The release of hybrid AMD processors of A series was announced about a year ago, however, their actual appearance in the market was delayed for a few months. It is a well-known fact that a part of those processors for Socket FM1 platform has got idle graphics block; this part of processors has been codenamed Athlon and Sempron. The two processor models from this series Athlon II X2 221 and Sempron X2 198 can be currently found in PCs manufactured by HP company.



Both processors have been observed in the list of specifications of desktop PCs delivered by HP: Athlon II X2 221 is employed in HP Pavillon p6-1169cx and p6-1226cn models, while Sempron X2 198 is employed in HP Pavillion p6-1152cx, 1230cx, 1231cx, and 1159cx models. The major peculiarity of such technological solution is that HP PCs with those processors are delivered only to the Chinese market.


Two-core Athlon II X2 221 operates at 2.8 GHz frequency, and accommodates 1 MB cache memory of the second level. It is …

Launched first in 2014, ECO lineup of motherboards from MSI has recently been replenished by a triplet of models for socket LGA1151. The new-comers boast a wide range of power-efficient facilities as well as an optimal performance level. Thus, the users will enjoy the most advanced technologies without sacrificing performance. All three mainboards are developed in micro-ATX form-factor and employ Military Class 4 hardware base, although their other specifications differ.



MSI H170M ECO is designed on Intel H170 chipset, ready to accept Intel Core i3/i5/i7, Pentium & Celeron CPUs for socket LGA1151. The PCB accommodates two DIMM slots for the installation of DDR4-2133 MHz memory modules (up to 32 GB capacity). Storage subsystem offers 6x SATA III ports, while expansion is supported by 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 and one PCIe 3.0 x16 slots.


Audio subsystem is based on 7.1-channel Realtek ALC887 controller. The organization of network is entrusted to Intel I219V controller via LAN port. The …

Thermalright Inc. has managed to design and supply a whole galaxy of cooling solutions for the entire period of its existence. The prototype of the cooler codenamed Thermalright Archon SB-E was announced last spring and its original version has reached the market this autumn. This model is characterized by some outstanding efficiency and noise level showings, as well as high compatibility with diverse platforms.



General Peculiarities


This air cooler is delivered in a traditional for this manufacturer cardbox. The box contains the cooler itself and a set of key components, featuring a universal backplate, a set of screws, a screwer, fan frames, and brand thermal compound — Thermalright The ChillFactor III. Archon SB-E features 175x155x79.5 mm dimensions and weighs 940 g. It is compatible with Intel and AMD platforms and supports sockets LGA 775/1155/1156/1366/2011 (Intel) and 939/FM1/FM2/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+ (AMD).


Framework


The implemented heatsink accommodates …