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Wednesday, February 29th 2012
ASUS Radeon HD 7750 1 GB Review
The ASUS Radeon HD 7750 OC is a custom implementation of the HD 7750 design from ASUS. It comes at reference pricing, yet features slightly increased clock speeds out of the box. We have seen its cooling solution before on other cards from the company so it is a tested design that works well and delivers low temperatures and low noise levels.
PMC-Sierra Acquires the Server Storage 12 Gb/s Expander Product Line from Maxim
PMC-Sierra, Inc., or PMC, the semiconductor innovator transforming storage, optical and mobile networks today announced the Company has acquired Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.'s 12 Gb/s SAS expander technology. PMC expects the acquisition will strengthen its SAS design footprint with leading server OEMs.
Combined with PMC's 12 Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip (RoC) products, Maxim's expander technology enables PMC to offer end-to-end 12 Gb/s SAS solutions tailored for server platforms. Continued support for Maxim's industry-leading server expander firmware will preserve OEM investment as they transition from 6 Gb/s SAS to 12 Gb/s SAS.
Combined with PMC's 12 Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip (RoC) products, Maxim's expander technology enables PMC to offer end-to-end 12 Gb/s SAS solutions tailored for server platforms. Continued support for Maxim's industry-leading server expander firmware will preserve OEM investment as they transition from 6 Gb/s SAS to 12 Gb/s SAS.
AMD Catalyst Application Profiles 12.2 CAP 1 Up For Grabs
Radeon owners can now download a fresh batch of Catalyst profiles bringing improved performance in the latest PC games. This new CAP release includes the following profiles:
- Mass Effect 3 - Improves CrossFire performance
- Path of Exile - Improves CrossFire performance
- Darkness 2 - Resolves flickering issues on single GPU configurations when Anti-Aliasing is forced on in the Catalyst Control Center
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Resolves character texture corruption seen using single GPU configurations when Anti-Aliasing is forced on in the Catalyst Control Center
- Wargame: European Escalation (DirectX 9 version) - Improves CrossFire performance
- Wargame: European Escalation (DirectX 11 version) - Resolves flickering observed when running in CrossFire mode
- Mount Blade: Disables CrossFire to avoid corruption as the title has a capped Frame Rate
- L.A. Noire (DirectX 11 Version) - Improves CrossFire performance, and resolves flickering seen in shadows
The AMD 12.2 CAP 1 can be downloaded via this page.
- Mass Effect 3 - Improves CrossFire performance
- Path of Exile - Improves CrossFire performance
- Darkness 2 - Resolves flickering issues on single GPU configurations when Anti-Aliasing is forced on in the Catalyst Control Center
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Resolves character texture corruption seen using single GPU configurations when Anti-Aliasing is forced on in the Catalyst Control Center
- Wargame: European Escalation (DirectX 9 version) - Improves CrossFire performance
- Wargame: European Escalation (DirectX 11 version) - Resolves flickering observed when running in CrossFire mode
- Mount Blade: Disables CrossFire to avoid corruption as the title has a capped Frame Rate
- L.A. Noire (DirectX 11 Version) - Improves CrossFire performance, and resolves flickering seen in shadows
The AMD 12.2 CAP 1 can be downloaded via this page.
AMD to Acquire SeaMicro: Accelerates Disruptive Server Strategy
AMD today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SeaMicro, a pioneer in energy-efficient, high-bandwidth microservers, for approximately $334 million, of which approximately $281 million will be paid in cash. Through the acquisition of SeaMicro, AMD will be accelerating its strategy to deliver disruptive server technology to its OEM customers serving Cloud-centric data centers. With SeaMicro's fabric technology and system-level design capabilities, AMD will be uniquely positioned to offer industry-leading server building blocks tuned for the fastest-growing workloads such as dynamic web content, social networking, search and video.
AMD's server technology combined with SeaMicro technology provides customers with a range of processor choices and platforms that can help significantly reduce data center complexity, cost and energy consumption while improving performance. AMD plans to offer the first AMD Opteron processor-based solutions that combine AMD and SeaMicro technology in the second half of 2012. The company remains firmly committed to its traditional server business, and will continue to focus and invest in this area.
AMD's server technology combined with SeaMicro technology provides customers with a range of processor choices and platforms that can help significantly reduce data center complexity, cost and energy consumption while improving performance. AMD plans to offer the first AMD Opteron processor-based solutions that combine AMD and SeaMicro technology in the second half of 2012. The company remains firmly committed to its traditional server business, and will continue to focus and invest in this area.
Buffalo Announces a Trio of Marvell-Powered Solid State Drives
Buffalo Inc. has today announced the SSD-NS/PM3P series solid state drives featuring a Marvell controller and Toshiba-made MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory. These SSDs have a 2.5-inch form factor, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, 256 MB (on the 128 GB model) or 512 MB (256 and 512 GB drives) of DRAM cache, TRIM and NCQ support, they deliver transfer speeds of up to 500 MB/s, and are backed by a three-year warranty,
Buffalo's drives come bundled with a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch adapter and are priced at $300 (128 GB), $588 (256 GB) and $1,112 (512 GB). The 128 GB and 256 GB models will go on sale in Japan in mid-March while the 512 GB SSD will follow soon.
Buffalo's drives come bundled with a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch adapter and are priced at $300 (128 GB), $588 (256 GB) and $1,112 (512 GB). The 128 GB and 256 GB models will go on sale in Japan in mid-March while the 512 GB SSD will follow soon.
Plantronics' GameCom 780 Gaming Headset Goes On Sale
Announced early this year, at CES 2012, Plantronics' GameCom 780 Gaming Headset has now become available for purchase in Europe. The 780 offers a 7.1 surround sound experience (thanks to the Dolby Headphone and Pro Logic IIx technologies) and features 40 mm drivers, ultra-comfortable ear cushions and headband, a noise-canceling microphone, on-ear volume and mute buttons, built-in spin-joints (that let the earpods lay flat for easy storage), and USB connectivity.
The GameCom 780 can be bought for 49.90 Euro.
The GameCom 780 can be bought for 49.90 Euro.
IBM Opens the First Server Remanufacturing Center in China
IBM today announced the opening of the first-ever server remanufacturing center in China. The new center, located in Shenzhen, will help reduce the impact of e-waste on the environment by extending the life of older IT equipment that otherwise would go into landfills. IBM will also buy back select IBM Power Systems from clients as they upgrade to new IBM equipment.
The new facility expands IBM's global remanufacturing and refurbishment operations in Australia, Singapore, Japan, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany and the United States. The Shenzhen facility will initially remanufacture hundreds of mid-range IBM Power Systems, which are reconditioned, tested and certified using rigorous processes and original manufacturing standards, or rebuilt to meet specific customer requirements. The facility will rapidly expand to remanufacture 100,000 PCs and low-end and mid-range IBM and non-IBM servers per year by 2014.
The new facility expands IBM's global remanufacturing and refurbishment operations in Australia, Singapore, Japan, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany and the United States. The Shenzhen facility will initially remanufacture hundreds of mid-range IBM Power Systems, which are reconditioned, tested and certified using rigorous processes and original manufacturing standards, or rebuilt to meet specific customer requirements. The facility will rapidly expand to remanufacture 100,000 PCs and low-end and mid-range IBM and non-IBM servers per year by 2014.
AMD Posts Special Catalyst Driver for Windows 8 Consumer Preview
AMD posted a new Catalyst driver (8.93.7 RC10) specifically for Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The driver is WDDM 1.2 compliant, and supports all launched AMD Radeon GPUs from HD 5000 thru HD 7000 series (except HD 7900 and HD 7700); AMD A-Series, C-Series, and E-Series APUs; FirePro, and FirePro 3D series products. Highlights include:
- Native Stereo 3D support: Windows 8 will natively support Stereo 3D for full-screen and windowed gaming, and video applications
- Unified Video API - Video playback is now integrated within the DirectX 11 API; enabling simultaneous high quality Video and 3D content, and the potential for enhanced video transcoding performance
- Optimized screen rotation
- Improved sleep / resume performance
- Optimized Power Consumption
Connect Pritect to Protect Kinect
When the Kinect for Microsoft Xbox 360 launched in 2010 the world was so captivated by this exciting new way to play video games via motion control that it became the Guinness World Record holder for fastest-selling consumer electronic product. With over 18 million sold to date, that's great news for Microsoft, but questions of in-home security and privacy have continued to plague the platform ever since. Now Catalyst Components has launched the Pritect Sensor Cover, the first and only product designed to address these security issues surrounding the Xbox 360 Kinect and Kinect for Windows.
Paul Harper, Pritect's inventor and the President of Catalyst Components, comments: "For the first time ever, we have invited into our living rooms a technology which can not only capture video and sound data, but can also identify specific individuals using advanced biometrics, or 3-d facial recognition. The Kinect can see everything when powered on and for most users, has a direct connection to the internet. It's like a giant window into your home, but you can never know who might be looking in. With Pritect, you can now close the blinds."
Paul Harper, Pritect's inventor and the President of Catalyst Components, comments: "For the first time ever, we have invited into our living rooms a technology which can not only capture video and sound data, but can also identify specific individuals using advanced biometrics, or 3-d facial recognition. The Kinect can see everything when powered on and for most users, has a direct connection to the internet. It's like a giant window into your home, but you can never know who might be looking in. With Pritect, you can now close the blinds."
PlayStation Vita Sales Reach Over 1.2 Million Units Worldwide
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, today announced that the sales of the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) portable entertainment system reached over 1.2 million units worldwide as of February 26, 2012. PS Vita experienced an initial burst of momentum when it launched on December 17, 2011 in Japan followed by Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. Newly launched in North and Latin America, Europe and PAL territories as well as in Singapore on February 22, 2012, sales have exceeded expectations surpassing over 1.2 million units worldwide, firmly establishing PS Vita as the must-have portable entertainment device across the world. Software sales across the globe have surpassed 2.0 million units at both retail and on PlayStation Network.
Microsoft to Seed Windows 8 Developers, Device Makers With Tegra 3-Powered Test PCs
NVIDIA confirmed today that it is working with Microsoft on a program to distribute Windows 8 test PCs to software developers and device manufacturers powered by the Tegra 3 quad-core mobile processor with 4-Plus-1 architecture.
This seeding program enables these parties to create a rich ecosystem of apps and devices for Windows 8 on ARM-based processors.
This seeding program enables these parties to create a rich ecosystem of apps and devices for Windows 8 on ARM-based processors.
Qualcomm and Microsoft to Provide Developers with Snapdragon-Based Windows Test PCs
Qualcomm Incorporated today announced that its Snapdragon processor will be joining Microsoft Corp.'s Windows on ARM developer seeding program. Qualcomm is working with Microsoft to provide test PCs to select developers in order to test and optimize apps for forthcoming Snapdragon-powered Windows on ARM PCs and tablets. This invitation-only program will combine a pre-release version of Windows on ARM with next-generation, high performance Snapdragon S4 test PCs. These test PCs are not representative of commercial form factors or the final Windows on ARM experience; they are designed to give developers early access to building and testing Windows Metro style apps on Qualcomm's latest technology.
The Windows on ARM developer seeding program will help ensure that Windows Metro style apps available in the Windows Store work great on all Windows 8-based PCs, including those with Qualcomm's ARM-compliant Snapdragon processors.
The Windows on ARM developer seeding program will help ensure that Windows Metro style apps available in the Windows Store work great on all Windows 8-based PCs, including those with Qualcomm's ARM-compliant Snapdragon processors.
Intel Capital to Invest in Future of Automotive Technology
Intel Capital today announced a $100 million investment fund to help accelerate innovation and the adoption of new technology and services in the automotive industry. Intel Capital is the first global technology investment organization headquartered in Silicon Valley to announce a dedicated focus on automotive technology innovation.
The Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will be invested globally over the next 4 to 5 years in hardware, software and services companies developing technologies to promote new, compelling in-vehicle applications and enable the seamless connection between vehicles and any connected device, including mobile devices and sensors.
The Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will be invested globally over the next 4 to 5 years in hardware, software and services companies developing technologies to promote new, compelling in-vehicle applications and enable the seamless connection between vehicles and any connected device, including mobile devices and sensors.
Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview - the next milestone of the Windows operating system. This latest preview will be made available for download starting today at preview.windows.com. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers a more robust experience for testing the world's most popular operating system and is available to the widest range of people yet following the initial release of the Windows 8 Developer Preview late last year. The Developer Preview received more than 3 million downloads.
"With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. "The Windows 8 Consumer Preview brings a no-compromises approach to using your PC."
"With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. "The Windows 8 Consumer Preview brings a no-compromises approach to using your PC."
Apple Considers 14-inch MacBook Air
Apple is reportedly toying with the idea of a slightly bigger MacBook Air. This report comes in the wake of several others, pointing that the MacBook Pro of the future will look increasingly like the MacBook Air. Apple is considering this new, big MacBook Air to fully enter the Asia PC market, sources told DigiTimes. 14-inch notebooks are preferred more in the Asian markets, while European buyers, for instance, prefer 15-inch (or bigger) ones. The screen resolution of the new 14-inch MacBook Air is not known. The current biggest model in the series, the 13.3-inch one, packs 1440x900 pixels.
Pirate Bay Gets Rid of Torrents, Serves Magnet Links
The Pirate Bay completed a huge transition from being a host of .torrent files to a host for magnet:// links. The people behind the site believe the move was essential to make Pirate Bay "future proof". For instance, when replaced with magnet:// links, the entire site can be squeezed into a 90 MB "portable site" archive, which can be used to play chicken with the authorities. "It (the transition) shouldn't make much of a difference for the average user. At most it will take a few more seconds before a torrent shows the size and files," The Pirate Bay team told TorrentFreak today. "Just click the red button instead of the green one and all will be fine," it added. Magnet links, instead of sites hosting .torrent files, make the bit-torrent system vastly more decentralized. Those with the looming question of "Magnets...how do they work?" can refer to this article by Wikipedia.
LSI Sampling Industry's First 28 nm System-on-a-Chip For High-Capacity Hard Drives
LSI Corporation today announced it is sampling the industry's first 28 nm system-on-a-chip (SoC) for the desktop and mobile HDD market segments. The transition to 28 nm SoC technology provides a cost-effective way to increase the amount of data that can be stored on a hard drive by enabling higher areal density and yield through superior signal-to-noise ratio performance.
"The explosion of digital content driven by rich media such as high-definition video and photography is challenging HDD manufacturers to deliver higher-capacity, more energy-efficient drives," said Phil Brace, senior vice president and general manager, Storage Peripherals Division, LSI. "By being first to sample 28 nm SoC technology, we're offering HDD manufacturers a low-risk, time-to-market advantage in meeting next-generation HDD capacity points while staying within the power envelope."
"The explosion of digital content driven by rich media such as high-definition video and photography is challenging HDD manufacturers to deliver higher-capacity, more energy-efficient drives," said Phil Brace, senior vice president and general manager, Storage Peripherals Division, LSI. "By being first to sample 28 nm SoC technology, we're offering HDD manufacturers a low-risk, time-to-market advantage in meeting next-generation HDD capacity points while staying within the power envelope."
Synology Presents the DiskStation DS1512+ NAS Server
Synology today announced DiskStation DS1512+, a 5-bay next generation NAS server for delivering high performance and scalability with complete business solutions to small and medium businesses.
"NAS severs today are expected to produce higher levels of reliability and availability. With today's introduction, Synology customers can share and access data on DS1512+ in full confidence and satisfy the productivity, versatility and reliability they demand," said Peter Chen, Product Manager of Synology Inc.
Synology DS1512+ features a passive CPU cooling technology and a fan redundancy mechanism of two user-replaceable 80 mm fans, thus eliminating a single point of failure and ensure continuous system uptime during malfunction. The dual LAN network failover support allows DS1512+ to sustain the potential of one network discontinuity while maximizing system availability at all times.
"NAS severs today are expected to produce higher levels of reliability and availability. With today's introduction, Synology customers can share and access data on DS1512+ in full confidence and satisfy the productivity, versatility and reliability they demand," said Peter Chen, Product Manager of Synology Inc.
Synology DS1512+ features a passive CPU cooling technology and a fan redundancy mechanism of two user-replaceable 80 mm fans, thus eliminating a single point of failure and ensure continuous system uptime during malfunction. The dual LAN network failover support allows DS1512+ to sustain the potential of one network discontinuity while maximizing system availability at all times.
ADATA Launches New Ultra-Rugged Portable Hard Drive
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash Storage application products, today announced the introduction of the DashDrive Durable HD710 portable hard drive. The DashDrive family is the newest addition to the company's impressive lineup of storage devices, signifying mobile, rapid, and dependable data access.
The housing of the HD710 is comprised of a unique silicone material, and the drive incorporates military-grade shockproof and waterproof (IPX7) construction with an ultra-fast USB 3.0 interface. Its sporty outlook and dynamic design match the requirements and style of sports and outdoor enthusiasts, with color options including blue, yellow, and black.
The housing of the HD710 is comprised of a unique silicone material, and the drive incorporates military-grade shockproof and waterproof (IPX7) construction with an ultra-fast USB 3.0 interface. Its sporty outlook and dynamic design match the requirements and style of sports and outdoor enthusiasts, with color options including blue, yellow, and black.
Razer Tiamat Shipping Today, Stocks Limited
Razer finally put an end to the six month saga of availability Tiamat series gaming headsets. CEO Min-Liang Tan tweeted that the headset has started shipping worldwide today, and that stocks are limited, but that Razer is working hard to make them in sizable quantities. Announced in August 2011, availability of the Tiamat series of "true 7.1 channel" surround gaming headsets was slated for December, but was faced with delays, first to late-January, then to February.
Epic Games Readies for Action at Game Developers Conference 2012
Epic Games, Inc. announces its participation in the Game Developers Conference (GDC) to be held March 5-9, 2012 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Epic will host press sessions and meet with developers and partners of its award-winning Unreal Engine technology in Business Suite 800, West Hall, at GDC 2012. In addition, Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski is set to host the Game Developer Choice Awards, and a dozen senior members of Epic's staff are scheduled to speak at the conference.
Genius Releases Fully Customizable Gaming Keyboard for the GX Gaming Series
Genius, a leading maker of computer peripherals, today announces the Imperator Pro, a professional gaming keyboard for MMO/RTS gamers. The newest addition to the GX Gaming Series, the Imperator Pro allows gamers to personalize their gaming experience and give them the tactical advantage in the midst of battle.
The Imperator Pro's 6 programmable macro keys under 3 game profiles allows gamers to assign up to 18 macros giving users the ability to cast spells or specialized commands in a single keystroke. The fully customizable 16 million RGB backlight with three levels of brightness aids gamers under low light conditions, ensuring they never miss a key in the dark. To further enhance the gaming ambiance, the Imperator Pro also features a pulsating mode with three speed settings: slow, medium and fast. Both the backlight and pulsating functions can be easily disabled, if desired.
The Imperator Pro's 6 programmable macro keys under 3 game profiles allows gamers to assign up to 18 macros giving users the ability to cast spells or specialized commands in a single keystroke. The fully customizable 16 million RGB backlight with three levels of brightness aids gamers under low light conditions, ensuring they never miss a key in the dark. To further enhance the gaming ambiance, the Imperator Pro also features a pulsating mode with three speed settings: slow, medium and fast. Both the backlight and pulsating functions can be easily disabled, if desired.
Koolance Releases the CPU-370SA and CPU-370SI Waterblocks
Auburn-based cooling company Koolance has now rolled out a couple of new CPU waterblocks, the CPU-370SA for AMD processors and the CPU-370SI for Intel chips. Both models are lower priced versions of the CPU-370 block and feature a nickel-plated copper microfin cold plate (0.25 mm fins, 0.30 mm channels), an o-ring sealed impingement plate, a solid acetal top, and standard G 1/4 BSP threading.
The Koolance CPU-370SA is selling for $59.99, while the CPU-370SI costs $64.99.
The Koolance CPU-370SA is selling for $59.99, while the CPU-370SI costs $64.99.
CeBIT 2012 Preview: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2
Visitors to the Thermaltake stand (Hall 17, E60) at the CeBIT 2012 from 6 to 10 March 2012 in Hannover Germany will witness the first heartbeat of a new compact generation of the gaming mouse - Level 10 M Mouse, which is the collaboration between Thermaltake Group and BMW Group subsidiary DesignworksUSA continues from the previous success LEVEL 10 chassis in 2009.
Being the industry pioneer brand in PC DIY solutions, professional gaming products and unique and functional Apple accessories, Thermaltake Group with its three subsidiary brands - Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 will be presenting a visionary outlook on future technical developments and the latest and most exciting products for the year 2012 at the one of the biggest and the most international event in the digital industry!
Further information about Thermaltake Technology at CeBIT 2012 is available here.
Being the industry pioneer brand in PC DIY solutions, professional gaming products and unique and functional Apple accessories, Thermaltake Group with its three subsidiary brands - Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 will be presenting a visionary outlook on future technical developments and the latest and most exciting products for the year 2012 at the one of the biggest and the most international event in the digital industry!
Further information about Thermaltake Technology at CeBIT 2012 is available here.
IDC: Worldwide Server Market Revenues Increase 5.8% in 2011
According to the International Data Corporation's (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, factory revenue in the worldwide server market decreased 7.2% year over year to $14.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011 (4Q11). This was the first quarterly decline in factory revenue in two years. Worldwide server shipments increased 2.0% to 2.2 million units in 4Q11 when compared with the year-ago period.
For the full year 2011, worldwide server revenue increased 5.8% to $52.3 billion when compared to 2010, while worldwide unit shipments increased 4.2% to 8.3 million units.
On a year-over-year basis, all three classes of servers experienced decreased factory revenue totals in the fourth quarter. Volume systems experienced a 2.0% year-over-year factory revenue decline to $8.8 billion, while midrange revenue decreased 4.6% to $1.8 billion when compared to 4Q10. Additionally, high-end system revenue declined 18.4% to $3.7 billion in the quarter. This is the first time all three server classes have experienced year-over-year declines in revenue since the third quarter of 2009.
For the full year 2011, worldwide server revenue increased 5.8% to $52.3 billion when compared to 2010, while worldwide unit shipments increased 4.2% to 8.3 million units.
On a year-over-year basis, all three classes of servers experienced decreased factory revenue totals in the fourth quarter. Volume systems experienced a 2.0% year-over-year factory revenue decline to $8.8 billion, while midrange revenue decreased 4.6% to $1.8 billion when compared to 4Q10. Additionally, high-end system revenue declined 18.4% to $3.7 billion in the quarter. This is the first time all three server classes have experienced year-over-year declines in revenue since the third quarter of 2009.
OCZ Agility 3 180 GB and 360 GB Models Unveiled
While Vertex 3 is OCZ's flagship SATA 6 Gb/s SSD based on the SandForce SF-2281 processor, Agility 3 is its performance-mainstream variant that uses the same SF-2281, but with async NAND flash memory. Reviews have found the drive to offer high price-performance. OCZ has traditionally kept Agility 3 reserved for lower capacities, reserving higher capacities for its other product families., however two new variants hit the radar in the Japanese markets today, the 180 GB (AGT3-25SAT3-180G), which is not even listed on OCZ's global site, and a 360 GB variant (AGT3-25SAT3-360G).
The 180 GB variant offers sequential speeds of up to 525 MB/s read, and 500 MB/s write, with 35,000 IOPS 4K random write performance; while the 360 GB variant offers sequential speeds of 525 MB/s read, 495 MB/s write, and 35,000 IOPS 4K random write performance. Like all other drives in the Agility 3 series, the two are built in the 2.5-inch form-factor, with SATA 6 Gb/s interface. The Agility 3 180 GB is priced at 19,000 JPY (US $256), and the 360 GB variant at 36,000 JPY (US $447).
The 180 GB variant offers sequential speeds of up to 525 MB/s read, and 500 MB/s write, with 35,000 IOPS 4K random write performance; while the 360 GB variant offers sequential speeds of 525 MB/s read, 495 MB/s write, and 35,000 IOPS 4K random write performance. Like all other drives in the Agility 3 series, the two are built in the 2.5-inch form-factor, with SATA 6 Gb/s interface. The Agility 3 180 GB is priced at 19,000 JPY (US $256), and the 360 GB variant at 36,000 JPY (US $447).
AMD Lowers Phenom II Prices By Up To 15%
AMD has really went on a slashing spree this week as in addition to making the FX-6100 and FX-8120 cheaper, it also updated (read lowered) the pricing of nine Phenom II processors. As seen in the chart below, the Phenom cuts range from 2% to 15%, the biggest drop being seen on the Phenom II X4 965 which went from $135 to $115.
Double-digit cuts were also made for the X4 955 (10.3%), X4 975 (11.4%) and X4 980 (10.8%) while the X6 1055T and X6 1075T went down by 6.1% and 8.8%, respectively.
Double-digit cuts were also made for the X4 955 (10.3%), X4 975 (11.4%) and X4 980 (10.8%) while the X6 1055T and X6 1075T went down by 6.1% and 8.8%, respectively.
Eurotech Announces the DynaCOR 10-00zz Rugged Industrial Computer
Eurotech, a leading supplier of embedded technologies, products and systems, today announces the launch of the EN50155 rated DynaCOR 10-00, a new family of rugged mobile computer that targets demanding machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. Based on the Intel Atom processor, the DynaCOR 10-00 is a purpose-built, low power, mobile computer platform with wide range power supply and IP65 protection.
The DynaCOR 10-00 system is modular and versatile with a fanless design and rugged connectors for long-term reliability in harsh environments. Application specific configurations are easy to implement in several vertical industries enabling reliable M2M solutions even under the most demanding conditions: with a low power, highly efficient design, the DynaCOR 10-00 is a dependable platform featuring CPU speeds of 1.1 GHz, 512 MB RAM and a 2 GB flash disk.
The DynaCOR 10-00 system is modular and versatile with a fanless design and rugged connectors for long-term reliability in harsh environments. Application specific configurations are easy to implement in several vertical industries enabling reliable M2M solutions even under the most demanding conditions: with a low power, highly efficient design, the DynaCOR 10-00 is a dependable platform featuring CPU speeds of 1.1 GHz, 512 MB RAM and a 2 GB flash disk.
Lenovo's Online Shop Stops Selling Atom-Powered Netbooks
While it won't confirm an exit from the netbook market, Lenovo has distanced itself from this platform by deciding to stop selling netbooks through its online store. Lenovo's Atom-powered machines can still be found through resellers but the company's website is currently only selling some AMD-based models like the (11.6-inch) IdeaPad S205 and ThinkPad X130e.
Spokesman Ray Gorman revealed that Lenovo's Atom netbooks are "not being replaced in the near future" so it seems Cedar Trail is a no-go for yet another PC maker (Dell also said no to the platform and to netbooks in general).
Consumer interest for netbooks has fallen since tablets came into play so it seems Lenovo is just going with the market, putting netbooks on hold while pushing forward its tablet line which starts at just $209 with the IdeaPad Tablet A1.
Spokesman Ray Gorman revealed that Lenovo's Atom netbooks are "not being replaced in the near future" so it seems Cedar Trail is a no-go for yet another PC maker (Dell also said no to the platform and to netbooks in general).
Consumer interest for netbooks has fallen since tablets came into play so it seems Lenovo is just going with the market, putting netbooks on hold while pushing forward its tablet line which starts at just $209 with the IdeaPad Tablet A1.
Mozilla Boot to Gecko Operating System Launched, Promises Cheaper Devices
Mozilla's ambitious Boot to Gecko (B2G) operating system project has finally gone to business. It provides a functional, open-source, cheaper alternative to the likes of Apple iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile, which its makers claim can reduce cost of manufacture of devices such as smartphones and tablets by 10 percent (a significant amount). B2G uses applications coded using web-standards, taking advantage of the rich feature-set of HTML5. It's only a matter of time before smartphone and tablet manufacturers of all shapes and sizes take interest in this new OS built by a credible source, Mozilla. The guys behind Firefox.
Doom 4 First Screenshots Leaked?
Despite the less than mind-blowing title Rage, gamers who have been around long enough have come to know not to take id Software and its upcoming games lightly, especially if they're from one of its star franchises such as Doom and Quake. AllGamesBeta posted what it claims to be leaked screenshots of Doom 4, which it also goes on to claim as being "doomed" (cancelled), citing rumors. Close to two dozen of these screenshots can be found at the source. They reveal what [could have been] the setting of Doom 4, probably of the horrors unleashed on Mars (in Doom 3 and Resurrection of Evil) finding their way to Earth.
Lancool Announces New Mid-Tower Chassis - PC-K65
Lancool, a manufacturer of mid- to high-end computer chassis, announces their new mid-tower PC chassis - PC-K65 - designed for ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards.
Equipped with 2 modular HDD racks, the Lancool PC-K65 supports up to six 3.5-inch HDDs and four 2.5-inch HDDs or SSDs, which can be set to face forward or backward. For those who prefer longer VGA cards the top cage module can be removed, giving users a full 415 mm of interior space. The racks' tool-less design allows users to easily install their hard drives with the included thumbscrews. Vibrations are kept to a minimum with the rubber suspension.
Equipped with 2 modular HDD racks, the Lancool PC-K65 supports up to six 3.5-inch HDDs and four 2.5-inch HDDs or SSDs, which can be set to face forward or backward. For those who prefer longer VGA cards the top cage module can be removed, giving users a full 415 mm of interior space. The racks' tool-less design allows users to easily install their hard drives with the included thumbscrews. Vibrations are kept to a minimum with the rubber suspension.
Raspberry Pi Now Selling
The season's hottest hobby-kit for electronics and embedded computing enthusiasts, Raspberry Pi, started selling. The device is a fully-functional, self-contained, ARM-powered computer, complete with modern interfaces such as SDHC, USB, HDMI, and Ethernet (USB and Ethernet with $35 Model B), for as low as $25. The device can be powered up using Fedora Remix for Raspberry Pi, a Fedora ARM variant that's heavily optimized for the device. The Raspberry Pi is now available (limited to one quantity per customer), through Premier Farnell or RS Components.
Toshiba Acquires WD HDD Manufacturing Equipment and Transfer of HDD Manufacturing
Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Western Digital Corporation (NYSE: WDC) on Toshiba's acquisition of certain of Western Digital's 3.5-inch HDD manufacturing equipment and related intellectual property, and the transfer to Western Digital of Toshiba Storage Device (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (TSDT), Toshiba's wholly-owned HDD manufacturing subsidiary located in Thailand.
Toshiba and Western Digital aim to complete the acquisition and transfer by March of this year after obtaining approval from the relevant authorities. Under the agreement, Toshiba will acquire the following equipment and intellectual property from Western Digital.
Toshiba and Western Digital aim to complete the acquisition and transfer by March of this year after obtaining approval from the relevant authorities. Under the agreement, Toshiba will acquire the following equipment and intellectual property from Western Digital.
- Manufacturing equipment for 3.5-inch HDDs for use in desktop PCs and other consumer applications, plus related intellectual property; and
- Manufacturing equipment for near-line HDDs for server applications.
WD Reaches Agreement With Toshiba Corporation to Divest Certain 3.5-inch HDD Assets
Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) today reported that it has reached an agreement with Toshiba Corporation to divest certain assets to address the requirements of regulatory agencies that have conditionally approved or are continuing to review the company's planned acquisition of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST). The asset package covered by the agreement will enable Toshiba to manufacture and sell 3.5-inch hard drives for the desktop and consumer electronics markets and will enhance its ability to manufacture and sell 3.5-inch hard drives for near-line (business critical) applications. The divestiture transaction is subject to review by regulatory agencies in certain jurisdictions.
WD also reported that it has agreed, subject to completion of the divestiture transaction, to purchase Toshiba Storage Device (Thailand) Company Limited (TSDT). TSDT manufactured hard drives but has not resumed operations after the recent Thailand flooding. The principal assets of TSDT are its Thailand property, facilities and employees. Subject to completion of the transaction, WD plans to integrate these facilities and employees into its Thailand operations. The financial terms of the two agreements were not disclosed.
WD also reported that it has agreed, subject to completion of the divestiture transaction, to purchase Toshiba Storage Device (Thailand) Company Limited (TSDT). TSDT manufactured hard drives but has not resumed operations after the recent Thailand flooding. The principal assets of TSDT are its Thailand property, facilities and employees. Subject to completion of the transaction, WD plans to integrate these facilities and employees into its Thailand operations. The financial terms of the two agreements were not disclosed.
Westone Intros In-ear Monitor Vault
Westone introduced a new accessory for its line of in-ear monitors, called the "Monitor Vault". Simply put, it is a rugged case for your Westone in-ear monitors (IEMs). IEMs, especially the ones that are customized to fit your ears, can be delicate and expensive to carry around just anywhere. The Monitor Vault is designed to protect them from the elements. Measuring 87 x 69 x 49 mm (WxDxH), the case is made of a rugged polymer, with protective foam padding on the inside, and an O-ring sealing the lid. While this O-ring protects the IEM from rain or a splash of water, it's not exactly water-tight (for diving, etc.) Available in clear, smoke, and orange color options, the Monitor Vault from Westone is priced at US $16.95.
PNY Introduces HP v165w Flash Drive
PNY Technologies, Inc. ("PNY") is considered a leading designer, manufacturer and a worldwide leader in DRAM Memory and Flash Memory products, has introduced the new HP v165w Flash drive of their HP authorized line. HP v165w offers durable and easy transfer of files. The HP v165w is encased in a blue shell and transparent design that gives a futuristic and edgy look to it.
The small and compact size makes it a convenient and portable storage device and enables user to plug and use it anytime and anywhere.
The small and compact size makes it a convenient and portable storage device and enables user to plug and use it anytime and anywhere.
All White Xbox 360 Kinect Starts Shipping
Microsoft started shipping a special-edition white Xbox 360 4 GB Kinect, which is a return to the console's original colors, but on its new chassis design. The bundle includes a white colored Kinect, and white colored controllers that aren't completely lifted from the classic Xbox 360 design (the back side is white instead of gray). The bundle also includes copies of Kinect Adventures and Kinect Sports, and a 3-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold. The bundle is priced at US $299.99.
Tuesday, February 28th 2012
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Mouse
PSUs
QPAD MK-50 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
QPAD's MK-50 mechanical gaming keyboard could be what everyone has been begging for. Like its bigger brother the MK-85, you get the choice of key mechanism with the MK-50. The keyboard is available with all the different version of the Cherry MX mechanical keys.
Warpia Simplifies Home Theater Setup with StreamEZ, a Wireless HDMI Streaming Kit
Warpia, a premier technology brand dedicated to delivering innovative connectivity solutions, announces the StreamEZ, a wireless HDMI streaming kit that will allow users to wirelessly bring audio and video content to their HDTV via an HDMI output. A truly plug and play kit, users will be able to connect the StreamEZ to their PC/Laptop or any device with an HDMI port such as Cable/Satellite boxes, Blu-Ray/DVD players and game consoles to enjoy wireless high definition streaming.
"Warpia StreamEZ is the first product on the market to offer the versatility of PC streaming combined with wireless HDMI functionality for set top boxes and Blu-Ray/DVD players," says Mike Walsh President of Warpia. "The StreamEZ is a solution that provides consumers with maximum entertainment options whether they are watching a movie from their set top box or streaming content from their PC, they can now do it without the clutter of cables."
"Warpia StreamEZ is the first product on the market to offer the versatility of PC streaming combined with wireless HDMI functionality for set top boxes and Blu-Ray/DVD players," says Mike Walsh President of Warpia. "The StreamEZ is a solution that provides consumers with maximum entertainment options whether they are watching a movie from their set top box or streaming content from their PC, they can now do it without the clutter of cables."
Greenliant Now Shipping Industrial Grade SATA NANDrive Embedded SSDs
Greenliant Systems, a leader in energy-efficient, highly secure and reliable solid state storage products, has started mass production of its industrial grade SATA interface NANDrive solid state drives (SSDs). Operating at temperatures between -40 and +85 degrees Celsius, I-grade SATA NANDrive devices keep customer data safe while withstanding extreme environments.
The industrial grade SATA NANDrive is currently available in 2 GByte, 4 GByte and 8 GByte, with higher capacities planned. These products combine Greenliant's internally developed NAND controller with single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash die for a fully integrated SSD in a multi-chip package. For applications requiring the endurance and speed of solid state storage in very small form factors, SATA NANDrive is one of the smallest SSDs at 14mm x 24mm x 1.95mm. Offered in a 145 ball grid array (BGA), 1mm ball pitch package for easy and firm mounting to a system motherboard, NANDrive is resistant to shock and vibration.
The industrial grade SATA NANDrive is currently available in 2 GByte, 4 GByte and 8 GByte, with higher capacities planned. These products combine Greenliant's internally developed NAND controller with single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash die for a fully integrated SSD in a multi-chip package. For applications requiring the endurance and speed of solid state storage in very small form factors, SATA NANDrive is one of the smallest SSDs at 14mm x 24mm x 1.95mm. Offered in a 145 ball grid array (BGA), 1mm ball pitch package for easy and firm mounting to a system motherboard, NANDrive is resistant to shock and vibration.
Windows 8 x86 in Q4-2012, Windows 8 ARM in Q2-2013?
Even as there's quite some buzz around Microsoft's next major version of Windows, there are reports such as one from Bright Side of News citing "multiple sources close to Microsoft, or inside [it]," revealing the tentative launch schedule of the two main branches of Windows: for x86 platforms (client and enterprise), and ARM (for tablets and compact computing devices). Windows 8 for clients and enterprise (x86 architecture), will get up to 5 months' head-start over the much hyped ARM version for tablets. It is expected to be launched some time in Q4 2012, while the ARM version, some time in Q2 2013.
Intel and AMD can rub their hands as they both have extremely compact x86 processors fit for the tablet form-factor planned, and can woo tablet designers to opt for their solutions and get Windows 8 tablets instead of waiting for the ARM version of the operating system. Tablet vendors with mature ARM-based designs can always opt for Google's Android operating system, which will see no major competition for the greater part of this year.
Intel and AMD can rub their hands as they both have extremely compact x86 processors fit for the tablet form-factor planned, and can woo tablet designers to opt for their solutions and get Windows 8 tablets instead of waiting for the ARM version of the operating system. Tablet vendors with mature ARM-based designs can always opt for Google's Android operating system, which will see no major competition for the greater part of this year.
Analogix and LUXSHARE-ICT to Launch SlimPort-Ready Smartphone/Tablet Docking Station
Analogix Semiconductor and LUXSHARE-ICT today announced the LUXSHARE-ICT SlimPort Docking Station, a technology that elevates the ability of smartphones and tablets to serve as the hub of personal digital content as well as a complete office productivity tool.
Developed by LUXSHARE-ICT and based on core DisplayPort technologies from Analogix, the new docking station allows users the ability to connect a keyboard and a mouse and use a large display or big-screen TV to access and enjoy all their files, including office productivity tools, movies and more, all the while simultaneously charging the phone's battery through a standard smartphone connection.
Developed by LUXSHARE-ICT and based on core DisplayPort technologies from Analogix, the new docking station allows users the ability to connect a keyboard and a mouse and use a large display or big-screen TV to access and enjoy all their files, including office productivity tools, movies and more, all the while simultaneously charging the phone's battery through a standard smartphone connection.
iBUYPOWER Chimera 4 Now Available at Tiger Direct, Newegg and Wal-Mart
iBUYPOWER, a leading innovator in gaming PCs, is excited to announce Chimera 4 - the fourth generation of iBUYPOWER's signature gaming line inspired by the mythical fire-breathing beast - is now available for purchase at Newegg, Tiger Direct, and Wal-Mart. The Chimera 4 is sure to turn heads with its fiery case design and performance.
"We are honored for three of the world largest e-tailers to carry our signature line," said Darren Su, Executive Vice President of iBUYPOWER. "Their combined massive reach will expose millions of potential customers to Chimera's unique case design and power."
"We are honored for three of the world largest e-tailers to carry our signature line," said Darren Su, Executive Vice President of iBUYPOWER. "Their combined massive reach will expose millions of potential customers to Chimera's unique case design and power."
Kingston Lowers Costs and Increases Capacity for Ultra-Secure USB Flash Solutions
Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced a reduction in price for its line of enterprise and government secure USB Flash drives, as well as new capacities for its DataTraveler 4000 (DT4000) and DataTraveler Vault - Privacy (DTVP) Managed and Unmanaged secure mobile storage solutions. A leader in memory solutions since 1987, Kingston will exhibit at RSA Conference 2012 (booth 1059) to showcase the industry's only secure USB family ranging from general-purpose business use to flexible, managed enterprise offerings, and to platforms for the most secure and rigid government standards.
Corporate and customer data are the lifeline of any company - to be safeguarded at all times and handled cautiously. Data breach trends and recent studies, such as the Ponemon Institute's 2011 report, The State of USB Security, indicate that data breaches continue to occur far more frequently than they should and unsecured USB Flash drives remain a leading culprit. Additionally, failure to protect data can expose a company to a host of negative consequences including non-compliance, fines, financial loss and lack of customer confidence and trust.
Corporate and customer data are the lifeline of any company - to be safeguarded at all times and handled cautiously. Data breach trends and recent studies, such as the Ponemon Institute's 2011 report, The State of USB Security, indicate that data breaches continue to occur far more frequently than they should and unsecured USB Flash drives remain a leading culprit. Additionally, failure to protect data can expose a company to a host of negative consequences including non-compliance, fines, financial loss and lack of customer confidence and trust.
FTC Chairman Calls New Google Policy A "Fairly Binary and Brutal Choice to Consumers"
US FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz called Google's new unified policy "a fairly binary and somewhat brutal choice that they're giving consumers," in other words, a "take it or leave it" choice. Mr. Leibowitz made these comments speaking an episode of C-SPAN's Newsmakers. Google's new unified gives users of its various services (eg: G-Mail, YouTube, Picassa), a single user policy to agree to, to continue using the services. The policy also outlines how Google will use data collected by its different services, something its critics noted to be invasive. Less than 48 hours from taking effect, the policy is facing opposition from European regulators, and even a group of 36 US Attorneys General.
takeMS Unveils the UTX-2200 Series Solid State Drives
German memory and storage supplier takeMS has this week revealed its own line of solid state drives based on SandForce's SF-2281 controller. Dubbed UTX-2200, takeMS' SSDs feature a 2.5-inch form factor, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash memory, TRIM and NCQ support, and a MTBF of 2 million hours.
The UTX-2200 drives are capable of read/write speeds of up to 550/500 MB/s (up to 70,000 IOPS) and will ship (soon) in 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB capacities. Each model will be backed by a two-year warranty and will be bundled with a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch adapter.
The UTX-2200 drives are capable of read/write speeds of up to 550/500 MB/s (up to 70,000 IOPS) and will ship (soon) in 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB capacities. Each model will be backed by a two-year warranty and will be bundled with a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch adapter.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Adds New Chief Procurement Officer
GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced the appointment of Magnus Matthiasson as Chief Procurement Officer (CPO). Based at the company's corporate offices in Silicon Valley, Matthiasson will lead the GLOBALFOUNDRIES global purchasing activities, including managing all aspects of the company's supply base relationships worldwide. Matthiasson will report to GLOBALFOUNDRIES Chief Financial Officer, Dan Durn.
"Given the magnitude of our annual capital-equipment and purchasing investments, the right leadership to drive our strategic supply chain relationships and procurement operations is critical to our ability to provide value to our customers and grow our business profitably," said Durn. "With Magnus in place, our aim is to bolster a world-class procurement organization with programs that continuously optimize our purchasing and materials spend and management capabilities."
"Given the magnitude of our annual capital-equipment and purchasing investments, the right leadership to drive our strategic supply chain relationships and procurement operations is critical to our ability to provide value to our customers and grow our business profitably," said Durn. "With Magnus in place, our aim is to bolster a world-class procurement organization with programs that continuously optimize our purchasing and materials spend and management capabilities."
RATOC Systems Intros USB 3.0 RAID Box
Japanese company RATOC Systems introduced a trio of products that lets users expand their data storage once they run out of drive bays and ports in their case. The first one is the RS-EC32PE-U3R, a bundle consisting of a 2-bay USB 3.0 to SATA 3 Gb/s RAID enclosure and a PCIe USB 3.0 addon card; the RS-EC32EX-U3R, which is a bundle including the same 2-bay RAID enclosure, but including a 2-port USB 3.0 expansion card in the ExpressCard34 form-factor; and REX-PEU3X, which is a standalone 2-port USB 3.0 expansion card in the PCIe form-factor.
The expansion cards in these bundles are based on new Renesas μPD720202 chipset. The RAID enclosure has two 3.5-inch SATA drive bays. Its controller provides a maximum data transfer performance of 372 MB/s. It supports disk organization modes of "single" (just a single disk connected), RAID JBOD, RAID 0, and RAID 1. Expected to launch mid-March, the RATOC RS-EC32PE-U3R and RS-EC32EX-U3R are priced at 11,130 JPY (US $138), the REX-PEU3X goes for 3,360 JPY (US $41.7).
The expansion cards in these bundles are based on new Renesas μPD720202 chipset. The RAID enclosure has two 3.5-inch SATA drive bays. Its controller provides a maximum data transfer performance of 372 MB/s. It supports disk organization modes of "single" (just a single disk connected), RAID JBOD, RAID 0, and RAID 1. Expected to launch mid-March, the RATOC RS-EC32PE-U3R and RS-EC32EX-U3R are priced at 11,130 JPY (US $138), the REX-PEU3X goes for 3,360 JPY (US $41.7).
Intel, Micron Update NAND Flash Memory Joint Venture
Intel Corporation and Micron Technology, Inc., today announced that the companies have entered into agreements to expand their NAND Flash memory joint venture relationship.
The agreements, which are designed to improve the flexibility and efficiency of the joint venture, include a NAND Flash supply agreement for Micron to supply NAND products to Intel and agreements for certain joint venture assets to be sold to Micron. Under terms of the agreement, Intel is selling its stake in two wafer factories in exchange for approximately $600 million-the approximate book value of Intel's share. Additionally, Intel will be receiving approximately half of the consideration in cash and the remaining amount will be deposited with Micron, which may be refunded or applied to Intel's future purchases under the NAND Flash supply agreement. The agreements also extend the companies' successful NAND Flash joint development program and expand it to include emerging memory technologies.
The agreements, which are designed to improve the flexibility and efficiency of the joint venture, include a NAND Flash supply agreement for Micron to supply NAND products to Intel and agreements for certain joint venture assets to be sold to Micron. Under terms of the agreement, Intel is selling its stake in two wafer factories in exchange for approximately $600 million-the approximate book value of Intel's share. Additionally, Intel will be receiving approximately half of the consideration in cash and the remaining amount will be deposited with Micron, which may be refunded or applied to Intel's future purchases under the NAND Flash supply agreement. The agreements also extend the companies' successful NAND Flash joint development program and expand it to include emerging memory technologies.
'Project Phenix' Announced to Advance Digital Ownership of High Definition Movies
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, SanDisk, and Western Digital today revealed "Project Phenix" (working title), an initiative that will give consumers an easier and faster way to organize, store and move their high definition digital movies and TV shows - including new releases in up to full 1080p quality - across multiple devices. In addition to local storage, the content will also be backed up via the UltraViolet industry standard as well as other cloud-based services.
The project is being developed by the newly formed Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA). Established as an LLC, this coalition will create and license solutions that secure high definition and other premium copyright-protected content on local and portable hard drives, and flash memory products such as USB flash drives, SD cards and solid state disk drives (SSDs). Once content is downloaded to a hard drive or flash memory product, it could then be accessed, online or offline, on any SCSA-enabled device such as a connected TV, laptop, Blu-ray player, tablet, mobile phone or game console. The optimized content will be made easily available for purchase via digital download, digital files bundled with physical media, kiosks in retail stores, or other means of secure digital delivery.
The project is being developed by the newly formed Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA). Established as an LLC, this coalition will create and license solutions that secure high definition and other premium copyright-protected content on local and portable hard drives, and flash memory products such as USB flash drives, SD cards and solid state disk drives (SSDs). Once content is downloaded to a hard drive or flash memory product, it could then be accessed, online or offline, on any SCSA-enabled device such as a connected TV, laptop, Blu-ray player, tablet, mobile phone or game console. The optimized content will be made easily available for purchase via digital download, digital files bundled with physical media, kiosks in retail stores, or other means of secure digital delivery.
OCZ Introduces the High-Performance Fatal1ty 1000 W Power Supply
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and power supplies for computing devices and systems, today announced the availability of the Fatal1ty 1000 Watt power supply, the latest high-performance PSU targeted at gamers and enthusiasts that demand maximum wattage, high efficiency, and a modular cabling configuration.
Dedicated to delivering premium power solutions, OCZ's latest PSU was co-developed with twelve-time world champion Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers in performance, stability, and ease of integration to reduce system downtime. Featuring individually-sleeved modular cables, the Fatal1ty Series eliminates unnecessary wire clutter for a cleaner overall presentation and superior airflow in high end systems that are packed with components.
Dedicated to delivering premium power solutions, OCZ's latest PSU was co-developed with twelve-time world champion Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers in performance, stability, and ease of integration to reduce system downtime. Featuring individually-sleeved modular cables, the Fatal1ty Series eliminates unnecessary wire clutter for a cleaner overall presentation and superior airflow in high end systems that are packed with components.
XSPC Razor 7970 Water Block Detailed
XSPC is finally ready with a full-coverage water block for AMD Radeon HD 7970 and HD 7950 graphics cards (AMD reference PCB). The block is design to keep the card within the size specs. of a single expansion slot, while providing liquid cooling to all hot components on the obverse side of the PCB, including the GPU, the 12 GDDR5 memory chips, and the VRM. Measuring 220 x 142 x 9 mm (18 mm at ports), the main portion of the block is milled out of a block of copper, while the portion over the VRM is milled out of aluminum.
The portion of the block that's over the GPU is ridged, making copper micro-fins, that increase dissipation of heat to the coolant. The top is made of CNC-cut stainless steel. The block is ready for CrossFire setups with four G1/4" ports, two G1/4" plugs are included. Listed on the company's online store (currently out of stock), the XSPC Razor 7970 is priced at £82.67 (US $131).
The portion of the block that's over the GPU is ridged, making copper micro-fins, that increase dissipation of heat to the coolant. The top is made of CNC-cut stainless steel. The block is ready for CrossFire setups with four G1/4" ports, two G1/4" plugs are included. Listed on the company's online store (currently out of stock), the XSPC Razor 7970 is priced at £82.67 (US $131).
ROCCAT Savu Gaming Mouse Set for May Arrival
Hamburg-based peripheral maker ROCCAT has today officially announced the Savu 'Mid-Size Hybrid Gaming Mouse'. This new, game-ready rodent comes equipped with a 'true' 4000 dpi optical sensor and features a right-handed design, a Soft-Touch coating, no sweat side grips, the Easy-Shift[+] technology enabling advanced configuration, and a braided cable.
Savu also comes with a stats and trophy system named the ROCCAT Achievements Display (R.A.D.) and makes use of a lighting system boasting 16.8 million colors. ROCCAT will show off this mouse at CeBIT and plans to have it in stores in early May. No word on pricing yet.
Savu also comes with a stats and trophy system named the ROCCAT Achievements Display (R.A.D.) and makes use of a lighting system boasting 16.8 million colors. ROCCAT will show off this mouse at CeBIT and plans to have it in stores in early May. No word on pricing yet.
NASA Scales SGI Pleiades InfiniBand Cluster to 25,000 Intel Xeon Processor Cores
SGI, the trusted leader in technical computing, announced today that with over 60 miles of InfiniBand cabling in place at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., a scientist was able to utilize 25,000 SGI ICE Intel Xeon processor cores on Pleiades to run a space weather simulation.
One particular area of study is magnetic reconnection, a physical process in highly conducting plasmas such as those that occur in the Earth's magnetosphere, in which the magnetic topology is rearranged and magnetic energy converted to kinetic or thermal energy. This field of research is critical, as these disturbances can disable wide scale power grids, affect satellite transmissions and disrupt airline communications.
One particular area of study is magnetic reconnection, a physical process in highly conducting plasmas such as those that occur in the Earth's magnetosphere, in which the magnetic topology is rearranged and magnetic energy converted to kinetic or thermal energy. This field of research is critical, as these disturbances can disable wide scale power grids, affect satellite transmissions and disrupt airline communications.
Visa and Intel Form Strategic Alliance to Advance Mobile Commerce
Visa Inc. and Intel Corporation today announced a strategic agreement to develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries. During a press conference at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the companies outlined plans to collaborate to ensure consumers enjoy a consistent, streamlined, secure mobile commerce experience across Intel Atom-based smartphones and tablets.
"Visa's agreement with Intel paves the way for financial institutions around the globe to offer their account holders mobile payments and financial services using innovative mobile devices and technologies designed by Intel," said John Partridge, President, Visa Inc. during the press conference. "This is another example of how Visa is making mobile payments broadly available across devices and operating systems and is ensuring that mobile commerce applications are aligned with existing technology and security standards established by the global payments industry."
"Visa's agreement with Intel paves the way for financial institutions around the globe to offer their account holders mobile payments and financial services using innovative mobile devices and technologies designed by Intel," said John Partridge, President, Visa Inc. during the press conference. "This is another example of how Visa is making mobile payments broadly available across devices and operating systems and is ensuring that mobile commerce applications are aligned with existing technology and security standards established by the global payments industry."
TRENDNet Intros TU-S9 USB to Serial Converter
With legacy interfaces such as RS-232 serial obsolete and clearly phased out of PC motherboard standards, those still needing the interface, such as for connecting MODEMs, telecom equipment, robotics, etc., are finding themselves in need of devices such as the TRENDNet TU-S9. Simply put, this is an adapter cable with a USB connector on one side, and a RS-232 9-pin male connector on the other. The cable between the two is about 7 cm long. Operating systems such as Windows 7-thru-98; and Mac OS X 10.1-thru-10.6 are supported. The TU-S9 from TRENDNet is priced at US $12.99.
Elecom Intros MS-P05U Series USB Stereo Speakers
Elecom introduced the MS-P05U series USB stereo speakers for those on the move. Measuring 64 x 78 x 103 mm (WxDxH) each, these speakers rely completely on a single USB connection for power and host connectivity, and pack a USB audio DAC. The speakers deliver 2.1W of power (1.05W each). Their domes are inclined a little upwards, to prevent sound distortion caused as sound bounces off the surface of your desk. The speakers have a frequency response range of 50-18,000 Hz, and 8Ω impedance. The cable extends 1.2 meters. The MS-P05U is available in three color options, black (MS-P05UBK), white (MS-P05UWH), and pink (MS-P05UPN). Slated for mid-March, and backed by a 6 month warranty, the MS-P05U is priced at 3,360 JPY (US $41.7).
Samsung Miniaturizes 1920x1080 Pixels Into A 4.8" Display
Thought the 1920x1200 pixel 10.1-inch Super IPS+ display with ASUS Transformer Infinity tablet carried shock-value? Wait till you hear what Samsung's innovators have been up to. They've managed to develop a market-ready 4.8-inch display for the upcoming Galaxy S III smartphone that packs a whopping 1920x1080 pixels resolution, which smokes Apple's Retina display the iPhone 4S comes with (960x640 pixels in a 3.5-inch screen), or the 1280x800 pixels AMOLED screen Samsung's own Galaxy Note phone-tablet-thingy comes with. Then there are PC monitor vendors with the audacity of selling 27-inch monitors with the same 1920x1080 pixels resolution for upwards of $500. Multi-billion Dollar price-fixing scam much?
Sapphire Announces the HD 7750 ULTIMATE
SAPPHIRE Technology has just introduced a passively cooled card in its new HD 7700 series - the SAPPHIRE HD 7750 ULTIMATE is the first totally silent card to embody all the features of this new generation of products based on the revolutionary new graphics GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD.
The SAPPHIRE HD 7750 ULTIMATE is the first card in this generation to use a passive heatpipe and heatsink cooler to deliver totally silent cooling, and increased reliability as it has no mechanical moving parts. It shares all the features of the HD 7700 series and the highly acclaimed GCN graphics processing architecture making it ideal for HTPCs and any general purpose PC where operational noise needs to be kept to a minimum.
The SAPPHIRE HD 7750 ULTIMATE is the first card in this generation to use a passive heatpipe and heatsink cooler to deliver totally silent cooling, and increased reliability as it has no mechanical moving parts. It shares all the features of the HD 7700 series and the highly acclaimed GCN graphics processing architecture making it ideal for HTPCs and any general purpose PC where operational noise needs to be kept to a minimum.
ORICO Also Unveils Dock-Styled Single-Bay NAS
ORICO also unveiled the 8618NAS, a single-bay NAS device that's built in the top-loading "toaster" dock form-factor that allows snappy docking and removal of SATA HDDs and SSDs in the 3.5" and 2.5" form-factors. This unique device connects the SATA HDD/SSD to the network over gigabit Ethernet, with support for most modern home-NAS technologies, or to a standalone PC over USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, as a mass-storage device. The 8618NAS from Orico is slated for early-March. Its pricing and other functional details are still under wraps.
Google and Apple Sued over 'Street View' feature
The lawyer armies of both Google and Apple have yet another battle on their hands as last week one PanoMap Technologies, LLC, a virtually unknown company based in Florida, sued both of them for patent infringement.
Filed in Orlando federal court, PanoMap's complaint claims that the Street View feature of the Google Maps iOS app violates US Patent No. 6,563,529. This patent is entitled "Interactive system for displaying detailed view and direction in panoramic images" and it describes "A method and system for indicating the camera position, direction, and field of view in a map or panoramic image comprises a map image window which displays a map or panoramic image of the site to be studied (house, apartment, city, etc.)."
The 6,563,529 patent was given to scientist Jerry Jongerius back in 2003 and was transferred to Empire IP in 2011. PanoMap got a hold of it (through another transfer, gotta love this) only this month (on February 14th to be exact).
PanoMap says Google and Apple were aware of their infringement and wants triple damages.
Filed in Orlando federal court, PanoMap's complaint claims that the Street View feature of the Google Maps iOS app violates US Patent No. 6,563,529. This patent is entitled "Interactive system for displaying detailed view and direction in panoramic images" and it describes "A method and system for indicating the camera position, direction, and field of view in a map or panoramic image comprises a map image window which displays a map or panoramic image of the site to be studied (house, apartment, city, etc.)."
The 6,563,529 patent was given to scientist Jerry Jongerius back in 2003 and was transferred to Empire IP in 2011. PanoMap got a hold of it (through another transfer, gotta love this) only this month (on February 14th to be exact).
PanoMap says Google and Apple were aware of their infringement and wants triple damages.
ORICO Unveils 4-port SATA Hub
ORICO unveiled a unique 4-port SATA hub that's compact and styled like a USB hub. The 6566-S4 from ORICO takes in one eSATA connection, that it port-multiplies to four. The hub takes in an auxiliary DC power input, which it uses to power its port-multiplier logic. Connected devices still need their own power sources, as these ports are not power-eSATA. The hub also has link/activity LEDs for each downstream port. Downstream SATA devices are hot-swappable. ORICO did not reveal pricing or availability information.
ASRock Brings RapidStart, SmartConnect to H61 Platform
Lincredible phenomenon spreads around the world! Miracles did not only happen on the new basketball star Jeremy Lin, but also ASRock, the global top3 motherboard manufacturer! By updating the latest ME8 BIOS & Driver, ASRock today proudly announced their entire Intel H61 motherboard series now support Intel Rapid Start and Smart Connect Technologies! These new technologies are targeted to be supported with Intel next gen motherboard platforms, but ASRock offers an early chance to let users to experience new techniques on current H61 motherboard with 2nd Gen Intel Core Processor (Sandy Bridge).
"High-performance functions are not exclusive for high-end motherboards. ASRock's strength is to apply premium function on budget-level motherboards, making the function available by most of the users." commented James Lee, V.P. of Sales and Marketing at ASRock. "This time, miracles do happen at ASRock! Thanks to the excellent R&D team, ASRock is the first motherboard company to apply these two Intel new functions on H61 series motherboard in the world!"
"High-performance functions are not exclusive for high-end motherboards. ASRock's strength is to apply premium function on budget-level motherboards, making the function available by most of the users." commented James Lee, V.P. of Sales and Marketing at ASRock. "This time, miracles do happen at ASRock! Thanks to the excellent R&D team, ASRock is the first motherboard company to apply these two Intel new functions on H61 series motherboard in the world!"
NZXT Announces the Premium Cables Starter Kit
NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the Premium Cables Starter Kit. Designed so that PC enthusiasts no longer have to seek out cables individually, the Premium Cables Starter kit includes all the pivotal pieces for a new build including the following cables in lengths of 250mm…
CB 6V - 6Pin VGA Extension
CB 24P - 24Pin Motherboard Extension
CB 8P - 8Pin Motherboard Extension
CB 8V - 6Pin to 6+2Pin VGA Extension
CB 6V - 6Pin VGA Extension
CB 24P - 24Pin Motherboard Extension
CB 8P - 8Pin Motherboard Extension
CB 8V - 6Pin to 6+2Pin VGA Extension
Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Goes On Sale
Announced last month, Dell's XPS 13 13.3-inch Ultrabook has now become available for purchase bearing a starting price tag of $999. The XPS 13 is 0.71" at its thickest point and features an aluminum casing with a carbon fiber composite base, an edge-to-edge LED-backlit (1366 x 768) display protected by Gorilla Glass, a full size backlit chiclet keyboard, a glass integrated button touchpad, and a 6-cell (non-replaceable) battery enabling up to 8 hours and 53 minutes of operation per charge.
Dell's mobile machine packs a 1.6 GHz Core i5-2467M or a 1.7 GHz Core i7-2637M processor, 4 GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000, a 128 GB or 256 GB solid state drive, two 1.5 W speakers, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, a mini DisplayPort output, and two USB ports (one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0).
The XPS 13 can be ordered via this page.
Dell's mobile machine packs a 1.6 GHz Core i5-2467M or a 1.7 GHz Core i7-2637M processor, 4 GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000, a 128 GB or 256 GB solid state drive, two 1.5 W speakers, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, a mini DisplayPort output, and two USB ports (one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0).
The XPS 13 can be ordered via this page.
IBM Research Announces New Advances in Device Performance for Quantum Computing
Scientists at IBM Research (NYSE: IBM)/ (#ibmresearch) have achieved major advances in quantum computing device performance that will accelerate the realization of a practical, full-scale quantum computer. For specific applications, quantum computing which leverages the underlying quantum mechanical behavior of matter has the potential to deliver computational power that is unrivaled by any supercomputer today.
Using a variety of techniques in the IBM labs, scientists have established three new records for reducing the error in elementary computations and retaining the integrity of quantum mechanical properties in quantum bits (qubits) - the basic units that carry information within quantum computing. Furthermore, IBM has chosen to employ superconducting qubits which use established microfabrication techniques developed for silicon technology, providing the potential to one day scale up to and manufacture thousands or millions of qubits.
Using a variety of techniques in the IBM labs, scientists have established three new records for reducing the error in elementary computations and retaining the integrity of quantum mechanical properties in quantum bits (qubits) - the basic units that carry information within quantum computing. Furthermore, IBM has chosen to employ superconducting qubits which use established microfabrication techniques developed for silicon technology, providing the potential to one day scale up to and manufacture thousands or millions of qubits.
Tizen Software Platform Gains Momentum and Adds Industry Support
Tizen Association and Linux Foundation today announced important progress updates that advance the Tizen software platform towards market introduction. Included in today's announcement is the release of the beta release of the Tizen platform source code and SDK and the news that Huawei has joined the Tizen Association Board of Directors.
As announced today by the Tizen Technical Steering Group on tizen.org, developers are encouraged to start working with the new features and functionality of the Tizen beta source code and SDK and provide feedback to help improve the platform during the final stages of its development. The beta release features an updated UI framework and web APIs for easier development of rich web applications and the Tizen SDK now features Windows operating system support in addition to Ubuntu to provide developers with greater choice in managing their projects. Developers can obtain further details from the blog post and download the beta SDK here.
As announced today by the Tizen Technical Steering Group on tizen.org, developers are encouraged to start working with the new features and functionality of the Tizen beta source code and SDK and provide feedback to help improve the platform during the final stages of its development. The beta release features an updated UI framework and web APIs for easier development of rich web applications and the Tizen SDK now features Windows operating system support in addition to Ubuntu to provide developers with greater choice in managing their projects. Developers can obtain further details from the blog post and download the beta SDK here.
