Fans of small-sized PC systems might take delight in all the possibilities offered by Intel X99 chipset that is targeting innovative Intel Core i7 (Haswell-E generation) processors. Originally, the couple has been predestined for Socket LGA2011-3 platform full-fledged ATX motherboards. Nonetheless, ASRock is the one to equal all users by launching micro-ATX X99M Killer motherboard. In keeping with the manufacturer, the board’s functional does not yield to its senior companions.



ASRock X99M Killer accommodates four DIMM-slots for DDR4 memory modules, three PCI-e 3.0 x16 slots, ten SATA III 6 Gb/sec ports, a single Ultra M.2 port that employs four lines of PCI 3.0 bus. The major peculiarity ascribed to this model is the availability of two network controllers: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2200 and Intel’s gigabit Ethernet proprietary version.


To continue, audio subsystem is developed according to Purity Sound 2 design standards, ensuring 7.1-channel sound production. External …

The ASRock manufacturer has voiced, that modest-sized (155 × 155 × 80 mm only) DeskMini 110 PCs may get Intel Core processing units of the seventh generation (the Kaby Lake platform).



The key specification of the product is the presence of the Mini-STX motherboard, which is of decent size (140 × 147 mm), though, affords the CPU upgrade. DeskMini 110 will most likely possess an LGA 1151 socket. The ASRock Co. also alludes to the Core i7-7700K processor, being a 14 nm solution with four compute cores, offering the 4.2–4.5 GHz clockrate. The DDR4-2133/2400 RAM is supported.


Another peculiarity of brand-new ASRock Mini PCs is embodied in the fast Samsung 960 PRO PCIe SSD with the 512 GB capacity. The ultimate claimed data read rate is 3,534 MB/s, and the record speed – 2,130 MB/s.


The DeskMini 110 case holds two 2.5-inch drives, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi adapters, a Gigabit Ethernet network controller, alongside with USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI and DP interface units.

As an exclusive AMD’s partner, HIS has lately unveiled a new graphics card with an extraordinary design and unprecedented facilities. Codenamed R9 270X IceQ X2 Turbo Boost Clock, the model is characterized by an overclocked core frequency and the implementation of an efficient two-slot IceQ X2 cooler. The GPU is designed under Graphics Core Next architecture, supports the latest DirectX 11.2 technology and offers 2.5 times higher performance. Besides, it boasts some striking energy-efficiency, consuming 95% less power in idle mode.



HIS R9 270X IceQ X2 Turbo Boost Clock runs at 1100 MHz frequency (nominal) with the potential to rise up to 1140 MHz in Boost Clock mode. To compare, AMD’s reference model runs at 1000/1050 MHz frequency correspondingly.


The new card is furnished with 2 GB of GDDR5 video memory (256-bit interface) that operates at 5600 MHz frequency. It should be noted that the user is able to engage iTurbo technology in order to increase the clock …