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Tuesday, March 31st 2009
Mushkin Ascent XP3-14400 CL8 2 GB Kit Review
The Ascent series from Mushkin represents their high-end line-up with thick eVCI heatspreaders, very tight timings and fast speeds. On top of that, the memory scales extremely well with voltage and has plenty of potential for overclockers
In Win NA eSATA & USB Enclosure Review
The In Win NA is a very stylish and unigue HDD enclosure. In Win has gone all out and included a porcelain plate as cover and hid the USB 2.0 and eSATA interface within the confines of the smooth white bowl.
IBM Announces New Generation of Intel Xeon 5500 Based Servers
IBM today unveiled a new generation of Intel Xeon processor 5500 series-based System x servers and software that enable customers to more easily roll out virtualized computing and significantly reduce growing operating costs with higher performance, simplified management and increased utilization.
With the new systems, IBM engineers addressed key challenges in today's data center, where hefty costs for power usage and IT management pile-up, while processors sit idle or under-utilized. To help enable a more dynamic infrastructure, IBM's four new x86 rack servers and blades feature unique designs -- such as lower wattage requirements -- that can slash energy costs up to 93 percent. At the same time, the new System x servers boast double the compute performance in some models, and support more memory, storage and I/O to help customers of all sizes ease the transition to highly efficient virtualized computing resources. System x blades and racks lead the industry with 96 GB to 1 TB memory options.
With the new systems, IBM engineers addressed key challenges in today's data center, where hefty costs for power usage and IT management pile-up, while processors sit idle or under-utilized. To help enable a more dynamic infrastructure, IBM's four new x86 rack servers and blades feature unique designs -- such as lower wattage requirements -- that can slash energy costs up to 93 percent. At the same time, the new System x servers boast double the compute performance in some models, and support more memory, storage and I/O to help customers of all sizes ease the transition to highly efficient virtualized computing resources. System x blades and racks lead the industry with 96 GB to 1 TB memory options.
Greenpeace Updates its E-Waste Report of Manufacturers
I once posted a news story on how well computer manufacturers are treating the environment according to the Greenpeace organization. Well I'm going to give you a little update on that story today. Last time Nintendo was the worst among worst when talking "green" and this year it is strengthening its position even more. From zero to eleven in being "green" (zero means worst) Nintendo scores the whooping 0. HP, Microsoft, Lenovo and Dell are next to have poor scores when it comes to preserving the world we live in. According to Greenpeace only Apple is "truly kicking the habit", maybe that's because they have an apple as their logo. Philips learned a lesson from last Greenpeace research and the company jumps from 15th to 4th place this year, well done Philips. The two best "green" manufacturers as of March 31st 2009 are Samsung and Nokia.
Supermicro Sets New Performance-per-Watt and per-Dollar x86 Server Standard
Super Micro Computer, Inc., a leader in application-optimized, high-performance server solutions, today launched a comprehensive new line of server and workstation solutions specially designed to support the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 series (formerly codenamed Nehalem). Supermicro has started shipping its new 2U Twin2 ("Twin Squared" with four hot-pluggable DP nodes), newly invented Twin GPU 1U server/workstation, the award-winning 1U Twin, SuperBlade, flexible Universal I/O (UIO) server, SAS2 storage systems, as well as its strong line of traditional application-optimized server solutions. Featuring the highest efficiency in the industry power supplies (93%+), cooling subsystems and motherboard designs, Supermicro solutions set a new record for the best performance-per-watt (375 GFLOPS/kW) and also deliver the best performance-per-dollar and performance-per-square-foot.
Based on the company's latest application-optimized Server Building Block architectures, Supermicro maximizes the new Nehalem technology, which includes QPI (Intel QuickPath Interconnect) for up to 6.4GT/s, Integrated DDR3 Memory Controller, multiple power envelops, and Intel Turbo Boost Technology, to provide the industry's highest performing and most optimized new generation server solutions.
Based on the company's latest application-optimized Server Building Block architectures, Supermicro maximizes the new Nehalem technology, which includes QPI (Intel QuickPath Interconnect) for up to 6.4GT/s, Integrated DDR3 Memory Controller, multiple power envelops, and Intel Turbo Boost Technology, to provide the industry's highest performing and most optimized new generation server solutions.
ZOTAC Expands Low-Profile Product Lineup with GeForce 9600 GT LP
ZOTAC International, an award winning manufacturing of graphics cards and motherboards, today unleashes a new high-performance graphics card fit for low-profile applications - the new ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT LP. The ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT LP delivers intense 3D visuals and breathtaking 3D performance to small form factor system users with limited expansion capabilities. Powered by 64 stream processors, the ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT LP is ready to take on the latest DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.1, NVIDIA CUDA and PhysX enabled 3D games and applications. A wide 256-bit memory interface joins the 64 stream processors to 512MB of high-speed GDDR3 video memory for phenomenal performance at high-resolutions and high levels of anti-aliasing for smooth frame rates and jagged-free visuals.
"Small form factor systems are becoming more popular nowadays with the advent of low power systems and slick designs; however, small form factor systems are limited in terms of expansion capabilities and typically require low-profile expansion cards. Our new ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT LP enables small form factor system owners to upgrade their systems to GeForce 9-class graphics with CUDA and PhysX technologies for high-performance 3D graphics," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.
"Small form factor systems are becoming more popular nowadays with the advent of low power systems and slick designs; however, small form factor systems are limited in terms of expansion capabilities and typically require low-profile expansion cards. Our new ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT LP enables small form factor system owners to upgrade their systems to GeForce 9-class graphics with CUDA and PhysX technologies for high-performance 3D graphics," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.
EVGA Releases SLI Enhancement Patch Version 8 (03.30.09)
EVGA released another version of its SLI Enhancement Patch, version 8 (03.30.09), its third one for this month alone. The patch works in conjunction with the installed NVIDIA GeForce driver, in providing SLI support to games through SLI profiles. The support is game-specific, and each release of the patch expands the support-base. The new version is based on NVIDIA driver 182.46. The following games are added to the support list, apart from all the games already supported by the patch:
- Battlefield Heroes
- Stormrise
- Weapons of Fate
- Jumpgate Evolution
- Age of Booty
- Football Manager '05-'09
Leadtek Launches Next Gen Quadro Lineup
Leadtek Research Inc., exclusive workstation partner of NVIDIA in APAC, today announced the advent of its most powerful Quadro professional solution family yet. It includes the FX 3800, FX 1800, FX 580 and FX 380. Along with previously launched FX 5800 and FX 4800, the latest Quadro family offers top to bottom solutions on the shelves to satisfy the most demanding customers in different industries.
MSI Reveals the Company's First AE1900 All-in-one PC Solution
MSI made another announcement today, the one of the Wind Top AE1900, the company's first all-in-one PC released to market. The elegant glassy Wind Top AE1900 features a nice 19-inch 16:9 touchscreen, Intel Atom N230 processor, up to 1 GB DDR2 RAM, built-in Wi-Fi and LAN cards, and a 1.3 MP webcam.
MSI Rolls Out New GX733 17-inch Gaming Laptop
MSI today launched the GX733 17-inch gaming laptop with the company's exclusive Turbo Drive Engine Technology. The GX733 uses the newest AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core mobile processor, a powerful ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 3D video card with 512 MB DDR3 RAM, up to 4 GB system RAM, and a lot more to draw attention. Find more information below.
Thecus Unveils the World's Smallest Fully-Featured NAS Device
Thecus proclaimed today the world's smallest fully-featured NAS device, the N0204 miniNAS. Measuring a tiny 132 x 88 x 63 mm exterior, one could easily mistake the N0204 as a regular external hard drive. But look closer and you will see a very capable two-bay NAS device that fits right in the palm of your hand. The N0204 houses two 2.5-inch SATA hard disks, providing up to 1 TB of storage. You can manage this storage with your choice and configure it for RAID 0, 1, or JBOD operation. And because its drive bays are hot-swappable and feature auto-rebuild, you can change a hard disk without powering down the unit. The N0204 even comes with Thecus' Nsync for remote replication as well as the Thecus Backup Utility for total data security. The N0204 supports USB printers, external hard disks, USB web cam, and even works with USB WLAN adaptors, allowing you to give this tiny NAS device wireless capability. For more information on the N0204, check out this link.
Sony PLAYSTATION2 Goes Down to $99 Tomorrow
The official PLAYSTATION blog posted today that as of next month the second generation Sony PLAYSTATION game console will be sold for as low as $99 MSRP, down from $129. PLAYSTATION 2 recently sold 50 million units in North America, and now the console is cheaper than ever. First released almost nine years ago in year 2000, the PS2 is still loyal to its owners. To date the console offers over 1900 game titles as well as some of the latest games such as MLB '09, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Guitar Hero Metallica and MotorStorm: Arctic Edge.
The new price sounds almost too good to be true, but let us remind you that tommorow is April fools' day.
The new price sounds almost too good to be true, but let us remind you that tommorow is April fools' day.
Dell Adds More Colors to its Inspiron Desktop Family
Style-minded families, students and teens want to personalize their PCs to meet their performance and lifestyle needs - blogging, chatting, sending photos or running a media center. Highly-stylized products, like Dell's new Inspiron slim and mini-tower desktops, deliver on design and customization, transforming the brand from the "built-for-me" model, into "made-for-me."
Dell's new Inspiron slim and mini-towers expand the design and personalization possibilities for consumers. Available in eight vibrant colors, Dell is the only major consumer desktop manufacturer to offer such extensive personalization options to reflect individuals' personal style or to complement their bedroom or study.
Inspiron slim and mini-tower desktops debut today in China and are available for purchase through Dell.com, distributor Digital China or retailers Suning and Gome. Starting at $299 US, the systems will be available worldwide later this spring.
Dell's new Inspiron slim and mini-towers expand the design and personalization possibilities for consumers. Available in eight vibrant colors, Dell is the only major consumer desktop manufacturer to offer such extensive personalization options to reflect individuals' personal style or to complement their bedroom or study.
Inspiron slim and mini-tower desktops debut today in China and are available for purchase through Dell.com, distributor Digital China or retailers Suning and Gome. Starting at $299 US, the systems will be available worldwide later this spring.
AMD Releases R700 Family Instruction Set
Last week AMD posted a 392-page pdf file, outlining the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) of the company's R700 family of graphics cards. The 1.9 MB file contains documentation for the RV710 (Radeon HD 4350/ Radeon HD 4550), the RV730 (Radeon HD 4670/ Radeon HD 4650), the RV740 (Radeon HD 4770/ Radeon HD 4750), the RV770 (Radeon HD 4870/ Radeon HD 4850/ Radeon HD 4830), and the RV790 (Radeon HD 4890) GPUs. Except being very interesting for many tech specialists, this document provides the programming guidelines for compiler writers and programmers. It also describes in great detail the whole architecture around the R700 series GPUs. There are a total of 10 chapters inside the document that cover topics such as control flow programs, fertex-fetch clauses, memory read clauses, data share clauses, microcode formats and so on. If you think you have the skills to read and most importantly understand what is written, please click here for the full document in .pdf format (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Google Launches Free Music Site
Google's Chinese free music download service (here) has now been officially launched to provide legal, quality tracks to the Chinese people. Google is cooperating with www.top100.cn on this project. Currently, the service offers about 350,000 songs from both Chinese and international artists. In the upcoming months, this number should increase to around 1.1 million tracks.
The service has the blessing of all major record labels - Warner, Universal, Sony BMG and EMI, and sees Google share the advertising revenue generated by the download site with content providers. This enables users to get their music legally and should also help lower the piracy levels in China.
The service has the blessing of all major record labels - Warner, Universal, Sony BMG and EMI, and sees Google share the advertising revenue generated by the download site with content providers. This enables users to get their music legally and should also help lower the piracy levels in China.
Radeon HD 4770 Pictured, Slated for May
AMD may be inches close to launching its high-end Radeon HD 4890 accelerator, but in its shadows, an equally exciting product-line is taking shape: the Radeon HD 4700 series, which AMD refers to as "A new paradigm of performance and price", rightly so, with the new 40 nm process the RV740 GPU is built on, and the performance that looks to put it on top of its class.
IT168.com published a few slides from a recent presentation AMD carried on, for its upcoming Radeon HD 4700 series. The most relevant slides reveal a lot about the Radeon HD 4770, the flagship product based on the RV740. The card design that has surfaced, reveals a cooler design similar to that of the Radeon HD 3870, except for a different colour-scheme and printed graphics. The card features 512 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit memory interface, which ideally churns out the same amount of bandwidth as 256-bit GDDR3, while consuming lesser power (due to lesser number of chips on the board). A slide also reveals a crucial bit about the pricing strategy AMD is planning to adopt, which shows the Radeon HD 4770 to be priced at US $99 (target SEP prices). From AMD's own ratings, the card should offer higher performance per watt and performance per dollar (in terms of rated compute power) than NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT. You can also work out from the figures that the card consumes 80 W of power. The card is slated for a May 4 launch.
IT168.com published a few slides from a recent presentation AMD carried on, for its upcoming Radeon HD 4700 series. The most relevant slides reveal a lot about the Radeon HD 4770, the flagship product based on the RV740. The card design that has surfaced, reveals a cooler design similar to that of the Radeon HD 3870, except for a different colour-scheme and printed graphics. The card features 512 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit memory interface, which ideally churns out the same amount of bandwidth as 256-bit GDDR3, while consuming lesser power (due to lesser number of chips on the board). A slide also reveals a crucial bit about the pricing strategy AMD is planning to adopt, which shows the Radeon HD 4770 to be priced at US $99 (target SEP prices). From AMD's own ratings, the card should offer higher performance per watt and performance per dollar (in terms of rated compute power) than NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT. You can also work out from the figures that the card consumes 80 W of power. The card is slated for a May 4 launch.
Corsair Announces Voyager Port
Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the Voyager Port portable backup solution for USB flash drives.
The Voyager Port transforms any USB flash drive into a powerful data backup solution, complete with a simple, one-button file backup feature. The Voyager Port requires no external power supply and features a USB 2.0 port for the latest, high-speed USB flash drives.
The Voyager Port transforms any USB flash drive into a powerful data backup solution, complete with a simple, one-button file backup feature. The Voyager Port requires no external power supply and features a USB 2.0 port for the latest, high-speed USB flash drives.
NVIDIA Introduces Industry’s Most Powerful Professional Graphics LineUp
Whether designing the next aircraft or delivering seven-day weather forecasts, today's professionals seek a reliable, robust visualization platform designed to address their unique challenges and needs. Highlighting a decade of innovation, driven by the needs of the most demanding professionals, NVIDIA today introduced its most powerful and advanced top-to-bottom line of Quadro professional GPU solutions in the Company's history.
"Our mission with Quadro is to help customers solve the world's most challenging visual computing problems," stated Dan Vivoli, executive vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. "We learn every day from them and are humbled by their brilliance. The new lineup, with the flagship Quadro FX 5800, sets the stage for the next ten years of innovation."
"Our mission with Quadro is to help customers solve the world's most challenging visual computing problems," stated Dan Vivoli, executive vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. "We learn every day from them and are humbled by their brilliance. The new lineup, with the flagship Quadro FX 5800, sets the stage for the next ten years of innovation."
Intel Adds Five New Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Solo and Celeron Mobile Processors
Following the big release of Intel Xeon 5500 series processors, Intel today also launched a few new mobile chips that will replace older processors in their segments. Have a look at their specs and prices:
- Core 2 Duo SP9600 2.53 GHz 6 MB L2 cache 1066 MHz FSB - $316
- Core 2 Duo LV SL9600 2.13 GHz 6 MB L2 cache 1066 MHz FSB - $316
- Core 2 Duo ULV SU9600 1.60 GHz 3 MB L2 cache 800 MHz FSB - $289
- Core 2 Solo ULV SU3500 1.40 GHz 3 MB L2 cache 800 MHz FSB - $262
- Celeron Mobile 900 2.20 GHz 1 MB L2 cache 800 MHz FSB - $70
ASUS Quietly Presents 10-inch 1004DN Eee PC with DVD Burner
With the quiet introduction of 1004DN, the ASUS Eee PCs are an inch close to changing their names from netbooks to laptops or notebooks if you want. Up until now all netbooks were missing the presence of any optical drives, and that partly was what made them different from normal laptops. Well, that's about to change with the ASUS Eee PC 1004DN netbook which offers integrated DVD burner that makes possible reading and writing CDs and DVDs on the go. There's only one step left until Eee PCs and netbooks as all become normal laptops - their screen sizes.
Back on the Eee PC 1004DN except the DVD burner, it has a 10-inch LED-backlit TFT WSVGA screen with a 1024 x 600 resolution, an Intel Atom N280 CPU working at 1.66 GHz, an Intel GN40 chipset and 1 GB of DDR2 RAM expandable to 2 GB. For storage the 1004DN uses single 1.8-inch PATA 120 GB 4,200 RPM hard drive and an Express Card slot for expansion. The Eee PC 1004DN measures 277 mm x 194 mm x 27.4-34 mm and weights 1.45 kg (with a 6-cell battery). Expect pricing and availability date information soon.
Back on the Eee PC 1004DN except the DVD burner, it has a 10-inch LED-backlit TFT WSVGA screen with a 1024 x 600 resolution, an Intel Atom N280 CPU working at 1.66 GHz, an Intel GN40 chipset and 1 GB of DDR2 RAM expandable to 2 GB. For storage the 1004DN uses single 1.8-inch PATA 120 GB 4,200 RPM hard drive and an Express Card slot for expansion. The Eee PC 1004DN measures 277 mm x 194 mm x 27.4-34 mm and weights 1.45 kg (with a 6-cell battery). Expect pricing and availability date information soon.
Microsoft and TomTom Settle Patent Infringement Cases
Microsoft Corp. and TomTom N.V. today announced that they have settled the patent infringement cases brought by Microsoft before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and the International Trade Commission (ITC) and by TomTom in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The cases have been settled through a patent agreement under which TomTom will pay Microsoft for coverage under the eight car navigation and file management systems patents in the Microsoft case. Also as part of the agreement, Microsoft receives coverage under the four patents included in the TomTom countersuit. The agreement, which has a five-year term, does not require any payment by Microsoft to TomTom. It covers both past and future U.S. sales of the relevant products. The specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The cases have been settled through a patent agreement under which TomTom will pay Microsoft for coverage under the eight car navigation and file management systems patents in the Microsoft case. Also as part of the agreement, Microsoft receives coverage under the four patents included in the TomTom countersuit. The agreement, which has a five-year term, does not require any payment by Microsoft to TomTom. It covers both past and future U.S. sales of the relevant products. The specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Antec Launches P183 and P193 Performance One Mid-Tower Cases
Two new cases from Antec come today to show what the latest PC chassis design should look like. The Antec P183 and P193, both members of Antec's award-winning Performance One Series, build on the popular designs of the P182 and P190 series, respectively, while introducing improved cooling and airflow features, advanced noise control and compatibility with Antec's exclusive CP Series power supply.
The P183 mid-tower case measures 54 cm (H) x 20.5 cm (W) x 50.7 cm (D) and utilizes a dual chamber design; the power supply resides in a separate chamber to isolate heat and reduce system noise. Two TriCool 120x120x25 mm fans - one rear, one top - ensure optimal cooling, while three optional 120 mm fans provide additional cooling capabilities. Added vents designed in the front door also improve airflow into the P183. The double-hinged front door, which swings open to 270 degrees, allows for easy installation and customization.
The P193 Extended mid-tower ATX case is designed to provide system builders with increased flexibility. The spacious interior of the P193 ( 51.4 cm (H) x 20.5 cm (W) x 59 cm (D) ) supports a variety of hardware, with 11 drive bays, seven expansion slots, Mini-ITX to Extended ATX motherboard compatibility, and room for multiple graphics cards and dual CPUs. Four 120 mm TriCool fans - one rear, two top, and one side Big Boy 200 mm - ensure maximum air circulation. Like the P183, the P193 allows for an additional three 120 mm fans to be installed. It also features a dual chamber design to isolate heat and noise, added vents in the front door to improve airflow, and a double-hinged front door for easy installation.
The P183 and P193 are available at an estimated price of $179.95 and $209.95, respectively, through major retailers, e-tailers and distributors. Both cases are backed by Antec's Quality 3-Year Warranty. For additional product information and full technical specifications click here.
The P183 mid-tower case measures 54 cm (H) x 20.5 cm (W) x 50.7 cm (D) and utilizes a dual chamber design; the power supply resides in a separate chamber to isolate heat and reduce system noise. Two TriCool 120x120x25 mm fans - one rear, one top - ensure optimal cooling, while three optional 120 mm fans provide additional cooling capabilities. Added vents designed in the front door also improve airflow into the P183. The double-hinged front door, which swings open to 270 degrees, allows for easy installation and customization.
The P193 Extended mid-tower ATX case is designed to provide system builders with increased flexibility. The spacious interior of the P193 ( 51.4 cm (H) x 20.5 cm (W) x 59 cm (D) ) supports a variety of hardware, with 11 drive bays, seven expansion slots, Mini-ITX to Extended ATX motherboard compatibility, and room for multiple graphics cards and dual CPUs. Four 120 mm TriCool fans - one rear, two top, and one side Big Boy 200 mm - ensure maximum air circulation. Like the P183, the P193 allows for an additional three 120 mm fans to be installed. It also features a dual chamber design to isolate heat and noise, added vents in the front door to improve airflow, and a double-hinged front door for easy installation.
The P183 and P193 are available at an estimated price of $179.95 and $209.95, respectively, through major retailers, e-tailers and distributors. Both cases are backed by Antec's Quality 3-Year Warranty. For additional product information and full technical specifications click here.
OCZ Intros the Neutrino 10.1-inch DIY Netbook
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, components, and systems, today unveiled the Neutrino netbook, their latest Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solution. Building on OCZ's award-winning DIY line, users ranging from hardware enthusiasts to mainstream professionals can partake in configuring and building their own personalized ultra-mobile solution, complete with everything they need in a portable companion.
"There are many consumers that desire the blend of essential functionalities and an ultra compact form factor, and our new Neutrino Do-It-Yourself netbooks based on Intel Atom technology allows users to design and configure their very own solution tailored to their unique needs," commented Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ Technology Group. "The Neutrino DIY netbook puts the control back in the hands of consumers by allowing them to configure a feature rich netbook with their own memory, storage, and preferred OS into a reasonably priced go-anywhere computing solution."
"There are many consumers that desire the blend of essential functionalities and an ultra compact form factor, and our new Neutrino Do-It-Yourself netbooks based on Intel Atom technology allows users to design and configure their very own solution tailored to their unique needs," commented Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ Technology Group. "The Neutrino DIY netbook puts the control back in the hands of consumers by allowing them to configure a feature rich netbook with their own memory, storage, and preferred OS into a reasonably priced go-anywhere computing solution."
New Intel Xeon 5500 Series Processors Now Official
Intel Corporation introduced 17 enterprise-class processors today, led by the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series. They are Intel's most revolutionary server processors since addressing the market with the Intel Pentium Pro processor almost 15 years ago.
The new enterprise-class chips can automatically adjust to specified energy usage levels, and speed data center transactions and customer database queries. They also will play a key role in scientific discoveries by researchers who use supercomputers as their foundation for research, all whilst delivering great energy efficiency for reduced electricity costs.
The new enterprise-class chips can automatically adjust to specified energy usage levels, and speed data center transactions and customer database queries. They also will play a key role in scientific discoveries by researchers who use supercomputers as their foundation for research, all whilst delivering great energy efficiency for reduced electricity costs.
Kingston Technology Ships 1333 and 1066 MHz Memory Supporting Intel Nehalem Server
Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping both 1333- and 1066MHz DDR3 server memory modules validated by Intel for use on its Xeon processor-based motherboards. Kingston's registered ECC server DIMMs and unbuffered ECC DIMMs are optimized to take advantage of the triple-channel architecture for Intel's newest server platforms using the new Nehalem-based Xeon processors.
The 1333- and 1066MHz DDR3 server modules are available immediately. Kingston server memory is backed by a lifetime warranty and free, 24/7 technical support. For more detailed information visit www.kingston.com. For Intel validation information visit this page.
The 1333- and 1066MHz DDR3 server modules are available immediately. Kingston server memory is backed by a lifetime warranty and free, 24/7 technical support. For more detailed information visit www.kingston.com. For Intel validation information visit this page.
Monday, March 30th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Notebooks
PSUs
Lancool Metal Boned K6 Review
The Lancool Metal Boned K6 packs a lot of the exclusive new features found in the modern Lian Li cases in a sleek and clean designed case. The Lancool Metal Boned K6 is intended for LAN party gamers, wanting great construction quality and sturdiness in combination with the looks and engineering backbone one has come to expect from Lian Li.
Wistron Firstbook Snapdragon-based 3G netbook
The Wistron Firstbook is a Linux-based netbook featuring the same chipset as the Toshiba TG01, the Snapdragon from ARM. Its form factor is similar to that of the Sony VAIO P. The Firstbook packs 3G WWAN connectivity and a widescreen display.
It remains unclear whether the Wistron Snapdragon netbook is a product headed toward production or merely a demonstration platform for ARM. It is possible that some manufacturer will take the product and brand it as its own.
It remains unclear whether the Wistron Snapdragon netbook is a product headed toward production or merely a demonstration platform for ARM. It is possible that some manufacturer will take the product and brand it as its own.
NVIDIA SLI Multi-OS Empowers World’s First Virtualized Graphics Workstation
NVIDIA, the inventor of the GPU, today introduced NVIDIA SLI Multi-OS, a ground-breaking technology that allows users and visualization applications, for the first time, to take full advantage of multiple NVIDIA Quadro GPUs from a single graphics workstation in a virtualized environment.
This new technology delivers a faster, more efficient workflow to maximize productivity and lower the total cost of ownership for professionals in markets such as: digital content creation, sciences, manufacturing, and oil and gas.
"In today's economy, organizations are turning to virtualization to increase productivity and maximize cost savings," says Jeff Brown, general manager of professional solutions at NVIDIA. "Now professionals working with visualization applications can benefit from virtualization."