Monday, February 27th 2012
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Xigmatek Gigas Review
Is it a mATX chassis? No! Is it a mid-tower case? No! What is it? It is the Xigmatek Gigas! Too big to be a compact mATX cube, but too compact to be considered a mid-tower. Will the Gigas end up being the Frankenstein of cases, or manage to impress with this new approach?
AMD Intros the FX-6200 and FX-4170 Processors, Cuts Some Prices
Sunnyvale-based AMD Inc. has today launched two new FX Series processors, the FX-6200 hexa-core and the FX-4170 quad-core, and announced price reductions for the October-released FX-8120 and FX-6100.
The FX-6200 and FX-4170 are made on 32 nm process technology, and feature an AM3+ package, a TDP of 125 W, and 8 MB of L3 cache. The FX-6200 has a base clock of 3.8 GHz (4.1 GHz Turbo) and is up for pre-order @ 152.70 Euro while its quad-core sibling is set to 4.2 GHz (4.3 GHz Turbo) and is selling for 120.60 Euro.
The updated FX-8120 and FX-6100 prices stand at $185 and $145, respectively.
The FX-6200 and FX-4170 are made on 32 nm process technology, and feature an AM3+ package, a TDP of 125 W, and 8 MB of L3 cache. The FX-6200 has a base clock of 3.8 GHz (4.1 GHz Turbo) and is up for pre-order @ 152.70 Euro while its quad-core sibling is set to 4.2 GHz (4.3 GHz Turbo) and is selling for 120.60 Euro.
The updated FX-8120 and FX-6100 prices stand at $185 and $145, respectively.
Proview Taiwan Charges Apple with Fraud and Unfair Competition
Taiwan-based Proview Electronics Company, Ltd., ("Proview Taiwan"), a leading producer of high-quality monitors for computers and media devices, announced today that it has filed an amended complaint in California Superior Court in Santa Clara, accusing Apple Inc. of fraud and unfair competition.
Separately, in another action, Shenzhen-based Proview Technology Shenzhen Co, Ltd. continues to pursue litigation against Apple in China. In the Chinese lawsuit, Proview Technology Shenzhen Co, Ltd. has demonstrated that the IPAD trademark for Mainland China was never assigned to Apple or its affiliates. The legal questions and remedies in the China and U.S. lawsuits are separate and distinct and have no bearing on one another.
Separately, in another action, Shenzhen-based Proview Technology Shenzhen Co, Ltd. continues to pursue litigation against Apple in China. In the Chinese lawsuit, Proview Technology Shenzhen Co, Ltd. has demonstrated that the IPAD trademark for Mainland China was never assigned to Apple or its affiliates. The legal questions and remedies in the China and U.S. lawsuits are separate and distinct and have no bearing on one another.
Super Talent Introduces Dual & Quad Rank Quad-Chanel DDR3 RDIMMs
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND flash storage solutions, today announces a new line of 1066 & 1333 MHz, quad-rank registered DDR3 RDIMM modules for servers.
Many of today's new servers support a new 16 core processors and now require a new type of RDIMMs called quad-channel DDR3. On the heels of their single and dual rank RDIMMs, Super Talent is pleased to announce a new Quad-Rank Quad-Channel RDIMM Module designed for those who require even more DRAM capacity.
Many of today's new servers support a new 16 core processors and now require a new type of RDIMMs called quad-channel DDR3. On the heels of their single and dual rank RDIMMs, Super Talent is pleased to announce a new Quad-Rank Quad-Channel RDIMM Module designed for those who require even more DRAM capacity.
Dell Unveils New Enterprise Solutions That Help Customers Deliver Results Faster
Dell today announced at events worldwide a suite of powerful new enterprise solutions to help customers deliver results faster. Organizations today are dealing with quickly changing and often unpredictable demands and require end-to-end IT solutions that allow them to respond rapidly to customer needs. With this announcement, Dell is delivering an end-to-end IT platform that raises the bar on customer-centric innovation which provides simplified management, increased performance and superior long term value.
"Customers tell us they want a high-performance infrastructure that is easy to manage and helps them quickly deliver business outcomes. Today we are introducing a new set of datacenter infrastructure solutions that share key capabilities across our entire portfolio, from servers to storage to networking," said Brad Anderson, President of Enterprise Solutions Group at Dell. "We accomplished this through a combination of strategic acquisitions such as Force10 and customer-centric engineering of our new 12th Generation PowerEdge servers and storage platforms, delivering an integrated infrastructure with a common, high-performance network fabric. When combined with the second generation of embedded systems management in our servers, Dell is delivering one of the most robust and easy-to-manage datacenter infrastructures in the industry."
"Customers tell us they want a high-performance infrastructure that is easy to manage and helps them quickly deliver business outcomes. Today we are introducing a new set of datacenter infrastructure solutions that share key capabilities across our entire portfolio, from servers to storage to networking," said Brad Anderson, President of Enterprise Solutions Group at Dell. "We accomplished this through a combination of strategic acquisitions such as Force10 and customer-centric engineering of our new 12th Generation PowerEdge servers and storage platforms, delivering an integrated infrastructure with a common, high-performance network fabric. When combined with the second generation of embedded systems management in our servers, Dell is delivering one of the most robust and easy-to-manage datacenter infrastructures in the industry."
Elpida Issues Notice on Petition to Commence of Corporate Reorganization Proceedings
Elpida Memory, Inc. hereby announces that At the meeting of the board of directors held on February 27, 2012, we resolved to file a petition for the commencement of corporate reorganization proceedings and filed the same with the Tokyo District Court. As such petition was duly received on the same day and then the Court has immediately rendered the temporary restraining order to restrain any repayment, etc., the comprehensive prohibition order to prohibit any execution and the supervision and examination order, we hereby notify thereof as follows. In this connection, our consolidated subsidiary, Akita Elpida Memory, Inc., has simultaneously filed a petition for the commencement of corporate reorganization proceedings. For such information, please refer to the separate "Notice on Petition for Commencement of Corporate Reorganization Proceedings and Uncollectibility of Debts of Our Subsidiary".
GlobalScape Gives Business Users Secure and Convenient Mobile File Access
GlobalSCAPE, Inc. introduced a new capability today that enables users to securely access their business files from any popular smartphone or mobile device. The new capability, Secure Mobile Access module, combines TappIn's mobile file access with GlobalSCAPE's proven solution, Enhanced File Transfer (EFT) Server, and allows businesses and IT departments to control the rapidly growing "Bring Your Own Device" trend.
The Secure Mobile Access module represents the first significant product integration with mobile file sharing innovator TappIn, Inc. since it was acquired by GlobalSCAPE last December. In just two months following the acquisition, GlobalSCAPE completed development to combine the convenience of TappIn's mobile file access with the strong security measures of EFT Server.
The Secure Mobile Access module represents the first significant product integration with mobile file sharing innovator TappIn, Inc. since it was acquired by GlobalSCAPE last December. In just two months following the acquisition, GlobalSCAPE completed development to combine the convenience of TappIn's mobile file access with the strong security measures of EFT Server.
Intel Ivy Bridge Revised Launch-Schedule Revealed
Citing issues with the 22 nm manufacturing process, Intel postponed the release of its 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" Core processor family by as much as 10 weeks. There still seems to exist some confusion surrounding this launch, which SweClockers sought to clear with its latest article containing important dates related to the launch.
- 8 April, 2012: This was supposed to be the day "everything" (all CPU models slated for April, compatible motherboards) launched. Instead on this day, motherboard vendors will launch their products based on Intel Z77, Z75, H77, and B75 chipsets. System builders (you) will have to use existing "Sandy Bridge" processors, which are very much compatible with those motherboards. You will not be able to buy "Ivy Bridge" processors from anywhere on this day.
- 29 April, 2012: This is when Intel will launch quad-core Core i5, Core i7 "Ivy Bridge". On this day, the media will be able to post reviews of the new processor platform. It's not clear if you'll be able to buy these chips on this day, either. Perhaps you might.
Jon Peddie Research: Graphics Add-in Board Shipments Down 6.5% in Q4
Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated graphics Add-in Board (AIB) shipments and sales' market share for Q4'11. The JPR AIB Report tracks computer graphics boards, which carry discrete graphics chips. They are used in desktop PCs, workstations, servers, and some other devices such as scientific instruments. They may be sold as after-market products directly to customers or they may be factory installed. In all cases, they represent the higher-end of the graphics industry as discrete chips rather than integrated processors.
Overall shipments of graphics AIBs for the quarter came in above the last quarter at 16.1 million units compared to 17.2 million for Q3'11.
The evolution of the graphics market has resulted in two camps - suppliers of graphics AIBs: those which carry NVIDIA graphics chips and those which carry AMD chips. NVIDIA GPU-based boards increased by 3.7% from Q3 while AMD-based boards decreased 3.6% for the same period. Sales of AIB products have been directly impacted by the rise in economic growth in the BRIC countries, and in particular in China where there is a strong preference for discrete graphics AIBs.
Overall shipments of graphics AIBs for the quarter came in above the last quarter at 16.1 million units compared to 17.2 million for Q3'11.
The evolution of the graphics market has resulted in two camps - suppliers of graphics AIBs: those which carry NVIDIA graphics chips and those which carry AMD chips. NVIDIA GPU-based boards increased by 3.7% from Q3 while AMD-based boards decreased 3.6% for the same period. Sales of AIB products have been directly impacted by the rise in economic growth in the BRIC countries, and in particular in China where there is a strong preference for discrete graphics AIBs.
Corning Delivering Corning Gorilla Glass 2 for Next-Gen Consumer Electronic Devices
Corning Incorporated today announced the first shipments of Corning Gorilla Glass 2 to key device makers who plan to utilize the glass in new consumer electronics devices planned for release in 2012.
"Corning's new glass composition, Gorilla Glass 2, enables slimmer and sleeker devices, brighter images, and greater touch sensitivity, providing an ideal solution for the newest, most sophisticated smartphones, tablets, and personal computers," said David R. Velasquez, global director, Marketing and Commercial Operations, Corning Gorilla Glass.
"Corning's new glass composition, Gorilla Glass 2, enables slimmer and sleeker devices, brighter images, and greater touch sensitivity, providing an ideal solution for the newest, most sophisticated smartphones, tablets, and personal computers," said David R. Velasquez, global director, Marketing and Commercial Operations, Corning Gorilla Glass.
Galaxy GeForce GTX 560 SE Pictured, Benchmarked
Even as NVIDIA is inching towards the launch of its next-generation GeForce GTX 670 Ti, it is rushing out the GeForce GTX 560 SE to stem loss in competitiveness to the Radeon HD 7770. Galaxy is readying a compact, cost-effective graphics card based on the new GPU, which is pictured below. Based on the 40 nm GF114 GPU (variant: GF114-200-KB-A1), the GTX 560 SE features 288 CUDA cores, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and a 192-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 1 GB [(4x 1 Gbit)+(2x 2 Gbit)] of GDDR5 memory.
Galaxy's card uses a short PCB, its VRM area has been pushed to the front of the card, consisting of a 4+1 phase design. It draws power from two 6-pin power connectors. The card is cooled by a compact aluminum-fin heatsink to which heat is conveyed by copper heat pipes, and ventilated by a big (80 mm) fan. Chinese site QK123 put the card through a few synthetic benchmarks, measured power-draw, and OC performance. The GPU-Z screenshot reveals its reference speed.
Benchmarks follow.
Galaxy's card uses a short PCB, its VRM area has been pushed to the front of the card, consisting of a 4+1 phase design. It draws power from two 6-pin power connectors. The card is cooled by a compact aluminum-fin heatsink to which heat is conveyed by copper heat pipes, and ventilated by a big (80 mm) fan. Chinese site QK123 put the card through a few synthetic benchmarks, measured power-draw, and OC performance. The GPU-Z screenshot reveals its reference speed.
GK104 Board Draws Power From 6+8 Pin Connectors, 3+2 VDD Phase Power Supply
The top desktop graphics card based on the NVIDIA GeForce Kepler 104 (GK104) ASIC, which has come to be known as GeForce GTX 670 Ti, is reported to use a 5 NVVDD phase power supply (VRM) design that draws power from 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors. The card will hence have 300W of power at its disposal. NVVDD phase 1 and 3 will be wired to the 6-pin connector; phase 2, 4, and 5 to the 8-pin connector. NVVDD phases 2, 4, and 5 feed power to the GPU, while phases 1 and 3 power the GDDR5 memory and other components on the board.
Boost your Creativity and Productivity with GALAXY Note 10.1
At Mobile World Congress, Samsung announced the launch of GALAXY Note 10.1, which expands the GALAXY Note experience in creativity, productivity, and learning.
With its large display, GALAXY Note 10.1 provides multi-screen functionality to maximize efficiency in learning, work and creative endeavors. Its multi-screen functionality enables you to do a true multi-tasking, by viewing Internet pages, videos or other applications side by side while writing or sketching your ideas.
With its large display, GALAXY Note 10.1 provides multi-screen functionality to maximize efficiency in learning, work and creative endeavors. Its multi-screen functionality enables you to do a true multi-tasking, by viewing Internet pages, videos or other applications side by side while writing or sketching your ideas.
ASUS Also Unveils the Transformer Pad 300 'Affordable' Tegra 3 Tablet
In addition to officially announcing the Full HD-capable Transformer Prime TF700T flagship, ASUS today also revealed another 10.1-inch tablet powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 3 4-PLUS-1 processor, the Transformer Pad 300.
Codenamed TF300T, this new model measures 263 x 180.8 x 9.9 mm, it weights 635 grams, and features a plastic chassis (colored in red, white or blue), a 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) Super IPS capacitive touchscreen, a 1.2 GHz Tegra 3 chip, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of built-in storage (plus 8 GB of ASUS WebStorage), a microSD card slot, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.2 MP front camera, and a battery enabling up to 10 hours of operation (battery life goes up to 15 hours when the tablet is connected to the separately-sold keyboard dock).
ASUS' tablet also comes with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, a micro HDMI port, an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, a gyroscope, an e-compass, GPS, and it runs Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich). The Transformer Pad 300 is said to cost $399.
Codenamed TF300T, this new model measures 263 x 180.8 x 9.9 mm, it weights 635 grams, and features a plastic chassis (colored in red, white or blue), a 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) Super IPS capacitive touchscreen, a 1.2 GHz Tegra 3 chip, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of built-in storage (plus 8 GB of ASUS WebStorage), a microSD card slot, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.2 MP front camera, and a battery enabling up to 10 hours of operation (battery life goes up to 15 hours when the tablet is connected to the separately-sold keyboard dock).
ASUS' tablet also comes with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, a micro HDMI port, an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, a gyroscope, an e-compass, GPS, and it runs Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich). The Transformer Pad 300 is said to cost $399.
ASUS Crams 1920x1200 Pixels Super IPS+ Display Into 10.1" Transformer Pad Infinity
Till Apple's 2048x1536 pixel Retina Display materializes with the iPad 3, ASUS can stake claim to having a 10-inch tablet with the highest pixel-density on its display. The new Transformer Pad Infinity (formerly known as Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF700T in its CES exhibition), packs a 1920x1200 Super IPS+ display with a capacitive touchscreen. The tablet is convertible to a netbook by attaching a base dock that gives it a keyboard and trackpad. It is driven by NVIDIA Tegra3 4+1 core processor clocked at 1.60 GHz, with a customized version of Google's Android OS.
Huawei Announces the MediaPad 10 FHD Quad-Core Tablet
Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, introduced the world's first 10-inch quad-core tablet today at the Mobile World Congress 2012. The HUAWEI MediaPad 10 FHD is a fast-performing tablet with unsurpassed audio-visual entertainment features including a Huawei 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, Google Android 4.0 operating system and a 10-inch IPS high definition display screen.
"Most consumers use tablets for entertainment purposes such as gaming, viewing multimedia content, browsing the internet and reading e-books," said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Device. "We have created the HUAWEI MediaPad 10 FHD to excel in all of the entertainment capabilities including speed, power, web-browsing, high definition display and audio, and packaging it all in a compact and portable body."
"Most consumers use tablets for entertainment purposes such as gaming, viewing multimedia content, browsing the internet and reading e-books," said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Device. "We have created the HUAWEI MediaPad 10 FHD to excel in all of the entertainment capabilities including speed, power, web-browsing, high definition display and audio, and packaging it all in a compact and portable body."
Intel Confirms Ivy Bridge Mobile Processor Delay to ODMs
In mid-February, it was reported that Intel was delaying availability of its upcoming "Ivy Bridge" Core processor family, at least to Notebook ODMs, to June, in a bid to help digestion of inventories of current-generation "Sandy Bridge" Core processors. Intel confirmed this delay. The company expects its next-generation chips to go on sale eight to 10 weeks later than initially planned, according to Sean Maloney, executive vice-president of Intel and chairman of Intel China. Maloney told Financial Times that sales of machines (notebooks, pre-built desktops) have been pushed back from April to June. "I think maybe it's June now," he said. More interestingly, Maloney shifted the blame for this delay from inventory-adjustments to the 22 nm fab process.
Sennheiser Improves Mobile Travel Line: Successful Wireless Headsets Get X-factor
Possibly one of the world's best wireless Bluetooth headsets just got even better. Sennheiser's award-winning Mobile Music wireless series now have the X-factor. The new MM 450-X and M 550-X combines the latest Apt-X technology for superb sound with a long list of premium features that make the headsets a blast to listen, talk and travel with.
Why settle for less than the best, when you're on the move? Sennheiser now adds X-factor to its two new flagships in Sennheiser's wireless Travel Line series, the over-the-ear MM 550-X and the on-ear MM 450-X. The latest apt-X technology has made wireless conversations and listening to music even better. By compressing sound at a four times higher rate, apt-X delivers a fuller and wider audio spectrum.
Why settle for less than the best, when you're on the move? Sennheiser now adds X-factor to its two new flagships in Sennheiser's wireless Travel Line series, the over-the-ear MM 550-X and the on-ear MM 450-X. The latest apt-X technology has made wireless conversations and listening to music even better. By compressing sound at a four times higher rate, apt-X delivers a fuller and wider audio spectrum.
ASUS Zenbook UX21 Rose Gold Launched at Milan Fashion Week
ASUS chose the Milan Fashion Week as the perfect launch-pad for its Zenbook UX21 Rose Gold Ultrabook. Zenbook is ASUS' premium Ultrabook brand. The new UX21 Rose Gold variant sticks to the 11-inch, 2 cm-thick chassis, with a premium 2-tone alloy finish, with a brushed rose-gold lid. This finish also extends to the bezel around the display, and some other parts. Under the hood is an Intel Core i5-2467M processor, 4 GB DDR3 memory, and a 128 GB SSD. The ASUS ZenBook UX21E Rose Gold will be priced around 999€.
A video presentation follows.
Samsung Rolls Out the TB750 Series 7 TV Monitors
Samsung Electronics has today launched its 24-inch and 27-inch TB750 Series 7 HDTV monitors announced at CES 2012 in January. These two displays feature a sleek asymmetric design, a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a 5 ms response time, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, 300 cd/m2 brightness, stereo speakers, a HDMI input, and both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports.
The TB750 duo also comes with Intel WiDi (Wireless Display) and MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) support, and provides access to the Samsung Smart Hub for easy access to apps and web-based entertainment.
The 24-inch and 27-inch Series 7 TV monitors are selling in South Korea for $434 and $612, respectively.
The TB750 duo also comes with Intel WiDi (Wireless Display) and MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) support, and provides access to the Samsung Smart Hub for easy access to apps and web-based entertainment.
The 24-inch and 27-inch Series 7 TV monitors are selling in South Korea for $434 and $612, respectively.
CeBIT Preview: First Liquid Coolers from Enermax & Big Contest
With the successful market introduction of the CPU cooler range in 2011, Enermax demonstrated its know-how in the field of PC cooling. Behind the scenes, the manufacturer is already working on a further extension of his product portfolio. At CeBIT, Enermax will reveal the first results of its research and development department and present the first prototype of a new liquid cooler.
New Enermax Entry-Level Cases
During the last months, Enermax has also expanded its position in case market. Models like the Midi Tower Hoplite or the flagship case Fulmo GT have set new benchmarks and are recommended by hardware magazines around the globe.
CeBIT visitors will have the chance to preview the new entry-level class from Enermax including models like the Staray Silence or the plain and compact Midi Tower Ostrog (Pictured Below). Apart from that, the manufacturer will display a prototype of the Hoplite GT, a Full Tower version of the successful Hoplite case. It is dedicated to real hardware and gaming enthusiasts.
New Enermax Entry-Level Cases
During the last months, Enermax has also expanded its position in case market. Models like the Midi Tower Hoplite or the flagship case Fulmo GT have set new benchmarks and are recommended by hardware magazines around the globe.
CeBIT visitors will have the chance to preview the new entry-level class from Enermax including models like the Staray Silence or the plain and compact Midi Tower Ostrog (Pictured Below). Apart from that, the manufacturer will display a prototype of the Hoplite GT, a Full Tower version of the successful Hoplite case. It is dedicated to real hardware and gaming enthusiasts.
Samsung Announces EyeCAN Pointing Device for Disabled
Samsung announced EyeCAN, a pointing device (mouse-replacement) for people that are physically-handicapped. The device is a glasses-mounted solution that precisely tracks eye movements, allowing the user to move the mouse pointer accurately. The user needn't use a single muscle to click on anything that they see on their computer screen. Samsung announced the EyeCAN today as a working-prototype, with plans to start selling it to the general public later this year, priced at roughly 50,000 Won (US $44).
Buffalo Announces New Wireless Mice, Keyboards, and Simpring Wireless Receiver
Buffalo announced a large selection of wireless mice and keyboards, compatible with its new "Simpring" (or so it's called) wireless receiver, which can connect up to five wireless peripherals at the same time, needing a single USB port. The receiver is similar to Logitech's Unifying receiver.
Wireless mice launched includes the SRMB01 series of right-hand oriented 5-button mice available in six color options, priced at 4,200 JPY (US $52); the SRMB02 series ambidextrous 3-button mouse with a matte surface, priced 3,465 JPY (US $42.75), and available in similar color options; and the SRMB03 series of ambidextrous-looking 5-button mouse (back/forward buttons located on its left-side, making it right-oriented in the true sense), priced 4,200 JPY (US $52).
Wireless mice launched includes the SRMB01 series of right-hand oriented 5-button mice available in six color options, priced at 4,200 JPY (US $52); the SRMB02 series ambidextrous 3-button mouse with a matte surface, priced 3,465 JPY (US $42.75), and available in similar color options; and the SRMB03 series of ambidextrous-looking 5-button mouse (back/forward buttons located on its left-side, making it right-oriented in the true sense), priced 4,200 JPY (US $52).
SanDisk Enhances User Experience on Mobile Devices
SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today highlighted its efforts to enhance the mobile user experience through its close collaboration with key industry partners. Here at the world's largest mobile industry gathering, SanDisk will be describing its close working relationships with Freescale, Intel Corporation, Marvell Semiconductor, MediaTek Inc., Microsoft Corp., NVIDIA, Qualcomm Incorporated, ST-Ericsson and Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI), among others.
"SanDisk works to ensure its NAND flash memory products are tightly integrated with products from all major chipset vendors and mobile operating system developers to ensure the best possible mobile user experience," said Yoram Zylberberg, senior director, Embedded Memory Business. "Focusing on tight integration with the mobile community and standards bodies helps produce an optimized mobile solution. As a result, iNAND embedded flash memory is included on a majority of leading mobile chipset reference designs and is the reason why we have such great support from our industry partners here at Mobile World Congress."
"SanDisk works to ensure its NAND flash memory products are tightly integrated with products from all major chipset vendors and mobile operating system developers to ensure the best possible mobile user experience," said Yoram Zylberberg, senior director, Embedded Memory Business. "Focusing on tight integration with the mobile community and standards bodies helps produce an optimized mobile solution. As a result, iNAND embedded flash memory is included on a majority of leading mobile chipset reference designs and is the reason why we have such great support from our industry partners here at Mobile World Congress."
SanDisk iNAND Extreme Embedded Flash Memory Included on Windows 8 Dev Platforms
SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced it is working with key industry chipset vendors to help ensure a best-in-class user experience for mobile devices based on Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Windows 8 operating system.
Companies such as Intel Corporation, Qualcomm Incorporated and Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) are using SanDisk iNAND Extreme embedded flash memory with some of their top Windows 8 hardware development platforms. SanDisk is working with these companies to optimize its iNAND Extreme flash memory products with Windows 8-based tablet and mobile designs.
Companies such as Intel Corporation, Qualcomm Incorporated and Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) are using SanDisk iNAND Extreme embedded flash memory with some of their top Windows 8 hardware development platforms. SanDisk is working with these companies to optimize its iNAND Extreme flash memory products with Windows 8-based tablet and mobile designs.
Creative Sues Huawei Over Failed Contract
Singapore's Creative filed a lawsuit against Chinese company Huawei for US $9.3 million, for the latter's failure to honour a WiMAX broadband project for which it was paid. Creative's subsidiary QMax Communications paid Huawei the amount ($9.3 million) in 2010, for setting up WiMAX infrastructure in Singapore. Creative's Q2 FY'12 financial statement, released earlier this month, stated "QMax has suspended the wireless broadband project as the vendor for the equipment has failed to deliver on the key network performance requirements set out in the relevant supply contract."
HighPoint Launches the Industry’s First 20Gb/s Hybrid USB 3.0 HBA - RocketU 1142A
HighPoint Launches the Industry's First 20Gb/s Hybrid USB 3.0 HBA - RocketU 1142A
HighPoint Technologies, Inc., the industry's price-leader for SATA and SAS HBA and storage solutions expands its performance-leading USB 3.0 product line, launching the industry's first Hybrid USB 3.0 HBA, the RocketU 1142A. Powered by 4 independent 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 controllers and a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 interface, the RocketU 1142A is an ideal USB 3.0 upgrade solution for high-performance desktop and workstation PCs.
HighPoint Technologies, Inc., the industry's price-leader for SATA and SAS HBA and storage solutions expands its performance-leading USB 3.0 product line, launching the industry's first Hybrid USB 3.0 HBA, the RocketU 1142A. Powered by 4 independent 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 controllers and a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 interface, the RocketU 1142A is an ideal USB 3.0 upgrade solution for high-performance desktop and workstation PCs.
Microsoft Closing Down Windows Live and Zune Brands
Microsoft is reportedly killing off two of its service brands, Windows Live and Zune. The two will be restructured and amalgamated with Windows 8 and its store. Windows Live has been a collection of optional services bound to the MSN/Live ID for Windows 7 that provides communication (Windows Live Messenger), calendar/planner (Windows Live Calendar), contacts, photo-organizer; Zune Music and Video player join them on the chopping block. These services will be instead come to be known as:
- Microsoft Account (Windows Live ID)
- Mail (Windows Live Mail)
- Calendar (Windows Live Calendar)
- People (Windows Live Contacts)
- Photos (Windows Live Photo Gallery)
- Music (Zune Music Player)
- Video (Zune Video Player)
LSI-SandForce Releases Code to SSD Manufacturers That Adjusts Over-provisioning
To anyone who's familiar with SSDs, "SandForce" is equally familiar, as it makes the brains of some of the fastest client SSDs in the business. Buyers have also come to know of SandForce-driven SSDs as being characterized by unique capacity amounts caused by allocating a certain amount of the physical NAND flash capacity for some special low-level tasks by the controller, resulting in capacities such as 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB, for drives with physical NAND flash capacities of 64, 128, and 256 GB, respectively. This allocation is called "over-provisioning". An impression was built that this ~7% loss in capacity is some sort of a trade-off for higher performance. It appears like that's not quite the case.
Sunday, February 26th 2012
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Processors
Speakers
N-trig and NVIDIA To Bring Improved Pen and Multi-Touch Input to Tablets
N-trig today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to provide tablets with unparalleled pen and multi-touch performance and functionality. The combination of N-trig's DuoSense pen and multi-touch user interface with NVIDIA DirectTouch architecture boosts performance and enhances the user experience.
DirectTouch improves touch responsiveness by offloading a portion of the touch panel processing to the CPU cores in the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, the world's only 4-PLUS-1 quad-core processor with a fifth battery saver core. The architecture also simplifies the implementation of touch-based hardware and user interfaces, requiring less power while delivering more scalable performance.
DirectTouch improves touch responsiveness by offloading a portion of the touch panel processing to the CPU cores in the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, the world's only 4-PLUS-1 quad-core processor with a fifth battery saver core. The architecture also simplifies the implementation of touch-based hardware and user interfaces, requiring less power while delivering more scalable performance.
Saturday, February 25th 2012
Today's Reviews
Thortech Thunderbolt Plus 1000 W Review
In this review we will evaluate Thortech's Thunderbolt Plus 1000W which shares the same cable configuration with its big 1200 W brother, that we recently reviewed. This PSU features a unique aspect, a device called iPower which mounts in a 5.25" bay to display vital statistics like power, current, voltage and efficiency.
Synaptics and NVIDIA Partner Up to Deliver Premium Touch Experience For Tablets
Synaptics Inc., a leading developer of human interface solutions for mobile computing, communications and entertainment devices, today announced support for NVIDIA's DirectTouch architecture for the tablet market. Through its engineering partnership with NVIDIA, Synaptics continues to address consumer demand for thinner and lighter tablet devices that deliver an enhanced user experience. By collaborating with NVIDIA on DirectTouch, Synaptics offers OEMs broad choices on tablet touch solutions, including the recently announced high-performance, single asic ClearPad 7300, the industry's premier large touch screen solution.
With industry leading system-level engineering expertise, global design and technical support centers and over 1 billion capacitive touch solutions in the market, Synaptics is uniquely positioned to help enrich the success of the DirectTouch architecture. DirectTouch is a new technology of the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, the world's only 4-PLUS-1 quad-core processor with a fifth battery saver core.
With industry leading system-level engineering expertise, global design and technical support centers and over 1 billion capacitive touch solutions in the market, Synaptics is uniquely positioned to help enrich the success of the DirectTouch architecture. DirectTouch is a new technology of the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, the world's only 4-PLUS-1 quad-core processor with a fifth battery saver core.
New Metal Gear Solid for the PC
Apparently the Metal Gear Solid creators over at Konami are advertising for "Project engineers for the latest Metal Gear Solid targeted for high-end consoles and PC." There isn't anything really known about the fifth installment of the franchise yet. But its nice to see Snake coming to the PC. Time will tell if the game holds up to its pedigree. Unsurprisingly, the game is unlikely to be out until late 2013, or early 2014. So that is some far-away news. However if you want to apply for the job you can do so here.
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Hits the PC in May
According to Shacknews, PC gamers will be blessed with another incarnation of the Resident Evil franchise this May 18th. In typical Capcom fashion the console versions will be out a few months earlier on March 20th. Those who wait for the PC version will get increased visual fidelity and NVIDIA 3D Vision support, so you can weigh your options accordingly. ORC features a four-player campaign and eight-player online team battles in the middle of the titular city. Capcom has no plans to release a demo of the game. For canon nerds, it does take place between the second and third games, but Capcom is careful not to put too fine a point on that. Producer Masachika Kawata recently called it a "world of what-ifs," so the publisher clearly isn't ready to put this stake in the ground as an official part of Resident Evil's history. No word of a PC benchmark as of yet.
VIA Announces Latest Computer-on-Module (COM) Express Module, the VIA COMe-8X90
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the latest VIA COMe-8X90 module, featuring a 1.2 GHz VIA Nano X2 E-Series dual core processor and the VIA VX900H media system processor (MSP). The ruggedized VIA COMe-8X90 module targets industrial PC and large OEM customers focused on dynamic application segments, including medical, advanced gaming, industrial automation and digital signage.
Measuring 95 mm x 125 mm, COM Express is an industry standard embedded form factor developed and maintained by the PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group). COM Express modules integrate core CPU, chipset and memory on the module, providing support for extensive connectivity options, including USB, audio, video, and Ethernet, through board-to-board connectors to an I/O carrier board. The modular approach allows for short time-to market, application-specific customization, simplified development, high stability and long life cycles.
Measuring 95 mm x 125 mm, COM Express is an industry standard embedded form factor developed and maintained by the PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group). COM Express modules integrate core CPU, chipset and memory on the module, providing support for extensive connectivity options, including USB, audio, video, and Ethernet, through board-to-board connectors to an I/O carrier board. The modular approach allows for short time-to market, application-specific customization, simplified development, high stability and long life cycles.
Jon Peddie Research: Qualcomm Shipped the Most Mobile Devices GPUs Last Year
Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated mobile devices graphics chip shipments and suppliers' market share for 2011.
We found that shipments during the fourth quarter of 2011 of GPUs in mobile devices (tablets and smart phones) had a CAGR for the year (Q1 to Q4) of 18%. Samsung's sales surged in Q3 and Q4 giving them the highest CAGR for the year (39%), Followed by Apple (26%), and Qualcomm (16.5%) which was already enjoying high shipment rates.
In terms of shipments Qualcomm led the pact and ended up with 31% market share for the year, followed by Apple (23%) and TI (17%).
We found that shipments during the fourth quarter of 2011 of GPUs in mobile devices (tablets and smart phones) had a CAGR for the year (Q1 to Q4) of 18%. Samsung's sales surged in Q3 and Q4 giving them the highest CAGR for the year (39%), Followed by Apple (26%), and Qualcomm (16.5%) which was already enjoying high shipment rates.
In terms of shipments Qualcomm led the pact and ended up with 31% market share for the year, followed by Apple (23%) and TI (17%).
Friday, February 24th 2012
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Game Controllers
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Max Payne 3 PC Has "Gloriously Increased" Detail
Max Payne fans among PC gamers are in for a visual treat with Max Payne 3, for which they don't have to wait six more months than console gamers, according to a latest news release by Rockstar. The PC version of Max Payne 3 will not only launch on the same day as its console counterpart (May 29th in North America and June 1st in Europe), but will also feature "gloriously increased resolution and graphical detail in both the epic story and the explosive multiplayer modes." The publisher then went on to release three screenshots from the PC version of the game. It didn't go into much more detail, saying that it will talk about special graphics hardware support and enhancements, as well as system specs a little closer to the game's launch.
Higher resolution images can be accessed at the source.
Tenqa Releases DJ Style REMXD Bluetooth Headphones for $39
Tenqa, a premier wireless audio headphone brand, today announces that its highly-anticipated wireless REMXD Bluetooth Headphones are now available for $39 with free shipping. The Tenqa REMXD line aims to blend DJ style with wireless Bluetooth technology at an unbeatable value.
The new Tenqa REMXD line integrates Bluetooth wireless technology, making them easily compatible with nearly all smartphones, tablets, and computers without any adapters. The listener can receive crystal-clear wireless audio up to 33 feet away from their device. Unlike the much more expensive SMS Audio Sync by 50 wireless headphones, the listener can change tracks and volume directly from controls on the REMXD headphones, handle phone calls through the integrated mic, and sync with hundreds of devices without additional accessories.
The new Tenqa REMXD line integrates Bluetooth wireless technology, making them easily compatible with nearly all smartphones, tablets, and computers without any adapters. The listener can receive crystal-clear wireless audio up to 33 feet away from their device. Unlike the much more expensive SMS Audio Sync by 50 wireless headphones, the listener can change tracks and volume directly from controls on the REMXD headphones, handle phone calls through the integrated mic, and sync with hundreds of devices without additional accessories.
Unlimited Sharing on the Cloud: Introducing the PQI Air Drive!
Power Quotient International (PQI), a member of the Foxlink Group, successfully unveiled the Wi-Fi enabled PQI Air Drive during the 2012 International CES to much fanfare. The product was well-received and widely praised, and is officially available for purchase in countries around the world beginning today.
The PQI Air Drive is rooted in the concept of sharing and emphasizes a patented small, lightweight circuit design and the incorporation of the latest Wi-Fi technology. It offers a solution for users of smart phones, tablets, and other handheld devices who often run into the problem of limited memory expansion when the built-in memory becomes inadequate.
The PQI Air Drive is rooted in the concept of sharing and emphasizes a patented small, lightweight circuit design and the incorporation of the latest Wi-Fi technology. It offers a solution for users of smart phones, tablets, and other handheld devices who often run into the problem of limited memory expansion when the built-in memory becomes inadequate.
AMD Designing Next-Gen Playstation's GPU
Sony has begun working on its next-generation gaming console under the Playstation brand, and Forbes learned that it's none other than AMD designing its graphics processing unit (GPU). AMD is far from new to the game console GPU business, as its GPUs already drive graphics processing in Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii consoles. If launched anytime soon, the next-gen Playstation will create a rare moment where GPUs of all three major game console makers would be AMD-made. The current Playstation 3 console uses an NVIDIA GPU.
AOpen joins Microsoft at Embedded World 2012
AOpen being a valued partner of Microsoft is working closely with the Windows Embedded team to show the benefits of the AOpen Digital Engine combined with WES 7.
At Embedded World, AOpen will demonstrate the latest AOpen Digital Engine DE67-HA that includes support for the Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor Family i3, i5 and i7. It is the strongest and most powerful AOpen Digital Engine to date. The system supports Intel Active Management Technology 7.0 to enable remote system management from a single location. AMT technology enables the system to be managed from for instance the UK while the systems are located at several locations in Europe. The system also allows to be connected to multiple displays while maintaining quality performance, thus eliminating the need to buy more media players than necessary and reducing implementation costs.
At Embedded World, AOpen will demonstrate the latest AOpen Digital Engine DE67-HA that includes support for the Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor Family i3, i5 and i7. It is the strongest and most powerful AOpen Digital Engine to date. The system supports Intel Active Management Technology 7.0 to enable remote system management from a single location. AMT technology enables the system to be managed from for instance the UK while the systems are located at several locations in Europe. The system also allows to be connected to multiple displays while maintaining quality performance, thus eliminating the need to buy more media players than necessary and reducing implementation costs.
OWC Mercury Elite Pro Data Storage Solution Line Now Offers Up to 8 TB Capacity
Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today it has expanded the storage capacity of its high-performance OWC Mercury Elite Pro single bay and dual bay desktop storage solution line to 8.0 TB.
By utilizing the industry's only 3.5" 4.0 TB SATA 6 Gb/s hard drive, OWC's Mercury Elite Pro storage solutions deliver 33 percent more storage/back-up capacity per drive over current 3.0 TB hard drives With up to a "Quad Interface" of FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA connections, the Mercury Elite Pro line offers Plug and Play data transfer speeds up to 300 MB/s with Mac and PC computers.
By utilizing the industry's only 3.5" 4.0 TB SATA 6 Gb/s hard drive, OWC's Mercury Elite Pro storage solutions deliver 33 percent more storage/back-up capacity per drive over current 3.0 TB hard drives With up to a "Quad Interface" of FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA connections, the Mercury Elite Pro line offers Plug and Play data transfer speeds up to 300 MB/s with Mac and PC computers.
OEMs Ready USB3.0R-P2-PCIe Add-On Card Based On New Renesas Chipset
OEMs are readying USB 3.0 PCIe add-on cards based on the reference design "USB3.0R-P2-PCIe", which will be sold through several vendors such as Buffalo. These cards take advantage of the new Renesas μPD720202 chipset, which is known to be more cost-effective, faster, and power-efficient than the μPD720200A, which it succeeds. The μPD720202 features a 40% performance boost over previous generation, the card has a redesigned circuit that reduces electrical leakage when in power-saving mode, when the chip consumes about 4.5 mW. The card gives out two USB 3.0 ports, and draws power from a 15-pin SATA power connector, instead of 4-pin Molex or Berg connectors. The PCB is compact, half-height, and hence low-profile capable. Cards should include low-profile brackets.
ADATA launches a Comprehensive Lineup of Solid State Drives with Improved Capacity
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash storage application products, today announced the launch of a complete lineup of expanded capacity solid state drives. The new SSD range includes the XPG SX900, the Premier Pro SP900, and the Premier SP800, all of which use new optimized firmware to utilize greater storage capacity of the NAND Flash components. The XPG SX900 is a groundbreaking 512 GB capacity solid state drive utilizing the SandForce 2281 controller, making it a milestone in ADATA's history of NAND Flash based products. All of the drives being launched use superior NAND Flash for improved stability and performance.
RunCore Showcasing Latest SSD Storage Technology at Satellite 2012
RunCore, leading developer and brand manufacturer of high-end Solid State Drives (SSDs) and storage solutions, announces their participation in the Satellite2012 exhibition and conferences from 12~14 March 2012 at booth 189. Satelilite 2012 is focusing on the latest technology and products in the satellite community spanning from military, broadcast, enterprise, mobile, telcos all the way into commercial fields. With their expertise and products complying with the demanding MIL-STD-810-G requirements, RunCore will be showcasing most advanced SSD storage solutions that provide shock-resistance, while maintaining reliable operation in extreme environments. The implementation of these military-grade quality is even applied to RunCore's wide range of consumer SSD products.
With the rSSD series RunCore offers a highly sophisticated small form factor SATAII SSD solution for embedded systems. Dimensions of a mere 14 x 18 x 1.8mm 104-ball FBGA package shrink the size by half compared to conventional drives, while reducing power consumption to 3.3V and offering heat resistance from -40°C up to +85°C.
With the rSSD series RunCore offers a highly sophisticated small form factor SATAII SSD solution for embedded systems. Dimensions of a mere 14 x 18 x 1.8mm 104-ball FBGA package shrink the size by half compared to conventional drives, while reducing power consumption to 3.3V and offering heat resistance from -40°C up to +85°C.
ORICO Intros 7662 Dual-Bay 3.5" HDD Enclosure for Living Rooms
People want things around their living room TV to look like a VCR or a Blu-ray player, something that has a minimalist rectangular facade and that's stackable in decks. HTPC makers such as Tranquil have clearly understood this concept, and now, so did ORICO. The company unveiled the 7662, a dual-3.5" HDD enclosure that's designed for the living room. The enclosure has two 3.5" SATA hard drive hot-swap bays on its front panel, each of the two bays have lockable caddies. The enclosure connects the drives to to a host (an HTPC, or directly to a USB Mass Storage-compatible TV), over USB and eSATA.
ORICO has two variants, the 7662SUSJ has USB 2.0 and eSATA; while the 7662SUSJ3 has USB 3.0 and eSATA. The enclosure has a built-in power-supply and plugs in directly to the wall without a messy power brick. Each of the two bays has a temperature-activated exhaust fan. The 7662 also features auto-Hibernation, which spins down a hard drive if it's been idling for too long. The 7662SUSJ is priced at 448 RMB (US $71), and the 7662SUSJ3 at 478 RMB (US $76).
ORICO has two variants, the 7662SUSJ has USB 2.0 and eSATA; while the 7662SUSJ3 has USB 3.0 and eSATA. The enclosure has a built-in power-supply and plugs in directly to the wall without a messy power brick. Each of the two bays has a temperature-activated exhaust fan. The 7662 also features auto-Hibernation, which spins down a hard drive if it's been idling for too long. The 7662SUSJ is priced at 448 RMB (US $71), and the 7662SUSJ3 at 478 RMB (US $76).
Dell Acquires AppAssure
Dell Inc. today announced it has acquired AppAssure, a global leader in complete application protection for virtual, physical and cloud infrastructures. The acquisition of AppAssure, the nation's fastest-growing backup software technology company, further extends Dell's comprehensive storage and software strategy.
Dell has taken significant steps over the past three years to expand its storage portfolio to offer customers a complete range of world-class storage products and solutions. AppAssure's leading backup solutions enhance Dell's existing storage capabilities by providing customers confidence that their applications and data are fully protected.
Dell has taken significant steps over the past three years to expand its storage portfolio to offer customers a complete range of world-class storage products and solutions. AppAssure's leading backup solutions enhance Dell's existing storage capabilities by providing customers confidence that their applications and data are fully protected.
Cedar Trail-Based HP Mini 210 Netbook Goes on Sale
HP has now made available (in the US) an updated version of its Mini 210 10.1-inch netbook. This new version is built on Intel's Cedar Trail platform and can be powered by either a 1.6 GHz Atom N2600 or a 1.83 GHz Atom N2800 processor.
The up-to-date Mini 210 runs Windows 7 (Starter or Home Premium 32-bit) and also features 1 or 2 GB of RAM, an LED-backlit (1024 x 600 or 1366 x 768) display, up to a 500 GB hard drive, a 93% full-size textured spill-resistant keyboard, a webcam, Beats audio, 10/100 LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a multi-format card reader, and a 6-cell battery providing up to '8.75 hours' of operation.
HP's netbook comes in five color versions - charcoal, ocean drive, luminous rose, crimson red and sweet purple, and starts at starts at $299.99.
The up-to-date Mini 210 runs Windows 7 (Starter or Home Premium 32-bit) and also features 1 or 2 GB of RAM, an LED-backlit (1024 x 600 or 1366 x 768) display, up to a 500 GB hard drive, a 93% full-size textured spill-resistant keyboard, a webcam, Beats audio, 10/100 LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a multi-format card reader, and a 6-cell battery providing up to '8.75 hours' of operation.
HP's netbook comes in five color versions - charcoal, ocean drive, luminous rose, crimson red and sweet purple, and starts at starts at $299.99.
Battle-Ready MSI GT685 Gaming Laptop Comes to Thailand
MSI is rolling out its new generation GT685-the ultimate gaming machine. In addition to featuring the Intel second generation Core i7 quad core processor, it is the first laptop to sport the nVidia GeForce GTX 580M, the world's fastest discrete graphics card, 32G DDR3 of memory, and accelerated dual hard disk architecture. It comes with Dynaudio and THX TruStudio Pro smart wrap around sound as well as a full HD screen. The MSI GT685 was awarded Editor's Choice by Thai IT mag Notebook4game.com and to ensure that it remains the top-selling gaming NB brand in Thailand, MSI is holding activities on university campuses to give gaming enthusiasts the opportunity to experience its gaming laptops.
Qualcomm Atheros Launches 802.11ac Product Ecosystem
Qualcomm Atheros Inc., the networking and connectivity subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), announced today the launch of its 802.11ac Wi-Fi ecosystem. With the growing number of devices and bandwidth-intensive multimedia applications placing greater demands on wireless networks, 802.11ac-the newest chapter in the Wi-Fi technology evolution-expands performance and coverage to enable HD video-grade connectivity across increasingly crowded networks. Qualcomm's portfolio of 802.11ac products target mobile, home and office networking, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops, televisions, home routers, gateways and enterprise access points. Qualcomm is introducing its multi-channel portfolio to enable end-to-end 802.11ac performance benefits to speed adoption of the new Gigabit-capable Wi-Fi networking technology.
"Qualcomm Atheros is enabling a client-to-infrastructure 802.11ac ecosystem by combining its Wi-Fi expertise across virtually all segments with Qualcomm's position in mobile channels," said Craig Barratt, president, Qualcomm Atheros. "By enabling client devices, such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks, with easy migration from 802.11n to 802.11ac, Qualcomm Atheros is paving the way for rapid adoption of products based on the new Wi-Fi standard. This should provide for a smooth, full-scale transition to Gigabit-capable Wi-Fi networking within the next two years."
"Qualcomm Atheros is enabling a client-to-infrastructure 802.11ac ecosystem by combining its Wi-Fi expertise across virtually all segments with Qualcomm's position in mobile channels," said Craig Barratt, president, Qualcomm Atheros. "By enabling client devices, such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks, with easy migration from 802.11n to 802.11ac, Qualcomm Atheros is paving the way for rapid adoption of products based on the new Wi-Fi standard. This should provide for a smooth, full-scale transition to Gigabit-capable Wi-Fi networking within the next two years."
Gigabyte Introduces the D1080 Multimedia Docking Station
Gigabyte today announced the international release of the D1080 multimedia docking station for both the S1080 and S1081 Slate PCs. With an incredible audio system, a built-in ODD and full connectivity ports, the D1080 combined with the S1080/S1081 provide a thrilling multimedia experience that can be enjoyed with the latest music, movies and online streaming content.
The D1080 multimedia docking station is designed for the S1080 and S1081, which are high-performing Windows 7 based slates. Continuing the spirit of the GIGABYTE Booktop series, the docking station merges the convenience of a portable slate with the benefit of a desktop PC. The combination provides exceptional versatility and turns the business oriented S1080/S1081 into a fantastic entertainment center.
The D1080 multimedia docking station is designed for the S1080 and S1081, which are high-performing Windows 7 based slates. Continuing the spirit of the GIGABYTE Booktop series, the docking station merges the convenience of a portable slate with the benefit of a desktop PC. The combination provides exceptional versatility and turns the business oriented S1080/S1081 into a fantastic entertainment center.
ISPs Should Do More to Safeguard the Web: FCC Chairman
US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman sought "smart, practical, voluntary solutions", without mandating his own, for internet service providers (ISPs) to fight online fraud and data theft. Chairman Julius Genachowski estimated that 8.4 million credit-card details are stolen online, each year. "If consumers lose trust in the Internet, this will suppress broadband adoption and online commerce and communication, and all the benefits that come with it," Genachowski said in a speech. The FCC feels ISPs can come up with solutions that prevent client PCs in the US from being forced into malicious botnets by hackers, without having to encroach upon users' privacy.
Genachowski urged ISPs to adopt DNSSEC, a system that ensures people accessing sensitive sites such as their banks' online transaction portals go to the right address, and not redirected to a fraudulent password phishing site. "To be effective, everyone who is a part of the Internet ecosystem must play a meaningful role in ensuring that private and government networks, and personal computers and devices are secured," said Comcast/NBCUniversal President Kyle McSlarrow in a blog posting. Comcast is one of America's biggest ISPs. This is an example of how threats to the sanctity of a productive internet can be defeated with highly-specific solutions that don't threaten privacy and freedoms, instead of broad-scoped legislations that potentially do.
Genachowski urged ISPs to adopt DNSSEC, a system that ensures people accessing sensitive sites such as their banks' online transaction portals go to the right address, and not redirected to a fraudulent password phishing site. "To be effective, everyone who is a part of the Internet ecosystem must play a meaningful role in ensuring that private and government networks, and personal computers and devices are secured," said Comcast/NBCUniversal President Kyle McSlarrow in a blog posting. Comcast is one of America's biggest ISPs. This is an example of how threats to the sanctity of a productive internet can be defeated with highly-specific solutions that don't threaten privacy and freedoms, instead of broad-scoped legislations that potentially do.
3 TB Hitachi 5700 RPM Drives Available for use with Nexsan E-Series Storage Systems
Nexsan, a leading independent provider of disk-based data storage systems, today announced immediate availability of 3 TB Hitachi 5700 RPM drives as an option for all Nexsan E-Series storage systems. Enhanced with Hitachi's CoolSpin technology, Hitachi's 5700 RPM 3 TB drives run cooler and are energy efficient to complement Nexsan's AutoMAID power savings technology. Combined with E-Series storage systems, the new high capacity drives are ideal for digital video storage (DVS), disk-to-disk backup and archival applications.
Core i7-3820 Overclocked to 5.666 GHz
GUN'G'STAR of TeamRussia successfully achieved an overclocking record of 5.666 GHz for the quad-core Intel Core i7-3820 processor; a feat that validates the LGA2011 i7-3820 of being a generally good chip for overclocking, despite being "Limited Unlocked" (BClk multiplier being unlocked only to a few notches above its stock setting). GUN'G'STAR achieved a clock speed of 5,665.99 MHz using a BClk speed of 131.74 MHz, a multiplier value of 43x, and core voltage of 1.6V. The chip was assisted with GeIL-made DDR3-1600 memory sitting on all four channels, and ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard. Only 2 out of 4 cores of the i7-3820 were enabled for the feat, HyperThreading was disabled. Extreme cooling was used. The CPU-Z validation can be accessed here.
HDD Volumes To Restore 80% in Q1 2012
In what could alleviate high prices of hard disk drives (HDDs) after the devastating flood in Thailand that affected HDD foundries, industry sources predict that the reconstruction efforts of these foundries, led by Western Digital, will pay off to a large extant. In Q1 2012 alone, global volumes of HDDs are expected to restore to 80% of what they were before the floods. The global production of HDDs will increase to 140-145 million units.
HDD vendors across the board have exhausted their inventories in Dec-Jan when they supply PC/notebook ODMs their inventories of HDDs, but they haven't hiked quotes due to the off-season that followed. However, the flood situation isn't the only factor that will affect HDD prices. With increase in prices of raw materials, components, and labour-costs, HDD prices are expected to go up 30-40%.
HDD vendors across the board have exhausted their inventories in Dec-Jan when they supply PC/notebook ODMs their inventories of HDDs, but they haven't hiked quotes due to the off-season that followed. However, the flood situation isn't the only factor that will affect HDD prices. With increase in prices of raw materials, components, and labour-costs, HDD prices are expected to go up 30-40%.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Reportedly Acquiring DRAM Maker ProMOS Technologies
US-based chip manufacturer GLOBALFOUNDRIES is said to be planning on getting itself a fab in the home country of arch-rival TSMC (Taiwan). This would be done through the acquisition, for NT$20 - 30 billion (US$ 506 - 760 million), of (troubled and soon to be delisted) DRAM company ProMOS Technologies who owns a 300 mm plant at Taichung.
By snatching up ProMOS, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is expected to have a better chance of getting contracted by companies (in Taiwan and China) currently working with TSMC or UMC.
ProMOS' Taichung fab has a production capacity of 60,000 wafers per month and that would add to the 130,000 wafers/month from GLOBALFOUNDRIES' facilities in Germany and Singapore.
By snatching up ProMOS, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is expected to have a better chance of getting contracted by companies (in Taiwan and China) currently working with TSMC or UMC.
ProMOS' Taichung fab has a production capacity of 60,000 wafers per month and that would add to the 130,000 wafers/month from GLOBALFOUNDRIES' facilities in Germany and Singapore.
ASUS Z9PE-D8-WS Motherboard Up For Pre-Order
ASUS' dual-LGA2011 workstation motherboard, the Z9PE-D8-WS, has been listed by Canadian retailer NCIX for pre-order. It is priced at CA $632.98 (US $634.56). The store page does not go on to mention availability, except that orders will be shipped whenever there are inventories. Given its pre-order listing, we expect the product-launch of the Z9PE-D8-WS not to be too far, considering Intel's launch of a large number of "Sandy Bridge-EP" Xeon processors is just around the corner (within Q1, 2012). The Z9PE-D8-WS is designed to support 2P configurations based on Xeon "Sandy Bridge-EP" processors. The motherboard is further detailed here. To PC enthusiasts, it presents a potential alternative to EVGA's SR-X.
Image Courtesy: VR-Zone
Toshiba Bundling NTI Backup Now EZ with Canvio V6 USB 3.0 HDDs
Toshiba announced the inclusion of NTI- a new cloud version of award-winning Backup Now EZ software in its Canvio 3.0 USB HDD. Toshiba's new high capacity Canvio 3.0 USB hard drives are the first-to-market with NTI Backup Now EZ software pre-installed for simple activation by consumers. Backup Now EZ scans your computer and recommends the best backup options. You then decide between backing up your files to the Toshiba Canvio, to online storage at NTI Cloud, or choose both for the most comprehensive coverage. The software also includes Drive Space Alert that monitors local drives and announces when the drive is getting close to full.
New benefits include online backup options plus step-by-step and customizable backup capabilities. Backup options include the ability to backup a complete PC and/or just selected files and folders. Plus, with the added cloud storage users have peace of mind with access to their data anytime, anywhere they are internet connected.
New benefits include online backup options plus step-by-step and customizable backup capabilities. Backup options include the ability to backup a complete PC and/or just selected files and folders. Plus, with the added cloud storage users have peace of mind with access to their data anytime, anywhere they are internet connected.
Thursday, February 23rd 2012
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Multimedia
Nettops
Processors
PSUs
ROCCAT Kave 5.1 Gaming Headset Review
ROCCAT Kave 5.1 is the name of a new surround sound headset. The headset features a few new features and a USB powered amplifier that allows for easy control of the surround capabilities. We take the headset for a spin to see if ROCCAT managed to avoide the pitfalls commonly associated with 5.1 headset designs.
GCT Semiconductor and NVIDIA Collaborate on Tegra 3-Based 4G Platform Solution
GCT Semiconductor, a leading designer and supplier of advanced 4G mobile semiconductor solutions, today announced that it is collaborating with NVIDIA to deliver a 4G LTE reference platform in a cost-effective solution ideal for smartphones and tablets.
The platform is comprised of the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, the world's first quad-core mobile processor, and GCT's proven LTE single-chip, GDM7240. It represents a turnkey reference design for OEMs, which includes LTE and 2G/3G connectivity with high performing multimedia browsing and fast graphics speeds.
The platform is comprised of the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, the world's first quad-core mobile processor, and GCT's proven LTE single-chip, GDM7240. It represents a turnkey reference design for OEMs, which includes LTE and 2G/3G connectivity with high performing multimedia browsing and fast graphics speeds.
Dell Expands Award-Winning ProSupport to Cover More Brands and Countries
To help customers address the inefficiencies and lost costs of managing multiple support vendors, Dell ProSupport for Multivendor has been globally expanded beyond x86 to include support for storage, networking and UNIX products. This expansion also includes support for additional vendors for servers, desktops and laptops. By consolidating support under one service provider, customers can ensure consistent processes and reduce the resources required to manage complex services contracts from multiple vendors, ultimately simplifying IT management and reducing their IT costs.
"Our customers rely on the expertise, global network and 24x7 availability of Dell ProSupport for their Dell systems and can now experience those same benefits across their entire environment," said Doug Schmitt, vice president, Dell Services. "With the latest expansion of Dell ProSupport for Multivendor, customers around the world can rely on Dell for all of their support needs. From end-user systems to complex data centers and everything in between, customers will save time and money and receive the same award-winning support they've come to expect from Dell ProSupport."
"Our customers rely on the expertise, global network and 24x7 availability of Dell ProSupport for their Dell systems and can now experience those same benefits across their entire environment," said Doug Schmitt, vice president, Dell Services. "With the latest expansion of Dell ProSupport for Multivendor, customers around the world can rely on Dell for all of their support needs. From end-user systems to complex data centers and everything in between, customers will save time and money and receive the same award-winning support they've come to expect from Dell ProSupport."
RATOC Intros DisplayLink-Certified USB 3.0 HDMI Display Device
Japanese company RATOC introduced the REX-USB3HDMI display adapter. The device connects to a host machine over USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, taking both power and connectivity from a single cable, and gives out a single HDMI display output. Under the hood is a DisplayLink-designed chipset, which went on to certify the device. While the device still works at its resolution over USB 2.0, USB 3.0 is recommended for smoother display and video playback. Measuring 42 x 64 x 14 mm (WxDxH), the device weighs about 26 g. Its highest resolution supported is 2048 x 1536. It's possible to connect as many as six of these devices to a single USB 3.0 hub without facing performance issues. Slated for mid-March, the RATOC REX-USB3HDMI is priced at 10,500 JPY (US $131).
Lumus OE-31 Turns You Into a Cyborg
Display technology vendor Lumus showed off its newest optical engine, the OE-31. Taking advantage of the very latest tech., the OE-31 is a compact transparent HUD that you can stick into motorcycle helmets, prescription glasses, sunglasses, fashion eye-wear to even skiing (and we'd imagine diving) glasses. The optical engine is a little more than just a small display, it is backed by a small sensor that sees things from your perspective (in a mechanical sense), and overlays information accordingly (such as a GPS overlay for bike helmets, or finding your way around The Pentagon), in other words, it's an augmented reality engine that's a lot more compact.
The new sensor design allows for a 19-degree field of view and a full-color, 640x360 picture display, which Lumus believes will be sufficient for reading a lot of text, its viewing experience should be comparable to watching a 40-inch screen from 10 feet away.
The new sensor design allows for a 19-degree field of view and a full-color, 640x360 picture display, which Lumus believes will be sufficient for reading a lot of text, its viewing experience should be comparable to watching a 40-inch screen from 10 feet away.
AMD Talked to NVIDIA Before Acquiring ATI: Report
According to a Forbes report which cites former AMD employees, AMD approached NVIDIA for a merger, before going on to acquire its rival ATI. Well before 2006, AMD's CPU designers envisaged the basic concept of an APU, where with advancements in silicon fab processors, chip-designers could add other components to a processor, such as an integrated GPU that's reasonably powerful. AMD lacked an integrated graphics chipset of its own, back then. These were some of the prime-movers of AMD's hunt for a GPU company, which was then much healthier, as it then had a promising and competitive CPU lineup.
According to the Forbes report, AMD first approached NVIDIA with the idea of a merger. Back then, AMD and NVIDIA had extremely cordial relations, as NVIDIA had a large market-share in motherboard chipsets for AMD processors. Apparantly, NVIDIA's boss Jen-Hsun Huang insisted on going on to become the CEO of the proposed AMD-NVIDIA combine, an idea that didn't fly too well with AMD's Hector Ruiz. AMD then went on to acquire NVIDIA's cash-strapped rival ATI Technology, which went to make AMD's Graphics Products division before being restructured and fully amalgamated with the rest of AMD.
According to the Forbes report, AMD first approached NVIDIA with the idea of a merger. Back then, AMD and NVIDIA had extremely cordial relations, as NVIDIA had a large market-share in motherboard chipsets for AMD processors. Apparantly, NVIDIA's boss Jen-Hsun Huang insisted on going on to become the CEO of the proposed AMD-NVIDIA combine, an idea that didn't fly too well with AMD's Hector Ruiz. AMD then went on to acquire NVIDIA's cash-strapped rival ATI Technology, which went to make AMD's Graphics Products division before being restructured and fully amalgamated with the rest of AMD.
WiFi Alliance Working on Passpoint Technology; FON Providers, Rejoice
In many markets, people and businesses with WiFi hotspots have began monetizing their idle internet bandwidth by sharing it with others via middleman service providers such as FON. While the business model itself is a solid one where everyone wins, it is faced with technical hurdles. Unlike cellular ISPs that use 3G HSDPA technologies, where the size of a "cell" is much larger than the coverage area of a WiFi hotspot, and where moving between cells is seamless, with close to no drops in connectivity (providing there are no dead-zones between the cells), WiFi hotspots have the issue of logging out of one hotspot before logging into another.
This issue makes moving between multiple FON hotspots result in temporary connectivity loss, which can be unacceptable in some situations (such as downloading something important when moving in a bus). No less than the WiFi Alliance is taking interest in eliminating this technical hurdle, by working on what's known as "Passpoint". Simply put, WiFi Passpoint technology lets clients move between physical hotspots without renegotiation (security and DHCP), making the movement seamless, and resulting in little or no connectivity loss, again, provided there's no dead-zone between the coverage areas of the hotspots users are switching between. A novel concept, which will improve wireless internet service.
This issue makes moving between multiple FON hotspots result in temporary connectivity loss, which can be unacceptable in some situations (such as downloading something important when moving in a bus). No less than the WiFi Alliance is taking interest in eliminating this technical hurdle, by working on what's known as "Passpoint". Simply put, WiFi Passpoint technology lets clients move between physical hotspots without renegotiation (security and DHCP), making the movement seamless, and resulting in little or no connectivity loss, again, provided there's no dead-zone between the coverage areas of the hotspots users are switching between. A novel concept, which will improve wireless internet service.
EA DICE Rebuilding Battlefield 3 with Huge Patch
EA DICE is practically tearing apart Battlefield 3 as we know it, and rebuilding it with a huge list of updates, including tweaks in the gameplay mechanics, and its background application itself. The list covers weapon mechanics changes, vehicle mechanics changes, and changes to the way damage is meted out. The patch can be likened to a similar Battlefield 2 patch that radically changed the game, including its resources. Be sure to use auto-scroll with the next part.
Don't Expect Too Much from Diablo III: Blizzard to Gamers
Diablo III has many gamers waiting for it with the anticipation of some Biblical event - the third-coming of Blizzard's popular hack-and-slash game. However, its makers worry that this anticipation could turn into over-hype, which could damage the game's market success once launched. A community manager at Blizzard Forums posted this carefully-worded note, in one of the countless threads in which fans drool rainbows over the upcoming game:
On a more serious note, I too worry that we won't be able to meet the expectations people have built up for themselves. Part of my job is managing people's expectations, so... eh... stop it. Stop thinking about how awesome this game could be. Just imagine it's a new M. Night Shyamalan movie. Sure Sixth Sense was amazing and Unbreakable had it's moments, but this right here is the sequel to The Village ... or The Happening ... or Signs ... or any of the movies besides the two I first mentioned. So just like, lower those expectations, but still definitely buy the game please, and everything will be just fine.This fine-tuning of public opinion away from over-hype to healthy PR could work wonders for the game's success.
