Whether you are a business person, a gamer, or a creator, you will need external storage devices at some point. An external SSD is an indispensable device for data backup. What should you do if your external SSD performance slows down? What are the reasons for slowing down? Today we'll sort out the possible causes for you to understand what's wrong with your external SSD. Table of Contents Check for physical damage Check and replace the USB cable or USB slot Remove viruses and enable anti-virus software Free up space on your drive Issues Related to Drive Operation Here are Two Checks and Two Cleanups to help you determine what might be wrong with your external SSD! Check for physical damage When it takes a long time to open a file in the external SSD, your external SSD is likely corrupted. If you're using the SSD that has an LED on it, for this issue, you can check the LEDs on the external SSD. If the LED does not blink normally when the external SSD is connected, the external SSD is abnormal and may need to be repaired. Check and replace the USB cable or USB slot Another possible reason for an external SSD slowing down is a faulty USB connection. You can first check whether the USB cable or the USB slot on the computer is damaged. If the cable and device are not damaged, it is likely, the speed of the connector does not match the speed of the slot. Connecting a USB 3.2 external SSD to a non-USB 3.2 slot will result in a speed performance difference. Remove viruses and enable anti-virus software If your external SSD is infected by viruses or malware, its transfer speed could slow down. Enable the anti-virus software immediately to resolve the slow speed caused by the virus and save your data in the SSD. Free up space on your drive When the external SSD almost reached its total capacity, its file opening speed could slow down. You can effectively free up storage space on your external SSD by organizing SSD data, such as deleting junk files and useless data or backing up some of your files to other storage devices. Issues Related to Drive Operation The operation of your drive is closely related to the operation of the external SSD, not only when your SSD functions normally but also when your SSD malfunctions. We have sorted the leading causes that occur on your drive given as follows: 1、If your SSD is not getting sufficient power Different SSDs have their specific starting and operating currents. However, all USB ports provide the same amount of power. Sometimes, the power required to drive some external SSDs can exceed the power supplied by the USB port. If you don't have sufficient power to start your external SSD drive, we recommend buying a USB hub with an external power supply, connecting one end to the USB port on your computer and the other to the external SSD. 2、If you multitask on your drive With too many applications working on the drive simultaneously, for example, downloading files, watching videos, playing music, and copying data simultaneously, your external SSD performance might suffer from having too many applications working simultaneously. Or, if you download too many files to an external SSD simultaneously, there may inevitably be a massive traffic flow. Thus, executing one command or file transfer operation at a time is recommended to ensure that the external SSD operates above a certain transfer speed. 3、If your external SSD is about to break down It is not the most desperate thing if your external SSD is becoming obsolete or corrupted. Instead, the most frightening thing is when your SSD is about to crash. Even if you take good care of your external SSD, the lifespan of the storage device is still limited based on TBW. In addition to regularly updating and cleaning your drive, you should also prepare multiple storage devices to distribute and back up your data properly. We hope that this explanation is helpful to you all. Want to know more about other product tips? Please follow our article! We'll see you next time!
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To do a good job, an artisan needs the best tools. Creators must first get to know their tools at hand at the first stage of the creative process. In addition to a high-end camera, top memory cards for the camera also play a crucial role for creators. Creators usually impose specific requirements for the capacity and specifications of memory cards. What should we pay attention to when buying high-end memory cards? I have organized the relevant knowledge and will share them with you today! Table of Contents CFexpress Card SD Card CFexpress Card CFexpress cards use PCIe 3.0 interface, offering higher transfer speeds. CFexpress cards are larger than typical SD cards, allowing larger capacities in TB grade. CFexpress cards are often suitable for creators using filmmaking video cameras or single-lens reflex cameras. These filmmaking video cameras or single-lens reflex cameras that are compatible with CFexpress cards can produce the resolution required in microfilms that have started a few years ago or well-known blockbusters shown in theater chains. SD Card According to the SD Association, there are four capacity specifications of SD Cards: Type Storage Capacity SD 2GB and below SDHC more than 2GB and up to 32GB SDXC more than 32GB and up to 2TB SDUC more than 2TB and up to 128TB Hardware devices that can load memory cards are backward-compatible. For example, SDXC-compatible devices can use and support SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards. SDHC-compatible devices can use and support both SD and SDHC memory cards but not SDXC cards. High-end SD cards have a large capacity and excellent read/write speed. The read speed is related to file transfer and data backup, while the write speed is associated with high-end cameras’ burst mode and photography features. For example, I compared the T-CREATE EXPERT SDXC UHS-II U3 V60 and V90 memory cards. The V90 is faster compared to the V60. Next, take as an example two YouTube creators - A and B. Creator A usually films travel vlogs, therefore T-CREATE EXPERT SDXC UHS-II U3 V60 is suitable for this type of creation demand. While creator B needs to make large and ultra-high-quality content, thus T-CREATE EXPERT SDXC UHS-II U3 V90 having a higher speed can allow creators to record videos in high quality. Creators should pick out suitable high-end memory cards by considering their creation demands and camera compatibility in terms of speed. I hope that this simple summary on memory card selection is helpful for you.
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Entering the era of DDR5, Intel and AMD have launched "XMP" and "EXPO" memory overclocking technologies, respectively. However, many gamers wonder if the DDR5 they purchased can achieve "cross-platform" overclocking display switching while maintaining overclocking performance. We heard the desire from the majority of players for cross-platform overclocking. Today, We will use the following information to help quench your thirst. Table of Contents T-FORCE DELTAα RGB DDR5→Intel Platform T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5→AMD Platform Conclusion TEAMGROUP has launched overclocking DDR5 specifically supporting the Intel platform and AMD platform, which are 1. T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 with Intel platform XMP 3.0overclocking support 2. T-FORCE DELTAα RGB DDR5 with AMD platform EXPO overclocking support Today, we will use these two DDR5 models to conduct cross-platform overclocking tests on Intel platform Z790 and AMD platform X670 from ASROCK, ASUS, GIGABYTE and MSI and present the screenshots for cross-platform overclocking switching for your reference. T-FORCE DELTAα RGB DDR5→Intel Platform The following are screenshots for cross-platform overclocking of the T-FORCE DELTAα RGB DDR5-6000(for EXPO) from four board manufacturers: GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS MASTER The figure above is a screenshot of T-FORCE DELTAα RGB DDR5 in Z790 AORUS MASTER. After manually entering the BIOS, you can see from the screenshot that XMP/EXPO - XMP 1 was displayed, indicating that basic parameters were recognized and the switching was successfully done. ASROCK Z790 Taichi Carrara The figure above is a screenshot of T-FORCE DELTAα RGB DDR5 in Z790 Taichi Carrara. After entering the BIOS manually, you can see from the screenshot that the Load XMP Setting was displayed, indicating that basic parameters were recognized and the switching was successfully done. ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO The figure above is a screenshot of T-FORCE DELTAα RGB DDR5 in ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO. As you can see, the unique feature of ASUS is that after entering the BIOS manually, D.O.C.P. I. was displayed. This is an ASUS customization to indicate successful switching from the XMP→EXPO display, and basic parameters are recognized. MSI MPG Z790 CARBON WIFI The figure above is a screenshot of T-FORCE DELTAα RGB DDR5 in MSI MPG Z790 CARBON WIFI. After entering the BIOS manually, you can see from the screenshot that the Load XMP Setting was displayed, indicating that basic parameters were recognized and the switching was successfully done. T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5→AMD Platform The following is a screenshot of the cross-platform overclocking using the T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-6000 from four board manufacturers: GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER The figure above is a screenshot of the T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 in X670E AORUS MASTER. After manually entering the BIOS, you can see from the screenshot that XMP / EXPO - XMP 1 was displayed, indicating that basic parameters were recognized and the switching was successfully done. ASROCK X670E Taichi Carrara The figure above is a screenshot of the T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 in X670E Taichi Carrara. After manually entering the BIOS, you can see from the first screenshot that XMP1-6000 was displayed. The second screenshot verified that the frequency was 6000MT/s, indicating that basic parameters were recognized and the switching was successfully done. ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO The figure above is a screenshot of the T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 in ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO. You will discover the unique feature of ASUS. You can see from the screenshot that DOCP I was displayed (D.O.C.P. I was displayed for XMP→EXPO). This ASUS customization indicates successful switching from EXPO→XMP display, and basic parameters were recognized. MSI MPG X670E CARBON WIFI With the MSI board, you will also discover a relatively unique feature. You can see from the screenshot that A-XMP was displayed. This MSI customization indicates successful display switching, and basic parameters were recognized. Kind reminder Regarding the AMD platform, cross-platform overclocking display switching is possible. However, it remains to be seen whether the actual overclocking performance can be retained and whether the booting procedure can be completed. Currently, the AMD platform only supports up to DDR5-6000 frequency in terms of stability but allows EXPO→XMP switching and retains overclocking performance. If you got the memory DDR5-6000, you could have cross-platform overclocking performance on both Intel and AMD platforms. However, if you got the memory with specifications above DDR5-6000, basic parameters will be recognized on the AMD platform, and the display switching indicator will be displayed. However, all high speed overclocking DRAMs need to pair with the same high level of motherboards and CPUs to make overclocking performance successfully. You should be aware of that! For this part, you can refer to the following figure: a screenshot of T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-7200 in X670E AORUS MASTER and ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO. You will discover that both boards can read T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-7200, indicating that the switching was successfully done. However, the frequency was only around 5200MT/s rather than 7200MT/s, indicating that the default value of the board was used for booting. Conclusion To conclude, We compiled the verification of the EXPO→XMP and XMP→EXPO switching prepared exquisitely by TEAMGROUP and would like to provide a kind reminder to everyone. It is not that important as to whether the DDR5 itself is a Combo since major board manufacturers nowadays have been able to achieve display switching. However, the overclocking performance after switching will vary, depending on the technology that Intel and AMD platforms support. We hope you all have a better understanding of Cross-platform Overclocking. See you next time!
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With the arrival of the PCIe Gen5 SSD, cooling for SSDs has become increasingly important. PCIe is all the rage when it comes to high-speed data transmission interfaces. Table of Contents Read/write speed of PCIe SSDs SIREN DUO360 All-in-One ARGB CPU & SSD Cooler Working principle Temperature difference Read/write speed of PCIe SSDs In recent years, PCIe SSDs have rapidly evolved from a read/write speed of up to 3,500/3,000 M B/s with PCIe Gen3 SSDs, to 7,400/7,000 M B/s with Gen4 , and up to 12,000/10,000 M B/s with Gen5. As the read/write speed of PCIe SSDs has multiplied, the power consumption has also increased. As a result, the operating temperature of PCIe SSDs has risen significantly. Therefore, TEAMGROUP launched the T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 ARGB CPU & SSD all-in-one liquid cooler, which is designed to provide an excellent cooling solution for high-performance PCIe Gen5 SSDs. SIREN DUO360 All-in-One ARGB CPU & SSD Cooler Today, we will explore how the T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 can effectively cool the T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD recently launched by TEAMGROUP . The T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 ARGB CPU & SSD all-in-one liquid cooler features a dual water block design consisting of CPU and SSD water blocks. From the graph below, we can see the cooling performance of the CPU and SSD water blocks. The former reduces the CPU temperature by 29%, while the latter reduces the SSD temperature by 30%. Working principle Next, let's talk about the working principle. First, the radiator with a high-speed water pump at 4000 rpm drives the liquid to flow from the inlet tube to the SSD water block, reducing the SSD temperature. Next, the SSD's outlet tube dissipates the heat. The liquid enters the CPU water block to reduce the CPU temperature. Then, the CPU's outlet tube removes the heat. Finally, the liquid flows back to the radiator. Accompanied by three 120 mm ARGB hydraulic-bearing fans featuring high static pressure and large air volume, the large 360 mm radiator with a high-density jet fin rapidly cools down the liquid to complete the thermodynamic cycle and achieve excellent overall cooling performance. Read more: Is a Liquid CPU Cooler Better Than the Air Cooler? Things You Need to Know Before Buying a CPU Cooler. Temperature difference The figure below shows the T-FORCE SIREN DUO360's data for the Gen5 SSD. The temperature difference is illustrated in the chart. When the CPU and SSD are both running at full capacity, the operating temperature comes in at 75ºC if only the motherboard's native heat sink is used for cooling. But when the liquid cooling module for a dual-heat source is used, the operating temperature drops to 52ºC. These results demonstrate how the T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 delivers superior cooling performance. Temperature Range with Cooling from T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 Motherboard GIGABYTE X670 AORUS PRO AX CPU AMD Ryzen7 7700X GPU GeForce GT 710 SSD M.2 PCIe Gen5 SSD ( without heat sink ) Testing software Crystal Disk Mark 8 for SSD & AIDA 64 for CPU ( both operating at full load ) Ambient temperature 25℃ (±1℃) Test times SSD: Keep your computer idle for 5 minutes (idle temperature) CDM 1GB, 5 rounds, TEST ALL (full-load temperature) CPU: Test at full load for 30 minutes We hope that you found these insights useful in addressing your needs. Want to get the inside track on more products? Please follow our articles. See you next time! Read more: How to Properly Install the T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 AIO ARGB CPU & SSD Liquid Cooler?
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Have you ever encountered the following situation? You would like to upgrade your RAM but have the dilemma of making the best purchasing decision. “I don’t need this much capacity. It seems like a waste of money.” or “I don’t have enough RAM. But I would spend too much money if I made this upgrade.” Does that sound familiar to you? Everyone has been accustomed to the mainstream capacity configuration from 8GB, 16GB, to 32GB. Those needing 20GB or 40GB of RAM will have to pay for the price of 32GB or 64GB. The non-binary memory is finally coming to solve this issue. Today, the Curator would like to share the news with you. The T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 and T-CREATE EXPERT DDR5 will soon be available as non-binary DDR5 overclocking RAM with 24GB and 48GB capacity, providing excellent memory expansion, options, and compatibility for gamers and creators. T-FORCE, the gaming sub-brand of TEAMGROUP, is dedicated to providing high-performance and compatible products for gamers. T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 is now available with a capacity of 48GB in dual channel (2x24GB) and speeds at 6,000MHz, 6,400MHz, 6,800MHz, 7,200MHz, and 7,600MHz. As a gamer, you can easily upgrade your RAM to the desired frequency and capacity to save your wallet on unused memory. Why choose non-binary 24GB and 48GB DDR5? You can't have both fish and bear paws. Gamers in the past could only choose between frequency and capacity. For example, if DDR5 7200 2x16GB were cheaper than DDR5 6000 2x32GB, gamers would choose the DDR5 7200 16GBx2 to conquer the enemies and win the game. With non-binary DDR5 overclocking RAM, gamers can now have the option of 2x24GB capacity without affecting overclocking to enjoy the performance with overclocking and have 50% more capacity than the original. T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 now offers 48GB (2x24GB) T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 in the dual channel of 48GB (2x24GB) fully supports XMP 3.0 function and provides different speeds over 6,000MHz, making it the non-binary DDR5 overclocking RAM with the highest memory. Gamers can directly enable the Intel XMP 3.0 overclocking function in BIOS to enjoy a smoother gaming experience. On top of that, you now have more capacity options for motherboards with 2 RAM slots. Enjoy the system-wide improvements in performance that come with high-capacity memory. Read : How to Enter BIOS and Open XMP3.0 in Three Easy Steps! T-CREATE EXPERT DDR5 now offers 96GB (2x48GB) and 96GB (4x24GB) T-CREATE, the creator sub-brand of TEAM GROUP, is dedicated to helping professional creators. Its CREATE EXPERT DDR5 desktop memory offers a dual channel kit of 64GB (2x32GB) at 6,000MHz and 6,400MHz. Now it is available in dual-channel kit with a large capacity of 96GB (2x48GB) at 6,000MHz, 6,400MHz, and 6,800MHz, and also in quad-channel kit with a large capacity of 96GB (4x24GB) at 6,000MHz and 6,400MHz. Creators usually open several materials files when editing audio and video files. Intuitively speaking, creators require large-capacity RAM. With a larger memory capacity, you can execute multiple tasks concurrently and fulfill your needs for 4K/8K UHD video editing, professional 3D graphics software, and other complex tasks and computations. T-CREATE EXPERT DDR5 desktop memory is now available in a dual-channel kit with 96GB (2x48GB) and a quad-channel kit with 96GB (4x24GB). Later, it will also be available in a quad-channel kit with a super large capacity of 192GB (4x48GB). Creators can choose the most suitable capacity configuration depending on their creative needs. Fulfilling the large-capacity demand is a great blessing for all creators. Read : The Importance of RAM and SSD for Video Creators Today, the Curator shared two non-binary DDR5 overclocking RAM modules with you. Whether you are a gamer or a creator, you have gained some knowledge and can now make better decisions. See you next time. Bye-bye!
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Video content creators run a race against time while working on content, therefore computer performance is crucial for video creators. For those who are already working with video editing software or want to become video creators, today, we have organized some information about how RAM (Random Access Memory) and SSD (Solid State Drive) affect content creation. Table of Contents Memory SSD Video content creators run a race against time while working on content, therefore computer performance is crucial for video creators. For those who are already working with video editing software or want to become video creators, today, we have organized some information about how RAM (Random Access Memory) and SSD (Solid State Drive) affect content creation. MEMORY Memory plays an important role for video creators who rely on fast and efficient computers for video editing. Generally speaking, the requirements for RAM, when using image and video editing software, are higher compared to requirements for most other computer software. When editing images, insufficient memory capacity often leads to freezes or lags, resulting in longer waiting times. In addition, the memory required for your task depends on factors such as software, the format of materials, and multiple applications in use. The computer runs faster with more RAM, enabling a smoother editing process without wasting any inspired moment. The following table shows the different RAM capacities and the actual impact of RAM on video content creation. Capacity Video Creation 8GB To perform video editing with a resolution lower than 1080p using 8GB RAM, it is required to close other programs. 16GB To perform 1080p or 4K video editing smoothly using 16GB RAM, it is recommended not to run background tasks or open other applications simultaneously. 32GB You can smoothly perform 1080p or 4K video editing with 32GB RAM while running background tasks with multiple applications opened. 64GB You can perform 8K video editing smoothly with 64GB RAM. Friendly Reminder We recommend that video creators decide on the appropriate memory capacity according to their working requirements.. SSD A friend of ours who specializes in video creation once had a mix-up. At that time, this friend had several projects on hand. Using a capacity of only 1TB, he spent much time on material importing and faced a problem such as a computer lagging during the creation process. At that time, he did not know the exact reason for the low speed and he thought that his computer had reached the end of its work life. After the projects were finished, he replaced the old SSD with a new 8TB SSD. Thus, as a result, the computer lag issue during the rendering was solved. Without getting professionals at the time, our friend was almost rushed to the store to get a new computer. This story clearly shows us what affects video editing performance. For those who have been encountering similar situations, we have prepared information to help you to solve the issue. Two factors with SSD significantly affect video creators: the read/write speed and capacity. Firstly, in terms of read/write speed, the read speed is related to file opening time, while the write speed is related to material importing time. Secondly, larger capacity means larger storage space for more files and materials. Moreover, SSDs with larger capacities are usually more durable, enhancing stability during creation. Friendly Reminder We suggest that creators select an SSD with a large capacity and good read/write performance under available budgets to satisfy requirements for the creation and avoid the loss of valuable inspiration while waiting for the materials to import. Regardless of RAM or SSD specifications, you can see that the Large Capacity is the most fundamental and extensive requirement for creators. T-CREATE brand under Team Group Inc. is aimed to provide creators with large-capacity RAM and SSD and to develop high-stability products. In the current environment, everyone has the opportunity to become a Creator. We hope the world will see your artwork.
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In the modern age of advanced technology, I believe that everyone needs drives to store large amounts of data in their daily lives and at work. Whether you are using HDD (hard disk drive) or SSD (solid state drive), the moment everyone fears the most is the moment when the data on the drive is lost, so there are many data rescue services on the market. But why are there some cases that can be recovered and some that cannot? What should we do at the moment of a drive failure to increase the chance of data recovery? Table of Contents Deleted by mistake Formatting the SSD by mistake When accessing files, the operating time is significantly longer than before When it comes to data rescue, it is important to understand how the drive store data. If you missed the last issue, remember to go make it up first. Why Is There a Big Difference in Read/Write Speed Between HDD & SSD? Why Are People Still Willing to Buy a Slow-Speed HDD?: You will find that most articles on the internet say that hard disk drive (HDD) is easier to recover data, because hard disk drive (HDD) stored data on the disk, as long as the disk is not severely scratched or damaged, basically the data can be rescued successfully. In fact, the principle is the same as the CD we generally use. Solid state drive (SSD) stores data in flash memory (NAND Flash), and when an SSD deletes data, it doesn’t completely remove the data from the drive, but first marks the file you want to delete and tells the drive that the data storage block is available, so the next time you save data, the block will be overwritten, and the old data will then be completely gone. However, it should be noted that some SSDs have Garbage Collection mechanism and are designed with the Trim command. Even if you don’t write data to the SSD again after deleting a file, the deleted data may be completely erased due to the above mechanism of the drive. As you can see, there is no guarantee that the data rescue software will be 100% successful when rescuing data from the drive. In addition to the situation where the data is completely erased due to the above reasons, it may also be that the components in the SSD are damaged and the data cannot be read. This is not a situation that can be solved by using rescue software. Today, I will focus on the parts that the rescue software can handle, and pick out the 3 most common situations when data disappears, and what to do when you encounter these situations. 1. Deleted by mistake Don’t say that you have never made this mistake, there must be someone out there like me who accidentally deleted data in the SSD by mistake. Believe me, the first thing you’ll do is swearing for a few moments, and then start to panic. Don’t panic everyone, we need to keep calm. When you delete a file by mistake, do not read or write the drive to avoid the storage location of the original file being overwritten by new data and the original file being erased. Cut off the power immediately, and then see if you want to recover it by yourself or hand over to a professional for data rescue. 2. Formatting the SSD by mistake There are 2 types of formatting: “quick format” and “low-level format”. If you pick the quick format, congratulations, the data still has a chance to be rescued, but if unfortunately, you perform a low-level format, the data will be gone forever. If you did a quick format by accident, please remember not to read or write the drive as well. Power off the drive and see if you want to rescue the data by yourself or hand it over to professional for data recovery. 3. When accessing files, the operating time is significantly longer than before When you are accessing files in normal operation, the operation time is significantly longer than your usual time, or there is a stock situation, it is most likely that your drive is starting to suffer from damage. If the data transfer operation is still successfully completed after a long time of access, it means that the access command has been completed. When this happened, I strongly recommend that you immediately backup the data then check and fix it before it fails completely; However, if it is totally stuck halfway through storage or even crashed, it means that the data may not be accessed completely. At this moment, it is recommended that you do not store data to the drive and copy the original data in the drive to other devices as much as possible, and then decide to rescue by yourself or ask a professional for data rescue. Friendly reminder I suggest that if you want to rescue data by yourself with free data rescue software from the internet, you can clone the drive you want to rescue to another drive first, and then rescue the data. This way, even if you fail, you can still give the original drive to the professional for data recovery! Last reminder! Please be sure to remember!! No matter how powerful data rescue software is, it can’t compare to the good habit of daily data backup, so that even if the drive suddenly breaks down, you don’t have to worry about losing your precious data.
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Remember the T-FORCE SIREN GD240E AIO ARGB Liquid Cooler installation tutorial that we shared with you a few months ago? TEAMGROUP recently released the industry’s T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 AIO ARGB CPU & SSD Liquid Cooler. Today I want to show you how to install it and what details should be paid attention to during installation. There is a video of the installation process below the article. For those of you who don’t like to read long texts, you can click the video below and watch it first. If there’s something you don’t understand, come back and read the text again! List Check the contents Install the fan to the water cooling row Install water block Wiring to the motherboard Check the contents With the additional M.2 SSD water block, there are more brackets, screws, and wires inside the box of T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 AIO ARGB CPU & SSD Liquid Cooler than the T-FORCE SIREN GD360E AIO ARGB Liquid Cooler that was released a while ago. In the product content of T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 ARGB CPU & SSD integrated water-cooling product, because of the addition of M.2 SSD water-cooling head, the fasteners, screw locks and wire parts will also be better than the T-FORCE SIREN GD360E released a while ago. ARGB integrated water cooling is a bit more. Install the fan to the water cooling row First, take out the fan, water cooling row and screws Ⓚ. Depending the assembly position of the case, the water cooling row and fans are installed in different locations and methods. Click the link for details. Previous article: How to properly install an AIO liquid CPU cooler? What are the differences when installed in different positions of the case? Today’s example is installed on the front of the case. The front (convex) of the fan should be installed facing the water cooling row, and the fan should be tighten to the water cooling row in diagonal order. In this way, the heat inside the water cooling row can be discharged to the outside. Then take out the screwsⓁ in the package, and lock the water cooling row to holes in the front of the case. Install water block The highlight of SIREN DUO360 AIO ARGB CPU & SSD Liquid Cooler is the dual water block design with both CPU and M.2 SSD. Let’s install the CPU water block first and then the SSD water block. 1. Install CPU water block Take the 1700 socket of INTEL’s 12th generation CPU as an example. First, tear off the double sided tape on the bracketⒸ for the 1700 socket, then place the bracket to the screw holes on the motherboard from the back. Flip motherboard to the front and tighten the screwsⓈ in four corners to secure the bracket. After placing the CPU on the motherboard, apply the thermal paste. I recommended to use the 5 dots method. Remove the copper bottom surface protection sticker on the CPU water block. Take out the screwsⒾ, tighten the water block to the motherboard in diagonal order as well. Do not screw it too tightly at once. Lock all the screws and then tighten them in the same order, so that the water block applies force to the CPU evenly, making the CPU less likely to be damaged. 2. Install M.2 SSD water block Reminder: Make sure to check the size of your own M.2 SSD. This SSD water block is only suitable for the size of M.2 SSD 2280. Take out the thermal conductive filmⓍ, remove the double sided contact surface protection sticker and put it on M.2 SSD. When placing the M.2 SSD on the bracketⒻ, pay extra attention to the direction of the connecting finger and hole of the M.2 SSD. The hole of M.2 must be on the same side as the hole of the bracket. Take out the M.2 SSD water block and pay attention to the installation direction of the water block. The screw hole should be on the same side as the hole of the bracket. Use the screwⓊto secure the water block to the M.2 bracket. When installing the assembled M.2 SSD water block to the motherboard, pay special attention to whether the motherboard has a copper pillar for fixing the M.2 SSD. Align the holes of the M.2 SSD water block with the copper pillar, and use a screwdriverⓋ to lock it to the motherboard. Unlike the CPU water block, the M.2 SSD water block has a magnetic light module. Remember to remove the light module and install it separately. Reminder: The light module can be installed on top of the M.2 SSD water block, and can also be attached to the case for decoration! After the installation of the two sets of water blocks are completed, you can take out the cable ties from the package and arrange the liquid cooling tubes of the CPU water block and SSD water block according the picture below. Wiring to the motherboard After securing the AIO CPU & SSD Liquid Cooler to the case and the motherboard, the last step is wiring! The T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 AIO ARGB CPU &SSD Liquid Cooler has two cables per fan, one for the power and one for the ARGB signal, while the CPU water block and M.2 SSD water block light module have only one ARGB signal cable each. Reminder: The ARGB signal cable is a 5V 3 PIN connector (below right), which is different from the power cable (below left)! We connect the ARGB signal cable first, then the power cable: 1. ARGB signal cable wiring Let’s take a look at the fan first. Connect the ARGB signal cables of the 3 fans in series with each other, and after the series connection is completed, take out the ARGB signal 1 to 3 breakout cableⓃ in the package and connect it to the fan ARGB signal cable. Now, the ARGB signal 1 to 3 breakout cable will have two connectors left, which are respectively connected to the ARGB signal cables of the CPU water block and the SSD water block light module, and then connect the other end of the signal cable to the 5V 3 PIN position on the motherboard. 2. Power cable wiring There are 3 sets of power cable connectors for 3 sets of fans. Take out the 1 to 3 power cableⓆ in the package and connect it to the fan power cable. Connect the other end to the position of CPU fan on the motherboard and you are done. The power cable on the water cooling row should be connected to the AIO_PUMP on the motherboard. It will be marked on the motherboard, you don’t have to worry. The T-FORCE SIREN DUO360 AIO ARGB CPU & SSD Liquid Cooler supports all the following motherboard manufacturer’s lighting software (ASUS Aura Sync/ASROCK-Polychrome Sync/BIOSTAR Advanced VIVID LED DJ/GIGABYTE RGB Fusion 2.0/ MSI Mystic Light Sync software). Not only can the fans and CPU and SSD’s water block be able to individually configured with your favorite lighting effects, but the T-FORCE ARGB memory in the hands of T-fans also supports the above lighting software, allowing everyone to customize their own lighting effects! This is the end of today’s installation tutorial, I hope it can light up everyone’s case and achieve a more efficient cooling effect at the same time!
