Mar 12
In the launch of NVIDIA’s next generation of notebook-aimed graphics processors, a series of manufacturers have stepped up to bring the first wave in with thinness. Groups such as MSI, … Continue reading
Feb 19
AVADirect is now offering the newly unveiled NVIDIA GTX Titan graphics processing unit in its high-quality, custom-built computers. AVA Direct is a custom computer manufacturer that builds high-end computers designed to meet the latest and greatest in the advances of computer technology. They’re on the same line as other custom system manufacturers like Cyberpower, Digital Storm, Falcon Northwest, Geekbox, IBUYPOWER, Maingear, Origin PC, Puget Systems, V3 Gaming, and Velocity Micro.
So you can expect that when NVIDIA announced the Titan, AVADirect was all over it. The NVIDIA GTX Titan GPU includes and improves existing NVIDIA features, like NVIDIA adaptive veritical sync and NVIDIA Surround. It offers support for 3-way SLI and support for up to 4 displays. It also supports up to 4k resolutions and the DirectX 11.1 API. The GPU will cost $999, have 2,688 CUDA cores, 6GB of GDDR5 RAM, and 7.1 billion transistors.
The NVIDIA GTX Titan is a very powerful, and very efficient GPU, one that NVIDIA claims as “the most powerful GPU on the planet”. It is designed with pro-gaming in mind and will meet all the needs of even the most demanding games out there, like Crysis 3. The Titan will be one of the greatest tools in any pro-gamer’s arsenal.
Of course, at the $1000 price-tag, the Titan won’t be for everyone. AVADirect, however, will offer the Titan in customized computer builds that will still be relatively affordable. Its goal is to get the GPU to as many consumers as possible, because while it may be a highly coveted, powerful GPU, it shouldn’t be unattainable. Check AVADirect’s site out in the coming days to see its updated system configurations. Also, check out the timeline below to check the latest news regarding NVIDIA’s innovations.
[via AVADirect]
AVADirect is now offering the NVIDIA GTX Titan GPU is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 18
AVADirect, a company that specializes in custom-built computers, laptops, and server systems, has announced a world’s first. Their new 2U four-way server system is the first of its kind to house four NVIDIA Tesla graphics cards. The company says that “never has the industry seen or utilized such a solution,” until now.
AVADirect also partnered up with ASUS and used the company’s ESC4000 G2 Black 2U server platform to bring some respectable hardware to these new server units. On the inside, you can store up to 512GB of DDR3 RAM, with room for eight PCI-E 3.0 16x expansion cards (including those four Tesla units).
You’ll also find eight SATA ports with multiple RAID configurations, eight hot-swappable hard drive bays, and a 1+1 Redundant 1,620W 80PLUS Platinum power supply. That’s certainly a lot of firepower that must be treated carefully. AVADirect says that these new units are meant for render farms, imagine generators, rack-mounted graphics workstations, and multi-display workstations.
Of course, AVADirect will let you customize the new server system to fit your needs, and their website offers a ton of different configurations. However, the company’s recommended build costs just shy of $5,250, so if you’re serious about getting some major computing power in your hands, you better be saving up right this instant.
AVADirect announces world’s first quad NVIDIA Tesla server system is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 10
Custom PC-building company AVADirect has been in the business for awhile, and we’ve checked out some of their solutions in the past, but today they have announced what they call a “one-of-a-kind Supermicro rack-mountable system” that allows a quad-SLI NVIDIA graphics setup alongside additional expansion cards for the first time ever.
The company says that this solution allows users to have best of both worlds when it comes to graphics and expansion cards, since the tower can fit up to four graphics cards while still making room for additional cards for other purposes. AVADirect says that most other similar solutions don’t offer the same flexibility.
The motherboard featured in the default configuration (Super X9DRG-QF) offers four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, two PCI-Express 3.0 x8 slots, and one PCI-Express 2.0 x4 slots. So essentially, you could pop in four graphics cards and still have three slots left over for expansion cards like a RAID controller or a network card.
AVADirect says that this kind of flexibility “truly shines and stands out from other configurations” that are offered by competitors. The system also supports Intel Xeon E5 processors and up to 512GB of ECC-registered memory or 192GB of ECC un-buffered memory. On top of all this, there’s eight 3.5-inch hot-swap bays, and a massive 1620-watt redundant power supply to run the show. Of course, it won’t be cheap. AVADirect’s recommended build costs over $2,600.
