BOXX computers are known for their professional overclocking, kick-ass cooling systems and phenomenal customer service, which is why I’m always happy to see what the team from Austin is cooking up next.
With all of the buzz and hype over virtual reality, the necessities of this burgeoning market have been rendered crystal clear: create virtual reality content, do it well and do it now. This means you need some serious hardware. If the timing is right, you may be interested in creating virtual reality content and it may be time for you to get a whole new workstation.
At the core of BOXX’s new super-vamped APEXX 2 and APEXX 4 workstations is the Intel Core i7-69XX/68XX with Broadwell-E architecture, which has been completely unlocked for performance tuning. The Broadwell-E features 25 MB of Smart Cache and super fast DDR 2400 MHz memory. But the killer feature to note is that the Broadwell-E is powered by 10 cores (20 threads), which empowers users to cut through computationally maximized multi-threaded workloads.
Though it has a nearly unbearable salespeak-ish name, Intel Turbo Boost Max has some smart features, especially when it comes to single-thread performance. (Image courtesy of BOXX.)
The APEXX 2 model 3202 has room for two professional GPUs and is great for CAD, animation and 3D modeling, while the APEXX 4 model 7203 has room for four professional GPUs and will help you with large scale rendering and simulation workflows. That’s all well and good, but if you are looking to create virtual reality content with programs like BlenderVR (adapted from the Blender Game Engine), which allows you to connect to any virtual reality architecture, more computing and processing power is better. It supports adaptive stereoscopy and communication protocols that can be used to support and investigate CAVE or video wall immersions, head-mounted displays (HMDs) like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, as well as external rendering modality engines.
The team at BOXX is very data-driven and has zero proclivity for making false claims, so when they compared the new Broadwell-E architecture and the Skylake Intel processors, they had some numbers to back-up their claim of Broadwell-E’s superiority:
1. 65% faster editing 4K video in Adobe Premiere Pro
2. 85% faster video transcoding in HandBrake
3. 50% faster 360° video creation in Kolor Autopano Video Pro
Even if you’re just interested in having a killer VR experience at home, the APEXX 2 and 4 models with Intel Broadwell-E 7 CPUs (with professional GPUs) definitely exceed the minimum requirements for any headset, from the Rift to the Vive and everything in between.