Acer just unveiled the 2021 Predator Orion 7000 – an upgradeable liquid-cooled gaming PC!
Here is our first look at the 2021 Acer Predator Orion 7000 gaming PC!
2021 Acer Predator Orion 7000 : First Look!
Acer just introduced their new 2021 Predator Orion 7000 gaming PC (P07-640) at their 2021 “Made for Humanity” Global Press Conference.
Here is our first look at this awesome-looking liquid-cooled gaming PC!
2021 Acer Predator Orion 7000 : Key Features
Here is a quick overview of its key features :
Performance
The 2021 Predator Orion 7000 is powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors, paired with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card, and up to 64 GB DDR5-4000 RAM!
This makes it one of the most powerful gaming PC in the market today! And it is upgradeable, so you can upgrade to the next best thing that comes along!
Cooling
An AIO CPU liquid cooler, with three Predator FrostBlade 2.0 fans and advanced airflow management keep system components cool, even in the most demanding gaming conditions.
The improved FrostBlade fans’ thin and curved blades are designed to smoothly increase airflow without creating turbulence, while their wear resistant and fully-sealed rifle bearings ensure that they will keep spinning for many years to come.
Design
The 2021 Predator Orion 7000 comes with an EMI-compliant chassis with transparent, tempered glass side panels.
The design showcases two massive 140 mm (5.5-inch) Predator FrostBlade 2.0 fans in the front, and a 120 mm (4.7-inch) Predator FrostBlade 2.0 fan at the back, which can be lit and configured with a dazzling array of ARGB colours.
Accenting the bold lighting and design are an illuminated teal blue Predator logo on the front panel, with an easily-accessible teal prism-refraction power button.
Storage
The rig comes with ample storage bays, with these storage options :
1 x 2.5-inch USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C hot swap drive bay
2 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD bay (up to 1 TB each)
2 x 3.5-inch SATA 3 hard disk drives (up to 3 TB each)
Connectivity
The 2021 Predator Orion 7000 also comes with lots of wireless and wired connectivity features built-in :
Intel Killer 2.5G LAN port
Intel Wi-Fi 6E (AX211) with 2×2 MU-MIMO technology
In the front of the chassis, it offers these easy-to-reach ports :
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C port
2 x audio jacks
At the back of the chassis, you will find these additional ports :
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port
2 x USB 2.0 ports
3 x audio jacks
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Acer just introduced the 2021 Predator Triton and Predator Helios line of gaming laptops!
Take a look at these brand new gaming laptops and find out what they offer!
2021 Predator Triton + Helios Gaming Laptops Are Here!
On 30 September 2021, Acer unveiled the 2021 Predator Triton and Predator Helios line of gaming laptops!
These newly-refreshed gaming laptops now offer a new level of gaming performance, with even better displays!
Let’s start with their official launch briefing video…
2021 Predator Triton 500 SE
The 2021 Predator Triton 500 SE (Special Edition) is a discreetly-designed gaming laptop that look like professional business laptops, but will blast the competition out of the water in any game!
The new Predator Triton 500 SE is incredibly powerful, pairing an 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 processor with the NVIDIA® GeForce™ RTX 3080 GPU, with up to 32 GB of fast DDR4 memory.
Its 16-inch IPS display offers a large work space with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. No one would possibly guess that this large, high-resolution display is also fantastic for gaming, especially when it supports a 165 Hz refresh rate!
To ensure that it stays cool, even under the most strenuous work or gaming conditions, the Predator Triton 500 SE employs the Acer Vortex Flow cooling design, which features :
a triple-fan cooling system
5th Generation AeroBlade™ 3D fans
five dedicated heat pipes
strategically-placed intake and exhaust vents
Best of all – it offers up to 12-hours of battery life, in a 19.9 mm thin all-metal chassis that weighs only 2.4 kg! This lets you use the Predator Triton 500 SE for a full day of work or game on-the-go!
Why waste money on two separate laptops – one for work, one for play, when you can use the Predator Triton 500 SE for both? That’s why I’m especially excited about the 2021 Predator Triton 500 SE.
Acer is offering two models, priced at RM12,999 and RM8,999 respectively, with a 2 year on-site warranty with protection against accidental damage and theft!