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When it comes to buying hard drives, SSD is the first thing that comes to mind, and read/write speed and capacity are the main considerations when purchasing. But do you wonder why the HDD, which is as slow as a snail, still maintain a place in the storage market while everyone pursues SSD with high-speed read/write? What is the magic that makes a lot of consumers still favor HDD? Keep reading to find out! HDD (Hard Disk Drive) Component structure HDD is actually the abbreviation of “Hard Disk Drive”, but in order to distinguish it from SSD, we often use the term “traditional hard drive” and “mechanical hard drive” to refer to HDD. There are 2.5 inches, 3.5 inches and 5.2 inches in sizes. The reason why HDD is called HDD is because it is composed of many mechanical parts, such as read/write head, disc, motor, main control chip and cable, etc. With so many parts, the biggest fear is collision and dust. Whenever a part is displaced, it is likely to become unreadable or damaged. Reasons that affect the read/write speed When it comes to hard drives, it is important to mention the speed of data storage. How does the HDD read and write data? It is mainly through 3 parts: read/write head, motor and disc. Just like the vinyl record player in the old days, the read/write head is used to read and write data on the disc running by the motor (did I just reveal my age!?). One of the things that affects the read and write speed of the HDD the most is the speed of the motor. The faster the revolution speed, the faster the read and write speed will be. That’s why we often see the information of “xxxx RPM” on the specification sheet of HDD. But no matter how fast the HDD’s motor spins, there is a physical operating limit that falls between approximately 4200 RPM and 15,000 RPM. The speed for home use is around 4200 RPM to 7200 RPM, and higher speed is the specification used by servers. Converting RPM to common MB/s units, the read/write speed of 7200 RPM falls in the range of 90 to 100 MB/s. SSD（Solid State Drive） Component structure SSD is what we often call solid state drive and it comes in 2.5”, M.2, mSATA and U.2 form factors. NAND Flash is mainly composed of flash memory (NAND Flash) and controller, and NAND Flash is divided into SLC, MLC, TLC and QLC. Some SSDs also have an additional “cache”, which is often referred to as DRAM Cache. It is called a “solid state” drive because it has no moving parts in its composition and each chip is fixed to the circuit board, so it is more drop-proof than a traditional hard drive. Compared with HDD, there’s almost no noise during operation (But if you drop it hard, it will still be broken, so please don’t try it at home T-fans). What Are QLC, DRAM Cache and SLC Cache? (Part 1) What Are QLC, DRAM Cache and SLC Cache? (Part 2) Reasons that affect the read and write speed SSD uses the method of changing the value of the voltage to store data in the storage unit electronically. Compared with the way of HDD through physical speed, the read speed of SSD is several times faster than HDD. The SATA interface alone can reach a maximum of 500-600MB/s, which is 5-6 times faster than a 7200 RPM HDD. HDD V.S SSD How to choose? After talking about the difference between HDD and SSD, I organize a table for you: According to the above table, it is obvious that SSD has more advantages than HDD, but why do people still love HDD? The size of HDD is significantly larger than SSD, so small-sized SSD is suitable for computer with limited assembly space such as laptop. As for storage space, HDD is much cheaper than SSD for the same storage capacity. When installed on a desktop computer, which is not often moved around, it can reduce the risk of mechanical damage to the HDD caused by vibration, while still enjoying large storage capacity. This is also the reason why the HDD cannot be completely replaced by the SSD even though its transfer speed is not as fast as SSD. After all, storage space is one of the main functions of the hard drive. Therefore, I suggest that when you purchase hard drives, it is most appropriate to choose them separately according to your usage habits. If your desktop computer wants a hard drive for backing up data, such as photos or videos since you were a kid, you can choose HDD as your preferred backup hard drive. For high-speed access needs, such as booting up and frequently used computer operating software, I recommend that you purchase an SSD so you can enjoy instant booting and smooth operation! ►Friendly reminder The price difference between HDD and SSD will not stay the same forever! With the rapid development of technology, it is very likely that the price of SATA interface SSD and HD will not be much different in the future! Want to know more about SSD? Take a look at the following article: The Basic Knowledge and Benefits of SSD Storage Capacity that Everyone Should Know! I will see you T-fans next time!
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When we are talking about some sort of budget-oriented computers which are mainly used in offices or eventually for students without the need for too much graphic load, it is usually based on integrated graphic cards. This is where APU comes into play. With AMD's processors which have solid integrated graphic cards, we tend to orient our search for processors like AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and for those that need more power, then AMD Ryzen 7 5700G. Now there are also other factors to take into consideration when building such a computer. Usually, office workers and students tend to have smaller space available on their desks and because of that laptops tend to be a better choice, but in today’s article, we are looking for a small form factor computer that can still pack a punch with workload and in some terms deliver more than your regular multimedia laptop. Yet again, we have a much bigger screen on a monitor than on a laptop which makes the workflow much more convenient. Processor – AMD Ryzen 5 5600G So, let’s start with the specifications. First, as already mentioned we are going to use AMD Ryzen 5 5600G because of its performance and price range which can deliver a nice and satisfying workflow. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it is a great processor for multitasking, yet the TDP isn’t that high (around 45-65W), so we don’t need a big power supply. More on that later. The 5600G doesn’t heat up that much, but in any situation and for the sake of quality cooling we will add an aftermarket CPU cooler to keep those temperatures as low as possible. It is based on AM4 socket we have no problems in searching for a perfect CPU cooler. CPU Cooler – Noctua NH-U9a-AM4 chromax.black In terms of air cooling, Noctua always delivers the best performance in all segments, from high-end with huge CPU coolers to the small form factor builds. This CPU cooler is specifically designed for AM4 sockets and it can handle the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G even in tight spots, like small form factor cases. Running a full benchmark on AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, in idle it keeps it steady at 40C, while under full load in AIDA 64 Extreme Edition System Stability test keeps it around 72C. It also depends on the case we are using, but still even in tighter and smaller cases, for that processor, this is a great thermal solution. Case – InWin Chopin Pro InWin Chopin Pro case supports ITX motherboards and compared to other SFF cases, comes with a 200W power supply so it can run even the 5700G without a problem. The side meshed panel really helps the cooler with the airflow and nice organization can give a person the possibility to accommodate additional 2x 2.5” SSDs which is remarkable. The 200W power supply is situated at the bottom of the chassis and doesn’t make to many problems when placing the motherboard. You already have cables pre-attached to the power supply and only those that you need. 24-pin for the motherboard, 8-pin for the processor, and SATA power cable that can be divided into two additional SATA power connectors for those two 2.5” SSDs at the back of the case. In addition to everything, we have 2x 3.5mm jacks for your headset and microphone connection plus 2x USB 3.0 for additional USB connectivity. Since the case doesn’t have a USB Type-C connection, depending on the motherboard and since the case is small, the convenience of using the motherboard ports has never been easier. Motherboard – ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ax This is a more gaming-oriented motherboard that can support much stronger processors but this one was the only ITX board we had for this video. To save more than $100 on this project/computer, another suggestion would be ASRock B550M-ITX/ac which is around $129. This motherboard supports 2x M.2 slots which gives you less cables inside your computer and better organization, but also insane speeds compared to your conventional HDD or even 2.5” SSDs. Supports DDR4 up to 5400+ (OC) but that also depends on the processors you are using. Then we have 4x SATA ports even though for this computer two are more than enough and for this kind of computer, the most important, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connection to the Internet and Bluetooth connection for your wireless peripherals. RAM – TEAMGROUP ELITE DDR4 2x8GB 3200MHz In terms of speeds, 3200MHz is still a sweet spot for AMD processors and 16GB is somewhat a new standard for any sort of computer. That is why we decided to fill up those two slots entirely and give this computer enough RAMs to breathe during browser usage but still in standard workload, so we don’t have any problems while opening multiple tabs and multitasking with different applications open. With this price range, a naked kit of RAMs, meaning without any heatsink will suffice nicely and give the price per performance ratio a great budget for any person looking to find an affordable upgrade to their office or student computer. SSD – TEAMGROUP MP33 Gen3x4 M.2 1TB No cables, astonishing speeds, and easy installation. With Team Group MP33 Gen3x4 M.2 SSD we get everything we need for such a build. The fast boot of your operational system, install needed software and applications such as Microsoft Office Suite or any additional software needed for work, can really breathe and open quite quickly. With the capacity of 1TB in the environment where it is used in the Office or for students, there is no need for more than this. Rest can be always stored in some sort of a Cloud Storage that ranges up to a couple of TB (but at a certain cost as well). This should be placed and used as the main drive for everything. Fast, reliable, and nice amount of capacity. SSD – TEAMGROUP CX2 Classic 2.5” 1TB Since the case supports up to two 2.5” SSDs, why not add additional and fast storage that can be used either for more applications or for somewhat fast storage for regular documents? There is also a possibility to use 2.5 hard drives, but they have physical parts and after a long time they aren’t reliable, especially in that form factor. Of course, this SSD isn’t necessary if not needed, but a suggestion for an upgrade if more storage is required. They are slower than your regular Gen3x4 M.2 SSD, but still faster than any hard drive. BUILD PROCESS It all depends on what is the budget of course, but also if some want a better cooling solution and more storage, plus an unnecessary better motherboard which can save up a nice amount of money. After that, place the processor accordingly in the AM4 socket. It should fit perfectly, otherwise, it isn’t placed properly. In picture 20 you can see the position of the processor to avoid any mistakes. Lower down the latch that holds the processor to the socket. Do take into consideration that you will feel a slight force while doing so. There is no need to worry about that. Placing RAM sticks is even easier than placing the processor. Push out the latches that hold down the RAMs. Some motherboards have them on both side with a locking mechanism, while some, such as the one we use, have an opening on one side and latches on the other. Also, take good care when placing RAMs inside because the middle cutout in the RAM connection needs to align with the same cutout on the motherboard sockets for the RAMs. If you see that the RAM sticks have aligned with the socket on the motherboard, you can evenly press it down so that the latches on the motherboard click and grab the RAM holding it tight to the pin connections. Time to place the storage. Remove the passive heatsink that cools down the M.2 SSD by removing two screws that hold it. After that is done, you can clearly see the connection part for the M.2 SSD. Something like RAMs, M.2 SSD has its own socket with pins that connect in a certain ways so check the M.2 connection part and how it looks, and finally the socket so it aligns perfectly. When the M.2 SSD is placed, you will see that it will be angled at a certain degree which is normal. The only thing left now is to push it down so the top part which isn’t the connection fits perfectly in on top of the hole for the screw and place the passive heatsink on top of it. After that, tie up the two screws that hold the passive heatsink and the M.2 in place. Now it is time to place the processor cooler. First, we need to remove the original backplate and screws plus plastic holders that are usually used for the stock cooler. Since we are using an after market cooler, we don’t need them since everything is coming inside the box of Noctua NH-U9a-AM4 chromax.black. Place everything back inside the motherboard box because you will eventually need those in some future in a situation if you decide to sell, change, or remove something from the motherboard. Time to place a pie size thermal paste on the processor for better heat conductivity. After that place the processor cooler on the processor, turn the motherboard around and place the backplate that comes with the cooler. Backplate and cooler need to be aligned nicely so you can tie up all the screws. The only thing left now is to connect the fan from the processor cooler to the 4-pin PWM connector on the motherboard called CPU FAN1. Final stage of the build is to place the motherboard with everything inside the InWin Chopin Pro case and connect all the connectors, including placing the Team Group CX2 Classic 1TB at the back side of the case and connecting the SATA power and SATA data cable to it. As for the other connections, place the 24-pin and 8-pin from the power supply to the motherboard. Also, connect the front panel header, audio jack and USB 3.0 header to the motherboard for power on/off button, 3.5mm jacks for audio and finally for the USB 3.0 ports on the side of the case. Basically, the only thing left now is to turn on your computer, run the installation of your desired operational system, additional software needed for work and that wraps up the process of building a nice and subtle, yet affordable and strong office/student computer. For more detailed information on this computer you can also check out this YouTube video.
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When upgrading SSD, besides reading and writing speed, another key point is the storage capacity! But I guess you T-fans will also look at the price and determine if it is good value (After all, it’s our hard-earned money). However, let’s not discuss the price today. Do you know that high-capacity SSDs actually have more advantages than you can imagine? I will briefly introduce you to familiar strangers such as “Wear Leveling, TBW and SLC Cache”, so you will definitely want to buy a high-capacity SSD after reading this! 1. Wear Leveling Wear Leveling technology is used to write data evenly into the storage blocks of the SSD, thereby increasing the service life of the SSD. The number of program/erase cycle of each storage block in SSD is fixed, if the number is exceeded, the block will be corrupted and will no longer be used. The “Wear Leveling” will give priority to writing data to blocks with a lower number of program/erase cycle, so that each block is used evenly. The larger the capacity of the SSD, the more blocks can be written to and erased, so each block is less likely to be written to and erased repeatedly, and therefore less likely to be damaged, which increases the durability and service life of the SSD. 2. TeraBytes Written (TBW) According to JEDEC, the number of TBW (TeraBytes Written) indicates the total terabytes written in an SSD. Simply put, it is how many TBs of data can be written in the service life of the SSD. Take the TEAMGROUP MP34 M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB for example, its TBW value is 2,000TBW, it means that the total amount of data that can be written in its service life is 2,000TB. The larger the capacity of the SSD, the larger the TBW value, the more data can be written to the SSD, which indirectly means it can be used for a longer period of time. If you T-fans want to know more about the TBW formula, I have sorted it out for you! P/E Cycle (Program Erase Cycle) is the number of times the NAND can be erased and written. 1 write and 1 erase is 1 P/E Cycle. Theoretically, the P/E Cycle of SLC is 100,000 times, MLC is 5,000~10,000 times, and TLC is 1,000 times. The number of times here does not mean that the SSD will be broken after 1,000 reads and writes, but represents the number of cycles that each single storage block can be erased and written. Therefore, for the same SSD item, the P/E Cycle of different capacities will be the same! Write Amplification Factor (WAF) is the ratio of the amount of data actually written to the SSD to the amount of data that the host request to be written at one time. I know it’s very complicated, you don’t have to memorize it, because the value of WAF will be different due to the manufacturing process of SSD controller, so you won’t actually know this value from the general SSD specification sheet. Just know that when calculating TBW, we will set the same SSD items to the same value to facilitate the calculation. 3. SLC Cache The SLC Cache is a space divided in the NAND flash of the SSD that is used as a buffer area to simulate the SLC writing method in order to achieve “accelerated” access. As mentioned, we divide some space for cache use. If the cache space reaches the limit, the read and write speed will drop back to the original access speed of the NAND Flash in the SSD. SSDs on the market will use around 30% of the storage space as the dynamic SLC Cache space. The larger your SSD capacity, the more SLC cache space you will have for higher speed performance. For example, a 2TB SSD will have about 600GB of SLC Cache. ~T-Tips~ I recommend all T-fans store the operating system separately from the common operating software and the output files. Keep the storage space on the SSD where the operating software is stored below 30% of the total capacity, so that the SSD can maintain high-speed transfer performance! Conclusion I guess all you T-fans are having headaches right now, let me summarize them for you! When you want to upgrade your SSD, a high-capacity SSD will not only offer an upgrade in storage space, but will also provide better performance in terms of service lifetime and storage performance: I. Large capacity SSD has more blocks that can be written and erased, and the application of Wear Leveling improves the durability and service life of SSD. II. Large capacity SSD has a larger TBW value and the total amount of data that can be written is larger, which indirectly means that the SSD has a longer service life. III. High-capacity SSD has a larger proportion of dynamic SLC Cache space, which can maintain high-speed transfer performance for a longer period of time. If you want to learn more or have a topic that you want to know more about, please leave a message to let me know! If you like this article, remember to share and hit the like button. We’ll see you T-fans again next time!
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In the previous article, we mentioned the application and purchase of SD (Secure Digital) format memory card. If you haven’t done homework on purchasing SD memory card, please read this article: How to Choose an SD Card Based on Specifications. Today, let’s talk about another common, smaller memory card format – microSD. When it comes to buying microSD cards, we usually consider the capacity, price, read/write speed, good value, etc. However, I truly recommend that, as mentioned in the previous article, before purchasing a memory card, it is better to figure out the use requirements and the application of the device, so you can get a suitable memory card! This article will take 4 microSD cards of TEAMGROUP as an example, and introduce the common devices that use microSD cards on the market, and provide you information for buying microSD cards. So let’s read on! Understand the basic specifications and speed classes of microSD cards The common microSD card specifications are the same as SD cards, which are divided into SDHC and SDXC. SDHC (High Capacity) is a card from 4GB to 32GB; SDXC (extended Capacity) is a card from 64GB to 2TB, and the transfer speed is faster. When speaking of transfer speed, it is necessary to mention the speed classification marking method of the memory card. The common ones are the fooling three. Speed Class: Memory cards are often marked with a “C”. The higher the number, the faster the read/write speed per second. UHS Speed Class: It’s marked with “U”, usually 1 and 3 indicate the read and write speed. The larger the number, the faster it is. Video Speed Class: A speed standard established in response to the demand for high resolution video recording in recent years. It is marked with “V”. The larger the number, the faster the read and write speed. Note: Application performance class means the minimum random read speed and sequential transfer speed can meet both run and store execution time requirements under given conditions. The higher the number, the higher the class. In addition, the performance class of memory cards for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and handheld game consoles are divided into A1 and A2. It represents the processing performance of the SD card after the app is saved to the memory card. The corresponding processing performance of A1 and A2 class are as follows: App performance class Minimum write speed Minimum random read speed Minimum random write speed Class 1(A1) 10 MB/s 1500 IOPS 500 IOPS Class 2(A2) 10 MB/s 4000 IOPS 2000 IOPS The full name of IOPS is Input/Output Operations Per Second, which is the number of read and write per second. The higher the numbers means the faster the processing performance, so A2 memory card will be smoother to use compared to A1. What kind of microSD memory card should I get for my device? If you have monitoring needs, we recommend TEAMGROUP HIGH ENDURANCE CARD With the increasing demand for video surveillance and smart home, whether it is professional surveillance camera, or baby camera, pet camera and other home cameras, the requirements for video storage in our daily lives are also getting higher and higher. The TEAMGROUP HIGH ENDURANCE CARD is designed for professional surveillance camera, with a special focus on endurance and durability of surveillance storage. Unlike general storage devices, it is suitable for harsh recording environments for long-time continuous writing, and meets the requirements of various types of surveillance cameras. In addition to offering 256GB of large-capacity storage and up to 40,000 hours of surveillance storage endurance, plus a 2-year warranty, you can feel more at ease when using surveillance camera storage! In addition, this memory card uses the video recording class Video Speed V30, and supports 4K and FULL HD high-definition recording and playback. With high durability and surveillance picture quality, it is undoubtedly the best choice for the storage of surveillance camera devices! If you need smartphone expansion or backup, we recommend TEAMGROUP ELITE A1 CARD Whether it is a smartphone or a tablet, all kinds of mobile devices have become quite popular, but we often encounter the problem of App overload affecting the performance of mobile phones. Designed for Android mobile devices, the TEAMGOUP ELITE A1 CARD can reach UHS speed class 3 (U3), video speed class 30 (V30) and A1 CARD random read and write 1500/500 IOPS. It allows us to quickly run and install more applications without worrying about smartphone lagging caused by capacity limitation. TEAMGROUP ELITE A1 CARD is available in a wide range of capacities from 64GB to 1TB, which is definitely a great news for you heavy phone users! Most smartphones with 64GB memory cards are sufficient to store photos, videos and mobile games. If you often need to use your phone to shoot 4K video, a memory card of 128GB or more is recommended. In addition, TEAMGROUP ELITE A1 CARD also supports 4K Ultra HD video performance, effectively improving the smoothness of video playback! If you pursue a smooth gaming experience, then T-FORCE Gaming A2 CARD can meet your need. Switch players should be familiar with expanding console storage capacity with microSD card! The T-FORCE Gaming A2 CARD, which is designed for handheld game consoles, not only meets the need of recording high quality video, but also has an advanced read/write speed of 100/90MB/s and capacity options of 256GB, 512GB and up to 1TB, allowing you to pick the right size according to your gaming storage need. It is a great choice for handheld game consoles and smartphone game players to expand the capacity easily! Moreover, the T-FORCE Gaming A2 CARD with A2 (App Performance 2) class guarantees 4000 IOPS and above 2000 IOPS for random read and write, and optimizes the mobile device applications. More commands can be executed simultaneously, allowing players to enjoy the gaming world without any lag! If you often use action cameras, we recommend TEAMGROUP GO CARD to you Portable and flexible action camera has captured the hearts of many consumers with its ability to work in harsh environments and record high-quality, stable videos. Therefore, it is crucial to have a memory card designed for the function of action camera! TEAMGROUP GO CARD memory card for action camera meets the performance required for shooting Full HD and 4K ultra-high quality videos. Its durable characteristics such as waterproof, dustproof, X-ray proof and cold proof are very suitable for extreme sports players who shoot in harsh environments! For general purpose of recording videos and taking photos with an action camera, we recommend using a 64GB GO CARD to meet almost all your needs. Just remember to bring a few extra spare memory cards with you! However, 4K video files are quite large, if you want to record 4K ultra HD videos with an action camera, I highly recommend 128GB or more just in case! GO CARD has a variety of capacities from 32GB to 1TB to choose from, which can definitely meet all your needs! The popularity of the use of drone has gradually increased in recent years, and mostly used in recreational filming. So, a microSD memory card that offers stable recording while flying is the key! TEAMGROUP GO CARD is fast, high performance and compliant with UHS speed class 3 (U3). It is also an excellent partner for drone camera users. Conclusion There are many different kinds of memory cards on the market, so how to choose the most suitable memory card? You can start with the device you need! For professional surveillance needs, you can choose TEAMGROUP HIGH ENDURANCE CARD that emphasizes durability and endurance. If you need to expand or backup your mobile device, choose TEAMGROUP ELITE A1 CARD for both price and performance. If you are a Switch player, you can’t miss the T-FORCE Gaming A2 CARD! If you like to record videos with an action camera, then you must choose the TEAMGROUP GO CARD that can take care of both durability and stable recording. After reading the above, I hope it can help you better understand how to choose the most suitable memory for different devices!