AVADirect releases “one-of-a-kind” quad-SLI rack tower system is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Oct 16
Welcome to Tuesday evening everyone. Today was a pretty big day as far as news goes, with Apple sending out invites to an upcoming event, which is where we’re assuming the company will announce the iPad Mini. Not one to be outdone, Microsoft finally gave us some substantial details on Surface today (including information on pre-orders), and Samsung was right there to put its line up of new Windows 8 PCs and tablets up for pre-order as well.
We heard that there could be as many as 24 different iPad Mini models when Apple finally gets around to revealing the device, and we got to see the insides of the new iPod Nano thanks a teardown from iFixit. Excited for the Padfone 2? If you are, you’ll be pleased to know that its tablet dock can stand up to some abuse. We found out that Intel’s Q3 profits were negatively influenced by slowing demand for PCs, and heard that the average screen size is on the rise for all types of devices except for “mobile PCs.”
A mysterious Texas Instruments-made chip was found lurking inside Apple’s Lightning cable today, and Verizon is catching some heat for monitoring user activity. PlayMG revealed a dedicated Android gaming device called the MG, and AVADirect put a number of Windows 8 PCs up for pre-order today. We heard that T-Mobile might be getting the iPhone 5 early next year, and were told that LTE customers in the US pay 10 times more than LTE customers in Sweden. If you’re a hardcore gamer, you might be pleased to find out that the rechargeable battery in the Wii U Pro controller could potentially last up to 80 hours on a single charge, and you also might want to check out this snazzy Black Ops II launch trailer.
Bethesda might be working on a new piece of Skyrim DLC called Dragonborn, and controversial company Foxconn admitted to hiring underage workers today. The Xbox 360 was given a new dashboard update, Beats Audio unveiled a new portable speaker that has been aptly named “The Pill,” and Boxee announced a new service called Boxee TV. Finally tonight, we have a review of the LG Optimus G and the Motorola DROID RAZR HD, both by Chris Burns, and Vincent Nguyen talks with Microsoft to get the inside scoop on what makes the Surface such a game-changer. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night!
SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: October 16, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Oct 16
AVADirect, one of the largest custom PC manufacturers, is now taking pre-orders for custom-built Windows 8 PCs. AVADirect currently only offers Windows 7 and Linux options with their pre-built machines, but like other computer manufacturers, AVADirect will be offering Windows 8 starting on October 26.
AVADirect notes that “orders placed a week prior to release may be delayed by 3-4 days.” The company says this is dependent on the number of Windows 8 copies it receives during the first shipment, which could mean that AVADirect may sell out of copies of Windows 8, and you may not get your custom-built Windows 8 machine right on release day.
Microsoft will officially release Windows 8 on October 26 during their launch event in New York City. The company has already had free preview versions of the operating system available for download during the past few months, so if you didn’t get the chance to try it out, or if you’re just waiting for the final version, next Friday will be the day.
It’s estimated that Microsoft will spend anywhere from $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion on its marketing campaign for Windows 8, which is more than any company has ever spent on marketing for one of its products. It looks like the company is going big with Windows 8, and more so than any of their past products. Let’s hope it pays off.
AVADirect Windows 8 PCs now available for pre-order is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Aug 15
AVADirect has a new Intel-based system for all of you touchscreen fanatics out there. Today the company announced the availability of the Intel CAP08, a new all-in-one system with a 21.5-inch full HD LED LCD screen. The price isn’t too bad for what you’re getting in the package, but as always with AVADirect, you can swap out some of the components to make it a bit more powerful.
The system as it’s offered by AVADirect comes in at $777.61, and includes a Intel Pentium G620 dual-core processor at 2.6GHz, 4GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, a Seagate Momentus 750GB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium, a Samsung Slim Black 8x DVD Burner, and an Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000 card. As we said, not too bad, but you can bump a lot of components up to make this all-in-one unit a bit more powerful. Alternatively, you can bring them down a little to make it even more affordable, but you’ll probably want to avoid doing that if you can.
Other than the hardware, the Intel CAP08 comes with a built-in multi-card reader, 2 USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, built-in speakers, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Again, you aren’t working with a lot, but that’s to be expected from all-in-one systems. The system also comes wall mount-ready, and we have to say that it does look pretty sleek, so despite some of its shortcomings, at least it has looks going for it.
