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Saturday, February 28th 2009
LG Rolls Out New HD Monitors
LG announced a new fleet of full-HD capable LCD monitors today. The lineup consists of three models of different screen-sizes under the Wxx53V-PF naming scheme: the 22 inch W2253V-PF, 24 inch W2453V-PF and 27 inch W2753V-PF. LG seems to have emphasized on both form and function with these ones. Sporting a piano-black shell with a dash of clear acrylic, the monitors pack LCD panels with 2 ms response time. All models have native resolutions of 1920 x 1080 pixels (1080p HD), and are HDCP-capable.
Additionally, they feature intelligent Auto Bright, Live Sensor, and Cinema mode proprietary features. The monitor detects the intensity of light in the environment it's working in, and accordingly adjusts brightness and contrast levels. All models support offer DVI-D, D-SUB, and HDMI port as input connectivity options. LG is yet to release or price these monitors outside the Japanese market as of now.
Additionally, they feature intelligent Auto Bright, Live Sensor, and Cinema mode proprietary features. The monitor detects the intensity of light in the environment it's working in, and accordingly adjusts brightness and contrast levels. All models support offer DVI-D, D-SUB, and HDMI port as input connectivity options. LG is yet to release or price these monitors outside the Japanese market as of now.
Antec Introduces Updated TruePower Power Supply Units
Antec, the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, today announced the TruePower New series, the latest addition to the TruePower line of power supply units (PSUs). The original TruePower set the standard for stable, high-performance PSUs, and now the TruePower New series introduces advanced features for improved system efficiency, stability and reliability.
NVIDIA Names New Chief Financial Officer
NVIDIA Corporation today announced it has named David White, a 30-year veteran of the technology industry, as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), succeeding Marvin Burkett, whose decision to retire was disclosed in March 2008.
White, 53, whose appointment takes effect immediately, reports directly to Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA's president and chief executive officer.
White previously served for five years as executive vice president and CFO at Sanmina-SCI Corp., a leading electronics contract-manufacturer. Prior to that, he spent seven years as CFO at Asyst Technologies, Inc. and at Candescent Technologies, Inc., and held a variety of senior finance roles at Seagate Technology, Inc.
White, 53, whose appointment takes effect immediately, reports directly to Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA's president and chief executive officer.
White previously served for five years as executive vice president and CFO at Sanmina-SCI Corp., a leading electronics contract-manufacturer. Prior to that, he spent seven years as CFO at Asyst Technologies, Inc. and at Candescent Technologies, Inc., and held a variety of senior finance roles at Seagate Technology, Inc.
Gigabyte Readies Passive-Cooled GeForce 9600 GT Green Edition Accelerator
NVIDIA sought to give the GeForce 9600 GT a refresh with a new SKU, the 9600 GT Green Edition, that makes use of the reduced thermal footprints of the 55 nm G94 graphics core, and slightly reduced clock speeds, to result in energy-efficient graphics cards. Some of these do not require the 6-pin PCI-E power input. Gigabyte has its first accelerator based on this core, the GV-N96TSL-1GI. The company goes a step ahead in exploiting the thermal characteristics of the core, to come up with a silent-cooler design.
The cooler which Gigabyte refers to as "Silent Cell", consists of a central GPU contact block from which heatpipes emerge, conveying heat to an aluminum fin array that spans across the full length of the card. A part of it even protrudes out of the back-plate. The cooler relies on convectional currents of the air inside the case to draw heat from the fins, and leave the case through the backplate. Cooling aside, Gigabyte got generous with the amount of memory: 1 GB of GDDR3 across a 256-bit wide bus. Perhaps it compensates for the slightly reduced clock speeds, the extant to which, isn't known as of now. The card will hit shelves shortly, by when we could tell its price.
The cooler which Gigabyte refers to as "Silent Cell", consists of a central GPU contact block from which heatpipes emerge, conveying heat to an aluminum fin array that spans across the full length of the card. A part of it even protrudes out of the back-plate. The cooler relies on convectional currents of the air inside the case to draw heat from the fins, and leave the case through the backplate. Cooling aside, Gigabyte got generous with the amount of memory: 1 GB of GDDR3 across a 256-bit wide bus. Perhaps it compensates for the slightly reduced clock speeds, the extant to which, isn't known as of now. The card will hit shelves shortly, by when we could tell its price.
Psion Responds to Dell and Intel Court Petitions
Here's a quick reminder before going straight to the story. Recently both Intel and Dell filed petitions asking for the cancellation of Psion Teklogix' "Netbook" trademark. Both manufacturers said they need the "Netbook" term liberated from any trademark responsibility, so they can use it as unified term for new class of ultra-portable laptop computers designed for use on the go. Currently makers like Dell, ASUSTeK, Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Samsung, MSI, GIGABYTE and many others sell products branded as netbooks. Today Psion responded to the legal accusations, by sending an official response to the public. The full statement, because too big, will appear after you click on the read full story marker.
Toldex Launches Robin Z5xx Nano Computer Modules Powered by Intel Atom
Toldex has unveiled two computer modules with pretty impressive dimensions. The credit card sized Robin Z530 and Z510 are embedded Nano COM Express Type 1 computer modules. They are based on Intel Atom Z530 and Z510 processors and the Intel System Controller Hub US15W, which combines the memory controller, graphic engine and I/O in a single, ultra compact design. The Intel Atom Z530 processor runs at 1.6 GHz and is designed for high performance computing with low power consumption. Robin Z510 features the Intel Atom Z510 processor which runs at 1.1 GHz. Robin Z530 also offers extension for a PCI Express x1 slot, GBit LAN, and up to 7 High Speed USB ports for fast signal connectivity. One USB port can be configured as USB client. The module features in the standard configuration a dual independent graphic output with VGA and LVDS outputs. Robins provide a wide range of interfaces for mass storage devices in Z5xx series. Both micro systems can include up to 2 GB Solid State Flash Disk, a MicroSD slot and a SATA interface on board. For additional information and prices, please click here.
Friday, February 27th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Input Devices
Memory
Mousepads
Processors
Silverstone Fortress & Strider 750W Review
The Silverstone Fortress aims to shrink the same awe inspiring and award winning uni-body construction of the legendary TJ07 to a mid-tower case, while still offering modern functionality and all the bells and whistles one should expect from an enthusiast enclosure.
AMD OverDrive Version 2.1.6 Released
AMD updated today its AMD OverDrive utility to version 2.1.6. This little program specially designed for AMD platforms, enables easy overclocking from Windows, can monitor the temps of your system, and finally can serve as torture test if you want to check your system for stability. Download it, if you need it.
DOWNLOAD: AMD OverDrive 2.1.6
DOWNLOAD: AMD OverDrive 2.1.6
Intel E5200 Gets Updated, R0 Stepping Coming Up
Intel's Pentium Dual-Core E5200 processor is getting on course for a specifications update. The chip will feature in a new, improved Wolfdale-2M core, spec'd out as the R0 stepping, from its current M0 stepping. The new stepping is intended to add new instructions, power-management features, and bring about changes in the chip-package. A short list of known changes is as follows:
- CPUID changed from 10677 to 1067A
- Power State Indicator (PSI) support with Intel 4 series chipsets
- New instructions - XSAVE and XRSTOR
- New S-spec and MM numbers
- New halide-free chip package
Intel Rolls-Out Three New Xeon UP and One Atom Processor
Intel expanded its enterprise-grade Xeon processor lineup with three new models under the Xeon UP series. Built on the 45 nm High-K process, at least two of these new chips boast of high energy efficiency. First up, is the X3380 quad-core chip that has 12 MB of L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB, and 3.16 GHz of clock speed. Its TDP is rated at 95 W.
The second chip introduced, the L3360 quad-core runs at 2.83 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB, 12 MB of cache, but a reduced TDP rating at 65 W. Lastly, a high-speed yet energy-efficient L3110 dual-core chip runs at 3.00 GHz, comes with 6 MB of cache and a 1333 MHz FSB, with its TDP rated at 45 W. The X3380, L3360 and L3110 are priced at US $530, $369 and $224 respectively, in 1000-unit tray quantities. Intel also introduced the single-core 1.6 GHz Atom Z530 processor that sells for around $70 each, in bulk.
The second chip introduced, the L3360 quad-core runs at 2.83 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB, 12 MB of cache, but a reduced TDP rating at 65 W. Lastly, a high-speed yet energy-efficient L3110 dual-core chip runs at 3.00 GHz, comes with 6 MB of cache and a 1333 MHz FSB, with its TDP rated at 45 W. The X3380, L3360 and L3110 are priced at US $530, $369 and $224 respectively, in 1000-unit tray quantities. Intel also introduced the single-core 1.6 GHz Atom Z530 processor that sells for around $70 each, in bulk.
Gigabyte GeForce GTS 250 w/ Zalman Cooling Spotted
As NVIDIA gears up to give GeForce GTS 250 a gala CeBIT launch, its partners seem to be ready with their products, and press-shots. Gigabyte will be one of the first to be out with a GeForce GTS 250 based graphics accelerator that uses the company's own design, GV-N250ZL-1GI. For those new, the GeForce GTS 250 is simply a re-launch of the NVIDIA's 9800 GTX+ accelerator. It is based on the same G92b core and uses identical specifications.
Gigabyte's first accelerator sports the Ultra Durable PCB construction. The PCB consists of 2 oz (56.6 g) copper layers that help spread heat and minimize ground electrical noise. It also consists of the all solid-capacitor, ferrite choke, low effective RDS on MOSFETs design. The most interesting feature of this card is its cooler: a Zalman VF1050. Heat is drawn from the GPU-contact block using four heatpipes that convey it to a dense array of copper fins, nucleated by a PWM-controlled fan. The clock speeds on this card remain close to the reference speeds: 740/1850/2000 MHz (core/shader/memory). It might hit the stores after NVIDIA makes the GPU official.
Gigabyte's first accelerator sports the Ultra Durable PCB construction. The PCB consists of 2 oz (56.6 g) copper layers that help spread heat and minimize ground electrical noise. It also consists of the all solid-capacitor, ferrite choke, low effective RDS on MOSFETs design. The most interesting feature of this card is its cooler: a Zalman VF1050. Heat is drawn from the GPU-contact block using four heatpipes that convey it to a dense array of copper fins, nucleated by a PWM-controlled fan. The clock speeds on this card remain close to the reference speeds: 740/1850/2000 MHz (core/shader/memory). It might hit the stores after NVIDIA makes the GPU official.
Samsung Adopts VIA Nano Processor for the Samsung NC20 12.1'' Mini-Notebook
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced that Samsung has adopted the VIA Nano processor in the new Samsung NC20 mini-notebook.
Mobility is enhanced by 802.11b/g and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and a six-cell battery that provides up to 6.5 hours of use independent of any power supply, while storage options include either a solid state disk or a SATA hard disk drive. Other features include an integrated 1.3 mega pixel digital motion camera, 3-in-1 memory card reader and three built-in USB ports.
Mobility is enhanced by 802.11b/g and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and a six-cell battery that provides up to 6.5 hours of use independent of any power supply, while storage options include either a solid state disk or a SATA hard disk drive. Other features include an integrated 1.3 mega pixel digital motion camera, 3-in-1 memory card reader and three built-in USB ports.
ASUS Launches Five GeForce GTS 250 Cards with Dark Knight Fans
ASUS, world-leading producer of top quality graphic solutions, has today unveiled its latest ENGTS250 Series of graphics cards. Catering to users who want a graphics card capable of delivering astounding graphical performances, the ASUS ENGTS250 TOP offers them up to 20% performance boosts for exhilarating gaming experiences. The ENGTS250 Series is also well equipped in the thermal department, with the specially designed Dark Knight fansink delivering extreme cooling and low noise-levels-greatly enhancing gaming enjoyment. Additionally, with inclusion of the EMI Shield, covered chokes, low RDS(on) MOSFETs, and solid capacitors, users will achieve extreme performance and peace of mind at the same time; and the ENGTS250 DK/HTDI/1GD3 version comes equipped with a mammoth-sized 1G of onboard memory ideal for feature-rich DirectX 10 gaming at ultra-high resolutions. Last but not the least, to show that ASUS cares for all gamers, the ASUS ENGTS250 Series graphics cards will all come bundled with a special coupon that allows users to obtain up to $25 or 10% off on a total of 5 games; or CUDA applications at the NZONE webpage.
Pioneer Announces 8x Blu-Ray Writer
Pioneer Europe today unveiled its latest Blu-ray writer, the BDR-203BK, that's capable of writing at 8x speeds on Singe and Dual Layer BR-R discs. The BDR-203BK with black bezel will be available on an OEM basis from February 2009. It will cost around €250. Full specs follow below.
Thursday, February 26th 2009
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Desktop PC
Motherboards
Notebooks
Zotac Officially Launches the GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition Video Card
ZOTAC International, an award-winning manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, today unleashes the latest addition to its water-cooling ready Infinity Edition graphics card lineup - the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition. The new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition pairs the world's fastest single graphics processor with a high-performance water-block for extreme performance and cooling. Cooled by a custom all-copper water-block, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition is able to operate at higher clock frequencies while maintaining lower operating temperatures than the existing award-winning ZOTAC GeForce GTX 200 series graphics cards. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Infinity Edition ships with a water-block preinstalled with standard fittings that enable users to integrate the card with existing or new water-cooling systems.
Intel Designing New Case-Badge Logos
A notable inclusion of perhaps every processor-in-box product, apart from the processor, cooler and documentation, is the case-badge for the processor. The case-badge is a small sticker that shows the company logo for the processor installed in the PC. Intel is reportedly designing new logos (in effect case-badges) for at least 14 of its products. The logos, most of which are rounded-rectangle shaped seem to have been designed to give the processor box a new look, also indicating perhaps that the company is designing new packaging material as well, that use the new logos.
Intel has large volumes of Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Xeon processors in the making, that Intel feels need new clothing. Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad, get the distinct chrome-blue colour that one can find in the Core i7 (non-XE) logo. Core 2 and Core i7 logos look similar at the first glance. Core 2 Extreme gets the chrome-black colour the Core i7 XE logo has. All Centrino series badges stick to the silver-white colour scheme. The logo designs have small inlets on the top-right corner that have small portions of the die-shot. Core 2 and Centrino logos have die-shots of a portion of the Penryn core, while the Core i7 logos use those of the Bloomfield core. Interestingly, Xeon keeps its current logo, as well as a new one with chrome-slate colour, and design of the current Core i7 logo, perhaps making it clear the Xeon processor is based on the Nehalem architecture. The new logos will be effective from Q2 2009.
Intel has large volumes of Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Xeon processors in the making, that Intel feels need new clothing. Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad, get the distinct chrome-blue colour that one can find in the Core i7 (non-XE) logo. Core 2 and Core i7 logos look similar at the first glance. Core 2 Extreme gets the chrome-black colour the Core i7 XE logo has. All Centrino series badges stick to the silver-white colour scheme. The logo designs have small inlets on the top-right corner that have small portions of the die-shot. Core 2 and Centrino logos have die-shots of a portion of the Penryn core, while the Core i7 logos use those of the Bloomfield core. Interestingly, Xeon keeps its current logo, as well as a new one with chrome-slate colour, and design of the current Core i7 logo, perhaps making it clear the Xeon processor is based on the Nehalem architecture. The new logos will be effective from Q2 2009.
NVIDIA Quadro Drivers Version 182.08 WHQL Released
NVIDIA has released new drivers for its professional Quadro series of video cards. The latest NVIDIA Quadro release 182.08 supports all cards from the Quadro FX, Quadro CX and Quadro NVS series. Release highlights:
- WHQL Certified driver.
- Improved performance on workstation applications.
- Added support for DDC-Ci/MCCS over the DisplayPort AUX channel.
- Added 10-bits per color (10bpc) DisplayPort support for full-screen applications on supported products.
- Integrated AutoCAD and 3ds Max Performance Drivers in the graphics driver with auto-detection, providing increased performance. Support for three latest versions of AutoCAD and 3ds Max. Standalone versions or version updates can still be downloaded from the NVIDIA driver download page.
- Workstation application compatibility fixes. Please read the release notes for more information on product support, feature limitations, driver fixes and known compatibility issues.
Silicon Power Introduces 64 GB eSATA/USB Pocket Solid-State Drive
Silicon Power introduces today the 64 GB version of its combo eSATA/USB solid-state drive. With the size of a normal USB flash drive, this external solid-state drive can take up to 64 GB worth of data from any computer that has a free eSATA or mini-USB port. The 64 GB eSATA/USB SSD also features an integrated ECC (Error Correction Code) to ensure an accurate data transfer, as well as built-in wear leveling technology that guarantees long-term reliability and ultra-long storage lifespan. The new product is also available in 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB versions.
Safari 4 Beta Tested, Gives IE7 a Sound Thrashing at JavaScript Performance
There is a valid reason behind why Safari is growing in browser market-share, apart from the fact that iPhone carries it: it is arguably the fastest browser there is. The fourth beta version that surfaced earlier this week went a few notches ahead of Firefox (Minefield) 3.2a1 and Google Chrome in a review conducted by CNet, to take the top-sport for the fastest web-browser. Internet Explorer (IE) versions 7 and 8, Opera 9.6, Firefox 3, Chrome, Firefox(Minefield) 3.1 Alpha 1 and Safari 4 were put through JavaScript tests using the SunSpider suite. The PC was equipped with a Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.10 GHz. Safari 4 beta gave IE 7 a sound thrashing at the test, emerging 42 times faster. The performance difference between the two were so vast that the reviewers had to prepare a seperate graph without IE 7 so there could be more resolution in the charts showing the differences between the rest of the contendors. Then again, one must take into account the fact that Chrome and Firefox (Minefield) 3.2 weren't all that behind Safari 4 beta, only a few notches. The scores are denoted by render time in terms of milliseconds. Lesser the better. The scores stand at:
- Safari 4 (Total time: 910 ms)
- Mozilla Minefield 3.2a1 (1,136 ms)
- Google Chrome (1,177 ms)
- Firefox 3 (3,250 ms)
- Opera 9.6 (4,076 ms)
- Internet Explorer 8 (5,839 ms)
- Internet Explorer 7 (39,026 ms)
Sony-Optiarc Preparing 24X DVD Writer
Sony-Optiarc, a subsidiary of Sony, is preparing the new AD-7240S DVD-Writer drive that is built to write DVDs at 24X. The drive rivals Lite-On, which is already out with a drive that burns DVDs this fast. The drive has a standard-sized internal form factor, and uses the SATA interface. It features adaptive self-tuning and burns media at the following speeds: Up to 24X for single-layer DVD-R/+R; 12X for dual-layer DVD-R/+R, DVD-RAM, and DVD-R9; 48X and 32X for CD writing and re-writing respectively. The drive will reach retail by next month.
Lian Li to Preview Dragon Lord Series Cases at CeBIT
Just a reminder for all of you why it is worthwhile to pass by the Lian Li booth during CeBIT. Lian Li will show an exclusive preview of the new Lancool Dragon Lord series to be released this summer. The new Dragon Lord Series is now on show to stir up the market at an extraordinary price/performance level. For the many budget conscious users out there, the Lian Li brand was often unobtainable and only something to dream of.
Recently the Lancool brand from Lian Li emerged and is showing a preview of their new cases that will offer the quality for which Lian Li is famous for at a price level that will make the competition shiver. Pass by the booth E16, Hall 24 to be one of the first to see it! The official announcement will only surface sometime in Q2 so get in early and see what all the fuss is about!
Recently the Lancool brand from Lian Li emerged and is showing a preview of their new cases that will offer the quality for which Lian Li is famous for at a price level that will make the competition shiver. Pass by the booth E16, Hall 24 to be one of the first to see it! The official announcement will only surface sometime in Q2 so get in early and see what all the fuss is about!
Sharkoon Designs Fans With Modular Cable System
Flexible cable management is now available for fans. At CeBIT Sharkoon will be showcasing a new innovation in fan design: a case fan with modular cable system. The Sharkoon Silent Eagle SE features a 4 pin connector built into the fan's frame and comes with four different cables for connecting the fan to a mainboard, fan controller or power supply. The fan can be used with a CPU cooler or as a case or hard drive fan. The speed of the fan can be controlled via PWM signal or through three different cables directly connected to the power supply. Users can, according to need, choose the connection type, fan speed, and consequently the loudness and purpose for which the fan is used. Sharkoon offers the Silent Eagle SE in 80mm and 120mm.
Four cables are included with the fan, and include a 4-pin PWM cable that can be controlled by the mainboard and three cables with Molex connectors that limit the voltage to 12, 9 or 7 volts. The 30cm long cables are individually labelled and colour coded for easy reference as well as featuring a robust casing. Sharkoon also offers separately a 60cm cable for users with large cases. The Silent Eagle SE operates with an efficient, low-noise motor that provides silent operation under each connection. The 80mm fan has a maximum rotation of 2000 rpm and, depending on rotation, a noise level of between 6.5 and 22 dB(A). The 120mm fan has a maximum rotation of 1200 rpm and maximum loudness of 20.5 dB(A).
Four cables are included with the fan, and include a 4-pin PWM cable that can be controlled by the mainboard and three cables with Molex connectors that limit the voltage to 12, 9 or 7 volts. The 30cm long cables are individually labelled and colour coded for easy reference as well as featuring a robust casing. Sharkoon also offers separately a 60cm cable for users with large cases. The Silent Eagle SE operates with an efficient, low-noise motor that provides silent operation under each connection. The 80mm fan has a maximum rotation of 2000 rpm and, depending on rotation, a noise level of between 6.5 and 22 dB(A). The 120mm fan has a maximum rotation of 1200 rpm and maximum loudness of 20.5 dB(A).
Super Talent Launches DDR3 RDIMMs and ECC UDIMMs for Next Generation Servers
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced immediate availability of DDR3 Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs) and DDR3 ECC Unbuffered DIMMs (ECC UDIMMs).
Super Talent's 1GB and 2GB ECC UDIMMs are immediately available in production volumes and support speeds up to 1333MT/s for single DIMM per channel operation and 1066MT/s for two DIMM per channel operation. Super Talent's 1GB x8 RDIMM is also immediately available in production volumes and supports speeds up to 1333MT/s for single DIMM per channel operation, 1066MT/s for two DIMM per channel operation, and 800MT/s for three DIMM per channel operation. All these products are designed to be compatible with Intel's upcoming Nehalem EP Server Platform.
Super Talent's 1GB and 2GB ECC UDIMMs are immediately available in production volumes and support speeds up to 1333MT/s for single DIMM per channel operation and 1066MT/s for two DIMM per channel operation. Super Talent's 1GB x8 RDIMM is also immediately available in production volumes and supports speeds up to 1333MT/s for single DIMM per channel operation, 1066MT/s for two DIMM per channel operation, and 800MT/s for three DIMM per channel operation. All these products are designed to be compatible with Intel's upcoming Nehalem EP Server Platform.
Phenom II X3 Demand Skyrockets Post Core-Unlock Mod
Earlier this week, an article by a Korean computer enthusiast made waves across the internet. The enthusiast found a simple way to unlock the rudimentary core on Phenom II X3 processors, thanks to what AMD now refers to as "buggy BIOS". The article was followed up extensively by global media confirming the procedure. The result: sales of Phenom II X3 processors are seeing an upsurge.
Who wouldn't want to spend $150~170 on a triple-core processor that can be converted to a $200+ worth quad-core chip with decent levels of performance and overclocking headroom? AMD now has a tricky situation at hand. It can cash in on the demand and let the sales stay, but unfortunately, its planning went south looking for Greenland. The company has reporedly asked motherboard vendors to fix the "buggy BIOS". Ironically, in the wake of the DigiTimes report about upsurge in demand, AMD gave another statement, saying that the value Phenom II X3 processors offer speaks for itself.
Who wouldn't want to spend $150~170 on a triple-core processor that can be converted to a $200+ worth quad-core chip with decent levels of performance and overclocking headroom? AMD now has a tricky situation at hand. It can cash in on the demand and let the sales stay, but unfortunately, its planning went south looking for Greenland. The company has reporedly asked motherboard vendors to fix the "buggy BIOS". Ironically, in the wake of the DigiTimes report about upsurge in demand, AMD gave another statement, saying that the value Phenom II X3 processors offer speaks for itself.
Dell Launches The 24-inch 16:9 G2410 LCD Monitor
Normal for Dell, the company has launched a new 24-inch LCD monitor, without informing the public. The new monitor just appeared on the company's website and that's all. "Designed with the environment in mind", the Dell G2410 monitor is one of the firm's greenest LCDs. It comes with Dell EPEAT Gold rating, that reduce environmental impact by using halogen-free laminates in circuit boards and chassis plastics that contains 25% post-consumers recycled plastics. Max supported resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, response time is 5 ms, contrast ratio is 1000:1, brightness level is 250 cd/m² and the horizontal/vertical viewing angles are 160° and 170° respectively. Connectivity options of G2410 include single VGA and DVI-D connectors. Dell is now offering the monitor for $349 on its online store.
Galaxy Innovates GeForce GTX 285 High Performance Design
Pushing up the ante with innovation, Galaxy has come up with a new GeForce GTX 285 variant. No, it's not another cost-saving design, but rather the other way round: a mix of high-grade components. There are a few features which makes Galaxy's new card stand out:
- A 4+2 phase digital PWM power design as opposed to the 6-phase analog design on reference NVIDIA PCB. The VRM controller supports the necessary interface for software voltage control
- Redundant BIOS, two EEPROM chips on the PCB, possible BIOS profile switching feature
- Arctic Cooling Accelero XTREME GTX cooling
Marvell's New Marvel Hangs off Your Wall Outlet, Runs Linux
Marvell Semiconductor has come up with a marvel: the SheevaPlug computer software/hardware development kit (SHDK). The initiative puts to use the company's Sheeva ARM processor in a compact unit the size and form of a retro wall-mount AC-DC adapter. Consuming no more than 5 W of power, the unit can function as a full-featured PC, driving Linux. It packs a 1.2 GHz Sheeva ARM processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 512 MB of flash-based fixed storage.
Throwing open the development kit would mean companies wanting to build similar devices based on Marvell hardware. The SheevaPlug is built around the Marvell 88F6000 Kirkwood SoC design that makes use of Feroceon and XScale architectures, both of which are derivatives of ARM. Gigabit Ethernet and USB ports add to the connectivity. With several industry heavyweights such as Microsoft and Google predicting a bright future for cloud-computing, companies such as Marvell can only help but gain interest in developing inexpensive devices that drive the client-side machinery for it. Take a guess on how much SheevaPlug costs: US $100 in single unit retail quantities. What's more, it could be bought in bulk for as low as $50 a piece!
Throwing open the development kit would mean companies wanting to build similar devices based on Marvell hardware. The SheevaPlug is built around the Marvell 88F6000 Kirkwood SoC design that makes use of Feroceon and XScale architectures, both of which are derivatives of ARM. Gigabit Ethernet and USB ports add to the connectivity. With several industry heavyweights such as Microsoft and Google predicting a bright future for cloud-computing, companies such as Marvell can only help but gain interest in developing inexpensive devices that drive the client-side machinery for it. Take a guess on how much SheevaPlug costs: US $100 in single unit retail quantities. What's more, it could be bought in bulk for as low as $50 a piece!
ECS Intros Cutting-edge M.I.B. II Tweaking Utility for New Black Series Motherboards
Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the world's leading motherboard, graphics card, barebone system and notebook manufacturer, today introduces the latest cutting-edge M.I.B. II (Motherboard Intelligent BIOS II) tweaking utility for new-born Black Series motherboards, providing excellent solutions to meet the demands from the market without high price tag. Unleashing the full potential of hardware components that brings great benefits to users, ECS M.I.B. II incorporates plenty of detailed tweaking options especially in voltage control to enhance the overall system performance. In addition, gathering every tweaking option all in a single page is extremely convenient for users that spending precious time in searching merely a BIOS setting is never necessary. Just buy ECS's Black Series motherboards now and enjoy the tweaking pleasure immediately.
For many users, getting additional benefits is always their concern which makes overclocking considerably popular nowadays. ECS M.I.B. II allows users to get higher system performance simply by several steps in entering certain numbers in BIOS if they're not familiar with the BIOS settings. Comparing to the previous version of M.I.B. tweaking utility, more options and bigger range of voltage control are added as well for power users to reach the hardware limit. Moreover, it's extremely convenient that options for system tweaking are gathered all in a single page that power users can focus on pushing the limit without searching required options in various pages.
For many users, getting additional benefits is always their concern which makes overclocking considerably popular nowadays. ECS M.I.B. II allows users to get higher system performance simply by several steps in entering certain numbers in BIOS if they're not familiar with the BIOS settings. Comparing to the previous version of M.I.B. tweaking utility, more options and bigger range of voltage control are added as well for power users to reach the hardware limit. Moreover, it's extremely convenient that options for system tweaking are gathered all in a single page that power users can focus on pushing the limit without searching required options in various pages.
Phenom II X3 from Week 51 Batch Successfully Unlocks Fourth Core, AMD Steps In
The ability of AMD's Phenom II X3 processors dole out an additional core thanks to flaws in BIOS programming, has been one of the most interesting events in the computer enthusiast industry this month. A simple toggle of an option would unlock the disabled core, appreciating the value of the processor. It was earlier known that only chips belonging to 0904 (fourth week of 2009) batch of the processors would be able to respond to the mod successfully, but now, a fresh finding by German website Hartware.net suggests that even chips made in the 51st week of 2008 batch responded to the mod, and the fourth core could be enabled. Hartware.net used Biostar's TA790GX A2+ motherboard for the feat.
Meanwhile, the only entity that stands to lose due to this rather bizarre "phenomenon" has stepped in. AMD has reportedly requested motherboard manufacturers to not to release motherboards with the "buggy" BIOS, and to devise a fix for the issue immediately. Manufacturers are requested to release fixed BIOS updates. Evidently Phenom II X3 could cannibalize higher quad-core chips by the firm. The company is yet to release an DDR3-supportive quad-core chip based on the Deneb core with the entire 6 MB cache enabled.
Meanwhile, the only entity that stands to lose due to this rather bizarre "phenomenon" has stepped in. AMD has reportedly requested motherboard manufacturers to not to release motherboards with the "buggy" BIOS, and to devise a fix for the issue immediately. Manufacturers are requested to release fixed BIOS updates. Evidently Phenom II X3 could cannibalize higher quad-core chips by the firm. The company is yet to release an DDR3-supportive quad-core chip based on the Deneb core with the entire 6 MB cache enabled.
RivaTuner v2.24 Released
The RivaTuner team today announced a new version of one of the popular graphics card performance-control and monitoring utilities. Rivatuner version 2.24 adds several new features and fixes minor bugs and issues found with the older version.
DOWNLOAD: RivaTuner v2.24
Detailed lists of bug-fixes and feature additions follow:
DOWNLOAD: RivaTuner v2.24
Detailed lists of bug-fixes and feature additions follow:
Ion-Based Acer Hornet Nettop Surfaces
Amidst a virtual faceoff between Intel and NVIDIA over what the ideology behind a ULPC should be, NVIDIA's Ion platform gains another taker, the Acer Hornet. NVIDIA's Ion platform consists of a ULV/ULPC processor made by Intel (soon VIA), paired with NVIDIA's MCP79-derived core-logic that bundles NVIDIA's powerful integrated graphics, system management, features and energy efficiency that the company claims to dwarf anything Intel has to offer as far as platform technologies go.
Acer Hornet builds on the basic Ion nettop design. It uses an Intel Atom processor, paired with NVIDIA chipset. The main unit is designed in a way that allows it to be placed on a desk with a stand, or mounted on any display panel that supports the VESA wall-mount standard. It is expected to use a single-core or dual-core Intel Atom processor. It's MCP79-derived chipset features a GeForce 9400-class IGP that can provide smooth HD video playback, and also some light-gaming thrown in. Furthermore, it supports a certain motion-sensing game controller that lets you play certain Wii-style games. The same controller can be used as a pointing device (what Acer calls "air-mouse"), and also a media center remote control. We will know more in the weeks to come. Head over to DonanimHaber for more pictures.
Acer Hornet builds on the basic Ion nettop design. It uses an Intel Atom processor, paired with NVIDIA chipset. The main unit is designed in a way that allows it to be placed on a desk with a stand, or mounted on any display panel that supports the VESA wall-mount standard. It is expected to use a single-core or dual-core Intel Atom processor. It's MCP79-derived chipset features a GeForce 9400-class IGP that can provide smooth HD video playback, and also some light-gaming thrown in. Furthermore, it supports a certain motion-sensing game controller that lets you play certain Wii-style games. The same controller can be used as a pointing device (what Acer calls "air-mouse"), and also a media center remote control. We will know more in the weeks to come. Head over to DonanimHaber for more pictures.
Zotac Prepares New GeForce 9600 GT Green and GeForce GTX 285 With Water Cooling
Zotac has two new video cards in its labs, waiting to be released very soon. The first one is a GeForce 9600 GT Green Edition with clock speeds of 600 MHz for the core, 1500 MHz for the shaders and 1800 MHz for the 512MB GDDR3 memory. The card is shorter than a standard GeForce 9600 GT, and also has no 6-pin external power connector.
The second card is a water-cooled GeForce GTX 285. The card uses full-cover single slot GPU block, which is enough to cool core, shader and memory frequencies of 702 MHz, 1512 MHz and 2592 MHz respectively.
Both cards are most likely to be introduced at CeBIT 2009.
The second card is a water-cooled GeForce GTX 285. The card uses full-cover single slot GPU block, which is enough to cool core, shader and memory frequencies of 702 MHz, 1512 MHz and 2592 MHz respectively.
Both cards are most likely to be introduced at CeBIT 2009.
XIGMATEK Launches 400W Eco-friendly PSU
Cooling specialist XIGMATEK announced today new 400W green power supply for use in computers. Main features of the PSU, dubbed NRP-PC402, include:
- Continuous 400W output with very stable voltage regulation and clean DC quality
- High efficiency over 85%
- Silent 140 mm black fan, rpm controlled by temperature
- Dual 12V output rail (2x20A)
- Active PFC with 0.99 Active PFC rate
- All Cables are sleeved
- Provide PCIe 6pin/6+2pin connectors to support high-end graphic cards.
ASUS Shines with New Marine Cool Motherboard Concept
This year ASUS will try to leave the competition far behind, by introducing a brand new motherboard concept, the Marine Cool series. The Marine Cool series design goes far ahead from current Republic of Gamers (R.O.G.) mainboard products. For starters, the new motherboard has a new back plate that utilizes "micro-porous ceramic" technology and spreads across the whole PCB. The heat-pipe system that cools the motherboard's main components is also different, compared to current shipping products. Although the cooling technology remains the same, the whole look of the system reminds of a robot armour. Finally, it looks that ASUS engineers have decided to use SO-DIMM modules to cope with current Core 2 processors (if I'm right that appears to be LGA775 socket). I know it sounds a bit crazy, but pictures don't lie. Have a look and write what you think. The ASUS Marine Cool prototype will make first appearance during this year's CeBIT 2009 in Hannover, Germany.
Wednesday, February 25th 2009
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Memory
Motherboards
Notebooks
Sound Cards
ARM Showcases Prototype Netbooks
Standing up against an almost unassailable domination of x86 machine architecture, even in the ULPC segment, ARM showcased netbooks based on processors such as Freescale iMX515 and Qualcomm Snapdragon. The processors, ARM claims, are capable to run 720p HD video, and operate at speeds of up to 1 GHz. The best way ARM sees to compete with x86, is to support operating systems that run on it, such as Linux.
The growth and propagation of Ubuntu seems to be a good opportunity to cash on. ARM is reportedly working with Canonical to devise a full-featured ARM-supportive variant of Ubuntu. Meanwhile, Adobe has announced that it is working on an ARM-supportive Flash 10 plugin. Ubuntu's ARM edition should be out by April, by when we can get realistic figures about ARM netbooks' performance. The netbooks will be priced in the US $250 range and are expected to start selling from June. A video covering the presentation can be viewed here.
The growth and propagation of Ubuntu seems to be a good opportunity to cash on. ARM is reportedly working with Canonical to devise a full-featured ARM-supportive variant of Ubuntu. Meanwhile, Adobe has announced that it is working on an ARM-supportive Flash 10 plugin. Ubuntu's ARM edition should be out by April, by when we can get realistic figures about ARM netbooks' performance. The netbooks will be priced in the US $250 range and are expected to start selling from June. A video covering the presentation can be viewed here.
Braid Coming to Steam
Valve today announced an agreement to distribute Braid, the innovative title named AIAS Causal Game of the Year, via Steam, a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games.
Created by Jonathan Blow, Braid is a multi-award winning title that blends platform and puzzle game play with time manipulation. The game features a rich story and plays out across seven unique worlds, each its own time-based game mechanic. The Steam version of Braid will also leverage Steamworks for integration of Achievements and Steam Community features.
"Braid is arguably the strongest example of what can be accomplished by an independent game designer," said Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. "From GDC to DICE, the title has deservedly collected numerous accolades and, along with World of Goo, Audiosurf and many others, is redefining the way people think about 'Independent Games.'"
Available for $14.99 (12.99 EUR, 9.99 Pounds Sterling), Braid is due for launch via Steam on March 31, 2009. For more information, please visit steamgames.com
Created by Jonathan Blow, Braid is a multi-award winning title that blends platform and puzzle game play with time manipulation. The game features a rich story and plays out across seven unique worlds, each its own time-based game mechanic. The Steam version of Braid will also leverage Steamworks for integration of Achievements and Steam Community features.
"Braid is arguably the strongest example of what can be accomplished by an independent game designer," said Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. "From GDC to DICE, the title has deservedly collected numerous accolades and, along with World of Goo, Audiosurf and many others, is redefining the way people think about 'Independent Games.'"
Available for $14.99 (12.99 EUR, 9.99 Pounds Sterling), Braid is due for launch via Steam on March 31, 2009. For more information, please visit steamgames.com
Cooler Master to Demo 20-Core Machine at CeBIT
Cooler Master seems to be showing keen interest in small-scale cluster computing, or at least the casing, power and cooling part of it. In a bid to flex its engineering muscle, the company that is known best for its coolers and PC cases, is coming up with an intensive cluster-computer dubbed "20 Cores PC". What might look like an overgrown PC case from the outside, with enough room inside to accommodate an enthusiast PC setup, water-cooling, massive storage, and still room left to hide things, actually is a modified ATCS 840 to perpendicularly stack up to five mini-ITX motherboards, in essence, five systems. Armed with decent skills in networking and virtualization, one can build a small cluster-computer out of those five sub-PCs.
The 20 Cores PC Cooler Master plans to demonstrate this CeBIT has five motherboards powered by an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor each (hence 20 cores). Each CPU is water-cooled by the cooling system in place. Each motherboard has all essential components connected such as dedicated memory (2 GB per board), and fixed-storage. Each PC additionally has its own optical drive. In the cooling efficiency tests conducted by the company, it was noted that after five hours of full-load, the hottest CPU reached only 66 °C, with an ambient temperature of 30 °C and chipset temperature of 38 °C. The temperatures seem impressive indeed, though credit goes to the three 200 mm ventilator fans, a 120 mm fan, and a water-cooling system consisting of five pumps and a large radiator. The entire unit is powered by a Cooler Master 1,200 W power supply.