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Building a computer from scratch has always been a challenge for some, yet for others it is a huge thrill. Today we are going to go through some components which will be paired up to create a computer that will be called Back2School and can be used for that segment but also for gaming. First of all, let's list all the components needed to build your personal computer. We are going to go with newest generation of Intel Core processors and pair it up with the fastest RAM on the market, DDR5. Parts that we need to build a computer are: Processor Motherboard RAM SSD CPU cooler Case Power supply Graphic card Processor – Intel Core i5-12600k With total number of 10 cores and 16 threads, this processor will give both an enthusiast and a newcomer in the computer world some nice performance without any hiccups. The newest generation of Intel Core processors really brings something interesting to the table when it comes to work, school and gaming. It is based on LGA 1700, it can be used without dedicated graphic card and still can give enough juice for us to be able to work normally. Intel Core i5-12600k: https://reurl.cc/ErMNQK Motherboard – ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming ITX Now this board is an ITX form factor, but there is always a possibility to run an ATX board if the case supports. This one gives us a chance to build a small form factor computer for compact desk size, but also can be placed in a standard MIDI tower. Supports DDR5, Gen 4x4 M.2 SSDs and loads more which will be more than enough to pair up everything and to get amazing performance. ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming ITX: https://reurl.cc/ZA5dN6 RAM – TEAMGROUP T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 2x 16GB 6400MHz Now these RAMs, are excelent in their capacity and speed, they look extremely awesome. Especially because of their great lighting. On a board with 2x RAM slots, we get 32GB of RAMs which is more than enough for everything, work, school or gaming. Their speed gives us some nice performance. T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/delta-rgb-ddr5 SSD – TEAMGROUP T-FORCE VULCAN Z 480GB SSD is crucial to have to shorten down those loading times, should it be for opening a certain application, software or game loading. The fastest option is M.2 NVMe SSD and paired up with this motherboard, Gen 4x4 like TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 PRO. But for a budget option, which is still viable, you could always go with 2.5” SSDs such as TEAMGROUP T-FORCE VULCAN Z 480GB. Much faster and more reliable than your average hard drive. T-FORCE CARDEA A440 PRO: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/cardea-a440-pro T-FORCE VULCAN Z: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/vulcan-z-ssd CPU cooler – TEAMGROUP T-FORCE GD240E SIREN ARGB Processors need some nice cooling while under heavy load and most of the times stock coolers can't do the job properly. For this build, we are going to use TEAMGROUP T-FORCE GD240E SIREN ARGB AIO which can cool down the Intel Core i5-12600k nicely and yet have a nice visual aspect inside your build because of the lights and the design. T-FORCE GD240E SIREN ARGB: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/siren-gd240-all-in-one-argb-cpu-liquid-cooler Case – TEAMGROUP T-FORCE LARES ARGB CASE It is always important to have a case that has a nice airflow configuration with the fans. TEAMGROUP T-FORCE LARES ARGB CASE brings some new design in the computer case market, with solid airflow even though it looks that the front tempered glass might block it. With some nice intake and outtake, this case give use and the components we are going to use inside, some nice lower temperatures. T-FORCE LARES ARGB CASE: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/lares-argb-case Power supply – NZXT C650 When it comes to powering your computer, you always need to carefully choose and decide which one can give enough power to your system and which one is solid in stability. Usually, for such a computer we are building, 650W 80Plus Gold would be just enough. There is also an option for you to choose a non-modular or fully modular power supply, which recommendation would go for the fully modular just because then you can nicely re-arrange cables on the front and at the back since you don’t have to use all of the cables. NZXT C650 Gold: https://reurl.cc/rDjbo1 Graphic card – SAPPHIRE RADEON RX 6650 XT NITRO+ That one component that games, helps render videos and pictures and does all the magic inside your computer. This time we choose a card that can game quite nicely in 1440p with Ultra detailed above 60FPS, yet still in collaboration with a solid processor bring nice performance in workloads. SAPPHIRE RADEON RX 6650 XT NITRO+ is an outstanding mid-range graphic card. SAPPHIRE RADEON RX 6650 XT NITRO+: https://reurl.cc/lojbaj
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When it comes to the performance of memory, the “read speed” and “latency” of the memory module come directly to mind. Generally, on the product specification table is actually the value of “frequency” and “timing”. This is known as conversion and does not directly mean that the two values are equal. If you ask me which value is more important, I would say~~ both! (Don’t roll your eyes at me, read on and you will understand why!) Frequency: indicates the number of times the data can be transferred per second. Therefore, the larger the value, the higher the number of transfers per second, the more efficient the transfer. Timing: represents the time taken by the memory module to transfer the data after receiving the command. The smaller the value, the shorter the time spent, and the faster the data can be transferred. Therefore, the performance of memory cannot be determined by a single value, the frequency and timing are closely related. Timing is usually expressed as 4 values, such as CL40-40-40-80. The values represent, in order: CAS latency (CL), row address to column address delay (tRCD), row precharge time (tRP), row active time (tRAS). You only need to remember that the most common value we use is CAS latency, which is the commonly heard CL, and most other timing values will have more impact on professional overclockers. Today, let’s focus on the effect of CL and frequency on memory performance. I’ll explain more about the terminology when we have the chance next time. 1. What is CAS latency? CL: Short for CAS latency, refers to how long the computer needs to wait before it can actually start reading data from memory. Therefore, for two memory modules with the same frequency, a higher CL means a longer delay time. It is worth noting that the unit of CL is not minutes or seconds, but represents clock cycles, which is a variable in the formula for calculating memory delay time. Taking the specification of T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 as an example, the total number of clock cycles of DDR5-6000 CL38 is equal to 38. Are you running out of memory in your head after reading everything above? Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to figure out the latency of the memory module in seconds with a calculator by looking at the DRAM specification table! 2. How to calculate memory latency? The unit of latency time is expressed in nanoseconds (ns), and the formula is as follows: According to the above formula, we’ll give two examples to explain to you: [Example 1] At the same frequency, the effect of different CLs on the latency time. Calculation based on the two specifications of T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 and T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-6000 CL38 T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 Latency time (ns) = 30 x [1000 ÷ (6000 ÷ 2)] ≒ 9.99 ns T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-6000 CL38 Latency time (ns) = 38 x [1000 ÷ (6000 ÷ 2)] ≒ 12.66 ns When the memory frequency is the same, the lower the CL, the shorter the latency time will be, and the less time the computer has to wait to read the memory data, which means the better the performance. [Example 2] Under the same CL, the effect of different frequencies on the latency time. Calculation based on the two specifications of T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-5600 CL40 and T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-6400 CL40 T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-5600 CL40 Latency time (ns) = 40 x [1000 ÷ (5600 ÷ 2)] ≒ 14.29 ns T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5-6400 CL40 Latency time (ns) = 40 x [1000 ÷ (6400 ÷ 2)] = 12.5 ns When the memory CL is the same, the higher the frequency, the shorter the latency, and the shorter the time the computer has to wait to read the memory data, which means the better the performance. ※The latency time calculated by the above formula is a theoretical value※ 3. Is CL the lower the better? After the mind-twisting calculation, let’s return to the title of this article. Is CL the lower the better in performance of memory module? I think there’s no definitive answer! Like we said at the beginning, the performance of the memory is also affected by the frequency and timing, so the CL in the memory cannot be used to define the performance of memory alone. 4. How to pick a suitable memory? When buying memory, you should consider factors such as capacity, frequency, CL, etc. The most important thing is the compatibility with the motherboard and CPU. I suggest you decide the size of memory and frequency first, and then choose the size of the CL. Usually, the price is higher if the performance of the memory module is better. Once you’ve decided on the memory specification, remember to make sure it’s compatible with your motherboard or CPU! The compatibility of TEAMGROUP’s memory modules can be confirmed through TEAMGROUP’s Product Compatibility Inquiry page. If you have any questions about TEAMGROUP’s products, please leave a message below or visit TEAMGROUP’s Online Service page for inquiry! If you like to choose and upgrade your own computer parts and enjoy the fun of installing them, but are not sure whether the specifications support the new 3A games, you can go to the Can You Run It website for reference. Enter the game you want to search in the “1)” search bar. Press “2)” Can You Run It? It will jump to the result page, and the result can be used as a reference for options or upgrades. If you want to know if memory at different frequencies and capacities will affect the FPS of the game, I’ve put together links for you below, go check it out! Does the Memory “Frequency” Affect the Game’s FPS? 3 Game Tested (Part 1) https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/blogs/ram-frequency-fps-I-en Does the Memory “Frequency” Affect the Game’s FPS? 3 Game Tested (Part 2) https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/blogs/ram-frequency-fps-II-en Does the Memory “Capacity” Affect the Game’s FPS? 4 Game Tested https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/blogs/ram-capacity-fps
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Do you T fans have a laptop that accompanies you wherever you go? I have a laptop that I have been using for six years, but it has recently started to show signs of dying out recently. If you start to feel that your laptop is slowing down or often crashes, don't rush to say goodbye to it, just try to upgrade the components inside to make it as good as new! When it comes to upgrading your laptop, you must often hear people suggesting an upgrade to the memory or SSD. Today we'll start by understanding why we need to upgrade our memory. What are the benefits of upgrading memory? What should I look for when purchasing memory for my laptop? How to choose the specifications of the memory? We'll get back to SSD when we have the chance in the future! ELITE SO-DIMM DDR4 LAPTOP MEMORY：https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/elite-so-dimm-ddr4 ZEUS SO-DIMM DDR4 LAPTOP MEMORY：https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/zeus-so-dimm-ddr4 1. Why do I need to upgrade my memory? What are the benefits? The memory SO-DIMM of a laptop is different from the memory U-DIMM and cannot be shared. The point of upgrading laptop memory is to upgrade capacity, not speed and frequency. So why do we need to increase the memory capacity? Here is a brief list of what happens if you run out of memory: When you open multiple tabs at the same time, the webpage screen cannot be loaded smoothly or it's easy to crash. When using multiple applications at the same time, crashes happen frequently. For example, playing a game while chatting with LINE software, and playing music with Spotify. When watching online video, there are cases where the picture quality is automatically reduced or loaded for too long. Example: Youtube, Netflix. The reason for the above examples is not the network speed problem, but most likely the lack of memory capacity. On the contrary, if the memory capacity is sufficient, the above problems are less likely to occur. If you keep the laptop running for a long time, you can try to restart the computer first, close the applications running in the background, clear the memory cache and free up the memory capacity. However, if the situation still does not improve, then I suggest that you can expand the memory capacity of your laptop. 2. What should I pay attention to before buying a laptop? There are four key specifications you need to know before you expand the memory capacity of the laptop. The technical specifications of the memory modules are supported by your laptop. Is it DDR5, DDR4, DDR3, or something else? How many replaceable memory slots does your laptop have. The maximum total memory capacity is supported by your laptop. The highest supported memory frequency of your laptop. If you purchase more than the capacity or frequency specifications supported by your laptop, it will boot up normally, but you will not be able to use the memory to its full potential. Therefore, it is very important to understand the specifications supported by your laptop before purchasing. The answers to the above questions can be found on the product page of the official website, and the following two products are examples for you: ASUS TUF Gaming F15 (2022) https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Gaming/TUF-Gaming/ASUS-TUF-Gaming-F15-2022/techspec/ Click on the Tech Specs (red box) on the product page and scroll down to the memory area, here you can see that this laptop supports DDR5 SO-DIMM, with a maximum frequency of 4800MHz (green box), and a maximum total capacity of 32GB (yellow box), supports dual channel and both memory slots can be used for replacement and upgrade (blue box). When purchasing an upgraded memory, it is recommended to choose a two sticks package. ~Friendly reminder~ DDR5 will only be supported on laptops just released this year. Here is an example for you to understand the specifications, and T fans who want to purchase DDR5 laptop can also refer to it. You can think about whether you want to expand the capacity of the memory when purchasing. 2021 ASUS TUF Dash F15： https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Gaming/TUF-Gaming/2021-ASUS-TUF-Dash-F15/techspec/ Click on the Tech Specs (red box) on the product page and scroll down to the memory area, here you can see that this laptop supports DDR4 SO-DIMM, with a maximum frequency of 3200MHz (green box), and a maximum total capacity of 32GB (yellow box). It supports the duo channel but one of the memory specifications has the word “on board” (blue box) written after it, which means that the slot has non-replaceable memory, and this laptop has only one memory slot to replace the memory. It is recommended to get the single stick package when buying memory for an upgrade. You must be wondering why there is more than one line for the description of the memory specification in the above screenshot? That's because manufacturers provide different combinations of memory capacities for consumers to choose from when purchasing a laptop, which is why there is more than one line in the specifications. 3. How to pick the right memory size for my laptop? Once you know the memory specifications supported by your laptop, you can start thinking about how much memory you need. First, you can check how much memory capacity is currently available in the laptop. Right-click on the taskbar and click on "Task Manager" (red box). Click Performance (red box), and then select Memory (blue box) to see the current memory capacity and usage status (green box). Next, you can start deciding how much capacity you want to expand. Since everyone's usage habits are different, I'll give my suggestions below to all T fans for reference. In fact, you still need to adjust them according to your own usage habits! Usage requirements General word processing requirements (Ideal for use with word processing laptop) Game play requirements (Ideal for use with gaming laptop) Professional software requirements (Ideal for use with creators laptop) Total laptop memory capacity 8GB 16GB to 32GB 32GB to 64GB Description 1. Browsing websites 2. Watching videos 3. sending/receiving emails 4. Using Office Playing casual or high performance games. 1. Professional graphic and 3D design software 2. Professional image processing software Finally, the last thing left to do is to assemble the memory into the laptop. If you don't know how to start, you can refer to the following tutorial video. Although the internal configuration of each manufacturer's laptop is not quite the same, the assembly methods are similar. It is recommended to refer to the instruction manual that comes with the laptop for assembly! How to replace your laptop's memory? -Zeus So-Dimm:
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Did you get your DDR5 memory yet? Have you checked that your memory is running at the right frequency? If you find that you bought a 5200MHz or even a 6400MHz overclocking specification, but the computer shows 4800MHz, read this article first to solve the problem. This article will take you into the BIOS to adjust the settings, so the memory can run at the factory labeled frequency. Since AMD's platform for DDR5 has not yet been released, today we will first introduce to you how to open XMP3.0 on the Intel platform of the four major motherboard manufacturers! To open XMP, you must first enter the BIOS. It's really simple, just follow the steps below. Reminder: Manual overclocking requires a lot of knowledge and information, maybe we will get to that later in the future! 1. After powering up or reboot your PC, press DELETE repeatedly to enter BIOS No matter which motherboard it is, it's all the same, just press DELETE repeatedly right after you powering up the computer! Press it until the BIOS screen appears. Because the screen response is relatively slow, it will be too late if you see the screen entering Windows! Reminder: As you can see, you can enter the BIOS without a mouse, but not without a keyboard! 2. Open XMP The following is an introduction to the methods of the four major motherboard manufacturers in alphabetical order! (1) ASUS a. Press F7 to enter advanced mode. b. Press the Right Arrow key to move to Ai Tweaker (red box) and select Ai Overclock Tuner (green box), press Enter. c. Select XMP I (blue box), press Enter. d. You will see an additional line of XMP’s information under Ai Overclock Tuner, and the frequency (yellow box) indicated by the manufacturer of the memory you bought (yellow box). Next, press F10 to save and exit to enter Windows. (2) ASRock a. Press F6 to enter advanced mode (A description in the green box in the upper right corner) b. Press the Right Arrow key to move to OC Tweaker (red box) and select DRAM Configuration (green box), press Enter. c. Find the Load XMP Setting (green box), press Enter and select XMP 3.0 Profile 1 (blue box), press Enter again to confirm. d. You will see the XMP information (yellow box) under Load XMP Setting, then press F10 to save and exit to enter Windows. (3) Gigabyte a. Press F2 to enter advanced mode b. Move to Tweaker (red box) at the top, select Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P) (blue box), press Enter. c. Select Profile 1 (blue box), then press Enter to confirm. d. You will see the XMP information (yellow box) after Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P), then press F10 to save and exit to enter Windows. (4) MSI a. Press F7 to enter advanced mode b. Go to the OC box (red box) on the left, select Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P) (blue box) and press Enter. c. Change Disable to Enabled (red box) and press Enter again to confirm. d. You will see the XMP information (yellow box) under Extreme Memory Profile, then press F10 to save and exit to enter Windows. 3. Confirm the overclocking information After adjusting and entering Windows, we have to confirm whether the memory is running smoothly at the frequency we adjusted. I'm used to using CPU-Z software to confirm. It is a free software, and you can download if from the link below. CPU-Z download：https://reurl.cc/N63RGq Take our DELTA RGB DDR5 6400MHz 16GBx2 as an example, after enabling XMP3.0, the actual operating frequency of the memory is as shown in the picture below. After downloading and running CPU-Z, click on the Memory tab (red box) in the upper toolbar, then look at the DRAM Frequency (blue box) at the bottom. The displayed value multiplied by 2 is the actual running frequency. DELTA RGB DDR5 6400MHz 16GBx2: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/delta-rgb-ddr5 That's all for today. If you have any problems or want to know anything else, please leave your message below!
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Last time we mentioned how to go into the BIOS and adjust the settings and let the memory run to the frequency indicated by the manufacturer. Go if you haven't read it yet: How to Enter BIOS and Open XMP3.0 in Three Easy Steps! However, what if you encounter a situation where you can't boot after entering the BIOS to enable XMP DOCP? Here I will share with you T fans 3 steps, you can use this method to initially find the cause. Since there are many different situations where you can't turn on your computer after overclocking, if you still can't get rid of the problem after trying the following methods, you can use our online consultation service to get more help. TEAMGROUP online consultation service: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/tw/support/ Step 1: Check if the motherboard supports the capacity or frequency of the overclocking memory Not every motherboard supports high frequency or high capacity. If the motherboard itself does not support it, no matter how high specification your overclocking memory is, it will not work. Therefore, I suggest you to check this information when you purchase motherboards and overclocking memory beforehand. Here's how to find the information from the official website of the motherboard or the official website of the memory manufacturer. 1. Check the product specification sheet on the official website of the motherboard. Take the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME as an example, go to the product page on the ASUS website, click on Tech Specs (green box), then scroll down to the memory section and you will see the memory capacity and frequency information supported by this motherboard (red box). ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME: https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-maximus/rog-maximus-z690-extreme-model/spec From the picture above, we can know that the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME motherboard has 4 DDR5 U-DIMM slots, supporting a maximum memory capacity of 128GB, and supports frequency of 6400/6200/6000/5800/5600/5400/5200/5000/4800 and other specifications. 2. Check the compatibility list (QVL) of the motherboard or memory module You can also use the compatibility list provided by the motherboard manufacturer or memory module manufacturer to confirm whether the overclocking memory you bought has passed the official test certification of the motherboard manufacturer. The compatibility lists of different motherboard manufacturers are presented in different ways. Take BIOSTAR’s Z690 VALKYRIE as an example, after entering the official website and selecting the product page of the motherboard, click Memory Support (green box) to see the specifications of each memory module that has passed the compatibility test. BIOSTAR Z690 VALKYRIE: https://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=1034#overview Memory module manufacturers also have compatibility lists, so you can check if the overclocking memory you purchased has passed the official test certification of those motherboard manufacturers. Take TEAMGROUP as an example, you can go to the compatibility check page and select the device you purchased or the memory product you want to check. Here we take DELTA RGB DDR5 for example, click Search by product (green box), select Motherboard first, then fill in the specification of the overclocking memory you purchased, and the result will be generated after sending. Compatibility check: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/tw/support/compatibility.php Step 2: Start the system with default memory settings to make sure the memory is working properly. After step 1, if it is confirmed that the motherboard supports the capacity or frequency of the overclocking memory you bought, then you can enter the BIOS again, turn off the XMP or DOCP of the overclocking memory, set it back to the default value, then press F10 to save and reboot to see if the memory can operate smoothly. If you still can't boot up, you can perform a simple debugging process to test whether there is a single memory causing the problem. You can refer to the following article for instructions: Easy memory debugging process https://www.teamgroupinc.com/tw/info/ins.php?index_id=215 If it can boot normally, you can continue to step 3 to make sure whether the current BIOS version is the latest. Step 3: Check if the current BIOS version is the latest After making sure that the memory is intact and can be booted with the default settings, you can check whether the BIOS is the latest version. Currently the 600 series of motherboards support Intel's 12th generation CPU are still updating the BIOS version frequently. In order to provide consumers with overclocking needs a better overclocking experience, if you are getting this series of motherboards, you must pay special attention to your BIOS version! You can see the version number in the BIOS screen of each motherboard manufacturer, or use the free software, CPU-Z to confirm. The download link for CPU-Z: https://reurl.cc/N63RGq The following is a screenshot from CPU-Z. The red box is the information of the BIOS version. The following are the latest BIOS download method for each motherboard manufacturer for your reference. Want to know how to update after downloading? Stay tuned! (Hurry up and leave a message~) If you have any questions during the process, leave a message and ask me! 1. ASUS Take ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME for example, go to the product page on the ASUS official website, click Support (green box), click Driver & Tools (yellow box), and then click BIOS & FIRMWARE (red box), you will see the latest BIOS download (blue box). ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME: https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-maximus/rog-maximus-z690-extreme-model/helpdesk_bios 2. ASRock Take ASRock Z690 Taichi as an example, visit the product page of ASRock official website, scroll down and click Support (green box), then click BIOS (yellow box), you will see the latest BIOS download (blue box). ASRock Z690 Taichi：https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z690%20Taichi/index.asp#BIOS 3. GIGABYTE Take Z690 AORUS XTREME as an example, go to the product page of GIGABYTE official website, click Support (green box), and then click BIOS (yellow box), you will see the latest BIOS download (blue box). Z690 AORUS XTREME：https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Motherboard/Z690-AORUS-XTREME-rev-10/support#support-dl-bios 4. MSI Take MEG Z690 UNIFY as an example, go to the product page on MSI official website, click Support (green box), then click Driver & Downloads (yellow box), you will see the latest BIOS download (blue box). MEG Z690 UNIFY：https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/MEG-Z690-UNIFY/support 5. BIOSTAR Take Z690 VALKYRIE as an example, go to the product page of the BIOSTAR official website, click Download (green box), scroll down to BIOS, and you will see the latest BIOS download (blue box). Z690 VALKYRIE：https://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=1034#download If you are still unable to boot up your computer after trying the three methods above, I suggest you provide the details of the product you purchased to the customer service channel of the memory module manufacturer or the motherboard manufacturer for assistance. If you T fans’ TEAMGROUP overclocking memory products are unable to boot up after overclocking, you can use our online consultation service to provide your overclocking memory model, specification, serial number, as well as the motherboard and CPU model and specification, and briefly describe the problem you are experiencing, and your professional customer service team will reply you as soon as possible! TEAMGROUP online consultation service: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/tw/support/
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In today's article, we would like to talk about memory cards of form factor SD (Secure Digital). If we want to buy an SD card, what is the first thing we think about? What is the main purpose of the card going to be? Some of you will probably start to think about the brand, but apart from that it is important to look deeper, or in other words, we need to check the specifications. Let's take a look at the specifications of SD cards from TEAMGROUP and understand for which group of users these cards were created. The most common and popular types of SD Cards are SDHC and SDXC formats. SDHC ( High Capacity ) ranges from 4GB to 32GB, and are the most common format today which means that most devices are compatible. SDXC (eXtended Capacity ) ranges from 64GB to 2TB, which also have more speed in transferring data compared to the aforementioned SDHC. Let's talk more about data transfer. In today's article, all the Four SD cards of TEAMGROUP have UHS (Ultra High Speed) technology. The cards are also in the category of Video Speed Class (V) from V10 to V60. TEAMGROUP's SD Cards are the answer to the increasing demand for high resolution and high-quality video recording. These SD cards are all waterproof, X-Ray proof and dustproof which makes them the best companion for travel bloggers and outdoor photographers. Check out the cards >> CLASSIC, ELITE, PRO, XTREEM What Capacity should I choose for my Camera? Recommended capacity will vary based on purpose since everyone has different needs. For example, if you use your camera only for taking pictures, a capacity of 32GB-64GB should be enough for you. However, if you take pictures but also shoot videos, then 128GB-256GB may prove more beneficial. The Classic and Elite Card is a perfect solution for this. What card should I choose for 4K or 8K resolution? For professional photo and videographers who shoot up to 4K resolution, you can also use The Elite Card. If you need a higher data transfer speed however, TEAMGROUP recommends buying The Pro SD Card that has R/W up to 100/90MB/s to save your time. While shooting in Full HD and 4K is becoming mainstream, shooting in 8K resolution is also now an option. In terms of file sizes and storage, 8K is four times the number of pixels as 4k, which leads to very large file sizes when shooting. This makes it ever more important for the videographer to choose the right SD card. With this in mind, The XTREEM Card is here to save the day. With the technology of V60 and up to 250/120MB/s data transfer you can focus more on doing what you love and spend less time transferring files. Thanks for reading, share your experience with SD cards below and let us know what SD Cards you love to use!
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The last article has introduced to you what an AIO liquid CPU cooler is, if you still don’t understand it, go and make up the progress. Is a Liquid CPU Cooler Better Than the Air Cooler? Things You Need to Know Before Buying a CPU Cooler. Today, I want to share with you how to install an AIO liquid CPU cooler after purchasing it. What should you pay attention to during the installation process? 1. Check the product contents In an AIO liquid CPU cooler, there are many parts besides the cooler itself, such as brackets, screws, and various wires. So the first thing you do is pick up the manual and make sure all parts are there or you may not be able to install smoothly! The following is a demonstration using T-FORCE SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler. SIREN GD240E ARGB 2. What do I need to pay attention to when installing in different locations of the case? When you see an AIO liquid CPU cooler for the first time, the first question most people have is how do I install this? The first thing you need to pay attention to is the fans on the water cooling row. Depending on the design of each case, there may be more than one place to install. Different installation locations have different installation methods for fans. The following two installation positions are more common in the market and have been tested to have more effective heat dissipation. At this point you must be thinking to yourself: Which side is the front? In fact, the installation direction of the fan is related to the direction of air intake. The fan blade basically has a convex and concave side, the convex side is the intake, and the concave side is the exhaust. So the direction of the air flow is like the diagram below. (The front side is convex, the back side is concave) (Fan+air flow diagram) In the previous article, we mentioned that the purpose of the fan installed on top of the water cooling row is to bring the heat away from the water cooling row, thereby cooling the coolant. If the place you install is at the “top” of the case, the “concave side” of the fan should be installed facing the water cooling row, so that the wind will smoothly blow the heat away from the water cooling row. If the place you install is the “front side” of the case, the “convex side” of the fan should be installed facing the water cooling row, and then installed on the front side of the case. It is because the front side of the case is for air intake and the back side is for exhaust, so this way the installation will be in a uniform direction of air flow. Reminder The AIO liquid CPU cooler alone can’t cool down the entire PC. The PC itself must be equipped with other fan products to achieve an effective cooling effect. A quick tip, if you really forget which side is air intake and which side is the exhaust, try pushing the blades hard to feel the wind flow. 3. Installation steps of the AIO liquid CPU cooler Speaking of which, let’s show you how to install an AIO liquid CPU cooler. Take the SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler as an example. 1. Install the fan to the water cooling row The installation direction of the fan has been mentioned in the previous paragraph. This time we install the water cooling row on top of the case, so the fan direction is as shown below. Confirm the direction and take the longer screws in the package to lock it. Reminder Lock the screws in the order of “X”. Remember not to lock all four screws tightly at once. After locking all four screws loosely, then tighten them in the same order. 2. Install water cooling row into the case Align the water cooling row with the holes on the top of the case, take the appropriate screws from the package and screw them. Reminder Remember not to lock the screws tightly at once. After locking all screws loosely, then tighten them in the same order to avoid damage to the product. In addition, some cases have magnetic filter on the top, you will have to remove the filter to see the installation location. 3. Install water block Before installation, select the appropriate bracket. Take the 1700 socket of INTEL’s latest 12th generation CPU as an example, the installation steps are as follows: First, place the bracket for the 1700 socket to the screw holes on the motherboard from the back. Flip motherboard to the front and secure the screws in the four corners. Then, after placing the CPU on the motherboard, remove the protective cover and apply thermal paste. There are millions of ways to apply the thermal paste. I found that the following 5-point method can be applied most evenly. Reminder When installing the CPU, in addition to paying attention to the installation direction, remember not to remove the protective cover of the CPU first. When the CPU is properly placed and the latch is press down, the protective cover will pop open automatically. This also better protects the pins on the motherboard. Remove the copper bottom surface protection sticker on the water block of the SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler. Take the appropriate screws and screw them on the motherboard. The screwing method is the same, following the order of X and do not screw it too tightly at once. Lock all the screws and then tighten them in the same order, so that the water block applies force to the CPU evenly, making the CPU less likely to be damaged. 4. Wiring to the motherboard After securing the AIO liquid cooler to the case and the motherboard, the last step, and the most important step, is wiring! First, you must identify the purpose of each wire. Since the fan and the water block of T-FORCE SIREN GD240E AIO ARGB liquid cooler have ARGB function, therefore the fan has two cables individually, one for the power and one for the ARGB signal, while the water block only has one ARGB signal cable. Reminder The ARGB signal cable is a 5V 3 PIN connector (below left), which is different from the power cable (below right)! Wiring is quite simple. First, you connect the water block’s ARGB signal cable from the package. Find the one-to-three cable from the package, and get the fan and the ARGB signal cable of the water block and plug it in, then connect it to the 5V 3 PIN position on the motherboard and you are done. Then there is the is the power cable. The power cable on the water cooling row should be connected to the AIO_PUMP on the motherboard. It will be marked on the motherboard, you don’t have to worry. The power cable on the fan is connected to the CHA_FAN position on the motherboard, and that’s it! You must be wondering why there are still many things in the package that are not used? Some of them are brackets for AMD platform that we didn’t demonstrate this time, and some of them are for cables that need to be used when there are limited holes on the motherboard. If your still having problems during the installation, don’t worry, feel free to leave a message at the bottom, I will do my best to answer them. I will see you next time.
