Introduction

In addition to this year's Intel Optane DC P4800X SSD for data centers and caching memory, Optane Memory Intel is launching a small series of SSDs for high-performance Optane 900P workstations. New SSDs based on 3D XPoint technology are intended for enthusiasts and professionals engaged in photo and video processing, game development, etc.

The Intel Optane SSD 900P is extremely fast thanks to the new 3D XPoint memory, but it's also expensive, as this latest technology is in high demand now. For more than a decade, Intel and Micron have jointly created 3D XPoint memory as a part of a closed secret project in1966. Developers still do not disclose the details of this technology, although third-party companies confirm the information that this is one of the forms of memory based on the phase transition (Phase-change memory, PCM).

 

Performance

To speak about the performance, the new high-speed memory is designed to fill a niche between operational …

Asus’ famous Republic of Gamers series (ROG) of PC products will soon be replenished with a new 27-inch monitor, entitled MG278Q. As far as exterior is concerned, it’s a classic display housed on a central stand with multiple adjustments (height, tilt, angle, pivot mode). Being a representative of gaming-oriented devices, the model features a bunch of advanced facilities, including an top-notch AMD FreeSync technology that is called to synchronize GPU with display refresh rates for the production of a seamless visual stream.



Asus MG278Q is based on TN panel with a frosting coating. It is known to support QHD resolution (2560x1440), WLED backlight & 144 Hz refresh rate. The panel secures that gamers could get only the best imaging, offering: 1 ms response time (GtG), 350 cd/m2 brightness, 170/160 degrees viewing angles, 16.7 million of displayed colors, and 1000:1 static contrast.


To continue, the rear part of the panel accommodates a pair of HDMI ports, 1x DL DVI-D …

Skull Canyon was designed to dispel stereotypes about low efficiency of compact-sized PCs. Intel tried hard to take its mini-PC to the next level. Hence, the company furnished it with a 4-core Core i7-6770HQ CPU (Skylake) with support of Hyper-Threading. It features 6 MB L3 cache, 45 W TDP and runs at 2.6/3.5 GHz frequency. The CPU incorporates Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 (GT4e) graphics core with 72 computing units and an additional eDRAM of 128 MB (frequency index: 350-950 MHz).



Intel Skull Canyon is housed in a stylish case with skull logo, featuring 216x116x23 mm dimensions & 0.7 liters capacity. The model accommodates a pair of So-DIMM DDR4-2133+ slots, allowing to install up to 32 GB of memory. Storage subsystem might be organized thanks to a pair of M.2 slots which support SSDs with SATA or PCI Express x4 interface.


This mini-PC comes with Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 8260 adapter that is thought to support Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity. The rear panel …