The 20 Cores PC Cooler Master plans to demonstrate this CeBIT has five motherboards powered by an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor each (hence 20 cores). Each CPU is water-cooled by the cooling system in place. Each motherboard has all essential components connected such as dedicated memory (2 GB per board), and fixed-storage. Each PC additionally has its own optical drive. In the cooling efficiency tests conducted by the company, it was noted that after five hours of full-load, the hottest CPU reached only 66 °C, with an ambient temperature of 30 °C and chipset temperature of 38 °C. The temperatures seem impressive indeed, though credit goes to the three 200 mm ventilator fans, a 120 mm fan, and a water-cooling system consisting of five pumps and a large radiator. The entire unit is powered by a Cooler Master 1,200 W power supply.
Thermaltake Launches ISGC 12 cm Ultra-Quiet Fan
Thermaltae is out on the market with a brand new multi-purpose 12 cm fan. The ISGC fan appears to come with some odd curves on the blades at first sight, but this is for a reason - to help keep the noise levels coming from spinning to the absolute minimum. The 120x120x25 mm ISGC uses Hydro Dynamic Bearing (H.D.B) system, spins from 800 to 1300 RPM and has max aiflow of 58.3 CFM at only 16dBA. In the package you'll also find four rubber vibration-absorbing mounts. The ISGC 12 cm fan is yet to be priced. For more information, click here.
AMD Istanbul Six-Core Chips On Schedule for 2H09 Release
After showing us working samples of the first six-core "Istanbul" server chips, AMD today hosted some information on its blog regarding the work process on the chips. "The silicon is healthy and we're targeting a launch in 2H09," AMD spokesperson Jake Whitman said Tuesday. "The new 6-core version of the AMD Opteron processor is scheduled to be available in the second half of this year, and it is everything we had hoped for - and more." added John Fruehe from AMD, on his blog.
With the release of "Istanbul" server chips, AMD will try to catch up with Intel and its six-core "Dunnington" processor for servers. The Socket 1207 Istanbul chips will offer an easy upgrade from current 45nm quad-core Shanghai Opterons, while still maintaining the same thermal envelope with even more cores per processor. To watch videos of "Istanbul" in action left click here.
With the release of "Istanbul" server chips, AMD will try to catch up with Intel and its six-core "Dunnington" processor for servers. The Socket 1207 Istanbul chips will offer an easy upgrade from current 45nm quad-core Shanghai Opterons, while still maintaining the same thermal envelope with even more cores per processor. To watch videos of "Istanbul" in action left click here.
GeForce GTS 250 Inches Closer Launch
Does the card in the picture below look familiar to you? GeForce 8800 GTS-512? Well yes, but that's also what the GeForce GTS 250 is going to end up looking like. The 3+1 phase design on the 8800 GTS-512 allowed the 65 nm G92 GPU to be clocked at a reasonable 650 MHz, but come 55 nm G92b, and NVIDIA will look to use the same card design to accommodate the higher-clocked GPU which shares its clock-speeds and other machinery with the GeForce 9800 GTX+. The new card is going to use the upcoming CeBIT event as its launchpad. Think of it as 9800 GTX+ after liposuction.
The GeForce GTS 250 is expected to come with identical clock speeds to those of the 9800 GTX+. 738 MHz for the core, 1,836 MHz for the shaders, and 1,100 (2.20 GHz DDR) for the memory. Speaking of memory, NVIDIA's reference design is expected to come in 512 MB and 1 GB flavours, with partners being given the freedom to carve out their own designs. Some partners even seem to be contemplating 2 GB models. It comes with 128 stream processors. The 9 inch long PCB and cooler visually bear some resemblance with the GeForce 8800 GTS-512. Apparently NVIDIA feels the single 6-pin PCI-E power input is a spoon big enough to feed the card, something EVGA and Galaxy did months earlier, with its rated power consumption at 150W. The GTS 250 accelerator is NVIDIA's next card to plough the fertile sub-$200 market. NVIDIA will lift the NDA over this card on March 3, following which the cards will reach retail channels by March 10.
The GeForce GTS 250 is expected to come with identical clock speeds to those of the 9800 GTX+. 738 MHz for the core, 1,836 MHz for the shaders, and 1,100 (2.20 GHz DDR) for the memory. Speaking of memory, NVIDIA's reference design is expected to come in 512 MB and 1 GB flavours, with partners being given the freedom to carve out their own designs. Some partners even seem to be contemplating 2 GB models. It comes with 128 stream processors. The 9 inch long PCB and cooler visually bear some resemblance with the GeForce 8800 GTS-512. Apparently NVIDIA feels the single 6-pin PCI-E power input is a spoon big enough to feed the card, something EVGA and Galaxy did months earlier, with its rated power consumption at 150W. The GTS 250 accelerator is NVIDIA's next card to plough the fertile sub-$200 market. NVIDIA will lift the NDA over this card on March 3, following which the cards will reach retail channels by March 10.
Radeon HD 4750 Previewed, Performs Closer to HD 4850
An unexpected visitor to Guru3D.com's offices was a pre-release sample of a yet to be released 40 nm RV740-based Radeon HD 4750 graphics accelerator. Not bound by any NDAs with AMD, the website went ahead with a little (p)review of the card. The HD 4750 is the RV740XT model, and features GDDR5 memory. The name contradicts an earlier report suggesting HD 4770 to be the shelf-name for the RV740XT, and HD 4750 for the GDDR3-based RV740Pro. It features 640 stream processors, core clock speeds between 650~700 MHz and GDDR5 memory clocked at 800 MHz (3.20 GHz effective), across a 128-bit wide memory bus. The RV740XT comes with a rated shader compute power of 900 GFLOPs, as against 740 GFLOPs the RV770LE-based HD 4830 is rated at, while having similar specifications. It comes with 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs.
The findings of the preview show it to be somewhere between the performance levels of the Radeon HD 4830 and HD 4850. Interestingly, Guru3D omitted GeForce 8800 GT/9800 GT from the comparison, though GeForce 9600 GT was left to face the onslaught from stronger ATI GPUs. The Radeon HD 4750 is expected to be priced below the $100 mark and is expected to outperform most competitive accelerators in its price-range. To read the review, head over to Guru3D here.
The findings of the preview show it to be somewhere between the performance levels of the Radeon HD 4830 and HD 4850. Interestingly, Guru3D omitted GeForce 8800 GT/9800 GT from the comparison, though GeForce 9600 GT was left to face the onslaught from stronger ATI GPUs. The Radeon HD 4750 is expected to be priced below the $100 mark and is expected to outperform most competitive accelerators in its price-range. To read the review, head over to Guru3D here.
SiS LinkVast Announces Its First-Generation SSD Controllers
SiS Group Company- LinkVast Technologies Inc. today announced the first generation solid-state drive (SSD) memory controllers - LVT820 and LVT815 which manage the latest solid-state memory devices and support external DRAM interfaces to meet the advanced SSD hard drive performance requirements. In addition to standard size of Hard Disk Drive in Desktop PC, LVT820 and LVT815 also can be applied in various forms and sizes for different devices for Notebook/Netbook PC, Embedded system and specific application system markets.
With SATAII interface design, the data transfer rate of LVT820 and LVT815 up to 3Gbps. They support 8 channels (64bit/64CE) and 4 channels (32bit/32CE) memory systems respectively for the flexible and diverse capacity SSD hard drive usage. By designing with the architecture of 16-bit ECC technology, that ensures data transfer accuracy and achieve the reliability and longevity to SSD hard drive with built-in the Advanced Dynamic & Static Wear Leveling technology supporting.
With SATAII interface design, the data transfer rate of LVT820 and LVT815 up to 3Gbps. They support 8 channels (64bit/64CE) and 4 channels (32bit/32CE) memory systems respectively for the flexible and diverse capacity SSD hard drive usage. By designing with the architecture of 16-bit ECC technology, that ensures data transfer accuracy and achieve the reliability and longevity to SSD hard drive with built-in the Advanced Dynamic & Static Wear Leveling technology supporting.
I-O Data Intros Newer 21.3-inch HD LCD Monitor
About a week into introducing the high-definition LCD-MF242X family of 23.6 inch monitors, I-O Data adds another one to its ranks, the 21.3 inch LCD-MF221XGBR. The new monitor seems to be more of a scaled-down version of the LCD-MF242X. Dimensions aside, it has an identical feature-set.
The monitor comes with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (1080p-ready), and an LCD response-time of 5 ms. It comes with a maximum brightness of 300 cd/m², static contrast-ratio of 1,000:1 and dynamic ratio of 10,000:1. Coming with a generous set of connectivity options, the monitor takes input from DVI, D-Sub and HDMI 1.2a connectors. It tips the scales at 4.5 kg (around 9.92 lbs). Backed by a three-year company warranty, the LCD-MF221XGBR sells for around US $227.
The monitor comes with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (1080p-ready), and an LCD response-time of 5 ms. It comes with a maximum brightness of 300 cd/m², static contrast-ratio of 1,000:1 and dynamic ratio of 10,000:1. Coming with a generous set of connectivity options, the monitor takes input from DVI, D-Sub and HDMI 1.2a connectors. It tips the scales at 4.5 kg (around 9.92 lbs). Backed by a three-year company warranty, the LCD-MF221XGBR sells for around US $227.
HIS Out With HD 4870 Fan Edition
Having come up with the Radeon HD 4850 Fan Edition, HIS now has Fan Edition variants for the Radeon HD 4870. Coming in 512 MB (model: H487FN512P) and 1 GB (model: H487FN1GP) models, the Radeon HD 4870 Fan builds on the design methodology of simplistic cooling on the blue-coloured AMD reference design PCB that goes into making the IceQ 4 variants. The card uses heatsinks over the memory and VRM areas, while using a somewhat large GPU cooler. The cooler consists of aluminum fins projecting radially from the GPU contact block. A blue LED-lit fan nucleates the cooler.
The card comes with reference AMD clock speeds of 750/900 MHz (core/memory). Listed on American e-tailer Newegg.com for US $164.99 (512 MB) and $204.99 (1 GB), the HD 4870 Fan is comparatively lower-priced than even reference-design HD 4870 cards from other makes. With the reference design PCB on offer, the two invariably become great buys if one needs to buy reference design PCBs to install water-cooling, not to say that the cooler this comes with is insufficient.
The card comes with reference AMD clock speeds of 750/900 MHz (core/memory). Listed on American e-tailer Newegg.com for US $164.99 (512 MB) and $204.99 (1 GB), the HD 4870 Fan is comparatively lower-priced than even reference-design HD 4870 cards from other makes. With the reference design PCB on offer, the two invariably become great buys if one needs to buy reference design PCBs to install water-cooling, not to say that the cooler this comes with is insufficient.
VIA Intros the AMOS-3000 Embedded Box Computer
VIA Technologies, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the launch of VIA's first embedded box computer; the VIA AMOS-3000. Ideal for a variety of embedded applications, the VIA AMOS-3000 is a robust, custom-designed system based on the ultra compact and versatile VIA EPIA-P700 Pico-ITX board. Inspired by classical Chinese architecture, the VIA AMOS-3000 chassis combines heavy-duty steel, aluminum and copper in a unique heat fin design that offers superb heat dissipation. Using a total of only five mechanical pieces - top cover, bottom plate, front and rear I/O access plates and DOM module - and measuring only 13.5cm(w) x 4.5cm(h) x 13.1cm(d), the VIA AMOS-3000 is strong, durable and heat efficient, yet tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
New Acer Aspire One Netbook Spotted
Spy photos of a new Acer Aspire One netbook were distributed through the internet channel. It is unclear whether the pictures show an updated Aspire One 10-inch version or the rumored 11.6-inch netbook that's getting ready for launch sometime later this year. No specs have leaked with the photos, only clues from the pics. This model is slimmer than previous Aspire One netbooks, it has SD Expansion slot, and unusual positions for the VGA and the RJ45 network port. The keyboard layout and the Windows key, hint that it will be powered by Windows distribution, other sites also claim a SSD drive is inside the shell. Expect more information soon.
Kingston Receives 1333 MHz DDR3 Server Memory Validation from Intel
Kingston Technology Company, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced its 1333 MHz DDR3 server memory modules were validated by Intel for use on its Xeon processor-based motherboards. Kingston's registered ECC server ValueRAM DIMMs are optimized to take advantage of the triple-channel architecture for Intel's newest server platforms using the new Nehalem-based Xeon processors. The 1333 MHz DDR3 server modules will be available in 3 GB and 6 GB triple-channel kits. Kingston server memory is backed by a lifetime warranty and free, 24/7 technical support. For Intel validation information, please click here.
Gainward Copies Palit With Custom Cooled 1 GB GeForce GTX 285 Card
There's a new card being prepared by Gainward. Named after Cáo Cāo, a warlord in ancient China, Gainward GeForce GTX 285 Cao Cao Edition borrows the whole concept of Palit's custom GeForce GTX 285 card with 1 GB and 2 GB memory. Regardless of the mighty dual-slot cooler, the card is stock clocked at 648 MHz for the 55nm GPU, 1476 MHz for the 240 Processing Cores and 2484 MHz for the memory. In contrast to Palit cards, the Cao Cao Gainward will ship with "only" 1GB of GDDR3 memory. The card is also said to cost around $440 when released.
Panasonic, Philips and Sony Establish One Stop Shop Product License for Blu-ray Disc
Panasonic, Philips and Sony are currently working with other Blu-ray Disc patent holders to establish a one-stop-shop license for Blu-ray Disc products. This license, which covers essential patents for Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD, will be introduced in the middle of this year. The license program will be offered by a new independent licensing company that will be based in the United States with branch offices in Asia, Europe and Latin America. The CEO of the new license company will be Mr. Gerald Rosenthal, former head of IP at IBM and more recently CEO of Open Invention Network. "By establishing a new licensing entity that offers a single license for Blu-ray Disc products at attractive rates, I am confident that it will foster the growth of the Blu-ray Disc market and serve the interest of all companies participating in this market, be it as licensee or licensor." said Mr. Rosenthal.
SanDisk Ships Next Generation USB Memory Card Readers
SanDisk Corporation today announced that it has shipped the latest editions of its popular SanDisk ImageMate memory card readers, which provide enhanced user experience through increased efficiency and faster data transfer rates. The new readers have shipped to retailers in North America and are available for purchase at this time.
Dell Quietly Lists New Studio XPS 435 Workstation PC
Dell has quietly listed a new desktop system on its site, the Dell Studio XPS 435. The slick, angled casing of Studio XPS 435 hides a 3.2 GHz Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition processor, an Intel X58 motherboard, up to 24 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM working at triple-channel, ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card with 1 GB GDDR5 memory, up to 4.5 TB of storage and a Blu-Ray disc drive. As standard you get a Gigabit NIC, integrated 7.1 channel sound, 15-in-1 memory card reader, and eight USB 2.0 ports. If you want to go beyond that, there's an optional Creative X-Fi sound blaster, BOSE 2.1 sound system, and a wireless network card. The system is yet to be priced.
XFX Starts Wallpaper Competition for Residents of North America
XFX starts a competition for eveyone that's keen on hardware and in the meantime can draw well. Using basic assets which will be supplied from XFX, you need to draw the coolest wallpaper in one of 4 sizes - 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024 and 1600x1200. The only requirement to participate in this competition is to be North America resident. Every day and every week until the final on March 20th, XFX will choose a winner that will receive various bonuses. Daily winners will receive a legal copy of Ubisoft's FarCry 2, weekly winners will earn a XFX Pocker Set and the final winner will win a whole Intel Core 2 Quad computer system by iBuyPower. The competition starts today, for more information click here.
Intel to Launch New Ultra Low-Voltage Processors for Small Notebooks Next Month
DigiTimes reports of new Intel ultra low-voltage (ULV) processors being prepared for the end of next month.
Intel plans to launch two new ultra low voltage (ULV) CPUs by the end of March this year mainly targeting the company's consumer ultra low voltage (CULV) platform for ultra-thin notebook products, according to sources at notebook makers. The two CPUs are the Core 2 Duo SU9600 with a core frequency of 1.6 GHz and priced at US$289 in thousand-unit tray quantities, and Core 2 Solo SU3500 at 1.4 GHz and US$262. The two CPUs join the previously launched SU9400, SU9300, SU3300 and Celeron 723 under the CULV product line. All can be pared with the GS45 IGP chipset.
Buffalo Updates its 2.5-inch SHD-NSUM Solid-State Drive Offerings
Buffalo said today that its SHD-NSUM family of 2.5-inch solid-state drives has been updated to include new drives with 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB usable space. Grand total, now the family will include models with 30 GB, 32 GB, 60 GB, 64 GB, 120 GB and 128 GB capacities. They'll use MLC-based technology and feature both SATA 3.0 Gbps for internal use in computers or notebooks and a high-speed USB 2.0 interface for external usage. Expected to become available in Japan some time in mid-March, the 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB SHD-NSUM models will cost about $123, $216 and $391 respectively.
Palit Quitely Slips In HD 4850 Sonic Special Edition, Sports GDDR5 Memory
Known to be an innovative lot when it comes to designing graphics cards, Palit has quitely slipped in a new variant to its Radeon HD 4850 series: the Palit Radeon HD 4850 Sonic Special Edition. What makes this card special, or rather different from the HD 4850 Sonic, are its memory and connectivity options. This is perhaps the first and only Radeon HD 4850 accelerator with GDDR5 memory. The card features 512 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 256-bit wide bus.
It uses an identical dual-slot cooler design to that of the HD 4850 Sonic. If the faster memory wasn't incentive enough, Palit has also expanded the connectivity options. The card provides a DVI, D-Sub (analog), HDMI and DisplayPort connectors all on the card. Owing to the Sonic branding, the card definitely sports higher clock-speeds than what AMD specifies. Further blurring the line between this card and a Radeon HD 4870, is its requirement of two 6-pin PCI-E power inputs. We are in the process of finding out its exact clock speeds, price and a larger picture.
It uses an identical dual-slot cooler design to that of the HD 4850 Sonic. If the faster memory wasn't incentive enough, Palit has also expanded the connectivity options. The card provides a DVI, D-Sub (analog), HDMI and DisplayPort connectors all on the card. Owing to the Sonic branding, the card definitely sports higher clock-speeds than what AMD specifies. Further blurring the line between this card and a Radeon HD 4870, is its requirement of two 6-pin PCI-E power inputs. We are in the process of finding out its exact clock speeds, price and a larger picture.
Court Grants Rambus Supplemental Damages in Hynix Case
Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companies specializing in high-speed memory architectures, today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has granted its request for supplemental damages following an earlier jury verdict finding nine Rambus patents valid and infringed by Hynix SDRAM products. According to the order, Hynix is to pay Rambus royalties of 1% for SDR SDRAM products and 4.25% for DDR SDRAM products made, used, or sold in the United States after December 31, 2005. DDR SDRAM products include DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, GDDR SDRAM, GDDR2 SDRAM, GDDR3 SDRAM, and DDR SGRAM. These supplemental damages are in addition to those previously awarded in the amount of $133M for Hynix's infringement through December 31, 2005.
Qimonda in Talks with Potential Buyers
Qimonda AG has maintained liquidity since applying to open insolvency proceedings on January 23, 2009, thus fulfilling the requirement necessary in order to continue operation preliminarily. At the same time, the Qimonda management and a team working for the preliminary insolvency administrator Dr. Michael Jaffé have been holding concrete discussions with numerous international interested parties. The aim is to have firm offers submitted as soon as possible. Following successful mass production of the first generation of the innovative Buried Wordline technology at the Dresden facility, the 46nm generation, potentially a leading technology in the industry, is now to be made ready for production in collaboration with an investor, with mass production to begin in summer 2009. Furthermore, intensive work is being put into financing options which would allow production to also continue for a limited period of several months after March 31, 2009. This would aid the company in successfully concluding the process of finding an investor, providing concrete indications of interest have been made by the end of March. The sale of investments is being prepared in parallel with the search for investors in order to generate liquidity to continue running the core business.
Intel Wants Netbook Trademark Canceled too
Now that Dell started the legal war with PSION, it's time for Intel to go in persuit of the "Netbook" trademark. The latter has filled a petition in the U.S. District Court against PSION TEKLOGIX. This action arises from the allegations recently launched by PSION that it has the exclusive right to use the term "Netbook". Intel claims PSION trademarked the term for its laptop computers, but discontinued its line of laptops in 2003. Effective that date, the term is no longer under PSION's supervision. Now Intel demands cancellation of the "Netbook" trademark for little computers. Intel claims the public already uses the term generically, as "extensions of the notebook category, smaller computers purpose-built for mobile Internet access." Accordingly, the court should cancel PSION's trademark registration and enjoin PSION from asserting rights in the netbook term. A copy of the petition is posted here.
Left 4 Dead 360 Update Released
A free update for the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead is available now via Xbox Live. The update includes a host of fixes, tweaks and new features, including enhancements to Versus mode for improved competitive play. The full change list is:
General
General
- Fixed Survivors being able to climb surfaces marked for versus infected only
- Fixed a class of SurvivorBot bugs dealing with rescuing downed players
- Players can no longer grab ladders while flying through the air after a Tank punch
- Shooting near a car with an alarm that has already fired the alarm will no longer make chirping noises
- Fixed mini-gun physics exploit
- Fixed propane tanks (and other physics objects) causing players to fall through elevators
- Fixed rare achievement bug issues
- Fixed several map exploits
Tuesday, February 24th 2009
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Gaming PC
Memory
Networking
ASUS mATX ROG Rampage II GENE Motherboard Officially Announced
Do you remember the ASUS Rampage II GENE motherboard that we informed you about here two days ago? Well the motherboard has now been officially announced by ASUS. The Full Press Release statement follows below.
Mobility Radeon HD 4570 Sneaks In
Close to ten days before ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 4000 series rolls out at the upcoming CeBIT event, one of its eggs seems to have hatched a little early. Dell's Indian website has already started listing it in the specifications of the Studio 15 notebook. Enter Mobility Radeon HD 4570. This mGPU is derived from the 55 nm RV710 graphics processor, and intends to be a handy performance boost over integrated graphics. It features 80 stream processors, 8 texture memory units, and 4 raster operations units. It connects to GDDR3, DDR2 memory using its 64-bit wide memory bus. The card used in Dell's Studio 15 sports 256 MB of memory. The mGPU is expected to outperform competing NVIDIA G110M by 20~30%, while keeping its TDP rating at a mere 13 W. Once formally announced, one could expect to hear more about this mGPU.
Square Enix Delivers Games to PC Users Via Steam
Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in North America (Square Enix), and Valve Corporation (Valve), a developer of leading-edge technologies and software, announced today an agreement to bring Square Enix titles to customers in North America and Europe via Steam, Valve's leading platform for digital content distribution and management.
Beginning April 9, THE LAST REMNANT will be available for purchase via Steam, which makes PC games available online to more than 15 million users worldwide. An action RPG from the makers of the FINAL FANTASY series, THE LAST REMNANT will be the first Square Enix game to utilize Steamworks and be distributed via Steam. Square Enix will continue to add to its roster of games on Steam, providing users with instant access - after purchase, they can download the game immediately and start playing. Pricing will be announced at a later date.
Beginning April 9, THE LAST REMNANT will be available for purchase via Steam, which makes PC games available online to more than 15 million users worldwide. An action RPG from the makers of the FINAL FANTASY series, THE LAST REMNANT will be the first Square Enix game to utilize Steamworks and be distributed via Steam. Square Enix will continue to add to its roster of games on Steam, providing users with instant access - after purchase, they can download the game immediately and start playing. Pricing will be announced at a later date.
Alphacool Rolls Out New Intel Socket CPU Water Blocks
German cooling specialist Alphacool released two new CPU water blocks that boast support for all existing and upcoming Intel sockets, the HF 14 series. Its two members are Livingstone and Yellowstone. While both have an identical retention mechanism design, the block design itself is where the differences lie. The Livingstone uses a bilateral-symmetric design, while for the Yellowstone block, the inlet is positioned in the center, to gush right onto the heat-exchange fins.
The company is yet to publish data-sheets for the water blocks, so we could tell you more, though they have been listed on the company store. The Livingstone block sells for 59.95 €, while the Yellowstone is priced significantly higher at 74.95 €. Both blocks support Intel LGA-775, LGA-1366 and promise support for the upcoming LGA-1160/LGA-1156 socket. Pictured below, in order are Livingstone and Yellowstone (red RM brace).
The company is yet to publish data-sheets for the water blocks, so we could tell you more, though they have been listed on the company store. The Livingstone block sells for 59.95 €, while the Yellowstone is priced significantly higher at 74.95 €. Both blocks support Intel LGA-775, LGA-1366 and promise support for the upcoming LGA-1160/LGA-1156 socket. Pictured below, in order are Livingstone and Yellowstone (red RM brace).
ZOTAC Expands NITRO Features and Compatibility
ZOTAC International today unleashes the award-winning ZOTAC NITRO hardware-overclocking controller for use with all NVIDIA GeForce based graphics cards. The ZOTAC NITRO is the world's first hardware-overclocking controller, enabling graphics card overclocking with the press of three buttons. "End users demanded that we open up the NITRO hardware for use with non-ZOTAC graphics cards. We listened, and with a software update, the ZOTAC NITRO will work with all NVIDIA GeForce based graphics cards," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.
Microsoft Releases Red Xbox 360 Next Month
Starting from next month, Microsoft's award-wining entertainment console, the Xbox 360 will be sold in red color. That's of course a limited version, created to debut along with Capcom's survival horror Resident Evil 5. The bundle will include a red Xbox 360 Elite, single wireless controller also painted in red, a 120 GB hard drive, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, exclusive Resident Evil Premium Theme, Xbox 360 black wired headset, HDTV-ready component HD AV, HDMI and Ethernet cables. All this will be yours for $399. The bundle will be available for the March 13 release of Resident Evil 5.
Microsoft SideWinder X8 Mouse With BlueTrack Technology Available This Week
The Microsoft SideWinder X8 Mouse, available on store shelves this week, offers a best-in-class tracking engine with Microsoft BlueTrack Technology and wireless freedom built for lag-free play. The newest mouse to join the SideWinder line, the SideWinder X8 offers the best frame rate, speed and acceleration on the market and a tracking range from 250 dots per inch (dpi) to 4,000 dpi, giving gamers ultimate control and precision.
"Many gamers have long desired a wireless gaming mouse that doesn't compromise on performance, and Microsoft delivers with the SideWinder X8 Mouse," said Bill Jukes, product marketing manager for Microsoft Hardware. "Combining the best tracking performance available with an innovative wireless solution, this mouse will change the way gamers perceive wireless performance."
"Many gamers have long desired a wireless gaming mouse that doesn't compromise on performance, and Microsoft delivers with the SideWinder X8 Mouse," said Bill Jukes, product marketing manager for Microsoft Hardware. "Combining the best tracking performance available with an innovative wireless solution, this mouse will change the way gamers perceive wireless performance."
Spire Introduces Universally compatible PacificBreeze II Notebook Cooler
Spire introduces PacificBreeze II universal notebook cooler. The universally compatible PacificBreeze II is designed for multiple application and comfort. The top aluminum surface works like a heat sink and enables fast heat dissipation, it also provides a sophisticated look. The gentle slope improves typing comfort, raises the laptop screen and reduces neck strain. The PacificBreeze accommodates laptop performance, comfort and is affordable. Trust the brand with the industry experience and 3-year warranty, Spire - Powered by Innovation.
EVGA GPU Voltage Tuner Version 1.1.2.1 Released
EVGA updated today its GPU Voltage Tuner utility to version 1.1.2.1. This little program allows you to set a custom voltage level for your GeForce GTX 295, 280 or 260 graphics card. Support for GeForce GTX 285 video cards is still missing in this version, though. It is said to only add the "Apply at Startup" feature which will now hide the utility to the system tray on bootup. Download the EVGA GPU Voltage Tuner version 1.1.2.1 from here.
Fujitsu Announces LifeBook A1120, Brings Colours Back to Life
Fujitsu PC Asia Pacific unveils the fashion forward Fujitsu LifeBook A1120 with replaceable lids for expressing your personality and complementing your style. Not just a good-looker, the Fujitsu LifeBook A1120 is also better in performance and higher in display brilliance than its predecessor, making itself a reliable and all-rounded performer.
The LifeBook A1120 is faster and lets you multi-task painlessly as it is powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6400 and can support up to 4GB memory. Together with the Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset and a mega storage capacity of up to 250GB on a 5400rpm SATA hard disk, the Fujitsu LifeBook A1120 endows users with maximum productivity with minimum effort.
The LifeBook A1120 is faster and lets you multi-task painlessly as it is powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6400 and can support up to 4GB memory. Together with the Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset and a mega storage capacity of up to 250GB on a 5400rpm SATA hard disk, the Fujitsu LifeBook A1120 endows users with maximum productivity with minimum effort.
Motherboard Vendors Confirm Phenom II X3 Core Unlock, Luck Needed
The ability to unlock the disabled core on Phenom II X3 processor draws parallels with the days when one could soft-mod a NV40-based GeForce 6800 XT to higher models. An article by Korean website Playwares made waves on the internet yesterday, which suggested a very easy method to unlock the disabled core on Phenom II X3. Several users have been able to verify and confirm the method works. While Playwares used a Biostar-made motherboard, people with ACC-supportive motherboards from several makes have been able to get the mod to work. Motherboard vendors performed their own testing to confirm this method, and have had some success so far.
The success of this mod however, depends on a few factors:
The success of this mod however, depends on a few factors:
- The disabled core AMD notes to be "unstable", should be fit-enough to be at least enabled and working
- The motherboard should support the Advanced Clock Calibration feature, which currently only motherboards with AMD's SB750 southbridge chip support
- The Phenom II X3 processor should belong to the 0904 manufacturing batch, these should be some of the initial batches of the processor, and may still be found with retailers
Gigabyte Offers Free 30-Day X-Fi Audio Trial for X58/P45/P43 Series Motherboards
GIGABYTE Technology CO., LTD., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today is pleased to announce GIGABYTE X58/P45/P43/P41 series motherboards now support Creative's latest Sound Blaster X-Fi technologies, delivering a premium audio quality and listening experience for your PC.
X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity is the new audio standard from Creative that makes your music and movies way better. It breathes life into songs, restores detail, and expands the music to surround sound. For music lovers or gamers, X-Fi technology delivers superior 3D audio solutions. At the heart of X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity lie three key technologies; X-Fi CMSS-3D Virtual, X-Fi Crystalizer and EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0.
X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity is the new audio standard from Creative that makes your music and movies way better. It breathes life into songs, restores detail, and expands the music to surround sound. For music lovers or gamers, X-Fi technology delivers superior 3D audio solutions. At the heart of X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity lie three key technologies; X-Fi CMSS-3D Virtual, X-Fi Crystalizer and EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0.
Micron Responds to Continued Decreases in Demand, More People to Lose Their Jobs
Deteriorating economic conditions and decreased demand for 200 millimeter (mm) specialty DRAM products have created additional challenges for Micron Technology, Inc.'s Boise manufacturing operations. As a result, Micron announced today that it will phase out 200mm wafer manufacturing operations at the company's Boise facility. This action will reduce employment at Micron's Idaho sites by approximately 500 employees in the near term and as many as 2,000 positions by the end of the company's fiscal year. The company has sufficient manufacturing capacity remaining and does not expect any disruption in product supply required for customer needs.
Logitech G19 Keyboard Available for Pre-Order Now for $199 at Amazon.com
With deep regret I inform you that Logitech's G19 keyboard is now up for pre-order. For those of you willing to pay $199.99, Logitech G19 will offer you 12 programmable macro G-keys, user-selectable backlighting color, two high-speed USB 2.0 ports and what's probably the only new feature - a color GamePanel LCD with 320x240 resolution, enough to display game stats, system information, video playback, images and many other items. Unfortunately, to me the keyboard comes with a killer price, $200 for one color LCD with the size of a GSM display? If you're still excited after knowing the price and want to pre-order one, it is available now here at Amazon.com.
MCE Offers Second Internal Hard Drive for Unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro Laptops
MCE Technologies announced on Monday that it has prepared a little something for the owners of "unibody" MacBook and MacBook Pro systems. MCE offers to replace the optical disk drive of your unibody Mac with a hard drive, providing you with increased internal storage capacity, RAID performance or additional reliability if you mirror the two hard drives. The OptiBay upgrade starts at $190 and offers to install 250 GB/5400 RPM, 320 GB/5400 RPM, 320 GB/7200 RPM or 500 GB/5400 RPM SATA hard drives. MCE also offers an external drive enclosure kit for the "SuperDrive" optical drive that's removed by the second hard drive, so you can have the goods from both worlds.
Palit Releases Custom GeForce GTX 285 Cards With 1 GB and 2 GB Memory
Palit Microsystems, leading graphics card manufacturer, announces the first own design GeForce GTX285 1 GB and 2 GB. Armed with NVIDIA PhysX and NVIDIA CUDA technology, the GeForce GTX 285 series are ready to enable a total new class of physical gaming interaction.
Palit GTX 285 2 GB is the first and the only one graphics card available in the market. The Palit GeForce GTX 285 1 GB and 2 GB feature a core speed of 648 MHz and 2.5 GHz on its GDDR3 memory with a 512-bit interface. It supports the latest NVIDIA PhysX technology providing real-time physics simulations in leading edge PC and console games. With up to 50% more performance than prior generation GPUs, GeForce GTX 285's GPUs tear through complex DirectX 10 environments and cinematic effects at blazing frame rates in extreme HD resolution.
Palit GTX 285 2 GB is the first and the only one graphics card available in the market. The Palit GeForce GTX 285 1 GB and 2 GB feature a core speed of 648 MHz and 2.5 GHz on its GDDR3 memory with a 512-bit interface. It supports the latest NVIDIA PhysX technology providing real-time physics simulations in leading edge PC and console games. With up to 50% more performance than prior generation GPUs, GeForce GTX 285's GPUs tear through complex DirectX 10 environments and cinematic effects at blazing frame rates in extreme HD resolution.
Hitachi GST Strategically Expands into External Storage, to Acquire Fabrik
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that it has agreed to acquire Fabrik, Inc., a privately-held supplier of personal and professional storage solutions. Fabrik, whose leading storage brands include G-Technology and SimpleTech, strategically positions Hitachi in the fast-growing external storage business.
Industry analyst firm IDC expects worldwide personal storage device shipments to grow from approximately 52 million in 2008 to 123 million in 2012. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Closing of the acquisition, which is subject to customary conditions, is expected to occur early in the second quarter of 2009.
Industry analyst firm IDC expects worldwide personal storage device shipments to grow from approximately 52 million in 2008 to 123 million in 2012. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Closing of the acquisition, which is subject to customary conditions, is expected to occur early in the second quarter of 2009.
Monday, February 23rd 2009
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Netbooks
Notebooks
Sound Cards
Spire Introduces SP7097B-V1 Case - Emerald Black Silence
Spire are injecting the retail ATX PC case market with a touch of class with the unveiling of the brand new Emerald Black Silent chassis.
Blessed with great looks and innovative design features, such as the rolling on/off switch that cunningly hides the USB ports too, the new Emerald case is one of the most eagerly anticipated cases we've launched yet. Beneath the sleek attractive exterior you'll find the same ergonomically designed hardwearing components that make all our cases such firm favorites with system integrators and end users alike.
Blessed with great looks and innovative design features, such as the rolling on/off switch that cunningly hides the USB ports too, the new Emerald case is one of the most eagerly anticipated cases we've launched yet. Beneath the sleek attractive exterior you'll find the same ergonomically designed hardwearing components that make all our cases such firm favorites with system integrators and end users alike.
Microsoft Severance Pay Blunder Costs Mostly Unemployed Ex-Employees
In what could come as a rude shock to certain Microsoft ex-employees, the individuals the company fired as part of its recent workforce reduction schemes, as reactions to a deteriorating world economy, the company wants portions of the money it gave as severance packages back, which it finds as an overpayment caused due to an administrative error. As part of Microsoft's penny-saving schemes, the company sought to axe as many as 5,000 jobs, 1,400 of which were lost in this month alone.
Microsoft's human-resources department admitted to the error when working out and issuing severance packages to some ex-employees. If the ex-employees weren't unfortunate enough already for having lost their jobs, Microsoft now demands the portion of its severance package that is overpaid, back from its recipients. In a letter sent to all liable individuals, the company expresses sincere apologies as it asks for the overpayment to be returned. The letter is posted on Scribd and can be read here. Microsoft gives its ex-employees, most of whom are unemployed at the moment, 14 days to return the money.
UPDATE (02/24): In a fresh report by MSNBC, Microsoft admits to the fact that administrative glitches caused it to pay more severance than intended to some laid-off employees, and the company intended to ask for the overpaid amount back through private communication. The plan took a sour turn with a copy of the letter surfaced on the internet, turning out to be embarrassing for the company. Lisa Brummel, senior VP for human resources, in an interview to MSNBC shared some figures: only 25 out of the 1,400 recently laid-off employees were sent the letter, the degree of discrepancies measured around US $4,000~5,000 per odd payment. The executive reportedly called most of the 25 laid-off employees Monday to personally tell them Microsoft would not seek repayment after all.
Microsoft's human-resources department admitted to the error when working out and issuing severance packages to some ex-employees. If the ex-employees weren't unfortunate enough already for having lost their jobs, Microsoft now demands the portion of its severance package that is overpaid, back from its recipients. In a letter sent to all liable individuals, the company expresses sincere apologies as it asks for the overpayment to be returned. The letter is posted on Scribd and can be read here. Microsoft gives its ex-employees, most of whom are unemployed at the moment, 14 days to return the money.
UPDATE (02/24): In a fresh report by MSNBC, Microsoft admits to the fact that administrative glitches caused it to pay more severance than intended to some laid-off employees, and the company intended to ask for the overpaid amount back through private communication. The plan took a sour turn with a copy of the letter surfaced on the internet, turning out to be embarrassing for the company. Lisa Brummel, senior VP for human resources, in an interview to MSNBC shared some figures: only 25 out of the 1,400 recently laid-off employees were sent the letter, the degree of discrepancies measured around US $4,000~5,000 per odd payment. The executive reportedly called most of the 25 laid-off employees Monday to personally tell them Microsoft would not seek repayment after all.
ASUS Eee PC T91 Netbook Tablet Early Look
The guys over at bit-tech.net are kind enough to show us the first live pictures of ASUSTeK's Eee PC T91 tablet PC. The Eee PC T91 is neither a notebook, neither a tablet. It is a netbook tablet if you know what I mean. It has a LED-backlit 8.9-inch display, like the Eee PC 900 and 901, that is touch-sensitive and can rotate at 180 degrees. The screen boasts typical WSVGA 1024x600 resolution. ASUS claims that once its screen is in position as a tablet, the T91 becomes the smallest and slimmest tablet PC to date. System specs also include an Atom Z520 processor, Intel US15W chipset, 1GB DDR2 memory, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11 b/g wireless (n not confirmed), Bluetooth, 32GB SSD, Optional 3G data connectivity, GPS and DVB-T TV Tuner and an integrated webcam. The T91 will run Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3 installed. The Eee PC T91 is a couple of months away from release, but still ASUS wants us to know that a 10-inch version called T101 is also in the works. Find more information here.