Transcend to Showcase Advanced Industrial Solutions at Embedded World 2012
Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, will exhibit at Embedded World 2012 in Nuremberg, Germany on February 28 - March 1, 2012. Throughout the exhibition, Transcend will display a wide range of industrial-grade products from SSDs to memory modules, specifically designed for diverse industrial applications. Transcend's booth will be located in Hall 1, booth no. 216.
Participating at Embedded World again this year, Transcend is proud to display a more comprehensive and advanced industrial grade product portfolio, including SATA III 6Gb/s SSD, SLC SSD, mSATA and half-slim SSDs, flash modules, flash cards, and memory modules. Transcend will also set up professional on-site demonstrations, such as SSD lifespan monitoring and sudden power-off test, to highlight the ultimate stability and guaranteed reliable data transfer of Transcend SSDs.
Participating at Embedded World again this year, Transcend is proud to display a more comprehensive and advanced industrial grade product portfolio, including SATA III 6Gb/s SSD, SLC SSD, mSATA and half-slim SSDs, flash modules, flash cards, and memory modules. Transcend will also set up professional on-site demonstrations, such as SSD lifespan monitoring and sudden power-off test, to highlight the ultimate stability and guaranteed reliable data transfer of Transcend SSDs.
Micron Biggest Shareholder of Inotera Memories
Micron Technology emerged as the biggest shareholder of Inotera Memories, with 40% stake in the company. This follows Nanya Technology's decline in shareholding from 30% to 26%. Micron had recently taken up new shares of Inotera in a private placement for about NT$5 billion (US$169.1 million), or NT$6.55 per share. DigiTimes notes that the fresh investment by Micron will help expedite DRAM and NAND flash capacities in Taiwan, Japan, and the US; which will helpD RAM makers to deliver integrated DRAM/NAND flash solutions to clients to improve ASPs and profitability, according to Inotera president Charles Kao.
ASUS Has No Booth At CeBIT
ASUS decided to bail on this year's edition of CeBIT, Europe's biggest consumer electronics and computer expo, held annually in Hanover, Germany. It has reportedly scrapped plans of setting up a booth there. What makes this big news is that it's ASUS - the single biggest vendor of PC motherboards, a notable vendor of notebooks, netbooks, and other computer hardware. Perhaps it's the timing of CeBIT that ASUS isn't quite liking, which falls right in between CES, held in early-January, in the US; and Computex, held mid-year in Taiwan, home of most computer hardware manufacturers, including ASUS. CES and Computex both have a fair attendance of European press anyway. No other companies similar to ASUS have reported to scrap their CeBIT plans. ASRock and Biostar have plans to set up small booths.
EA Kills Battlefield 3: Aftershock
After pulling off a largely successful AAA launch with Battlefield 3, which also served as a potent launch-pad for its Origin content-distribution platform, EA got carried away, and decided it could milk the name "Battlefield 3", only this time, the "battlefield" isn't on a PC or Console, but Apple's tech-toy, the iPad. EA launched Battlefield 3: Aftershock for the iPad, as the franchise's first entry to portable devices. Only the game was so offensively bad in every way, that EA decided to pull the plug on it.
To be fair, there are some pretty decent games out there for the iPad, which won on counts of good gameplay mechanics, and graphics engines that make decent use of what little hardware resources they have, even if its graphics-rendering capabilities aren't anywhere close to game-consoles, or even portable consoles such PS Vita.
Reviewer GameZebo stated:
To be fair, there are some pretty decent games out there for the iPad, which won on counts of good gameplay mechanics, and graphics engines that make decent use of what little hardware resources they have, even if its graphics-rendering capabilities aren't anywhere close to game-consoles, or even portable consoles such PS Vita.
Intel Z77 Chipset Motherboards to Start Selling in Early-April
Regardless of whether you'll be able to get an "Ivy Bridge" Core processor till the second week of April, motherboards that are compatible with it out of the box, based on Intel's Z77 chipset (successor to Z68), will start selling in early-April. Sources told OCWorkbench that most motherboard vendors have in fact begun shipping orders to their distributors, while some are waiting for the green light. Motherboards based on the Z77 chipset feature LGA1155 CPU socket, are compatible with today's "Sandy Bridge" Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors; and tomorrow's "Ivy Bridge" ones, out of the box. The new chipset offers features such as some native USB 3.0 ports, and support for certain Ivy Bridge-exclusive features, beyond which they're functionally identical to 6-series. Enthusiasts might not find the need to upgrade their motherboards to use Ivy Bridge, if their current motherboards have BIOS updates that let them support the new processors.
DisplaySearch: Apple Maintains Top Mobile PC Share Position for Q4'11 and Full Year
Apple shipped nearly 23.4 million mobile PCs in Q4'11, up 128% Y/Y, and over 62.8 million mobile PCs in 2011, up 132% Y/Y, according to preliminary results from the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report. Nearly 80% of Apple's mobile PC shipments were iPads, more than 18.7 million shipped in the quarter, up 156% Y/Y, and 48.4 million units for the year, up 183% Y/Y.
Overall mobile PC shipments grew 12% Q/Q and 44% Y/Y, reaching 88 million units in Q4'11. This was driven by continuing strong demand for tablets. Tablet PC shipment growth was 42% Q/Q and 210% Y/Y, reaching 31.7 million units in Q4'11. Notebook PC shipments were flat Q/Q but up nearly 11% Y/Y, reaching 56.3 million units. As expected, consumer mobile PC adoption was focused on tablets, holding up demand in notebooks.
Overall mobile PC shipments grew 12% Q/Q and 44% Y/Y, reaching 88 million units in Q4'11. This was driven by continuing strong demand for tablets. Tablet PC shipment growth was 42% Q/Q and 210% Y/Y, reaching 31.7 million units in Q4'11. Notebook PC shipments were flat Q/Q but up nearly 11% Y/Y, reaching 56.3 million units. As expected, consumer mobile PC adoption was focused on tablets, holding up demand in notebooks.
First 28 nm Cortex-A9 POP Available for GLOBALFOUNDRIES 28nm-SLP HKMG Process
ARM today announced the availability of the ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore Processor Optimization Pack (POP) for GLOBALFOUNDRIES' 28 nm-SLP High-K Metal Gate process technology. Optimized for mobile, networking and enterprise applications, the energy-efficient ARM POP 28 nm-SLP for Cortex-A9 processors delivers a performance range from 1 GHz to 1.6 GHz for worst case conditions, with up to 2 GHz in typical conditions. This provides a wide range of flexibility for System-on-Chip (SoC) designers to optimize performance and energy-efficiency using the ARM Artisan Physical IP Platform and Cortex-A9 POP.
SMART Storage Systems Announces the Optimus Ultra SAS SSD
SMART Storage Systems today announced the Optimus Ultra Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) solid-state drive (SSD). An industry-leading combination of performance, capacity, reliability and endurance, the Optimus Ultra is designed to meet enterprise storage application needs, facilitating broad SSD adoption in enterprise environments.
Designed for the enterprise environment, the Optimus Ultra SAS SSD delivers read/write performance of 100K/60K IOPS and a sustained transfer rate of 1 GB/s in wide port operation, while achieving 25 full random drive writes per day for a period of five years with consumer-grade multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash. This powerful combination of performance and endurance addresses the storage requirements of even the most demanding enterprise customers. The Optimus Ultra SSD is available in usable capacities ranging from 150 GB to 1.2 TB, meaning enterprise organizations and OEMs no longer need to sacrifice capacity to realize the performance gains of solid-state storage.
Designed for the enterprise environment, the Optimus Ultra SAS SSD delivers read/write performance of 100K/60K IOPS and a sustained transfer rate of 1 GB/s in wide port operation, while achieving 25 full random drive writes per day for a period of five years with consumer-grade multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash. This powerful combination of performance and endurance addresses the storage requirements of even the most demanding enterprise customers. The Optimus Ultra SSD is available in usable capacities ranging from 150 GB to 1.2 TB, meaning enterprise organizations and OEMs no longer need to sacrifice capacity to realize the performance gains of solid-state storage.
VIA Announces World's First Quad Core Mini-ITX Boards
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the world's first quad core Mini-ITX boards featuring the latest VIA QuadCore E-Series processor. The VIA EPIA-M900 and VIA EPIA-M910 are the first two Mini-ITX boards to feature the 1.2 GHz VIA QuadCore E-Series processor, offering enhanced multi-tasking and superb multimedia performance on the lowest quad core power budget for next generation embedded products.
The VIA QuadCore E-Series processor features a highly optimized, energy efficient multi-core architecture, which is natively 64-bit compatible and comes with a host of additional performance features including Adaptive Overclocking. To meet the low power demands of the embedded market, the VIA QuadCore E-Series processor offers industry-leading energy efficiency, with the VIA QuadCore E-Series 1.2+ GHz processor delivering a thermal design power (TDP) of only 27.5 W. The distributed power of the VIA QuadCore E-Series processor makes it ideal for handling the most demanding HD video formats for immersive multi-display applications and environments.
The VIA QuadCore E-Series processor features a highly optimized, energy efficient multi-core architecture, which is natively 64-bit compatible and comes with a host of additional performance features including Adaptive Overclocking. To meet the low power demands of the embedded market, the VIA QuadCore E-Series processor offers industry-leading energy efficiency, with the VIA QuadCore E-Series 1.2+ GHz processor delivering a thermal design power (TDP) of only 27.5 W. The distributed power of the VIA QuadCore E-Series processor makes it ideal for handling the most demanding HD video formats for immersive multi-display applications and environments.
ASRock Introduces the Fatal1ty X79 Professional Motherboard
Gamers need so much more from their PCs! With this concept in mind, Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel worked closely with ASRock engineers to develop a well-featured motherboard based on the exciting Intel X79 chipset. Equipped with top-class components, the new ASRock/Fatal1ty X79 Professional was designed to exceed expectations of even the most dedicated gamer!
"This Fatal1ty motherboard was designed to bring your gaming performance to the highest level. The Fatal1ty X79 Professional comes with a Fatal1ty Mouse Port that delivers the precise control needed to elevate your game." said Fatal1ty. "In addition to gaming functions, the board packs 4 PCIe 3.0 slots, supporting up to 4-Way SLI and 4-Way CrossFireX. This combination will make you deadly and feared in the battlefield."
"This Fatal1ty motherboard was designed to bring your gaming performance to the highest level. The Fatal1ty X79 Professional comes with a Fatal1ty Mouse Port that delivers the precise control needed to elevate your game." said Fatal1ty. "In addition to gaming functions, the board packs 4 PCIe 3.0 slots, supporting up to 4-Way SLI and 4-Way CrossFireX. This combination will make you deadly and feared in the battlefield."
Cooler Master Debuts the Elite 372 PC Chassis
Cooler Master has today announced the European release of a new Elite Series PC case, the Elite 372 mid-tower. This model measures 192.5 x 427 x 498.3 mm, it weights 4.6 kg, and features a steel body, ATX and micro ATX motherboard support, three 5.25-inch and six 3.5-inch bays (with tool-free mounting), and a front I/O panel with USB 2.0 (x 2), Mic (x 1) and Audio (x 1) ports.
The Elite 372 also has seven PCI expansion slots, top and bottom dust filters, and can be equipped with up to seven fans. Its recommended price tag is 39.90 Euro.
The Elite 372 also has seven PCI expansion slots, top and bottom dust filters, and can be equipped with up to seven fans. Its recommended price tag is 39.90 Euro.
Huntkey introducing ultra-slim X-MAN 90W Universal Notebook Adapter
Huntkey Enterprise Group, a global professional power supply provider, is introducing their latest ultra-slim (1.7 cm), super-light (267.8 g) universal notebook adapter, the Huntkey X-MAN 90W. With 10 exchangeable power-tips this notebook adapter is supporting all major notebooks with 18V~20V input voltage available on the market today. Furthermore, Huntkey's X-MAN is equipped with a 5V USB power port to charge mobile phones, multimedia players and digital cameras. What sets the Huntkey X-MAN 90W power adapter most prominently apart from the crowd is the support for charging with 2A (2 Ampere), where most others only provide 1A. This in turn provides compatibility with a wide range of tablet PCs as well.
By applying Huntkey's own production process overall power density has been increased by almost 25%, while maintaining very low temperatures, resulting in ultra slim dimensions of 117.3(L) x 68.5(W) x 17(H) mm. At the same time power efficiency has been improved by another 2.3% now reaching 89%. All of this in combination with a handy carrying bag make the Huntkey X-MAN power adapter a convenient travel companion.
By applying Huntkey's own production process overall power density has been increased by almost 25%, while maintaining very low temperatures, resulting in ultra slim dimensions of 117.3(L) x 68.5(W) x 17(H) mm. At the same time power efficiency has been improved by another 2.3% now reaching 89%. All of this in combination with a handy carrying bag make the Huntkey X-MAN power adapter a convenient travel companion.
Eurocom Adds Intel 520 Series SSDs to Mobile Workstations and Mobile Server Offerings
Eurocom Corporation announces support for Intel's new high performance 520 Series of Solid-State Drives inside their Mobile Workstations and Mobile Server solutions.
The addition of the Intel 520 series of SSDs to Eurocom's extensive list of storage drives gives customers an even greater choice when customizing their purpose built systems. Customers have a myriad of choices between Hard Disk Drives, Solid State Drives and Hybrid Drives.
The addition of the Intel 520 series of SSDs to Eurocom's extensive list of storage drives gives customers an even greater choice when customizing their purpose built systems. Customers have a myriad of choices between Hard Disk Drives, Solid State Drives and Hybrid Drives.
MSI's entire Z68 (G3)/H61 (G3) Series Motherboard Supports Intel's 22 nm Processors
MSI announces today that MSI's Z68 (G3)/H61 (G3) series of motherboards offers official support of Intel's next-generation CPU based on the 22 nm manufacturing process. Users can download the corresponding BIOS listed below at no charge to upgrade their existing MSI Intel Z68/H61 motherboard, allowing a full experience of superior performance and powerful features found on the next-generation 22 nm Intel CPU.
MSI G3 motherboards also fully support the latest PCI Express Gen 3 specification, reaching twice the current bandwidth and maximizing performance from next-generation PCI Express Gen 3 video cards. Via MSI's unique intelligent update tool - Live Update - your computer will automatically download and update the latest BIOS for next-generation CPU compatibility, providing an immediate upgrade without spending extra money on a new motherboard purchase!
MSI G3 motherboards also fully support the latest PCI Express Gen 3 specification, reaching twice the current bandwidth and maximizing performance from next-generation PCI Express Gen 3 video cards. Via MSI's unique intelligent update tool - Live Update - your computer will automatically download and update the latest BIOS for next-generation CPU compatibility, providing an immediate upgrade without spending extra money on a new motherboard purchase!
Transcend's SSD500 Solid State Drives Go On Sale
Announced last month, the SSD500 solid state drives from Transcend have now started selling in Europe. The SSD500 drives make use of SLC (single-level cell) NAND Flash memory (providing up to 100,000 erase/write cycles), and feature a 2.5-inch form factor, a SATA 3.0 Gbps interface, TRIM support, and read/write speeds of up to 260/230 MB/s.
The 16 GB , 32 GB and 64 GB SSD500 models are backed by a three-year warranty and cost 164.01 Euro, 314.07 Euro and 596.89 Euro, respectively.
The 16 GB , 32 GB and 64 GB SSD500 models are backed by a three-year warranty and cost 164.01 Euro, 314.07 Euro and 596.89 Euro, respectively.
Jon Peddie Research Reports Q4 Graphics Shipments
Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated graphics chip shipments and suppliers' market share for Q4'11.
We found that shipments during the fourth quarter of 2011 behaved according to past years with regard to seasonality, the new seasonality that has developed since the economic crash of 2008. Prior to that shift, Q4 was a seasonally up quarter, since 2008 it's been a seasonally low to down quarter-and this year it was down the most since 2008. A lot of it was blamed on the floods in Thailand, but general economic malaise still permeates the industry.
We found that shipments during the fourth quarter of 2011 behaved according to past years with regard to seasonality, the new seasonality that has developed since the economic crash of 2008. Prior to that shift, Q4 was a seasonally up quarter, since 2008 it's been a seasonally low to down quarter-and this year it was down the most since 2008. A lot of it was blamed on the floods in Thailand, but general economic malaise still permeates the industry.
Wednesday, February 22nd 2012
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Processors
HP Reports First Quarter 2012 Results
HP today announced financial results for its first fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2012. For the quarter, net revenue of $30.0 billion was down 7% from the prior-year period, and down 8% when adjusted for the effects of currency.
GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.73, down 38% from the prior-year period. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.92, down 32% from the prior-year period. First quarter non-GAAP earnings information excludes after-tax costs of $364 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, related to amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.
GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.73, down 38% from the prior-year period. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.92, down 32% from the prior-year period. First quarter non-GAAP earnings information excludes after-tax costs of $364 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, related to amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.
23 Universities and Institutions Added As NVIDIA CUDA Research/Teaching Centers
Today, NVIDIA welcomes 23 universities and research institutions to its family of CUDA Research Centers and CUDA Teaching Centers.
CUDA Teaching Centers empower tens-of-thousands of students each year with the knowledge and expertise to take advantage of GPUs and their parallel-processing capabilities. These centers receive teaching kits, textbooks, software licenses and NVIDIA CUDA architecture-enabled GPUs for teaching lab computers, as well as academic discounts for additional hardware.
CUDA Teaching Centers empower tens-of-thousands of students each year with the knowledge and expertise to take advantage of GPUs and their parallel-processing capabilities. These centers receive teaching kits, textbooks, software licenses and NVIDIA CUDA architecture-enabled GPUs for teaching lab computers, as well as academic discounts for additional hardware.
Mozilla Opens Apps Marketplace for Developer Submissions at Mobile World Congress
Mozilla, a nonprofit organization dedicated to putting the power of the Web in people's hands, today announced that the Mozilla Marketplace will open for developers to submit Web apps at Mobile World Congress. By building on open Web technologies like HTML5 and Mozilla-proposed APIs, the Mozilla Marketplace will enable developers to write one app that runs across devices and platforms. As part of Mozilla's mission to keep the Web open and put people in control of their Web experience, users can buy apps once and use it on any HTML5-enabled device.
Borderlands 2 Kicks Off New Era of Shoot and Loot on September 18, 2012
2K Games and Gearbox Software announced today that Borderlands 2, the sequel to the multi-million unit selling breakout hit, Borderlands, will be available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC in North America on September 18, 2012 and internationally on September 21, 2012. Currently in development by Gearbox Software, Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the critically acclaimed four-player cooperative shooter-looter that combined intense first-person mayhem with role-playing gameplay. In addition, fans who pre-order the title from participating retailers will receive access to the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club, including rewarding in-game items and bonuses.
ZOTAC ZT-H67D3 Motherboard Pictured
Apart from novelty mini-ITX motherboards, ZOTAC wants to put the expertise in motherboard design it gathered to use by getting into value motherboards segment, probably targeting only emerging markets. A example of this would be the ZT-H67D3 Expreview got its hands on. This micro-ATX form-factor motherboard is based on the Intel H67 chipset, and takes in Core i3/i5/i7 processors in the LGA1155 package. It uses a generous 6-phase VRM to power the CPU, which is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory. The VRM uses basic DPAK MOSFETs, but doesn't skimp out on the capacitors.
Expansion slots include one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x16, legacy PCI, and two PCIe x1 slots. SATA ports include two SATA 6 Gb/s (blue), three SATA 3 Gb/s (yellow), and one eSATA 3 Gb/s. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI (surprisingly, no D-Sub). Other connectivity features include 8-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet. There are no USB 3.0 ports. This board is targeting a price point of 399 RMB (US $63).
Expansion slots include one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x16, legacy PCI, and two PCIe x1 slots. SATA ports include two SATA 6 Gb/s (blue), three SATA 3 Gb/s (yellow), and one eSATA 3 Gb/s. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI (surprisingly, no D-Sub). Other connectivity features include 8-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet. There are no USB 3.0 ports. This board is targeting a price point of 399 RMB (US $63).
ADATA Launches Slimmer and Smaller DashDrive UV100
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today unveiled its latest slim profile USB Flash drive, the DashDrive UV100. With a length of only 41 mm and a thickness of just 5.8 mm, it enters the market as an extremely compact and economical solution to those who view data portability as a day-today necessity.
The DashDrive UV100 incorporates the capless design that has proved to be a successful hallmark of ADATA Flash drives, eliminating the risk of cap loss. An integral strap hole makes the drive easy to carry on a lanyard or keychain. In a nod to the ever-increasing design requirements of the fashion-conscious, the drive boasts a diamond-cut bevel exterior, allowing owners to express their unique personal style. However, the key feature of the product may well be its highly competitive price point, which will make the UV100 an ideal option for those who use Flash drives on a daily basis and are looking for a highly portable backup drive.
The DashDrive UV100 incorporates the capless design that has proved to be a successful hallmark of ADATA Flash drives, eliminating the risk of cap loss. An integral strap hole makes the drive easy to carry on a lanyard or keychain. In a nod to the ever-increasing design requirements of the fashion-conscious, the drive boasts a diamond-cut bevel exterior, allowing owners to express their unique personal style. However, the key feature of the product may well be its highly competitive price point, which will make the UV100 an ideal option for those who use Flash drives on a daily basis and are looking for a highly portable backup drive.
Scythe Introducing Katana 4 at CeBIT 2012 Fair
Japanese cooling expert Scythe is going to show brand new products at the famous CeBIT trade show in Hannover (Germany) from 6th until 10th March 2012. Scythe booth will be located in the planet reseller hall 15 at the booth number F44, which is organized in a cooperation with its partner Wave Computersysteme GmbH. Interested visitors will be able to discover brand new Scythe products.
Soon to be release Katana 4 CPU Cooler is providing a first outlook into future Scythe product designs. Katana 4 is Scythes this year's exhibition highlight, introducing the innovative fin structure design called A.T.F.S. (Aero Tuning Fin Structure). A.T.F.S. tilted structure utilizes the intake holes for additional precise airflow, maximizing the Katana 4 CPU Cooler's efficiency. In addition, Katana 4 is equipped with the brand new mounting clip set by the name N.G.C.S. (New Generation Clip System). Hence allows the 480 grams cooler to be mounted on latest sockets, providing maximum socket compatibility.
Soon to be release Katana 4 CPU Cooler is providing a first outlook into future Scythe product designs. Katana 4 is Scythes this year's exhibition highlight, introducing the innovative fin structure design called A.T.F.S. (Aero Tuning Fin Structure). A.T.F.S. tilted structure utilizes the intake holes for additional precise airflow, maximizing the Katana 4 CPU Cooler's efficiency. In addition, Katana 4 is equipped with the brand new mounting clip set by the name N.G.C.S. (New Generation Clip System). Hence allows the 480 grams cooler to be mounted on latest sockets, providing maximum socket compatibility.
Altec Lansing Introduces the New inAir 5000 Wireless AirPlay Speaker
Today, audio innovator Altec Lansing released the inAir 5000 Wireless AirPlay Speaker (MA5000) that allows users of iTunes, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to stream music wirelessly over their Wi-Fi network to any room in the house. The inAir 5000 is the first in a new series of AirPlay enabled audio networking products that capitalize on the audio engineering excellence and groundbreaking product design of Altec Lansing.
The new inAir 5000 is the perfect companion for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as well as computers running iTunes. Whether a user is playing music from a personal iTunes library or streaming content from AirPlay-enabled apps, the inAir 5000 is the simple, elegant way to wireless entertainment with astounding audio clarity.
The new inAir 5000 is the perfect companion for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as well as computers running iTunes. Whether a user is playing music from a personal iTunes library or streaming content from AirPlay-enabled apps, the inAir 5000 is the simple, elegant way to wireless entertainment with astounding audio clarity.
Mellanox Rolls Out New Switch and Adapter Products
Mellanox Technologies, Ltd., a leading supplier of high-performance, end-to-end interconnect solutions for data center servers and storage systems, today announced two new products as part of its suite of end-to-end 10 Gigabit and 40 Gigabit Ethernet solutions. The SwitchX SX1024 is the industry's only top-of-rack switch system that features 48 SFP+ 10GbE server ports and 12 QSFP 40GbE ports for non-blocking connectivity to 40GbE aggregation switches, such as Mellanox's SX1036 36-port 40GbE switch. The ConnectX-3 single-port 10GbE NIC offers cost-effective, high density server connectivity. The new low-power 10GbE products support all major operating systems, and are well suited for server and storage applications in high-performance computing, enterprise data centers, Web 2.0, financial services, storage and Cloud computing environments.
SanDisk Develops World's Smallest 128 Gb NAND Flash Memory Chip
SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced it has developed the world's smallest 128 gigabit (Gb) NAND flash memory chip currently in production. The semiconductor device can store 128 billion individual bits of information on a single silicon die 170 mm2 in size - a little more than a quarter of an inch squared, or smaller than the area covered by a U.S. penny.
The use of NAND flash memory in high tech equipment like smartphones, tablets and solid state drives (SSDs) allows advances in the full function, small form factor devices that are highly valued by consumers. Shrinking the size of NAND flash memory allows smaller, more powerful computing, communications and consumer electronics devices to be built while keeping costs low.
The use of NAND flash memory in high tech equipment like smartphones, tablets and solid state drives (SSDs) allows advances in the full function, small form factor devices that are highly valued by consumers. Shrinking the size of NAND flash memory allows smaller, more powerful computing, communications and consumer electronics devices to be built while keeping costs low.
Intel Might Make Up for Ivy Bridge Delay With Lower Prices
Intel was reportedly planning to limit mass-shipments of its third-generation Core processors (codenamed: "Ivy Bridge") to notebook ODMs, to help in digestion of swelling inventories of current-generation "Sandy Bridge" Core processors. Only a few models (those targeting Ultrabooks and mainstream notebooks) are expected to face delays till June, performance desktop retail processors will most likely not be affected, their launch is on-course for April.
To make up for the delay, Intel will might lower prices of its Ivy Bridge chips by as much as $70 a piece. The lower prices would ease transition between the two generations of processors without causing a price-shock to ODMs, when they then have to transfer to the end-users. Intel already attractive pricing for its Sandy Bridge CPUs to help clear inventories. The result of all this would be Ivy Bridge-powered notebooks being not much more expensive than current-generation Sandy Bridge-powered ones, on launch.
To make up for the delay, Intel will might lower prices of its Ivy Bridge chips by as much as $70 a piece. The lower prices would ease transition between the two generations of processors without causing a price-shock to ODMs, when they then have to transfer to the end-users. Intel already attractive pricing for its Sandy Bridge CPUs to help clear inventories. The result of all this would be Ivy Bridge-powered notebooks being not much more expensive than current-generation Sandy Bridge-powered ones, on launch.
ZAGG Announces Availability of New Boost Speaker by iFrogz
ZAGG Inc., a leading mobile device accessories company, today announces the availability of the Boost NearField Audio speaker under the iFrogz brand. Presented for the first time at the 2012 International CES, the Boost is a small, portable audio amplification unit that is compatible with any external speaker device, including mobile phones and MP3 players.
The iFrogz Boost speaker allows users to amplify their device's sound by simply placing their smartphone, or other device equipped with an external speaker, on top of the Boost. The Boost features patent-pending audio technology to sync the external audio signal and then amplify the sound through two high-quality 2 W x 2 RMS speakers. No wires, cords, Bluetooth or pairing configuration is needed. The Boost fits in the palm of the hand, measuring a little over 1 inch high by less than 3 inches wide and less than 5 inches long, and weighs only 5.9 ounces (without batteries).
The iFrogz Boost speaker allows users to amplify their device's sound by simply placing their smartphone, or other device equipped with an external speaker, on top of the Boost. The Boost features patent-pending audio technology to sync the external audio signal and then amplify the sound through two high-quality 2 W x 2 RMS speakers. No wires, cords, Bluetooth or pairing configuration is needed. The Boost fits in the palm of the hand, measuring a little over 1 inch high by less than 3 inches wide and less than 5 inches long, and weighs only 5.9 ounces (without batteries).
Arctic Intros The Alpine 64 PLUS CPU Cooler for AMD Users
Following the successful launch of Alpine 11 PLUS for Intel, ARCTIC has received a number of requests from AMD users for a compatible version with the same outstanding price-performance ratio. In order to fulfill this market demand, ARCTIC introduces the Alpine 64 PLUS to satisfy AMD power users.
The Alpine 64 PLUS provides a perfect cooling solution with its optimized heatsink to dissipate heat from the CPU. Its high performance 92mm PWM-controlled fan operates at a fan speed range of 600 to 2000 RPM - reaching a maximum cooling capacity of 100 Watts. With a noise level of only 0.4 Sone even at full load, you can hardly hear any sound from this cooler. Furthermore, it comes with a pre-applied ARCTIC MX-4 thermal compound and a transport-proof mounting system for quick installation and maximum user-friendliness.
The Alpine 64 PLUS provides a perfect cooling solution with its optimized heatsink to dissipate heat from the CPU. Its high performance 92mm PWM-controlled fan operates at a fan speed range of 600 to 2000 RPM - reaching a maximum cooling capacity of 100 Watts. With a noise level of only 0.4 Sone even at full load, you can hardly hear any sound from this cooler. Furthermore, it comes with a pre-applied ARCTIC MX-4 thermal compound and a transport-proof mounting system for quick installation and maximum user-friendliness.
Club 3D and Convergent Systems from Singapore Announce their Partnership
Club 3D B.V., the European market leader and pioneer of a total solution for video graphics adapters based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands today announced its partnership with Convergent Systems for the distribution of graphics cards.
The partnership will help Club 3D establish and distribute their full range of graphics boards in Singapore and Indonesia. Convergent will drive this business for Club 3D with its network of established dealers across the territories.
Convergent and Club 3D plan to carry out promotions, marketing activities and interact on the social networking sites to create brand awareness in the channel and end user community.
The partnership will help Club 3D establish and distribute their full range of graphics boards in Singapore and Indonesia. Convergent will drive this business for Club 3D with its network of established dealers across the territories.
Convergent and Club 3D plan to carry out promotions, marketing activities and interact on the social networking sites to create brand awareness in the channel and end user community.
MacBook Pro To Look More Like MacBook Air
Later this year, Apple will refresh its MacBook Pro line with a new generation, and it is reported that these new products will look increasingly similar to the MacBook Air, as they will get a lot more slimmer. MacBook Pro is Apple's main line of portable Mac computers, and arguably its most popular Mac. Apple has mastered ultra-compact notebook design with the MacBook Air, which its PC rivals are struggling to get even close to. It is now going all out on the ultaslim form-factor by designing ever more powerful MacBook Pros based on it.
The ultra-slim form-factor will also see hardware such as optical drives and hard disk drives leave. Primary storage will be handled by SSDs, there will be an increasing relevance of iCloud for additional storage. "They're all going to look like MacBook Airs," a source familiar with the designs of the upcoming MacBook Pros told AppleInsider. We will get to see MacBook Pros that are as slim as the MacBook Air, but as big as 15-inch and 17-inch, while being backed by powerful hardware, even as PC makers struggle with big Ultrabooks since they're government by specifications laid down by Intel, a move that could limit their success in Europe, creating a great market opportunity for Apple. AppleInsider provided mock-ups of what the new MacBook Pros could look like.
The ultra-slim form-factor will also see hardware such as optical drives and hard disk drives leave. Primary storage will be handled by SSDs, there will be an increasing relevance of iCloud for additional storage. "They're all going to look like MacBook Airs," a source familiar with the designs of the upcoming MacBook Pros told AppleInsider. We will get to see MacBook Pros that are as slim as the MacBook Air, but as big as 15-inch and 17-inch, while being backed by powerful hardware, even as PC makers struggle with big Ultrabooks since they're government by specifications laid down by Intel, a move that could limit their success in Europe, creating a great market opportunity for Apple. AppleInsider provided mock-ups of what the new MacBook Pros could look like.
Alan Wake for PC Earns Back Investment in 48 Hours
In what is a tight slap in the face of those who even question the future of PC gaming, Alan Wake, which was launched for the PC platform years after its console launch, is reported to have earned back Remedy's development and marketing costs of the game's venture to the PC platform within the first 48 hours of sales on Steam. "We made it a priority to create the best PC version of the game we possibly could, as opposed to a sloppy port we ourselves would hate to play, and judging by the amount of encouragement and positive feedback that has been pouring in, that's really paid off!" said CEO Matias Myllyrinne in a thank you note to the game's fans. "Rest assured that we are still listening to your requests and will maintain efforts to make necessary updates to the build now that it's been released," he added. The game is also reported to be also available via Origin, soon.
ASRock Vying ODM Orders from IPC Makers
Nearly a week after unveiling its first industrial-PC (IPC) motherboards, ASRock says it is vying for ODM orders from IPC makers. When well-marketed, IPC motherboards could substantially contribute to the company's revenue, since IPC motherboards have gross margins of at least 25%, higher than that of consumer PC motherboards.
ASRock targets motherboards for use in POS (point of sale) PCs, thin clients, kiosks, panel PCs, gaming PCs, signage and devices used in surveillance, information display and retail & hospitality, the company said. So far, the company scored orders from two ODMs, with shipments set to begin in Q2, 2012. ASRock aims to obtain ODM orders from IPC vendors such as Advantech, Adlink Technology and ICP Electronics, instead of competing with them for orders for system products, ASRock said. ASRock hopes that its IPC motherboard venture will benefit it starting 2013.
ASRock targets motherboards for use in POS (point of sale) PCs, thin clients, kiosks, panel PCs, gaming PCs, signage and devices used in surveillance, information display and retail & hospitality, the company said. So far, the company scored orders from two ODMs, with shipments set to begin in Q2, 2012. ASRock aims to obtain ODM orders from IPC vendors such as Advantech, Adlink Technology and ICP Electronics, instead of competing with them for orders for system products, ASRock said. ASRock hopes that its IPC motherboard venture will benefit it starting 2013.
A New HD Accessory Generation - The Thermaltake "Max Series"
Thermaltake, being the industry pioneer brand with expertise in PC power and thermal solutions, and continues to drive toward the corporate mission of "delivering the perfect user experience" in all segment of the market, began the Max series with a simple idea of creating a protective cover to magnify the ease of removing a HDD from Thermaltake chassis and evolved into a character that can maximize and utilize the function of HDD. Today, brings in the Max 5G 2.5" hard drive external enclosure and the Max Duo (SSD & HDD) rack with USB 3.0 ports to stretch the solutions provided by the Max series for users.
PowerColor Announced Liquid Cooling To The HD7970
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, today releases the first and only liquid cooling solution in the market: the PowerColor LCS HD7970. Partnered with award-winning cooling manufacture EKwaterblocks, the PowerColor LCS HD7970 enhances the overclocking headroom and has factory OC setting at 1150 MHz core and 5.7 Gbps memory, delivering extraordinary thermal performance for optimum system stability in a superb OC setting.
The PowerColor LCS HD7970 dissipates the heat from the nickel coated copper base which fully covers the key components, enhancing anti-oxidizing ability and allowing GPU temperature under 50°C even under full load. Moreover, with acetal surface of water block design, preventing moisture damage to ensure the longer life cycle.
The PowerColor LCS HD7970 dissipates the heat from the nickel coated copper base which fully covers the key components, enhancing anti-oxidizing ability and allowing GPU temperature under 50°C even under full load. Moreover, with acetal surface of water block design, preventing moisture damage to ensure the longer life cycle.
Buffalo Also Intros New 3 TB TV-Recording HDDs
Buffalo Japan also launched the HD-AMC3.0TU3 / V family of external hard drives that can record TV. Available in 3 TB, 2 TB, and 1 TB capacities, these drives can be programmed to independently record TV while you're away, so you can catch up with your favourite programmes later. Since the native logic of the drive has address-space limitations, the drive can be switched between a virtual partition mode, where the logic sees the installed 3 TB HDD as two 1.5 TB partitions, letting you switch between the two when recording, or as a single solid 3 TB volume that can be accessed by PCs with support for large address-space. This mode doesn't apply to the 2 TB and 1 TB models. The drive also has an LED-based indicator that gives you a rough measurement of the free-space left. The drive connects to DTV over interfaces localized to the markets it's selling in, it connects to the PC over fast USB 3.0 interface. Buffalo will launch these drives in early March, pricing was not revealed.
Buffalo Intros MiniStation HD-PCT1TU3-BWJ Portable HDD
Buffalo Japan introduced a new line of portable HDDs, under the MiniStation HD-PCT1TU3-BWJ. This series is actually a re-launch of a previous MiniStation series, which was discontinued as supplies of hard disk drives began to dwindle at the wake of the devastating Thailand floods that affected HDD foundries. What's changed between the older drives and these is the higher price, and changed warranty policy. The drives take advantage of the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, and use a single cable for both power and data transfers. Measuring 77 x 114 x 14 mm (WxDxH), these drives are available in piano-black and pearl-white color options. The drives come in two capacities, 500 GB (priced at 12,075 JPY / US$150), and 1 TB (priced 16,485 JPY / $206). Buffalo will start shipping these in early-March.
Hitachi Launches Industry-Leading, Second-Generation 7,200 RPM, 7mm Drive Family
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that it has shipped more than 25 million Travelstar Z-series, 7 millimeter (mm) z-height, 2.5-inch hard disk drives (HDD), enabling a new era of thin and light portable computers, ultra-compact CE devices and industrial systems. The company also announced that it is now shipping its new 500 GB, Travelstar Z7K500 drive - the industry's fastest and highest capacity, one-disk, 7,200 RPM HDD.
All Hitachi GST Z-series drives can serve as a direct replacement for standard, 2.5-inch 9.5 mm hard drives. They feature common connectors and mounting points for simple integration into existing systems, and enable greater design flexibility to differentiate and meet market demands for new, thinner, lighter and more robust devices.
All Hitachi GST Z-series drives can serve as a direct replacement for standard, 2.5-inch 9.5 mm hard drives. They feature common connectors and mounting points for simple integration into existing systems, and enable greater design flexibility to differentiate and meet market demands for new, thinner, lighter and more robust devices.
Ivy Bridge Die Layout Estimated
Hiroshige Goto, contributor for PC Watch that is known for detailed schematics of dies estimated the layout of Ivy Bridge silicon. Ivy Bridge is Intel's brand new multi-core processor silicon built on its new 22 nanometer silicon fabrication process. The four core silicon, which four configurations can be carved, will be built into packages that are pin-compatible with today's Sandy Bridge processors. The die area of Ivy Bridge is 160 mm², it has a total transistor count of 1.48 billion, compared to the Sandy Bridge silicon, which has 1.16 billion transistors crammed into a die 216 mm² in area, built on the 32 nm process.
Ivy Bridge has essentially the same layout as Sandy Bridge. The central portion of the die has four x86-64 cores with 256 KB dedicated L2 cache each, and a shared 8 MB L3 cache, while either sides of the central portion has the system agent and the graphics core. All components are bound by a ring-bus, that transports tagged data between the four CPU cores, the graphics core, the L3 cache, and the system agent, which has interfaces for the dual-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller, the PCI-Express controller, and the DMI chipset bus.
Ivy Bridge has essentially the same layout as Sandy Bridge. The central portion of the die has four x86-64 cores with 256 KB dedicated L2 cache each, and a shared 8 MB L3 cache, while either sides of the central portion has the system agent and the graphics core. All components are bound by a ring-bus, that transports tagged data between the four CPU cores, the graphics core, the L3 cache, and the system agent, which has interfaces for the dual-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller, the PCI-Express controller, and the DMI chipset bus.
Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E CPU Cooler Goes on Sale
Exposed earlier this month, Thermalright's Silver Arrow SB-E high-end CPU cooler has now become available in Europe, priced at 64.99 Euro (cheaper than it was suggested by the pre-order prices).
The Silver Arrow SB-E measures 130 x 170 x 170 mm, it weights 1124 grams, and features eight nickel-plated 6 mm copper heatpipes, two Double Ball Bearing fans - one 140 mm TY141 (900 - 1300 RPM) and one 150 mm TY150 (500 - 1100 RPM), and a universal mounting system providing support for Intel LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 and AMD AM2(+) / AM3(+) / FM1 processors.
Thermalright's cooler can be found on sale here.
The Silver Arrow SB-E measures 130 x 170 x 170 mm, it weights 1124 grams, and features eight nickel-plated 6 mm copper heatpipes, two Double Ball Bearing fans - one 140 mm TY141 (900 - 1300 RPM) and one 150 mm TY150 (500 - 1100 RPM), and a universal mounting system providing support for Intel LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 and AMD AM2(+) / AM3(+) / FM1 processors.
Thermalright's cooler can be found on sale here.
Silicon Power launches Chinese Year of the Dragon Souvenir Edition USB Flash Drive
Leading memory storage brand, SP/Silicon Power announces the launch of the Year of the Dragon Souvenir Edition Touch 836 USB flash drive to welcome this lucky Chinese Zodiac Year with customers. The Chinese dragon has a legendary mystery and symbolizes good fortune and luck. SP/ Silicon Power combines traditional Chinese spirit and brilliant design into modern technology to create a unique and excellent product.
Inherited the design concept of the SP/ Silicon Power Touch series, the tiny and one-step forming streamlined casing of Touch 836 thoroughly brings out its exquisite and modernistic features to the consumers. The antique bronze color of the device also perfectly portrays the majesty of the Chinese dragon. The coating is processed using a metal sandblasting technique to reflect a luxurious metallic glamour and also to protect the surface from scratches. The front of the designer casing features an extraordinary dragon totem, and comes with a strap hole that is easy for users to carry it around to satisfy their instant storage needs as well as for good fortune and luck!
Inherited the design concept of the SP/ Silicon Power Touch series, the tiny and one-step forming streamlined casing of Touch 836 thoroughly brings out its exquisite and modernistic features to the consumers. The antique bronze color of the device also perfectly portrays the majesty of the Chinese dragon. The coating is processed using a metal sandblasting technique to reflect a luxurious metallic glamour and also to protect the surface from scratches. The front of the designer casing features an extraordinary dragon totem, and comes with a strap hole that is easy for users to carry it around to satisfy their instant storage needs as well as for good fortune and luck!
Rescuecom Reveals 2012 Computer Reliability Report
"Entering 2012, Lenovo/IBM's rise in reliability will be an important boost for the company. Although Apple's market share has risen over the last 12 months, its reliability has declined. The comparatively smaller Toshiba and Samsung are illustrating interesting reliability trends worth watching over the coming year," stated David Milman, CEO of RESCUECOM. For 2012, Rescuecom now includes all manufacturers with a market share of at least above one percent in this report.
The computer reliability report scores for 2012 are:
1. Lenovo/IBM (281)
2. Toshiba (190)
3. Samsung (156)
4. Apple (151)
5. Asus (126)
6. HP/Compaq (100)
7. Dell (68)
8. Sony (64)
9. Acer (40)
The computer reliability report scores for 2012 are:
1. Lenovo/IBM (281)
2. Toshiba (190)
3. Samsung (156)
4. Apple (151)
5. Asus (126)
6. HP/Compaq (100)
7. Dell (68)
8. Sony (64)
9. Acer (40)
Fedora Remix for Raspberry Pi Released
Developers at the Seneca College released a version of Fedora Remix ARM that's optimized for the Raspberry Pi. Fedora Remix is itself a lightweight version of the open-source Red Hat Linux derivative, which is now further optimized for this $25 self-contained hobby-kit computer. The new Fedora Remix variant fits in a 2 GB SD card that the Raspberry Pi boots from. By simply connecting a display to the HDMI port (1080p supported), a keyboard and a mouse to the two USB ports, Fedora Remix will lead you straight to user information screen, from where normal usage is a minute away, without needing any hardware configuration. The 2 GB SD card is left with some space for user data. Raspberry Pi with Fedora Remix works just like any desktop. In related news, the makers of Raspberry Pi announced that the first batch of these boards will be through QA testing by the 23rd, and out for shipping.
A video presentation of Fedora Remix for Raspberry Pi follows.
Intel Readies Atom D2550 "Cedar View" with Faster Graphics
Intel is reportedly working on a new Atom "Cedar View" processor model for low-power static computing devices such as entry-level PCs and nettops, the Atom D2550. This new model retains most of the specifications of the Atom D2500. Its two x86 cores are still clocked at 1.86 GHz, featuring HyperThreading technoloy, 512 KB L2 cache per core, even the TDP stays at 10W. The D2550, however, brings slightly faster integrated graphics. Its graphics core is clocked at 640 MHz, compared to 400 MHz on the D2500. Intel will be taking orders for the new chip from ODMs starting some time in March.
Tuesday, February 21st 2012
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
SSD
Storage
Antec HCG-620M 620 W Review
Antec recently added three new units to their High Current Gamer series. The main difference between these new PSUs and the older ones is that the first utilize a semi-modular cabling design, becoming this way the first members of this series to incorporate this feature. Today we will test the HCG-620M with 620W capacity.
Dell Reports Record Fiscal Year 2012
Dell's further expansion as an enterprise solutions and services provider highlighted the company's most successful financial year ever. New corporate highs were achieved for a full fiscal year with revenue of $62.1 billion, earnings per share of $1.88 (GAAP) and $2.13 (Non-GAAP), and revenue from enterprise solutions and services of $18.6 billion.
"Our customers think of Dell in much broader terms now, trusting us with their comprehensive IT needs, from the datacenter to the device," said Michael Dell, chairman and CEO. "We are more committed than ever to both developing and investing in innovative solutions that deliver greater value and better outcomes for our customers."
"Our customers think of Dell in much broader terms now, trusting us with their comprehensive IT needs, from the datacenter to the device," said Michael Dell, chairman and CEO. "We are more committed than ever to both developing and investing in innovative solutions that deliver greater value and better outcomes for our customers."
ProView Open To Talks with Apple Over iPad Trademark
After taking Apple to court over alleged infringement of the iPad trademark, successfully convincing the court over the allegations, leading to incidents of Chinese authorities pulling iPad off shelves, and taking it further to seek an seeking an export ban, ProView softened its stand. ProView's lawyer Xie Xianghui said that his client is open to talks with Apple over reaching a settlement. He believes that both sides are "still able to sit together and reach an out-of-court settlement."
The saga began with Apple acquiring rights to use the "iPad" brand name in China from ProView, which the latter claimed was acquired using dubious means, through a newly floated company by Apple, without ProView knowing it who it was really dealing with. This way, Apple probably bought rights to the brand name for much lower than what ProView would have sold them for, had it known who it was dealing with. iPad went on to become one of Apple's most successful brands. ProView sought a large amount of money from Apple in damages.
The saga began with Apple acquiring rights to use the "iPad" brand name in China from ProView, which the latter claimed was acquired using dubious means, through a newly floated company by Apple, without ProView knowing it who it was really dealing with. This way, Apple probably bought rights to the brand name for much lower than what ProView would have sold them for, had it known who it was dealing with. iPad went on to become one of Apple's most successful brands. ProView sought a large amount of money from Apple in damages.
Tabula Confirms Move to Intel’s 22 nm Process Featuring 3-D Tri-Gate Transistors
Tabula Inc., advancing programmable logic solutions for network infrastructure systems, today confirmed previous speculation that it is implementing a family of 3PLD products manufactured by Intel using its advanced 22 nm manufacturing process featuring 3-D Tri-Gate transistors and co-optimized packaging technology. This is made possible by a manufacturing access agreement between Tabula Inc., and Intel Custom Foundry, a division of the Technology and Manufacturing Group of Intel Corporation.
The 3PLD family will be based on Tabula's 3D Spacetime architecture and will deliver high-performance, cost-effective solutions for network infrastructure systems requiring high-bandwidth data flows such as Switches, Routers, Packet Inspection appliances, and other high-performance systems. The combination of process and architecture will allow Tabula to produce high-performance programmable circuits that consume significantly less chip area than circuits implemented with traditional FPGA fabrics.
The 3PLD family will be based on Tabula's 3D Spacetime architecture and will deliver high-performance, cost-effective solutions for network infrastructure systems requiring high-bandwidth data flows such as Switches, Routers, Packet Inspection appliances, and other high-performance systems. The combination of process and architecture will allow Tabula to produce high-performance programmable circuits that consume significantly less chip area than circuits implemented with traditional FPGA fabrics.
Correction on NVIDIA PDXLAN 19 Event: Still a Damp Squib
On Sunday (19/2) we ran a story on NVIDIA + Gearbox event on the sidelines of PDXLAN 19. Apparently we got the contents of the event inaccurate. We are sorry about that. NVIDIA wrote to us pointing that out, however, that correspondence did not contain details of what actually happened at the event so we could work on a correction, and so we were left to the mercy of Google. LegitReviews cited its NVIDIA representative (they differ between regions) as saying the event consisted of "...a Tegra 3/Transformer 2 session, a demonstration of Skyrim and Splashtop (same demo we showed at CES) and pizza. Lots of it." We based our story on reports from the attendees, we'll be more diligent with picking our sources in the future. Our analysis of the event being a damp squib doesn't change, when put into context of the hype built around it.
Spire Introduces the TME III CPU Cooler
The TMEIII is the next evolution of the hugely successful TherMax Eclipse CPU cooler series. The increased number of heat-pipes combined with a higher number and density of dimpled fins and crowned with two (2) high airflow, Nano Bearing DC fans for extreme cooling performance. Five (5) U-shaped 8 mm all-copper heat-pipes are in direct contact with the CPU heat-spreader (heat source), rapid heat transfer to the 45 aluminum dimpled fins providing a larger surface area for optimum heat dissipation.
The TME III is supplied with two (2) 12 cm BlackStar 7 blades, high quality precision Nano - Bearing DC fans, providing high airflow and sufficient cooling. These fans are PWM controlled to provide the best sound / cooling ratio possible. Compatibility is guaranteed with multi-platform mounting for all current Intel and AMD micro-processors. The TME III brings cooling power to an all-new level. Another amazing product from Spire - Powered by Innovation.
The TME III is supplied with two (2) 12 cm BlackStar 7 blades, high quality precision Nano - Bearing DC fans, providing high airflow and sufficient cooling. These fans are PWM controlled to provide the best sound / cooling ratio possible. Compatibility is guaranteed with multi-platform mounting for all current Intel and AMD micro-processors. The TME III brings cooling power to an all-new level. Another amazing product from Spire - Powered by Innovation.
New ADATA Server DIMM Boosts Performance, Trims Energy Costs
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today announced the launch of new DDR3 server memory modules for cloud business solutions, which feature improved levels of energy efficiency and performance.
The most striking aspect of the new modules is their high efficiency. This results in major energy savings, leading to reduced overall power consumption for cloud businesses, and all-around lower carbon dioxide emissions. These benefits come with no sacrifice in terms of performance- the high speed operation and reduced memory-bus load of these modules leads to greatly enhanced overall system efficiency. Fully compatible with major motherboards, these server DIMM modules are a reliable solution that reduce power costs and increase environmental protection.
The most striking aspect of the new modules is their high efficiency. This results in major energy savings, leading to reduced overall power consumption for cloud businesses, and all-around lower carbon dioxide emissions. These benefits come with no sacrifice in terms of performance- the high speed operation and reduced memory-bus load of these modules leads to greatly enhanced overall system efficiency. Fully compatible with major motherboards, these server DIMM modules are a reliable solution that reduce power costs and increase environmental protection.
Neonode Beat Apple to "Slide to Unlock" Patent by 3 Years: Analysis
Even as Apple is going on a childish suing spree over every touchscreen device manufacturer that uses a "slide to unlock" mechanism to wake sleeping devices up, it has emerged that Apple wasn't the first to patent such as technology to begin with, it was Neonode, which envisaged the concept 3 years earlier, and patented it. Neonode is a Swedish mobile phone manufacturer. Neonode had this patent filed under US Pat. No. 8,095,879, its claim that details the technology leaving no room for ambiguity:
12. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the user interface is characterised in, that an active application, function, service or setting is advanced one step by gliding the object along the touch sensitive area from left to right, and that the active application, function, service or setting is closed or backed one step by gliding the object along the touch sensitive area from right to left.
Noctua Presents the NH-L12 Low-Profile CPU Cooler
Noctua today presented its new NH-L12 low-profile cooler for Small Form Factor cases and HTPC environments. The NH-L12 features a flexible NF-F12 (120 mm) / NF-B9 (92 mm) dual PWM fan setup that can be configured either for full performance in dual fan mode or extra-low profile (66 mm) with the top fan removed.
"The industry trend towards Small Form Factor and Home Theatre PCs is well-established, but there's still a lack of suitable high-quality quiet CPU coolers", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "Building a powerful PC always requires a capable CPU, which in return demands a competent cooling solution. But who wants his HTPC to sound like a jet engine? This is precisely where the NH-L12 steps in."
"The industry trend towards Small Form Factor and Home Theatre PCs is well-established, but there's still a lack of suitable high-quality quiet CPU coolers", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "Building a powerful PC always requires a capable CPU, which in return demands a competent cooling solution. But who wants his HTPC to sound like a jet engine? This is precisely where the NH-L12 steps in."
Synology Updates Its High-Performance XS Series, Launches the DS3612xs and RS3412RPxs
Synology America Corp. today announced the latest in its high-performance XS series, boasting 100,000 IOPS and transfer rates over 1,000 MB/s. Launching at under $5,000, both the DS3612xs and the RS3412RPxs models can easily scale to over 100 TB storage.
With support for 10 gigabit Ethernet cards from both Emulex and Intel, the XS series continues to push Synology's leadership into the sub-$10,000 market. While maintaining the same level of performance, the DS3612xs and the RS3412RPxs offer a new internal design to improve reliability. The new design takes advantage of passive cooling technology on the CPU to eliminate a single point of failure. Redundant exhaust fans are tuned to automatically adjust speed in the case that one should fail.
With support for 10 gigabit Ethernet cards from both Emulex and Intel, the XS series continues to push Synology's leadership into the sub-$10,000 market. While maintaining the same level of performance, the DS3612xs and the RS3412RPxs offer a new internal design to improve reliability. The new design takes advantage of passive cooling technology on the CPU to eliminate a single point of failure. Redundant exhaust fans are tuned to automatically adjust speed in the case that one should fail.
ZOTAC Teams Up With Ubisoft for TrackMania 2 Game Pass
ZOTAC International, a global innovator of graphics cards, mainboards and mini-PCs, today announces select graphics cards will ship with a free gaming pass for the full version TrackMania 2 Canyon from Ubisoft. The free gaming pass unlocks the full version of TrackMania 2 Canyon for 3 days to let gamers experience the thrilling racing world the game has to offer.
"TrackMania is the most popular PC racing game with over 10-million gamers and an active community that generates thousands of customized tracks. The recent release of TrackMania 2 Canyon is a perfect opportunity for ZOTAC to introduce the game to our customers," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International. "The game sports incredible graphics that take advantage of the available graphics processing power, which is perfect for new graphics card owners."
"TrackMania is the most popular PC racing game with over 10-million gamers and an active community that generates thousands of customized tracks. The recent release of TrackMania 2 Canyon is a perfect opportunity for ZOTAC to introduce the game to our customers," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International. "The game sports incredible graphics that take advantage of the available graphics processing power, which is perfect for new graphics card owners."
Intel Readies the 313 Series SLC-Based Solid State Drives
According to a fresh report, April will not 'only' see the launch of the Ivy Bridge processor family, as Intel is also preparing the arrival of some new solid state drives specifically designed to be used in SSD/HDD storage setups (made possible by the Smart Response Technology).
The incoming SSD Caching drives are known as the 313 Series (they will replace the 311 Series aka Larson Creek), they come in 2.5-inch (7 mm thick) and mSATA form factors, and make use of 25 nm SLC (single-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips (the 311 models pack 34 nm NAND). The 313 Series SSDs have a SATA 3.0 Gbps interface and will be available in 20 GB ($99) and 24 GB ($119) capacities.
The incoming SSD Caching drives are known as the 313 Series (they will replace the 311 Series aka Larson Creek), they come in 2.5-inch (7 mm thick) and mSATA form factors, and make use of 25 nm SLC (single-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips (the 311 models pack 34 nm NAND). The 313 Series SSDs have a SATA 3.0 Gbps interface and will be available in 20 GB ($99) and 24 GB ($119) capacities.
Team Launches High-Speed Dual-Channel Xtreem LV DDR3-2800 CL11
The world's leading brand, Team Group Inc. has made headway and gone on to another record breaking OC memory products. The newly unprecedented introduction of dual-channel Xtreem LV DDR3 2800 CL11 module is the highest standard of its kind on the market today, refreshing a new history in OC memory's market!
Team Group's Xtreem LV series have always been praised, not only OC memory products come with excellent cost-effective value and have been well received by all sectors. Following the publication of quad-channel Xtreem LV DDR3 2600 CL10, Team Group has once again led the industry and released the world's limited dual-channel Xtreem LV DDR3 2800 CL11. As it adopts strictly selected chips from original factories and has to pass through stringent tests and verification procedures, it is able to enhance even further its support capabilities after teaming up with the latest Intel XMP V1.3 version. In addition, it is also collocated with eight-layer PCB in order to increase its stability performance by up to 8GB (4GB*2) large capacity. Its built-in ultra-high clock design is able to allow the computer operation to reach an unimpeded speed.
Team Group's Xtreem LV series have always been praised, not only OC memory products come with excellent cost-effective value and have been well received by all sectors. Following the publication of quad-channel Xtreem LV DDR3 2600 CL10, Team Group has once again led the industry and released the world's limited dual-channel Xtreem LV DDR3 2800 CL11. As it adopts strictly selected chips from original factories and has to pass through stringent tests and verification procedures, it is able to enhance even further its support capabilities after teaming up with the latest Intel XMP V1.3 version. In addition, it is also collocated with eight-layer PCB in order to increase its stability performance by up to 8GB (4GB*2) large capacity. Its built-in ultra-high clock design is able to allow the computer operation to reach an unimpeded speed.
Synology Announces Its First Native Eight-Bay DiskStation, the DS1812+
Synology America Corp. today announced the latest in its line of scalable NAS servers, the DS1812+. Designed with small business users in mind, the 8-bay DS1812+ can quickly scale out to 18 drives by leveraging the expansion capabilities of the DX510.
The DS1812+ is the largest capacity DiskStation to debut under $1,000, making a powerful and affordable storage solution. Using 4TB drives, it can quickly scale up to 72 TB storage.
The DS1812+ is the largest capacity DiskStation to debut under $1,000, making a powerful and affordable storage solution. Using 4TB drives, it can quickly scale up to 72 TB storage.
OCZ Launches the VXL Storage Accelerator
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the immediate availability of the OCZ-SANRAD VXL enterprise storage accelerator, delivering flash caching and VMware acceleration for virtualized environments including VMware ESX and Citrix Xen.
OCZ-SANRAD VXL drastically alters the available options for storage in the enterprise datacenter by allowing any PCIe-based OCZ Z-Drive R4 model including the newly introduced Z-Drive R4 CloudServ, to be utilized as a accelerator for traditional iSCSI and FC storage. This eliminates the need for costly tier-1 SANs in a wide range of enterprise IT infrastructures from application virtualization to virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
OCZ-SANRAD VXL drastically alters the available options for storage in the enterprise datacenter by allowing any PCIe-based OCZ Z-Drive R4 model including the newly introduced Z-Drive R4 CloudServ, to be utilized as a accelerator for traditional iSCSI and FC storage. This eliminates the need for costly tier-1 SANs in a wide range of enterprise IT infrastructures from application virtualization to virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
NVIDIA Releases the GeForce 295.73 WHQL-certified Drivers
NVIDIA Corp. has now made available the first WHQL driver of the R295 family, the GeForce 295.73. This release comes with support for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 Series cards, and for ION GPUs, it's bundled with the PhysX System Software v9.12.0209, and features the following highlights:
- Game-changing performance boost of up to 45% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, "the fastest selling title in Steam's history"
- Up to 2x performance Mass Effect 3 with SLI technology.
- GeForce-exclusive quality enhancements with ambient occlusion support for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Diablo III, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
- New 3D Vision and SLI profiles for over 50 titles.
- New PhysX software for the best experience in top PhysX titles like Alice: Madness Returns and Batman: Arkham City.
Download: Windows 7/Vista (32-bit) / Windows 7/Vista (64-bit) / Windows XP (32-bit) / Windows XP (64-bit)
- Game-changing performance boost of up to 45% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, "the fastest selling title in Steam's history"
- Up to 2x performance Mass Effect 3 with SLI technology.
- GeForce-exclusive quality enhancements with ambient occlusion support for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Diablo III, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
- New 3D Vision and SLI profiles for over 50 titles.
- New PhysX software for the best experience in top PhysX titles like Alice: Madness Returns and Batman: Arkham City.
Download: Windows 7/Vista (32-bit) / Windows 7/Vista (64-bit) / Windows XP (32-bit) / Windows XP (64-bit)
UK Govt.'s Idea of "Communications Capabilities Development": Monitoring IP Traffic
The UK government has a bizarre idea of "communications capabilities development": mass-monitoring of IP traffic, and snooping into what British netizens are up to. Despite being defeated during the UK Labour Party rule, there seems to be a revival of the idea of greater monitoring of internet traffic under the Conservative government, under a legislation titled "Communications Capabilities Development Programme".
This legislation proposes that ISPs and other communications providers be required to maintain logs of individual users' communications, all of them, starting from web history, to IM, to in-game text/voice chat, e-mails, Skype calls, even Twitter messages. This monitoring should run for at least an year, so the establishment collects enough data to draw patterns around.
This legislation proposes that ISPs and other communications providers be required to maintain logs of individual users' communications, all of them, starting from web history, to IM, to in-game text/voice chat, e-mails, Skype calls, even Twitter messages. This monitoring should run for at least an year, so the establishment collects enough data to draw patterns around.
"Isn't PC Gaming Dead?" Asks Roccat
It looks like Roccat Studios' marketing department has sought to bring up the topic of the future of PC gaming, something Razer did, before going on to launch a $2,800 gaming laptop. Alienware asked the same question, but in contrast to Razer, went on to launch a much more sensible product that actually seeks to do something about the ailing PC gaming industry (a nice, cheap gaming PC that woos the console crowd). Roccat is known neither for fancy overpriced laptops, or desktops, but is a sizable player in the gaming peripherals industry.
Roccat's latest marketing campaign revolves around the question "Isn't PC gaming dead?", a cleverly worded question that asks why PC gaming isn't dead already, instead of a more inquisitive "Is PC gaming dead?", or an exclamatory "PC gaming isn't dead!". Roccat is seeking answers to this burning question on a specially set-up microsite. Roccat's campaign isn't just market research, but also leading up to something, a product launch, perhaps. The question site goes on to state "soon we'll tell you what we think is the smartest way forward." By 'soon', they mean about 13 days from now. The shoutbox in the microsite is nested in a frame shaped like an iPhone. Could this mean something? A gamepad-dock for iPhone that enhances gaming? Time will tell if Roccat does a Razer or an Alienware.
Roccat's latest marketing campaign revolves around the question "Isn't PC gaming dead?", a cleverly worded question that asks why PC gaming isn't dead already, instead of a more inquisitive "Is PC gaming dead?", or an exclamatory "PC gaming isn't dead!". Roccat is seeking answers to this burning question on a specially set-up microsite. Roccat's campaign isn't just market research, but also leading up to something, a product launch, perhaps. The question site goes on to state "soon we'll tell you what we think is the smartest way forward." By 'soon', they mean about 13 days from now. The shoutbox in the microsite is nested in a frame shaped like an iPhone. Could this mean something? A gamepad-dock for iPhone that enhances gaming? Time will tell if Roccat does a Razer or an Alienware.
Yeston R6870 Game Master Graphics Card Pictured
Chinese company Yeston thinks there's still room for factory-overclocked Radeon HD 6870 graphics cards in the market, it unveiled the R6870 Game Master, designed to have high overclocking headroom. The card uses a custom-design PCB with an 8+1+1 phase VRM to power the GPU. The VRM takes advantage of LFPAK MOSFETs and two NEC TOKIN Proadlizers, which condition power and enhance stability with voltage-assisted overclocking. Out of the box, the card ships with reference clock-speeds of 900 MHz core and 1050 MHz (4.20 GHz effective) memory, leaving it entirely to you to take the clock speeds where you want them to go, instead of being spoon-fed with factory-OC profiles.