Aside from being able to upgrade the included hardware, you can also choose to add new equipment. Additions include Bluetooth modules, external TV tuners, routers and wireless access points, mice, productivity and antivirus software, and external storage devices. You’ve got a ton of options with the Intel CAP08, so even though it’s a little underwhelming at first, that can be easily changed if you’re willing to shell out some additional cash. You could potentially turn this all-in-one system into quite the beast, so if you’re interested, you can swap out components to your heart’s desire at AVADirect’s website.
Intel CAP08 All-in-One system arrives at AVADirect is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 20
Today SlashGear has a real treat for those of you looking for no less than a top of the line gaming tower. This is the AVADirect Quiet Gaming PC build we’ve got here is a lovely combination of white plastic, metal, massive amounts of power, and processing so quiet it’s scary. This is without a doubt the most impressive PC I personally have reviewed for SlashGear, and with the custom build we’ve got waiting for you in this hands-on look, I fully expect you’re going to be scrambling to break your piggy bank to count up to $2019.16 USD to buy your own. Check it out!
Case
This case is massive, gigantic, and certainly not made for hauling around to LAN parties – there’s no handles here, folks. Instead this machine is made to remain stationary, made with so many fans and air ducts that it’ll never, ever get hot (it might, but we’ve not seen it yet), and it’s clean. This machine looks fabulous, with a classy white combination of plastic and metal parts and safety bumpers all around so there’s no clunks or clanks when you’re opening or shutting doors.
The front of the machine has a flat aluminum shape to it with a couple of peek-holes you’ll be able to see in the hands-on look at the machine in the video above. This front panel is a door which reveals your DVD drive, memory card ports, and whatever else you want to attach in the racks on racks on racks available throughout the front of the machine. This machine comes with room for so much customizability right out of the box it’s absurd.
The back of this AVADirect tower has a massive collection of ports which you’ll read about below and will be able to see in the hands-on video above. It’s all very neatly arranged, and up on top of the tower you’ve got a few more for good measure. The bottom of this case has that unique boost not just for your visual pleasure, but so air can move through the machine top to bottom. The bottom is open so air can travel through the case downward, upward, out the back, and out the front as well – there are fans behind that door up front and there’s a dust catch you can remove and clean underneath as well!
You’ve also got two distinctive sides to this machine, with the right side having a small area for cords to rest in, keeping them clear of the other side which is the deep home for all of your massive bits of next-level gear. For those of you that love lights, you’ll find a few well-placed green LEDs sitting down deep in the guts, blinking like it’s no big deal, while a couple of white lights shine up front through those crevices mentioned above so you know the machine has been turned on. Again – if you didn’t have a monitor plugged in to show you that the beast was turning on, you might never know it for how silent it is – that’s what the lights are for.
Sound Levels
With this build you’ll find a total of seven fans, eight if you count the one attached to the 3rd Gen Intel Core i7 hardware. With that many fans you might expect quite a bit of rustling to be going on inside this box, but no. You have to get up within a foot of this device to hear it make a sound – it’s that quiet. This device has SPCR Certification for quietness. This means that it must run under 20dBA at idle as well as under 27dBA under maximum load. Check out more about SPCR Certified PCs to get an in-depth idea of what this means for your own gaming room. Don’t expect to be lulled asleep by the hum of this machine – there really isn’t any.
Custom Build
This monster has a set of specifications that I do not hesitate to say are a dream for our modern age of gaming. In addition to the massive amount of ports you get on the top and back of this machine, prepping you for any and all display, 3rd party connection, and memory card situations, you’ve got processing and graphics power that’ll blow your socks off. You’ll notice at this point that I’m having trouble finding much that I do not like about this system, and for that I apologize – I’m a sucker for fantastically constructed machines.