Thermaltake Xpressar Portable Phase-Change Cooling Systems at Cebit 2009
Thermaltake unveiled today that during the upcoming Cebit 2009 show, it will officially launch its brand new Xpressar series of portable phase-change cooling systems. Although this method of cooling was used long time ago by names like Asetek, Prometeia and recently even OCZ Technology, it was still too expensive, risky for 24/7 operation, and adopted only by extreme overclockers and people that don't mind to spend $1000 for a cooling experiment. Thermaltake's Xpressar micro vapor-compression refrigeration systems, are said to be widely availabe, much more portable, easy to use, not that expensive and still a lot more efficient than current top water coolers. At Cebit Thermaltake will introduce one final product, the RCS100 for internal use in computer cases, and one prototype - the next generation RCB400 series with a micro compressor that fits in two 5.25-inch slots and offers an LCD screen for the system's vital readings (temp, fan speed etc.). The second system will also have the ability to cool video cards when released. Expect much more information after the start of Cebit 2009 - March 3-8, 2009.
ARM Launches its Smallest, Lowest Power, Most Energy Efficient Cortex-M0 Processor
ARM today announced the ARM Cortex-M0 processor, the smallest, lowest power and most energy-efficient ARM processor available. The exceptional low power, small gate count and code footprint of the processor enables MCU developers to achieve 32-bit performance at an 8-bit price point. The ultra low gate count also enables it to be deployed in analog and mixed signal devices as well as MCU applications, and promises substantial savings in system cost while retaining tool and binary compatibility with the feature-rich Cortex-M3 processor.
D-LINK Expands Green Technology With Next-Gen Power-Saving Switches
D-Link's best Green switches just got greener. The end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumer and business, and the first company to introduce green technology to computer networking, today expanded its leadership role in the development of energy-saving products and initiatives. It is introducing the second-generation D-Link 5-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch (DGS-2205) which provides up to 73% reduced power consumption without sacrificing network performance.
HP Announces Global Payments Reduction for its Workers and Staff
Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd announced last week that all of its workers or around 100,000 employees will have their month payments reduced for an indefinite period of time. Also some of the bonuses the workers receive will be reduced. HP thinks that's the only right decission in order to survive the global economic drop, without throwing roughly 20% of its employees on the street. Mark Hurd will have his base pay reduced by 20 percent. The base pay of Executive Council members will be reduced by 15 percent, while other executives will have their month payments reduced by 10 percent. The base pay of all other exempt employees will be reduced by 5 percent. For non-exempt employees, base pay will be reduced by two-and-a-half percent. Below is the memo sent to employees that announces the "good news".
Phenom II X3 Can be Unlocked to Phenom II X4?
It is a well-known fact that AMD has been carving out triple-core and dual-core Phenom/Phenom II series processors out of complete Agena/Deneb dice with one or two cores disabled. In a fresh revelation, a Korean enthusiast claims to have discovered that it is rather easy to unlock the disabled core on Phenom II X3 processors, provided the motherboard supports the Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) feature that is meant to enhance overclocking using AMD's Overdrive software. The enthusiast claims the soft-mod to have worked in his/her case, where a Phenom II X3 710 was paired with a Biostar TA790GX 128M motherboard. The CPU was overclocked to 3.12 GHz, with a vCore setting of 1.37 V.
The method employed: Set the appropriate BIOS setting for the Advanced Clock Calibration feature to "Auto", save settings and restart. The system will be able to deal with the disabled core, and off load some work to it. The processor with the "additional" core was tested to be Prime95 stable and was able to boost 3DMark06 CPU score by as much as 1,000 points. Let the screenshots below speak for themselves:
The method:
The method employed: Set the appropriate BIOS setting for the Advanced Clock Calibration feature to "Auto", save settings and restart. The system will be able to deal with the disabled core, and off load some work to it. The processor with the "additional" core was tested to be Prime95 stable and was able to boost 3DMark06 CPU score by as much as 1,000 points. Let the screenshots below speak for themselves:
The method:
TSMC Executive Sees Chip Industry Recovery in Three Years
Morris Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), said on Friday what his predictions were for the global semiconductor industry and when it will recover from the global economic crysis that's upon everything at the moment.
I think it will be 2012 before the total revenue of the semiconductor industry gets back to the '08 levelhe said. Knowing that he has more than 50 years experience in this circle, and he's the founder of the world's largest contract chip manufacturer TSMC, we can trust his words. Mr. Chang also added that the semiconductor industry was "pretty close" to the bottom. That's really how bad the chip makers are doing at present.
ASUS Rampage II Gene Motherboard Unboxed
Ahead of release, ASUS Rampage II Gene motherboard just got unboxed. For starters the Rampage II Gene is a micro-ATX motherboard, not what you'd expect from the R.O.G. series, but that's going to be a perfect solution if you want to build a high-end HTPC or a mega powerful small gaming system for LAN events. The Core i7 supporting motherboard is powered by Intel's X58 + ICH10R chip combo, has six DDR3-2000 memory slots, two PCI-Express x16 slots for NVIDIA SLI or ATI CorssFireX multi-GPU setups, one eSATA and seven SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, Gigabit Ethernet and a 7.1 channel Creative X-Fi audio. The board also sports some of the neat features found on R.O.G. motherboards, such as on-board Power and Reset buttons and an external LCD POST debug display. Expect availability some time next month.
Pretec Announces the World's Fastest 16 GB CompactFlash card
Pretec, creator of the highest capacity CompactFlash card in the world (64GB) and also the fastest CF card in the world (333x) will demonstrate yet another spectacular product this year at the "Focus on Imaging 2009" imaging event. That's the new Pretec 433X CF card, which is more than 30% faster than the company's previous 333x top offering. Using a specially-crafted controller and SLC NAND flash technology, the Pretec 433X CF card reaches 65MB/s read speed and 50MB/s write speed. Available with 16GB capacity, the Pretec 433X CF card is sampling now to key customers, with volume delivery by March, 2009.
Inno3D Announces GeForce GTX 260 with FreezerX2
Inno3D are excited to launch the Inno3D GeForce GTX 260 with FreezerX2 cooler that offers double the cooling performance and better value for your buck.
FreezerX2 Features
FreezerX2 Features
- Dual 8 cm ball bearing PWM fan, cooling power x 2
- DHT Technology, cooling efficiency x 2
- 2 mm fin distance, airflow x 2
- Smooth sanded base, contact area x 2
- Triple heatpipe cooling performance
- 55 nm Manufacturing Process
- Less power consumption with 175 W
Sunday, February 22nd 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Netbooks
ASUS to Experiment with Android Powered Eee PC Netbooks
According to a Bloomberg report, ASUS is to embed a third operating system in its low-cost netbooks, currently known as the Eee PC. When Eee PC first appeared it was powered by a Linux distribution, after that Eee PCs were upgraded to Microsoft's Windows, and now the company is said to prepare an Eee PC version that will run Google Inc.'s free Android operating system. Samson Hu, head of the Taipei-based ASUSTeK Eee PC division, said in an interview yesterday that the manufacturer has already allocated engineers to develop an Android-based netbook and eventually by the year's end the final product may start selling. No other details were disclosed during the interview. Google introduced Android back in 2007 as a software system for mobile phones. Android is based on a Linux platform, meaning that it is open-source operating system that's completely free and can be upgraded in any way. Although designed for mobiles, the OS can be adapted for netbook-style products too, Google claims.
Ubuntu 9.10 Codenamed ''Karmic Koala'', Eying Cloud-Computing and Netbooks
Ubuntu's contribution to propagating Linux to the client platforms (general desktop/notebook) is invaluable. Its developers are known to codename major builds of the OS after animals. An upcoming version, 9.10 has been codenamed "Karmic Koala", after the cute and cuddly animal from south-east Australia. Going by Ubuntu's six-month development cycle, 9.10 should follow 9.04 "Jaunty Jackalope" slated for this April, and should be coming out by October.
The new client-version is expected to be netbook-friendly, with having significantly lower boot times. The target booting time for 9.04 is 25 seconds, while the developers hope to improve that figure further with 9.10. The developers will be integrating features from Intel's Moblin platform in order to improve performance on Atom-based devices. The Server Edition based on Ubuntu, which is steadily gaining in adoption, yet lagging behind offerings from market heavyweights such as Red Hat and Novell, will also get its share of improvements, one of the most important of them being enhanced support for cloud-computing.
The new client-version is expected to be netbook-friendly, with having significantly lower boot times. The target booting time for 9.04 is 25 seconds, while the developers hope to improve that figure further with 9.10. The developers will be integrating features from Intel's Moblin platform in order to improve performance on Atom-based devices. The Server Edition based on Ubuntu, which is steadily gaining in adoption, yet lagging behind offerings from market heavyweights such as Red Hat and Novell, will also get its share of improvements, one of the most important of them being enhanced support for cloud-computing.
RV790 Built on Improved 55 nm Manufacturing Process
It is clear now, that AMD's next performance GPU, the RV790 will be built on the 55 nm manufacturing process. To build on this information, sources tell German website Hardware-Infos that one of the factors that will help the new GPU perform better and run at higher clock-speeds than its predecessor, the RV770 does, is the newer improved 55 nm manufacturing process it will be built on. Going by the foundry-partner codename "55GT", the RV790 may get a little help from its superior silicon fabrication, which invariably makes it more expensive to manufacture.
One of the reasons behind why AMD is starting its 40 nm GPU lineup with a mainstream GPU such as RV740, is that the 40 nm process needs further development by foundry companies. It hasn't developed to the level that safely permits manufacturing high-end GPUs with stellar transistor-counts. For the same reason, NVIDIA's 40 nm conquest will be flagged off by the entry-level GT218 GPU. High-density circuits built on the current 40 nm process are known to be very prone to electrical leakage.
One of the reasons behind why AMD is starting its 40 nm GPU lineup with a mainstream GPU such as RV740, is that the 40 nm process needs further development by foundry companies. It hasn't developed to the level that safely permits manufacturing high-end GPUs with stellar transistor-counts. For the same reason, NVIDIA's 40 nm conquest will be flagged off by the entry-level GT218 GPU. High-density circuits built on the current 40 nm process are known to be very prone to electrical leakage.
Microsoft Confirms Windows 7 Release Candidate Will Launch on April 10 2009
In an exclusive interview with the guys at Neowin.net, Microsoft have confirmed, that provided no serious problems arise, they are on track to release Windows 7 RC on April 10. As yet the only changes which are known about, are User Account Control (UAC) fixes which prevent malware from disabling UAC all together.
More information about the development of Windows 7 comes from Geeksmack, with their email conversation with Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft Senior Vice President of Windows. Sinofsky said, "We have received an amazing amount of feedback, many suggestions for new features too, during the beta-over 500,000 suggestions just from the Send Feedback button." What was also interesting to note, "... by far the most humorous element has been that the build numbers blogged about are higher than our current build. Today's build is 7046, but it hasn't completed yet :-)"
Sinofsky is also said to have spoken to Ars Technica, and said that, "The build will be available broadly".
More information about the development of Windows 7 comes from Geeksmack, with their email conversation with Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft Senior Vice President of Windows. Sinofsky said, "We have received an amazing amount of feedback, many suggestions for new features too, during the beta-over 500,000 suggestions just from the Send Feedback button." What was also interesting to note, "... by far the most humorous element has been that the build numbers blogged about are higher than our current build. Today's build is 7046, but it hasn't completed yet :-)"
Sinofsky is also said to have spoken to Ars Technica, and said that, "The build will be available broadly".
GeForce GTS 240 Reference PCB Schematics Surface
In the weeks to come, NVIDIA will release yet another graphics card based on the G92 graphics processor: the GeForce GTS 240, which bears resemblance with the 8800 GT and 9800 GT. The G92 GPU has near-identical specifications to the said graphics cards, except for that the 55 nm G92b GPU will be used, and with higher reference clock speeds of 675/1674/975 MHz (core/shader/memory). To seat the new GPU, NVIDIA has designed a new reference PCB, the P361 internally called D10P2. The schematic drawings of this has been sourced by VR-Zone.
The P361 PCB covers the basics of accommodating the G92b and eight GDDR3 memory chips connected to the GPU across a 256-bit wide bus. The distinct features of the PCB lie with its VRM area, with a 3+1 phase design. The PCB draws power from a 6-pin PCI-Express power connector. Over to the connectors department, the usual two arrangement of two DVI and one composite is present. There is a single SLI bridge connector for 2-way SLI. With the 55 nm GPU being arguably as cool or cooler than the 65 nm G92 with lower reference clock speeds, one can expect a single slot cooler design to be employed.
The P361 PCB covers the basics of accommodating the G92b and eight GDDR3 memory chips connected to the GPU across a 256-bit wide bus. The distinct features of the PCB lie with its VRM area, with a 3+1 phase design. The PCB draws power from a 6-pin PCI-Express power connector. Over to the connectors department, the usual two arrangement of two DVI and one composite is present. There is a single SLI bridge connector for 2-way SLI. With the 55 nm GPU being arguably as cool or cooler than the 65 nm G92 with lower reference clock speeds, one can expect a single slot cooler design to be employed.
GPU-Z Ranked as One of the Most Essential PC Apps by Maximum PC
Maximum PC, a major computer player in both the cyber space and publishing media, has put together a list of what they think are the most essential PC apps every user of Windows ought to have installed. All 32 apps (except one) in the list are absolutely free for use. It's very important to mention that our GPU-Z utility is among them. Here's what Maximum PC has to say about GPU-Z:
Sure, you know you have a GeForce 295 card, but what do you know about it? If you want something that'll brace the card for all of its specs, GPU-Z (no relation to CPU-Z) will do the dirty work for you. Offered for free by techpowerup.com, this handy utility will tell you the clocks, the card revision, the number of transistors on the card as well as the process technology used to build the card.I would like to use this occasion to thank my boss and creator of GPU-Z W1zzard for all the good work he has done, and I think we all should be thankful for his efforts.
Saturday, February 21st 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Creative Puts X-Fi in Your Car
JC Hyun Systems, a premier leader in car infotainment systems announced the RUNZ CI-7100 Car Infotainment System, the world's first car infotainment system which is developed exclusively using Creative's award-winning Xtreme Fidelity (X-Fi) technology to enhance the overall in-car audio experience of motorists. The audio experience of watching movies or listening to music in cars with X-Fi technology will be truly amazing.
Friday, February 20th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Headphones
Memory
Mousepads
Sound Cards
Phenom II X4 Sets New 3DMark06 World Record
In yet another overclocking feat using AMD's Phenom II series processors, Team Finland set a new 3DMark06 world-record score of 35,698 3DMarks. The team consisted of renowned overclockers Petri "SF3D" Korhonen Sampsa Kurri and Sami "macci" Mäkinen. The team used AMD's DDR3-supportive AM3 platform and used high-performance DDR3 memory to demonstrate its overclocking capabilities. The bench consisted of:
- AMD Phenom II X4 6187MHz (4500MHz NB) under Dragon F1EE pot, liquid nitrogen cooling
- ASUS M4A79T Deluxe (790FX chipset)
- Corsair XMS3-2133 2x1GB DDR3-1800 CL7-7-7-1T
- 2x Radeon HD 4870 X2 830/950MHz with stock cooling
- Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W
BenQ Intros nScreen i91 All-in-One PC
BenQ introduced its newest product: the nScreen i91 All-in-One PC. The PC uses a monolithic design with the head-unit housing the system and a 19 inch 16:9 widescreen HD dislpay. For a change, BenQ opts for the AMD Yukon-based Sempron 210U processor instead of Intel Atom. Other pieces of hardware include 1 GB of DDR2 memory, 160 GB of storage space, a card-reader and built-in 1.3 MP webcam.
The bottom-right of the screen holds a rotary-switch that controls volume and power, TV-style. BenQ rates this PC to consume up to 80% less power in comparison to conventional desktop PCs, with its consumption rated at around 30W. The company is planning to make something similar using Intel's Atom processor. This nScreen i91 will be available at around $512 from the end of this month in Asian markets.
The bottom-right of the screen holds a rotary-switch that controls volume and power, TV-style. BenQ rates this PC to consume up to 80% less power in comparison to conventional desktop PCs, with its consumption rated at around 30W. The company is planning to make something similar using Intel's Atom processor. This nScreen i91 will be available at around $512 from the end of this month in Asian markets.
Power-Shift in Fab 36 Dresden, New Fab to Take Third-Party Orders
After a successful shareholder approval AMD received for spinning-off its manufacturing division to form The Foundry Company (TFC) with a majority stake holding by Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), top-brass of the Fab subsidiary in Dresden, German saw a power-shift. Long-standing general manager Hans Deppe left the company, to be succeeded by Jim Doran.
Doran's experience with the subsidiary covering Fab 36 (65 nm SOI capable) and Fab 38 (45 nm SOI capable) includes being its general manager in the past, which made with a contender to the post. The Dresden facilities will officially come under TFC from March 2. While as part of AMD the facilities were dedicated to manufacturing AMD microprocessor parts, under TFC, not only will they serve as foundry-partner for AMD, but also accept designs from other companies seeking manufacture on the facilities TFC offers.
Doran's experience with the subsidiary covering Fab 36 (65 nm SOI capable) and Fab 38 (45 nm SOI capable) includes being its general manager in the past, which made with a contender to the post. The Dresden facilities will officially come under TFC from March 2. While as part of AMD the facilities were dedicated to manufacturing AMD microprocessor parts, under TFC, not only will they serve as foundry-partner for AMD, but also accept designs from other companies seeking manufacture on the facilities TFC offers.
NVIDIA Confirms Ion Platform for VIA
NVIDIA CEO and president Jen-Hsun Huang has revealed to DigiTimes that in 2009 NVIDIA will launch an Ion platform called ION 2 that will support VIA Technologies' Nano CPUs. Huang also noted that the platform is already in development, and it is only a matter of technological time until the final product arrives. VIA Nano are the first 64-bit, superscalar VIA processors. The VIA Nano chips range in clock speeds from 1 GHz to 1.8 GHz and with a proper video support from NVIDIA we can have a winner in the ultra portable world. This will also give nettop and netbook manufacturers an option of building a non-Intel platforms.
Empire: Total War Demo Available Now Exclusively on Steam
The official demo for Empire: Total War from The Creative Assembly and SEGA is now available on Steam. This free demo provides a short glimpse of the kind of epic engagements available in the full version of Empire: Total War, which will be released on Steam and at retail in early March. The demo offers players the opportunity to take on the American Army and the French Navy from The Creative Assembly's own "home" side, playing as the British Empire in the "Battle of Brandywine Creek" and the "Battle of Lagos."
Those who pre-purchase Empire: Total War on Steam receive The Creative Assembly's game "Rome Total War Gold Edition" for immediate download. For more information, please visit Steam Games. The Empire: Total War demo can be found here.
Those who pre-purchase Empire: Total War on Steam receive The Creative Assembly's game "Rome Total War Gold Edition" for immediate download. For more information, please visit Steam Games. The Empire: Total War demo can be found here.
Cooler Master Readying Gladiator 600 Mid-Tower Case
Out on a good run with its most recent case products, Cooler Master is preparing a new mid-tower case named Gladiator 600. Slated for a CeBIT 2009 release, the Gladiator 600 comes with a user-friendly design. Measuring 202 x 235 x 480 mm (W x D x H), and weighing 9.7 kg (around 21.3 lbs), the case is made mostly of SECC steel. Its front-panel, including the front-fan intake and the drive-bay covers are made of a mesh-like design.
It comes with provision for up to five fans, including mounts on the front, rear, and top of the case, along with the side-panel. Further there will be two variants carved out depending on the presence of a window on the side-panel: RC-600-KKN1GP (without), RC-600-KWN1GP (with). A mostly tool-free design is employed. The motherboard tray features an opening right behind the spot where most motherboards feature CPU sockets. This helps users to install/maintain CPU coolers with back-plates without having to remove the entire motherboard from its place. There are additional latches and openings in the tray that help in cable-management. We will know more about this case when it gets released this CeBIT.
It comes with provision for up to five fans, including mounts on the front, rear, and top of the case, along with the side-panel. Further there will be two variants carved out depending on the presence of a window on the side-panel: RC-600-KKN1GP (without), RC-600-KWN1GP (with). A mostly tool-free design is employed. The motherboard tray features an opening right behind the spot where most motherboards feature CPU sockets. This helps users to install/maintain CPU coolers with back-plates without having to remove the entire motherboard from its place. There are additional latches and openings in the tray that help in cable-management. We will know more about this case when it gets released this CeBIT.
ATI Catalyst 9.2 Released
AMD has just released ATI Catalyst version 9.2, so now you have a brand new driver for tonight and a nice tweaking utility to test. Catalyst 9.2 brings performance benefits in several games:
DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst version 9.2 for Windows XP and Windows Vista (32/64-bit versions)
- Crysis DX10 gains up to 20%
- Crysis Warhead DX10 gains up to 20%
- World in Conflict gains up to 5%
DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst version 9.2 for Windows XP and Windows Vista (32/64-bit versions)
RAZER Admits Lycosa Keyboards Manufacturing Defects, Offers Free Replacement
PC gaming peripherals specialist RAZER, long after releasing the Lycosa illuminated gaming keyboard, has come to admit that a small percentage of its customers may have received products with manufacturing defects. The company zeroed in on serial number ranges belonging to some its earlier manufacturing batches.
Lycosa keyboards with serial numbers starting with MT0803, MT0802, MT0801 and MT07 are affected with certain issues as described in several complaints the company received from its customers and retailers. Those having keyboards with matching the criteria can avail free replacement from the company, even if the product warranty has expired. Visit this page for details.
Lycosa keyboards with serial numbers starting with MT0803, MT0802, MT0801 and MT07 are affected with certain issues as described in several complaints the company received from its customers and retailers. Those having keyboards with matching the criteria can avail free replacement from the company, even if the product warranty has expired. Visit this page for details.
RV790 Essentially An Overclocked RV770
A lot has been said about AMD's rather mysterious new performance GPU, the RV790. Clues about the new GPU surfaced as early as in November last year, when we first reported about AMD working on a successor to the RV770 before the RV870 comes to be. During the course of time, we were given several scoops about its specifications, with some reports hinting at increased stream processor and TMU counts alongside increased clock-speeds to give out early projections of as much as 20% performance increments, taking its single-GPU flagship product to the domain of the GeForce GTX 285, but as multiple sources confirm now, none of that looks plausible.
The RV790 is essentially a reworked RV770 with higher clock-speeds. AMD seems to have reworked the design of the RV770, perhaps altered or removed rudimentary components that facilitate slightly higher clock speeds. While samples of the RV790 are spec'd to run at 850 MHz, one can expect a slightly increased overclocking headroom. The samples also carried Qimonda IDGV1G-05A1F1C-40X memory chips that are originally specified to run at 1 GHz, yet running at 975 MHz on the samples. The core continues to have 800 stream processors, 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs. It features a 256-bit wide memory interface to support GDDR5, GDDR4 and GDDR3 memory standards. It will be built on the existing 55 nm TSMC manufacturing node. Products based on the RV790 can be expected only by April.
The RV790 is essentially a reworked RV770 with higher clock-speeds. AMD seems to have reworked the design of the RV770, perhaps altered or removed rudimentary components that facilitate slightly higher clock speeds. While samples of the RV790 are spec'd to run at 850 MHz, one can expect a slightly increased overclocking headroom. The samples also carried Qimonda IDGV1G-05A1F1C-40X memory chips that are originally specified to run at 1 GHz, yet running at 975 MHz on the samples. The core continues to have 800 stream processors, 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs. It features a 256-bit wide memory interface to support GDDR5, GDDR4 and GDDR3 memory standards. It will be built on the existing 55 nm TSMC manufacturing node. Products based on the RV790 can be expected only by April.
Dongwon Innovates Modular Full-Coverage G200 Series Water-Block
Relatively unknown to the west, yet popular in the Asian OEM and retail markets, Chinese component cooler designer Dongwon has innovated a modular full-coverage design for its water-block which boosts its compatibility. The block serves as a simple answer to NVIDIA's almost ever-changing reference PCB design for its single-GPU GeForce GTX 200 series accelerators. The design allows this water-block to fit the P651 (65 nm GeForce GTX 260 and GTX 280), P654 (first versions of 55 nm GeForce GTX 260 and GTX 285), and the newer P897 PCB design for the 55 nm cards.
The full-coverage block consists of two segments: the main unit which provides coverage for the GPU, the memory and the NVIO2 processor; and the second segment that covers the VRM area. The segment's grooves are designed to cover the LFPAK VRM arrangement on P651 and P654, while it can be detached to allow the rest of the block to be used on the P897. We're not entirely sure if the design concept circled around compatibility with different PCB designs, though it ends up being the block's most useful application. Although the company has seemingly no presence in the western retail channels, one can expect this block to come factory-fitted on graphics cards.
The full-coverage block consists of two segments: the main unit which provides coverage for the GPU, the memory and the NVIO2 processor; and the second segment that covers the VRM area. The segment's grooves are designed to cover the LFPAK VRM arrangement on P651 and P654, while it can be detached to allow the rest of the block to be used on the P897. We're not entirely sure if the design concept circled around compatibility with different PCB designs, though it ends up being the block's most useful application. Although the company has seemingly no presence in the western retail channels, one can expect this block to come factory-fitted on graphics cards.
Xigmatek Releases Dragoon HDT N422 Memory Module Heatsink
Known by computer enthusiasts to be the company with some top quality PC coolers, Xigmatek, has a new product up its sleeve: the Dragoon N422 memory module heatsink cooler. The cooler serves as a replacement for the heatspreaders or stock-heatsinks memory modules come with. It can latch onto most standard-sized 240-pin DDR2 and DDR3 modules.
The cooler consists of two units that dissipate heat from either sides of the module. Each unit consists of a metal plate that makes contact with the module. The plate itself propagates into an arrangement of aluminum fins, but the interesting component is the copper heatpipe that runs through the length of the plate. The heatpipe makes direct contact the memory chips, and conveys heat to a small yet dense aluminum fin array. Two such plates are latched onto a module using screws. The total weight of the cooler per module (two plates) is 105g. It measures 131.1 (L) x 76.5 (W) x 9.6 (H) mm. Due to its design, the cooler can be used only on double-sided modules (modules with DRAM chips on both sides). The Dragoon N422 is yet to reach retail channels so we could tell its price.
The cooler consists of two units that dissipate heat from either sides of the module. Each unit consists of a metal plate that makes contact with the module. The plate itself propagates into an arrangement of aluminum fins, but the interesting component is the copper heatpipe that runs through the length of the plate. The heatpipe makes direct contact the memory chips, and conveys heat to a small yet dense aluminum fin array. Two such plates are latched onto a module using screws. The total weight of the cooler per module (two plates) is 105g. It measures 131.1 (L) x 76.5 (W) x 9.6 (H) mm. Due to its design, the cooler can be used only on double-sided modules (modules with DRAM chips on both sides). The Dragoon N422 is yet to reach retail channels so we could tell its price.
ATI CrossFire Xtension v.1.0 Released, Forces CrossFire Support
Coming out of nowhere, ATI CrossFire Xtension may become your favourite application after the next sentence. Just released with the pilot version 1.0, ATI CrossFire Xtension is a cool utility that allows you to create custom profiles and force CrossFire support on non-supported or new games and applications, both for Direct3D and OpenGL. Better see for yourself if the app works. Here's the download link.
GIGABYTE Introduces the AM3 Ready GA-MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard
GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P, their first AMD "Dragon Platform" qualified motherboard with next generation AMD AM3 Phenom II processors support, enabling the very latest in definitive high performance platforms for work, home and play.
Sportting the new AMD AM3 socket, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P allows users to elevate their rig beyond the standard limits with support for support the highest performing ever 45nm AMD Phenom II processors featuring HyperTransport 3.0 and integrated DDR3 memory controller. The first motherboard to provide DDR3 memory support for the AMD platform, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is able to reach memory speeds up to 1666+MHz (OC) for blazing fast memory access for today's latest applications and games with greater energy efficiency. Build with top-notch high performance engineering, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P features the highest quality 8+2 CPU VRM power phase design, able to handle the power demands from 140W CPUs with ease.
Sportting the new AMD AM3 socket, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P allows users to elevate their rig beyond the standard limits with support for support the highest performing ever 45nm AMD Phenom II processors featuring HyperTransport 3.0 and integrated DDR3 memory controller. The first motherboard to provide DDR3 memory support for the AMD platform, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is able to reach memory speeds up to 1666+MHz (OC) for blazing fast memory access for today's latest applications and games with greater energy efficiency. Build with top-notch high performance engineering, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P features the highest quality 8+2 CPU VRM power phase design, able to handle the power demands from 140W CPUs with ease.
Lian Li launches PC-V351 HTPC Chassis
Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-V351 desktop HTPC Chassis. The all aluminum design features dual front mounted 120mm@1000RPM fans, with an additional rear mounted 80mm extraction fan@1200RPM. The front fans have special anti-vibration grommets to prevent noise. The sleek brushed aluminum chassis comes in three colors, namely black, silver and red according to your needs. The dimensions stand at 279mm x 262mm x 373mm (W,H,D). The chassis is imbued with all the functional and user friendly design aspects users have come to expect in a Lian Li case.
AMD Demos First Six-core Opteron Processors Codenamed Istanbul
AMD today gave the first working demonstration of its six-core Opteron processor codenamed "Istanbul." The 45nm Istanbul server chips will succeed current "Shanghai" Opterons. Istanbul processors will use 6MB of L2 cache, and support HyperTransport and two channels of DDR2 memory per socket. The chips will fit into Socket F server motherboards. First live demonstration of Istanbul was performed on two server systems, one running four processors (24 cores total), and the second running with two processors (12 cores). AMD plans to release a full lineup of six-core Opterons based on Istanbul, including low-power HE versions and high-performance SE models, sometime in the second-half of 2009. Read the full story here.
Dell Sends Petition for Cancellation of the Netbook Trademark
Dell has filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office requesting that Psion's "netbook" trademark must be canceled. In the petition for cancellation Dell puts forth three logical reasons for nullifying the "netbook" trademark - abandonment, fraud, and genericness. Psion Teklogix is yet to make a reply to the petition. The company has time until March 30, 2009 to do that. A copy of the petition is posted here at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Electronic Filing System web page under number ESTTA267087.
ZOTAC Ships its High-Performance GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi Mini-ITX Platform
ZOTAC International, an award-winning manufacturer of NVIDIA-based motherboards and graphics cards, today announced its high-performance mini-ITX platform - the ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi - is now shipping to retailers and distributors across the globe. The ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi made its debut during the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show and received great praise and interest. Joining the power of a NVIDIA CUDA-ready GeForce 9300 graphics with socket LGA775 Intel processors into a miniature mini-ITX form factor, the ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi delivers unprecedented performance to mini-ITX small form factor systems.
Intel Mainstream SSDs Degrade in Performance Over Time? Intel Says That's Not True
Solid-state drives are relatively new technology for anyone of us, and up until now we've heard only good things about them. They are fast, small, they have no moving parts, but what happens after extensive use of the flash memory that is incorporated in them? Yesterday a review was posted over at PC Perspective, entitled "Long-term performance analysis of Intel Mainstream SSDs". According to the information posted, it appears that Intel's X25-M MLC SSD drives may degrade in performance after a period of time when they are put to extensive use. PC Per claims that once an Intel solid-state drive is used, after a period of time it will no longer be as fast as a new one, neither its rated transfer speeds will be the same.
In response, Intel stated today: "Our labs currently have not been able to duplicate these results," "In our estimation, the synthetic workloads they use to stress the drive are not reflective of real world use. Similarly, the benchmarks they used to evaluate performance do not represent what a PC user experiences." Intel also said: "In general, when a PC's drive (SSD or HDD) is full, there will be some reduction in system performance, however the performance reduction reported by PC Perspective is higher than we generally expect, which is why we are looking into the methodology."
We'll keep you posted if there's new information on the matter.
In response, Intel stated today: "Our labs currently have not been able to duplicate these results," "In our estimation, the synthetic workloads they use to stress the drive are not reflective of real world use. Similarly, the benchmarks they used to evaluate performance do not represent what a PC user experiences." Intel also said: "In general, when a PC's drive (SSD or HDD) is full, there will be some reduction in system performance, however the performance reduction reported by PC Perspective is higher than we generally expect, which is why we are looking into the methodology."
We'll keep you posted if there's new information on the matter.
Windows Vista and Server 2008 SP2 Release Candidate Versions Released to Beta Testers
Exactly as predicted by TechARP, Microsoft today supplied all its beta testers with a Release Candidate version of the Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. Microsoft did not mention when that version might be made publicly available, but if all predicitons turn out to be right, we can have the final second service pack for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 around April or May this year.
"We continuously engage with our partners and testers on the development of service packs and we will track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date for distribution," Microsoft said in a statement. "We will have more to share on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 soon and are targeting final delivery in (the second quarter of) 2009."
At the same time, Windows 7 is also gearing toward the release candidate stage. There's a rumour saying that the next iteration of Windows could reach RC stage at the end of this month, more specifically on February 27, 2008. This will be the only RC build of Windows 7 released, after that the manufacturer will be pushing the official and final product to the market.
"We continuously engage with our partners and testers on the development of service packs and we will track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date for distribution," Microsoft said in a statement. "We will have more to share on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 soon and are targeting final delivery in (the second quarter of) 2009."
At the same time, Windows 7 is also gearing toward the release candidate stage. There's a rumour saying that the next iteration of Windows could reach RC stage at the end of this month, more specifically on February 27, 2008. This will be the only RC build of Windows 7 released, after that the manufacturer will be pushing the official and final product to the market.
ASUS Eee PC 1000HE Turns out to be The Best Netbook in the Market Today
ASUS, inventor and innovator of the widely acclaimed Eee PC, is proud to announce that the Eee PC 1000HE has been recognized by consumers and prominent media outlets as the best ultra-mobile Internet device in the market today. In the United States alone, the soon-to-be released Eee PC 1000HE is already ranked among the top three most desired gadgets on Amazon.com, and pre-orders have been steadily increasing. This phenomenal reception of the Eee PC 1000HE is due to the incorporation of several technological innovations that provide users with a highly dependable and long-lasting ultra mobile internet device capable of up to 9.5 hours of battery life. This has resulted in an increasing share in the minds of US consumers today.
Apple Discontinues the 20-inch Cinema LCD Displays
Apple on Thursday discontinued its 20-inch Cinema Display, reducing its external display offerings to just two options: the brand new 24-inch Apple LED Cinema model and the old 30-inch Apple Cinema HD display. The 20-inch has already been removed from Apple's online store. AppleInsider also suggests that the 30-inch Apple displays are next to go away.
With immediate effect, the following products are 'End of Life' (EOL); Apple 20" Cinema Display,
All backlog will be cancelled and there is no automatic order conversion.Apple wrote in a worldwide bulletin to its sales and service channels.
Thursday, February 19th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Networking
ASUS Preparing GeForce GTX 285 Ultimate
ASUS is reportedly preparing a new variant in its GeForce GTX 285 lineup: the ENGTX285-UL/HTDI/1GD3 "Ultimate". ASUS seems to have done away with using the "TOP" branding to denote the fastest variant in a given graphics card series. ASUS stuck with the NVIDIA reference design for this variant, while looking to squeeze out the most factory overclocking the reference design has to offer.
The ASUS GeForce GTX 285 Ultimate boasts clock speeds of 712/1620/1380 MHz (core/shader/memory). The card finds competition in EVGA's GeForce GTX 285 FTW, which has similar, albeit slightly higher clock speeds. The rest of its specifications remain standard, having the 55 nm G200b core, 240 stream processors, 1 GB of GDDR3 memory across a 512-bit wide memory bus, and support for 3-way SLI. ASUS may look to price it in the US $449 price point.
The ASUS GeForce GTX 285 Ultimate boasts clock speeds of 712/1620/1380 MHz (core/shader/memory). The card finds competition in EVGA's GeForce GTX 285 FTW, which has similar, albeit slightly higher clock speeds. The rest of its specifications remain standard, having the 55 nm G200b core, 240 stream processors, 1 GB of GDDR3 memory across a 512-bit wide memory bus, and support for 3-way SLI. ASUS may look to price it in the US $449 price point.
Shuttle Releases XPC Barebone SN78SH7 for Phenom II Processors from AMD
Shuttle Inc., the market leader in the Mini-PC segment and manufacturer of Multi-Form-Factor solutions expands the CPU compatibility for the XPC Barebone SN78SH7. A newly published BIOS version now enables the use of AMD Phenom II processors. Besides current AM2 and AM2+ processors, the state-of-the-art 45nm models Phenom II X4 940 and Phenom II 920 with four cores are now also officially supported.
The compact XPC Barebone SN78SH7 with case dimensions of only 32.5 x 20.8 x 18.9 cm (DWH) uses brushed aluminium with a high-grade finish. The core of the robust Mini hides a NVIDIA GeForce 8200 chipset and the graphics processor of the same name. Picture and sound are transferred in excellent HD quality via the integrated HDCP-compliant HDMI interface. The package is rounded off by a PCI-Express 2.0 (x16) and one PCI slot, a Gigabit LAN interface and eSATA connectors. The Shuttle XPC Barebone SN78SH7 is now available at an RRP of EUR 281 (ex VAT). The Phenom II-supportive BIOS can be obtained from here.
The compact XPC Barebone SN78SH7 with case dimensions of only 32.5 x 20.8 x 18.9 cm (DWH) uses brushed aluminium with a high-grade finish. The core of the robust Mini hides a NVIDIA GeForce 8200 chipset and the graphics processor of the same name. Picture and sound are transferred in excellent HD quality via the integrated HDCP-compliant HDMI interface. The package is rounded off by a PCI-Express 2.0 (x16) and one PCI slot, a Gigabit LAN interface and eSATA connectors. The Shuttle XPC Barebone SN78SH7 is now available at an RRP of EUR 281 (ex VAT). The Phenom II-supportive BIOS can be obtained from here.
Foxconn X58 Flaming Blade Pictured
Over the course of the last year, Foxconn's channel division emerged as a mature, seasoned and determined player in the high-end PC motherboard industry. For Intel's new Core i7 platform, Foxconn started off with an enthusiast-grade motherboard called the X58 Blood Rage, and a premium X58 Renaissance model. Over time, the X58 Blood Rage became a series of motherboards based on the scaling-down of its feature-set. The first variant to emerge out of it was the Blood Rage GTI, and now a newer "value" offering: the Blood Rage Flaming Blade.