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i
Bluetooth 5.1
Killer Ethernet E3100G
Ports
2 x USB Type C ports with one port supporting
– USB 3.2 Gen 2
– DisplayPort over USB-C
– Thunderbolt 4
– USB charging
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
– one port supports power-off USB charging
1 x HDMI 2.1 port with HDCP
1 x 3.5 mm audio jack
Card Reader
SD Card Reader
Audio
DTS X : Ultra
Supports Windows Spatial Sound
Webcam
720p HD webcam
Dimensions
358.5 mm wide
262.4 mm deep
19.9 mm thick
Weight
2.4 kg
Price
RM12,999
~ US$3,110
~ £2,306
~ A$4,294
~ S$4,221
RM8,999
~ US$2,153
~ £1,596
~ A$2,972
~ S$2,922
2021 Predator Helios 500
For those who want the ultimate desktop-like gaming performance in a laptop, the 2021 Predator Helios 500 is the answer.
The top-of-the-line model pairs up to 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11980HK processor, with an NVIDIA® GeForce™ RTX 3080 GPU with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, together with up to 64 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of fast SSD storage!
The Intel® Core™ i9 model comes with a magnificent 17.3-inch Mini LED display, with 4K resolution and support for full-array local dimming!
The Intel® Core™ i7 model, on the other hand, comes with a super-fast Full HD display with a 360 Hz refresh rate and a 3 ms response time.
The 2021 Predator Helios 500 is kept cool by Predator PowerGem – a custom metal-alloy polymer on the CPU, as well as Acer Vortex Flow technology with two 5th Generation AeroBlade™ 3D fans.
The RGB-lit keys can also be further customised by the discerning gamer, who can swap them for Acer Racing or MagForce keys (featuring MagTek mechanical switches).
If you really want the best gaming laptop money can buy, definitely look at the Predator Helios 500.
Acer is offering two models priced at RM19,999 and RM13,999 respectively, with a 2 year on-site warranty with protection against accidental damage and theft!
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i
Bluetooth 5.1
Killer Ethernet E3100G
Ports
2 x USB Type C ports with one port supporting
– USB 3.2 Gen 2
– DisplayPort over USB-C
– Thunderbolt 4
– USB charging
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
– one port supports power-off USB charging
1 x HDMI 2.1 port with HDCP
1 x mini DP 1.4 port
1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack
1 x 3.5 mm microphone jack
Card Reader
SD Card Reader
Audio
DTS X : Ultra
Supports Windows Spatial Sound
Webcam
720p HD webcam
Dimensions
400.0 mm wide
319.2 mm deep
35.3 mm thick
Weight
3.9 kg
Price
RM19,999
~ US$4,785
~ £3,552
~ A$6,614
~ S$6,494
RM13,999
~ US$3,349
~ £2,486
~ A$4,630
~ S$4,546
2021 Acer Predator Helios 300 (17.3-inch)
Those on a tighter budget but still want a large gaming laptop, should consider the 2021 Acer Predator Helios 300 (17.3-inch).
Now refreshed with the 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H processor and up to the NVIDIA® GeForce™ RTX 3070 GPU, it comes with two excellent 17.3-inch display options :
a 2560 x 1440 display with a 165 Hz refresh rate, and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, or
a 1920 x 1080 display with a 360 Hz refresh rate, and 100% sRGB colour gamut
It comes with 16GB of RAM, which can be expanded to 32GB, and up to 1TB of fast SSD storage, which can be expanded with another SSD and even a HDD!
To ensure it stays cool even in the most demanding gaming session, it features dual AeroBlade™ 3D fans, which can be monitored and controlled by the PredatorSense app.
The 17.3-inch Predator Helios 300 is definitely a great option for those who are looking for a good gaming laptop with a large display at an affordable price point.
Acer is offering two models priced at RM8,999 and RM7,999 respectively, with a 2 year on-site warranty with protection against accidental damage and theft!