This new technology delivers a faster, more efficient workflow to maximize productivity and lower the total cost of ownership for professionals in markets such as: digital content creation, sciences, manufacturing, and oil and gas.
"In today's economy, organizations are turning to virtualization to increase productivity and maximize cost savings," says Jeff Brown, general manager of professional solutions at NVIDIA. "Now professionals working with visualization applications can benefit from virtualization."
ECS Launches X58B-A2 Black Series Motherboard for Overclocking Beginners
Delivering the most attractive platform for various market demand, Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the world's leading motherboard, graphics card, barebone system and notebook manufacturer, today launches the X58B-A2 Black Series motherboard based on the most powerful Intel X58 Express chipset supporting the latest high-performance Intel Core i7 processors. Targeting at overclocking beginners, ECS X58B-A2 stands for the most affordable high-end product without any compromise of great features. It tops every user's wish list with the latest blazing architecture of Intel QuickPath Interconnect up to 6.4GT/s, triple channel DDR3 1600MHz memory for the fastest data throughput, the support of ATI CrossFireX Technology for unbelievable graphics performance, and ECS exclusive M.I.B. II overclocking utility that helps beginners to cross the technical barrier.
GeForce GTX 275 Catches Early Flight, Launch Brought Forward to April 2
As reviewers world-over unbox their Radeon HD 4890 samples, NVIDIA, in a last-bid attempt not to give ATI a fortnight's headstart over GeForce GTX 275, has pulled its launch forward to April 2, the day Radeon HD 4890 hits shelves. Our sources however, indicate that this will be merely a paper-launch for NVIDIA, meaning that the actual product doesn't exist in retail channels, only that its SKU officially exists, get listed, perhaps gets open to pre-orders by retailers, and what's more, even previewed.
It will be mid-April by the time retailers actually start to sell GeForce GTX 275 accelerators. The accelerators will be of non-reference designs, with the specifications we know so far: 55 nm G200b GPU, 240 stream processors, 448-bit GDDR3 memory interface, and 896 or 1792 MB of memory. The clock speeds the card will run at are known to be 633/1404/1138 MHz (core/shader/memory). Its price will be very competitive with that of the Radeon HD 4890, around the US $250 mark.
It will be mid-April by the time retailers actually start to sell GeForce GTX 275 accelerators. The accelerators will be of non-reference designs, with the specifications we know so far: 55 nm G200b GPU, 240 stream processors, 448-bit GDDR3 memory interface, and 896 or 1792 MB of memory. The clock speeds the card will run at are known to be 633/1404/1138 MHz (core/shader/memory). Its price will be very competitive with that of the Radeon HD 4890, around the US $250 mark.
VIA Delivers Stunning Hi-Def Video and DX10.1 to Pico-ITXe
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the first expansion HD module for the VIA EPIA-P710, the VIA P710-HD. Featuring the powerful 4300E embedded graphics processor from S3 Graphics, this first Pico-I/O module for stackable Pico-ITXe boards delivers Hi-Def video playback and advanced graphics in an extremely low power, compact form factor.
With multiple display support including dual DVI and HDMI, the VIA P710-HD module opens up a new realm of possibilities to system integrators of multimedia intensive embedded applications. Sophisticated digital signage, arcade gaming, kiosk and POI applications can now take advantage of multiple digital display configurations and cutting edge Hi-Def playback of resolutions up to and beyond 1080p.
With multiple display support including dual DVI and HDMI, the VIA P710-HD module opens up a new realm of possibilities to system integrators of multimedia intensive embedded applications. Sophisticated digital signage, arcade gaming, kiosk and POI applications can now take advantage of multiple digital display configurations and cutting edge Hi-Def playback of resolutions up to and beyond 1080p.
WD Enters Solid-State Drive Market With Aquisition of SiliconSystems
Western Digital Corp., a world leader in hard drive storage for computing and consumer electronics applications, today announced that it has completed a $65 million cash acquisition of SiliconSystems, Inc., Aliso Viejo, Calif., a leading supplier of solid-state drives for the embedded systems market.
Since its inception in 2002, SiliconSystems has sold millions of SiliconDrive products to meet the high performance, high reliability and multi-year product lifecycle demands of the network-communications, industrial, embedded-computing, medical, military and aerospace markets. These markets accounted for approximately one third of worldwide solid-state drive revenues in 2008. SiliconSystems' product portfolio includes solid-state drives with SATA, EIDE, PC Card, USB and CF interfaces in 2.5-inch, 1.8-inch, CF and other form factors. SiliconSystems has developed extensive intellectual property to address the stringent embedded systems market requirements to ensure data integrity, eliminate unscheduled downtime, protect application data and software and provide for data security and protection through its patented and patent-pending PowerArmor, SiSMART, SolidStor and SiSecure technologies.
Since its inception in 2002, SiliconSystems has sold millions of SiliconDrive products to meet the high performance, high reliability and multi-year product lifecycle demands of the network-communications, industrial, embedded-computing, medical, military and aerospace markets. These markets accounted for approximately one third of worldwide solid-state drive revenues in 2008. SiliconSystems' product portfolio includes solid-state drives with SATA, EIDE, PC Card, USB and CF interfaces in 2.5-inch, 1.8-inch, CF and other form factors. SiliconSystems has developed extensive intellectual property to address the stringent embedded systems market requirements to ensure data integrity, eliminate unscheduled downtime, protect application data and software and provide for data security and protection through its patented and patent-pending PowerArmor, SiSMART, SolidStor and SiSecure technologies.
DFI Prepares LANParty JR 790GX-M3H5 AM3 mATX Motherboard
Famed for its LANParty JR "junior" series high-end mATX motherboard lineup, DFI is preparing an addition: the JR 790GX-M3H5. This one features the AM3 socket, made for the latest AMD processors supporting DDR3 memory. Respecting the constraints this form-factor has, the board goes on to cover every feature one would expect from a larger ATX motherboard, which is the ideology behind the LANParty JR.
The CPU is powered by a 4+1 phase VRM circuit. Expansion includes two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (electrically x8 when both are populated), a PCI-E x1, and a PCI slot. The 790GX IGP is assisted by 128 MB of DDR3 sideport memory. Display outputs include DVI-D and HDMI. The SB750 southbridge provides six SATA II ports with RAID support. This board will hit the shelves by the end of April.
The CPU is powered by a 4+1 phase VRM circuit. Expansion includes two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (electrically x8 when both are populated), a PCI-E x1, and a PCI slot. The 790GX IGP is assisted by 128 MB of DDR3 sideport memory. Display outputs include DVI-D and HDMI. The SB750 southbridge provides six SATA II ports with RAID support. This board will hit the shelves by the end of April.
Saturday, March 28th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Processors
Sound Cards
Mozilla Firefox Updated to 3.0.8
Mozilla today released an important security update to Firefox. With sub-version 3.0.8, The browser has been patched for two critical security vulnerabilities, which are all that make it to this release.
The first vulnerability, titled "Arbitrary code execution via XUL tree element" could allow attackers to compromise a box by using a browser crash to run arbitrary code. The second one titled "XSL Transformation vulnerability" is where attackers get to use browser crashes caused by XSL stylesheets during XSL transformation, to run arbitrary code. For more information, refer to the Security Advisories page for Firefox. Existing Firefox versions will be updated to version 3.0.8 automatically by default. Firefox 3.0.8 can be downloaded from the Mozilla Website.
The first vulnerability, titled "Arbitrary code execution via XUL tree element" could allow attackers to compromise a box by using a browser crash to run arbitrary code. The second one titled "XSL Transformation vulnerability" is where attackers get to use browser crashes caused by XSL stylesheets during XSL transformation, to run arbitrary code. For more information, refer to the Security Advisories page for Firefox. Existing Firefox versions will be updated to version 3.0.8 automatically by default. Firefox 3.0.8 can be downloaded from the Mozilla Website.
Chieftec Announces CH07 Gamer Mid-Tower Case
CHIEFTEC's successful story began more than 10 years ago when the Dragon Series was introduced; over 50.000 units left our production facilities monthly. To continue the story, CHIEFTEC has done a market survey and developed a brand new midi tower to lead the trend. CH-07 is the model you want to know more about.
"The CH-07 unifies all expected and necessary features that gamers require and will soon become one of the leading models in the Dragon series", says the general manager of Chieftec European branch office, Eddy Shih.
"The CH-07 unifies all expected and necessary features that gamers require and will soon become one of the leading models in the Dragon series", says the general manager of Chieftec European branch office, Eddy Shih.
GeForce GTX 275 Gets First Listing
Pitted for direct competition with ATI Radeon HD 4890, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 275 is slated for launch in April. The new SKU already has a listing by European retailer DollarShops.eu, where it is priced at 249 Euro. Yet another $1 = €1 equation in the making, as $249 is expected to be its American MSRP.
This time around, NVIDIA leaves it to the partners to make and sell graphics cards based on the GPU. Technically boards supporting the GeForce GTX 260 with its 14 memory chips, should be able to support the new GPU, which has 240 stream processors, while having a 448-bit wide GDDR3 memory interface, coming with memory capacities of 896 MB or even 1792 MB, if partners choose.
This time around, NVIDIA leaves it to the partners to make and sell graphics cards based on the GPU. Technically boards supporting the GeForce GTX 260 with its 14 memory chips, should be able to support the new GPU, which has 240 stream processors, while having a 448-bit wide GDDR3 memory interface, coming with memory capacities of 896 MB or even 1792 MB, if partners choose.
Friday, March 27th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Monitors
Motherboards
Networking
Processors
NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI Reference Platform Motherboard Pictured
Pursuing legal action against Intel for bringing its Intel-compatible platform development to a grinding halt due to legal complications, NVIDIA has kept its platform development for AMD on track. The company has made the nForce 980a SLI platform official, that supports the latest Phenom II series processors from AMD. The company published the product page on its website, and has pictured its reference design motherboard based on the chipset. The motherboard carries the "designed by NVIDIA" marking, which makes it a design that several of its AIC partners such as EVGA, XFX, Zotac, etc., can use simultaneously.
The motherboard sports the nForce 980a SLI chipset, paired with the nForce 200 PCI-Express bridge chip. The motherboard features a GeForce 8300-class IGP, with DVI-D and D-Sub outputs. It supports NVIDIA 3-way SLI and Quad-SLI. As an AMD platform, the chipset supports AM2, AM2+ and AM3 socket processors, with DDR3 and DDR2 memory support (depending on the processor). A 5-phase digital PWM circuit powers the processor. The nForce 980a SLI and nForce 200 chips are located adjacent to each other, and are cooled actively by a fan-heatsink. The product design looks production-grade and may attract partners to sell it.
The motherboard sports the nForce 980a SLI chipset, paired with the nForce 200 PCI-Express bridge chip. The motherboard features a GeForce 8300-class IGP, with DVI-D and D-Sub outputs. It supports NVIDIA 3-way SLI and Quad-SLI. As an AMD platform, the chipset supports AM2, AM2+ and AM3 socket processors, with DDR3 and DDR2 memory support (depending on the processor). A 5-phase digital PWM circuit powers the processor. The nForce 980a SLI and nForce 200 chips are located adjacent to each other, and are cooled actively by a fan-heatsink. The product design looks production-grade and may attract partners to sell it.
Shuttle Announces Complete Mini PC System With a DVB-S Tuner
Shuttle Inc., the market leader in the Mini-PC segment and manufacturer of Multi-Form-Factor solutions, today introduces the XPC H7 4500H complete system for satellite TV reception. Unlike present proprietary solutions, the H7 4500H now comes with satellite television conveniently and reliably integrated in Windows Vista.
The whole feature set of Windows Media Center that had previously been available for DVB-T tuners and analogue cable TV only, can now be used with a DVB-S TV tuner card as well. Timeshifting (pausing TV programmes), EPG (Electronic Program Guide) and recording, all this can be done right from the sofa by remote control.
The whole feature set of Windows Media Center that had previously been available for DVB-T tuners and analogue cable TV only, can now be used with a DVB-S TV tuner card as well. Timeshifting (pausing TV programmes), EPG (Electronic Program Guide) and recording, all this can be done right from the sofa by remote control.
VIA Demos First Em-ITX Board with VIA Nano Processor at ESC Silicon Valley
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms will showcase the VIA EITX-3000 Em-ITX board at ESC Silicon Valley 2009. Designed for ultra-thin, high-performance, fanless embedded systems at temperatures ranging from -10o to 70o Celsius, the VIA EITX-3000 uses unique processor placement to deliver leading performance in remarkably hot and cold environments.
The VIA EITX-3000 places the energy-efficient VIA Nano processor and VIA VX800 media system processor on the reverse side of the board, making greater real-estate available for passive cooling apparatus and thus negating the need for system fans. This makes the VIA EITX-3000 an exceptional choice for high performance systems in always-on applications such as high-end POS, Kiosk, ATM, HMI, factory automation, POI and digital signage.
The VIA EITX-3000 places the energy-efficient VIA Nano processor and VIA VX800 media system processor on the reverse side of the board, making greater real-estate available for passive cooling apparatus and thus negating the need for system fans. This makes the VIA EITX-3000 an exceptional choice for high performance systems in always-on applications such as high-end POS, Kiosk, ATM, HMI, factory automation, POI and digital signage.
New Apple Patents
First, Apple has filed a patent for a handle with an integrated heatpipe - Patent No. 7508662. Most probably, this will appear in some future MacBooks. Of course, the heatpipe poses a limitation in the sense that it cannot get too hot, otherwise the "handle" function could not be fulfilled. Apple could use the heatpipe to cool the chipset or similar, low-power, low heat-output components.
MIT Graphene Chip Could Reach 1,000 Gigahertz
MIT researchers claim that graphene, an experimental material first identified in 2004, may be able to boost the clock speed of computer chips into the 500-GHz to 1,000-GHz range.
The scientists at MIT EECS have constructed an experimental graphene chip capable of multiplying electrical signal frequencies. While frequency multiplication technology is used in current electronics, these systems generate noisy signals and require significant filtering and power, according to the MIT news service. The graphene chip uses only a single transistor and its output is clean, requiring no filtering.
The scientists at MIT EECS have constructed an experimental graphene chip capable of multiplying electrical signal frequencies. While frequency multiplication technology is used in current electronics, these systems generate noisy signals and require significant filtering and power, according to the MIT news service. The graphene chip uses only a single transistor and its output is clean, requiring no filtering.
NVIDIA Looking to Buy Into VIA
VIA Technologies plans to sell 300 million new shares at a price ranging from NT$9-12 (0.27-0.35 USD) per share through private placement, the company has announced. NVIDIA is reportedly in talks with VIA to take up a portion of the new shares, according to market sources.
VIA commented that possible candidates for the private placement will be made clear after a shareholder meeting scheduled on June 19. NVIDIA declined to comment market speculation.
VIA commented that possible candidates for the private placement will be made clear after a shareholder meeting scheduled on June 19. NVIDIA declined to comment market speculation.
HP Launches New Entertainment PC and Monitors
HP this Wednesday announced a new desktop PC, along with complementary widescreen monitors, to deliver consumers the speed, reliability and performance needed for demanding multitasking plus graphic-intensive files and movies.
The HP Pavilion Elite m9600 series desktop PC features a powerful Intel Core i7 processor and rich entertainment features for videos, games, photos and more. For an enhanced high-definition experience, the HP Pavilion Elite can be paired with one of HP's new widescreen monitors.
The HP Pavilion Elite m9600 series desktop PC features a powerful Intel Core i7 processor and rich entertainment features for videos, games, photos and more. For an enhanced high-definition experience, the HP Pavilion Elite can be paired with one of HP's new widescreen monitors.
Mozilla Attempts 3D-accelerated Browsing
Mozilla will chair the initiative to come up with an open standard for 3D graphics on the Web. At the moment, several ideas are being considered, including OpenGL and OpenGL ES 2.0 to enable a 3D world within a browser window.
The 3D capabilities will be integrated in ECMAScript and run in a browser window without the need of a plug-in. JavaScript and Jscript are compatible with ECMAScript, but include features that are not supported by ECMAScript.
Almost all web-browsers have been improving their JavaScript acceleration, which Microsoft has ignored for the most part. If the 3D capabilities are implemented in the form of ECMAScript, Microsoft may have quite a problem on its hands.
The 3D capabilities will be integrated in ECMAScript and run in a browser window without the need of a plug-in. JavaScript and Jscript are compatible with ECMAScript, but include features that are not supported by ECMAScript.
Almost all web-browsers have been improving their JavaScript acceleration, which Microsoft has ignored for the most part. If the 3D capabilities are implemented in the form of ECMAScript, Microsoft may have quite a problem on its hands.
AMD Announces ATI FirePro V7750, Delivers Blazing Application Performance
AMD today announced the availability of the ATI FirePro V7750 graphics accelerator for the high-end market, ideally suited for graphics professionals working in engineering, digital content creation and scientific fields. These professionals need a 3D graphics accelerator that can quickly handle large models and shader-intensive applications, while delivering accurate color reproduction and superior visual quality. The ATI FirePro V7750 delivers features that matter most to these users at $899 MSRP.
"Creating astounding visuals for movies is a tremendous challenge - it has to look absolutely perfect, but time is always of the essence," said Jabbar Raisani, visual effects expert, Troublemaker Studios. "The ATI FirePro V7750 graphics accelerator helps me achieve flawless effects fast by speeding up rendering so I can focus on creating content rather than waiting for it. I need stable and robust performance graphics hardware to get the job done quickly and the ATI FirePro V7750 is the perfect solution."
"Creating astounding visuals for movies is a tremendous challenge - it has to look absolutely perfect, but time is always of the essence," said Jabbar Raisani, visual effects expert, Troublemaker Studios. "The ATI FirePro V7750 graphics accelerator helps me achieve flawless effects fast by speeding up rendering so I can focus on creating content rather than waiting for it. I need stable and robust performance graphics hardware to get the job done quickly and the ATI FirePro V7750 is the perfect solution."
Asus to Release Atom N280-powered Eee PC 1002H
The Asus Eee family, which among others features one of the most popular netbooks, will receive a new member - the Eee PC 1002H. Similarly to the Eee PC 1000HE, the Eee 1002H will use Intel's Atom N280 (1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB). The laptop will feature a 10-inch LCD screen (1024 x 600 resolution), 1 GB RAM, integrated graphics and a 160 GB hard drive. The new Eee PC features Ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth, claimed battery life of up to five hours, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and a multi-card reader. The Eee PC 1002H will be available in black, white and pink and (apparently) only with Windows XP Home Edition. The machine's price is yet unknown.
AMD Demonstrates Optimized Executions of Havok Middleware on AMD platforms
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. and Havok, the premier provider of interactive software for physics simulation and content development, are presenting new, optimized executions of Havok's physics middleware on AMD platforms at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. The demonstrations include the first OpenCL supported execution of Havok Cloth.
Havok offers a complete modular suite of products that help visual and interactive content developers create more realistic games and cinematic special effects. As the latest software developer to take advantage of ATI Stream technology to leverage multi-core architectures and accelerate execution of highly parallel functions, like real-time cloth simulation, Havok will enable game developers to offer improved performance and interactivity across a broad range of OpenCL capable PCs. AMD has recently introduced optimized platform technologies, such as "Dragon" desktop platform technology, which balance performance between the CPU and GPU with ATI Stream technology to deliver outstanding value.
Havok offers a complete modular suite of products that help visual and interactive content developers create more realistic games and cinematic special effects. As the latest software developer to take advantage of ATI Stream technology to leverage multi-core architectures and accelerate execution of highly parallel functions, like real-time cloth simulation, Havok will enable game developers to offer improved performance and interactivity across a broad range of OpenCL capable PCs. AMD has recently introduced optimized platform technologies, such as "Dragon" desktop platform technology, which balance performance between the CPU and GPU with ATI Stream technology to deliver outstanding value.
EVGA Precision v1.6.0 Released
EVGA introduced a new version of its Precision graphics cards overclocking and monitoring software. Version 1.6.0 brings in a host of changes as listed by EVGA:
Registered EVGA users can download the application from here.
- Now Precision monitoring window can be detached from the main form allowing the user to define custom monitoring window position and size. Double click attached monitoring window to detach it from the main form, double click it one more time or simply close it to attach it back
- Now Precision provides multi-GPU control for the systems with up to 8 NVIDIA GPUs to ensure compatibility with future SLI systems and provide support for modern 5-GPU Quad-SLI + PhysX systems
- Optimized multi-GPU profiles loader drastically reduces profiles load time when GPU synchronization mode is enabled
- Now Precision always sorts GPUs by PCI location to ensure that GPU indices stay the same in the system regardless of operating system, display driver version and GPU display outputs connection
- EVGA On-Screen Display Server has been updated to version 3.2.0. Similar to the previous version of Precision, new server also features new skin format v1.1 adding bitmap effects support to the skin compiler
- Added new black skin edition
Elpida Announces Mass Production Start of 50 nm Process 2-Gigabit Mobile RAM
Elpida Memory (Elpida), Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), today announced that it has begun mass production of the industry's highest density 2-gigabit Mobile RAM using 50 nm process technology at its Hiroshima fab.
Mobile RAM is an ultra low-power memory that is ideal for use in mobile phones and other portable devices and requires extremely advanced technology for development and production. As a leading supplier of mobile DRAM, Elpida has managed to quickly establish a full-scale 50 nm Mobile RAM production system using ArF immersion lithography and copper interconnect technology.
Mobile RAM is an ultra low-power memory that is ideal for use in mobile phones and other portable devices and requires extremely advanced technology for development and production. As a leading supplier of mobile DRAM, Elpida has managed to quickly establish a full-scale 50 nm Mobile RAM production system using ArF immersion lithography and copper interconnect technology.
NVIDIA Files Countersuit Against Intel
NVIDIA Corporation today announced that it has filed a countersuit in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware against Intel Corporation for breach of contract. The action also seeks to terminate Intel's license to NVIDIA's valuable patent portfolio.
NVIDIA's countersuit was brought in response to a filing by Intel last month in the Delaware court, alleging that the four-year-old chipset license agreement does not extend to Intel's future generation CPUs with "integrated" memory controllers, such as its Nehalem processor.
"NVIDIA did not initiate this legal dispute," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. "But we must defend ourselves and the rights we negotiated for when we provided Intel access to our valuable patents. Intel's actions are intended to block us from making use of the very license rights that they agreed to provide."
NVIDIA's countersuit was brought in response to a filing by Intel last month in the Delaware court, alleging that the four-year-old chipset license agreement does not extend to Intel's future generation CPUs with "integrated" memory controllers, such as its Nehalem processor.
"NVIDIA did not initiate this legal dispute," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. "But we must defend ourselves and the rights we negotiated for when we provided Intel access to our valuable patents. Intel's actions are intended to block us from making use of the very license rights that they agreed to provide."
Thursday, March 26th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Speakers
Storage
HIS HD 4650 iSilence 512 MB Review
The HIS HD 4650 iSilence with its passive Zalman cooling solution offers a noise free experience, which is especially important when building a quiet media PC system. On top of that you will also receive a full version of the STALKER Clear Sky game.
GlacialTech Launches 5610 Plus PWM & 5610 Plus Silent CPU Coolers
GlacialTech Inc., a diverse provider of cooling, power supply, and PC enclosure solutions for consumer and industrial applications, and a world-class provider of cost effective cooling components and chassis launches the latest 5610 Plus PWM CPU cooler and 5610 Plus Silent CPU Cooler. The unique design incorporates a specially aligned sinter heat-pipe combination of two pipes that dissipate the heat from the CPU directly into the heat sink fins. From there, the Silent version's fan quietly and efficiently brings the temperature down.
GlacialTech has implemented a cost effective and useful way to keep your processor cool. When running resource hungry applications and you have the PWM version installed, turn up the RPM to 2700 to manage your heat dissipation more effectively. While the PC is idle or doing non-intensive work, turn the RPM back to 800. This is how you manage your power consumption, your decibels and your overall peace of mind. Alternatively, the users have the option to purchase the Silent version as GlacialTech offers you the variety and options to suit your needs.
GlacialTech has implemented a cost effective and useful way to keep your processor cool. When running resource hungry applications and you have the PWM version installed, turn up the RPM to 2700 to manage your heat dissipation more effectively. While the PC is idle or doing non-intensive work, turn the RPM back to 800. This is how you manage your power consumption, your decibels and your overall peace of mind. Alternatively, the users have the option to purchase the Silent version as GlacialTech offers you the variety and options to suit your needs.
New NVIDIA APEX Technology Accelerates Physics Creation Pipeline for Developers
NVIDIA Corporation today announced NVIDIA APEX, a dramatic new capability to its PhysX technology development software development kit (SDK), that provides artists, level designers, and game developers with a set of easy-to-use tools that streamline the process of implementing scalable physics across multiple platforms for next-generation titles.
With NVIDIA PhysX technology, game developers can design worlds that literally come to life: walls can be torn down, glass can be shattered, trees bend in the wind, and water flows with body and force. Designed as a modular framework that works in concert with existing PhysX SDKs, NVIDIA APEX makes it easy for developers to add detailed physics effects to their games and helps them optimize the gaming experience across multiple platforms with a simple "author once" cross platform content creation feature. This enables APEX to not only help developers accelerate the time it takes to author new games, but will also help them reduce overall development costs in the process. The APEX toolset will be available free of charge for licensed NVIDIA PhysX developers and is already being integrated into some of the world's most popular development libraries and game engines, including Emergent Game Technologies' Gamebryo LightSpeed.
With NVIDIA PhysX technology, game developers can design worlds that literally come to life: walls can be torn down, glass can be shattered, trees bend in the wind, and water flows with body and force. Designed as a modular framework that works in concert with existing PhysX SDKs, NVIDIA APEX makes it easy for developers to add detailed physics effects to their games and helps them optimize the gaming experience across multiple platforms with a simple "author once" cross platform content creation feature. This enables APEX to not only help developers accelerate the time it takes to author new games, but will also help them reduce overall development costs in the process. The APEX toolset will be available free of charge for licensed NVIDIA PhysX developers and is already being integrated into some of the world's most popular development libraries and game engines, including Emergent Game Technologies' Gamebryo LightSpeed.