Pictured by Japanese AKIBA PC Hotline, the Flaming Blade shows a distinct scaling-down of Blood Rage's feature-set, beyond that of the GTI variant, with a remodeled PCB, rearranged components and colour-theme. To begin with the CPU is powered by standard ferrite-core chokes as against the PWM circuitry on the original Blood Rage, and the semi-digital circuitry on the GTI variant. A standard 6-phase circuit is employed. The board continues having three DDR3 DIMM slots. Memory is powered by a two-phase circuit. Instead of four PCI-Express x16 connectors on the other variants, Flaming Blade makes do with only two, with a PCI-E x4 slot added to the mix. There is a notable amount of changes with the placement of connectors and headers. The board reduces the use of red in colour-coding the connectors and slots. The SONAR X-Fi sound card gets replaced by onboard audio, while the rest of the back-panel remains the same in terms of connectors. According to the source, Foxconn is looking to target the US $200~$220 price range with the Flaming Blade. For reference, the third picture below is that of the original Blood Rage.
Pictured by Japanese AKIBA PC Hotline, the Flaming Blade shows a distinct scaling-down of Blood Rage's feature-set, beyond that of the GTI variant, with a remodeled PCB, rearranged components and colour-theme. To begin with the CPU is powered by standard ferrite-core chokes as against the PWM circuitry on the original Blood Rage, and the semi-digital circuitry on the GTI variant. A standard 6-phase circuit is employed. The board continues having three DDR3 DIMM slots. Memory is powered by a two-phase circuit. Instead of four PCI-Express x16 connectors on the other variants, Flaming Blade makes do with only two, with a PCI-E x4 slot added to the mix. There is a notable amount of changes with the placement of connectors and headers. The board reduces the use of red in colour-coding the connectors and slots. The SONAR X-Fi sound card gets replaced by onboard audio, while the rest of the back-panel remains the same in terms of connectors. According to the source, Foxconn is looking to target the US $200~$220 price range with the Flaming Blade. For reference, the third picture below is that of the original Blood Rage.
Intel Discontinues Core 2 Extreme QX9650 and QX9770
Intel recently informed its partners that as part of its nonstop update process, some of the giants processors that are not competitive anymore are going to be slowly phased out. Both the 3.0GHz Intel QX9650 and the 3.2GHz QX9770 desktop processors will dissapear from market shelves forever. Both processors are no longer listed in Intel's official processor price list. Final orders will be taken till June 5th of this year and the final tray processors are expected to ship February 2, 2010, while boxed versions will ship until September of next year.
SILICON POWER Releases 256GB 2.5-inch SATA Solid-State Drive
After releasing the 128GB 2.5-inch SATA 3.0Gbps SSD, flash memory manufacturer Silicon Power is expanding its SSD product line with a larger 256GB version. Except for its larger capacity, the new version utilizes MLC Flash and reaches read speeds of 165MB/s and write speeds of 95MB/s. The new 256GB SSD also features an integrated ECC (Error Correction Code) to ensure an accurate data transfer, as well as built-in wear leveling technology that guarantees long-term reliability and ultra-long storage lifespan. Customers can easily install the SSD in laptops, PCs or other devices that support the SATA 3.0Gbps interface.
ASUS to Completely Phase Out 8.9-inch Eee PCs in 2009
According to Benson Lin, president of ASUSTeK's Asia-Pacific division, the company is all set to send away their 8.9-inch Eee PCs. Prompted by the fact that 10-inch siblings and even bigger models are becoming mainstream in 2009, ASUS will phase out its smaller netbooks. Of ASUSTeK's 2009 Eee PC shipments, 10-inch models will account for 95% of total sales, while the other 5% will be 7-inch models for telecom service operators, Lin said.
Gateway Unveils New 14-inch Mainstream Entertainment Laptops
Gateway today extends the popular design and features of its MC Series and MD Series notebook lines to its new compact and lightweight TC Series notebook line, which sports a 14-inch high definition display and an attractive price tag. The Gateway TC Series notebook line is intended to be a mainstream entertainment notebook with a 14-inch 16:9 Ultrabright HD widescreen display with (1366x768 resolution) and plenty of multimedia features. Included are an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, 802.11b/g Draft-N wireless, Gigabit Ethernet 5-in-1 media card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro and xD) as well as three USB 2.0 ports and illuminated multimedia touch controls. The first models available are the TC7306u in black and the TC7307u in burgundy. Both notebooks have the same value-focused configuration; they are equipped with an Intel Pentium Dual-Core Mobile T4200 processor (2.00GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB), 4GB of Dual Channel DDR2 667MHz memory and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M. Transferring and storing large files is easy with the 8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW and a single high-capacity 320GB hard drive. They both come with a legal copy of Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 64-bit. Both machines have a 6-cell Lithium Ion battery and an MSRP of $649.99.
Logitec Releases New 1.5 TB External Hard Drives
Japanese hardware manufacturer Logitec (≠ Logitech) released the new LHD-ED line of 1.5TB external hard drives, variants of which are segregated on the basis of connectivity options:
- Model LHD-EDU2 provides just USB 2.0
- Model LHD-EDFU2 provides USB 2.0 and FireWire
- Model LHD-EDSAU2 provides USB 2.0 and eSATA
Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Ships Next Month
E-tailer QVC.com has updated its online offerings to include the latest Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook. Available now for pre-order and first announced at CES in Las Vegas, the small Inspiron Mini 10 will ship to owners who pre-payed $559 for it on March 20, 2009. Those who wish to buy one can choose from six different colors: black, white, red, pink, green, and blue. Specs for all variants are identical and include a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor Z530, 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500, 10.1" diagonal glass LED display with 1024x576 resolution, and a 160GB hard drive. Dell will ship the netbooks with a legal copy of Windows XP Home SP3 and one year limited warranty.
Dell OptiPlex FX160 is First Product to Support SiSM671 Chipset and Intel Atom CPU
SiS today announced the SiSM671 chipset supporting the Intel dual-core Atom 330 CPU has been adopted by Dell for its Flexible Computing Solution the OptiPlex FX160.
''Wouldn't Rule Out a Renegotiation If We Win The Suit'': Intel
Earlier this week, Intel slapped NVIDIA with a complaint claiming that NVIDIA lacked the privileges derived from earlier agreements between the two companies NVIDIA to make chipsets for Intel's new generation of processors featuring integrated memory controllers. NVIDIA however, dismissed the charges making it clear it didn't have any products in the making that currently violates the agreement, though it feels confident that under the existing agreement it could carry on with development of chipset technologies (more here). Intel pressed fresh charges against NVIDIA which state that the company falsely claimed to have acquired a license to the QuickPath Interconnect technology.
Interestingly, a report by bit-tech.net sheds light on what Intel wants: nothing, while keeping the window open for re-negotiation of agreements between the two companies as an option. Intel does not seek any form of damages from NVIDIA, except merely asking it to pay for its legal fees if Intel wins, a standard practice in court cases. Intel also seems to be using the "re-negotiation" part as a carrot to let NVIDIA concede. "I wouldn't rule out a re-negotiation if we win the suit," said Intel spokesperson Chuck Mulloy, in an interview to bit-tech. "There are options available to us and re-negotiating the license is one of them." he said. The "other options", according to Mulloy, are kept under the wraps, which might as well include termination of the whole agreement, forcing a re-negotiation if NVIDIA needs to continue making core-logic technologies for the Intel platform? Intel has made a redacted version of the complaint public as it may contain some very confidential information that cannot be disclosed. The redacted copy can be read here (PDF). So what is the whole point in this exercise? To make drastic changes in agreements between the two companies by working out a renegotiation? The turn of events in weeks, or even days to come will tell.
Interestingly, a report by bit-tech.net sheds light on what Intel wants: nothing, while keeping the window open for re-negotiation of agreements between the two companies as an option. Intel does not seek any form of damages from NVIDIA, except merely asking it to pay for its legal fees if Intel wins, a standard practice in court cases. Intel also seems to be using the "re-negotiation" part as a carrot to let NVIDIA concede. "I wouldn't rule out a re-negotiation if we win the suit," said Intel spokesperson Chuck Mulloy, in an interview to bit-tech. "There are options available to us and re-negotiating the license is one of them." he said. The "other options", according to Mulloy, are kept under the wraps, which might as well include termination of the whole agreement, forcing a re-negotiation if NVIDIA needs to continue making core-logic technologies for the Intel platform? Intel has made a redacted version of the complaint public as it may contain some very confidential information that cannot be disclosed. The redacted copy can be read here (PDF). So what is the whole point in this exercise? To make drastic changes in agreements between the two companies by working out a renegotiation? The turn of events in weeks, or even days to come will tell.
MSI Preparing Custom GeForce GTX 260 with 1.8 GB Memory
MSI is said to be readying a custom graphics card called the N260GTX Lightning, based on NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 260 GPU. There is currently no word on clock speeds but one would expect this card to come factory overclocked. The graphics card has a custom red PCB, featuring 8+2 phase power, 5000 hour capacitors, 1792 MB of GDDR3, D-Sub, DVI and DisplayPort or HDMI and a dual slot, dual fan cooler, featuring 5 heatpipes. MSI will also be bundling an AirForce panel which appears to allow on the fly adjustments to core and memory voltage, core, shader and memory clock speeds, as well as profile selection and brightness and contrast adjustments. The MSI N260GTX Lightning is expected to make its first official appearance at CeBIT 2009.
Patriot Memory Releases Tri-Channel Signature Series
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium memory module and flash memory solutions, announced today the release of their DDR3 Tri Channel Signature Kits.
"With today's economy, 'value' has become even a greater concern for the consumer. Patriot Memory plans on making sure we provide solutions that provide value and the high quality that has made Patriot Memory a leader in the memory industry," says JR Wakabayashi, Marketing Manager for Patriot Memory.
Coming in kits of 3GB (3 x 1GB) and 6GB (3 x 2GB), Patriot's Signature Tri Channel is being offered at 1066MHZ, Cas Latency 7. The Patriot Tri Channel is compatible with all current X58 DDR3 motherboards.
"With today's economy, 'value' has become even a greater concern for the consumer. Patriot Memory plans on making sure we provide solutions that provide value and the high quality that has made Patriot Memory a leader in the memory industry," says JR Wakabayashi, Marketing Manager for Patriot Memory.
Coming in kits of 3GB (3 x 1GB) and 6GB (3 x 2GB), Patriot's Signature Tri Channel is being offered at 1066MHZ, Cas Latency 7. The Patriot Tri Channel is compatible with all current X58 DDR3 motherboards.
Inno3D Make the i-Chill GTX 260 with Accelero XXX Official
Inno3D today announced the launch of their i-Chill GTX 260 with Accelero XXX, a factory overclocked NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, featuring Arctic Cooling's Accelero XTREME GTX 280. Dubbed by Inno3D as the Accelero XXX for, Xtreme Performance (30°C lower), Xtreme Architecture (3 x 90 mm fans + 5 heatpipes over 110 fins) and Xtreme Silence (PWM support with <30dB noise). The card clocks in at 620 MHz on the core, and 2100 Mhz on the memory. Inno3D have stated that this will be a limited edition card.
TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.3.2 Released
TechPowerUp announces the availability of GPU-Z version 0.3.2 for download, that expands its GPU detection capabilities, adds new features, and fixes several issues detected with the older version. GPU-Z is our graphics sub-system diagnostic utility that provides information on the computer's installed graphics hardware, their various specifications, and provides real-time updates on their parameters such as clock-speeds, temperatures, and fan-speeds. It backed by our overclock validation system and an extensive video card BIOS database.
Important changes in the current release are as follows:
Important changes in the current release are as follows:
- Clock reading on ATI cards fixed
- GT200b is now detected as 55 nm
- Added detection for GeForce GT 120, GT 130, GT 130M, FX 5200, 9400 GT, 9600 GSO 512, FX 2700M, 9500 GS, Quadro FX 540M, Quadro FX 3700M, 9650M GT, Quadro FX 370M, 9400 IGP, 9300 IGP, 8200M G, and S3 Chrome 500 Series
- Fixed screen corruption during screenshot of sensors tab
- Added support to show lowest, highest and average reading on sensors tab (click on sensor value to switch)
- Fixed Catalyst version reading
WD Delivers My Book World Edition Network Storage Drive with up to 2TB Capacity
WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its newly redesigned My Book World Edition network storage drive, simplifying the critical but tedious task of backing up an entire household's precious files. Designed for consumers who have multiple computers on a home network, the new drive will be available in 1 terabyte and 2 terabyte capacities, and is compatible with PC and Mac computers.
OCZ Technology Introduces Alchemy Illuminati Backlit Keyboard
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and components, today announced the expansion of its peripherals under the Alchemy line, with the introduction of the Illuminati multimedia keyboard series for advanced computing complete with a stylish backlit effect. Featuring a wealth of user-friendly options combined with an ergonomic and sturdy design, the Illuminati's unique combination of features and value won't leave users in the dark.
Wednesday, February 18th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Mousepads
Processors
PSUs
- CoolMax CU-950B Techware Labs
- Corsair TX850W Overclock3D.net
- Enermax LibertyECO ELT400AWT-ECO 400W Planet 3DNow! (de)
- NOX Apex 700W ModReactor
- Rosewill RP650-2 650W Tweaktown
- Seventeam 850W Modular Bjorn3D
- SilverStone ST65EF 650W Dreamware Computers
- SilverStone NightJar 450W Phoronix
- Tagan Superrock TG680-U33II 680W Planet 3DNow! (de)
AMD Stockholders Approve New Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
AMD today announced that its stockholders approved a proposal to issue common stock and warrants to an affiliate of Mubadala Development Company PJSC, paving the way for AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company of Abu Dhabi to create "The Foundry Company".
With the stockholder approval received today, all closing conditions for the creation of "The Foundry Company" manufacturing joint venture have been met, and the transaction is expected to close by March 2, 2009.
AMD stockholders approved a proposal to issue 58 million shares of the company's common stock and warrants to purchase 35 million shares of its common stock and 35 million shares of the company's common stock upon exercise of those warrants to an affiliate of the Mubadala Development Company PJSC, on the terms described in the proxy statement related to the Special Meeting of Stockholders that was held today in Austin, Texas.
With the stockholder approval received today, all closing conditions for the creation of "The Foundry Company" manufacturing joint venture have been met, and the transaction is expected to close by March 2, 2009.
AMD stockholders approved a proposal to issue 58 million shares of the company's common stock and warrants to purchase 35 million shares of its common stock and 35 million shares of the company's common stock upon exercise of those warrants to an affiliate of the Mubadala Development Company PJSC, on the terms described in the proxy statement related to the Special Meeting of Stockholders that was held today in Austin, Texas.
Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2 Days Away From Clinching Top Spot
ASUS chose last month's CES event to announce its flagship gaming notebook, the W90. Usual high-end specifications aside, the most distinct component used in it is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2, AMD's flagship mobile graphics platform, which is on the brink of snatching the performance crown away from NVIDIA for the platform. A North American sales representative for ASUS tells GPU Café that the W90 will be available from February 23, which perhaps makes it the launch-date for the Mobility HD 4870 X2. It is also noted that the Mobility HD 4670 will be out around the same time, while Mobility HD 4850 will arrive a week or two later.
XtremeSystems forum member Kinc posted some early performance numbers relating to the Mobility HD 4870 X2, featured on the ASUS W90 with an Intel Core 2 Quad T9400, which effortlessly overclocked to 4 GHz on the notebook's stock cooling system. The Mobility HD 4870 X2 carried clock speeds of 600/900 MHz (core/memory). The notebook used Intel's X38 core-logic. At the said parameters, it was put through 3DMark 06. The notebook secured a score of 20,284 3DMarks at default setting. When released, the Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2 will replace NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX SLI as the fastest mGPU solution, replicating a similar feat by its desktop cousin.
XtremeSystems forum member Kinc posted some early performance numbers relating to the Mobility HD 4870 X2, featured on the ASUS W90 with an Intel Core 2 Quad T9400, which effortlessly overclocked to 4 GHz on the notebook's stock cooling system. The Mobility HD 4870 X2 carried clock speeds of 600/900 MHz (core/memory). The notebook used Intel's X38 core-logic. At the said parameters, it was put through 3DMark 06. The notebook secured a score of 20,284 3DMarks at default setting. When released, the Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2 will replace NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX SLI as the fastest mGPU solution, replicating a similar feat by its desktop cousin.
Intel Sues NVIDIA Over Chipset License, NVIDIA Responds
In a surprising move by Intel, the silicon giant filed a lawsuit against NVIDIA corporation at the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, over the chipset licensing agreement between the two companies, that allows NVIDIA to make core-logic (chipset) for Intel microprocessors. Intel's contention states that the licensing agreement signed between the two companies about four years ago, that allowed NVIDIA to make nForce series chipset supporting Intel processors, does not cover the the privileges required by NVIDIA to prepare chipsets for Intel's new generation of processors that feature integrated memory controllers.
As of now, NVIDIA does not stand at the receiving end of any legal action, since the company has no chipset products either released, or in production, that supports Intel's Core i7 series processors. The legal-spat in the making, between the two companies, may however affect NVIDIA's possible plans to develop chipset products for Intel's new 45 nm and 32 nm processors. NVIDIA on its part, defends its position, dismissing Intel's claims. Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA's president and CEO maintained that the license agreement negotiated earlier would still apply, though he did not miss the opportunity to affirm his beliefs that the focus on CPU being the soul (if not the heart) of the PC, is slowly yet surely shifting towards the GPU. "This is clearly an attempt to stifle innovation to protect a decaying CPU business" he said. According to the NVIDIA CEO, it is obvious that Intel fears the competition NVIDIA poses with its platform core-logic innovations, that it had to file the complaint. This spat between the two major computer hardware companies could get uglier in the days to come. The press-release from NVIDIA in response to Intel's charges follows:
As of now, NVIDIA does not stand at the receiving end of any legal action, since the company has no chipset products either released, or in production, that supports Intel's Core i7 series processors. The legal-spat in the making, between the two companies, may however affect NVIDIA's possible plans to develop chipset products for Intel's new 45 nm and 32 nm processors. NVIDIA on its part, defends its position, dismissing Intel's claims. Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA's president and CEO maintained that the license agreement negotiated earlier would still apply, though he did not miss the opportunity to affirm his beliefs that the focus on CPU being the soul (if not the heart) of the PC, is slowly yet surely shifting towards the GPU. "This is clearly an attempt to stifle innovation to protect a decaying CPU business" he said. According to the NVIDIA CEO, it is obvious that Intel fears the competition NVIDIA poses with its platform core-logic innovations, that it had to file the complaint. This spat between the two major computer hardware companies could get uglier in the days to come. The press-release from NVIDIA in response to Intel's charges follows:
NVIDIA GeForce Driver Version 182.06 WHQL Released
Just over a week since we covered the release of the 182.05 BETA driver, NVIDIA have now released a WHQL with version number 182.06. The driver has been released for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Vista and is for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, and 200-series desktop GPUs.
New in Release 182.06:
New in Release 182.06:
- Recommended for the best experience in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.
- Boosts performance in numerous 3D applications. The following are some examples of improvements measured with Release 182.06 WHQL drivers vs. Release 181.22 WHQL drivers (results will vary depending on your GPU, system configuration, and game settings):
- Up to 8% performance increase in Fallout 3 at high resolution and AA.
- Up to 10% performance increase in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.
- Up to 9% performance increase in Half-Life 2 at high resolution with AA.
- Up to 11% performance increase in Left 4 Dead at high resolution with AA.
- Up to 10% performance increase in Race Driver: GRID at high resolution and AA.
- Includes full support for OpenGL 3.0 on GeForce 8-series, 9-series, and 200-series GPUs.
- Automatically installs the new PhysX System Software version 9.09.0203.
- Additional information on specific bug fixes can be found in the release documentation notes.
Fujitsu and Toshiba Agree on HDD Business Transfer
Fujitsu Limited and Toshiba Corporation today announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the transfer of Fujitsu's hard disk drive (HDD) business to Toshiba. The companies plan to conclude a transfer contract at an early date, and aim to complete the transaction in the first quarter of fiscal 2009.
Fujitsu will facilitate the transfer by bringing its HDD-related businesses and functions together in a new company. Toshiba will acquire about an 80 percent stake in this company and make it a Toshiba Group subsidiary. In order to promote a smooth transfer, Fujitsu will continue to hold a stake of under 20 percent in the new company for a certain period of time, after which it will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba.
Fujitsu will facilitate the transfer by bringing its HDD-related businesses and functions together in a new company. Toshiba will acquire about an 80 percent stake in this company and make it a Toshiba Group subsidiary. In order to promote a smooth transfer, Fujitsu will continue to hold a stake of under 20 percent in the new company for a certain period of time, after which it will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba.
OCZ Changes Controller for Vertex SSD, New Controller Boosts Stability
Earlier this year, with the introduction of the Vertex series of solid-state drives (SSDs), OCZ sought to refine its SSD product lineup by introducing a performance drive. During the course of evaluating the new SSD, several reviewers and consumers found it to suffer 'drive-stuttering', lagging and momentary lock-ups. The problem was zeroed-in on the JMicron JMF602-series drive controller.
In the wake of several complaints and bad press, OCZ sought to issue a product change, by replacing the JMF602-series controller with a new Korean Indilink Barefoot 90 nm controller. The new controller will be able to enable speeds of up to 230/170 MB/s (read/write), when used in single-level cell SSDs, and up to 200/160 MB/s with multi-level cell SSDs. The controller is a favourite among SSD manufacturers, owing to its broad NAND-flash chip compatibility range, that includes chips from Intel, Micron, Samsung, Hynix and Toshiba. The new Vertex-series lineup will be available comprising of 30GB, 60GB, 120GB and 250GB capacities starting this week, with retail-prices of $129, $249, $469 and $869 respectively. The 30GB and 60GB variants will have caches of 32MB, while the 120GB and 250GB ones will carry 64MB caches.
In the wake of several complaints and bad press, OCZ sought to issue a product change, by replacing the JMF602-series controller with a new Korean Indilink Barefoot 90 nm controller. The new controller will be able to enable speeds of up to 230/170 MB/s (read/write), when used in single-level cell SSDs, and up to 200/160 MB/s with multi-level cell SSDs. The controller is a favourite among SSD manufacturers, owing to its broad NAND-flash chip compatibility range, that includes chips from Intel, Micron, Samsung, Hynix and Toshiba. The new Vertex-series lineup will be available comprising of 30GB, 60GB, 120GB and 250GB capacities starting this week, with retail-prices of $129, $249, $469 and $869 respectively. The 30GB and 60GB variants will have caches of 32MB, while the 120GB and 250GB ones will carry 64MB caches.
I-O Data Introduces New Full-HD Monitors
Storage and peripherals specialist I-O Data announced expansion of its display products lineup with two new full-HD LCD monitors. Dressed in black and white are the two variants of the LCD-MF242X family. The monitors house a 23.6 inch LCD panel with a native-resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, with a response time of 5 ms.
As for its illumination, the panel has a contrast ratio of 1000:1, with dynamic contrast ratio of 10000:1. Its maximum brightness is rated at 300 cd/m². In its limited size, it still includes two 1.5W speakers. Input connectors include DVI, HDMI 1.2a, and D-Sub (analog). I-O Data is expected to ask around US $355 for these monitors.
As for its illumination, the panel has a contrast ratio of 1000:1, with dynamic contrast ratio of 10000:1. Its maximum brightness is rated at 300 cd/m². In its limited size, it still includes two 1.5W speakers. Input connectors include DVI, HDMI 1.2a, and D-Sub (analog). I-O Data is expected to ask around US $355 for these monitors.
New Thermaltake Division, LUXA2, Brings About New HTPC Chassis' and More.
Thermaltake officially announced a new division of its company today called LUXA2. Along with this new brand, comes a new website featuring 6 new, previously unannounced HTPC enclosures, 4 laptop coolers, a laptop lift and a mobile holder. As can be seen by the plush website and the design of the new products, Thermaltake is no longer catering for just the enthusiast, they now want to get a piece of the "rapid growing luxury consumer market". You can find the new LUXA2 website here, the official Press Release from Thermaltake follows.
Arctic Cooling Announces the Accelero Xtreme 4870X2
The Swiss low noise cooling solution provider Arctic Cooling today announced the launch of the Accelero XTREME 4870X2. Especially designed for the ATI Radeon HD4870X2, the Accelero XTREME 4870X2 follows the sophisticated design of the Accelero XTREME series, offering the best cooling solution for this high-end VGA card.
EVGA Releases Updated SLI Enhancement Patch
Just under a week ago we covered the release of a driver add-on from EVGA which adds SLI profiles to the 182.05 driver from NVIDIA, for some of the latest released demos and games. It seems that EVGA have now released a second version of their SLI Enhancement patch, this could end up being a regular occurance, as games and demos are frequently arriving on the market, faster than NVIDIA can release fully fledged drivers. Unfortunately, they are not available to all NVIDIA SLI users, as you must be a registered member with EVGA to access the download links. The patches are available for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions Windows Vista, changes in this version are as follows:
- Enables SLI support for Grand Ages: Rome Demo
- Enables SLI support for Codename: Panzers Cold War Demo
- Enables SLI support for Men Of War Beta
- Improved SLI support for Burnout Paradise
- Enables SLI support for NecroVision Demo (DX10 Mode)
Shuttle Unveils Liquid-Cooled SDXi Carbon SFF PC
Shuttle Inc., the leading designer and manufacturer of small form factor (SFF) computers and accessories, today announced the availability of the new custom liquid-cooled SDXi Carbon extreme gaming solution showcased earlier this month at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show.
As an extreme performance system for gamers, enthusiasts, and even professionals working with graphic design, animation, or CAD, the Shuttle SDXi Carbon features a powerful quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 processor, dual-slot NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 graphics card, and high-speed DDR2 memory (up to 16GB) to deliver the best possible experience for today's most demanding applications. Then to ensure maximum performance and stability at all times, SDXi Carbon features the world's first Liquid I.C.E. technology that is designed to deliver the most efficient cooling solution in an extreme small form factor system. As a finishing touch, the SDXi Carbon is custom wrapped and painted in a premium automotive level finish, making the exterior of the system as unique as the interior.
As an extreme performance system for gamers, enthusiasts, and even professionals working with graphic design, animation, or CAD, the Shuttle SDXi Carbon features a powerful quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 processor, dual-slot NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 graphics card, and high-speed DDR2 memory (up to 16GB) to deliver the best possible experience for today's most demanding applications. Then to ensure maximum performance and stability at all times, SDXi Carbon features the world's first Liquid I.C.E. technology that is designed to deliver the most efficient cooling solution in an extreme small form factor system. As a finishing touch, the SDXi Carbon is custom wrapped and painted in a premium automotive level finish, making the exterior of the system as unique as the interior.
Tuesday, February 17th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Input Devices
Motherboards
PSUs
Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP 896 MB Review
Palit's new GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP is based on NVIDIA's latest GT200b 55 nm graphics processor. Palit has chosen to go with a dual fan design for improved airflow and increased overclocking. Not only the thermal design has been changed but also the PCB design, which features several cost optimizations and comes in an appealing ATI-red.
BFG Quietly Slips in a Passively Cooled 9800GT
First reported to Fudzilla, US online retailers, Newegg.com and Directron.com, have listed a passively cooled 9800GT based graphics card from BFG. Although there has been no official announcement, it has now also appeared on the companies own website named as the 9800 GT 512MB PCIe 2.0 with ThermoIntelligence Passive Cooling Solution. With a part number of BFGE98512GTHE, the card sports a quad heatpipe cooler mounted on the back of the card, as is usually found with most passive cooling solutions, though BFG seems to have done away with any memory and voltage regulator cooling. The card has no factory overclock so runs at the reference clocks of 600 MHz on the core, 1500 MHz on the shaders and a memory clock of 1800 MHz. Despite the card being sold as passively cooled, it is interesting to note that BFG has stated in the card's system requirements, "System chassis intake airflow greater than or equal to 25 CFM being directed towards the graphics card." Current pricing puts the card in at around $160 (US) with what would appear to be immediate availability.
Team Fortress 2 Scout Update Coming Next Week
Valve, creators of award-winning games and leading technologies, today announced a set of new releases for Team Fortress 2, the title named Editor's Favorite Game of All Time by PC Gamer (UK). The releases are headline by the Scout Update and will be made available Tuesday, February 24. Between now and then, folks can learn more about what's coming by checking tf2.com/scoutupdate each day.
AMD Hosts Discussion: Business Case for Cloud Computing
At tomorrow's IDC Cloud Computing Forum in San Francisco, AMD will host a panel discussion on "Building the Business Case for Cloud Computing: Understanding the Opportunities and Benefits." Representatives from Accenture, Amazon, AMD, Red Hat, The Shumacher Group, and IDC analyst Frank Gens will discuss strategies to successfully plot and initiate a cloud computing course. In addition, panelists will explore how cloud computing helps companies advance capacity and capabilities without significantly increasing investments.
"As datacenter demands continue to evolve toward web-based application and data delivery, IT costs and energy consumption can sky rocket. We believe businesses can see both cost-savings and workload efficiencies with a cloud computing environment, particularly when utilizing scalable, high value, power-efficient AMD platforms," said Margaret Lewis, director, commercial software solutions and strategy, AMD. "Next quarter, AMD will take energy-efficient computing to the next level by introducing an even lower power processor specifically designed for the unique demands of cloud computing environments."
"As datacenter demands continue to evolve toward web-based application and data delivery, IT costs and energy consumption can sky rocket. We believe businesses can see both cost-savings and workload efficiencies with a cloud computing environment, particularly when utilizing scalable, high value, power-efficient AMD platforms," said Margaret Lewis, director, commercial software solutions and strategy, AMD. "Next quarter, AMD will take energy-efficient computing to the next level by introducing an even lower power processor specifically designed for the unique demands of cloud computing environments."
XFX GeForce GTS 250 Pictured, Looks Familiar
Come March 3, and NVIDIA will have officially renamed the GeForce 9800 GTX+ to GeForce GTS 250. NVIDIA partners will have announced new SKUs based on the GPU throughout March. XFX on its part, seems to have made its GTS 250 accelerator ready, and it looks familiar. Chinese website IT168 caught an early glimpse of the accelerator.
The XFX GeForce GTS 250 series card will use a custom cooling design that looks almost identical to the company's Radeon HD 4850 accelerator. It features a 55 nm G92b graphics processor. Its clock-speeds are expected to be 738/1836/1100 MHz (core/shader/memory) for the base model, though one might expect XFX to come up with factory-overclocked variants. It holds 512 MB of GDDR3 memory across a 256-bit memory bus. XFX may choose the upcoming CeBIT event to launch this accelerator, after of-course, NVIDIA handles the SKU launch on its end of things.
The XFX GeForce GTS 250 series card will use a custom cooling design that looks almost identical to the company's Radeon HD 4850 accelerator. It features a 55 nm G92b graphics processor. Its clock-speeds are expected to be 738/1836/1100 MHz (core/shader/memory) for the base model, though one might expect XFX to come up with factory-overclocked variants. It holds 512 MB of GDDR3 memory across a 256-bit memory bus. XFX may choose the upcoming CeBIT event to launch this accelerator, after of-course, NVIDIA handles the SKU launch on its end of things.
Radeon HD 4770 Sets Sights on GeForce GTS 240
ATI, as part of its initial plans with the 40 nm manufacturing technology is preparing the RV740 graphics processor, the company's next mid-range workhorse graphics processor. The new manufacturing process lets AMD respect the price-constraints of that market segment, and accordingly price its SKUs. VR-Zone sourced a few more details about the GPU.
While it is already known that the RV740 goes into making the Radeon HD 4700 series, it is now rumored that its two variants will be termed HD 4770 and HD 4750, and not HD 4750 and HD 4730, as reported earlier. The HD 4770 SKU will be distinct in being the first mainstream graphics card with GDDR5 memory. It will use its 128-bit wide bus to accommodate 512 MB of memory. The HD 4750 on the other hand, will stick to GDDR3. The reference model may have 1GB of it. HD 4770 is expected to be priced around the US $120 mark, making it a head-on competitor to the GeForce GTS 240, which is known to be a re-badged GeForce 8800/9800GT with higher reference clock-speeds. The HD 4750 has GeForce 9600 GT in its sights, with its expected initial pricing ranging around the $100 mark. The two are expected to follow the RV790 launch, and will arrive in May, close to two months after the GeForce GTS 240 comes to be.
While it is already known that the RV740 goes into making the Radeon HD 4700 series, it is now rumored that its two variants will be termed HD 4770 and HD 4750, and not HD 4750 and HD 4730, as reported earlier. The HD 4770 SKU will be distinct in being the first mainstream graphics card with GDDR5 memory. It will use its 128-bit wide bus to accommodate 512 MB of memory. The HD 4750 on the other hand, will stick to GDDR3. The reference model may have 1GB of it. HD 4770 is expected to be priced around the US $120 mark, making it a head-on competitor to the GeForce GTS 240, which is known to be a re-badged GeForce 8800/9800GT with higher reference clock-speeds. The HD 4750 has GeForce 9600 GT in its sights, with its expected initial pricing ranging around the $100 mark. The two are expected to follow the RV790 launch, and will arrive in May, close to two months after the GeForce GTS 240 comes to be.
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 240 to be Overclocked GeForce 9800GT
Hardware informer Expreview has updated the information on NVIDIA's future price/performance graphics card, the GeForce GTS 240. Previously reported just as a renamed NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT, the GTS 240 is now being accounted for more than that. GeForce 9800 GT Green Edition is going to succeed GeForce 9800 GT. On the other hand GeForce GTS 240, while still very similar to GeForce 9800 GT, will come with higher clock speeds - 675/1688/2200 MHz compared to 600/1500/1800 MHz core/shader/memory found on 9800GT. NVIDIA is expected to officially announce GeForce GTS 240 at the upcoming CeBIT computer show in Hannover, Germany.
In related news, Expreview confirms that GeForce GTS 250, another card that will coexist with GTS 240, will be exactly the same as GeForce 9800 GTX+ except for the name of course.
In related news, Expreview confirms that GeForce GTS 250, another card that will coexist with GTS 240, will be exactly the same as GeForce 9800 GTX+ except for the name of course.
MSI Makes More Motherboards AM3 Ready
Global motherboard and graphics card producer Micro-Star International (MSI) announced today that thirty one of its Socket AM2/AM2+ ready motherboards are now fully compatible with AMD's latest AM3 processors. These motherboards are based on both AMD and NVIDIA chipsets. Customers of the listed models only need to update their BIOS with the latest version, and don't have to purchase any new hardware. For more information about suitable motherboard SKUs and BIOS versions click here, or read the full story.
Galaxy Releases GeForce GTX 260+ Non-Reference Card, Changes Cooling Specifications
Galaxy finally pushed its self-designed GeForce GTX 260+ graphics card to retail. The card surfaced earlier this month, in a pre-release appearance with a completely different GPU cooler (read here). The pre-release iteration featured PC-Cooler HP4-1226. As we found out during the course of the discussion, the said cooler was too large to be sold with the card, as it would probably span across four or more expansion slots.
Galaxy made the release-grade card a bit more retail-friendly by using a slightly modified Accelero Twin-Turbo cooler made by Arctic Cooling. The new cooler keeps the footprint of this card within three expansion slots. The Galaxy GeForce GTX 260+ features factory-overclocked parameters, of 625/1350/1050 MHz (core/shader/memory), a 7% overclock over the reference speeds. It uses the 55 nm G200b core, with 216 stream processors and 896 MB of GDDR3 memory. Interestingly, the card bundles Galaxy's Xtreme Tuner overclocking software, as against the Magic Panel software the pre-release iteration was spotted with, by Chinese media.
Galaxy made the release-grade card a bit more retail-friendly by using a slightly modified Accelero Twin-Turbo cooler made by Arctic Cooling. The new cooler keeps the footprint of this card within three expansion slots. The Galaxy GeForce GTX 260+ features factory-overclocked parameters, of 625/1350/1050 MHz (core/shader/memory), a 7% overclock over the reference speeds. It uses the 55 nm G200b core, with 216 stream processors and 896 MB of GDDR3 memory. Interestingly, the card bundles Galaxy's Xtreme Tuner overclocking software, as against the Magic Panel software the pre-release iteration was spotted with, by Chinese media.
Freescale Expands its Netbook Appearance
Freescale Semiconductor has collaborated with an impressive lineup of companies to enable 3G connectivity and additional operating system options for netbooks based on its new i.MX515 processor. For OEMs, the expanded ecosystem means faster time to market, greater differentiation and more compelling end devices.
Freescale entered the netbook market in January 2009 with the introduction of the i.MX515 processor and a comprehensive netbook reference design. The solution is designed to enable consumer products that deliver gigahertz performance, eye-popping graphics and eight hours of battery life between charges at extremely aggressive price points.
Freescale entered the netbook market in January 2009 with the introduction of the i.MX515 processor and a comprehensive netbook reference design. The solution is designed to enable consumer products that deliver gigahertz performance, eye-popping graphics and eight hours of battery life between charges at extremely aggressive price points.
Monday, February 16th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
Westone 3 Earphones Review
The long awaited Westone 3s are finally here and they make quite an entry. Leaving the competition behind, these earphones set the pace. Using the first true three way cross over ever to be fitted in a universal style in-ear solution these set the standard when it comes to sound quality.
EVGA HydroCopper GTX 285 Spotted
The guys over at Fudzilla have got hold of a photo showing a watercooled variant of EVGA's GTX 285. The card is said to clock in at 720 MHz on the core, 2.77 GHz effective memory clock and a shader clock of 1,620 MHz. These are the same factory overclocked speeds as the recently released FTW edition of the GTX 285 from EVGA, yet being watercooled the HydroCopper version should perform much cooler. There is currently no word on pricing but the card is expected to ship soon.
OCZ Shows off New 2.5-inch Summit Solid-State Drives
Our friends at PC Perspective talk about a new series of OCZ solid-state drives that is supposed to hit retail shelves sooner or later. Summit series, as they'll be called, are housed in a 2.5-inch shell and feature a brand new controller from Samsung. The MLC flash memory drives use standard SATA 3.0Gbps interface to transfer data. Another characteristic that's worth noting is that the Summit series SSDs feature 64MB of cache, that helps the drives to achieve read/write speeds of up to 208MB/s and 172MB/s respectively. The OCZ Summit will be available in 250GB, 120GB and 60GB models. A full in-depth preview based on an engineering sample Summit drive is accessible here.
LG Electronics, Intel Collaborate on Future Mobile Internet Devices
LG Electronics (LG) and Intel Corporation today announced a collaboration around mobile Internet devices (MIDs) based on Intel's next-generation MID hardware platform, codenamed "Moorestown," and Linux-based Moblin v2.0 software platform. The LG device is expected to be one of the first Moorestown designs to market.
LG and Intel's common goal is to unleash rich Internet experiences across a range of mobile devices while delivering the functionality of today's high-end smart phones. The collaboration on the new design extends a close working relationship the two companies have enjoyed across their respective mobile product lines, which now spans the notebook, netbook and MID categories.
