The product line of MSI’s mini-ITX motherboards now welcomes a new-comer: the MSI A88XI AC. It takes AMD A88X chipset for Socket FM2+ platform as the basis; this implies the support for AMD Athlon and AMD A series CPUs (of all generations). The PCB offers two DIMM slots for the integration of DDR3-2133 MHz RAM (up to 32 GB). Upon the whole, this model is able to offer much more than other small-sized boards.



The MSI A88XI AC accommodates 4x SATA III 6 Gb/sec ports for the connection of drives and 1x PCI-e 3.0 x16 socket for the implementation of an add-on card. Network options are secured as by gigabit Ethernet controller, so by Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11 ac modules. External I/O panel houses three audio ports, one S/PDIF out, one RJ-45, two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports, one PS/2 Combo port, and three video ports (HDMI, DVI-D and D-Sub).


Moreover, the support for 8-channel sound production (due to Realtek ALC887) and HDMI video port entails the playback of 4K Ultra HD …

The Benq Co. has presented its latest gaming Zowie XL2536 monitor. The device is built on the 24.5” TN-matrix with the 1920x1080 pixels resolution, is designed with side shields to minimize distractions and supports the brand Dynamic Accuracy (DyAc™) technology, which is believed to provide high clarity during very dynamic games, full of action. Besides, the novelty features the Black eQualizer technology, making dark scenes brighter without over-exposing bright spots.



The Full HD Benq Zowie XL2536 display has the 1 ms response time, the 144 Hz ultimate refresh rate, the 320 cd/m² brightness and the 1000:1 contrast ratio. Regarding the fact, that PWM is not involved in brightness setup, we may assume, flicking is absent.


The interface demonstrates a DL DVI-D, two DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, a dual-port USB 3.0 hub, alongside with a headphone jack and a microphone jack. The stand makes it possible to adjust display height, tilt and swivel.


The price of this Benq …

27-inch monitors were supposed to be quite an expensive solution several months ago, but today they are becoming more affordable due to the switch to LED technology. To say more, the army of displays with WQHD resolution (2560x1440) has grown from a few rare models to a line of products designed by a series of vendors. Asus joined this army with the introduction of monitor PB278Q. Its launch aroused great interest from the part of Asus devotees, as well as of all 'WQHD-targeted' customers.



Background Information


Monitor PB278Q is the first 27-inch model with WQHD resolution designed by Asus. It employs PLS+W-LED panel type manufactured by Samsung (LTM270DL02) and is a true 8-bit solution for home-based and corporate spheres. The array response time, measured at GtG methodology, is recorded at 5 ms mark. Viewing angles in both flats (vertical and horizontal) equal to 178 degrees; this is a typical figure for such type of displays. The maximal display brightness achieves 300 …