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SLI and CrossFire, a necessary analysis

I remember perfectly that it was 3DFX which marked the starting point of the multi-GPU configurations, with the release of the Voodoo 2 in the general consumer market, as graphical solution that can be considered the origin of what would later become SLI and CrossFire, made by NVIDIA and AMD respectively.

Originally SLI (Scan Line Interleave) mode of the Voodoo 2 acted in a simple way: two cards running in parallel resorting to a division of the processing load simply but effectively, dividing the screen in two and distributing the lines 50-50.

As is the case with the current solutions at that time, this meant doubling the power of rendering, but the texture memory is not added for a very simple reason which is that each graphics card needs to double the scene data it’s working on.

This is a very important limitation that we currently still have, just like the level of support on the software side and many others that we’ll review in this special, where we will give a series of basic guidelines that will allow you to better understand how SLI and CrossFire modes work and assess whether or not they are really worth it.

graphics card

A preview

Before we jump in, we will explain a little better what these technologies are and how they work, as that will provide us the necessary foundation on which we can have a better understanding of everything that we will explain below. Please note that this article is intended to be useful even for the most amateurish, so it is likely that you find plenty of information you may already know.

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HP Star Wars Special Notebook Edition Laptop Review

Sometimes when we are fans of some important saga, either in film or video games, sometimes we do everything possible to get special editions that are unique either because they are limited in number or because we imagine how such products and accessories would look in our room or office.

Introduction

This time our friends at HP Pavilion sent us a special edition of Star Wars notebook. Its presentation is spectacular, from the packaging to the sponges that protect the computer, everything is custom made, to the smallest detail. In fact, it looks so good that when out of the box the first thing you imagine is “this must be very powerful” – sure, as long as you have not read the technical specifications and you’ve given in to its looks.

HP Star Wars Special Notebook Edition Laptop

And unfortunately this is not the gaming laptop of your dreams, at least not the model that was given to us. We have the model with the Core i5 processor and 6GB RAM. In stores, they sell more expensive models, with better technical specifications. Coming back to the presentation, we know that you could be disappointed with the “not the gaming computer of your dreams” thing, but although it is not, this device is focused on multimedia entertainment and its distinctive “I have Star Wars notebook” bragging right thing.

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ASUS ROG GL552JX Gaming Laptop Review

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Portable gaming for those not so demanding.

Asus lent us one of there computers that is designed for gamers who want portability, and a great gaming PC to play anywhere without having to suffer to much over having to carry a huge case where we could easily throw in three changes of clothes. Lets not forget the peripherals and the monitor. If you move around a lot, you’ll understand how important it is to have a Portable console. So from this the line Republic of Gamers is born and today were taking a sneak peak at one of its models, the Asus GL552JX.

ASUS ROG GL552JX

The Asus GL552JX is great for pc gamers that want these type of characteristics mentioned above in one single machine. Portability and enough power to play comfortably is what makes this line and this model in particular right in the middle of these two properties. It’s exterior design is very attractive, made of very resistant polished black plastic, the interiors are a perfect match, plus with a smooth finish, which make it easier to smudge it when handling it to much.

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Bitdefender Internet Security 2016 Review

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Year after year, Bitdefender continues to grab the best positions in the tests of independent companies, AV-Test in front. With us as well, antivirus has been consistently distinguished by excellent performances, innovative features and its user-friendly interface. But is it not always more difficult to surprise when navigating in the higher realms for many years? This is the challenge that Bitdefender Internet Security 2016 will have to face by submitting to our annual assessment. Discover that this new version was in the offing.

The installation of Bitdefender Internet Security 2016 was successful. Contrary to last year, the antivirus installed very fast though it remains far from other solutions such as Panda. As a bonus, Bitdefender takes responsibility of carrying out a pre-analysis of history of sensitive files. And here comes the first novelty : Bitdefender Central. It is a platform that allows you to centralize all of the devices on which you have installed a Bitdefender product. With some competitors, Creation of an account is optional, but that is not the case here.

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SanDisk Ultra II SSD Review

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A SSD, no matter what on your gaming computer.

SSDs are already fully entrenched in the gaming world and are no longer unknown to the majority. Using flash memory instead of a magnetic disk, reading and writing speed, as well as its access times are much higher than those of the latter. Besides the fall in prices has experienced an acceleration in recent months, so having a major SSD on a gaming computer is a must.

Today we bring you the analysis of the SanDisk Ultra II SSD, a high performance SDD using the SATA 3 protocol and which can reach a reading speed of up to 550 MB/s and 500 MB/s for writing, both figures of sequential writing and reading, although we hope soon to have available units with NVMe protocol, which is the new standard that will replace the current SATA.

