Razer Core discussion & benchmarks

agh wtf

 

agh wtf

 

Asus has only shown the ROG XG 2 Station connected to their new Transformer 3 Pro... but it's early in the show.



Meet the ASUS Transformer 3 Pro

The new Asus GL702 has TB3 and eGPU support, so far the Asus GL502 doesn't.

Computex 2016: ASUS ROG Notebook Showcase Latest

"ASUS ROG GL702 have similar specifications Strix hardware with Strix ROG GL502 except on the screen. Strix ROG GL702 comes with a larger screen size is 17.3 inches. Not until there are, the cooling system was also upgraded and the presence of connectivity Thunderbolt 3.0. The connectivity allows the notebook / laptop is one of them can use external graphics card modules and use desktop graphics card."

 

Isn't that so cool? I'm waiting for a thin and light HQ processor with a tb3 port now.

 

While playing I noticed that no matter the system I was in, fps tended to dip when there were many lighting sources; specially while using the Heavy Assoult Rifle with the mini missiles mod (lots of explosions, lots of lighting sources); so I believe some lighting and physics calculations are being done in CPU. But that's just an educated guess.

That's the reason I think Vulkan/DX12 could help this type of setup a lot, offloading all that crazy maths to the GPU. There is an upcoming Doom patch that will enable some Vulkan support. Let's see how that goes.

Also, Doom's minimum recommended specs list an i5-2400; when you look at this: http://ark.intel.com/m/compare/52207,88194 then you realize the 6500U is technically under minimum spec. It might have 4 threads, but they're only 2 physical cores, with a lower frequency at that.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

Can anyone with a Core answer this :

do you find your laptop temperatures noticeably cooler whilst gaming using the core? I would imagine that, not having to cool the internal GPU, only the CPU, the notebook would be better able to cope?

Hopefully the answer is yes, and consequently, whilst gaming, the laptop should be quieter, with less cooling required?

 

Does anyone who has thejr hand on one of these have access to a non razer laptop with tb3 to plug it in and see what happens?

 

I will today.

 

Dave 2D does his review of the Razer Core:

 

I wonder what is causing the disconnects on the Dell and Alienware systems. Apart from that they seem to run fine.

Drivers, or not enough priority to the thunderbolt interrupt ports maybe?

 

My review is here if anyone is interested: http://www.ultrabookreview.com/10761-razer-core-review/

 

Apparently it's a combination of Thunderbolt firmware and some features in the bios that need to be updated.

 

I keep checking this thread expecting loads of benchmark results and testing, but it's very quiet.

Are there just not many Razer Core's out in the wild yet?

 

Not really. That and most people are using Razer's forum unfortunately.

 

thanks for the xps 1550 info.

next i want to see the benchmarks of the new 1070 card

do the returns diminish as the card gets higher?

after that i want to see the ati card matchup

 

I actually have one on preorder as of 5 minutes ago. I'll update the post once I get it.

 

thanks derek im blessed that you actually have the same exact laptop i have with the i5

im either looking for the 1070, or maybe even a different half size enclosure for an r9nano that would bbe more portable. but i dont have any data on what that would do yet just the size is apealling

 

Question for you guys... With using the laptop display and taking the performance hit.... Couldn't you OC the gpu to make up for some of that loss? I understand it will still take a hit but OCing would still increase performance correct?

 

Once you're at the limit of the data pipeline that's all you get. Think of it like this: your car is capable of reaching 200 MPH, but you're terminally stuck in first gear.

 

Probably more like 4th gear out of 5. But yeah.

Sent from a 128th Legion Stormtrooper 6P

 

A single TB3 doesn't seem to be enough.

That's why Asus is using 1 TB3 and 1 10Gb/20Gb USB-C in the ROG Station XG2.

 

So basically OCing will do nothing... That's a shame. I really want a razer with a core as my second machine... But unless there is any possible fix to this I may have to rethink.

 

Using it like a dock, using an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc all off the dock seems to be the intended design.

Asus must have noticed the limits during testing over the last couple of years, and realized that 1 TB3 wasn't enough, and 2 TB's was likely too expensive to fit into the slim laptop frame desired.

 

Having to rely on external display makes the portable nature of it not so portable. If it was X % loss that's one thing... But it Essentially being capped means certain video cards aren't even worth using in it.

