Now that details about Intel’s upcoming Skylake-X LGA2066 processors have been officially announced, we can finally reveal some of the new motherboards that ASUS has designed for this new HEDT X299 ‘Basin Falls’ platform. As we have come to expect from ASUS there is a diverse range of models split between the Prime, TUF, and ROG series.

Although we don’t yet have access to full specifications lists, given the capabilities of the Skylake-X processors – like a quad-channel memory controller and up to 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes – all of the motherboards share certain obvious characteristics like eight DDR4 memory slots, a ton of PCIe slots, at least two full-speed M.2 slots, and both 8-pin and 4-pin CPU/EPS power connectors to handle the elevated power draw of high core count processors. Since it is the feature du jour all of the models also have some form of AURA RGB LED lightning. As you will see below, with so many PCIe lanes coming from the CPU and even more from the chipset, these X299 motherboards have an unprecendented amount of expansion and storage connectivity.

Source: AnandTech – ASUS Unveils Seven X299 Motherboards: Prime, TUF and ROG

Dell has introduced its first all-in-one PC based on AMD Ryzen microprocessor. The new Inspiron 27 7000-series expands options for those seeking for a system featuring AMD’s latest CPU and is also among the first computers from a top PC OEM to feature Ryzen. Dell will offer multiple configurations of the new Inspiron 27 7775-series computers, some of which will feature a 4K display, an eight-core CPU and 32 GB of memory. Meanwhile, entry-level Inspiron 27 7775-series starts at $999.99.

AIO PCs are gaining traction for many reasons these days; space-saving, style, prices and ease-of-deployment are among them. As with any growing product category, we see segmentation into numerous directions: some systems are getting more sophisticated, the others are getting more affordable and everything in the middle is getting very diverse. With its Inspiron 27 7775-series Dell is targeting two different segments: performance mainstream and premium. This is actually an uneasy thing to do in case of an all-in-one system. The former segment demands maximum value (so, customers are still somewhat price-conscious), the latter segment demands maximum performance, which comes at a price and high-TDP. Creating an AIO platform that could fit a variety of components and appeal to different kinds of audiences is a challenge and it appears that Dell has succeeded in cracking it.

The Dell Inspiron 27 7775 offers two CPU/GPU/PSU options targeted at different kinds of customers. The quad-core AMD Ryzen 5 1400 is accompanied by the AMD Radeon RX 560 with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 180 W PSU. Meanwhile at the high-end there is the considerably more powerful eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 1700 paired with AMD’s Radeon RX 580 with 8 GB of GDDR5 and a 330 W PSU (this one is going to carry Dell’s “VR Ready” badge). Keep in mind that there will be different configurations available across the world, so you might see different combinations of CPU and GPU rather than the “base” configs mentioned above (still, the higher-end GPU requires a more powerful PSU). Dell does not explicitly disclose whether the Ryzen 5/Radeon RX 560-based AIOs come with an FHD display – whereas the Ryzen 7/Radeon RX 580 SKU features a 4K screen –  but from an end-user point of view it is logical to get a higher-performance PC with a higher-res monitor.

When it comes to DRAM and storage options, everything gets a little trickier. Dell offers a variety of memory configs, including dual-channel 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB options as well as single-channel 8 GB, 12 GB and 16 GB options. As for storage, Dell has affordable models with a 1 TB HDD (with either 5400 or 7200 RPM spindle speed) as well as more advanced dual-drive solutions featuring a 256 GB PCIe/NVMe SSD plus a 1 TB HDD.

Next up is connectivity. The Dell Inspiron 27 7775-series offers 2×2/1×1 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, a GbE port, one USB 3.1 Type-C connector, one USB 3.1 Type-A port, three USB 3.0 Type-A headers, two USB 2.0 ports, one HDMI output, one HDMI input, one DisplayPort 1.2, an SD/MMC card reader, a 720p webcam with an IR sensor for facial recognition, a microphone array and so forth. Finally, the systems feature a front-shooting stereo audio sub-system co-tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro.

