VIP Newsletter Issue 23 - December 23

NEWSLETTER

Issue #23 Dec 23

www.vip-computers.com/uk

Sales: 01925 286 900

Here's to a great 2023, and an even better 2024.

As 2023 comes to a close, we wanted to thank you for your continued support of VIP. The whole team would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2023 has been another interesting year, here’s a recap of some of our highlights.

Enjoy.

January –

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VIP Cup, Computex & Tech Max

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November HYTE launch

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VIP sponsor the Stockies & Windows 11 Winter Giveaway begins

December -

Christmas Ju

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THE B I G G E S T

EVER!

VIP’s annual It’s a Knockout returned in September, bigger and better than ever. 7 teams battled it out every week throughout September and October to win valuable points for their team.

Knockout 11 didn’t disappoint, from the ultimate battle on Delamere Forest Lake and carnival games to problem solving, our challengers were put through their paces like never before, and to say we’re a competitive lot, would be an understatement!

Well done to everyone that competed but most importantly a huge congratulations to our winning teams, Magenta Mavericks, headed up by Nigel Machengete and Yellow Fury, headed up by Neil Brocklehurst.

VIP Computers recommends Windows 11

Windows 11 Update The new 23H2 Windows 11 update delivered over 150 new features for users, including a revolutionary AI personal assistant in Copilot.

Here’s a rundown, from the Official Microsoft Blog, of what was released…

Copilot in Windows (in preview) empowers users to create faster, complete tasks with ease and lessens the cognitive load – making once complicated tasks, simple. Using Copilot will be seamless, always available on the taskbar or with the Win+C keyboard shortcut.

(Introducing Copilot in Windows 11, new AI tools, and more)

Paint has been enhanced with AI for drawing and digital creation with the addition of background removal and layers as well as a preview of Cocreator that brings the power of generative AI to the Paint app.

Photos has also been enhanced with AI including new features to make editing photos a breeze.

Snipping Tool now offers more ways to capture content on your screen – with this update users can now extract specific text content from an image to paste in another application or, easily protect your sensitive information with text redaction by using text actions on the post capture screen. And, with the addition of sound capturing using audio and mic support, it’s easier to create compelling videos and content from the screen.

Clipchamp, now with auto compose, helps with scenes suggestions, edits and narratives based on the users’ images and footage automatically to create and edit videos to share with family, friends, and social media like a pro.

Notepad will start automatically saving the session state allowing users to close Notepad without interrupting dialogs and then pick up where users left off when they return. Notepad will automatically restore previously open tabs as well as unsaved content and edits across those open tabs.

VIP Computers recommends Windows 11

With the new Outlook for Windows, users can connect and coordinate various accounts (including Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and more) in one app. Intelligent tools help write clear, concise emails and seamlessly attach important documents and photos from OneDrive. To learn more, visit this link.

Modernised File Explorer, a modernised home, address bar and search box all designed to help users more easily access important and relevant content, stay up to date with file activity and collaborate without even opening a file within File Explorer.

New text authoring experiences to voice access and new natural voices in Narrator, continuing the ongoing commitment to making Windows 11 the most accessible version of Windows yet.

Windows Backup makes moving to a new Windows 11 PC easier than ever, transitioning most files, apps and settings from one PC to another, is seamless so everything is right where users left it, exactly how they like it.

Microsoft Copilot Microsoft have been building AIpowered copilots into their most used and loved products – making coding more efficient with GitHub, transforming productivity at work with Microsoft 365, redefining search with Bing and Edge and delivering contextual value that works across your apps and PC with Windows.

Copilot will begin to roll out in its early form as part of the free update to Windows 11, starting Sept. 26 — and across Bing, Edge, and Microsoft 365 Copilot this fall.

With over 150 new features, the next Windows 11 update is one of the most ambitious yet, bringing the power of Copilot and new AI powered experiences to apps like Paint, Photos, Clipchamp and more right to your Windows PC. Bing will add support for the latest DALL.E 3 model from OpenAI and deliver more personalised answers based on your search history, a new AI-powered shopping experience, and updates to Bing Chat Enterprise, making it more mobile and visual.