Moving on to the cooling, Yeston gave the R6870 Game Master a zesty cooling assembly that spans three expansion slots. It uses a lateral-flow design with a blower pushing air through numerous aluminum channels where heat is dissipated to it. It appears like heat is conveyed to these channels using heat-pipes, and not a hot plate. As a nice cosmetic touch, Yeston gave the card a thick back-plate that is ridged. It helps reduce PCB bending and could assist heat dissipation just a little. Display outputs include two each of DVI and mini-DisplayPort, and one HDMI. Power is drawn from two 6-pin PCIe power connectors. Out now in the Chinese market, the Yeston R6870 Game Master is priced at 1,199 RMB (US $190).
Moving on to the cooling, Yeston gave the R6870 Game Master a zesty cooling assembly that spans three expansion slots. It uses a lateral-flow design with a blower pushing air through numerous aluminum channels where heat is dissipated to it. It appears like heat is conveyed to these channels using heat-pipes, and not a hot plate. As a nice cosmetic touch, Yeston gave the card a thick back-plate that is ridged. It helps reduce PCB bending and could assist heat dissipation just a little. Display outputs include two each of DVI and mini-DisplayPort, and one HDMI. Power is drawn from two 6-pin PCIe power connectors. Out now in the Chinese market, the Yeston R6870 Game Master is priced at 1,199 RMB (US $190).
Century Co., Intros 2-bay SATA HDD/SSD Dock with Cloning Capabilities
Japanese company Century Co., launched the CROS2EU3CP 2-bay SATA HDD/SSD dock. The dock is built in the typical toaster/cartridge form-factor, and holds two drive-bays, that support SATA devices in the 3.5", 2.5", and 1.8" form-factors, using standard SATA data+power interface. The dock connects to a host PC over USB 3.0 and eSATA. A unique feature here is the dock's ability to clone HDDs/SSDs without needing a host PC. Measuring 143 x 70 x 132 mm (WxDxH), the dock weighs 544 g. The dock is PnP compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP; and Mac OS X. Slated for market release on March 2, the Century CROS2EU3CP costs 7,980 JPY (US $100)
Elecom Unveils Wireless Mouse With Up To 3.5 Years Battery Life
Japanese company Elecom unveiled the M-IR03DR wireless optical mouse series, that boasts of battery life up to 3.5 years with typical usage (office). The mouse makes use of low-power electronics to achieve that. The mouse uses an infrared optical sensor for tracking, with resolution settings of 1,600 and 800 dpi. Oriented for right-handed users, the mouse has five buttons, with the two buttons on the side working as back and forward buttons in web-browsers.
The mouse communicates to the host over 2.4 GHz radio band, and is compliant with VCCI CLASS B regulations to provide less interference to other devices operating in this band. Measuring 15 x 18 x 5.0 mm, the mouse weighs 82 g without batteries. It requires two AA-size batteries. It is available in three color options: black (M-IR03DRBK), silver (M-IR03DRSV0), and white (M-IR03DRRD). It is priced at 5,145 JPY (US $64.5).
The mouse communicates to the host over 2.4 GHz radio band, and is compliant with VCCI CLASS B regulations to provide less interference to other devices operating in this band. Measuring 15 x 18 x 5.0 mm, the mouse weighs 82 g without batteries. It requires two AA-size batteries. It is available in three color options: black (M-IR03DRBK), silver (M-IR03DRSV0), and white (M-IR03DRRD). It is priced at 5,145 JPY (US $64.5).
Top NVIDIA GK104 Part Gets GeForce GTX 670 Ti Branding
NVIDIA has reportedly named the top desktop graphics card based on its upcoming 28 nm GK104 GPU GeForce GTX 670 Ti. The GK104 is a spiritual-successor to GF114 (which in-turn, to GF104), and NVIDIA is eager to get this part out fast, so it could consolidate on the performance thru high-end segment, before it's certain that it won't face issues with its foundry partners, so it could go ahead and launch parts based on the GK110. Interestingly, NVIDIA chose to name the highest-performing GK104-based SKU GTX 670 Ti and not GTX 660 Ti, probably indicating that this part will perform competitively with high-end parts out in the market today, including AMD's recently-launched Radeon HD 7000 series.
Speaking of performance, sources told SweClockers that they expect the GeForce GTX 670 Ti to outperform GeForce GTX 580 and Radeon HD 7950. Its specifications doing rounds on the web suggest it has a radically different number-crunching machinery. Industry analyst DigiTimes recently pinned launches of GeForce Kepler family to begin in April, though we're hearing there will be substantial activity surrounding these GPUs in March.
Speaking of performance, sources told SweClockers that they expect the GeForce GTX 670 Ti to outperform GeForce GTX 580 and Radeon HD 7950. Its specifications doing rounds on the web suggest it has a radically different number-crunching machinery. Industry analyst DigiTimes recently pinned launches of GeForce Kepler family to begin in April, though we're hearing there will be substantial activity surrounding these GPUs in March.
NVIDIA GeForce Kepler GK107 Reference Board Sketched
NVIDIA's GeForce Kepler 107 (GK107) will go into making several of its entry-thru-mainstream SKUs, such as N13 GeForce M GPUs for notebooks, and N14 Quadro GPUs for professional graphics cards, but more importantly, it will also go into making the D14 GeForce 600 series discrete PC graphics cards for the retail and OEM markets. A CGI sketch of the reference design board was leaked to the web, which found its way to VR-Zone, which reports that the GK107 will be used in two desktop PC discrete graphics SKUs: D14M2-20, and D14P1-10, based on the GK107-200 (512 MB DDR3) and GK107-300 (GDDR3/GDDR5) variants of the chip, respectively.
The sketched GK107 graphics card appears to be similar to the GF108-based GeForce GT 440 board. The GPU will feature a 128-bit wide DDR3/GDDR3/GDDR5 memory interface. Its cooler design is similar, with a 11-blade axial fan, and a heatsink with spirally-projecting aluminum fins. Apparantly legacy D-Sub support will be dropped for the first DVI-I connector. There will be two dual-link DVI connectors, and a mini-HDMI.
The sketched GK107 graphics card appears to be similar to the GF108-based GeForce GT 440 board. The GPU will feature a 128-bit wide DDR3/GDDR3/GDDR5 memory interface. Its cooler design is similar, with a 11-blade axial fan, and a heatsink with spirally-projecting aluminum fins. Apparantly legacy D-Sub support will be dropped for the first DVI-I connector. There will be two dual-link DVI connectors, and a mini-HDMI.
Mach Xtreme Technology Launches the MX-STARTER PREMIUM Series SATA II SSDs
Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user-friendly designed PC components, today launched improved MX-STARTER PREMIUM Series 2.5" SSD for mainstream users demanding the latest technology at an affordable price point.
The new MX-STARTER PREMIUM Series of SSDs is the latest addition to the Mach Xtreme lineup of solid state drives. This series is offering users robust data protection with enhanced hardware BCH ECC engine, StaticDataRefresh technology support and data shaping for higher data reliability. Replacing OS hard disk drive with MX-STARTER PREMIUM will revolutionize user's computing experience. Games load quicker, computer starts faster, and multiple applications run smoother, all while running cool and silent.
The new MX-STARTER PREMIUM Series of SSDs is the latest addition to the Mach Xtreme lineup of solid state drives. This series is offering users robust data protection with enhanced hardware BCH ECC engine, StaticDataRefresh technology support and data shaping for higher data reliability. Replacing OS hard disk drive with MX-STARTER PREMIUM will revolutionize user's computing experience. Games load quicker, computer starts faster, and multiple applications run smoother, all while running cool and silent.
NVIDIA Showcases Relevance of the GPU to Professionals in India
In an effort to strengthen the delivery of relevant GPU computing solutions to professionals in India, NVIDIA has initiated an intensive channel development and training programme for its reseller partners. The initiative aims to educate more than 500 channel partners including Quadro Preferred Partners, resellers and ISV/IHV VARs. The channel development roadshow will cover 8 cities including not only the metros (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata) but also the key cities of Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Through the roadshow, NVIDIA will seek to increase awareness of the value proposition of NVIDIA's professional graphics solution, the Quadro line of graphics cards. The training programme will not only educate partners about the application of Quadro solutions in a professional environment but also demonstrate how NVIDIA's graphics cards deliver a superior visual computing experience to users. NVIDIA will provide a hands-on demonstration of its revolutionary 3D Vision Pro technology, including professional applications like CAD-CAM.Such training programmes are a quarterly initiative by NVIDIA and the 8 city roadshow will be organized in collaboration with Rashi Peripherals.
Through the roadshow, NVIDIA will seek to increase awareness of the value proposition of NVIDIA's professional graphics solution, the Quadro line of graphics cards. The training programme will not only educate partners about the application of Quadro solutions in a professional environment but also demonstrate how NVIDIA's graphics cards deliver a superior visual computing experience to users. NVIDIA will provide a hands-on demonstration of its revolutionary 3D Vision Pro technology, including professional applications like CAD-CAM.Such training programmes are a quarterly initiative by NVIDIA and the 8 city roadshow will be organized in collaboration with Rashi Peripherals.
Cyclos Semiconductor Announces First Commercial Implementation of Resonant Clock Mesh
Cyclos Semiconductor, the inventor and only supplier of resonant clock mesh technology for commercial IC designs, today announced at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco, CA that AMD has successfully implemented Cyclos' low-power semiconductor intellectual property (IP) in the AMD x86 core destined for inclusion in Opteron server processors and client Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). The adoption of the Cyclos resonant clock mesh IP to reduce power consumption demonstrates the commitment AMD has made to provide its customers with not only class-leading APU performance but also with the lowest possible power consumption.
AMD's 4+ GHz x86-64 core code-named "Piledriver" employs resonant clocking to reduce clock distribution power up to 24% while maintaining the low clock-skew target required by high-performance processors. Fabricated in a 32nm CMOS process, Piledriver represents the first volume production-enabled implementation of resonant clock mesh technology. "We were able to seamlessly integrate the Cyclos IP into our existing clock mesh design process so there was no risk to our development schedule," said Samuel Naffziger, Corporate Fellow at AMD. "Silicon results met our power reduction expectations, we incurred no increase in silicon area, and we were able to use our standard manufacturing process, so the investment and risk in adopting resonant clock mesh technology was well worth it as all of our customers are clamoring for more energy efficient processor designs."
AMD's 4+ GHz x86-64 core code-named "Piledriver" employs resonant clocking to reduce clock distribution power up to 24% while maintaining the low clock-skew target required by high-performance processors. Fabricated in a 32nm CMOS process, Piledriver represents the first volume production-enabled implementation of resonant clock mesh technology. "We were able to seamlessly integrate the Cyclos IP into our existing clock mesh design process so there was no risk to our development schedule," said Samuel Naffziger, Corporate Fellow at AMD. "Silicon results met our power reduction expectations, we incurred no increase in silicon area, and we were able to use our standard manufacturing process, so the investment and risk in adopting resonant clock mesh technology was well worth it as all of our customers are clamoring for more energy efficient processor designs."
Microsoft Increases Windows Vista & 7 Consumer Support to Ten Years
Redmond-based software giant Microsoft Corp. has recently updated its support policy for both Windows Vista and Windows 7 and will be offering extended support to the consumer versions of the two operating systems.
Previously, Microsoft provided 5 years worth of 'mainstream support' for consumers while only businesses got an extra 5 years of extended support. Now, all Windows users will be able to get security updates for 10 years after the operating system's release.
As a result of the policy change, Windows Vista's consumer support was extended to April 11th, 2017. Windows 7 support will end on January 14, 2020.
Previously, Microsoft provided 5 years worth of 'mainstream support' for consumers while only businesses got an extra 5 years of extended support. Now, all Windows users will be able to get security updates for 10 years after the operating system's release.
As a result of the policy change, Windows Vista's consumer support was extended to April 11th, 2017. Windows 7 support will end on January 14, 2020.
Sapphire Launches the EDGE-HD3 AMD-Powered Mini PC
Building on the success of its first Mini PC, hailed as the smallest PC in the world, SAPPHIRE Technology - a world leading manufacturer and supplier of PC graphics cards, mainboards and multimedia solutions has just introduced a new model - the SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD3 based on industry leading APU technology from AMD.
The SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD3 shares the same slim, stylish outline as the earlier models but delivers increased graphical capability and higher core performance as a result of incorporating the latest E450 APU technology from AMD. At less than half a litre in volume, it is slimmer and smaller than most wireless access points - in fact around the size of a paperback book! Its stylish design and simple pedestal mount make it equally at home next to a TV or a business monitor whilst occupying the minimum of desk or shelf space.
The SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD3 shares the same slim, stylish outline as the earlier models but delivers increased graphical capability and higher core performance as a result of incorporating the latest E450 APU technology from AMD. At less than half a litre in volume, it is slimmer and smaller than most wireless access points - in fact around the size of a paperback book! Its stylish design and simple pedestal mount make it equally at home next to a TV or a business monitor whilst occupying the minimum of desk or shelf space.
Monday, February 20th 2012
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Processors
PowerColor's Liquid-Cooled Radeon HD 7970 Goes Up for Pre-Order
Teased by its maker earlier this month, the PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 LCS (Liquid Cooling System) Edition graphics card has found its way onto Overclockers UK's website where it can be found on pre-order priced at £599.99 (~ $951 / ~ 718 Euro).
PowerColor's new, Tahiti-powered card comes equipped with a single-slot EK Nickel Acetal waterblock and features a core clock of 1050 MHz (up from the stock 925 MHz), 2048 Stream Processors, a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM set to 5700 MHz (5500 MHz stock), PCI-Express 3.0, DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.2 support, CrossFireX and Eyefinity capabilities, and four display outputs - one dual-link DVI, one HDMI and two mini DisplayPorts.
The Radeon HD 7970 LCS is backed by a two-year warranty and should start shipping before the end of this month.
PowerColor's new, Tahiti-powered card comes equipped with a single-slot EK Nickel Acetal waterblock and features a core clock of 1050 MHz (up from the stock 925 MHz), 2048 Stream Processors, a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM set to 5700 MHz (5500 MHz stock), PCI-Express 3.0, DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.2 support, CrossFireX and Eyefinity capabilities, and four display outputs - one dual-link DVI, one HDMI and two mini DisplayPorts.
The Radeon HD 7970 LCS is backed by a two-year warranty and should start shipping before the end of this month.
ORIGIN PC Launches the World's First 3D Laptop with Dual Graphics Cards in SLI
Last week ORIGIN PC announced the availability of their new EON17-X desktop replacement laptop, the most powerful laptop for gamers, artists, and professionals. Today ORIGIN PC announces the world's first 3D laptop with dual graphics cards: The EON17-X3D featuring the latest Intel X79 chipset, 2nd generation Intel hexcore processors, and dual overclocked NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M graphics cards in SLI. The EON17-X3D marks the first 3D laptop from ORIGIN PC with a customizable backlit keyboard with three lighting zones and seven color options.
Core i5-3570K Graphics 67% Faster Than Core i5-2500K, 36% Slower Than GeForce GT 240
An Expreview community member ran benchmarks comparing the performance of the Intel HD 4000 graphics embedded into its upcoming 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" Core i5-3570K, comparing it to the integrated graphics of Core i5-2500K, and discrete graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 240. These tests are endorsed by the site. The suite of benchmarks included games that aren't quite known to be very taxing on graphics hardware by today's standards, yet are extremely popular; games such as StarCraft II, Left4Dead 2, DiRT 3, Street Fighter IV. Some of the slightly more graphics-intensive benchmarks included Far Cry 2 and 3DMark Vantage. All benchmarks were run at 1280 x 720 resolution.
The Intel HD 4000 graphics core beats the HD 3000 hands down, with performance leads as high as 122% in a particular test. The chip produces more than playable frame-rates with Left4Dead 2 and Street Fighter IV, both well above 50 FPS, even DiRT 3 and Far Cry 2 run strictly OK, over 30 FPS. StarCraft II is where it produced under 30 FPS, so the chip might get bogged down in intense battles. A mainstream discrete GeForce or Radeon is a must. On average, the graphics core embedded into the Core i5-3570K was found to be 67.25% faster than the one on the Core i5-2500K.
The Intel HD 4000 graphics core beats the HD 3000 hands down, with performance leads as high as 122% in a particular test. The chip produces more than playable frame-rates with Left4Dead 2 and Street Fighter IV, both well above 50 FPS, even DiRT 3 and Far Cry 2 run strictly OK, over 30 FPS. StarCraft II is where it produced under 30 FPS, so the chip might get bogged down in intense battles. A mainstream discrete GeForce or Radeon is a must. On average, the graphics core embedded into the Core i5-3570K was found to be 67.25% faster than the one on the Core i5-2500K.
Sony and Tokyo Tech Make Chip Capable of 6.3 Gb/s Millimeter-Wave Wireless Transfer
Sony Corporation today announced that the National University Corporation, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Sony have jointly developed a radio frequency ("RF") LSI and a baseband ("BB") LSI that enables millimeter-wave wireless data transfer at the world's fastest rate of 6.3 Gb/s. This technological achievement was adopted for presentation at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) to be held in San Francisco from February 19, 2012 as academic paper No. 12.3 wherein details of the technology will be disclosed.
Icy Dock Introduces EZ-FIT Pro Dual-2.5" to 3.5" Dock
Icy Dock is proud to introduce the MB082SP EZ-FIT PRO, the newest product in the incredibly popular SSD/HDD bracket & converter line. The EZ-FIT PRO is a full metal dual 2.5" to 3.5" bracket with a matte black finish, featuring a hassle free installation requiring no tools or screws required to install or change your HDD/SSD. The heavy duty solid metal construction and the simplicity of the drive installation make protecting and swapping your hard drives as easier than ever.
Global Tablet PC Shipments Down 30%
Shipments of tablet PCs is bound to go down by 30% in Q1 2012, according to market research carried out by DigiTimes. The various vendors will ship 14.97 million tablet PCs in the first quarter of 2012, dropping 30.6% on quarter but rising 77.6% on year. This figure can be broken down to 11 million iPad 2 and iPad 3 units, and some 3.97 tablets comprising of various other models than iPads. Shipments of these non-iPad tablets will decrease by 50.8% on quarter and include 1.5 million Kindle Fires and 300,000 Nook Tablets, DigiTimes Research said.
Of all the tablets shipped in Q1 2012, 26.3% will run Android, and 13.3% will be running Texas Intruments' processors, the research said. Taiwan-based ODMs alone will comprise a huge 90.25% of all tablet shipments in Q1, of which Foxconn will account for 83%, followed by Quanta Computer with 9.6%, DigiTimes Research indicated.
Of all the tablets shipped in Q1 2012, 26.3% will run Android, and 13.3% will be running Texas Intruments' processors, the research said. Taiwan-based ODMs alone will comprise a huge 90.25% of all tablet shipments in Q1, of which Foxconn will account for 83%, followed by Quanta Computer with 9.6%, DigiTimes Research indicated.
Scientists Invent First Functional Single-Atom Transistor
A team of scientists at the ARC Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication, at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), unveiled a fully functional single-atom transistor, which they predict will go on to become a critical building block of tomorrow's high-performance computing devices. The new transistor design was described in a paper, published by Nature. The active component of this transistor is a single phosphorous atom patterned between atomic-scale electrodes and control gates.
Single atom transistor designs have been attempted in the past, but those designs have had an error of about 10 nanometres in positioning of the atoms, which is big enough to affect their functionality. Professor Michelle Simmons, group leader of this study, said that this is the first time "anyone has shown control of a single atom in a substrate with this level of precise accuracy," adding that "Several groups have tried this, but if you want to make a practical computer in the long-term you need to be able to put lots of individual atoms in."
A video presentation by the group follows.
Single atom transistor designs have been attempted in the past, but those designs have had an error of about 10 nanometres in positioning of the atoms, which is big enough to affect their functionality. Professor Michelle Simmons, group leader of this study, said that this is the first time "anyone has shown control of a single atom in a substrate with this level of precise accuracy," adding that "Several groups have tried this, but if you want to make a practical computer in the long-term you need to be able to put lots of individual atoms in."
COUGAR Launches the GX V2 Series of 80Plus Gold Gaming PSUs
COUGAR, leading German brand of power supplies and PC accessories, have launched their new high-end series of power supplies specifically targeting demanding gamers, the COUGAR GX V2 series. The 80Plus Gold certified GX V2 series comes as 600 W/700 W/800 W/900 W/1050 W versions and provides up to 93% peak efficiency. This is the highest efficiency standard possible in the industry at the moment.
One major upgrade in this revision is COUGAR's patented VORTEX fan, which in the GX PSUs series comes in a 140 mm series hydro-dynamic bearing, which not only dramatically improves lifetime but also reduces potential noise to a minimum. Also internal electric filtering has been further improved to lower ripple and increase efficiency.
One major upgrade in this revision is COUGAR's patented VORTEX fan, which in the GX PSUs series comes in a 140 mm series hydro-dynamic bearing, which not only dramatically improves lifetime but also reduces potential noise to a minimum. Also internal electric filtering has been further improved to lower ripple and increase efficiency.
Thermaltake Unveils the Toughpower 90 W and 120 W universal AC power adapters
Thermaltake, being the industry pioneer brand with expertise in PC power and thermal solutions, carrying the corporate vision of "building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology, and lifestyle" and continues to drive toward the corporate mission of "delivering the perfect user experience" in all segment of the market, unveil the notebook/laptop power companion - the Toughpower 90 W and 120 W universal AC power adapters addressing at user's concern.
When it comes to any sort of laptop/notebook computers, the power adapters are the most often used accessory beside the main device, especially for people on the move the power adapters wears off easily. With this statement we would think a power adapter could be as important as people may think, oddly enough, people seldom pay any attention to the importance and the safety of the adapters. The Toughpower 90 W and 120 W universal AC power adapters offer the best quality and safety for the users and gamers!
When it comes to any sort of laptop/notebook computers, the power adapters are the most often used accessory beside the main device, especially for people on the move the power adapters wears off easily. With this statement we would think a power adapter could be as important as people may think, oddly enough, people seldom pay any attention to the importance and the safety of the adapters. The Toughpower 90 W and 120 W universal AC power adapters offer the best quality and safety for the users and gamers!
Future of SSDs Not So Solid: Research
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have concluded that solid state drives (SSDs) have a bleak future in the evolution of computing technology. They have discovered that fast flash based storage are facing come pretty glaring technology hurdles during their natural course of evolution, which they don't think it will overcome. To begin with, shrinking (miniaturizing) them, to increase capacity or decrease manufacturing costs, will severely degrade performance beyond a point, 6.5 nm silicon fab process.
The scientists studied 45 different flash chips in various sizes, which showed that scaling of latencies and error-rates are 'tolerable' enough as the technology miniaturizes only till 6.5 nm, or the year 2024, when this fab process will be common, beyond which they question the drives' viability. Beyond this point, the more capacity you squeeze into flash memory chips, the more performance degrade (latency and error-rate scale beyond tolerable scales).
The scientists studied 45 different flash chips in various sizes, which showed that scaling of latencies and error-rates are 'tolerable' enough as the technology miniaturizes only till 6.5 nm, or the year 2024, when this fab process will be common, beyond which they question the drives' viability. Beyond this point, the more capacity you squeeze into flash memory chips, the more performance degrade (latency and error-rate scale beyond tolerable scales).
GammaTech to Highlight Tough, Rugged Notebook and MCA Tablet PC at HIMSS
GammaTech Computer Corp., a major international manufacturer and supplier of innovative notebook and tablet computers, is scheduled to display its rugged computers at the HIMSS12 Annual Conference and Exhibition. The show, to be held at the Venetian Sands Expo Center, will take place in Las Vegas on February 20 - 24. GammaTech Computer Corporation will be exhibiting in Booth #13023.
GammaTech products are tough, rugged, portable and rigorously tested. They stand up to the most demanding situations, whether in the field, in an office, or positioned in an ambulance vehicle. The models to be shown are built to Military 810G Standard for drop, shock, spill, and dust protection. Models offer security features such as Fingerprint Recognition, Smart Card Reader and TPM 1.2 support - and can be configured to meet the user's unique requirements.
GammaTech products are tough, rugged, portable and rigorously tested. They stand up to the most demanding situations, whether in the field, in an office, or positioned in an ambulance vehicle. The models to be shown are built to Military 810G Standard for drop, shock, spill, and dust protection. Models offer security features such as Fingerprint Recognition, Smart Card Reader and TPM 1.2 support - and can be configured to meet the user's unique requirements.
Buffalo Intros Colorful Compact USB Hubs
Buffalo Japan released a set of colorful new USB 2.0 hubs under the BSH4U17 series, to expand the ever more limited number of USB ports notebooks come with. The hub is bar-shaped, and comes with a short USB 2.0 cable to the host. It features nail mount holes so it could be hung up to walls. Measuring 93 x 38.5 x 14 mm (WxDxH), the hub weighs about 40 g. It is available in four color options: piano-black, pearl-white, hot-pink, and indigo, all priced at 1,720 JPY (US $21.5).
AMD Pitcairn Specifications Surface
The launch of AMD's Radeon 7800 series is on course for March, as AMD wants to complete the launches of the entire Radeon 7000 series before NVIDIA even has its first GPU out. Radeon HD 7800 will be designed to occupy key price points in the sub-$300 market segment, where it strikes price-performance sweetspots for gamers. Central to this series is a new 28 nm GPU, codenamed "Pitcairn", from which will be derived three SKUs: the Radeon HD 7870, Radeon HD 7850 2 GB, and Radeon HD 7850 1 GB. The specifications look like this:
Radeon HD 7850
Radeon HD 7850
- 20 Graphics CoreNext Compute Units, 1280 stream processors
- 80 TMUs, 24 ROPs (de-linked from the memory bus, of course)
- 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, 2 GB and 1 GB variants
- Clock speeds of 900 MHz core, 1250 MHz (5.00 GHz effective) memory
Samsung to Spin-Off its LCD Unit
South Korean titan Samsung Electronics has today confirmed the rumors regarding the spin-off of its LCD (liquid crystal display) business. The LCD unit, which posted an operating loss of $668 million for last year, will be 'set free' as of April 1st, and will be renamed Samsung Display Co.
"The spin-off will allow us to make quicker business decisions and respond to our clients' needs more swiftly," said Donggun Park, executive vice president and head of Samsung's LCD unit.
While it's pushing out LCDs, Samsung is still going to make big investments ($5.8 billion this year) in panel technology, focusing on the high-growth OLED segment.
"The spin-off will allow us to make quicker business decisions and respond to our clients' needs more swiftly," said Donggun Park, executive vice president and head of Samsung's LCD unit.
While it's pushing out LCDs, Samsung is still going to make big investments ($5.8 billion this year) in panel technology, focusing on the high-growth OLED segment.
ONDA Readies Value Z77 Micro-ATX Motherboard
Chinese motherboard manufacturer that specializes in high cost-performance motherboard, ONDA, is working on a micro-ATX motherboard based on the Z77 chipset. Its pictures made it to the press. The board mostly sticks to the chipset's feature set, except using an additional PCIe-PCI bridge that gives out two legacy PCI slots. As a Z77-based motherboard, it should support both overclocking and Smart Response SSD caching. The LGA1155 socket, which supports today's Sandy Bridge and tomorrow's Ivy Bridge processors, is powered by a simple 4+1 phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory.
All of the chipset's SATA ports are wired internally, including two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. The board provides four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, two via header, all four are wired to the PCH. Apart from the two legacy PCI slots, we have one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 and one PCIe 2.0 x1. Display outputs include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 6-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of the connectivity.
All of the chipset's SATA ports are wired internally, including two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. The board provides four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, two via header, all four are wired to the PCH. Apart from the two legacy PCI slots, we have one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 and one PCIe 2.0 x1. Display outputs include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 6-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of the connectivity.
Intel 7-Series Desktop Board Executive Motherboards Pictured
Two models from Intel's Desktop Board Executive series of motherboards for office PCs got pictured and detailed by VR-Zone. These socket LGA1155 motherboards are mostly based on Intel 7-series Q77 and B75 chipsets, that provide some manageability, and data security features over the feature-set of H77. Intel has three Executive series models planned, the DQ77MK, the DQ77KB, and DB75EN. Of these, the DQ77MK and DB75EN are built in the micro-ATX form-factor, while the DQ77KB is mini-ITX.
The two micro-ATX parts use a similar PCB layout, with some features differing between the two. The DQ77MK is pictured below, it has all the features a small-business PC will ever need. Expansion slots include one each of PCI-Express x16, PCI-Express x4 (open-ended), PCI-Express x1, and legacy PCI. Storage connectivity includes six SATA (one of which is mSATA, for SSD caching). The PCH gives out four USB 3.0 ports, which are wired two each on the rear-panel and via a header to the front-panel. It uses a simple 5-phase VRM that should be enough to run LGA1155 processors. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel memory. It has a variety of external connectivity.
The two micro-ATX parts use a similar PCB layout, with some features differing between the two. The DQ77MK is pictured below, it has all the features a small-business PC will ever need. Expansion slots include one each of PCI-Express x16, PCI-Express x4 (open-ended), PCI-Express x1, and legacy PCI. Storage connectivity includes six SATA (one of which is mSATA, for SSD caching). The PCH gives out four USB 3.0 ports, which are wired two each on the rear-panel and via a header to the front-panel. It uses a simple 5-phase VRM that should be enough to run LGA1155 processors. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel memory. It has a variety of external connectivity.
Meet Unpredictable Surprise of ECS in CeBIT 2012
Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the world's leading motherboard, graphics card, barebone system, notebook and mobile device manufacturer will be in CeBIT 2012 in Hall 15, Booth No. D29. This time, ECS will not only present a series of innovative designs and exclusive technologies, but also display a cross-generation breakthrough.
HighPoint Launches the RocketCache 3240X8 SSD caching solution
HighPoint Technologies, Inc., the industry's price-leader for SATA and SAS HBA and storage solutions, launches the RocketCache 3240X8; a ground-breaking SSD caching solution that is set to revolutionize high-performance storage for desktop PC's and workstations.
Unlike conventional caching products which were designed for generic, every-day software applications or are tied to a particular SSD or motherboard, RocketCache allows you to create your own high-performance storage solution using off the shelf hard disks and SSDs.
Unlike conventional caching products which were designed for generic, every-day software applications or are tied to a particular SSD or motherboard, RocketCache allows you to create your own high-performance storage solution using off the shelf hard disks and SSDs.
NVIDIA + Gearbox PDXLAN 19 Event A Damp Squib
Early last week, a news post on the website of PDXLAN set the enthusiast community, particular the press, in a tizzy, when it claimed NVIDIA and Gearbox Software would come together at PDXLAN 19 to give attendees "an exclusive treat from one of the year's hottest games that will blow their mind" (sic). The press, as well as enthusiasts all over anticipated this to be an unveiling, or some blind talk of NVIDIA's upcoming Kepler family of GPUs, because NVIDIA is known to unveiling new hardware to small crowds; or at least some exclusive about Gearbox's upcoming projects such as Aliens: Colonial Marines. It turned out to be absolutely neither.
What attendees reported to have seen, instead, was a setup of an NVIDIA Tegra 3 machine running Borderlands 2. There's nothing particularly bad about Tegra 3 running Borderlands, in itself it is an amazing feat for an ARM-architecture machine, but then the hype built around it, coupled with the circumstances, makes this event a damp squib indeed.
What attendees reported to have seen, instead, was a setup of an NVIDIA Tegra 3 machine running Borderlands 2. There's nothing particularly bad about Tegra 3 running Borderlands, in itself it is an amazing feat for an ARM-architecture machine, but then the hype built around it, coupled with the circumstances, makes this event a damp squib indeed.
Sunday, February 19th 2012
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Notebooks
Processors
Sound Cards
KINGMAX Launches 8 GB DDR3 Modules, Makes Affordable Quad-Channel Happen
KINGMAX, a world renowned leading brand of DRAM and flash memory, adds another new product to its Nano Gaming Ram series: 8GB overclocking memory modules in one stick. This is the largest capacity in one stick and the only DDR3 memory modules which doesn't need heatsink for cooling. 8GB DDR3 memory modules with speed faster than 1600MHz also support Intel XMP - Extreme Memory Profiles. Further, 8GB DDR3 memory modules are compatible with Intel X79 platform, enabling quad channel memory setting and allowing memory upgrade up to 32GB. KINGMAX also announces standard desktop 8GB DDR3 modules.
For professionals and enthusiasts who need to work on high quality images or need mass computing, it is most awkward when applications require more memory than real memory can afford. The KINGMAX 8GB DDR3 memory modules with surpassing capacity are designed to solve abovementioned difficulties and to help computer system work much more smoothly and faster. Gamers and overclockers, who like to pursuit ultimate speed, are able to operate quad channel memory setting on the latest Intel X79 platform to boost the system equipped with Intel 2nd Generation Core i7 Extreme performance to the next high level.
For professionals and enthusiasts who need to work on high quality images or need mass computing, it is most awkward when applications require more memory than real memory can afford. The KINGMAX 8GB DDR3 memory modules with surpassing capacity are designed to solve abovementioned difficulties and to help computer system work much more smoothly and faster. Gamers and overclockers, who like to pursuit ultimate speed, are able to operate quad channel memory setting on the latest Intel X79 platform to boost the system equipped with Intel 2nd Generation Core i7 Extreme performance to the next high level.
VLC Media Player Reaches Version 2.0.0
The VideoLAN team has this weekend released the 2.0.0 version (codename Twoflower) of their VLC open source media player. This build includes a heap of updates including reworked Mac and Web interfaces, a new rendering pipeline for video, multi-threaded decoding for H.264, MPEG-4/Xvid and WebM, new filters, support for 10 bits codecs and two new languages (Telugu and Kurmanji), subtitles improvements, (experimental) support for Blu-ray discs, and hundreds of bug fixes.
VLC 2.0.0 is available here for Windows and Mac OS X (or just OS X).
VLC 2.0.0 is available here for Windows and Mac OS X (or just OS X).
Friday, February 17th 2012
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
- MSI E350IA-E45 HWCol (es)
SSD
ASRock Introduces Fantastic Scout Mode in its Top Gaming Sound Card - Game Blaster!
World's top 3 motherboard manufacturer, ASRock Inc., specially partners with Creative Technology Ltd, the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for the personal computer, to introduce the most trusted sound card in mobo industry - Game Blaster!
Gamers need so much more from their rigs. ASRock Game Blaster was designed to exceed the expectations of even the most dedicated gamer. It is the first sound card coming with both Creative 7.1 CH HD Sound Core3D Audio and Broadcom Gigabit LAN in the world.
Gamers need so much more from their rigs. ASRock Game Blaster was designed to exceed the expectations of even the most dedicated gamer. It is the first sound card coming with both Creative 7.1 CH HD Sound Core3D Audio and Broadcom Gigabit LAN in the world.
Samsung Introduces Stylish Branded Memory Cards
Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, announced today that it is now shipping a new line of advanced SD and microSD cards that are ideal for digital imaging and mobile devices. The seven new models of SD and microSD cards are now available as part of either the High Speed Series or the Plus Extreme Speed Series, both of which deliver up to 24 MB/sec read speeds on cards with a capacity of 4 GB or higher.
Roccat Kulo Headset Includes New Donut-Shaped Earpads
Roccat Studios released a new package of its Kulo USB surround gaming headset that packs donut-shaped earpads. Made of soft velvet and cushioning, these replacement earpads make extended gaming sessions with the Kulo more comfortable. Being an on-ear headset instead of around ear, Kulo applies pressure on the pinna, which could be unfomfortable after a few straight hours of gaming. These earpads help spread the pressure more evenly, even if they don't necessarily turn the headset into around ear.
Sharkoon Teases with DarkGlider Gaming Mouse
Sharkoon released the first picture of its upcoming high-end gaming mouse, named DarkGlider. The teaser pic reveals the mouse to be right-hand oriented, and using a laser-based tracking mechanism. The top-left corner of the mouse, next to the left-click button, reveals a small LCD display with a readout "6000", possibly indicating its resolution to be 6,000 dpi. Apart from its three main buttons, the mouse has a 2-axis scroll-wheel, sensitivity adjustments, macro selection, and two side buttons. Sharkoon will announce the DarkGlider at this year's CeBIT event, in March.
Three New, 95 W AMD FX Series Processors Coming Up
Before the end of this quarter AMD is set to introduce a bunch of fresh FX Series chips, including three boasting a 95 W TDP, the FX-4150 quad-core, the FX-6120 hexa-core and the FX-8140 octo-core.
The FX-4150 features a base clock of 3.9 GHz (4.1 GHz Turbo) and 12 MB of cache (4 MB L2 + 8 MB L3) while the FX-6120 has its cores set to 3.5 GHz (4.1 GHz Turbo) and packs 14 MB of cache. As for the FX-8140, it's clocked at 3.2 GHz (4.1 GHz) and has 16 MB of cache. All three models have an AM3+ package and are made using 32 nm process technology. No word on pricing yet.
The FX-4150 features a base clock of 3.9 GHz (4.1 GHz Turbo) and 12 MB of cache (4 MB L2 + 8 MB L3) while the FX-6120 has its cores set to 3.5 GHz (4.1 GHz Turbo) and packs 14 MB of cache. As for the FX-8140, it's clocked at 3.2 GHz (4.1 GHz) and has 16 MB of cache. All three models have an AM3+ package and are made using 32 nm process technology. No word on pricing yet.
2K Games Announces Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Gods & Kings Expansion Pack
2K Games announced today that Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings, the expansion pack for the award-winning Civilization V, is being developed for Windows-based PC. Developed by Firaxis Games, Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings introduces new gameplay content, enhancing the Civilization V experience and providing even more ways for players to achieve world domination. The Gods & Kings expansion pack spans the breadth of human civilization, taking players from founding the first Pantheon of the Gods and spreading religion across the world, to deploying spies in enemy cities to steal information and technology.
"Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword set a precedent in new content and game features in a Civilization expansion pack. 2K Games is continuing that tradition with Gods & Kings," said Sarah Anderson, senior vice president of marketing for 2K. "The Gods & Kings expansion is the quintessential Civilization V addition, making Civilization more addictive than ever before."
"Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword set a precedent in new content and game features in a Civilization expansion pack. 2K Games is continuing that tradition with Gods & Kings," said Sarah Anderson, senior vice president of marketing for 2K. "The Gods & Kings expansion is the quintessential Civilization V addition, making Civilization more addictive than ever before."
Intel "Lynx Point" 8-series Chipset Detailed, Completely SATA 6 Gb/s
Intel "Lynx Point" 8-series chipset, which will form the foundation of 4th Generation Core processors in the LGA1150 package, codenamed "Haswell", was detailed in a leaked company slide. A slightly older report this week focused on Haswell chips having DirectX 11.1 graphics, and a reorganized display output logic that sees digital display outputs being wired to the processor package, while analog display outputs being routed to the chipset. This chipset talks to the processor's embedded graphics controller over a slightly less functional Flexible Display Interface (FDI).
Lynx Point chipset is a platform controller hub (PCH), much like all the Intel client-platform chipsets released since P55. A crude way to define its function would be to call it a "glorified southbridge", which handles all the connectivity of the system, while lacking the main PCI-Express root complex of the system to which graphics cards are ideally connected, as that's relocated to the CPU package. The PCH does have a narrower 8-lane PCIe hub, but to wire out x1 and x4 expansion slots, and onboard controllers. The Lynx Point chipset connects to the processor primarily over DMI, although the slide doesn't detail the DMI bandwidth. Most likely, it's similar to Cougar Point's 4 GB/s. Lynx Point also lacks a supplementary 4 GB/s PCIe link from the processor that's found on X79 chipset.
Lynx Point chipset is a platform controller hub (PCH), much like all the Intel client-platform chipsets released since P55. A crude way to define its function would be to call it a "glorified southbridge", which handles all the connectivity of the system, while lacking the main PCI-Express root complex of the system to which graphics cards are ideally connected, as that's relocated to the CPU package. The PCH does have a narrower 8-lane PCIe hub, but to wire out x1 and x4 expansion slots, and onboard controllers. The Lynx Point chipset connects to the processor primarily over DMI, although the slide doesn't detail the DMI bandwidth. Most likely, it's similar to Cougar Point's 4 GB/s. Lynx Point also lacks a supplementary 4 GB/s PCIe link from the processor that's found on X79 chipset.
Fair Labour Association Calls Apple's Factories "First Class"
Earlier this week, it was reported that Apple was conducting inspections of the manufacturing facilities of its foundry partners via independent agencies, to assess working conditions and well-being of workers. It requested the Fair Labour Association (FLA) to carry out the inspections. In addition to Foxconn, the FLA will inspect facilities of Quanta Computer Inc, Pegatron Corp, Wintek Corp and others. While the final report of its inspections will be released only by late next month, FLA revealed its first impressions of what it saw.
The FLA finds the working conditions in foundry partner Foxconn's facilities "above average". Auret van Heerden, president of the FLA commented on the Foxconn inspection: "The facilities are first-class; the physical conditions are way, way above average of the norm." He continued, "I was very surprised when I walked onto the floor at Foxconn, how tranquil it is compared with a garment factory," he said. "So the problems are not the intensity and burnout and pressure-cooker environment you have in a garment factory. It's more a function of monotony, of boredom, of alienation perhaps."
The FLA finds the working conditions in foundry partner Foxconn's facilities "above average". Auret van Heerden, president of the FLA commented on the Foxconn inspection: "The facilities are first-class; the physical conditions are way, way above average of the norm." He continued, "I was very surprised when I walked onto the floor at Foxconn, how tranquil it is compared with a garment factory," he said. "So the problems are not the intensity and burnout and pressure-cooker environment you have in a garment factory. It's more a function of monotony, of boredom, of alienation perhaps."
Silicon Image Opens New Research & Development Center in Hyderabad, India
Silicon Image (NASDAQ: SIMG), a leading provider of wireless and wired HD connectivity solutions, today announced the opening of its newest research and development (R&D) center in Hyderabad, India. Opened on January 27, 2012, the facility located in Hyderabad's technology hub, focuses on the design and development of semiconductor and IP core technologies for implementation in mobile, wireless and consumer electronics (CE) products from manufacturers across the globe.
"The technology innovation and growth occurring in Hyderabad made the location a natural fit for Silicon Image's expanding R&D portfolio," said Rashid Osmani, vice president of worldwide engineering at Silicon Image, Inc. "The expertise of Silicon Image's worldwide engineering team has been strengthened by the addition of the talented engineers in Hyderabad, who we foresee becoming an integral part of new product development."
"The technology innovation and growth occurring in Hyderabad made the location a natural fit for Silicon Image's expanding R&D portfolio," said Rashid Osmani, vice president of worldwide engineering at Silicon Image, Inc. "The expertise of Silicon Image's worldwide engineering team has been strengthened by the addition of the talented engineers in Hyderabad, who we foresee becoming an integral part of new product development."
Conexant Introduces New High Definition DIFT JPEG/MJPEG Encoder
Conexant Systems Inc., a leading supplier of innovative semiconductor solutions for imaging, audio, embedded modem, and video surveillance applications, today announced the CX93610, a low power DIFT JPEG encoder that includes a 656 camera interface and optional microphone input. A monolithic mixed signal Application-Specific Standard Product (ASSP), the CX93610 is designed for monitoring and surveillance camera applications, including PIR sensor with video, video intercom/door phones, baby monitors and remote home monitoring.
Featuring low cost, low power and high image compression capability, Conexant's CX93610 is ideally suited for wireless camera security solutions requiring visual verification, and can significantly reduce file sizes.
Featuring low cost, low power and high image compression capability, Conexant's CX93610 is ideally suited for wireless camera security solutions requiring visual verification, and can significantly reduce file sizes.
Green House Releases a New Line of SLC NAND-equipped Flash Drives
Japan-based Green House Co. has now introduced a fresh family of flashy storage solutions, the GH-UFI-XSA series industrial-grade flash drives. Backed by a three-year warranty, these new drives measure 47.3 x 17.6 x 8.4 mm, they weight 10 grams, and feature a tough metal body, an USB 2.0 interface, SLC (single-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips, ECC, transfer speeds (read and write) of up to 20 MB/s, and an operating temperature range going from - 40 to + 85 degrees Celsius.
The GH-UFI-XSA flash drives come in 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB capacities.
The GH-UFI-XSA flash drives come in 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB capacities.
Elpida's Exit from DRAM Industry Will Have Huge Consequences
In case Elpida is unable to repay its debts due in April and goes insolvent, marking its exit from the DRAM industry, the consequences for not just the DRAM industry, but also the PC industry as a whole, will be huge, note industry observers. On the 15th, Eplida released a statement on the assumed going concern in the company with regards to its debt situation. The company has been unable to recover from its condition despite injections of capital backed by no less than the Japanese government.
Elpida has to repay nearly 40 billion JPY US ($505.8 million) to the government, and another 80 billion JPY (US $1.02 billion) in short-term bank loans. Frantic negotiates are on between the company and its long list of creditors that include the Japanese government and other banks to seek an interim relief from the default, even as the company searches for a cash-source that would alleviate the situation and make it survive. Elpida's situation is different from that of Qimonda, it's larger, has more technologies in the pipeline, and has recently set up 30 nm-class mass-production and is testing 20 nm-class production. In other words, it has much greater potential as a company that contributes to the industry, if it survives. Its exit will leave the industry imbalanced, and dominated by Korean DRAM makers such as Samsung and Hynix, and American Micron Technology, a step closer to oligarchical price-controls, observers note.
Elpida has to repay nearly 40 billion JPY US ($505.8 million) to the government, and another 80 billion JPY (US $1.02 billion) in short-term bank loans. Frantic negotiates are on between the company and its long list of creditors that include the Japanese government and other banks to seek an interim relief from the default, even as the company searches for a cash-source that would alleviate the situation and make it survive. Elpida's situation is different from that of Qimonda, it's larger, has more technologies in the pipeline, and has recently set up 30 nm-class mass-production and is testing 20 nm-class production. In other words, it has much greater potential as a company that contributes to the industry, if it survives. Its exit will leave the industry imbalanced, and dominated by Korean DRAM makers such as Samsung and Hynix, and American Micron Technology, a step closer to oligarchical price-controls, observers note.
Mouse Computer Intros MDV Advance Series Desktop for Graphics Professionals
Japanese company Mouse Computer introduced the MDV Advance series desktop for graphics professionals. It is characterized by a large 27-inch IPS display with 2560 x 1440 pixels resolution, originally made by Samsung, driven by NVIDIA Quadro graphics. Based on the Sandy Bridge and Sandy Bridge-E platforms, the MDV Advanced is available in two models. The MDV-ASQ8310B-WS-P27LP is driven by Intel Core i7-2700K processor, with 8 GB (2x 4 GB) memory, based on a Z68 chipset motherboard. Graphics is handled by Quadro 600 The storage subsystem consists of a 1 TB hard drive and DVD SuperMulti drive.
The MDV-ASG9300B-WS-P27LP is the more expensive model, driven by Intel Core i7-3930K six-core processor, X79 chipset motherboard, and 16 GB (4x 4 GB) memory. Graphics is driven by Quadro 2000D. The storage subsystem is carried on from the other model. Buyers can opt for better storage at a premium. Both models are driven by Windows 7 Home Premium x64 OS. The pricing of MDV-ASQ8310B-WS-P27LP starts at 169,890 JPY (US $2150), while the MDV-ASG9300B-WS-P27LP starts at 239,820 JPY (US $3032).
The MDV-ASG9300B-WS-P27LP is the more expensive model, driven by Intel Core i7-3930K six-core processor, X79 chipset motherboard, and 16 GB (4x 4 GB) memory. Graphics is driven by Quadro 2000D. The storage subsystem is carried on from the other model. Buyers can opt for better storage at a premium. Both models are driven by Windows 7 Home Premium x64 OS. The pricing of MDV-ASQ8310B-WS-P27LP starts at 169,890 JPY (US $2150), while the MDV-ASG9300B-WS-P27LP starts at 239,820 JPY (US $3032).
Buffalo Announces New, Rugged Portable Hard Drives
Buffalo has this week revealed the latest additions to its MiniStation line of portable drives, the HD-PZU3 Series models which feature USB 3.0 connectivity, 256-bit AES hardware encryption, and a rubber case and internal shock-absorption system offering high impact resistance (the HDDs meet the US military drop-test standards MIL-STD-810F 516.5).
Buffalo's rough and tough drives measure 89 x 18 x 128 mm, they weight 230 grams, have a built-in USB cable, and are backed by a one-year warranty. The HD-PZU3 Series will debut in mid-March with 500 GB (~ $198) and 1 TB (~ $252) HDDs colored in 'Deep Red', 'Indigo Black' and 'Dark Silver'.
Buffalo's rough and tough drives measure 89 x 18 x 128 mm, they weight 230 grams, have a built-in USB cable, and are backed by a one-year warranty. The HD-PZU3 Series will debut in mid-March with 500 GB (~ $198) and 1 TB (~ $252) HDDs colored in 'Deep Red', 'Indigo Black' and 'Dark Silver'.
New ACUBE MViewer MV103 Takes Dual-Link DVI, Gives Triple DVI Outputs
ACUBE launched a nifty little gadget that could come handy with graphics cards that have only a single DVI output connector that's dual-link. The device takes in this dual-link connection, and gives out three single-link DVI connections so you could connect up to three HD monitors. The device supports cumulative resolutions of 3x 1920 x 1080 @50 Hz; 3x 1680 x 1050 @60 Hz; and 2x 2048 x 1200 @ 60 Hz. The device supports input pixel-clock of 330 MHz, and output clocks of 165 MHz. It is powered by an external power brick. Measuring 160 x 130 x 20 mm (WxDxH), the device weighs 430 g. Windows 7, Vista, and XP are supported. It is slated for market release in early October.
J&W Readies Cedar Trail-Powered Mini PC
Motherboard maker J&W Technology is currently preparing the arrival of its 2012 MINIX Mini HD PC, a compact (192 (L) x 60 (W) x 186 (D) mm), multimedia-ready barebone system based around Intel's Cedar Trail platform.
The 2012 MINIX can be equipped with an Atom D2550 (1.86 GHz) or D2700 (2.13 GHz) processor and has two DDR3-1066 SO-DIMM slots (supporting up to 4 GB of RAM), one 2.5-inch drive bay, onboard 5.1 channel audio, dual Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 and five USB 2.0 ports, and both D-Sub and HDMI outputs. No word yet on pricing or availability.
The 2012 MINIX can be equipped with an Atom D2550 (1.86 GHz) or D2700 (2.13 GHz) processor and has two DDR3-1066 SO-DIMM slots (supporting up to 4 GB of RAM), one 2.5-inch drive bay, onboard 5.1 channel audio, dual Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 and five USB 2.0 ports, and both D-Sub and HDMI outputs. No word yet on pricing or availability.
OS X "Mountain Lion" Drops Support for Several Older Mac Models
Launched yesterday as a developer-preview, Apple's OS X "Mountain Lion" will support fewer Macs than its predecessor, probably because of increases in hardware requirements for smooth operation that older Macs can't quite guarantee. The support list for Mountain Lion looks like this:
- iMac (mid 2007 or later)
- MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, 2008), (13-inch, plastic, Early 2009 or later)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, 2.4/2.2 GHz), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
- Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
- Xserve (Early 2009)
RAIDON Launches the Newly HyBrid Drive for Achieving the Best HDD Performance
During the 2012 CeBIT exhibition, RAIDON will be announcing the latest HyBrid Drive, Runner series, which is utilizing SSD as an accessing cache to efficiently accelerate HDDs performance.
Combining the advantages of both HDD (capacity) and SSD (speed), the latest innovation of Runner series uses the cache of SSD to improve HDD and access performances. Runner series may accelerate each inserted HDD and operate in various O.S. without a specific hardware environment or software installation/configuration. In addition, RAIDON Runner series are only required one SSD to accelerate multiple HDDs, which means HDD could be replaced for delivering an optimal performance.
Combining the advantages of both HDD (capacity) and SSD (speed), the latest innovation of Runner series uses the cache of SSD to improve HDD and access performances. Runner series may accelerate each inserted HDD and operate in various O.S. without a specific hardware environment or software installation/configuration. In addition, RAIDON Runner series are only required one SSD to accelerate multiple HDDs, which means HDD could be replaced for delivering an optimal performance.
Tranquil PC Skinny Ripper Pictured
Skinny Ripper, from the house of British ultra-quiet PC maker Tranquil, is designed to be a music archiving server. In its ultra-slim form-factor, the server is configured to be able to work head-less. It features a slot-in optical drive, and a 1 TB internal hard drive (expandable), and runs an embedded version of Fedora Linux. Insert a CD, and it will automatically fetch tag info from the internet, and rip the music to a format of your choice. It can then also stream the music using the Subsonic streamer application. For a nearly single-function device, the Tranquil Skinny Ripper costs £665.83 ($1,051), more of a jewel for your living-room.
MSI Launches All-out Assault With marketing campaigns in Middle East, Africa
On the heels of its successes at Gitex 2011 late last year, MSI Notebook is leveling its sights on the Middle Eastern and African markets this year, initiating marketing campaigns in a determined effort to advance its brand name. In addition to starting its annual large-scale international "Beat it" video gaming competition in the second quarter, the company will be further developing distribution channels throughout the region, setting up specialty shops to enhance its image and launching an integrated advertising campaign, so that MSI's combat-grade GT780 and GT783 gaming notebooks will receive the welcome they so richly deserve.
Focused on developing the high-end gaming notebook computer market, MSI Notebook is rolling out the newest members of its G Series, the ultimate in gaming NBs that leaves the rest of the industry scrambling to play catch up. MSI's objective is to bring these machines, characterized by the market's top performance-to-price ratio, into the hands of the world's top players-Top player, top choice.
Focused on developing the high-end gaming notebook computer market, MSI Notebook is rolling out the newest members of its G Series, the ultimate in gaming NBs that leaves the rest of the industry scrambling to play catch up. MSI's objective is to bring these machines, characterized by the market's top performance-to-price ratio, into the hands of the world's top players-Top player, top choice.
Screenshots of Mozilla's Boot-to-Gecko Operating System Surface
Here are the first screenshots of Mozilla's first operating system (OS). It's not a PC OS, but a significant feat for an organization as collaborated as Mozilla. News of Mozilla working on its own OS first surfaced in July 2011, it was then interpreted as a "boot-to-web" OS along the lines of Google's Chrome OS. It now appears Boot-to-Gecko's primary focus is on the portable computing market, primarily tablets and smartphones, as a possible 100% royalty-free option to manufacturers. In the screenshots, the phone dialer and main menu are pictured. Boot-to-Gecko will be detailed by Mozilla's CTO at the Mobile Web Congress.
AMD Appoints John Byrne as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Accounts
AMD announced today that industry veteran John Byrne has been appointed senior vice president and general manager of Global Accounts. In this newly created position, Byrne will be responsible for ensuring AMD's worldwide sales organization effectively addresses customer needs by exceeding the expectations of AMD's largest multinational partners. He will report to AMD President and Chief Executive Officer Rory Read, in his capacity as acting chief sales officer.
ASRock Releases its First Industrial PC Motherboards
ASRock has asserted that it is now a mature motherboard vendor, by releasing its first industrial PC (IPC) motherboards. IPC products are a more tell-tale sign of maturity than high-end PC or even enterprise ones, as IPC motherboards will be located on production-lines, where the slightest errors could cost the company a lot of production, or even endanger workers. ASRock released three products: the IMB-140, IMB-141, and IMB-142. The latter two share an identical board layout. All three models are driven by Intel Atom D2700.
The IMB-140 is heavy on connectivity, it includes three serial bus ports, dual-GbE interface, D-Sub, HDMI, and LVDS display outputs, two SATA 3 Gb/s storage interfaces, legacy PCI, and a plethora of other legacy connectivity. The IMB-141 and IMB-142 have slightly slimmer connectivity load outs, the two differ only with the latter having two GbE interfaces, while the former has one. The two have more USB interfaces, and one lesser serial bus (COM) port. The two also feature a mini-PCIe apart from a legacy PCI.
The IMB-140 is heavy on connectivity, it includes three serial bus ports, dual-GbE interface, D-Sub, HDMI, and LVDS display outputs, two SATA 3 Gb/s storage interfaces, legacy PCI, and a plethora of other legacy connectivity. The IMB-141 and IMB-142 have slightly slimmer connectivity load outs, the two differ only with the latter having two GbE interfaces, while the former has one. The two have more USB interfaces, and one lesser serial bus (COM) port. The two also feature a mini-PCIe apart from a legacy PCI.
Silicon Power launches Extreme E25 Solid State Disk
Leading memory storage brand, SP/Silicon Power today announces to launch the newest SSD Extreme E25. It fits 2.5" SATA interface with excellent transmission rate of 278 MB/s maximum reading speed. It supports TRIM Command allowing Windows 7 users to power on their computers within tens of seconds.
Aiming on the prosperous SSD market, SP/ Silicon Power will seize SSD market-share territory with its strong ambition. A concrete SSD products line, including the newest E25, E20 of the same series, and V30 matching the highest transmission standard SATA III can satisfy all the requirements of consumers!
Aiming on the prosperous SSD market, SP/ Silicon Power will seize SSD market-share territory with its strong ambition. A concrete SSD products line, including the newest E25, E20 of the same series, and V30 matching the highest transmission standard SATA III can satisfy all the requirements of consumers!
DRAM Makers Cautiously Step Up Production
2011 was a bloodbath for the DRAM industry, as overproduction led to sharp drop in prices across the board, killing profit margins, and creating huge losses for DRAM makers. In Q4 2011, Elpida and Nanya cut back their production to prevent further drops in DRAM prices. As prices are now slowly stabilizing, DRAM makers are considering stepping up production cautiously, till "normalcy" in DRAM prices can be achieved.
DRAM makers cumulatively increased production by 100,000 wafers in Q1 2012, according to sources. These companies are walking a tight rope between ensuring they don't dampen demand, while ensuring they don't face further losses. This month, DRAM contact prices have gone up as PC OEMs placed fresh orders to replenish their memory inventories. The prices have reportedly gone up by 6% so far in this month. Meanwhile, the global supply of DRAM is expected to grow by 30% in 2012.
DRAM makers cumulatively increased production by 100,000 wafers in Q1 2012, according to sources. These companies are walking a tight rope between ensuring they don't dampen demand, while ensuring they don't face further losses. This month, DRAM contact prices have gone up as PC OEMs placed fresh orders to replenish their memory inventories. The prices have reportedly gone up by 6% so far in this month. Meanwhile, the global supply of DRAM is expected to grow by 30% in 2012.
Thursday, February 16th 2012
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Graphics Cards
- HIS HD 7750 iCooler Benchmark Reviews
- AMD HD 7750 eTeknix
- HIS HD 7750 iCooler FunkyKit
- HIS HD 7750 iCooler Guru3D
- HIS HD 7750 HardwareHeaven
- HIS HD 7750 iCooler Hexus
- HIS Radeon 7750 PureOverclock
- ASUS HD 7750 T-Break
- AMD HD 7750 Vortez
- XFX R7770 Black Edition Benchmark Reviews
- Sapphire HD 7770 OC eTeknix
- AMD HD 7770 CrossFire eTeknix
- AMD HD 7770 eTeknix
- MSI HD 7770 OC Guru3D
- AMD HD 7770 Hardware Secrets
- Sapphire HD 7770 OC HardwareHeaven
- XFX HD 7770 Black Edition Super Overclock Double Dissipation LAN OC
- Sapphire HD 7770 Overclock Edition LAN OC
- XFX HD 7770 Black Edition Super Overclock Double Dissipation Motherboards.org
- XFX & Sapphire HD 7770 NeoSeeker
- ASUS HD7770-DC-1GD5 OCaholic
- AMD HD 7770 Overclock3D.net
- XFX & Sapphire HD 7770 Overclockers Club
- Sapphire HD 7770 OC ProClockers
- Sapphire Radeon 7770 OC PureOverclock
- AMD HD 7770 Tech Report
- AMD HD 7770 Technic3D (de)
- AMD HD 7770 Vortez
- AMD HD 7750 and 7770 Guru3D
- AMD HD 7750 and 7770 HardwareCanucks
- AMD HD 7750 and 7770 HotHardware
- AMD HD 7770 and 7750 HT4U (de)
- AMD HD 7770 and 7750 Legit Reviews
- AMD HD 7770 & 7750 NeoSeeker
- AMD HD 7750 and 7770 Rage3D
- AMD HD 7770 & HD 7750 TechSpot
Monitors
Processors
Thortech Thunderbolt Plus 1200 W Review
Thortech's Thunderbolt Plus 1200W is a high-powered 80PLUS Gold certified power supply. One of its unique features is the inclusion of a little 5.25" bay device that displays voltage, power, current and efficiency among others. The unit also has compact dimensions for a 1200W PSU, which means it will fit in all cases.
NVIDIA Kepler Yields Lower Than Expected.
NVIDIA seems to be playing the blame game according to a article over at Xbit. This is what they had to say, "Chief executive officer of NVIDIA Corp. said that besides continuously increasing capital expenditures that the company ran into in the recent months will be accompanied by lower than expected gross margins in the forthcoming quarter. The company blames low yields of the next-generation code-named Kepler graphics chips that are made at TSMC's 28nm node. "Decline [of gross margin] in Q1 is expected to be due to the hard disk drive shortage continuing, as well as a shortage of 28nm wafers. We are ramping our Kepler generation very hard, and we could use more wafers. The gross margin decline is contributed almost entirely to the yields of 28nm being lower than expected. That is, I guess, unsurprising at this point," said Jen-Hsun Huang, chief executive officer of NVIDIA, during a conference call with financial analysts.
NVIDIA's operating expenses have been increasing for about a year now: from $329.6 million in Q1 FY2012 to $367.7 million in Q4 FY2012 and expects OpEx to be around $383 million in the ongoing Q1 FY2013. At the same time, the company expects its gross margins in Q1 FY2013 to decline below 50% for the first time in many quarters to 49.2%. Nvidia has very high expectations for its Kepler generation of graphics processing units (GPUs). The company claims that it had signed contracts to supply mobile versions of GeForce "Kepler" chips with every single PC OEM in the world. In fact, NVIDIA says Kepler is the best graphics processor ever designed by the company. [With Kepler, we] won design wins at virtually every single PC OEM in the world. So, this is probably the best GPU we have ever built and the performance and power efficiency is surely the best that we have ever created," said Mr. Huang.
NVIDIA's operating expenses have been increasing for about a year now: from $329.6 million in Q1 FY2012 to $367.7 million in Q4 FY2012 and expects OpEx to be around $383 million in the ongoing Q1 FY2013. At the same time, the company expects its gross margins in Q1 FY2013 to decline below 50% for the first time in many quarters to 49.2%. Nvidia has very high expectations for its Kepler generation of graphics processing units (GPUs). The company claims that it had signed contracts to supply mobile versions of GeForce "Kepler" chips with every single PC OEM in the world. In fact, NVIDIA says Kepler is the best graphics processor ever designed by the company. [With Kepler, we] won design wins at virtually every single PC OEM in the world. So, this is probably the best GPU we have ever built and the performance and power efficiency is surely the best that we have ever created," said Mr. Huang.
AMD Also Delivers the Catalyst Application Profiles 12.1 CAP 3
An updated pack of Catalyst Application Profiles is now available for download and it includes profiles for the following five games:
- Alan Wake - Improves CrossFire performance
- Syndicate - Improves both single GPU and CrossFire performance
- Darkness 2 - Improves CrossFire performance
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Improves CrossFire performance for the AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series to avoid negative scaling at low resolutions
- Natural Selection 2 - Fixes shadow map flickering issue seen with CrossFire enabled
To get the Catalyst Application Profiles v12.1 CAP 3 see this page.
- Alan Wake - Improves CrossFire performance
- Syndicate - Improves both single GPU and CrossFire performance
- Darkness 2 - Improves CrossFire performance
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Improves CrossFire performance for the AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series to avoid negative scaling at low resolutions
- Natural Selection 2 - Fixes shadow map flickering issue seen with CrossFire enabled
To get the Catalyst Application Profiles v12.1 CAP 3 see this page.
