NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Review & Benchmarks

NVDIA’s GTX 780 Ti has arrived.
In the never-ending daytime drama dubbed “Days of our video cards” starring AMD and NVIDIA, another episode hath arrived. All tech junkies know AMD has released a new batch of video cards, but the only ones really kicking ass are the R9 290 and R9 290X, which both are very impressive cards. These two new high-end jobbers were released in attempt to dethrone NVIDIA, and for a moment of sparkling glory AMD completely took the lead with the R9 290X.  AMD fans around the world were snubbing their noses at NVIDIA for the first time in quite awhile and for them that probably felt very good.
Here’s the thing though, NVDIA has been on cruise control for the last two quarters and actually held back technology as AMD played catch-up to them, but as soon as AMD did they instantly draw another ace from up their sleeve and placed it on the table. NVDIA did not even hesitate to release the new GTX 780 Ti as soon as they saw the GTX 780 was getting a bit of a -schooling from the AMD camp. NVIDIA knew the day would come when AMD would get the lead on them and have obviously been preparing as seen by the timely release of the GTX 780 Ti. NVIDIA’s new G-SYNC technology will also have to be visualized to be fully appreciated, but so far it seems to be a very nice addition to the NVIDIA family of technologies.



I am sure most of us saw it coming as even AMD fans started commenting that NVIDIA was sure to take some action in a countermove to the R9 290X and in short order. It was inevitable, but I think you may finds that NVIDIA’s 780 Ti move is more on the level of its flexibility as an all around gaming killer in any system more than just the sheer numbers seen in performance charts. For those fans of NVIDIA’s reference designed cooler things have remained much the same, but under the hood are a few changes that make the GTX 780 Ti the best gaming solution from them; yes even better than the Titan. The Titan was designed with its dual-precision performance as a workstation/gaming card whereas the 780 Ti is all about the gaming environment, a small, but very significant one.

GeForce GTX 780 Ti Clocks & Speeds 
The new GTX 780Ti has a lot of features shared by the GTX 780 card as both are made on the Keplar GK110 chipset and the Ti is really just a newer version of the chipset with everything turned on and unlocked. First off we see the 780 Ti contains 2880 CUDA Cores and 15 SMX units. The memory subsystem of the GeForce GTX 780Ti consists of six 64-bit memory controllers (384-bit) with 3GB of GDDR5 memory.
The base clock speed of the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is 875MHz. The typical Boost Clock speed is 928MHz. The Boost Clock speed is based on the average GeForce GTX 780 Ti card running a wide variety of games and applications. Note that the actual Boost clock will vary from game-to-game depending on actual system conditions.



The GeForce GTX 780 Ti’s memory speed is running at a 7000MHz data rate. This also is the fastest GDDR5 memory you can find on a graphics card today.


The GeForce GTX 780Ti reference board measures 10.5” in length.



Display outputs include two dual-link DVIs, one HDMI and one DisplayPort connector.



One 8-pin PCIe power connector and one 6-pin PCIe power connector are required for proper operation of the card. The GeForce GTX 780Ti is an unlocked version of their GK110 GPU and is now the flagship gaming card for NVIDIA, but all of these are just technical facts, lets see what the card does in the performance arena

Test Setup And Software
With the AMD R9 290X you get twoways of operatio – quiet and Uber modes, both of which run at totally different clock speeds and with obvious differences in the heat and noise ratios. The GTX 780 Ti has standard and boost mode with one being the standard clock speeds of the card and the other an increased clock due to how well the cards temperature remains. If AMD were to use the same type of system the R9 290X would not overclock well at all as it heats up to extreme temperatures when pushed in uber mode. When the AMD R9 290X is ran in quiet mode it simply gets whipped by the GTX 780 Ti and in quiet mode is where most users will want to run the card unless they absolutely care less about the heat and noise levels.