Microsoft 365 Copilot will be generally available for enterprise customers on Nov. 1, 2023, along with Microsoft 365 Chat, a new AI assistant that will completely transform the way you work.

READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

Windows 11 is the best Windows yet.

Windows 11 is now the only version of Windows available from distributors.

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Microsoft is no longer selling Windows 10 and it will no longer receive new features, but they will continue to support and issue security updates until October 14, 2025. Windows 10 became EOL with Distributors in December 2022.

Enhance your output with Windows 11 Pro – it’s made to help you do more in the hybrid world of work.

SWITCH NOW

VIP Computers recommends Windows 11

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It’s easy to stay protected.

Rival your reality, with the graphical fidelity and gaming performance of Windows 11.

SWITCH NOW

Zero-Trust Zero-Trust Zero-Trust

Windows Copilot will make every user a power user Windows Copilot will transform the way you work - it's your next-generation AI personal assistant. It will be embedded across all your Microsoft apps, helping you get the job done – faster.

Get to know what will make Windows Copilot such a powerful companion in our explainer video.

SWITCH NOW

More time to do what you love, only on Windows 11.

Upgrade your customers’ device to Windows 11 now.

Resellers can maximise Windows 11 business opportunities by earning the Windows 11 Pro 2022 ExpertZone is a training resource for sales accreditation badge with and tech support personnel from Microsoft, Microsoft’s learning platform, providing tips, tricks, training and more to UK ExpertZone. retailers. Resellers can earn points and get rewards as they learn.

From 27th November to 21st December we’ve been running a weekly prize draw to eligible resellers to win £6,000 of tech and vouchers when buying Windows 11.

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Prize pots

Prizes to choose from

Winners a week

Weekly prize draws

Winners

Grand finale prize of an LG QNED81 50" 4K Smart UHD TV

= A great Christmas CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR WINNERS

The AOC 16G3 is the latest addition to the company’s portable monitor portfolio, and it is the first portable display in the AOC GAMING range. The combination of striking visuals, and a minimal lightweight design, produce an exceptional experience for gamers on the go. This portable display easily keeps up with fast-paced games by delivering a 144Hz refresh rate, AMD

AN EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR GAMERS ON THE GO. SKU: 124129

FreeSync and a 4ms response time. With a 15.6” Full HD IPS panel, an impressive brightness of 250 cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of 1000:1, the 16G3 lets you bring the battle wherever you want and gives you the upper hand by delivering captivating colours and shadows in both indoor and outdoor settings.

From a design perspective, the 16G3 epitomises style and portability. Coming in at 1.1kg, and with a slim 11.5mm profile, this lightweight display is never hard to spot thanks to its signature red edges and integrated smart stand.

The built-in dual stand played a critical role in the AOC 16G3 winning an iF Design Award, not only because of its versatility in both portrait and landscape mode but also because the slim metal stand features the lustre and durability of metal while the axial mechanism cleverly allows optimum stability and flexible angle adjustments for a more ergonomic viewing experience.

The AOC 16G3 is also compatible with a 50x50mm VESA mount, making it a viable option for stationary setups as well.

When it comes to connectivity, the 16G3 comes packed with options for a multitude of devices. The microHDMI input is compatible with legacy laptops and game consoles (e.g. PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and X), while one USB-C input supports DisplayPort Alt Mode and power (allowing modern laptop connections) and another USB-C port supports DC Power that can also charge a connected laptop while the display is in use.

The AOC GAMING 16G3's is a versatile display with utility that extends beyond gaming; providing benefits for professionals seeking a supplementary screen for presentations or a portable secondary monitor for increased productivity. Call your account manager to find out more.

