GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to launch the latest in-house designed GIGABYTE GV-R577SL-1GD, featuring GIGABYTE's own Ultra Durable VGA Technology and silent-cell cooling design. GIGABYTE's GV-R577SL-1GD is built on the highly anticipated ATI Radeon HD 5770 Series GPU, which utilizes the latest 826 million transistors on 40nm fabrication process and GDDR5 memory. GIGABYTE GV-R577SL-1GD is equipped with Microsoft DirectX 11, ATI Eyefinity Technology, ATI Stream technology, ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU support, UVD 2 and PowerPlay, setting a new standard for HD gaming performance.

The GIGABYTE GV-R577SL-1GD features GIGABYTE's own Ultra Durable VGA Technology, which can provide outstanding overclocking capability, lower GPU temperature, and excellent power efficiency. GIGABYTE's unique technology Ultra Durable VGA features 2 oz copper PCB board, Samsung and Hynix memory, Japanese solid capacitor, Ferrite /Metal Core Chokes, and Low RDS (on) MOSFET. Compared with traditional graphics accelerators, Ultra Durable VGA graphics accelerators can lower GPU temperature by 5%~10%, decrease power switching loss by 10%~30%, and increase overclocking capability by 10%~30%. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA graphics accelerator GV-R577SL-1GD can provide truly "high-performance" and "green" graphic card solutions.

AMD rolled out a reference-design DisplayPort to DVI active adapter today, that lets the masses create Eyefinity setups on existing monitors easier. The adapter plugs into full-sized and mini DisplayPort connectors on ATI Radeon graphics cards, and gives out a single-link DVI signal. The conversion between DP to DVI is active, and conserves video quality, as well as other features such as content protection. This is because when Eyefinity-ready graphics cards with DisplayPorts from AMD came to be, some manufacturers sold cheap $10 DP-DVI dongles that pass DVI signals from the DP directly (passive conversion). Such dongles more often don't work, because Radeon GPUs don't give out DVI signals from DP. Active adapters (those which actively convert DP signals to DVI) were sold at the time in upwards of $100.

AMD has managed to bring the price of such active adapters down to $30. There however, is a limitation. The output is a single-link DVI, meaning that it will support digital resolutions only up to 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz (1080p is supported). It shouldn't matter for the target users, because the DisplayPort on ATI Radeon HD 5000 graphics cards conveys only one TMDS link, so even with a DVI dual-link capable adapter, it would only give out single-link output. At least a bulk of the users are covered, at a very affordable price point. AMD will market this adapter directly, and through its growing network of add-in board partners (in bundles with graphics cards, or directly). PowerColor beat AMD to today's announcement, and released PowerColor-branded AMD-reference DP-DVI adapter last week.

Fujitsu today introduces a new model of the LIFEBOOK AH530 featuring an external graphics card with dedicated 1GB video memory. This completes Fujitsu's line-up for the all-round notebook segment, with a choice of models to meet every need. The LIFEBOOK AH530 GFX is designed for users working with demanding graphics, pictures and video applications, combining high performance and a slim and stylish notebook package at a competitive price.

LIFEBOOK AH530 GFX model users will experience the power of external graphics for demanding graphics applications and video, thanks to the on-board ATI Mobility Radeon HD550v graphics with a dedicated 1GB video memory. Users can choose between a Blu-ray Disc drive or a DVD-drive, and LIFEBOOK AH530 GFX models are equipped with the new Intel Core processors that deliver smart performance adapted to user needs, for a faster and more responsive user experience.

Come this Winter, and things will heat up once again in the graphics card industry, with GPU vendors battling it out for the crucial Holidays shopping season. While AMD did not introduce any new GPUs after completing its ATI Radeon HD 5000 series launch itinerary, it did manage to grab significant amount of sales from its graphics rival NVIDIA. For this Winter, AMD and its partners will be in a position to launch the ATI Radeon HD 6000 series graphics processors, according to DigiTimes, citing sources from graphics card vendors.