AMD Serves Up the Catalyst 12.2 Pre-Certified Driver
Radeon users who can't/won't wait for a WHQL certification process can now get their hands (not literally) on the Catalyst 12.2 driver featuring support for Radeon HD 2000, HD 3000, HD 4000, HD 5000, HD 6000, and HD 7000 Series cards. Available here for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, this release brings the following goodies:
Windows 7 and Windows Vista support for the AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series and AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series
- Enables support for Windows 7 64-bit/32-bit and Windows Vista 64-bit/32-bit
- Windows XP support will be made available in AMD Catalyst 12.4
Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing is now available for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications
- Supported on the AMD Radeon HD 7900 and 7700 Series
- Users can now enable Super Sample Anti-Aliasing and Adaptive Anti-Aliasing through the AMD Catalyst Control Center for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications
- Applications must support in game Anti-Aliasing for the feature to work (Forced on Anti-Aliasing through the Catalyst Control Center is not supported for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications)
Windows 7 and Windows Vista support for the AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series and AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series
- Enables support for Windows 7 64-bit/32-bit and Windows Vista 64-bit/32-bit
- Windows XP support will be made available in AMD Catalyst 12.4
Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing is now available for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications
- Supported on the AMD Radeon HD 7900 and 7700 Series
- Users can now enable Super Sample Anti-Aliasing and Adaptive Anti-Aliasing through the AMD Catalyst Control Center for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications
- Applications must support in game Anti-Aliasing for the feature to work (Forced on Anti-Aliasing through the Catalyst Control Center is not supported for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications)
Mass Shipments of Ivy Bridge Delayed to June
In what could come as a disappointment to some, Intel has reportedly put off mass-shipments of its third-generation Core processors (codenamed "Ivy Bridge") to June. The company, however, will go ahead with its April launch schedule, and will issue small shipments of these chips. This information comes from sources among notebook manufacturers.
This delay, however, doesn't appear to be linked to Intel's ability to ship the new 22 nm chips. Sources say that most notebooks vendors are having a very hard time digesting inventories of current-generation "Sandy Bridge" Core processors, and so the delay is merely to help them ship the last of their notebooks running current-generation chips, and to minimize the impact of the onset of new chips. Notebook vendors are currently seeing lukewarm demand.
This delay, however, doesn't appear to be linked to Intel's ability to ship the new 22 nm chips. Sources say that most notebooks vendors are having a very hard time digesting inventories of current-generation "Sandy Bridge" Core processors, and so the delay is merely to help them ship the last of their notebooks running current-generation chips, and to minimize the impact of the onset of new chips. Notebook vendors are currently seeing lukewarm demand.
Radeon HD 7800 Series Inbound for March, NVIDIA Kepler in April: Report
AMD's Radeon HD 7800 series performance GPUs that target cost-benefit sweet-spots will be launched in the first half of March. The launch will include Radeon HD 7870 and Radeon HD 7850. The two SKUs are based on a new 28 nm ASIC codenamed "Pitcairn". Little is known about its specifications at this point, from reliable sources at least.
In April, AMD's rival NVIDIA will get its GeForce Kepler family of GPUs, all guns blazing. In April alone, NVIDIA is expected to launch a high-end part, the GeForce GTX 690, a performance part, the GeForce GTX 660, and mainstream part GeForce GTX 640. The three will be based on three new ASICs built on the 28 nm process, the GK110, GK104, and GK106, respectively.
April will be the most interesting month for PC enthusiasts as Intel will launch its third-generation Core processor family, codename "Ivy Bridge". Little is known about AMD's high-end Radeon HD 7990 "New Zealand".
In April, AMD's rival NVIDIA will get its GeForce Kepler family of GPUs, all guns blazing. In April alone, NVIDIA is expected to launch a high-end part, the GeForce GTX 690, a performance part, the GeForce GTX 660, and mainstream part GeForce GTX 640. The three will be based on three new ASICs built on the 28 nm process, the GK110, GK104, and GK106, respectively.
April will be the most interesting month for PC enthusiasts as Intel will launch its third-generation Core processor family, codename "Ivy Bridge". Little is known about AMD's high-end Radeon HD 7990 "New Zealand".
iKey Unveils the SB-101 Ultra-Thin and Rugged Keyboard
iKey, the world leader in rugged computer peripherals, introduces its latest addition to the innovative SkinnyBoard line of keyboards, the SB-101. At less than half an inch in depth, the SB-101's ultra-thin design makes it ideal for use in small spaces, vehicles, forklifts, and rackdrawers.
With a fully-sealed polycarbonate case and rubber keypad, the SB-101 is rated NEMA 4X, making it impervious to water, dirt, and corrosive cleaning products. The SB-101 also features a QuickLock key, allowing users to quickly disable the keys and avoid unwanted keystrokes during the cleaning and disinfection process.
With a fully-sealed polycarbonate case and rubber keypad, the SB-101 is rated NEMA 4X, making it impervious to water, dirt, and corrosive cleaning products. The SB-101 also features a QuickLock key, allowing users to quickly disable the keys and avoid unwanted keystrokes during the cleaning and disinfection process.
NVIDIA Prepares GeForce GTX 560 SE to Thwart Radeon HD 7770
For an immediate relief from the market-threat looming in the sub-$200 segment with the introduction of AMD's Radeon HD 7770, NVIDIA is planning to carve out a new SKU based on the 40 nm GF114 GPU, the GeForce GTX 560 SE. The new SKU will be positioned below the GeForce GTX 560 (non-Ti), and target price-points well within $200. The new SKU is identical to the OEM-only model GeForce GTX 555. Its specifications follow:
- Based on 40 nm GF114 ASIC
- 288 CUDA cores
- 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs
- 192-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface
- 1 GB standard memory amount (asymmetric memory chip arrangement à la GTX 550 Ti)
- Clock speeds: 776 MHz core; 1553 MHz CUDA cores; 952 MHz (3.828 GHz effective) memory, 92 GB/s memory bandwidth
NZXT Announces the Availability of Switch 810 Hybrid Full Tower Chassis
NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the immediate availability of the Switch 810 hybrid chassis. Meticulously crafted for the hardcore PC enthusiast, Switch 810 introduces unparalleled versatility, cooling capabilities, and an industry-first adjustable hybrid fins.
"Since its debut in January, Switch 810 has received a windfall of overwhelmingly positive feedback and awards from the enthusiast community" said Johnny Hou, Founder of NZXT. "We are confident that Switch 810 will become a mainstay in the DIY realm as the most feature-rich, innovative, and value-packed option on the market."
"Since its debut in January, Switch 810 has received a windfall of overwhelmingly positive feedback and awards from the enthusiast community" said Johnny Hou, Founder of NZXT. "We are confident that Switch 810 will become a mainstay in the DIY realm as the most feature-rich, innovative, and value-packed option on the market."
Far Cry 3 Coming September 4, 2012; New Trailer Packs Incredible Visuals
For all of you PC gamers who didn't play the Uncharted series, and are starved of the visually-intense tropical-island setting that Dead Island miserably failed in, Far Cry 3 promises to be a bomb! Ubisoft released the latest "Stranded" trailer on the 15th, with a fuller trailer slated for later today, that shows incredibly detailed visuals, that are a throw-back to the original Crytek-made Far Cry. The trailer follows a possible protagonist touring a tropical island with his explorer friends, most of it is shown in found-footage style, leading up to one of the explorers' encounter with the game's antagonist. The trailer also gives out the release-date, September 4, 2012.
The trailer video can be watched here.
Caution: The trailer contains strong-language, violence, and dubstep.
Caution: The trailer contains strong-language, violence, and dubstep.
BioWare and Razer Unveil Mass Effect 3 Product Line
Award-winning developer BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. along with Razer, the world leader in high performance gaming hardware, reveal today peripherals and gear created for the highly anticipated Action RPG Mass Effect 3.
Fans of the Mass Effect series can arm themselves for the all-out galactic war with the Razer Mass Effect 3 Edition peripheral line which includes a Razer Imperator gaming mouse, Razer Vespula dual-sided gaming mouse mat, Razer BlackWidow Ultimate gaming keyboard, Razer Onza Tournament Edition Xbox 360 controller, and Razer Chimaera Xbox 360 gaming headset. The cutting-edge peripherals will give fans of the series a competitive advantage in the epic battle to save the galaxy from the ancient alien race known only as the Reapers.
Fans of the Mass Effect series can arm themselves for the all-out galactic war with the Razer Mass Effect 3 Edition peripheral line which includes a Razer Imperator gaming mouse, Razer Vespula dual-sided gaming mouse mat, Razer BlackWidow Ultimate gaming keyboard, Razer Onza Tournament Edition Xbox 360 controller, and Razer Chimaera Xbox 360 gaming headset. The cutting-edge peripherals will give fans of the series a competitive advantage in the epic battle to save the galaxy from the ancient alien race known only as the Reapers.
With "Mountain Lion", Apple Drops the "Mac" in OS X
Earlier today, Apple unveiled a developer preview of its upcoming operating system for Macs, Macbooks, Mac Pro, and Mac Servers, codenamed "Mountain Lion". It could be observed that Apple mentioned the new OS as simply "OS X", without the "Mac" (as in Mac OS X). A quick run through the new developer preview by The Verge, revealed that the change took effect in the software as well, as all about boxes and information pages reflected it. The article also notes that Apple conspiracy theorists may draw a line between today's development and the 2007 decision to rename the company Apple Inc., from Apple Computer, indicating that Apple is prioritizing on its portable computing device product lines a lot more than its core product, the Mac.
Transcend Unveils Largest Ever 64GB 600X CompactFlash Card
Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today announced the expansion of its flash card product line with the introduction of high-capacity 600X CompactFlash cards with capacities now ranging up to 64GB. The new 64GB 600X CF card also features ultra-fast transfer rates of up to 90MB/s and supports the VPG-20 specification, ensuring professional photographers and enthusiasts benefit from the full high-resolution recording capabilities of today's modern digital equipment.
Capturing fast-action images in enhanced detail, often during high-speed consecutive shooting or extended Full HD video recording sessions, requires a massive amount of storage space. Transcend's 600X CF cards target users who demand vast capacity, superior speed, and long-term reliability without the inconvenience of switching cards. The 64GB 600X CF card can capture more than 13,000 still images (with a 10 megapixel camera) and record over three hours of Full HD video (1920x1080 at 38.6Mbps), allowing users to take full advantage of their high-end digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR) and HD video camcorders.
Capturing fast-action images in enhanced detail, often during high-speed consecutive shooting or extended Full HD video recording sessions, requires a massive amount of storage space. Transcend's 600X CF cards target users who demand vast capacity, superior speed, and long-term reliability without the inconvenience of switching cards. The 64GB 600X CF card can capture more than 13,000 still images (with a 10 megapixel camera) and record over three hours of Full HD video (1920x1080 at 38.6Mbps), allowing users to take full advantage of their high-end digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR) and HD video camcorders.
Sanwa Supply Starts Marketing Scene Fit Laser Mice
Japanese computer peripherals company Sanwa Supply started marketing the Scene Fit (MA-LSSF) Laser mice. These corded USB mice feature an ambidextrous design, measure 52 x 93 x 34 mm (WxDxH), weighing 72 g. These take advantage of laser sensor for more precise tracking, although the resolution isn't mentioned. The mice are available in four color options, MA-LSSFBK (piano-black), MA-LSSFGM (gunmetal), MA-LSSFS (silver), MA-LSSFW (white). The Scene Fit mouse is priced at 2,835 JPY (US $36).
Buffalo Intros New Portable HDDs for Recording TV
Buffalo Japan released two new lines of portable HDDs to the market, that are capable of recording TV (compatible with DTV specifications), without needing a set-top DVR. The drives feature LSI-made native transcoders that record TV programs as they're streamed on to a recording format and quality-setting of your choice, which can later be transferred to the dozen-HDD data reservoir on your PC.
Launched today are the HDX-PNU2/V, a 2.5-inch drive that come with TV-mounting kits that let you mount them on to TVs' VESA mount (through its holes or through a stand that attaches the TV to the wall); and the HDX-LSU2/V, a 3.5-incher that lazes around on a table-top. The HDX-PNU2/V is available in capacities of 500 GB and 1 TB, priced at 13,800 JPY (US $175) street-price and US $149 manufacturer-price, (street-price will be way higher), respectively; while the HDX-LSU2/V is available in 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB models, priced at priced at 13,800 JPY (US $175) street-price, US $149 manufacturer-price, and 22,800 JPY (US $289), respectively. The drives connect to a PC over USB 2.0, and draw power over an AC adapter when connected to a TV.
Launched today are the HDX-PNU2/V, a 2.5-inch drive that come with TV-mounting kits that let you mount them on to TVs' VESA mount (through its holes or through a stand that attaches the TV to the wall); and the HDX-LSU2/V, a 3.5-incher that lazes around on a table-top. The HDX-PNU2/V is available in capacities of 500 GB and 1 TB, priced at 13,800 JPY (US $175) street-price and US $149 manufacturer-price, (street-price will be way higher), respectively; while the HDX-LSU2/V is available in 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB models, priced at priced at 13,800 JPY (US $175) street-price, US $149 manufacturer-price, and 22,800 JPY (US $289), respectively. The drives connect to a PC over USB 2.0, and draw power over an AC adapter when connected to a TV.
Sonomax eers PCS-150 and PCS-250 Earphones Now Available for Preorder
Sonomax Technologies, Inc., is excited to announce that the newest release of eers custom earphones are available for preorder at myeers.com. The innovative new PCS-150 and PCS-250 models are the world's first self-fit custom earbuds and offer amazing proprietary sound signatures and a perfect, comfortable fit.
New features of the eers PCS-150 and PCS-250 custom headphones include:
- A low profile, ergonomically shaped design and ear loop that comfortably cradles the back of the ear, while providing a channel for the wire from the sound source, as well as assisting the user in proper insertion and removal.
- The ability to answer phone calls on a Smartphone through the use of the integrated in-line microphone.
- Entirely redesigned consumer packaging, as well as enhanced single button activation for the SonoFit system, which greatly enhances the ease of use.
New features of the eers PCS-150 and PCS-250 custom headphones include:
- A low profile, ergonomically shaped design and ear loop that comfortably cradles the back of the ear, while providing a channel for the wire from the sound source, as well as assisting the user in proper insertion and removal.
- The ability to answer phone calls on a Smartphone through the use of the integrated in-line microphone.
- Entirely redesigned consumer packaging, as well as enhanced single button activation for the SonoFit system, which greatly enhances the ease of use.
Sanko Reduces USB 3.0 to HDMI Adapter to a Dongle
Japanese company Sanko designed a new USB 3.0 display adapter with HDMI output to the size of a dongle measuring 48 x 87 x 11 mm (WxDxH), which is extensible by a bundled 90 cm USB 3.0 cable. Further, the adapter is compatible with HDMI to DVI-I single-link dongles. The USB3TOHD adapter supports resolutions such as 1920 x 1200, 1920 x 1080, 2048 x 1152, 1600 x 900, 1280 x 720, 1280 x 1024, and others. Resolutions requiring two TMDS links (dual-link), such as 2560 x 1440, 2560 x 1600, are not supported. The manufacturer notes that up to six of these devices can be plugged to a single USB 3.0 hub (over six ports, of course), before users start to experience performance/image-quality losses. Windows XP, Vista and 7 are supported. It is priced at 9,800 JPY (US $124.3).
Logitec Intros External HDD Enclosure with Thermal Monitor
Japanese company Logitec (not to be confused with Logitech), released an ingenious new 3.5-inch external HDD enclosure, the LHD-EG, which features temperature-sensing, and a thermal-controlled fan that keeps the drive and electronics cool, making it fit for on-field (under shade) usage. The fan stays off till the ambient temperature is less than or equal to 45 °C.
Logitec is pairing this enclosure with Seagate's Barracuda 7200.14 SATA 6 Gb/s HDDs, to come up with three capacity options: 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB. The enclosure provides eSATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0) to connect to the host. When connected via eSATA, the USB cable should be plugged in to draw power, or a 12V external power brick has to be used. Measuring 120 x 199 x 35mm (WxDxH), the drives typically weigh 1.1 kg. Disc-cloning and backup software comes bundled. The 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB variants are priced at 13,480 JPY (US $171); 17,980 JPY (US $228); and 29,800 (US $378).
Logitec is pairing this enclosure with Seagate's Barracuda 7200.14 SATA 6 Gb/s HDDs, to come up with three capacity options: 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB. The enclosure provides eSATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0) to connect to the host. When connected via eSATA, the USB cable should be plugged in to draw power, or a 12V external power brick has to be used. Measuring 120 x 199 x 35mm (WxDxH), the drives typically weigh 1.1 kg. Disc-cloning and backup software comes bundled. The 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB variants are priced at 13,480 JPY (US $171); 17,980 JPY (US $228); and 29,800 (US $378).
MAINGEAR Maximizes CPU Heat Transfer With the EPIC T1000 Thermal Cooling Solution
MAINGEAR, an award-winning custom PC builder offering custom desktops, custom notebooks, pc and workstations, is excited to announce their next innovation from MAINGEAR EPIC Labs; the MAINGEAR EPIC T1000 CPU thermal solution for their entire desktop lineup.
The MAINGEAR EPIC T100 is an ultra-high performing phase change metal alloy thermal interface material (TIM) offering the most effective solution to transfer heat from the CPU to the heatsink with high bulk conductivity. The MAINGEAR EPIC T1000 deploys into all the surface micro-asperities on the CPU lid and heat sink in a way that traditional paste solutions simply cannot.
The MAINGEAR EPIC T100 is an ultra-high performing phase change metal alloy thermal interface material (TIM) offering the most effective solution to transfer heat from the CPU to the heatsink with high bulk conductivity. The MAINGEAR EPIC T1000 deploys into all the surface micro-asperities on the CPU lid and heat sink in a way that traditional paste solutions simply cannot.
Cisco Has Objections to Microsoft's Skype Takeover
Cisco expressed concerns with the EU over Microsoft's takeover of Skype. In 2011, Microsoft clinched a deal which saw it takeover Skype for a staggering US $8.5 billion. Perhaps we're now getting to see just how valuable the acquisition was, as Microsoft is now sitting on some key telecommunication over IP intellectual property that has Cisco concerned that Microsoft could restrict video-conferencing technologies to other companies and impede competition. Interestingly, the European Commission gave a go-ahead to Microsoft during its acquisition, judging that the takeover wouldn't impede competition.
In a blog post by video conferencing head Martin De Beer, Cisco stated that it "does not oppose the merger, but believes the European Commission should have placed conditions that would ensure greater standards-based interoperability." Cisco called for making Microsoft's freshly-acquired IP "open-standards", stating that otherwise, Microsoft could control "the future of video communications". "Making a video-to-video call should be as easy as dialling a phone number," De Beer argued. It's "intellectual-property" when convenient, "open-standard" when not, in the funny world of tech-patents.
In a blog post by video conferencing head Martin De Beer, Cisco stated that it "does not oppose the merger, but believes the European Commission should have placed conditions that would ensure greater standards-based interoperability." Cisco called for making Microsoft's freshly-acquired IP "open-standards", stating that otherwise, Microsoft could control "the future of video communications". "Making a video-to-video call should be as easy as dialling a phone number," De Beer argued. It's "intellectual-property" when convenient, "open-standard" when not, in the funny world of tech-patents.
Acer Reveals the S271HL 27-Inch LED Monitor
The Acer S271HL S1 series monitor, is an energy efficient and earth friendly LED Monitor, equipped with cutting-edge technologies such as striking contrast ratio (100M: 1), blazing response time (2 ms), HDMI and DVI ports with HDCP support.
Whether for work or for fun, the Acer S271HL helps to enhance productivity thanks to the 27" large screen making it easy to view multiple applications in parallel. The ultra-slim 24 mm profile characterized with rounded glossy porcelain-like foot stand is the perfect solution for the style conscious and space-saving home users.
Whether for work or for fun, the Acer S271HL helps to enhance productivity thanks to the 27" large screen making it easy to view multiple applications in parallel. The ultra-slim 24 mm profile characterized with rounded glossy porcelain-like foot stand is the perfect solution for the style conscious and space-saving home users.
Next-Gen. Xbox Codenamed "Durango" by Microsoft
Microsoft's next-generation Xbox game console, which has been unofficially referred to as "Xbox 720", has been reportedly given a codename by Microsoft so industry partners could use it, instead. It is now codenamed "Durango". The working-name "Xbox 720" has been received negatively by some quarters, that felt it implied 720p (1280 x 720) display resolution, which is not a big departure from the present-generation. 1080p (1920 x 1080) is expected of this console, as it's also reported to feature Blu-ray disc support. Durango will focus on improving human-interface, by creating a combination of Kinect and a newer gamepad with a touchscreen.
SGI ICE Supercomputer Speeds to Benchmark Record
SGI (NASDAQ: SGI), the trusted leader in technical computing, announced today that its SGI ICE 8400 high performance compute (HPC) system with AMD Opteron 6200 processors achieved the top performance number for 64-, 32-, 16-, 8-, and 4-socket configurations for the SPECMPIL2007 benchmark. The SPECMPIL benchmark is SPEC's "benchmark suite for evaluating MPI-parallel, floating point, compute intensive performance across a wide range of cluster and SMP hardware," according to the SPEC website.
The SGI ICE 8400 platform with AMD processors is a completely open platform optimized for HPC workloads and runs an off-the-shelf Linux operating system for application compatibility. Although the ICE platform is able to comfortably support multi-petaflop sized installations, design considerations allow cost effective solutions down to a half rack. Single- or dual-plane integrated InfiniBand can be cabled into four different topologies, including hypercube, enhanced hypercube, all to all, and fat-tree, allowing flexible network customization for a variety of workloads.
The SGI ICE 8400 platform with AMD processors is a completely open platform optimized for HPC workloads and runs an off-the-shelf Linux operating system for application compatibility. Although the ICE platform is able to comfortably support multi-petaflop sized installations, design considerations allow cost effective solutions down to a half rack. Single- or dual-plane integrated InfiniBand can be cabled into four different topologies, including hypercube, enhanced hypercube, all to all, and fat-tree, allowing flexible network customization for a variety of workloads.
Apple Releases OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview with Over 100 New Features
Apple today released a developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion, the ninth major release of the world's most advanced operating system, which brings popular apps and features from iPad to the Mac and accelerates the pace of OS X innovation. Mountain Lion introduces Messages, Notes, Reminders and Game Center to the Mac, as well as Notification Center, Share Sheets, Twitter integration and AirPlay Mirroring.
Mountain Lion is the first OS X release built with iCloud in mind for easy setup and integration with apps. The developer preview of Mountain Lion also introduces Gatekeeper, a revolutionary security feature that helps keep you safe from malicious software by giving you complete control over what apps are installed on your Mac. The preview release of Mountain Lion is available to Mac Developer Program members starting today. Mac users will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store in late summer 2012.
Mountain Lion is the first OS X release built with iCloud in mind for easy setup and integration with apps. The developer preview of Mountain Lion also introduces Gatekeeper, a revolutionary security feature that helps keep you safe from malicious software by giving you complete control over what apps are installed on your Mac. The preview release of Mountain Lion is available to Mac Developer Program members starting today. Mac users will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store in late summer 2012.
Opera acquires Mobile Theory and 4th Screen Advertising
Opera Software announced today that it has acquired Mobile Theory Inc. and 4th Screen Advertising, Ltd., to significantly expand its offering to advertisers and mobile publishers that engage consumers via the mobile web and applications, across all mobile platforms. Opera offers complete advertising solutions for mass-market feature phone and smartphone platforms, including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Java and Symbian.
Additionally, these acquisitions will enable Opera to better monetize the traffic that flows through Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers. With the world's most popular mobile browser, Opera serves more than 160 million monthly active users that generate more than 100 billion page views, and consume more than 16 Petabytes of mobile data services a month, as of December 2011.
Additionally, these acquisitions will enable Opera to better monetize the traffic that flows through Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers. With the world's most popular mobile browser, Opera serves more than 160 million monthly active users that generate more than 100 billion page views, and consume more than 16 Petabytes of mobile data services a month, as of December 2011.
OmniVision Announces New 720p HD Image Sensor for Mobile Devices
OmniVision Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today introduced the OV9724,an ultra-compact, high-performance image sensor offering 720p high-definition (HD) video in an industry-leading miniaturized form factor.
Developed specifically for highly compact designs, the OV9724 CameraChip sensor leverages OmniVision's new 1.4-micron OmniBSI+ pixel to enable camera modules of less than 2.5 mm in height. This unprecedented combination of high performance and small form factor allows HD cameras to be integrated into ultra-slim, narrow-bezel devices, making it an attractive solution for next-generation smartphones, notebooks, tablets, portable gaming systems and other mobile devices.
Developed specifically for highly compact designs, the OV9724 CameraChip sensor leverages OmniVision's new 1.4-micron OmniBSI+ pixel to enable camera modules of less than 2.5 mm in height. This unprecedented combination of high performance and small form factor allows HD cameras to be integrated into ultra-slim, narrow-bezel devices, making it an attractive solution for next-generation smartphones, notebooks, tablets, portable gaming systems and other mobile devices.
New CyberpowerPC Zeus Desktop Systems Makes You a “God” Among Gamers
CyberpowerPC Inc., a manufacturer of custom gaming machines, today announced its Zeus series -- a powerful new line of desktop computers that offer the power of thunder with Intel's new i7-3820 CPU; the speed of AMD's lightning fast FX CPUs; the refined design of NZXT's Switch 810 chassis, and legendary Advanced Hydro Liquid Cooling.
The initial Zeus rollout includes six models. The Zeus Thunder 1000, 2000, 300 and MAX will all feature Intel's latest CPUs, including the new 2nd Gen. Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E quad-core CPU operating at 3.6GHz, a 10MB L3 cache and HyperThreading support. The Zeus Lightning series consists of the 1000 and 200 models with the AMD FX series native 8-core desktop processor, which allows you to immerse yourself in the most advanced 3D games and achieve extreme mega-tasking with ease.
The initial Zeus rollout includes six models. The Zeus Thunder 1000, 2000, 300 and MAX will all feature Intel's latest CPUs, including the new 2nd Gen. Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E quad-core CPU operating at 3.6GHz, a 10MB L3 cache and HyperThreading support. The Zeus Lightning series consists of the 1000 and 200 models with the AMD FX series native 8-core desktop processor, which allows you to immerse yourself in the most advanced 3D games and achieve extreme mega-tasking with ease.
Antec Launches the EarthWatts Platinum PSU Series
Antec, Inc., the global leader in high-performance computer components, announces EarthWatts Platinum, the latest in its series of power supplies. With the addition of EarthWatts Platinum, Antec has effectively upgraded the EarthWatts family of energy-conscious power supplies to the highest standard of efficiency.
With 450 W, 550 W and 650 W models in its desktop lineup, EarthWatts Platinum ensures that environmentally-conscious corporations and energy-savvy end users alike can take advantage of the benefits of 80 PLUS PLATINUM efficiency.
With 450 W, 550 W and 650 W models in its desktop lineup, EarthWatts Platinum ensures that environmentally-conscious corporations and energy-savvy end users alike can take advantage of the benefits of 80 PLUS PLATINUM efficiency.
Aerocool Debuts the Vs-3 and Vs-3 Advance Mid-Tower Cases
Aerocool has just added a couple of new PC cases to its PGS-V (V for Value) Series, the Vs-3 and Vs-3 Advance mid-towers featuring a 0.5 mm steel structure, a black coating inside and out, and support for ATX and micro ATX motherboards, and for graphics cards up to 400 mm long.
The cases measure 440 (H) x 180 (W) x 475 (D) mm and have three exposed 5.25-inch bays with tool-free mounting, six 3.5-inch internal bays, seven PCI slots, two pre-drilled holes at the rear for watercooling tubing, and a 120 mm (1200 RPM) fan at the back (the Vs-3 Advance also includes a front 120 mm fan with blue LEDs).
The Vs-3 costs 34.99 Euro and comes with a front I/O panel boasting two USB 2.0 ports (and two audio connectors) while the Vs-3 Advance is priced at 39.99 Euro and has two USB 3.0 front ports.
The cases measure 440 (H) x 180 (W) x 475 (D) mm and have three exposed 5.25-inch bays with tool-free mounting, six 3.5-inch internal bays, seven PCI slots, two pre-drilled holes at the rear for watercooling tubing, and a 120 mm (1200 RPM) fan at the back (the Vs-3 Advance also includes a front 120 mm fan with blue LEDs).
The Vs-3 costs 34.99 Euro and comes with a front I/O panel boasting two USB 2.0 ports (and two audio connectors) while the Vs-3 Advance is priced at 39.99 Euro and has two USB 3.0 front ports.
I-O Data Intros a New Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive Family
For the end of March I-O Data has planned the release of a new external hard drive line, the HDPC-UT Series. The upcoming HDDs measure 75 (W) x 112 (H) x 14 (D) mm, they weight 160 grams, have a USB 3.0 interface, and will be available in three color versions - silver/gray, black/blue and Bordeaux/brown.
The HDPC-UT drives are backed by a one-year warranty and come in 500 GB (~ $146) and 1 TB (~ $199).
The HDPC-UT drives are backed by a one-year warranty and come in 500 GB (~ $146) and 1 TB (~ $199).
HighPoint Launches the affordable, 8-Port SAS 6 Gb/s Host Adapter
HighPoint Technologies, Inc., the industry's price-leader for SATA and SAS HBA and storage solutions, has launched a new, low-cost, SAS 6 Gb/s HBA product line, the Rocket 2700 HBA series.
Rocket 2700 HBA's utilize a PCI-Express 2.0 host interface, and are available with either two internal or external mini-SAS ports. HighPoint's Rocket 2700 Series is set to become the most affordable, professional storage SAS/SATA 6 Gb/s controllers on the marketplace, and are ideal for cost-effective, entry-level SMB applications.
Rocket 2700 HBA's utilize a PCI-Express 2.0 host interface, and are available with either two internal or external mini-SAS ports. HighPoint's Rocket 2700 Series is set to become the most affordable, professional storage SAS/SATA 6 Gb/s controllers on the marketplace, and are ideal for cost-effective, entry-level SMB applications.
Lenovo’s IdeaPad U300e Ultrabook Goes On Sale
Announced last month at CES, the IdeaPad U300e 13.3-inch ultrabook has now become available through Lenovo's online shop. The U300e is just 0.7" thin, it runs Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), and has a one-piece aluminum shell, a breathable keyboard (using Intel's Advanced Cooling Technology), an LED-backlit (1366 x 768) display, a glass touchpad, and BIOS-embedded anti-theft protection.
The model put up for order by Lenovo (269224U) packs a 1.6 GHz Core i5-2467M CPU, Intel HD 3000 graphics, 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB HDD and a 32 GB SSD, a 1.3 MP webcam, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, WiDi support, one USB 3.0 ports, a HDMI output, and a 4-cell battery providing up to 7 hours of operation. This configuration costs $959.20 (thanks to a web promotion and an eCoupon) and is available here.
The model put up for order by Lenovo (269224U) packs a 1.6 GHz Core i5-2467M CPU, Intel HD 3000 graphics, 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB HDD and a 32 GB SSD, a 1.3 MP webcam, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, WiDi support, one USB 3.0 ports, a HDMI output, and a 4-cell battery providing up to 7 hours of operation. This configuration costs $959.20 (thanks to a web promotion and an eCoupon) and is available here.
ViewSonic Reportedly Prepping Windows 8 Tablets
Monitor connoisseur ViewSonic is said to be working on several Windows 8 tablets to complement its already available Android-powered ViewPad line. The Windows 8 devices are supposed to have a 10-inch touchscreen with a 'high resolution' which might mean (or, at least we hope it means) 1920 x 1200 pixels like on the upcoming Asus Transformer Prime TF700T.
Unfortunately there's no confirmation as to the platform (x86 or ARM) used by ViewSonic for the Windows 8 tablets. We'll probably have to wait until Computex for that info.
Unfortunately there's no confirmation as to the platform (x86 or ARM) used by ViewSonic for the Windows 8 tablets. We'll probably have to wait until Computex for that info.
Google Rolls out the Chrome 18.0.1025.33 Beta
Google has now made available a new beta Chrome release, a build known as 18.0.1025.33 which includes an updated V8 JavaScript engine (version 3.8.9.6), an improved omnibox, as well as the fixes for the following issues:
All
- Sync: Conflicting sync entries should not be committed
- Back button frequently hangs
- Speech input bubble borders don't closing
Mac
- Gap between download shelf and vertical scrollbar
Chrome 18.0.1025.33 is available here for Windows, Mac OS and Linux.
All
- Sync: Conflicting sync entries should not be committed
- Back button frequently hangs
- Speech input bubble borders don't closing
Mac
- Gap between download shelf and vertical scrollbar
Chrome 18.0.1025.33 is available here for Windows, Mac OS and Linux.
AOC Unveils 27-inch High Definition LED Monitor with 2 ms Response Time
AOC, the worldwide leader in monitor display technology, announces the e2752Vh, a widescreen 27-inch LED monitor that delivers stunningly crisp and impressive image quality, as well as solid performance with a two millisecond response time. Ideal for multimedia applications, the energy efficient display also features two built-in 2.5 watt speakers for SRS-quality sound and is perfectly suited for PC gaming and Home Theater environments. The e2752Vh will be available for $299.99 in April at national retailers including TigerDirect, Best Buy, Newegg and Amazon, among others.
NVIDIA's 2012 GPU Technology Conference Opens for Registration
NVIDIA today announced that registration is now open for its third GPU Technology Conference (GTC) in the U.S., one of the world's fastest-growing events focused on computational science and visualization.
GTC 2012 - to be held in San Jose, Calif., from May 14-17 - is the flagship in NVIDIA's global series of events focused on how the GPU is transforming science. It is expected to draw the greatest minds in the scientific, engineering, research and developer communities from more than 40 nations.
For more information or to register, visit the GTC website.
GTC 2012 - to be held in San Jose, Calif., from May 14-17 - is the flagship in NVIDIA's global series of events focused on how the GPU is transforming science. It is expected to draw the greatest minds in the scientific, engineering, research and developer communities from more than 40 nations.
For more information or to register, visit the GTC website.
Wednesday, February 15th 2012
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
- AMD HD 6870 Roundup Rage3D
- HIS HD 7750 iCooler 1 GB TechPowerUp
- PowerColor HD 7770 1 GB TechPowerUp
- MSI HD 7770 OC 1 GB TechPowerUp
- HIS HD 7750 & HD 7770 CrossFire TechPowerUp
- ASUS HD 7770 DirectCU 1 GB TechPowerUp
- XFX HD 7770 Black Edition Super Overclock 1 GB TechPowerUp
- AMD HD 7770 GHz Edition 1 GB TechPowerUp
- ARCTIC Accelero TwinTurbo II VGA cooler HardwareOverclock
Headphones
Motherboards
Sound Cards
NVIDIA Reports Financial Results for Annual and Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2012
NVIDIA today reported revenue for fiscal 2012 ended Jan. 29, 2012 of $4.00 billion, up 12.8 percent from $3.54 billion in fiscal 2011. GAAP earnings per share for the year were $0.94 per diluted share, an increase of 118.6 percent over $0.43 in fiscal 2011. Non-GAAP earnings per share for fiscal 2012 were $1.19, up 46.9 percent over $0.81 in fiscal 2011.
Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was $953.2 million, down 10.6 percent from the prior quarter, and up 7.5 percent from $886.4 million in the same period a year earlier.
Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was $953.2 million, down 10.6 percent from the prior quarter, and up 7.5 percent from $886.4 million in the same period a year earlier.
VIA Chooses Tensilica for Solid State Drive (SSD) Chip Design
Tensilica, Inc. today announced that VIA has selected Tensilica's Xtensa dataplane processors (DPUs) for a system-on-chip (SOC) design for solid state drives (SSDs). After conducting a technical evaluation, VIA determined that Tensilica's DPUs provide over four times the performance of competing processors on key algorithms used to benchmark competitive alternatives.
SSDs require faster and more efficient data management and manipulation to increase their throughput (measured in Input/Output Operations per Second, or IOPS). With conventional processors, increasing the clock speed is the common way to increase performance. However, this increases energy consumption and die size, especially as speeds increase so much that designers are forced to move to more complex multi-core solutions.
SSDs require faster and more efficient data management and manipulation to increase their throughput (measured in Input/Output Operations per Second, or IOPS). With conventional processors, increasing the clock speed is the common way to increase performance. However, this increases energy consumption and die size, especially as speeds increase so much that designers are forced to move to more complex multi-core solutions.
CyberpowerPC Intros the Zeus Series Desktops
CyberpowerPC Inc., a manufacturer of custom gaming machines, today announced its Zeus series - a powerful new line of desktop computers that offer the power of thunder with Intel's new i7-3820 CPU; the speed of AMD's lightning fast FX CPUs; the refined design of NZXT's Switch 810 chassis, and legendary Advanced Hydro Liquid Cooling.
The initial Zeus rollout includes six models. The Zeus Thunder 1000, 2000, 300 and MAX will all feature Intel's latest CPUs, including the new 2nd Gen. Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E quad-core CPU operating at 3.6 GHz, a 10 MB L3 cache and HyperThreading support. The Zeus Lightning series consists of the 1000 and 2000 models with the AMD FX series native 8-core desktop processor, which allows you to immerse yourself in the most advanced 3D games and achieve extreme mega-tasking with ease.
The initial Zeus rollout includes six models. The Zeus Thunder 1000, 2000, 300 and MAX will all feature Intel's latest CPUs, including the new 2nd Gen. Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E quad-core CPU operating at 3.6 GHz, a 10 MB L3 cache and HyperThreading support. The Zeus Lightning series consists of the 1000 and 2000 models with the AMD FX series native 8-core desktop processor, which allows you to immerse yourself in the most advanced 3D games and achieve extreme mega-tasking with ease.
Gigabyte Launches AIRE M1 Retractable Mouse
Having trouble finding a mouse that goes with your notebook and can be neatly put into your suitcase after a meeting? GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to present AIRE M1 Retractable Optical Mouse to you. As convenient as a wireless mouse, this smart retractable mouse is ready to go by only a simple pull away. Just lightly pull the cord, it can then be collected instantly and hidden in the mouse. You can travel with this compact mouse and free from tangled-cord problem from now on!
New LaCie 2big Thunderbolt Series Models Available for Purchase
LaCie is excited to announce availability of the 2big Thunderbolt Series. With speeds up to 327MB/s, the Thunderbolt interface delivers speeds three times faster than FireWire 800. For data transfer gurus, that means 1TB of data - that's nearly 235,000 MP3's, 750 iTunes movies, or more than 450,000 photos* - can be transferred in less than an hour! Furthermore, you can daisy chain multiple 2big Thunderbolt devices to increase overall performance.
I-O Data Unveils New 20, 21.5-inch Monitors
I-O Data unveiled the 20-inch LCD-AD202X, and 21.5-inch LCD-MF222E series of desktop monitors (pictured in that order, below). Both screens have 16:9 aspect ration, and feature native resolutions of 1600 x 900 and 1920 x 1080, respectively. Both monitors target mainstream market-segments, and use conventional TN-film panel with LED backlighting. The LCD-MF222E, apart from its full-HD resolution, features 250 cd/m² maximum brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio (5,000,000:1 DCR), and 5 ms response time. This screen takes input from HDMI, DVI, and D-Sub. The screen also packs 2W stereo speakers.
The LCD-AD202X, apart from its 1600 x 900 resolution, packs similar panel specifications, including 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 250 cd/m² maximum brightness, and 5 ms response time. Both monitors are available in two color options, white and black. The LCD-AD202X is priced at 15,800 JPY (US $201), and the LCD-MF222E at 18,800 JPY (US $239).
The LCD-AD202X, apart from its 1600 x 900 resolution, packs similar panel specifications, including 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 250 cd/m² maximum brightness, and 5 ms response time. Both monitors are available in two color options, white and black. The LCD-AD202X is priced at 15,800 JPY (US $201), and the LCD-MF222E at 18,800 JPY (US $239).
MAINGEAR Adds AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series Graphics Options to Its Desktops
MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder of custom desktops, notebooks, and workstations, now offers PC enthusiasts the AMD Radeon HD 7750 and HD 7770 graphics solutions in their award-winning desktop systems.
MAINGEAR will offer the option of choosing AMD Radeon HD 7700 series cards, which is AMD's latest mainstream variant of their 7000 series GPUs, on their desktops. The new AMD Radeon HD 7700 series graphics cards offer the world's most advance graphics with the industry's very first 28 nm GPU design at an affordable price point.
Similar to the AMD Radeon HD 7900 series, the AMD Radeon HD 7770 also offers 1 GB GDDR5 video memory, 1 DVI, 2 mini-display ports, and 1 HDMI output, as well as superior performance with dual card configurations thanks to AMD CrossFire technology. The AMD Radeon HD 7750 sports a single slot design, sips a mere 55W, and supports 1 DVI, 1 HDMI, and 1 DisplayPort output. Both the AMD Radeon HD 7900 and 7700 series graphics supports DirectX 11 and with AMD Eyefinity, and gamers and creative professionals can enjoy support for up to 6 displays for immersive entertainment and enhanced productivity.
MAINGEAR will offer the option of choosing AMD Radeon HD 7700 series cards, which is AMD's latest mainstream variant of their 7000 series GPUs, on their desktops. The new AMD Radeon HD 7700 series graphics cards offer the world's most advance graphics with the industry's very first 28 nm GPU design at an affordable price point.
Similar to the AMD Radeon HD 7900 series, the AMD Radeon HD 7770 also offers 1 GB GDDR5 video memory, 1 DVI, 2 mini-display ports, and 1 HDMI output, as well as superior performance with dual card configurations thanks to AMD CrossFire technology. The AMD Radeon HD 7750 sports a single slot design, sips a mere 55W, and supports 1 DVI, 1 HDMI, and 1 DisplayPort output. Both the AMD Radeon HD 7900 and 7700 series graphics supports DirectX 11 and with AMD Eyefinity, and gamers and creative professionals can enjoy support for up to 6 displays for immersive entertainment and enhanced productivity.
SanDisk Acquires FlashSoft
SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today extended its enterprise solid state disk drive (SSD) solutions portfolio with the acquisition of FlashSoft, a provider of innovative caching software products. SanDisk intends to sell FlashSoft's products as standalone software, as well as offer these software products in combination with SanDisk's growing portfolio of SAS, PCIe and SATA enterprise solutions.
FlashSoft's software is targeted for Windows, Linux and VMWare platforms, and will form the basis of a growing ecosystem of SSD-optimized software solutions from SanDisk and third party partners, enabling the configuration of complete solutions optimized for the specialized needs of enterprise and cloud customers.
FlashSoft's software is targeted for Windows, Linux and VMWare platforms, and will form the basis of a growing ecosystem of SSD-optimized software solutions from SanDisk and third party partners, enabling the configuration of complete solutions optimized for the specialized needs of enterprise and cloud customers.
LanCool Unveils the PC-K56N Mid-tower PC Case
Lian Li today introduced a new LanCool-branded PC chassis, a mid-tower model called PC-K56N which features support for ATX, micro ATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards, and can house graphics cards up to 415 mm long.
Made part of the Dragon Lord Series, the PC-K56N measures 210 (W) x 472 (H) x 505 (D) mm, has a steel structure and includes a front I/O panel with two USB 2.0 ports and two audio connectors, three exposed 5.25-inch bays (with tool-free mounting ), an adjustable HDD/SSD rack supporting three 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch drives, eight (vented) PCI slots, two pre-drilled holes at the rear for routing watercooling tubing, and two fans, one 140 mm spinner in front and an 120 mm model at the back.
The LanCool PC-K56N has a recommended price tag of $99 (VAT not included).
Made part of the Dragon Lord Series, the PC-K56N measures 210 (W) x 472 (H) x 505 (D) mm, has a steel structure and includes a front I/O panel with two USB 2.0 ports and two audio connectors, three exposed 5.25-inch bays (with tool-free mounting ), an adjustable HDD/SSD rack supporting three 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch drives, eight (vented) PCI slots, two pre-drilled holes at the rear for routing watercooling tubing, and two fans, one 140 mm spinner in front and an 120 mm model at the back.
The LanCool PC-K56N has a recommended price tag of $99 (VAT not included).
SanDisk Licensing Diskeeper Caching Software for its SSDs
SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced it has entered into a worldwide, exclusive agreement with Diskeeper Corp. to license its industry leading caching software solutions for solid state disk drives (SSDs).
Under the terms of the agreement, SanDisk will provide these solutions both as standalone software products as well as bundled with SanDisk's SSD products for client computing applications. The resulting hardware/software bundled solution from SanDisk will help its consumer OEM customers build optimized computing devices, such as Ultrabooks and other ultra-thin form factor products, that provide greater responsiveness, higher performance and an overall better user experience to consumers worldwide.
Under the terms of the agreement, SanDisk will provide these solutions both as standalone software products as well as bundled with SanDisk's SSD products for client computing applications. The resulting hardware/software bundled solution from SanDisk will help its consumer OEM customers build optimized computing devices, such as Ultrabooks and other ultra-thin form factor products, that provide greater responsiveness, higher performance and an overall better user experience to consumers worldwide.
Samsung Debuts the Second-Gen Series 9 Ultra-slim Notebooks
Today Samsung Electronics has held a media event in its home country (South Korea) to launch the updated (second generation) Series 9 ultra-thin laptops. Coming in 13.3-inch and 15-inch flavors, these notebooks feature a single-piece aluminum body (just 12.9 mm thick), a SuperBright (400 nits, 1600 x 900) LED-backlit display, a backlit keyboard, and are powered by an Intel Sandy Bridge processor.
Club3D Launches its Radeon HD 7700 Series Lineup
Club3D joined the HD 7700 party by launching its pair graphics cards, the Radeon HD 7770 (CGAX-7772) and Radeon HD 7750 (CGAX-7752). The two cards appear to be contract-manufactured by TUL, the company behind PowerColor and VTX3D, as the card designs bear a striking resemblence to those by the two brands. The HD 7770 of course is based on AMD's reference board and cooler designs, with a red-colored PCB. The HD 7750, on the other hand, features a refreshing single-slot cooler. The HD 7700 packs 640 GCN stream processors, and feactures clock speeds of 1000 MHz core, and 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz GDDR5 effective) memory; while the HD 7750 packs 512 stream processors, with clock speeds of 800 MHz core and 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz GDDR5 effective) memory.
Genius Introduces the Cavimanus Virtual 7.1 Channel Gaming Headset
Genius has now launched its newest gaming peripheral, a headset called Cavimanus (codename HS-G700V) which features (virtual) 7.1 channel surround sound, a vibration function (that should be fun), 40 mm drivers, a large, padded headband, a foldable unidirectional microphone, a built-in volume knob, blue LEDs, and USB connectivity (via a 2.5 meter cable).
The Cavimanus also has a frequency response of 20 Hz ~ 20 KHz, a sensitivity of 95 dB, an impedance of 32 Ohms, and bears a recommended price tag of $79.90.
The Cavimanus also has a frequency response of 20 Hz ~ 20 KHz, a sensitivity of 95 dB, an impedance of 32 Ohms, and bears a recommended price tag of $79.90.
Acer announces 2011 preliminary financial results - Q411 result above breakeven
Acer Inc. announces the 2011 preliminary financial results, with the operating income of NT$0.1B (US$2.4M) in Q4, representing a turnaround from operating loss to profit in the last quarter.
According to Acer's preliminary financial figures, the consolidated revenue for Q4 2011 was NT$127.7B (US$4.2B), up 8.3% quarter-on-quarter (QOQ), operating income was NT$0.1B (US$2.4M), profit after tax (PAT) was NT$0.1B (US$2.5M) and earnings per share (EPS) was NT$0.03. These numbers represent a turnaround to profit for Acer after back-to-back losses in Q2 and Q3 2011.
According to Acer's preliminary financial figures, the consolidated revenue for Q4 2011 was NT$127.7B (US$4.2B), up 8.3% quarter-on-quarter (QOQ), operating income was NT$0.1B (US$2.4M), profit after tax (PAT) was NT$0.1B (US$2.5M) and earnings per share (EPS) was NT$0.03. These numbers represent a turnaround to profit for Acer after back-to-back losses in Q2 and Q3 2011.
Elpida Announces Note on Matters concerning the Assumed Going Concern
Elpida Memory, Inc. (Tokyo: 6665) ("Elpida") hereby announces that it has passed in its board of directors' meeting held today a resolution to add a note as set forth below regarding the matters concerning its assumed going concern in the Consolidated Financial Results for the Third Quarter ended December 31, 2011, and the Quarterly Report. The background that led Elpida to add the note is as set forth below.
Specifically, as of February 2, 2012, the date on which the "Consolidated Financial Results for the Third Quarter ended December 31, 2011" ("Financial Results") were released, Elpida took into account the progress of discussions with the relevant parties mentioned below and decided that there was no material uncertainty regarding its assumed going concern. Therefore, it did not include any note on the matters concerning the assumed going concern.
Specifically, as of February 2, 2012, the date on which the "Consolidated Financial Results for the Third Quarter ended December 31, 2011" ("Financial Results") were released, Elpida took into account the progress of discussions with the relevant parties mentioned below and decided that there was no material uncertainty regarding its assumed going concern. Therefore, it did not include any note on the matters concerning the assumed going concern.
D-Link launches industry's first Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router
D-Link has today announced the launch of its Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router (DHP-1565) designed to offer consumers enhanced coverage, high-speed connectivity and protection against Internet dead spots. .
By combining the functions of a high-speed Wireless N Router and PowerLine technology within a single, versatile device, the Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router enables consumers to enjoy networking speeds of up to 300 Mbps wirelessly and up to 500 Mbps through their existing electrical wiring. No longer is there the need to buy multiple separate network devices or to trail wires throughout the house to resolve coverage dead spots or areas of poor wireless connectivity. This router, with both wireless and PowerLine built-in, allows consumers to easily expand their network to every corner of their home.
By combining the functions of a high-speed Wireless N Router and PowerLine technology within a single, versatile device, the Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router enables consumers to enjoy networking speeds of up to 300 Mbps wirelessly and up to 500 Mbps through their existing electrical wiring. No longer is there the need to buy multiple separate network devices or to trail wires throughout the house to resolve coverage dead spots or areas of poor wireless connectivity. This router, with both wireless and PowerLine built-in, allows consumers to easily expand their network to every corner of their home.
Ivy Bridge Desktop Core i3 Processor Lineup Detailed, Lack PCIe Gen. 3.0
Details of desktop Core i7 and Core i5 "Ivy Bridge" processors in the LGA1155 package have been detailed at lengths, in the past. Core i3 parts based on the same 22 nm Ivy Bridge silicon, however, were relatively known. Tables listing out updated information about the lineup points out that Intel has as many as five Core i3 "Ivy Bridge" desktop processors in the works, all dual-core, and among which two are low-power parts.
The table also suggests that these Core i3 chips will have reduced features, importantly, the lack of PCI-Express 3.0 bus. When connected to these chips, PCI-E 3.0 add-on cards (such as graphics cards) will function in PCI-Express 2.0 mode. Further, these chips will lack support for AES-NI (accelerates encryption), VT-d (enhanced virtualization), and TXT (security). Certain models in the lineup have faster integrated graphics, denoted by a "5" in the end of the model number. These chips also lack Turbo Boost for the x86 cores, but feature HyperThreading.
The table also suggests that these Core i3 chips will have reduced features, importantly, the lack of PCI-Express 3.0 bus. When connected to these chips, PCI-E 3.0 add-on cards (such as graphics cards) will function in PCI-Express 2.0 mode. Further, these chips will lack support for AES-NI (accelerates encryption), VT-d (enhanced virtualization), and TXT (security). Certain models in the lineup have faster integrated graphics, denoted by a "5" in the end of the model number. These chips also lack Turbo Boost for the x86 cores, but feature HyperThreading.
The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 3.5
The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 3.5, the third major release of "the best free office suite ever", which shows to end users the improvements derived from the development strategy adopted since September 2010. LibreOffice 3.5 derives from the combined effort of full time hackers - the largest group of experienced OOo code developers - and volunteer hackers, coordinated by the Engineering Steering Committee.
European Buyers Not Appealed by Ultrabook
Intel went to the market with its first-generation Ultrabook platform hoping that by the end of 2012, Ultrabooks would make up as high as 40% of all notebook sales. Notebook vendors like Acer relayed a slightly more realistic 25-35% figure in mind. Alas, the two will have to rethink their expectations, as notebook vendors are lowering it to 20%, thanks to the reception Ultrabooks got in Europe. The old continent constitutes a large and mature market for notebook sales, but Ultrabooks so far aren't appealing to European buyers.
This statement is backed by the latest sales data. According to this data, European consumers prefer 15-inch (or bigger) conventional notebooks. 15-inch notebooks constitute 40-45% of global notebook sales. There were no 15-inch Ultrabooks. 30-40% of global notebook sales comprise of 14-inch models. There is a 14-inch Ultrabook, HP's Envy 14 Spectre, but it is priced as high as US $1,399. Ultrabooks have so far been launched to test market response and if vendors want to increase sales, they have to lower prices from US$1,000 to US$699, the sources in the notebook industry supply chains point out.
This statement is backed by the latest sales data. According to this data, European consumers prefer 15-inch (or bigger) conventional notebooks. 15-inch notebooks constitute 40-45% of global notebook sales. There were no 15-inch Ultrabooks. 30-40% of global notebook sales comprise of 14-inch models. There is a 14-inch Ultrabook, HP's Envy 14 Spectre, but it is priced as high as US $1,399. Ultrabooks have so far been launched to test market response and if vendors want to increase sales, they have to lower prices from US$1,000 to US$699, the sources in the notebook industry supply chains point out.
Intel’s Next-Generation Communications Platform Key to Accelerated Network Services
Intel Corporation today disclosed several significant features for the company's next-generation communications platform, codenamed "Crystal Forest." Building upon Intel's strong presence in communications infrastructure, the platform will handle data processing across the network more efficiently and securely, while addressing the specialized needs for handling cloud connectivity and content processing.
Each minute of the day, 30 hours of video are uploaded across the network, and by 2015 it is estimated to take 5 years to watch all the video crossing IP networks each second. As these numbers continue to climb, the burden will be on equipment manufacturers and service providers to deliver platform solutions that can cost-effectively manage rapidly increasing traffic without compromising performance and security.
Each minute of the day, 30 hours of video are uploaded across the network, and by 2015 it is estimated to take 5 years to watch all the video crossing IP networks each second. As these numbers continue to climb, the burden will be on equipment manufacturers and service providers to deliver platform solutions that can cost-effectively manage rapidly increasing traffic without compromising performance and security.
AMD Named to Top 20 of Clean Capitalism Ranking
AMD was today named by Corporate Knights to its inaugural list of the S&P 500 Clean Capitalism Ranking, placing among the top twenty companies to be recognized. Corporate Knights, which defines "clean capitalism" as "responsible, resource-productive and socially just", employs a transparent, quantitative methodology to compile its ranking, evaluating factors such as energy and carbon productivity, leadership diversity and employee turnover.
IEEE Announces Public Access to Select IEEE C95 Standards: Magnetic Field Exposure
IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, today announced that the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) has made some of its IEEE C95 safety standards for human exposure to electromagnetic fields available to the public at no cost. The standards can be downloaded through the IEEE Get Program, which allows anyone from around the world to view and download current individual standards at no charge. Complimentary public access to select IEEE C95 standards is made possible by funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, which sponsors their publication on the IEEE Get Program web site.
The family of IEEE C95 standards establishes limits for human exposure to electromagnetic fields; standardizes methods that manufacturers and engineers can use to measure and compute radiofrequency (RF) and other electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields to which people may be exposed; and details a safety program that organizations can use to ensure RF safety in the workplace and other facilities.
The family of IEEE C95 standards establishes limits for human exposure to electromagnetic fields; standardizes methods that manufacturers and engineers can use to measure and compute radiofrequency (RF) and other electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields to which people may be exposed; and details a safety program that organizations can use to ensure RF safety in the workplace and other facilities.
ASUS Launches HD 7770 DirectCu and Non-Reference HD 7750
ASUS launched its Radeon HD 7700 series with two cards, both non-reference design, which take advantage of proven cooler designs ASUS used in previously-launched models. The Radeon HD 7770 card is based on its DirectCU cooler that has been used on a number of upper-mid range graphics cards. Its cooler consists of a heat-pipe fed aluminum fin array, in which the heat-pipes make direct contact with the GPU die. This card bears slightly overclocked speeds, with the core clocked at 1020 MHz (vs. 1000 MHz reference), and 1150 MHz / 4.60 GHz memory (vs. 1125 / 4.50 GHz reference) memory.
The Radeon HD 7750 card from ASUS uses a non-reference PCB and a cooler design which has been implemented on several mid-range graphics cards by the company in the past it is a fan-heatsink with spirally-projecting aluminum fins, with a copper core at the center. The heatsink is ventilated by a large fan, which is known to be very quiet. Like its bigger brother, this card too features slightly overclocked speeds, with the core clocked at 820 MHz (vs. 800 MHz reference), and 1150 MHz / 4.60 GHz memory (vs. 1125 / 4.50 GHz reference) memory. Expect these cards to stick to common prices of US $159 for the HD 7770 and $109 for the HD 7750.
The Radeon HD 7750 card from ASUS uses a non-reference PCB and a cooler design which has been implemented on several mid-range graphics cards by the company in the past it is a fan-heatsink with spirally-projecting aluminum fins, with a copper core at the center. The heatsink is ventilated by a large fan, which is known to be very quiet. Like its bigger brother, this card too features slightly overclocked speeds, with the core clocked at 820 MHz (vs. 800 MHz reference), and 1150 MHz / 4.60 GHz memory (vs. 1125 / 4.50 GHz reference) memory. Expect these cards to stick to common prices of US $159 for the HD 7770 and $109 for the HD 7750.
VTX3D Radeon HD 7700 Series Launched
A leading brand of graphics card maker - VTX3D, today reveals the most alluring product, VTX3D HD7700 series. Based on the latest AMD Cape Verde GPU, VTX3D HD7700 series packed with incredible features and ready to satisfy everyone. With built-in 28nm GPU design and advanced DirectX 11.1 support, your games and apps have never had it this good.
The VTX3D HD7700 family includes HD7770 GHz Edition and HD7750, and both are fitted with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. VTX3D HD7770 GHz Edition and HD7750 are clocked at 1000MHz and 800MHz respectively, also together with 1125Mhz for both memory, delivering the best performance in its class. Moreover, all VTX3D HD7700 products support the latest PCI Express 3.0, delivering double the bandwidth per lane for faster communication between GPU and CPU.
The VTX3D HD7700 family includes HD7770 GHz Edition and HD7750, and both are fitted with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. VTX3D HD7770 GHz Edition and HD7750 are clocked at 1000MHz and 800MHz respectively, also together with 1125Mhz for both memory, delivering the best performance in its class. Moreover, all VTX3D HD7700 products support the latest PCI Express 3.0, delivering double the bandwidth per lane for faster communication between GPU and CPU.
GIGABYTE Unveils its Radeon HD 7700 Series
GIGABYTE kicked off its Radeon HD 7700 series with a trio of graphics cards, the Radeon HD 7770 GV-R777D5-1GD (AMD reference speeds), the Radeon HD 7770 GV-R777OC-1GD (factory overclocked speeds of 1100 MHz core, 4.50 GHz memory), and the Radeon HD 7750 GV-R775OC-1GI (factory overclocked speeds of 880 MHz core, 4.50 GHz memory). The company didn't release a reference-speed Radeon HD 7750. All three cards are based on non-reference board designs by Gigabyte, consisting of Ulra Durable VGA+ PCBs and optimized large-fan (translates to lower RPM, lower noise) fan-heatsinks.
HIS Also Unveils HIS 7750 iCooler 1GB
Hightech Information System (HIS) launched the HIS 7750 iCooler 1GB. The card delivers competitive graphics performances at excellent value, targeting at mid-range users seeking a high performance to price ratio choice among the latest 7K models.
The card offers excellent all-rounded performances for games, movies, photo editing and other daily tasks. The card's another great feature is the low power consumption. The card does not require external power and is a great card for upgrading your system without worries on needing a new PSU.
The card offers excellent all-rounded performances for games, movies, photo editing and other daily tasks. The card's another great feature is the low power consumption. The card does not require external power and is a great card for upgrading your system without worries on needing a new PSU.
HIS Unveils HIS 7770 Fan 1GB GHz Edition
Hightech Information System (HIS) launched the HIS 7770 1GB GHz Edition. The card is targeted at the mass market with competitive graphics performances at good value. The card is the first card in the world tuned at 1GHz clock speed, offering significantly higher speed than the previous generation.
If you are looking for the most advanced performance card that flawlessly runs games and delivers outstanding overall performances for playing movies, photo editing as well as daily tasks, the HIS 7770 1GB GHz Edition is the perfect choice.
If you are looking for the most advanced performance card that flawlessly runs games and delivers outstanding overall performances for playing movies, photo editing as well as daily tasks, the HIS 7770 1GB GHz Edition is the perfect choice.
XFX Launches its Radeon HD 7700 Series
XFX launched a plethora of Radeon HD 7700 series graphics cards, 9 models to be precise. These are essentially based on two designs by the company, a single-fan Ghost Thermal Technology board, and a dual-fan Double Dissipation board, spread across both the HD 7770 and HD 7750 SKUs, and in a variety of factory-overclock bins such as Core Edition (AMD reference speeds), Black Edition (1095 MHz core for the HD 7770, TBD for HD 7750), and SuperOverclock Edition (1120 MHz core for the HD 7770, TBD for the HD 7750).
Other specifications and a video presentation by XFX follow.
Sapphire Launches its Radeon HD 7700 Series Lineup
Sapphire kicked off its Radeon HD 7700 series lineup with a trio of graphics cards, the HD 7700 OC, the Radeon HD 7700 (stock frequencies), and a Radeon HD 7750. All three are based on Sapphire's custom designs. The Radeon HD 7770 cards use a custom-design fan-heatsink with an AMD reference-design PCB that's colored Sapphire's signature shade of blue; while the HD 7750 card uses a fan-heatsink originally designed by Arctic Cooling, which Sapphire used on several mid-range cards in the past. The HD 7770 OC features clock speeds of 1150 MHz core, and 1250 MHz (5.00 GHz effective) memory. The stock-frequency HD 7770 sticks to AMD reference speeds of 1000 MHz core, and 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz effective) memory. The HD 7750 sticks to AMD reference clock speeds of 800 MHz core and 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz effective) memory. Expect most common prices of $159 for the HD 7770 with a small premium for the OC model, and $109 for the HD 7750.
MSI Announces its Radeon HD 7700 Series Products
Today the internationally renowned graphics card and mainboard maker MSI released two new graphics cards. The R7770-2PMD1GD5/OC and R7750-PMD1GD5/OC feature the new Radeon HD 7700 GPU based on AMD's latest 28nm process with support for PCI Express Gen3. Core voltage adjustment is supported by the MSI R7700 graphics card. The R7770-2PMD1GD5/OC GPU core frequency can be overclocked by up to 32.4% using MSI's exclusive Afterburner graphics card overclocking utility to reach an amazing 1.35GHz*! MSI's R7700 series graphics cards also feature a customized dual-fan thermal design that effectively reduces the GPU operating temperature and ensures stable performance. Integrated support for 3D video, high-quality DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4a outputs, along with AMD's exclusive Eyefinity multiple display output technologies make these the perfect choice for enthusiasts.
PowerColor Introduces its Radeon HD 7700 Series
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, today introduces the most advanced graphics design for everyone: the PowerColor HD7700 series. Based on the revolutionary GCN architecture, PowerColor announced HD7770 GHz edition and HD7750 at once to deliver the outstanding DirectX 11 gaming on the system you have today.
The PowerColor HD7770 GHz Edition reaches 1GHz Core and 4.5GBps Memory speed; while the PowerColor HD7750 has 800MHz Core and 4.5Gbps memory clock; both models support with PCI Express 3.0, easily maximizing performance from GPU and simply offers the incredible experience that gamers pursued.
The PowerColor HD7770 GHz Edition reaches 1GHz Core and 4.5GBps Memory speed; while the PowerColor HD7750 has 800MHz Core and 4.5Gbps memory clock; both models support with PCI Express 3.0, easily maximizing performance from GPU and simply offers the incredible experience that gamers pursued.
