The Best Tech Launched at Computex 2023
Tech expos are one of the best ways to find new and upcoming technology, and Computex 2023 in Taiwan is one of the biggest. After all, many of the world’s biggest tech manufacturers, like Asus, Acer, and TSMC, are based there.
So, if you want a glimpse of the future, you should check out the best new tech from Computex 2023.
NVIDIA Ultra Low Motion Blur 2
As graphic cards and processors become more powerful, games increasingly deliver high refresh rates. Many monitors can now deliver refresh rates as high as 360Hz to take advantage of this power.
However, because of the high speeds involved, we’re hitting some physical barriers, specifically; the time it takes for one pixel to change color, also known as the pixel response time. This term differs from the refresh rate and is one of themost commonly confused monitor specifications.
Our eyes can see pixels change colors, even with a 1ms GtG. This effect gives fast-moving images a blurred look. So, to get ultra-crisp edges on objects moving quickly across your screen, you need monitor refresh rates of 500Hz or more.
But NVIDIA changed this with Ultra Low Motion Blur 2, or ULMB 2. By turning off the monitor’s backlight every time your display refreshes, you avoid seeing the pixel change color, helping prevent the blurry effect.
This technology ensures that every edge on your screen stays sharp even at high refresh rates. NVIDIA even showed that a 120Hz display with its ULMB 2 tech could display sharper images than a 480Hz screen without it.
NVIDIA’s Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE)
Generative AI has allowed machines to understand us through natural language processing and respond similarly. But so far, this technology is mostly used by people inAI chatbots, like ChatGPT, Bing AI, and Bard.
But as AI technology matures, we see it in more consumer applications, like gaming, which is where NVIDIA ACE comes in. This feature lets game developers use AI technology to allow their NPCs (what is an NPC?) to converse with players in a human-like manner.
With NVIDIA ACE, we’re no longer limited to choosing specific responses to in-game characters. Instead, we can talk to them in real-time and expect them to respond logically.
Asus GPU Power Connector Concept
Many mid-range and high-end GPUs now require so much power that they need an external connector. For example, the RTX 4090 needs 600 watts when running at peak power, so it uses the 12VHPWR connector to get electricity straight from the PSU.
However, this power connector makes it less aesthetic when building a PC and a source of failure, as evidenced by theNvidia RTX 4090 MeltGate in late 2022. So, Asus found a solution—by adding the power connector near the GPU’s PCIe pins.
So, instead of plugging in an external power connector, the GPU gets its power directly from your motherboard through special pins on the GPU and a power socket on the motherboard close to its PCIe slot.
Asus showed off an RTX 4070 prototype that doesn’t use an external cable. However, this means you need an Asus-branded GPU and motherboard if you want to use this—unless Asus licenses it to other manufacturers.
Arm’s Next-Generation SoCs
If you’re into Android smartphones, you’re probably eagerly waiting for the nextSnapdragon, Exynos, Dimensity, or Tensor SoC. But you might not know that Arm designs all these chips and that different manufacturers like Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek, and Google use its technologies.
So, with Arm announcing its next-generation CPU, the Cortex-X4, and GPU, the Immortalis-G720, you’re seeing what the next crop of top-end smartphone SoCs will look like. We expect this new development to deliver more performance at less power, making next-generation smartphones more efficient.
Aside from that, Arm also launched the Arm Total Compute Solutions 2023 (TCS23), allowing chip designers and manufacturers to work directly with Arm when developing their own systems.
Although this might not mean much to the consumer today, it could make newer chips more affordable and efficient. This means more affordable electronic devices that seamlessly work together.
Frore AirJet and the Future of Cooling
When discussing cooling, we usually think of large fans and heatsinks or air coolers with massive radiators. So, we typically envision high-performance devices as large machines requiring a lot of flowing air.
However, Frore Systems decided to reinvent the fan. This technology, calledAirJet, could make smaller and thinner devices run fasterby allowing manufacturers to cool them without needing much space.
The company calls its technology a solid-state thermal solution because it can deliver high-velocity air jets (hence the name) using a device no bigger than an adult’s thumb and thinner than two pennies stacked together and with no visible moving parts.
With this, we can get higher performance from small devices, like smartphones, without worrying aboutCPU thermal throttlingorGPU thermal throttling.
Streacom SG10 Fanless Gaming Case
Although Frore AirJet has made quieter and smaller fans, it still makes some noise. If you want a truly silent experience, you should choose a completely passive cooling solution. So, Streacom introduced the SG10 Fanless Gaming PC Case at Computex. This case uses a heat loop instead of a heat pipe, allowing it to expel heat from your components.
It uses the natural process of evaporation and condensation to move thermal energy away from your CPU and GPU towards the massive heat sinks at the top of the case.According to Streacom, it can cool up to 600W, so it’s theoretically enough for a13th-Gen Intel Core i9 or 7000-Series AMD Ryzen 9and an NVIDIA RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon 7900XTX.
Furthermore, the heat sink doesn’t exceed 55°C in a room with a 20-25°C ambient temperature. So, although it might be warm, it shouldn’t burn you if you accidentally touch it.
A Glimpse of What’s Coming to PCs, Smartphones, and More
Expos like Computex let us see technologies coming to market in the next 12 months or so. Although the computer technologies we’ve seen so far aren’t much to the everyday consumer, they will have a massive impact on our lives once manufacturers pick that up and integrate them into devices for end-users.
But if you want to see technologies you’ll use as a consumer, then you should watch out for other events like Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
We’re on the ground in Barcelona bringing you the best tech from this year’s Mobile World Congress.
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