It is also said that the Radeon HD 6000 series, codenamed "Southern Islands" (members of which are codenamed after islands in the Mediterranean Sea), will be built on TSMC's 40 nm manufacturing process. AMD had originally planned to build Southern Islands on TSMC's 32 nm process, but with the foundry skipping 32 nm bulk for 28 nm which will start operations only by the end of the year, AMD redrew its plans and stuck to the now-mature (stable) 40 nm process. Perhaps AMD learned a thing or two from a wide range of teething problems that plagued the 40 nm production line.

MSI, the global leading brand in All-in-One PC, today announced the release of its new high-end performance All-in-One PC model featuring the all-new Intel Core i5/i3 series processors: The Wind Top AE2280.The Wind Top AE2280 comes with a glossy 21.5" 16:9 cinematic widescreen display with Full HD 1080p high resolution and multi-touch capabilities. Featuring the all-new Intel Core i5/i3 series processors, enhanced performance and intelligent multifunction operation, it allows for even more efficient handling of daily work tasks. And with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD series discrete graphics card, you can enjoy a more detailed and smoother picture when watching movies or playing 3D/HD games. The Wind Top AE2280 is also the world's first to feature Hollywood-grade THX TruStudio Pro audio performance technology that revolutionizes computer audio and video quality. As both a performance and home theatre All-in-One PC, it comes equipped with an abundance of MSI's exclusive touch control technologies that mark a new era in the computer user experience.

Fujitsu Japan developed an AMD-powered variant of its LifeBook PH520, marked with /1A in the model name. The 11.6-inch notebook features an LED-backlit display with 1366x768 pixels resolution, weighing 1.4 kg, and powered with 6.2 hours of juice on a full charge. Under the hood is where all the changes lie, with an AMD Athlon II Neo K125 1.70 GHz dual-core processor, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics. The system is aided by 2 GB of DDR3 memory, 320 GB storage, and includes connectivity and utilities that include 1.3 MP webcam, 801.11 b/g/n wireless network, Bluetooth, and gigabit Ethernet. Windows 7 Home Premium comes pre-installed. The LifeBook PH520/1A will be priced at US $870 in Japan.

ASUS showed off a unique motherboard concept part of its Republic of Gamers series, the ROG Immensity. This socket LGA-1366 motherboard comes with onboard graphics, using a discrete ATI Radeon HD 5000 series GPU with dedicated GDDR3 memory. While the Intel X58 Express + ICH10R chipset are very much there, the X58 is wired to a Lucid Hydra Engine chip, which drives both the PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots. It is probably also connected to the ATI Radeon GPU, giving users the ability to stay connected to the on board GPU, while 3D graphics is accelerated from any graphics card plugged in to the PCI-E slots, of any make, and in any combination (including NVIDIA + ATI). The Hydra chip handles the load-balancing between the GPUs depending on their computation power and features available.

Apart from this unique feature, the ROG Immensity is designed for extreme overclocking, making use of an 8-phase PWM circuit with additional stabilizers and power conditioning using super-ML capacitors. Memory is powered by a 6-phase PWM circuit with its own power-conditioning super-ML capacitor. All ROG-exclusive features such as iROG and ROG-Connect are present. Connectivity features include SATA 3 Gb/s RAID, two SATA 6 Gb/s ports, USB 3.0, Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel audio. Four PCI-E x1 slots make for the rest of the expansion. For now ASUS chooses to call this a concept design, so it's uncertain whether it will release it to market any time soon.

AMD today rolled out this month's release of its ATI Catalyst software, which provides drivers and essential system software for ATI Radeon graphics processors, AMD chipsets, and other ATI multimedia products. The WHQL-signed version 10.5 brings a few feature updates, along with a list of important bug fixes. To begin with, Catalyst 10.5 gives 120 Hz display support for ATI Radeon HD 4000 and HD 3000 series graphics processors (helpful with stereoscopic 3D), and ATI Overdrive enhancements which allow full control over ATI Radeon GPUs that are connected to multiple displays, eliminating a limitation.