AMD Launches the Radeon HD 7700 Series
AMD has just launched the new Radeon HD 7700 series, in a bid to cement its competitiveness in the sub-$200 market-segment. The Radeon HD 7700 series, according to AMD, is designed to offer "the world's most advanced graphics for everyone." The series is based around a new ASIC built on the 28 nm fab process, codenamed "Cape Verde". The new chip takes advantage of the Graphics CoreNext architecture, and features 10 GCN compute units, amounting to 640 stream processors; 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs; and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface.
The Radeon HD 7770 has all components on the chip enabled, and features clock speeds of 1000 MHz core, and 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz GDDR5 effective) memory, yielding 72 GB/s memory bandwidth. This card draws power from a 6-pin PCIe power connecor. The Radeon HD 7750, on the other hand, features 512 stream processors, and 32 TMUs. The rest of the specifications are identical to the HD 7770, except core clock speed: 800 MHz. The Radeon HD 7770 is priced at US $159, while the HD 7750 is available as low as $109.
The Radeon HD 7770 has all components on the chip enabled, and features clock speeds of 1000 MHz core, and 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz GDDR5 effective) memory, yielding 72 GB/s memory bandwidth. This card draws power from a 6-pin PCIe power connecor. The Radeon HD 7750, on the other hand, features 512 stream processors, and 32 TMUs. The rest of the specifications are identical to the HD 7770, except core clock speed: 800 MHz. The Radeon HD 7770 is priced at US $159, while the HD 7750 is available as low as $109.
Tuesday, February 14th 2012
Today's Reviews
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Motherboards
Notebooks
PSUs
XFX HD 7770 Black Edition Super Overclock 1 GB Review
The XFX HD 7770 Black Edition Super Overclock is the company's flagship HD 7770. It comes with a massively improved heatsink, dual fan and large overclock out of the box. In our testing we are impressed by the ultra low noise and great performance improvement it delivers.
HIS Radeon HD 7750 iCooler 1 GB Review
Today AMD introduces their new Radeon HD 7700 Series. While the spotlight is on the HD 7770, HIS has sent us their HD 7750, which will come at a more attractive pricing than the HD 7770. In our testing the card can claim the title "most power efficient card ever tested" - 3x more power efficient than NVIDIA's GTX 480.
ASUS Radeon HD 7770 DirectCU 1 GB Review
ASUS is using their well-proven DirectCU thermal solution on the new HD 7770 DirectCU. The card also comes with a large overclock out of the box, yet stays cool and runs at super low noise levels. ASUS has chosen to follow the AMD pricing, so no price increase for cooler and overclocking.
HIS Radeon HD 7750 & HD 7770 CrossFire Review
Today AMD launched their all new Radeon HD 7770 and HD 7750. In our CrossFire review we take both new cards, put them in a dual GPU CrossFire configuration each, and see where they end up on the performance leaderboard. We will also focus on whether two cards can serve as a replacement for a high-end single GPU card.
MSI Radeon HD 7770 OC 1 GB Review
MSI's HD 7770 OC Edition is a custom design HD 7770 with improved dual fan cooler and overclock out of the box. Compared to the reference design, the overclock is small, but the price increase is also reasonable.
PowerColor Radeon HD 7770 1 GB Review
PowerColor's Radeon HD 7770 is a close-to-reference implementation of the AMD HD 7770. It comes at the reference design price, yet offers excellent overclocking capabilities and low power consumption.
AMD Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1 GB Review
Today AMD launches the new Radeon HD 7770 which is the first affordable card based on AMD's new 28 nm GCN Architecture. AMD's reference design HD 7770 offers amazing performance per Watt and a significant performance improvement over the previous generation.
![ROCCAT Kone[+] Laser Gaming Mouse Review](/review/roccat-kone-plus/images/small@1x.png)
ROCCAT Kone[+] Laser Gaming Mouse Review
ROCCAT's latest high performance laser gaming mouse is called the Kone[+]. The [+] indicates that it is a refined version of its critically acclaimed Kone mouse. All of the features found on the original are carried over to the [+] version. The [+] brings a slew of new features and an optimized design to the table. We test the mouse to see how it fares against latest and greatest gaming mice on the market.
Eurocom Offers Complete Line of Quadro based 15.6", 17.3" and 18.4" Notebooks
Eurocom, (www.eurocom.com) a developer of long lifespan, fully upgradable Notebooks, high performance Mobile Workstations and Mobile Servers, is offering a complete line of NVIDIA Quadro GPU powered Mobile Workstations from 15.6" to 18.4" that are specifically designed for Engineers and Designers.
Eurocom offers a complete line of NVIDIA Quadro mobile GPU's from 3000M, 4000M and 5010M within notebooks ranging from a very small and portable 15.6" EUROCOM Racer to 17.3" Eurocom Neptune and Panther to the 18.4" EUROCOM Leopard 2.0. This enables Eurocom customers to choose the perfect Quadro based system for their professional needs, with up to 4 GB GDDR5 video memory, and 384 CUDA cores.
Eurocom offers a complete line of NVIDIA Quadro mobile GPU's from 3000M, 4000M and 5010M within notebooks ranging from a very small and portable 15.6" EUROCOM Racer to 17.3" Eurocom Neptune and Panther to the 18.4" EUROCOM Leopard 2.0. This enables Eurocom customers to choose the perfect Quadro based system for their professional needs, with up to 4 GB GDDR5 video memory, and 384 CUDA cores.
Phanteks Gives Away Free PWM External Adaptor to PH-TC14PE Owners
Phanteks introduces PWM external adaptor for its award winning PH-TC14PE Premier CPU cooler for free! In order to optimize our products with thermal possibilities and capabilities, Phanteks includes a PWM external adaptor for its PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler. The PWM external adaptor will convert the PH-F140 fan into a PWM controlled fan. Now you can achieve silent or maximum performance automatically and give you a piece of mind.
The new PWM external adaptor can be requested free of charge here, for all current Phanteks owners. Only a proof of purchase is required. All new shipment of PH-TC14PE series will be included with PWM adapter.
The new PWM external adaptor can be requested free of charge here, for all current Phanteks owners. Only a proof of purchase is required. All new shipment of PH-TC14PE series will be included with PWM adapter.
SanDisk Launches High-Performance Extreme Solid State Drive
SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced a high-performance solid state drive (SSD) for the retail channel. The SanDisk Extreme SSD is up to 10 times faster than a 7,200 RPM hard disk drive, enabling computer users to quickly boot and shut down their systems, launch applications faster and reduce wait times. The drive is also more durable and power efficient, delivering a reliable computing experience while maximizing battery life.
Extreme Performance
The SanDisk Extreme SSD can boot a PC in less than 16 seconds and quickly shut down the system, delivering a significantly improved user experience to desktop and notebook users. For gamers, the SanDisk Extreme SSD can launch applications in a fraction of the time and reduce in-game delays by generating environments faster during sequence transitions. This is particularly important during massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).
Extreme Performance
The SanDisk Extreme SSD can boot a PC in less than 16 seconds and quickly shut down the system, delivering a significantly improved user experience to desktop and notebook users. For gamers, the SanDisk Extreme SSD can launch applications in a fraction of the time and reduce in-game delays by generating environments faster during sequence transitions. This is particularly important during massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).
SanDisk Announces High-Performance X100 Solid State Drive
SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced the SanDisk X100 solid state drive (SSD) for client computing markets. The SanDisk X100 SSD is available in capacities up to 512 GB and utilizes multi-level cell (MLC) technology, a SATA 6 Gb/s high-performance interface, advanced multi-streaming features and tiered caching technology.
The drive offers up to 500/420 megabyte per second (MB/sec) sequential read/write speeds, and enables a user to copy a 4 GB high-definition movie in less than 10 seconds. In addition to the standard 2.5 inch form factor, the X100 SSD also comes in mSATA and customized thin form factors to address the emerging ultra-thin laptop market. SanDisk offers a wide variety of configuration options, including standalone and dual drive caching solutions.
The drive offers up to 500/420 megabyte per second (MB/sec) sequential read/write speeds, and enables a user to copy a 4 GB high-definition movie in less than 10 seconds. In addition to the standard 2.5 inch form factor, the X100 SSD also comes in mSATA and customized thin form factors to address the emerging ultra-thin laptop market. SanDisk offers a wide variety of configuration options, including standalone and dual drive caching solutions.
Cooler Master Introduces the NotePal X3 Notebook Cooler
Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer today announces an expansion to its top-selling NotePal X Series of laptop coolers, the NotePal X3.
It brings the high cooling potential and futuristic aesthetic of the X-themed form factor that is implemented in every NotePal X Series laptop cooler. NotePal X3 is well-equipped to cool laptops up to gaming and workstation desktop replacements and other high processing power systems.
It brings the high cooling potential and futuristic aesthetic of the X-themed form factor that is implemented in every NotePal X Series laptop cooler. NotePal X3 is well-equipped to cool laptops up to gaming and workstation desktop replacements and other high processing power systems.
Graphics CTO Eric Demers leaves AMD
AnandTech is reporting Eric Demers is leaving AMD. This apparently was backed up with an official statement from AMD. Here is what they both had to say,
I just found out that AMD's Eric Demers (Corporate VP & CTO, Graphics Division) is leaving the company at the end of this week. He's not going to Intel or NVIDIA but I suspect that someone of Eric's talents will remain in the industry. I just had dinner with Eric a couple of weeks ago and he seemed very positive on AMD's roadmap going forward. Given how important the GPU is becoming in this ever expanding industry, someone like Eric is in very high demand.We now have an official statement from AMD:
Eric Demers, AMD Corporate Vice President and CTO, Graphics Business Unit, has decided leave AMD to pursue other opportunities. AMD Chief Technology Officer Mark Papermaster will assume interim responsibility for the Graphics Business Unit CTO role until a replacement is found. AMD remains fully committed to our critical graphics IP development and discrete GPU products. We have a tremendous depth of talent in our organization, a game plan that is resonating with our customers and our team, and we are continuing to bring graphics-performance-leading products to market. We will attract the right technology leader for this role. We thank Eric for his contributions to the business and wish him well in his future endeavors.
HP Introduces World's First 27-inch All-in-One Workstation
HP today unveiled the world's first all-in-one workstation with a 27-inch diagonal display. Designed like no other, the display of the new HP Z1 Workstation snaps open so users can easily swap out parts and make upgrades without any tools required.
The HP Z1 combines a sleek industrial design with accelerated performance featuring Intel Xeon processors, NVIDIA Quadro graphics, support for more than 1 billion colors and HP's world-class reliability.
Built for computer-aided design, digital media and entertainment professionals, the HP Z1 provides blazingly fast rendering and performance. It offers a full range of workstation-class graphics cards and processors, and is thoroughly tested and certified to work with today's leading industry applications.
The HP Z1 combines a sleek industrial design with accelerated performance featuring Intel Xeon processors, NVIDIA Quadro graphics, support for more than 1 billion colors and HP's world-class reliability.
Built for computer-aided design, digital media and entertainment professionals, the HP Z1 provides blazingly fast rendering and performance. It offers a full range of workstation-class graphics cards and processors, and is thoroughly tested and certified to work with today's leading industry applications.
Infinity Ward Lawsuit Going to Trial with EA and CoD Creators
Apparently the war between the original creators of the Call of Duty franchise and Activision is going in front of a jury. The big "he said, the monolithic corporation said" video games kerfuffle of 2010, the fallout from Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vincent Zampella leaving Activision then signing up with Electronic Arts, is indeed going to trial. On Wednesday, a California Superior Court judge denied EA's motion for summary judgement on the complex lawsuit, as well as one from West and Zampella, meaning the big Call of Duty mess will go before a jury next year.
ProView Going For The Kill: Seeks Export Ban on Apple iPad Till Row Resolved
After a significant victory in a long drawn out trademark dispute with Apple over the name "iPad", in which Chinese courts ruled in favor of ProView, followed by Chinese authorities beginning implementing the order by pulling iPad off shelves in stores, ProView is going for the kill, and seeking an export ban on Apple iPad till the Cupertino company reaches a fresh agreement with it over use of the trademark "iPad", and pays the $1.5 billion it sought in damages. Apple manufactures iPad through foundry partners such as Foxconn, which are located in China. An export-ban would kill supply of iPad worldwide, as China is the only country in which it is manufactured.
XFX Radeon HD 7770 Double Dissipation Black Edition Pictured
Here is the first picture of XFX' flagship graphics card based on the AMD Radeon HD 7770 GPU, the XFX Radeon HD 7770 Double Dissipation Black Edition. The picture reveals that XFX is sticking to a slightly-modified version of the AMD reference PCB, its variations don't appear to go beyond a red-colored DVI connector. It's the cooler, where all the action is. XFX used a slightly downscaled version of the "Double Dissipation" cooler it designed its Radeon HD 7900 series graphics cards with.
The cooler appears to use large copper plate that makes contact with each of the aluminum fins that run the entire length of the card. These aluminum fins are then ventilated by two fans that spin at low speeds (low noise), ensuring even ventilation, and better cooling compared to AMD reference cooling solution. A picture of a portion of the product box has text that claims this cooler is up to 13 dBA quieter than the reference design cooler, and up to 7 °C cooler. The "Black Edition" moniker would indicate that this card is factory-overclocked.
The cooler appears to use large copper plate that makes contact with each of the aluminum fins that run the entire length of the card. These aluminum fins are then ventilated by two fans that spin at low speeds (low noise), ensuring even ventilation, and better cooling compared to AMD reference cooling solution. A picture of a portion of the product box has text that claims this cooler is up to 13 dBA quieter than the reference design cooler, and up to 7 °C cooler. The "Black Edition" moniker would indicate that this card is factory-overclocked.
OCZ Launches the Z-Drive R4 CloudServ 16 TB Solid State Storage System
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the Z-Drive R4 CloudServ PCI Express (PCIe) flash storage solution, designed to dramatically accelerate cloud computing applications and significantly reduce operating expenses in the data center. The new Z-Drive R4 CloudServ features monumental data throughput, and raises the bar in performance and capacity.
"The Z-Drive R4 CloudServ PCIe solid state drive delivers game-changing performance and enables clients to process massive data-sets with up to 16 TB of storage capacity on a single, easy-to-deploy card," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "With this new solution, system architects are able to design more efficient and dynamic cloud computing infrastructures while simultaneously reducing system complexity and the high maintenance costs associated with traditional infrastructures."
"The Z-Drive R4 CloudServ PCIe solid state drive delivers game-changing performance and enables clients to process massive data-sets with up to 16 TB of storage capacity on a single, easy-to-deploy card," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "With this new solution, system architects are able to design more efficient and dynamic cloud computing infrastructures while simultaneously reducing system complexity and the high maintenance costs associated with traditional infrastructures."
Windows Flag Logo Gets a Facelift, Not A Flag Anymore
The waving flag logo of Microsoft's Windows trademark has reportedly undergone a facelift to keep up with the radically new user interface called "Metro". The new logo will take effect with the next major version of Windows. Metro is Microsoft's most drastic user interface change since Windows 95, and consists of organizing interactive information (smart application shortcuts, gadgets, images, and slideshows), in rectangular slices of the screen-space. The Windows flag logo is redesigned to reflect this change, it's now flat, angled, with all four rectangles in the same plane. CNBeta scored a 1-color version of the logo, and made mock-ups of what it could look like on devices (such as tablets and keyboards).
Current-Generation Ultrabook Prices To Drop Further by 30% in March-April
A little earlier this month, it was reported that major notebook vendors are planning price-cuts of their current-generation Ultrabooks, to clear inventories and pave the way for next-generation Ivy Bridge-based ones that stick to a more well-defined specification; the price-cuts previously mentioned were in the range of 20-25%. The range is looking more like 20-30% according to the latest DigiTimes report.
Major notebook vendors seem to be in a hurry to make the market digest inventories of current-generation Ultrabooks that are based on anything from ULV "Sandy Bridge" Core processors, to low-power Celeron and Pentium chips, some even AMD Brazos. In addition to Ultrabooks, conventional notebooks based on Sandy Bridge Core processors, and client desktops also stand to face price-cuts.
Major notebook vendors seem to be in a hurry to make the market digest inventories of current-generation Ultrabooks that are based on anything from ULV "Sandy Bridge" Core processors, to low-power Celeron and Pentium chips, some even AMD Brazos. In addition to Ultrabooks, conventional notebooks based on Sandy Bridge Core processors, and client desktops also stand to face price-cuts.
Cooler Master launches the Silent Pro M2 PSU series
Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer, is proud to announce the successor to the popular Silent Pro M, the Silent Pro M2 Series. Improvements have been made to each aspect of the Silent Pro M2 power supply to ensure that it meets the broad needs of both mainstream and enthusiast users alike.
Design
Built for quality and performance, the Silent Pro M2 Series utilizes a single powerful 12V rail that boasts a significant increase in available amperage per power supply model over its predecessors. This increased power extends to 80A on the 1000 W model. A new 3.3v DC-to-DC board increases overall energy efficiency. Utilizing newer high quality capacitors results in vastly improved hold up times of >23 ms on the 1000 W model. With this, Silent Pro M2 Series can handle peak loads better than ever before by delivering power with minimal interruptions. Its new specifications include RoHS and ERP 2010 Certification for a more eco-friendly design and power efficiency.
The 135 mm fan has been improved by making use of a durable Hydraulic Dynamic Bearing. This increases overall fan lifespan and reduces noise. Through these numerous upgrades, Silent Pro M2 Series can handle the increasing loads of today's systems while reducing overall energy consumption.
Design
Built for quality and performance, the Silent Pro M2 Series utilizes a single powerful 12V rail that boasts a significant increase in available amperage per power supply model over its predecessors. This increased power extends to 80A on the 1000 W model. A new 3.3v DC-to-DC board increases overall energy efficiency. Utilizing newer high quality capacitors results in vastly improved hold up times of >23 ms on the 1000 W model. With this, Silent Pro M2 Series can handle peak loads better than ever before by delivering power with minimal interruptions. Its new specifications include RoHS and ERP 2010 Certification for a more eco-friendly design and power efficiency.
The 135 mm fan has been improved by making use of a durable Hydraulic Dynamic Bearing. This increases overall fan lifespan and reduces noise. Through these numerous upgrades, Silent Pro M2 Series can handle the increasing loads of today's systems while reducing overall energy consumption.
NVIDIA and Gearbox Have Something In Store for PDXLAN
On the website of PDXLAN, a popular annual gaming LAN event, the organizers posted that NVIDIA and Gearbox Software are bringing something "really special", and that attendees are in for a treat that "will blow their mind" (sic). The more likely possibility is that the two unveil a new Gearbox title which is takes advantage of NVIDIA PhysX; the much-lesser likely possibility is that NVIDIA will demo this game on unannounced hardware. NVIDIA is known for unveiling new hardware to small crowds at gaming events such as these, and we wouldn't be surprised if NVIDIA does something similar.
Advantech Launches the ARK-1120 Atom-Powered Embedded PC
Advantech,a global leader in the embedded computing market, is happy to announce the ARK-1120, an ultra-compact and price-competitive fanless embedded system powered by an Intel Atom N455 processor. Its compact size, affordable price, robust performance and support for both HDD and CompactFlash memory make the ARK-1120 attractive for a range of embedded usages.
This product is well-suited for applications that need a simple but dependable controller. ARK-1120 is ideal for thin client and factory automation applications with space limited or low-power-consumption designs.
This product is well-suited for applications that need a simple but dependable controller. ARK-1120 is ideal for thin client and factory automation applications with space limited or low-power-consumption designs.
LG D2500N-PN Glasses-Free 3D Monitor Shipping This Month
LG Electronics has today announced the release (in Japan at least) of its D2500N-PN 25-inch monitor offering glasses-free 3D (TriDef software needs to be installed to enable 3D). LG's 3D display makes use of a TN panel, comes with a built-in webcam (which tracks the user's head movement to optimize the 3D experience), and features a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a 5 ms response time, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio (5,000,000:1 DCR), and 250 cd/m2 maximum brightness.
The D2500N-PN includes DVI and HDMI connectors and is expected to become available at the end of this month priced at about 150,000 yen (~ $1,923).
The D2500N-PN includes DVI and HDMI connectors and is expected to become available at the end of this month priced at about 150,000 yen (~ $1,923).
AREA Also Intros 2-port Internal SATA 6 Gb/s RAID Card
AREA PC also introduced the RAIDJet SD-PESA3-2RL, a cheap 2-port SATA 6 Gb/s RAID card. The card uses a Marvell-made SATA 6 Gb/s RAID controller that gives out two ports, and connects to the host of PCI-Express 2.0 x1. RAID 0 and 1 are the only modes possible. The controller supports standard AHCI/RAID drivers. The card has a half-height PCB, making it compatible with low-profile PCs. It will be available as low as 2,980 JPY (US $38).
AREA Intros USB2GLAN Ethernet Cable
Japanese peripherals maker AREA PC introduced a nifty little network controller called the USB2GLAN. Simply put, it's a network controller that plugs into a USB 2.0 port on one side, and gives out a gigabit Ethernet connection on the other. Needless to say, the 1000 Mbps Ethernet connection will be bottlenecked by the 480 Mbps USB 2.0 interface, but it's still a fair bit faster than 100 Mbps Ethernet. The main unit measures 57 x 14 x 14 mm, the short cable is about 8 cm long, the whole thing weighs 23 g, and is self-contained, as it draws power from the USB port. It works plug-and-play on Windows and MacOSX. It is priced at 2,480 JPY (US $32).
HP Introduces New, AMD and VIA-Powered Thin Clients
HP today announced the powerful new HP t610 Flexible Series Thin Client and HP t510 Thin Client with industry-leading performance and security, enabling businesses to protect their data more effectively while improving employees' user experience.
The HP t510 and HP t610 come standard with dual-core CPUs and offer graphics cores that offload computing from the server to the chipset, enabling users to easily stream multimedia and work with high-definition (HD) graphics. The HP t510 and HP t610 also enable the use of multiple monitors and remote connections.
The HP t510 and HP t610 come standard with dual-core CPUs and offer graphics cores that offload computing from the server to the chipset, enabling users to easily stream multimedia and work with high-definition (HD) graphics. The HP t510 and HP t610 also enable the use of multiple monitors and remote connections.
MSI Announces MSI NVIDIA Trophy
MSI Computers and NVIDIA have teamed up to create the MSI NVIDIA Trophy, a professional League of Legends tournament. MSI and NVIDIA will bring the world's best League of Legends teams to battle it out in an epic LAN tournament at Gamers Assembly during 7-9th April, 2012.
The world's elite gamers will converge on Poitiers, France. Up to 8 of the best professional teams will receive a direct invitation and 8 more teams will qualify through a series of online tournaments held later this month on the MSI Gaming Portal. There will be a total of four online qualifiers where the top two teams will advance to the Grand Final at Gamers Assembly.
The world's elite gamers will converge on Poitiers, France. Up to 8 of the best professional teams will receive a direct invitation and 8 more teams will qualify through a series of online tournaments held later this month on the MSI Gaming Portal. There will be a total of four online qualifiers where the top two teams will advance to the Grand Final at Gamers Assembly.
BIOSTAR Announces the TZ77XE4 Motherboards
BIOSTAR, the world's famous manufacturer of mainboards, graphics cards, industrial computing systems and computer peripherals, proudly announces the BIOSTAR TZ77XE4 motherboards within the CeBIT 2012. The most frequent word combination in description of the new flagship lineup will be "for the first time" because the TZ77XE4 boards house a great deal of innovative technologies not found even in premium desktop solutions.
The TZ77XE4 boards are based on the latest Intel Z77 chipset, which for the first time incorporates tri-gate transistors manufactured using the 22-nm fab process which, for the first time, delivers a native support for the high-speed USB 3.0 interface and fast SSD caching with the Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT). Fully compatible with the second-generation Intel Core CPUs (Sandy Bridge), the new boards for the first time support the third generation Intel Core CPUs codenamed Ivy Bridge, also manufactured with the 3D-transistors using the 22-nm fab process and designed for the popular LGA 1155 socket.
The TZ77XE4 boards are based on the latest Intel Z77 chipset, which for the first time incorporates tri-gate transistors manufactured using the 22-nm fab process which, for the first time, delivers a native support for the high-speed USB 3.0 interface and fast SSD caching with the Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT). Fully compatible with the second-generation Intel Core CPUs (Sandy Bridge), the new boards for the first time support the third generation Intel Core CPUs codenamed Ivy Bridge, also manufactured with the 3D-transistors using the 22-nm fab process and designed for the popular LGA 1155 socket.
Radeon HD 7770 Put Through 3DMark 11
AMD's Radeon HD 7770 mid-range graphics card, which is slated for a little later this month, got its first public shot at 3DMark 11. The card was put through the Performance preset of the benchmark, where it scored P3535 points. The bench was driven by an Intel Core i7-3960X processor. The reviewer also took GPU-Z screenshots of this card, revealing low core temperature. Based on the 28 nm Cape Verde GPU, the HD 7700 is said to have 640 Graphics CoreNext stream processors, and 1 GB of memory over a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. It is designed for sub-$200 price points.
Monday, February 13th 2012
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Accessories
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Nettops
AMD FX-8150 3.60 GHz with Windows Patches Review
After settling on the market, with all the quirks and bugs supposedly fixed, all the hype and disappointment blown away, we put AMD's FX-8150 under the scope. Benchmarks are done with and without the Windows 7 hotfix and in depth overclocking should resolve any doubts you have about AMD's flagship processor.
Google to Buy Motorola Mobility
Today Fox Business is reporting U.S. and European regulators approved Google Inc's $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility on Monday and said they would keep a sharp eye on the web search giant to ensure patents critical to the telecom industry would be licensed at fair prices. The U.S. Justice Department also approved an Apple Inc -led consortium's purchase of a trove of patents from bankrupt Canadian company Nortel Networks.Both the Justice Department and European antitrust authorities said that they would monitor how patents are used to ensure they comply with antitrust rules. Antitrust enforcers on both sides of the Atlantic are concerned that patents essential to ensuring communications devices sold by different companies work together are licensed for a reasonable fee.
EVGA SR-X Dual-Socket LGA 2011 Motherboard Teased Some More
Wondering what's going on with EVGA's SR-X motherboard? Well the board still isn't ready for release but EVGA has made progress on it, as is confirmed by a new image provided by the US-based company. This photo showcases the SR-X in a near final stage, equipped with an updated cooling solution made up of four heatsinks (covering VRM areas and chipsets).
As previously reported, the SR-X comes with two LGA 2011 sockets (it supports Sandy Bridge-E CPUs for single-processor setups and Sandy Bridge-EP CPUs for dual-chip configurations), 12 DDR3 memory slots (up to 96 GB of RAM are supported), two (one 8-pin and one 6-pin) power connectors per CPU, six SATA and four SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) ports, seven PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (SLI and CrossFireX support is included), PCIe disable switches, voltage read points, a debug LED, dual Gigabit Ethernet, two eSATA ports, 7.1 channel audio, Bluetooth, EVBot support, and six USB 3.0 connectors (four on the back plate, two via a header).
EVGA is promising more details about the SR-X (a price tag and an availability date maybe) 'soon'. CeBIT anyone?
As previously reported, the SR-X comes with two LGA 2011 sockets (it supports Sandy Bridge-E CPUs for single-processor setups and Sandy Bridge-EP CPUs for dual-chip configurations), 12 DDR3 memory slots (up to 96 GB of RAM are supported), two (one 8-pin and one 6-pin) power connectors per CPU, six SATA and four SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) ports, seven PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (SLI and CrossFireX support is included), PCIe disable switches, voltage read points, a debug LED, dual Gigabit Ethernet, two eSATA ports, 7.1 channel audio, Bluetooth, EVBot support, and six USB 3.0 connectors (four on the back plate, two via a header).
EVGA is promising more details about the SR-X (a price tag and an availability date maybe) 'soon'. CeBIT anyone?
iBUYPOWER Incorporates New Intel Core i7 3820 Into Its Gaming Desktops
iBUYPOWER, a leading innovator in gaming PCs, is excited to announce the availability of new Intel Core i7 3820 3.6 GHz processor. New processors are available in new iBUYPOWER systems, including the Chimera 4, Paladin XLC (extreme liquid cooling) and Erebus Custom Liquid Cooling systems.
iBUYPOWER systems running Intel 3820 are faster not only in clock speed compared to the x58-based CPUs they replace, but they're also faster clock-for-clock, and more efficient with power. This translates into a smoother gaming experience and faster load times to get gamers back into the action quicker. Additional advantages include quad channel memory, more PCIE lanes for improved multi-GPU performance and faster hard drive transfer speeds.
iBUYPOWER systems running Intel 3820 are faster not only in clock speed compared to the x58-based CPUs they replace, but they're also faster clock-for-clock, and more efficient with power. This translates into a smoother gaming experience and faster load times to get gamers back into the action quicker. Additional advantages include quad channel memory, more PCIE lanes for improved multi-GPU performance and faster hard drive transfer speeds.
Apple Launches New Attack on Samsung Phones
Apple seems to have a revolving door for legal actions as of late. Today the Chicago Tribune is reporting Apple has asked a federal court in California to block Samsung from selling its new Galaxy Nexus smartphones, which use Google's newest version of Android, called Ice Cream Sandwich, alleging four patent violations including new features such as a voice-command search function.
Galaxy Nexus, the official debut of which was delayed by Samsung in October to pay respect to Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs, is the first phone running on the newest Android version before the platform is widely adopted by hardware manufacturers such as HTC Corp and Motorola Mobility. HTC and Motorola are also in separate patent disputes with Apple. In a lawsuit filed last week in San Jose, Apple said the Galaxy Nexus infringes on patents underlying features customers expect from Apple products. Those include the ability to unlock phones by sliding an image and to search for information by voice.
Galaxy Nexus, the official debut of which was delayed by Samsung in October to pay respect to Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs, is the first phone running on the newest Android version before the platform is widely adopted by hardware manufacturers such as HTC Corp and Motorola Mobility. HTC and Motorola are also in separate patent disputes with Apple. In a lawsuit filed last week in San Jose, Apple said the Galaxy Nexus infringes on patents underlying features customers expect from Apple products. Those include the ability to unlock phones by sliding an image and to search for information by voice.
Apple On Track for Trillion Dollar Valuation
Today Apple announced its market value to be $500 billion dollars after a massive stock surge Monday. The tech giant's valuation is now nearly halfway to the 10-figure mark, with speculation Apple will launch iTV later this year driving shares to new record highs. Yet, Apple still has a way to go to become the most valuable company of all time. If Apple shares continue to hit new record levels, its market cap will reach $500 billion when the price reaches $537.
Still, shares will need to rise another $100 above that level to put Apple in contention for the most expensive company ever. According to Standard and Poor's, ExxonMobil was the most recent company to see a valuation north of $500 billion, back in 2007 when oil prices were at record highs. While Microsoft may not excite investors like it did in Y2K, the software behemoth still holds the record for the most expensive valuation. Its market cap closed out 1999 at just over $600 billion according to Standard and Poor's, before peaking north of $650 billion during the tech bubble in 2000. The high analyst price target on the street for Apple right now is $700. At that price, its market cap will handily surpass Microsoft's Y2K record.
Time will tell if Apple will reach the trillion dollar mark.
Still, shares will need to rise another $100 above that level to put Apple in contention for the most expensive company ever. According to Standard and Poor's, ExxonMobil was the most recent company to see a valuation north of $500 billion, back in 2007 when oil prices were at record highs. While Microsoft may not excite investors like it did in Y2K, the software behemoth still holds the record for the most expensive valuation. Its market cap closed out 1999 at just over $600 billion according to Standard and Poor's, before peaking north of $650 billion during the tech bubble in 2000. The high analyst price target on the street for Apple right now is $700. At that price, its market cap will handily surpass Microsoft's Y2K record.
Time will tell if Apple will reach the trillion dollar mark.
Apple Announces Independent Factory Inspections
According to the New York Times Apple is going on the offensive to save face in a string of workers rights issues in Chinese factories.
Apple said Monday that an independent labor rights organization had begun auditing working conditions at Chinese factories where Apple products are made. Apple said the group, the Fair Labor Association, started its first inspections Monday at a factory run by Foxconn in Shenzhen, China, known as Foxconn City. Apple said the inspection had been led by a team of labor-rights experts including Auret van Heerden, president of the association. Apple said the group, at Apple's request, would also conduct audits of other factories where Apple products are assembled, including Foxconn's factory in Chengdu and others run by Quanta and Pegatron.
Apple said Monday that an independent labor rights organization had begun auditing working conditions at Chinese factories where Apple products are made. Apple said the group, the Fair Labor Association, started its first inspections Monday at a factory run by Foxconn in Shenzhen, China, known as Foxconn City. Apple said the inspection had been led by a team of labor-rights experts including Auret van Heerden, president of the association. Apple said the group, at Apple's request, would also conduct audits of other factories where Apple products are assembled, including Foxconn's factory in Chengdu and others run by Quanta and Pegatron.
ORIGIN PC Debuts the EON17-X Desktop Replacement Laptop
ORIGIN PC announced today the availability of their new EON17-X desktop replacement laptop. Featuring the latest Intel X79 chipset, 2nd generation Intel hexcore processors, and overclocked NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M graphics cards in SLI the EON17-X is the most powerful laptop on the market for gamers, artists, enthusiasts, and professionals. The EON17-X marks the first laptop from ORIGIN PC with a customizable backlit keyboard with two lighting zones and seven color options.
The ORIGIN EON17-X is available now with a 3D model including a built-in 3D emitter coming in early Q2.
The ORIGIN EON17-X is available now with a 3D model including a built-in 3D emitter coming in early Q2.
Radeon HD 7770 Specifications Confirmed in GPU-Z Screenshot
Much like a previous exposé with Radeon HD 7950, the specifications of Radeon HD 7770 that were rumored in our previous article have been confirmed by users. It confirms several specifications, starting from the stream processor count of 640, to the 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. The GPU has an out of the box core clock speed of 1.00 GHz, it could be possible that this is a factory-overclocked card, if not, the core clock speed rumor sparked off by the Verdetrol marketing campaign are true, after all.
Intel Haswell Packs DirectX 11.1 Graphics
Some time in 2013, Intel will launch its new processor architecture, codenamed "Haswell", which will go on to succeed "Ivy Bridge". More than an year away from its market entry, Haswell has already been exhaustively documented, but not many got into the details about its embedded graphics processor. That is, until now. A new internal slide sourced by DonanimHaber details the integrated GPU (iGPU), it appears like Intel has solid plans for home users.
To begin with, Haswell's iGPU will be DirectX 11.1 compliant, which means it will take advantage of API optimizations that improve performance, for typical desktop usage scenarios. Apart from support for a new DirectCompute architecture, it will also support OpenCL 1.2, which speeds up certain GPGPU-optimized applications. More importantly, the iGPU will be designed around a new stereoscopic 3D standard called Auto-Stereoscopic 3D (AS3D), which will take the likes of Blu-ray 3D acceleration, stereo 3D photos, etc., to the masses. Currently, it takes at least an entry-level GeForce or Radeon GPU to for acceptable performance with stereo 3D.
To begin with, Haswell's iGPU will be DirectX 11.1 compliant, which means it will take advantage of API optimizations that improve performance, for typical desktop usage scenarios. Apart from support for a new DirectCompute architecture, it will also support OpenCL 1.2, which speeds up certain GPGPU-optimized applications. More importantly, the iGPU will be designed around a new stereoscopic 3D standard called Auto-Stereoscopic 3D (AS3D), which will take the likes of Blu-ray 3D acceleration, stereo 3D photos, etc., to the masses. Currently, it takes at least an entry-level GeForce or Radeon GPU to for acceptable performance with stereo 3D.
QNAP Announces Availability of New v3.6 NAS Management Software
QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the availability of its latest NAS management software for its Turbo NAS series, providing highly anticipated business features such as VPN LDAP and Proxy Servers. V3.6 NAS management software also adds support for cloud photo and music sharing, a new version of MyCloudNAS 1.2, and QPKG center, and several enhanced backup features.
"The new business-class features have received really positive feedback from beta users," said Jason Hsu, product manager of QNAP. The VPN Server offers businesses a cost-saving way to create a secure private network with up to 256-bit encryption. The LDAP Server simplifies mass account management and reduces business' IT hardware expenditure. The Proxy Server provided together with the "Squid" QPKG provides IT administrators with a great solution to manage network loading, whilst maintaining network security.
"The new business-class features have received really positive feedback from beta users," said Jason Hsu, product manager of QNAP. The VPN Server offers businesses a cost-saving way to create a secure private network with up to 256-bit encryption. The LDAP Server simplifies mass account management and reduces business' IT hardware expenditure. The Proxy Server provided together with the "Squid" QPKG provides IT administrators with a great solution to manage network loading, whilst maintaining network security.
GeIL Readies the Zenith Series Solid State Drives
Following many of its rivals, Taiwanese memory module maker Golden Emperor International Ltd. (aka GeIL) has decided to expand into the solid state drive market. The company is currently finishing up its very first (2.5-inch) SSDs which are known as Zenith S2 (SATA 3.0 Gbps) and Zenith S3 (SATA 6.0 Gbps) and are set to become available as soon as next month.
The Zenith S2 will deliver read/write speeds of up to 280/270 MB/s while the S3 models, which are powered by SandForce SF-2000 Series controllers, will be capable of 500+ MB/s transfer speeds.
The Zenith S2 family will include 60 GB and 120 GB models whereas the Zenith S3 line will feature 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB drives. More details about GeIL's SSDs are expected in the coming weeks.
The Zenith S2 will deliver read/write speeds of up to 280/270 MB/s while the S3 models, which are powered by SandForce SF-2000 Series controllers, will be capable of 500+ MB/s transfer speeds.
The Zenith S2 family will include 60 GB and 120 GB models whereas the Zenith S3 line will feature 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB drives. More details about GeIL's SSDs are expected in the coming weeks.
Chinese Authorities Start Removing Apple iPad off Shelves Following Court Ruling
Authorities and retailers have started taking Apple iPad off shelves in China, as an implementation of a court-order. Representatives of State agency Administrations of Industry and Commerce (AIC) have started confiscating inventories of the tablet from some retailers, while other retailers have voluntarily de-listed it, and taken it off shelves. The court-order is a result of a long drawn out battle between Chinese company ProView and Apple over the trademark "iPad".
Apple acquired the "iPad" brand name from ProView in 2006 by what the latter alleged as "dubious means", by floating a proxy shell company called "IP Application Development", without ProView having the slightest clue that it was dealing with Apple, which would go on use it for one of its biggest product lines. The only way Apple can get out of this mess is by working out a fresh agreement with ProView over the use of the iPad trademark, and possibly paying up to US $1.5 billion, which ProView seeks in damages. Apple is already having to pay a fine of $38 million to the Chinese regulators. 
Apple acquired the "iPad" brand name from ProView in 2006 by what the latter alleged as "dubious means", by floating a proxy shell company called "IP Application Development", without ProView having the slightest clue that it was dealing with Apple, which would go on use it for one of its biggest product lines. The only way Apple can get out of this mess is by working out a fresh agreement with ProView over the use of the iPad trademark, and possibly paying up to US $1.5 billion, which ProView seeks in damages. Apple is already having to pay a fine of $38 million to the Chinese regulators.
AMD "Trinity" APU Models Further Detailed
In the second quarter of this year, AMD will launch its next-generation accelerated processing unit, codenamed "Trinity", starting with quad-core A10 and A8 parts in the quarter, followed by dual-core A6 and A4 parts in the third-quarter of 2012 (more here). DonanimHaber scored a specifications-sheet that details all the models AMD has in store for this year, also giving us an insight to what constitute each of these model numbers.
An interesting revelation here is that AMD does not have triple-core APUs anywhere in its lineup. The A10 lineup consists of quad-core APUs that come with Radeon HD 7660D graphics, while the A8 lineup also consists of quad-core APUs, but with slower Radeon HD 7560D graphics. The A6 lineup consists of dual-core APUs with Radeon HD 7540D graphics, while the A4 lineup has dual-core APUs with Radeon HD 7480D graphics.
An interesting revelation here is that AMD does not have triple-core APUs anywhere in its lineup. The A10 lineup consists of quad-core APUs that come with Radeon HD 7660D graphics, while the A8 lineup also consists of quad-core APUs, but with slower Radeon HD 7560D graphics. The A6 lineup consists of dual-core APUs with Radeon HD 7540D graphics, while the A4 lineup has dual-core APUs with Radeon HD 7480D graphics.
Ultrabook Pricing Unlikely to Reach $599-699 Range till 2013
Affordable Ultrabooks, which strike a cost-benefit sweet-spot when priced in the US $599-699 range are unlikely to become a reality till 2013, sources among notebook vendors told DigiTimes. The same sources also note that pricing will be the key to driving demand for Ultrabooks. They attribute this to high production costs, which will likely persist till next year.
Components such as SSDs, which are key to keeping these devices ultra-slim, cost 10-times as much as HDDs, custom-design ultra-thin display panels, and aluminum unibody chassis are still quite expensive, even as major ODMs are ramping up infrastructure to mass-produce some of these components. Even with the most aggressive cost-cutting, the cheapest Ultrabooks available in 2012 will cost US $799.
Components such as SSDs, which are key to keeping these devices ultra-slim, cost 10-times as much as HDDs, custom-design ultra-thin display panels, and aluminum unibody chassis are still quite expensive, even as major ODMs are ramping up infrastructure to mass-produce some of these components. Even with the most aggressive cost-cutting, the cheapest Ultrabooks available in 2012 will cost US $799.
Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E Starts Selling in Japan
Intel's most affordable processor in the LGA2011 package, the Core i7-3820, surfaced on Japanese stores in the Akihabara electronics shopping district of Tokyo. It is priced around 25,000 JPY (US $322). The retail box of this chip, carrying the S-Spec code "SR0LD", appears to be as big as those of the Core i7-3930K and Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition, its shape indicates that it lacks a bundled cooling solution, and so users should still rely on compatible third-party coolers, or use Intel's RTS2011LC, purchased separately.
The Core i7-3820 is a quad-core part carved out of the Sandy Bridge-E silicon. It has four cores, and eight logical CPUs enabled with HyperThreading Technology. The chip is clocked at 3.60 GHz. Caches include 256 KB L2 per core, and 10 MB shared L3. The chip retains the quad-channel DDR3 IMC present on the more expensive six-core parts. It is also said to be "limited unlocked", meaning it allows multiplier-assisted overclocking to a certain limit. The Core i7-3820 is not officially launched, though it should be unofficially supported by most socket LGA2011 motherboards based on the X79 chipset.
The Core i7-3820 is a quad-core part carved out of the Sandy Bridge-E silicon. It has four cores, and eight logical CPUs enabled with HyperThreading Technology. The chip is clocked at 3.60 GHz. Caches include 256 KB L2 per core, and 10 MB shared L3. The chip retains the quad-channel DDR3 IMC present on the more expensive six-core parts. It is also said to be "limited unlocked", meaning it allows multiplier-assisted overclocking to a certain limit. The Core i7-3820 is not officially launched, though it should be unofficially supported by most socket LGA2011 motherboards based on the X79 chipset.
TechPowerUp GPU-Z v0.5.9 Released
TechPowerUp today released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem information and diagnostic utility. GPU-Z briefs you on the graphics hardware installed in the system, and lets you monitor clock speeds, voltages, temperatures, fan-speeds, and other information in real-time. The new version adds full-support for AMD's Radeon HD 7700 series "Cape Verde" GPUs (HD 7770 and HD 7750) that are bound for launch a little later this month. The new version also has an updated ASIC Quality calculation formula that makes reading on NVIDIA GPUs more reliable.
Other important updates include voltage monitoring support for Radeon HD 7970 and HD 7950; support for some rare GeForce GT 520 variants that are based on GF108, GeForce GTX 555 (OEM), GeForce 305M, and GeForce 610M; and more reliable memory size reading for AMD Radeon graphics cards with large memory sizes. Sensors now refresh in the background by default (and not just when the Sensors tab is in the foreground). The board ID is now displayed along with the BIOS version string.
DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.5.9 | TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.5.9 ASUS ROG-Themed
The complete change-log detailing even more updates follows.
Other important updates include voltage monitoring support for Radeon HD 7970 and HD 7950; support for some rare GeForce GT 520 variants that are based on GF108, GeForce GTX 555 (OEM), GeForce 305M, and GeForce 610M; and more reliable memory size reading for AMD Radeon graphics cards with large memory sizes. Sensors now refresh in the background by default (and not just when the Sensors tab is in the foreground). The board ID is now displayed along with the BIOS version string.
The complete change-log detailing even more updates follows.
Gigabyte Details the S1081 Cedar Trail Slate
Showcased at CES last month, the S1081 tablet PC/slate based around the Intel Cedar Trail platform has now found its way onto its maker's (Gigabyte) website for a full reveal of its specs. Seen below, the mobile device measures 270 (W) x 173 (D) x 14.94 (H) mm, it weights between 790 grams (when equipped with an SSD) and 850 grams (with a HDD), and features a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) LED-backlit capacitive touchscreen, and a 1.86 GHz Atom N2800 processor.
The S1081 also packs 2/4 GB of RAM, up to a 500 GB HDD or up to a 256 GB SSD, an SD card reader, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, dual 1.5 W speakers, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFI, Bluetooth 3.0, optional 3.5G, one USB 3.0 ports, D-Sub and HDMI outputs, and a 4000 mAh battery. The slate's pricing and release date have yet to be announced.
The S1081 also packs 2/4 GB of RAM, up to a 500 GB HDD or up to a 256 GB SSD, an SD card reader, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, dual 1.5 W speakers, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFI, Bluetooth 3.0, optional 3.5G, one USB 3.0 ports, D-Sub and HDMI outputs, and a 4000 mAh battery. The slate's pricing and release date have yet to be announced.
Microsoft Store India Hacked
Microsoft Store's Indian site was compromised, by a hacker group that calls itself "Evil Shadow Team". The site's landing page was briefly taken over by the group, which gained access to the user database. The group then replaced the front-page with its signature, that warned that an "unsafe system will be baptized." The outrageous part of this episode is that the group claimed Microsoft was storing the user database in plain text, which contains usernames, email addresses, and passwords. The site is now offline, the company is probably back in control. Microsoft Store was started in India to discourage piracy and offer genuine copies of Windows, Office, Visual Studio, at the lowest possible prices; Xbox consoles and accessories; and Microsoft hardware (peripherals).
Next-Gen. Xbox Controller Similar to WiiU's
An article in the latest issue of print magazine Xbox World claims that the controller of next-generation Xbox console will be similar to that of Nintendo's WiiU, in that it will feature a high-resolution touchscreen as an added layer of interaction. The article states that the new console "will be a matt-black media hub with a mission to bring games to life in your living room with augmented reality, directional sound, and a four-player, finger-tracking Kinect."
The article goes on to describe the controller as having "an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks." It continues, "That touchcreen will be second only to Kinect in how you operate your console, it could be a remote control when you're watching TV, a browser when you're on the internet, extra buttons and information when you're playing a game or a portable display when you want to take your game with you."
The article goes on to describe the controller as having "an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks." It continues, "That touchcreen will be second only to Kinect in how you operate your console, it could be a remote control when you're watching TV, a browser when you're on the internet, extra buttons and information when you're playing a game or a portable display when you want to take your game with you."
Samsung Slips Out Ivy Bridge-Powered Notebook, Redacts It Later
A goof-up by Samsung's US website team saw the product page of an upcoming Intel Ivy Bridge-powered notebook getting published, and later redacted, leaving enough time for a Google cached copy to take shape. Carrying the model number NP700G7C, the notebook is a large-format 17.3-incher, which looks slim enough not to be labelled "desktop-replacement". The notebook is driven by Intel Core i7-3610QM quad-core processor, which is clocked at 2.30 GHz, and packs 6 MB of L3 cache. The processor is wired to four 4 GB DDR3 modules, totaling 16 GB.
The storage subsystem on this notebook consists of two 1 TB HDDs that are striped (RAID 0), backed a small 8 GB SSD that acts as a cache, temporarily holding hot-data of the volume. The optical-drive is a slot-in Blu-ray ROM. The 17.3-inch screen provides 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, which is driven by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M graphics with 2 GB GDDR5 memory. Other features include wireless b/g/n with Intel WiDi support, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, and a USB 2.0 port. The top-mounted webcam features 2 MP resolution. The product page also went on to reveal a price, US $1,699.99.
The storage subsystem on this notebook consists of two 1 TB HDDs that are striped (RAID 0), backed a small 8 GB SSD that acts as a cache, temporarily holding hot-data of the volume. The optical-drive is a slot-in Blu-ray ROM. The 17.3-inch screen provides 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, which is driven by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M graphics with 2 GB GDDR5 memory. Other features include wireless b/g/n with Intel WiDi support, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, and a USB 2.0 port. The top-mounted webcam features 2 MP resolution. The product page also went on to reveal a price, US $1,699.99.
Gateway Releases the LT4004U Cedar Trail-Based Netbook
Acer subsidiary Gateway has also adopted Intel's Cedar Trail platform and released a netbook built around it, the LT4004U. This new netbook runs Windows 7 Starter and features a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) LED-backlit display, a 1.6 GHz Atom N2600 dual-core processor, GMA 3600 integrated graphics, 1 GB of RAM, a 250 GB (5400 RPM) hard drive, a multi-in-1 card reader, 10/100 LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a HDMI output, and a 6-cell battery providing 8 hours of operation.
The LT4004U costs $279.99 and can be found here.
The LT4004U costs $279.99 and can be found here.
Intel Core i3-550 and i3-560 to Retire This Year
Since it needs to make way for 22 nm processors (codename Ivy Bridge) Intel has decided on discontinuing two more 32 nm chips, the 3.2 GHz Core i3-550 and the 3.33 GHz i3-560.
Released back in 2010, these 'old timers' will be available for new orders until June 29 and will continue shipping till December 7th (for the tray SKUs) or until supplies are depleted (boxed SKUs).
Released back in 2010, these 'old timers' will be available for new orders until June 29 and will continue shipping till December 7th (for the tray SKUs) or until supplies are depleted (boxed SKUs).
Sunday, February 12th 2012
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
- Shagon ARC-118 Dexgo (de)
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Multimedia
White MacBook Replaced With New 13-inch $999 MacBook Air for Educational Institutions
A little earlier this month, Apple discontinued supplies of its 13-inch white MacBook (base) to educational institutions, which it stopped selling to consumers much earlier, last year. Apple has replaced this education variant of white MacBook with a new education variant of MacBook Air. The new variant will be offered to educational institutions at US $999 a piece, when purchased in packs of 5 (costing US $4,995), making it a viable replacement to the white MacBook.
The new MacBook Air variant is also a 13-incher, driven by Intel Core i5 ULV processor clocked at 1.60 GHz, with 2 GB of DDR3 memory, 64 GB solid-state storage (carried on from the 11-inch consumer base model of MacBook Air), but features the larger 13-inch display. Unfortunately, this model is only available to educational institutions that purchase in bulk (those packs of 5), and so the cheapest MacBook individual students can buy is the 11-inch MacBook Air.
The new MacBook Air variant is also a 13-incher, driven by Intel Core i5 ULV processor clocked at 1.60 GHz, with 2 GB of DDR3 memory, 64 GB solid-state storage (carried on from the 11-inch consumer base model of MacBook Air), but features the larger 13-inch display. Unfortunately, this model is only available to educational institutions that purchase in bulk (those packs of 5), and so the cheapest MacBook individual students can buy is the 11-inch MacBook Air.
Saturday, February 11th 2012
SKYRIM and Fallout 3 Conceptual Artist Adam Adamowicz Has Passed.
Yesterday the creative mind behind SKYRIM and Fallout 3, Adam Adamowicz fell in his battle with cancer. Mr. Adamowicz was the lead artist behind the entire artistic concept of the two modern day gaming masterpieces Fallout 3 and SKYRIM, giving those worlds life and personality. Everything from coin operated fallout shelters to dragons atop snowy peaks was first visualized and created in the mind of Adam Adamowicz.
Thermalright Coming Up with the Silver Arrow SB-E CPU Cooler
To finish off the week in style Thermalright announced the Silver Arrow SB-E, a new, high-end CPU cooler based on the Silver Arrow model introduced back in 2010.
The Silver Arrow SB-E features a dual tower/dual fan design and has eight (nickel-plated) 6 mm copper heatpipes (the old Arrow comes with four 8 mm pipes), a tweaked heatsink, two TY PWM fans - one 140 mm and one 150 mm (the SA packs two 140 mm spinners), and a mounting kit offering support for Intel LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 and AMD AM2(+) / AM3(+) / FM1 processors.
The Silver Arrow SB-E also makes use of some more 'discrete' fan clips that won't interfere with taller memory modules. The cooler is expected to become available at the end of this month. No price tag was announced but we found it on pre-order at about $103 / 78 Euro.
The Silver Arrow SB-E features a dual tower/dual fan design and has eight (nickel-plated) 6 mm copper heatpipes (the old Arrow comes with four 8 mm pipes), a tweaked heatsink, two TY PWM fans - one 140 mm and one 150 mm (the SA packs two 140 mm spinners), and a mounting kit offering support for Intel LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 and AMD AM2(+) / AM3(+) / FM1 processors.
The Silver Arrow SB-E also makes use of some more 'discrete' fan clips that won't interfere with taller memory modules. The cooler is expected to become available at the end of this month. No price tag was announced but we found it on pre-order at about $103 / 78 Euro.
Friday, February 10th 2012
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mouse
Nettops
SSD
MSI HD 7950 Twin Frozr III 3072 MB Review
MSI's new HD 7950 Twin Frozr III is a fully customized implementation of AMD's latest 28 nm card. For cooling the card uses the same large dual-fan TwinFrozr III heatsink that we have seen on many other MSI products before. The card also features an overclock out of the box for a bit of extra performance.
PowerColor Announces Radeon HD 7970 with Dual Fan Cooling Solution
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, today added a new HD7970 graphics solution with dual cooling fan design: the PowerColor HD7970. Equipped with PowerColor exclusive cooling solution, the latest HD7970 lowers down 10% temperature through 92 mm ultra big fan and unique SSU-shape heat pipe design; while dissipates the excessive heat efficiently, it delivers low noisy level up to 15% quieter than reference version, providing no-compromise cooling effect with silent gaming environment.
The PowerColor HD7970 has core clock at 925 MHz and memory clock at 1375 MHz; with compatible with PCI Express 3.0, enabling unprecedented gaming performance by doubling the bandwidth per lane of previous generation. With 3GB GDDR5 onboard memory, the latest HD7970 allows the highest bandwidth for demanding DirectX 11.1 gaming title, delivering the astonishing image quality up to six displays by utilizing AMD Eyefinity technology.
The PowerColor HD7970 has core clock at 925 MHz and memory clock at 1375 MHz; with compatible with PCI Express 3.0, enabling unprecedented gaming performance by doubling the bandwidth per lane of previous generation. With 3GB GDDR5 onboard memory, the latest HD7970 allows the highest bandwidth for demanding DirectX 11.1 gaming title, delivering the astonishing image quality up to six displays by utilizing AMD Eyefinity technology.
Valve Asks Users to Keep An Eye On Their Credit Card Usage
In November 2011, Valve admitted that its Steam forums were hacked, and some user data including encrypted credit card information and hashed passwords were stolen, and that pending investigation, it asked users to change their Steam passwords. Valve noted that at that time, it had not seen any evidence of encrypted data being hacked. Today, Valve issued an update to all its Steam members via e-mail, where it notified them that investigation is still in progress, that Valve is taking help of external agencies to investigate, and that it still sees no evidence of encrypted credit card data being tampered with. As a note of caution, though, it asked users to keep an eye on their credit card activity and statements.
The transcript of Valve's email to Steam users follows.
The transcript of Valve's email to Steam users follows.
Apple Kills White MacBook, Ends Distribution to Educational Institutions
Apple closed the chapter on the white MacBook (base), after it ended its distribution to educational institutions (schools, universities, students). The company had discontinued its sale to consumers back in July, 2011, but it continued shipping it to educational customers to honor its supply commitments, which has just been met. The relatively affordable white MacBook ran out of shelf space on Apple, as it got replaced by the MacBook Air, the products in the new series cater to both affordable price-points and more premium ones.
Macronix Launches the MX30LF SLC NAND Flash Product Family
Macronix International Co., Ltd., a world leading supplier in NOR Flash memory, today formally launches the first generation Single-Level Cell (SLC) NAND Flash family, the MX30LF family. An extension of Macronix's existing Serial and Parallel NOR Flash product portfolio, the new MX30LF SLC NAND family will facilitate Macronix serving embedded code and data storage markets as a total Flash memory provider.
As a leader in embedded non-volatile memories, Macronix fulfills the memory requirements of these applications ranging from consumer electronic applications like set-top box (STB), TV, digital cameras, Customer-premises equipment(CPE) and high end networking, through to industrial PC and automotive applications. Macronix has begun sampling SLC NAND products and will start trial production in 2012 Q1.
As a leader in embedded non-volatile memories, Macronix fulfills the memory requirements of these applications ranging from consumer electronic applications like set-top box (STB), TV, digital cameras, Customer-premises equipment(CPE) and high end networking, through to industrial PC and automotive applications. Macronix has begun sampling SLC NAND products and will start trial production in 2012 Q1.
Sterne Agee Downgrades NVIDIA
Once Company of The Year by Forbes, NVIDIA is now having a hard time convincing 111-year old investment firm Sterne Agee that it is as much of a company to look out for. The firm downgraded NVIDIA from its coveted "Catalyst Driven Idea List," claiming that NVIDIA lacks the kind of innovation looking into the foreseeable future, to remain in that list. Says Sterne Agee:
Sterne Agee's commentary continues.
"We had put NVDA on our Catalyst Driven Idea list on January 3 ahead of anticipated catalysts at CES and Mobile World Congress (MWC). While there were some catalysts at CES with the quad-core Tegra 3 integrating Touch on its Ninja 5th core, CES also saw a Win8 Tablet prototype running an NVDA Tegra. While we believe there could be more catalysts with MWC February 27, we believe NVDA shares are fairly valued here. MWC catalysts could include Tegra 3 handsets with Icera baseband and some 7-10 tablets running Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
Micron Announces Public Memorial Service, Memorial Funds for Steven R. Appleton
Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:MU), today announced details involving the public memorial service and memorial funds for Steven R. Appleton, longtime Micron Chairman and CEO, who passed away Feb. 3. The public memorial service will be held Feb. 23 beginning at 10 a.m. MT at Taco Bell Arena on the campus of Boise State University.
Memorial funds have also been established in Mr. Appleton's name with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Boise State University Foundation. The Micron Foundation has donated $25,000 to each of the funds in honor of Mr. Appleton.
Memorial funds have also been established in Mr. Appleton's name with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Boise State University Foundation. The Micron Foundation has donated $25,000 to each of the funds in honor of Mr. Appleton.
Pirate Bay Unveils "Portable Site", RIAA/MPAA's Worst Nightmare Weighs 90 Megabytes
This is arguably every copyright enforcement group's worst nightmare, The Pirate Bay, which calls itself "the most resilient bit-torrent site in the galaxy", unveiled what is known as its "portable version", meaning, when taken down by an enforcement agency, any person, in any part of the world can restore the site, because it now weighs just 90 megabytes. That's right, the 90 MB copy of the site itself contains all its HTML, script and static images, and Magnet Links to over 1,643,194 torrents spread across all its categories.
A little earlier this year, The Pirate Bay transitioned from being a host for .torrent files to a host for magnet:// links. This transition means that each torrent consisted of a typically 50 KB .torrent file, is now reduced to a <1 KB Magnet link in the resource. The copy of the site itself is there for anyone to copy. Enforcement agencies' worst nightmare indeed weighs just 90 MB.
A little earlier this year, The Pirate Bay transitioned from being a host for .torrent files to a host for magnet:// links. This transition means that each torrent consisted of a typically 50 KB .torrent file, is now reduced to a <1 KB Magnet link in the resource. The copy of the site itself is there for anyone to copy. Enforcement agencies' worst nightmare indeed weighs just 90 MB.
AMD 2012 CPU Roadmap Unveils FX-X300 and A10 Series
AMD is pushing on with a desktop product lineup that's leveraging its Piledriver CPU and Graphics CoreNext GPU architectures in 2012. Apparently, the company will have a faster product development cycle to catch up with Intel's "Tick-Tock", as revealed in a roadmap slide scored by DonanimHaber. The current product lineup will remain unchanged in the first quarter of 2012. Then in the second quarter, AMD will launch a few more socket AM3+ FX-8000, FX-6000, and FX-4000 series eight, six, and four-core processors; along with the much talked about "Trinity" accelerated processing unit.
The fastest "Trinity" APUs will get a new brand identifier, the A10-5000 series. These APUs will pack next-generation "Piledriver" modular cores and Radeon HD 7600D series graphics. Around this time, AMD will also launch the Brazos 2.0 low-power APU for netbooks, nettops, and embedded computing devices. Brazos 2.0 will get the E2-1000 series branding. The big change is reserved for the third quarter of 2012, when AMD launches the successor of its less-than-lucky AMD FX "Bulldozer" processor family.
The fastest "Trinity" APUs will get a new brand identifier, the A10-5000 series. These APUs will pack next-generation "Piledriver" modular cores and Radeon HD 7600D series graphics. Around this time, AMD will also launch the Brazos 2.0 low-power APU for netbooks, nettops, and embedded computing devices. Brazos 2.0 will get the E2-1000 series branding. The big change is reserved for the third quarter of 2012, when AMD launches the successor of its less-than-lucky AMD FX "Bulldozer" processor family.
AMD Pulls Hysterical Cape Verde Marketing Stunt
Reviewers who have probably received their AMD Radeon HD 7700 series samples by now, were taken aback when they found a prescription medication bottle in their packages. No NVIDIA-styled Press Deck booklet, or even former-ATI styled Ruby doll, but a medicine bottle, which reads "Verdetrol". The label directed them to insert the blue capsules inside it to the heat vents of the graphics card, when benchmarking, so it "acts as a performance enhancement".
The point in all this? Apparently AMD's Radeon HD 7770 features 1 GHz core clock speed out of the box, making it the first GPU ever to do so, and AMD wants to make a song and dance about it. What's more, AMD will use a special branding called "GHz Edition" to mark all its future SKUs that come with 1 GHz (or more) GPU core clock speed, indicating that AMD has more SKUs in the pipeline with ≥1 GHz core clock speed. It doesn't stop with this hysterical medicine bottle thingie, no sir, AMD even set up a teaser site dedicated to "Verdetrol".
The point in all this? Apparently AMD's Radeon HD 7770 features 1 GHz core clock speed out of the box, making it the first GPU ever to do so, and AMD wants to make a song and dance about it. What's more, AMD will use a special branding called "GHz Edition" to mark all its future SKUs that come with 1 GHz (or more) GPU core clock speed, indicating that AMD has more SKUs in the pipeline with ≥1 GHz core clock speed. It doesn't stop with this hysterical medicine bottle thingie, no sir, AMD even set up a teaser site dedicated to "Verdetrol".
FaithPC Intros GXT P170HBD-G580 TWIN-Drive SSR2 Performance Notebook
Japanese PC maker FaithPC unveiled the GXT P170HBD-G580 TWIN-Drive SSR2, a 17.3-inch performance notebook that features three star attractions: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M 2 GB graphics, two Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB SSDs in RAID 0, and an Intel Core i7-2960XM Extreme Edition quad-core processor. The notebook packs 16 GB (2x 8 GB) DDR3-1333 MHz memory. The 17.3-inch display sports 1920x1080 pixels resolution.
Apart from the lightning fast storage, the notebook packs a Blu-ray writer drive. Connectivity includes wireless b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth. The keyboard is specifically designed for gaming, with heightened W,A,S,D keys. Measuring 412 x 276 x 32 ~ 49 mm (WxDxH), it measures about 3.9 kg. Windows 7 Home Premium x64 is the OS of choice. The GXT P170HBD-G580 TWIN-Drive SSR2 from FaithPC is priced at 299,800 JPY (US $3,857).
Apart from the lightning fast storage, the notebook packs a Blu-ray writer drive. Connectivity includes wireless b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth. The keyboard is specifically designed for gaming, with heightened W,A,S,D keys. Measuring 412 x 276 x 32 ~ 49 mm (WxDxH), it measures about 3.9 kg. Windows 7 Home Premium x64 is the OS of choice. The GXT P170HBD-G580 TWIN-Drive SSR2 from FaithPC is priced at 299,800 JPY (US $3,857).