Dell’s Inspiron 27 7775 will be available in different configurations across many regions and the manufacturer does not specify which machines will be available where and when. The only thing that Dell discloses is that the new units are set to be available in the U.S. already in May starting at $999.99.

Related Reading:

• Dell Launches ‘VR Ready’ XPS 27 AIO: 4K, Core i7-7700, Radeon RX 570, 10 Speakers
• The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X vs Core i5 Review: Twelve Threads vs Four at $250
• The AMD Zen and Ryzen 7 Review: A Deep Dive on 1800X, 1700X and 1700
• ASUS Launches the Zen AiO ZN270IE: A 27-inch Full HD Core i7 All-In-One
• ASUS Designo Curve MX34VQ Incoming: 34″ Ultrawide Curved Display with Qi Charging
• The Microsoft Surface Studio Review
• Microsoft Announces the Surface Studio: 28-inch AIO with Touch, Pen, 4500×3000, Skylake, GTX 980M

Source: AnandTech – Dell Launches Inspiron 27 7775 AIO: 8-Core AMD Ryzen 7, Radeon RX 580, 4K LCD

Imagine the scenario where you have a monster gaming PC, but you also use the same area to support a few internet connected consoles. Or that the Wi-Fi router for the environment doesn’t actually reach that far, and the home could help assist with wider coverage. Rivet Networks, the company behind the Killer networking chips (originally Bigfoot, before being acquired by Qualcomm then spun back out again), is offering OEMs another plus point in their product functionality by offering such a solution.

The concept is this: if a system has three network ports and/or Wi-Fi, and all the ports are Killer based (E2500 for NICs, Killer AC1535 for Wi-Fi), then Rivet will provide a license to use the new xTend software. This allows a user to run the PC in one part of the house, and forgo the $25 cost of an unmanaged network switch or $50 for a Wi-Fi extender by giving it on the motherboard. My personal example use case is the one above: having one cable from the home router to the main PC, which is then hooked up to consoles and a NAS – rather than one cable per device all going back to a router or having an extra couple of cables for a switch.

Rivet’s argument here is that, for the high-end systems at least, adding a couple of network ports is relatively cheap (think ~$1 each), and given the flexibility with Intel chipsets in the Z270 platform and newer, a good gaming board should easily be able to accommodate. The implementation can use the Wi-Fi card (if one is present) to both connect to the home router and be used as an access point in one by time-slicing between the two.

Recently the Killer software has been updated to a new UI, so if anyone uses the old Qualcomm UI then it’s worth checking out the new one (if only because I gave some small direction in the design). xTend will be built into this new UI, along with the standard priority settings that the Killer ecosystem allows for different traffic types. Nominally the Killer software offers six levels of priority, with the default being priority 4. All mass download / update systems get the lowest priority (six), while VOIP sits at the top, followed by gaming. With this xTend feature, all traffic going from other devices through the main PC will be classified as priority 4, although this may change (offering per-device configuration) in future software revisions.

Killer xTend was accidentally (?) announced with the launch of MSI’s new Z270 Godlike Gaming motherboard, which uses three E2500 network ports and the Killer 1535 Wi-Fi module. We are told to expect it to appear on other MSI products, as well as an implementation slightly different from GIGABYTE by way of a bundled PCIe card featuring up to 3 additional network ports. It would be interesting to see a PC with several of those cards included, for a home-made 24-port Killer switch.

Related Reading

• Kaby Lake Motherboards at $140: MSI Z270 SLI Plus vs. ASRock Z270 Killer SLI
• Linksys WRT32X Gaming Router Announced with Killer Prioritization Engine from Rivet Networks
• Dell Updates XPS 13 with Intel’s Kaby Lake, Killer Wi-Fi, Now Also in Rose Gold
• Rivet Networks Launches the Killer E2500 Network Controller: Website Detection, New UI

Source: AnandTech – Rivet Networks Announces Killer xTend: Turning a Gaming PC into a Switch and Wi-Fi AP