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i
Bluetooth 5.1
Killer Ethernet E2600
Ports
1 x USB Type C port supporting
– USB 3.2 Gen 2
– DisplayPort over USB-C
– Thunderbolt 4
– USB charging
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port supporting power-off USB charging
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
1 x HDMI 2.1 port with HDCP
1 x mini-DP 1.4 port
1 x 3.5 mm audio jack
Card Reader
None
Audio
DTS X : Ultra
Supports Windows Spatial Sound
Webcam
720p HD webcam
Dimensions
398.0 mm wide
375.3 mm deep
26.55 mm thick
Weight
2.9 kg
Price
RM8,999
~ US$2,153
~ £1,596
~ A$2,972
~ S$2,922
RM7,999
~ US$1,913
~ £1,418
~ A$2,463
~ S$2,599
2021 Acer Predator Helios 300 (15.6-inch)
The smaller 2021 Acer Predator Helios 300 offers great gaming performance in a compact, portable laptop for gaming on-the-go.
Now refreshed with the 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 or Core i7 and up to the NVIDIA® GeForce™ RTX 3070 GPU, it comes with two excellent 15.6-inch display options :
a 2560 x 1440 display with a 165 Hz refresh rate, and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, or
a 1920 x 1080 display with a 360 Hz refresh rate, and 100% sRGB colour gamut
It comes with up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of fast SSD storage, which can be expanded with another SSD and even a HDD!
To ensure it stays cool even in the most demanding gaming session, it features dual AeroBlade™ 3D fans, which can be monitored and controlled by the PredatorSense app.
The 15.6-inch Predator Helios 300 is an affordable option for those who are looking for great gaming performance in a more portable form factor for on-the-go gaming.
Acer is offering three models priced at RM9,999, RM7,699 and RM6,299, with a 2 year on-site warranty with protection against accidental damage and theft!
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i
Bluetooth 5.1
Killer Ethernet E2600
Ports
1 x USB Type C port supporting
– USB 3.2 Gen 2
– DisplayPort over USB-C
– Thunderbolt 4
– USB charging
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port supporting power-off USB charging
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
1 x HDMI 2.1 port with HDCP
1 x mini-DP 1.4 port1 x 3.5 mm audio jack
Card Reader
None
Audio
DTS X : Ultra
Supports Windows Spatial Sound
Webcam
720p HD webcam
Dimensions
363.0 mm wide
255.0 mm deep
22.9 mm thick
Weight
2.3 kg
Price
RM9,999
~ US$2,392
~ £1,774
~ A$3,306
~ S$3,249
RM7,699
~ US$1,842
~ £1,366
~ A$2,546
~ S$2,502
RM6,299
~ US$1,507
~ £1,117
~ A$2,083
~ S$2,047
2021 Predator Gaming Laptop Deals!
Acer is offering several deals for the 2021 Predator gaming laptops :
Now until 6 October 2021 : Any purchase of the new Predator Helios 300 will be entitled to free gifts worth more than RM1,000 including Predator Gaming Utility Backpack, Predator Galea 350 Headset and limited edition merchandise.
Now until 6 October 2021 : Any purchase of the Core i9 variant of Predator Helios 300 (PH315-54-9763) will receive an additional Predator Gaming Chair worth RM1,299 for FREE!
From 30 October until 6 November 2021 : Any purchase of Predator Triton 500 SE / Predator Helios 500 will be entitled to free gifts worth more than RM2,000 including Predator Gaming Chair, Predator Gaming Utility Backpack, Predator Galea 350 Headset.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Acer just introduced the 2021 Nitro 5 gaming laptop, powered by Ryzen 9 and GeForce RTX 3080!
Here is what you need to know about this new super-fast Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop!
2021 Acer Nitro 5 : Ryzen 9 + RTX 3080 FTW!
The 2021 Acer Nitro 5 just got a MASSIVE upgrade! You can now opt for the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX mobile processor, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics!
It even comes with two DDR4-3200 slots with up to 32 GB memory, and two M.2 slots of PCIe NVMe SSDs! On top of that, it comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Killer Ethernet E2600 connectivity built-in.
The 2021 Nitro 5 boasts a 15.6-inch IPS display with a 165 Hz refresh rate with a QHD resolution, or a stupendously fast 360 Hz refresh rate with a FHD resolution. Both options offer a 3 ms response time for minimal ghosting.
To ensure the 2021 Nitro 5 can withstand even the most intense gaming sessions, it features a revamped thermal system with dual fans and four exhaust fans. On top of that, Acer CoolBoost and NitroSense lets you monitor fan speed, and increase it when you need that extra performance.
