The Xebec Snap system of portable monitors crushed it on Kickstarter. Learn why in today’s Tech Check, and stick around for AMD’s latest pro graphics cards and a gaming rig that may tempt some pros.
You can practically smell the pumpkin spice in the air as summer comes to a close. Beach trips and bonfires must make way for caffeine-filled work days, but the fun can stick around if you play with the latest tech. These three new devices will go well with any latte, pumpkin flavored or otherwise.
Watch this Tech Check as a video if the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet.
Snap some new screens on your laptop
There’s something so satisfying about a simple magnetic snap. Wireless earbuds, folding phones, and digital styli—they all snap right into place on a tablet or case. Now, thanks to the new Xebec Snap, you can add portable monitors to the list of snappable tech.
The Xebec Snap allows users to add one or two extra screens to their laptop by way of a tensioning bracket that mounts to their computer. The screens snap onto the magnetic bracket, allowing users to easily add, remove or reorient them between landscape and portrait. It’s a cooler version of similar systems like the Xebec Tri-Screen or Tropire Tri-Screen, both of which have integrated screens. No snap? No thanks!
The 13.3-inch Snap screens have a 1920×1080 pixel resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate and 400 nits of maximum brightness. Each screen requires a single USB-C connection, which is integrated in the Snap bracket. The system is compatible with Windows, Mac, Chromebook and Linux.
The Snap system is pretty clever, and Xebec says that screens are just the start—snappable lights, speakers, phone chargers and more may soon follow. Xebec is currently concluding a successful Kickstarter campaign for the Snap, and starting in September it will go on sale for $999 (for two screens; $549 for a single screen). The first units are expected to start shipping in November.
AMD doubles up its pro graphics line
Graphics cards have a long and storied history, and AMD has added to it with two new professional cards: the Radeon Pro W7500 and Radeon Pro W7600. Targeting mainstream workloads in engineering, design, manufacturing, architecture and more, the new graphics cards fill the entry tiers of AMD’s latest Pro W7000 series.
The new cards are built on AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture, which features redesigned compute units and updated memory technology that AMD claims offers optimizations for 3D modeling, rendering and other graphics-heavy tasks. The cards are also certified for a variety of popular engineering applications to ensure stable performance.
Both the Radeon Pro W7500 and W7600 have 8GB of GDDR6 memory and offer four DisplayPort 2.1 outputs. The Radeon Pro W7600 is a more powerful card, with 32 compute units, 64 AI accelerators and a total board power of 130 watts. AMD says it has twice the TFLOPS performance of the previous generation built on RDNA 2. The Radeon Pro W7500 has 28 compute units, 56 AI accelerators and a total board power of 70 watts.
Available now from AMD retailers, the Radeon Pro W7500 costs $429 and the W7600 costs $599. Both cards will be available in OEM workstations later this year.
I want to believe (in a more efficient desktop)
If you glimpse a glowing oval loop in the darkness, it might be an alien spaceship—or it might just be Alienware’s new Aurora R16 desktop. The high-performance computer targets gamers, but its sleek look and premium specs may abduct professionals as well.
The standout feature of the Aurora R16 is the glowing “stadium loop” that surround the desktop’s large primary air vent. According to Alienware, the R16 was designed with more efficient airflow than the previous R15—meaning a quieter and cooler system with the same level of performance. Alienware says the Aurora R16 is on average 20 percent quieter with 10 percent and 6 percent lower CPU and GPU temperatures, respectively.
The Aurora R16 offers 12th– and 13th-gen Intel Core processors alongside Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics cards, along with a max 64GB of DDR5 memory and 8TB of SSD storage (plus an optional 1TB hard drive).
The Aurora R16 is now available from Dell.com (Alienware’s parent company) for a starting price of $1,750. That’ll get you a 13th-Gen Intel Core i7 and a GeForce RTX 4070. Alienware says that additional, flagship processor options will be available by the end of the year.