Thermaltake Announces Four New ISGC Series CPU Coolers
Thermaltake has four new CPU coolers in the making, part of the series marked with "ISGC" (abbreviates Inspiration of Silent Gaming Cooling) in the model name. The naming scheme propagates as ISGC 100, 200, 300 and 400. The first two supporting all current AMD sockets and Intel LGA-775, while the last two supporting all those sockets, plus LGA-1366.
ISGE 100 and 200 measure 124 x 96 x 70 mm and 90 x 96 x 140.5 mm respectively, and feature 92 mm fans, while the 300 and 400 measure 126 x 71 x 161 mm and 126 x 71 x 60 mm respectively and use 120 mm fans. Using copper heatpipes as thick at 6 mm, and aluminum fins. Press Release follows:
ISGE 100 and 200 measure 124 x 96 x 70 mm and 90 x 96 x 140.5 mm respectively, and feature 92 mm fans, while the 300 and 400 measure 126 x 71 x 161 mm and 126 x 71 x 60 mm respectively and use 120 mm fans. Using copper heatpipes as thick at 6 mm, and aluminum fins. Press Release follows:
Seagate Introduces BlackArmor Family Of Storage Solutions for Small Business
Demonstrating its ongoing commitment to provide small businesses with solutions that meet both current and future storage needs, Seagate, the world's leading provider of storage solutions, today announced a complete portfolio of products designed to protect data for sustained business continuity and optimum uptime. First introduced in 2008 as a portable Full Disk Encryption drive, the new Seagate BlackArmor product line is the family name for a suite of network-attached, workstation and portable storage solutions designed to meet the digital asset management needs of small business professionals.
AMD Announces Platform-Agnostic Tools for Increased Game Development Efficiency
AMD today announced the availability of GPU PerfStudio 2.0, a free, platform-agnostic, next-generation AMD graphics application development tool for game developers, obtainable through a closed beta program. GPU PerfStudio 2.0 has been designed from the ground up to easily integrate with existing projects, and help to identify and resolve performance issues early in the development cycle. With these tools, AMD is bringing its unparalleled understanding of 3D graphics technology and the leadership of its line of ATI Radeon graphics cards to bear on the development process.
"The GPU PerfStudio 2.0 suite of tools is extensive, customizable and, most importantly, based on open standards, which is critical for developers looking to integrate them into their existing workflows," said Neal Robison, director, Developer Relations, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "AMD is committed to arming developers with a full complement of hardware and development tools that help increase their development efficiency and improve 3D performance quality."
"The GPU PerfStudio 2.0 suite of tools is extensive, customizable and, most importantly, based on open standards, which is critical for developers looking to integrate them into their existing workflows," said Neal Robison, director, Developer Relations, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "AMD is committed to arming developers with a full complement of hardware and development tools that help increase their development efficiency and improve 3D performance quality."
WD's My Book Family of External Hard Drives Now Deliver 2 TB in Single Drive System
WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today expanded its My Book family of external hard drives to include a 2 TB capacity, the largest available capacity in a single-drive system. With its wide variety of models, WD offers a solution for every type of user, whether they're a creative power user on a Mac or a home user on a PC. The new 2 TB My Book family includes: My Book Studio Edition, My Book Mac Edition, My Book Home Edition and My Book Essential Edition models.
Market research shows that consumer creation and acquisition of digital media is growing rapidly, driving demand for increasing storage capacities. According to market research firm IDC, the number of digital cameras and camera phones in the world surpassed 1 billion (Mar. 2008). Separately, market research firm GfK reports that HD (high definition) video camcorders are experiencing record growth and now account for 42 percent of total camcorder sales (Aug. 2008). HD video requires massive amounts of drive space: at least 8 GB per hour of video. Since 2006, when Apple began offering movie downloads, the Apple store has already sold more than 250 million TV episodes and sold or rented more than 33 million movies (Apple, Mar. 2009).
Market research shows that consumer creation and acquisition of digital media is growing rapidly, driving demand for increasing storage capacities. According to market research firm IDC, the number of digital cameras and camera phones in the world surpassed 1 billion (Mar. 2008). Separately, market research firm GfK reports that HD (high definition) video camcorders are experiencing record growth and now account for 42 percent of total camcorder sales (Aug. 2008). HD video requires massive amounts of drive space: at least 8 GB per hour of video. Since 2006, when Apple began offering movie downloads, the Apple store has already sold more than 250 million TV episodes and sold or rented more than 33 million movies (Apple, Mar. 2009).
MSI Launches GeForce GTX 285 SuperPipe Graphics Cards
MSI introduced its first line of graphics cards under the 'SuperPipe' branding the company came up with. The name is derived from the heatpipes employed in the cooler, which have varied thicknesses. The two cards on offer are identical, but for the clock speeds they come with. Based on the GeForce GTX 285, the cards feature 1 GB of GDDR3 memory and 3-way SLI support. The base-model features reference NVIDIA clock speeds: 648/2474 MHz (core/memory), while the overclocked variant comes with speeds of 680/2500 MHz (core/memory).
The characteristic feature of these cards is the MSI Twin Frozr cooler. Under the shroud is the central GPU block from which 6 mm thick copper heatpipes arise to the central portion, while thicker 8 mm heatpipes arise towards the periphery. The heat is conveyed to a dense block of aluminum fins on which two fans circulate air. The cards have started to get listings in Europe, where they are priced under 340 Euro.
The characteristic feature of these cards is the MSI Twin Frozr cooler. Under the shroud is the central GPU block from which 6 mm thick copper heatpipes arise to the central portion, while thicker 8 mm heatpipes arise towards the periphery. The heat is conveyed to a dense block of aluminum fins on which two fans circulate air. The cards have started to get listings in Europe, where they are priced under 340 Euro.
Lian-Li Launches Low Profile PC-C39 Multimedia HTPC Chassis
Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-C39 multimedia chassis. This low profile HTPC case comes in two shades, namely silver and black to match in seamlessly with your current home theater décor. The elegant diamond cut sublimely carved into the front face gives the brushed all aluminum chassis a style of its own. The slim lined PC-C39 stands at 435mm x 97mm x 400mm (W, H, D) and weighs in at 3.65kgs. This stylish chassis combines the traditional class and finery of Lian Li with some outstanding innovations, such as the all new wireless remote controller and sensor. The chassis itself supports 2x 3.5"HDD's and 1x 5.25"ODD. The chassis has 4x low profile expansion slots.
Galaxy Intros Low-Power 9800 GT Graphics Cards
Galaxy made an addition to the increasing number of low-power GeForce 9800 GT graphics cards taking shape by several NVIDIA partners. The company introduced 512 MB and 1 GB variants. Specs-wise, the cards retain the GPU and memory configurations (112 SP, 256-bit memory interface), while cutting down on clock-speeds to 550/900 MHz (core/memory), from the reference speeds of 600/900 MHz.
The company uses the 55 nm G92 GPU (G92-283-B1), which has a smaller thermal footprint in comparison to its 65 nm variant. The result: cards that do not require auxillary power from the 6-pin PCI-E connector. The 1 GB variant comes with a full-coverage single-slot cooler, while the 512 MB one comes with a simpler radial cooler. Both cards are SLI capable. Display outputs provided on the card include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI.
The company uses the 55 nm G92 GPU (G92-283-B1), which has a smaller thermal footprint in comparison to its 65 nm variant. The result: cards that do not require auxillary power from the 6-pin PCI-E connector. The 1 GB variant comes with a full-coverage single-slot cooler, while the 512 MB one comes with a simpler radial cooler. Both cards are SLI capable. Display outputs provided on the card include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI.
SPARKLE Introduces Calibre X250/X250G Graphics Card with Abundant OC Capability
SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today announced the Calibre X250 512MB/X250G 1GB GDDR3 Graphics Card with Calibre Dual Fly Fan and SPA Tune OC software, extending the DirectX 10 gaming performance of GeForce GTS 250 GPU to a new level, bringing vivid DX10 gaming graphics on a mainstream consumer computing platform.
Calibre X250/X250G Graphics Card features a 55nm chip process from TSMC. So It has groundbreaking speeds compared with ordinary GeForce GTS 250 graphics cards on market, the core speed is raised from 738MHz to 761MHz, the shader clock is raised from 1836MHz to 1911MHz, making it can deliver unrivaled graphics performance in the hottest games including Far Cry 2, Mirror's Edge, and Call of Duty 5: World at War. The Calibre X250/X250G Graphics Card adopts Calibre non-reference PCB design, providing enhanced power circuitry with more phases of vGPU power circuit and vMem circuit. Also it only uses solid capacitors with lower power loss, providing more stable and longer product lifespan.
Calibre X250/X250G Graphics Card features a 55nm chip process from TSMC. So It has groundbreaking speeds compared with ordinary GeForce GTS 250 graphics cards on market, the core speed is raised from 738MHz to 761MHz, the shader clock is raised from 1836MHz to 1911MHz, making it can deliver unrivaled graphics performance in the hottest games including Far Cry 2, Mirror's Edge, and Call of Duty 5: World at War. The Calibre X250/X250G Graphics Card adopts Calibre non-reference PCB design, providing enhanced power circuitry with more phases of vGPU power circuit and vMem circuit. Also it only uses solid capacitors with lower power loss, providing more stable and longer product lifespan.
Wednesday, March 25th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Keyboards
Motherboards
Mouse
Multimedia
Notebooks
Sound Cards
Ultrasone PRO900 Headphones Review
The Ultrasone PRO900s have finally arrived! This newest addition to the Ultrasone lineup promises an enhanced listening experience through the use of some radical new sonic principles. Lets see how they fair against the present top models from rivaling brands.
New On-Demand Gaming Platform Threatens to Kill Gaming PC Upgrades
We all regard PC games, as an entertainment medium, but spend hundreds to even thousands of Dollars regularly, to keep our PCs up to date, to be able to play the latest PC games. Imagine a medium that rids us of that, and we are able to consume PC gaming like any other content, like the TV or radio. Well, that the potential a new on-demand gaming platform holds - to make you never have to buy/upgrade a gaming PC again.
Called OnLive, the on-demand platform consists of a web service, an internet connection, and a thin-client, called "micro-console" that connects your input (game controllers), and output (monitor/TV/HDTV). You control the game - whichever you're subscribed to and playing - the client relays your input to the OnLive servers, that do the processing, including graphics rendering, and send back output to your client. The client then displays the output. Sounds familiar? Cloud computing? Exactly, but for PC gaming. The platform is conceptualized to be advanced-enough to handle any of today's games, Crysis included. The work-model of this platform is what makes it tick with any game, and is far more future-proof than the present mode of PC gaming (where people own expensive hardware that are in requirement of upgrades, the costs of buying games, buying gaming services separate).
For standard definition television quality, a broadband connection of at least 1.5 megabits per second is required. For HDTV resolution, a connection of at least 5 mbps is needed. The service uses patented algorithms that work to counter lag caused by network constraints. The technology is already gaining attention from major publishers, including EA, THQ, Codemasters, Ubisoft, Atari, Warner Bros., Take-Two, and Epic. People can buy or rent a game to play it, the usage fees are expected not to be much more than the subscription fees for Xbox Live.
Called OnLive, the on-demand platform consists of a web service, an internet connection, and a thin-client, called "micro-console" that connects your input (game controllers), and output (monitor/TV/HDTV). You control the game - whichever you're subscribed to and playing - the client relays your input to the OnLive servers, that do the processing, including graphics rendering, and send back output to your client. The client then displays the output. Sounds familiar? Cloud computing? Exactly, but for PC gaming. The platform is conceptualized to be advanced-enough to handle any of today's games, Crysis included. The work-model of this platform is what makes it tick with any game, and is far more future-proof than the present mode of PC gaming (where people own expensive hardware that are in requirement of upgrades, the costs of buying games, buying gaming services separate).
For standard definition television quality, a broadband connection of at least 1.5 megabits per second is required. For HDTV resolution, a connection of at least 5 mbps is needed. The service uses patented algorithms that work to counter lag caused by network constraints. The technology is already gaining attention from major publishers, including EA, THQ, Codemasters, Ubisoft, Atari, Warner Bros., Take-Two, and Epic. People can buy or rent a game to play it, the usage fees are expected not to be much more than the subscription fees for Xbox Live.
TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.3.3 Released
TechPowerUp today introduced GPU-Z version 0.3.3, our graphics sub-system diagnostic utility that provides information on the computer's installed graphics hardware, their various specifications, and provides real-time updates on their parameters such as clock-speeds, temperatures, and fan-speeds. GPU-Z is backed by our overclock validation system and an extensive video card BIOS database.
With version 0.3.3, the application expands its support base to some popular upcoming products, namely ATI Radeon HD 4700 desktop series, Radeon HD 4890, and GeForce GTX 275. Some common bugs found with previous versions, notably GT200 process size calculation, and G98 SP counts, have been fixed.
For more information and to download, please visit the download page.
With version 0.3.3, the application expands its support base to some popular upcoming products, namely ATI Radeon HD 4700 desktop series, Radeon HD 4890, and GeForce GTX 275. Some common bugs found with previous versions, notably GT200 process size calculation, and G98 SP counts, have been fixed.
For more information and to download, please visit the download page.
QNAP Turbo NAS Series Now Compatible with WD Caviar Green 2TB SATA Hard Drives
QNAP Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB (WD20EADS) SATA hard drive is now supported by the entire TS-109/ 209/ 409/ 509/ 439/ 639/ 809 /809U-RP and the latest TS-119/ 219 Turbo NAS series.
'The latest 2TB Caviar Green hard drives from Western Digital consume up to 70% less power than two 1TB hard drives and are relatively quiet in operation. These hard drives are ideal for customers requiring higher capacities and the right balance of energy conservation and ensured reliability. The maximum capacity can be extended up to a total of 16TB now on a TS-809 or 809U-RP' says Andy Chuo, Product Manager from QNAP. The complete HDD compatibility list is available here.
'The latest 2TB Caviar Green hard drives from Western Digital consume up to 70% less power than two 1TB hard drives and are relatively quiet in operation. These hard drives are ideal for customers requiring higher capacities and the right balance of energy conservation and ensured reliability. The maximum capacity can be extended up to a total of 16TB now on a TS-809 or 809U-RP' says Andy Chuo, Product Manager from QNAP. The complete HDD compatibility list is available here.
Single-PCB GeForce GTX 295 in the Works
Traditionally, NVIDIA designs dual-GPU accelerators with two PCBs holding a GPU system each. With the GeForce GTX 295 and its competitive pricing, NVIDIA found itself in a difficult position, as it faces direct competition from ATI with its now competitively priced Radeon HD 4870 X2. On the one hand, escalating manufacturing costs due to extreme competition with the sub-$300 graphics card market, is making it difficult for NVIDIA to keep up with GTX 295 stocks, on the other its repercussions that include bad press and losses due to not being able to keep up with demand, have pushed NVIDIA to rethink a way to make the GeForce GTX 295.
Enter innovation. The company is reportedly redesigning the GeForce GTX 295, this time on a single PCB design, which ATI has been using for its dual-GPU accelerators. Both GPU systems of the GTX 295 will be placed on a single PCB. This is expected to significantly bring down manufacturing costs, allowing the company to keep up with demands and competitive pricing. Expreview sourced the drawings of one of the prototypes, which shows a long single PCB card, with a central fan. You will also observe that there is a back-plate in place. It shows that a number of memory chips will be populated on the back, and both GPU systems on the front. It will be an engineering challenge, to populate five major heat-producing components (two G200b GPUs, two NVIO2 processors, and one BR-03 bridge chip), 28 GDDR3 memory chips, and the VRM area to power it all. The new redesigned card may surface internally in April, and may enter production by May.
Enter innovation. The company is reportedly redesigning the GeForce GTX 295, this time on a single PCB design, which ATI has been using for its dual-GPU accelerators. Both GPU systems of the GTX 295 will be placed on a single PCB. This is expected to significantly bring down manufacturing costs, allowing the company to keep up with demands and competitive pricing. Expreview sourced the drawings of one of the prototypes, which shows a long single PCB card, with a central fan. You will also observe that there is a back-plate in place. It shows that a number of memory chips will be populated on the back, and both GPU systems on the front. It will be an engineering challenge, to populate five major heat-producing components (two G200b GPUs, two NVIO2 processors, and one BR-03 bridge chip), 28 GDDR3 memory chips, and the VRM area to power it all. The new redesigned card may surface internally in April, and may enter production by May.
NVIDIA Releases GeForce 182.47 BETA Driver with OpenGL 3.1 Support
Only one day after releasing the GeForce 182.46 BETA Driver, NVIDIA yesterday launched the 182.47 BETA Driver, to support the launch of the Khronos Group's announcement of the new OpenGL 3.1 streamlined specification found here. Although it has not made it onto the main driver page yet, the drivers are available to download from the NVIDIA Developer Zone. For more information, release notes and Linux download links, you can find the driver page here
DOWNLOAD: GeForce 182.47 BETA for Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows Vista 32-bit | Windows Vista 64-bit.
DOWNLOAD: GeForce 182.47 BETA for Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows Vista 32-bit | Windows Vista 64-bit.
Tuesday, March 24th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Notebooks
PSUs
Sound Cards
HIS HD 4870 IceQ4+ Turbo 1 GB GDDR5 Review
In addition to the long and complicated name, the HIS HD 4870 IceQ4+ Turbo features twice the memory compared to the AMD HD 4870 reference design. The clock speeds have also received a boost, now running at 770 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory out of the box. Last but not least, HIS replaced the AMD cooler with their own IceQ cooling system.
Hitachi Delivers New Power-efficient Enterprise Hard Drive
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today introduced its second-generation small form factor enterprise hard drive, the 10K RPM Ultrastar C10K300. The new Hitachi drive is optimized for the power and performance requirements of rack-mounted servers and networked storage arrays. Built using proven Hitachi power management technology, the Ultrastar C10K300 delivers the low power specifications that are of primary importance in today's data centers. The new drives are offered in 147 GB and 300 GB capacities and ship with a dual-port 6 Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface, which delivers 100 percent faster data throughput than its 3 Gb/s predecessor. The new industry-standard SAS interface also improves signal strength over greater physical distances, allowing IT managers to deploy larger, more complex storage infrastructures.
AMD Demonstrates Live Migration between Three AMD Opteron Processor Generations
Continuing its momentum and leadership in virtualization technology, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. today released the first video and images demonstrating live migration across three generations of AMD processors on VMware ESX 3.5, including the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor code-named "Istanbul." Live Migration of virtual machines across physical servers is key to providing superior flexibility for managing today's data centers. Additionally, AMD is highlighting its continued, cooperative development efforts with Microsoft as evidenced in Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V, which is available today as a beta and adds support for AMD-V technology with Rapid Virtualization Indexing. The new 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor provides scalable performance for both Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 and has received support from all four global OEMs.
Foxconn Readying X58 Renaissance II Motherboard
Foxconn has been in the league of companies to come up with one of the first motherboards supporting the Intel Core i7 processors. It used both its Digital Life and Quantum Force product lines to come up with performance and enthusiast-grade motherboards featuring the Intel X58 chipset. The company is coming up with a new motherboard: the X58 Renaissance II.
This board resembles the X58 Renaissance in most aspects, except for its component cooling, where it uses individual heatsinks over the chipset and VRM areas. Less fancy heatsinks are in place. The new board also does away with the SAS support. The rest of the product's feature-set stays identical to that of the X58 Renaissance. The company is expected to announce the motherboard soon, at an expectedly lesser price than that of its predecessor. For reference, the third picture below is that of the original X58 Renaissance.
This board resembles the X58 Renaissance in most aspects, except for its component cooling, where it uses individual heatsinks over the chipset and VRM areas. Less fancy heatsinks are in place. The new board also does away with the SAS support. The rest of the product's feature-set stays identical to that of the X58 Renaissance. The company is expected to announce the motherboard soon, at an expectedly lesser price than that of its predecessor. For reference, the third picture below is that of the original X58 Renaissance.
Steamworks Makes DRM Obsolete
Valve today announced a new set of advanced features delivered in Steamworks, a complete suite of publishing and development tools that are available free of charge to developers and publishers worldwide.
Headlining the new feature set is the Custom Executable Generation (CEG) technology that compliments the already existing anti-piracy solution offered in Steamworks. A customer friendly approach to anti-piracy, CEG makes unique copies of games for each user allowing them to access the application on multiple machines without install limits and without having to install root kits on their PC.
The new features also include support for in-game downloadable content (DLC) and matchmaking. The in-game DLC support allows developers to deliver new content as they choose (paid or free) from inside the game itself, allowing users to make immediate purchases and experience the new content in the same game session. The Steamworks matchmaking now includes the robust lobby system shipped and tested in Left 4 Dead.
Headlining the new feature set is the Custom Executable Generation (CEG) technology that compliments the already existing anti-piracy solution offered in Steamworks. A customer friendly approach to anti-piracy, CEG makes unique copies of games for each user allowing them to access the application on multiple machines without install limits and without having to install root kits on their PC.
The new features also include support for in-game downloadable content (DLC) and matchmaking. The in-game DLC support allows developers to deliver new content as they choose (paid or free) from inside the game itself, allowing users to make immediate purchases and experience the new content in the same game session. The Steamworks matchmaking now includes the robust lobby system shipped and tested in Left 4 Dead.
Prolimatech Prepares a Fleet of Monster CPU Coolers
Prolimatech packs the large CPU cooler design ideology with DFI's LANParty branding from DFI. The company started off with the Megahalems cooler that received good reviews. PC Games Hardware sourced pictures and drawings of some really fascinating, yet large CPU coolers in the works by the company, from German retailer Caseking.de, before officially listing the products. To succeed the Megahalems, the company has three new coolers named Genesis, Jericho, and The Mammoth.
Some of the most audacious designs ever imagined, have taken shape, and may be ready to hit the market. The drawings show Jericho to be a medium-to-large cooler with stacked aluminum-fin blocks, and a fan that circulates air. The Mammoth and Genesis have a peculiar staged heat-column design. For The Mammoth, the CPU contact-block gives out numerous heatpipes that convey heat to two staged aluminum fin arrays with dedicated air-flows, both of which are along the plane of the motherboard. The Genesis, on the other hand uses a slightly different design, with an array perpendicular to the plane of the motherboard. There is no word on exactly when these coolers get listed.
Some of the most audacious designs ever imagined, have taken shape, and may be ready to hit the market. The drawings show Jericho to be a medium-to-large cooler with stacked aluminum-fin blocks, and a fan that circulates air. The Mammoth and Genesis have a peculiar staged heat-column design. For The Mammoth, the CPU contact-block gives out numerous heatpipes that convey heat to two staged aluminum fin arrays with dedicated air-flows, both of which are along the plane of the motherboard. The Genesis, on the other hand uses a slightly different design, with an array perpendicular to the plane of the motherboard. There is no word on exactly when these coolers get listed.
NVIDIA Preparing New MCP89E Chipset for Centrino 2 Mobile Platforms
The warm market response the NVIDIA MCP79 chipset received - in its numerous forms that is - meant that the company is already developing a product line. The newest one is in the works. Named the MCP89E, the chipset, specifications-wise, is a toned-down version of the MCP79. Perhaps that is what "E" in the model name reflects. The chipset is built to support Intel processors that usually feature as part of the Centrino 2 platform. It has an identical pin-layout to the MCP79, so existing motherboards can accommodate it seamlessly with only a BIOS to change.
The specifications sheet, as sourced by VR-Zone, shows the level to which the MCP89E slims down from that of the MCP79. What exactly makes it a generation ahead (as the "89" in the codename suggests), is the fact that this is one of the first platform chipsets to support the generation-3 SATA interface (SATA III, 600 MB/s). It does away with support for the DDR2 memory standard, and has a toned-down PCI-Express root complex with only 8 PCI-E 2.0 lanes to spare. The IGP features only one DAC in comparison to the MCP79, though its output configuration differs: it supports up to two DisplayPort or HDMI connections. NVIDIA may announce this chipset soon, which will further reduce platform costs and thermal footprints for notebooks.
The specifications sheet, as sourced by VR-Zone, shows the level to which the MCP89E slims down from that of the MCP79. What exactly makes it a generation ahead (as the "89" in the codename suggests), is the fact that this is one of the first platform chipsets to support the generation-3 SATA interface (SATA III, 600 MB/s). It does away with support for the DDR2 memory standard, and has a toned-down PCI-Express root complex with only 8 PCI-E 2.0 lanes to spare. The IGP features only one DAC in comparison to the MCP79, though its output configuration differs: it supports up to two DisplayPort or HDMI connections. NVIDIA may announce this chipset soon, which will further reduce platform costs and thermal footprints for notebooks.
Lian Li Launches the All New PC-B10 Mid-Tower Chassis
Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-B10 Mid Tower chassis. The all aluminum design features two fans on the front (1x 140mm@900RPM + 1x 120mm@1500RPM) and one rear 120mm@1000RPM extraction fan. The sleek brushed aluminum chassis has a front door with lock which gives access to 5x 5.25" bays for ODD's. The fans have removable filters which are easily removed and washable. The dimensions stand at 210x440x515mm ( W, H, D). The unique Power supply bracket allows the PSU to be secured using only the tool-less designed clasp ideal to hold the PSU securely. The side panels have foam padding to make sure that noisy components are completely silenced. The chassis is imbued with all the functional and user frien dly design aspects users have come to expect in a Lian Li case.
RV790 Reaches 1.00 GHz, Indicates Overclocked SKUs in the Making
Following our report of ASUS preparing an overclocked Radeon HD 4890 accelerator with clock speeds well above 900 MHz (core) and 1000 MHz (memory), the possibility has come to surface that AMD has carved out a new range of Radeon HD 4890 accelerators from the unusually high overclocking headroom the RV790 GPU has. The credit also goes to the reference-design PCB, which is known to possess some of the highest quality digital PWM components to handle power, and 4 GT/s GDDR5 memory, which is now known to have a good overclocking headroom.