It also comes with a multitude of ports – a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port with power off charging capability, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and HDMI 2.1 port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
Acer is introducing six variants, in three phases, and here are their key specifications :
2021 Acer Nitro 5 : Pre-Order Deals!
As part of their Zero to Nitro campaign, Acer Malaysia is offering these pre-order deals for the 2021 Nitro 5!
27 to 29 April 2021
Get RM 200 TNG e-Wallet top-up, a Predator Hybrid Backpack, a Predator Galea 350 gaming headset and a Predator Mousepad worth RM 967 when you purchase :
Get RM 200 TNG e-Wallet top-up, a Predator Utility Backpack, a Predator Galea 350 gaming headset and a Predator Mousepad worth RM 967 when you purchase :
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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.
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 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.
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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HP just unveiled their 2021 OMEN 15 gaming laptop, codenamed Valkyrie – powered by both AMD and NVIDIA!
2021 HP OMEN 15 (Valkyrie) Gaming Laptop
Codenamed Valkyrie, the 2021 HP OMEN 15 gaming laptop is a 15.6-inch laptop built with serious gaming in mind, with a sleek and modern minimalistic design!
15.6-inch IPS Display
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 comes with a large 15.6-inch IPS display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
You can opt for a 144 Hz refresh rate, as well as a premium 144 Hz display with 300 nits brightness and 72% NTSC colour gamut.
Gaming Performance
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 is powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor, and paired with up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics!
It is kept cool by the OMEN Tempest Cooling Technology, with 3-sided venting and 5-way airflow, to ensure maximum performance even during prolonged gaming sessions!
Memory + Storage
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 comes with up to 16 GB of DDR4-3200 memory, in dual-channel mode for maximum performance.
You can equip it with up to a 1 TB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD, or up to two 256 GB SSDs in RAID 0 mode for super-fast transfers.
Connectivity
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 comes with Gigabit LAN wired connectivity built in, and offers either Intel Wi-Fi 6 or Realtek Wi-Fi 5 wireless connectivity.
Audio
You do not have to rely on headphones for maximum gaming enjoyment. The new OMEN 15 comes with Bang & Olufsen speakers and support for DTS:X Ultra!
Gaming Keyboard
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 comes with an island-style backlit keyboard with integrated numeric keypad.
You have the option of simple dragon red backlighting, or RGB backlighting with 4 independent zones.
2021 HP OMEN 15 (Valkyrie) : Specifications + Options
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 gaming laptop comes with these specifications and configuration options :
Up to 1 TB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD
Up to 2 x 256 GB PCIe NVMe TLC SSDs
Card Reader
SD card reader
Audio
Bang & Olfusen dual speakers
DTS:X Ultra support
Networking
Gigabit LAN
Wireless Options
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.0
Realtek Wi-Fi 5 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.0
I/O Ports
1 x USB 3.0 Type C with DisplayPort 1.4
1 x USB 3.0 Type A with Sleep + Charge
2 x USB 3.0 Type A
1 x RJ45 LAN port
1 x headphone / mic combo port
1 x Mini DisplayPort
1 x HDMI 2.0a
Camera
HD camera with dual-array digital mic
IR thermal sensor
Keyboard Options
1-zone dragon red backlit keyboard
4-zone RGB backlit keyboard
Touchpad
HP Imagepad Touchpad
Battery Options
6-cell Li-Po, 70.9 Wh
3-cell Li-Po, 52.5 Wh
Charger
150 / 200 watt charger
Dimensions
357.96 mm wide
239.7 mm deep
22.5 mm thick
Weight
2.37 kg
2021 HP OMEN 15 : Price + Availability
The new HP OMEN 15 gaming laptop has a starting price of RM 3,899 (about US$965 / £684 / A$1,220 / S$1,272).
It comes with 2-years of Accidental Protection Damage warranty, and is available from the HP Online Store in Malaysia right now.
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Don’t be outraged about the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3070 cryptomining rig.
The truth is they are just being honest about who their biggest clients really are.
Why Gamers Are Outraged By ZOTAC RTX 3070 Mining Rig?
It’s no secret that graphics card brands LOVE cryptominers who are buying up their cards by the pallets.
ZOTAC probably wanted to send them some love when they tweeted this picture of a cryptomining rig built using eight ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 White graphics cards.
