category where big systems brands either cannot or will not,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “This time, in collaboration with industry leaders, we’ve created the world’s first external graphics card solution of its kind, bringing the GPU power of a desktop PC to the latest Razer laptops, such as the Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook, through a single Thunderbolt™ 3 connection with plug-and-play convenience.”

“All consumers, non-gamers and gamers alike, now can easily migrate from their Razer laptop for on-the-go performance to driving a full desktop experience using Razer Core, including enhanced graphics and simple connectivity to peripherals.”

The graphics enclosure supports a single double-wide, full-length, PCI-Express x16 graphics card. Qualified AMD Radeon graphics cards are available for use with the Razer Core. At launch of the Razer Core, NVIDIA will support GeForce GTX GPUs, including the entire lineup of Maxwell GPUs, such as the best-selling GTX 970. The Razer Core will be compatible with Razer’s latest systems including the Blade Stealth Ultrabook, and the new Razer Blade 14-inch gaming laptop in the near future.

The Razer Core will be available for pre-order starting today and will ship starting in April. The MSRP for Razer Core is $399 with the purchase of a compatible Razer notebook or $499 if purchased separately. Current registered owners of the Blade Stealth will receive the discounted price.

A single Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) cable provides ample bandwidth and is all it takes to connect compatible Razer systems with the Razer Core. With the Razer Blade Stealth, the Razer Core also provides power to the notebook, charging the internal battery. Whether a laptop user is interested in gaming or editing 4K video with external desktop graphics performance, Thunderbolt™ 3 is the all-in-one connection that can make it possible with select Razer systems like the Blade Stealth and Razer Core.

[adrotate banner=”5″]

“Thunderbolt 3 brings Thunderbolt to USB-C at speeds up to 40 Gbps, creating one compact port that does it all,” said Jason Ziller, director of Thunderbolt Marketing, Intel. “Thanks to technical collaboration between Intel, Razer and the Radeon™ Technologies group at AMD, Razer Core is the first plug-and-play external graphics solution that transforms the Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook into a desktop-like gaming experience”

The Razer Blade Stealth and Razer Core are the first products to ship that support AMD XConnect™ technology, which when configured with a qualified Radeon graphics card ensures seamless switching between discrete and integrated Intel HD graphics for a true plug-and-play user experience.

“We believe powerful external GPUs are thrilling for gamers that have longed to connect serious gaming performance to an ultrathin notebook,” said Ravi Gananathan, Director, MNC Graphics, AMD. “With the advent of AMD XConnect technology, that dream is a simple and intuitive reality. Together, the Razer Core and AMD XConnect for Radeon graphics are the ultimate intersection of performance, simplicity and design.”

Physical installation of a graphics card into the Razer Core requires no tools. Its durable aluminum housing slides open elegantly, and a single included thumb-screw secures the graphics card in place. Razer’s solution helps future-proof systems, as graphics cards are easily swappable as new components become available. Traditional laptop designs with fixed internal processors could not easily allow for upgrading graphics capabilities over time, if at all.

Bringing desktop-level graphics and display connectivity to a notebook is only part of this innovative solution from Razer. The Razer Core also contains four additional USB 3.0 ports and Ethernet connectivity, and it has two-zone lighting technology Powered by Razer Chroma. It is now easier than ever to transform a thin and light notebook into a complete desktop experience.

Razer Core can accommodate graphics cards that draw a maximum of 375 W and no larger than 12.20 inches x 5.98 inches x 1.73 inches (310 mm x 152 mm x 44 mm). Plug-and-play support varies according to graphics chipset and notebook model. Interested parties may go to the Razer website for full details. Compatible graphics cards are sold separately.

Qualified AMD Radeon graphics cards (AMD XConnect supported with Blade Stealth):

  • AMD Radeon  R9 Fury
  • AMD Radeon  R9 Nano
  • AMD Radeon  R9 300 Series
  • AMD Radeon  R9 300 Series
  • AMD Radeon  R9 290
  • AMD Radeon R9 280

Supported NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards (at launch):

  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan X
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750

Compatible Razer notebook models:

  • Razer Blade Stealth
  • Razer Blade (w/ Thunderbolt 3) in the near future

 

Razer Core Price & Availability

U.S. $399 – when purchased with compatible Razer notebook
U.S. $499
Razerzone.com – Pre-order March 16th, shipping in April

 

Razer Core Specifications

Connection to PC: Thunderbolt 3 using included 40 Gbps cable

GPU Support: graphics card sold separately

  • GPU Type: (1) double-wide, full-length PCI-Express x16 graphics card
  • GPU Max Dimensions: 12.20” x 5.98” x 1.73” (310 x 152 x 44 mm)
  • GPU Max Power Support: 375 W
  • Graphics Output: Based on capabilities of installed graphics card

Input & Output:

  • USB 3.0 x 4
  • Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000
  • Thunderbolt 3 (for connection to PC)

Lighting: Powered by Razer Chroma – 2 zones

Power Supply: 500 W

Approx. Dimensions: 4.13” (104.9 mm) wide x 13.38” (339.9 mm) deep x 8.6” (218.4 mm) high

Approx. Weight: 10.89 lbs. (4.94 kg)

 

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!

SteamVR Performance Tool Released

Leave a reply

The weekend’s tech news has been all about the HTC Vive : we have heard about its $799 price tag, and that pre-orders will start on 2/29. Valve has released the very first VR Performance Test that gives end users a way to figure out: is my system ready for SteamVR?

 

SteamVR Performance Tool

This app features high quality VR content from the Aperture Science Robot Repair demo, designed specifically for the HTC Vive, though it can be run on any PC and does not require a headset to be connected to the system. It’s available for anyone to download and test their system.

In short: the test employs a technique called dynamic fidelity, which automatically adjusts image quality as required to avoid dropped frames that can break the sense of presence critical to VR experiences. CPU and GPU hardware is then assigned one of three categories (VR Recommended, VR Capable, or VR Not Ready) based on the average fidelity level attained.

 

Recommended For VR

We’re very pleased to let you know that all our Radeon R9 390 series and Fury series products, including the R9 Nano can achieve the highest attainable status: ‘Recommended for VR’. This performance is a validation of the work AMD has done with Valve and other technology partners to deliver the best VR experiences with our products through the LiquidVR initiative.

Below is a small chart summarizing the results by GPUs with system configuration details, should you need a reference point in running the benchmark yourself.

As you can see and verify for yourself, Radeon R9 products are perfectly positioned to deliver superior VR experiences for the HTC Vive headset– whether you choose the R9 390 or opt for a true enthusiast product like the R9 Fury, AMD Radeons are in a position to deliver a better VR experience than their direct competitors for this headset

[adrotate banner=”4″]We’re especially proud of the Radeon R9 Nano’s performance in this VR test that is unmatched at its mini-ITX form factor. There’s also a wider selection of Radeons currently available that are capable of attaining the ‘Recommended for VR’ status than the competition’s offerings.

What’s more, we’ve worked very closely with Valve to implement one of AMD LiquidVR’s premier features called Affinity multi-GPU into the Aperture Science Robot Repair demo, which this tool is based on . Think of this as CrossFire technology for VR, where the application lets one GPU render for the left eye, and the other for the right eye. Though the work implementing Affinity mGPU into this application is not finished, it’s already showing significant performance uplift over a single GPU.

We’re very excited about the HTC Vive and SteamVR experience. We’re also thrilled to bring exceptional VR capability not only to millions of Radeon users who can rest assured that their GPUs are ready to drive the HTC Vive headset, but also to those thinking about buying one of the above-mentioned cards to power a premium VR-Ready experience.

 

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support out work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!