It has surfaced on the forums of Chinese tech community PCInLife, that the RV790 rather effortlessly reached the 1 GHz mark, the slider-limit of Catalyst Control Center, sparking off fresh rumors that AMD partners may be creating a fresh niche of highly-overclocked cards shortly after Radeon HD 4890 comes to be. The overclocker reached speeds of 1 GHz (core) and 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz effective, memory). At the said speeds, the card was put through 3DMark Vantage with its eXtreme settings. It churned-out a score of X5480, which puts its performance somewhere between those of the GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 285. It should also be taken into account that the drivers RV790 users the world over have been using, are preliminary beta drivers. AMD plans to release Catalyst 9.4 with the release of Radeon HD 4890, which just may impact positively on the performance of the product.
It has surfaced on the forums of Chinese tech community PCInLife, that the RV790 rather effortlessly reached the 1 GHz mark, the slider-limit of Catalyst Control Center, sparking off fresh rumors that AMD partners may be creating a fresh niche of highly-overclocked cards shortly after Radeon HD 4890 comes to be. The overclocker reached speeds of 1 GHz (core) and 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz effective, memory). At the said speeds, the card was put through 3DMark Vantage with its eXtreme settings. It churned-out a score of X5480, which puts its performance somewhere between those of the GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 285. It should also be taken into account that the drivers RV790 users the world over have been using, are preliminary beta drivers. AMD plans to release Catalyst 9.4 with the release of Radeon HD 4890, which just may impact positively on the performance of the product.
Monday, March 23rd 2009
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Notebooks
OCZ Technology Introduces Two New Gaming Mice to their Lineup of Peripherals
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra high performance and high reliability memory and components, today unveiled two new mice ideal for users seeking an inexpensive gaming solution. Featuring a solid design, maximum functionality, and programmable customization unique to each user, the Behemoth and Eclipse are built with the hardcore gamer in mind. Both mice offer a competitive edge with quality ergonomics and advanced features designed for both gaming and productivity applications.
"OCZ continues to break barriers in the cost for performance arena by offering high performance gaming products that deliver exceptional features, ergonomics, and performance at an aggressive price," commented Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management for OCZ. "The new Behemoth and Eclipse gaming mice are no exception, offering world-class performance designed to provide the discerning gamer and enthusiast with a superior hands-on control experience whether playing first person shooters or getting creative with design applications."
"OCZ continues to break barriers in the cost for performance arena by offering high performance gaming products that deliver exceptional features, ergonomics, and performance at an aggressive price," commented Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management for OCZ. "The new Behemoth and Eclipse gaming mice are no exception, offering world-class performance designed to provide the discerning gamer and enthusiast with a superior hands-on control experience whether playing first person shooters or getting creative with design applications."
Intel Ships New Tools that Boost Game Performance
Intel Corporation today announced the release of Intel Graphics Performance Analyzers (GPA), a suite of software tools created in support of the Visual Adrenaline developer program.
Offered worldwide, GPA enables PC game developers to analyze and optimize game performance on Intel Integrated Graphics. The Visual Adrenaline program, launched at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco in August 2008, provides tools, resources and information for game developers, artists and animators.
Offered worldwide, GPA enables PC game developers to analyze and optimize game performance on Intel Integrated Graphics. The Visual Adrenaline program, launched at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco in August 2008, provides tools, resources and information for game developers, artists and animators.
BFG Announces EX-1200 Modular Power Supply
BFG Technologies, Inc., the leading North American and European supplier of advanced NVIDIA-based 3D graphics cards, power supplies, and the Phobos High-Performance Gaming/Home Theater System, announced today the BFG EX-1200 modular power supply with Frequency Conversion Technology, which emulates virtually any size power supply and is at least 80% efficient, even with loads as low as 10% of the unit's maximum capability.
The BFG EX-1200 modular power supply is rated at 1200 watts continuous at 40 °C (140 °F) and features 98 amps on the 12 volt rail. The unit also has a separate +5VSB which provides better efficiency when the unit is in standby or powered down. The EX-1200 power supply is 80 Plus certified and supports NVIDIA 3-Way SLI, making it the perfect choice for high efficiency and systems running multiple graphics cards.
The BFG EX-1200 modular power supply is rated at 1200 watts continuous at 40 °C (140 °F) and features 98 amps on the 12 volt rail. The unit also has a separate +5VSB which provides better efficiency when the unit is in standby or powered down. The EX-1200 power supply is 80 Plus certified and supports NVIDIA 3-Way SLI, making it the perfect choice for high efficiency and systems running multiple graphics cards.
GeForce 182.46 BETA Drivers Released
NVIDIA today made its GeForce 182.46 beta drivers available on its website. The new drivers bring bug fixes and optimize the installed NVIDIA GeForce hardware for upcoming games. The most notable changes are:
DOWNLOAD: GeForce 182.46 BETA for Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows Vista 32-bit | Windows Vista 64-bit.
- Optimized single GPU and SLI support for upcoming PC games
- Bug fix specific to Windows XP 32bit: GeForce 7 series AGP, GeForce 6 Series AGP: NVIDIA graphics driver
cannot be installed - Fix specific to SLI: Football Manager 09-the game fails to run properly with SLI mode
enabled. [490661] - Fix specific to Quad-SLI, GeForce GTX 295: Fear2: Project Origin - when launching the game with Quad SLI enabled, there is brief flash of residual corruption from a previously launched application
- Fix specific to 3-way SLI and Windows Vista 64bit: nForce 780a SLI, GeForce 9800 GTX: The user cannot switch from Additional display mode to Boost performance mode when the display is connected to the GeForce 9800 GTX GPU
DOWNLOAD: GeForce 182.46 BETA for Windows XP 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows Vista 32-bit | Windows Vista 64-bit.
Bigfoot Networks Back with Killer Xeno PCI-Express NIC
Bigfoot Networks is perhaps the first company that gave the network interface card (NIC) a high-end consumer take. The Killer N1 and K1 PCI NICs were known to come with some very innovative features that, as our review showed, did impact positively on networked gaming performance. After close to two and a half years since its previous NIC, Bigfoot Networks Killer is back. In the making is the Killer Xeno NIC.
With near identical features and more, this NIC takes the advantage of the newer leaner components in the market, such as the NPU which may be using a newer manufacturing process, NPU-accelerated audio that provides audio-chat with zero system-overhead, and up to 256 MB of onboard memory to drive this mini "PC inside PC". The ASIC is done away with, a newer gigabit Ethernet transceiver made by Broadcom is present. The card uses a native PCI-Express x1 interface. It comes in two variants: the 128 MB "Pro", and 256 MB "Ultra". Apart from selling these cards under its own banner, Bigfoot Networks has struck an OEM deal with Alienware. Also, the company has an AIB partner (a-la graphics cards), and guess who it is - EVGA. The Xeno Ultra will be priced at US $179.99, and the Xeno Pro at $129.99.
With near identical features and more, this NIC takes the advantage of the newer leaner components in the market, such as the NPU which may be using a newer manufacturing process, NPU-accelerated audio that provides audio-chat with zero system-overhead, and up to 256 MB of onboard memory to drive this mini "PC inside PC". The ASIC is done away with, a newer gigabit Ethernet transceiver made by Broadcom is present. The card uses a native PCI-Express x1 interface. It comes in two variants: the 128 MB "Pro", and 256 MB "Ultra". Apart from selling these cards under its own banner, Bigfoot Networks has struck an OEM deal with Alienware. Also, the company has an AIB partner (a-la graphics cards), and guess who it is - EVGA. The Xeno Ultra will be priced at US $179.99, and the Xeno Pro at $129.99.
QNAP Launches the World's First 1-bay and 2-bay NAS with iSCSI
QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the world's first one-bay and two-bay NAS with iSCSI TS-119 and TS-219 Turbo NAS for home, SOHO, and SMB users. The TS-119 and TS-219 are the next generation NAS models that combine a fashionable shiny black diamond design, outstanding system performance, rich features, and high stability. Powered by 1.2GHz CPU and 512MB DDRII RAM, the TS-119 and TS-219 support Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) target service (up to 8 iSCSI devices), Online RAID Capacity Expansion and Online RAID Level Migration (2-bay model only), automatic policy-based IP blocking, schedule power on and off, 2 IP cameras for network surveillance, UPnP/ DLNA media server, mail server, and high-speed BT/FTP/HTTP and eMule download, etc.
Rockstar Games Announces Max Payne 3 for Winter 2009
Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., is proud to announce that Max Payne 3 is currently in development and scheduled for a winter 2009 release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and PC. Developed by Rockstar Vancouver, Max Payne 3 tells the story of a retired police detective embroiled in a world of corruption, turmoil and intense violence.
The award-winning Max Payne franchise put players in the role of Max Payne, a hard-boiled New York City detective with a penchant for violence, out to avenge the death of his family. The latest installment delivers more of the classic elements and hyper-intense action that fans have come to love, while moving the story of Max in a new direction.
The award-winning Max Payne franchise put players in the role of Max Payne, a hard-boiled New York City detective with a penchant for violence, out to avenge the death of his family. The latest installment delivers more of the classic elements and hyper-intense action that fans have come to love, while moving the story of Max in a new direction.
Radeon HD 4750 Gets First Listing
With all the attention the RV790 (Radeon HD 4890) is grabbing as it heads for launch, we almost seem to forget its smaller sibling, the RV740 (Radeon HD 4750) is also in the works. What makes the special, is the fact that it is the industry's first GPU to be built on the 40 nm silicon fabrication process.
A preview of this desktop card surfaced late last month, which showed its performance to sit somewhere between those of the Radeon HD 4830, and HD 4850. With this the company plans to step up the heat against NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT, and is adequately equipped to bear the brunt of a price-war, thanks to the lower manufacturing costs this card brings. German retailer Hardware Schottenland.de has added the first listing of the card, which shows its price set at 129.90 €.
A preview of this desktop card surfaced late last month, which showed its performance to sit somewhere between those of the Radeon HD 4830, and HD 4850. With this the company plans to step up the heat against NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT, and is adequately equipped to bear the brunt of a price-war, thanks to the lower manufacturing costs this card brings. German retailer Hardware Schottenland.de has added the first listing of the card, which shows its price set at 129.90 €.
ASUS Preparing High-End Non-Reference HD 4890 Accelerator
As we inch closer to the early-April launch of AMD's newest graphics card, the Radeon HD 4890, pictures of the said card by various AMD partners are piling up. Among all the usual reference-design cards we have seen so far, that virtually every partner is working on, we have learned that ASUS is working on something bigger. The company already has a reference-design card in the works, and another one that is set to eye the top-spot in the range of HD 4890 cards that will hit the market.
The company is designing a non-reference design accelerator that concentrates on a superior power design, and higher clock-speeds. We do not know what the company plans to call it, whether it joins the elite MATRIX series, or a "TOP" model under its general lineup, but the odds are tilting in favour of it featuring in the MATRIX lineup, the reasons you will soon know. Pictured below is its PCB, a list of some of the most notable features follows:
The company is designing a non-reference design accelerator that concentrates on a superior power design, and higher clock-speeds. We do not know what the company plans to call it, whether it joins the elite MATRIX series, or a "TOP" model under its general lineup, but the odds are tilting in favour of it featuring in the MATRIX lineup, the reasons you will soon know. Pictured below is its PCB, a list of some of the most notable features follows:
Silent HTPC-Friendly GeCube Graphics Card in the Works
Even amidst fears of the company closing down, GeCube has made it a point to release new products. The latest offering is a passively-cooled Radeon HD 4550 accelerator. The GC-HD4550LP3-E3 is a half-height, HTPC-friendly graphics card which makes do with a heatsink to cool it. The heatsink spans across three quarters of the length of the card.
The card is driven by the 55 nm RV710 GPU which holds 80 stream processors, and a 64-bit wide memory interface to hold 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. The core is clocked at 600 MHz, with the memory at 800 MHz (1600 MHz DDR). DVI and HDMI connectors are located on the card, with a D-Sub connector that extends out. Expect this card to be priced around €50.
The card is driven by the 55 nm RV710 GPU which holds 80 stream processors, and a 64-bit wide memory interface to hold 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. The core is clocked at 600 MHz, with the memory at 800 MHz (1600 MHz DDR). DVI and HDMI connectors are located on the card, with a D-Sub connector that extends out. Expect this card to be priced around €50.
Colorful Releases Crippled 9800 GT Graphics
On the brink of being a regular AMD partner, Colorful has come up with a new way to market GeForce 9800 GT cheap: by crippling it with a (much) weaker memory sub-system. The card uses a regular GeForce 9800 GT GPU, with 512 MB of memory. Wait, that sounds pretty normal when it reads on the box, doesn't it? Only till you find out that it's actually 512 MB of DDR2 memory, and that too across a 128-bit wide memory bus.
It uses a red PCB with a simplistic (read: inexpensive) radial cooler. DVI, D-Sub and HDMI connectors are provided on the card, though it is deprived of an SLI interconnect. Furthermore, the card uses a 6-pin power connector to take in power. We certainly hope this card is extremely cheap to warrant its specifications.
It uses a red PCB with a simplistic (read: inexpensive) radial cooler. DVI, D-Sub and HDMI connectors are provided on the card, though it is deprived of an SLI interconnect. Furthermore, the card uses a 6-pin power connector to take in power. We certainly hope this card is extremely cheap to warrant its specifications.
Sunday, March 22nd 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Motherboards
Smoothcreations Unveils Limited Series Reaper i7 Value PCs
Smoothcreations, a leading manufacturer of Custom PC gaming systems, desktop workstations, and Laptops, introduced today, in collaboration with Tweaktown, are proud to announce the Smoothcreations "Reaper i7" value series.
Stop showing up to Lan parties with gaming rigs that look like they were all bought at the same store. Turn heads, and then shred them with the Reaper i7 value series. The first kick ass mid size chassis from Silverstone with performance PC from Smooth Creations.
Stop showing up to Lan parties with gaming rigs that look like they were all bought at the same store. Turn heads, and then shred them with the Reaper i7 value series. The first kick ass mid size chassis from Silverstone with performance PC from Smooth Creations.
NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Driver Updated to Version 1.06
NVIDIA today published an updated GeForce 3D Vision driver that's meant to work with Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit versions. One of the requirements in order to install the 3D Vision driver is to have GeForce release 182.08 graphics drivers already on your PC (the download package contains the driver if you don't have it). Version 1.06 of the GeForce 3D Vision driver:
- Adds support for GeForce GTS 250.
- Adds support for Burnout Paradise Trial. Please visit the Burnout Paradise nZone.com website to download the trial version
- Fixed issue with NVIDIA Stereoscopic 3D Video Player which caused the video to be compressed horizontally
Apple Adds High Definition (HD) Movies to iTunes
Apple today announced that iTunes customers can purchase and rent box office favorites including "Quantum of Solace" and "Twilight" in stunning HD on the iTunes Store. Starting today, movie fans can purchase box office blockbusters for download in HD for $19.99 from iTunes, and films will be available as iTunes Movie Rentals in HD for $4.99 within 30 days after release. Customers can enjoy these films in HD on their Mac or PC and on their widescreen TV with Apple TV, as well as in standard definition on their iPhone or iPod with video. The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online TV and movie store, with over 250 million TV episodes purchased and over 33 million movies purchased and rented.
MSI Intros Five Native HDMI Equipped Radeon HD 4600 Series Video Cards
MSI on Friday launched a total of five graphics cards that include native HDMI support. Among the new cards are the ATI Radeon HD 4670 and Radeon HD 4650 models: R4670-MD1G, R4670-512, R4650-MD1G, R4650-512, and R4650-MD512Z. For detailed information on each of the cards please click here.
Saturday, March 21st 2009
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Netbooks
Atom Z500 Series Makes it to 2.00 GHz Mark, Features Dynamic Clock-Speed
Intel's Atom series of processors gets credit for reinvigorating the ULPC and SFF PC segments that had been niche markets run by smaller players such as VIA, Freescale, and ARM. The Atom Z500 series single-core chips operate at speeds ranging from 1.1 to 1.86 GHz, with phenomenally low energy footprints - under 2.2 Watts.
One of the company's newest additions to the range, the Z550, could hit the 2.00 GHz mark, while consuming less than 2.4 Watts. Another chip in the making, Z515, will have dynamic clock-speed between 800 MHz and 1.33 GHz depending on the processing load. The Z515 could end up being an MID maker's favourite, not that Z550 won't be used in devices that small. Sony just might pack the 2.00 GHz chip on an upcoming variant of the VAIO P.
One of the company's newest additions to the range, the Z550, could hit the 2.00 GHz mark, while consuming less than 2.4 Watts. Another chip in the making, Z515, will have dynamic clock-speed between 800 MHz and 1.33 GHz depending on the processing load. The Z515 could end up being an MID maker's favourite, not that Z550 won't be used in devices that small. Sony just might pack the 2.00 GHz chip on an upcoming variant of the VAIO P.
CM 690 Dressed in White
Cooler Master's CM 690, one of the most popular mid-tower cases in Europe, has yet another special-edition variant. This time, the company designed a case, that uses white with a dash of chrome as its colour-theme. CM made changes to the side panel of this case, it lacks the fan mount-holes. Also used, are more silent fans in comparison to the ones on the base-model. Originally slated for a CeBIT launch, Cooler Master put the project under wraps. PCGH has learned that the case could be released in May. For more pictures, head over to the PCGH Gallery here.
Friday, March 20th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Networking
Processors
CoolIT Domino A.L.C CPU Cooler Review
The CoolIT Domino A.L.C. CPU cooler is a water cooling unit at the price of an air cooler. It has three fan speed modes and features a blue backlit LCD screen. Installation is simple for a water cooling unit and its performance is exceptional considering its low price of $79.99.
AMD to Demonstrate GPU Havok Physics Acceleration at GDC
GPU-accelerated physics is turning out to be the one part of specifications AMD is yearning for. One of NVIDIA's most profitable acquisitions in recent times, has been that of Ageia technologies, and its PhysX middleware API. NVIDIA went on to port the API to its proprietary CUDA GPGPU architecture, and is now using it as a significant PR-tool apart from a feature that is genuinely grabbing game developers' attention. In response to this move, AMD's initial reaction was to build strategic technology alliance with the main competitor of PhysX: Havok, despite its acquisition by Intel.
In the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC) event, AMD may materialize its plans to bring a GPU-accelerated version of Havok, which has till now been CPU-accelerated. The API has featured in several popular game titles such as Half Life 2, Max Payne II, and some other Valve Source-based titles. ATI's Terry Makedon, in his Twitter-feed has revealed that AMD would put forth its "ATI GPU Physics strategy." He also added that the company would present a tech-demonstration of Havok technology working in conjunction with ATI hardware. The physics API is expected to utilize OpenCL and AMD Stream.
In the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC) event, AMD may materialize its plans to bring a GPU-accelerated version of Havok, which has till now been CPU-accelerated. The API has featured in several popular game titles such as Half Life 2, Max Payne II, and some other Valve Source-based titles. ATI's Terry Makedon, in his Twitter-feed has revealed that AMD would put forth its "ATI GPU Physics strategy." He also added that the company would present a tech-demonstration of Havok technology working in conjunction with ATI hardware. The physics API is expected to utilize OpenCL and AMD Stream.
Some Acer Predator Gaming PCs Recalled Due to Overheating Issues
We would like to inform you that Acer today recalled some of its Predator premium gaming PCs due to overheating issues. The reason: the insulation on the computer's internal wiring can become bent or stripped, causing the wires to overheat while the product is in use. This poses a burn hazard to consumers. Until now two reports of computers short circuiting, resulting in melted internal components and external casing have been sent. The affected models include model numbers ASG7200 and ASG7700 developed from May 2008 through December 2008. Consumers of the affected machines should stop using them and contact Acer for a free repair. See the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall alert posted here for more information.
Gigabyte Radeon HD 4890 Out of the Box
AMD has yet again stepped up excitement and anticipation surrounding a product-launch. This time, it's the company's fastest GPU: the RV790, whose single-GPU product, the Radeon HD 4890, is dressing up to go to office between April 6~8 worldwide. Taiwanese tech community website XFastest went found that volumes of the card by AMD partner Gigabyte have already reached a certain store.
The Gigabyte Radeon HD 4890 1 GB (model: GV-R489-1GH-B) is based on AMD's reference design, which has been pictured earlier, and whose early 3DMark performance figures have began surfacing. The card, features 1 GB of GDDR5 memory, which now seems to be the standard amount of memory on the reference design card. The unboxed card has been pictured from a good angle, which gives us a better indication of its length. It is longer than the HD 4870. Another scoop we can bring to you, is that from the first picture of the RV790 GPU that was published by DailyTech, it has been observed that the die is slightly larger than that of the RV770. What makes it larger is not known at this point in time.
The Gigabyte Radeon HD 4890 1 GB (model: GV-R489-1GH-B) is based on AMD's reference design, which has been pictured earlier, and whose early 3DMark performance figures have began surfacing. The card, features 1 GB of GDDR5 memory, which now seems to be the standard amount of memory on the reference design card. The unboxed card has been pictured from a good angle, which gives us a better indication of its length. It is longer than the HD 4870. Another scoop we can bring to you, is that from the first picture of the RV790 GPU that was published by DailyTech, it has been observed that the die is slightly larger than that of the RV770. What makes it larger is not known at this point in time.
LaCie and Wuala Merge to Create a Cloud of Storage Devices
Today, LaCie announced a merger with Caleido AG, the creators of the innovative online storage service, Wuala.
Luzius Meisser, Co-Founder of Caleido said, "Wuala is an exciting technology that builds its reliable and secure cloud storage by harnessing idle resources."
Wuala assembles centralized and distributed storage; the result is a reliable and scalable service. Once files are placed in Wuala, they are securely encrypted before being cut into several redundant fragments disseminated and stored on a cloud of computers.
Luzius Meisser, Co-Founder of Caleido said, "Wuala is an exciting technology that builds its reliable and secure cloud storage by harnessing idle resources."
Wuala assembles centralized and distributed storage; the result is a reliable and scalable service. Once files are placed in Wuala, they are securely encrypted before being cut into several redundant fragments disseminated and stored on a cloud of computers.
NZXT Announces the Panzerbox High Airflow Mid-Tower Case
NZXT on Thursday released the 244 x 455 x 455 mm measuring Panzerbox mid-tower case.
Panzerbox features the best airflow in its class, boasting two 190mm and one 120mm fans that churn out a combined 300 CFM. The Panzerbox's pure aluminum design makes it a light and luxurious option for travel and LAN parties and the welded chassis enhances strength and support. Dual radiator support and full expandability with room for high performance 10.5" cards, 4 hard drives, 3 5.25" drive bays, and oversized heatsinks offer gamers and enthusiasts even more options to increase performance while a removable motherboard tray makes upgrades easy and painless.The case is expected to start selling in late April for the money equivalent of $119.99. To find more info, please click here.
Lian-Li Introduces New HTPC Form Factor Cases
Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-C33 & PC-C34F HTPC chassis. Both have slender profile form factors to blend in with audio and DVD equipment but stand out because of their unique offerings like the 2.4G wireless remote sensor, innovative HDD access and options as well as supremely quiet cooling capabilities.
Thursday, March 19th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Notebooks
NVIDIA Announces PhysX SDK Support for Nintendo Wii Console
NVIDIA Corporation today announced that it has been approved as a third party tools solution provider for the Wii console. As a result, the NVIDIA PhysX technology SDK is now available to registered Wii developers.
"Nintendo has reshaped the home entertainment and video game market with the success of the Wii console. Adding a PhysX SDK for Wii is key to our cross-platform strategy and integral to the business model for our licensed game developers and publishers," said Tony Tamasi, senior vice president of content and technology at NVIDIA. "With NVIDIA PhysX technology, developers can easily author more realistic game environments for the evolving demands of a broad class of Wii gamers."
"Nintendo has reshaped the home entertainment and video game market with the success of the Wii console. Adding a PhysX SDK for Wii is key to our cross-platform strategy and integral to the business model for our licensed game developers and publishers," said Tony Tamasi, senior vice president of content and technology at NVIDIA. "With NVIDIA PhysX technology, developers can easily author more realistic game environments for the evolving demands of a broad class of Wii gamers."
Intel to Slash Desktop CPU Prices by up to 20 Percent, Add New Models
Taiwanese industry observer Digitimes compiled a comprehensive list of price-cuts sourced from motherboard manufacturers. The list presents some interesting data apart from a few revelations. New CPU models will be added, existing models might be displaced from their price-points, resulting in price-cuts amounting to as high at 20 percent the existing price.
- New CPUs will be added to Intel's lineup, notably the Core i7 975 (3.33 GHz, $999), Core i7 950 (3.06 GHz, $562), Core 2 Quad models Q8400 (2.66 GHz, $183), Q8400S (2.66 GHz, $245), Core 2 Duo E7600 (2.93 GHz, $133), Pentium E6300 ($84) and Celeron E1600 ($53)
- Several existing models will face price-cuts ranging between 10 and 20 percent. The biggest price-cut is that of Core 2 Quad Q9300 (19.92%)
- From the absence of price changes for Core i7 models 940 and 965 XE, and their existing price-points getting new models, we can infer that they will be replaced by models 950 and 975 XE
Scythe Unveils Kabuto CPU Cooler
The Japanese saying "Fasten the strap of your Kabuto after a victory" is comparable to English "Do not rest on your laurels" and can be told as a motto for the new Scythe Kabuto CPU cooler. The new Top-Flow CPU Cooler of the Japanese cooling specialist Scythe Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) is named after the famous Japanese samurai helmet, and has high performance paired with low noise.
Slip Stream 120 mm PWM fan mounted Scythe Kabuto on top of the CPU cooler is already known by Mugen 2. Due to its mounting on top of the cooler, the fan not only dissipates the heat of the cooling fins effectively but is cooling down sensitive components on the motherboard additionally.
Slip Stream 120 mm PWM fan mounted Scythe Kabuto on top of the CPU cooler is already known by Mugen 2. Due to its mounting on top of the cooler, the fan not only dissipates the heat of the cooling fins effectively but is cooling down sensitive components on the motherboard additionally.