BUY NOW

Philips monitors take gaming to a new level with the Philips Evnia 32M2C5500W

The Evnia range of gaming monitors has a new addition: The Philips Evnia 32M2C5500W. Designed and equipped to deliver speed, immersion, and comfort to gaming fans of all profiles, this monitor ensures endless enjoyment and excellent value packed in a stylish design.

Key features • 1000R curved display design for immersive gaming.

• Fast VA panel with Quad HD resolution for crisp images and wide viewing angles.

• 240Hz refresh rate for excellent performance at high speeds.

• Height-adjustable, swivel-able stand for enhanced comfort.

• USB-hub connectivity for greater ease and flexibility.

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“The Philips Evnia 32M2C5500W combines the speed, graphic performance, and physical comfort that today’s gamers are looking for, all in a single beautifully designed package that is certain to bring hours of enjoyment to its users. This monitor will make an ideal gift for your favourite gamer.”

– Xeni Bairaktari, Head of Global Marketing and Deputy Director Marketing EU Philips / AOC Monitors & IT Accessories

Swift, colourful, & action-packed gaming guaranteed. most heart-pounding action will always be smooth, swift, and uninterrupted. Players will feel drawn into the screen, without any lagging, ghosting, or juddering.

The Philips Evnia 32M2C5500W offers everything today’s gamers need to get the most out of their sessions and enjoying their on-screen adventures to the highest level. The 1000R curved VA display provides beautiful and vivid images, that when combined with the comfort of wide viewing angles, envelops the users field of view for a satisfyingly immersive experience. Thanks to its 2560x1440 QHD resolution and 92% DCI-P3 coverage, every image is crisp and rich in colour, while DisplayHDR 400 takes the monitor’s visual performance up another notch with deeper and more realistic details.

In addition to remarkable graphics, the Philips Evnia 32M2C5500W delivers the speed and precision that the latest generation of games require, without ever missing a frame. An ultra-fast 240 Hz refresh rate, coupled with low input lag, FreeSync Premium Pro and a 0.5 ms MPRT fast response, mean that even the

Gaming should be a pleasure for both the mind and the body, that’s why the Philips Evnia 32M2C5500W comes equipped with a wide variety of features designed specifically for gamer’s comfort, convenience, and well-being. Whether using EasySelect to toggle easily through on-screen menus, reducing eyestrain with LowBlue Mode and Flicker-Free Technology, or taking advantage of the tilt, swivel, and height-adjustment capabilities of the monitor’s Compact Ergo Base, gamers will agree that this monitor is always a joy to use.

BUY NOW

Introducing the HYTE Y70 Touch,

an ATX PC case designed for PC enthusiasts who think of their system as a showcase piece. The Y70 Touch takes familiar design notes from the Y60 and improves on every aspect with upgraded cooling, tool-less panels for easy maintenance, and a large 14.1” touchscreen - all powered by a new version of the HYTE Nexus software.

For an insider look at the thought process behind HYTE's updated modern aesthetic case, here is an interview with HYTE’s Lead Roadmap Architect, Rob Teller.

Q: What were some of your design philosophies going into the creation of the Y70 Touch?

A: We wanted to take all the feedback that the users had given us about the Y60 and incorporate that into a new model. Some parts of the Y60 felt a little disjointed, or less designed and more engineered. We were able to take a look at what we had built with the Y60 and apply a more concerted effort to make it feel like it was all one, interconnected, multi-dimensional solution.

With the Y70 Touch, we were able to take a lot more time (an inordinately large amount of time) to focus on making it feel like one cohesive solution, and I think we achieved that better than any other case manufacturer is doing today.

Q: Going off of that, was there anything that you wanted to see on the case but couldn't make happen?

A: We were very focused on keeping the cost about the same, so we didn’t indulge in highpriced luxuries -- other than the touch screen, of course. We really tried to focus on how we could take existing materials and optimise them to be more functional and more attractive.

I don’t know how much we want to get into this, but having completely removable filters would be something that would be really nice. However, it would add an enormous amount of cost.