Following on with Catalyst 10.4, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 doesn't take unusually long to load maps, while a stability issues connected to IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946, Mass Effect 2 (where display goes blank if you switch to desktop in the middle of a game), Empire: Total War, Napoleon: Total War got a fix which allows AA settings with Volumetric effects, while Unigine Heaven 2.0 in wireframe mode doesn't crash. For more details, refer to the release notes document.

DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst 10.5 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

A little later this week, NVIDIA will release two of its front-line GPUs that are compliant with the latest industry standards, notably Microsoft DirectX 11. This brings competition to AMD's high-end Radeon HD 5800 series and Radeon HD 5970 graphics cards, or does it? Competition often tends to have a pro-consumer effect out of price-wars. Sources indicate that AMD is not inclined to cut prices of its products after NVIDIA's launch of GeForce GTX 400 series. A few factors we think could prevent a price-war:

• AMD could have a fair idea about how GeForce GTX 400 series GPUs compete with its GPUs, and given that their estimated performance levels and estimated target prices (estimated US $499 for GTX 480 and $349 for GTX 470), the performance/price equation for AMD's Radeon HD 5800 series GPUs iron out, with HD 5870 at around $400, HD 5850 at around $325, and HD 5830 at $240, barring HD 5970, which is being priced at a premium for its premium performance levels.
• Although NVIDIA and its partners officially launch their GeForce GTX 400 series products on the 26th of March, market availability, backed by sizable inventories could just take some time, allowing AMD to maintain its prices.
• AMD is introducing newer variants of its HD 5800 series GPUs, namely HD 5870 Eyefinity6 2GB, and allowing AIB partners to come up with 2 GB models of Radeon HD 5800 series cards.

MSI's newest 17" gaming notebook-the GE700, just made its debut. It comes equipped with Intel's latest core i5 processor with ATI Radeon HD 5730 discrete graphics card (with 1GB DDR3 VRAM), two cinema-class speakers and a subwoofer, a HD webcam, and dual hard disk architecture, so you can install two hard drives for maximum memory storage. Its superior multimedia, entertainment, and processing capabilities maximize your experience.

MSI Marketing Director Sam Chern points out that the MSI GE700, a 17" gaming and entertainment laptop, utilizes Intel Turbo Boost Technology for dynamic enhanced processing efficiency, a high-end discrete graphics card to increase image processing performance, and cutting-edge SRS Premium Sound. Furthermore, the GE700 boasts MSI's exclusive ECO Engine Power Saving Technology, Cinema Pro, and GPU Boost Technology to give you just the right amount of battery power you need for the task at hand.

MSI launched the latest 16" entertainment model GE600 for its G series notebooks. This new model uses Intel Core i5 processor with built-in ATI Radeon HD5730 discrete graphics card (including 1GB DDR3 VRAM) and SRS Premium Sound audio. Moreover, bearing the 720p HD webcam also takes the lead in the industry. The high-end video/audio equipment provides you with the experience of all-round multimedia entertainments.

Sam Chern, MSI Notebook Marketing Director, stated that to satisfy customer needs, MSI 16" entertainment model - GE600 - was developed to introduce the most advanced software/hardware devices characterized by all-new exterior design, HD webcam, sub-woofer and leading SRS Premium Sound audio, all of which enables customers to enter a new era of mobile video/audio enjoyment experiences.

MSI has announced the 15.6" models CX620 and CR620. CX620 equipped with a discrete graphics card, for its Classic Series notebook computers. Clad with MSI exclusive Color Film Print coating, along with an independent Chiclet keyboard and a seamless touchpad, these laptops were modeled in pleasant simplicity and full quality. The feature of lower power consumption offered by the latest Intel Core processor achieves even greater efficiency.

Sam Chern, MSI Notebook Marketing Director, claimed that the latest models of MSI Classic Series come equipped with the New 2010 Intel Core processor. CX620 is embedded with the ATi Radeon HD5470 discrete graphics card including 1GB DDR3 display memory. Via MSI exclusive GPU Boost and ECO power saving technologies, users can switch among different display modes and various scenes as necessary, which enables high-quality video/audio, processing efficiency and long battery life at the same time."