What they probably should not have done was to use the #PcGaming #Gaming #Gamers #PcMasterRace hashtags, because really… what does cryptomining have to do with the PC?
Gamers have very little love for cryptominers, who are at least partly to blame for the shortage and high prices of graphics cards.
The ZOTAC tweet naturally triggered their outrage, because it was actual proof that ZOTAC would love to sell even more of their limited supply of graphics cards to cryptominers.
But the truth is – ZOTAC was finally being honest about who their biggest clients really were. Not gamers, for sure!
After all, which gamer will ever buy EIGHT ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3070 graphics cards?
Why ZOTAC Loves Cryptominers Buying Their RTX 3070 Cards
Let’s be frank – cryptominers are far more willing to pay top dollar for graphics cards, than gamers.
Thanks to high cryptocurrency prices, they can still make a ton of money even if they pay insane prices for these graphics cards.
And they don’t just buy one card for their gaming pleasure. They buy these cards by the dozens and hundreds! And why not?
The profitability of cryptomining has gone up so much that Chinese cryptominers have resorted to buying up hundreds of GeForce RTX 3060 gaming laptops instead!
This Chinese mining farm is being built using 900 GeForce RTX 3060 gaming laptops, and have the potential to generate over US$2.3 million in profit every year!
So, don’t be so mad at ZOTAC. At least they had the guts to admit their preference for cryptominers.
The other brands are the same. They just don’t have the guts to admit it, for fear of losing support from their fans.
The secret to having your cake, and eating it too? Keep quiet about cryptomining, and promote fanboyism to keep the hoi polloi loyal to the brand.
It’s all about the money, guys…
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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Take a look at this crypto-mining farm that could make $3.5 million a year using just 900 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 gaming laptops!
Hundreds Of RTX Laptops Used In Crypto Mining Farms!
Not only gamers are affected by the limited supply of graphics cards in the market. So are cryptominers!
Chinese cryptominers now have to resort to buying up whatever GeForce RTX gaming laptops they can find, literally hundreds of them!
Instead of ASIC miners or GPU mining rigs, they are now powering their cryptomining operations with RTX gaming laptops!
We earlier highlighted the new trend of using RTX gaming laptops to mine cryptocurrency. It looks as this is more extensive that we first thought.
A Weibo blogger called 神鱼BTCer just shared even more pictures of RTX laptop-based mining operations, big and small.
Many appear to be pretty ghetto, placing the laptops in a kind of “tent mode” for better cooling, wherever there’s space – on tables, chairs or the floor.
But he also showed a seriously big crypto-mining farm being built using these GeForce RTX 30-series gaming laptops.
He even shared a short clip (part of the video we posted above), showing the cryptocurrency mining farm partially operational, with more being set-up.
There are 10 laptops per shelf, with each shelving unit capable of accommodating 60 laptops.
While not particularly large, this cryptocurrency mining farm has at least 15 visible shelving units, so that’s a total of 900 RTX gaming laptops when it’s fully operational.
Currently, it’s only partially complete, with about 200 or so laptops running, with many boxes of laptops left to open and setup.
How Much Money Can This RTX Laptop Mining Farm Make?
We had earlier shared about how a Bilibili content creator used an RTX 3060 laptop to mine 0.00053009 ETH while she sipped her coffee at Starbucks for 2 hours.
Based on her experience, we can guesstimate that the average GeForce RTX 3060 laptop will be able to produce :
0.000265045 ETH per hour
0.00636108 ETH per day
0.1908324 ETH per month (30 days)
2.3217942 ETH per year
Chinese electricity costs about RMB 0.545 (US$0.084) per kWh. Assuming each laptop uses about 250 watts of power (including whatever external fans they may be using), that works out to about RMB 1,200 or US$186 per year.
As of 11 February 2021, Ethereum is priced at US$1740. So here’s roughly how much this cryptocurrency mining farm would make, at that price :
100 laptops : $385,392 per year
200 laptops : $770,784 per year
300 laptops : $1,156,177 per year
400 laptops : $1,541,569 per year
500 laptops : $1,926,961 per year
600 laptops : $2,312,353 per year
700 laptops : $2,697,745 per year
800 laptops : $3,083,138 per year
900 laptops : $3,468,530 per year
So there you have it – this small cryptocurrency mining operation can potentially make almost US$ 3.5 million in a single year.