GeForce GTX 275 a Non-Reference Design, Launch Coincides With Radeon HD 4890
With AMD's new graphics card: the Radeon HD 4890 heading towards an April 6~8 worldwide launch, NVIDIA is looking at the situation carefully. While not wanting to spend much into devising a countermeasure, it still wants to address the potential threat Radeon HD 4890 poses. The most recent exposé by Taiwanese website OC Heaven shows there is reason to be optimistic about the performance HD 4890 could end up offering. NVIDIA's counter to the HD 4890 depends on where exactly it lands in its competitive positioning against NVIDIA. If it is closer to or better than what the GeForce GTX 285 offers, NVIDIA may bring in price-cuts for the GTX 285, making it more competitive, but if it is poised somewhere between the GTX 260 (216SP) and GTX 285, the new SKU GTX 275 will be brought in.
The new GPU will be specified to have all its 240 stream processors enabled, while having the memory interface GTX 260 comes with: 448-bit GDDR3, with memory configurations of 896 MB or 1792 MB. Furthermore, its development will be care of NVIDIA's partners, who gain license to do so from the company. NVIDIA will not develop a reference design. The launch of the new SKU will coincide with that of the HD 4890, perhaps a few days trailing it.
The new GPU will be specified to have all its 240 stream processors enabled, while having the memory interface GTX 260 comes with: 448-bit GDDR3, with memory configurations of 896 MB or 1792 MB. Furthermore, its development will be care of NVIDIA's partners, who gain license to do so from the company. NVIDIA will not develop a reference design. The launch of the new SKU will coincide with that of the HD 4890, perhaps a few days trailing it.
BenQ nScreen i221 All-in-One PC Surfaces
BenQ is in the expansion mode with its all-in-one PC lineup. Almost a month ago, the company's nScreen i91 surfaced, characterized by the AMD "Yukon" ULV platform that drives it. The company's Japanese division is out with another such PC: the nScreen i221. This model is the larger model, with a 21.5-inch HD LCD display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. On the inside, the hardware remains the same as with the nScreen i91: an AMD Sempron 210U 1.50 GHz CPU that's non-upgradable, 1 GB of DDR2 memory, AMD 690E core-logic with ATI Radeon X1200 integrated graphics, and 160 GB of storage. On the peripherals front, it features a 1.3 MP web camera, 4-in-1 digital card reader, and connectivity that includes WiFi, and Ethernet. The nScreen i221 is expected to be launched globally by October.
A-DATA Launches XPG DDR2-800G SO-DIMM
A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in high performance memory products, has released its XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module with single and dual pack. Built to provide optimal levels of compatibility using the highest quality components available on the market, this XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module runs at incredible low voltage setting at 1.6V-1.7V and latency 5-5-5-15.
Designed for notebooks and mini PCs, the XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module is also ready for use with new generation of netbooks and nettops. This XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module is perfect fit for notebook and mini PCs users who want to improve the system performance by replacing their standard notebook memory with high performance module, also without any need to adjust the BIOS settings.
Designed for notebooks and mini PCs, the XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module is also ready for use with new generation of netbooks and nettops. This XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module is perfect fit for notebook and mini PCs users who want to improve the system performance by replacing their standard notebook memory with high performance module, also without any need to adjust the BIOS settings.
VIA Announces New In-Vehicle Platform for Driving Next-Generation Car PCs
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today released the VIA IVP-7500 board, the first in a series of dedicated x86 in-vehicle platforms for developers of car PCs and intelligent transportation devices.
The continued evolution of the PC as a multimedia playback device for audio and video entertainment means that car owners are now demanding access to their digital media library whilst on the road. In-vehicle PCs offers access to intelligent global satellite positioning services for accurate location tracking, route planning and navigation.
The continued evolution of the PC as a multimedia playback device for audio and video entertainment means that car owners are now demanding access to their digital media library whilst on the road. In-vehicle PCs offers access to intelligent global satellite positioning services for accurate location tracking, route planning and navigation.
EVGA SLI Enhancement Patch 03.18.09 Released
EVGA piped out yet another version of its SLI Enhancement patch, that adds SLI profiles to the driver installation, profiles which let games take advantage of multiple NVIDIA GPUs in SLI. Version 03.18.09 (dated yesterday) is based on NVIDIA 182.08 drivers, and enhances the following games with SLI support:
- Merchants of Brooklyn
- The Hunter
- Watchmen
- MLB 2K9
- Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
- The Last Remnant Demo and Benchmark
MSI Slips In 770-C35 AM3 Motherboard
With its new 790FX-GD70 receiving good reviews at the high-end AMD segment, MSI is quietly filling up its AM3 socket lineup. Its newest entry is the 770-C35. The board is MSI's first AM3 offering based on the RX780 (AMD 770) chipset. It is paired with the SB710 southbridge, that retains most of the SB750's feature-set except some RAID modes. Advanced Clock Calibration is supported. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support DDR3 memory at speeds of up to 1600 MHz. A single PCI-Express 2.0 x16, two PCI-E x1, and three PCI slots provide expansion. The SB710 southbridge provides support for six SATA devices. The 770-C35 should release soon, at a sub-$100 price-point.
Samsung First to Ship Advanced 16-gigabyte DDR3 Modules
Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has just made the initial shipment of the world's first and smallest high-density memory modules based on 2-gigabit (Gb), 50 nanometer (nm)-class DDR3.
Samsung is shipping 18 configurations of its high-density, high-performance DDR3-based modules, which are designed for servers. They include a 16-gigabyte (GB) registered inline memory module (RIMM) and an 8 GB RDIMM (registered dual inline memory module). Last September, a 50 nm-class 2 Gb DDR3 was introduced for PC applications.
Samsung is shipping 18 configurations of its high-density, high-performance DDR3-based modules, which are designed for servers. They include a 16-gigabyte (GB) registered inline memory module (RIMM) and an 8 GB RDIMM (registered dual inline memory module). Last September, a 50 nm-class 2 Gb DDR3 was introduced for PC applications.
DFI Launches LANParty DK 790FXB-M3H5 AM3 Motherboard
DFI finally added an AM3 motherboard based on the AMD 790FX chipset to its lineup. The LANParty Dark 790FXB-M3H5 makes it to the tier of motherboards that are based on the AMD 790FX + SB750 chipset, and support DDR3 memory. Looks and feature-wise, this board is near-identical to the LP DK 790FXB-M2RSH, except for the fact that it features the AM3 socket, supports the latest AMD AM3 CPUs out of the box, and supports DDR3 memory. DFI advertises this board to be "the best OC platform".
The board features a 4+1 phase CPU power circuit. It features two full-length electrically 16-lane PCI-Express 2.0 slots to support ATI CrossFireX. The third full-length slot is electrically x4. The board supports DDR3 800/1066/1333 MHz memory, and DDR3-1600 by overclocking. DFI uses the Marvell 8056 gigabit Ethernet controller, which is advertised to be 15% faster than competing models. Audio is care of Realtek ALC885 HD audio. LANParty ABS II on the fly overclocking feature, backed by DFI's iconic Genie BIOS, make for the rest of the feature-set.
The board features a 4+1 phase CPU power circuit. It features two full-length electrically 16-lane PCI-Express 2.0 slots to support ATI CrossFireX. The third full-length slot is electrically x4. The board supports DDR3 800/1066/1333 MHz memory, and DDR3-1600 by overclocking. DFI uses the Marvell 8056 gigabit Ethernet controller, which is advertised to be 15% faster than competing models. Audio is care of Realtek ALC885 HD audio. LANParty ABS II on the fly overclocking feature, backed by DFI's iconic Genie BIOS, make for the rest of the feature-set.
Microsoft Announces Availability of Internet Explorer 8
Today Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of Windows Internet Explorer 8, the new Web browser that offers the best solution for how people use the Web today. It can be downloaded in 25 languages at www.microsoft.com/ie8 starting at noon EDT on March 19. Internet Explorer 8 is easier to use, faster and offers leading-edge security features in direct response to people's increasing concerns about online safety. A new study commissioned by Microsoft and the National Cyber Security Alliance and conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. shows that 91 percent of adults in the U.S. are concerned about online threats in the current economic climate, and 78 percent are more likely to choose a Web browser with built-in security than they were two years ago.
"Customers have made clear what they want in a Web browser -- safety, speed and greater ease of use," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "With Internet Explorer 8, we are delivering a browser that gets people to the information they need, fast, and provides protection that no other browser can match."
"Customers have made clear what they want in a Web browser -- safety, speed and greater ease of use," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "With Internet Explorer 8, we are delivering a browser that gets people to the information they need, fast, and provides protection that no other browser can match."
Wednesday, March 18th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Monitors
Motherboards
Notebooks
PSUs
PQI Announces DDR3-1066 and DDR3-1333 Tri-Channel Memory Kits
Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. (PQI) officially announces the release of DDR3 tri-channel memory kits. Compatible with current Intel X58 chipset's coupled with Intel i7 series CPU, the tri-channel technology provides significant memory bandwidth improvements over dual channel mode. It provides the ultimate performance for enthusiasts wanting the very best system performance every time they turn on their computers.
Due to software programming complexity and hardware requirements, the increased bandwidth and memory capacity definitely plays a major role in ones PC performance. Using specially picked DRAM modules in 128M*8 configuration combined with stringent testing methodology, its full compatibility and performance is ensured. PQI's DDR3 tri-channel kit offer users extra memory capacity and greater bandwidth compared to DDR2 modules.
Due to software programming complexity and hardware requirements, the increased bandwidth and memory capacity definitely plays a major role in ones PC performance. Using specially picked DRAM modules in 128M*8 configuration combined with stringent testing methodology, its full compatibility and performance is ensured. PQI's DDR3 tri-channel kit offer users extra memory capacity and greater bandwidth compared to DDR2 modules.
ASUS Introduces ROG ENGTX260 MATRIX Graphics Card
ASUS, the world's leading producer of top-quality graphics solutions, today launched the ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) ENGTX260 MATRIX/HTDI/896MD3 graphics card. This innovative piece of hardware comes equipped with the upgraded dual fansink Hybrid Cooler+ for automatic and independent fan speed control. Dubbed as the world's most intelligent cards, the MATRIX Series are also equipped with ROG-exclusive technologies and features that unleash the full power of graphics cards, allowing gamers to enjoy unrivaled in-game visuals. The graphics cards are able to achieve this through several unique features, including:
- Twin fan control application that provides independent adjustments to the Hybrid Cooler+ fans
- Integrated hardware and software for total graphics card control
- Customizable functions that provide a new level of control to gamers
- Accurate adjustments of GPU and memory voltages
- Total monitoring of GPU/memory/Power IC/ambient temperatures
- Total monitoring of GPU/memory/board power consumption
- Automatic fan speed control in relation to the world's only advanced GPU loading detection
- Energy efficiency that surpasses generic boards
Coolink Introduces LapChilla Notebook Cooler
Coolink today introduced the new LapChilla notebook cooler. Designed to combine quiet cooling with maximum flexibility, excellent ergonomics and high portability, the Lapchilla comes in handy regardless of whether you're working at your desk, on campus or in the metro - ideal for students, freelancers and everybody who doesn't want to do without proper notebook-cooling both in the office and on the road.
"Our new LapChilla doesn't only help to reduce your notebook's noise emission and the risk of heat-related failures, it also keeps your legs cool when using it on your lap", explains Timothy Chu, Coolink CEO. "Thanks to its big base area as well as the adjustable tilt angle that ensures optimal ergonomics in all working environments, the LapChilla doesn't only do great on your desk but on your lap as well."
"Our new LapChilla doesn't only help to reduce your notebook's noise emission and the risk of heat-related failures, it also keeps your legs cool when using it on your lap", explains Timothy Chu, Coolink CEO. "Thanks to its big base area as well as the adjustable tilt angle that ensures optimal ergonomics in all working environments, the LapChilla doesn't only do great on your desk but on your lap as well."
ATI Catalyst 9.3 Released
AMD today released the latest version of their ATI video driver, Catalyst 9.3. The key addition with this release is official support for Windows 7, in the form of a unified graphics driver for Windows 7 and Windows Vista. As part of supporting Windows 7, Catalyst 9.3 supports WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) 1.1 for all ATI Radeon HD 4000, HD 3000 and HD 2000 series of graphics cards. According to AMD, "this new WDDM 1.1 support utilizes DirectX 10 rather than DirectX 9 and can cut down your GPU memory usage by half when opening up multiple windows thereby enabling increased performance."
AMD have said the driver brings performance benefits in several cases where framerates are CPU limited and using ATI Stream technology, owners of the ATI Radeon HD 4000 Series, ATI Radeon HD 3000 Series, and ATI Radeon HD 2000 Series of graphics accelerators will see a performance boost in their Folding@Home scores when running the latest Folding@Home client. AMD only documented one performance improvement in the release notes:
AMD have said the driver brings performance benefits in several cases where framerates are CPU limited and using ATI Stream technology, owners of the ATI Radeon HD 4000 Series, ATI Radeon HD 3000 Series, and ATI Radeon HD 2000 Series of graphics accelerators will see a performance boost in their Folding@Home scores when running the latest Folding@Home client. AMD only documented one performance improvement in the release notes:
- Lost Planet: Colonies gains up to 20% on 4800 series products, and up to 50% on 4600, 4500 and 4300 series products
Radeon HD 4890 3DMark Performance Revealed
Taiwan-based English tech website OC Heaven has disclosed some performance figures of the upcoming ATI Radeon HD 4890 1 GB graphics accelerator. The tests run are two of the most popular synthetic benchmarks: 3DMark Vantage and 3DMark06. Also disclosed, rather verified, are the card's clock speeds as read by ATI Catalyst Control Center and GPU-Z. The test bed, from what the 3DMark06 window shows, consists of an Intel Core i7 920 CPU running at 2.66 GHz, coupled with 3 GB of system memory. In 3DMark06, the HD 4890 accelerator secured a score of 16,096 points, with SM 2.0 score of 6155, HDR/SM 3.0 score of 7521, and CPU score of 4836. In 3DMark Vantage, it secured a score of P10996. Catalyst Control Center reveals the card's memory bandwidth to be 124.8 GB/s, up from the 111 GB/s on its predecessor, the HD 4870. The early driver in use makes provides "RV790" as the device string to GPU-Z.
Update (03/19):Ukrainian website Overclockers.com.ua has come up with a more comprehensive 3DMark shootout between cards in this segment. Radeon HD 4890 and HD 4890 CrossFireX are part of the comparison. The testers used an Intel Q6600 CPU running on an X48 motherboard with 4 GB of memory. The article can be read (Google-translated to English) here.
Update (03/19):Ukrainian website Overclockers.com.ua has come up with a more comprehensive 3DMark shootout between cards in this segment. Radeon HD 4890 and HD 4890 CrossFireX are part of the comparison. The testers used an Intel Q6600 CPU running on an X48 motherboard with 4 GB of memory. The article can be read (Google-translated to English) here.
Thermaltake Launches the DH202 Series HTPC Chassis
Nowadays, HTPC has become the multimedia center or furnishing in living room. As one leading brand in the industry, Thermaltake is releasing the upgraded model, DH202 today, offering stylish appearance to fulfill the home theater builders' demands in the HTPC market.
The DH202 is beautifully designed with high quality piano coating exterior, the surface of the aluminum front panel has also carefully applied with brush process. With such advance technology integrated, DH 202 will surely be the focus in the living room.
The DH202 is beautifully designed with high quality piano coating exterior, the surface of the aluminum front panel has also carefully applied with brush process. With such advance technology integrated, DH 202 will surely be the focus in the living room.
Psystar Dares to Come up with Mac-alternative Amidst Legal Battle
As makers of the Mac OS X, Apple reserves the right to make it exclusive to the hardware it manufactures. The operating system goes on to drive the company's Mac desktops, workstations and notebooks. Manufacturers of Mac-alternatives (we don't mean PC by that), computers that use Mac OS X had started to mushroom. Due to the retail availability of Mac OS X, hardware manufacturers could easily get a hold of the software, and perhaps even evade measures by Apple to secure the software's exclusivity to its hardware, by means of trusted platform modules. Apple has either shut down, or is in the process of shutting down, such manufacturers.
Psystar is one of the few such companies left. Despite an ongoing legal battle with Apple, the company is continuing to make Mac-alternatives, and is ready with its latest offering: Open(3). The desktop comes with a wide range of components to choose from, to customize it before purchase, Mac Pro style. On offer are several models of Intel processors: Core 2 Duo E7400, E8400, Core 2 Quad Q8200, and Q8400. Up to 4 GB of RAM can be chosen. Entry-level NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, up to 1 TB of storage, a 20X DVD Writer, with Blu ray drive as an option, make for the rest of the mix. Prices start at US $599, and can end up as high as $2000. Apple's move to go x86 surely made its legal team busier, not that there were no Mac-alternatives before that.
Psystar is one of the few such companies left. Despite an ongoing legal battle with Apple, the company is continuing to make Mac-alternatives, and is ready with its latest offering: Open(3). The desktop comes with a wide range of components to choose from, to customize it before purchase, Mac Pro style. On offer are several models of Intel processors: Core 2 Duo E7400, E8400, Core 2 Quad Q8200, and Q8400. Up to 4 GB of RAM can be chosen. Entry-level NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, up to 1 TB of storage, a 20X DVD Writer, with Blu ray drive as an option, make for the rest of the mix. Prices start at US $599, and can end up as high as $2000. Apple's move to go x86 surely made its legal team busier, not that there were no Mac-alternatives before that.
Shuttle Launches the X50 All-In-One PC
Shuttle Inc. - the leading designer and manufacturer of small form factor (SFF) computers and accessories today introduced X50, an all-in-one PC, as part of its all-new product line - Shuttle X Vision. X Vision represents a core value of Shuttle - an uncompromising insistence on quality and innovation, and Shuttle will continue to lead the way with its "VISION for neXt generation PCs" line.
The new X50 integrates state-of-the-art touch and small form technology, offering an intuitive interface that empowers both novices and professionals. The 15.6-inch all-in-one PC combines all the essential applications into a single device that starts up quickly, with a simple touch of the screen by finger or included stylus pen. Even the stand itself brings a unique touch - it is convertible, and can be flipped upward to reveal an easy carrying handle, or be completely removed for VESA ready mounting. That makes the X50 very versatile and suitable for a wide variety of applications and settings, including digital signage or kiosks.
The new X50 integrates state-of-the-art touch and small form technology, offering an intuitive interface that empowers both novices and professionals. The 15.6-inch all-in-one PC combines all the essential applications into a single device that starts up quickly, with a simple touch of the screen by finger or included stylus pen. Even the stand itself brings a unique touch - it is convertible, and can be flipped upward to reveal an easy carrying handle, or be completely removed for VESA ready mounting. That makes the X50 very versatile and suitable for a wide variety of applications and settings, including digital signage or kiosks.
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Could be Arriving on April 20th
New information from German tech site Hardware-Infos, has lead to the news that AMD's fastest CPU, the Phenom II X4 955, could be available from April 20th this year. Using the AM3 socket, the CPU is made using AMD's latest 45 nm fabrication process, and is clocked in at 3.2 GHz (16*200 MHz). Sporting 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a 6 MB L3 cache, AMD have managed to match the 125 W TDP of the recently released Phenom II X4 940.
EVGA Silently Launches the GeForce GTX 295 Red Edition
With no official press release, a new version of EVGA's GTX 295 has appeared on their website. Dubbed the GTX 295 Red Edition, the card is clocked at the stock speeds of 576 MHz on the core, 1242 MHz on the shaders, and a 1998 MHz memory clock, using a reference cooler, which appears to have simply been painted red. Although the card appears to bring nothing new to the table other than the option of a new colour, EVGA are asking US$549.99 for the card, which is $45 more than the standard black variant. It would appear following the launch of their X58 classified motherboard not long ago, that EVGA could be heading towards a new colour scheme, at least for their premium products.
Logitech Announces New Notebook Accessories
You love your laptop. But you're worried about how hot it gets. And you don't like hunching over to use it. Logitech today introduced the Logitech Cooling Pad N100 and the Logitech Notebook Riser N110, which extend the company's line of notebook essentials that help make the laptop experience more comfortable around the home.
BioWare Officially Announces Mass Effect 2 for PC and Xbox 360
Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. today officially announced Mass Effect 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the multi award-winning 2007 hit, Mass Effect. The Mass Effect trilogy is a masterful science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life forms and mysterious uncharted planets. In this dark second chapter, Saren's evil army of Geth soldiers has just been defeated, and humans, who are still struggling to make their mark on the galactic stage, are now faced with an even greater peril…
"We're going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. "Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action."
Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 video game system in Early 2010. To see the exclusive new Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer check out the website here: masseffect.com
"We're going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. "Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action."
Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 video game system in Early 2010. To see the exclusive new Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer check out the website here: masseffect.com
Study: Modern Graphics Card Failure Rates
Here's an interesting story with emphasis on graphics cards failure rates. It was interesting for me to see the results, and I hope it will be interesting for you too. The original story comes from Hardware France and is based upon results from a major un-named French retailer. The data of faulty graphics cards was collected in the period of seven months from August 2008 to March of this year. To build the statistics, an ideal sample amount of at least 500 units was used. The statistics provide reliability information on a 'per brand' and 'per GPU model' basis. You're welcome to comment on the results. Read the English version at GPU Cafe here, or the original French version here at Hardware.fr.
OCZ Silently Launches Solid State Drive 3.5-inch Adaptor Bracket
While we're waiting for 3.5-inch solid-state drives to be released, OCZ has silently come up with a genious solution that might fix the "issue" forever. Sold for around $12, the OCZ Solid State Drive 3.5" adaptor bracket easily manages to fit current 2.5-inch SSDs and make them 3.5-inch compatible, for installment in standard hard drive bays. The bracket is aslo compatible with all 2.5-inch laptop hard drives. The OCZ adaptor bracket is already available in retail stores. For more information visit OCZ's website here.
Microsoft and Lexmark Enter Broad Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement
Microsoft Corp. and Lexmark International, Inc. signed a patent cross-licensing agreement that furthers the development of each company's product lines and will expand technological innovation to enhance the overall customer experience.
The patent cross-licensing agreement covers a broad range of products, including Lexmark printers and multifunction products, and Microsoft software products. The agreement allows greater mutual access to each partner's respective patent portfolio. The terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
The patent cross-licensing agreement covers a broad range of products, including Lexmark printers and multifunction products, and Microsoft software products. The agreement allows greater mutual access to each partner's respective patent portfolio. The terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
Iomega Announces New Features for StorCenter ix2 NAS Appliance
Iomega, an EMC company and a global leader in data protection, today announced exciting new features for the Iomega StorCenter ix2 Network Drive, including remote access and peer-to-peer file sharing, as well as ease-of-use enhancements that make the ix2 NAS appliance one of the most versatile home and small business network storage drives available today.
"With the simplest set-up process in the industry, the ix2 not only provides home and small business network storage users with such important features as media serving, Bluetooth and video surveillance capabilities, now we've added remote access so users can connect to their files from anywhere in the world, as well as the new standard in peer-to-peer file sharing and much more," said Jonathan Huberman, President of Iomega and the Consumer and Small Business Products Division of EMC. "That's the power of network computing with Iomega and EMC."
"With the simplest set-up process in the industry, the ix2 not only provides home and small business network storage users with such important features as media serving, Bluetooth and video surveillance capabilities, now we've added remote access so users can connect to their files from anywhere in the world, as well as the new standard in peer-to-peer file sharing and much more," said Jonathan Huberman, President of Iomega and the Consumer and Small Business Products Division of EMC. "That's the power of network computing with Iomega and EMC."
Tuesday, March 17th 2009
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mousepads
Notebooks
Processors
Storage
- SilverStone SST-FP35B 3.5" Card Reader and I/O Panel Dreamware Computers
- Icy Dock MB881US-1S-1 External Hard Drive Docking Station TweakNews
- In Win NA 3.5" External HDD Enclosure Virtual Hideout
- VIZO Luxon Advanced External 3.5 inch HDD Enclosure Real World Labs
- Kingston 16GB DataTraveler HyperX2 Test Freaks
Spire Introduces the Tethys Micro ATX Chassis
Nowadays workspace is constantly getting smaller, which means your pc has to move with the times! The future of Micro ATX cases has arrived, The Tethys.
This stylish and innovative case breaks the conforms of the usual. This case has been made to the highest possible quality to provide you with the satisfaction you are looking for in a small, yet powerful package. Complete with its own integrated LCD display to provide you with all the information you need to keep your system at optimal. No matter the challenge, this case will be sure to deliver what you want, when you want.
This stylish and innovative case breaks the conforms of the usual. This case has been made to the highest possible quality to provide you with the satisfaction you are looking for in a small, yet powerful package. Complete with its own integrated LCD display to provide you with all the information you need to keep your system at optimal. No matter the challenge, this case will be sure to deliver what you want, when you want.
Super Talent Now Shipping UltraDrive Family of SSDs
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced that it is now shipping both the UltraDrive ME and UltraDrive LE families of Solid State Drives (SSDs).
Super Talent's 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB UltraDrive LE and 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB UltraDrive ME are immediately available in production volumes. The UltraDrive LE is rated for a maximum sequential read speed of 230MB/sec and a maximum sequential write speed of 170MB/sec. The UltraDrive ME is rated for a maximum sequential read speed of 200MB/sec and a maximum sequential write speed of 160MB/sec. The drives also showed outstanding IOPS performance in internal testing including Sequential Read IOPS of over 13,000, Sequential Write IOPS of nearly 16,000, Random Read IOPS of nearly 7500 and Random Write IOPS of nearly 6000. Performance varied between models; for a full summary of Super Talent's performance benchmarking see the whitepaper on the Super Talent website.
Super Talent's 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB UltraDrive LE and 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB UltraDrive ME are immediately available in production volumes. The UltraDrive LE is rated for a maximum sequential read speed of 230MB/sec and a maximum sequential write speed of 170MB/sec. The UltraDrive ME is rated for a maximum sequential read speed of 200MB/sec and a maximum sequential write speed of 160MB/sec. The drives also showed outstanding IOPS performance in internal testing including Sequential Read IOPS of over 13,000, Sequential Write IOPS of nearly 16,000, Random Read IOPS of nearly 7500 and Random Write IOPS of nearly 6000. Performance varied between models; for a full summary of Super Talent's performance benchmarking see the whitepaper on the Super Talent website.