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In a computer, the CPU cooler is an indispensable part of the build, which is used to help the CPU to dissipate heat. When buying a CPU, whether it is INTEL or AMD, a stock CPU cooler will be attached. Since the original factory has attached it, do we still need to purchase another one? Is a liquid CPU cooler necessary? 1. What is an air CPU cooler? The heat conduction principle of air cooling is mainly to use “air circulation” to dissipate heat. Regardless of whether it is a top-down type or a tower type, the heat of the CPU will be conducted through the thermal paste to the metal junction of the cooler, and then the heat will be guided to the metal fins on the CPU cooler by the metal pipe, and finally the fan will carry the heat away. Since the way of heat dissipation is through the air flow, the size of the case and the size and number of fans on the cooler will have a greater impact on the air CPU cooler. In other words, under the same cooler and environmental conditions, a larger case will have a better cooling effect. Of course, the larger the size of the air CPU cooler, the more layers of metal fins are used to dissipate heat, which naturally increases the overall heat dissipation area and leads to better cooling effect. Air CPU coolers are divided into “top-down” and “tower” types. Generally, the original CPU comes with a top-down cooler. We will not discuss it in detail here. If you are interested, let me know! (Source : https://news.xfastest.com/news/2993/2993/) 2. What is liquid CPU cooler? The heat conduction principle of liquid cooling is mainly to use liquid circulation to dissipate heat. Of course, it must be used with a fan to remove the heat. The CPU also uses thermal paste to conduct heat to the metal junction of the cooler, and then through the coolant, the heat source is drained to the water cooling row by a conduit. Finally, use the fan on the water cooling row to blow the heat in the coolant away. After cooling the coolant will continue to circulate, repeating the above steps to achieve the cooling effect. The following illustration is based on the operation of TEAMGROUP’s SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB liquid cooler as an example: Liquid CPU coolers are divided into “AIO” and “Open loop”. It is obvious how challenging the open loop cooler is to install by just looking at the parts, and there will also be a difference in price of course. Want to know the detailed comparison of these two liquid CPU coolers? Leave a message below! Reminder Coolant is different from the tap water we generally use! Although it looks delicious and colorful, it is a chemical liquid. According to my friend (I will never admit that it is me), it tastes super bitter. You must seek medical attention immediately if you accidentally swallow it. 3. Air cooler or liquid cooler? Before deciding on getting an air cooler or a liquid cooler, you need to know that the heat dissipation effect of liquid cooling is better than air cooling. Of course, the price will also be more expensive. 1. What range does the temperature usually fall in? You can use software such as Core Temp or HWMonitor to check what range the CPU temperature falls in for a long time in your current usage habits. The normal operating temperature is about 40℃~65℃. If you are playing 3A games, the temperature will fall between 70℃~85℃. If it is higher than 85℃, then you need to check if there’s a problem with your cooling system! So, you can think about whether you will have the needs of multi-tasking, playing 3A games, or using video editing software. These usages will result in high CPU usage, which in turn will cause the CPU to generate a lot of heat, and will require a liquid CPU cooler with better heat dissipation to make it less likely to overheat. 2. Space limitations and personal budget for case installation Next is the internal installation space of the computer case. Tower air CPU coolers can easily cause problems due to its high height or the large size that interferes with the installation of the memory, which makes it unable to be installed into the case smoothly. In the pursuit of a better cooling solution and with a limited budget, it is recommended that you choose an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler. There are many kinds of all-in-one liquid coolers on the market. You can choose a style with RGB lighting effects or non-light pollution according to your personal preferences. The water block of TEAMGROUP’s SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB liquid cooler presents a textured mirror finish when the lighting effect is off. When the RGB lighting effect is turned on with the RGB fan, you can have high cooling performance and RGB visual feast all at once! SIREN GD240E ARGB: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/tw/product/siren-gd240-all-in-one-argb-cpu-liquid-cooler 4. What should I pay attention to before purchasing? Compatibility issues with the installation of the CPU cooler. When choosing a CPU cooler, first check if it supports the CPU pins, which is the key to determine if you can install it smoothly! Take TEAMGROUP’s SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB liquid cooler for example, there will be a CPU Socket in the product specification list, which clearly lists which pins support INTEL and AMD respectively. You just need to look at the pin information on the package of your CPU, and check to see if there is any on the CPU cooler. Conclusion If your PC will be used to play 3A games, or if you usually have multi-tasking needs, then it is recommended that you choose a liquid CPU cooler. Compared with air cooling, it not only has better heat dissipation effect, but also has lower operation noise. Among liquid CPU coolers, I would recommend the all-in-one liquid cooler. Compared to an open loop liquid cooler, in terms of installation, you only need to install the fan to the water cooling row, and lock the water block and water cooling row to a specific location. In terms of maintenance, the all-in-one liquid cooler has already added coolant to the product, you do not have to find a coolant product yourself, and you don’t have to worry about water leakage problems. That’s all for today. You can leave a message if there is any specific part you want to know more about. I’ll see you next time~
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After the launch of Intel's 12th generation CPU, motherboard manufacturers such as ASUS, ASRock, BIOSTAR, GIGABYTE and MSI have also launched a variety of motherboards built with the Intel Z690 chipset. Although the price is high, I believe that the gamers will still be willing to pay after seeing the specifications. After all, the motherboard has been upgraded significantly this time! 1. Z690 has models that support DDR5 and DDR4 respectively Like the previous generation transition between DDR3 and DDR4, each manufacturer's Z690 series all also have versions that support DDR5 and DDR4 respectively. In terms of naming, most of the manufactures will remark specifically for the DDR4 version. For example, the ASUS "PRIME Z690-P-CSM" supports DDR5 memory, and the "PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4-CSM" supports DDR4 memory. However, there are also some naming methods that are less obvious. For example, BIOSTAR's "Z690 VALKYRIE" supports DDR5 memory, while "Z690A VALKYRIE" supports DDR4. Therefore, Z690 doesn't mean that it supports DDR5, you still need to understand the specification before purchasing. So, what's the difference between the motherboard version that supports DDR5 and the version that supports DDR4? It is difficult to say in general, because each manufacturer's approach is different. For example, for the Z690 VALKYRIE series of BIOSTAR, the difference between DDR5 and DDR4 is only in the support for the memory slot, and all other functions are the same. The current approach of ASUS is that only the DDR5 version is available for the highest-end motherboards, while the DDR4 version is used in other series. 2. What is the difference between DDR4 and DDR5 memory? I believe we all have some slight understanding of what are the different features of DDR4 and DDR5 memory. If you still don't know that well, it's okay, click this link to have a thorough look. What's The Difference Between DDR4 and DDR5 Memory? In order to make it easier for you to choose, I will show you the products of T-FORCE directly. DELTA RGB DDR5 V.S DELTA RGB DDR4 Compared to DDR4, DDR5 has reached the frequency of 6,000, and the capacity also starts from the 16x2 specification. In addition, DDR5 and DDR4 of DELTA RGB have some ingenious changes in appearance. T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR5 adds the imagery of a stealth fighter, and optimizes the overall visual appearance with line design. The light bar has the same full 120° wide angle as the DDR4 version, and supports various light effect software. The luminous area has also been slightly expanded, so the overall RGB light effect is absolutely satisfying for those who want to pursue ultra lighting options! DELTA RGB DDR5: h https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/delta-rgb-ddr5 DELTA RGB DDR4: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/delta-rgb-ddr4 VULCAN DDR5 V.S VULCAN DDR4 The VULCAN DDR5 is designed to enhance the thermal dissipation of the power management IC (PMIC) on the memory by using professional thermal conductive silicone to make the VULCAN DDR5 more stable and less likely to overheat while operating. In addition, the design of the heat sink has also become more concise. The combination of clip and thermal conductive silicone is used to strengthen the bond between the heat sink and the memory, which makes it more stable than VULCAN DDR4. In terms of color selection, the DDR5 version changes from gray to black, so that everyone can choose a more consistent visual appearance for the entire installation. If you are like me, not pursuing much RGB, I recommend you to choose this VULCAN, which has less RGB, but more low key luxury with a metallic feel. VULCAN DDR5: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/vulcan-ddr5 VULCAN DDR4: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/vulcan-z-ddr4 3. Is Z690 a must get? Should I choose the DDR4 or DDR5 version? I think everyone has a general understanding of the price of Z690, if you are still hesitant and unable to decide whether to get it or not, you might as well take a look at my analysis. The biggest feature of Z690 is that it is very flexible for the expansion of storage capacity. In the past, when we used the M.2 PCIe slots on the motherboard, have you ever encountered a difference in read/write speed between M.2 PCIe SSDs with the same read/write speed plugged into the PCIe slots on the motherboard at the same time? In fact, it’s not because they are defected products, but rather lack of PCIe lanes on the motherboard, which can cause speed reduction, and that’s why there must be tradeoffs in the selection of storage devices. The motherboard of the Z690 chipset does not have this problem, because it has up to 28 PCIe lanes, including PCIe4.0 and PCIe3.0 lanes. This means that all the M.2 PCIe connectors you see on the motherboard will not be slowed down when installing M.2 PCIe SSDs with the same read/write speed. In addition, this time there are 4 sets of USB 3.2 GEN2x2 ports! You don’t have to worry about not having enough ports, let alone the speed limit of the transfer interface, which will reduce the transfer speed of your storage device! Source: https://www.anandtech.com/show/16970/the-intel-z690-motherboard-overview-over-50-new-models-with-ddr5-support (Image credit: Intel) Conclusion If the scalability of the PC is your primary consideration, you can consider starting with the Z690 motherboard, because it is the best board on the market for storage space expansion. After deciding to buy it, the next step is to decide whether to choose the DDR4 or DDR5 version. In my own opinion, since there’s not much difference in the performance of the motherboard, the more cost-effective way is to start with the DDR4 version. On the one hand, you can enjoy the performance upgrade from the Z690, and on the other hand, you can continue to use the existing DDR4 memory. If you want to upgrade to the top at once, then consider no more! Take your piggy bank to take home a Z690 DDR5 motherboard with DDR5 memory! You can upload photos in the comment section below to make me envy. The above are a few of my suggestions for your reference. If you have any questions about Z690, DDR4 or DDR5 memory, please leave your comments below! I will see you next time!
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Have you got your PS5 yet? If you play as “seriously” as I do, I’m sure the storage of your PlayStation 5 is no longer enough! After Sony’s official software update in September, the expansion feature of the M.2 slot was unlocked. While everyone is rushing to buy M.2 SSDs, do you know what kind of M.2 SSDs can be installed smoothly? Do you really need to expand your storage? Can a portable SSD expand capacity in the same way? This short article will briefly introduce you to the application differences and related precautions of M.2 SSD and portable SSD when expanding PlayStation 5. After reading this you will know more about what to purchase! 1. How to choose and install the expansion storage? PS5 has a lot of requirements for the expansion SSD, I have already picked the most suitable products for you. Take TEAMGROUP’s T-FORCE products, you can choose the A440 PSS White Warrior M.2 PCIe4.0 SSD for M.2 SSD. As for portable SSD, you can choose the M200 Sniper Mobile SSD. Expansion method M.2 SSD Portable SSD Product interface PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 SSD(Key M) USB type-A or USB Type-C (SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps and above) Capacity limit 250 GB - 4 TB 250 GB - 8 TB Product size limit W: Max. 25 mm L: 30/40/60/80/110 mm H: Max. 11.25 mm Not limited, but not all portable SSDs are compatible. Recommended product CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 PCIe4.0 SSD M200 Portable SSD Although PCIe Gen3 M.2 SSD products also have the option of Key M, they can be installed with ease, but they can not function in a PS5! So you still have to make sure it’s GEN4 before you can use it! The installation of the A440 PSS White Warrior M.2 PCIe4.0 SSD can be found in the following video. THE BEST WAY to UPGRADE PlayStation 5 Using NVMe M.2 SSD l TEAMGROUP How to connect the portable T-FORCE M200 Sniper Mobile SSD to PS5? You have 3 USB ports to choose from: a USB Type-C port on the front of the PS5 console, and two USB type-A ports on the back of the console. ~Reminder~ Remember to update your PS5 before using the storage expansion function of M.2 SSD. You can connect multiple portable SSDs to the PS5 console at the same time, but only one device can be used at a time. Front USB type-A can be used for other USB devices such at PS5 joystick charging, PlayStation VR or wireless headset adapters. For more details on the compatibility of the USB device with the ports on the PS5 console, please refer to the PlayStation official website. 2. How can I use M.2 SSD on PS5? The following screenshot shows the operation screen using A440 PSS White Warrior M.2 PCIe4.0 SSD. After successfully installing the M.2 SSD in the PS5, this formatting screen will appear at the beginning. PS5 bootup and requires formatting before it can be used, so remember to empty or back up the data in the M.2 SSD first. If your game is a disk copy, you still need the actual disk to play even if you move it to the M.2 SSD. The digital version of the game will not have this problem. In addition to helping to release the storage space of the PS5 console, you can also play, download and update PS4 or PS5 games on the M.2 SSD directly, without having to move back to the console to operate, which is very convenient. Why is the speed of moving games from PS5 to M.2 SSD is so much faster than M.2 to PS5? Because the storage device on the PS5 itself requires a read speed much faster than the write speed, so when you move the game to M.2 SSD, the PS5 is doing the reading, while the M.2 SSD is doing the write, which is why it takes less time. Moving "Tom Clancy's The Division 2" 112.3GB When we play games, we are doing the action of reading, so in short it will not affect your enjoyment of playing games at all! 3. How can I use portable SSD on PS5? The following screenshot shows the operation screen using T-FORCE M200 Sniper Mobile SSD. When a portable SSD is connected to PS5 for the first time, there will be a formatting requirement as well, so make sure that the data on the portable SSD is properly handled! If the formatting screen does not pop up at the start, go to Settings> Storage> USB Extended Storage> and then select Format to perform. The portable SSD, like the M.2 SSD, can store PS4 and PS5 games and game save files, but you can only play and install PS4 games on the portable SDD. PS5 games cannot be played on portable SSD. Therefore, it is recommended to use the portable SSD to move games in PS4 to PS5 to play. In addition to playing on an external device directly after connecting to PS5, saving time for reinstallation, it also allows more PS5 games to be installed in the storage of the PS5 itself. Reminder Before you remove the portable SSD, first make sure the power light of PS5 or PS4 game console is completely off before unplugging the device. If you want to unplug the external storage device while the game console is running, you need to go to the setup screen and exit the device. The related steps are provided below. PS5：Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage > Safely Remove from PS5 PS4：Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices > Stop It is recommended to format on PS5 first before accessing the game on PS4, so that you will not have to do it again because of formatting when moving to PS5. Conclusion Expansion method M.2 SSD Portable SSD Play & download games on the device PS5 Games Yes PS4 Games Yes PS5 Games No PS4 Games Yes Difficult of device installation & removal Difficult Easy Device portability Difficult Convenient Recommended applications Free up PS5 storage, increase space for PS5 games to be stored and played. Free up PS5 storage, move or store PS4 games. Recommended products CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 PCIe4.0 SSD M200 Portable SSD If you already have a PS4 and want to transfer the game to PS5 after purchasing PS5, it is recommended that you buy a portable SSD, such as M200 Sniper Mobile SSD from T-FORCE with up to 8TB of storage. It is sturdy, durable, lightweight and has enough capacity to be used as a portable SSD for storing games. If you have a lot of PS5 games in digital version, or your whole family use the same PS5 console, then it is recommended to buy M.2 SSD, such as T-FORCE’s A440 PSS White Warrior M.2 PCIe4.0 SSD. In addition to the 4TB storage capacity, the patented ultra-thin graphene heat sink allows it to fit perfectly into the PS5 console. You don’t have to worry about incompatibility since it is a M.2 PCIe SSD specially made for PS5. If you have any installation problems, you can leave a message below. What other topics would you like to read? 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Today we have a topic revolving around on how to build FPS gaming build in general. Even though the prices of the graphics card are way above the MSRP, we will still take a look in detailed way on how to do it. There are loads of factors that need to be taken into consideration when building a computer, so we are going to go through all of them. First, the computer components that you need to build it. You will need: 1. Motherboard (MBO) 2. Processor (CPU) 3. Computer memory (RAM) 4. Storage (SSD or HDD) 5. Graphics card (GPU) 6. Power supply (PSU) 7. Cooler for the processor 8. Case In addition to those parts, if you are getting a processor that already had a stock cooler and that is solid, you do not need an additional CPU cooler like a tower cooler or an AIO. Our advice is also to check out a case that already has some pre-installed fans that will create a good air flow through the case and help the coolers on the graphics card and processor get fresh air. 【All components for PC build】 Let us check out the parts individually. 1. Motherboard: ASRock Z590 Extreme There is always a possibility to go lower or higher with the motherboard, but we will be using this one as an example. It supports 10th and 11st Generation of Intel Core processors but also supports PCIe 4.0 graphics cards and Gen 4x4 NVMe M.2 SSDs with some other cool features. If you are not comfortable with overclocking your processor, you can always go with a lower grade model of a motherboard. 2. Processor: Intel Core i7-10700k Even though 11st Generation of Intel Core processors is well on the market, suggestion for the processor that packs a punch doesn't heat up much compared to the 11st Generation is this one. We are talking about a processor that has 8 Cores and 16 Threads, Base Frequency of 3.8GHz and Turbo Boost Frequency on 5.1Ghz with 16MB Cache memory. Maximum power consumption of this processor is rated around 125W. 3. Computer memory: T-FORCE DARK Z Alpha 3600 8GBx4 The amount of memory which is enough for todays gaming PCs is 16GB. That is somewhat a sweet spot, but we are going to use 32GB just to fill up all the slots for future proof and for the looks. Also, if someone wants to start with some PhotoShop or video editing, this would be just the right amount. We are choosing Team Group T-FORCE DARK Z Alpha 4x 8GB on 3600MHz. If this PC was more in the budget category, we would go with 2x 8GB on 3200MHz. 4. Storage: T-FORCE CARDEA IOPS M.2 PCIe SSD 1TB Our advice is to go with NVMe M.2 SSD to lose the wires inside the case and of course to achieve greater read and write speeds. With Team Group T-FORCE CARDEA IOPS NVMe M.2 SSD with storage of 1TB you will be good for operation system Windows 10, some main applications and loads of games (of course if you don't include Call of Duty – then you are good for couple of games). In addition to that if you are looking for an actual storage, hard drive of 2TB on 7200RPM would be just alright. 5. Graphics card: MSI GeForce RTX 2070 ARMOR In the current situation, it is hard to acquire a graphics card at all, let alone with a decent price. But nevertheless, we will use a decent card for gaming even though it is two generations back. We will use MSI GeForce RTX 2070 ARMOR with 8GB of memory. This one will be quiet alright even for 1440p gaming on medium settings achieving well above 60FPS in most games. 6. Power supply: Fractal Design Ion Gold 850W Something to power up your computer, the power supply. There are cheaper solutions with lower efficiency rating, less watts (for this PC 600-700W is quiet enough) and non-modular but we also want to show you what are the benefits of a modular power supply. We choose Fractal Design ION Gold 850W. As said, not that we need 850W, but just as an example in building a computer. 7. Cooler for the processor: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black You can choose to use the stock CPU cooler, or you can go advance and get an aftermarket CPU tower cooler or even an AIO liquid cooling system with closed loop. Since we are using a bit stronger CPU, to keep the temperatures lower at higher load, we are going to use Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black which is more than enough for this processor. 8. Case: ANTEC P10 FLUX Choosing a right case is also important when it comes to building your computer. If it has some pre-installed fans, you are already half way done when it comes to cooling since the initial cooling is solved and the air flow is already designed. 【Installation Process】 1. Install the CPU in the motherboard First, we will start by removing the motherboard from the box and add all the components we can on it before placing it inside the case. Take the processor out of the box and follow the picture instructions. Slide and release the latch holding the processor holder of the Intel socket. Leave the plastic cover on and check out for the side cut outs on the processor and how it goes inside. Be careful with the pins on the motherboard because if they get bent you won't be able to place them back in the proper position or you might break them thus making the motherboard broken. Place the processor in the socket and return the latch holding the processor in the original position. When doing this you will need to use a bit of pressure to place the latch back inside. When everything is placed correctly, the plastic cover will just pop out and you can remove it. Store the plastic cover back inside the motherboard box for a possible warranty replacement since motherboard manufacturers don't accept the RMA without it. This is important. 2. Install the SSD on the motherboard Since on this motherboard you have a passive heatsink, we will remove it since the Team Group T-FORCE CARDEA IOPS has one of its own. Untighten the screws holding the passive heatsink and place the NVMe SSD accordingly to the pins on the motherboard M.2 socket. Pictures for reference. Then tighten the screw on the motherboard that will hold down your NVMe M.2 SSD. 3. Install the RAM on the motherboard Next is the RAM placement. Be sure to check where the cut out on the RAM connector is and where it is supposed to go inside the motherboard. Release top and bottom or just top latches that usually hold the RAMs so you can place the RAMs on the motherboard. Pictures for reference. 4. Install the Cooler on the motherboard Now it is time to place the cooler, but before that we need to place the backplate at the back of the motherboard and then a pea size amount of thermal grease or paste on the processor in the middle of it. Since every processor tower cooler has a different way of placing the mounting brackets on the motherboard, please refer to the processor tower cooler instruction manual on how to place them there and of course how to place the processor cooler on the processor. One important tip, diagonally tighten the screws on the processor cooler or if you have two screws like on this Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, tighten them evenly so the cooler doesn't pop out. Connect the PWM header to the CPU FAN header on the motherboard. 5. Place the motherboard inside the case Check if your case has all the standoffs for motherboard mounting placed inside. If they are few missing, use the case accessory box and place them according to the size of your motherboard (ATX, microATX or mini-ITX). The best way to place the motherboard inside your case is to lay down your case. First check if you have the I/O shield that needs to go inside the case where the connectivity ports on the motherboard are at the back. If the I/O shield is already attached to the motherboard then keep going. Gently place the motherboard inside by checking out the standoffs and if they match with the holes on the motherboard as well as aiming to get a perfect fit with the I/O shield at the back side of the case. Place and tighten all 8 or 9 screws (depending on the case, middle one sometimes can be just a holder to center the motherboard). In this situation, we are using 2x 8-pin EPS cables that go on the top left corner of the motherboard, 1x 24-pin cable that goes almost in the middle right part of the motherboard, 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin PCIe cable for your graphic card, 1x SATA power cable for the controller at the back. Connect all these cables to your power supply if you have a modular one like we have in this tutorial. If you have a non-modular power supply, then just slide it in from the side. First, connect the 2x 8-pin EPS cables and 24-pin cable on the motherboard. Now connect USB 3.0 front panel to the motherboard, Audio header, front button header for powering on your computer. All the exact instructions are either written already on the motherboard or you can find the exact description in the motherboard instruction manual. 6. Place the GPU Time to place in the graphics card. Check how the graphics card will be placed inside the first PCIe slot and then you will realize which PCIe covers need to be removed. In our situation, we had to remove the second and the third from the top. Release the latch that holds the graphics card to the motherboard and gently align the graphics card to the PCIe slot and the PCIe brackets that will additionally hold it in place. Now tighten two screws at the back of the case which will hold the graphics card in a straight position. In case there is a slight GPU sag, we would suggest acquiring an anti-sag bracket for it. Connect the 6-pin and 8-pin EPS to the graphics card in a position so that the latch on the cables attaches to the pins on the graphics card which will hold the cable. 7. Verify the cable connections When all of this is done, one more time check all the cable connectivity and if the cables are properly in place without any movements inside the connector. Arrange the cables at the back with zip ties or velcro ties and close the back panel of the case. Connect the power cable from the wall socket to your power supply and switch it on. Press the power button on the case and there you go. Now you are only left with placing a bootable USB stick with desired OS, installing motherboard drivers (chipset, LAN, audio and others), graphics card drivers from the official website and then start downloading games. Watch full FPS Gaming Build Guide Video
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Sony announced that the PS5's storage can be expanded by adding an M.2 SSD. Doing so enables you to download more games to the system itself! However, before adding a new M.2 SSD to your PS5, you need to make sure the specifications of the M.2 SSD meet the minimum requirements for the PS5 console. Interface PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD Capacity 250GB – 4TB Cooling Structure Using an M.2 SSD with your PS5 console requires effective heat dissipation with a cooling structure, such as a heatsink. You can attach one to your M.2 SSD yourself, either in a single-sided format, or double-sided format. There are also M.2 SSDs that have cooling structures (such as heatsinks) built in. Sequential Read Speed 5,500MB/s or faster is recommended Module Width 22mm width (25mm width is not supported) Form Factor M.2 type 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. These numbers can be found on retail listings for M.2 SSD devices. The first two digits refer to the width, the remaining digits to the length. Maximum Size (Including cooling structure) In millimeters: smaller than 110mm (L) x 25mm (W) x 11.25mm (H). In inches: smaller than 4.33in (L) x 0.984 in (W) x 0.442in (H). You can check the details directly via the PlayStation website: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5-install-m2-ssd/#min To sum up, there are 4 primary requirements you need to pay attention to. First, the PCIe SSD generation needs to be Gen4 x4. Second, since there will be heat generated by the SSD, use of a quality, efficient heatsink is important. Third, the sequential read speed should be at least 5,500MB/s. Lastly, the capacity of the M.2 SSD should be between 250GB and 4TB. Sound familiar already? It should! TEAMGROUP has already launched the perfect M.2 SSD for PS5 consoles back in October 2021, the T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 PCIe SSD! The T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 PCIe SSD is equipped with the industry's first-ever white graphene heat sink. The M.2 PCIe4.0 SSD, created specifically to expand PS5 storage, can reach read/write speeds of up to 7,400/7,000 MB/s and offers storage capacities of up to 4TB. The T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 SSD meets the specifications for the PS5 in heat sink size, read/write speeds, and supported capacities, allowing PS5 gamers to install it easily and get the storage and performance they need instantly. By upgrading your PS5 console with a T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 PCIe SSD, you can experience better read and write speeds when transferring your game data, improved loading times for your favorite games, and never have to worry about which games to keep or delete when downloaded the latest titles! For gamers looking to expand their PS5 storage, you can check out the T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series M.2 PCIe SSD here: https://amzn.to/3s6Iwqz For those who want to upgrade their PS5, the T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series is a perfect fit. In order to make the installation easier, we've prepared a video guide and included the SSD read and write performance results from the video.
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The Christmas season has come and it’s time to choose Christmas gifts for loved ones and friends. Today, we want to share with you five Christmas gift ideas that will not only be loved, but also will be amazingly helpful. Let’s start! Gift #1 The external SSD T-Create Classic External SSD. This SSD is loved by gamers and content creators alike. In our time of creative expression, having enough space for saving content and data is necessary. Therefore, an external SSD will become an excellent gift that will allow for saving photos, videos, and games. With a fast speed of transfer to any device, it has many uses. It will also work with both Mac and Windows, which makes this external SSD a more attractive choice as a gift for your loved ones. If that isn’t enough, the T-Create Classic Thunderbolt SSD's package is fantastic. It looks so nice it may not even need gift wrapping. Just add a Christmas Card and yummy chocolate and that is it – the perfect Christmas gift is ready! T-CREATE Classic External SSD Where to buy Gift #2 Do you have a friend who loves to play the PlayStation5 and don't know what to get them for Christmas? An SSD is a wonderful gift! With the SSD they can play more of their favorite games without worry of overheating. The T-Force Cardea A440 PRO SPECIAL SERIES M.2 is an SSD that was made specifically for the PS5. It is 100% compatible with the new PlayStation and will satisfy all the needs of PS5 gamers in terms of speed, which is up to 7000. It has very effective cooling because of it’s graphene heat sink. It also has an appearance that shares the same color as the PS5. We can guarantee that it will be the best gift for all PS5 lovers. T-FORCE Cardea A440 PSS SSD Where to buy Gift #3 Do you have a friend that likes to spend evenings and nights playing CS: GO? Do you know someone planning to build a PC or make an upgrade to their PC? Then you should gift them some TeamGroup gaming memory! Of course, a GPU would make them much happier, but you should know that memory is never a bad gift! Choose beautiful RAM, like the Xtreem ARGB White DDR4 32Gb 4000/3600 MHz. It matches trendy monochrome PC components while providing great performance! Nowadays 32 GB is amazing for gamers, and 4000Mhz is a high frequency that can help them have much better performance in games. Your friend will be super excited to receive such a wonderful gift. T-FORCE Xtreem ARGB White Where to buy Gift #4 “Secret Santa” is a holiday tradition in many offices, but the hardest part is picking the right gift for your colleagues. Aside from the Xmas mug at Starbucks, there is one more cool and universal gift you can get for any colleague ; a T83 or T93 USB flash drive from TeamGroup. It is not just UFD, but a multifunctional USB that will make the lucky recipient of it happy with everything that this small UFD can do. Beyond just saving data, it can function as a ruler, magnet, and much more. This series of USBs are great all around tools! T193 USB3.2 Where to buy T183 USB3.2 Where to buy Gift #5 Do you know someone that likes to take photos and videos of travel adventures and sports tricks by using GoPro, Drone or Camera? Then the best gift is a Micro SD card collection for each device. For example, the Go microCard for a GoPro, the Elite micro SD Card for Drone, and the Xtreem Card for a camera. This is a perfect gift that they can use on their travels. If you want to make the gift even better, then add a TeamGroup external SSD PD 1000. It is a very elegant and stylish external SSD from the outside, but from the inside it was created to be unbreakable in front of all rough conditions! Your friend can take it everywhere with them! GO CARD Where to buy ELITE A1 CARD Where to buy XTREEM SD CARD Where to buy PD1000 Portable SSD Where to buy Which of these gifts was your favorite? Share with us in the comments. TEAMGROUP hopes you can find a wonderful gift, and have a very merry holiday season ahead! JOIN THE HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY from December 1 to December 31
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Whether or not content creation can become an independent market like gaming is, is a question many people have had since 2019. However, the way I see it is that professional creators do have a high demand for powerful and stable hardware, which is not the same as the needs of gamers. And there is actually a problem that manufacturers have ignored, that is most creators spend all their time creating content, they have no time to research on how to install a computer by themselves, or how to read the specifications. To solve this problem, I have created a recommended list of beginner equipment for you with a video teaching how to install it on your own. Just follow the steps and it won't be difficult at all! As usual, we first make a list of what is used in the installation: MB：ASUS ProArt B550-CREATOR CPU：R7-3700X SSD：T-CREATE CLASSIC PCIe4.0 SSD DRAM：T-CREATE CLASSIC DDR4 10L DESKTOP MEMORY GPU：LEADTEK NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 CASE：SilverStone SETA A1 POWER：CoolerMaster V1000 Platinum ASUS ProArt B550-CREATOR For the motherboard, we choose the ASUS ProArt, which is also a creator series. It has a special design texture in appearance, especially the PROART outlined by the gold line on the heat sink, which gives the motherboard a unique design aesthetic. In addition to the appearance, it is as good as gaming motherboards in terms of functionality. The PCIe 4.0 x 16 slot supports high-power graphics cards or M.2 PCIe SSDs, so that professional creators don't have to worry about graphics card compatibility issues or the data processing speed not being fast enough. Moreover, considering that professional creators often use NAS systems and external SSDs, it is equipped with two 2.5Gb Ethernet and two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C connectors, which maximize the transfer speed, so that large video and audio content can be transferred in a blink of an eye. I believe it is the most creator-friendly motherboard on the market today. R7-3700X The model that was originally to be installed was an R7-5800X, but considering the price difference was a lot, and creators rarely overclock their device, we pick the R7-3700X, which is also 8-core and 16-thread. I think this CPU is enough for use, if it is not, you can always upgrade it yourself. T-CREATE CLASSIC PCIe4.0 SSD At present, T-CREATE from TEAMGROUP is the only storage manufacturer on the market that has established sub-brands and launched dedicated products for creators. This T-CREATE CLASSIC PCIe 4.0 SSD is obviously different from gaming products in appearance, with a style that focuses more on texture rather than RGB. The matte silver heat spreader fits perfectly on the ProArt motherboard, so you don't need to worry about the abrupt appearance. In terms of performance, we choose the Gen4x4 SSD that perfectly demonstrates the performance of the B550-CREATOR with the R7-3700X. This is a new generation supported by AMD 3000 series CPU. With read and write speeds of up to 5,000/4,000 MB/s, it is suitable for creators who need to process a large amount of files daily, effectively shortening the file transfer time and allowing creators to have more time to focus on their various works. T-CREATE CLASSIC DDR4 10L DESKTOP MEMORY The memory is selected from the T-CREATE CLASSIC series of desktop memory. Since it is the same series as the SSD, the colors and the materials are identical, so there is no color matching problem at all. Just plug it in and it is that simple. The native 3200MHz specification allows creators who have no time to research on how to overclock to experience the performance of high-frequency memory. This series supports up to a single 32GB capacity. I only list the most basic specifications first. If there is a larger amount of multitasking or rendering requirements, you can choose a higher capacity memory. Our recommended motherboard + CPU is fully capable of supporting 32GB*4 3200MHz flagship specification! NVDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Since this PC is dedicated for creators, the most important thing is the graphics card after all, whether it is for photo editing or animation production, there are high requirements for the graphics card. Unlike the gaming graphics cards often used in gaming, we choose a Quadro graphics card for design and professional use. It is not very different from the gaming graphics cards in terms of hardware, perhaps only the graphics memory has a larger capacity. The biggest reason for me to choose a graphics card for design/professional use is that it will optimize drivers for specific software, so that creators can use it with more stability. The advantage of stability alone is enough for us to spend more money to buy it. SilverStone SETA A1 Getting the right case is all about choosing the one that best meets your needs in terms of appearance, ease of assembly, heat dissipation, etc. This time we first consider the appearance when choosing the case, and look for the color matching the matte silver. The front of this case is very in line with the demand. With a slightly wavy corner design, the overall appearance is not as square as traditional cases, which instantly catches my attention. The second is heat dissipation. This case is equipped with two 200mm suction fans at the front and one exhaust fan at the back, which is enough for the air to flow effectively. This allows the heat generated by the high-end graphics card under high-speed operation to be released from the case quickly enough to meet our needs. CoolerMaster V1000 Platinum Choosing a power supply is also very easy. If you don't know much about brands on the market and feel confused, the principle is very simple, we only need to consider two factors, "wattage" and "warranty". This time, according to our requirement for a mid-range graphics card, there is actually no need to get a 1000W power supply. However, considering that some creators will buy a second graphics card and link them together, we generally recommend getting enough wattage at once to avoid having to purchase a new power supply afterwards, which is time-consuming and costly. In addition, the warranty is also very important since creators put stability as the first priority. We recommend choosing a power supply with a 10-year warranty for better protection and peace of mind. This is the end of the introduction on how to select your hardware. For installation steps, please watch the video we made for this article. We sequentially include the location and precautions for each component to be installed, so that everyone can learn to install their own PC in as little time as possible. I'll see you next time!
