If you’ve been paying attention to the world of USB, you may have heard of the announcements of USB 3.1 and USB Type-C. But what’s the difference? Which one do you need? And how are they different from USB 3.0 or even 2.0? Let’s break it down. What is USB Type-C? Over the years, the USB connection has taken on many forms. The rectangular port you’re most familiar is called USB Type-A. The blocky, almost square port used in many large peripherals like printers is USB Type-B. Add micro and mini versions of each of these into the fold and…
Introducing Broadwell – Intel Core i7-5775C and i5-5675C Processors
Today we’re excited to announce the immediate availability of 5th Gen Intel Core processors, formerly known in our world as Broadwell. The “Tick” phase of Intel’s usual “Tick Tock” product release, Broadwell processors are Intel’s first 65W 14nm die shrink of the Haswell architecture. Unlike previous Tick releases though, Broadwell does not completely replace its preceding architecture, but instead supplements it with two processors that are compatible with the current socket and chipset – the Core i7-5775C and i5-5675C. What They Do Well With stock core clock speeds of 3.3 GHz and 3.1GHz (3.7 and 3.6 Turbo), you may be…
Intel 750 Series SSD Benchmarks
What makes the Intel 750 Series SSD so special? The Intel 750 Series SSD is the first consumer targeted drive that takes advantage of Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe), the new standard for connected hard drives through the PCI Express bus on the motherboard rather than the SATA port that’s been the hard drive standard for years. This means since they are no longer being held back by the 600 MB/s throughput maximum of the SATA interface, these new SSDs are crazy fast, even in solid state drive terms. How crazy fast? Well, Intel touts sequential read speeds of up to…
Haswell vs. Haswell-E
You’re ready to make the plunge into a new Intel PC. But which processor architecture/socket should you choose? Haswell (often called Intel 4th gen Core processors) in an LGA 1150 socket or Haswell-E/EP (refered to as Intel Core Extreme processors) in an LGA 2011 socket are the two main options today, each with its own Pro and Cons, each filling a specific need for a specific type of customer. Let’s break down those options to help you make the most informed decision possible on Haswell vs. Haswell-E. Haswell Officially known as 4th Gen Intel Core, the Haswell microarchitecture is designed…
What is ECC RAM?
In a recent post about Intel Core i7 vs Xeon processors, we mentioned that one of the most appealing selling points of Xeon processors is the compatibility with ECC RAM. But what exactly is ECC RAM and who can benefit from it? Read on to learn more. What is ECC RAM? ECC stands for “Error Correcting Code.” It’s a specific type of memory that uses an extra module on the RAM stick itself to detect and correct internal data corruption before it leads to a catastrophic failure like a freeze or crash. See the illustration above. It maintains a memory…
How to Choose the Best Gaming Laptop
A few weeks ago, we announced our new lineup of ultra-performance laptops. Built for speed and performance by the same team that crafts our award winning desktops, these new laptops are perfect for gaming, media creation, and other enthusiast activities. Now that they’ve begun shipping (ready in just three days, get yours!) we’ve put together the following list to help you choose the best gaming laptop for your needs and budget. Screen In 2015, it’s hard to imagine life before HD so if you go for anything less than a 1080p resolution screen, you’ll regret it. A backlit LED is…
How to Build the Best Gaming PC for Flight Sim X
[sg_popup id=”1″ event=”onload”][/sg_popup]Believe it or not, Microsoft’s Flight Simulator (eventually called Microsoft Flight Simulator X) was first released on PC all the way back in 1982. Needless to say, what’s become the definitive flight simulator program has come a long way since those early days, with intricate scenery, real world weather, and lifelike physics. Despite the most recent version having been released in 2006, Flight Simulator X is still one of the more hardware intensive games around. So what are the best areas to focus on to build the best possible gaming PC for running Flight Simulator X as well…
Announcing Our New Line of Laptops
Today in accordance with CES, we’re excited to announce three all new customizable laptops, all built with our trademarked care and expertise, as well as a revamp of our popular NoteMagix M15 LE. These exciting new laptops are fully customizable to meet your needs, with new lower pricepoints to match any budget. The best part is no more waiting gaming – all Velocity Micro custom laptops will soon begin shipping in just three days. Below is an outline of our new offerings. Look for these to be available for purchase a little later this month! Raptor™ MX70 – starting at…
How Much Power Supply do I Need?
Your desktop’s power supply converts the AC power from your home or office into the Direct Current that your PC needs to operate, then distributes that power to each component. So needless to say, it’s pretty mission critical. But what does an individual Power Supply’s wattage or its efficiency rating even mean? And how much wattage do you need in your next dream PC? Wattage and Efficiency To start, power supplies have two basic ratings to be concerned with – wattage and efficiency. The wattage is simple; it’s the maximum amount of power the supply can output when under a…
Say Hello to the GX3
Today, we’re excited to announce our newest custom chassis – the GX3. Designed with the same focuses on aesthetics, cooling, performance, and expansion as our previous generation cases, the GX3 is as close to perfection as you can come. We’ve obsessed over every detail in the GX3 to ensure that it’s worthy of everything that Velocity Micro has come to represent – award winning distinction, precision engineering, and extreme PC performance. Features include: Up to Six Hard Drives in a tool-less hard drive cage for quick and easy swapping 240mm radiator, closed loop liquid cool capable for extreme overclocking of Devil’s…