We are using a Haswell based system that includes an ASUS Maximus Here motherboard, a i7-4770k CPU, 32GBS of Patriot Viper Extreme memory, a 240GB SATA III SSD for the boot drive and a WD Black 2TB drive as the main storage drive. This system is along the lines of what many users already have out there and should not be too far different to be unattainable by the end user like some crazy ass test beds I have seen of late. All tests were ran 3 times and then balanced and each card was played on for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to testing to ensure real world results. We are sticking with Windows 7 for now on all our test beds, as Windows 8 is just too problematic and bulky to be a stable and compatible OS. We also used the very latest drivers from both NVIDIA and AMDS to get the best representation of scores possible.


Performance, Benchmarks & Temps

Performance between the two cards as can be seen was determined with the NVIDIA card tested at its default state with its boost speeds coming naturally from the card while gaming. We tested the AMD R9 290X in its “UBER” state and not its “QUIET” mode, as we feel no AMD gamers worth his salt would not do this and we did not want AMD having their pants pulled down even further so in fairness to AMD we kept the card running at “UBER” speeds and it helped their scores quite a bit in the performance arena. NVIDIA’s GTX 780Ti wins at almost everything across the board even with the AMD R9 290X running in “UBER” mode.
We did not have ample time to test the 780 Ti manually overclocked, but I feel that if we maxed the fan speeds out and made it as loud and hot as the AMD R9 290X by way of extreme boosting the GTX 780Ti would be much faster than the 290X. Water-cooling may help the AMD solution, but when a card is already running at almost 100 degrees Celsius out of the box room for overclocking is still diminished, as the threshold for more heat is just not there.
The one gaming benchmark we want to highlight is Battlefield 4 as we only had time to test the GTX 780 Ti head on against the R9 290X, the rest all have a handful of cards to reference. For now the GTX 780 Ti beats out the R9 290X in Battlefield 4 but it should be interesting how Mantle plays a part once that is ready.

Battlefield 4 – GTX 780 Ti vs R9 290X



Performance Benchmarks 

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Temperatures



This is an area where many users do not really agree as some people blatantly state they could care less about noise, but I am hard pressed to actually believe as noise sucks as does heat, especially when one is talking video cards. We all know and if you have seen our video the AMD R9 290X, in its reference state can be one loud and proud video card that fills a room with an amazing hum. The GTX 780 Ti on the other hand when runs at the same performance levels and please pay attention to that fact, performance levels, not fan speed levels as AMD’s 290X when ran in quiet mode is quiet, but it also gets its ass kicked in the performance area at those same fan levels.
At the same performance levels the (Reference) AMD R9 290X ran under full loads at 94C in “UBER” mode, which is the only mode capable of competing with the 780 Ti and the card was also load as a lawnmower on crack J AMD may fix this by way of aftermarket or liquid cooling, but these tests are reference versus reference. The NVIDIA GTX 780Ti however ran at 82C at default clock speeds and was very quiet throughout the testing phase, as normal boost clocks do not take the fans up as load as the 290X and yet is still able to win in the performance arena. We will take the NVIDIA GeForce 780 Ti card and clock it up and increase the fans speed to 75% like the AMD card and match the cards up sonically and see where the tests go, but for now these are the temperatures the cards are running at in their out of the box state when matched for performance as much as applicable.

5 Best Android Keyboard To Help You Type Faster

As everything is turning out to be Mobile Centric, our fingers which was once the player of physical keyboard are getting addicted to on-screen keyboard. There are many third-party keyboard apps available out there like gesture-typing keyboard which Android allows the user to play with.So, If you are an Android user, pat yourself as you can choose the keyboard you want to use unlike the
iPhone or Windows users.

5 Best Android Keyboard

1. Google Keyboard

Google Keyboard is an Android’s official keyboard. However, as we all know that every mobile manufacture tweak this sort of basic things as per their UI, it may be possible that you’ll get on-screen keyboard designed by Smartphone or Tablet Manufacture instead of Google’s official one.



You can install the Google Keyboard by heading to Google Play Store. The features included in Google’s own keyboard are built-in gesture typing, hugely popularized as Swype, Full next word prediction, voice recognition which works in offline mode as well and many others.