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USB3.2 is a standard defined by the USB-IF. The number at the end represents the generations that have been developed to date, and each generation has a different specification from the others. Today's focus is to introduce the differences between these generations, and what details we should pay attention to when buying a USB flash drive. First, let's use a picture to briefly describe the development history of each generation of USB. It has undergone several changes from the earliest USB1.0 to the current mainstream USB3.2, and the evolutionary process of USB3.0, USB3.1 to USB3.2 is the most confusing period. In fact, in order to avoid too many generation names, in 2019, USB-IF rearranged USB3.0 and USB3.1 and unified them under the name of USB3.2 series. It is divided into the following three most commonly heard names according to speed: USB3.2 Gen1, USB3.2 Gen2, and the latest USB3.2 Gen2x2. At the same time, all of them are backwards compatible with older specifications. Instead of considering the generation of USB flash drive, people should focus on "connector" and "transfer speed" when choosing USB flash drives. As long as we understand the above two points, we can avoid buying a device that is not suitable for us or always feel that it can't reach the speed it should have. Interface specification We can think of the connector specifications as nozzles. The nozzles have different pipe diameters, so you have to find a faucet that can be used to connect it accurately. Each USB generation also has specific connector specifications, the most commonly used are USB Type-A and USB Type-C. We need to pay special attention to the connector of the PC when choosing a device to avoid the tragedy of not being able to plug it in due to buying the wrong connector. I myself made a foolish mistake once. I bought a Micro-B OTG flash drive without paying attention, but the connector of my smartphone was Type-C, so it was totally unusable. I went back to the store for replacement on the same day and the whole thing was very tiring. Here's a table to let you see at a glance what kind of connectors are available for each generation: We can find that with the evolution of generations and the integration of mainstream interfaces, connector specifications are gradually unified, and there are no longer so many different connectors. For example, the latest USB3.2 Gen2x2 generation is only designed with a single USB Type-C connector, which greatly reduces the possibility of buying the wrong connector. This development of technology has definitely made our lives easier. However, as we are going through a generation transition, not all devices have been changed to Type-C. If you buy a USB3.2 Gen2x2 product, but the computer only supports Type-A, you will need an additional adaptor, but then the bandwidth will also be affected. Transfer speed We mentioned nozzles earlier, in fact, the interface bandwidth is like a water pipe, and the transfer speed of the device is like the water flowing in the water pipe. You have to provide a water pipe with a large diameter and match it with a nozzle that also has a large diameter to get a large amount of water. Let me show you a few different scenarios to help you understand: Large diameter water pipe + Large diameter nozzle = Large amount of water Large diameter water pipe + small diameter nozzle = small amount of water Small diameter water pipe + large diameter nozzle = small amount of water Therefore, we know that buying a high-speed product with USB3.2 Gen2x2 interface and plugging it directly into the Type-C connector is not going to give you the fastest transfer speed! There is no way to achieve full performance without a correct device interface. I hope this article can help you when choosing a USB flash drive or an external USB hard drive. You have to consider these key points correctly, in order to avoid encountering problems like wrong connector or low transfer speed. See you next time!
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2021 can be said to be the first year of the official launch of DDR5 memory. The specification has been created since 2019, and after more than a year of research and development, many manufacturers have released their products this year. TEAMGROUP has always been at the forefront of this wave, we are much ahead of the competition in both standard JEDEC memory and overclocked gaming memory. The following is a list of the differences between cross-generation DDR5 memory and the previous generation DDR4 based on the experience we have had over this period of time. Appearance Let's examine directly from the picture. First, there is a big difference in the PCB layout. There is an extra space above to place the new smaller ICs and capacitors (This will be explained later); Secondly, the position of the foolproof latch for the gold contacts has also been adjusted. There has been a tendency to move close to the middle during the process of conversion from DDR3 to DDR4. In the DDR5 era, it is closer to the middle, even though it is still slightly to one side. However, consumers need to pay more attention when installing the memory to ensure that it is inserted in the correct direction and not to break the gold contacts by applying direct pressure. Single stick maximum capacity The maximum capacity of a single memory stick was up to 32GB in the DDR4 era. Based on mainstream motherboards supporting 2DPC (2 DIMM Per Channel), the most common total memory capacity for the DDR4 platform is capped at 128GB; In the DDR5 era, it has crossed to a new level completely that a single memory can reach up to 128GB. The total memory capacity can reach 512GB if the same 2DPC motherboard is used for comparison. With a total memory capacity of up to 512GB, it is hard to imagine how much more multi-tasking can be done at this stage, as this is already the capacity of mainstream SSDs today. Looking at the DDR development history, the capacity limit of DDR5 is also very much in line with the past standard, with each generation having 4 times the capacity limit of the previous generation. I can’t help but look forward to the impact that a single 128GB DDR5 memory will have when its development is officially completed. Initial frequency If you are a gamer who pays attention to the memory market, you may have noticed one thing that the initial frequency and capacity of the DDR generations have evolved in a similar pattern in the past, with the frequency growing by a factor of two. For example, the initial frequency of the DDR3 generation is 1066MHz, and the DDR4 generation is 2133MHz. However, the frequency is 4800MHz in the first batch of DDR5 products exposed this time, which exceeds the original logical inference of 4266MHz. Whether there will be 4366MHz in the future, it is unknown. What is certain is that this is surely something to be happy and look forward to. The initial standard product already surpasses the basic definition, so I believe the overclocking part can be very different and worthy of our exploration. Structural composition DDR5 uses a 32 Bank (storage unit that can be individually enabled/disabled) structure with 8 Bank Groups, twice as much of access availability as DDR4's 16 Bank structure with 4 Bank Groups. The Burst Length (the amount of data that can be accessed by a single DRAM read/write command) of DDR5 has been increased from 8 to 16 in DDR4, which is also a key feature to increase performance. Unlike DDR4, which cannot perform other operations during refresh, DDR5 uses the Same Bank Refresh function to allow the system to access data in other Banks when refreshing certain Banks. On the other hand, DDR5 also eliminates noise through Decision Feedback Equalization (DFE) to increase overall performance. Simply put, DDR5 can access twice as much data per IC as DDR4! Basic operating voltage With the evolution of generations, the basic operating voltage of the memory continues to decrease, which means that the operation of the memory is getting more energy-saving. In the DDR3 generation, 1.5V is required to support the operation of standard memory. The DDR4 generation requires 1.2V, and the DDR5 generation only requires 1.1V. We will not discuss here about the voltage required for overclocking. After all, different overclocking frequencies require the voltage to be adjusted, which is totally another subject. Power management The power management function used to be set on the motherboard, which defined the amount of voltage to be supplied to the memory. However, after entering the DDR5 generation, the basic operating voltage has dropped to 1.1V, and the signal tolerance has become very small. Therefore, the memory must have a very good ability to recognize signals, and moving the power management directly to the memory is an excellent solution. You can see in the picture that there is a block above the memory with an extra small IC and some capacitors (mentioned earlier), which is DDR5 memory configured with a 5V power management IC on the DIMM. It can more effectively control the power of the memory directly, and improve signal integrity and noise identification ability. To put it into simple words, 1.1V is too low to be controlled by the motherboard, so it is better to control the power signal directly from the memory itself, and this way the power signal can be controlled more stably. On-die ECC The full name of ECC is Error-Correcting Code, which is an error correction technology widely used in computers in different areas. It can make the memory more stable when applied to the memory. However, in the past, for ECC function, an extra IC was needed to correct the errors, so you will see 9 ICs on one side of the ECC memory instead of the common 8. It also needs to be supported by the motherboard or CPU itself in order to use ECC memory. The DDR5 generation is completely different, as each IC comes with its own ECC debugging function. This automatic error correction feature allows systems using DDR5 memory to have higher stability and no interruptions due to errors. Relationship between overclocking and operating temperature As we all know, the overclocking process will produce a lot of heat, and whether the heat can be properly handled is also a very important key factor affecting overclocking. In the previous generations of DDR4 (including DDR3), the surface of the IC is the place where heat is more likely to be generated in the memory. Therefore, whether in the design of a heat sink or in the process of extreme overclocking, special attention is paid to the cooling of the IC. However, in the DDR5 generation, because there is an additional PMIC, and this PMIC itself will also generate heat, so there is an additional point to consider in the solution of heat dissipation. If the heat of PMIC is not handled properly, it will also affect the stability of overclocking. Let me secretly reveal the news that I have received. Since TEAMGROUP has deployed ahead of schedule for heat dissipation as early as 2019, it has found an excellent way to solve the heat generated by the PMIC, so the new gaming overclocking memory is very stable and is definitely the best choice for DDR5 generation memory purchase! These are the key differences between DDR5 memory and its predecessor. If there is any new research progress or new knowledge about DDR5 memory in the future, I will share it with you at any time. Let's embrace the arrival of a new generation together!
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I wish I could count how many times I have been approached about building super high-end gaming or workstation PCs. I also can't count how many times I have actually built those exact systems. Computers that blow past the $5,000 range into the realm in which not many people have the sort of money to spend. Through it all, the PCs that people end up being the happiest with are the PCs that came from smaller budgets, and end up becoming great machines for the money that was invested. This article will discuss choosing components for a system that is budget minded - aimed at the very respectable sub $1,500 price point - $1,295 to be exact, all the while assembling the very system that’s being discussed, right before your eyes! A quick disclaimer here: I am writing this article for TeamGroup, as they have graciously hired me to write a few articles for them, for which I am deeply honored that they appreciate my work enough to want to work with me! Also, some of the parts used in this build were indeed sent to me as a requested sample product to be used in various builds, and some of the parts used have also been purchased by me. I will be listing the parts below: AMD Ryzen 5600X AM4 Processor $300 USD - Purchased myself MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC ITX Motherboard $300 USD - Purchased myself ASRock 5600XT Radeon D3 Graphics Card $310 USD - Sample sent by ASRock TeamGroup Zeus 16gb DDR4 Memory Kit $80 USD - Sample sent by TeamGroup TeamGroup Vulcan G 512gb 2.5” SSD $55 USD - Sample sent by TeamGroup GEEEK G1 Case $120 USD - Sample sent by GEEEK Scythe Shuriken 2 CPU Cooler $40 USD - Sample sent by Scythe Scythe Kaze Flex 120x25mm Fans $14 USD x 2 - Samples sent by Scythe Scythe Kaze Flex 120x15mm Fans $16 USD x 2 - Samples sent by Scythe Silverstone SX750 Platinum SFX PSU - $180 USD - Sample sent by Silverstone Silverstone 8 channel PWM Hub $20 USD - Purchase myself Total Cost (current actual MSRP pricing): $1,295 USD By looking at the spec list, you can see that you've got some pretty solid components here that are more than capable of handling gaming as well as the workstation side of things. I would personally say the one biggest change you could do if you wanted to gear the spec list more towards work rather than gaming is doubling the memory from 16GB to 32GB! Moving onto the assembly of the system, this article will cover the broader viewpoint of the assembly rather than the more minute details. Starting with the motherboard and processor, I decided to stick with AMD's B450 chipset due to its great value - especially when the B450 chipset can become compatible with AMD's latest 5000 series processor, specifically the 5600X in this instance - with a simple BIOS update! The 5600X has been called the "best gaming CPU of 2020", and I would say as of right now it's still one of the best gaming CPUs of 2021! With a boost clock of 4.6ghz, this 6 core, 12 thread processor has helped bridge the performance demand with the latest games needing more than just the now-classic 4 cores and 8 threads. The B450 chipset motherboard was chosen because it's more than capable of handling modest overclocking, and it doesn't need to be cooled like the X570 chipset does, and because of that, the chipset itself isn't as expensive, so you then have a budget-minded solution that is still more than capable of handling the needs of an average everyday gamer. Up next are the memory and storage choices! These offerings by TeamGroup were hand-picked for this very situation. You have the Vulcan G 2.5" SATA SSD, which is capable of 500 MB/s read and write speeds, and they come in both the 512GB and 1TB sizes. With the ever popular NVMe and M.2 technologies becoming so popular, it still needs to be stated that SATA SSDs can still keep up with most tasks that an everyday user needs to accomplish, and gaming is no exception. There are only a few games out there that can really fully utilize insanely high speed storage devices like NVMe's. Coming in at just $55 USD, the Vulcan G is an insanely solid choice when you're limited by a budget! Every build has to deal with memory, and when you're focused on finding a kit that will do the job reliably, without focusing so hard on the fastest speeds attainable, the Zeus DDR4 kit is a perfect example of just that. Speeds are the original DDR4 standard - 2666mhz - along with very basic timings - 19-19-19-43 - this kit is clearly designed to simply get the job done with budget in mind most of all. At just $80 USD, it's a supremely cost effective way to get memory out of the way when budgeting for other parts of your build. When choosing the components for a budget build, one way that can really set you apart from other builds is the case choice. I personally chose to do a small form factor (SFF) build for this article based on the premise of taking advantage of packing all of these budget component choices into a super small package, plus SFF builds are becoming extremely popular in the PC building community. There are also tons of smaller cases that represent essentially the less material used, the less the actual case will cost you. However, it's easy to go overboard with how small you can get the chassis, where it becomes an issue of what actual components can fit into the case and being heavily restricted on dimensions and free space. The G1 by GEEEK is a great cast aluminum chassis that clearly has it's design thought out and is a solid performer for proper airflow inside a case. I threw a LiquidHaus ‘LH’ vinyl sticker on the front because well, I think it works perfectly there! One of the biggest killers to any PC, whether it's high-end or budget-friendly, is heat. Heat can kill any component if the necessary precautions aren't taken into consideration. Your processor's cooling should almost always be near the top in what is most important when putting your PC together. Thankfully the market is quite saturated with many different options at many different price points. The cooler I decided to use for this build was Scythe's own Shuriken 2 cooler. With an overall heatsink + fan height of 58mm, it's a great choice for small form factor builds, especially with clearance for any size memory heatsinks. Scythe makes some excellent cooling parts that are almost always budget friendly. I also chose Scythe's Kaze Flex line of fans, both in 25mm thickness and 15mm thickness for the intake and exhaust fans. Up next is the GPU, and I decided to go the route of using ASRock's 5600XT Radeon D3, which is priced at a comfortable $310 USD. Of course, that's the MSRP of when the card was released and sold at that price for quite some time until the GPU market blew up and every sort of GPU that is still out on the market currently all sit at very uncomfortable and unreasonable prices. I still consider the original MSRP as the price for this GPU for this build because of how volatile the GPU market is, where you really don't know if you'll be able to find a GPU for the price you want or not. The 5600XT is a solid choice for 1080P gaming, and it often trades blows with Nvidia's RTX 2060, with most times beating it out! I've personally had this sample card for about a year, and the one issue I don't like about the card is the default fan stop setting, in which the card's cooling fans will only start spinning once temps reach 50c, and for me that is just a little too warm to finally start cooling. Luckily there’s a trick to overwrite that fan stop setting through AMD's Radeon Drivers, but that was only a somewhat recent development. I'll always be a fan of...fans spinning continuously to keep components cool! Like I said, heat is a killer for PC components! Up next is the power supply, and wow have power supplies become awesome! For this build, I chose Silverstone's brand new revisioned line of their well known SFX form factor PSUs. I've used Silverstone power supplies for years, and they honestly just keep getting better and better. The SX-750 is an 80 Plus Platinum rated revision of the older SX-700W. A nice 50w jump on top of a few efficiency advances as well as a couple of tweaks makes the SX-750 a prime choice for small form factor builds. I've personally used an AMD 5900X and RTX 3090 with this same PSU and it handled the hardware with no issues whatsoever! You'll have lots of headroom that will last you for years to come! All in all, when it comes to building your own PC, it's really not too hard! One of the trickiest parts about the ordeal is choosing the right components before the assembly even begins. I have seen many people stumble at this step and it becomes discouraging for them, and the drive they have to build one starts to disappear. Luckily the internet has provided many instances of walkthroughs and helpful tips when diving into this hobby, and so I hope this article can help you in this endeavor! Thanks for reading!
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In the previous article, we have already talked about QLC, which you can go to "What Exactly Are QLC, DRAM Cache and SLC Cache? (Part 1)" for a refresher. This article mainly introduces the differences between DRAM Cache and SLC Cache. DRAM Cache, SLC Cache These two terms are very often used by manufacturers for SSD features, but many consumers don't really understand the difference between the two. They all have Cache but why are the prices and read/write speeds all different? Are the manufacturers not being honest? In fact, the manufacturers are not lying, so please keep calm and hold on. DRAM Cache and SLC Cache are completely different concepts, but both have a "Cache", which means they can actually do the "cache" action. In other words, both have the purpose of "acceleration", but the principle and logic of acceleration are different, and the cost is also different. This leads to a misunderstanding that may have happened just before. First, let's take a look at DRAM Cache, which is a separate chip on the PCB of the SSD. Unlike the Flash IC and Controller, which are the main components of the SSD, the DRAM chip is responsible for the work in the SSD, as the general memory is responsible for the operation of a computer, which temporarily stores data for the purpose of accelerating processing. Also, because of this temporary storage function, many read/write processes can directly use the data in the temporary storage, which will be much faster than starting from the beginning. However, just like the memory, the data will be erased automatically when the power is off. As for SLC Cache, it is not a separate external chip. Since it's called Cache, it means that it is not really an SLC NAND Flash, but a part of the space in the TLC or QLC's NAND Flash IC to simulate the SLC writing method (only 1 bit of data can be written in each Cell ), which can effectively improve the read/write performance of the SSD. However, I don't know if you have noticed the keywords: "a part of the space", yes, when the sequential write capacity reaches the upper limit of "a part of the space", the read/write speed will drop back to the original value of TLC NAND Flash. For SSDs without DRAM Cache on the market, the indicated read/write speed is basically measured using the SLC Cache function. Compared to DRAM Cache, SLC Cache is stored in TLC NAND Flash, so if it is not erased purposely, the data can be saved continuously and will not disappear due to power off. Take TEAMGROUP's products, for example, there are 2.5" SATA SSD series with DRAM Cache and series without DRAM Cache. They are VULCAN SSD and VULCAN G SS These two models are typical examples of this topic. VULCAN SSD has DRAM Cache, and the read/write speed is about 560/510MB/s, while VULCAN G SSD is a product without DRAM Cache but with SLC Cache. The read/write speed is about 550/500MB/s. The difference in read/write speed alone is not that significant, but if you use HD TUNE software for large capacity sequential read/write, you will find that VULCAN SSD is more capable to maintain stable speed during sequential read and write. The two products have different prices due to different costs, and the target customers are also different: if you are aiming for a good bargain, then I recommend VULCAN G SSD for excellent read/write performance at the cheapest price; if you have large files to read/write, or you want to pursue high-performance experience, then VULCAN SSD is the right choice for you. That's all for today. I hope by providing articles like this from time to time, that you can have a better understanding of the products you are using, and also help you to reduce the situation of buying the wrong products. I'll see you next in the article!
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This year, the SSD market is experiencing a boom due to the new cryptocurrency, Chia, which has also accelerated the rise of high-capacity SSD. Currently, the largest capacity among released products with SATA interface in the market is around 16TB. So, what is the technology that allows SSDs that were only 512GB~1TB to jump up to 16TB? In addition, what are the DRAM Cache and SLC that we often hear about? What practical help can they bring to SSDs? Today we will provide you with an in-depth analysis of these SSD technologies in the hope that it will help you to have a clearer understanding when choosing an SSD, and you will be confused by the various terms again. QLC The full name is Quad-Level Cells, which is a NAND flash memory that can store 4 bits per cell. Since each cell has its standard size, the more number of transistors is multiplied, the more memory capacity can be provided with the same number of memory cells compared to SLC, MLC, and TLC. Let's put it in a simpler way, the concept of "density" that we learned when we were kids. The more children that can put inside the same classroom, the more people will be taught at the same time. However, QLC requires to control more sets of voltages at the same time and the writing mechanism will be more complicated, which has its own limitations in terms of reliability and lifetime. To continue with the previous example, teaching more children at once makes teaching more difficult and also makes it more difficult to grasp the learning and memory progress of each child. That is why there have been doubts and challenges about durability when QLC products first came out to the market in 2018. But!!! That's just an inherent limitation, we can improve the children's learning and memory progress by improving the teacher's education methods, adding new teaching equipment, etc. With QLC's newer manufacturing process and a more powerful chip stacking technology, you will find that the recently released QLC SSDs are actually very close to TLC SSDs in terms of read/write performance and durability. There's no need to worry about durability issues in the past. With technological advances and increased density, the capacity of SSDs has jumped to a new level. A single flash IC can achieve 1TB, and with a total of 16 flash ICs, an amazing 15.3TB QX SSD is born. TEAMGROUP has also released a QX 2.5" SATA SSD with a large capacity of 15.3TB. 8TB and 4TB products will be released as well, so you can look forward to it. We will explain the differences between DRAM Cache and SLC SSD in the next article. Stay tuned!
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With a gaming PC, not only can you work and attend classes remotely and more smoothly, but in addition, you can play games in your spare time to relieve your stress. Moreover, the types of computer games are very diverse, which can meet everyone's needs. It is highly recommended to assemble one as soon as possible! But here comes the question many people who are not that familiar with computers will ask: "I don't know what parts or which brands to buy, so it's too hard for me to handle!" But today, I'll recommend the best PC build solution for you to play all major triple-A title games and handle any work smoothly. You can assemble a gaming PC according to your desire. First, let's list the parts that need to be purchased if you want to assemble a gaming PC: 1. Motherboard 2. CPU 3. CPU cooler 4. Memory 5. Graphics card 6. SSD 7. Power supply 8. Case Next, I'll introduce the recommended items one by one: A. Motherboard For the motherboard, we chose ASUS, a well-known and experienced manufacturer in the pc hardware industry, whose gaming brand ROG is definitely one of the most popular choices among gamers worldwide. For this particular article, I'm using ROG's latest INTEL platform, ROG STRIX Z590-F GAMING! I'm amazed after I opened the package and saw the product for the first time! They have created a style of their own and it's getting more and more unique. In the lower right corner, the diamond-shaped latticework with "Republic of Gamers" in cursive writing is totally brilliant, giving the motherboard a different look. In addition, the motherboard takes into account the high temperature of Gen 11 CPUs and Gen4x4 SSDs, therefore the design has especially focused on cooling efficiency. I tested the pre-installed heat sinks and they really do have a high heat dissipation effect. ROG STRIX Z590-F GAMING WIFI: https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z590-i-gaming-wifi-model/ B. CPU To get the full performance of the Z590, we pick the 11th generation INTEL i9-11900K for the CPU. I have to remind you: "The Z590 motherboard requires a Gen 11 CPU to support the GEN4x4 SSD!" Although the Z590 is also compatible with Gen 10 CPU, however, it is not as powerful as the Gen 11 when it comes to memory overclocking or SSD interface support, so it is recommended that you get the latest one to avoid additional trouble. Intel i9-11900K: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/212325/intel-core-i9-11900k-processor-16m-cache-up-to-5-30-ghz.html C. CPU cooler Since the processing speed and the compatibility of the Gen 11 CPU are both enhanced, the heat generated under the actual test is also relatively higher than before. This time, I recommend using water cooling to replace air cooling, so the cooling capability will be relatively stable. Then, of course, the T-FORCE GAMING BUILD should use its own T-FORCE SIREN AIO Cooler! The product name is taken from Scandinavian sirens, with magical meaning. That ARGB water block with mirror finish is so cool that if you use a glass side panel, the water block with a magical mirror finish will definitely catch everyone's eyes. In addition, unlike other common water coolers, the pump of the T-FORCE SIREN AIO Cooler is placed inside the radiator instead of the water block. This special and thoughtful design can prevent the CPU from being affected by the heat of the pump. It is highly recommended to choose this type of water cooler. D. Memory Memory has always been the main product of T-FORCE. This time we chose the white version of XTREEM ARGB that won the Red Dot Design Award. The snowy white preset lighting effect really stands out in this black-oriented PC build. The RGB can be controlled by software to display different lighting effects. It's like love at first sight for me and I bought four of them already. For the specification, we chose 8GBx4 3600MHz. T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB WHITE: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/xtreem-argb-white-ddr4 E. Graphics card Currently, it is not easy to buy good graphics cards on the market because a large number of graphics cards are out of stock due to the mining boom. I recommend EVGA's RTX 3080 FTW3 ULTRA GAMING, which has outstanding specifications (8704 CUDA Cores, 10GB DDR6X, 19000MHz). Currently, I think it is your best choice. In addition, EVGA's exclusive patented iCX3 technology can control the fan and allow the high-temperature 3080 to dissipate heat in the most efficient way. During testing, it was obvious that only the high load operation made a slight fan sound, and it was very quiet under normal use. EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 ULTRA GAMING: https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=10G-P5-3897-KR F. SSD Since we are using a Z590 chipset with Gen 11 INTEL CPU, we have to go with a Gen4x4 M.2 PCIe SSD. You must install two SSDs since most games nowadays have huge file sizes, one is not enough! Plus, T-FORCE is best known for its memory and SSD, so I definitely recommend both the CARDEA ZERO Z440 2TB and CARDEA A440 2TB. With both installed, the available capacity is up to 4TB! In addition, the speed of A440 reaches 7000 MB/s, which is the top standard of GEN4x4. Moreover, you have graphene and aluminum fin type heat sinks to choose from to match with different designs of motherboards, satisfying consumers' different needs. However, with the booming of cryptocurrency, SSDs are becoming increasingly difficult to buy, so you have to hurry up and get them fast!!! T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO Z440 M.2 PCIe SSD: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/cardea-zero-z440 T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO A440 M.2 PCIe SSD: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/cardea-a440 G. Power supply When choosing the power supply, I must remind you to pay special attention to the level of the parts you use. Buying one with a low wattage rating might result in your system shutting down prematurely. According to our configuration this time, the CPU is 11900K and the graphics card is 3080, both of which are very high-end. So, relatively, our power supply has to keep up with the wattage. According to personal experience, it is necessary to use a minimum of 850W of power supply to be sufficient. This time, we chose COOLER MASTER's V1000 PLATINUM, which is a fully modular 80 PLUS platinum level power supply with a 10-year warranty. It is a good choice for saving money and having stability! COOLER MASTER V1000 PLATINUM: https://www.coolermaster.com/us/en-us/catalog/power-supplies/v-series/v1000-platinum/ By the way, what does 80 PLUS platinum level stand for? It is actually a standard defined for the energy conversion efficiency of the power supply. 80 PLUS means the conversion efficiency is over 80%. The platinum level means that the conversion efficiency can be as high as 90% or more. The better the conversion efficiency is, the more power can be saved under the same conditions. H. Case Since it is a T-FORCE Gaming Build, we definitely choose our own coolest T-FORCE LARES CASE. The name is taken from Roman mythology, which means guardian god, hoping that this case can safely protect the internal parts. The case is basically selected on two major things: heat dissipation and appearance. In the order of priority of my own purchase, heat dissipation first, followed by the appearance. If you can, you may consider the weight as well. The T-FORCE case puts primary focus on heat dissipation. It pays special attention to the design of the airflow path and the detailed position of the fan. The appearance is also different from some designs with strong light pollution. The ARGB side light is used on the front, which is simple and elegant. I personally recommend you to buy this case. The introduction of each item ends here. Are you eager to build a gaming PC? Check out the T-FORCE time-lapse build video!