Radeon HD 7700 Series Specifications Surface
In the coming week, AMD will release its Radeon HD 7700 series, which aims to increase its competitiveness in the sub-$200 market. The latest specifications exposé reveals AMD's new design strategy: Instead of increasing components such as stream processors and ROPs, which would increase transistor counts, and unnecessarily increase power draw, AMD is counting on a lesser number of better-configured Graphics CoreNext stream processors. While the previous-generation HD 5770/6770 "Juniper" GPU featured VLIW5 stream processors, the new "Cape Verde" GPU, which will go into making up Radeon HD 7770 and 7750, will feature GCN stream processors. Apart from architectural performance improvements, AMD is counting on increased clock speeds to do the trick. The specifications are listed below.
Cape Verde Physical
Cape Verde Physical
- Built on TSMC 28 nm process, ~1.5 billion transistors
- 10 Graphics CoreNext Compute Units (CUs)
- 640 stream processors
- 40 TMUs, 16 ROPs
- 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface
VTX3D Introduces the HD7970/7950 X Edition Graphics Cards
A leading brand of graphics card maker - VTX3D, today introduces the most well-known X series of VTX3D, HD7970/HD7950 X Edition. The X series is designed to deliver extraordinary performance with factory overclocked setting and unique cooling design.
VTX3D HD7970/HD7950 X Edition incorporates the latest PCI-E Gen 3 to get the maximum performance from your GPU. Both fitted with 3 GB of GDDR5 memory connected via a new high speed 384 bit memory interface. VTX3D HD7970/HD7950 X Edition is clocked at 1050 MHz and 880 MHz respectively, also together with 1425 MHz and 1250 MHz for each memory, fulfilling those who thirst for extreme performance. The HD7970/HD7950 X Edition also features ultra cooling design. With two 92 mm ultra big fan and SSU-shape heat pipe design, this efficient cooling solution maximizes the speed of heat dissipation, but minimizes the noisy level, creating most pleasing environment for gaming.
VTX3D HD7970/HD7950 X Edition incorporates the latest PCI-E Gen 3 to get the maximum performance from your GPU. Both fitted with 3 GB of GDDR5 memory connected via a new high speed 384 bit memory interface. VTX3D HD7970/HD7950 X Edition is clocked at 1050 MHz and 880 MHz respectively, also together with 1425 MHz and 1250 MHz for each memory, fulfilling those who thirst for extreme performance. The HD7970/HD7950 X Edition also features ultra cooling design. With two 92 mm ultra big fan and SSU-shape heat pipe design, this efficient cooling solution maximizes the speed of heat dissipation, but minimizes the noisy level, creating most pleasing environment for gaming.
Silicon Power Launches a 32 GB microSDHC Class 6 Memory Card
Under the stimulation of the sales upsurge of smartphone and tablet computer, the audio-visual experience has extended from home to anywhere, anytime and hence promotes mobile digital storage upgrade. Leading memory storage brand, SP/Silicon Power today announces to expand the microSDHC memory card product line and launch the super massive 32 GB microSDHC Class6 memory card. Its high capacity, high transmission speed and mini size make carrying large amounts of audio-visual data storage more portable than ever!
32 GB microSDHC Class 6 memory card adopts the specification of SD 2.0 and is suitable to apply to handheld mobile devices including high level digital camera or digital video camera of SD 2.0 specification. Its massive high speed transmission rate with minimum reading speed of 6 MB per second is in particular suitable for Full-HD video recording. Moreover, while its size is smaller than a finger nail, microSDHC Class6 memory card can store over 9000 digital photos, 500 minutes of full HD videos, more than 6000 songs and thousands of electronic files. This memory card is all you need for a portable streaming life!
32 GB microSDHC Class 6 memory card adopts the specification of SD 2.0 and is suitable to apply to handheld mobile devices including high level digital camera or digital video camera of SD 2.0 specification. Its massive high speed transmission rate with minimum reading speed of 6 MB per second is in particular suitable for Full-HD video recording. Moreover, while its size is smaller than a finger nail, microSDHC Class6 memory card can store over 9000 digital photos, 500 minutes of full HD videos, more than 6000 songs and thousands of electronic files. This memory card is all you need for a portable streaming life!
Cooler Master Releases the GeminII SF524 CPU Cooler
Cooler Master has just announced the European arrival of the GeminII SF524 CPU cooler. This model features the same specs as the GeminII S524 released in August except it comes equipped with a different fan, one that operates at 1300 RPM or 900 RPM when using the silent mode adapter (the S524 has a PWM fan going at 800 to 1800 RPM).
The GeminII SF524 measures 144 x 144 x 105 mm, it weights 592 grams, has five 6 mm copper heatpipes, and offers support for Intel LGA 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 and AMD FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 processors. The cooler can be found selling for 37 Euro.
The GeminII SF524 measures 144 x 144 x 105 mm, it weights 592 grams, has five 6 mm copper heatpipes, and offers support for Intel LGA 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 and AMD FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 processors. The cooler can be found selling for 37 Euro.
Yahoo US Search Share Slips In January, Google Still on Top
According to comScore, the month of January has seen all major players in the US Internet search market keep the positions held at the end of 2012. Still, there have been small changes as Google increased its share to 66.2% (66.1% in the previous month) while Yahoo dropped a little, from 16.2% in December to 16.0%.
Following Google and Yahoo was Microsoft with a 13.8% market share, while on the fourth and fifth places in January's top we have Ask and AOL with 2.6% and 1.4%, respectively. Almost 20 billion core search queries were conducted in the US in January.
Following Google and Yahoo was Microsoft with a 13.8% market share, while on the fourth and fifth places in January's top we have Ask and AOL with 2.6% and 1.4%, respectively. Almost 20 billion core search queries were conducted in the US in January.
NVIDIA GeForce Kepler Packs Radically Different Number Crunching Machinery
NVIDIA is bound to kickstart its competitive graphics processor lineup to AMD's Southern Islands Radeon HD 7000 series with GeForce Kepler 104 (GK104). We are learning through reliable sources that NVIDIA will implement a radically different design (by NVIDIA's standards anyway) for its CUDA core machinery, while retaining the basic hierarchy of components in its GPU similar to Fermi. The new design would ensure greater parallelism. The latest version of GK104's specifications looks like this:
SIMD Hierarchy
SIMD Hierarchy
- 4 Graphics Processing Clusters (GPC)
- 4 Streaming Multiprocessors (SM) per GPC = 16 SM
- 96 Stream Processors (SP) per SM = 1536 CUDA cores
ASUS Introduces the O!Play TV Pro Smart TV Set Top Box
The ASUS O!Play TV Pro upgrades living room TV viewing to a completely digital HD and live experience, enabling easy content consumption and distribution. Features open up playback and recording of digital programs, as well as almost any multimedia file currently available with over 50 formats supported, including 3D. Exclusive O!Easy technology adds specific one-click functions that cover file streaming, sharing, and replay, while an always-on design affords direct access to many major online entertainment and content services, all from a single user-friendly device.
Thursday, February 9th 2012
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Notebooks
Processors
Spire BlackDragon 400 W Review
Most of you probably know Spire from their cooling solutions and maybe their enclosures. However, the fact is that Spire actually has a rich portfolio of PSU products with capacities ranging from 400W to 1200W (RockIT II). Recently they released a new PSU series, called BlackDragon and they were kind enough to send us the 400W model for review.
New York Attorney General Agrees to Terminate Antitrust Lawsuit Against Intel
Intel Corporation and the New York Attorney General have agreed to terminate the lawsuit alleging violation of U.S. and state antitrust laws that was filed by the New York Attorney General in November 2009.
The agreement, which follows a December 2011 court ruling that greatly reduced the scope of the New York Attorney General's lawsuit, expressly states that Intel does not admit either any violation of law or that the allegations in the complaint are true, and it calls for no changes to the way Intel does business. The agreement includes a payment of $6.5 million from Intel that is intended only to cover some of the costs incurred by the New York Attorney General in the litigation.
The agreement, which follows a December 2011 court ruling that greatly reduced the scope of the New York Attorney General's lawsuit, expressly states that Intel does not admit either any violation of law or that the allegations in the complaint are true, and it calls for no changes to the way Intel does business. The agreement includes a payment of $6.5 million from Intel that is intended only to cover some of the costs incurred by the New York Attorney General in the litigation.
AMD Intros Catalyst Application Profiles 12.1 CAP 2
AMD released its latest Catalyst Application Profile update for AMD Catalyst, version 12.1 CAP 2, as it's called, adds application-specific CrossfireX optimizations to the driver, which lets the driver effectively use two or more AMD Radeon GPUs working in tandem optimally. It also fixes any bugs that exist with current optimizations. 12.1 CAP 2 includes profiles for the following applications:
- Star Wars: The old republic : Improves CrossFire performance and resolves flickering seen on Map
- Unigine Tropics - Resolves flashing shadow reflections with CrossFire enabled
- Wargame: European Escalation: Improves CrossFire performance
Turtle Beach Number One Third Party Console Gaming Accessory Brand for 2011
Turtle Beach, pioneers of the game audio category, announced today that based on year-ending NPD data for 2011, Turtle Beach was the number one gaming headsets/headphones company with 50% of the market for the year and the number one third party console video gaming accessories company, based on 2011 dollar volume.
The strong growth for the category has led NPD to create a dedicated Headsets category, splitting off from the general Audio category. Headsets continue to be the strongest growing segment in the gaming industry and is expanding rapidly. Turtle Beach led the field with 12 of the top 25 Gaming Headset SKUS in 2011. Overall, Turtle Beach dominated the market, taking an average of 50% market share for 2011, with a 58% share in December alone, a high for the year.
The strong growth for the category has led NPD to create a dedicated Headsets category, splitting off from the general Audio category. Headsets continue to be the strongest growing segment in the gaming industry and is expanding rapidly. Turtle Beach led the field with 12 of the top 25 Gaming Headset SKUS in 2011. Overall, Turtle Beach dominated the market, taking an average of 50% market share for 2011, with a 58% share in December alone, a high for the year.
Microsoft To Release Nine Patches Next Week
February's Patch Tuesday is closing in fast and, according to Microsoft, it's going to see the arrival of no less than nine updates - four rated 'Critical' and nine 'Important', that will crush 21 vulnerabilities.
The incoming patches tackle bugs that could lead to remote code execution and privilege elevation. As (almost) always, Microsoft didn't go into specifics but it did say the vulnerabilities affect Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, and .NET/Silverlight. All the updates will be made available on Valentine's Day (February 14th) at about 10 am PST (6 pm GMT).
The incoming patches tackle bugs that could lead to remote code execution and privilege elevation. As (almost) always, Microsoft didn't go into specifics but it did say the vulnerabilities affect Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, and .NET/Silverlight. All the updates will be made available on Valentine's Day (February 14th) at about 10 am PST (6 pm GMT).
Acer's Atom N2600-powered Aspire One D270 Netbook Goes On Sale
The wait for Cedar Trail is pretty much over, at least from Acer's perspective as the company has begun shipping its first netbook based on the platform, the Aspire One D270. The model on sale is equipped with a 1.6 GHz Atom N2600 processor, it runs Linux, and has a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) LED backlit display, Intel GMA 3600 integrated graphics, 2 GB of RAM, a 320 GB hard drive, LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a 5-in-1 card reader, a 0.3-megapixel webcam, a multi-touch trackpad, a HDMI output, and a 6-cell battery enabling up to 8 hours of operation.
The Aspire One D270 comes in several color versions (black, white, blue, red, candy), is backed by a one-year warranty, and can be bought for 259 Euro.
The Aspire One D270 comes in several color versions (black, white, blue, red, candy), is backed by a one-year warranty, and can be bought for 259 Euro.
Micron Launches New Product Category of Low-Standby-Power DDR3Lm
Micron Technology, Inc. is extending its legacy of memory leadership by introducing a new product category of low-power DDR3 solutions targeted at the tablet and ultrathin markets. These 2-gigabit (Gb) and 4 Gb "DDR3Lm" solutions focus on low self-refresh power (IDD6) for longer battery life, while maintaining the high performance and cost effectiveness of PC DRAM.
The first 2 Gb DDR3Lm will provide up to 50 percent self-refresh power savings versus standard 2 Gb DDR3L while driving performance up to -1600 MT/s when needed. Micron's 4 Gb DDR3Lm product delivers the same optimized power efficiency as the 2 Gb part, with a reduced chip count that is ideally suited for ultrathin and tablet customers. Both 2 Gb and 4 Gb DDR3Lm will be adopted into Micron's 30-nanometer (nm) class to further optimize the power and performance features, with the 4 Gb device hitting a 3.7mA IDD6 target in standby mode, yet still supporting speeds up to -1866 MT/s.
The first 2 Gb DDR3Lm will provide up to 50 percent self-refresh power savings versus standard 2 Gb DDR3L while driving performance up to -1600 MT/s when needed. Micron's 4 Gb DDR3Lm product delivers the same optimized power efficiency as the 2 Gb part, with a reduced chip count that is ideally suited for ultrathin and tablet customers. Both 2 Gb and 4 Gb DDR3Lm will be adopted into Micron's 30-nanometer (nm) class to further optimize the power and performance features, with the 4 Gb device hitting a 3.7mA IDD6 target in standby mode, yet still supporting speeds up to -1866 MT/s.
VIA Announces Highest Performance Dual Core VIA EPIA-M910 Mini-ITX Board
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EPIA-M910 Mini-ITX board, the latest dual core Mini-ITX board featuring one of the richest I/O sets available for a wide range of embedded applications including ATM, kiosks, POS, digital signage, healthcare and digital media applications.
The VIA EPIA-M910 is available in both active and passive cooling configurations with the choice of either a performance oriented 1.6 GHz VIA Nano X2 dual core processor or a fanless 1.0 GHz VIA Eden X2 dual core processor and is paired with the VIA VX900 media system processor, which provides the ideal platform for today's HD-intensive applications.
The VIA EPIA-M910 is available in both active and passive cooling configurations with the choice of either a performance oriented 1.6 GHz VIA Nano X2 dual core processor or a fanless 1.0 GHz VIA Eden X2 dual core processor and is paired with the VIA VX900 media system processor, which provides the ideal platform for today's HD-intensive applications.
Prolimatech Toys with Two New LGA2011 CPU Cooler Designs
Among the sea of tower-type CPU coolers which are the same old tripe packaged and colored differently, few companies are actually investing in innovation, one of them is Prolimatech. The company is working on two new yet-unnamed CPU coolers specifically designed for socket LGA2011 motherboards, one has already taken shape, the other is still in its CGI form.
The first one (first two images below), appears to be an leaner, fitter evolution of the Prolimatech Genesis. While the Genesis uses a dual-independent fin-stack design in which one stack propagates perpendicular to the plane of the motherboard while the other propagates parallel to the plane, on this new design, both stacks propagate parallel to the plane, in opposite directions, and both being dissimilar in size.
The first one (first two images below), appears to be an leaner, fitter evolution of the Prolimatech Genesis. While the Genesis uses a dual-independent fin-stack design in which one stack propagates perpendicular to the plane of the motherboard while the other propagates parallel to the plane, on this new design, both stacks propagate parallel to the plane, in opposite directions, and both being dissimilar in size.
Enermax Extends MaxRevo and NAXN Series
Enermax offers a wide range of power supplies for various applications and target groups, starting with the entry-level series NAXN right through to the flagship series MaxRevo and Platimax. Following the demands of partners and end users, the premium manufacturer now adds two new models to its offer:
While the MaxRevo 1200W (EMR1200EWT) is designed to meet highest performance and efficiency standards of hardware enthusiasts, the 80 PLUS Bronze certified NAXN 650W (ENM650AWT-B) will strengthen Enermax' position in the competitive segment of budget power supplies for gamers.
While the MaxRevo 1200W (EMR1200EWT) is designed to meet highest performance and efficiency standards of hardware enthusiasts, the 80 PLUS Bronze certified NAXN 650W (ENM650AWT-B) will strengthen Enermax' position in the competitive segment of budget power supplies for gamers.
New Double Fine Adventure Game Funded by Fans
Shacknews is reporting a new adventure game from Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and the rest of the Double Fine Productions gang is on its way, having hit its funding goal of $400,000 only eight hours after launching a crowd-funding plan. What's more, Double Fine is now having "a lovely chat" with Minecraft creator Markus 'Notch' Persson about his offer to fund a Psychonauts sequel.
"If I were to go to a publisher right now and pitch an adventure game, they'd laugh in my face," Schafer said in a video for the KickStarter project. So Double Fine turned to its fans, seeking $300,000 to fund a new adventure game and $100,000 for video game documentary team 2 Player Productions to record its progress. The project launched at 6pm Pacific on Wednesday, and reached the $400,000 mark a touch over eight hours later.
"If I were to go to a publisher right now and pitch an adventure game, they'd laugh in my face," Schafer said in a video for the KickStarter project. So Double Fine turned to its fans, seeking $300,000 to fund a new adventure game and $100,000 for video game documentary team 2 Player Productions to record its progress. The project launched at 6pm Pacific on Wednesday, and reached the $400,000 mark a touch over eight hours later.
Intel Haswell In Bound for March-June 2013
As Intel's tick-tock CPU development Juggernaut rolls on, things seem very much on track, looking into the near future. Intel will launch its new "Ivy Bridge" 3rd Generation Core processor family in early-April 2012, which is a miniaturization of what is essentially the "Sandy Bridge" to the new 22 nm process, with IPC and instruction-set improvements, along with a faster graphics controller. The new process will also up clock speeds and overclocking headroom for chips that support it. What's more interesting, though, is that the architecture that succeeds Ivy Bridge, codenamed "Haswell", will be less than an year away in April...well almost.
A roadmap slide sourced by DonanimHaber pins the launch of Haswell to March-June, 2013. Haswell is a brand new CPU architecture that will succeed Ivy Bridge. According to the conventional idea of Intel's tick-tock CPU development strategy, it will be built on the 22 nm fab process, which will have gained some maturity by then. Intel follows a "tick-tock" product development model. Every year, Intel's product lineup sees either of the two. A "tock" brings in a new x86 architecture, a "tick" miniaturizes it to a newer silicon fabrication process. Earlier reports indicated that Haswell Core processors will be based on a newer socket, the LGA1150, and hence it will not be compatible with LGA1155 platforms.
A roadmap slide sourced by DonanimHaber pins the launch of Haswell to March-June, 2013. Haswell is a brand new CPU architecture that will succeed Ivy Bridge. According to the conventional idea of Intel's tick-tock CPU development strategy, it will be built on the 22 nm fab process, which will have gained some maturity by then. Intel follows a "tick-tock" product development model. Every year, Intel's product lineup sees either of the two. A "tock" brings in a new x86 architecture, a "tick" miniaturizes it to a newer silicon fabrication process. Earlier reports indicated that Haswell Core processors will be based on a newer socket, the LGA1150, and hence it will not be compatible with LGA1155 platforms.
ChocoMouse Surfaces in Japanese Markets
A market scout at Tokyo's Akihabara electronics goods shopping district spotted this tasty-looking rodent for all you chocolate-lovers. Called the ChocoMouse, the device is shaped like a bar of chocolate (a chocolate ice-cream sandwich?), with a corner bitten off (which ends up making it ergonomic for right-handers, in a creepy way). Its catchy shape aside, the ChocoMouse is your average 3-button scroll mouse with an 800 dpi optical sensor. The mouse uses standard USB interface, its cord can be wrapped around its grooves and its connector locked into one of them. What could make for a very nerdy February 14 gift, is priced at 1,680 JPY (US $21.7).
Windows 8 To Introduce App Suspension
With Windows 8, Microsoft is introducing a new OS feature that works to improve performance and battery-life, called App Suspension. Simply put, it is a kernel optimization that "suspends" applications that are running in the background without much activity. This is done by freezing the machine to them, when suspended, an application no longer uses any CPU cycles, freeing up the CPU for other applications, and potentially reducing power consumption due to lower CPU activity.
The Windows NTOS kernel is a client-server type kernel, where processes and services function in a hierarchy as clients to the "server", which dispenses system resources to them. One would imagine a suspended process to be that which has no CPU time allocated by the kernel, which is probably told that the system is sleeping. This feature will be particularly handy for Metro applets, which in typical usage scenarios, will be running in the background most of the time. The feature could also come handy in scenarios such as gaming, where the OS could freeze supply of resources to useless processes.
The Windows NTOS kernel is a client-server type kernel, where processes and services function in a hierarchy as clients to the "server", which dispenses system resources to them. One would imagine a suspended process to be that which has no CPU time allocated by the kernel, which is probably told that the system is sleeping. This feature will be particularly handy for Metro applets, which in typical usage scenarios, will be running in the background most of the time. The feature could also come handy in scenarios such as gaming, where the OS could freeze supply of resources to useless processes.
Aerocool Launches the Strike-X One & Strike-X One Advance PC cases
Taiwan-based Aerocool Advanced Technologies has just announced the European release of two new Strike-X Series mid-tower PC cases, the Strike-X One and Strike-X One Advance. Both models feature a steel structure, are painted black both inside and out, and have support for ATX and micro ATX motherboards, four 5.25-inch drive bays (with tool-free mounting systems), six 3.5-inch internal bays, a PSU dust filter, and pre-drilled holes for watercooling tubes and cables.
The Strike-X One has an I/O panel with two USB 2.0 ports, and is equipped with one 120 mm rear fan, while the Strike-X One Advance comes with two USB 3.0 ports, a 120 mm rear fan, and a front 120 mm fan with red LEDs. The Strike-X One and Strike-X One Advance cost 34.99 Euro and 39.99 Euro, respectively.
The Strike-X One has an I/O panel with two USB 2.0 ports, and is equipped with one 120 mm rear fan, while the Strike-X One Advance comes with two USB 3.0 ports, a 120 mm rear fan, and a front 120 mm fan with red LEDs. The Strike-X One and Strike-X One Advance cost 34.99 Euro and 39.99 Euro, respectively.
Google To Launch GoogleDrive Cloud-Storage Service Soon
Google is going to monetize its ocean of data storage and bandwidth by starting a new service that will rival the likes of DropBox. Called Google Drive, the service could allow people to make use of their G-Mail storage quota (like G-Mail Drive once did) for free, and probably offer additional storage at a cost. According to Wall Street Journal, the service is expected to be launched "soon" (in the next few weeks or months). To compete with other similar service providers, Google could come up with attractive prices. Unlike services such as MegaUpload, Google Drive would be strictly personal storage. The Drive service will be inter-twined with Google Docs, and facilitate better remote collaboration between co-workers.
Lenovo Reports Third Quarter 2011/2012 Results
Lenovo Group reported results for its third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2011, highlighted by record highs in quarterly sales, pre-tax income and market share, and the 11th quarter in a row that Lenovo has grown faster than the industry as a whole. For the ninth quarter in a row, the Company grew faster than any of the top four PC manufacturers, a result of Lenovo's continued focus on balanced growth across all geographies, customer segments and product lines. During the third quarter, Lenovo recorded its highest-ever worldwide market share of 14.0* percent, and its highest-ever market share in China of 35.3 percent, an increase of 3.7 and 3.1 share points year-over-year respectively.
During the third fiscal quarter Lenovo's pre-tax income increased 59 percent year-over-year, to a record high of US$192 million.
During the third fiscal quarter Lenovo's pre-tax income increased 59 percent year-over-year, to a record high of US$192 million.
I-O Data Readies a 23-inch IPS Monitor
For the end of this month I-O Data has planned the release of a new widescreen monitor, a 23-inch model called LCD-MF234XPGBR which features LED backlighting, an IPS panel with 178/178 degree viewing angles, and a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
I-O Data's upcoming display also has a 14 ms response time (8 ms when overdrive is activated), a maximum brightness of 250 cd/m2, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 (80,000:1 DCR), two 1.5W speakers, an ECO mode that saves power, and D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI (x 2) connectors. The LCD-MF234XPGBR is set to cost about $347.
I-O Data's upcoming display also has a 14 ms response time (8 ms when overdrive is activated), a maximum brightness of 250 cd/m2, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 (80,000:1 DCR), two 1.5W speakers, an ECO mode that saves power, and D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI (x 2) connectors. The LCD-MF234XPGBR is set to cost about $347.
Ark PC Intros Tathlum AMD-Powered Gaming PC
Japanese built-to-order gaming PC maker Ark PC unveiled an AMD-powered variant of its Tathlum Gaming PC desktop (model: CY-AF8A99A-C2). The machine is built into a Cooler Master HAF 912 Advanced chassis, and is accompanied by a 23-inch full-HD monitor. In the driver's seat is AMD FX-8150 processor, seated on an ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX motherboard, with 8 GB dual-channel DDR3-1333 MHz memory, and AMD Radeon HD 7970 3 GB graphics. The processor is cooled by a Zalman CNPS9900MAX Red. Other components of interest include a Hitachi DeskStar 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s hard drive, onboard HD audio, and gigabit Ethernet. A SilverStone ST75F-SST-P 750W 80 Plus Silver PSU powers it all. Windows 7 Home Premium x64 is the OS of choice. The Tanthum CY-AF8A99A-C2 is priced at 167,800 JPY (US $2,175).
AverMedia Intros the Live Gamer HD Gameplay Streaming Solution
AverMedia, specialists in video encoding and archival hardware, introduced the Live Gamer HD addon card. This product solves the problem of gameplay streaming/recording software introducing lag because the software syncs the framerate to match the framerate of the encoded video/stream, not to mention the additional burden on the CPU and hard drive. The addon card acts as an intermediate between the graphics/audio cards and the display/headset, encodes gameplay at resolutions up to full-HD, that's 1920 x 1080 @60 FPS, without affecting the framerate the gamer experiences (the display stream and the recording stream needn't be at sync). The card packs a hardware H.264 encoder, which then works with a software to either stream it online (via streaming services such as Livestream), or records it onto local storage (since it's writing a pre-encoded video, HDD activity will be much lower compared to screencapture programs that write heavy lossless video). AverMedia did not give out pricing information.
A video presentation by AverMedia follows.
HP Envy 14 Spectre Now Available
HP's posterboy Ultrabook, the Envy 14 Spectre, was announced last month amidst some fanfare, though it wasn't immediately available. As announced it is now available via HP's online store for US $1,399.99 for the base-configuration, and 1,899.99 for HP's "recommended configuration", which includes a 256 GB SSD, and a Core i7-2770M processor instead of a 128 GB SSD and Core i5-2467M on the base-configuration, among other HP-exclusives. The 14-incher measures 12.88" (W) x 8.7" (D) x 0.79" (H), weighing 1.8 kg, packs a 1366x768 pixel screen; two of its most notable features, apart from its size, include solid-state storage and near-field communication (NFC).
Wednesday, February 8th 2012
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
SSD
Ubisoft DRM Server Downtime Causes A Lockout
If you are trying to play Might and Magic: Heroes VI, The Settlers 7 and Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 or are trying to activate Assassin's Creed Revelations, Anno 2070 and or Driver: San Francisco don't bother. Ubisoft has announced a server migration this week that will block all access from players validating their legitimate purchases via Ubisofts DRM "always on" model. The original plan was to allow some of these games to remain playable. However it didn't seem to work. Some DRM schemes are more intrusive then others but the Ubisoft "always on" DRM has come under heavy fire this week from players turned critics via Twitter. One is quoted as saying, "Dear @Ubisoft I am totally unimpressed with your server upgrade strategy."
Ubisoft has yet to give a specified time when the servers will be re-launched and players can regain access to their games.
Ubisoft has yet to give a specified time when the servers will be re-launched and players can regain access to their games.
Hawken Launching As Free-to-Play with Beta
The highly anticipated first person shooter/Mech simulator Hawken is stated to be released on the 12th of December this year. 12-12-12. What makes this an interesting development is the game will be released under the a free-to-play model. Normally a free-to-play model is really just a pay for extended content model. How Adhesive Games the Hawken developer is going to set this up is unknown. What is known is the game looks to be quite beautiful with a slight Quake 3 feel to it. Luckily for the Mech junkies in the PC community we will have access to a beta before we make the plunge in December. If you sign up three friends Adhesive Games will reserve your call sign when the game finally debuts. Open enrollment has already started. You can sign up here.
So what are you waiting for? Get to blasting!
So what are you waiting for? Get to blasting!
Engineers Boost Computer Processor Performance By Over 20 Percent
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that allows graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs) on a single chip to collaborate - boosting processor performance by an average of more than 20 percent.
"Chip manufacturers are now creating processors that have a 'fused architecture,' meaning that they include CPUs and GPUs on a single chip," says Dr. Huiyang Zhou, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering who co-authored a paper on the research. "This approach decreases manufacturing costs and makes computers more energy efficient. However, the CPU cores and GPU cores still work almost exclusively on separate functions. They rarely collaborate to execute any given program, so they aren't as efficient as they could be. That's the issue we're trying to resolve."
"Chip manufacturers are now creating processors that have a 'fused architecture,' meaning that they include CPUs and GPUs on a single chip," says Dr. Huiyang Zhou, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering who co-authored a paper on the research. "This approach decreases manufacturing costs and makes computers more energy efficient. However, the CPU cores and GPU cores still work almost exclusively on separate functions. They rarely collaborate to execute any given program, so they aren't as efficient as they could be. That's the issue we're trying to resolve."
Windows 8 Consumer Preview Inbound for MWC
On the sidelines of mobile computing's biggest annual international event, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), held in the end of February, Microsoft will hold a special event, titled Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The company sent out invites to the event, to its industry partners. The event will be held on the 29th of this month, and will be a two hour event in late-afternoon (3 PM - 5 PM). The synchrony of this event with MWC speaks volumes about the direction in which Microsoft is steering its OS business. Microsoft clearly wants to go big on operating systems for portable computing devices, and as such is converging this kind of OS with those for more powerful PCs. The convergence will at first be functional (similar UI, some inter-compatibility), and later structural (Windows-on-Windows ARM)?
PowerColor Teases a New, Custom-Cooled Radeon HD 7970 Card
As if two custom Radeon HD 7970s (the Vortex and LCS models) aren't enough, PowerColor has today revealed another HD 7970 card that goes beyond AMD's reference design. Seen below, this third custom Radeon HD 7970, likely part of the PCS Series, comes equipped with a dual-slot cooler boasting two fans and (at least) three copper heatpipes, and features 2048 Stream Processors, a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, CrossFireX support, and five display outputs (dual DVI, dual mini DisplayPort, one HDMI).
PowerColor hasn't said anything about the card's clocks or price tag but hopefully those will be revealed later this month.
PowerColor hasn't said anything about the card's clocks or price tag but hopefully those will be revealed later this month.
Google Chrome 17 Stable Available for Download
After going through a month-long beta stage, Chrome 17 has now been promoted and is available as a Stable release for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. Chrome 17 (build 17.0.963.46) features new Extension APIs, updated Omnibox Prerendering, download scanning protection, various tweaks and fixes for about 20 vulnerabilities.
Chrome 17 Stable can be downloaded via this page.
Chrome 17 Stable can be downloaded via this page.
Apple Faces Fines in China, Possible iPad Ban for Trademark Infringement
ProView has the last laugh, while Apple gets a taste of its own medicine, in a remarkable turn of events that unfolded in China. Apple and ProView have been locked in a tussle over the brand name "iPad", which the latter claimed Apple dubiously acquired rights to use in 2006, by floating a shell company called IP Application Development and using it to deal with ProView. ProView had no idea it was dealing with Apple at the time (it was not shared that information), or that Apple would go on to use the name for one of its biggest selling products. A Chinese court ruled in favor of ProView. Apple now has to cough up US $38 million in fines, and sit down with ProView to work out a fresh agreement to using the brand name "iPad", or face a sales ban.
Price Hurting Intel and AMD in Competition Against ARM
While Intel and AMD are making efforts to come up with low-power x86 processor platforms to compete with the plethora of ARM processor vendors, manufacturers of the target devices of these low-power x86 processors - tablets, netbooks, and smartphones; note that the architecture simply isn't competitive due to its prices. ARM processors are manufactured by a variety of companies, in a variety of different SoC configurations, and as such the tough competition among these companies ensure ARM processor platforms are comparatively cheaper to low-power x86 ones.
Intel recently debuted its 32 nm "Medfield" Atom processors, with power consumption as low as 11W for the platform. In the second half of 2012, it will launch another line of processors with under 10W power consumption, for high-end smartphones. AMD, on the other hand, will unveil "Hondo", which combines its x86 architecture with Radeon graphics IP, and a power consumption target of less than 5W. In 2013, it plans to launch the "Temash" APU, with power consumption under 2W, and built on the 28 nm process.
Intel recently debuted its 32 nm "Medfield" Atom processors, with power consumption as low as 11W for the platform. In the second half of 2012, it will launch another line of processors with under 10W power consumption, for high-end smartphones. AMD, on the other hand, will unveil "Hondo", which combines its x86 architecture with Radeon graphics IP, and a power consumption target of less than 5W. In 2013, it plans to launch the "Temash" APU, with power consumption under 2W, and built on the 28 nm process.
Antec Officially Announces the One Enclosure
Antec, Inc., the global leader in high-performance computer components, announces the One, the latest addition to their Gaming Series. The One is an excellent option for mainstream gamers, new PC builders and seasoned system integrators alike, as it provides user-friendly cooling and convenient features at an affordable price.
Performance Cooling Advantages - The One's cooling system includes top & rear 120 mm exhaust fans with four additional 120 mm fan mounts. Perforated mesh construction yields additional airflow through the front of the chassis.
Performance Cooling Advantages - The One's cooling system includes top & rear 120 mm exhaust fans with four additional 120 mm fan mounts. Perforated mesh construction yields additional airflow through the front of the chassis.
Rambus and NVIDIA Sign Patent License Agreement
Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companies, announced today it has signed a patent license agreement with NVIDIA.
The agreement covers the use of Rambus patented innovations in a broad range of integrated circuit (IC) products offered by NVIDIA. In addition, the two companies have settled all outstanding claims, including resolution of past use of Rambus' patented innovations. The term of this agreement is five years; other details are confidential.
The agreement covers the use of Rambus patented innovations in a broad range of integrated circuit (IC) products offered by NVIDIA. In addition, the two companies have settled all outstanding claims, including resolution of past use of Rambus' patented innovations. The term of this agreement is five years; other details are confidential.
Scythe Announces Kaze Master Flat Fan Controller
Japanese cooling expert Scythe expands the product portfolio of fan controllers by a brand new model. Scythe chose a different path when designing the new Kaze Master Flat fan controller. Previously announced fan controller models utilized rotating knobs (potentiometer) as control system. Kaze Master Flat comes with a front panel, which is covering the buttons used for operating the fan controller.
Kaze Master Flat combines both a tidy and clean front panel design with Scythe's usual variety of functions. Hence allows it to match almost every on market PC Chassis. With only one finger tip users are able to open the front panel, which grants access to six buttons used as control system. Four of the buttons are being used to adjust the fan speed of the individual fan channel. The other two located on the both sided of Kaze Master Flat allow shutting down of the alarm signal and activating or deactivating of the built-in VF-Display (Vacuum Fluorescent Display).
Kaze Master Flat combines both a tidy and clean front panel design with Scythe's usual variety of functions. Hence allows it to match almost every on market PC Chassis. With only one finger tip users are able to open the front panel, which grants access to six buttons used as control system. Four of the buttons are being used to adjust the fan speed of the individual fan channel. The other two located on the both sided of Kaze Master Flat allow shutting down of the alarm signal and activating or deactivating of the built-in VF-Display (Vacuum Fluorescent Display).
Buffalo Intros DriveStation 1.5 TB External HDD with Ability to Record TV
Buffalo Japan announced a new DriveStation external hard drive with the ability to record TV, the HD-LS1.5U2J. The drive provides 1.5 TB of storage, and can be programmed by a PC to perform scheduled TV recording with the PC turned off. When not recording or serving a PC, the drive enters into a low-power state that cuts power draw by 97%. When connected to PC and idling, the eCOManager software takes over, and spins down the hard drive while keeping other electronics awake. The drive connects to a PC over USB 2.0. Measuring 39 x 189 x 123 mm, the drive weighs about 1 kg. Slated for market release in mid-February, the DriveStation HD-LS1.5U2J will be priced at 18,690 JPY (US $242).
Caseking.de Acquires Overclockers UK
One of Europe's biggest retailers of enthusiast PC parts, Caseking.de, has reportedly struck a deal that will see it take over Overclockers UK (OCUK). OCUK has been among Britain's biggest retailers of interest to PC enthusiasts, dealing with performance computer hardware apart from enthusiast parts (cooling, casing, accessories, etc.). This takeover will affect 40 members of staff at OCUK. The value of the final deal has not been disclosed by either side. eTeknix estimates it to be "less than €50 million". The Caseking staff we contacted refused to comment, saying they cannot comment on such internal operations. The deal is said to have been struck in early February, though both companies are keeping mum about it, perhaps waiting for the right moment to make the big announcement.
ATP Intros the Velocity SI Pro Industrial Grade SATA III 2.5-inch SLC SSD
ATP Electronics, a leading flash memory manufacturer known for its high quality, durable flash and DRAM memory modules, announced the launch of its industrial grade SLC (Single Level Cell) Solid State Drive (SSD). The ATP Velocity SI Pro 2.5" SATA III SSD is ideal for Industrial PC and high end computing devices in which extreme performance and reliability are required. With a stable performance read speed of up to 500 MB/s, a write speed of up to 500 MB/s, and 4K random read IOPS of up to 60, 000, the Velocity SSD SI pro is also the ideal solution for enterprise and industrial grade applications.
Logitech Reveals the Touch Mouse M600
Today Logitech, the world's leading manufacturer of mice, unveiled the Logitech Touch Mouse M600, a mouse featuring a touch surface that lets you navigate intuitively with your fingers.
"People are growing accustomed to using fingertip gestures to navigate on their smartphones and tablets," said Todd Walker, brand manager for Logitech. "In fact, for many people these gestures have become second nature. The Logitech Touch Mouse M600 reflects this evolution in how we interact with the digital world and extends to the computer what have become natural, intuitive motions."
"People are growing accustomed to using fingertip gestures to navigate on their smartphones and tablets," said Todd Walker, brand manager for Logitech. "In fact, for many people these gestures have become second nature. The Logitech Touch Mouse M600 reflects this evolution in how we interact with the digital world and extends to the computer what have become natural, intuitive motions."
Hitachi GST Ships the Industry’s First 25 nm SLC NAND Flash Enterprise-Class SSDs
Demonstrating its commitment to delivering leading-edge technologies and solutions for enterprise-class servers and storage systems, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that its Ultrastar enterprise-class solid state drive (SSD) family is the industry's first to use 25-nanometer (nm) single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash.
The Ultrastar SSD400S.B family combines Hitachi's proven enterprise hard disk drive (HDD) expertise with Intel's extensive capabilities in developing high-endurance SLC NAND flash memory and advanced SSD technology. The drives also conform to the Trusted Computing Group's Enterprise A Security Subsystem Class encryption specification, helping customers protect sensitive data, and reduce the costs associated with drive retirement and reuse.
The Ultrastar SSD400S.B family combines Hitachi's proven enterprise hard disk drive (HDD) expertise with Intel's extensive capabilities in developing high-endurance SLC NAND flash memory and advanced SSD technology. The drives also conform to the Trusted Computing Group's Enterprise A Security Subsystem Class encryption specification, helping customers protect sensitive data, and reduce the costs associated with drive retirement and reuse.
AMD Rolls Outs Two More FM1 Socket Athlon II X4 Processors
AMD may be busy building up hype for its Trinity-generation APUs (accelerated processing units) but it's still churning out new chips, the latest releases being the rather low-profile Athlon II X4 641 and X4 638. Both of these models are made on 32 nm technology, have an FM1 packaging, and boast four 'Stars' x86 cores just like those found in Llano APUs (but unlike Llano, these Athlons don't have integrated graphics).
The Athlon II X4 641 comes with a core clock of 2.8 GHz, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a 100 W TDP, while the Athlon II X4 638 features a 2.7 GHz clock, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a TDP of 65 W. Both CPUs are priced at $81 (pricing is for 1000-unit tray quantities).
The Athlon II X4 641 comes with a core clock of 2.8 GHz, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a 100 W TDP, while the Athlon II X4 638 features a 2.7 GHz clock, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a TDP of 65 W. Both CPUs are priced at $81 (pricing is for 1000-unit tray quantities).
G.Skill Announces Ares Low Profile DDR3 Memory Kits
G.Skill, the worldwide leading high performance memory designer and manufacturer, has announced the brand new Ares series low profile performance DDR3 memory. Featured with low profile heat spreader design (3.2cm in height), G.Skill Ares series DDR3 memory modules are the perfect choices for building high performance PCs with large CPU coolers, small form factor desktop computers or any other systems with more restricted space.
Xbox 360 Kinect Star Wars Arriving in April
Microsoft is ready with a new limited edition Xbox 360 Kinect system bundle for all you Star Wars fans out there. The bundle includes a copy of Star Wars Kinect, which lets you take advantage of Kinect to slash your lightsaber away. The hardware itself is themed around two of the most lovable characters of the franchise, the console is R2-D2 themed, and the main controller C-3P0. The Kinect module is white colored. The system packs 320 GB of local storage. The special bundle is listed on Amazon for US $449, and is up for pre-orders. It will start shipping on April 3.
AMD Announces Departure of Emilio Ghilardi as Senior Vice President and CSO
AMD today announced the departure of Emilio Ghilardi as senior vice president and chief sales officer, effective immediately. Rory Read, AMD president and chief executive officer, will serve as interim chief sales officer while the company actively seeks a replacement.
"I'd like to thank Emilio for his contributions to the business and wish him well in his future endeavors," said Read. "Developing relationships with our customers that are grounded in a foundation of trust through consistently delivering on our commitments is critical, and we are making progress toward that goal. AMD enters 2012 with significant momentum, and we are building upon that momentum by embracing the shifts occurring in the industry and marrying market needs with innovative technologies to become a consistent growth engine."
Mr. Ghilardi joined AMD from Hewlett Packard in 2008.
"I'd like to thank Emilio for his contributions to the business and wish him well in his future endeavors," said Read. "Developing relationships with our customers that are grounded in a foundation of trust through consistently delivering on our commitments is critical, and we are making progress toward that goal. AMD enters 2012 with significant momentum, and we are building upon that momentum by embracing the shifts occurring in the industry and marrying market needs with innovative technologies to become a consistent growth engine."
Mr. Ghilardi joined AMD from Hewlett Packard in 2008.
Windows-on-Windows ARM Confirmed?
Back in the 1990's, when the software industry knew the 32-bit x86 address-space limitation was closing in, they geared up for transition to another machine architecture, then came AMD64 and EM64T, which allowed an x86 processor to perform in both 64-bit and 32-bit modes. Microsoft didn't want users of its 64-bit Windows to be deprived of using software coded for 32-bit Windows, which was infinitely more in number than 64-bit software. Hence it developed what is known as Windows-on-Windows 64 (WOW64), a translation layer that interfaces 32-bit software and drivers to the 64-bit OS and drivers. With its next major Windows version, Windows 8, Microsoft wants to give the ARM architecture a big push, with a Windows 8 version for ARM computing devices (such as tablets and netbooks). Guess what?
A latest bulletin at MSDN hints at the possibility of Microsoft working on a x86-to-ARM translation layer, which allows you to run desktop windows (Win32) software on Windows 8 ARM, effectively "Windows-on-Windows ARM". Without specifically pointing out the ability to run Win32 software on ARM, the bulletin mentions the ability to run non-metro applications (native Windows) on SoC (system-on-a-chip) architectures. It could also just be a reference to Intel's single-chip SoCs such as Medfield, which are x86-based. If Microsoft pulls off a "WOWARM", it could spell terrible news to Intel, because something such as the hypothetical WOWARM is all that stands between ARM and high-performance desktop PCs. In a market that only has two other competitors (AMD and VIA), dozens more could join in overnight, including NVIDIA's karmic entry after being shunned off an x86 license.
A latest bulletin at MSDN hints at the possibility of Microsoft working on a x86-to-ARM translation layer, which allows you to run desktop windows (Win32) software on Windows 8 ARM, effectively "Windows-on-Windows ARM". Without specifically pointing out the ability to run Win32 software on ARM, the bulletin mentions the ability to run non-metro applications (native Windows) on SoC (system-on-a-chip) architectures. It could also just be a reference to Intel's single-chip SoCs such as Medfield, which are x86-based. If Microsoft pulls off a "WOWARM", it could spell terrible news to Intel, because something such as the hypothetical WOWARM is all that stands between ARM and high-performance desktop PCs. In a market that only has two other competitors (AMD and VIA), dozens more could join in overnight, including NVIDIA's karmic entry after being shunned off an x86 license.
Eurocom Announces Panther 4.0 Mobile Workstation Based on Sandy Bridge-E
Eurocom, a developer of long lifespan, fully upgradable Notebooks, high performance Mobile Workstations and Mobile Servers, introduced the EUROCOM Panther 4.0 Mobile Workstation, Mobile Server and Gaming Station powered by Intel's newest line of 6 core, 12 thread, 130W desktop Intel Core i7-3960X Processor Extreme edition based on the Intel X79 Express Chipset Sandy Bridge-E architecture.
EUROCOM PANTHER 4.0 provides workstation-calibre performance, powerful graphics capabilities and high performance storage with four physical storage drives, two being SATA 600, two being SATA 300 and RAID 0/1/5/10. Super powerful Intel Core i7, i7 Extreme and next generation Intel Xeon processors are supported for high-end computing wherever work takes place.
EUROCOM PANTHER 4.0 provides workstation-calibre performance, powerful graphics capabilities and high performance storage with four physical storage drives, two being SATA 600, two being SATA 300 and RAID 0/1/5/10. Super powerful Intel Core i7, i7 Extreme and next generation Intel Xeon processors are supported for high-end computing wherever work takes place.
Tuesday, February 7th 2012
Today's Reviews
Cases
Desktop PC
Headphones
Keyboards
Memory
Motherboards
SSD
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Allround-PC (de)
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Au-Ja (de)
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Benchmark Reviews
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Bjorn3d
- Intel SSD 520 Series 120GB Cowcotland (fr)
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Futurelooks
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Guru3D
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Hardware Secrets
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Hardware-Mag (de)
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Hardwarecanucks
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB HardwareHeaven
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB HotHardware
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Legit Reviews
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Overclockers Club
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB SSDReview
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Tech Report
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB TechGage
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB Technic3D (de)
- Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB TechSpot
- OWC Mercury Electra 240GB PureOverclock
Phonak Audéo PFE232 +mic In-ear Headset Review
Phonak's Audéo line of headphones has just been expanded to include a new interesting high-end in-ear dubbed the PFE232. PFE232 is a dual balanced armature based in-ear that aims at taking on the big guns in the high-end in-ear arena. We test them to see how they perform compared to in-ears like Westone 4 and the Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors!
Heat Key To Faster HDDs...Hundreds of Times Faster
Physicists have discovered a new method of recording data on hard drives that could potentially make mechanical hard drives hundreds of times faster (in terms of performance). Heat holds the key. A hard disk drive is a magnetic storage device, which, unlike magnetic tapes, allows random access. Its recording surfaces consist of hundreds of billions of tiny portions that can be magnetized in a particular polar direction to represent 0s or 1s. To create meaningful arrangements of these portions (bytes), the recording heads apply an external magnetic field to flip their polarities.
A team of researchers led by Thomas Ostler at the University of York, UK concluded that the process of flipping the polarities of these tiny portions can be greatly expedited using short bursts of heat. It has been believed that heat could only assist in remagnetization, when used in conjunction with a magnetic field. Research shows that this can also be achieved using a very, very precise amount of heat generated by beaming a fine laser for less than a trillionth of a second, which momentarily raises its temperature by 800 °C. The results of this study was published here.
A team of researchers led by Thomas Ostler at the University of York, UK concluded that the process of flipping the polarities of these tiny portions can be greatly expedited using short bursts of heat. It has been believed that heat could only assist in remagnetization, when used in conjunction with a magnetic field. Research shows that this can also be achieved using a very, very precise amount of heat generated by beaming a fine laser for less than a trillionth of a second, which momentarily raises its temperature by 800 °C. The results of this study was published here.
Cooler Master Officially Introduces The Elite 361 Chassis
Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer today unveils the Elite 361 rotatable chassis. A formidable Mini-Tower contender, Elite 361 focuses on versatility and expandability within a compact enclosure.
Touting a modern minimalist design, Elite 361 is engineered to be accommodating in space restricted work zones. Given its unique structure and airflow design, Elite 361 can be placed either horizontally or vertically within a space. A rotatable Cooler Master logo and four user attachable rubber feet assist in making these transitions. Front panel ports are positioned to be easily accessible in either orientation.
Touting a modern minimalist design, Elite 361 is engineered to be accommodating in space restricted work zones. Given its unique structure and airflow design, Elite 361 can be placed either horizontally or vertically within a space. A rotatable Cooler Master logo and four user attachable rubber feet assist in making these transitions. Front panel ports are positioned to be easily accessible in either orientation.
MAINGEAR Updates the TITAN 17 17.3-inch Desktop Replacement
MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, and workstations, has updated the TITAN 17 high performance desktop replacement solution with all new aesthetic features while still maintaining top of the line performance for PC gamers who want to harness desktop-like power wherever they go and creative professionals that can work on site with no loss in productivity.
The TITAN 17 features support for both the latest Intel Core i7-3930K and the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition. With fast, intelligent multi-core technology that accelerates performance to match your workload, it delivers an incredible breakthrough in gaming performance. For both gamers and demanding users, the Titan 17 capitalizes on a dramatic leap forward in processing technology to provide all the power you need for even the most advanced games and applications.
The TITAN 17 features support for both the latest Intel Core i7-3930K and the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition. With fast, intelligent multi-core technology that accelerates performance to match your workload, it delivers an incredible breakthrough in gaming performance. For both gamers and demanding users, the Titan 17 capitalizes on a dramatic leap forward in processing technology to provide all the power you need for even the most advanced games and applications.
Cougar Solution Mid-Tower Case to Reach Europe Next Week
Announced one month ago, the Solution PC chassis made by Cougar is set to become available in European stores next week. Pictured below, this case measures 198 (W) x 425 (H) x 484 (D) mm, and features an all-black paint job, a front I/O panel with USB 2.0 (x 1) and USB 3.0 (x 1) ports, three exposed 5.25-inch bays and six internal 3.5-inch bays (all with tool-free mounting systems), two pre-drilled holes for watercooling tubing and a single 120 mm fan (found at the rear).
Cougar's Solution will cost 55 Euro.
Cougar's Solution will cost 55 Euro.
Hackers Held Symantec to Ransom Over pcAnywhere Source Code Leak
Security software maker Symantec confirmed to the press that the group of hackers that obtained source code of its pcAnywhere software were holding it to ransom. The group claims to be linked to Anonymous. The group allegedly demanded US $50,000 from Symantec in return for destroying the source code it stole, on failing to pay it, the group threatened it would leak the source code to the public, which would expose the software to malware writers and competitors.
Symantec has apparently been in negotiations with the hacker group over preventing the leak, it even agreed to pay the group its "ransom", provided it could do so in monthly installments. The group declined, and the negotiations fell through. A transcript of this email conversation was posted on Pastebin (can be accessed here). The hackers claimed to have posted the source code of pcAnywhere (in a 2.3 GB RAR archive), on a popular bit-torrent site. In our opinion, extorting money is very un-Anonymous. Anonymous, being the self-proclaimed hacktivist group that it is, would post the source code "just for the lulz", without even getting into negotiations with Symantec.
Symantec has apparently been in negotiations with the hacker group over preventing the leak, it even agreed to pay the group its "ransom", provided it could do so in monthly installments. The group declined, and the negotiations fell through. A transcript of this email conversation was posted on Pastebin (can be accessed here). The hackers claimed to have posted the source code of pcAnywhere (in a 2.3 GB RAR archive), on a popular bit-torrent site. In our opinion, extorting money is very un-Anonymous. Anonymous, being the self-proclaimed hacktivist group that it is, would post the source code "just for the lulz", without even getting into negotiations with Symantec.
Patriot Memory Readies Three New Lines of SSD
In its CeBIT invitation circular, Patriot Memory unveiled names of three new client SSD product lines, which it will launch in Hanover. These include new high-performance client SSD lines, the Wildfire Pro, and Wildfire SE; and a new mainstream client SSD line called Magma. With no other details, we're left to only speculate. Patriot's flagship SandForce SF-2281 driven Wildfire series features among some of the highest performing SATA 6 Gb/s client SSDs. The Wildfire Pro and SE, in all probability, could be higher-performing parts, with higher sequential speeds, and random access performance. With Magma, Patriot could design a client SSD using a controller of another make than SandForce; probably Marvell, or even OCZ-Indilinx.
Roccat Teases with the Savu Gaming Mouse
Gaming peripherals major Roccat Studios released a teaser picture of its latest gaming mouse, the Roccat Savu. This mouse is designed to strike a functional balance between that makes it fit for various gaming styles (FPS thru RPG), and a size-balance that makes it perfect for various gripping styles. Entry-level gaming mice already accomplish some of that, but Roccat probably sensed that as you move up the price ladder, gaming mice tend to get more specialized in size and style. The Savu probably converges high-end features (such as a high-resolution sensor, high-quality switches, weight/balance adjustments?) with an balanced design. Roccat will unveil its newest rodent at CeBIT (early March).
Spatial View's 3DeeScreen adds Glasses-Free 3D Capabilities to 2D Laptops
Spatial View Inc., a pioneer in stereo 3D content delivery and auto-stereoscopic display technologies, today announced that the 3DeeScreen, a lens that enables a person with a standard 15.6" laptop to view 3D content without glasses, is available for purchase.
Once the 3DeeScreen is snapped onto a laptop display, and the software is installed, viewers can watch 3D videos and photos with the included software and Blu-ray movies using third party players. The playback uses eye-tracking software to automatically track the user's viewing position and adjust the 3D image projection to maintain optimal viewing quality, reducing the possibility of crosstalk and ghosting.
Once the 3DeeScreen is snapped onto a laptop display, and the software is installed, viewers can watch 3D videos and photos with the included software and Blu-ray movies using third party players. The playback uses eye-tracking software to automatically track the user's viewing position and adjust the 3D image projection to maintain optimal viewing quality, reducing the possibility of crosstalk and ghosting.
Adobe Working on Sandboxed Flash Player for Firefox
Adobe is working on a new sandboxed version of the Flash Player browser plugin for Firefox. The move will make it tougher to compromise a system's security using malicious Shockwave Flash objects. The new plugin for Firefox (and other browsers like Opera, which rely on the common Netscape Plugin Wrapper model of browser plugins), will work essentially similar to the Flash Player Google Chrome ships with, which works in a "Protected Mode". When "sandboxed" Shockwave Flash objects in webpages will work as separate processes, with much lower privileges than the actual user, the user's machine environment will be kept abstract to it. Adobe has already redesigned the browser plugin of its Reader X (PDF viewer) to work this way, and hasn't seen a significant successful exploit since November, last year.
Zalman Launches GT Series Mid-Range PSUs
Zalman unveiled a trio of entry-thru-mid range PSUs for gaming PC builds, the 500W ZM500-GT, the 600W ZM600-GT, and the 700W ZM700-GT. The three feature uneventful fixed cabling, but offer 80 Plus efficiency. These PSUs feature two-forward switching circuit designs, are ATX v2.3 compliant, and conform to ErP 2010 Lot 6 power-draw standards (<1W standby power).
The ZM500-GT features a dual +12V rail design (each rail 18A), while the ZM500-GT and ZM600-GT feature quad +12V rail (each 18A) design. Internally, the GT series PSUs feature +5Vsb green IC, active PFC, and a secondary protection IC. The units are cooled by a 120 mm temperature-controlled fan. The ZM500-GT is 80 Plus compliant, while the ZM600-GT and ZM700-GT are 80 Plus Bronze compliant. According to the source, the ZM500-GT will be priced around $80, the ZM600-GT around $100, and the ZM700-GT around $125.
The ZM500-GT features a dual +12V rail design (each rail 18A), while the ZM500-GT and ZM600-GT feature quad +12V rail (each 18A) design. Internally, the GT series PSUs feature +5Vsb green IC, active PFC, and a secondary protection IC. The units are cooled by a 120 mm temperature-controlled fan. The ZM500-GT is 80 Plus compliant, while the ZM600-GT and ZM700-GT are 80 Plus Bronze compliant. According to the source, the ZM500-GT will be priced around $80, the ZM600-GT around $100, and the ZM700-GT around $125.
Amulet Hotkey Announces World's First PCoIP Blade for CAD/CAM
Amulet Hotkey takes the proven data center grade server platform of the Dell PowerEdge M-Series Blade Servers and reconfigures it as a high-performance graphics workstation, building in custom components to provide superior, high-end desktop graphics and PC-over-IP (PCoIP) hardware. The M610X blade, is the first PCoIP workstation blade focused on providing the computing and graphics performance required by state of the art 3D design and CAD/CAM software. This PCoIP multi-monitor blade architecture was pioneered by Amulet Hotkey in 2009 when it brought the first DXM600 quad-head workstation blade to market. As one of the longest standing UK-based Dell OEM Solutions Partners, it is the only PCoIP solutions provider to offer a true tier-one blade platform. The DXM610X joins a growing range of PCoIP and VMware blade solutions that include the DXM610, DXM710 and M910.
Cooler Master Cuts Prices of HAF-X and HAF 932 Advanced in Europe
Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, power supply, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer, offers a very special gift to celebrate its twenty years of existence. Read the text below for more info; this gift only applies to European countries.
One of our most popular cases the last few years has without a doubt been the HAF X. As most people know, HAF stands for 'High Air Flow' and this case totally lives up to this name. With dual 200mm top fans, a front 230mm red LED on/off fan and an additional 200mm fan with dedicated air duct for VGA card cooling this massive case will keep any system running cool. As a special gift to Cooler Master's loyal customers, we will reduce the price from €159,- to €139.
One of our most popular cases the last few years has without a doubt been the HAF X. As most people know, HAF stands for 'High Air Flow' and this case totally lives up to this name. With dual 200mm top fans, a front 230mm red LED on/off fan and an additional 200mm fan with dedicated air duct for VGA card cooling this massive case will keep any system running cool. As a special gift to Cooler Master's loyal customers, we will reduce the price from €159,- to €139.
Verbatim Shipping its SandForce-powered SATA 6.0 Gbps Solid State Drives
Verbatim Europe has now started delivering the SATA 6.0 Gbps solid state drives it announced last month. These SSDs have a 2.5-inch form factor, a SandForce SF-2281 controller, MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips, TRIM support, and deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 550 MB/s and 510 MB/s, respectively.
Verbatim's 120 GB and 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gbps drives are backed by a two-year warranty and cost 199 Euro and 399 Euro, respectively.
Verbatim's 120 GB and 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gbps drives are backed by a two-year warranty and cost 199 Euro and 399 Euro, respectively.
Current-Generation Ultrabooks In For Price-Cuts
Although the current generation of "Ultrabooks" don't really conform to a rigid specification apart from being really slim, unlike the next-generation Ivy Bridge-based ones which will have to conform to a specification laid down by Intel, the name "Ultrabooks" (short for ultra-portable/slim notebooks) has stuck. With Intel's newest processing platform just a couple of months away, notebooks manufacturers are reportedly lowering prices of current-generation Ultrabooks.
The move to lower prices of Ultrabooks is simply to clear inventories and pave the way for the next-generation. The prices will be cut significantly. Acer's Ultrabook S3 already saw its price drop to US $799 from $999; while HP's Ultrabooks will see prices cut by as much as 25 percent. Price of Lenovo's Ultrabook will go down by up to 21 percent. In short, every $999-ish Ultrabook will see its price go down to $749-799.
The move to lower prices of Ultrabooks is simply to clear inventories and pave the way for the next-generation. The prices will be cut significantly. Acer's Ultrabook S3 already saw its price drop to US $799 from $999; while HP's Ultrabooks will see prices cut by as much as 25 percent. Price of Lenovo's Ultrabook will go down by up to 21 percent. In short, every $999-ish Ultrabook will see its price go down to $749-799.
SanDisk Follows Kingston, Cuts NAND Flash Product Prices
Following reports that Kingston is reducing prices of its NAND flash-based products by up to 15%, SanDisk too is reportedly preparing price-cuts of its own. Unlike Kingston, SanDisk's entire product portfolio is connected with NAND flash memory, it is the world's largest vendor of memory cards, and also has a vast lineup of USB flash drives. SanDisk will lower its prices just enough to maintain competitiveness with Kingston's products. The company maintains that initiating a price-cutting strategy is intended to boost sales volume and maintain the company's leading market share. According to DRAMeXchange, major NAND flash vendors are initiating price cuts to clear inventories, to make way for flash memory built on newer fabrication technologies.
Mouse Computer Announces Trio of High-End Desktops with Intel SSD 520
Major Japanese OEM Mouse Computer announced a trio of high-end desktop PCs that are built specifically around Intel's SSD 520 solid-state drives, launched a little earlier this week. These include the MDV-ASG8310B-SSD, the MDV-ASG8250B, and the MDV-AGG9320S-SSD. The MDV-ASG8310B-SSD and MDV-ASG8250B are both driven by Intel Core i7-2700K processor, based on Intel Z68 motherboard, with 8 GB (2x 4 GB) memory; while the former features NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics, the latter has GeForce GTX 560. The MDV-AGG9320S-SSD is driven by six-core Intel Core i7-3930K processor, with 16 GB (4x 4 GB) memory, and GeForce GTX 570 graphics.
All three are built into the same chassis, featuring the same 23-inch full-HD display and peripherals. All three feature Intel's newly-launched SSD 520 solid-state drive with 120 GB capacity, the SSD is configured to hold the OS and program files, while all three further feature a slower 1 TB hard drive that handles documents and storage. DVD-RW, gigabit Ethernet, and Windows 7 Home Premium x64 make for the rest of the commonalities. The MDV-ASG8310B-SSD is priced at 99,750 JPY (US $1,300); the MDV-ASG8250B at 109,830 JPY ($1,432); and the MDV-AGG9320S-SSD at 159,600 JPY ($2,081).
All three are built into the same chassis, featuring the same 23-inch full-HD display and peripherals. All three feature Intel's newly-launched SSD 520 solid-state drive with 120 GB capacity, the SSD is configured to hold the OS and program files, while all three further feature a slower 1 TB hard drive that handles documents and storage. DVD-RW, gigabit Ethernet, and Windows 7 Home Premium x64 make for the rest of the commonalities. The MDV-ASG8310B-SSD is priced at 99,750 JPY (US $1,300); the MDV-ASG8250B at 109,830 JPY ($1,432); and the MDV-AGG9320S-SSD at 159,600 JPY ($2,081).
AMD Introduces the FirePro V3900 Professional Graphics Card
AMD today launched the AMD FirePro V3900, which enables best-in-class workstation experiences at an entry-level price point. By leveraging AMD's latest graphics features, including AMD Eyefinity technology, the AMD FirePro V3900 provides up to 95% better application performance than the competition. The AMD FirePro V3900 will be available in select workstation systems today and will be sold for USD$119 MSRP at select online resellers.
"The AMD FirePro V3900 is the most powerful entry-level professional graphics card on the market today," says Sandeep Gupte, general manager of Professional Graphics, AMD. "Armed with advanced multi-display capability of AMD Eyefinity technology, extensive certifications for professional applications and blazing fast performance, it offers best-in-class value for our technical and business customers."
"The AMD FirePro V3900 is the most powerful entry-level professional graphics card on the market today," says Sandeep Gupte, general manager of Professional Graphics, AMD. "Armed with advanced multi-display capability of AMD Eyefinity technology, extensive certifications for professional applications and blazing fast performance, it offers best-in-class value for our technical and business customers."
Monday, February 6th 2012
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
PSUs
Cooler Master Cosmos II Review
The Cooler Master Cosmos II aims to take the crown as the super car of cases. With a price tag and the looks to match, we take the chassis for a spin in our test lab to see how it holds up and if it manages to impress with features under the hood.