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Kaspersky Internet Security 2016 Review

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What purpose will it serve to present yet again Kaspersky? The security service provider, which for some years now has been one of the major players in the market. It is difficult to find an antivirus product with good comparative advantage without finding the product range of Kaspersky there. Naturally, the fame of Kaspersky is essentially owed to the performances of the software, but also due to the various news with which the founder Eugene Kaspersky is often involved in. And yes, sometimes he is at the heart of security-related discoveries, sometimes he is accused of false positives, however, that does not prevent him every year from receiving praise and laurels from his clients who are loyal as ever. So what are the new innovations of the 2016 Anti-virus series?

These are what we will be revealing to you in what follows;

This is the good news; Kaspersky Internet Security 2016 is indeed compatible with Windows 10. Indeed, our PC had no problems during the installation of the software. Sequel to the 160 MB program, an installation which usually requires some time, it remains nevertheless reasonable compared to other softwares. The exploration of this new edition was thus able to take place quickly, even if it took more time to update the database of the security suite before you can really use it (which could be quite annoying when installing a new product on ones PC or whatsoever). Kaspersky has redesigned the interface of its security suite, which for once at this time has really improved the quality in sharpness and intuitiveness. No more imposition of the big buttons of the 2015 version, this year everything is controlled, for a more simple and handy interface. All the main features (virus Scan, update, Safe Money and Parental controls) are accessible right away. Furthermore, if last year’s Kaspersky displayed advertisements for its products throughout its interface, this year, the publisher has decided to play the card of discretion, which we thank him for doing.

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Best Computer Speakers 2016 Buying Guide

You may be looking to upgrade your speakers in order to improve your gaming experience, or you may need high quality audio for a large space – regardless of what your requirements are, you will find that choosing from the wide range of computer speakers on the market can prove to be an overwhelming task. However, with the right information, you will be able to make the process easier, simpler and more successful. From two simple speakers that have limited functionality to a seven speaker system that is all-encompassing, here are a few key pointers in choosing the best sound system for your needs.

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There are several points to take into consideration when you are comparing the different speaker systems available; and the following advice will help you to make the most of these.

Understanding Speaker Specs

Deciding on the specifications of the speakers you need, and making a list of them, will help you to more easily compare the specs of different types of speakers, making the process easier.

What Is Frequency Response?

Each speaker can produce a specific range of frequency; the frequency response (measured in Hertz) tells you the range of that particular speaker. The volume a speaker is able to produce is determined by the frequency and the audio signal it is given. A flat frequency response occurs when a speaker’s volume is able to remain the same even when the frequency is changed.

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Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Review

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On October 6th we attended the event Microsoft® called ‘Windows 10 Devices’ in which, along with new terminals of the range of Lumia, presented the renewal of its Pro range of convertibles. If you’re thinking about getting one, do not miss our analysis of the Surface Pro 4, the most anticipated convertible by Microsoft®.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4

Since its birth, in early 2013, the Surface Pro family has two basic principles. First, to combine under the same manufacturer both hardware (the computer itself), and software, allowing an excellent level of optimization. The second premise, also related to the union, is to offer the best of two worlds: the portability of a tablet and the power of a laptop.

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Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 Review

The good: unsurpassed protection against malware. Its various phishing shields protect you from Internet fraud in virtually all situations. It is the fastest and at the same time, along with Norton Security, the one that consumes less computer resources. Its optimization tools are simple and extremely useful.

The bad: its interface can be improved. We miss some form of parental control, a boot disk or the available space for Internet backups.

Conclusion: Though the competition is becoming closer, as in the case of Kaspersky and Norton you could say that they’re almost close on its heels, Bitdefender still remains, this year, the best antivirus for Windows and Mac. It definitely needs to be more generous when it comes to including some additional tools, such as those mentioned above.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016 – a Review

This protection software of Romanian origin, made big brands such as Norton or Kaspersky to get down from their high horse, and it’s becoming quite a habit for it to lead the lists of best antivirus for PC and Mac this year. We will explain you the reasons one by one.

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Netgear R6400-100NAS AC1750 Router Review

Certainly nowadays there are a lot of routers on the market which offer higher wireless speeds than the Netgear R6400-100NAS AC1750 with its 450 Mbit/s in the 2.4 GHz the field of instrumentation and its 1300 Mbit/s in the 5 GHz range and most of them even have an eSATA port. However, these routers are also significantly more expensive than the Netgear R6400-100NAS AC1750.

Netgear R6400-100NAS

And if we are honest, the vast majority of users won’t need an eSATA port and even the 450 Mbit/s in the 2.4 GHz range are more than enough for streaming movies lag-free in HD quality on one device while one plays a network game on another device. And then there are still the 1300 Mbit/s in the 5 GHz range, that can be used simultaneously in parallel with the 450 Mbit in the 2.4 GHz range. To be able to use the full capacity of the Netgear R6400-100NAS AC1750 in the WLAN area, most DSL lines in private households are undersized.

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