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Following the last article "What SSD Should I Use for Intel Z590?", we will now introduce the PCIe 4.0 SSDs with different heat sinks and what situations they are suitable for. There are currently three PCIe 4.0 SSDs from T-FORCE, CARDEA A440, CARDEA Ceramic C440, and CARDEA ZERO Z440. As for how to choose? I will provide recommendations on the suitable PCIe 4.0 SSD for you under four considerations: motherboard type, heat dissipation, speed, and color theme. A. Motherboard type (1) Motherboard has an M.2 heat sink In fact, most motherboards that support PCIe 4.0 are equipped with M.2 heat sinks. In order to reserve space for the M.2 heat sink on the motherboard, a thin SSD heat spreader with a thickness of only 1mm is required, including ceramic and graphene heat spreaders. Among the T-FORCE PCIe 4.0 SSDs, the CARDEA A440 and the CARDEA ZERO Z440 both have graphene heat spreaders, while the CARDEA Ceramic C440 has a ceramic heat spreader. (2) Motherboard does not have an M.2 heat sink, or not sure if your motherboard has an M.2 heat sink Without the space occupied by the motherboard M.2 heat sink, there is no limit to the choice of SSD heat sink! Whether it is an aluminum fin type heat sink, ceramic heat spreader or graphene heat spreader, you are free to choose! Except for the SSDs with graphene and ceramic heat spreaders mentioned above, among the T-FORCE PCIe 4.0 SSDs, only the CARDEA A440 uses an aluminum fin-type heat sink. I would also like to mention that the CARDEA A440 PCIe SSD is the first in the industry to offer two types of heat sinks, aluminum fin type heat sink, and graphene heat spreader. So, if you have multiple motherboards and you like to assemble and upgrade various parts by yourself, or are not sure if your motherboard has an M.2 heat sink, choose a CARDEA A440 to have both heat sinks at once! Why choose just one if you can have them both! It is important to note that you can only assemble one type of heat sinks at a time, so do not assemble them all together, as the heat dissipation will not be better. B. Heat dissipation The PCIe 4.0 high-speed interface will cause higher temperatures for the computer's operation, so the choice of the heat sink is particularly important. These PCIe 4.0 SSDs uses three patented designs of the heat sink, which are aluminum fin type heat sink, ceramic heat spreader and graphene heat spreader: (1) Aluminum fin-type heat sink The aluminum fin type heat sink has a special design for heat conduction which can effectively reduce the temperature by up to 15%. (2) Ceramic heat spreader With a thickness of only 1mm, the ceramic heat spreader made of aerospace ceramic material can achieve a 10% of cooling effect. (3) Graphene heat spreader It is also a thin heat spreader with a thickness of only 1mm. The graphene heat spreader can achieve a 9% of cooling effect. The CARDEA A440 uses two types of heat sinks, aluminum fin type heat sink and graphene heat spreader. The CARDEA Ceramic C440, as the name suggests, uses a ceramic heat spreader, and the CARDEA ZERO Z440 uses a graphene heat spreader. In fact, all heat sinks of the three PCIe 4.0 SSDs are made with specially selected materials that provide better heat dissipation. Furthermore, although the heat dissipation of the thin heat spreader is less effective than the aluminum fin type heat sink in figures, if it is complemented by the motherboard's own M.2 heat sink, it will help the overall heat dissipation of the entire unit regardless of which SSD is used. C. Speed They both are PCIe 4.0 interfaces, and if you have different needs for read/write speed, there are different options available here. (1) Up to 7,000MB/s If you are looking for the fastest performance and you have no price consideration, don’t hesitate to choose the CARDEA A440 M.2 PCIe SSD! According to T-FORCE's internal laboratory test results, the CARDEA A440 M.2 PCIe SSD can reach 7,000/5,500 MB/s of read/write speed for 1TB, and 7,000/6,900 MB/s of read/write speed for 2TB in the CDM benchmark software. (2) Up to 5,000MB/s For those who want to go with motherboard PCIe 4.0 interface and can accept PCIe 4.0's average read/write speed, pick the CARDEA ZERO Z440 M.2 PCIe SSD and the CARDEA Ceramic C440 M.2 PCIe SSD. According to T-FORCE's internal laboratory test results, the read and write speeds of both 1TB and 2TB have reached 5,000/4,400 MB/s. With the average read/write speed of PCIe 4.0, the performance is more than capable to satisfy most users with PCIe 4.0 supported motherboard platforms. D. Color theme People who like to DIY and assemble their own computers will definitely pay special attention to the appearance of the product itself. The suggestions here are distinguished by the color, which is very simple and intuitive: (1) Black If you like black gaming style PC, both CARDEA A440 and CARDEA ZERO Z440 with black aluminum fin type heat sink or black graphene heat spreader are very suitable for you! (2) White If you want to have a unique white theme, the CARDEA Ceramic C440 heat spreader is your best choice! Conclusion In summary, the motherboard type has the greatest impact overall. Before you purchase T-FORCE PCIe 4.0, don't forget to check which type of motherboard you have first!
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Speaking of M.2 PCIe SSD, the latest version on the market today is the Gen4. In fact, Gen4 was defined by PCI Express as early as 2017, but at that time, it was not the best choice in terms of motherboard support or manufacturing cost. It wasn't until the AMD X570 series motherboards were launched in 2019, with the focus on supporting ultra-high-speed Gen4 x4 interface, that consumers began to experience the ultra-fast transfer speed of M.2 Gen4 x4 PCIe SSD. The AMD B550 series that launched in 2020 also has the same Gen4 x4 interface. At that time, if you wanted to experience a PCIe 4.0 SSD, you would have to buy either of these two series of AMD motherboards. I originally speculated that Intel may not want to compete in the Gen4 market with AMD, and jump straight to Gen5. As a result, the Intel Z590 series launched in early 2021, each motherboard manufacturer made some smart changes to the motherboard layout directly. Based on the premise that the 11th Intel CPU itself can support 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes, the lanes on some motherboards that originally belonged to the graphics cards are removed for M.2 SSDs, and consumers have a new choice of PCIe 4.0 SSD in addition to AMD X570 and B550. So, if you want to experience ultra-high transfer speeds, what are the recommendations? For PC enthusiasts who have multiple motherboards on hand, you can choose the CARDEA A440 PCIe SSD which the heat spreader can be assembled by yourself. You can have the patented aluminum fin-type heat sink and the patented ultra-thin graphene heat spreader both at once. T-FORCE CARDEA A440 M.2 PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD If you are not sure whether your existing motherboard has a M.2 heat sink, you can simply choose the CARDEA Ceramic C440 PCIe with the white ceramic heat spreader, or the CARDEA ZERO Z440 PCIe SSD with black ultra-thin graphene heat spreader, offering you different colors of gaming experience. T-FORCE CARDEA Ceramic C440 M.2 PCIe SSD T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO Z440 M.2 PCIe SSD Let us take a look at the speed that I have tested with these SSDs on the MSI Z590 ACE motherboard using CDM and TxBENCH! A. CARDEA A440 M.2 PCIe SSD T-FORCE CARDEA A440 M.2 PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD First, let's take a look at the CDI CDM speed test TxBENCH speed test The A440 is one of the top SSDs in R/W on the market today. With its read/write speed, I can save a lot of my time when handling some of my 100GB video files! B. CARDEA CERAMIC C440 M.2 PCIe SSD T-FORCE CARDEA Ceramic C440 M.2 PCIe SSD Let's also take a look at the CDI first CDM speed test TxBENCH speed test The R/W of the C440 is considered to be the mainstream speed of Gen4x4. The actual test result is very close to the official specifications, which shows that T-FORCE has good quality control. C. CARDEA ZERO Z440 M.2 PCIe SSD T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO Z440 M.2 PCIe SSD Take a look at the CDI first as well CDM speed test TxBENCH speed test With mainstream R/W speed, the Z440's actual test also has a similar read/write speed, the difference is that this model uses graphene as the cooling material. The appearance is in contrast with the ceramic C440, which is the natural black of graphene. So which style do you prefer? Conclusion For this, I mainly want to share with you that if you buy the latest generation of Intel Z590 series motherboard, what kind of SSD should be used to give you full performance. However, I want to remind you that you must use the 11th generation Intel CPU to utilize PCIe 4.0! If you don't use an 11th generation CPU, some motherboards may even fail to read the PCIe 4.0 SSD, so be sure to check the specifications of the platform you are using before choosing the right SSD.
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Previously we tested the effect of memory frequencies versus FPS of some games, but this time let's find out the effects of memory capacity versus FPS! Does the Memory Frequency Affect the Game's FPS? 3 Games Tested (Part One) Does the Memory Frequency Affect the Game's FPS? 3 Games Tested (Part Two) The games we picked for testing this time are a bit different from the previous ones, these four games are Assassin's Creed Origins, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077. You may wonder, is it better to compare the memory capacity difference between these games? Actually, no. Assassin's Creed Origins, Horizon Zero Dawn and Red Dead Redemption 2, all three games have built-in benchmarks and they are also popular choices in PC single-player games. Let's take a look at the results of these four game tests! This time we use the legendary "water-cooling graphics card" !!! ROG-STRIX-LC-RX6800XT-O16G-GAMING The RGB fins on the top left side of the graphics card and the Eye of Faith are a perfect match! Considering the high computing power of the current RDNA2 architecture graphics cards, which also generate more heat, ASUS has launched this water-cooling solution in the hope that this graphics card can maintain high-speed processing for a long time without slowing down or lagging due to heat problems. Let's get to the point. The main purpose is to understand the effect of memory capacity on the FPS of the game, so let's take a look at the performance of each game in different capacities. We use T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4 Gaming Memory for the game tests. A. At 8GBx4 (32GB) capacity Start with T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4 8GBx4(32GB) With all high graphic settings turned on, Assassin's Creed Origins scored 8,851 on the built-in benchmark, with a surprisingly high average FPS of 69. With full high graphic settings turned on as well, Horizon Zero Dawn scored 10,718 in its built-in benchmark, with an average FPS of 59, a maximum FPS of 93, and a minimum of 43. The benchmark test results screen of Red Dead Redemption 2 is relatively plain, with the average FPS also at about 59, but with a maximum of about 66 and a minimum of 35. Finally, since Cyberpunk 2077 does not have a built-in benchmark, I used MSI Afterburner with the built-in RTSS to monitor the hardware status, and the FPS was around 38 in the city with brighter shadows and lots of people. Summary: It seems that the 8GBx4 memory performs very well and can basically run all big games with full graphic settings on. B. At 16GBx4 (64GB) capacity Let's take a look at the performance of T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4 16GBx4(64GB) With full graphics on, Assassin's Creed Origins scored 8,392 in its built-in benchmark test, with the average FPS at 67, which is surprisingly worse than the 8GBx4 test result? Horizon Zero Dawn has a slight improvement of 10,750, the average FPS is 59 which is the same as the previous one, but with a maximum of 120 and a minimum of 1. The average FPS of Red Dead Redemption 2 is also about 59, but the maximum came to 75, and the minimum was 35 as well. For Cyberpunk 2077, I specifically ran to the same place, and the FPS was higher by 1… to 39. Summary: The 16GBx4 memory is not as much of an improvement over the 8GBx4 one. C. At 32GBx4 (128GB) capacity Finally, let's take a look at the performance of T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4 32GBx4(128GB) which is currently the capacity limit of the single stick. Assassin's Creed Origins got a score of 8,449, with an average FPS of 68, which is still lower than the 8GBx4. Horizon Zero Dawn had a new record low of 10,713, with an average FPS of 59. The maximum was 80 and the minimum was 48. The average FPS of Red Dead Redemption 2 is still at 59, with a maximum of 66 and a minimum of 35. Cyberpunk 2077 at the same spot. The FPS was about 37, which was another record low. Summary: The performance of large-capacity memory is not particularly impressive, and the benefits seem to be lower compared to high-frequency memory. Here is a chart to give you a quick comparison: We can see that the increase in memory capacity has almost zero effect on FPS. Conclusion As the memory capacity increases, "multitasking" should have a greater impact. The larger the capacity, the more the computer can load to run multiple programs at the same time, such as running live streaming software, voice software, video editing software, and gaming software at the same time. The larger the memory capacity, the more easily it is to handle the large amount of temporary data sent by the CPU. Because this time I only want to focus on the effect of memory capacity on FPS, I don't want to increase the variables too much, so I didn't test the part of multitasking. Thus, if you want to significantly improve the performance of the game, you should not only focus on upgrading the graphics card, but also increase the memory frequency to make an obvious difference. You can refer to our previous articles: Does the Memory Frequency Affect the Game's FPS? 3 Games Tested (Part 1) Does the Memory Frequency Affect the Game's FPS? 3 Games Tested (Part 2) It's also worth mentioning that AMD has an AMD SAM technology for the 6000 series graphics cards. This time I didn't want to add variables, so I only tested it without AMD SAM turned on. If there is a chance in the future, I will give you a hands-on look at what AMD SAM technology can do for your CPU, memory, and graphics card. The result of this test show that each component has it's division of responsibility, so buying the best components does not mean that you can bring amazing changes to the game. If you have any test results, you're welcome to share your experience with us!
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As mentioned in the previous paragraph, with the difficulty of replacing graphics card today, we need to explore whether the frequency adjustment on the "gaming" memory will affect the FPS? And how wide is the impact? Does the Memory Frequency Affect the Game's FPS? (Part I) (Read More) TEST 3: In "Shadow of The Tomb Raider" Next are the results of our test on "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" using another platform. Using the second platform configuration as an example to test the game: Note: Different platforms might have different testing results. In "Shadow of the Tomb Raider", we gradually increased the T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB memory frequency from 3000Mhz to 3200Mhz, 3600Mhz, and up to 4000Mhz. We also turned on and off the ray tracing function to test and compare. T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB DDR4 32GB (Learn More), Where to Buy A. Memory frequency at 3000Mhz: Source: Screenshot in Shadow of the Tomb Raider In "Shadow of the Tomb Raider", we tried turning off the ray tracing first and the test frame rate was 158FPS. Source: Screenshot in Shadow of the Tomb Raider And with the ray tracing on, the frame rate was down to 121FPS reasonably. B. Memory frequency at 3200Mhz: Source: Screenshot in Shadow of the Tomb Raider In "Shadow of the Tomb Raider", we also turned off the ray tracing first, and the test frame rate was slightly increased from 158FPS to 162FPS. Source: Screenshot in Shadow of the Tomb Raider The frame rate changed from 121FPS to 122FPS after the ray tracing was turned on, which was the least improvement. C. Memory frequency at 3600Mhz: Source: Screenshot in Shadow of the Tomb Raider In "Shadow of the Tomb Raider", the frame rate reached 168FPS after the ray tracing was turned off, which was a steady improvement compared to 3200Mhz. Source: Screenshot in Shadow of the Tomb Raider After turning on the ray tracing, it was found that the frame rate was the same as the frame rate at 3200Mhz. The increase of frequency in ray tracing mode hasn't improved much in FPS, therefore it still relied on the performance of the graphics card mostly. D. Memory frequency at 4000Mhz: Source: Screenshot in Shadow of the Tomb Raider In "Shadow of the Tomb Raider", the frame rate was also improved even when the ray tracing was turned off. It reached 170FPS which was the highest in the test. Source: Screenshot in Shadow of the Tomb Raider And with the ray tracing on, it only improved by 1 as expected, reaching 123FPS, but it was also the highest in the test. This is the end of the platform test and here is the short conclusion. We can see that when the memory frequency is gradually increased, the higher the frequency will still have a certain effect on the increase of the frame rate of the game (FPS), but the impact is not as high as that brought by the graphics card. The above tests are conducted in 2K resolution, the effect will be more obvious if it is in 1080P. Conclusion Here is the introduction about the effect of the memory frequency on the frame rate of the game (FPS). Basically, when the memory frequency is gradually increased, the higher the frequency will still have an impact on the increase of the frame rate of the game (FPS). T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB DDR4 3200MHz 8GBx2 (Where to Buy) However, the difference in platforms still brings different test results. High-frequency memory is only an aid, one of many factors that might affect the result. Do not have the misconception that "Other hardware doesn't matter as long as I have a high-frequency memory"! I hope this article can bring some help to people who want to get a memory.
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During this period, the prices of various computer components have skyrocketed. Especially for the graphics card, the price is amazingly high and is not always available for purchase. Since it is difficult to replace the graphics card, we can only find another way to improve the gaming experience. Many people have thought that we are constantly adjusting the frequency of the "gaming" memory, but does the memory frequency really affect the FPS of the game? And how wide is the impact? For this test, we select 3 widely known games "Shadow of The Tomb Raider", "Cyberpunk 2077", "World of Warcraft" ; the first two games are the most discussed single-player games in the past two years, and the last one is the most classic online role-playing game for more than ten years. We will introduce the test result of "Cyberpunk 2077" and "World of Warcraft" using the first platform in "Part One". In "Part Two", we will change to another platform and present the test result of “Shadow of The Tomb Raider". We begin by using the first platform configuration as an example to test the game:Note: Different platforms might have different testing results. This time, we pick two T-FORCE gaming products for comparison. One is the entry-level T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4, while the other one is the T-FORCE DARK Z FPS DDR4, which can effectively increase the FPS of the game. T-FORCE DARK Z FPS DDR4 4000MHz 16GB (Learn more), Where to Buy T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4 2666MHz 16GB (Learn more), Where to Buy TEST 1. In "World of Warcraft" In "World of Warcraft", we test the frame rate of the game in four scenes, including a sparsely populated town, a crowded major city, a distant view, and the cluttered screen in a world boss fight. There is no built-in data testing tool for online games after all, so the tool we used this time is MSI Afterburner. Source: Screenshot in World of Warcraft The data obtained are as follows: In different scenes, the frame rate of the game will change in real time, so there is no way to perform with a fixed value, but basically, we can see that as the memory frequency increases, the frame rate of the game will also increase. The DARK Z FPS is set to 4000Mhz CL16, which is scary high. It can reach a high frequency of 4000Mhz and still maintain a low latency of CL16, which I think is no less than the 4800Mhz memory! TEST 2. In "Cyberpunk 2077" Next, "Cyberpunk 2077", the game that everyone on the Internet has been talking about a lot. People were looking forward to it but also got disappointed by its bugs. Nonetheless, the theme of the game is really unique, and it paints a picture of the future world for a lot of people. Source: Screenshot in Cyberpunk 2077 Let's look at the test data below: I used 1080P resolution, plus ray tracing, plus DLSS Quality and tested in the crowded city and open areas. Although the FPS difference is quite large, it is still very obvious that DARK Z FPS 4000MHz is significantly better than the entry-level DELTA RGB 266MHz. To maintain the quality of the picture at all times, high frequency memory is still useful to a certain extent. T-FORCE DARK Z FPS DDR4 4000MHz 16GB (Where to Buy) Conclusion The above is the test results of "Cyberpunk 2077" and "World of Warcraft" using the first platform configuration. We can see that when the memory frequency is gradually increased, the higher frequency will still have a certain impact on the game frame rate (FPS), but the impact is not as high as the graphics cards. Different platforms may have different test results. In the next article, we will use the second platform configuration to test in "Shadow of The Tomb Raider". Does the Memory Frequency Affect the Game's FPS? (Part Two) (Read More)
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As the price of M.2 PCIe becomes more affordable, there is now a variety of M.2 solid state drives on the market. The rise of AMD has also accelerated the popularity of the high-end Gen4x4. What are the differences between these various M.2 PCIe SSDs? How should we pick the most suitable SSD? Today, I will introduce the various M.2 PCIe SSDs released by TEAMGROUP, which currently has the largest variety of SSD heat sinks. 1. Without heat sink The most common M.2 SSDs are bare chips, which means they have no heat sinks. Without the cost of a heat sink, this type of product focuses on basic differences such as specifications and durability, which makes it a real bargain. Learn more about TEAMGROUP M.2 PCIe SSD Frankly, whoever uses better materials and cheaper prices will be the biggest winner. It is a very realistic market and the customer base is also more consumer oriented; the downside is that there is little choice in appearance and limited cooling capacity. If you are concerned about the look or using SSD frequently for a long time, it is recommended to choose a product with a heat sink. 2. With heat sink Now let’s talk about the ones with heat sinks. TEAMGROUP’s T-FORCE offers very comprehensive solutions for gamers to choose from, including graphene, ceramic, water cooling, and aluminum fins, which can be adapted to different usage environment and appearance requirements. Learn more about T-FORCE M.2 PCIe SSD The main function of the heat sink is to maintain the high-speed operation of the M.2 PCIe SSD and avoid activating the speed reduction protection mechanism due to high temperature. I personally also choose the product with a heat sink. TEAMGROUP’s T-FORCE M.2 PCIe SSDs have a rule of naming. A single word is used in the front to distinguish different types of heat sinks, and the number at the back to represent PCIe version and bandwidth. For example, 340 represents Gen3x4, so now you can follow this logic to get an SSD! A. Graphene heat sinks: If you see Z at the beginning of a T-FORCE SSD model, it means the heat sink is built by graphene. For instance, Z330, Z340, Z440, etc. are all made of graphene as the base material, and different styles are designed at the top to make product differences. Learn more about T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO Z330 M.2 PCIe SSD, Where to Buy Learn more about T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO Z340 M.2 PCIe SSD, Where to Buy Learn more about T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO Z440 M.2 PCIe SSD, Where to Buy According to the test result on the official website, the cooling effect is more than 9% higher than the SSD without the heat sink. It is because the laminated glue between graphene and copper foil is also heat dissipative. This cooling solution has also obtained a Taiwan invention patent. Another advantage is that the overall thickness of the heat sink is less than 1mm, so you don’t have to worry about the structural problems between different components. After installation, it is just like installing a product without a heat sink. It is so thin and still has a powerful cooling capability, and that’s what makes this patent so amazing! B. Ceramic heat sinks: The letter C at the beginning of a T-FORCE SSD model means the heat sink is built by ceramic. Currently, there is a C440, which is very unique and designed with white and gold, is now available. Learn more about T-FORCE CARDEA Ceramic C440 M.2 PCIe SSD , Where to Buy The ceramic material itself has the characteristics of high heat dissipation wattage and no heat storage. However, during TEAMGROUP’s test, we found that the cooling effect of the case with a fan was as high as 18% while the case without a fan, which is less common in the market, was only 2%. This difference is quite consistent with the characteristics of ceramic itself that its thermal conductivity is better than thermal dissipation. The two heat sinks above are generally heat stinks with a better thermal conductivity than heat dissipation. In other words, if there is a fan that brings air convection into the case, and with the heat conducted from these two materials, a powerful cooling effect can be archived. C. Water cooling heat sinks: T-FORCE CARDEA LIQUID is a product that has been widely discussed since its release. The main reason is that the liquid in this SSD is not flowing like the CPU water cooling, which has led many people to question the heat dissipation capacity of this water cooling. Learn more about T-FORCE CARDEA LIQUID, Where to Buy This type of water cooling is really not as good as CPU water cooling. After all, CPU water cooling not only convects water, but also dissipates heat with a fan. But in fact, Gen3x4 SSD does not generate heat as much as CPU. Relatively speaking, it does not require such a powerful cooling device to cool it down, but we just collectively call it “water cooling”. So what is the cooling capacity of this product: According to the test, there is no big difference between whether there is a fan or not, and they can both reach around 13% of cooling effect, which means the effect is not bad. By the way, this product has a big feature. Many gamers pay attention to the integration of the PC build, therefore T-FORCE offers a variety of different colors of water cooling liquid. The amazing thing is that this water cooling liquid can also be mixed with each other to create special colors, which is simply a gospel for PC DIY enthusiasts. Learn more about CK5 Coolant Kit Some gamers mentioned that if the water cooling liquid gets too hot, will it boil and burst? The boiling point of the water cooling liquid inside is 187℃, which is not that easy to make the water cooling liquid boil, so don’t worry about it. D. Aluminum fin heat sinks: CARDEA II has the most powerful cooling effect in the series. The design of this model can be said is the pioneer of various SDD heat sinks on the market. It is made of common aluminum with special structural design on top to enhance heat dissipation. This cooling solution has also obtained a Taiwan patent. Learn more about T-FORCE CARDEA II M.2 PCIe SSD, Where to Buy The current test can achieve a cooling effect of up to 21% in a case with a fan. The 15% indicated on the official website seems to be a conservative estimation, because it has a stronger cooling capacity than previous models. However, it should be noted that the height of this heat sink is relatively high. If it is installed in the PCIe slot closest to the CPU, due to the height, a larger graphics card may be stuck when it is plugged in. It is recommended to change the graphics card to an upright position, which is less likely to damage the pin. You can also install the SSD in the next slot to avoid the above problem. 3. Specification Next is the specification. Now the market is generally divided into Gen3 and Gen4 specifications, which refers to the PCIe version. As for the Gen3x4 we often refer to, the x4 in the back represents the number of channels. The specific choice of which M.2 PCIe SSD to use depends on the compatibility of your motherboard and CPU, which we can find out from the SPEC of your motherboard. Source: https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-crosshair/rog-crosshair-viii-dark-hero-model/spec/ Currently, AMD’s X570 and B550 two chipsets can support Gen4 M.2 PCIe SSD. INTEL is open on some of the Z490 chipset motherboards, and it is expected to be generally open after Z590. If the motherboard is not one of the above chipsets, just remember to buy the Gen3x4 at most. It is not worth it if you buy a Gen4x4 SSD in pursuit of maximum speed and end up with no support.