LG and Intel's common goal is to unleash rich Internet experiences across a range of mobile devices while delivering the functionality of today's high-end smart phones. The collaboration on the new design extends a close working relationship the two companies have enjoyed across their respective mobile product lines, which now spans the notebook, netbook and MID categories.
NVIDIA Enables The World's First $99 HD Mobile Internet Device
Today's users want an always-connected device for social media applications such as Facebook and YouTube, as well as great multimedia performance for recording and watching HD movies and videos on the go.
NVIDIA Corporation, the inventor of the graphics processor, today introduced a new platform, based on the NVIDIA Tegra 600 Series computer-on-a-chip that enables a $99, always-on, always-connected HD mobile internet device (MID) that can go days between battery charges.
This platform will enable OEMs to quickly build and bring to market devices that carriers can offer for as low as $99 -bringing broadband connectivity and all of the Web's HD content to the masses.
NVIDIA Corporation, the inventor of the graphics processor, today introduced a new platform, based on the NVIDIA Tegra 600 Series computer-on-a-chip that enables a $99, always-on, always-connected HD mobile internet device (MID) that can go days between battery charges.
This platform will enable OEMs to quickly build and bring to market devices that carriers can offer for as low as $99 -bringing broadband connectivity and all of the Web's HD content to the masses.
SPARKLE Proudly Announced Diamonds Sputtering Technology for Video Cards
SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today proudly announced Diamonds Sputtering technology for video cards, which raise the bar for video card cooling technology.
Now with more and more advanced relative technologies, the performance of video cards is getting stronger and stronger, there will be more heat generated by video cards, which significantly impairs the life expectancy of GPU and video memory chips on video cards. Video card companies have a lot of programs come and go to solve the problem of heat dissipation. The most commonly seen in general is the use of fans with cooling fins to do additional cooling. in the early days, the cooling job can be done simply with a fan or cooling fins, but in today's graphics cards with more intense heat than before, the cooling job must be done on the technologies not the same as before, not just rely on the fan and cooling fins. Video card companies must go to find some relatively new method to solve the problem of heat dissipation.
Now with more and more advanced relative technologies, the performance of video cards is getting stronger and stronger, there will be more heat generated by video cards, which significantly impairs the life expectancy of GPU and video memory chips on video cards. Video card companies have a lot of programs come and go to solve the problem of heat dissipation. The most commonly seen in general is the use of fans with cooling fins to do additional cooling. in the early days, the cooling job can be done simply with a fan or cooling fins, but in today's graphics cards with more intense heat than before, the cooling job must be done on the technologies not the same as before, not just rely on the fan and cooling fins. Video card companies must go to find some relatively new method to solve the problem of heat dissipation.
Shuttle Unleashes SX58H7 Prima Series
Shuttle Inc. - the leading designer and manufacturer of small form factor (SFF) computers and accessories rolls out a new Prima flagship model - SX58H7. The Shuttle SX58H7 packs amazing performance into a mini glossy aluminum enclosure to reach "work hard & play hard" goals of extreme gamers, demand enthusiasts and mainstream PC users.
Shuttle SX58H7 features the Intel latest X58 Chipset, supporting the newest Intel Core i7 processors. The 3+1 channel DDR3 architecture triples the bandwidth of the system memory to boost performance. Capable of running both ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI on the board, it's easy to enjoy best experience in gaming performance and image quality. Presenting higher efficiency levels, the SX58H7 is guaranteed by 80PLUS BRONZE certification with 500W high efficiency & energy saving power supply.
Shuttle SX58H7 features the Intel latest X58 Chipset, supporting the newest Intel Core i7 processors. The 3+1 channel DDR3 architecture triples the bandwidth of the system memory to boost performance. Capable of running both ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI on the board, it's easy to enjoy best experience in gaming performance and image quality. Presenting higher efficiency levels, the SX58H7 is guaranteed by 80PLUS BRONZE certification with 500W high efficiency & energy saving power supply.
Rivatuner 2.23 Released
The very powerful videocard tweaking utility Rivatuner has been updated towards version 2.23. The full list of this release' updates and fixes follows below. To download it, please click here.
Lenovo to Launch 12-inch Intel Atom N280 Powered Netbook
Our well known news informer DigiTimes claims that Lenovo plans to materialize an Intel Atom N280 powered IdeaPad S20 netbook featuring a 12-inch panel. If accomplished, Lenovo will be one step ahead of the competition, which currently offers only 10-inch netbook solutions for a reason described below.
Lenovo reportedly plans to launch an Atom N280-based IdeaPad S20 netbook featuring a 12-inch panel. The specification would break Intel's restrictions for netbook products that state devices cannot offer panel sizes larger than the 10-inch category, according to sources at notebook makers. As a consequence for breaking the restrictions, Lenovo will lose out on preferential pricing for the N280 processor, and would end up having to buy at Intel's officially announced price, which is around US$10 higher than typical quotes to vendors of Lenovo's size, the sources noted. The sources commented that Lenovo hopes the decision will help boost its netbook sales by avoiding the fierce competition in the 10-inch segment.
The IdeaPad S20 netbook with an Atom N280 processor and GN40 chipset, and Windows XP will be priced at around NT$20,000 (US$586), the sources detailed.
In the related news, Asustek Computer's 10-inch Atom N280-based Eee PC 1004DN is expected to be priced around US$379, while Acer is already selling its Atom N280-based netbook at NT$17,000.
Intel X58 Chipset Moves from B-2 to B-3 Stepping in April
Intel will be moving its current high-end X58 chipset to B-3 stepping, the company announced in a recent official notification to motherboard makers. The IOH (I/O Hub) component of the Intel X58 Express chipset is converting from the current B-2 stepping to the new B-3 stepping. This step will require manufacturers to do a re-qualification, although both revisions are pin-to-pin compatible. No modifications or changes in the design of current motherboards will be needed for the new chipset stepping. First batch of B-3 X58 silicon will become available to board manufacturers on April 10th. The B-3 chipset marking will be replaced from SLGBT to SLGMX.
Inno3D Freezer X2 DHT GeForce GTX 260 Pictured
Based on the new inexpensive P897 PCB, the Freezer X2 DHT series GeForce GTX 260 will be the first graphics card by the company based on a non-reference GTX 200 series design. The card was first pictured with only its green PCB exposed, possibly because the cooler design was being finalized or embargoed (read here). By the looks of it, NVIDIA seems to have made things easy for its partners by issuing a base-design kit that allows partners to rearrange components, in a way they see fit. This helps partners use the cooling mechanism of their choice.
With the Freezer X2 DHT, Inno3D chose a modularised cooling system that consists of a large GPU cooler, heatspreaders over the memory chips, heatsinks over the NVIO2 processor and the card's VRM area, with the GPU cooler providing air-flow for these component heatsinks. The GPU cooler uses the Direct Heatpipe-Touch (DHT) technology, where the GPU contact-block has three heatpipes making direct contact with the GPU. These heatpipes convey heat to an aluminum fin array, which is subjected to air-flow by two equally-sized fans. One can expect this card to be launched during the CeBIT event.
With the Freezer X2 DHT, Inno3D chose a modularised cooling system that consists of a large GPU cooler, heatspreaders over the memory chips, heatsinks over the NVIO2 processor and the card's VRM area, with the GPU cooler providing air-flow for these component heatsinks. The GPU cooler uses the Direct Heatpipe-Touch (DHT) technology, where the GPU contact-block has three heatpipes making direct contact with the GPU. These heatpipes convey heat to an aluminum fin array, which is subjected to air-flow by two equally-sized fans. One can expect this card to be launched during the CeBIT event.
Galaxy Debuts Xtreme Tuner Overclocking Software
Galaxy today announced a new video-card management software, the Xtreme Tuner. Unlike other manufacturers coming up with different bits of software to tune the graphics card's running-state parameters and BIOS manipulation, Galaxy's software provides a consolidated interface for monitoring the various parameters of graphics cards and controlling clock-speeds, fan-speeds, BIOS manipulation and BIOS flashing from within Windows.
The software becomes especially handy when all controls are present in one page. It is noted of this software to support all current NVIDIA GeForce-based graphics cards, with the exception of BIOS flashing being exclusive to some Galaxy-made graphics cards. This is attributed to Galaxy using a dual-BIOS design with some of its cards. Incidentally, Galaxy has another software utility called Magic Panel, which now seems to be exclusive for Galaxy products in the Asian markets. The interface of the Xtreme Tuner can be indexed in the picture below as: 1. Graphics cards fan speed control area, 2. Graphics card's Core/ Memory/ shader clock control area, 3. Operation Monitor, 4. BIOS Flashing interface, and 5. Application settings.
DOWNLOAD: Galaxy Xtreme Tuner
The software becomes especially handy when all controls are present in one page. It is noted of this software to support all current NVIDIA GeForce-based graphics cards, with the exception of BIOS flashing being exclusive to some Galaxy-made graphics cards. This is attributed to Galaxy using a dual-BIOS design with some of its cards. Incidentally, Galaxy has another software utility called Magic Panel, which now seems to be exclusive for Galaxy products in the Asian markets. The interface of the Xtreme Tuner can be indexed in the picture below as: 1. Graphics cards fan speed control area, 2. Graphics card's Core/ Memory/ shader clock control area, 3. Operation Monitor, 4. BIOS Flashing interface, and 5. Application settings.
DOWNLOAD: Galaxy Xtreme Tuner
Sunday, February 15th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Printers
Processors
Eurocom Preparing GT2xx SLI-Based Desktop Replacement Notebook
Desktop replacement laptop specialists Eurocom is said to be preparing the first mobile platform featuring a NVIDIA GT2xx-series (tenth generation NVIDIA GPU) multi-GPU graphics subsystem. The company's next-generation M980U Emperor already listed on the company website, is specified to hold two Gxx-class GPUs. The company can claim this to be the first mobile platform to even feature a Gxx GPU, let alone a multi-GPU setup.
In its report, GPU Café notes that with GT2xx based mobile GPUs planned for the later half of this year, one can expect the GPUs on the Eurocom notebook to be based on the GT215 GPU, a performance-class GPU that is expected to replace the G92 series GPUs. The GT215 will be built on the 40 nm manufacturing process, from which one can expect energy efficiency. The rest of the notebook's specifications include a Core 2 Extreme processor, and uses the NVIDIA MCP79xi SLI core-logic, 1920×1080 px HD display, up to 8 GB of DDR3 memory and 1.5 TB of storage. Incidentally, Eurocom is also one of the first desktop replacement vendors to be preparing an Intel Core i7-based notebook.
In its report, GPU Café notes that with GT2xx based mobile GPUs planned for the later half of this year, one can expect the GPUs on the Eurocom notebook to be based on the GT215 GPU, a performance-class GPU that is expected to replace the G92 series GPUs. The GT215 will be built on the 40 nm manufacturing process, from which one can expect energy efficiency. The rest of the notebook's specifications include a Core 2 Extreme processor, and uses the NVIDIA MCP79xi SLI core-logic, 1920×1080 px HD display, up to 8 GB of DDR3 memory and 1.5 TB of storage. Incidentally, Eurocom is also one of the first desktop replacement vendors to be preparing an Intel Core i7-based notebook.
A-Data and PQI Joining SSD Co-Branding Alliance With Intel
A-Data and Power Quotient International (PQI) are contemplating a co-branding alliance with Intel, that lets them market Intel-made solid state drives (SSDs) with their own branding and end-user support policies. When implemented, the two companies will join Kingston memory in a league of companies selling Intel-made SSDs. Kingston released its SSDs in January 2009, as the first of its kind partnership with the silicon giant.
Sources tell DigiTimes that while A-Data will release co-branded SSDs shortly, PQI's SSDs will release later this month. PQI says that it will execute two marketing strategies for its SSD lineup. On the one hand, it plans to market Intel co-branded SSDs, on the other, an alliance with CoreSolid Storage will facilitate sourcing NAND flash controllers for a line of SSDs built for the white-box netbook market in China. The company seems to be already cooperating with 3~4 such netbook manufacturers.
Sources tell DigiTimes that while A-Data will release co-branded SSDs shortly, PQI's SSDs will release later this month. PQI says that it will execute two marketing strategies for its SSD lineup. On the one hand, it plans to market Intel co-branded SSDs, on the other, an alliance with CoreSolid Storage will facilitate sourcing NAND flash controllers for a line of SSDs built for the white-box netbook market in China. The company seems to be already cooperating with 3~4 such netbook manufacturers.
RV740 Launch Pushed to April
Following reports of AMD's next flagship GPU, the RV790 being pushed to April, a fresh report from Hardware-Infos suggests that its sibling, the RV740 will join the league of the company's product launches slated for April. Company sources tell Hardware-Infos that the company has no product-launches scheduled for the upcoming CeBIT event held in Germany. The report suggests constraints of TSMC, a major foundry partner for AMD's graphics product group (GPG), with regards to its 40 nm bulk manufacturing process, as a likely cause although this bit wasn't endorsed by the source.
Another source shed some light on the specifications of the two graphics processors. It is suggested that the RV790 has expanded machinery at its disposal, with 960 stream processors and 48 texture memory units. Engineering samples based on the said GPU are known to carry faster memory chips. The specifications coupled with the suggested higher clock speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory) help explain how the RV790 could manage to pose competition to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 accelerator. The RV740 on the other hand, is said to carry 640 stream processors, 32 texture memory units, and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface.
Another source shed some light on the specifications of the two graphics processors. It is suggested that the RV790 has expanded machinery at its disposal, with 960 stream processors and 48 texture memory units. Engineering samples based on the said GPU are known to carry faster memory chips. The specifications coupled with the suggested higher clock speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory) help explain how the RV790 could manage to pose competition to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 accelerator. The RV740 on the other hand, is said to carry 640 stream processors, 32 texture memory units, and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface.
CPU-Z 1.50 Released
The latest version of the popular CPU, motherboard and memory identification utility from CPUID, was released yesterday. The new version brings:
- Improved support for AMD Phenom II processor.
- New Intel Core i7 models.
- Support for NVIDIA 740i chipset.
- Several bug fixes.
Saturday, February 14th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Sound Cards
Palit GeForce 9600 GT Green Edition Does Away With Auxiliary Power Input
Where invention pauses, innovation takes over. This seems to be the case with NVIDIA's initiative to release "Green Edition" products of some of its popular GPUs, which brandishes energy-efficiency. NVIDIA's move to release revisions of the G92 and G94 GPUs built on the newer 55 nm process, coupled with clock-speed and core voltage reductions, seems to have made it possible for manufacturers to redesign the cards in a way that they end up being not only energy efficient, but also cheaper to produce.
Palit seems to be one of the first to be out with a 9600 GT Green Edition accelerator that lacks a 6-pin PCI-Express power input. The card has reached retail channels in Japan, pictured by AKIBA. The card uses a core clock speed of 600 MHz, with its 512 MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 900 (1800 DDR) MHz. The card uses Palit's regular radial GPU cooler design. It draws all its power from the PCI-Express slot. It lacks an SLI connector. Output options include DVI, D-Sub and HDMI. It is priced at ¥ 7980 (around US $86.7).
Palit seems to be one of the first to be out with a 9600 GT Green Edition accelerator that lacks a 6-pin PCI-Express power input. The card has reached retail channels in Japan, pictured by AKIBA. The card uses a core clock speed of 600 MHz, with its 512 MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 900 (1800 DDR) MHz. The card uses Palit's regular radial GPU cooler design. It draws all its power from the PCI-Express slot. It lacks an SLI connector. Output options include DVI, D-Sub and HDMI. It is priced at ¥ 7980 (around US $86.7).
TechPowerUp Radeon BIOS Editor 1.19 Released, Allows New Software Voltmods
TechPowerUp introduces Radeon BIOS Editor (RBE) v1.19. The software comes as a respite for users of ATI Radeon graphics cards seeking seamless GPU BIOS manipulation. The newest version of the software brings about the following changes:
- Fixed a startup bug causing the main window not to show up.
- Added experimental voltage register access. RBE automatically figures out if the card's equipped with a VT11xx. Just use register 15 for underclocking/undervolting and register 18 for overclocking. Register tweaking will override the voltage table. Still, you should adjust your powerplay settings according to the new register values.
QNAP Unveils Intel Core 2 Duo, 8-bay, 16TB iSCSI NAS - TS-809 Pro
QNAP Systems, Inc. today announces the enterprise-grade TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS-the new high performance and high volume NAS (network attached storage). The TS-809 Pro is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz CPU and 2GB DDRII memory, supports 8 SATA drive bays that accommodate up to 12TB storage capacity (16TB possible when 2TB hard drives are available), and offers advanced RAID features, e.g. RAID 0/1/5/6/5+spare, Online RAID Capacity Expansion and Online RAID Level Migration. Other advanced business features include iSCSI with Thin Provisioning, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, automatic policy-based IP blocking, instant SMS and email alert etc.
"The TS-809 Pro adopts Intel Core 2 Duo high performance CPU which brings extremely high speed experience for multiple business applications. It is an excellent choice for storage-hungry enterprises who demand for outstanding system performance in an intensive data access environment," remarked by Laurent Cheng, Product Manager from QNAP. According to the IOmeter test in QNAP lab, the read/ write performance of the TS-809 Pro reaches more than 126MB/s and 111 MB/s respectively. The TS-809 Pro can also be used as a mass data storage center, especially for SOHO and home users, to store and share millions of multimedia files.
"The TS-809 Pro adopts Intel Core 2 Duo high performance CPU which brings extremely high speed experience for multiple business applications. It is an excellent choice for storage-hungry enterprises who demand for outstanding system performance in an intensive data access environment," remarked by Laurent Cheng, Product Manager from QNAP. According to the IOmeter test in QNAP lab, the read/ write performance of the TS-809 Pro reaches more than 126MB/s and 111 MB/s respectively. The TS-809 Pro can also be used as a mass data storage center, especially for SOHO and home users, to store and share millions of multimedia files.
S3 Graphics Officially Introduces Chrome 540 GTX, The World's Most Connected HD Card
S3 Graphics today announced the latest addition to its power-efficient Chrome 500 Series graphics processor family, with the unveiling of an 850MHz clocked GDDR3 based Chrome 540 GTX. Today's users can convert an ordinary PC into a Hi-Def entertainment powerhouse for Dual-Stream Blu-ray and HD videos, using the newly defined DisplayPort digital interface, HDMI and Dual-Link DVI for seamless connectivity to the latest digital monitors and HDTVs.
Today's multimedia enthusiasts require extra GPU horsepower to perform high-quality HD video decoding, image post-processing, and stunning color enhancement when displaying the latest HD content on Blu-ray or streaming video-on-demand. With the Chrome 540 GTX, you now have the power to bring every movie experience to life, and enjoy bonus footage through Picture-in-Picture, all while enjoying 8 channels of high fidelity audio with the S3 Graphics built-in Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound processor.
Today's multimedia enthusiasts require extra GPU horsepower to perform high-quality HD video decoding, image post-processing, and stunning color enhancement when displaying the latest HD content on Blu-ray or streaming video-on-demand. With the Chrome 540 GTX, you now have the power to bring every movie experience to life, and enjoy bonus footage through Picture-in-Picture, all while enjoying 8 channels of high fidelity audio with the S3 Graphics built-in Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound processor.
Kingston Readying 24 GB DDR3 ValueRAM Kit
Kingston Memory putting memory technology development in the right direction, by upping the per-module density to 4 GB. When produced in a large scale, the modules may go into making 2x 4 GB dual-channel, 3x 4 GB and 6x 4 GB triple-channel memory kits. The company put engineering samples of its new 4 GB ValueRAM modules to test.
In its teaser video (dubbed tech demo), using a Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 and Intel Core i7 920 based system, Kingston was able to demonstrate a mammoth 24 GB of system system memory by smoothly operating several virtual machines, which serves as a valid test to show how 24 GB of memory helps. The video was posted on YouTube and can be watched here. Kingston notes its pre-production 6x 4 GB kit to cost around $2000 to produce.
In its teaser video (dubbed tech demo), using a Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 and Intel Core i7 920 based system, Kingston was able to demonstrate a mammoth 24 GB of system system memory by smoothly operating several virtual machines, which serves as a valid test to show how 24 GB of memory helps. The video was posted on YouTube and can be watched here. Kingston notes its pre-production 6x 4 GB kit to cost around $2000 to produce.
AMD Preparing Radeon HD 4890, Slated for April
AMD has been working the ATI RV790 GPU for a while now. It appears to be like it will take a little longer for the company to release an SKU based on it. Contradicting earlier reports, it is known that the RV790-based SKUs stay within the Radeon HD 4800 series, and not form the HD 4900 series.
The flagship single-GPU product based on the RV790 is to be called Radeon HD 4890. Samples based on the RV790XT A11 are currently running at speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory). AMD is reportedly telling its partners that the RV790XT is expected to be around 20% faster than the RV770XT (HD 4870), and has NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 285 in its sights, for head-on competition. Additionally, AMD may force NVIDIA to reconsider its pricing, since the RV790XT is expected to be priced between US$199 to US$249, up to $150 cheaper than the GeForce GTX 285 in its current pricing. Unfortunately, one has to wait till April.
The flagship single-GPU product based on the RV790 is to be called Radeon HD 4890. Samples based on the RV790XT A11 are currently running at speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory). AMD is reportedly telling its partners that the RV790XT is expected to be around 20% faster than the RV770XT (HD 4870), and has NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 285 in its sights, for head-on competition. Additionally, AMD may force NVIDIA to reconsider its pricing, since the RV790XT is expected to be priced between US$199 to US$249, up to $150 cheaper than the GeForce GTX 285 in its current pricing. Unfortunately, one has to wait till April.
Friday, February 13th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
- Akasa Infiniti ZOR Bit-Tech
- Antec Sonata Elite Overclockers Club
- Antec Fusion Remote Black SWEMod
- Antec 900 V2 XSReviews
- Cooler Master Cosmos Black Test Freaks
- Cooler Master Storm Sniper Hardwarecanucks
- Coolermaster CM Storm Sniper HT4U.net (de)
- Cooler Master Storm Sniper PureOverclock
- SilverStone Fortress FT01B-W Bjorn3D
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Monitors
Motherboards
Mousepads
Multimedia
PSUs
NVIDIA Preparing GeForce 9800 GT Green Edition, Readying GTS 200 Series
NVIDIA is going ahead with the launch schedule of the GeForce GTS 200 series, that consist of products based on the current-generation G92 GPU. It is known that the GTS 240 and GTS 250 are re-branded 9800 GT and 9800 GTX+ respectively. The 9800 GTX+ SKU will officially be renamed GTS 250 on March 3. One can expect NVIDIA partners to come up with cheaper SKUs that fit into the US $ 130 range, lower than the current $150 range 9800 GTX+ and ATI Radeon HD 4850 compete in.
The GTS 240 on the other hand, will be introduced soon with a newer price-range of around $100, lower than the $120 mark the 9800 GT revolves around. This should make it more competitive against the Radeon HD 4830, which is currently winning in the price/performance figure. Additionally, the company is preparing a GeForce 9800 GT Green Edition, which carries forward the design methodology of the 9600 GT Green Edition: lowering the GPU voltage and slightly reducing the clock speeds. It is expected to carry clock speeds of 550/1375/900 MHz (core/shader/memory) against the reference 9800 GT specifications of 600/1500/900 MHz. The new SKU might be priced at a premium over the GTS 240, at around $ 120.
The GTS 240 on the other hand, will be introduced soon with a newer price-range of around $100, lower than the $120 mark the 9800 GT revolves around. This should make it more competitive against the Radeon HD 4830, which is currently winning in the price/performance figure. Additionally, the company is preparing a GeForce 9800 GT Green Edition, which carries forward the design methodology of the 9600 GT Green Edition: lowering the GPU voltage and slightly reducing the clock speeds. It is expected to carry clock speeds of 550/1375/900 MHz (core/shader/memory) against the reference 9800 GT specifications of 600/1500/900 MHz. The new SKU might be priced at a premium over the GTS 240, at around $ 120.
Microsoft Offers $250,000 Reward for Conficker Arrest and Conviction
Today, Microsoft Corp. announced a partnership with technology industry leaders and academia to implement a coordinated, global response to the Conficker (aka Downadup) worm. Together with security researchers, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and operators within the Domain Name System, Microsoft coordinated a response designed to disable domains targeted by Conficker. Microsoft also announced a $250,000 reward for information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally launching the Conficker malicious code on the Internet.
AMD Clarifies Erratum 379 ''DDR3-1333'', More Than a Fix in Works
AMD found itself in a tricky situation with its launch schedule for the DDR3-supportive AM3 socket platform: the revision guide document for 10h family of processors disclosed a rather serious erratum with the processors, with the company not recommending the use of more than two DDR3-1333 memory modules in all, or more than one module per memory channel, stating unreliable operation as consequence (more here). We rose doubts on a certain statement in the document circling around what we saw as a potential solution to the problem, and hence sought the company's comment.
AMD replied to us with a set of things, not necessarily interrelated, though in some way connected to the erratum, and the company's approach towards the DDR3 memory standard:
AMD replied to us with a set of things, not necessarily interrelated, though in some way connected to the erratum, and the company's approach towards the DDR3 memory standard:
- AMD confirms the issue as stated by the revision guide document, and is indeed working on a solution. The issue does not affect, in any way, using one DDR3-1333 memory module per channel
- The company has already specified the safest workaround for the issue: specifying the memory modules to run at the speeds of PC3-8500, 533 MHz (DDR3-1066). One can refer to hardware literature on how to do that
- AMD has given guidance to motherboard vendors on this issue. Some motherboards could rectify the issue by themselves, by operating the memory modules at PC3-8500 specifications. The incentive of tightening DRAM timings stays
- Good news for overclockers: You will be able to override the memory frequency control by motherboards, and can attempt to tweak frequencies at will. AMD product warranties, as always, don't cover damages caused by overclocking, even when overclocking is enabled via AMD Software
- Better news: Indications are that AMD is doing a lot more than creating a workaround for this issue, it may be devising a new feature altogether that, in the end, upholds the company's initiative to be enthusiast-friendly. Furthermore, AMD iterates that it is its intention to provide higher DDR3 frequencies as DDR3 becomes more prevalent
BFG Technologies Announces Availability of First Watercooled Dual GPU GeForce GTX 295
BFG Technologies, Inc., the leading North American and European supplier of advanced NVIDIA-based 3D graphics cards, power supplies, and the Phobos High-Performance Gaming/Home Theater System, announced today the BFG GeForce GTX 295 H2O graphics card with ThermoIntelligence Water Cooling Solution.
BFG Technologies has taken their award-winning GeForce GTX 295 dual GPU graphics card and combined it with a highly efficient, thermally advanced copper water block co-developed with the experts at Danger Den to offer a totally silent cooling solution for customers who have an existing water cooling system set up. This BFG ThermoIntelligence water block delivers an exceptional 44°C lower GPU operating temperature (than with air cooling), and cools all heat generating points on the card-GPU, RAM, voltage regulators, and I/O chip.
BFG Technologies has taken their award-winning GeForce GTX 295 dual GPU graphics card and combined it with a highly efficient, thermally advanced copper water block co-developed with the experts at Danger Den to offer a totally silent cooling solution for customers who have an existing water cooling system set up. This BFG ThermoIntelligence water block delivers an exceptional 44°C lower GPU operating temperature (than with air cooling), and cools all heat generating points on the card-GPU, RAM, voltage regulators, and I/O chip.
Apple Security Update 2009-001 and Java Updates for MacOS X Released
Apple released today a highly recommended security update 2009-001 for all versions of MacOS X. This updated improves the security of Mac OS X and fixes various operating system flaws. The security update is available for MacOS X Leopard, Leopard Server, Tiger for Intel Macs, Tiger for PowerPC-based Macs, Tiger Server for PowerPC-based Macs and Server Universal. In addition Apple has released two Java security updates that improve the security and compatibility of Java on MacOS X. All updates can be located and installed via Software Update or directly from Apple Downloads here. More information about the updates can be found here.
Lenovo's Ultra-Thin 16-inch IdeaPad Y650 Now Shipping
The long awaited Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 laptop is finally starting to ship to its soon to be proud owners. Announced at CES 2009 as the world's thinest 16-inch entertainment notebook, IdeaPad Y650 combines almost everything you'd want to have in a notebook - extremely thin and clean design with carbon fiber parts, light weight, big screen, powerful hardware and fairly low cost.
Back to the interesting part, IdeaPad Y650 comes with two Intel Core 2 Duo CPU options - the 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 or the 2.40GHz P8600, both feature 1066MHz FSB and 3MB L2 cache. Video options include either an integrated Intel X4500 graphics or an NVIDIA GeForce G 105M GPU with 256MB dedicated RAM. Remaining specs include 3GB DDR3-8500 RAM (up to 4GB), 320GB 5400 rpm HDD, DVD writer, multi-touch track pad, Bluetooth, integrated 1.3MP webcam and a 6 Cell Lithium-Ion battery. All different versions ship with the same 16.0-inch TFT widescreen display with LED backlight, ambient light sensor and a 1366x768 maximum resolution. It is also worth mentioning that the sound system in IdeaPad Y650 is provided by JBL, featuring 2x 2W JBL speakers. The Lenvo IdeaPad Y650 is available now directly from Lenovo, with a starting price of $1,299.
Back to the interesting part, IdeaPad Y650 comes with two Intel Core 2 Duo CPU options - the 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 or the 2.40GHz P8600, both feature 1066MHz FSB and 3MB L2 cache. Video options include either an integrated Intel X4500 graphics or an NVIDIA GeForce G 105M GPU with 256MB dedicated RAM. Remaining specs include 3GB DDR3-8500 RAM (up to 4GB), 320GB 5400 rpm HDD, DVD writer, multi-touch track pad, Bluetooth, integrated 1.3MP webcam and a 6 Cell Lithium-Ion battery. All different versions ship with the same 16.0-inch TFT widescreen display with LED backlight, ambient light sensor and a 1366x768 maximum resolution. It is also worth mentioning that the sound system in IdeaPad Y650 is provided by JBL, featuring 2x 2W JBL speakers. The Lenvo IdeaPad Y650 is available now directly from Lenovo, with a starting price of $1,299.
Leaked Information Points at Free OEM Upgrade from Vista to Windows 7
Tech ARP has managed to get a hold of a copy of a draft document, preliminarily named the Windows 7 Upgrade Program. It is said to have been distributed to Microsoft's OEM partners on 10th December giving them a month to provide feedback. Obviously nothing is set in stone yet, but Microsoft provided similar upgrade programs for Vista and XP. The extract follows:
Microsoft to Open a Chain of Retail Stores for its Products
Software giant Microsoft is looking for another spot that will make the company's products more widespread than ever. It plans to open a chain of own retail stores that will sell all Microsoft software product including Windows and other applications as well as personal compuetrs running Windows operating system, cellphones running Windows Mobile OS and last but not least the company's Xbox videogame console. Microsoft has also appointed David Porter, a former Wal-Mart Stores executive, to lead the new initiative through its way up. Porter spent 25 years at Wal-Mart Stores in roles of increasing responsibility and seniority in store operations, merchandising and information technology. In his last role at Wal-Mart, Porter was vice president and general merchandise manager of Entertainment, where he served as a strategic point of influence throughout the Wal-Mart business. Porter's first day at Microsoft as corporate vice president of Retail Stores will be Feb. 16, 2009.
"There are tremendous opportunities ahead for Microsoft to create a world-class shopping experience for our customers," Porter said. "I am excited about helping consumers make more informed decisions about their PC and software purchases, and we'll share learnings from our stores with our existing retail and OEM partners that are critical to our success." That's all we know for now, key details around the new retail stores are still to be worked out. We'll keep you posted if anything new pops up.
"There are tremendous opportunities ahead for Microsoft to create a world-class shopping experience for our customers," Porter said. "I am excited about helping consumers make more informed decisions about their PC and software purchases, and we'll share learnings from our stores with our existing retail and OEM partners that are critical to our success." That's all we know for now, key details around the new retail stores are still to be worked out. We'll keep you posted if anything new pops up.
Antec Introduces New Form Factor with CP-850 Power Supply Exclusively for Antec Cases
Antec, the global leader in computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, today announced the CP-850, a high-performance power supply featuring an entirely new form factor. Part of Antec's upcoming CP Series, the CP-850 breaks away from the standard-size PS/2 form factor -- which has been the predominant form factor for nearly 20 years -- to introduce improved airflow, better component selection and quieter operation. The CP-850 and CP Series are exclusively compatible with Antec's latest high-performance PC cases.
NVIDIA GeForce Release 179.48 BETA for Notebooks Released
NVIDIA has launched a new BETA driver for its mobile GeForce graphics processors. The new drivers are numbered 179.48 and in theory they support all GeForce Go 7-series, GeForce 8M and GeForce 9M series notebook GPUs. The whole 7-series GeForce Go support is new to this driver, so be prepared for eventual problems. NVIDIA has also included CUDA technology support and PhysX hardware acceleration on GeForce 8M and 9M GPUs (with a minimum of 256MB RAM) within the package. Download the appropriate version of GeForce Release 179.48 for notebooks from here.
Thursday, February 12th 2009
Zotac GeForce GTX 295 1792 MB Review
Zotac's GeForce GTX 295 comes with two NVIDIA GT200b GPUs sandwiched together in one graphics card. The card can successfully defeat ATI's HD 4870 X2 in our benchmarks and offers plenty of overclocking headroom beyond that. Thanks to the 55 nm GPU design and clever power saving methods the card even delivers in the performance per Watt segment.
VIA Announces Power-Efficient NSR7800, 8-Bay 2U Rackmount Server
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA NSR7800 2U rackmount server for network storage solution providers. Powered by a 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor, the VIA NSR7800 offers system integrators the opportunity to provide unparalleled power and energy-efficient server solutions to today's energy-conscious small and medium sized business customers.
With eight 3.5" S-ATA II hard drive bays, the VIA NSR7800 is the perfect balance of power-efficiency, performance and capacity, an ideal starting point for a variety of rackmount server applications including email, file and web server products. The VIA NSR7800's drive bays are easily accessible through lockable front levers that allow hard drives to be securely installed in moments. Dual Gigabit LAN ensures fast data transfer speeds.
With eight 3.5" S-ATA II hard drive bays, the VIA NSR7800 is the perfect balance of power-efficiency, performance and capacity, an ideal starting point for a variety of rackmount server applications including email, file and web server products. The VIA NSR7800's drive bays are easily accessible through lockable front levers that allow hard drives to be securely installed in moments. Dual Gigabit LAN ensures fast data transfer speeds.
Samsung Begins Production of High-performance GDDR5 Memory Using 50-nm Technology
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology and the leading producer of high-end graphics memory, announced today that it has begun mass producing GDDR5 graphics memory using 50-nanometer class process technology.
"Our early 2009 introduction of GDDR5 chips will help us to meet the growing demand for higher performance graphics memory in PCs, graphic cards and game consoles," said Mueez Deen, director, mobile and graphics memory, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "Because GDDR5 is the fastest and highest performing memory in the world, we're able to improve the gaming experience with it across all platforms," he added.
"Our early 2009 introduction of GDDR5 chips will help us to meet the growing demand for higher performance graphics memory in PCs, graphic cards and game consoles," said Mueez Deen, director, mobile and graphics memory, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "Because GDDR5 is the fastest and highest performing memory in the world, we're able to improve the gaming experience with it across all platforms," he added.
Lian Li Launches the Innovative PC-Q07 Mini-ITX Chassis
Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-Q07 Mini-ITX chassis. The black hairline-brushed all aluminum PC-Q07 allows for the Mini-ITX platform motherboard to be combined with traditional full sized components, thus saving you money and giving you the option to utilize components from a system you already have. Designed to be passively cooled, with strategically placed innovative air vents make it both silent and safe. The small chassis can fit snugly in any environment. The PC-Q07 is definitely worth serious consideration for building the ultimate ITX platform. Ideal for System Integrators looking for money saving, high quality solutions.
Phenom II AM3 Plagued with DDR3-1333 Issue
Barely a week into the introduction of the DDR3-supportive AM3 socket CPUs, the processors seem to be having design flaws. This, as circulated by AMD in its revision guide document for the 10h family of processors (found here, page 80). The issue, as described by AMD, centers around the DDR3 memory sub-system. On machines with more than one PC3-10600 (1333 MHz) memory module populating a memory channel, the users may experience unreliable operation. The company does not get into the specifics of the symptoms. This issue however, does not affect systems with a module per channel (one or two modules installed in the motherboard), and only those with three to four modules installed.
The AMD K10 memory controllers on AM3-socket processor provide a 128-bit wide memory interface (with DRAM Ganged mode enabled), which amount to two 64-bit wide memory channels. On most motherboards, four DIMM slots with two slots sharing a memory channel are present. With this issue, one is not recommended to use more than one DDR3-1333 memory module per channel. AMD recommends a quick fix for the issue for systems using more than one DDR3-1333 module per memory channel: to manually specify the memory to run at 533 MHz (1066 MHz DDR), and accordingly set DRAM timings. As a little compensation, one can tighten DRAM timings with the drop in frequency. AMD will fix this issue in the next stepping (sub-version) of the CPUs. The "x-factor" with this erratum revolves around DRAM voltage, a significant factor. One might note AMD saying "the processor memory subsystem may exhibit unreliable operation over the allowable VDDIO voltage range", which leads us to think if there is a potential workaround with adjusting the DRAM voltage beyond the allowable range (read: over-volting the memory). We hope to hear more from AMD on this.
UPDATE (02/13): AMD replied to the report, saying that work is in progress toward fixing the issue. While not getting into the specifics, AMD indicated to us that apart from addressing the issue, the company is also working toward something "which will make you 'feel cozy' about the DDR3 support". The statement is ambiguous, and is best left uninterpreted at this point in time.
The AMD K10 memory controllers on AM3-socket processor provide a 128-bit wide memory interface (with DRAM Ganged mode enabled), which amount to two 64-bit wide memory channels. On most motherboards, four DIMM slots with two slots sharing a memory channel are present. With this issue, one is not recommended to use more than one DDR3-1333 memory module per channel. AMD recommends a quick fix for the issue for systems using more than one DDR3-1333 module per memory channel: to manually specify the memory to run at 533 MHz (1066 MHz DDR), and accordingly set DRAM timings. As a little compensation, one can tighten DRAM timings with the drop in frequency. AMD will fix this issue in the next stepping (sub-version) of the CPUs. The "x-factor" with this erratum revolves around DRAM voltage, a significant factor. One might note AMD saying "the processor memory subsystem may exhibit unreliable operation over the allowable VDDIO voltage range", which leads us to think if there is a potential workaround with adjusting the DRAM voltage beyond the allowable range (read: over-volting the memory). We hope to hear more from AMD on this.
UPDATE (02/13): AMD replied to the report, saying that work is in progress toward fixing the issue. While not getting into the specifics, AMD indicated to us that apart from addressing the issue, the company is also working toward something "which will make you 'feel cozy' about the DDR3 support". The statement is ambiguous, and is best left uninterpreted at this point in time.