But what’s the ROI, you say?
The Chinese OEM, Hasee, offers a GeForce RTX 3060 gaming laptop with a starting price of just RMB 6,499 (approximately RM4,089 / US$1,005 / £732 / A$1,309 / S$1,340).
And the video shows that this mining operation is using the same, or similar, Hasee RTX gaming laptops.
Let’s say they paid a 20% scalper’s premium, and purchased all 900 Hasee RTX 3060 laptops for a cool US$1,085,400.
Let’s further round that up to US$1.1 million for miscellaneous costs – shelving units, lights, fans, etc. including US$500 per month for rental.
Based on those assumptions, their net profit for the 900-laptop mining farm would be US$2,368,530 per year, at current prices.
After recovering the cost of the entire mining farm ($1.1 million) in just over 3 months, everything else they make after that is pure profit (after deducting rental and electricity costs), unless they are stealing the electricity!
With such great ROI, you can count on cryptocurrency miners to buy up ALL the GeForce RTX 30 series laptops they can get their hands on!
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BTCer claims they are all “home-based”, but we have no idea whether they are his, or from different cryptocurrency mining operations.
But in a response to a question, he said that the best way to keep them cool is by putting them in a sort of “tent mode”.
This picture shows four stacks of GeForce RTX 3060 laptops made by Chinese OEM Hasee, powered on (you can see the green light).
Hasee offers a GeForce RTX 3060 gaming laptop that has a starting price of just RMB 6,499 (approximately RM4,089 / US$1,005 / £732 / A$1,309 / S$1,340).
These twenty Hasee GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops would cost just over US$20,000.
This seems like a waste of power – leaving their displays turned on. But leaving the display up would definitely improve cooling.
How Much Money Can RTX 3060 Laptop Mining Rigs Make?
A Bilibili content creator Fish Pond f2pool demonstrated how fast someone with a GeForce RTX 3060 laptop can “mine” cryptocurrency.
She plugged in her GeForce RTX 3060 laptop into a power socket at Starbucks, and mined 0.00053009 ETH over 2 hours while she sipped her coffee.
On 5 February 2021, Ethereum closed at US$1,680.497, so she mined enough during her coffee break to make US$0.89 or RMB 5.76.
Not quite enough to pay for her coffee (about RMB 28), but at least the electricity is FREE!
Based on her experience, we can guesstimate that the average GeForce RTX 3060 laptop will be able to produce :
0.000265045 ETH per hour
0.00636108 ETH per day
0.1908324 ETH per month (30 days)
2.3217942 ETH per year
So that mining rig with 20 Hasee laptops you saw up there could make, at current prices, about :
$8.908 per hour
$213.80 per day
$6,413.87 per month (30 days)
$78,035 per year
Chinese electricity costs about RMB 0.545 (US$0.084) per kWh.
Assuming each laptop uses about 250 watts of power (including whatever external fans he may have), that works out to about US$3,679.20 per year.
So his net profit for the 20-laptop mining rig would be US$74,356 per year, at current prices.
That’s an incredible ROI of 30.8% per month, which means he will recover the cost of the entire rig ($20,100) in just under 3.5 months!
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At CES 2021, NVIDIA announced the coming availability of Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops!
Starting 26 January 2021, NVIDIA partner brands like MSI will begin shipping RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 gaming laptops, followed by RTX 3060 gaming laptops from 2 February 2021 onwards.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series mobile GPUs are built on the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, giving them 2nd Gen Ray Tracing cores and 3rd Gen Tensor Cores.
New Streaming Multiprocessors : Delivering 2X the FP32 performance of NVIDIA Turing, and 30 Shader-TFLOPS of processing power
2nd Gen RT Cores : Delivering 2X the performance of NVIDIA Turing, plus concurrent ray tracing and compute, with 58 RT-TFLOPS of processing power.
3rd Gen Tensor Cores : Up to 2X the performance of NVIDIA Turing, with 238 Tensor-TFLOPS of processing power.
NVIDIA RTX IO : Enables rapid GPU-based loading and game asset decompression, accelerating I/O performance by up to 100X. When used in conjunction with Microsoft DirectStorage API, it offloads the work to the RTX GPU, improving frame rates and enabling near-instantaneous game loading.