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Today let's talk about the trending topic that has been widely discussed since last year: Creator. What is the difference between this type of products and the gaming products that have been very popular in recent years? Which manufacturers are on board with this trend? What are the features of TEAMGROUP's "T-CREATE" series? Around last July, Intel announced the result of an internal survey, which pointed out that about 200 million people around the world use PCs to create photo, video and 3D content, and 60% of them are interested in the so-called "Creator PC". Just like the rapidly growing gaming market in recent years, Intel believes that this is a very promising market in the future, therefore PC manufacturers are flocking to release a variety of creator products. The entire market also began to have some news and reviews as the expansion of the diversification of the number of products, and the number of consumers using these products increased, which is probably the origin of this creator trend. Source: https://news.xfastest.com/interview/67216/intel的創作者pc將現今個人電腦市場再細分/ The difference between gamers and creators From the origin previously mentioned, we can see that both creator products and gaming products come from an increase in user demand: The "nerd" who played games in those years jumped on the scene and become a gamer, the entire gaming community was suddenly energized and the gaming market was created. With the growing development of self-media and the improvement of the quality and functionality of creative software, a large number of creators have appeared. In addition, the higher consumer demand for PC specifications has also created a market for creators. However, the literal definitions of the two are completely different. The following is the explanation from these aspects. 1. On the aspect of appearance The appearance of gaming products tends to be more black and red, with crazy looks or even RGB lighting to catch people's attention. The appearance of the creator products is a low-key silver gray with simple and elegant design. The style is both tasteful and pleasant. T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB DDR4 T-CREATE CLASSIC 10L DDR4 2. On the aspect of performance The pursuit of "extreme" performance in gaming products requires even faster speeds, so overclocking is the answer. For creator products, the priority is to pursue "stability", and speed must be increased under the premise of stability, rather than unlimited pursuit of extreme performance. T-FORCE XTREEM DDR4 T-FORCE CARDEA Ceramic C440 M.2 PCIe SSD T-CREATE EXPERT M.2 PCIe SSD 3. On the aspect of expansion The expansion of gaming products tends to be more comprehensive in terms of peripherals, such as support for high-quality headphones, high-definition live camcorders and other gaming accessories. The expansion needs of creator products are high speed transfer interfaces like Thunderbolt3, or large storage spaces such as NAS. T-FORCE SPARK RGB USB This is the most basic difference between the gaming market and the creator market, and other differences may vary depending on manufacturer's characteristics. Which brands have entered the “Creator” market currently? Here are a few brands as examples. 1. ASUS ProArt The ASUS ProArt has its own independent website, a wide range of products, and custom optimized software, all of which show ASUS's high level of care in many small details. ASUS ProArt (Learn More) 2. MSI Content Creator MSI also has its own website with a variety of products, but almost all news on the market are regarding laptops. The MSI Creator Series laptops do have many features specially designed for creators. MSI Content Creator (Learn More) 3. GIGABYTE AERO Among PCB board manufacturers, Gigabyte is relatively conservative, maybe it's because they are still sitting on the fence. Gigabyte has released a laptop designed for creators. Its performance and design style can fully meet the needs of creators. GIGABYTE AERO (Learn More) 4. ADATA Made for Creators Among the storage manufacturers had long had an independent page on its official website where it offers products to creators. However, the products that can be seen on the independent page are all existing products, so let's look forward to new creator products from them in the future! ADATA Made for Creator (Learn More) 5. TEAMGROUP T-CREATE Of all the memory manufacturers, TEAMGROUP was the first to make a new product that was truly exclusive for creators. TEAMGROUP has even raised its creator products to the same level as the T-FORCE brand, placing great emphasis on the creator market, therefore it is a valuable reference in the creator market. TEAMGROUP T-CREATE (Learn More) What is T-CREATE? T-CREATE is an all new brand launched by TEAMGROUP in September this year. It was released later than PCB board manufacturers, but it is still the first among storage manufacturers. T-CREATE spends a lot of time investigating actual usage needs. Compared to laptops, memory and SSD are not products that can be used directly, therefore it is necessary to accurately classify consumer groups and understand their usage in order to launch products that respond to consumers' needs. For the differences between TEAMGROUP, T-FORCE, and T-CREATE, which are the three brands under TEAMGROUP, the following is the ability distribution diagram that we often see when playing games, so you can easily see what their characteristics are. In addition, here is a product matrix of existing T-CREATE products. More T-CREATE products will be launched in the future to expand this product matrix. According to market demand, the T-CREATE series did not start with a 4000MHz memory or a Gen4x4 SSD that reads and writes 5000MB/s, but rather focused on durability and stability, with frequency and speed taking second place. You can go to the official website of TEAMGROUP T-CREATE for more detailed product specifications. T-CREATE Memory (Learn More) T-CREATE SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy
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The memory is going to enter the DDR5 era soon, which means that DDR4 technology is relatively mature. We've seen 8GB 3200MHz memory in stores and 32GB 4000MHz unboxing articles on forums. Comparing to three years ago, before AMD's rise to power, using 16GB 3600MHz memory with I7-8700K was already very luxurious then. DDR4 technology is much more mature than it was a few years ago, but there are times when you are so excited buying new memory, only to encounter various problems after getting it home. Today, we'll help solve some frequently asked questions to you. 1. Compatibility issues The IC, PCB, and Layout used are different for different memory manufacturers, models and specifications. Therefore, the memory QVL (Qualified Vendor List) is required to be verified for compatibility before the memory is released. The following screenshots are for reference. Usually, the QVL information is located on the motherboard page➡️Support➡️Memory However, there are numerous kinds of motherboards, and a motherboard manufacturer may produce 4 or 5 types of motherboards from a type chipset. With such a large number, manufacturers will prioritize upgrading newer chipsets. As the number of users of older chipsets gradually decreases, and as consumers using older chipsets usually have DRAMs that will not be upgraded, therefore manufacturers will assume that motherboards before a certain generation of the chipset will not support new ICs or specifications. In this case, if you buy a new memory and install it in the old computer, or use the new memory together with old memory, there may have incompatibility problems. Solution Please refer to the motherboard’s QVL List before buying the memory. Generally speaking, you only have to verify if the list has information such as (1) The memory manufacturer you wish to select. (2) What capacity is supported? (3) What frequency is supported? (4) How many sticks of memory can it install? It doesn't matter if the general public doesn't understand the external material number and CL value. Also, please avoid purchasing a new memory and use it with old ones that were bought a long time ago. Not only the difference of specification may cause incompatibility issues, but even products with the same specification may also be incompatible due to different ICs used in different periods. It is more effective to replace the entire set of memory if you want to upgrade. TEAMGROUP's memory will be sent to the motherboard manufacturer for verification during the development phase, and the memory will be left at the motherboard manufacturer so that it can be verified as soon as a new motherboard is released. TEAMGROUP memory is a reassuring choice thanks to the multiple verification of avoiding incompatibility issues. Here we provide some QVL list from specific motherboards for your reference. ASUS MSI GIGABYTE ASRock 2. Overclocking issues This is a complicated question with no fixed answer. It involves the relationship between CPU, motherboard and memory. There are too many scenarios, so here is some basic logic for reference. The most frequently heard questions are: (1) I bought a 3200MHz memory, but why does it only run at 2400MHz? (2) Your specification indicates that it can go up to 4000MHz but no matter how I overclock it, it is only 3600MHz? (3) If I buy a 3200MHz product, is it guaranteed to overclock to 4000MHz? First of all, if you have a question about overclocking, be sure to provide the motherboard model, CPU model, BIOS version you are using to help us determine the situation accurately. Otherwise, any answer that is not based on comprehensive judgment is invalid! Solution (1) For frequency issues, the first thing to consider is whether the maximum frequency supported by the motherboard meets the specification of the memory you bought. Generally, just click on the SPEC page on the motherboard and scroll down to Memory and you will see the details. (2) CPU support After all, overclocking is not a standardized specification, which means only referring to the specifications listed on the INTEL and AMD websites is not enough. It takes experience to know how much memory frequency can be overclocked by the CPU. Different motherboards will have different results, but in general the higher the CPU is, the higher the memory frequency can be overclocked. The following is a brief explanation of overclocking. For INTEL, I recommend selecting products with K at the end of the model, such as I9-10900K, I7-10700K. For AMD, I recommend picking products with X at the end of the model, such as R9-3900X, R5-3600X. If your CPU doesn't happen to fall into one of the above categories, your memory frequency may be limited to be overclocked. (3) BIOS version This is the most overlooked problem. Sometimes memory supportability will be corrected during BIOS update process, and if the older version has not been updated, the memory frequency may be limited. BIOS update can be downloaded from the official website of the motherboard manufacturer. It is recommended that for those who have not updated before, go check out the update SOP provided by the motherboard manufacturer first, because errors in the process may cause the entire motherboard to fail! (4) Check the actual representative type of the specification label It means to determine whether the frequency indicated on the memory package is the native JEDEC standard frequency, or is the frequency after XMP is enabled. JEDEC is an international solid-state technology association that sets different parameters for different frequency bands of memory. As long as the memory is produced following JEDEC standard, consumers do not need to do anything after purchasing the memory, just plug the memory onto the motherboard to meet the specifications on the package. The other type requires XMP, which is classified as an overlocking product. After buying it home, the most basic way to do is to go into the BIOS and enable XMP, and then let the motherboard read the SPD value in the memory and automatically overclock to the frequency indicated on the package. Just google JEDEC and frequency you are looking for, you will find the corresponding CL value on web pages. If the frequency and CL value of the memory you purchased match, it means it is the frequency within JEDEC standard and you can use it immediately by plugging it in. If the CL value of the memory you bought is below the JEDEC standard, then it is the type required XMP. Please note that not all motherboards can support the latest JEDEC standard frequency! Recently, JEDEC 3200MHz memory is slowly appearing on the market, but only the latest motherboard chipsets support this frequency, including the INTEL Z490, Z390, AMD TRX40, X570, B550. Therefore, if your motherboard chipset is not among them, you need to check the type of memory you purchase. Another situation is when the memory belongs to the type that requires XMP, but you haven't gone into the BIOS to enable XMP after buying it home, then it will only display the frequency without being overclocked. That is why many consumers bought 3600MHz home, but only showen 2400MHz. 3. Fully equipped with 4 modules often do problems. For optical reasons, many would like to have all RAM banks equipped on the motherboard. Since everything with the X470 / X570 or Z390 or Z490 is designed for dual channel and two ram modules would be sufficient for this, problems often arise when using four modules. A solution approach is, for example, that you only plug two modules on the mainboard and activate XMP. When the mainboard starts up and the XMP settings have been correctly applied, you can increase the memory controller voltage in the BIOS / UEFI. With AMD it is the SOC voltage and with INTEL the VCCIO voltage. Increases the voltage in small steps (0.05V steps). Save the setting and switch off the PC. Then plug the remaining two modules onto the motherboard and turn the PC back on. If everything works, the PC should start and the frequencies set in the XMP should be displayed. The background is that the memory controller is more loaded with four RAM modules (AMD external and Intel internal) and therefore requires a higher voltage for correct function. But remains in the motherboard specifications for the maximum voltages suitable for everyday use. If you have a lot of problems, take a look here. 4. DOA problem Dead On Arrival, abbreviated as DOA, means damaged on arrival. This can happen with any electronic products, not just memory, which means that you can't avoid it completely as long as it is an electronic product. After all, the transportation environment or changing factors are unpredictable after they leave the factory. However, don't worry, as long as it is a DOA and you have proof of purchase, the manufacturer will usually let you replace it with a new one to ensure consumers' rights. If there is something you've encountered since you bought it home that wasn't mentioned in this article, please let us know and we will reply in future articles!
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"If my budget is only___, can I get a PC that can actually play games?" There are too many factors to consider for such a question, but if you don't mind spending time on it, assembling it yourself is definitely more cost-effective than buying a finished PC. Today, we'll recommend you the most suitable and affordable PC build on the market, and explain in order how to assemble the computer by yourself. Just follow the steps and you can build your own gaming PC! If you want to assemble your own gaming PC, first you have to know the list of parts you need to buy. The necessary parts include: CPU Motherboard Memory Hard drive Graphics card Power supply Case In addition, you can get: CPU Cooler Case fan Network card, etc. The main reason that CPU cooler is listed here is that the CPU comes with a fan, so it's not a necessity. However, if it's a large game load, it is recommended to buy a CPU cooler with a better cooling ability or a larger CPU cooler to control the CPU temperature to avoid overheating or crashing during the gameplay. 【All components for PC build】 A. CPU To make it affordable, the R5-3600X will be one of the best choices since AMD is a real bargain in the mid-range. The R5-3600X offers 6 cores and 12 threads. It has a basic clock of 3.8GHz and a boost clock of 4.4GHz, supports native 3200MHz memory, and is PCIe 4.0 SSD compatible. The expandability is excellent, and very few gamers will manually adjust the CPU or memory frequency. AMD R5-3600X B. Motherboard The new B550 series motherboard is definitely a blessing for gamers. In the past, the B series is quite different from the X series in terms of CPU overclocking, memory overclocking and I/O interface; The TUF Gaming B550 PLUS is highly compatible, close to the X570 level, and has a sleek military look, making it the best choice at this price range. ASUS TUF Gaming B550 PLUS C. Memory To keep the budget in check, try to avoid getting components that have RGB lighting. However, since it's a gaming PC, the memory must be gaming style as well. We pick T-FORCE VULCAN Z 8GBx2 3200MHz. It looks like a mecha with a strong sense of gaming design, and 8GBx2 3200MHz is also very sufficient to run all kinds of games. T-FORCE VULCAN Z DD4 (Learn More), Where to Buy D. Solid state drive There are some tips on how to choose an SSD. Since we want to have enough speed and capacity while keeping my budget under control, we choose a 512GB TEAMGROUP MP33 PRO M.2 PCIe and a 512GB T-FORCE VULCAN G SATA 2.5" SSD, so the read/write processing is done in PCIe and data storage is stored in SATA to avoid purchasing expensive SSD that has both high speed and large capacity. Learn more: TEAMGROUP MP33 PRO M.2 PCIe SSD (Learn More), Where to Buy T-FORCE VULCAN G SSD (Learn More), Where to Buy E. Graphics card As for graphics card, the ASUS TUF Gaming Geforce GTX1660 Super is a real bargain. Although the performance is not comparable to the ultra-high specification but over-budget RTX 3080, RTX 2080Ti, etc., but the 1660 Super is still the best choice in terms of Full HD quality. ASUS TUF Gaming Geforce GTX1660 F. Remaining parts (Power supply, Case, CPU cooler) Among the remaining parts, you should pay attention that the use of a major manufacturer's power supply with a better warranty, such as the durable CoolerMaster, will reduce the chance of burning out. The wattage should be sufficient to support PC's normal operation. Generally speaking, it is recommended to choose a power supply of more than 650W for a PC build with a discrete graphics card. The case and the CPU cooler are basically the same as long as they are compatible. Anything that isn't bad enough to become an oven can be considered. Learn more: Cooler Master 650W 【Installation Process】 Next is the installation process. How to make a cool PC build out of the scattered parts? Even if you are a total beginner, just follow these steps and you will be all set! 1. Install the CPU cooler base onto the motherboard Nowadays, many CPU coolers are designed to be used by both AMD and Intel, so the screws need to be slightly adjusted to align with the motherboard holes. You can refer to the attached manual for the adjustment. The manual of the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler is quite detailed, so don't worry! 2. Install the CPU in the motherboard Start by lifting the lever beside the CPU socket. Next, you need to pay attention to align the CPU correctly when placing it into the socket, otherwise the pin may be broken or burned. The motherboard and CPU are now equipped with foolproof mechanism, so you can install it correctly by following the arrows shown below. 3. Lock the power supply into the case From the front of the case, there is not much space on the right side, but if you open the right side panel, you will see a space below, this is where we will place our power supply. In most cases, the sockets and switches should face outwards and the air vents should face downwards, then lock the power supply from the back of the case. Also, since this is a non-modular power supply, which means the power supply itself is connected to a large bundle of wires, so it can be installed directly, but the downside is that it can't be removed when there are too many wires. If you choose a "fully modular" power supply, since the wires need to be connected by yourself, you must make sure which wires are needed and connect them first and then lock the case, otherwise it won't be easy to plug them after the case is locked! 4. Lock the motherboard tightly to the case Usually, the case has 9 screw holes corresponding to the holes of the motherboard, but not every motherboard will have 9 holes. As for myself, I usually lock 7 or 8 of them. When locking the motherboard, make sure that the CPU socket is on the top, so that the heat from the fan can be discharged out of the PC, and the graphics card will also have a place to put in. 5. Connect the power supply cable to the motherboard The most troublesome part of the installation is organizing the messy cables. We usually pull out the CPU power cable and the mother power cable from the reserved holes of the case and plug them into the motherboard. This can avoid leaving no room to plug in cables after other components have been installed. 6. Connect the front panel connectors of the case to the motherboard Almost all cases nowadays have 2~4 USB ports, power on/off and reboot buttons, etc. on the front panel. They all need to be powered and controlled by the motherboard. Since the wiring method of each motherboard is different, it is recommended to follow the user manual of the motherboard to connect them to the corresponding positions. The following is a brief introduction to the corresponding connection method of the TUF B550 PLUS motherboard. 7. Install rest of the parts on the motherboard Before installing, it is recommended to lay the case flat so that it can be screwed in easily. It can be installed in the order we are used to: Install the M.2 PCIe SSD first, then the CPU cooler to the base as mentioned in the first step, followed by the graphics card, memory, and finally the 2.5" SATA SSD. Most of the cases on the market still have the position of the 2.5" SSD on the power supply side, so the 2.5" SSD cable is usually the last thing we consider. Please note here that most mid-range and above discrete graphics cards also need to be connected to the PCIe power cable of the power supply! 8. Cable management The installation is almost complete! The rest is the most painful part: cable management. After installation, there will be a lot of messy cables, so you will need to find some cable ties to tidy them up and hide them out of sight. This is the part that requires more experience. 9. Install OS & update drivers Please support the genuine software when installing the OS. How to install the OS is explained in the "Tutorial of SSD Unboxing – The 6 Things You Should Do After Buying a New SSD". If you are lazy to search for the drivers, you can download Driver Booster. It has the latest drivers from major manufacturers and you can install them by one click: https://www.iobit.com/en/driver-booster.php Conclusion Here we explain the whole installation process, and introduce how to buy a PC for only $1,000, so that you can refer to according to different needs. All the selected products can be found on Amazon. T-FORCE VULCAN Z 3200 2x8GB T-FORCE VULCAN G SSD 500G TEAMGROUP MP33 PRO 512GB The installation process contains my own experience, and the order of the process is also based on convenience. Hope it will encourage new gamers to be more willing to try to build a PC by yourself!
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Previously, we talked about what you should be aware of after getting a new memory: "Tutorial of Memory Unboxing – The 5 Things You Should Do After Buying a New Memory". Today, we'll talk about SSD, which is a very big portion of products that are used when installing or upgrading computers. For those who are not familiar with it, you may be afraid to pick an SSD or install it yourself. In fact, it's not that scary at all. After reading this article, you will feel much more confident about it! 1. Keep the proof of purchase Generally speaking, SSDs are covered by a 3 to 5 year warranty from the date of purchase. Since it's not like the way of logging in and uploading an invoice from motherboard or video card manufacturers to prolong the warranty, it is very important to keep the proof of purchase (invoices, receipts, electronic invoices, etc.). If the proof of purchase is lost, the warranty period will be advanced to ex-factory date, which may loss more than a week of the original warranty period. Don't forget to protect your rights and interests. 2. Unpack the package of the SSD Unpacking an SSD package requires a few tips. Usually both 2.5" SATA and M.2 PCIe are protected inside a blister, especially M.2 SSD, which is thinner and more fragile than the memory, and may break in two if you unpack too violently. It is recommended that you push the SSD out of the blister instead of pulling it hard. 2.5" SATA SSDs are usually covered with a tamper sticker on the outside of the case, try not to remove it. If the temper sticker is broken, the warranty of the manufacturer will be void. The M.2 SSD comes with similar warranty terms, the warranty will be void if the tamper sticker is removed! Demo SSD: T-OFRCE CARDEA LIQUID M.2 PCIe SSD 3. Verify the installation location The interfaces of 2.5" SSD and M.2 PCIe are completely different, and the corresponding connection locations on the motherboard are different as well. The supported interface of 2.5" SSD is SATA and requires separate power and SATA cables. The detailed location is as shown. (Motherboard SATA location) (Power cable) (two ports of the 2.5” SSD) There's nothing more annoying than having more and more cables in your PC, so the M.2 is simply a blessing to me, the editor. M.2 reduces two cables at a time, just need to plug and lock the M.2 onto the motherboard. The detail of the ports is as shown below. (Location of the M.2 on motherboard, lock using screws) 4. Using as system drive First, plug the UFD with Windows installation software into the computer and press DELETE to enter the BIOS. Make sure that the computer recognizes the newly installed SSD and UFD. (BIOS screenshot) Then go to BOOT, move the UFD to the first position, and adjust the newly installed hard drive to the second position, press F10 to save the changes and leave the BIOS. If the adjustments are made according to the above sequence, the computer should automatically reboot after leaving the BIOS and enter the Ready to install Windows screen. Format the SSD before installing Windows. After formatting, you can choose whether to split the capacity. Local drive (C:) and Local drive (D:) are what comes out the after partitioning, commonly known as C drive and D drive. If you have limited budget, you can setup a C drive with smaller capacity and a D drive with larger capacity, and try to install most of your applications in D drive. The simpler the C drive, the better. However, the downside of a single hard drive is that data may disappear if the hard drive is broken, so be sure to do an online cloud backup! If your budget is sufficient, it is recommended to buy a smaller capacity SSD as a boot drive (C:) and a larger capacity SSD as a data drive (D:). This way, there is no need for partitioning, you can have two hard drives in different drives. You don’t have to worry about the data on the data drive being affected if the boot drive is not working properly. 5. Using purely as data drive If you just want to expand a hard drive to store data, you can ski the previous step. However, you should pay attention that after installing and booting into Windows, you still can't see the new drive because the hard drive has not been formatted and can’t be used directly Now, please move your mouse cursor to the Windows icon on the lower left and right click on the mouse. Next, select Disk Management. The SSD originally installed with Windows should be displayed as "Disk 0", and your newly installed SSD will be displayed as "Disk 1", as shown below. Please right click on the area of Disk 1 and select format. Usually the default NTFS format is used. Then press OK, the system will automatically start to format for you, and when the formatting is complete, you can see your new drive in the local machine! 6. Verify if the speed is up to the standard Nowadays, manufacturers in the market put the read/write speed of the SSD on the website and on the package. There is an unwritten rule that the speed manufacturers labeled is actually the higher value of the data they can actually measure. If you have average luck, the data you get from your home test will be slightly lower than indicated but not far off. If you are lucky, you might also get a faster SSD! After all, even the same controller with the same Flash IC may not have the same result. The following software is commonly used to test SSDs. The first thing you should do is to see if the Sequential speed (Sequential read/write speed) is the same as indicated. First let's take a look at the CrystalDiskMark (CDM) which is the most commonly used software. The following software is commonly used to test SSDs. The first thing you should do is to see if the Sequential speed (Sequential read/write speed) is the same as indicated. First let's take a look at the CrystalDiskMark (CDM) which is the most commonly used software. Next is the AS SSD Benchmark, which is commonly seen in reviews In addition to testing the read/write speed, this one can also switch to IOPS data from the View on the upper location, which is quite a unique function. Just press Start at the bottom and wait for a while, it is very easy to use. There are a lot of speed software available online, so if you are interested in, you can download them and try them for fun! In fact, the advanced application of SSD also includes different types of RAID methods, which will be explained later. I'll end today's introduction here, and I hope it can help those who are not familiar with how to operate the internal parts of the computer. After reading this article, you can bravely take your first step towards DIY a PC!
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After using the computer for some time, many people want to upgrade their computers when they start to experience lag and slowdown. Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is to upgrade the SSD and the memory. Here are the 5 things you should do after you get a new memory. 1. Open the package of the memory There are a few things to pay attention to on the packaging as well! The mainstream memory packaging on the market is divided into blister and carton sleeve packaging. The label information on the packaging is particularly important. On the packaging of TEAMGROUP's memory, the product specifications, features, ICON introduction are clearly labelled, making it easy to understand at a glance. T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4 Where to buy Don't be too violent when you open the outer packaging and take out the memory. The gold contacts and IC are very fragile. 2. General visual inspection of the entire memory Major inspection item: Are the gold contacts brand new, no scratches or oxidation? Is the PCB intact, no breakage, burrs? The next is to see if the heat spreader is flat. However, I have never encountered any of these problems, so just think of it as a routine checkup. *Please avoid squeezing the IC when holding the memory. In addition, there is a product serial number sticker on every memory that you buy. Do not remove this sticker. You have to keep the sticker in order to have valid lifetime warranty. 3. Plug it onto the motherboard The memory is designed to be error-proof. The left and right sides of the middle notch are different in length. Please pay attention to the direction you insert it, otherwise the gold contacts may break if you force plugging it in! The wiring method of each motherboard is slightly different. Please refer to the user manual of the motherboard to make sure the location of the dual-channel when plugging in two memory sticks. The following image is an explanation in the ASUS motherboard user manual. The memory installation methods has been explained in “The process to handle memory errors”. Reminder: Make sure to turn off the power supply before installing or uninstalling the memory, otherwise the memory may be damaged if the power is still on! 4. BIOS setting After plugging it in, make sure there are no problems with other components first, and then boot the computer. However, please check the status of the memory in BIOS before entering Windows. Please press the DELETE button in the first screen after you press the boot button, or press DELETE like crazy after you press the boot button to enter the BIOS. There are some basic information after entering the easy mode screen of BIOS, but there’s not much that can be adjusted. You can adjust more with the memory after entering the advanced mode. Since different motherboard manufacturers have different hotkeys, you can refer to the description on the screen. The memory with frequency above 3200MHz on the market is dominated by overclocking memory. Only a few meet the native JEDEC 3200MHz specification, not to mention that high frequency such as 3600MHz, 4500MHz which require BIOS settings. Next, I'll show you how to reach the overclocking frequency that the manufacturer claimed, so don't ask again why only 2666MHz is displayed when you buy a 3600MHz one. Currently, there are four major motherboard manufacturers and they are divided into INTEL and AMD. For more details, please refer to: "How to overclock your RAM?" Take INTEL series of ASUS motherboard for example: After entering the advanced mode, press the right arrow key on the keyboard to move to "Extreme Tweaker" Next, press enter to select "Ai Overclock Tuner" and change to XMP, then you can press F10 to save and leave BIOS. This is a way to simply turn on XMP to read the content of the SPD in the memory. It is simple and easy for rookies, and you can correctly overclock to the frequency indicated in the memory by the following steps. If you want to adjust the frequency manually, here is a brief introduction to manual overclocking, but the matching of values and some more detailed adjustments require experience accumulation. In the same way, on the "Extreme Tweaker" page, please go to "DRAM Frequency" and press Enter to select the frequency. After selecting the frequency and press Enter to confirm, scroll down to "DRAM Timing Control" and press Enter, then you will see "DRAM CAS# Latency" which is the CL value. The next three cells of CL need to be adjusted accordingly, then try again on your own. After adjusting the CL value, voltage is the next to be considered. Press the left arrow key to go back to the previous page of the CL setting, go down to the "DRAM Voltage" and input voltage. It also requires experience to determine how much voltage is sufficient to support the set frequency. Reminder: It is recommended to increase the voltage little by little Setting too high at a time may cause memory damage! New gamers may not be able to get into Windows, and keep entering BIOS automatically due to incompatible values or settings that exceed the highest frequency supported by the motherboard and CPU. Now adjust the values again, or press the shortcut to restore all settings to default factory values, then you can enter Windows again! 5. Check the overclocking information At this point, the preparation is basically done. Don't rush to play the game just yet, make sure that the content you just adjusted is actually working. Check the operation status of the memory by using the CPU-Z software. After downloading and running the software, click on the "Memory" at the top, and then look at the DRAM Frequency at the bottom. The displayed value multiplied by 2 is the frequency in the actual operation. CPU-Z download Why multiply it by two? The full name of DDR4 is Double Data Rate, therefore we need Double to calculate the frequency. Beneath the frequency, you can also see the CL value in operation. Conclusion That's it for the basic introduction to memory. Now you can also buy components to upgrade your computer, or install it yourself!