NVIDIA Provides Physics Technology for PLAYSTATION 3
NVIDIA Corporation today announced that it has signed a tools and middleware license agreement for PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) with Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (SCEI). As a result, the binary version of the NVIDIA PhysX technology software development kit (SDK) is now available to registered PS3 developers for free download and use on the SCEI Developer Network.
The NVIDIA PhysX technology software development kit SDK consists of a full-featured API and robust physics engine, designed to give developers, animators, level designers, and artists unprecedented creative control over character and object physical interactions by allowing them to author and preview physics effects in real time. The continued adoption of NVIDIA PhysX technology by the world's leading content developers is resulting in games that not only look as realistic as possible, but also provides gaming experiences where the world's literally come to life: environments become highly interactive with effects such as persistent debris, including shattered glass and weapons ammunition, trees that bend in the wind, and water that flows with body and force.
The NVIDIA PhysX technology software development kit SDK consists of a full-featured API and robust physics engine, designed to give developers, animators, level designers, and artists unprecedented creative control over character and object physical interactions by allowing them to author and preview physics effects in real time. The continued adoption of NVIDIA PhysX technology by the world's leading content developers is resulting in games that not only look as realistic as possible, but also provides gaming experiences where the world's literally come to life: environments become highly interactive with effects such as persistent debris, including shattered glass and weapons ammunition, trees that bend in the wind, and water that flows with body and force.
Zotac Introduces Energy Efficient GeForce 9800 GT ECO
ZOTAC International, an award-winning manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today expands its GeForce 9800GT product lineup with the new more power-efficient ZOTAC GeForce 9800GT Eco. The new ZOTAC GeForce 9800GT Eco delivers phenomenal performance and breathtaking visuals with 40-percent greater power efficiency for a high-performance graphics experience that is easy on the power bill.
"Our mainstream ZOTAC GeForce 9800GT has won many awards for its performance. With the new ZOTAC GeForce 9800GT Eco, you can have the competitive performance of the GeForce 9800GT series but with 40-percent greater power efficiency," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.
"Our mainstream ZOTAC GeForce 9800GT has won many awards for its performance. With the new ZOTAC GeForce 9800GT Eco, you can have the competitive performance of the GeForce 9800GT series but with 40-percent greater power efficiency," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.
ATI Radeon HD 4890 1 GB GDDR5 in Pretty Pixels
Here's something fresh from Asia, with love. Popular Chinese site Coolaler is once more first to show pics from an yet unreleased product - the next generation ATI Radeon HD 4890 video card. The card below is equipped with single RV790 GPU clocked at 850 MHz and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 3900 MHz. It has full DirectX 10.1 support and is CrossFireX ready. Apart from that, all other distinctive features can be seen from the pictures. The Radeon HD 4890 is set to be released after April 6th of this year.
PowerColor Radeon HD 4890 Pictured
The first press-shot of PowerColor's upcoming Radeon HD 4890 accelerator has surfaced on its early listing by German retailer Schottenland.de, from which one can draw several inferences, we will tell you some of the most relevant ones:
- The Radeon HD 4890 is based on the RV790 GPU, its ASIC and board design is very similar (if not identical) to its predecessor, the HD 4870 / RV770
- It comes with near-identical specifications, so far its clock speeds seem to be the only specification that sets it apart
- It comes with a core clock speed of 850 MHz, with a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, with memory clocked at 975 MHz (effective 3900 MHz, 1950 MHz DDR)
- It features 800 stream processors, and supports DirectX 10.1, SM4.1
Scythe Intros the Katana 3 Processor Cooler
Cooling maker Scythe has added one extra cooler, the Katana 3, to its entourage. Katana 3 CPU cooler measures 94 x 108 x 143 mm (3.70 x 4.25 x 5.63 inch), weights exactly 495 grams and features six copper heatpipes spreading across the entire tower of aluminum fins that form the cooler. In addition, there's a 92 mm fan that spins from 300 to 2500 rpm and produces up to 55.55 CFM @ 31.07 dBA. The Scythe Katana 2 CPU cooler supports most sockets, including the Intel Socket 478/ Socket T/ Socket LGA775/ Socket LGA1366 and AMD's Socket 754/ Socket 939/ Socket AM2/ AM2+/ AM3 and Socket 940. The cooler is priced at $32 / €16,75 (without VAT).
Scythe Katana 3 Specs Page
Scythe Katana 3 Specs Page
Hynix Announces Validation of the World’s First 8 GB 2-Rank DDR3 R-DIMM
Hynix Semiconductor today announced the validation of the HMT31GR7AUP4C, the world's first MetaRAM based 8 GB 2-rank DDR3 RDIMM, on Intel's Nehalem CPU based Tylersburg-EP platform
When fully populated with 3 DIMMs per channel, the Hynix 8 GB RDIMM operates at 1066 MHz speed. Competing industry standard modules exhibit performance degradation to 800 MHz when operating under full load. The Hynix 8 GB DDR3 RDIMM enables a maximum capacity of 144 GB operating at 1066 MHz in a dual processor Tylersburg-EP platform, not possible with industry standard DIMMs.
When fully populated with 3 DIMMs per channel, the Hynix 8 GB RDIMM operates at 1066 MHz speed. Competing industry standard modules exhibit performance degradation to 800 MHz when operating under full load. The Hynix 8 GB DDR3 RDIMM enables a maximum capacity of 144 GB operating at 1066 MHz in a dual processor Tylersburg-EP platform, not possible with industry standard DIMMs.
Gainward Readies Radeon HD 4850 GS GLH Card with 512 MB of GDDR5 Memory
NVIDIA partner Gainward is preparing to launch a custom Radeon HD 4850 that, instead of the usual GDDR3 memory, utilizes GDDR5 memory. Gainward calls the card Radeon HD 4850 Golden Sample Goes Like Hell, pretty long name for a card, but you can always use the Radeon HD 4850 GS GLH abbreviature. The card's specifications include 512 MB of GDDR5 memory with 256-bit memory interface, a dual-slot cooler, and D-Sub, DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI connectors. Clock speeds for this particular model are 700 MHz for the GPU and 3600 MHz for the memory. Gainward's HD 4850 512MB GS GLH is expected to hit the stores in a few weeks time.
Developer Makes Prosthetic USB Drive
Finnish software developer Jerry Jalava, in an unfortunate motorcycle accident lost a digit of his left ring (leech) finger. The prosthetic that took its place went on to become his claim to fame: it packs a USB flash drive. What looks like a good attempt at looking like a real finger, can be peeled of at its nail to reveal a USB connector. Once separated, the finger can be connected to a computer like any other USB flash drive.
Jalava modified a traditional prosthetic to pack a tiny 2 GB drive. "When I'm using the USB, I just leave my finger inside the slot and pick it up after I'm ready" says Jalava. The developer already has plans for the next version of his 'smart digit', which will have more storage, and an RFID tag. 'I'm planning to use anther prosthetic as a shell for the next version, which will have removable fingertip and an RFID tag,' he added.
Jalava modified a traditional prosthetic to pack a tiny 2 GB drive. "When I'm using the USB, I just leave my finger inside the slot and pick it up after I'm ready" says Jalava. The developer already has plans for the next version of his 'smart digit', which will have more storage, and an RFID tag. 'I'm planning to use anther prosthetic as a shell for the next version, which will have removable fingertip and an RFID tag,' he added.
Sapphire HD 4890 Begins Getting Listed
Weeks ahead of launch, Sapphire's Radeon HD 4890 graphics accelerator has already started to to get listed on online stores, not concentrated in a particular region. The HD 4890 is characterized by the upcoming RV790 graphics processor, it is a current-generation successor to the HD 4870 accelerator. Its specifications are unclear, though most sources in the industry and press have so far revealed it not to be much of a featureset expansion over the RV770.
Dutch retailer Salland Automatisering BV has listed the Sapphire-made accelerator for € 253.95 inclusive of VAT (€ 218.95 excluding it). Another retailer, PB Technologies Auckland (New Zealand), has listed it for NZ $613.97 (325 USD), including applicable taxes. The Dutch retailer went on to list some of the card's specifications. It features 1 GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 3.90 GHz (975 MHz actual). Its core is clocked at 850 MHz. No pictures, or information about the GPU's internals (such as stream processor count, TMU/ROP counts) were provided. Both retailers have put the product on pre-order. AMD is expected to release the card on April 8, 2009.
Dutch retailer Salland Automatisering BV has listed the Sapphire-made accelerator for € 253.95 inclusive of VAT (€ 218.95 excluding it). Another retailer, PB Technologies Auckland (New Zealand), has listed it for NZ $613.97 (325 USD), including applicable taxes. The Dutch retailer went on to list some of the card's specifications. It features 1 GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 3.90 GHz (975 MHz actual). Its core is clocked at 850 MHz. No pictures, or information about the GPU's internals (such as stream processor count, TMU/ROP counts) were provided. Both retailers have put the product on pre-order. AMD is expected to release the card on April 8, 2009.
TechPowerUp Radeon BIOS Editor (RBE) v1.20 Released
TechPowerUp today released Radeon BIOS Editor version 1.20, our popular ATI Radeon graphics card BIOS manipulation utility. The newest version of the software brings about some important feature-additions, along with improved stability and minor bug fixes. Changes in this version, as listed in the software's changelog is as follows:
- Added hex editor
- Added alternative BIOS extraction method
- (Hopefully) fixed the 3650 Device-ID-bug for good
- Fixed a bug concerning weird 4670 fan settings
Albatron Releases PCI-E x1-supportive 9500 GT Accelerator
Albatron today introduced a new graphics card touting compatibility with single-lane PCI-Express interface. The Albatron GeForce 9500GT PCI-E 1X, as the name suggests, is an entry-level graphics accelerator which is compliant with most of the current generation standards. It is based on the NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT, which gives it a fair chance to make it to HTPCs and multi-head display setups. Being based on PCI-E x1 bus, the card will fit into a PCI-Express slot of any length and generation.
The GeForce 9500 GT provides 32 stream processors, and is CUDA-supportive. The card packs 256 MB of DDR2 memory clocked at 1400 MHz. The core and shader domains are clocked at 550 MHz and 1375 MHz respectively. The card uses a half height PCB, and comes with a low-profile bracket. DVI and composite connectors are provided on the card, while a header extends out a D-Sub connector. HDMI is supported by means of a dongle. The card relays audio to the HDMI connector from an SPDIF source. Albatron will price this card well within the US $100 mark.
The GeForce 9500 GT provides 32 stream processors, and is CUDA-supportive. The card packs 256 MB of DDR2 memory clocked at 1400 MHz. The core and shader domains are clocked at 550 MHz and 1375 MHz respectively. The card uses a half height PCB, and comes with a low-profile bracket. DVI and composite connectors are provided on the card, while a header extends out a D-Sub connector. HDMI is supported by means of a dongle. The card relays audio to the HDMI connector from an SPDIF source. Albatron will price this card well within the US $100 mark.
VIA Surfboard Rolls Out Peak HD Performance for Mini-Notebooks
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA Surfboard C855 Reference Design - an ultra-compact mainboard incorporating the VIA C7-M ULV processor, the brand new VIA VX855 unified IGP chipset, and advanced VIA multimedia and connectivity silicon, that has been specifically designed for easy integration into devices targeted at the rapidly growing mini-notebook market.
Unveiled today at the VIA Global Mobility Bazaar (GMB) Tech Forum Spring in Shenzhen, China - an event bringing together a host of PC manufacturing and infrastructure partners focused on delivering affordable, power efficient mini-notebooks to global markets - the VIA Surfboard C855 Reference Design will not only reduce development time and costs for system manufacturers, but offers the latest advancements in ultra-mobile technology including smooth playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video and outstanding 8-channel HD audio.
Unveiled today at the VIA Global Mobility Bazaar (GMB) Tech Forum Spring in Shenzhen, China - an event bringing together a host of PC manufacturing and infrastructure partners focused on delivering affordable, power efficient mini-notebooks to global markets - the VIA Surfboard C855 Reference Design will not only reduce development time and costs for system manufacturers, but offers the latest advancements in ultra-mobile technology including smooth playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video and outstanding 8-channel HD audio.
Valve Adds In-game Downloadable Content to Steam
Valve, creators of best-selling entertainment products and advanced technologies, today announced the arrival of in-game downloadable content to Steam, their massively popular PC gaming platform. In-game DLC allows developers and publishers to use their own games as a platform for selling additional content to gamers.
The first game to take advantage of this new in-game DLC capability is The Maw, by Twisted Pixel Games. Their first DLC releases are levels entitled The Maw: Brute Force and The Maw: River Redirect. Each DLC level expands The Maw storyline by fitting in-between the original levels as "deleted scenes."
The first game to take advantage of this new in-game DLC capability is The Maw, by Twisted Pixel Games. Their first DLC releases are levels entitled The Maw: Brute Force and The Maw: River Redirect. Each DLC level expands The Maw storyline by fitting in-between the original levels as "deleted scenes."
ECS Prepares Watercooled GeForce GTS 250 SLI Combo Video Cards
Our Turkey colleagues from Donanimhaber report of a new Elitegroup combo, that consists of two ECS GeForce GTS 250 Hydra cards. Set to be sold under limited numbers, the NGTS250-512MX-W and NGTS250-1GMU-W Hydra packs contain two 512 MB or 1 GB GeForce GTS 250s, a Thermaltake BigWater 760i water cooling system to chill them and a game bundle to make the offering even more tempting. Most likely both SLI combos will come with stock clocks - 738 MHz for the core, 1836 MHz for the shaders and 2200 MHz for the memory - but with water cooling on top overclocking them yourself won't be a problem. Expect the new ECS couples to become available sometime next week.
HP Offers Laptop Batteries with Three-Year Life Span
Hewlett-Packard (HP) on Monday began offering as an accessory to its consumer laptops batteries that can hold their capacity for up to three years. The new batteries are the work of Boston-Power, and use updated lithium-ion technology that is said to be better than other similar solutions. Boston-Power's Sonata battery will be available as optional choice for 18 existing notebook models representing approximately 70 percent of HP's consumer notebook PC portfolio. Boston-Power claims its batteries won't give up their capacity for three years, that's roughly three times longer than most other notebook batteries offered to date. In addition, the Sonata accumulators can recharge faster, reaching 80% of capacity in 30 minutes. Lastly, HP will give a three year warranty for each Sonata battery. Available now at HP, the $149.99 accessory Sonata battery fits models in the HP Pavilion, HP HDX, Compaq Presario and HP G series. A complete list of compatible individual models is available here. More information on the battery itself can also be found on Boston-Power's site here.
Faulty NVIDIA GPUs Cost the Company a Fortune
That's undoubtedly truth, but how much exactly, well this story will tell. In accordance with APC Mag, during its last fiscal year, graphics chip manufacturer NVIDIA spent US$43.6 million (AU$67 million) to cover warranty and replace faulty products. What made the amount so big, were the faulty chips caught last year. They were officially reported by NVIDIA too. According to the graphics maker due to weak packaging supplied by TSMC, a lot of the chips sold to third parties become damaged due to overheating. NVIDIA then announced that it plans to take a charge of US$196 million to cover anticipated warranty, repair, return, replacement and other costs arising from the "weak die/packaging material" in those select devices. Until now only $43.6 million were spent which means that so far, NVIDIA has only spent a mere 22% of the original amount set aside, suggesting that there are still thousands of notebooks out there with the faulty chips. Recently, owners of the new multi-GPU MacBook Pro notebooks, started talking about defective NVIDIA GPUs again, but everything was covered fast and both Apple and NVIDIA said to be working on a cure for the graphics problems. Let's hope there will be no more faulty graphics chips from the green company.
Dell Adamo Goes Official
Style-minded people who place a premium on precision craftsmanship and design can now add Adamo to their list of must-have items for 2009. Dell today unveiled the world's thinnest laptop as a kick off to the new Adamo by Dell brand.
Adamo, derived from the Latin word meaning "to fall in love," will serve as a flagship in a line of products created to disrupt the personal computing space with the combination of new design, aesthetics, personalization choices and sought-after technologies.
Adamo, derived from the Latin word meaning "to fall in love," will serve as a flagship in a line of products created to disrupt the personal computing space with the combination of new design, aesthetics, personalization choices and sought-after technologies.
Gateway Debuts the P-7808u FX Edition Notebook PC
Gateway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer, today launched the Gateway P-7808u FX Edition notebook PC, the latest high-end notebook in the award-winning P-Series FX Edition line for gaming, entertainment and digital media.
The new Gateway P-7808u FX Edition notebook continues the highly acclaimed lines' goal of providing incredible performance and features at an incomparable value. As a desktop replacement notebook PC, the new Gateway P-7808u FX is ideal for mobile enthusiasts who want the latest in high-end technology, but still need to remain on a budget. This model has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1,799.99.
The new Gateway P-7808u FX Edition notebook continues the highly acclaimed lines' goal of providing incredible performance and features at an incomparable value. As a desktop replacement notebook PC, the new Gateway P-7808u FX is ideal for mobile enthusiasts who want the latest in high-end technology, but still need to remain on a budget. This model has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1,799.99.
Monday, March 16th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Processors
PSUs
Speakers
SSD
GeForce GTX 295 a PR Stunt?
On January the 8th, NVIDIA reclaimed the title of the manufacturer of the world's fastest consumer graphics accelerator, with the launch of the GeForce GTX 295. It was received adequately well by the press, for two factors: its performance, and its competitive pricing. NVIDIA, for the first time in generations of graphics technologies, chose to price its high-end offering competitively, and hasn't used its industry-leading position to warrant a high price. Unfortunately, the company seems to be in no mood to hand over the benefit the consumers, not by stepping up its prices, but by not keeping up to its demand.
NVIDIA, which believes in the concept that selling a GeForce GTX 260 for a price well within US $200, at the expense of profits, relies on sales volumes to do the job of making up for its losses, and/or reduced margins. To an extent, the company's moves to redesign the reference PCB for the GTX 260, and subsequently letting partners have a common design kit to come up with their own PCB designs, seems to have helped the cause. That isn't the case with GTX 295. Its power design and the requirement of two sets of high-grade components seems to have hit the company's plans of letting it sell for its competitive price, which it would rather channelize in subsidizing the GTX 260.
NVIDIA, which believes in the concept that selling a GeForce GTX 260 for a price well within US $200, at the expense of profits, relies on sales volumes to do the job of making up for its losses, and/or reduced margins. To an extent, the company's moves to redesign the reference PCB for the GTX 260, and subsequently letting partners have a common design kit to come up with their own PCB designs, seems to have helped the cause. That isn't the case with GTX 295. Its power design and the requirement of two sets of high-grade components seems to have hit the company's plans of letting it sell for its competitive price, which it would rather channelize in subsidizing the GTX 260.
Mushkin Launches New Redline Triple-Channel DDR3 Memory Kits
Mushkin Memory has just released two new Redline DDR3 kits. The triple channel Mushkin Redline memories, model numbers 998691 and 998692, both consist of three 2 GB modules for a total of 6 GB. They both operate at 1600 MHz with CL6-7-6-18 timings and 1.65 V. Model number 998691 comes with Mushkin's usual heatspreader known from the past, while the 998692 kit ships with the company's new Ascent heatspreaders that use a technology developed by Celsia technologies, called eVCI (enhanced Vapor Chamber Interface). Both triple channel kits are to be offered with a lifetime warranty.
Intel Notifies AMD of Cross-License Breach
Intel Corporation today disclosed that the company has notified Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) that it believes AMD has breached a 2001 patent cross-license agreement with Intel. Intel believes that Global Foundries is not a subsidiary under terms of the agreement and is therefore not licensed under the 2001 patent cross-license agreement. Intel also said the structure of the deal between AMD and ATIC breaches a confidential portion of that agreement. Intel has asked AMD to make the relevant portion of the agreement public, but so far AMD has declined to do so. AMD's breach could result in the loss of licenses and rights granted to AMD by Intel under the agreement.
MSI Intros the U110 ECO Wind Netbook with up to 9 Hours of Battery Life
Micro Star International or MSI for short rolled out today the U110 ECO Wind netbook. What's new in the U110 ECO Wind is the extended battery life period, equal to around 9 hours according to the manufacturer. That's roughly enough for a whole day work on the netbook without recharging. Hardware specs of the netbook include a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z530 and Intel's traditionally MID-oriented Menlow chipset with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200. The installed memory is 1 GB DDR2 at 533 MHz (max 2 GB), there's also a 160 GB 2.5-inch HDD, a 1.3 MP built-in webcam, modem, GbE LAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 10-inch 1024x600 LCD display and a legal copy of Windows XP Home or Windows Vista Home Basic to have entire disposal of the hardware.
ECS Launches the G43T-M3 Value Motherboard
Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the world's leading motherboard, graphics card, barebone system and notebook manufacturer, today proudly present the latest G43T-M3 motherboard as the most valuable high definition video solution, delivering the best HD experience for digital home entertainment. Supporting H.264/VC-1/MPEG-2 HD content decoding, ECS G43T-M3 enables the HD video playback with its remarkable hardware-level decoding capability. Targeting at the mainstream segment, the G43T-M3 motherboard is a perfect match for users looking for a solution of digital home entertainment without high price tag.
Lenovo Pocket Yoga Ultra-Wide Netbook Pictures Leaked
Pictured below is Lenovo's legal answer to Sony VAIO P uber netbook. Confirmed to be in the works, Lenovo's Pocket Yoga shares the same ultra-wide, VAIO P-like display and leather outer casing for the best appeal. The concept is still far away from production, however. While there're some final pictures specs, production schedule and availability date are still unknown. From the pictures we can only assume the Pocket Yoga will have a touch sensitive display, an integrated webcam, and a convertible design that would let the display flip backwards to use the device as tablet. Lenovo still has to officially announce the Pocket Yoga ultra-wide netbook. Click here for more pictures and design sketches.
Samsung: Solid-State Will Match Hard Drive Prices in a Few Years Time
In a phone interview with Brian Beard, flash marketing manager for Samsung Semiconductor, CNET have come up with some good news for those of you waiting for the cost of solid-state drives to come down. Solid-state drives are better in almost all ways than current hard drive technology, and they represent the natural step ahead in computing. However there's always something that does not fit well, current solid-state drives are still too expensive to become widely accesible. Mr. Beard says this is about to change in near future. His words exactly:
Flash memory in the last five years has come down 40, 50, 60 percent per year,
Flash on a dollar-per-gigabyte basis will reach price parity, at some point, with hard disk drives in the next few years.In his talk with CNET, Beard also tries to explain why SSD technology is currently more expensive than hard drive technology. If you are interested, you can read the full interview here.
Sapphire Pure CrossFireX 790GX AM3 Motherboard Spotted
Apart from being a major add-in board (AIB) partner for AMD's ATI Radeon and FirePro lines of graphics products, Sapphire is also a notable motherboard manufacturer that has been using chipsets by ATI for several generations of platforms now. Its latest offering is the DDR3-supportive Pure CrossFireX 790GX AM3 motherboard. It has been spotted at a Japanese store, where it was priced at 18,980 JPY (around 192.5 USD).
Based on the AMD 790GX + SB750 chipset, the motherboard features an AM3 CPU socket. Four DDR3 DIMMs provide support for up to 16 GB of DDR3 memory. A 5+1 phase CPU power circuit is present. Heatpipe based cooling spreads heat between the northbridge and VRM heatsinks. The southbridge gets its own small heatsink. Two PCI-Express x16 slots are provided, which arrange as electrically x8, x8 when both are populated. The motherboard lacks onboard lane switching logic, and relies on a switch card that has to be installed on the second PCI-E x16, for the first one to provide all its 16 lanes to the installed graphics card. The motherboard features a Radeon HD 3300 class IGP with dedicated 128 MB of DDR3 sideport memory. Audio-routed HDMI, DVI and D-Sub connectors are provided onboard.
Based on the AMD 790GX + SB750 chipset, the motherboard features an AM3 CPU socket. Four DDR3 DIMMs provide support for up to 16 GB of DDR3 memory. A 5+1 phase CPU power circuit is present. Heatpipe based cooling spreads heat between the northbridge and VRM heatsinks. The southbridge gets its own small heatsink. Two PCI-Express x16 slots are provided, which arrange as electrically x8, x8 when both are populated. The motherboard lacks onboard lane switching logic, and relies on a switch card that has to be installed on the second PCI-E x16, for the first one to provide all its 16 lanes to the installed graphics card. The motherboard features a Radeon HD 3300 class IGP with dedicated 128 MB of DDR3 sideport memory. Audio-routed HDMI, DVI and D-Sub connectors are provided onboard.
DFI LANParty Dark P55 T3eH6 Pictured
DFI seems to be almost ready with a motherboard based on Intel's P55 chipset, that supports the company's upcoming LGA-1156 socket processors. This motherboard did not get the limelight at this year's CeBIT event. It doesn't seem like DFI finalized the board's cooling, hence the pictures don't show coolers over the chipset and VRM areas. The rest of the board's features are pretty visuals:
- 6+2 phase CPU power circuit,
- Four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel DDR3 memory
- P55 chipset used without any additional PCI-Express bridge chip
- Three PCI-E x16 slots, most likely two of them are routed to the CPU, arrange as x8, x8 with both populated, while the third is routed to the P55 chipset's 8-lane PCI-E hub
- Six SATA II ports from the PCH, two from an onboard controller, the same controller also provides an IDE connector
Qimonda Continues to Seek Investment, Production Put on Stand-by
Talks with potential investors regarding a solution to keep Qimonda in operation will continue beyond the end of March 2009. "Various investors have signaled their interest, but as yet there are no binding offers on the table. As anticipated, it will not be possible to reach a conclusive solution by the end of March," announced preliminary insolvency administrator Dr. Michael Jaffé today after a meeting with the creditors committee.
The employees of the insolvent Qimonda AG and Qimonda Dresden OHG will be able to claim compensation by means of statutory insolvency payments until the end of March 2009. By the end of March, the bankruptcy court in Munich will also have received the preliminary insolvency administrator's report on the basis of which the court will make a decision on whether to open insolvency proceedings.