2. Swype

The fact is, none of the other Android Keyboard has completely matched the accuracy of Swipe-to-type feature which was designed by Swype. If you use gesture typing all the time, Swype is the best bet for you.

Swype offers the user to try it for free for a month and thereafter the user will have to shell out $1. Also, now Swype can be installed directly from Google Play Store without any previous tedious process or sideloading the Swype app.

3. SwiftKey

Offering amazing auto-correction and auto-prediction feature, SwiftKey cost around $4 to its user. Although, user can try it for free for a period of one month. Simply type as fast as you can and SwiftKey will notice your mistakes and will eventually show you the word which you actually wanted to type.



For $4, SwiftKey may be a bit pricey, but the features like tap to type rather than swipe to type that SwiftKey offers to its users is worth paying for.

4. Minuum

Being the CrowdFunded keyboard which is still in its beta phase, Minuum is the perfect blend of creativity and experimentation from Developers. Using the tiny keyboard for freeing up the screen space and using the single row of letters rather than a full keyboard on screen, Minuum offers the best auto-correction feature that interpret what you intended to type rather than typing the letter you have tapped.



With no trial offer, Minuum is available by shelling out $4.

5. MessageEase

Being absolutely free to use, MessageEase presents all letters in a nine-button grid. Just tap a button to type out the common letter and hold down the button after tapping and swipe in appropriate direction to type out the uncommon letter.



The only disadvantage of this keyboard is, you have to give it a few minutes to get used to it.
With that being said, Google Play Store is full of third-party Keyboard apps. If you find any other more useful and flexible in use, do let us know in the comment box below.

iPhone 5s allegedly bending in people’s pockets all by themselves

You may remember, when the iPhone 5 was still a new device, reports surfaced online claiming that there was an issue with devices somehow bending. Of course, the users swore blind that they hadn’t placed them in back pockets or sat on them. Apparently, the iPhones just did it themselves. There are claims that the same issue plagues the iPhone 5s. Nowhereelse.fr has a few images showing one iPhone that’s particularly bent.

 

Having worked in retail, and used iPhones for years, I can quite happily state that I don’t believe them. You wouldn’t believe the number of people that used to walk in to my store claiming that their phone’s screen had cracked “all by itself”. I just can’t see how a solid and well-made piece of aluminum can bend that way without any force whatsoever. Unless it’s been placed near something really warm and expanded as a result (as most metals will) and than contracted when it got cool again. Simple truth is that the user has indeed applied considerable physical force to it, either accidentally or on purpose. iPhones don’t “just bend” on their own. Saying that, it is quite odd that the glass on the display looks completely unharmed. Perhaps I’m too cynical.

 

Via: NowhereElse

MSI AMD R9 280X Twin Frozr Gaming OC 3GB Video Card Review & Benchmarks

AMD jumps back in the gaming ring.

It’s that time again. Time for some new blood to be put into the video card market and this time it’s AMD’s turn at the wheel. The hype surrounding the new R9 and R7 series video cards will now be put to rest as the actual testing results get in on all the new cards.
We take a look today at the MSI Twin Frozr Gaming Edition video card that is priced at $299.99 and aimed to compete with the GTX 760-770 cards from NVIDIA. The new R9 280X is a mid level gaming solution that is not the Titan killer that many were expecting, but still something from AMD that will help lower the pricing of cards all around.




Many of you have already surfed the net and have seen that the new R9 280X shares many things in common with the HD 7970GHz Edition video cards and that basically it is a rebranded card with a few new technical twists. AMD is planning on having their next level of card up the R9 290X be the so-called Titan killer, but for those wanting to save money and still get a solid card I think the R9 280X will find a nice home in todays market. AMD really wants to get your cash and even though many things have remained the same lets see what is different and how this card stacks up against the competition.

5 Useful Features Hidden in VLC

You probably be using VLC for playing media files, and if you are doing the same, you are using only a small fraction of VLC player capabilities. VLC player is considered as a Swiss Army Knife for digital videos and music, filled with more useful features and interesting tools.