MSI's latest ultra-thin and lightweight X-Slim Series of the dual-core model, X420, features the Intel CULV ultra-portable and energy-efficient platform equipped with the Intel Core 2 Duo processor together with ATI's Mobility Radeon HD5430 3D external display adapter (with built-in 1GB DDR3 VRAM), SRS-certified audio, as well as a battery life that lasts up to 9 hours.

MSI Director of Marketing Sam Chern points out that the X-Slim X420 is MSI's latest 14-inch ultra-thin notebook that carries on X-Slim Series' fine tradition of thin and elegant design. Weighing only 1.88kg, the entire unit is no more than one inch thick. The exterior of the new generation X420 is decorated with many new fashion elements. MSI's exclusive textured pattern color film print coating is used, the cover is treated with translucent Cappuccino Brown color, and the palm rest area is coated with golden film. The entire unit from the inside out is imbued with a bright and smooth pearl texture, redefining the new standard for notebook fashion.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce their latest GV-R5600 series graphics cards. GIGABYTE's GV-R567OC-1GI and GV-R567D5-512I are built on the highly anticipated ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series GPUs ─which utilizes the latest 627 million transistors on 40nm fabrication process and GDDR5 memory. GIGABYTE GV-R567OC-1GI and GV-R567D5-512I provide Microsoft DirectX 11, ATI Stream technology, ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU support, UVD 2 and PowerPlay. GIGABYTE GV-R5600 series are also equipped with GIGABYTE unique features including Ultra Durable 2 technology, and native HDMI port for HD gaming and Blue-ray movie playback.

The GIGABYTE GV-R567OC-1GI and GV-R567D5-512I feature ATI's latest 2nd Generation TeraScale graphics engine, boasting the power of more than 620 GigaFLOPS with 400 stream processors respectively. With 1GB and 512MB GDDR5 memory, the GV-R567OC-1GI and GV-R567D5-512I provide twice the data per pin of GDDR3 memory at the same clock speeds. Utilizing ATI Stream Technology, end-user can easily unleash the massive parallel processing power of GPU for physics, artificial intelligence, stream computing and ray tracing calculations, and tackle demanding tasks like video transcoding with incredible speed.

Lenovo today unveiled 11 new IdeaPad laptops and IdeaCentre desktops at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show that demonstrate the company's re-energized commitment to personal computing design and engineering specifically for consumers. The new IdeaPad laptop PCs - S10-3t, S10-3, Y460, Y560, G460, G560, V460 and V360 and IdeaCentre desktop PCs - A300, C310 and K320 - include industry leading design and technology that will help enhance performance, style and entertainment capabilities across Lenovo's consumer products lineup.

"Our new Idea PCs are the next step in our exciting new worldwide product portfolio designed with the consumer in mind," said Liu Jun, senior vice president, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. "These additions to our Idea portfolio demonstrate Lenovo's commitment to giving our customers the capabilities they expect, at prices they can afford, while showcasing our forward-thinking innovations."

AMD's Catalyst PC Vendor ID List has been updated to reflect their latest product updates, which surprisingly includes "ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5800" models.The models listed are "Broadway XT", "Broadway Pro/LT". While it is certain that Broadway XT will become the Mobility Radeon HD 5870, sources differ whether Broadway Pro/LT will be two distinct products initially: Mobility Radeon HD 5850 and Mobility Radeon HD 5830 or if there will be only a Mobility Radeon HD 5850 product first.

In addition to these confirmed models there are rumors about that describe "Madison" (Mobility HD 5700) and "Park" (Mobility HD 5400). This would give AMD a full mobile DirectX 11 low-power GPU lineup to compete in the mobile market.