View all Y70 Touch Cases at VIP We did get a lot done with the Y70 Touch so that’s really it. I think this case maximises its dollar and I feel really, really happy with that.

Q: Why does the Y70 Touch have a touchscreen?

A: There were so many people installing the Y60 corner screens. In some territories, we were seeing that with 70-80% of Y60s sold, people were also installing the LCD screens, so we knew the demand was there.

When I had done it and spent a long amount of time with it, I realised the value of that screen to me as a user drastically fell off when it wasn't new, and the cool factor wore off a little bit. Without being able to interact with it, it just wasn't very functional.

With the touch screen, pre-installing it, and launching it as the default solution, I think it allowed us to get a really aggressive cost on those screens and bring a better solution to end users than if we had made it optional.

Q: What was the biggest complication that you and your team ran into while designing the case?

A: Structural integrity. The Y60 is already missing 25% of its structural support by not having the vertical steel in the front left corner. The Y70 Touch is even bigger to scale, so you have an even longer run of material that is not supported. And so, it was very difficult to retain the same structural rigidity of the chassis when you scaled up the volume. But for the most part, the material strength is the same.

Q: What should future builders look forward to once they get their hands on this case?

A: I think it's a modern way to interface with your computer. Your main monitor is really how you’ve been able to interface with your digital world, but this second screen is really how you can interface with the computer itself. You can manage, configure, and personalise it. If you need accessibility to manipulate your computer, I think that this new screen is going to completely revolutionise that for users. I think that computers have gotten more complicated, and our desires have become more personal, so giving the end user a new and modern way to interface with those options, I really think, is going to be revolutionary.

We hope this interview gave you better insight into why and how we made the Y70 Touch the way it is. Like the Y70 Touch, all HYTE cases are designed to be both easy to build in and beautiful to display. Call your account manager to learn more.

COMING SOON (Q1 2024)

Samsung’s sleek and compact portable SSDs, that are sporting USB 3.2 Gen.2 interfaces and t r a n s f e r s p e e d s u p t o 1 , 0 5 0 M B /s , are n ow available f rom VIP. 1TB Samsung T7 Shield Portable USB SSD – Black

2TB Samsung T7 Portable USB SSD – Grey

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4TB Samsung T7 Shield Portable USB SSD – Black

1TB Samsung T7 Portable USB SSD – Grey

2TB Samsung T7 Portable USB SSD - Blue

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GETTING TO KNOW...

Distribution Account Manager

SS

Sales Administrator

If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something, what would it be?

Jamie: Running my own business and being very successful.

What’s your favourite way to unwind?

Jamie: Playing football with the lads and drinking several beers.

Jess: Sleeping.

Jess: Anything that would make me lots of money.

What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?

Jamie: It aint about how hard you hit, its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. One of my favourite quotes (yes its from Rocky lol).

Jess: Life is short, so make the most of it.

What do you do to turn things around when you’re having a bad day?

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Jamie: Ask for advice on how to make things better and stay positive.

Jamie: Miami.

Jess: Bora Bora.

Jess: Make myself a nice milky brew.

WD PurpleTM HDDs Optimised for Performance and Low Power.

Today’s smart video environment requires support for applications that go beyond traditional surveillance. Cameras now support a main video feed that consists of multiple video streams at high-definition or 4K resolutions. In addition to the main video stream, cameras also output auxiliary video streams, picture streams, and video metadata information.

Main video, auxiliary video, picture streams, and video metadata all have different data characteristics including structure, size, and frequency of the transmitted data. HDDs can help optimise the entire smart video solution by supporting these data requirements with performance and low power.

New 2TB, 4TB. and 6TB* WD Purple Smart Video HDDs1 have been optimised for performance and low power. They utilise enhancements to WD AllFrame™ technology to reduce the drive’s RPM and lower overall power consumption. These drives can recognise incoming video stream characteristics and data types, coalesce data together in cache and place data in specific track locations on disk.

Not All Video Workloads Are the Same A typical DVR or NVR encounters mixed workloads of both sequential and random data.