So, if you are using VLC player for just playing your media files, here are the 5 most useful and hidden features that can make your experience of using VLC more fruitful.

#1. Convert Media Files

Do you know that you probably need no additional software for converting media files if you have VLC player? Yes, VLC player can be used to convert media files from an unsupported format. You can even extract audio from the given media files and can save it as a separate file.

For that, just hit the Media menu button located at the top left corner of VLC player and select Convert/Save. Simply load the media file you want to convert and select the format you want the output file in, set the destination path and hit Start.

#2. Recording Your Desktop 

You can use VLC player to save the video of your Desktop. Yes, no need of any additional video recorder. You can capture the video of anything and can stream that particular video online with no additional software.


For doing that, just navigate to Media-> Convert/Save and locate the last tab named as “Capture Device”. Set the capture mode to “Desktop”, set the desired frame rate (15-20fps recommended), set the destination path and bamm!!! Your video is ready in minutes.

#3. Control VLC from Browser

You can control VLC remotely from the browser. VLC has an integrated server which can be accessed via browser remotely. By enabling this, you can control the playback options, volumes, media files, etc. When coupled with Smartphone, it can be turned as remote for VLC player.




For doing this, click on Tools –> Preferences. Navigate to Main interfaces located under All Options. Finally click on Web checkbox. All done, you just need to enter the local IP address of VLC (http://localhost:8080/)

 

#4. Watch YouTube Videos

Want to watch YouTube videos on VLC player without downloading it? Yes, you can do that. Just copy the URL of the video you like to watch in VLC and hit the Media menu button, select Open Network Stream. Simply paste the YouTube Video’s URL in here and you are ready to watch the video directly on your VLC player.

#5. Playing Internet Radio

If you are not a very big fan of Spotify or Pandora, you can play internet radio directly from your VLC player. Just open Playlist and navigate to the Icecast Radio Directory, perform a search for the music you will love to listen, browse the list and play what you want.



You can even listen to radio that aren’t listed on VLC player. Just head over to the specific website and find the “listen” button there. You can listen to them directly from your local VLC player on computer or from VLC player on Android.
With all that being said, there are still hell lots of things you can do with your VLC player. So, if you are still using the VLC player to just play the normal media files, explore it more and change the way you use it. VLC player is the most widely used media player and being available for almost every device out there including Smartphones, it can be used for different purposes.

Samsung Officially Announces Galaxy Round Curved Phone

Remember that awkward Samsung device that leaked earlier today? The one shaped like a taco and we thought was the Samsung Galaxy Round? Turns out, it was. Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Round this evening, and it’s essentially a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 that’s lost its S Pen stylus, and is….. well, bent.
Under the hood, we’re looking at a very capable device. Notable specs from the Samsung Galaxy Round include:

• 5.7-inch 1080p OLED curved display
• 2.3GHz Exynos quad-core processor
• 3GB RAM
• 13MP camera
• 2,800mAh battery
• 7.9mm thick, 154g
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

So what separates the Galaxy Round from one of Samsung’s other “flat” offerings? Aside from giving the Korean manufacturer the pleasure of claiming “firsts”, Samsung has also tweaked their Touch Wiz/Nautre UX software to feature a UI that is better suited for the Round. This is done in a variety of visual changes to make things appear “rounder” on the device, as well as featuring something Samsung is calling “Round Interactions”.
Tilting the phone while on a flat surface will allow users to quickly peak at the time and notifications on the device, something that sounds neat, but not as intuitive as LG’s knock feature found on the LG G2. Samsung has also added the “Round Interactions” into their other apps like music and photo apps, although it’s unclear how it will be implemented.

Pre-Orders Open for Tegra 4 Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Console

Android gamers can pre-purchase the M.O.J.O. console slated to arrive in December.

 

Android gamers waiting impatiently for Mad Catz Interactive's M.O.J.O. console can now pre-purchase the device for $249.99 USD. The console will begin shipping on December 10, 2013, packing a Tegra 4 SoC, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. That's $50 less than Nvidia's Shield handheld, which has its own built-in 5 inch touch screen, mini-HDMI output and can be played anywhere.