The employees of the insolvent Qimonda AG and Qimonda Dresden OHG will be able to claim compensation by means of statutory insolvency payments until the end of March 2009. By the end of March, the bankruptcy court in Munich will also have received the preliminary insolvency administrator's report on the basis of which the court will make a decision on whether to open insolvency proceedings.
NVIDIA Cancels NVISION 2009
Deteriorating world economy claims another victim in the tech world: NVISION, the annual flagship visual-computing promotional event by NVIDIA for 2009 is reportedly called off, according industry observer DigiTimes. NVISION draws parallels with MacWorld Expo, an event that showcases Apple technologies.
NVIDIA hosts the NVISION event ideally in the third quarter of an year. NVISION '08 was held in between August 25th and 27th, at the San Jose Convention Center, California, United States. The economic decline has reduced the number of attendees considering visiting the show, says NVIDIA. It was added that the company would hold several smaller forums in the coming fall.
NVIDIA hosts the NVISION event ideally in the third quarter of an year. NVISION '08 was held in between August 25th and 27th, at the San Jose Convention Center, California, United States. The economic decline has reduced the number of attendees considering visiting the show, says NVIDIA. It was added that the company would hold several smaller forums in the coming fall.
Sunday, March 15th 2009
AMD Announces ATI Stream SDK Version 1.4
ATI on Friday released ATI Stream Software Development Kit (SDK) version 1.4, the fourth installment of the free toolkit, that provides a way for developers to find what ATI Stream technology is capable of. The standard toolkit delivers a full-featured software development environment that exposes the amazing computational power of AMD GPUs in an easy to use interface. Version 1.4 of the development kit brings many improvements to previous versions, the full list of which is listed below. To download the ATI Stream SDK, please click here.
Mushkin Introduces its first SSD Series called Europe
Mushkin Enhanced, one of the leading manufacturers for High Performance Computer announces the availability of his first SSD-series called "Europe". The capacities are 32, 64, 128, 192 and 256GB in a noble aluminium housing and captivating with aggressive pricing.
"Once, Zeus felt in love with the beautiful Europe, now, every speed enthusiast can do the same." smiles Steffen Eisenstein, CEO of Mushkin Logistic GmbH and looks on the aluminium dressed SSDs. But like always for Mushkin, the inside value is one of the finest: With 150MB/s read and 90MB/s there is a convenient working guaranteed, no stuttering in games for loading, no vibration in your case and no annoying clicking for reading and writing. Due to the integrated Mini-USB 2.0 connector, you can also use the new SSD as an external storage without additional power supply.
"Once, Zeus felt in love with the beautiful Europe, now, every speed enthusiast can do the same." smiles Steffen Eisenstein, CEO of Mushkin Logistic GmbH and looks on the aluminium dressed SSDs. But like always for Mushkin, the inside value is one of the finest: With 150MB/s read and 90MB/s there is a convenient working guaranteed, no stuttering in games for loading, no vibration in your case and no annoying clicking for reading and writing. Due to the integrated Mini-USB 2.0 connector, you can also use the new SSD as an external storage without additional power supply.
Saturday, March 14th 2009
Today's Reviews
Motherboards
Mouse
- Razer Mamba TweakPC (de)
Processors
PSUs
Galaxy Prepares GeForce GTX 260 1792 MB
As NVIDIA partners attempt to cash in on the good sales of GeForce GTX 260, by lining up numerous custom-designed models based on the said GPU, Galaxy has added yet another to its lineup: a GeForce GTX 260 accelerator with twice the amount of memory as its reference design, all 1792 MB of it. Galaxy worked on two areas of this card: cooling and memory. Towards memory, the company chose to use the high-density Samsung K4J10324QD-HJ1A memory chip, that has a capacity of 1 Gb (128 MB). 14 such chips populate the 448-bit GDDR3 memory bus to dole out a total 1792 MB of memory capacity.
Towards cooling, Galaxy used a custom GPU cooler that spans across the length of the card. Its GPU contact block gives out five heatpipes that direct heat to a dense array of alumium fins. Three fans are employed to cool the card. The airflow passively cools the memory, the 4+1 phase VRM area has a heatsink of its own, so does the NVIO2 processor. Expreview put the card through a series of test to bring out its performance increment over the 896 MB GeForce GTX 260. The games World in Conflict and Company of Heroes saw significant increments in average frame-rates.
Towards cooling, Galaxy used a custom GPU cooler that spans across the length of the card. Its GPU contact block gives out five heatpipes that direct heat to a dense array of alumium fins. Three fans are employed to cool the card. The airflow passively cools the memory, the 4+1 phase VRM area has a heatsink of its own, so does the NVIO2 processor. Expreview put the card through a series of test to bring out its performance increment over the 896 MB GeForce GTX 260. The games World in Conflict and Company of Heroes saw significant increments in average frame-rates.
NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) v4.9 Released
The good souls at MVKTech have released a new version of NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor), the popular BIOS tweaking utility for NVIDIA graphics cards. Version 4.9 brings with it a set of feature additions, expanded hardware compatibility and some minor bug fixes. The most significant feature addition is the ability to change voltages beyond the standard ranges. GeForce GTX 285 and GTX 295 are now supported. Minor bug fixes make for the rest of the mix.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA BIOS Editor v4.9
Friday, March 13th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Netbooks
Networking
PSUs
Sound Cards
Zotac Expands its GTX 285 Lineup, Uses Accelero Xtreme Cooler
Zotac has yet another GeForce GTX 285 SKU in the making. This time, it plans to use its own-designed GTX 285 PCB with an Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme GPU cooler. Zotac isn't using the entire kit, as the NVIO2 and VRM heatsinks aren't compatible with this PCB design. Other manufacturers using this cooler for similar graphics cards include Galaxy, which uses it for its GTX 285 2 GB, and Inno3D, which uses the entire kit for its GTX 280 accelerator.
With the new PCB design, Zotac rearranged the card's VRM area. The design differs from another PCB design for the GTX 285 Zotac designed earlier (read here). The card uses 6 vGPU + 3 vMem power phases. Ferrite-core chokes are made use of, and an extra vGPU phase has been added for redundancy and stability (angled chokes next to the power connectors, pictured below). 1 GB memory across a 512-bit interface is present, with the company making use of Hynix N3C 0.77 ns GDDR3 chips. The clock speeds on this card adhere to NVIDIA's specifications: 648/1476/1242 MHz (core/shader/memory). The SKU is almost ready to be announced.
With the new PCB design, Zotac rearranged the card's VRM area. The design differs from another PCB design for the GTX 285 Zotac designed earlier (read here). The card uses 6 vGPU + 3 vMem power phases. Ferrite-core chokes are made use of, and an extra vGPU phase has been added for redundancy and stability (angled chokes next to the power connectors, pictured below). 1 GB memory across a 512-bit interface is present, with the company making use of Hynix N3C 0.77 ns GDDR3 chips. The clock speeds on this card adhere to NVIDIA's specifications: 648/1476/1242 MHz (core/shader/memory). The SKU is almost ready to be announced.
GeCube Pairs Radeon HD 4670 with GDDR4 Memory
Following Sapphire's move to create a Radeon HD 4670 SKU with GDDR4 memory, GeCube has one of its own, ready for launch. The RV730-based graphics card has 512 MB of GDDR4 memory, across a 128-bit wide memory interface. It uses a simplistic design for its PCB and cooler. The card draws all its power from the PCI-Express slot.
The clock speeds on this card differ from the reference ATI specifications. The core is clocked at 750 MHz, with the GDDR4 memory at 2200 MHz. With the memory speed on offer not much higher than what GDDR3 offers, the inclusion of GDDR4 looks more like a dressing to the SKU. It remains to be seen if the memory benefits from overclocking, to overcome the bottlenecks of the narrow memory bus. Rest of its specifications are standard: 320 stream processors, DirectX 10.1 compliance, and support for ATI CrossFireX technology. It is yet to be priced.
The clock speeds on this card differ from the reference ATI specifications. The core is clocked at 750 MHz, with the GDDR4 memory at 2200 MHz. With the memory speed on offer not much higher than what GDDR3 offers, the inclusion of GDDR4 looks more like a dressing to the SKU. It remains to be seen if the memory benefits from overclocking, to overcome the bottlenecks of the narrow memory bus. Rest of its specifications are standard: 320 stream processors, DirectX 10.1 compliance, and support for ATI CrossFireX technology. It is yet to be priced.
NVIDIA Convinced by Board Partners Not to Rename 9800 GT to GTS 240
Following the news we covered just last month of NVIDIA's plans to rename the 9800 GT to GTS 240, despite the fact the 9800 GT was little more than a renamed 8800 GT, it seems the GPU board partners have managed to convince NVIDIA not to follow through with this name change. There had been much controversy over NVIDIA's renaming scheme even here on our forums, but in a confidential email seen by DailyTech, NVIDIA has cancelled plans to rename the chip yet again. Instead there will now be three versions of the 9800 GT, one of which includes the feature updates due to be present in the GTS 240. There will be the green edition, which we had already heard news of some time ago, which has no need for external power connectors, there will be the standard version, and then an OC version, which although details are not yet confirmed, one would imagine the card would be clocked at the GTS 240 expected speeds of 675/1688/2200 MHz.
Thursday, March 12th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Motherboards
Futuremark Launches Peacekeeper Web Browser Benchmark
Futuremark Corporation today unveiled Peacekeeper, a free online benchmarking tool for measuring and comparing the performance of common internet browsers. Competition between browsers has never been as hotly contested, nor have internet users had as many choices as they do now. The big five: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera, see regular releases of new and innovative features and each camp's fans keep many a forum and blog busy. So far, words have been the only shots fired in the long-running browser wars. Now, with Peacekeeper web users finally have an easy to use, impartial tool for measuring and comparing the performance of different web browsers. Peacekeeper is a new online benchmark from Futuremark that realistically simulates the load placed on the browser by common JavaScript functions as used by popular, modern websites. For users who prioritize speed and performance, Peacekeeper helps answer the question of which browser is best for them.
Re-engineered Battery Material Could Lead to Rapid Recharging of Many Devices
MIT engineers have created a kind of beltway that allows for the rapid transit of electrical energy through a well-known battery material, an advance that could usher in smaller, lighter batteries -- for cell phones and other devices -- that could recharge in seconds rather than hours. The work could also allow for the quick recharging of batteries in electric cars, although that particular application would be limited by the amount of power available to a homeowner through the electric grid.
The work, led by Gerbrand Ceder, the Richard P. Simmons Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, is reported in the March 12 issue of Nature. Because the material involved is not new -- the researchers have simply changed the way they make it -- Ceder believes the work could make it into the marketplace within two to three years.
The work, led by Gerbrand Ceder, the Richard P. Simmons Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, is reported in the March 12 issue of Nature. Because the material involved is not new -- the researchers have simply changed the way they make it -- Ceder believes the work could make it into the marketplace within two to three years.
Spire Introduces BlackMoon Power Supplies Series
Spire today launched the BlackMoon PSU Series. Aimed squarely at the gaming community the BlackMoon series of power supplies are a great selection for extreme power demand. Fashioned in neat black steel enclosures and equipped with the signature Spire 120mm Silent Blue LED fan, keeping air flowing and your system running cool. Trust the brand with the industry leading specifications and award winning service program, Spire - Powered by
Innovation.
Innovation.
New VIA VX855 Media System Processor Brings Power-Efficiency to 1080p HD Playback
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA VX855 Media System Processor (MSP) - an ultra power efficient, all-in-one chipset that addresses the key performance and entertainment requirements of today's small form factor and mobile PC systems.
Increasingly, content is being filmed in high-definition (HD), with movies, TV shows and sporting events taking advantage of the smooth playback, extraordinary picture clarity, and brilliant colors that HD video offers. However, until now the high bit-rates associated with quality HD video have posed a real challenge to the processing capabilities of power efficient PC systems such as those found in small form factor and mobile devices.
Increasingly, content is being filmed in high-definition (HD), with movies, TV shows and sporting events taking advantage of the smooth playback, extraordinary picture clarity, and brilliant colors that HD video offers. However, until now the high bit-rates associated with quality HD video have posed a real challenge to the processing capabilities of power efficient PC systems such as those found in small form factor and mobile devices.
Crytek CryENGINE 3 to be On Display at This Year's GDC Expo
Crytek has announced that CryENGINE 3 is ready and will be on display from March 25th to March 27th at this year's Game Developers Conference or GDC Expo in San Francisco. In contrast to the previous engine, CryENGINE 3 will support all major upcoming platforms as well as current platforms including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, MMO, and PC's DX9/DX10. Carl Jones, director of business development, refused to give more information. He was very brief in his statement:
CryENGINE 3 is a revolutionary change from our previous PC-only engines - and we're applying a similar revolution to the service we provide to developers using the software to create extraordinary games. CryENGINE 3 will set the benchmark for complete game engine solutions in performance, and services to game engine licensees and their players. We've been preparing a long time for CryENGINE on consoles and we're confident that Crytek will again amaze developers at GDC.Be prepared for additional info at the end of the month.
Report: ASUS Plans Merger of Eee PC and Notebook Departments
Although company officials decline to comment on the story, third party informers claim that ASUSTeK is considering consolidating its Eee PC and notebook departments to help increase efficiency and decrease the management costs for the two departments. With no official information to work with, details are sketchy, but at least we know something is going on. If not, you'll be the first to know.
Asustek Computer is considering consolidating its Eee PC and notebook departments to help increase efficiency and decrease the management costs for the two departments, according to market sources. The sources have noted that Asustek has already sent out documents of the merger plan to all related department personnel and will work out a schedule in the near future.
Asustek president Jerry Shen has declined to comment on the sources' claims.
Apricorn Introduces the Largest Capacity 1.8-inch Pocket Drive on the Market
Apricorn, the leader in personal storage, announced today the 240 GB capacity enhancement for the Aegis Mini, making it the largest capacity 1.8" external drive available on the market. Small enough to slip in a shirt pocket, Aegis Mini is an ultra-portable 1.8-inch external drive with USB 2.0 or FireWire connection. With added capacity, users can now hold up to 60,000 songs, 50,000 photos or 300 hours of video, a 50 percent increase in capacity from its 160GB predecessor.
Smaller than a deck of cards and weighing in at a mere 3.7g, Apricorn's tiny portable drive offers simplicity and convenience. Its compact design centers around a 16-point omni-directional shock-mounted 1.8" hard drive, protecting the drive from the rigors of travel. With extremely low power demands the Aegis Mini is able to power on a single USB connection, helping to conserve notebook battery life and ensuring that the drive powers on all notebooks, including newer more power efficient models.
Smaller than a deck of cards and weighing in at a mere 3.7g, Apricorn's tiny portable drive offers simplicity and convenience. Its compact design centers around a 16-point omni-directional shock-mounted 1.8" hard drive, protecting the drive from the rigors of travel. With extremely low power demands the Aegis Mini is able to power on a single USB connection, helping to conserve notebook battery life and ensuring that the drive powers on all notebooks, including newer more power efficient models.
EVGA Announces Loaner Program for US and Canada Citizens
As of yesterday, EVGA is promoting its Loaner Program which gives you the opportunity to test out the latest EVGA hardware for two weeks right in your home for free. Here's how it works. First you need a free registration (free), then you need to choose the product you want to receive. The company will randomly select participants and then send out the product you wished for at no cost. Once your two weeks with the product are up, you simply pay the shipping cost to the next person on the list selected by EVGA. There's one more catch, you need to be living the US or Canada to be eligible for the program. For now the only two products available in the Loaner Program are the EVGA X58 Classified motherboard, and a 22" Samsung monithor with 3D Vision Glasses. If you meet the requirements, you can sign up for them at any time here.
Micron Announces Industry’s Highest Density Block Abstracted NAND Flash Memory
Micron Technology, today announced its high-density portfolio of block abstracted (BA) NAND flash memory for use in personal media players and other applications. Utilizing Micron's industry-leading 34nm process technology, BA NAND is a single-package solution-combining MLC NAND with a memory controller that eliminates the need for controllers/systems to undergo arduous re-designs in order to adopt successive generations of NAND.
Currently, most NAND flash memory host controllers are tasked with managing critical NAND functions such as block management and wear-leveling algorithms, and providing adequate error correction code (ECC) coverage to assure system reliability. However, because these features are becoming more advanced with every generation of NAND, designers are required to keep up with the latest innovations in order for their chipsets to properly manage NAND and assure reliable system operation.
Currently, most NAND flash memory host controllers are tasked with managing critical NAND functions such as block management and wear-leveling algorithms, and providing adequate error correction code (ECC) coverage to assure system reliability. However, because these features are becoming more advanced with every generation of NAND, designers are required to keep up with the latest innovations in order for their chipsets to properly manage NAND and assure reliable system operation.
Dell Launches Multi-Touch Studio One 19 PC in Japan
Dell today debuted its new multi-touch Studio One 19 PC in Japan. The all-in-one "entertainment PC" comes in a variety of colors to match your kitchen's main accent. The best you can put in the Studio One 19 is an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, 4 GB of memory, 750 GB hard disk, 6x USB, integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, and NVIDIA GeForce 9400 graphics, and a Blu-ray player. Of course, you can choose from a number of other parts, and make the final price more affordable. All configurations ship with the same 18.5-inch 16:9 (1366x768) HD display. It is up to you to decide whether you want it with multi-touch capabilities or you want the normal glossy screen. Starting price of the Studio One 19 is ¥149,800 or around US $1,538.
EVGA X58 Classified Ready for Launch
EVGA is set to announce the X58 Classified motherboard. The Intel Core i7 compatible motherboard is set to be one of the most feature-rich and expensive LGA-1366 motherboards till date. The design focus of this motherboard is based on the power-circuitry that fuels its various components. A 1.33 MHz 10-phase digital PWM circuitry with dual 8-pin 12V inputs, along with 4-phase circuit for the DDR3 memory, and 3-phase NB power. Four PCI-E x16 slots driven by the Intel X58 chipset in conjuction with NVIDIA's nForce BR-03 chipset adds 3-way SLI + an additional slot for a GeForce accelerator dedicated to process PhysX. Elaborate heatpipe-driven coolers over the board's northbridge and VRM areas keep temperatures under check. The X58 Classified is priced at US $449, and will start selling shortly. The product has made it to EVGA's catalogues and its product page online. A demonstration video of the product by EVGA can be viewed here.
MSI Introduces VR430 Notebook
Combining Color Film Print Technology with ocean wave patterns in design, MSI VR430 incorporates a brand new aesthetic concept to the personal laptop computers. Moreover, VR430 features MSI exclusive ECO Engine, the outstanding and unique power saving function invented by MSI Notebook, as the power management function to extend the battery running time while performing different tasks. With attractive appearance and excellent computing capacity, VR430 is your perfect choice for a fancy but also powerful NB.
With 1280x800 high resolution, perfect length and width ratio for the 14.1" LCD monitor, VR430 can liven up your presentations and briefings at work with impressive and vivid colors. On the other hand, it is also capable of displaying DVD caliber images to enhance your viewing pleasures. What's more, slim design along with a weight of at most 2.2kg is much more portable in the market, making it the suitable choice for business consumers on the run. With built-in 1.3 mega pixel webcam and internal microphone, VR430 enables you to engage in real-time sharing and live-video, such as participating in videoconferencing in order to enhance your work efficiency. Additionally, VR430 has a 4-in-1 card reader and 3 well distributed USB 2.0 ports, facilitates connection with various types of computer peripherals. The VR430 is ideal for any environment, whether home, office, or school.
With 1280x800 high resolution, perfect length and width ratio for the 14.1" LCD monitor, VR430 can liven up your presentations and briefings at work with impressive and vivid colors. On the other hand, it is also capable of displaying DVD caliber images to enhance your viewing pleasures. What's more, slim design along with a weight of at most 2.2kg is much more portable in the market, making it the suitable choice for business consumers on the run. With built-in 1.3 mega pixel webcam and internal microphone, VR430 enables you to engage in real-time sharing and live-video, such as participating in videoconferencing in order to enhance your work efficiency. Additionally, VR430 has a 4-in-1 card reader and 3 well distributed USB 2.0 ports, facilitates connection with various types of computer peripherals. The VR430 is ideal for any environment, whether home, office, or school.
Wednesday, March 11th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Monitors
Motherboards
Netbooks
Notebooks
Processors
FiiO E3 & E5 Portable Headphone Amplifier Review
When it comes to portable headphone amplifiers one brand that has everybody talking is FiiO. Their inexpensive portable headphone amplifiers shook the market and has gained immense popularity. Read on as we take the E3 and E5 out for a spin.
Fusion-io Announces the ioDrive Duo - The World's Fastest and Most Innovative SSD
Fusion-io, the leader in solid-state architecture and high-performance I/O solutions, today announced the ioDrive Duo, which doubles the slot capacity of Fusion-io's successful PCI Express-based ioDrive storage solution. The new ioDrive Duo is the market's fastest and most innovative server-based solid-state storage solution.
With the ioDrive Duo, it is now possible for application, database and system administrators to get previously unheard-of levels of performance, protection and capacity utilization from a single server. Performance for multiple ioDrive Duos scales linearly, allowing any enterprise to scale performance to six gigabytes per-second (Gbytes/sec) of read bandwidth and over 500,000 read IOPS by using just four ioDrive Duos.
With the ioDrive Duo, it is now possible for application, database and system administrators to get previously unheard-of levels of performance, protection and capacity utilization from a single server. Performance for multiple ioDrive Duos scales linearly, allowing any enterprise to scale performance to six gigabytes per-second (Gbytes/sec) of read bandwidth and over 500,000 read IOPS by using just four ioDrive Duos.
Klipsch Annouces Image S4 and S2 Series In-Ear Headphones
Stepping up competition in the mid-range in-ear headphones market, Klipsch today announced its Image S4 and S2 models. The series holds the most affordable in-ear headphones in Klipsch's lineup. The Image S4 and S2 are priced at US $79 and $49 respectively. Despite its market placement, the headphones come with bundles that add value, with the critically acclaimed oval "ear-gels", and a carrying case.
The Image S4 boasts of the first dual-magnet micro-speakers, which should yield better bass responsiveness according to the company. The Image S2 has near-identical specifications except for that it carries angled nozzles and a standard driver. For the Image S4, the frequency-response is ranged at 10 Hz to 20 KHz. Its sensitivity is measured at 110 db SPL/mW, and nominal impedance at 18 ohm. A standard 3.5 mm stereo jack serves as its input.
The Image S4 boasts of the first dual-magnet micro-speakers, which should yield better bass responsiveness according to the company. The Image S2 has near-identical specifications except for that it carries angled nozzles and a standard driver. For the Image S4, the frequency-response is ranged at 10 Hz to 20 KHz. Its sensitivity is measured at 110 db SPL/mW, and nominal impedance at 18 ohm. A standard 3.5 mm stereo jack serves as its input.
Apple Launches the 3rd-Generation iPod Shuffle with 4 GB Internal Storage
Apple today introduced the all-new iPod shuffle. The world's smallest music player, the 3rd-generation iPod shuffle is nearly half the size of the previous model. To control it, you use the new earphone cord. Best of all, it talks to you. Thanks to the new VoiceOver feature, iPod shuffle speaks your song titles, artists, and playlist names. The player comes only with 4 GB internal flash drive, no other capacities are available, but four gigabytes are enough to hold up to 1000 songs. Available today in silver or black, the Apple iPod shuffle 3rd gen costs just $79. Find more info here.
Buffalo Designs Stylish New External HDD
Storage and peripherals specialist Buffalo announced the HD-PEU2-RD external hard drive. It is designed to woo the fairer sex with its glossy coloured shells, available in red, white and black. The 81 (W) x 16 (H) x 130 (D) mm shell houses a 2.5 inch hard drive, which comes in capacities starting from 250 GB to 500 GB. The unit tips scales at 190 g. The drive uses USB 2.0 to connect to any PC or Mac. Depending on the capacity of the hard drive, the HD-PEU2-RD is priced between $95 for the 250 GB model, and $171 for the 500 GB model.
CrossOver to Bring DirectX 10 Support to Linux and Mac
Codeweavers, the company behind CrossOver, a software that allows Linux and Mac users to run Windows applications, is readying support for Microsoft's DirectX 10 API on in upcoming versions of CrossOver Games. CrossOver Games is a variant of the software specifically designed to run games for Windows with near-complete software API support.
In his blog, Jeremy White, a lead developer for CrossOver products reviewed how much they had achieved on the goals they set eight months ago in the development roadmap. "We've just shipped a lot of those "under the hood" improvements for games out in CrossOver Games 7.2. We're really pushing Direct X 9 support pretty far along, and getting ready to move on DirectX 10." said White.
In his blog, Jeremy White, a lead developer for CrossOver products reviewed how much they had achieved on the goals they set eight months ago in the development roadmap. "We've just shipped a lot of those "under the hood" improvements for games out in CrossOver Games 7.2. We're really pushing Direct X 9 support pretty far along, and getting ready to move on DirectX 10." said White.
AMD Announces Shipment of the 50 Millionth Graphics Processor for Wii From Nintendo
AMD announced that the 50 millionth ATI 'Hollywood' graphics processor for the Wii game console from Nintendo shipped today. With 50 million units delivered, the ATI graphics processor code-named 'Hollywood' becomes the most successful AMD game console chip to date in terms of unit sales.
"Nintendo values its ongoing relationship with AMD. AMD's graphics technology expertise as displayed in the ATI 'Hollywood' chip is a great part of the momentum of Wii. Our combined efforts help deliver entertaining experiences to create many smiling faces in living rooms around the world," said Genyo Takeda, general manager of Integrated Research and Development, Nintendo Co., Ltd.
"Nintendo values its ongoing relationship with AMD. AMD's graphics technology expertise as displayed in the ATI 'Hollywood' chip is a great part of the momentum of Wii. Our combined efforts help deliver entertaining experiences to create many smiling faces in living rooms around the world," said Genyo Takeda, general manager of Integrated Research and Development, Nintendo Co., Ltd.
New Company - Caustic Graphics - Breaks Barriers in 3D Graphics
Caustic Graphics, a new 3D computer graphics company, launches today with a fundamental breakthrough in raytracing acceleration that is set to define a new era in professional 3D production and interactive consumer graphics. Raytracing, the gold-standard for creating 3D imagery, duplicates the natural physics of light, creating stunning images by meticulously tracing the path of light to and throughout any given scene.