 

The larger "dock egpu's" aren't supposed to be mobile / portable, they are supposed to be your base station - home/office - so you can tote around the laptop between them, and use the laptop on the road.

There are/were TB3 mobile/portable eGPU's shown early on, but I haven't seen any make it to release yet. They might still be coming, and that is something you could put in the backpack with the laptop to set up together running on the internal display.

Those portable/mobile TB3 units have their own dGPU, not card based, maybe that's what the 1070 on a board unit seen is for, if not a console.

The GPU's can scale up to a point, even benefit from OC, it's the amount of data that needs to be transferred between the eGPU and the internal display.

There may be improvements that can be made to accommodate 1080/1080ti level performance.

Remember, up until now the fastest GPU's were the 980ti's, now with faster GPU's improvements may be needed. Maybe even a redesign.

 

So wait maybe I'm confused.... The overclocking of the card will still help but you will still get a potion of performance loss because of the TB limitations? I honestly like the style and design of the razer and would like to go in this direction if this works well. If I get a good 1080 card and OC it further the loss won't seem as bad. That's my mentality. This is new to me so just getting ideas.

 

It's variable, by game, by card, and settings. And, if you try to run other USB devices off that dock/TB3 link, they will take away from available bandwidth.

Going back to the internal display takes the most out of the performance.

 

I'm considering waiting for the 17 inch version to be announced this year... Then I may do that with the dock. 14 inches is small for internal.

 

Not sure anyone could tell you yet about OC performance vs non-OC with internal and external monitors if no one has done a proper benchmarking exercise with the core using those factors. I'd wait for a review and analysis that did to see if tb3 bandwidth limited expected scaling for OCing the gpu in the core and in what situations.

Sent from a 128th Legion Stormtrooper 6P

 

I dont have much a choice but to wait anyways. I really want the new pro model over the 14 inch if they are even continuing the pro line. Not to mention the core is completely out of stock at the moment. Either way man good idea I definitely will keep my eyes open for reviews and benchmarks.

 

MSI just updated their global website with a new version of the GS40:
https://gaming.msi.com/products/notebook/gs-series?link=GS40-6QD-Phantom

14" with similar dimensions to the Blade 14, 5+ hours of battery life, i7-6700HQ, 960m, 16GB of RAM, dual M.2 SSD slots, one 2.5" HDD/SSD slot, and compatible with their new dock. This is most likely going to be the laptop/eGPU solution that I get.

ASUS is obviously aware of the bandwidth limits of a single TB3 connection so I'm interested to see how they work around it but the XG2 reportedly won't be launching until Q4 2016 and I don't really want to wait that long to upgrade my MSI GS70. MSI's dock uses a full PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot so there should be virtually no bandwidth issues. I'll definitely take a less elegant design if it means that I'll get full performance out of whatever GPU I decide to put in the dock. Not to mention that if I decide to bring the dock with me to a friend's house or something, getting less performance when using the laptop's display is a big deal-breaker for me. Pics of the GS40 below:






Oh, and if you're wondering why MSI's dock is that thick, it also has room inside for another 2.5"/3.5" drive inside that supports up to 8TB.

 

Looks cool but way too bulky of a solution for me. The razer and core combo is going to be in place of me building a new desktop and upgrading my iPad air to the pro model. I actually have a beefy laptop already with a 6700k and 980m sli. This is going to be my second machine. I really like how sleek the razer is and how you can somewhat tuck aside the eGPU.

I am not pulling the trigger until i see what they do for a new pro model... But razer, for now, is my top choice. I have a couple friends in the market for laptops I'll show them the msi setup as well and see what they think.

 

If I had to guess, I'd say that the Pro version will be a 6700HQ and a 980m. Nothing more than that, though. And of course, compatibility with the Core. In my experience with my GS70, I really don't want to get another 17" laptop. They're too bulky for a lot of cases IMO.

 

I dont care if it has a 970m or 980m as long as it's 17 inch... Core compatible and had an extra slot for a hard drive. I'll be perfectly happy!

 

I hate to sound like the bad guy here, but if they don't drop the 17" line entirely I'd expect to see a CPU bump and nothing else.