QUIET GAMING PC, Core™ i5 / i7 Z77 Low-Noise Custom Gaming System
• NZXT H2 Classic Silent White Mid-Tower Case, ATX, No PSU, Steel/Plastic
• ANTEC TruePower New TP-750 Power Supply, 80 PLUS®, 750W, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, One 6-pin + Two 8-pin PCIe, SLI Certified
• ASUS P8Z77-V LX, LGA1155, Intel® Z77, DDR3-2400 (O.C) 32GB /4, PCIe x16, SATA 3Gb/s RAID 5 /4, 6Gb/s /2, HDMI + DVI + VGA, USB 3.0 /4, HDA, GbLAN, ATX, Retail
• Intel Core™ i7-3770K Quad-Core 3.5 – 3.9GHz TB, HD Graphics 4000, LGA1155, 8MB L3 Cache, 22nm, 77W, EM64T EIST HT VT-x XD, Retail
• PROLIMATECH Megahalems Rev. B CPU Heatsink w/ Dual 120mm NB-Blacknoise SilentPro PL-1 Ultra Quiet Fan, Socket 1155/1156/1366/775, Nickel Plated Copper, Retail
• Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound, Polysynthetic Silver, Electrically Non-Conductive
• CRUCIAL, 16GB (4 x 4GB) Ballistix Tactical Tracer w/ LEDs PC3-14900 DDR3 1866MHz CL9 (9-9-9-27) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
• NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 670 950MHz, 2GB GDDR5 5000MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2x DVI + HDMI + DP, OEM
• OCZ, 120GB Vertex 3 SSD, MLC SandForce SF-2281, 550/500 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, Retail
• Western Digital 1.5TB WD Caviar® Green™ (WD15EARX), SATA 6 Gb/s, IntelliPower™, 64MB Cache
• SONY AD-7280S Black 24x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner, SATA, OEM
• SABRENT CRW-UINB Black 65-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Drive, 3.5″ Bay, Internal USB
• CUSTOM WIRING, Standard Wiring with Precision Cable Routing and Tie-Down
• Smart Drive NEO Standard Silent Hard Disk Drive Enclosure, 5.25″
• Lamptron Deluxe Black Shakeproof PSU Gasket Silencer
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM
• Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)
This build will cost you, again, a total of $2,019.16 in all, and if you’re wondering how much it cost to ship from the AVADirect facilities in Twinsberg, Ohio to where this review is taking place in Saint Paul, Minnesota here it is: $58.23. Not so devastating a shipping cost at all. Especially considering how well it was packaged – they even stuffed the inside of the unit with padding to assure nothing wiggled loose!
Benchmark Results and Performance
Have a peek at our standard test results here picked up by GeekBench. You’ll find that nowhere in our history of Desktop Reviews will you find a more powerful system, and of course the Laptop Reviews don’t stand a chance either.
Benchmark Score – System manufacturer System Product Name
| Section | Description | Score | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows x86 (64-bit) – Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) | |||
| Integer | Processor integer performance | 15912 | 19077 |
| Floating Point | Processor floating point performance | 29323 | |
| Memory | Memory performance | 10950 | |
| Stream | Memory bandwidth performance | 10551 | |
We tested out Batman: Arkham City and we tested out Portal 2, Skyrim and Crysis 2, we played some HD videos and we rocked out a couple monitors at a time – and there’s nothing, no waiting time, everything is swift – it’s like this machine was made for the future. Have a peek at some more of the inner bits of the machine here as well:
System – System manufacturer System Product Name
| Manufacturer | AVADirect | Product Type | Desktop |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) | ||
| Motherboard | ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. P8Z77-V LX | ||
| Processor | Intel Core i7-3770K | ||
| Processor ID | GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9 | ||
| Processor Frequency | 3.50 GHz | Processors | 1 |
| Threads | 8 | Cores | 4 |
| L1 Instruction Cache | 32.0 KB | L1 Data Cache | 32.0 KB |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | L3 Cache | 8.00 MB |
| Memory | 16.0 GB DDR3 SDRAM 934MHz | FSB | 100 MHz |
| BIOS | American Megatrends Inc. 0610 | ||
The Bottom Line
This machine is well worth the cash you’re going to pay for it. For the couple thousand dollars you’re going to drop on this exact build you still couldn’t get the least expensive Mac Pro, and I dare you to find a more well put together PC for this kind of cash. This custom-made conglomeration of top-tier gamer-friendly parts makes me want to forget about factory built machines entirely. There’s just no going back after this.
If you’re not all about having the best of the best or have no use for processing and graphics power that’s going to blow you away with even the most heavy games on the market, this build is not worth the cash. You can pick up the standard build of this machine – with the silence, the case, and slightly lower power than what we’ve got here for $1107.51 from AVADirect too – that’s probably going to be good enough for most gamers out there on its own.
If however you want the most powerful, silent, and aesthetically pleasing gaming PC on the market, this is it. You can grab it from AVADirect’s online store today – and don’t forget to customize!
AVADirect Quiet Gaming PC Custom System (Z77, Core i7 Ivy Bridge) Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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