GDDR6X Memory : Delivers close to 1 TB/s of memory bandwidth, improving gaming performance.
Custom Samsung 8N Process Technology : Delivers higher transistor density and greater efficiency.
HDMI 2.1 : Delivers single-cable connection to 8K HDR TVs and monitors for ultra-high resolution gaming.
AV1 Decode : First discrete GPUs to support hardware decoding of the new AV1 codec, allowing for up to 8K HDR videos at 50% less bandwidth.
MSI GS66 Stealth GeForce RTX 30 Gaming Laptops
MSI is introducing two GS66 Stealth gaming laptops :
a premium model powered by the Core i9-10980HK processor with GeForce RTX 3080 graphics, and
a more affordable model powered by Core i7-10870H processor with GeForce RTX 3070 graphics.
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NVIDIA just announced that they will introduce Resizable BAR support at the end of February 2021!
Find out what Resizable BAR is all about, and why it matters!
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. The CPU can only transfer data like textures, shaders and geometry to the GPU through that small 256 MB “window”.
Turning on Resizable BAR expands that small access window, letting the CPU directly access the GPU’s entire frame buffer memory.
Those graphics assets can thus be sent in full, instead of in pieces. In addition, multiple transfers can occur simultaneously, instead of being queued up.
NVIDIA To Introduce Resizable BAR In 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.
On 12 January 2021, NVIDIA announced that they will be able to introduce Resizable BAR support in GeForce drivers from Late February 2021 onwards.
It will be limited to their GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards and laptops, but will work with both Intel and AMD CPUs.
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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At CES 2021, NVIDIA announced the coming availability of Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops!
Take a look at what’s coming very soon, and how much faster they will be!
GeForce RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops : Ampere Goes Mobile!
Just 4 months after launching Ampere for desktop gaming, NVIDIA is bringing it to laptops.
At CES 2021, they announced the coming availability of Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops!
Starting 26 January 2021, NVIDIA partner brands will begin shipping RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 gaming laptops, followed by RTX 3060 gaming laptops from 2 February 2021 onwards.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series mobile GPUs are built on the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, giving them 2nd Gen Ray Tracing cores and 3rd Gen Tensor Cores.
New Streaming Multiprocessors : Delivering 2X the FP32 performance of NVIDIA Turing, and 30 Shader-TFLOPS of processing power
2nd Gen RT Cores : Delivering 2X the performance of NVIDIA Turing, plus concurrent ray tracing and compute, with 58 RT-TFLOPS of processing power.
3rd Gen Tensor Cores : Up to 2X the performance of NVIDIA Turing, with 238 Tensor-TFLOPS of processing power.
NVIDIA RTX IO : Enables rapid GPU-based loading and game asset decompression, accelerating I/O performance by up to 100X. When used in conjunction with Microsoft DirectStorage API, it offloads the work to the RTX GPU, improving frame rates and enabling near-instantaneous game loading.
GDDR6X Memory : Delivers close to 1 TB/s of memory bandwidth, improving gaming performance.
Custom Samsung 8N Process Technology : Delivers higher transistor density and greater efficiency.
HDMI 2.1 : Delivers single-cable connection to 8K HDR TVs and monitors for ultra-high resolution gaming.
AV1 Decode : First discrete GPUs to support hardware decoding of the new AV1 codec, allowing for up to 8K HDR videos at 50% less bandwidth.
NVIDIA is also introducing a 3rd Gen Max-Q Design to optimise the GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops for optimal power and performance.
They will also come with WhisperMode 2.0 – which was reengineered to dynamically manage the GPU, CPU, game settings and fan speeds to reduce fan acoustics while maintaining gaming performance.
Finally, NVIDIA will introduce Resizable BAR support in these RTX 30 gaming laptops via a driver update later.
GeForce RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops : Performance
So how much faster are the RTX 30 series gaming laptops?
Based on this comparison that NVIDIA shared, an RTX 3080 laptop will offer 45-55% better performance than an RTX 2080 laptop
GeForce RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops : What’s Coming?
Here is a quick summary of the GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops that will hit the market from 26 January 2021 onwards.
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