AVADirect Introduces the Clevo P270WM X79 Gaming Notebook
The future is here, and AVADirect is readily expanding its offerings with hardware to prepare for it. For those who need ultimate performance on the go, AVADirect can feed your need for mobile speed with the Clevo P270WM. Based off of the Intel X79 chipset and Sandy Bridge-E processors, end-users can expect performance increases as much as 35-50 percent while keeping current and ahead of the curve for their much needed productivity, efficiency, and entertainment. Promising new features give the Clevo P270WM a name and reputation that is surely to leave a lasting impression for those who have it at their fingertips. The industry rookie, relative to age rather than experience, has no limits to its depth of functionality.
The P270WM's design shapes the ground we stand on by creating new standards for mobile desktop replacements. The revolutionary X79-fueled P270WM, being the successor of the world renowned Clevo X7200, supports all of the functionality provided by its older brother. Three 9.5 inch hard drives, with optional RAID, two USB 3.0 ports, SLI support, HD LED screen, HDMI 1.4a support, and the recently re-designed express card slot for third-party expansion are still key features of the newly offered Clevo P270WM Gaming Notebook.
The P270WM's design shapes the ground we stand on by creating new standards for mobile desktop replacements. The revolutionary X79-fueled P270WM, being the successor of the world renowned Clevo X7200, supports all of the functionality provided by its older brother. Three 9.5 inch hard drives, with optional RAID, two USB 3.0 ports, SLI support, HD LED screen, HDMI 1.4a support, and the recently re-designed express card slot for third-party expansion are still key features of the newly offered Clevo P270WM Gaming Notebook.
Gigabyte Intros The 970A-DS3 Ultra Durable 4 Classic Motherboard
Gigabyte introduced a new value socket AM3+ motherboard designed for AMD FX processors, the 970A-DS3. Based on the AMD 970 + SB950 chipset, this board is a product of some clever cost-balancing by its designers, which will spice-up both its specs-sheet, and price-tag, compared to the 970A-UD3. To begin with, the 970A-DS3 uses a much lighter component loadout compared to the UD3. The 970A-UD3's Ultra Durable 3 Classic component loadout makes way for Ultra Durable 4 Classic on the 970A-DS3, which includes a better weaved fiberglass PCB that's better resistant to humidity; features high ESD-resistance ICs located in key circuits; anti-surge ICs that prevent installed processors and memory from getting fried if something goes terribly wrong with the VRM; and of course low-RDS (on) MOSFETs and 100% solid-state capacitor design.
The CPU is powered by a simple 5-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866+ MHz memory. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (wired to the 970), one PCIe 2.0 x16 (electrical 2.0 x4, wired to the SB950), three PCIe x1, and two legacy PCI. Gigabyte didn't cheap-out on the southbridge (by opting for SB710), and so we have a full-fledged SB950, complete with six SATA 6 Gb/s ports supporting RAID5. There are two USB 3.0 ports on the rear-panel, driven by an Etron EJ168 controller. The audio is driven by Realtek ALC887, wired to just a 5.1-channel analog output cluster, apart from the front-panel header. Gigabit Ethernet driven by Realtek 8111E tops it up. Gigabyte included its DualBIOS (AwardBIOS) with the board. Expect this one to be priced around US $100 (or below), making it a nice buy for single-GPU budget gaming-PC builds.
The CPU is powered by a simple 5-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866+ MHz memory. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (wired to the 970), one PCIe 2.0 x16 (electrical 2.0 x4, wired to the SB950), three PCIe x1, and two legacy PCI. Gigabyte didn't cheap-out on the southbridge (by opting for SB710), and so we have a full-fledged SB950, complete with six SATA 6 Gb/s ports supporting RAID5. There are two USB 3.0 ports on the rear-panel, driven by an Etron EJ168 controller. The audio is driven by Realtek ALC887, wired to just a 5.1-channel analog output cluster, apart from the front-panel header. Gigabit Ethernet driven by Realtek 8111E tops it up. Gigabyte included its DualBIOS (AwardBIOS) with the board. Expect this one to be priced around US $100 (or below), making it a nice buy for single-GPU budget gaming-PC builds.
JEDEC and IPC Cover Non-IC Electronic Components in Latest Update of Standard for SMD
IPC and JEDEC have released the C revision of IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033, Handling, Packing, Shipping and Use of Moisture/Reflow and/or Process Sensitive Components. With an expanded scope, the document now covers the handling, packing and shipping of non-IC electronic components that have been classified per EIA/IPC/JEDEC J-STD-075, Classification of Non-IC Electronic Components for Assembly Processes. J-STD-033C effectively provides guidance for this category of electronic components that has not been covered by any standard in the past.
IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033C provides surface mount device (SMD) manufacturers and users with standardized methods for handling, packing, shipping and use of moisture/reflow sensitive SMDs. These methods help avoid damage from moisture absorption and exposure to solder reflow temperatures that can result in yield and reliability degradation. Use of the standard helps achieve safe and damage-free reflow with the dry-packing process and provides a minimum shelf life of 12 months from the seal date when using sealed dry bags.
IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033C provides surface mount device (SMD) manufacturers and users with standardized methods for handling, packing, shipping and use of moisture/reflow sensitive SMDs. These methods help avoid damage from moisture absorption and exposure to solder reflow temperatures that can result in yield and reliability degradation. Use of the standard helps achieve safe and damage-free reflow with the dry-packing process and provides a minimum shelf life of 12 months from the seal date when using sealed dry bags.
Intel Debuts the 520 Series SATA 6.0 Gbps Solid State Drives
Intel Corporation announced today its fastest, most robust client/consumer solid-state drive (SSD) to date, the Intel Solid-State Drive 520 Series (Intel SSD 520), a 6 gigabit-per-second (gbps) SATA III SSD produced using Intel compute-quality 25-nanometer (nm) NAND memory process technology. Aimed at delivering world-class performance for even the most demanding PC enthusiasts, gamers, professionals or small-medium businesses (SMBs), the Intel SSD 520 has fast throughput performance, new security features and unmatched reliability to meet even the most intensive user requirements.
Any consumer application requiring high throughput and bandwidth, low latencies and accelerated speed will benefit from the Intel SSD 520. Software developers, architects, accountants, engineers, musicians, media creators and artists are just some of the professionals that will find that the Intel SSD 520's full package of features can make a dramatic impact on their productivity. With faster performance for graphic renderings, compiling, data transfers and system boot-ups, users can speed through multi-tasking or once-cumbersome application wait times with an Intel SSD 520 Series.
Any consumer application requiring high throughput and bandwidth, low latencies and accelerated speed will benefit from the Intel SSD 520. Software developers, architects, accountants, engineers, musicians, media creators and artists are just some of the professionals that will find that the Intel SSD 520's full package of features can make a dramatic impact on their productivity. With faster performance for graphic renderings, compiling, data transfers and system boot-ups, users can speed through multi-tasking or once-cumbersome application wait times with an Intel SSD 520 Series.
MSI Z77A-GD55 Motherboard Pictured
Here are the first pictures of MSI's Z77A-GD55 motherboard. The GD55 is a notch below the GD65 in terms of its feature-set, and will likely hold a cost-benefit sweetspot. The motherboard is designed to support today's "Sandy Bridge", and tomorrow's "Ivy Bridge" Core processors in the LGA1155 package, and is based on Intel's Z77 "Panther Point" chipset. The CPU is powered by a lighter 9-phase VRM compared to the 12-phase VRM on the GD65. It retains the expansion slot layout of its elder brother, consisting of two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8), four PCIe x1, and one PCIe 2.0 x4 (physical x16).
The Z77A-GD55 has two fewer SATA 6 Gb/s ports compared to the GD65, all its internal ports are wired to the PCH. That's two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. There are no eSATA ports. Further, there are no third-party USB 3.0 controllers, either. All four of the USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two via front-panel header) are wired to the PCH. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 8-channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of its connectivity.
The Z77A-GD55 has two fewer SATA 6 Gb/s ports compared to the GD65, all its internal ports are wired to the PCH. That's two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. There are no eSATA ports. Further, there are no third-party USB 3.0 controllers, either. All four of the USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two via front-panel header) are wired to the PCH. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 8-channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of its connectivity.
ORIGIN PC Announces the FROSTBYTE 360 Liquid Cooling System
ORIGIN PC announced today the exclusive availability of their new FROSTBYTE 360 liquid cooling system. With the FROSTBYTE 360 ORIGIN's professional overclocking teams are reaching speeds up to 5.2 GHz allowing them to routinely set new benchmark records and stay on top of the competition. Featuring silent pumps, a high efficiency triple 120 mm radiator, and zero maintenance, the FROSTBYTE 360 liquid cooling system allows for extreme overclocking in a more affordable solution. The award winning ORIGIN PC GENESIS configured with the FROSTBYTE 360 starts at $1,599.
Toshiba Intros Satellite U840 14-inch Ultrabook
Toshiba launched the Satellite U840 Ultrabook in Singapore. This 14-inch Ultrabook is Toshiba's first. It is 19.9 mm thin, and weighs as low as 1.59 kg. It uses an aluminum body with a silvery brushed-metal finish. The metal body also adds rigidity. It is driven by 2nd generation Core ULV "Sandy Bridge" processor, backed by DDR3 memory, and storage options that include either 128 GB SSD or a HybridHDD that has a 16 GB SSD subunit that caches hot data on the rest of the drive.
Toshiba's proprietary Hi-Speed Start technology works to reduce start-up time. The 14-inch display offers "HD resolution", we're guessing it's 1600 x 900 pixels. Network connectivity includes gigabit Ethernet, WiFi b/g/n, and Bluetooth. The lone display output is a full-size HDMI. Other connectivity includes USB 3.0, and USB 2.0. The SleepCharge technology allows you to charge your smartphone even with the notebook powered down. Slated for later this Q1, 2012, the Satellite U840 is priced at SGD $1,399 (US $1,125).
Toshiba's proprietary Hi-Speed Start technology works to reduce start-up time. The 14-inch display offers "HD resolution", we're guessing it's 1600 x 900 pixels. Network connectivity includes gigabit Ethernet, WiFi b/g/n, and Bluetooth. The lone display output is a full-size HDMI. Other connectivity includes USB 3.0, and USB 2.0. The SleepCharge technology allows you to charge your smartphone even with the notebook powered down. Slated for later this Q1, 2012, the Satellite U840 is priced at SGD $1,399 (US $1,125).
Thermaltake tender Toughpower and SMART Series with Further Prospect
Thermaltake, being the industry pioneer brand with expertise in PC power and thermal solutions, carrying the corporate vision of "building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology, and lifestyle" and continues to drive toward the corporate mission of "delivering the perfect user experience" in all segment of the market. This January [they probably mean February], Thermaltake is expanding both Toughpower and SMART PSU product line, by adding Toughpower 550 W, 650 W and 750 W 80Plus Gold certified as well as SMART 750 W and 850 W 80Plus Bronze certified PSUs to fulfill mainstream users' and enthusiasts' requirement.
Rambus Acquires Unity Semiconductor
Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companies, today announced it has acquired privately-held Unity Semiconductor, an innovative memory technology company for an aggregate of $35 million in cash. As part of this acquisition, the Unity team members have joined Rambus to continue developing innovations and solutions for next-generation non-volatile memory. This acquisition will expand the breadth of Rambus' breakthrough memory technologies and will open up new markets for licensing. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the acquisition and it has closed.
Team Announces C121 'Lucky Dragon' USB Drive
May good fortune come to you in the Year of Dragon 2012! Team Group Inc. presents Team C121 Lucky Dragon USB Disk to make another auspicious and lucky year! C121 Lucky Dragon integrates chic technology and Chinese totems and adopts the brilliant one-finger push-based mechanism. It is compact and attractive as a popular 3C product in 2012, specially crafted to create unique personal styles for personal use or as gifts.
Team C121 Lucky Dragon is compact with push-based mechanism to prevent cap loss and to ensure outstanding protection and simple operation. The item is compatible with USB 2.0 transfer interface, offering 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities to choose from. Meanwhile, it supports hot plug and plug-and-play, also compatible with USB 1.1 transfer interface to store and read information anytime, anywhere. In addition, its brilliant and user friendly strap holes to allow users to easily connect with other everyday mobile belongings to increase its convenience. Team C121 is the best assistant for carrying documents and running multi-media or digital photos.
Team C121 Lucky Dragon is compact with push-based mechanism to prevent cap loss and to ensure outstanding protection and simple operation. The item is compatible with USB 2.0 transfer interface, offering 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities to choose from. Meanwhile, it supports hot plug and plug-and-play, also compatible with USB 1.1 transfer interface to store and read information anytime, anywhere. In addition, its brilliant and user friendly strap holes to allow users to easily connect with other everyday mobile belongings to increase its convenience. Team C121 is the best assistant for carrying documents and running multi-media or digital photos.
Raidmax Seiran PC Case Launched in Europe
Announced back in October, Raidmax's Seiran mid-tower chassis has now finally made its way into European stores. Coming in three color versions - black, red and white, this case measures 490 (L) x 205 (W) x 485 (H) mm and features ATX and micro ATX motherboard support, a front I/O panel with USB 2.0 (x 2), USB 3.0 (x 1) and audio (x 2) ports, and a built-in fan controller.
Raidmax's creation also has six internal 3.5-inch bays, tool-free drive mounting systems, three pre-drilled holes for watercooling tubing, and two 120 mm fans - one equipped with LEDs (red LEDs for the black and red versions, blue LEDs for the white model) in front and one without lights at the back.
The Seiran bears a recommended price tag of 69.90 Euro but it can already be found on sale @ 62 Euro.
Raidmax's creation also has six internal 3.5-inch bays, tool-free drive mounting systems, three pre-drilled holes for watercooling tubing, and two 120 mm fans - one equipped with LEDs (red LEDs for the black and red versions, blue LEDs for the white model) in front and one without lights at the back.
The Seiran bears a recommended price tag of 69.90 Euro but it can already be found on sale @ 62 Euro.
IBM Contract-Manufacturing Trinity APUs for AMD
In a significant development, AMD reportedly disclosed at the Financial Analyst Day event that it has begun manufacturing its "Trinity" accelerated processing units (APUs) at IBM's foundries. With the creation of Global Foundries, AMD went fabless, relying on Global Foundries (its former manufacturing division) and the likes of TSMC to manufacture its products. Till date, Global Foundries has handled manufacture of most of AMD's CPU products, and socket FM1 APUs, while BGA APUs and chipset have been manufactured at TSMC.
What makes AMD's partnership with IBM for manufacturing a significant development is the fact that IBM can handle high-volume production, and has a proven track-record with semiconductor manufacturing process R&D, it also holds a wide range of silicon fabrication IP, rivaled only by Intel. Chips manufactured at IBM will only add to the volumes created by Global Foundries, Big Blue won't completely replace it as AMD's foundry partner. The ability to ship in greater volumes plays a significant role in scoring design wins, apart from pure performance of the product. For example, Lenovo would want to be absolutely sure you can ship in large quantities before designing a major product around your chip.
What makes AMD's partnership with IBM for manufacturing a significant development is the fact that IBM can handle high-volume production, and has a proven track-record with semiconductor manufacturing process R&D, it also holds a wide range of silicon fabrication IP, rivaled only by Intel. Chips manufactured at IBM will only add to the volumes created by Global Foundries, Big Blue won't completely replace it as AMD's foundry partner. The ability to ship in greater volumes plays a significant role in scoring design wins, apart from pure performance of the product. For example, Lenovo would want to be absolutely sure you can ship in large quantities before designing a major product around your chip.
Intel Licensing Artimedia's Video Advertising Technology
Singapore-based company Artivision Technologies has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary ArtiMedia Pte signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with chip titan Intel Corp. This MOU will allow Artimedia's front-end in-video advertising platform and back-end advertisement serving technology to be incorporated into Intel's Software Development Kit (SDK) that has Intel's "Wi-Fi Direct" technology (Wi-Fi Direct enables mobile and other devices to connect directly with each other and to transfer and share content like images, pictures and videos).
A definitive agreement between Intel and Artimedia is expected to be inked once "the first working SDK with Artimedia's front-end and back-end technology is deployed on a demo mobile device." The final agreement will cover the license fee per installation in each Intel platform, an equally-split revenue sharing model and a non-competition commitment. Moreover, Intel Capital will be given the first opportunity to invest in Artimedia.
A definitive agreement between Intel and Artimedia is expected to be inked once "the first working SDK with Artimedia's front-end and back-end technology is deployed on a demo mobile device." The final agreement will cover the license fee per installation in each Intel platform, an equally-split revenue sharing model and a non-competition commitment. Moreover, Intel Capital will be given the first opportunity to invest in Artimedia.
Fake Core i7-990X Surfaces on Forums
A scamster has managed to pull off a fake "Intel Core i7-990X" processor. An unsuspecting buyer paid hundreds of dollars for a Core i7-990X six-core LGA1366 processor, only to end up with a badly-done fake. The fake chip is a worthless LGA775 Pentium, on which the IHS markings of a Core i7-990X have been etched. Intel and AMD put tiny windows on their retail processor boxes so buyers could see these markings before breaking open the company seal. At least in the case of Intel's product boxes, the windows aren't big enough to let you see the entire CPU package. In case of this chip, the buyer couldn't have spotted that the chip was an LGA775 (and not LGA1366), and couldn't spot the 3D hologram and serial number sticker that's found on the obverse side of the package, under the IHS. The thread where this fake was reported can be read here.
Micron Technology Appoints Mark Durcan as Chief Executive Officer, Director
Micron Technology, Inc., today announced the appointment of D. Mark Durcan as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. Mr. Durcan will also serve as a Director on Micron's Board of Directors. The appointments come after the company reported that Steven R. Appleton, longtime Micron Chairman and CEO, passed away in a Feb. 3 airplane accident in Boise.
The Board of Directors also announced the appointment of Director Robert E. Switz as Chairman of the Board and Mark W. Adams as President. Mr. Switz has served as a Director since 2006 and is the former Chairman and CEO of ADC Telecommunications. He has previously served as chair of the Micron Board's Audit and Governance committees. Mr. Adams joined the company in 2006 and served most recently as Vice President of Worldwide Sales.
The Board of Directors also announced the appointment of Director Robert E. Switz as Chairman of the Board and Mark W. Adams as President. Mr. Switz has served as a Director since 2006 and is the former Chairman and CEO of ADC Telecommunications. He has previously served as chair of the Micron Board's Audit and Governance committees. Mr. Adams joined the company in 2006 and served most recently as Vice President of Worldwide Sales.
Donya Intros Value Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Donya Japan unveiled a new value mechanical gaming keyboard, the N-YKB-F2139L. Although the manufacturer of the switches is not known, it appears similar to those made by ALPS Electronics. The keyboard has a standard 109-key QWERTY layout with English and Japanese hybrid keyset. The keyboard includes special orange-colored replacement keys for the W, A, S, D, and arrow keys. These keys have rubberized surfaces with bumps that improve tactile location and comfort in extended gaming sessions. The keyboard measures 465 x 165 x 35 mm (WxDxH), weighing 1 kg (mechanical keyboards tend to weigh more, 1 kg is Kosher). The keyboard uses USB interface with electronics that increase NKRO. The cable is 1.3 meters long. The N-YKB-F2139L is priced at 4,999 JPY (US $65.2).
Quanta Purchasing CNC Machines for Unibody Manufacturing
As notebooks get slimmer with the advent of Intel's Ultrabook specification, designers will be faced with hurdles when it comes to choosing the right materials that give their products the sturdiness of conventional notebooks, while not adding to the weight much. ABS plastic might not cut it anymore, and designers might be forced to follow the footsteps of Apple, by designing chassis similar to its Apple Unibody, which is milled out of a single block of aluminum, and offers better structural rigidity and heat dissipation compared to ABS, at those extremely compact dimensions.
Major notebook ODM Quanta Computer is making large scale purchases of CNC machines to gear up for an influx of designs (mostly Ultrabook), that employ metal uni-bodies. Quanta is a contract-manufacturer to some of the biggest notebook brands. With the increasing labor costs in China possibly set to affect ODMs' 3-5% gross margins, ODMs are becoming more aggressive about controlling their costs, and vertical integration has become a major tactic to help reduce costs. What this means to the end-user is that a good proportion of Ultrabooks will employ metal uni-bodies.
Major notebook ODM Quanta Computer is making large scale purchases of CNC machines to gear up for an influx of designs (mostly Ultrabook), that employ metal uni-bodies. Quanta is a contract-manufacturer to some of the biggest notebook brands. With the increasing labor costs in China possibly set to affect ODMs' 3-5% gross margins, ODMs are becoming more aggressive about controlling their costs, and vertical integration has become a major tactic to help reduce costs. What this means to the end-user is that a good proportion of Ultrabooks will employ metal uni-bodies.
Kingston To Cut Prices of NAND Flash-Based Products
Memory industry major Kingston is working towards reducing prices of its products that are based on NAND flash memory. This includes a large chunk of Kingston's product portfolio, as the only products excluded would be DRAM. NAND flash-based products include memory cards, USB flash drives, and SSDs. Kingston will reportedly cut prices by as much as 15 percent. Responding to a DigiTimes report, Kingston said that it is adjusting its NAND flash product pricing to coordinate with the rest of the industry to shift towards more advanced processes, and that it wants to enhance its presence in the NAND flash market. In other words, Kingston is clearing its inventory to make way for newer, more advanced technology.
PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) Open to Hands-On Demos at 3,300 US GameStop Locations
PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) hits shelves this month and GameStop (NYSE: GME) is giving consumers a first glimpse at the highly anticipated new handheld system. More than 3,300 U.S. GameStop stores now have playable demo units that provide a first-hand look at PS Vita's exciting new technology. In addition to the five-inch OLED multi-touch screen, front and rear touch pads, dual analog sticks, dual cameras and six-axis motion sensing system, players can experience a variety of games, including:
Saturday, February 4th 2012
Today's Reviews
Antec ONE Preview Review
The Antec ONE case has not launched yet, but we had the chance to take an in-depth look at the upcoming entry-level chassis. Will it be able to take the spoiled market by storm, will it be the one for Antec, or will it end up shooting nothing but blanks? While only the retail unit can give a definitive answer, this preview will shed some light on things to come
Creative Launches the HN-900 and Aurvana X-Fi 2 Active Noise-Canceling Headphones
Creative Technology Ltd today announced the new Creative HN-900 headphones, which utilize active noise cancellation to reduce ambient noise by up to 85 percent. The Creative HN-900 headphones also feature an in-line microphone and switch for convenient one-click voice communication on the iPhone, and 40 mm Neodymium drivers and gold-plated plugs for outstanding audio playback. Dual-mode usage allows active noise-cancellation for up to 40 hours by a single AAA alkaline battery or in passive mode without power.
Creative today also introduced the Aurvana X-Fi 2 Noise-Canceling Headphones, which utilize active noise cancellation to reduce ambient noise by up to 90 percent, and feature X-Fi audio technology for improved sound quality and a virtual surround sound effect that is ideal for watching in-flight entertainment.
Creative today also introduced the Aurvana X-Fi 2 Noise-Canceling Headphones, which utilize active noise cancellation to reduce ambient noise by up to 90 percent, and feature X-Fi audio technology for improved sound quality and a virtual surround sound effect that is ideal for watching in-flight entertainment.
Firefox 11 Goes Beta
Don't worry if you just installed Firefox 10.0 cause there's a new Foxxy browser craving your attention, the Firefox 11.0 beta. This fresh build comes with an updated migration tool that can also import Chrome bookmarks, history, and cookies, and features add-on syncing capabilities, redesigned media controls for HTML5 video, and support for the CSS text-size-adjust property and the outerHTML property.
Firefox 11.0 also brings some goodies for devs like the Page Inspector 3D View, the new Style Editor tool, SPDY Support and more.
To download the Firefox 11.0 beta (for Windows, Mac OS or Linux) see this page.
Firefox 11.0 also brings some goodies for devs like the Page Inspector 3D View, the new Style Editor tool, SPDY Support and more.
To download the Firefox 11.0 beta (for Windows, Mac OS or Linux) see this page.
Friday, February 3rd 2012
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Mousepads
Notebooks
AC Ryan Veolo Review
The AC Ryan Veolo is not just another media player. At its heart beats an Android OS, enabling true connectivity and expendability on a media player like never before. We whip out the pop corn, grab the unique remote and fire up our favorite clip along with some Angry Birds fun, to see if the OS manages to impress on the big screen as much as on the smartphone.
Super Talent Introduces Overclocked Quad Channel DDR3 Kits
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND flash solutions, today announces their Quadra series, overclocked, quad-channel DDR3 memory kits, targeted at the extreme enthusiast market.
Gamers and enthusiasts already know about Intel's i7-3960X 6-Core processors and now they are scrambling to find DRAM worthy of their new rig. The Quadra, DDR3 Quad-kits, come in 1600 MHz and 1866 MHz and pairs perfectly with the i7 processors, which now handles 4 channels of memory. By fully populating all 8 slots of memory with Super Talent's 4GB DIMMs, users will experience reduced loading times with all their high-system-requirement programs. Now more time can be spent using a computer than waiting on it.
Gamers and enthusiasts already know about Intel's i7-3960X 6-Core processors and now they are scrambling to find DRAM worthy of their new rig. The Quadra, DDR3 Quad-kits, come in 1600 MHz and 1866 MHz and pairs perfectly with the i7 processors, which now handles 4 channels of memory. By fully populating all 8 slots of memory with Super Talent's 4GB DIMMs, users will experience reduced loading times with all their high-system-requirement programs. Now more time can be spent using a computer than waiting on it.
Micron CEO Steve Appleton Dies In Plane Crash
CNN is reporting Micron CEO Steve Appleton has died in a small-plane crash in Boise this morning. According to CNN, 'Appleton was flying a Lancair fixed-wing single-engine plane that crashed at 8:58 a.m. local time at Boise Airport' Said a spokeswoman for the airport. She could not confirm whether the accident took place at takeoff, landing or during flight.' No other details are currently known.
Micron was founded in Boise in October 1978, and it became a public company in June 1984. The company ranked No. 287 on the 2011 Fortune 500 list. At the end of 2011, Micron employed about 20,000 full-time staffers. Mr. Appleton is survived by his wife and children.
Micron was founded in Boise in October 1978, and it became a public company in June 1984. The company ranked No. 287 on the 2011 Fortune 500 list. At the end of 2011, Micron employed about 20,000 full-time staffers. Mr. Appleton is survived by his wife and children.
Xigmatek Gigas Brushed Aluminum Micro-ATX Cube Case Announced
Xigmatek is celebrating a first with the Gigas Micro-ATX Cube, as it is their first Aluminum chassis. Even with its compact dimensions, the Gigas Cube manages to fit high-end Hardware, allowing one to easily build a potent HTPC or Gaming system. USB 3.0, space for up to 4 fans, along with a fan controller round up the list of features.
The word "Gigas" is part of the Greek language and means "giant". In the modern language, the prefix "giga" can be found in many different areas to quantify the sheer size. Gigabyte or Gigawatt are such examples and the new chassis from Xigmatek carries the name "Gigas" for good reason.
The word "Gigas" is part of the Greek language and means "giant". In the modern language, the prefix "giga" can be found in many different areas to quantify the sheer size. Gigabyte or Gigawatt are such examples and the new chassis from Xigmatek carries the name "Gigas" for good reason.
Dell Names John Swainson President of New Software Group
Dell today announced the appointment of John Swainson to serve as President, Software Group, effective March 5, 2012. Mr. Swainson will report to Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell.
The Software Group will build on Dell's software capabilities and provide greater innovation and organizational support to create a more competitive position in delivering end-to-end IT solutions to customers. The organization will add to Dell's enterprise solutions capability, accelerate profitable growth and further differentiate the company from competitors by increasing its solutions portfolio with Dell-owned intellectual property.
The Software Group will build on Dell's software capabilities and provide greater innovation and organizational support to create a more competitive position in delivering end-to-end IT solutions to customers. The organization will add to Dell's enterprise solutions capability, accelerate profitable growth and further differentiate the company from competitors by increasing its solutions portfolio with Dell-owned intellectual property.
AMD Slips Out Trinity ULV 3DMark Performance
In a footnote of a slide detailing AMD's Trinity A6 APU for Ultrathin notebooks at the company's Financial Analyst Day event, the new chip's 3DMark performance was revealed. The company was talking about the 17W ULV (ultra-low voltage) variant of the "Trinity" APU in the slide, that's designed for compact notebooks. The 3DMark Vantage performance of the APU was measured to be 2,355 points, in the same test, an Intel Core i5-2537M ULV 17W "Sandy Bridge" processor scored 1,158 points. The AMD chip, hence, emerged with a 103% graphics performance lead.
The slide notes that with an assumed performance increase of 30% by the upcoming "Ivy Bridge" architecture, its 3DMark performance is projected to be 1,505 points. The 17W Trinity chip would still end up with a 56% performance lead. Moving on, AMD even revealed the performance of the high-performance A10 "Trinity" APU with 25W TDP, designed for slightly thicker notebooks. This chip scored 3,600 points in 3DMark, which would effectively make it 136% faster than Ivy Bridge at graphics.
The slide notes that with an assumed performance increase of 30% by the upcoming "Ivy Bridge" architecture, its 3DMark performance is projected to be 1,505 points. The 17W Trinity chip would still end up with a 56% performance lead. Moving on, AMD even revealed the performance of the high-performance A10 "Trinity" APU with 25W TDP, designed for slightly thicker notebooks. This chip scored 3,600 points in 3DMark, which would effectively make it 136% faster than Ivy Bridge at graphics.
Alienware M18x R2 Reportedly Packing Some Serious GPU Punch
Still not officially announced by Dell, the Alienware-branded M18x R2 gaming laptop is rumored to come with some fresh and powerful graphics options from both NVIDIA and AMD. The Santa Clara team (NVIDIA) is said to be supplying two cards for the M18x R2 - the GeForce GTX 660M and GTX 675M (the latter will be available in a SLI configuration), while the Sunnyvale squad (AMD) will deliver the Radeon HD 7970M, in a CrossFireX setup.
Beside the GPU goodies mentioned, the M18x R2 (18.4-inch) laptop is expected to feature an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU, black and red color choices, an optional Wireless HD card, and more. Stay tuned (and save up?).
Beside the GPU goodies mentioned, the M18x R2 (18.4-inch) laptop is expected to feature an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU, black and red color choices, an optional Wireless HD card, and more. Stay tuned (and save up?).
Gigabyte Reveals the MSH61QI LGA 1155 Mini-ITX Motherboard
While it may be working away on 7 Series motherboards, Gigabyte still has some love for the 'old' 6 Series chipsets and is preparing more products based on them. One such product is the MSH61QI, a Mini-ITX board powered by the H61 Express Chipset.
Targeting embedded markets, the MSH61QI offers support for LGA 1155 processors, and features two DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM slots, two SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, one PCI-Express x16 and two (one full size, one half size) Mini-PCIe slots, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, Line-In and SPDIF connectors, and a HDMI output. The board's availability and price tag have not been announced, yet.
Targeting embedded markets, the MSH61QI offers support for LGA 1155 processors, and features two DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM slots, two SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, one PCI-Express x16 and two (one full size, one half size) Mini-PCIe slots, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, Line-In and SPDIF connectors, and a HDMI output. The board's availability and price tag have not been announced, yet.
AMD Strategy Transformation Brings Agile Delivery of Industry-Leading IP
At its annual Financial Analyst Day, AMD (NYSE: AMD) detailed a new "ambidextrous" strategy that builds on the company's long history of x86 and graphics innovation while embracing other technologies and intellectual property to deliver differentiated products.
AMD is adopting an SoC-centric roadmap designed to speed time-to-market, drive sustained execution, and enable the development of more tailored customer solutions. SoC design methodology is advantageous because it is a modular approach to processor design, leveraging best practice tools and microprocessor design flows with the ability to easily re-use IP and design blocks across a range of products.
AMD is adopting an SoC-centric roadmap designed to speed time-to-market, drive sustained execution, and enable the development of more tailored customer solutions. SoC design methodology is advantageous because it is a modular approach to processor design, leveraging best practice tools and microprocessor design flows with the ability to easily re-use IP and design blocks across a range of products.
StarTech Announces New HDMI over IP and VGA over IP Extenders
StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has announced the release of two new Video over IP Extenders - the IPUSB2VGA VGA over IP Extender and the IPUSB2HD2 HDMI over IP Extender, which enable users to extend video and the accompanying audio signals from a PC to remote locations over an IP-based network connection. The IP video extenders/adapters support display resolutions up to 1080p (1920x1080) and can extend video signals and the accompanying audio over a network connection by distances of up to 100m (330ft).
"The IPUSB2VGA and IPUSB2HD2 are perfect solutions for video distribution in boardrooms or office environments where multiple users may need to connect to a projector" said John Mardinly, Senior Product Manager for StarTech.com's Audio-Video and Digital Signage products lines. "Simply install the software on the computers you want to connect to the unit and users will be able to connect to the projector or display over a network connection."
"The IPUSB2VGA and IPUSB2HD2 are perfect solutions for video distribution in boardrooms or office environments where multiple users may need to connect to a projector" said John Mardinly, Senior Product Manager for StarTech.com's Audio-Video and Digital Signage products lines. "Simply install the software on the computers you want to connect to the unit and users will be able to connect to the projector or display over a network connection."
ASUS' MS-100 USB Speakers get a Picture Preview
Announced late last year together with the HS-W1 Wireless Headset, ASUS' MS-100 USB speakers have now went their separate way to be the focus of an unboxing/preview piece. Pictured below, the stereo speakers target mobile users and feature a cone design, a glossy black coating, a rubber stand that reduces vibration, and only USB connectivity (no need for a separate power cord).
The MS-100 makes use of 54 mm drivers, it has a frequency response of 100 Hz to 20 KHz, and delivers a total output of 3 W RMS. Still no word on pricing or availability but it's likely the speakers will be out very soon.
The MS-100 makes use of 54 mm drivers, it has a frequency response of 100 Hz to 20 KHz, and delivers a total output of 3 W RMS. Still no word on pricing or availability but it's likely the speakers will be out very soon.
ASUS Launches the Radeon HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP Graphics Card
Ushering the finest and most capable graphics card based on new AMD "Tahiti" 28nm GPUs, the ASUS HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP uses a factory-overclocked core and 3 GB of GDDR5. It is cooled by the exclusive DirectCU II, a dual fan thermal design with six copper heatpipes and a large dissipation area that leads to the lowest temperatures and quietest operation of any HD 7970 card.
ASUS DIGI+ VRM 12-phase digital power delivery comes to graphics cards improved with Super Alloy Power components, while overclockers are bound to appreciate the inclusion of exclusive VGA Hotwire hardware overvolting and GPU Tweak software tuning. The new cards further support adapter-free AMD Eyefinity 6.
ASUS DIGI+ VRM 12-phase digital power delivery comes to graphics cards improved with Super Alloy Power components, while overclockers are bound to appreciate the inclusion of exclusive VGA Hotwire hardware overvolting and GPU Tweak software tuning. The new cards further support adapter-free AMD Eyefinity 6.
Acer Quietly Releases the Revo RL70 AMD-powered Nettop
Acer has recently rolled out a new Revo series nettop/mini PC, a model called Revo RL70 which measures 209.89 (W) x 209.89 (D) x 35.35 (H) mm and makes use of AMD's E-450 APU boasting two Bobcat cores @ 1.65 GHz and Radeon HD 6320 graphics.
Acer's compact system also has 2 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a multi-in-one card reader, six USB 2.0 ports, plus D-Sub and HDMI outputs. The Revo RL70(-UR10P) runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit and is selling for $329.99.
Acer's compact system also has 2 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a multi-in-one card reader, six USB 2.0 ports, plus D-Sub and HDMI outputs. The Revo RL70(-UR10P) runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit and is selling for $329.99.
PC Motherboard Prices to Rise By 10% By Q2, 2012
Responding to increasing prices of key raw materials such as copper, and spiraling labor costs, motherboard manufacturers are planning price-hikes of their products by as much as 10%, which will take effect by the end of Q1, 2012. Vendors adopting these increased prices include major players such as ASUS and Gigabyte. Motherboard prices were earlier raised by 5-10% in early-2011 to tune in with increased material costs and the impact of labor shortages, and by 3-8% in April 2011 due to shortages and increased prices of components sourced from Japan, in the wake of the earthquake/tsunami disaster of 2011.
10-core Ivy Bridge-EP Sample Tested
The Ivy Bridge LGA1155 processors inbound for April are mom and pop PC chips in front of the monstrosities Intel has planned for the enterprise (and possibly high-end desktop/HEDT) markets, based on the architecture. An 10-core Ivy Bridge-EP engineering sample, made it to the right hands in Taiwan (wrong hands for Intel), that wasted no time in putting them through some tests.
The 10-core Ivy Bridge-EP/EX chip (LGA2011, 2P-capable) features 10 next-generation cores clocked at 2.80 GHz, with 256 KB L2 cache per core, 30 MB shared L3 cache, and HyperThreading technology that enables 20 logical CPUs. This chip crunched WPrime 1024M in 158.5 seconds, and scores 41.78X relative speed in Fritz chess when just 8 of its 20 threads are put to use. You can also find some pretty screen shots of CPU-Z with its long processor selection list and Windows 8 task manager.
The 10-core Ivy Bridge-EP/EX chip (LGA2011, 2P-capable) features 10 next-generation cores clocked at 2.80 GHz, with 256 KB L2 cache per core, 30 MB shared L3 cache, and HyperThreading technology that enables 20 logical CPUs. This chip crunched WPrime 1024M in 158.5 seconds, and scores 41.78X relative speed in Fritz chess when just 8 of its 20 threads are put to use. You can also find some pretty screen shots of CPU-Z with its long processor selection list and Windows 8 task manager.
BitFenix Prodigy Pictured with Hardware Installed
Here are the first pictures of BitFenix Prodigy with compatible hardware installed. These pictures show that despite being designed for compact motherboard form-factors such as the mini-ITX, the Prodigy has plenty of room for a long graphics card (even the likes of Radeon HD 6990 will fit), and water-cooling hardware such as a 2x 120 mm radiator, pump, tubing, to support water-cooling of both the CPU and graphics card installed. Regardless, there's still room for large-sized tower-type CPU air cooler and dual-slot graphics card cooler, as the pictures below reveal.
LG BP40NS20 Portable Blu-ray Writer Reaches Europe
LG Electronics has just announced the European arrival of its slim and curvy BP40NS20 optical drive which is capable of writing Blu-ray discs at up to 6x speeds. Seen below, LG's external Blu burner features 3D Blu-ray and BDXL support, an anti-scratch UV coating, a USB 2.0 interface, 4 MB of buffer memory, the Silent Play technology for reducing noise during movie playback, and the Jamless Play function which smoothes out playback of damaged discs.
The BP40NS20 also has LightScribe support and offers writer speeds of up to 6x for BD-R, 2x for BD-RE, 8x for DVD-R/+R/+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM,, and 24x for CD-R/CD-RW. The drive can be found on sale at 109 Euro.
The BP40NS20 also has LightScribe support and offers writer speeds of up to 6x for BD-R, 2x for BD-RE, 8x for DVD-R/+R/+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM,, and 24x for CD-R/CD-RW. The drive can be found on sale at 109 Euro.
Compal's AMD Trinity Reference-Design Notebook Pictured
At the AMD Financial Analyst Day event, Engadget got to take a look at a reference design notebook made by Compal, a high-volume notebook ODM, that's based on AMD's next-generation "Trinity" accelerated processing unit. This reference design is what Compal will send to its downstream OEMs to sample its architecture, features, and performance. The pictures reveal the notebook to be typically-sized, with a thickness of 18 mm, packing a low-voltage variant of the Trinity silicon. It is targeting the $500-600 market, and will be feature-rich, including four "Piledriver" architecture x86-64 cores, Radeon HD 7000M graphics, and the latest-generation connectivity, including USB 3.0, HDMI, and mini-DisplayPort (could this be LightningBolt?).
Pioneer Readies New Blu-ray XL Burner Capable of Writing at 6X Speed
Pioneer is working on a new Blu-ray disc writer, the BDR-S07, capable of writing 100 GB Blu-ray XL (BDXL) discs at speeds of up to 6X. The drive burns more conventional BD-R double-layer and single-layer discs at speeds up to 12X. BD-R LtH are written at 6X; single, double, and triple-layer BD-RE discs are written at 2X. The drive is built in the conventional tray-loading 5.25" form-factor, supporting the SATA interface. It comes in three variants that differ only with their bezels: BDR-S07-BK has a piano-black bezel, the BDR-S07-KR has a matte-black bezel, and the BDR-S07-W has a matte-white bezel. These drives will be priced at 25,000 JPY (US $328).
Thursday, February 2nd 2012
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mousepads
Processors
PSUs
Speakers
ROCCAT Alumic Mouse Pad Review
ROCCAT's newest double sided gaming surface is dubbed Alumic. New for the Alumic is an aluminum core construction, to which ROCCAT has applied two different plastic surfaces. The Alumic features a control and speed side in order to accommodate all gaming styles.
Super Flower Unveils New Value 430W 80Plus Gold PSU
Super Flower launched its new value 430W PSU that's 80Plus Gold-certified, at an introductory price of 369 RMB (US $58.5). Rated at 430W, the PSU features active-PFC, and can handle up to 10% overload while maintaining over 89% efficiency. It is non-modular, and features Japanese-made capacitors and MOSFETs. It is cooled by a 120 mm fan. Its connector loadout is not revealed yet, though with its NVIDIA SLI certification, one can assume it has at least two PCIe power connectors.
TRENDnet Expands North American Channel Partner Program
TRENDnet a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the addition of the 'Silver Tier' to TRENDnet's upTREND Partner Program, providing increased benefits and support to North American Channel Partners.
The upTREND Partner Program previously featured a 3-tiered classification system: Valued Partner, Gold Partner, and Platinum Partner; with each successive tier extending additional partner rewards. TRENDnet is pleased to launch a fourth 'Silver Partner' tier, which extends increased benefits to additional partners.
The upTREND Partner Program previously featured a 3-tiered classification system: Valued Partner, Gold Partner, and Platinum Partner; with each successive tier extending additional partner rewards. TRENDnet is pleased to launch a fourth 'Silver Partner' tier, which extends increased benefits to additional partners.
Ubisoft Server Maintenance To Render Always-Online DRM Games Unplayable
Next week, Ubisoft will be performing large-scale server maintenance, which could see its DRM-handling go offline. It would directly impact some games that are designed to work with Ubisoft's infamous "Always-Online" DRM, which requires gamers to be connected to the internet when playing games enabled with it. Tom Clancy's HAWX 2, Might & Magic: Heroes 6 and The Settlers 7 will be unplayable during the course of maintenance. Bigger titles such as Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Driver: San Francisco, however, will stay online for the duration of the switch-over. Ubisoft is loathed for its hyper-strict DRM that requires you to ping their DRM servers every few moments to reassure them you're not a pirate. It is even known to limit activations to your graphics card. This is yet another example where DRM only ends up hurting legitimate users more than piracy.
AMD Outlines Its 2012-2013 Client Roadmap, Big Focus is on APUs
Today at its annual Financial Analyst Day, AMD has presented an updated roadmap detailing the hardware it plans to bring to the table during 2012 and 2013. For this year, the Sunnyvale-based company is preparing a processor quarter which includes the Trinity, Brazos 2.0 and Hondo APUs (accelerated processing units) and the Vishera CPU.
Set to be the main weapon in AMD's x86 arsenal, the Trinity APU (aka the 2nd gen A Series) is made on 32 nm process technology, and features DirectX 11 graphics, two/four Piledriver cores (Piledrive is said to deliver 25% better performance than the Stars cores found in Llano APUs), and a TDP that can go as low as 17 W on mobile parts. Trinity is expected to debut in Q2 and already has close to 100 design wins (more than Llano had before its release).
Set to be the main weapon in AMD's x86 arsenal, the Trinity APU (aka the 2nd gen A Series) is made on 32 nm process technology, and features DirectX 11 graphics, two/four Piledriver cores (Piledrive is said to deliver 25% better performance than the Stars cores found in Llano APUs), and a TDP that can go as low as 17 W on mobile parts. Trinity is expected to debut in Q2 and already has close to 100 design wins (more than Llano had before its release).
MSI Officially Intros the Wind U180 Netbook
The Wind U180, meticulously crafted by MSI for 2012, marks a new zenith in computer technology, offering both performance and an esthetically pleasing looks. It comes in minimalist black, angel white or lavender, is less than one-inch thin, tips the scales at just 1 kg, and is sheathed in MSI's own attractive IMR color film print to prevent scratches and smudges. Let this highly mobile piece of computer technology add color to your life.
Eric Kuo, associate vice president for global sales, MSI Notebook, points out that the MSI Wind U180, a new generation netbook characterized by painstaking attention to craftsmanship and innovation, not only packs significantly more power, it is the ideal solution to meet today's mobile multimedia needs. Its display is some three times more powerful than that of the previous generation, enabling the high resolution LED screen to show much more detail and color. What's more, the HDMI slot allows you to connect the U180 netbook to a large HDTV to maximize multimedia entertainment.
Eric Kuo, associate vice president for global sales, MSI Notebook, points out that the MSI Wind U180, a new generation netbook characterized by painstaking attention to craftsmanship and innovation, not only packs significantly more power, it is the ideal solution to meet today's mobile multimedia needs. Its display is some three times more powerful than that of the previous generation, enabling the high resolution LED screen to show much more detail and color. What's more, the HDMI slot allows you to connect the U180 netbook to a large HDTV to maximize multimedia entertainment.
ViewSonic Launches the VX2336s-LED IPS Monitor
ViewSonic has today released the VX2336s-LED, a 23-inch monitor which features LED backlighting and utilizes the SuperClear IPS technology enabling 'brilliant image quality' and viewing angles of up to 178/178 degrees (vertical/horizontal).
This new display also has a curved frame with piano-black mirrored surface, a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 (20,000,000:1 DCR), a 14 ms response time, 250 cd/m2 typical brightness, D-Sub and DVI connectors, and the Eco-mode function for lower power consumption.
The VX2336s-LED is backed by a three-year warranty and costs £159 / $299.99.
This new display also has a curved frame with piano-black mirrored surface, a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 (20,000,000:1 DCR), a 14 ms response time, 250 cd/m2 typical brightness, D-Sub and DVI connectors, and the Eco-mode function for lower power consumption.
The VX2336s-LED is backed by a three-year warranty and costs £159 / $299.99.
Apricorn Introduces the Aegis Padlock DT Secure Drives
Apricorn (www.apricorn.com), a leading designer and manufacturer of data security products for business, has expanded their award winning Aegis Secure Drives to the desktop environment with the announcement of a new, powerful desktop edition, the Aegis Padlock DT.
Sporting a spacious capacity of up to 3 TB with a Super Speed USB 3.0 interface, the Aegis Padlock DT not only provides immense storage and lightning fast access speeds, but also protects its data with seamless AES-XTS hardware encryption and secure PIN access. With its software free design, simple setup and starting price of $229, the Aegis Padlock DT provides a complete data storage solution that is affordable, secure and effortless to deploy in a demanding office environment.
Sporting a spacious capacity of up to 3 TB with a Super Speed USB 3.0 interface, the Aegis Padlock DT not only provides immense storage and lightning fast access speeds, but also protects its data with seamless AES-XTS hardware encryption and secure PIN access. With its software free design, simple setup and starting price of $229, the Aegis Padlock DT provides a complete data storage solution that is affordable, secure and effortless to deploy in a demanding office environment.
PowerColor Previews its LCS HD7970 Graphics Card
More Tahiti goodness is coming up as PowerColor has confirmed with a nice clear photo that it's working on a watercooled Radeon HD 7970 card. Dubbed LCS (Liquid Cooling System) HD7970, the card comes equipped with a (single-slot) waterblock from Slovenia's own EK team.
PowerColor's watercooled card also features 2048 Stream Processors, a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, DVI, HDMI and dual mini DisplayPort outputs, plus DirectX 11.1 capabilities, CrossFireX support, and a PCI-Express 3.0 interface. No word on the card's clocks (yet) but they should be higher than on stock models. Expect more info later this month.
PowerColor's watercooled card also features 2048 Stream Processors, a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, DVI, HDMI and dual mini DisplayPort outputs, plus DirectX 11.1 capabilities, CrossFireX support, and a PCI-Express 3.0 interface. No word on the card's clocks (yet) but they should be higher than on stock models. Expect more info later this month.
Gamers and Publishers Worldwide Log On to Origin
With more than 9.3 million registered users and partnerships now with 21 different publishers, Origin, the direct-to-consumer gaming platform from Electronic Arts (EA) Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) has quickly become one of the industry's leading online game services in just over two quarters since launch.
Origin announced today that seven more publishers have agreed to offer their games for purchase and download. Led by Remedy Entertainment who will bring Alan Wake to Origin, additional publishers include Focus Home Interactive, Iceberg Interactive, Strategy First, Macro Games, Selectsoft and Legendo Entertainment. These publishers join 14 previously announced Origin partners, including Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, THQ, Capcom, Trion Worlds and Robot Entertainment.
Origin announced today that seven more publishers have agreed to offer their games for purchase and download. Led by Remedy Entertainment who will bring Alan Wake to Origin, additional publishers include Focus Home Interactive, Iceberg Interactive, Strategy First, Macro Games, Selectsoft and Legendo Entertainment. These publishers join 14 previously announced Origin partners, including Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, THQ, Capcom, Trion Worlds and Robot Entertainment.
Orico Intros X-Gear Modular Storage System
Chinese storage and peripherals major Orico unveiled the X-Gear modular storage system, which consists of three products: the XG-2501p, which is a 2.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD enclosure; the XG-3502i, which is a slot-in docking-station for the XG-2501p that fits into an exposed 3.5-inch drive bay; and the XG-2516s, which is a combo-package of these two products (an enclosure of your choice, and the slot-in dock).
The XG-2501p enclosure sports a brushed-aluminum exterior, and is available in a variety of colors. The XG-3502i has a slot-in tray for the enclosure, with a mechanical eject button for any inserted XG-2501p, and an activity indicator. The XG-2501p is priced at 28 RMB (US $5), the XG-3502i at 49 RMB ($7.8), and XG-2516s at 69 RMB ($11).
The XG-2501p enclosure sports a brushed-aluminum exterior, and is available in a variety of colors. The XG-3502i has a slot-in tray for the enclosure, with a mechanical eject button for any inserted XG-2501p, and an activity indicator. The XG-2501p is priced at 28 RMB (US $5), the XG-3502i at 49 RMB ($7.8), and XG-2516s at 69 RMB ($11).
Lite-On Expects Huge Growth in SSD Sales, in 2012
Optical disc drive major Lite-On opined that its SSD sales will see huge growth in 2012. The company is not new to SSDs, as it entered the SSD business about three years ago, yet it is not a major player. In 2011, the SSD business generated about NT$1 billion (US $33.9 million) in revenues for the company, which the company expects will jump 600~700% (NT$6-7 billion) in 2012. Tablets and Ultrabooks, according to Lite-On, will be the prime-movers of this growth.
Intel Promotes Two Executives to Senior Vice President
Intel Corporation today announced that its board of directors has promoted Mooly Eden and Richard Taylor to the position of senior vice president. The promotions recognize outstanding performance.
Eden, 60, is senior vice president and was recently named president and general manager of Intel Israel. In this role, Eden is responsible for Intel Israel's operations and strategy, including the Israel Development Centers and Intel's Fab 28 manufacturing facility. In his 30 years at Intel, Eden has held many management and technical positions in microprocessor design, including the Intel Pentium processor with MMX technology. He also was responsible for the development of Intel's mobile PC microprocessors and chipsets, including Intel Centrino Processor Technology, which included a low-power processor and bundle of chips that offered WiFi. This product helped make WiFi a standard, integrated feature on laptops worldwide and is considered a key driver of the mobile revolution. Eden most recently led the PC Client Group, Intel's largest product group.
Eden, 60, is senior vice president and was recently named president and general manager of Intel Israel. In this role, Eden is responsible for Intel Israel's operations and strategy, including the Israel Development Centers and Intel's Fab 28 manufacturing facility. In his 30 years at Intel, Eden has held many management and technical positions in microprocessor design, including the Intel Pentium processor with MMX technology. He also was responsible for the development of Intel's mobile PC microprocessors and chipsets, including Intel Centrino Processor Technology, which included a low-power processor and bundle of chips that offered WiFi. This product helped make WiFi a standard, integrated feature on laptops worldwide and is considered a key driver of the mobile revolution. Eden most recently led the PC Client Group, Intel's largest product group.
RunCore Announces the 2.5-inch SATA 3 Pro-V MAX Solid State Drive
RunCore, a leading manufacturer of high-performance and rugged solid state drives (SSDs) today announced the availability of its latest SATA 3 SSD.
"The new 2.5" SATA3, 6Gbs, drive is the nice addition to our existing portfolio of SSD products. The Pro-V MAX is based on the SF-2281 controller with the optimized firmware (the Golden FW). With Read and Write transfer rate at 560 MB/s and 520 MB/s, respectively, and the burst IOPS at 87K while sustained IOPS over 60K, has a super score of over 770 in AS SSD Benchmark, the drive is designed to deliver exceptional performance over the life of it with no performance degradation over time. The Pro-V MAX is ideal for use in gaming machines, HPC & datacenter servers," said Amy Wang, VP of Strategies and Business Product Development of RunCore.
"The new 2.5" SATA3, 6Gbs, drive is the nice addition to our existing portfolio of SSD products. The Pro-V MAX is based on the SF-2281 controller with the optimized firmware (the Golden FW). With Read and Write transfer rate at 560 MB/s and 520 MB/s, respectively, and the burst IOPS at 87K while sustained IOPS over 60K, has a super score of over 770 in AS SSD Benchmark, the drive is designed to deliver exceptional performance over the life of it with no performance degradation over time. The Pro-V MAX is ideal for use in gaming machines, HPC & datacenter servers," said Amy Wang, VP of Strategies and Business Product Development of RunCore.
Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter Starts Shipping
Seagate started shipping its GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter accessory. The gadget lets you connect a SATA drive (HDD or SSD) to a host machine over 10 Gbps Thunderbolt interface, completely eliminating any bottleneck (USB 3.0 bottlenecks SATA 6 Gb/s). It works by simply sliding and locking in a SATA device to its industry-standard SATA power+data interface, and plugging the adapter to the host using a Thunderbolt cable. The Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter is priced at US $99.99.
Production-Grade MSI Z77A-GD65 Motherboard Pictured
At CES, we got to check out MSI's Z77A-GD65 motherboard in its baby-suit, with just basic heatsinks, as the production ones were getting finalized. At the IT Partners show, we got to see the production model of this board, complete with its final VRM and PCH heatsink design.
The Z77A-GD65 uses a 9-phase VRM to power the CPU. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8, depending on the second slot being populated), one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the PCH), and four PCIe x1. Storage connectivity include four SATA 6 Gb/s (two from the PCH, two from a third-party controller), and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports. Display connectivity includes D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI. Other features include a number of USB 3.0, USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel HD audio, and features for overclockers such as consolidated voltage measurement points, redundant UEFI BIOS, and OC Genie. It is slated for April.
The Z77A-GD65 uses a 9-phase VRM to power the CPU. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8, depending on the second slot being populated), one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the PCH), and four PCIe x1. Storage connectivity include four SATA 6 Gb/s (two from the PCH, two from a third-party controller), and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports. Display connectivity includes D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI. Other features include a number of USB 3.0, USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel HD audio, and features for overclockers such as consolidated voltage measurement points, redundant UEFI BIOS, and OC Genie. It is slated for April.
PNY Shows Off the Optima Pro Solid State Drives
Fresh news from the IT Partners event in France, PNY is preparing the release of a couple of new, speedy solid state drives, the enterprise-grade Optima Pro models which make use of SandForce's SF-2582 controller. These 2.5-inch drives also have a metal casing, MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips, and a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface.
The Optima Pro SSDs come in 120 GB and 240 GB capacities and should deliver sequential read/write speeds of over 500 MB/s. Unfortunately their prices are not yet known.
The Optima Pro SSDs come in 120 GB and 240 GB capacities and should deliver sequential read/write speeds of over 500 MB/s. Unfortunately their prices are not yet known.
Targus Intros USB 3.0 Dual-Display Adapter
Peripherals major Targus introduced the ACA039US, a USB display adapter that takes advantage of the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, and provides two display outputs, supporting two displays. Based on DisplayLink DL-3900 chipset, the ACA039US relies on USB 3.0 for both host connectivity and power. It gives out two display outputs: DVI-I (single link) and HDMI 1.3. Each connector supports display heads at resolutions up to 2048 x 1152 pixels, even though the DL-3900 chipset supports 2560 x 1600 (over dual-link DVI). The HDMI 1.3 connection gives out 5.1-channel audio, and is HDCP 2.0-compliant. The ACA039US from Targus will be released to market soon, at a price of US $99.99, a single-port variant is also planned, at US$79.99. Let's hope it has dual-link DVI.
Titan Sibera TTC-NC55TZ(RB) CPU Cooler Pictured
Titan Technology unveiled its latest Siberia CPU Cooler, the TTC-NC55TZ(RB). The cooler has an asymmetric aluminum fin tower design, which cools other hot components on the motherboard along with the CPU. The design consists of a nickel-plated copper base, from which five copper heat pipes pass. One end of these heat pipes pass through an aluminum fin stack that propagates along the plane of the motherboard, while the other passes though a stack that propagates perpendicular to this plane.
The stack that's along the plane of the motherboard is the larger of the two, and is ventilated by a 140 mm fan. The perpendicular stack is ventilated by a smaller 120 mm fan. The 140 mm fan spins at 700 ~ 1,800 RPM, pushing 34.78 ~ 89.43 CFM of air, with a noise output of 8.3 ~ 28.8 dBA. The 120 mm fan, on the other hand, spins at 800 ~ 2,200 RPM; pushing 24.23 ~ 66.2 CFM, with 15.0 ~ 35.0 dBA noise output. Both fans have 4-pin plugs and support PWM control. The heatsink itself measures 200 x 130 x 162 mm (WxDxH), weighing 755 g. All current sockets, including LGA2011, LGA1366, LGA1155/LGA1156, AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, and FM1 are supported. It is priced at 6,980 JPY (US $91.6).
The stack that's along the plane of the motherboard is the larger of the two, and is ventilated by a 140 mm fan. The perpendicular stack is ventilated by a smaller 120 mm fan. The 140 mm fan spins at 700 ~ 1,800 RPM, pushing 34.78 ~ 89.43 CFM of air, with a noise output of 8.3 ~ 28.8 dBA. The 120 mm fan, on the other hand, spins at 800 ~ 2,200 RPM; pushing 24.23 ~ 66.2 CFM, with 15.0 ~ 35.0 dBA noise output. Both fans have 4-pin plugs and support PWM control. The heatsink itself measures 200 x 130 x 162 mm (WxDxH), weighing 755 g. All current sockets, including LGA2011, LGA1366, LGA1155/LGA1156, AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, and FM1 are supported. It is priced at 6,980 JPY (US $91.6).
Zalman Launches the Z11 and Z11 Plus Mid-Tower Cases
South Korean company Zalman has now introduced two new 'high performance' PC cases, the Z11 and Z11 Plus mid-towers. These models measure 260 (W) x 498 (H) x 525 (D) mm, they weight 7.3 kg, and have a steel structure, a black paint job, and support for ATX and micro ATX motherboards, as well as for graphics cards up to 290 mm long.
Zalman's cases feature four exposed 5.25-inch bays, one 2.5-inch bay, five 3.5-inch drive trays with tool-free mounting, an acrylic side window, an anti-vibration rubber stand for the PSU, two pre-drilled holes for watercooling tubes, and four fans - one 120 mm spinner with blue LEDs in front, another one on top, a LED-less 120 mm model at the back, and two 80 mm fans on the side.
The Zalman Z11 includes an I/O panel with four USB 2.0 ports and has a recommended price tag of 69.90 Euro, while the Z11 Plus offers two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports, and costs 79.90 Euro. Both are expected to become available in about two weeks.
Zalman's cases feature four exposed 5.25-inch bays, one 2.5-inch bay, five 3.5-inch drive trays with tool-free mounting, an acrylic side window, an anti-vibration rubber stand for the PSU, two pre-drilled holes for watercooling tubes, and four fans - one 120 mm spinner with blue LEDs in front, another one on top, a LED-less 120 mm model at the back, and two 80 mm fans on the side.
The Zalman Z11 includes an I/O panel with four USB 2.0 ports and has a recommended price tag of 69.90 Euro, while the Z11 Plus offers two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports, and costs 79.90 Euro. Both are expected to become available in about two weeks.
AMD A8-3870K Cracks 6 GHz with All Cores Enabled
Overclocker "Christian Ney" of the HWBOT community claims to have cracked the 6 GHz clock speed mark with an AMD A8-3870K APU, with all four of its cores enabled. The feat consisted of a clock speed of 6067.7 MHz achieved using a base clock of 258.2 MHz and multiplier of 47.0x. The memory was clocked at 3505 MHz, just 95 MHz short of a world-record. The chip was put through a scorching core voltage of 2V. Supporting components included GIGABYTE A75-UD4H motherboard, and GeIL EVO Corsa DDR3 memory. The setup was cooled sub-zero. CPU-Z Validator rejected this submission, probably because like us, it finds 2V vCore and 258.2 MHz base clock unreal for Llano, since it uses a common 100 MHz clock domain for BClk and PCIe.
Facebook Files $5 Billion IPO, Values it at Nearly $100 Billion
Facebook Inc., has finally filed to go public with its IPO, with plans to raise US $5 billion, according to a figure used to calculate the registration fee. The company seeks to trade under the ticker symbol "FB", although it did not list an exchange. It is speculated by those close to the company that Facebook is aiming at a far greater offering that will value to the company close to $100 billion. Facebook also provided some interesting stats about its operations in its filing. The EDGAR filing documents can be accessed here.
Wednesday, February 1st 2012
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
- XFX R7950 Black Edition Benchmark Reviews
- PowerColor HD 7950 PCS+ HT4U (de)
- AMD HD 7950 3GB HT4U (de)
- Sapphire HD 7950 OC Modders-Inc.
- ASUS HD 7950 DirectCU II TOP OCaholic
- XFX & Sapphire HD 7950 3GB Overclockers Club
- AMD HD 7950 3GB Tech Report
- Sapphire HD 7950 OC Techware Labs
- XFX R7950 DD Black Edition Tweaktown
- XFX R7950 DD Black Edition Vortez
- PowerColor HD 7950 PCS+ Vortez
- AMD HD 7950 3GB Vortez
- Sapphire HD 7970 3GB Hardware-Mag (de)
Headphones
Motherboards
Mouse
PSUs
Enermax Platimax 1200 W Review
Here we are again, testing another high-end Enermax unit from the Platimax series. The innovative platform of this unit offers huge power along with Platinum efficiency. Also we find top quality components used along with great build quality.
Microsoft Launches Kinect for Windows Device and SDK
Microsoft today launched Kinect for Windows, a unique gesture-recognizing input device it launched for the Xbox 360. Kinect for Windows enables a whole new kind of interaction with the software that's three dimensional and spatial, compared to the two dimensional input of mice, tablets, and trackballs.
Along with it, version 1.0 of the Kinect for Windows SDK (stable) was launched, enabling organized software developers to start working on applications right away. The new SDK also features several feature additions and improvements over previous beta versions. The general pricing of Kinect for Windows device is US $249, but it is also available at US $149 for qualified educational users.
Along with it, version 1.0 of the Kinect for Windows SDK (stable) was launched, enabling organized software developers to start working on applications right away. The new SDK also features several feature additions and improvements over previous beta versions. The general pricing of Kinect for Windows device is US $249, but it is also available at US $149 for qualified educational users.
CM Storm Trooper Gets 20th Anniversary Limited Time Pricing
Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer today announces an exciting new offering as part of its ongoing 20th anniversary celebration.
As a part of Cooler Master's continued effort to thank its various stakeholders for 20 years of loyalty, a flagship chassis will receive a special pricing for a limited time that is available through all of our U.S. and Canadian channel partners. Effective immediately, the CM Storm Trooper will now be available for $149.99 MSRP, making it a top tier case with unmatched value.
As a part of Cooler Master's continued effort to thank its various stakeholders for 20 years of loyalty, a flagship chassis will receive a special pricing for a limited time that is available through all of our U.S. and Canadian channel partners. Effective immediately, the CM Storm Trooper will now be available for $149.99 MSRP, making it a top tier case with unmatched value.
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