The problem with the 17" is that the SBUI is dead weight, hasn't been supported for several years and neither have the apps that went with it. That means a complete chassis redesign to relocate/ remove replace SBUI, internal connection changes, etc. Then they'd have to source a 2k [2560 x 1440] or 4k [3840 x 2160] 17" panel and get it at an inexpensive enough price to implement. They'd also have to update the 17" cooling solution , update the motherboard. . when the target market is professional artists/execs/cad users in the first place.

Which is sad, because the 17" is [granted IMHO] a WAY better platform for a high end gaming system than the14", but between a refresh and dropping the 17" line entirely, I predict the latter.

Right now, I'd just like to see the core available BEFORE my pushed back until August $100 off code expires >.>

 

If the 14 inch was a 15-15.6 I'd have pulled the trigger yesterday. 14 is just under my comfort zone for gaming... But I won't go with anyone else due to design/build quality/thickness and of course the razer core which I rather use with a razer product.

 

Does anyone know where one can buy the Razer Core today for retail price? (There are sellers on eBay occasionally, but they're charging a premium).

 

It's funny, I feel the same way. I've tried to pawn it off on my wife and older son, and it's come back to me twice because it's just NOT comfortable. It's a 2015 with a hot core and the Fan "wave" noise [where it ramps up to 98c, fans spin up, cool it down, SLOW down, rinse repeat]

And yet, for some inexplicable reason. . . I have no issues gaming on the stealth screen /shrug

No idea how long they'll be in stock, but I just managed to order one. Good luck ^^

Final update: They're gone again

 

I'm running the core on my XPS 15 with a 970. I'm getting a firestrike score of around 7200 only (i7/16gb ram). Games run okay, but not nearly as well as on my i5-6500k desktop with the 970. One of the biggest problems is performance in Chrome. Do you get terrible slowness running chrome on the core? Edge runs smooth. This only happens on the external monitor, which causes chrome to use the eGPU. on the internal screen only it's smooth (as and using the intel 530 gpu)

I also am having the problems with doom freezing up when loading (You need to alt tab out and back). The performance is also not great- it is quite sluggish. Other games seem to perform as I'd expect for a firestrike score of 7200 (around a 970m). Hopefully I can optimize performance.

edit: all probs solved by updating intel hd graphics!

 

Desktop Graphics for Any Laptop

 

linus tech tips with the clickbait

 

There isn't a lot out there yet

https://www.youtube.com/results?q=razer+core+review&sp=CAI%3D

 

Razor core will benefit a lot from Kaby Lake chipset with extra 4 lanes of PCIE 3.0. Since using external peripherals while using Razer core brings performance penalties, extra lanes would likely to eliminate that since it would dedicate all of T3 bandwidth to the core.

 

whats going to happen with a 1060 or an amd 480 type of card with your xps 15?

 

They have to re-engineer TB3 for that though....

 

Any idea of the size of card that will fit in the Core? I have a large EVGA Classified 980ti and it will fit in my alienware amplifier but won't close properly. I was wondering if the Core would be any better. I asked razer several times but they have only given me shady replies and stated several times that if I return it, then there will be a restocking fee.

 

1050 was just discovered. My guess XPS 15 refresh and maybe even MBP 15 refresh will use it.

Sent from a 128th Legion Stormtrooper 6P

 

Razer core GPU max dimensions. 12.20” x 5.98” x 1.73”

980Ti Classified: 11" x 5.94" x 1.5"

Looks like it should fit.

 

I noticed that but with the power cords on the side that makes it a little larger too. Hmm, I wonder if I could find a local store that has one (Super Doubtful) and try it out.

 

kabylake + series 200 motherboard chipset have done just that, make TB3 and USB 3.1 native. Benefits for performance with TB3 under Kabylake should be automatic.

Information is spread out all over the place because Intel hasn't released specifications, but google can find several mentions:

"Intel also said that Kaby Lake processors will have native support for USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3..."
http://www.channelpro.co.uk/advice/9734/skylake-vs-kaby-lake-8

"Support for Thunderbolt 3"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaby_Lake

"Other key technologies Kaby Lake supports natively include 10Gbps USB 3.1 Generation 2, HDCP 2.2, and Thunderbolt 3."
http://www.pcmag.com/news/347429/intel-unveils-kaby-lake-processor-details