Micron and Nanya Develop Low-Power DDR2 for Mobile Applications
Micron Technology and Nanya Technology Corporation, today announced that they have jointly developed low-power DDR2 (LPDDR2) DRAM technology for mobile and consumer applications with initial die densities up to 1Gb. Developed through the companies' DRAM joint development program (JDP), the LPDDR2 is designed to operate at 1.2-volts, providing as much as a 50-percent power reduction when compared to LPDDR1.
"LPDDR2 DRAM is important for the design of today's mobile applications, prolonging a device's battery life with its low-power consumption and improvement of overall system performance compared to low-power DDR1," said John Schreck, vice president of DRAM design at Micron. "Development of this high-performing LPDDR2 is credit to the swift progress in technology design that we have achieved through our JDP with Nanya. We look forward to growing our relationship with Nanya, continuing to bring industry-leading DRAM design to our customer base."
"LPDDR2 DRAM is important for the design of today's mobile applications, prolonging a device's battery life with its low-power consumption and improvement of overall system performance compared to low-power DDR1," said John Schreck, vice president of DRAM design at Micron. "Development of this high-performing LPDDR2 is credit to the swift progress in technology design that we have achieved through our JDP with Nanya. We look forward to growing our relationship with Nanya, continuing to bring industry-leading DRAM design to our customer base."
Zotac Readying Custom-Design GTX 285 Accelerator
NVIDIA seems to have lifted restrictions over manufacturers coming up with their own designs for the GeForce GTX 285 accelerator, barely a month into its market introduction. Zotac, backed by the engineering prowess of PCPartner seems to have already designed their custom-PCB according to a finding by Expreview. The new PCB employs a decent bit of component rearrangement.
Perhaps the most significant part of that rearrangement comes from moving the vMem circuit that powers the card's 16 memory chips to its anterior end, in between the NVIO2 processor and the SLI connectors. The PCB uses a new MOSFET arrangement that groups them in a DPAK group. The vGPU circuit consists of 6 phases, and the vMem circuit 2. Zotac makes use of an aluminum support-brace around the G200b graphics processor, which serves as a safety measure for the GPU, minimizing the impact of PCB bending on the fragile ball-grid, especially with 55nm GeForce GTX 260 and GTX 285 lacking a back-plate that counters PCB bending. The orange-coloured DVI connectors make it distinctively Zotac. The SKU based on the new PCB may feature reference clock speeds of 648/2484/1476 MHz (core/memory/shader). Its cooler design remains unknown.
Perhaps the most significant part of that rearrangement comes from moving the vMem circuit that powers the card's 16 memory chips to its anterior end, in between the NVIO2 processor and the SLI connectors. The PCB uses a new MOSFET arrangement that groups them in a DPAK group. The vGPU circuit consists of 6 phases, and the vMem circuit 2. Zotac makes use of an aluminum support-brace around the G200b graphics processor, which serves as a safety measure for the GPU, minimizing the impact of PCB bending on the fragile ball-grid, especially with 55nm GeForce GTX 260 and GTX 285 lacking a back-plate that counters PCB bending. The orange-coloured DVI connectors make it distinctively Zotac. The SKU based on the new PCB may feature reference clock speeds of 648/2484/1476 MHz (core/memory/shader). Its cooler design remains unknown.
Gigabyte Announces GA-EG45M-UD2H Ultra Durable 3 Motherboard
GIGABYTE Technology Co., LTD, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is proud to announce the new GIGABYTE GA-EG45M-UD2H powered by the Intel G45 Express chipset. Featuring the GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Technology with 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers, the GA-EG45M-UD2H is able to provide dramatically lower system temperatures and improved energy efficiency, and combined with a rich array of multi-media connectivity options, promises to deliver an exceptional high-definition video and audio experience for the latest high-definition digital multimedia systems.
Doubling the amount of copper provides a more effective thermal cooling solution by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. In fact, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 motherboards are able to deliver up to 50°C cooler working temperatures than traditional motherboards.
Doubling the amount of copper provides a more effective thermal cooling solution by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. In fact, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 motherboards are able to deliver up to 50°C cooler working temperatures than traditional motherboards.
EVGA Releases SLI Enhancement Patch
EVGA today announced a new piece of value-added feature for its customers: the EVGA SLI Enhancement. The feature forms as a part of NVIDIA Forceware drivers that has an expanded SLI profiles list. To make full use of two or more GPUs teamed in an SLI setup, games and 3D applications need "SLI profiles". The general Forceware driver isn't necessarily in tune with the frequency at which new games are released. EVGA has taken the initiative to release SLI profiles for games before NVIDIA does.
The company released the first release of the SLI Enhancement (version: 02.11.09), which is based on NVIDIA Forceware 182.05 driver suite, and supports the entire range of graphics products EVGA currently sells. When installed, the software intends to boost performance in SLI setups for Burnout Paradise and Necrovision Demo (DX10 Mode), apart from all the applications Forceware 182.05 already has profiles for. The software is exclusive for registered EVGA customers. Visit this page for more.
The company released the first release of the SLI Enhancement (version: 02.11.09), which is based on NVIDIA Forceware 182.05 driver suite, and supports the entire range of graphics products EVGA currently sells. When installed, the software intends to boost performance in SLI setups for Burnout Paradise and Necrovision Demo (DX10 Mode), apart from all the applications Forceware 182.05 already has profiles for. The software is exclusive for registered EVGA customers. Visit this page for more.
A-Data Introduces 2.5'' to 3.5'' Hard Drive Converter
A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in high performance memory products, announced today that it has launched A-DATA XPG 3.5" SSD Enclosure to expand its portfolio of SSD solutions. This device is an ingenious hard drive converter, turning up to two 2.5" SATA SSDs into a 3.5" SATA drive.
With this converter, installing a 2.5" drive into a regular PC will be easier than ever, allowing more convenience to recover data from notebooks onto a desktop computer and vise versa. It's very valuable and functional for users who expect SSD speed on their home or office desktop; a perfect product with the speed of SATA II for any average or advanced computer user. Also, the hard drive converter features a safety lock mechanism that allow users to lock up the storage drives, making them unattainable to keep the drives fully secured and safe when they are in operation.
With this converter, installing a 2.5" drive into a regular PC will be easier than ever, allowing more convenience to recover data from notebooks onto a desktop computer and vise versa. It's very valuable and functional for users who expect SSD speed on their home or office desktop; a perfect product with the speed of SATA II for any average or advanced computer user. Also, the hard drive converter features a safety lock mechanism that allow users to lock up the storage drives, making them unattainable to keep the drives fully secured and safe when they are in operation.
Left 4 Dead Downloadable Content Free on Xbox 360 and PC
The recently announced Left 4 Dead Downloadable Content (L4D DLC) will be delivered to Xbox 360 and PC gamers free of charge. Due for release this spring, the DLC for 2008's best-selling new game property on the PC and Xbox 360, is dubbed the L4D Survival Pack and introduces a new multiplayer game mode entitled, Survival, plus two complete campaigns for Versus Mode (Death Toll, Dead Air). A Critic's Choice Edition of the game will be heading to retail stores this spring, and will include access to all the content introduced in the L4D: Survival Pack.
Left 4 Dead is a survival action game from Valve that blends the social entertainment experience of multiplayer games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress with the dramatic, narrative experience made popular in single player action game classics such as the Half-Life series of games. Released in November of 2008, L4D has earned over 25 industry awards from outlets around the world.
For more information, please visit www.l4d.com.
Left 4 Dead is a survival action game from Valve that blends the social entertainment experience of multiplayer games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress with the dramatic, narrative experience made popular in single player action game classics such as the Half-Life series of games. Released in November of 2008, L4D has earned over 25 industry awards from outlets around the world.
For more information, please visit www.l4d.com.
Wednesday, February 11th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Notebooks
Processors
Cooler Master Storm Sniper Review
The CM Storm Sniper is Cooler Master's first offering of the new "CM Storm" branding. The gear is intended for the enthusiast, semi-pro or even professional gamer. That said, the Sniper is jam packed with unique features, all wrapped up on a beautiful design and incredible paint job.
Thermaltake Introduces ProWater880i - Maximized Power Liquid Cooling
Although liquid Cooling has excellent cooling performance, gamers still worry about it will take too much space in the chassis. Now, this problem can be solved by Thermaltake new liquid cooling system, ProWater880i.
ProWater880i is developed to solve the dilemma of good performance and space saving. With the special designed mounting kit, gamer can easily install ProWater880i in the back of the chassis. It brings two benefits. One is that the radiator can be cooled by the cold air outside and generate better cooling performance. The other benefit is the space allocation within the chassis can be optimized.
ProWater880i is developed to solve the dilemma of good performance and space saving. With the special designed mounting kit, gamer can easily install ProWater880i in the back of the chassis. It brings two benefits. One is that the radiator can be cooled by the cold air outside and generate better cooling performance. The other benefit is the space allocation within the chassis can be optimized.
Zotac Watercooled GTX 295 Pictured
Zotac is among a small group of NVIDIA add-in board partners that is bringing out GeForce GTX 295 variants with factory-fitted water-blocks, making the cards ready for water-cooling. Zotac is likely to name its watercooled card GTX 295 Infinity. CPU3D sourced a couple of pictures of the accelerator. The new accelerator will cater to the enthusiast segment of the market, where the water-block serves as the main USP, making the accelerator come at a premium over reference-design cards.
The GTX 295 Infinity comes with a factory-fitted copper-infused block that remains sandwiched between the business-ends of the two PCBs. It uses the reference design PCBs sans the refernce cooler and its shroud. Zotac is expected to ship this accelerator with factory-overclocked parameters, which aren't known at this point in time. It is expected to be available by mid-March according to the source.
The GTX 295 Infinity comes with a factory-fitted copper-infused block that remains sandwiched between the business-ends of the two PCBs. It uses the reference design PCBs sans the refernce cooler and its shroud. Zotac is expected to ship this accelerator with factory-overclocked parameters, which aren't known at this point in time. It is expected to be available by mid-March according to the source.
Microsoft Certifies NVIDIA ION Platform for Windows Vista Home Premium
In an effort to deliver an outstanding computing experience on small, low power PCs, NVIDIA announced today that NVIDIA ION has been Certified for Windows Vista. With NVIDIA ION and premium versions of Microsoft Windows, small form factor notebook and desktop PCs will have rich media capabilities and full graphics support for the first time. Microsoft Corp. has validated NVIDIA ION with certified Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) drivers for Windows Vista Home Premium. NVIDIA is working with Microsoft, PC manufacturers, software developers, and Windows eco-system partners to bring ION-based PCs to market by summer of 2009. ION-based mini-notebooks and compact desktop PCs will have industry-leading performance at price points as low as $299.
NVIDIA SLI Technology Now Available For Intel Branded X58-Based Motherboards
NVIDIA Corporation today announced that Intel Corporation has licensed NVIDIA SLI technology for inclusion on the Intel DX58SO motherboard for the Intel Core i7 processor. As a result, customers with Intel X58-based motherboards and the Core i7 processor can now equip their PCs with any combination of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, including Quad SLI, for the ultimate visual computing experience.
"The addition of NVIDIA SLI technology to the Intel DX58SO motherboard has been a welcome addition," said Clem Russo, VP and General Manager of Channel Desktop Platform Group at Intel Corporation. "The pairing of our new Core i7 processors on our Extreme Series motherboard and NVIDIA GeForce graphics has resulted in some of the world's fastest consumer gaming PC platforms. For playing any of today's hottest PC titles, this is one awesome combination that our customers have been asking for."
"The addition of NVIDIA SLI technology to the Intel DX58SO motherboard has been a welcome addition," said Clem Russo, VP and General Manager of Channel Desktop Platform Group at Intel Corporation. "The pairing of our new Core i7 processors on our Extreme Series motherboard and NVIDIA GeForce graphics has resulted in some of the world's fastest consumer gaming PC platforms. For playing any of today's hottest PC titles, this is one awesome combination that our customers have been asking for."
Intel Presents 32 nm Westmere Family of Processors
Intel today spread opens its plans to deal with the mainstream and value markets using its Nehalem micro-architecture. The company introduced to the media and analysts, its plans concerning the upcoming Westmere family of processors, a term used to describe Intel processors built using the company's 32 nm second-generation high-K silicon fabrication technology, while being based on the Nehalem micro-architecture. The presentation demystifies all confusion surrounding the company canning plans of dual-core 45 nm Nehalem-derivatives. The presentation also sheds light on what approach Intel plans to adopt with bringing the new architecture to the enterprise segment.
Kingston Increases Capacity of CF Elite Pro Card to 32GB
Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced it is increasing the capacity of its CompactFlash Elite Pro Flash memory cards to 32GB. Shipping immediately, the new cards offer larger capacity and fast data transfer rates to allow amateur and professional photographers to maximize the performance of their high-end digital cameras.
"The Kingston 32GB CF Elite Pro card is designed to keep pace with and not limit the productivity of the most advanced digital camera equipment on the market," said Wendy Lecot, Flash business development manager, Kingston Digital. "Combining the large storage capacity along with fast read and write speeds makes this card ideal for continuous capture and download of images."
"The Kingston 32GB CF Elite Pro card is designed to keep pace with and not limit the productivity of the most advanced digital camera equipment on the market," said Wendy Lecot, Flash business development manager, Kingston Digital. "Combining the large storage capacity along with fast read and write speeds makes this card ideal for continuous capture and download of images."
Samsung Brings Forth New Wireless USB System-On-Chip Solution
Samsung Electronics, a worldwide leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced a new wireless universal serial bus (W-USB) System-On-Chip (SoC) designed specifically for the upcoming ultra-wideband (UWB) market. The latest in a growing portfolio of mobile technology solutions, Samsung's new W-USB SoC combines the convenience of wireless connectivity, the security level of wired USB, and the high speed performance of UWB to instantly transfer mass storage data such as digital photos, movie videos or MP3 music files between electronic devices. For example, the new W-USB SoC can download a 700MB movie in approximately one minute.
Intel Preparing Core i7 950, Expanding Lineup
Earlier this month, news surfaced of Intel working on a new Extreme Edition (XE) Core i7 chip, model 975, that displaces the existing Core i7 965 XE from its existing price-point to grab the $999 in 1,000 unit tray quantities price-point. The 975 XE is to be accompanied by another new SKU in the making: the Core i7 950.
The new chip is bound to displace the Core i7 940 from its existing price point of $562. It features higher clock speed, bus multiplier value and is built on the newer D0 revision of the Bloomfield core. The chip will feature a clock speed of 3.06 GHz. It achieves this speed using a multiplier value of 23X. The new chip is expected to be introduced sometime in Q2, 2009.
The new chip is bound to displace the Core i7 940 from its existing price point of $562. It features higher clock speed, bus multiplier value and is built on the newer D0 revision of the Bloomfield core. The chip will feature a clock speed of 3.06 GHz. It achieves this speed using a multiplier value of 23X. The new chip is expected to be introduced sometime in Q2, 2009.
ELSA Japan and LucidLogix to Introduce High Performance Computing Products
ELSA Japan, a leading computer graphics solution provider and Lucidlogix (Kfar Netter, Israel, CEO - Moshe Steiner) announce an agreement to deploy Lucid's HYDRA based chip in ELSA Japan High Performance products.
The companies have teamed up to transform high performance computing in the Japanese marketplace. For the first time, a product based on Lucid's HYDRA technology will be used in a new line of ELSA Japan high performance systems for the HPC, broadcast and medical markets.
The companies have teamed up to transform high performance computing in the Japanese marketplace. For the first time, a product based on Lucid's HYDRA technology will be used in a new line of ELSA Japan high performance systems for the HPC, broadcast and medical markets.
Inno3D GeForce GTX 260 P897 PCB Pictured
NVIDIA has come up with a new inexpensive reference PCB design for the GeForce GTX 260 (55nm) codenamed P897. The new PCB does away with the numerous redundant and rudimentary connections, excessive PCB layers and some components. The new PCB design is expected to reduce manufacturing costs by as much as $15.
Inno3D will be one of the first companies to come up with a model based on the new PCB. The company is planning an accelerator using the P897 PCB and a cooler of its own. Expreview sourced a few pictures of the card. While the cooler itself isn't pictured, we can make a safe guess that it is going to be something along the lines of its previous Freezer Direct Heatpipe-Touch (DHT) series models, in which the heatpipes of the cooler make direct contact with the GPU to convey heat. Inno3D is expected to start mass-production of this accelerator soon, following which it will assign an SKU and price it. While the new PCB cuts manufacturing costs, it remains to be seen as to what extant NVIDIA's partners pass on the benefit to the consumer.
Inno3D will be one of the first companies to come up with a model based on the new PCB. The company is planning an accelerator using the P897 PCB and a cooler of its own. Expreview sourced a few pictures of the card. While the cooler itself isn't pictured, we can make a safe guess that it is going to be something along the lines of its previous Freezer Direct Heatpipe-Touch (DHT) series models, in which the heatpipes of the cooler make direct contact with the GPU to convey heat. Inno3D is expected to start mass-production of this accelerator soon, following which it will assign an SKU and price it. While the new PCB cuts manufacturing costs, it remains to be seen as to what extant NVIDIA's partners pass on the benefit to the consumer.
NVIDIA Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2009
NVIDIA Corporation today reported financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 and the fiscal year ended January 25, 2009. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, revenue was $481.1 million compared to $1.2 billion for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, a decrease of 60 percent. For the twelve months ended January 25, 2009, revenue was $3.4 billion compared to $4.1 billion for the twelve months ended January 27, 2008, a decrease of 16 percent.
NVIDIA's results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, computed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), included a net loss of $147.7 million, or $0.27 per share. Non-GAAP net loss for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, which excludes stock-based compensation charges, a benefit from insurance proceeds received, a non-recurring charge against operating expenses related to termination of a development agreement, a restructuring credit against operating expenses, and the associated tax impact of these items, was $94.4 million, or $0.18 per share.
NVIDIA's results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, computed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), included a net loss of $147.7 million, or $0.27 per share. Non-GAAP net loss for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, which excludes stock-based compensation charges, a benefit from insurance proceeds received, a non-recurring charge against operating expenses related to termination of a development agreement, a restructuring credit against operating expenses, and the associated tax impact of these items, was $94.4 million, or $0.18 per share.
SanDisk Announces World’s First High Performance 4-Bits-Per-Cell (X4) Flash Memory
Building on its leadership in multi-level cell (MLC) technology, SanDisk Corporation today announced that it will begin mass-production of the world's first high performance 4-bits-per-cell (X4) flash memory. Using 43-nanometer (nm) process technology, this breakthrough enables 64-gigabit (Gb) memory in a single die - the highest capacity in the industry and suitable for the most demanding storage applications. SanDisk has also produced an advanced X4 controller, which is necessary to effectively manage the complexities and performance requirements of X4 memory. The X4 memory chip combines with the X4 controller chip in a multi-chip package (MCP) to provide a complete, integrated and low-cost storage solution.
ASUS Developing ROG Series mATX Motherboard
The premium motherboard market's newfound love for the micro-ATX form-factor has been dutifully addressed by companies such as DFI, by releasing the LANParty Jr series, featuring high-end chipsets and almost complete feature-sets that rival full-sized ATX motherboards. ASUS has now decided to put its Republic of Gamers (ROG) series on the prowl with its first high-end mATX motherboard: Rampage II Gene.
As the name suggests, the motherboard supports Intel Core i7 series processors, and is based on the Intel X58 chipset. ASUS keeps the segment of buyers in mind that builds light-weight, yet full-featured LAN party machines. The Rampage II Gene features an 8-phase CPU power circuit. It features six DDR3 DIMM slots for to support up to 24GB of triple-channel DDR3 memory. It holds two full-length PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots plus a PCI-Express x4 open-ended slot. Both ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA Quad-SLI are supported. The ICH10R southbridge provides six SATA II channels with RAID support. Also provided is an onboard SupremeFX X-Fi sound system that provides support for most of Creative's X-Fi sound technologies. Two gigabit Ethernet interfaces and support for the iROG - TweakIT features, that simplify overclocking, make for the rest of the package. The Rampage II Gene is expected to be priced above $200 in the US.
As the name suggests, the motherboard supports Intel Core i7 series processors, and is based on the Intel X58 chipset. ASUS keeps the segment of buyers in mind that builds light-weight, yet full-featured LAN party machines. The Rampage II Gene features an 8-phase CPU power circuit. It features six DDR3 DIMM slots for to support up to 24GB of triple-channel DDR3 memory. It holds two full-length PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots plus a PCI-Express x4 open-ended slot. Both ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA Quad-SLI are supported. The ICH10R southbridge provides six SATA II channels with RAID support. Also provided is an onboard SupremeFX X-Fi sound system that provides support for most of Creative's X-Fi sound technologies. Two gigabit Ethernet interfaces and support for the iROG - TweakIT features, that simplify overclocking, make for the rest of the package. The Rampage II Gene is expected to be priced above $200 in the US.
Tuesday, February 10th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Mouse
Processors
ASUS Introduces N81Vg, Features the New NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M Graphics Processor
ASUS, a pioneer in the adoption of cutting-edge notebook graphics, announced today the ASUS N81Vg, the world's first notebook to feature the new NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M graphics processing unit (GPU). The NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M GPU features NVIDIA CUDA technology with 32 processor cores, DirectX 10 support, and 1080p High Definition video playback through NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology. Coupled with the ASUS N81Vg's 14-inch LED backlit display, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M delivers unrivaled visual clarity and vibrancy.
NVIDIA GeForce Driver Version 182.05 BETA Released
NVIDIA today also released new BETA GeForce driver version 182.05 for both Windows Vista and Windows XP. Some games will run a bit faster with this driver compared to the latest official version 181.22:
DOWNLOAD: GeForce Release 181.22 BETA
- Up to 8% performance increase in Fallout 3 at high resolution and AA.
- Up to 10% performance increase in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.
- Up to 9% performance increase in Half-Life 2 at high resolution with AA.
- Up to 11% performance increase in Left 4 Dead at high resolution with AA.
- Up to 10% performance increase in Race Driver: GRID at high resolution and AA.
DOWNLOAD: GeForce Release 181.22 BETA
NVIDIA PhysX System Software 9.09.0203 Released
NVIDIA has released new and updated PhysX driver that is compatible with AGEIA PhysX processors and CUDA ready GeForce GPUs. Version 9.09.0203 dated February 10, 2009 is almost 40MB and works with Windows XP and Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit versions). The application supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB dedicated graphics memory. Here is what's new in this release:
- Resolves PhysX SDK runtime issues with multi-GPU configurations in Hybrid environments.
- Improves performance of some PhysX enabled games on GeForce GTX 285 and GTX 295 products.
- Resolves occasional system crashes when PhysX is enabled on some systems when running on EA's Mirrors Edge.
- Runtime upgrade ONLY for AGEIA PhysX processors users. (New installations should install older PhysX system software such as version 8.09.04 - prior to installing this update).
- Includes the latest PhysX runtimes used in the latest game titles.
ASRock Prepares X58 Deluxe Motherboard
Following the release of the X58 SuperComputer high-end motherboard, ASRock made an addition to its socket LGA-1366 motherboard lineup with the X58 Deluxe. The new SKU is simply a trimmed-down package of the X58 SuperComputer, with a few features and accessories removed. The motherboard continues to be a high-end offering from ASRock that supports leading multi-GPU standards in their highest-possible configurations: ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA 3-Way SLI and Quad-SLI. It retains the PCB and component-layout of the X58 SuperComputer for the most part.
The changes kick-in where, the X58 Deluxe makes do with only a single gigabit Ethernet interface, as opposed to two on the X58 SuperComputer. It does away with an SLI interconnect bridge that spans across two expansion slots (2S). The SuperComputer package originally bundled three SLI bridges in all: 2-way 2S, 2-way 3S and, 3-way. The 2S bridge connected two NVIDIA graphics cards on neighbouring PCI-Express x16 slots. With the red-coloured slots wired-up for a maximum of 8 PCI-E lanes only, the 2S bridge become redundant and not recommended for common two-card SLI setups. The rest of the offering remains the same, with support for up to 24GB of DDR3 memory, four PCI-Express x16 slots, 8-channel HD Audio and gigabit Ethernet. The new model is expected to be priced a little lesser than the X58 SuperComputer. It is yet to be officially announced by the company, though already listed on its website.
The changes kick-in where, the X58 Deluxe makes do with only a single gigabit Ethernet interface, as opposed to two on the X58 SuperComputer. It does away with an SLI interconnect bridge that spans across two expansion slots (2S). The SuperComputer package originally bundled three SLI bridges in all: 2-way 2S, 2-way 3S and, 3-way. The 2S bridge connected two NVIDIA graphics cards on neighbouring PCI-Express x16 slots. With the red-coloured slots wired-up for a maximum of 8 PCI-E lanes only, the 2S bridge become redundant and not recommended for common two-card SLI setups. The rest of the offering remains the same, with support for up to 24GB of DDR3 memory, four PCI-Express x16 slots, 8-channel HD Audio and gigabit Ethernet. The new model is expected to be priced a little lesser than the X58 SuperComputer. It is yet to be officially announced by the company, though already listed on its website.
ZOTAC Expands Entry-level GeForce 9400GT Lineup
ZOTAC International, an award-winning manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, today expands its product lineup with two new entry-level graphics cards - the new ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT Synergy Edition and GeForce 9400GT DDR2 1GB. Powered by a high-speed GeForce 9400GT graphics processor, the new ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT Synergy Edition and GeForce 9400GT DDR2 1GB deliver DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.1 and NVIDIA CUDA processing power to entry-level users. The new ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT Synergy Edition features a low-profile form factor, but offers performance similar to standard height ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT DDR2 graphics cards. The low profile form factor is ideal for small form factor systems with height limitations that prevent the installation of standard sized graphics cards. The ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT Synergy Edition ships as a standard height graphics card, however, two low-profile brackets are bundled to convert the card for use in low-profile systems.
The new ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT DDR2 1GB pairs the GeForce 9400GT graphics processor with 1GB of DDR2 video memory for high-performance in the latest DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.1 and CUDA games and applications.
The new ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT DDR2 1GB pairs the GeForce 9400GT graphics processor with 1GB of DDR2 video memory for high-performance in the latest DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.1 and CUDA games and applications.
Flash Memory Major Spansion Japan Ltd. Files for Corporate Restructuring
Spansion Inc., announced that its Japanese subsidiary, Spansion Japan Ltd., has entered into a proceeding under the Corporate Reorganization Law (Kaisha Kosei Ho) of Japan. Spansion Japan Ltd. voluntarily chose to enter the proceeding to obtain protection from its creditors while it continues its restructuring efforts. This action does not include any of Spansion's other subsidiaries or their operations outside of Japan.
Spansion Inc. does not expect the filing in Japan to materially affect its global operations. Spansion Japan Ltd. will continue its operations and intends to pay, in a timely manner, for all goods and services that it obtains after the date of filing.
Spansion Inc. does not expect the filing in Japan to materially affect its global operations. Spansion Japan Ltd. will continue its operations and intends to pay, in a timely manner, for all goods and services that it obtains after the date of filing.
ACTICA Delivers DDR2-800 ECC Registered Memory for AMD Opteron Shanghai Platforms
ACTICA Inc., manufacturer of mission critical server memory products, announces the next generation DDR2-800/PC2-6400 ECC Registered for AMD Opteron Shanghai Platforms.
ACTICA's new DDR2-800 ECC REG are compatible to AMD Opteron Shanghai sever platforms such as Supermicro H8DMT, H8DMU+, H8DM3, H8DMA, H8DA3, H8DAi-2, Tyan S4985-E, S3992-E, S2927-E, S2915-E, S2912-E, S2937, S2935, and Asus KFSN4-DRE/SAS/iKV, KFSN4-DRE/iKVM.
ACTICA's new DDR2-800 ECC REG are compatible to AMD Opteron Shanghai sever platforms such as Supermicro H8DMT, H8DMU+, H8DM3, H8DMA, H8DA3, H8DAi-2, Tyan S4985-E, S3992-E, S2927-E, S2915-E, S2912-E, S2937, S2935, and Asus KFSN4-DRE/SAS/iKV, KFSN4-DRE/iKVM.
- ACT4GER72E4G800S-DDR2-800 4GB ECC REG Samsung-chip
- ACT2GER72F8G800S---DDR2-800 2GB ECC REG Samsung-chip
- ACT1GER72A8G800S---DDR2-800 1GB ECC REG Samsung-chip
Intel to Invest $7 Billion in U.S. Manufacturing Facilities
Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini today announced the company would spend $7 billion over the next two years to build advanced manufacturing facilities in the United States. The investment funds deployment of Intel's industry-leading 32 nanometer (nm) manufacturing technology that will be used to build faster, smaller chips that consume less energy. The commitment represents Intel's largest-ever investment for a new manufacturing process.
Lite-On Announces New 24x PATA and SATA DVD Writers
Influenced by the release of NEC's 24x SOC chip, optical drive maker Lite-On announced the upcoming release of three faster internal DVD writers. Capable of recording compatible blank DVD±R media at up to 24x speeds, the new models will be offered in both PATA/SATA interfaces, and with all of Lite-On's latest technologies. All drives will include Lite-On's new SmartErase technology that permanently erases all the sensitive and confidential data on discs.
The entry-level iHAS324 24x burner has a SATA interface and will be available in mid-March. The iHAP424 has a PATA interface and adds LightScribe labeling capabilities. It is also slated to ship in March. Last but not least, the iHAS624 returns to SATA and has the LabelTag capability in addition to LightScribe. With LabelTag users can create label tags on the data side of any blank recordable media. The remaining and not labeled space of the disc can still be written with data. The iHAS624 is expected to ship in mid-May.
The entry-level iHAS324 24x burner has a SATA interface and will be available in mid-March. The iHAP424 has a PATA interface and adds LightScribe labeling capabilities. It is also slated to ship in March. Last but not least, the iHAS624 returns to SATA and has the LabelTag capability in addition to LightScribe. With LabelTag users can create label tags on the data side of any blank recordable media. The remaining and not labeled space of the disc can still be written with data. The iHAS624 is expected to ship in mid-May.
NEC Electronics Introduces Compact SoC That Supports 24x DVD writing Speeds
NEC Electronics Corporation today announced that it has developed a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) product integrating all the functionalities needed for DVD writing and reading on a single chip. The new product named SCOMBO 8 is a SoC for supporting DVD Drives equipped in PCs and home write/read appliances and has following features: (1) Integrates DVD drive control logic, synchronous DRAM, and flash memory all in a compact 14mm square flat package; (2) Delivers industry's fastest 24x DVD writing; (3) Lowers power consumption during DVD writing at 8x speed to 0.8W, reducing by 50 percent compared to the previous products.
The new product allows DVD drive manufacturers to reduce external components by 20 to 30 percent and facilitates low-cost system development with less than 100 materials. The market for CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray, and other optical disc drives for PCs is estimated at about 300 million per year. DVD drives account for about 80 percent of this market, with steady growth expected in the years ahead.
The new product allows DVD drive manufacturers to reduce external components by 20 to 30 percent and facilitates low-cost system development with less than 100 materials. The market for CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray, and other optical disc drives for PCs is estimated at about 300 million per year. DVD drives account for about 80 percent of this market, with steady growth expected in the years ahead.
Dell Launches Latitude XT2, the Industry's First Multi-Touch Capable Tablet
Dell today announced the Latitude XT2 convertible tablet building on the industry's first tablet PC with multi-touch screen capabilities designed to enhance security, increase performance and extend battery life. The system starts at $2,399 and is available today at Dell Online. Multi-touch capabilities on the Latitude XT2 allow users to use natural gestures like a pinch or tap for scrolling, panning, rotating and zooming that work with productivity applications they use every day. Dell's integration of multi-touch screen technology allows customers to use the full real estate of the display, as opposed to just the touchpad.
Next Generation Acer Aspire One Netbook Now Available for U.S. Customers
Acer America, part of the world's third largest PC company, today announced U.S. availability of the 10.1-inch Aspire One AOD150, expanding the company's growing family of popular netbooks. The new Aspire One AOD150 comes on the heels of its highly successful 8.9-inch predecessor. The global market share leader in the netbook category, Acer is offering the 10.1-inch Aspire One AOD150 to U.S. customers today with prices beginning at $349.99.
Galaxy GeForce 9600 GT Green Edition Pictured
The GeForce 9600 GT Green Edition is NVIDIA's newest SKU that is based on an energy-efficient variant of the GeForce 9600 GT graphics processor. The SKU maintains the G94 GPU design, except for that it is built on the newer 55 nm silicon process (model: G94-350-B1), that is expected to add to its energy efficiency, also that the GPU makes do with a lower core voltage of around 1.0V from its original 1.1V figure on the 65 nm variant. At its default voltage setting the GPU uses reference clock speeds of 625/1625/900 MHz (core/shader/memory).
Galaxy designed its first accelerator based on the new GPU, to which it added its own set of innovations. The card uses a jumper to allow users to manually set the GPU voltage. At its default state (pins 1-2 short), the GPU operates at 1.0V, but when pins 2-3 are short, the GPU voltage enters a "pressurized state" (increases). When the jumper is removed (neither pins short), the GPU voltage plummets to 0.8V. The Galaxy accelerator needs the 6-pin PCI-E power connector for operation. The GPU is cooled by a classic Zalman VF703 Al cooler, while the memory is passively cooled under its air-flow.
Galaxy designed its first accelerator based on the new GPU, to which it added its own set of innovations. The card uses a jumper to allow users to manually set the GPU voltage. At its default state (pins 1-2 short), the GPU operates at 1.0V, but when pins 2-3 are short, the GPU voltage enters a "pressurized state" (increases). When the jumper is removed (neither pins short), the GPU voltage plummets to 0.8V. The Galaxy accelerator needs the 6-pin PCI-E power connector for operation. The GPU is cooled by a classic Zalman VF703 Al cooler, while the memory is passively cooled under its air-flow.
Iomega Extends NAS Family with New 2TB and 4TB ix4 Desktop Appliances
Iomega, an EMC company and a global leader in data protection, today announced the latest addition to its network solutions portfolio with the worldwide launch of the new Iomega StorCenter Pro ix4-100. Based on enterprise-class EMC storage technologies, the StorCenter Pro ix4 NAS is up and running in just four mouse clicks, providing small businesses and remote offices with up to 4TB* of networked storage that easily integrates with existing infrastructure for expanded storage, file-sharing and backup of critical business data.
The StorCenter Pro ix4-100 is a four-drive NAS powered by the acclaimed EMC LifeLine software, a fully-developed Linux operating environment and suite of applications that protects your data and performs valuable business tasks above and beyond simple storage, all designed to make it easy to securely store, protect and serve up data when you need it and where you want it. EMC LifeLine software is designed for cross-platform computer support and has the added bonus of allowing for secure, downloadable feature upgrades.
The StorCenter Pro ix4-100 is a four-drive NAS powered by the acclaimed EMC LifeLine software, a fully-developed Linux operating environment and suite of applications that protects your data and performs valuable business tasks above and beyond simple storage, all designed to make it easy to securely store, protect and serve up data when you need it and where you want it. EMC LifeLine software is designed for cross-platform computer support and has the added bonus of allowing for secure, downloadable feature upgrades.
AMD Lists Unreleased Graphics Processors
AMD has given a glimpse of its arsenal to counter rival NVIDIA in their never-ending battle for supremacy. The company listed some of its upcoming Mobility Radeon series graphics products, that include portions of its M9x series. Parts belonging to this series, namely M93 and M97 are based on the company's upcoming RV740 graphics processor, which is built on the newer 40 nm manufacturing process. The products were listed as supported by existing Catalyst drivers.
Additionally, AMD seems to have validated its RD890 platform core-logic (chipset), by the PCI SIG. The validation can be found here, listed under "Root Complex". Ideally the RD890 should go into making the AMD 890FX northbridge. The fact that existing drivers support the upcoming graphics processor, and that the new core-logic gained validation, point at the possibility of them being ready to be introduced into the market.
Additionally, AMD seems to have validated its RD890 platform core-logic (chipset), by the PCI SIG. The validation can be found here, listed under "Root Complex". Ideally the RD890 should go into making the AMD 890FX northbridge. The fact that existing drivers support the upcoming graphics processor, and that the new core-logic gained validation, point at the possibility of them being ready to be introduced into the market.
Monday, February 9th 2009
Today's Files
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Input Devices
Motherboards
Processors
- AMD Phenom II: DDR2 vs. DDR3 Hartware (de)
- AMD Socket AM3 - The Real Phenom II Detailed Tweaktown
- AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Hartware (de)
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 Benchmark Reviews
- AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition, Phenom II X4 810 and, Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Bjorn3D
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Club Overclocker
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Guru3D
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition HardOCP
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition HotHardware
- AMD Phenom II X4 810: DDR3 vs. DDR2 InsideHW
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Legit Reviews
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition LostCircuits
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 NeoSeeker
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Overclockers Club
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Planet 3DNow! (de)
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 X-bit labs
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400S and Q8200S 65W TechGage
Qinpu V-1.8 Mini Desktop Speakers Review
Qinpu's V-1.8 mini speakers represent great value. Available for only £249 a set these speakers are ready to take on the competitors with their dual driver design and good looks.
Intel Developing Clarkdale to Replace Havendale Desktop Dual-Core Chip
On the course of coming up with mainstream derivatives of the Nehalem architecture, for Intel, there seems to be a big deal of uncertainty surrounding the dual-core parts. Havendale (desktop) and Auburndale (notebook) were stated by initial company road-maps as the company's dual-core chips. Later, news emerged of Intel reportedly scrapping both chips to find a 32 nm replacement in another chip codenamed Arrandale. In the latest company-slide exposé by VR-Zone, details emerge of yet another iteration to Intel's plans: Clarkdale. Correct spelling is Clarkdale and Arrandale by the way (not Clarksdale or Arandale).
While it is unclear at this point, if this chip, like the Arrandale (32 nm CPU + 32 nm IGP), is built to be deployed on both desktop and mobile platforms, the reason behind its development gains clarity. The Ibex-Peak platform design by Intel, be it dual-core or quad-core, consists of a standard multi-chip module (MCM)-based design, where two dice populate a package: the central processor, and the northbridge. The design gives the company flexibility by introducing a degree of modularity. After scrapping plans of a full-on processor built on the 45 nm high-K manufacturing process, Intel seems to have realised that its foundries won't be able to cater to many designs based on the 32 nm process initially, at once. Taking advantage of the MCM design, Intel is working on this new chip: Clarkdale, which consists of the processor die built on the 32 nm second-generation high-K process, with the northbridge being built on the existing 45 nm process. This design helps evade the manufacturing constraints Intel might have initially. The northbridge die will feature an integrated graphics processor that connects to its output using the flexible-display interface. With this, Intel is looking to bring in immediate and cost-cutting to the extant feasible.