ASUS slipped in no less than three value micro-ATX motherboards based on the AMD 760G + SB710 chipset. Two of these, the M4A78L-M LE, M4A78L-M use socket AM2+ to connect to existing AM3 and older AM2(+) processors supporting DDR2 memory, while a third one, the M4A78LT-M LE uses AM3 socket to support AM3 processors and DDR3 memory. All three feature ASUS exclusive features such the EPU (energy processing unit), ExpressGate instant-on OS, and a 'Turbo-key' push-button overclocking feature. All three are to an extant similar, in having two DIMM slots for dual-channel memory, one each of PCI-Express x16, x1, and two PCI, and have an ATI Radeon HD 3000 class IGP.

The differences start with the M4A78L-M LE and M4A78LT-M LE being more office-oriented, with display connectivity being confined to D-Sub, or DVI, presence of legacy serial and parallel ports, a simpler 6-channel audio, and 4-phase CPU VRM, while retaining essential connectivity of the southbridge, including six SATA 3 Gbps ports, and one IDE connector for running two ATA devices. The M4A78L-M is slightly more consumer / home-user oriented, with better display connectivity that includes D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI, 8-channel audio with optical SPDIF output, and a slightly more powerful 4+1 phase VRM. The M4A78L-M LE, M4A78L-M and M4A78LT-M LE are priced at £42.42, £47.87 and £51.68, respectively.

Club 3D, European market leader for graphics cards, today announced the release of its new 40nm process technology based HD5970 graphics card. Equipped with two ATI Hemlock graphics processing units. The fastest graphics card on the planet has been developed.

Engineered for speed, the Club 3D HD5970 delivers an unrivaled HD gaming experience so you can play the latest, most demanding HD titles like never before. Featuring cutting-edge graphic, display and memory technology, this next-generation powerhouse delivers unprecedented performance straight out of the box. Unlocked, this graphics card has massive headroom, so you can take control and push your hardware to its full potential!

XFX takes technology for a trip down the fast lane with the debut of The XFX ATI Radeon HD 5970 graphics card. The fastest dual GPU-on-a-PCB card on the planet, in addition to the base powerhouse, this card also comes in an "I've-never-seen-that-kind-of-performance-before" Black Edition with an exclusive performance enhancing Overvolt Tool.

Created for the true performance enthusiast, this card offers the ultimate in speed, with the XFX ATI Radeon HD 5970 scoring in excess of X10000 in 3DMarkVantage v. 101, the highest single graphics card score achieved to date. It also features all of the latest, state-of-the-art technologies that hardcore gamers want, including ATI Eyefinity technology, ATI Stream technology and full DirectX 11 support.

AMD today announced the flagship installment in the award-winning line of graphics cards, the ATI Radeon HD 5970, the fastest card ever created. The new ultra high-end model joins a growing list of the world's first and only graphics cards to fully support Microsoft DirectX 11 technology and ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology.

Designed to support the most demanding PC games at ultra-high resolutions and image quality settings, the ATI Radeon HD 5970 has unlocked overclocking potential, granting access to every bit of power the card has to offer through ATI Overdrive technology. Now shipping from retailers and available in the channel, the ATI Radeon HD 5970 also launches today in new Alienware Area-51, Area-51 ALX and Aurora desktop PCs.

AMD published its near-monthly installment of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite, which provides essential drivers for the company's ATI Radeon graphics processors, AMD 7-series chipset IGPs, ATI multimedia products, and the AMD FireStream GPGPU processors. Version 9.11 announced today, comes with the same hardware support base as the older version, includes two new features, and carries the usual application-specific fixes.

New features include GPU Acceleration of H.264 video content using Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta, and High Quality downscaling for video transcoding MSE. The release of ATI Catalyst, according to AMD, supports the new Hardware Acceleration features of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta for video encoded in the H.264 format. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta introduces hardware-based H.264 video decoding to deliver smooth video playback, reduce system resource utilization, and preserve battery life. Hardware acceleration is supported on all existing Radeon HD 5000 and HD 4000 series graphics processors. The release of ATI Catalyst includes an enhancement for the ATI Video converter for users transcoding high quality interlaced content (1920x1080i @60i videos) down to small resolution progressive content (320x240 @30p - iPod videos as an example), by maintaining high visual quality when down-scaling by a significant amount and converting interlaced video content to progressive. For a list of minor issues fixed in the release, refer to the Release Notes document.

DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst 9.11 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 32-bit | Windows 7/Vista 64-bit | Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit

AMD released the latest version of its ATI Catalyst software suite. Version 9.10 WHQL brings with it official support for the company's newest ATI Radeon HD 5800 series graphics processors, adds features that enhance usability under Windows 7, along with the usual list of bug fixes. The driver also adds support for Super Sample Anti-Aliasing, for Radeon HD 5800 GPUs. A complete list of changes can be read in the release notes document. The most important of them are listed below:

• ATI Catalyst 9.10 now includes full GPU support for the award winning ATI HD Radeon 5800 series GPUs.
• Provides support for a new Anti-Aliasing method on the ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series. Users can now experience the high level of anti-aliasing image quality using Super Sampling anti-aliasing while maintaining good performance levels
• Adds GPU acceleration for the Windows 7 Drag and Drop video converting application

DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst 9.10 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 32-bit | Windows 7/Vista 64-bit | Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit

CoolIT Systems, of the Domino A.L.C. CPU cooler fame, has detailed plans of another turnkey water-cooling system, this time for the ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card. The water-cooling system is factory-assembled, requiring you to merely install the water-blocks on the graphics cards, and placing the radiator, which triples up as the reservoir and pump, in an appropriate location.

From the CGI drawings that the company released, it looks like a single unit of this water-cooling system will be able to cool two Radeon HD 5870 cards. The radiator unit looks to be as big as most radiators that can hold two 120 mm fans per side. The water-blocks look to be full-coverage (on the obverse side of the PCB), and monolithic, while the reverse side of the PCB seems to need to rely on AMD's back-plate. In the upcoming 2 GB variant of the Radeon HD 5870, the back-plate will find greater utility. Water-cooling typically provides higher overclocking headroom, and lower effective noise output. CoolIT's Radeon HD 5870 WC system will be unveiled today at the AMD Technical Forum & Exhibition 2009 in Taipei.

Acer, the third largest vendor in the worldwide PC market, today announced the Acer Aspire Z5610-U9072, a truly elegant, no-compromise all-in-one desktop PC featuring intuitive multi-touch technology and Windows 7 Home Premium. A powerful entertainment hub for the home, the Z5610 packs first-class performance and feature-rich functionality in a striking design. It will be available this holiday season at online retailers for an attractive price of $899.99.

Engineered to eliminate clutter and maximize workspace, this practical all-in-one streamlines the home or office with a flash of style and offers a unique blend of features and architecture. Boasting a stunning 23-inch HD display, ATI Mobility Radeon graphics and Intel Pentium Dual Core processing, the Aspire Z5610 offers world-class digital prowess.

Now, more people than ever can experience real innovation in DirectX 11 gaming with the Club 3D HD5700 graphics card series. Loaded with advanced technology, this graphics card has the power and premium features you need for fully immersive gameplay. Expand your visual real estate across up to three displays and get lost in the action with revolutionary ATI Eyefinity technology. Using ATI Stream technology, accelerate even the most demanding applications and do more then ever with our PC. Enable realistic visual effects and an explosive HD gaming performance to dominate the competition.

Enjoy an incredibly immersive HD gaming/computing experience with ATI Eyefinity Technology. This revolutionary multi-display technology allows you to expand your visual real estate across up to three displays with innovative "wrap around" capabilities to maximize your field of view with incredible sharpness and clarity. Perform tasks on a PC faster with ATI Stream technology, speed up demanding everyday applications and get more done in less time. The first fully Microsoft DirectX 11-compatible GPUs, Club 3D HD5800 Series is designed to deliver ultimate HD gaming performance for the latest games and DirectX 11 applications so you can dominate the competition.