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Asus could be making a crypto mining graphics card...with RGB lighting?
Asus is set to release a new cryptomining graphics card, the Asus CMP 30HX in May 2021, and it appears to be a modified version of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super GPU. This closely follows Gigabyte’s announcement of its own cryptomining GPU, which was also based on the same Nvidia hardwares.
While this mining GPU typically can’t be used for gaming purposes - given that it lacks a display output - it does boast one feature that other mining cards don’t: RGB lighting. Perhaps Asus is looking to tap into the more aesthetically-minded miners out there who want to show off their mining rigs?
The Asus CMP 30HX is rumored to launch at $799 (approximately £599 / AU$1,099). That’s more expensive than the RTX 3080 launched at, and has worse specs to boot. So that begs the question, then: who is Asus’s cryptomining card for?
- Where to buy Nvidia RTX 3080: who has stock?
- This Nvidia RTX 3080 cryptomining rig was built into a BMW...why?
- Can you buy an RTX 3080 this year? Nvidia isn't hopeful
Deep in the mines
The obvious response there is that Nvidia’s RTX 30 series of GPUs are still extremely difficult to buy, especially at their recommended retail price. If you’re looking to get an RTX 3080, you might end up spending well over a grand on an aftermarket card – not the most exciting proposition for gamers and miners alike.
That $799 price point for the Asus CMP 30HX might seem affordable in comparison, then. By injecting the market with dedicated cryptomining GPUs, companies like Nvidia are looking to free up the availability of gaming GPUs like the RTX 3080. However, when less powerful mining GPUs are being sold at such high prices, is anyone really going to bite?
In the Asus CMP 30HX’s case, the price doesn’t necessarily get you a powerful mining GPU, either. The card’s hash rate is 26MH/s, which actually falls short of much cheaper and more available cards like the GTX 1070 Ti and AMD’s Radeon RX 480.
Still, we won’t underestimate the interest a card like the Asus CMP 30HX could have. As mentioned above, the card features RGB lighting, which might seem like a throwaway feature, but there does exist a community of users within the cryptomining space that pride themselves on aesthetically pleasing mining rigs, so maybe that’s where the high price point comes in?
For most cryptominers, though, maximising profits comes above all else, and buying a more expensive GPU would eat into those profits. The allure of RGB lighting might not be enough to tempt them to pay more, then.
This might mean that Asus could release a graphics card that doesn’t appeal to anyone - quite an achievement in 2021.
- These are the best graphics cards for cryptocurrency mining
Via VideoCardz.com
Date
19 Apr 2021Sources
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The next iPad Pro needs to borrow this one iPad Air feature
Read MoreI've used my iPad Pro for years now – obviously that means that I do like it, but there are two features that really ruin the experience for me.
The first is the battery life, but I know I can only get so annoyed at that. I've used the thing incessantly for several years, and Apple isn't exactly great with its product battery life anyway – I'm used to this now.
But there's one feature that some Apple fans paint as a positive, that I just hate for the iPad: Face ID.
Face ID sucks on iPads
I know Face ID is popular on iPhones, but I've found it doesn't work well at all. It rarely recognizes my face, and even when it does, it takes loads of rotating and fiddling with the device to angle it right. Oh, and simply picking up the phone is a chore when in-screen fingerprint sensors let me avoid this.
I'm admittedly comparing it to Android phone equivalents, which are a little less secure, but I'm not a secret agent or important celebrity – the odds of someone printing out a 3D copy of my face to hack into my phone is pretty rare.
I also found that Face ID doesn't take into account changes in my face – sometimes I have lots of facial hair and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I wear glasses and sometimes I don't. I've even found my hairstyle affects it, and don't get me started on face masks.
But if it's annoying on iPhones, it's downright bad on iPads.
That's because you need the sensors angled just right in iPhones for Face ID to work. That's not too hard if you're lifting the device up to your face to unlock it. But you're not exactly going to want to do the same on an iPad.
I always find myself craning my neck over my 12.9-inch iPad Pro to try and get it to unlock, or picking it up and twirling it around in my hands. That's not exactly easy given how huge it is.
Apple's Face ID might be great for small portable devices, but tablets are designed to be used on a desktop or work counter – given that Face ID requires you to be perfectly positioned in front of the sensors, the system of facial unlocking just isn't ideal.
Long live Touch ID
(Image credit: Future) I think Apple knows that Face ID is bad on iPad models, because for other tablets, it's begun to avoid it.
The iPad Air 4 and Air 5, as well as the Mini 6, all use Touch ID embedded on power buttons on the edge of the tablet. A solution like this makes unlocking the slate so, so much easier – you can just reach out, and press the power button to boot it up.
Bear in mind that you have to touch the iPad Pro's power button anyway, to let it know you want to unlock via Face ID, so you're just cutting out a step with the button.
I wish I had this feature on my iPad Pro. It'd stop me having to do circus tricks to get the slate to notice me, and could let me easily boot up my video edit or movie stream without too much effort.
Coming to the iPad Pro?
I don't think Apple will drop Face ID any time soon, even though it's avoided bringing it to its mid-range tablets. That would be an admission that the tech doesn't work well, and Apple wouldn't do that without a new innovation to replace it with.
But I'd love to see the company bring Touch ID for its next iPad Pro models, which we expect to see in 2022. It'd be a consumer-friendly upgrade that would make the tablets much more usable.
iPad Pros are designed for professionals. These tablets are going on desks, or on laps on public transport, or being carried around in the field – using a very directional facial recognition tool just won't cut it.
Perhaps we could see both Face ID and Touch ID used as options for the tablet – if it's a pricey Pro model, Apple could afford to use both. But if it comes down to one or the other, I'm crossing my fingers to see Touch ID used more, not less, for future Apple devices.
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Bang & Olufsen launches a headset for work that you might actually want to wear
Read MoreOne of the world's most famous audio brands is looking to add a bit of glamour to your video conferencing calls with a super-smart new release.
Ban & Olufsen has teamed up with Cisco to release the (somewhat originally-titled) Bang & Olufsen Cisco 980 headphones. The partners say that the new headset targets hybrid workers looking to split their time between home and the office, but also looking for a premium audio experience.
To that end, the new headset features some handy workplace features, including built-in integration with Cisco's Webex online collaboration platform, as well as adaptive active noise cancellation to really let you focus when on a call.
Premium quality
Available from the start of 2022 for around $549, the Bang & Olufsen Cisco 980 headphones are a lightweight alternative to traditional audio headsets, with the manufacturer saying they offer a "stable, enduring fit" for all-day use that is still comfortable.
When it comes to connectivity, the headset features Bluetooth 5.1, Webex integrations, voice prompts and convenient on-ear call controls that allow users to easily mute, answer or end calls.
(Image credit: Bang & Olufsen) The headset uses beamforming microphone arrays to create a virtul boom arm, meaning there's no need to fiddle with a manual microphone. This also helps with the noise cancellation tools, meaning you can keep your focus and feel like you are part of the meeting.
IT departments and admins can also easily deploy, manage, and view real-time analytics of the Bang & Olufsen Cisco 980 all from a single platform, and calls will remain secure thanks to a combination of hardware and software-based protections.
"Today, customers want a product they can use at home, at work or in transition - and look and feel good when using it," said Kristian Teär, CEO Bang & Olufsen.
"We’re integrating Cisco’s industry leading technologies with our renowned capabilities within sound, design, and craftsmanship to create the ultimate audio product for the hybrid world.”
These are the best wireless headphones around today
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