While it is unclear at this point, if this chip, like the Arrandale (32 nm CPU + 32 nm IGP), is built to be deployed on both desktop and mobile platforms, the reason behind its development gains clarity. The Ibex-Peak platform design by Intel, be it dual-core or quad-core, consists of a standard multi-chip module (MCM)-based design, where two dice populate a package: the central processor, and the northbridge. The design gives the company flexibility by introducing a degree of modularity. After scrapping plans of a full-on processor built on the 45 nm high-K manufacturing process, Intel seems to have realised that its foundries won't be able to cater to many designs based on the 32 nm process initially, at once. Taking advantage of the MCM design, Intel is working on this new chip: Clarkdale, which consists of the processor die built on the 32 nm second-generation high-K process, with the northbridge being built on the existing 45 nm process. This design helps evade the manufacturing constraints Intel might have initially. The northbridge die will feature an integrated graphics processor that connects to its output using the flexible-display interface. With this, Intel is looking to bring in immediate and cost-cutting to the extant feasible.
Hynix 40nm 1Gb DDR3 DRAM Chip to Enter Production in 3Q'09
Hynix forms one of the top-tier DRAM manufacturers. On Sunday, the company made it official that its new 1 Gb (128 MB) DDR3 memory chip built on the new 40 nm silicon fabrication process, will enter mass production by the third quarter, and be available to manufacturers soon after. The chip (model: H5TQ1G83CFR) operates with a top-speed of 2,133 Mbps, at a wide range of voltage.
Using the three-dimensional transistor technology, the company has stepped-up productivity by more than 50% over its current DRAM chips built on the 50 nm process. The new technology is said to minimize electric leakages and reduces overall power consumption of the DRAM chip. The new 1Gb memory chip meets Intel's DDR3 DRAM specification compliance and the memory module will be examined for certification by Intel.
Using the three-dimensional transistor technology, the company has stepped-up productivity by more than 50% over its current DRAM chips built on the 50 nm process. The new technology is said to minimize electric leakages and reduces overall power consumption of the DRAM chip. The new 1Gb memory chip meets Intel's DDR3 DRAM specification compliance and the memory module will be examined for certification by Intel.
Intel Calls Off IDF Taiwan 2009, Cites Cost-Reduction Reasons
The Intel Developer Forum (IDF) serves as a platform for technologists to discuss Intel technologies and products based on or around Intel technologies. With China and Taiwan being almost the epicenters of consumer electronics manufacturing and development, Intel began holding annual events in the two countries, apart from the event at San Fransisco, United States. The IDF schedule for 2008, for example, included events in Shanghai, China and Taipei, Taiwan.
Fresh news emerging from Taiwan, sourced by industry observer DigiTimes suggests that Intel canceled IDF Taiwan 2009, originally slated for November, later this year. The company is holding this as part of its cost-reduction efforts to counter the global economic slowdown. The move comes as a surprise to Taiwanese computer hardware firms affiliated with Intel technologies, as the company has been hosting the IDF Taiwan event since the year 1996. Additionally, the company plans to restructure the IDF Beijing event scheduled in April from a two-day event to a one-day event focusing on China. Intel however clarified that it will continue to maintain its cooperation with the Taiwanese to sustain the country's industrial growth, which it hopes to achieve through presence at the Computex event. The main event held in San Fransisco, however, will not be affected. The company hopes to maintain the event in the same proportions as it was, in the past.
Fresh news emerging from Taiwan, sourced by industry observer DigiTimes suggests that Intel canceled IDF Taiwan 2009, originally slated for November, later this year. The company is holding this as part of its cost-reduction efforts to counter the global economic slowdown. The move comes as a surprise to Taiwanese computer hardware firms affiliated with Intel technologies, as the company has been hosting the IDF Taiwan event since the year 1996. Additionally, the company plans to restructure the IDF Beijing event scheduled in April from a two-day event to a one-day event focusing on China. Intel however clarified that it will continue to maintain its cooperation with the Taiwanese to sustain the country's industrial growth, which it hopes to achieve through presence at the Computex event. The main event held in San Fransisco, however, will not be affected. The company hopes to maintain the event in the same proportions as it was, in the past.
PowerColor Teams-Up with KONNET, Bundles High-Grade HDMI Cables with Radeon HD 4800
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, is excited to announce PowerColor's collaboration with KONNET. KONNET is a leading developer of audio/video components. As a team, PowerColor and KONNET are bringing you a supreme bundle-the combo of quality graphics and HDMI cable to all gamers.
In order to deliver life-like gaming experience, PowerColor bundles HD4870X2 with KONNET FidelityHD standard HDMI cable and HD4870/HD4850 with KONNET ExpressHD standard HDMI cable. Both of them support 480i/p, 720i/p and 1080i/p high definition video display and digital audio, with 24K gold plated connectors to provide maximum conductivity and minimum data loss. This duo is ready to bring you the ultimate HDTV experience!
In order to deliver life-like gaming experience, PowerColor bundles HD4870X2 with KONNET FidelityHD standard HDMI cable and HD4870/HD4850 with KONNET ExpressHD standard HDMI cable. Both of them support 480i/p, 720i/p and 1080i/p high definition video display and digital audio, with 24K gold plated connectors to provide maximum conductivity and minimum data loss. This duo is ready to bring you the ultimate HDTV experience!
BIOSTAR Releases TA790GX A3+ AM3 Motherboard
BIOSTAR MICROTECH INT'L CORP., a professional manufacturer of motherboards today announced the TA790GX A3+, the first AMD "Dragon Platform" qualified motherboard with next generation AMD AM3 Phenom II processors support.
The Phenom AM3 processors are able to support up to DDR3 1600MHz memory speed (when equipped with AMD 790FX northbridge), the TA790GX A3+ offers Dual x16 PCI-E 2.0 graphics interfaces to deliver up the latest ATI CrossFireX support for the ultimate gaming platform.
The Phenom AM3 processors are able to support up to DDR3 1600MHz memory speed (when equipped with AMD 790FX northbridge), the TA790GX A3+ offers Dual x16 PCI-E 2.0 graphics interfaces to deliver up the latest ATI CrossFireX support for the ultimate gaming platform.
S3 Graphics Quietly Slips In Chrome 540 GTX
S3 Graphics made a quiet addition to its lineup with the Chrome 540 GTX graphics card. Spotted first on the GStore by TechConnect Magazine, the new graphics card made it to the company's store without the company even announcing it, or assigning a product page on the company website. From what the card's specifications on GStore and its tiny picture tell, this card builds on the basic architecture of its predecessor the Chrome 530 GT, by increases in clock-speeds and expanding connectivity options.
The Chrome 540 GTX features a core clock speed of 800 MHz, its memory is clocked at 850 MHz. The card uses a 64-bit wide GDDR3 memory interface that holds 256 MB of memory. It is compliant with the latest graphics standards: DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0, and uses a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 interface. Compliance aside, the accelerator is built mainly for HD video acceleration and multi-head display. The Chromotion 2.0 technology is said to provide hardware-acceleration for Blu-ray, H.264 and VC-1 video standards. It uses a full-height PCB to hold three connectors on-board: DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort. The card is HDCP-capable and has an integrated audio controller that is routed to the connectors. The Chrome 540 GTX is available at the GStore for US $69.95.
The Chrome 540 GTX features a core clock speed of 800 MHz, its memory is clocked at 850 MHz. The card uses a 64-bit wide GDDR3 memory interface that holds 256 MB of memory. It is compliant with the latest graphics standards: DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0, and uses a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 interface. Compliance aside, the accelerator is built mainly for HD video acceleration and multi-head display. The Chromotion 2.0 technology is said to provide hardware-acceleration for Blu-ray, H.264 and VC-1 video standards. It uses a full-height PCB to hold three connectors on-board: DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort. The card is HDCP-capable and has an integrated audio controller that is routed to the connectors. The Chrome 540 GTX is available at the GStore for US $69.95.
NVIDIA Releases GeForce Stereoscopic 3D Driver Version 181.25
Following the recent release of NVIDIA's 3D Vision high-definition 3D stereo solution, this new sort of driver comes as no surprise. If you are using the new NVIDIA 3D glasses and a 3D capable display you'll need to have this driver installed. Before proceeding to the installation, please make sure you use the latest NVIDIA GeForce drivers, and that any previous Stereoscopic 3D drivers are properly removed.
DOWNLOAD: GeForce Stereoscopic 3D Driver 181.25
DOWNLOAD: GeForce Stereoscopic 3D Driver 181.25
AMD Launches Five More AM2+ and AM3 Phenom II Processors
AMD today extended its Phenom II line-up with five new processors, including the industry's only 45nm triple-core CPUs and three new AMD Phenom II quad-core processors. Part of the fire breathing AMD Dragon platform, these new Phenom II chips fit in either AM2+ or AM3 sockets and support DDR2 or next generation DDR3 memory. The new triple-core and quad-core AMD Phenom II processors are available immediately with the following model numbers:
- AMD Phenom II X4 910 2.6GHz, 6MB of L3 cache
- AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6GHz, 4MB of L3 cache - $175
- AMD Phenom II X4 805 2.5GHz, 4MB of L3 cache
- AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition 2.8GHz, 6MB of L3 cache - $145
- AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz, 6MB of L3 cache - $125
Toshiba Develops World's Highest-Bandwidth, Highest Density Non-volatile RAM
Toshiba Corporation today announced the prototype of a new FeRAM -Ferroelectric Random Access Memory-that redefines industry benchmarks for density and operating speed. The new chip realizes storage of 128-megabits and read and write speeds of 1.6-gigabytes a second, the most advanced combination of performance and density yet achieved. Full details of the new FeRAM will be presented this week at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2009 (ISSCC2009) in San Francisco, USA.
Sunday, February 8th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Processors
Thermaltake Introduces Vi-ON External Hard Drive Enclosure
Vi-ON external hard drive enclosure is the world's first external enclosure with embedded hard drive suspension system and Active Smart Cooling System. It utilizes a temperature sensing fan that reacts to hard drive temperature and changes fan speed in real-time for utmost efficiency and silence.
While most users do not realize, hard drives are capable of producing a fair amount of vibration when hard drives are at their maximum rotation speed. That is exactly why Thermaltake engineers designed-in the world's first HDD suspension system to minimize those vibration noises.
While most users do not realize, hard drives are capable of producing a fair amount of vibration when hard drives are at their maximum rotation speed. That is exactly why Thermaltake engineers designed-in the world's first HDD suspension system to minimize those vibration noises.
Dell and Susan G. Komen Promise to Fight Breast Cancer Together
Dell announced today a partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise money through Dell's new Promise Pink laptops and Minis for breast cancer research and community-based programs for breast health education and screening.
Starting today, with every purchase of a Promise Pink laptop or Mini, Dell will donate $5.00 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer organization. The partnership is part of Dell's continued commitment to community involvement.
Starting today, with every purchase of a Promise Pink laptop or Mini, Dell will donate $5.00 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer organization. The partnership is part of Dell's continued commitment to community involvement.
Saturday, February 7th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Motherboards
Networking
Notebooks
EVGA Makes GPU Voltage Tuner Software Official
EVGA today made its GPU Voltage Tuner (GVT) software utility official. The utility allows end-users to control the voltage of the graphics processor, a significant factor when it comes to overclocking. Within safe limits, increasing the GPU voltage facilitates higher maximum GPU core and shader clock speeds. The utility keeps in mind the majority of users that doesn't understand the specifics of voltage control, and its impact on overclocking.
Using a simple slider, the user can set the vGPU voltage from 0.82V to 1.18V and beyond, depending on the accelerator. The resolution of the scale is in milli-Volts, although the resolution of the slider may differ. Initial tests have shown even simple increases in voltages to send the maximum overclock for the core speed up by as much as 100 MHz. The initial graphics card support-base includes the GeForce GTX 260, GTX 280 and GTX 295 series accelerators by EVGA. Future releases may expand the support base. The application is available exclusively to registered users of EVGA graphics accelerators, and can be downloaded from here.
Extended graphics card support list follows.
Using a simple slider, the user can set the vGPU voltage from 0.82V to 1.18V and beyond, depending on the accelerator. The resolution of the scale is in milli-Volts, although the resolution of the slider may differ. Initial tests have shown even simple increases in voltages to send the maximum overclock for the core speed up by as much as 100 MHz. The initial graphics card support-base includes the GeForce GTX 260, GTX 280 and GTX 295 series accelerators by EVGA. Future releases may expand the support base. The application is available exclusively to registered users of EVGA graphics accelerators, and can be downloaded from here.
NVIDIA Designs New GTX 260 PCB, Further Reduces Manufacturing Costs
The introduction of the new G200b series graphics processors sought to revive NVIDIA's stronghold over the high-end graphics market, by reducing manufacturing costs, and facilitating high-end graphics cards at unusually low price-points, to compete with rival ATI. The first SKU using the G200b GPU was the new GeForce GTX 260. The PCB of design of the new model (P654) saw several drastic changes, that also ended up contributing to the cost-cutting: all memory chips were placed in the business end of the PCB, and the VRM area rearranged. News emerging from Expreview suggests that NVIDIA has worked out an even newer PCB reference design (model: P897) that aims mainly to cut production costs further. The reference design graphics board based on the PCB will be given the internal name "D10U-20". A short list of changes is as follows:
- The number of PCB layers has been reduced from 10 to 8, perhaps to compress or remove blank, redundant or rudimentary connections
- A 4+2 phase NVVDD power design using the ADP4100 voltage regulator IC, the FBVDDQ circuit has been reduced from 2 phases to 1, and the MOSFET package has been changed from LFPAK to DPAK grouping, to reduce costs. The ADP4100 lacks the I2C interface, which means voltage control will be much more difficult than on current PCBs of the GeForce 260,280, 285 and 295
- The optional G200b support-brace has been removed
- While the length of the PCB remains the same, the height has been reduced to cut costs
- BIOS EEPROM capacity reduced from 1 Mbit (128 KB) to 512 Kb (64 KB)
- Cheaper DVI connectors
Friday, February 6th 2009
Today's Reviews
Harddisks
Monitors
Lavalys Starts The New Year With The Release of EVEREST v5.00
Lavalys announces the general availability of version 5.00 of its EVEREST family of products which includes the widely used PC diagnostics and benchmarking tool EVEREST Ultimate Edition and the popular IT asset management and network monitoring solution EVEREST Corporate Edition.
This release improves upon EVEREST's already impressive set of tools with some brand new features and a very long list of enhancements in direct response to customer feedbacks. Under the hood, version 5.00 continues the long tradition of accuracy and comprehensiveness brought by previous versions with support for the latest hardware technologies bringing the total number of specific supported devices over 85,000.
This release improves upon EVEREST's already impressive set of tools with some brand new features and a very long list of enhancements in direct response to customer feedbacks. Under the hood, version 5.00 continues the long tradition of accuracy and comprehensiveness brought by previous versions with support for the latest hardware technologies bringing the total number of specific supported devices over 85,000.
IKONIK Introduces Gaia PSU, Brings Better Environment with Electricity Bill Reduction
During the last few years, many brands have started to produce their own line of PSU's. So what makes the IKONIK PSU different and better than other PSU's? From the beginning the IKONIK R&D team wanted to build a PSU with the general idea of the best components and highest efficiency.
IKONIK Gaia Series ranges from 350W to 500W. This range covers most users who are particular about their PSU and have a high standard that they abide by.
IKONIK Gaia Series ranges from 350W to 500W. This range covers most users who are particular about their PSU and have a high standard that they abide by.
Galaxy Non-Reference GeForce GTX260+ Spotted
Pictures of the one of the first indigenously designed PCB for the GeForce GTX 260 by Galaxy has been pictured by Chinese website PCPop.com, that show a distinct blue PCB and cooling system. Galaxy chooses to call this accelerator the GTX 260+, perhaps to indicate that it is the newest version (55nm, 216 SP), which the marking on the GPU validates. The accelerator seems to be exclusive for the Asian market. The PCB uses a five phase power circuit. All the memory chips are on the anterior end of the PCB.
The cooling system of the card consists of heatsinks over key components of the PCB: the NVIO2 processor, the VRM area and the memory chips. The GPU is cooled by a massive cooler that can trick you for a CPU cooler. It seems to span across at least three slots. It consists of a contact block from which four heat pipes emerge, that convey heat to large aluminum fin array that is cooled by what looks like a 120mm LED-lit fan. The accelerator is backed by Galaxy's Magic Panel software that monitors the various parameters of the card and controls them. In the first screen-shot below, the core seems to be set at 750 MHz (core), 1575 MHz (shader) and 1300/2600 DDR MHz (memory), with a certain temperature reading (most likely the core) showing a temperature of 43 °C. The card secured a 3DMark Vantage score of P14480 on a Core i7-based test bench. The card also dealt with an ongoing FurMark session where at the same speeds, it was running at 67 °C, showing the cooling efficiency of this card.
The cooling system of the card consists of heatsinks over key components of the PCB: the NVIO2 processor, the VRM area and the memory chips. The GPU is cooled by a massive cooler that can trick you for a CPU cooler. It seems to span across at least three slots. It consists of a contact block from which four heat pipes emerge, that convey heat to large aluminum fin array that is cooled by what looks like a 120mm LED-lit fan. The accelerator is backed by Galaxy's Magic Panel software that monitors the various parameters of the card and controls them. In the first screen-shot below, the core seems to be set at 750 MHz (core), 1575 MHz (shader) and 1300/2600 DDR MHz (memory), with a certain temperature reading (most likely the core) showing a temperature of 43 °C. The card secured a 3DMark Vantage score of P14480 on a Core i7-based test bench. The card also dealt with an ongoing FurMark session where at the same speeds, it was running at 67 °C, showing the cooling efficiency of this card.
First Pictures of Intel Ibex-Peak Chip Packages Emerge
Intel's mainstream market implementation of the Nehalem architecture will come in the form of monolithic quad-core a dual-core chips that have northbridge machinery integrated. Based on the Lynnfield (quad-core) and Arandale (dual-core) designs, Intel will place the processors on a common system design dubbed the "Ibex-Peak". The processors are likely to be branded as Core i5, Core i4 or even Core i3 depending on a lot of factors. Additionally, Intel plans enterprise variants of the said chips.
To seat these chips, Intel is designing new sockets: LGA-1155, LGA-1156 the two can be classified into the sockets for the desktop variants, with another LGA-1167 socket most likely to be exclusive for the Xeon variants. PCGH sourced some images from Intel's Design Development Tools (DDT) portal (found here), which tell that Intel names its new series of sockets as "socket H". Pictured below is a processor package viewed from its business-end. The other three you can see, are interposer-boards. These are devices that resemble the actual product packages that sit on the sockets. You can see a grid of leads over the "IHS" of the package. The leads serve to help in the technical development of products based on the package design, hence it is found on the DDT portal. It should give you an idea of what an LGA-1155, LGA-1156 and LGA-1167 processor should look like, sans the leads on the IHS. The images below in the same order. Finally, pictured much earlier, is the Ibex-Peak platform motherboard that demonstrates the design.
To seat these chips, Intel is designing new sockets: LGA-1155, LGA-1156 the two can be classified into the sockets for the desktop variants, with another LGA-1167 socket most likely to be exclusive for the Xeon variants. PCGH sourced some images from Intel's Design Development Tools (DDT) portal (found here), which tell that Intel names its new series of sockets as "socket H". Pictured below is a processor package viewed from its business-end. The other three you can see, are interposer-boards. These are devices that resemble the actual product packages that sit on the sockets. You can see a grid of leads over the "IHS" of the package. The leads serve to help in the technical development of products based on the package design, hence it is found on the DDT portal. It should give you an idea of what an LGA-1155, LGA-1156 and LGA-1167 processor should look like, sans the leads on the IHS. The images below in the same order. Finally, pictured much earlier, is the Ibex-Peak platform motherboard that demonstrates the design.
Samsung Announces First Validated 40-nanometer Class DRAM
Samsung Electronics announced today that it has developed and validated the first 40-nanometer (nm) class DRAM chip and module. This new 1-Gigabit DDR2 component (x8) and a corresponding 1-Gigabyte 800Mbps (Megabits per second) DDR2 SODIMM (small outline DRAM inline memory module) - both to be processed at 40-nm - have been certified in the Intel Platform Validation program for use with the Intel GM45 series Express mobile chipsets.
"Securing extremely advanced technology and system/platform validated operability underscores our commitment as technology leader to deploying the most efficient means of producing DRAM in the marketplace," said Kevin Lee, vice president, technical marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.
"Securing extremely advanced technology and system/platform validated operability underscores our commitment as technology leader to deploying the most efficient means of producing DRAM in the marketplace," said Kevin Lee, vice president, technical marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.
Thursday, February 5th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Headphones
Monitors
Motherboards
Networking
NOX Coolbay HX Case & APEX 700W Review
Yes, the Coolbay HX looks similar to the Antec 900, but this chassis from NOX manages to score with additional features, a nice interior paint job and better cooling, making it a choice to be taken very seriously, especially considering the price point.
Intel Cuts the Prices on Some of its High-Performance Solid-State Drives
The Inquirer reports that Intel has just announced it will be slashing the prices on most of its state of the art solid-state drives. The Intel X25-M 80GB for notebooks will drop from $595 to $390 whilst the server X25-E 32GB SSD will go from $695 all the way down to $415 for quantities up to 1,000. The story continues to claim that Intel's X25-M 160GB and X25-E 64GB drives will also have their prices down, but Intel is not saying by exactly how much yet.
Hitachi GTS Announces Fourth Generation CinemaStar C5K500 2.5-inch Hard Drives
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced the CinemaStar C5K500, a 2.5-inch hard drive with up to 500GB of audio video storage capacity designed for digital video applications that require compact design and low power usage. This fourth-generation small form factor CinemaStar drive delivers a balance of capacity, cool operation and ruggedness to provide manufacturers with more eco-friendly options for slim digital video recorders (DVRs), set-top boxes and surveillance systems. The CinemaStar drive is designed for use in continuous "24x7" applications and has a read/write power specification that is 22 percent lower than previous models.
Auzentech Releases New Driver for its X-Fi Forte 7.1 Sound Card
Shortly after the official launch of X-Fi Forte 7.1, Auzentech is now offering a new driver for it. This driver is compatible with Windows Vista 32/64-bit only and brings DTS Connect support as well as minor bug fixes, improved speed when changing modes, and enhanced stability. Try downloading the new driver from here.
Left 4 Dead Critic's Choice Edition, DLC and SDK Details Revealed
Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced a series of content and development releases for its latest title, 2008's best-selling new game property for the PC and Xbox 360, Left 4 Dead (L4D).
The first L4D DLC - dubbed the L4D Survival Pack - is due for release this spring and introduces a new multiplayer game mode entitled, Survival, plus two complete campaigns for Versus Mode . A Critic's Choice Edition of the game is also heading to retail stores this spring, and will include access to all the content introduced in the L4D: Survival Pack.
In addition, for PC gamers and aspiring developers, the first Left 4 Dead release for the Source Software Development Kit (Source SDK) will allow the creation of custom Left 4 Dead campaigns that will be discoverable via L4D's matchmaking system. The SDK update is also due for release this spring, and is free of charge to all owners of L4D on the PC.
The first L4D DLC - dubbed the L4D Survival Pack - is due for release this spring and introduces a new multiplayer game mode entitled, Survival, plus two complete campaigns for Versus Mode . A Critic's Choice Edition of the game is also heading to retail stores this spring, and will include access to all the content introduced in the L4D: Survival Pack.
In addition, for PC gamers and aspiring developers, the first Left 4 Dead release for the Source Software Development Kit (Source SDK) will allow the creation of custom Left 4 Dead campaigns that will be discoverable via L4D's matchmaking system. The SDK update is also due for release this spring, and is free of charge to all owners of L4D on the PC.
Corsair Launches the Dominator GT Family
Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the launch of the new Dominator GT line of ultra high-performance DDR3 memory modules for Intel Core i7-based systems.
Sporting a new racing red color scheme and the next-generation of Corsair's patent-pending Dual-path Heat eXchange (DHX) technology, the new Dominator GT comes in 3-up 6GB kit, running at 2000MHz with latencies of 7-8-7.
Sporting a new racing red color scheme and the next-generation of Corsair's patent-pending Dual-path Heat eXchange (DHX) technology, the new Dominator GT comes in 3-up 6GB kit, running at 2000MHz with latencies of 7-8-7.
Sapphire Announces AMD FireStream 9270
Sapphire, the single largest add-in board partner for AMD, announced its FireStream 9270 GPGPU accelerator. Devices of this class exploit the general purpose computing capabilities of graphics processors, back them with a software architecture, and a programming environment to make for a dedicated number-crunching machine that holds rated computational power much higher than that of CPUs. Product lines in this class includes the AMD FireStream, that finds competition in NVIDIA's Tesla.
The appearance of the FireStream 9270 suggests it has been derived from the ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics accelerator, albeit different clock speeds, different drivers, four times the amount of memory, and connections. The core features 800 stream cores that churn out peak computational power of 1.2 TFLOPs (single precision floating-point) and 240 GFLOPs (double precision floating-point). The floating point format is in adherence to IEEE standards. It features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 850 MHz, with a peak bandwidth of 108.8 GB/s. The FireStream 9270 is backed by AMD's Stream 1.3 SDK that can be currently downloaded for free. It supports OpenCL in Microsoft Windows and Linux environments. The accelerator will be released by Sapphire towards the end of February, at a price of $1499. Additionally, AMD is teaming up with server-builder Aprius to release a 4U rack chassis system that holds as many as eight FireStream 9270 accelerators that churn out a theoretical max computational power of 9.6 TFLOPs.
The appearance of the FireStream 9270 suggests it has been derived from the ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics accelerator, albeit different clock speeds, different drivers, four times the amount of memory, and connections. The core features 800 stream cores that churn out peak computational power of 1.2 TFLOPs (single precision floating-point) and 240 GFLOPs (double precision floating-point). The floating point format is in adherence to IEEE standards. It features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 850 MHz, with a peak bandwidth of 108.8 GB/s. The FireStream 9270 is backed by AMD's Stream 1.3 SDK that can be currently downloaded for free. It supports OpenCL in Microsoft Windows and Linux environments. The accelerator will be released by Sapphire towards the end of February, at a price of $1499. Additionally, AMD is teaming up with server-builder Aprius to release a 4U rack chassis system that holds as many as eight FireStream 9270 accelerators that churn out a theoretical max computational power of 9.6 TFLOPs.
NVIDIA Preparing nForce 980a SLI, Identical to Predecessor
NVIDIA is planning a new high-end desktop chipset for the AMD processor platform: the nForce 980a SLI. The news validates some of the earliest roadmap slides of ASUS leaked to the media, showing a certain M4N82 Deluxe to feature the said chipset according to the specifications sheet. The chipset is built to feature on newer motherboards supporting the AM3 socket and DDR3 memory, though the one from ASUS supports DDR2 memory only, with no mention of a DDR3-supportive motherboard from the company.
VR-Zone juiced some more information about this new chipset, which suggests that the nForce 980a could be merely a re-branded nForce 780a SLI. Earlier reports also suggested the possibility of the 780a SLI successor to support the Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) feature that enhances overclocking the CPU using AMD's Overdrive software. With the 980a, NVIDIA will replace the markings on the package from "NF780A-SLI-N-A2" to "NF980A-SLI-A2". The company has also reportedly issued a notice to its partners:
VR-Zone juiced some more information about this new chipset, which suggests that the nForce 980a could be merely a re-branded nForce 780a SLI. Earlier reports also suggested the possibility of the 780a SLI successor to support the Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) feature that enhances overclocking the CPU using AMD's Overdrive software. With the 980a, NVIDIA will replace the markings on the package from "NF780A-SLI-N-A2" to "NF980A-SLI-A2". The company has also reportedly issued a notice to its partners:
The NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI SPP is an enthusiast-class high performance interface to AMD AM3 CPUs. It is RoHS-compliant. It includes 2×16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes (also configurable as 1 x16, 2 x8) and 3×1 PCI Express 1.0 lanes, 12 USB ports, six SATA ports, and single GigE. To ensure timely availability and flexibility, we encourage customers to qualify and release products using the NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI SPP.The chipset will be available to motherboard manufacturers starting from March.
Intel Devising Sub-10W Nehalem Derivatives
Intel pushed its performance supremacy lead further up with the introduction of the Nehalem micro-architecture. The introduction served as a milestone event in the company's history, where it sought to rearrange various components of the PC, by moving certain parts of the chipset to the processor package. In the months to come, with the introduction of the Ibex-Peak platform, the company hopes to migrate even more components from the system core-logic to the CPU package. A lot of engineering potential is unlocked due to the modularity of the various components of a Nehalem-derived CPU.
At the upcoming International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) event, Intel plans a decent set of technology demonstrations and papers. The advance program information document shed some light on Intel's itinerary. In session 3 held on February 9, Intel will present papers on its 8-core Xeon processor, following which is a session on 45nm IA processors. The session is on processors built with features characteristic of the Nehalem micro-architecture, in having integrated memory controllers, a coherent point-to-point interconnect, and up to 8 processing cores. Interestingly, the description included a note on the power consumptions, ranging from "sub-10W to 130W", which leads us to believe Intel to have plans on making derivatives of the Nehalem micro-architecture with some very low energy footprints. Another interpretation would be that a new breed of processors could have idle power consumptions as low as <10W. Currently the most energy-efficient Nehalem-based processor known to be in the works is the Xeon L5520 that has identical features to those of the Core i7 series while having a clock speed of 2.23 GHz and a rated TDP of a mere 60W.
At the upcoming International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) event, Intel plans a decent set of technology demonstrations and papers. The advance program information document shed some light on Intel's itinerary. In session 3 held on February 9, Intel will present papers on its 8-core Xeon processor, following which is a session on 45nm IA processors. The session is on processors built with features characteristic of the Nehalem micro-architecture, in having integrated memory controllers, a coherent point-to-point interconnect, and up to 8 processing cores. Interestingly, the description included a note on the power consumptions, ranging from "sub-10W to 130W", which leads us to believe Intel to have plans on making derivatives of the Nehalem micro-architecture with some very low energy footprints. Another interpretation would be that a new breed of processors could have idle power consumptions as low as <10W. Currently the most energy-efficient Nehalem-based processor known to be in the works is the Xeon L5520 that has identical features to those of the Core i7 series while having a clock speed of 2.23 GHz and a rated TDP of a mere 60W.
Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Tested
In the weeks to come, AMD will introduce its triple-core processors based on the 45 nm Heka core, starting off with the Phenom II X3 700 series. One of the first SKUs in the series would be the overclocker-friendly Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition. Based on the Heka core, it holds three x86 processing cores, 512 KB of L2 cache per core and a shared 6 MB L3 cache. The chip is specified to run at 2.80 GHz (200 MHz x 14.0), and features an unlocked bus frequency multiplier. It comes with a rated TDP of 95W. Turkish website Donanim Haber put an engineering sample carrying its specs to test on both DDR3 and DDR2 platforms based on Gigabyte's GA-MA790FXT-UD5 and MA790FX-DQ6, to find out its mettle.
Intel 32 nm Silicon Technology On Course for Late 2009
Having reacted rather sharply to the ongoing global economic slump by planning massive workforce and production cuts, one would expect Intel to be conservative with its development potential. In a contradiction to just that, a recent conversation EETimes had with Mark Bohr, director of Intel's technology and manufacturing group, the director said that the company is on course with its plans to introduce the newer 32 nm silicon fabrication technology by late 2009.
"The 32 nm technology is getting ready to go into the manufacturing phase, we are lining up fabs to support it and we expect great demand. We are on track for shipping products in the fourth quarter and have 22 nm technology in development for 2011" said Mr. Bohr. The conversation previewed some of the papers Intel plans to present at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference that convenes next week.
Intel follows a "tick-tock" model of product development cycle, wherein, the company designs new microprocessor designs and silicon fabrication technologies in alternation. In each cycle, an architecture gets to be made on at least two successive fabrication technologies before itself being succeeded by a newer design. Currently Intel employs the 45 nm High-K metal gate manufacturing technology, on which it introduced later variants of the Core 2 series CPUs, and has introduced its Nehalem architecture, with Core i7 being its first commercial implementation.
"The 32 nm technology is getting ready to go into the manufacturing phase, we are lining up fabs to support it and we expect great demand. We are on track for shipping products in the fourth quarter and have 22 nm technology in development for 2011" said Mr. Bohr. The conversation previewed some of the papers Intel plans to present at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference that convenes next week.
Intel follows a "tick-tock" model of product development cycle, wherein, the company designs new microprocessor designs and silicon fabrication technologies in alternation. In each cycle, an architecture gets to be made on at least two successive fabrication technologies before itself being succeeded by a newer design. Currently Intel employs the 45 nm High-K metal gate manufacturing technology, on which it introduced later variants of the Core 2 series CPUs, and has introduced its Nehalem architecture, with Core i7 being its first commercial implementation.
MSI Intros NetOn AP1900 Desktop
MSI today introduced the NetOn AP1900 all-in-one desktop PC. The PC consists of a monolithic unit housing the hardware, an 18.5-inch LCD display, and speakers. With the kind of product feel and hardware on offer, the PC qualifies as a nettop, though advertised to be ideal for offices, stores, internet cafes, kiosks, and similar applications. The unit chassis is built of matte black and silver. It can be installed with the desktop stand or on the wall, being compliant with the VESA wall-mount standard. The display sports a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.
Under the hood is an Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB of storage, a Super Multi DVD drive, and integrated graphics. Connectivity options include gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, and a 4-in-1 media card reader. A 1.3 MP fixed webcam is present right above the display. The package includes a keyboard and mouse. MSI has started production of this desktop, and will arrive at stores soon.
Under the hood is an Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB of storage, a Super Multi DVD drive, and integrated graphics. Connectivity options include gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, and a 4-in-1 media card reader. A 1.3 MP fixed webcam is present right above the display. The package includes a keyboard and mouse. MSI has started production of this desktop, and will arrive at stores soon.
Leaked Slide Shows Official Information from Intel on the Upcoming 8 Core Xeon
Following the news which we covered here, Hexus.net has got hold of a slide which officially details Intel's new 8-core Enterprise Xeon processor. Codenamed Nehalem EX, it will feature 8 processing cores, with 2 threads per core, totaling 16 threads and as had been previously said, a transistor count of 2.3 Billion. This information was obtained as part of a pre-ISSCC conference call, but more information is expected to be officially announced at the start of the ISSCC on 8th February.
Wednesday, February 4th 2009
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Cooling
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Headphones
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Memory
Motherboards
Nettops
Networking
Notebooks
Processors
NVIDIA to Roll Out ''New'' GeForce GTS 250 at CeBIT
In the weeks to come, next month to be more precise, NVIDIA will officially rename its G92-based graphics cards series. Amongst the "new" SKUs that have surfaced so far, NVIDIA adds the GeForce GTS 250, or present-day GeForce 9800 GTX+. In a bid to garner support from its partners, NVIDIA issued a circular that includes the following statement:
GeForce GTS 250 carries over the same specs and features of 9800 GTX+, and hence the same GPU, memory, board, PCB, and thermal solution. AIC's should be confident in purchasing GPU's, PCB's, and other materials, since the only change is a new VBIOS to implement the new branding.The GTS 250 model will be accompanied by yet another rebranding: GeForce GTS 240, present-day GeForce 9800 GT and GeForce 8800 GT. The GeForce 9800 GTX+ was released in July 2008, to compete with ATI's Radeon HD 4850. It was an evolution of the GeForce 9800 accelerator, to which it was built on a newer manufacturing process that facilitated higher clock speeds. NVIDIA is likely to choose CeBIT as the ideal launch-pad for its new series of graphics cards.
Google Launches the Internet Bus in India
Google has launched what is essentially a mobile internet cafe called the Internet Bus, to go around India providing poorer people, experience and education in using the internet. Using a high speed connection via what appears to be satellite, the vehicle has the words "Explore the World of the Internet" along the sides, it has not been cheaply done either. The whole vehicle appears to be a custom build, with large flat screen monitors, custom stands and lots of pretty lights. It has been said by the source, that the amount of people in India who are officially below the poverty line, is nearly as much as the total population of the USA. A video advertisement has also surfaced on YouTube, which you can find here.
Audiosurf International Update Available Now
The sensational PC music gaming title, Audiosurf, keeps on rockin' the free world with a massive update now available, free of charge, via Steam.
The International Update introduces Unicode support, enhanced community features, support for play on netbooks, a new Visualizer mode, and more.
Audiosurf is a music-adapting puzzle racer where you use your own music to create your own experience. The shape, the speed, and the mood of each ride is determined by the song selected. Points are earned for clustering together blocks of the same color on the highway. The game also allows gamers to compete with others on the Internet for the highest score on any song they own.
The title was created by solo developer Dylan Fitterer, who came up with the design for Audiosurf after six months of running BestGameEver.com, where Fitterer released a new game every Friday. Fitterer's favorite design produced during this period was Tune Racer, which was iterated and evolved into Audiosurf.
Owners of Audiosurf will automatically receive the International Update by connecting to Steam, where Audiosurf is offered for just $9.99.
For more information, please visit steamgames.com
The International Update introduces Unicode support, enhanced community features, support for play on netbooks, a new Visualizer mode, and more.
Audiosurf is a music-adapting puzzle racer where you use your own music to create your own experience. The shape, the speed, and the mood of each ride is determined by the song selected. Points are earned for clustering together blocks of the same color on the highway. The game also allows gamers to compete with others on the Internet for the highest score on any song they own.
The title was created by solo developer Dylan Fitterer, who came up with the design for Audiosurf after six months of running BestGameEver.com, where Fitterer released a new game every Friday. Fitterer's favorite design produced during this period was Tune Racer, which was iterated and evolved into Audiosurf.
Owners of Audiosurf will automatically receive the International Update by connecting to Steam, where Audiosurf is offered for just $9.99.
For more information, please visit steamgames.com
LaCie Doubles the Burn Speed of Its High-Capacity Blu-ray Drive
LaCie announced that it has doubled the speed at which its high-performance, large-capacity LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive burns discs to eight times (8x) standard data writing rates. The increased speed to burn files applies to both single and dual-layer discs. LaCie also has upgraded the authoring and backup software that ships standard with the product.
The LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive packs up to 50 GB of data, or four hours of high-definition video, on a single Blu-ray disc - making it an ideal tool for video professionals and anyone who wants to backup and store significant amounts of data on reliable removable media. It sports both FireWire and USB 2.0 interfaces for high-speed throughput between the drive and a PC or Mac.
The LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive packs up to 50 GB of data, or four hours of high-definition video, on a single Blu-ray disc - making it an ideal tool for video professionals and anyone who wants to backup and store significant amounts of data on reliable removable media. It sports both FireWire and USB 2.0 interfaces for high-speed throughput between the drive and a PC or Mac.
Qimonda Pushes Ahead With Development of Innovative Buried Wordline Technology
Qimonda AG is making consistent advances in its orientation towards its Buried Wordline technology. After seeing the first generation with a size of 65nm achieve good results in mass production in Dresden, the developers have now created the first operational DDR3 memory modules based on the latest 46nm technology.