Multiple video streams from primary and auxiliary video produces a constant sequential data stream, coming at the same rate and same time continuously. The data is well quantified, with a known MB/s written in continuous blocks of files. Metadata and AI analytics data is random in nature and can be cached until it needs to be written to the HDD. Recorder manufacturers employ different video analytic implementations, which have an impact on data movement and storage. Some implementations require frequent metadata capture, analysis, and storage; others are dependent on the individual analytic data requirements and data sizing needs may vary widely.

An Intelligent Approach to Smart Video Data New WD Purple HDDs have optimised AllFrame to better detect data types, such as video metadata, video streaming data and host OS file system data. By detecting the host environment and self-configuring into the appropriate operating state, the HDD can set up to be more predictive of incoming workloads.

Data blocks can be coalesced in cache and system performance can be optimised by intelligent placement of different data types. This maximises data utilisation, reduces the need for higher RPMs, and results in lower power. Machine learning capabilities in the firmware can improve selfconfiguration effectiveness over time, making this approach truly smart.

For example, video data as a continuous incoming video stream can be written to the outer part of an HDD disk where the sequential write speed is higher compared to the inner part of the disk. Embedded video analytics metadata is highly structured and consistent. This can be written to the inner part of the disk where raw data speeds are not as important.

Lower RPM for Surveillance Workloads AllFrame’s intelligent data placement reduces the need for higher RPM disks. New WD Purple HDDs operating at low RPM speeds may perform equally well compared to standard HDDs at higher RPM. In a simulation with a typical video surveillance workload2, a WD Purple HDD with a power-efficient speed of 5040 RPM exceeded the performance of HDDs at 5400RPM and 7200 RPM3.

Lower Power Smart Video HDDs WD Purple Smart Video HDDs operating at slower RPM speeds are generally more power efficient. By using innovation to improve data management and keeping RPM low, these new 2TB/4TB/6TB WD Purple HDDs1 are more power efficient than previous generation higher RPM drives, using up to 25.8% 4 fewer watts per drive, in average operating conditions.

Lower power can help provide both operating cost benefits and performance needed to handle the challenging workloads of new mainstream recorders. Power efficient hard drives will benefit recorder manufacturers and suppliers whose NVRs may have constrained power budgets and face thermal limitations with limited airflow. For end-user customers, more efficient drives can result in lower system operating costs.

New Generation of WD Purple HDDs The latest line of 2TB, 4TB, and 6TB WD Purple Smart Video HDDs1 utilise enhancements in WD AllFrame technology to intelligently manage video data. The drives can recognise incoming video stream characteristics and data types, coalesce data together in cache and place data in specific track locations on disk. Intelligent data placements allow for lower drive RPM that has equivalent performance to drives with higher RPM. Lower RPM leads to power savings which benefits customers through lower system operating costs.

Western Digital’s investment in smart video optimised storage innovation ensures that we continue to deliver trust, reliability, and capability in our WD Purple family of storage devices.

Learn more about Western Digital smart video solutions https://www.westerndigital.com/solutions/surveillance https://www.westerndigital.com/tools/surveillance-capacity-calculator * 1TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.

1 Applies to the following WD Purple models: WDPURZ22, WDPURZ42, WDPURZ63, WDEJRX22, WDEJRX42, WDEJRX63 2 “Typical” video surveillance workload includes a balance of network cameras at varying resolutions, frame rates, and video codes, along with auxiliary streams, and metadata.

3 Based on Read speed, unless otherwise stated. 1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.

4 Power Efficiency calculations are based on comparison of previous generation versus latest generation WD Purple HDD models.

Talk to us, we’d like to collaborate with you!

To support our aim to ‘help your business grow’, we would like to find out what is important to you and how VIP UK can support your business in 2024. There’s no better time speak to us, as we'd love to help you get the most out of your account.

TELL US WHAT YOU NEED

VIPUK

@VIPComputersUK

@VIPComputersUK

marketing@vip-computers.co.uk