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1. ASUS (1) ASUS motherboard (AMD chipset/CPU) a. Open D.O.C.P. i. Press “Delete” or “F2” to enter the BIOS. Then press F7 to enter “Advanced Mode”. ii. Press right arrow key to “Ai Tweaker”(Blue frame) and choose “Ai Overclock Tuner”(Green frame). Turn “Auto” into “D.O.C.P”(Red frame). iii. Press F10 to save the changes and exit the BIOS after completing steps above. b. Manual Overclocking Setting i. Press Delete or F2 to enter BIOS. After entering the BIOS, press F7 to enter Advanced Mode. ii. Press right arrow key to move to Ai Tweaker. Enter Memory Frequency to set the frequency you prefer. iii. After setting the frequency, go down to find DRAM Timing Control (red frame) and press “Enter”. iv. Find DRAM CAS# Latency and set the values according to your RAM specification as below in order. *The value on this screenshot doesn't represent all RAMs' setting. v. Go back to the previous page after setting the CL value. Find DRAM Voltage and fill in the voltage you want. vi. Press F10 to save the changes and exit the BIOS after completing the steps above. (2) ASUS motherboard (Intel chipset/CPU) a. Open XMP i. Press Delete or F2 to enter BIOS. Then press F7 to enter Advanced Mode. ii. Press right arrow key to move to Extreme Tweaker(Red frame). Then choose Ai Overclock Tuner(Green frame). Change into XMP(Blue frame) and press F10 to save the data and then leave. b. Manual Overclocking Setting i. Press Delete or F2 to enter BIOS. Then press F7 to enter Advanced Mode. ii. Press right arrow key to move to Extreme Tweaker and find the DRAM Frequency(Green frame) below. Choose the frequency you prefer(Blue frame) and press “Enter”. iii. Find the DRAM Timing Control(green frame) and press enter after setting the frequency. iv. Find DRAM CAS# Latency and set the values according to your RAM specification as below in order. *The value on this screenshot doesn't represent all RAMs' setting. v. Go back to the previous page and find DRAM Voltage(Green frame) after setting the CL value. Fill in the voltage in the DRAM Voltage. vi. Press F10 to save the changes and exit the BIOS after completing the steps above. 2. MSI (1) MSI motherboard (AMD chipset/CPU) a. Open D.O.C.P. i. Click “Delete” or “F2” to enter BIOS, and then click “F7” into advanced mode. ii. There are 2 ways to open D.O.C.P. (i) Click “A-XMP”(green frame), choose “2”, click F10 to save and then you can leave the page. (ii) Enter OC(green frame) on the left and switch “A-XMP” inside from “Disable” to “Profile2”(red frame), and click “F10” to save. Then you can leave the page. b. Manual Overclocking Setting i. Press "Delete" or "F2" to get into BIOS and press F7 to get into "Advanced Mode". ii. Get into "DRAM Frequency"(green frame) and choose the frequency (red frame). iii. After setting the frequency, click "Advanced DRAM Configuration" and fill in the CL value (green frame). iv. After setting the CL value, get into DRAM Voltage(green frame), fill in the voltage(blue frame). v. After doing the steps as above, press "F10" to save the settings. (2) MSI motherboard (Intel chipset/CPU) a. Open XMP i. Press "Delete" or "F2" to get into BIOS and press F7 to get into "Advanced Mode". ii. You have two choices to open XMP. (i) Click the A-XMP(red frame) on the top, transfer to "ON" and press F10 to save the settings. (ii) Get into OC(red frame), choose "Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P)"(blue frame) and change from Disable to Enable. Then press F10 to save the settings. b. Manual Overclocking Setting i. Press "Delete" or "F2" to get into BIOS and press F7 to get into "Advanced Mode". ii. Get into "DRAM Frequency"(red frame) and choose the frequency(red frame). iii. After setting the frequency, choose "Advanced DRAM Configuration"(red frame). iv. Fill in the CL value(green frame) in Advanced DRAM Configuration. v. After setting the CL value, fill in the voltage(blue frame) in "DRAM Voltage"(green frame). vi. After doing all the steps above, press "F10" to save the settings. 3. Gigabyte (1) Gigabyte motherboard (AMD chipset/CPU) a. Open D.O.C.P. i. Click “Delete” or “F2” to enter BIOS. ii. Select M.I.T.(blue frame), select Advanced Memory settings(green frame) and then press “Enter”. iii. Select “Extreme Memory Profile(X.M.P.)”(red frame), press “Enter” to enter “Profile1”(blue frame). And then press “Enter” to check again. iv. Press “F10” to save and leave BIOS after finishing all the steps above. b. Manual Overclocking Setting i. Press “Delete” or “F2” to enter BIOS. ii. Switch to “M.I.T.”(blue frame), choose Advanced Memory Settings(green frame) and press “Enter”. iii. Select System Memory Multiplier(green frame), set the frequency(blue frame). For instance, input 28.00 if you’d like to set the frequency to 2800Mhz. At the moment, Memory Frequency(red frame) will automatically change into relative frequency. iv. After finishing setting the frequency, find “Memory Timing Mode”(red frame) below and switch “Auto” into “Manual”(green frame). v. Find DRAM CAS# Latency and set the values according to your RAM specification as below in order. *The value on this screenshot doesn't represent all RAMs' setting. vi. After finishing filling in CL Value, back to the last page “M.I.T.” to find “Advanced Voltage Settings”(green frame) and then press “Enter”. vii. Select DRAM Voltage(red frame) and then select Voltage(blue frame). viii. After finishing all the steps above, press “F10” to save and leave BIOS. (2) Gigabyte motherboard (Intel chipset/CPU) a. Open XMP i. Press “Delete” or “F2” to enter BIOS ii. Switch to “M.I.T.”(blue frame), select “Advanced Memory Settings”(green frame) and press “Enter”. iii. Find “Extreme Memory Profile(X.M.P.)”(red frame), press “Enter” to enter “Profile1”(blue frame), and then press “Enter” again. iv. After finishing all the steps above, you can press “F10” to save and leave BIOS. b. Manual Overclocking Setting i. Press “Delete” or “F2” to enter BIOS. ii. Switch to “M.I.T.” on the above, select “Advanced Memory Settings” and press “Enter”. iii. Select “System Memory Multiplier”(green frame), set the frequency(blue frame). For instance, input 28.00 if you’d like to set the frequency to 2800Mhz. At the moment, Memory Frequency(red frame) will automatically change into relative frequency. iv. After finishing setting the frequency, select “Channel A Memory Sub Timings”(green frame). (Condition: Follow this step if you plug 2 sticks in the way from Motherboard’s Manual. If you plug in 4 sticks, please select “Channel A & B”.) v. After entering “Channel Memory Sub Timings”, switch “Memory Timing Mode”(green frame) from “Auto” to “Advanced Manual”(blue frame). vi. Find DRAM CAS# Latency and set the values according to your RAM specification as below in order. *The value on this screenshot doesn't represent all RAMs' setting. vii. After finishing the setting of CL value, back to the last page “M.I.T.”, select “Advanced Voltage Settings”(green frame) and then press “Enter”. viii. After entering “Advanced Voltage Settings”, select “DRAM Voltage Control”(green frame) ix. Fill in the proper voltage(blue frame) in DRAM voltage. x. After finishing all the steps above, you can press “F10” to save and leave BIOS. 4. ASrock (1) ASRock motherboard (AMD chipset/CPU) a. Open D.O.C.P. i. Press Delete or F2 to enter the BIOS. ii. Press F6 to enter Advanced Mode (red frame) iii. Press right arrow key to OC Tweaker(green frame) and find Load XMP Setting(Red frame). Enter to choose XMP 2.0 profile 1(blue frame). iv. Press F10 to save the changes and exit the BIOS after completing the steps above. b. Manual Overclocking Setting i. Press Delete or F2 to enter BIOS. ii. After entering the BIOS, press F6 to enter Advanced Mode. iii. Press right arrow key to move to OC Tweaker and find DRAM Frequency (red frame). Enter to choose a frequency you prefer. iv. Find DRAM CAS# Latency and set the values according to your RAM specification as below in order. *The value on this screenshot doesn't represent all RAMs' setting. v. Go back to the previous page after setting the CL value. Find DRAM Voltage and fill in the voltage. vi. Press F10 to save the changes and exit the BIOS after completing the steps above. (2) ASRock motherboard (Intel chipset/CPU) a. Open XMP i. Press “Delete” or “F2” to enter BIOS. ii. Press “F6” to enter “Advanced Mode”(red frame) after entering BIOS. iii. Press right arrow key to move to “OC Tweaker” (red frame). “Find DRAM Configuration”(blue frame) and press “Enter”. iv. Find “Load XMP Setting”(red frame). Press “Enter”, select “XMP 2.0 Profile 1” and press “Enter” again to confirm. v. Press “F10” to save the changes and exit the BIOS after completing the steps above. b. Manual Overclocking Setting i. Press “Delete” or “F2” to enter BIOS. ii. Press “F6” to enter “Advanced Mode”(red frame). iii. Press right arrow key to move to “OC Tweaker”(red frame). Find “DRAM Configuration”(blue frame) and press “Enter”. iv. Find the DRAM Frequency below and choose the frequency you prefer(blue frame). v. Find DRAM CAS# Latency and set the values according to your RAM specification as below in order. *The value on this screenshot doesn't represent all RAMs' setting. vi. Go back to the previous page after setting the CL value. Choose Voltage Configuration (red frame) to enter. vii. Fill in the voltage in “DRAM Voltage”(red frame) viii. Press “F10” to save the changes and exit the BIOS after completing the steps above.
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The military style, co-branded DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB SSD(5V) and CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance SSD released by TEAMGROUP are all very representative. The former is the industry’s only 2.5” SSD with the largest luminous area, while the latter is the first M.2 SSD certified by TUF Gaming Alliance! The newly launched ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-PLUS[WI-FI] follows TUF Gaming Alliance’s black and gold color design, with the unique twill design on the I/O shield and southbridge to fully showcase TUF Gaming’s hardcore military style. Motherboard ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-PLUS[WI-FI] Unboxing Let’s take a look at the co-branded DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB SSD(5V), and also review the previous generation, co-branded DELTA S TUF Gaming Alliance RGB SSD(12V). The main difference between the two is the light source connector. Since some motherboards only support 5V or 12V connectors, and TUF’s latest Z490 and B550 series motherboards already support 5V header, therefore TEAMGROUP releases the 5V version this time. In addition, the 5V version can display colorful stream of light while the 12V version can only display a single color at a time, which is caused by different light source connectors. T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB SSD (5V) Packing T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB SSD (5V) Unboxing T-FORCE DELTA TUF RGB SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy There’s also co-branded CARDEA II PCIe SSD available now! This CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance SSD with streamlined cooling fins is TUF Gaming Alliance’s “first” certified co-branded M.2 PCIe SSD. The T-FORCE logo in the middle is a magnificent design, and the TUF Gaming Alliance x CAREDEA II names at the bottom will get you very excited! T-FORCE CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance M.2 PCIe SSD Packing T-FORCE CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance M.2 PCIe SSD Unboxing PCIe is easy to generate heat during operating. After various experiments, the angle of this cooling fin is designed to provide the most powerful heat dissipation. T-FORCE’s design is very consumer-oriented! T-FORCE CARDEA II TUF M.2 SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy Let’s see how it actually performs. T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB SSD, CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance M.2 PCIe SSD Installation As for the DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance(5V), if the read/write speed of 2.5” SSD can reach 500MB/s and above, it is considered to be a high quality SSD. The difference in speed between 550MB/s and 540MB/s is not that much, so we won’t test it here. However, as an M.2 PCIe SSD, it is necessary to undergo a speed test. The following CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance SSD 512GB is tested with three softwares. 1. The most common CDM (CrystalDiskMark) Considering fairness concern, we have only taken the result in the first test. The read speed of this SSD is 24MB/s less than the 3400MB/s on the official website, but the write speed is actually 439MB/s more than 2000MB/s. The overall speed performance is very satisfactory. 2. AS SSD Benchmark This test got 4178 points with CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance 512GB. It will get even higher points with the 1TB. Switching to the AS SSD Benchmark IOPS, we can see that the CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance also has excellent performance. 3. Tx Bench The performance of Seq 256K Q32T1 and CDM 1MQ8T1 are similar. In different situations, the performance of the CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance is very stable, which is a very important requirement for SSDs. Conclusion The DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance(5V) is updated with the support of TUF motherboard. The exterior design inherits the military style of TUF Gaming Alliance, and the color change has advanced from a single color to multiple colors. If you like the TUF Gaming series, you should definitely get it and match with the motherboard! The CARDEA II TUF Gaming Alliance has a black background color with a magnificent T-FORCE LOGO. Certified by ASUS TUF Gaming, the upper aluminum fin heatsink will not interfere with the components on the motherboard. It has powerful heat dissipation capability and ultra-fast computing speed. What are you waiting for? Get it home now! Learn more about TUF series co-branding: T-FORCE VULCAN TUF DDR4 Where to Buy T-FORCE DELTA TUF DDR4 Where to Buy T-FORCE DELTA TUF RGB SSD Where to Buy T-FORCE CARDEA II TUF M.2 SSD Where to Buy
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Due to the recent pandemic, people are spending more time indoors and the demand for gaming consoles has increased significantly. Switch is great for use at home or on the go, therefore currently it has become the best choice for purchasing a gaming console. 1. SWITCH firmware update In April of this year, Nintendo announced the latest 10.0.0 version of the firmware update, adding super useful features: In “Data Management” of the console, data can be transferred between the internal storage and the microSD card! Switch supports microSD card expansion. Supported cards includes microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC. It is only compatible up to Speed Class UHS-I and not compatible with UHS-II. Resource: Nintendo Official Site In the past, data stored in the internal storage could not be transferred to a microSD card as it can now be transferred to a gaming console directly. The latest firmware update makes it a lot more user-friendly. As for other new features such as the News Bookmark function, option to remap the controller buttons, etc., please visit Nintendo Official Site for more details! 2. MicroSD cards that are highly recommended Speaking of using the microSD card, the following are considered in terms of capacity, price, read/write speed, and good value. We will introduce TEAMGROUP memory cards suitable for the use on the Switch, and you will see that TEAMGROUP memory cards are cutting edge in every way! TEAMGROUP PRO V30 U3 MicroSD CARD 256GB Capacity: 256GB R/W Speed: 100/90 MB/s Warranty: Lifetime warranty Value rating: Medium PRO V30 is the highest-level A1 card among the current microSD cards of TEAMGROUP. Its speed is no less than the products of Samsung and SanDisk. Since it is the most high-end product with a top speed, the price is slightly higher than other TEAMGROUP memory cards, therefore we give it a medium value rating, which is recommended for gamers who are looking for ultra-fast boot speed and loading speed. TEAMGROUP PRO V30 U3 MicroSD CARD (Learn More) Where to Buy TEAMGROUP ELITE A1 U3 MicroSD CARD 256GB Capacity: 256GB R/W Speed: 90/45 MB/s Warranty: Lifetime warranty Value rating: High The ELITE is the next tier of the PRO, the price of it is slightly lower than the PRO, and it’s only a bit slower in terms of read speed. This is also the product we are testing in the following. The loading speed is very fast and overall it is a real bargain. If you wants to buy a microSD card for your Switch, this will be the most recommended product! TEAMGROUP ELITE A1 U3 MicroSD CARD (Learn More) Where to Buy TEAMGROUP COLOR CARD II MicroSD CARD 128GB Capacity: 128GB R/W Speed: 90/45 MB/s Warranty: Lifetime warranty Value rating: High This memory card has similar specification with the ELITE, except it has the A1 performance level. However, the A1 level is the SD Association’s IOPS definition for mobile phone usage. The most important thing for the Switch is the game read speed, therefore there is no big difference without the A1 level. Plus, it is cheaper, which is one of the reasons we highly recommend this product. TEAMGROUP COLOR CARD II MicroSD CARD (Learn More) Where to Buy 3. Why microSD card is great for enthusiastic gamers? One microSD card can solve your storage capacity problem Have you ever bought many digital games and run out of console’s internal storage? Want to record your gameplay but there isn’t enough storage space? A suitable microSD card can solve your problems! In the following test, the Switch has only 2-3 games but takes up 80% of console’s internal storage. Let’s see the difference after they are transferred to the SD card! Friendly reminder: Game progress can only be saved in the internal storage of the console. So, when the internal storage is full, you may not be able to save the games. It is recommended to reserve storage space for safety! 4. How to insert microSD card? How to transfer games after installation? First, the microSD card slot is located at the back, behind the long black cover on the bottom left. When you open it gently, you will hear a “click” sound. This cover is also designed as a stand to support the main body so that it can be played standing upright. Then, as shown in the image, insert the microSD in the correct direction, and if you feel it bounce back a little, that means the installation completes. Friendly reminder: The upper cover is where the game card slot is located. You won’t find microSD card after opening this cover. If the SD card is inserted while power on, the following screen will appear. Please select restart. After restart, if you want to transfer data from console’s internal storage to the SD card, go to “Data Management” in “System Settings”. The following screen appears when you select “Move Data Between System / microSD Card”. Then select “Move to microSD Card” to bring up all the software that can be transferred from the current console. Select a game, such as Fornite as below, then click “Move Data” on the right and it’s done! In conclusion, it makes a big difference when Switch is with a microSD card. Go get your Switch and microSD card now guys!
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Now that there is so many software for lighting control, which one should I choose? How do I use them? Currently, the four major motherboard manufacturers are leading in software integration and can control 90% of the lighting accessories on the market. Here’s the tutorial on how to use the software of four major motherboard manufacturers. 【ASUS-AURA】 If you don’t have this software yet, please download it from this link. (Download Link) This is version 1.07.79. From this version onwards you can fully control the lighting mode of the beautiful T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB memory. T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB DDR4 (Learn More) Where to Buy After opening the software, the top left corner shows devices that are currently detected and can be connected by the software. The white ones are currently connected. It will turn red and disconnect the device while clicking it. The entire row on the left is a variety of lighting effects, please select your preferred lighting mode. In the middle, you can select the same color for all lighting parts, or you can set the light by each area individually. If you want the same color, select “Single Color”, if you want to set it by yourself, select “By areas”. Next, you can choose the location of the light on the motherboard or any light bead on the memory. It is completely self-customized, suitable for people who wants to create their own lighting style. In the end are Color(1), Hue(2), Saturation and Brightness(3) adjustments. These are supported by almost every lighting control software. Overall, ASUS’s lighting control software is full of functions, with a wide selection of lighting effects, and the ability to control the color of each light bead. Highly recommended for those who have ASUS motherboards ASUS Aura might be integrated into “Armoury Crate” integration software along with other ASUS motherboard related softwares in the future, which is the trend of motherboard manufacturers to meet the needs of gamers at this stage, but it is still in the transition period currently. 【MSI-MYSTIC LIGHT】 Please visit the download page of this software. (Download Link) The first thing you will see is “DRAGON CENTER(UWP VERSION)”, which is an integrated software that combines many MSI related softwares internally. If you are using the Windows 10 operating system, you need to download this integrated software, and then download Mystic Light within this software. If you use operating system “below Windows 10” and your motherboard matches the motherboard model supported on this page, you will need to scroll down the page to find Mystic Light 3 software to control the lighting effect. Next, follow the instructions while looking at the software: After click and open DRAGON CENTER, the internal software will be downloaded first. And when you officially enter, there is a row of software to choose from on the left side of the page, please click “Mystic Light”. After entering the software, you will see the main screen which is the location to synchronize all the RGB and Mystic Light compatible accessories. Select the LED Style on the right and the whole system will run in the same lighting effect. If you want to control T-FORCE memory individually, you can select the preferred mode and set the color by switching from the link-like logo above to the “DRAM”! Individual control not only has many effects, but you can also customize the color yourself, which can be very useful and gorgeous even when the whole system cannot be synchronized! Don’t forget to click Apply in the bottom right corner whether you are synchronizing the entire system or controlling the memory individually. If you are using an MSI motherboard, get a set of T-FORCE memory and let the memory rock along with your PC! T-FORCE memory (Learn More) 【GIGABYTE-RGB FUSION 2.0】 The download location of this software is relatively simple. (Download Link) Just click the Download button as shown below. After opening the software, you will see the motherboard’s lighting effect control screen. The upper left corner will automatically show the motherboard you are using. The screen is divided into three areas, first you have to choose which light you want to control in area 1, and then area 2, 3 will light up for operating. Area 2 is for selecting the effect, and area 3 is for selecting your preferred color, speed, brightness, etc. Remember to click APPLY after you finished selecting. To operate the T-FORCE memory, first, click the memory logo under the motherboard on the left side, you will see a similar UI as the motherboard control screen, except that there is no light selection. The next steps are similar as well, including the adjustment for lighting effect, color, speed, and brightness. It is recommended to set the speed at about half to avoid too much speed or too bright for your eyes. 【ASROCK- Polychrome RGB】 Please visit ASRock’s official website for software download. From Products pages, find the motherboard you are using, scroll down and click Support and then click Download. At the bottom you will see [Beta] ASRock Polychrome RGB, this is the latest version of the lighting control software. Please notice that AMD and Intel platforms have different version numbers, so be sure to download the software under the correct motherboard model! Above is a screenshot of the Download page of the Z390 motherboard, and below is a screenshot of the X570 motherboard for reference. The setup is also divided into synchronizing the entire system’s lighting effect, and setting the T-FORCE memory individually. Let’s take a look at how to synchronize the memory and motherboard: First, select the Onboard LED page, then click the DRAM logo on the bottom left. After selecting the lighting effect synchronization of the DRAM and the motherboard, you can only select Style, which is the only major limitation of this software. But ASRock has all kinds of good looking styles built in, the auto adjustment is a great feature for gamers who want to save time. If you have more ideas about your own lighting style: Before switching to control memory individually, you need to click “DRAM” above again to unselect it, and then you can switch pages in the upper left corner! Please stop asking why “Component” can’t be clicked, it’s because the synchronization is not cancelled first! After unselecting DRAM, click “Component” on the upper left to enter the page for controlling the memory individually. You can adjust the color, brightness, style, etc., and even turn off the light of the memory alone. T-FORCE XCALIBUR Phantom Gaming RGB DDR4 (Learn More) Conclusion The functions of the lighting control software of the four motherboard manufacturers are very similar, and they are all very well integrated. You can control the motherboard, memory, SSD, keyboard, mouse and other accessories at the same time, without having to install a bunch of software to control them individually.
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Have you ever encountered installing or boot issue while using the memory? Do you know how to use the memory correctly? Let’s introduce the simple memory debugging process now! Demo Memory: T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4 (Learn More), Where to Buy 1. Installation method I. The correct hand position for installing the memory can ensure the force on the gold contacts of the memory is even to avoid damage. II. When installing the memory, make sure there’s no dust or foreign objects on the gold contacts of the memory and the motherboard slots. Foreign objects or dander might easily burn the memory. 2. PC won’t boot (Cannot enter BIOS) I. First, refer to the order of the motherboard memory slot. → Install the memory (single or dual channel) in the correct memory slots of the motherboard. → Check if it can boot normally. The memory slots of each brand of the motherboard have a custom order. Please refer to the manual of the motherboard. II. If already installed in the correct position but still can’t boot. → Install a single memory in a slot of the motherboard in turns for testing. → Find out which memory has a problem / If the problem that the PC is unable to boot has been confirmed, please contact the manufacturer for repair. III. Cross test to see if there is a problem with the memory slots of the motherboard. → Install the memory that works normally in DIMM1~DIMM4 in turns to see if all DIMM slots are working. IV. If there’s another motherboard available → Install memory on the different motherboard to see if it’s working normally. → If it is still not working, it can be inferred that it is caused by the memory. 3. RGB lighting issue I. If RGB memory’s lighting is not working, it is mostly caused by the LED lightbulbs. It should be sent for repair directly. II. If RGB memory’s lighting cannot be controlled, please install and test with only one RGB software, or update RGB software to the latest version. While testing, please make sure other software is completely uninstalled. III. Please do not use alcohol or eraser to clean gold contacts.
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If you have read our article on how to choose a SSD, then we know it won’t quench your thirst for knowledge! Next, lighting or no lighting? Or born for overclocking? We will tell you which TEAMGROUP memory is perfect for a gamer like you! If you are a gamer, and you desire to build a fancy PC and are capable of playing any game! As a gamer, having great looks and inner is a must. Your computer also needs to have a great looking and powerful memory to complete the full set. Introducing you the T-FORCE RGB Memory Series, which has a clever design of appearance and light guide, and is also compatible with major motherboard manufacturers’ lighting effect control software. It is cool and can also seamlessly blend in with other parts. In terms of performance, TEAMGROUP provides very good specifications. If you are interested, please check out the webpage for more information. Recommended products: XTREEM ARGB / XCALIBUR RGB / NIGHT HAWK RGB /DELTA RGB DDR4 Gaming Memory Series T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB DDR4 (Learn More), Where to Buy T-FORCE XCALIBUR DDR4 (Learn More) T-FORCE NIGHT HAWK DDR4 (Learn More), Where to Buy T-FORCE DELTA RGB DDR4 (Learn More), Where to Buy If you are a gamer who is ready to step into the gaming world, assemble a PC with a great bargain first! You probably want to buy memory with RGB just because many computer components of yours have RGB lighting effects, but this will cost you a lot of money to build a PC. If you have budget concerns, why not building a gaming PC without RGB lightings first! Therefore, the best solution is to get a memory with great performance and looks, but without the RGB lighting. Among the T-FORCE Gaming Memory Series, there are two models we recommend: VULCAN Z & DARK Z DDR4 series have beautifully designed heat spreaders with anode painting, and overclocking performance. The price is a steal. These two models are definitely your top choices if you want to build a PC with a great bargain! T-FORCE VULCAN Z DDR4 (Learn More), Where to Buy T-FORCE DARK Z DDR4 (Learn More), Where to Buy If you are an overclocker who lives by the spirit of DIY PC If you don’t need a fancy look and the price never bothers you, all you care about is how awesome the performance is! Then T-FORCE has prepared just the right things for you. After rigorous selection by the laboratory and engineers, two overclocking memories suitable for overclockers have been created: XTREEM DDR4 / DARK PRO DDR4. It possesses high frequency + low latency CL, and using selected IC chips and high-performance heat spreader. All these offer the overclockers a chance to unleash the power of the PC. T-FORCE XTREEM DDR4 (Learn More) T-FORCE DARK PRO DDR4 (Learn More) If you are a heavy creator and gamer who loves to pursuit the latest technology This year, T-FORCE released an innovative memory product that has overclocking performance and a great appearance. Redefining the RGB lighting by being the first in the industry launching the ARGB lighting effects with the low key and high-quality mirror design. Various frequency and CAS Latency are introduced to meet the needs of gamers at all levels. Introducing to you again: XTREEM ARGB DDR4! That’s right, we already mentioned XTREEM ARGB once before, so why talk about it again? It is because this product combines both the latest technology on the outside and the highest specifications on the inside. After spending years on research and development, this is the product revealing the full strength of TEAMGROUP, and it is also the most recommended product of the article! T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB DDR4 (Learn More), Where to Buy
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Now there are so many brands and specifications of SSD on the market, it will take a lot of time to do the research, so let's quickly introduce which TEAMGROUP SSD can best meet your needs! If you are a "promising young person who use a computer to write reports and browse online articles” As a promising young person who often uses Office software to write reports or browse the Internet, when opening Office software, although SSD and HDD are both SATA III interface, SSD will still provide faster speed than traditional HDD! Here we recommend the price-friendly GX2 SSD, with various capacities to choose from! TEAMGROUP GX2 SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy And this VULCAN SSD from T-FORCE gaming brand has both read and write speed of over 500 MB/s. The price is reasonable and the design is stylish, which makes it perfect for you! T-FORCE VULCAN SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy The next is DELTA MAX SSD which is the RGB SSD with the largest luminous area in the industry. The ARGB lighting is smooth, meticulous and not too bright for your eyes. Even when the lighting is off, the SSD can still reflect the texture of the mirror surface. Note: Remember to pick a case with a transparent side panel, which can perfectly present the translucent mirror effect of the SSD! T-FORCE DELTA MAX RGB SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy If you are a “mild to moderate, promising gamer” Back then, when I was playing Diablo III, the game map often got stuck for a long time at the loading screen! I did use a quad-core processor and a high-end graphics card, but how come the performance is still far from good? Only to find that the map files of Diablo III were located in the hard drive, so the loading time took longer whenever the hard drive was reading the files. Therefore, I simply replaced my hard drive with a M.2 SSD and the loading time was reduced instantly! The low-price and easy to use M.2 PCI-E Gen3x4 SSD MP33 make you the coolest gamer by eliminating your waiting time in the game! T-FORCE MP33 M.2 PCIe SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy If you are a "heavy creator and gamer” Congratulations, you are a user who relies heavily on computer performance. We strongly recommend the following high performance M.2 PCI-E SSDs! First, we introduce you the MP34 which has no heat spreader and can be easily installed on any device. The difference between the MP34 and MP33 is the addition of the RAM that makes the reading speed more than 3000MB/s. No matter if you are editing large video files, or playing a game and want to live broadcasting at the same time, the experience is smooth and without any lag. TEAMGROUP MP34 M.2 PCIe SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy The next is T-FORCE CARDEA II, which has TEAMGROUP's exclusive patented cooling fin, so you don't have to worry about speed loss caused by overheating when using SSD for a long period of time. T-FORCE CARDEA II M.2 PCIe SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy If you are a heavy creator and gamer who "desire the latest technology” After the release of AMD's X570 platform this year, the bandwidth of PCIe is upgraded to M.2 PCIE Gen4x4. T-FORCE releases CARDEA ZERO-Z440 to advance with the times. The read speed is up to 5000 MB/s, which guarantees to make you the coolest heavy creator. Loading graphics or converting files will all be done before your coffee gets cold! T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO Z440 M.2 PCIe SSD (Learn More) Where to Buy After introducing these various SSDs, gamers will have a better idea of which product they are getting in the future!
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