The new 46nm technology will triple the number of chips per wafer compared with the current 75nm technology, and thus is expected to increase production efficiency by 200 percent. Furthermore, preliminary results show that power consumption will be reduced by up to 75 percent. "We are confident that our new technology is the key innovation for us to move onwards into a lucrative future," says Thomas Seifert, CFO and COO of Qimonda AG. "The first successful test runs with the new 46nm module generation and the customer feedback up to now have been very encouraging."
The new 46nm technology will triple the number of chips per wafer compared with the current 75nm technology, and thus is expected to increase production efficiency by 200 percent. Furthermore, preliminary results show that power consumption will be reduced by up to 75 percent. "We are confident that our new technology is the key innovation for us to move onwards into a lucrative future," says Thomas Seifert, CFO and COO of Qimonda AG. "The first successful test runs with the new 46nm module generation and the customer feedback up to now have been very encouraging."
RealTemp 3.00 Released
RealTemp got its major face-lift today with the introduction of the third major version. RealTemp is a nifty utility used to monitor the temperatures of Intel processors, with a breakdown of temperatures on a per-core and T-junction basis. The application makes use of the digital thermal sensor component Intel Core series processors come with. With version 3.00, RealTemp gets Core i7 friendly, supporting monitoring of its temperatures, including in Turbo Mode, where the software controls frequencies and power of individual processing cores.
The new release adds a host of features including plug-in support for RivaTuner, the ability to report temperatures of NVIDIA graphics cards, updated detection algorithms as per Intel specifications, and several UI improvements. The release covers as many as a hundred changes that include preliminary support for the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. For a list of major changes and other information, head over to the RealTemp homepage.
DOWNLOAD: RealTemp 3.00
The new release adds a host of features including plug-in support for RivaTuner, the ability to report temperatures of NVIDIA graphics cards, updated detection algorithms as per Intel specifications, and several UI improvements. The release covers as many as a hundred changes that include preliminary support for the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. For a list of major changes and other information, head over to the RealTemp homepage.
DOWNLOAD: RealTemp 3.00
QNAP Announces the World's First 4-Bay Intel Atom-based NAS - TS-439 Pro Turbo NAS
QNAP Systems, Inc. today announces the next gen Intel-based network attached storage TS-439 Pro Turbo NAS for business users. Featuring low power Intel 1.6GHz CPU, 1GB DDRII memory, and stylish industrial design, the TS-439 Pro supports up dual Giga LAN, five USB 2.0 ports and two eSATA ports, RAID 0/1/5/6/5+spare configurations, Online RAID Capacity Expansion and Online RAID Level Migration, and offers advanced functions such as iSCSI target service with Thin Provisioning, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, automatic policy-based IP blocking, instant SMS and email alert, and SSL secure certificate etc.
ASUS Introduces the External Slim SDRW-08D1S-U Optical Drive
As a globally renowned manufacturer of computer peripherals and optical drives, ASUS is constantly at the forefront of cutting edge technologies, providing users with innovative solutions for everyday computing. In pursuing this philosophy, the new ASUS External Slim SDRW-08D1S-U utilizes user-centric design in the Scenario-Based Design model to better address the needs of the user. By integrating these needs into its development and creation, the ASUS External Slim SDRW-08D1S-U combines both aesthetics and practicality.
Lian Li Launches The All New PC-A06F Mid-Tower Chassis
Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-A06F Mid-Tower chassis. The all aluminum mid-tower design features a front mounted 140 mm @ 900RPM fan, with an additional top mounted 120 mm @ 1000RPM extraction fan. The sleek brushed aluminum chassis is only 3.8kg in weight and the dimensions are 187 x 375 x 490 mm ( W, H, D). The traditional layout is slightly restrictive in that only small CPU heatsinks can be used, as the PSU is mounted directly over the CPU mounting region. The chassis is imbued with all the functional and user friendly design aspects users have come to expect in a Lian Li case.
Mozilla Firefox Updated to 3.0.6
Mozilla added its regular incremental update to the Firefox web-browser. With this release, the group fixed many bugs found with its previous version 3.0.5, which don't necessarily translate into security flaws. As many as seven critical thru mild security vulnerabilities were fixed, that includes a crash with memory corruption issue, and extraction of data using SessionStore files. The list of security fixes addressed can be found here. The release also fixes several bugs as listed in the updated bug list. The release also improves the ability of scripted commands to work properly with plugins, one of the major bugs fixed. Fore more information, refer to the release notes page for version 3.0.6. Firefox can be downloaded from the server closest to you, from the Firefox homepage. Existing users would be updated automatically.
HIPER Releases Osiris Gunmetal PC Case
HIPER rolled out the newest addition to its PC case lineup, the Osiris Gunmetal (model: HTC-1G514-A2). As the name suggests, it is a variant of the Osiris mid-tower case with the distinct gunmetal appearance. Its panels and framework have been built with 6063-T5 alloy. All its panels are fabricated to thickness of 2.0 mm (0.08"). It measures 526(L) x 202(W) x 452(H) mm and weighs 8.4 kg (18.5 lbs).
It features five 5.25 inch drive bays that are exposed, an exposed 3.5 inch drive bay and an internal modular drive rack that houses four 3.5 inch hard drives. It features two 120 mm, 1500 rpm fans that ventilate from the rear and the top of the case. The Osiris Gunmetal will reach stores soon, it will be priced at 145€.
It features five 5.25 inch drive bays that are exposed, an exposed 3.5 inch drive bay and an internal modular drive rack that houses four 3.5 inch hard drives. It features two 120 mm, 1500 rpm fans that ventilate from the rear and the top of the case. The Osiris Gunmetal will reach stores soon, it will be priced at 145€.
Tuesday, February 3rd 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Upek Eikon & Eikon To Go Fingerprint Readers Review
There are plenty of fingerprint readers out there and odds are that you may have used one here and there. Upek is one of the companies behind such units and also offers two very interesting retail products, which managed to surprise with both Windows and OS X functionality.
Windows 7 SKUs Made Official
Microsoft has had patchy success with its Windows Vista series of operating systems, and is banking on its next major addition to the Windows franchise, Windows 7 to turn its fortunes for the better. After having generously released beta versions of the operating system to the public, the company is gearing up for a product launch schedule. In the process, it made its SKUs (variants) of the operating system official today. The lineup consists of three variants in particular, suited for domestic deployments, with three variants aimed more towards commercial deployments, and then of course, there is an Ultimate variant that lets one have it all. The lineup for Windows 7 is as follows:
- Windows 7 Starter Edition
- Windows 7 Home Basic
- Windows 7 Home Premium
- Windows 7 Professional
- Windows 7 Enterprise
- Windows 7 Ultimate
Cooler Master V10 Hybrid TEC Cooler Tested
Cooler Master has gone full cylinders with innovation for the design of the V10 Hybrid TEC, a variant of the V10 cooler that employs a 70W TEC (Thermo-electric couple) element to indirectly cool the processor. The principle on which it works is fairly simple: A set of heatpipes propagate through the CPU contact block. The same heatpipes make contact with the cold-plate of the TEC. The hot-plate of the TEC is cooled by a dedicated aluminum fin array which is subjected to air flow. The heatpipes that cool the CPU propagate into two additional, independent aluminum fin arrays. All this, neatly packed into the shroud. The TEC part of the cooler has its own Molex power input, and is regulated by a temperature control module. The two fans in place to cool the fins use standard 3~4 pin fan connections. TweakTown put this cooler to test against most common high-end air coolers.
In theory, this is a good concept, though the indirect cooling the TEC element provides, isn't going to send temperatures down to sub-zero levels. Instead, the estimates on its spec. sheet shows it to maintain temperatures between 25 and 70 degrees Celsius. The cooler however, is rated for CPUs with TDPs of up to 200W (a figure achieved during overclocking). The findings of the review, however, show the cooler to be not much of an improvement over most high-end air coolers. The review can be read here.
In theory, this is a good concept, though the indirect cooling the TEC element provides, isn't going to send temperatures down to sub-zero levels. Instead, the estimates on its spec. sheet shows it to maintain temperatures between 25 and 70 degrees Celsius. The cooler however, is rated for CPUs with TDPs of up to 200W (a figure achieved during overclocking). The findings of the review, however, show the cooler to be not much of an improvement over most high-end air coolers. The review can be read here.
NVIDIA GT218 Specifications Gain Clarity
Coming March, NVIDIA is expected to roll-out its first GPU built on the newer 40nm silicon fabrication process: the GT218. This GPU will spearhead the company's next generation of entry-level graphics cards. It will succeed the G98 GPU in the process. VR-Zone has access to some more details about this GPU apart from what we know (covered here).
The GT218 will go into making four SKUs, based on two primary NVIDIA reference PCB designs. VR-Zone accessed the schematics of the P692 PCB design codenamed D10M1-30, that reveal a half-height, SFF-friendly PCB that holds the GT218. The clock-speeds of the GPU are 550 MHz (core), 1,375 MHz (shader) and 800/1600 DDR MHz (memory). The GPU makes use of a 64-bit wide GDDR3 memory bus. The GPU supports output standards that include DVI, D-Sub and DisplayPort. The older report suggested this GPU to carry 32 stream processors, 8 TMUs and 4 ROPs, with a suggested TDP of around 22W. NVIDIA is looking to unveil this new GPU at the upcoming CeBIT even in March, followed by product launches in April.
The GT218 will go into making four SKUs, based on two primary NVIDIA reference PCB designs. VR-Zone accessed the schematics of the P692 PCB design codenamed D10M1-30, that reveal a half-height, SFF-friendly PCB that holds the GT218. The clock-speeds of the GPU are 550 MHz (core), 1,375 MHz (shader) and 800/1600 DDR MHz (memory). The GPU makes use of a 64-bit wide GDDR3 memory bus. The GPU supports output standards that include DVI, D-Sub and DisplayPort. The older report suggested this GPU to carry 32 stream processors, 8 TMUs and 4 ROPs, with a suggested TDP of around 22W. NVIDIA is looking to unveil this new GPU at the upcoming CeBIT even in March, followed by product launches in April.
India Develops 10 Dollar Laptop for Students
In an attempt to empower millions of students across the country, Indian Government agencies have formulated plans to release a laptop at prices that equal that of a trip to a pizzeria in the west. Under a Government-sponsored scheme that runs parallel to the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) global initiative, the administration sought to implement this scheme to make the computer up to 10 times more affordable than an OLPC. The Government believes that the hidden costs involved in deploying laptops under the OLPC scheme make it still inaccessible to the larger student population, and that much better hardware could be provided at its cost.
The first thing that comes to your mind would probably be the kind of hardware that would make such a cheap laptop. Earliest data trickling in about the specifications indicates each laptop to have about 2 GB of memory, and support wireless networking. We will attempt to find out more about the hardware in the days to come. The Indian Government has reportedly spent close to US $1.5 billion on developing this concept and researching solutions to make this notebook durable and worthy of deployment to the most remote rural areas, that suffer power-outages and voltage fluctuations. Higher Education Secretary R.P. Agrawal said last week that it would be available within six months. The public education scheme governing the deployment of these laptops was flagged off today, in the southern-Indian city of Tirupati. The laptop will be available to students on a priority basis, and will later reach mass-retail channels in the country.
The first thing that comes to your mind would probably be the kind of hardware that would make such a cheap laptop. Earliest data trickling in about the specifications indicates each laptop to have about 2 GB of memory, and support wireless networking. We will attempt to find out more about the hardware in the days to come. The Indian Government has reportedly spent close to US $1.5 billion on developing this concept and researching solutions to make this notebook durable and worthy of deployment to the most remote rural areas, that suffer power-outages and voltage fluctuations. Higher Education Secretary R.P. Agrawal said last week that it would be available within six months. The public education scheme governing the deployment of these laptops was flagged off today, in the southern-Indian city of Tirupati. The laptop will be available to students on a priority basis, and will later reach mass-retail channels in the country.
RV790 Could Hold Higher Core Clock Speeds
Conceived to be a successor to the RV770 graphics processor, the RV790 emerged out of various media-leaks as the next big thing for ATI, in its never-ending pursuit for market leadership. Information on this mysterious new GPU has been trickling in at leisure, and it has been shaping up to be a current-generation GPU built using newer manufacturing technologies that could make it cheaper to produce. What we do know about RV790XT based engineering samples so far, is that they carry faster memory chips that are rated to operate a higher frequencies, 1 GHz to be precise, but specified by AMD to run at 975 MHz.
Fresh details sourced by Hardware-Infos from internal sources point out to the possibility of AMD stepping up the core clock speeds by as much as 100 MHz, taking it to 850 MHz. The ramp in clock speeds however, come at the expense of increasing core voltage to 1.3 Volts. There have been several reports speculating the core voltage so far, on of which points at 1.23V for 750 MHz. Another grey-area for now is the RV790's shader domain, with a certain level of ambiguity surrounding stream processor count. All of this leads us to believe that AMD hasn't finalized the specifications of RV790 and could be racking its brains on this one. AMD is expected to make critical announcements on its new GPUs in March and might choose the CeBIT event as the ideal platform.
Fresh details sourced by Hardware-Infos from internal sources point out to the possibility of AMD stepping up the core clock speeds by as much as 100 MHz, taking it to 850 MHz. The ramp in clock speeds however, come at the expense of increasing core voltage to 1.3 Volts. There have been several reports speculating the core voltage so far, on of which points at 1.23V for 750 MHz. Another grey-area for now is the RV790's shader domain, with a certain level of ambiguity surrounding stream processor count. All of this leads us to believe that AMD hasn't finalized the specifications of RV790 and could be racking its brains on this one. AMD is expected to make critical announcements on its new GPUs in March and might choose the CeBIT event as the ideal platform.
Rambus Implements XDR Memory Interface in Ultra Low-Cost Package
Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companies specializing in high-speed memory architectures, today announces the implementation of its award-winning XDR memory architecture using an ultra low-cost LQFP package. In a paper to be presented at DesignCon, Rambus will discuss the benefits of differential signaling delivering high memory bandwidth in a cost-effective package, ideal for consumer electronics such as set-top boxes and HDTVs.
"Today's consumer electronics require high bandwidth and low-cost manufacturability," said Martin Scott, senior vice president of Research and Technology Development at Rambus. "Our team has demonstrated that the superior signal integrity of the XDR memory architecture, which enables the highest data rates of any DRAM technology, also makes possible high-speed operation in very low-cost device packaging."
"Today's consumer electronics require high bandwidth and low-cost manufacturability," said Martin Scott, senior vice president of Research and Technology Development at Rambus. "Our team has demonstrated that the superior signal integrity of the XDR memory architecture, which enables the highest data rates of any DRAM technology, also makes possible high-speed operation in very low-cost device packaging."
IBM to Supply US Government with 20 Petaflops Supercomputer
IBM will be supplying the US Government with two new supercomputers for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to handle analysis of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The first is a 500 teraflops supercomputer called the BlueGene/P which the lab will receive by April, the second being the 20 Petaflops supercomputer which is due by 2012. It is estimated to perform up to 10 times greater than the current most powerful systems. More information follows:
ASUS Introduces the VENTO TA-U Series Chassis
ASUS, leading producer of PC chassis, today released the new ASUS VENTO TA-U Series chassis. Targeting users who require a chassis that provides excellent functionality as well as trendy aesthetics, the VENTO TA-U Series utilizes an exquisitely handcrafted aluminum body and features exceptional ventilation for both performance and stability. It also allows users to enjoy hassle-free installation and optimized scalability-making it the best choice for gamers and power users alike.
MSI Unveils 9cm Fan on R4870-MD1G and R4870-MD512 Graphics Cards
Global graphics card leader, MSI International, has unveiled the R4870-MD1G and R4870-MD512 graphics cards. MSI designed these two cards to be perfect for gamers demanding performance, quality, and low-temperature operation by equipping them with an extra large fan, an extra cool cooling system, and extra long lifespan components. The entire card features best class solid capacitors and SSC (solid-state chokes) built-in to the design that helps to smoothly handle high-power levels and punch-out amazing performance. The solid design also helps to extend the cards total lifespan. Featuring all three - HDMI, DVI and D-Sub (VGA) - major display output, these two cards are sure to please those looking for big-screen LCD monitor or LCD TV display.
Mushkin Announces New 1600 MHz DDR3 Memory With Radioactive Heatspreaders
Mushkin, one of the leading manufacturers of high performance computer components, announces the availability of a new DDR3 Triple-Channel-Kit. It's called: "998679r" and is equipped with 6GB and a high frequency of 1600 MHz. The memory will be delivered in a noble aluminium case assembled with unqiue "radioactive" heatspreaders.
"This kit is the ultimate combination of newest technology and fancy design." Proclaims Steffen Eisenstein, CEO of Mushkin Logistic GmbH very proudly, and continues: "The response for the "radioactive" heatspreader was huge, now we will have a hell of a party on DDR3!"
"This kit is the ultimate combination of newest technology and fancy design." Proclaims Steffen Eisenstein, CEO of Mushkin Logistic GmbH very proudly, and continues: "The response for the "radioactive" heatspreader was huge, now we will have a hell of a party on DDR3!"
Monday, February 2nd 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Ikonik Ra X10 SIM Review
The Ra X10 SIM case is the company's flagship model, featuring the unique software controllable fans and thermal monitoring system for the 13 included cooling fans. On top of that you will be able to stuff the Ra X10 with 10 hard drives, an eATX motherboard, multiple GPUs and a full compliment of external drives - with room to breath.
New Core i7 975 Extreme Edition Surfaces
Intel is planning on a newer flagship desktop CPU to lead the Core i7 Extreme Edition pack: the Core i7 975 Extreme Edition (XE). The model surfaced at an XtremeSystems forum thread where overclockers FUGGER and Mikeguava took a shot at the 3DMark05 world record of 45,474 3DMarks, set by AMD at its presentation of the Phenom II X4 processor running at speeds of around 6.30 GHz. The overclockers used a bench consisting of the new Core i7 975 XE, Gigabyte GA-EX58 Extreme motherboard, two Radeon HD 4870 X2 accelerators in a CrossFireX setup, powered by a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W PSU. The CPU was cooled by a custom-made copper cooling pot. At a clock speed of 5,239 MHz and the graphics cards running at reference speeds, the bench cracked the world record to reach 47,026.
During the course of this feat however, we get to know more about the Core i7 975 XE. The new premium offering by Intel comes with a clock speed of 3.33 GHz. It achieves this frequency using a bus multiplier of 25X. Intel built this chip on the new D0 revision of the Bloomfield core, on which the company also plans to release fresh batches of the Core i7 920. Apart from the unlocked bus multiplier and the broader QuickPath Interconnect bandwidth of 6.4 GT/s, other features remain standard: 4 processing cores supporting 8 threads with HyperThreading enabled, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, 8 MB of shared L3 cache, and a triple-channel DDR3 memory interface.
During the course of this feat however, we get to know more about the Core i7 975 XE. The new premium offering by Intel comes with a clock speed of 3.33 GHz. It achieves this frequency using a bus multiplier of 25X. Intel built this chip on the new D0 revision of the Bloomfield core, on which the company also plans to release fresh batches of the Core i7 920. Apart from the unlocked bus multiplier and the broader QuickPath Interconnect bandwidth of 6.4 GT/s, other features remain standard: 4 processing cores supporting 8 threads with HyperThreading enabled, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, 8 MB of shared L3 cache, and a triple-channel DDR3 memory interface.
Seagate Introduces Constellation: All-Star Enterprise Hard Drives, Sized Upto 2TB
Seagate today introduced its Constellation family ofnew enterprise storage solutions for Tier 2 nearline storage applications. The two new drive models, the 2.5-inch Constellation and the 3.5-inch Constellation ES hard drives, include a combination of features that enable high capacities, increased power efficiency, enterprise-class reliability, and data security. Both drives also include PowerChoice from Seagate, which decreases power consumption by up to 54% for record power savings in enterprise environments.
"The need for greater storage capacity will continue to expand in multiple directions and dimensions, but there will be an increasing scrutiny of all storage system purchases, with an eye to decreasing power consumption, footprint, and cost per GB in unprecedented ways," said John Monroe, a research vice president at Gartner. "Performance will not be ignored, but a flexible balance of capacity, cost per GB, power and speed will become more crucial in fulfilling end-user storage demands at varied price points."
"The need for greater storage capacity will continue to expand in multiple directions and dimensions, but there will be an increasing scrutiny of all storage system purchases, with an eye to decreasing power consumption, footprint, and cost per GB in unprecedented ways," said John Monroe, a research vice president at Gartner. "Performance will not be ignored, but a flexible balance of capacity, cost per GB, power and speed will become more crucial in fulfilling end-user storage demands at varied price points."
DRAM Prices Soar Post Qimonda Bankruptcy Filing
Late last month, DRAM major Qimonda announced insolvency. This company now has a month's cash left to carry on operations, before having to dissolve its assets. The company is reportedly looking for buyers. The news of Qimonda's departure in the making, for the industry didn't have immediate repercussions post announcement, since it coincided with a week of holidays on the occasion of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
When the traders returned to work after the holiday, DRAM prices shot up due to widespread concerns over the departure of Qimonda disturbing supply-chains. The price of the DRAM chip used as a standard to gauge DRAM prices, a common DDR2-667 1Gbit (128MB) chip, rose by as much as 27% to US $1.08, as measured by DRAMeXchange, a company that runs online DRAM chip stock clearance sales. Analysts at Gartner predict short-term and long-term implications of Qimonda's exit: on the short-term, DRAM prices will rise as the fall of Qimonda will disturb supply-chains. On the long term though, the market will stabilize since it is still saturated with DRAM over-supply even without Qimonda. It isn't a good time to buy DRAM chips, as a result of which, other weaker DRAM companies may also file for bankruptcy, disturbing supply-chains.
When the traders returned to work after the holiday, DRAM prices shot up due to widespread concerns over the departure of Qimonda disturbing supply-chains. The price of the DRAM chip used as a standard to gauge DRAM prices, a common DDR2-667 1Gbit (128MB) chip, rose by as much as 27% to US $1.08, as measured by DRAMeXchange, a company that runs online DRAM chip stock clearance sales. Analysts at Gartner predict short-term and long-term implications of Qimonda's exit: on the short-term, DRAM prices will rise as the fall of Qimonda will disturb supply-chains. On the long term though, the market will stabilize since it is still saturated with DRAM over-supply even without Qimonda. It isn't a good time to buy DRAM chips, as a result of which, other weaker DRAM companies may also file for bankruptcy, disturbing supply-chains.
Intel Phasing Out 7 CPUs by Q3, Features Popular Models
Silicon giant Intel, has reportedly decided to lay to rest, seven of its popular CPUs, under the Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Quad series, by Q3 2009. The process of phasing these models out takes place in two stages: issuing product discontinuation notices (PDNs) to channel vendors and other key distributors, and to declare the product end of life (EOL) shortly after. Likely to face the axe are Core 2 Extreme models QX9770 and QX9650; Core 2 Quad models Q9450, Q6700 and Q6600.
As of now, Core 2 Quad Q9450 has already been phased out, while the older Q6700 is awaiting EOL declaration within this month. For Core 2 Quad Q6600, one of Intel's most popular offerings, and perhaps the most successful quad-core desktop processor SKU at the markets, PDNs will be issued in February, and it will reach EOL sometime in Q2 2009. Meanwhile, for the Yorkfield-based Core 2 Extreme models, PDNs will be issued in February, and they will be reach EOL in Q2. In related news, Core 2 Duo E7200 and Pentium E2200 will be phased out by Q3 this year, with no word on the specifics of their PDNs.
As of now, Core 2 Quad Q9450 has already been phased out, while the older Q6700 is awaiting EOL declaration within this month. For Core 2 Quad Q6600, one of Intel's most popular offerings, and perhaps the most successful quad-core desktop processor SKU at the markets, PDNs will be issued in February, and it will reach EOL sometime in Q2 2009. Meanwhile, for the Yorkfield-based Core 2 Extreme models, PDNs will be issued in February, and they will be reach EOL in Q2. In related news, Core 2 Duo E7200 and Pentium E2200 will be phased out by Q3 this year, with no word on the specifics of their PDNs.
ASUS to Cut Inventories Up To 30% in Q1'09
Weakening demand, deteriorating economy and product launches by the dozen have led to ASUS, one of the largest manufacturers of computer hardware to suffer overstocked inventories. A local daily in Taiwan in a recent report suggests that the company is planning to reduce its inventories by as much as 30% in Q1 2009. ASUS currently holds US $1.33 billion-worth inventory, which it plans to reduce to $1.03 billion.
In the process, the company may incur losses amounting of around 20% amounting to roughly $35.5 million for the fourth quarter last year due to depreciation, the paper noted. Inventory levels of motherboards and graphics cards by ASUS may be sized down to the levels of 8~10 weeks, with those of pre-built PCs expected to be lower. The company also reduce its operating costs by 10%. In the wake turbulent economic weather the world over, ASUS will be employing new strategies to face fluctuations in exchange rates.
In the process, the company may incur losses amounting of around 20% amounting to roughly $35.5 million for the fourth quarter last year due to depreciation, the paper noted. Inventory levels of motherboards and graphics cards by ASUS may be sized down to the levels of 8~10 weeks, with those of pre-built PCs expected to be lower. The company also reduce its operating costs by 10%. In the wake turbulent economic weather the world over, ASUS will be employing new strategies to face fluctuations in exchange rates.
Korea to Get 1Gbps Internet Access by 2012
Imagine internet connectivity at 1Gbps, speeds at which a 120 minute SD film gets downloaded in 12 seconds! The Korea Communications Commission is reportedly spending $22 Billion in upgrading its telecommunications infrastructure that facilitates public internet connections with such extremely high bandwidth as 1Gbps for fixed-lines and up to 10 Mbps for wireless connections. Korea plans to to operationalise this by the year 2012, starting with urban centres, mainly large cities with relatively affluent populations. Other places in the country will still get internet access at speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
Eurocom Preparing Core i7-powered Laptop
Intel's Core i7 helped strengthen the company's foothold over the desktop CPU market beyond what it already had with the Core 2 series. The level of performance the Core i7 has on offer, comes at an expense of high thermal characteristics, with the rated TDP of 130W to begin with. Eurocom feels it could design a laptop, a portable workstation rather, that features Core i7 series processors. It could be one of the first to do so, with the Phantom i7 D900F.
Holding Core i7 processors in their existing series: models 920, 940, 965 XE, the Phantom i7 holds a 17-inch display with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 or 1680 x 1050. It features up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and up to 1.5TB of storage using three 500GB hard drives. A Blu-ray or DVD writer drive and a 7-in-1 memory card reader handle removable storage. Graphics will be handled by 1GB variants of GeForce 9800M GTX, Quadro FX 3700 or a soon-to-be-released "G280" graphics accelerator. Connectivity is care of Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, an ExpressCard slot, and optionally Bluetooth. A built-in TV-tuner and a 12-cell battery make for the rest of the package. The Phantom i7 is slated for May.
Holding Core i7 processors in their existing series: models 920, 940, 965 XE, the Phantom i7 holds a 17-inch display with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 or 1680 x 1050. It features up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and up to 1.5TB of storage using three 500GB hard drives. A Blu-ray or DVD writer drive and a 7-in-1 memory card reader handle removable storage. Graphics will be handled by 1GB variants of GeForce 9800M GTX, Quadro FX 3700 or a soon-to-be-released "G280" graphics accelerator. Connectivity is care of Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, an ExpressCard slot, and optionally Bluetooth. A built-in TV-tuner and a 12-cell battery make for the rest of the package. The Phantom i7 is slated for May.
MSI Introduces X58 Pro Motherboard
MSI, the world's leading motherboard manufacturer, today announced its most affordable one of X58 motherboard, X58 Pro. It offers an innovatively new architecture that adopts the latest Intel X58 Express chipset that supports the latest Intel Core i7 processor, along with ultra-high bandwidth QPI (Quick Path Interconnect) transmission system and high-speed 3-channel DDR3 memory, resulting performance so extreme that has ever seen in motherboards. X58 Pro also has utilized the Gen.2 DrMOS, which introduced exclusively by MSI since the P45 series, improving its power efficiency more than 93% to bring best performance.
Transcend Introduces 192GB High-Speed 2.5 inch SATA II SSD
Transcend Information Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of memory products, is proud to release its all-new 192GB high speed 2.5-inch Solid State Drive (SSD). This SSD is made of reliable NAND flash memory that contains no moving parts, and therefore is not susceptible to mechanical failure resulting from vibration, shock or heat. Featuring a powerful new controller, Transcend's MLC-equipped 192GB SSD far outpaces standard 2.5" hard drives, delivering exceptional sustained read/write speeds of up to 150MB / 90MB per second to guarantee fast throughput regardless of file size. With these high-speed transfer rates and virtually non-existent (0.2ms) latency, an SSD-equipped computer boots-up faster, games run more smoothly, and overall system responsiveness is improved. Moreover, this SSD's industry-standard SATA II interface and 2.5" form factor allow easy and straightforward user installation in most notebook computers and mainstream PCs just like regular hard drives.
Transcend Introduces 4GB aXeRam DDR3-1800 Memory Kits
Transcend Information Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of high performance memory modules, is proud to unveil 4GB aXeRam DDR3-1800 memory upgrade kits. Designed specifically for hard-core gamers using only top-binned, premium quality DRAM chips and custom high-purity aluminum heat sinks with cooling fins, aXeRam DDR3-1800 dual-channel kits deliver amazing high-speed overclocking performance while maintaining cool temperatures and rock-solid system stability.
Transcend's 4GB aXeRam DDR3-1800 kit's two identically-matched 240-pin unbuffered 2GB DDR3 1800MHz DIMMs are carefully paired for use in dual-channel configuration, which together provide memory bandwidth of up to 28.8GB/s. To ensure extra-stability and signal integrity at high clock speeds, all aXeRam modules use robust eight-layer PCBs that fully comply with JEDEC standards. The aXeRam 128Mx8 DDR3 DRAM chips are selected with the strictest quality and performance standards and are manufactured using small Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array (FBGA) packages to assure better thermal dissipation, electrical efficiency and improved overclocking performance. Transcend's aXeRam DDR3-1800 modules also support new Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) technology, which allows users with high-performance motherboards to easily overclock their memory with aXerRam's built-in aggressive speed-maximized profiles, or manually input their own memory timing parameters to take their system to the next level.
Transcend's 4GB aXeRam DDR3-1800 kit's two identically-matched 240-pin unbuffered 2GB DDR3 1800MHz DIMMs are carefully paired for use in dual-channel configuration, which together provide memory bandwidth of up to 28.8GB/s. To ensure extra-stability and signal integrity at high clock speeds, all aXeRam modules use robust eight-layer PCBs that fully comply with JEDEC standards. The aXeRam 128Mx8 DDR3 DRAM chips are selected with the strictest quality and performance standards and are manufactured using small Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array (FBGA) packages to assure better thermal dissipation, electrical efficiency and improved overclocking performance. Transcend's aXeRam DDR3-1800 modules also support new Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) technology, which allows users with high-performance motherboards to easily overclock their memory with aXerRam's built-in aggressive speed-maximized profiles, or manually input their own memory timing parameters to take their system to the next level.
Koolance Out With GeForce GTX 295, 285 Water Blocks
Expanding your water block options is Koolance, out with water blocks for NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 295 and GeForce GTX 285 graphics accelerators. The blocks by Koolance use nickel-plated copper, acrylic, the block for GTX 295 comes with built-in lighting for better aesthetics. Both blocks are monolithic, full-coverage by design.
The GTX 295 block (model: VID-NX295) measures 20cm x 12cm x 3cm and weighs around 1 kg (2.25 lbs). As with other blocks in its class, the block remains sandwiched between the business-ends of the two PCBs holding a GPU system each. The block for the GTX 285 (model: VID-NX285) measures 15.9cm x 14.6cm x 1.6cm and weighs 680g (around 1.5 lbs). Both blocks come with standard fittings, with fittings for SLI systems being optional and compatible. The Koolance VID-NX295 has started selling for US $159.99 a piece, with the VID-NX285 being priced at $99.99 at the Koolance store.
The GTX 295 block (model: VID-NX295) measures 20cm x 12cm x 3cm and weighs around 1 kg (2.25 lbs). As with other blocks in its class, the block remains sandwiched between the business-ends of the two PCBs holding a GPU system each. The block for the GTX 285 (model: VID-NX285) measures 15.9cm x 14.6cm x 1.6cm and weighs 680g (around 1.5 lbs). Both blocks come with standard fittings, with fittings for SLI systems being optional and compatible. The Koolance VID-NX295 has started selling for US $159.99 a piece, with the VID-NX285 being priced at $99.99 at the Koolance store.
Sunday, February 1st 2009
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
- Titan Fenrir Dexgo (de)
Graphics Cards
NVIDIA BIOS Editor ver. 4.8 Released
NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) is a free third-party tool that makes it easy to tweak the BIOS of most NVIDIA graphics cards, by extracting, manipulating with, and creating custom BIOS ROM files. The application is regularly updated, with support for new GPUs and features added. The newest release, version 4.8 that MVKTech released today broadens support base, providing support for NVIDIA's newest 55nm G200b-based graphics cards.
The support-list now includes several NVIDIA mobile GPUs such as the GeForce 9600M GS, 9650M GT, 9700M GT, 9800M GS and 9800M GT. The desktop GeForce 9500 GS and the anticipated GeForce 9800 GTX+ support are also brought about with the release. Other changes include minor fixes and features that limited support for unknown devices.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) v4.8
The support-list now includes several NVIDIA mobile GPUs such as the GeForce 9600M GS, 9650M GT, 9700M GT, 9800M GS and 9800M GT. The desktop GeForce 9500 GS and the anticipated GeForce 9800 GTX+ support are also brought about with the release. Other changes include minor fixes and features that limited support for unknown devices.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) v4.8
Intel Plans New Stepping for its 2.66GHz Core i7 920 Processor
Intel has announced plans to supply its partners and distributors with a new batch of Core i7 920 processors, that have their stepping updated from the current C-0 to D-0. Ready to ship on March 2nd, the new stepping will feature:
- New S-spec (from SLBCH to SLBEJ) and Material Master numbers for the converting products.
- CPUID will change from 0x000106A4 to 0x000106A5.
- The electrical, mechanical and thermal specifications remain within the current specifications. Intel anticipates no changes to customer platforms designed to previous Intel guidelines.
- Readable serial number will be removed from the package ink swatch to fully mitigate the potential risk of the IHS cosmetically overlapping a marked serial number. There is no change to the ULT matrix content which continues to contain the serial number.
EK WaterBlocks Ready With GeForce GTX 295 Offering
EK WaterBlocks, a well-known name with computer enthusiasts is ready with its offering for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 dual-GPU graphics accelerator. As with any water-block made for the GeForce 9800 GX2 and GeForce GTX 295, this block consists of two cooling surfaces for each of the two PCBs.
EK WaterBlocks' latest unit (model: EK-FC295 GTX SLI) is a monolithic full-coverage block made of copper and acrylic glass. Each of the cooling surfaces has contact points for the various components of the accelerator. The block is available with a whole range of options with its fittings. It is SLI-capable, meaning that its fittings allow its fluid to be relayed to the next accelerator. The block weighs 1.35 kg (around 3 lbs). It will be available from EK WaterBlocks' store starting tomorrow, priced at 125€ (around US $172.60).
EK WaterBlocks' latest unit (model: EK-FC295 GTX SLI) is a monolithic full-coverage block made of copper and acrylic glass. Each of the cooling surfaces has contact points for the various components of the accelerator. The block is available with a whole range of options with its fittings. It is SLI-capable, meaning that its fittings allow its fluid to be relayed to the next accelerator. The block weighs 1.35 kg (around 3 lbs). It will be available from EK WaterBlocks' store starting tomorrow, priced at 125€ (around US $172.60).
Danger Den Ready With GeForce GTX 295 Water Block
Water cooling specialist Danger Den is ready with its full-coverage water cooling block for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 graphics accelerator. Consisting of two PCBs holding a GPU system each, the GeForce GTX 295 is a complex piece of machinery, with regards to installing third-party cooling.
The Danger Den block (model: GPU-6850) is monolithic and is installed in a way that makes it sandwiched between the two PCBs. Contact-points on either sides of the block convey heat from the GPUs, memory chips, VRM, NVIO2 processors and the BR-03 chip. The block is available from Danger Den with a variety of options with regard to the fittings. SLI fittings that relay fluid between accelerators in an SLI system are optional. The block weighs 4 lbs (1.81 kg). It is priced at US $189.95.
The Danger Den block (model: GPU-6850) is monolithic and is installed in a way that makes it sandwiched between the two PCBs. Contact-points on either sides of the block convey heat from the GPUs, memory chips, VRM, NVIO2 processors and the BR-03 chip. The block is available from Danger Den with a variety of options with regard to the fittings. SLI fittings that relay fluid between accelerators in an SLI system are optional. The block weighs 4 lbs (1.81 kg). It is priced at US $189.95.
Saturday, January 31st 2009
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cooling
Speakers
EVGA GeForce GTX 285 Water Block Pictured
NVIDIA's 55nm GeForce GTX 200 series cards seem to be doing well at the markets. Cashing in on their success, EVGA plans to release GeForce GTX 285 and GTX 295 accelerators which are ready for water-cooling. While not much is known about the specifics of water cooling the GTX 295 part comes with, the GTX 285 SKU comes in the form of cards with factory-fitted water blocks.
NVIDIA made several changes to the PCB of its single-GPU G200 PCB, making GeForce GTX 280 water blocks incompatible with the GTX 285 PCB. The new PCB has a rearranged memory layout, with all its memory chips positioned on the business-area of the PCB, and a re-arranged VRM area. The new EVGA Hydro Copper block is designed to be a monolithic full-coverage block with a copper base. The SKU most likely to be carved out using this block could be the EVGA e-GeForce GTX 285 Hydro Copper. The company could take advantage of this superior cooling to set extremely high factory-overclocked parameters to the GPU and memory. This is the same company that released the GeForce GTX 285 FTW with audacious clock speeds of 720/1,620/2,772 MHz (core/shader/memory) using the NVIDIA reference design cooler. As with all water block-fitted graphics cards from EVGA in the past, the company could charge a premium over all its air-cooled GeForce GTX 285 models.
NVIDIA made several changes to the PCB of its single-GPU G200 PCB, making GeForce GTX 280 water blocks incompatible with the GTX 285 PCB. The new PCB has a rearranged memory layout, with all its memory chips positioned on the business-area of the PCB, and a re-arranged VRM area. The new EVGA Hydro Copper block is designed to be a monolithic full-coverage block with a copper base. The SKU most likely to be carved out using this block could be the EVGA e-GeForce GTX 285 Hydro Copper. The company could take advantage of this superior cooling to set extremely high factory-overclocked parameters to the GPU and memory. This is the same company that released the GeForce GTX 285 FTW with audacious clock speeds of 720/1,620/2,772 MHz (core/shader/memory) using the NVIDIA reference design cooler. As with all water block-fitted graphics cards from EVGA in the past, the company could charge a premium over all its air-cooled GeForce GTX 285 models.
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