"The M.O.J.O. Micro-Console for Android has attracted strong interest due to its high-performance hardware, open software platform and the ecosystem of accessories," said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. "M.O.J.O. is the center piece of our GameSmart mobile initiative and brings core gaming experiences to the mobile platform."

As previously mentioned, the M.O.J.O. sports a Tegra 4 quad-core chip clocked at 1.8 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, Wireless N and Bluetooth 2.1/4.0 connectivity, one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, an Ethernet port, HDMI output (full, not micro), a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and a card reader supporting SDXC cards up to 128 GB. Although Google nuked the apps2SD feature in Android a while back, this extra storage can be used to locally store photos, music and video (Play Movies doesn't support SD storage).
Android 4.2.2 "Jelly Bean" is the OS of choice, and that's good news for Android gamers who already have a large library of purchased titles stocked on Google Play. The console will ship with Google's storefront intact as well as Nvidia's TegraZone app, which lists Android games offered on Google Play that takes advantage of Tegra hardware. By comparison, the OUYA Android console launched this summer doesn't support Google Play games, and instead forces owners to purchase their games again through the console's "closed" marketplace.

The M.O.J.O. Android console also comes bundled with a GameSmart C.T.R.L.R. Wireless Gamepad that provides three different gaming modes. The device is based on Bluetooth Smart that promises lower latency, extended battery life and compatibility with other Bluetooth devices. The device even plays well with touch-focused games, allowing users to control an onscreen cursor with the left analog stick.
For the price, Android gamers are getting a console/streaming media player and a gamepad, whereas the similarly specced Nvidia Shield crams both into one form factor and adds a 5 inch touch screen for $50 more. Unfortunately, the M.O.J.O. arrives during the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 season, so even if Android gamers take notice of the Mad Catz gadget, they may be saving up their money for the shiny new mainstream consoles, and plan to continue to play their favorite Android titles on a phone or tablet.
To pre-purchase the M.O.J.O. Android console, head here.

UPDATE: Here's what Mad Catz had to say about streaming PC games from Nvidia Kepler-based PCs:
"The plan is indeed for M.O.J.O. to enable streaming from compatible PC's, allowing gamers to play their PC titles on the living room TV. However, we have not yet confirmed when this functionality will be enabled.  For PC streaming to work, M.O.J.O. will require a simple update which we hope will be available shortly after launch."

AMD Radeon R9 290 and R9 290X Specs Revealed

Final specs for AMD's newest cards have been leaked ahead of schedule.

Ever since AMD announced its new Hawaii generation of GPUs, the leaks about the new cards have been pretty regular. Last week we heard about the release dates as well as the price for the R9 290X. Now, we've got supposed full specs for the R9 290 and the R9 290X thanks to online leaks.

  

TechPowerUp reports that Japanese retailers have leaked the specs for the high-end R9 290X and its little brother, the R9 290. As far as the 290X is concerned, you're looking at 2,816 stream processors, up to 1GHz engine clock, 5.6 TFLOPS compute performance, 4 GB GDDR5 / 512-bit memory config, 5.0 Gbps memory speed, 1 x 6-pin and 1 x 8-pin power connectors, PCI-E 3.0, AMD TrueAudio Technology, and DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.3 and Mantle support. The R9 290 boasts 2,560 stream processors, up to 947 MHz engine clock, 4.9 TFLOPS compute performance, 4 GB GDDR5 / 512-bit memory configuration, 1 x 6-pin and 1 x 8-pin power connectors, PCI-E 3.0, AMD's TrueAudio Technology, and DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.3, and Mantle support.

Newegg last week priced AMD's upcoming Radeon R9 290X at $729.99 before tax, though official pricing and release dates are not yet known. If you missed out on our coverage of AMD's GPU14 Tech Day, hit up our recap here, watch the full presentation here, or scroll through our live blog for the most important moments.