Though Brix is well-known due to its devices, which do not require powerful processors and discrete video cards, new Brix Gaming VR products – GB-BNi7HG6-1060 and GB-BNi5HG6-1060 – allow running default apps and at the same time enjoy high frame rate while playing latter-day games.



Brix Gaming VR models of the new generation feature the Intel HM175 Gigabyte motherboard, Intel Core i7-7700HQ (GB-BNi7HG6-1060) and Core i5-7300HQ (GB-BNi5HG6-1060) CPUs of the Kaby Lake-H family, a GeForce GTX 1060 graphics accelerator, offering 6 GB of GDDR5 memory. Other specs include Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) and Intel I219-LM (Gigabit Ethernet) network adapters, and also a Realtek ALC255 audio controller. The external power supply is meant for the ultimate 9.23 А/180 W capacity.


Brix Gaming VR systems are performed in identical cases, being 110 mm long, 110 mm wide and 220 mm high. Air flows from the bottom upwards; and the cooling system is low-noise, …

One can stop making wild guesses as far as AMD has voiced the official time frame of the beginning of low-end Ryzen models bulk sale. 6-core CPUs will come out in the 2nd quarter this year, and 4-core Ryzen 3 will be available in the second part of 2017.



Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 will possess the similar architecture as their higher-order counterparts. According to some resources, the only nuance is that in Ryzen 3 the SMT technology will be disabled, however, this device will cost less than $149. Ryzen 5 chips will come in at $175–259 (not much for 6 cores with SMT support).


The top-rank sample among 6-core AMD processors is AMD Ryzen 5 1600X offering the 3.6/4.0 GHz frequency rate. It will cost $259, which is only $15–20 more, than Intel Core i5-7600K. Simultaneously, according to pretests results, Ryzen 5 1600X will be 69% more effective in a multi-threaded context.

MSI, a large-scale manufacturer of computer hardware and consumer electronics, has introduced its new lineup of graphics cards, codenamed R7870 Hawk. The new series goes with the upgraded Radeon HD 7870 video adapter, improved integrated circuit and overclocking base. In addition, these graphics cards will go with the implemented GPU Reactor and Unlocked Digital Power technologies. Upon the whole, the introduced integration and performance is called to compete for the customers' favor with other high-end top models designed by Gigabyte and Asus.



Design and Layout


Design of R7870 Hawk somehow resembles a short-cut version of R7970 Lightning from MSI as well. It has similar design of cooling system covered with blue strip. The cover hides five heat pipes and rather compact fans. The rear part of the card is covered by a metallic plate; there is a plastic boot opposite the graphics chip that covers GPU Reactor block. This block is based on a separate detachable board and …