Caustic's first-generation technology will deliver an average 20X increase in the speed used to create stunning, realistic 3D imagery for film and video, game development, as well as automotive and consumer product design. The second generation of Caustic's technology, due early next year, is expected to gain an additional order of magnitude in performance, offering 200X speed over today's state-of-the-art graphics products. This massive speed jump is due to Caustic's patent-pending raytracing algorithms implemented in a semiconductor design.
Caustic's first-generation technology will deliver an average 20X increase in the speed used to create stunning, realistic 3D imagery for film and video, game development, as well as automotive and consumer product design. The second generation of Caustic's technology, due early next year, is expected to gain an additional order of magnitude in performance, offering 200X speed over today's state-of-the-art graphics products. This massive speed jump is due to Caustic's patent-pending raytracing algorithms implemented in a semiconductor design.
A-DATA's New 2.5-inch SSD 300 Plus to Offer 250 MB/sec, 160 MB/sec Transfer Speeds
A-DATA Technology, a worldwide leader in high-performance RAM products and Data Storage, announced today its new 2.5-inch SATA 3.0Gbps SSD 300 Plus, a next generation solid-state drive with performance significantly increased. Adopting some latest SSD controller design with 64 MB SDRAM of data buffer, the new 300 Plus SSD is able to read data at 250 MB/sec and write at 160 MB/sec. A-DATA will ship 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB models of the drives, sometime this year.
GALAXY Prepares Custom GeForce GTX 285 with 2 GB Memory
NVIDIA graphics partner GALAXY Microsystems is in preparation of a new custom designed GeForce GTX 285 video card with 2 GB of onboard GDDR3 (0.8ns) memory. The tricked out card will feature Arctic Cooling's Accelero EXTREME triple fan heatsink and stock clock speeds that can be changed at any time - 648 MHz core/ 1476 MHz shader/ 2484 MHz memory. The card comes with a digital PWM design whereas the reference design comes with 6 phase analog power. Two BIOS chips are also presented on the blue PCB of the card. It is also compatible with GALAXY's Xtreme Tuner Utility software, that allows users to manipulate things like BIOS recovery, fan speed, and clock settings.
Dell Adds Three New Laser Printers to its Portfolio
Dell today added three laser printers to its printer product line. The printers introduced today are the two color multifunction models 1235cn and 2145cn, and the budget-priced offering in the black & white category - 2230d. Each printer is Energy Star certified and RoHS compliant.
MSI Intros the VX600 15.4-inch Laptop
Micro Star International (MSI) on Tuesday announced the VX600 15.4-inch notebook. This portable device runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD3410 graphics, up to 4 GB memory, up to 320 GB HDD, and comes with a 15.4-inch (1280x800) LCD display. Full specs are listed below. In addition, the VX600 comes with an ECO Engine Power Management System, that allows switching between 5 different modes - Gaming mode, Movie mode, Presentation mode, Office mode, and Turbo Battery mode - with single touch of a button. No price or availability date were announced.
Tuesday, March 10th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
PSUs
Galaxy GeForce GTS 250 1 GB Review
While NVIDIA's GTS 250 isn't really new technology, Galaxy has chosen to put an Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo cooler on their card. Even though it uses two fans, the card is extremely quiet making it an excellent choice for a media PC. The best is that it won't cost you anything extra. Galaxy is offering their cards at NVIDIA's reference design MSRP of $149.
Correction: GeForce GTX 260 In For Yet Another Price Cut
Information from an industry source was misinterpreted by VR-Zone yesterday, which wrote in its original report that the ATI Radeon HD 4870 1 GB was going to get a price-cut from $199 down to $179. In reality, it is the GeForce GTX 260 that is expected to get the price cut, sending its price down to $179.
NVIDIA had implemented significant reductions in prices of GeForce GTX 260 accelerators as recently as today, setting its price to $199. AMD may react to this move with its own new pricing scales for the competitive Radeon HD 4870 accelerator. There is no word on when the new pricing would be implemented.
NVIDIA had implemented significant reductions in prices of GeForce GTX 260 accelerators as recently as today, setting its price to $199. AMD may react to this move with its own new pricing scales for the competitive Radeon HD 4870 accelerator. There is no word on when the new pricing would be implemented.
Sharkoon Unveils FireGlider Gaming Mouse
Sharkoon has expanded its Rush gamer line with a new, high-quality laser mouse. The Sharkoon FireGlider Gaming Mouse features an ergonomically formed body, six programmable buttons, weight tuning system and a stylish high-gloss flame design. The black thumb pad features a no-slip grip with angled slits to provide excellent stability even in the most frantic of situations.
The high-quality ADNS-6010 sensor has a maximum resolution of 3600 DPI (7080 fps) and can handle acceleration speeds of up to 20 Gs. The refresh rate can be adjusted on the fly from 600 - 3600 DPI, and multi-colour LEDs show users what the current rate is. Super fast Teflon mouse feet allow for ultra-smooth movement on hard surfaces.
The high-quality ADNS-6010 sensor has a maximum resolution of 3600 DPI (7080 fps) and can handle acceleration speeds of up to 20 Gs. The refresh rate can be adjusted on the fly from 600 - 3600 DPI, and multi-colour LEDs show users what the current rate is. Super fast Teflon mouse feet allow for ultra-smooth movement on hard surfaces.
NVIDIA Preparing GeForce GTX 275, RV790XT in Sights
AMD is on the course of releasing a new line of high performance products based on its upcoming RV790 graphics processor. The high-end single GPU SKU, Radeon HD 4890 is expected to be competitive with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 260 (216 SP). NVIDIA on the other end of the field, is planning a retaliation to the RV790. The GPU giant is carving out a new SKU based on the 55 nm G200b: GeForce GTX 275.
The new SKU will be placed in the US $225~275 range. While the specifications are not known at this point in time, there are two theories: G200b with 216 stream processors and a 512-bit memory interface, and the other theory suggesting 240 stream processors with the existing 448-bit memory interface on GTX 260. The latter looks inexpensive as the former would step up manufacturing costs due to the addition of two memory chips.
The new SKU will be placed in the US $225~275 range. While the specifications are not known at this point in time, there are two theories: G200b with 216 stream processors and a 512-bit memory interface, and the other theory suggesting 240 stream processors with the existing 448-bit memory interface on GTX 260. The latter looks inexpensive as the former would step up manufacturing costs due to the addition of two memory chips.
NVIDIA Looking for the Next Great GPU Computing Company
NVIDIA Corporation, inventor of the GPU, today announced the launch of the GPU Ventures Program, a new global initiative whose aim is to identify, support and invest in early stage companies leveraging the GPU for visual and other computing applications. NVIDIA is also launching the GPU Venture Zone website, a portal to publicly showcase the innovative GPU applications being developed by its ecosystem partners.
"The GPU Ventures Program represents a huge opportunity for young ambitious companies basing their businesses around the GPU. These companies are the innovators that will fuel the continued growth of the GPU platform," said Jeff Herbst, vice president of business development at NVIDIA. "Through this program we will provide financial, marketing and other support to help start-up companies realize their full potential and we strongly encourage interested entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and others to reach out to us with their ideas."
"The GPU Ventures Program represents a huge opportunity for young ambitious companies basing their businesses around the GPU. These companies are the innovators that will fuel the continued growth of the GPU platform," said Jeff Herbst, vice president of business development at NVIDIA. "Through this program we will provide financial, marketing and other support to help start-up companies realize their full potential and we strongly encourage interested entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and others to reach out to us with their ideas."
Microsoft Adds New Notebook Accessories
Notebook sales are now outpacing desktop PCs three to one, and to meet that growth, the Microsoft Hardware Group is entering a new category of notebook accessories with the introduction of the Notebook Cooling Base, designed to make notebook use more comfortable with a built-in fan and sleek form. Microsoft Corp. is also responding to the rapid success of the Arc Mouse, which reached the top-10 list of best-selling mice after just two months on the market, by releasing the award-winning mouse in four special edition colors: deep olive green, marine blue, eggplant purple and frost white. These products provide a great way for people to display their unique style and work in comfort on their notebooks.
NVIDIA Might Cut the Price of GeForce GTX 260 to $199
Our friends from Guru of 3D alarm that NVIDIA might cut the price of GeForce GTX 260 by up to $30 from its current price tag. With the new price in position the GeForce GTX 260 should drop to around $199 and thus enter in the same league as ATI's Radeon HD 4870 with 1 GB memory. The price cut is direct result of ATI's recent price reductions that soften the price of both Radeon HD 4870 512 MB and Radeon HD 4850 512 MB.
VIA and 200 Partners to Define the Future of the Mini-Notebook at VIA GMB
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA Global Mobility Bazaar (GMB) Tech Forum Spring, which will be held on March 17th 2009 in Shenzhen, China. Building on the success of the first VIA GMB event in October of last year, the VIA GMB Tech Forum Spring will bring together a host of PC manufacturing and infrastructure partners focused on delivering affordable, power efficient mini-notebooks to global markets. The VIA GMB Alliance was established last year as part of VIA's long-term commitment to inspire innovation in mobile computing devices by sharing its leading-edge technology and expertise in power efficient x86 processor platforms.
Samsung Brings 40-nm Technology to Production of Advanced Fusion Memory–Flex-OneNAND
Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has begun using 40-nanometer (nm) process technology to produce an eight-gigabit (Gb) Flex-OneNAND fusion memory chip. Samsung's Flex-OneNAND is a proprietary memory device that provides both SLC and MLC NAND in a single cost-efficient chip. It has been designed for applications that require high speed and high reliability in processing both code and data content. Applications using Flex-OneNAND are expected to expand from high-performance smart phones today, to full HDTVs, IPTVs and other high-end applications by year end.
NVIDIA OEM GeForce G 100 Series Cards Launched
NVIDIA today stealthy placed on its website the rebranded cards that are going to take over the old GeForce 9 series in the OEM market. Announced without big PR, and not available for individual purchase, the OEM GeForce GTS 150, GeForce GT 130, GeForce GT 120 and GeForce G 100 series are the well known GeForce 9800 GTX+, GeForce 9600 GSO, GeForce 9500 GT and GeForce 9400 GS under new names. All cards are DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 compatible, and use PCI-Express x16 interfaces. The GeForce GTS 150 has a 256-bit memory interface, 1 GB of GDDR3 memory and 738 MHz/1836 MHz/1000 MHz core/shader/memory clock speeds. The "new" GeForce 9600 GSO has a 192-bit memory interface, 768 MB of RAM and 500 MHz/1250 MHz/ 500 MHz core/shader/memory clocks. Тhe 9500 GT resembling GeForce GT 120 sports 128-bit memory interface, up to 512 MB DDR2 config, and 500 MHz/1400 MHz/500 MHz core/shader/memory clock speeds. Finally the GeForce G 100 look-alike features 64-bit memory interface, 512 MB DDR2 memory and 567 MHz/1400 MHz/500 MHz core/shader/memory clock speeds.
Rumor: Apple Preparing a Netbook ?
According to both DigiTimes and the Chinese Commercial Times, Taiwan-based Wintek will supply touch panels for a new Apple portable device, which brings forward again the question if Apple is really going to introduce a netbook any time soon? Although company chief Steve Jobs commented that Apple couldn't successfully build a suitable netbook for under the $1,000 price range, reports say exactly the opposite.
Taiwan-based Wintek will supply touch panels for Apple's new netbook, and shipments will start in the third quarter this year, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report. Wintek revealed that it is currently working with Apple to develop some new products, but it said it does not know what applications the new products are for. Wintek added that no shipment schedule has been worked out yet, but shipments are likely to begin in the second half of the year. Quanta Computer will be the maker of Apple's new netbook, the Commerical Times report said., DigiTimes says. I personally can't see Apple selling a netbook somewhere near the $500 price tag, a price that's high but acceptable for a netbook now a days. Apple's badge has been a symbol for people with deep pockets for ages, all Apple PCs are overpriced we must admit and a single netbook (if true) will change nothing.
Rambus and Hynix Agree on Damages and Terms for Compulsory License
Rambus today announced that it has agreed in principle to terms for a compulsory license with Hynix Semiconductor (000660.KS) for SDR SDRAM and DDR SDRAM memory products. The parties have agreed to royalty rates of 1% for SDR SDRAM and 4.25% for DDR SDRAM memory devices for net sales after January 31, 2009 and before April 18, 2010. The latter rate applies to DDR, DDR2, DDR3, GDDR, GDDR2 and GDDR3 SDRAM devices, as well as DDR SGRAM devices. In addition, a proposed final judgment of $349M in damages, plus pre-judgment interest of approximately $48M has been submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The final amount of pre-judgment interest depends on the date final judgment is entered. Damages and royalty rates are limited to U.S. infringements.
Dell Presents Second-Generation Fully-Rugged Latitude E6400 XFR Laptop
If your work requires special equipment or if your wife is clumsy enough to spill water on the family notebook every once in a month than you have urgent need of Dell's second-gen Latitude E6400 XFR. With its super-rugged design the Latitude E6400 XFR is engineered to withstand heat, dust, vibrations, impacts and direct blasts of pressurized water (your wife's spilled glass of water won't be an excuse for a new laptop anymore). The laptop's body is made of a material Dell calls PR481, which is said to have twice the impact strength of magnesium alloy and structural stability at extreme temperatures. Because of PR481, the Latitude E6400 XFR also meets 13 military specifications (MIL STD 810F), including drop tests, sea fog, temperature extremes, thermal shock and explosive environments. Inside the armor is a Core 2 Duo processor paired up with both a discrete 256 MB DDR2 NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M and an integrated Intel 4500MHD video cards that drive a sunlight-readable 14.1-inch WXGA display. The Latitude E6400 XFR also comes with a 12-cell battery with ExpressCharge for faster battery re-charge times. All the features come with a price of course, the laptop's starting price is $4,299. For a video overview of the Latitude XFR E6400, take a look at this blog here.
LaCie Introduces Three ''Keys'' for Handy Portable Storage
Today LaCie announced three new ways to carry digital content - LaCie itsaKey, iamaKey and PassKey USB key drives, design by 5.5 Designers. The inventive, compact key-shaped design conveniently fits in a pocket or on a key ring. The itsaKey and iamaKey store up to 8 gigabytes of flash memory. Alternatively, the PassKey has a built-in microSD card reader, which allows you to use your memory cards as stylish and handy USB keys.
EVGA Precision 1.5.1 Released
EVGA's Precision tool becomes more of an NVIDIA driver, a new version is being released almost every day. Well, you've probably downloaded what you thought is the latest version a week ago, but a new and updated release 1.51 is up for grabs now. This program allows you to fine tune your graphics card (your EVGA card in particular) for the maximum performance possible, with Core/Shader/Memory clock tuning, real time monitoring support including in-game, Logitech Keyboard LCD Display support, and compatibility with a vast number of graphics cards. A reminder, you need to make a registration and log in here, to download the program.
Monday, March 9th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Memory
Multimedia
Thecus N4100 Pro Review
The Thecus N4100 Pro is a relatively low cost four bay NAS. It features basically all features the other models do and promises high performance. Where is the catch? We tested the N4100 to find out.
Solidata Launches 2.5-inch IDE Solid-State Drives
Solidata recently started offering new P2 2.5-inch solid-state drives that come with an IDE interface. These drives are perfect for owners of older machines that do not support SATA ports, or just people that prefer the old 80-pin IDE cables over the new SATA ones. The firm is currently offering 32 GB and 64 GB versions of the IDE SSDs. The P2 drives use MLC SSD with a maximum read speed of 90 MB/sec, and maximum write speed of 70 MB/sec. The power consumption of these drives is 0.24 W at standby while the peak consumption is 0.5 W. Dimensions are standard at 100 x 70 x 9.5 mm (width x depth x height) and the drives weight exactly 75 g.
Intel to Discontinue Celeron D 326 and Core 2 Extreme X7800
Intel recently added two processors to its list of parts that are soon to be dicontinued forever.The models planned for retirement are the desktop 90nm 2.53 GHz Intel Celeron D 326 (256 KB L2 cache) and the tray version of the mobile 65nm 2.60 GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 (4 MB L2 cache). The Celeron 326 will be available for orders up until March 12, 2010 and ship till September 10, 2010. The mobile X7800 will be listed till June 19, 2009 and ship until February 19, 2010.
BFG Announces Availability of the Watercooled GeForce GTX 285 H20 Graphics Card
BFG Technologies, the leading North American and European supplier of advanced NVIDIA-based 3D graphics cards, power supplies, and the Phobos High-Performance Gaming/Home Theater System, announced today the BFG GeForce GTX 285 H2O graphics card with ThermoIntelligence Water Cooling Solution.
The BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 H2O 1GB graphics card features a totally silent, exceptionally efficient BFG ThermoIntelligence copper water block. Co-developed by BFG and Danger Den, this single slot solution delivers up to a 42°C lower GPU operating temperature than reference cooling solutions, and is backed by BFG's lifetime warranty and 24/7/365 free technical support.
The BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 H2O 1GB graphics card features a totally silent, exceptionally efficient BFG ThermoIntelligence copper water block. Co-developed by BFG and Danger Den, this single slot solution delivers up to a 42°C lower GPU operating temperature than reference cooling solutions, and is backed by BFG's lifetime warranty and 24/7/365 free technical support.
Silicon Power Launches Xpower DDR2 -1066 MHz 4 GB Overclocking Memory Kit
Silicon Power has unveiled its first overclocking DRAM product called the Xpower series for gamers, and all power users that demand top of the line memory. Available in 2x2 GB configuration, the new Silicon Power Xpower DDR2 RAM operates at 1066 MHz using CAS latency of CL5-5-5-15 at 2.0 Volts. Typical for modern high-performance memory modules, the Xpower series are covered with an aluminum heatsinks for better heat distribution. These Silicon Power DDR2 kits are also backed with a lifetime warranty.
Head-Direct Prepares New IEM With Enhanced Materials
Experts in making personal audio hardware, Head-Direct, gave us a sneak peak into a new in-ear monitor (IEM) it is coming up with. Yet to be assigned a proper trade name, the IEM packs a clever use of materials that add to its comfort and performance, both of which are imperative in products of its class and market positioning. The IEM features a soft shell casing. It features a dynamic titanium driver with silver voice coils. The materials going into making the voice coil and the diaphragm correct some of areas where older versions of IEM by the company needed improvement. A possible downside of the design is that it manages a relatively less voice attenuation of 20 dBA. A list of preliminary specifications given to us is as follows:
- In-ear design offers 20 dB noise-isolation capability
- iPhone compatible 3.5mm mini-jack plug
- Powerful 9mm Neodymium magnet drivers
- Soft material structure offer same quality comfort as custom IEM
- Cable-fit slider adjust the length of the cables
- Titanium diaphragm and silver voice coil wire
Seagate and AMD Unveil World's First Demonstration of Serial ATA 6 Gbps
Seagate, teaming with microprocessor manufacturing leader Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) at the Everything Channel Xchange Conference in New Orleans this week, today unveiled the world's first public demonstration of next-generation high-speed data transfer - Serial ATA 6Gigabit/second - for bandwidth-hungry desktop and laptop PC applications including gaming, streaming video and graphics multimedia.
The Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/second storage interface will deliver the highest performance - burst speeds of up to 6Gigabits per second - for all PC applications, maintain backward compatibility with the SATA 3Gb/second and SATA 1.5Gb/second interfaces, and use the same cables and connectors as previous SATA generations to ease integration. The third generation of the mainstream storage interface for desktop and notebook computers also enhances power efficiency and improves Native Command Queuing, a SATA feature, to increase overall system performance and data transfer speeds of mainstream PC applications but especially applications with heavily transactional workloads such as scientific modeling and forecasting, and engineering design and simulation.
The Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/second storage interface will deliver the highest performance - burst speeds of up to 6Gigabits per second - for all PC applications, maintain backward compatibility with the SATA 3Gb/second and SATA 1.5Gb/second interfaces, and use the same cables and connectors as previous SATA generations to ease integration. The third generation of the mainstream storage interface for desktop and notebook computers also enhances power efficiency and improves Native Command Queuing, a SATA feature, to increase overall system performance and data transfer speeds of mainstream PC applications but especially applications with heavily transactional workloads such as scientific modeling and forecasting, and engineering design and simulation.
Sapphire Readying HD 4870 With 2 GB Memory
ATI Radeon specialist Sapphire is preparing a new SKU based on its recently unveiled cooler design based on its Vapor-Chamber technology. In an attempt to step up performance and spicing up specifications sheets, the company plans to load 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on an HD 4870 accelerator. To hold that much memory, GDDR5 chips are populated on both sides of the PCB. The chips on the back of the card are cooled by a heatsink, while the ones in the front are subjected to the fan's air-flow. The card uses reference AMD clock speeds of 750/900 MHz (core/memory). DVI, D-Sub and DisplayPort make for the card's connectivity. It is expected to be priced at 258 EUR.
Phenom II X4 800 Series Can Address Full 6 MB L3 Cache
While AMD played smart in diverting all its engineering resources in designing only one core: the Deneb / Shanghai, and then carving out umpteen SKUs out of them based on disabling cores, and/or setting L3 cache amounts, its implementation seems to be shoddy, to the least. Weeks ago, a Korean enthusiast found an easy way to unlock the factory-disabled fourth core on some Phenom II X3 (Heka) processors. A fresh report suggests that it is possible to enable the complete L3 cache on the Phenom II X4 800 series processors.
The series is AMD's line of Deneb-based 45 nm quad-core processors with 2 MB of L3 cache disabled, leaving 4 MB that can be addressed by the processor. An enthusiast found the Phenom II X4 810 processor to be spontaneously able to address 6 MB of L3 cache, when used on an ASRock AOD790GX /128M motherboard. The most likely cause of this could be "poorly-coded" motherboard BIOS that is able to see the Deneb core "as is". The motherboard was using BIOS version 1.40, that adds Phenom II support. The additional cache was found to have a positive impact on system performance. Beyond that, the enthusiast did not provide an explanation. After clearing the CMOS of the motherboard, it was able to correctly detect the processor with its intended specifications.
The series is AMD's line of Deneb-based 45 nm quad-core processors with 2 MB of L3 cache disabled, leaving 4 MB that can be addressed by the processor. An enthusiast found the Phenom II X4 810 processor to be spontaneously able to address 6 MB of L3 cache, when used on an ASRock AOD790GX /128M motherboard. The most likely cause of this could be "poorly-coded" motherboard BIOS that is able to see the Deneb core "as is". The motherboard was using BIOS version 1.40, that adds Phenom II support. The additional cache was found to have a positive impact on system performance. Beyond that, the enthusiast did not provide an explanation. After clearing the CMOS of the motherboard, it was able to correctly detect the processor with its intended specifications.
CeBIT 2009: Super Talent
CEBIT 2009: Corsair
AMD Named to “100 Best Corporate Citizens” List by CRO Magazine
Advanced Micro Devices today announced it has been named to CRO Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 2009. AMD secured the #46 ranking. CRO's 100 Best Corporate Citizens List is the only list based on 100% publicly-available information and ranks Russell 1000 companies on their performance in seven key areas: Environment, Climate Change, Human Rights, Philanthropy, Employee Relations, Financial and Governance. AMD's highest scores came in the areas of environment, climate change and human rights. This is AMD's second award this year honoring the company's efforts in the area of corporate responsibility. In January, AMD was named for the third consecutive year to the 2009 Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies in the World list. The annual Global 100, unveiled each year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, is a list of role models in sustainable business practices.
MSI Unveils DDR2+DDR3 Combo Motherboards
During CeBIT, MSI showcased two AMD 790GX motherboards that combine support for both DDR2 and DDR3 on the same board. Although both the MSI 790GX-8D and the MSI P45-8D are designed for different platforms, the enormous RAM capacity support - both offer four DDR2 slots and four DDR3 memory slots - makes them really unique. The AM3 board 790GX-8D featuring the 790GX chipset, supports DDR2-1066 or DDR3-1333 RAM. It is also capable of supporting socket AM2+ processors with DDR2 RAM. Moreover, the 790GX-8D allows overclockers to increase the RAM frequencies at any time using an onboard control dial. Users can even erase the CMOS RAM with the touch of a Reset button or switch into power saving mode by pressing the "Green Power" button. The board offers two PCIe x16 slots, two PCIe x1 slots, and a vanilla PCI slot.
As for the P45-8D, this motherboard makes use of Intel's P45 +ICH10/ICH10R chipset and supports Intel's 45nm and 65nm Core 2 (Extreme) processors. The board has one PCIe x16 slot, one PCIe Gen2 (1x16) slot, one PCIe x1 slot, and three vanilla PCI slots. The P45-8D should be widely available already, while the MSI 790GX-8D AM3 child is still unavailable.
MSI nicknamed the boards - "Memory Lover".
As for the P45-8D, this motherboard makes use of Intel's P45 +ICH10/ICH10R chipset and supports Intel's 45nm and 65nm Core 2 (Extreme) processors. The board has one PCIe x16 slot, one PCIe Gen2 (1x16) slot, one PCIe x1 slot, and three vanilla PCI slots. The P45-8D should be widely available already, while the MSI 790GX-8D AM3 child is still unavailable.
MSI nicknamed the boards - "Memory Lover".
GeIL Launches Green Series of DDR2 Memory Modules
Swayed by all the recently released "Green" products, GeIL today launched a series of green DDR2 memory modules rated to work at 1.6V, lower than the standard 1.8V. Also, the packaging of the Green Series is said to be made of recycled paper pulp. All modules are enhanced with a lifetime warranty as well.
AMD Brings in New ATI FirePro 2450 Graphics Accelerator
AMD today introduced the ATI FirePro 2450, a low profile quad display graphics accelerator that consumes minimal power, delivering exceptional power efficiency. Designed to operate at less than 18 watts, the new graphics accelerator is another example of AMD's leadership in energy efficiency.
"The ATI FirePro 2450 offers the reliability professionals expect and the efficiency IT departments require. IT managers want a card they can test once, deploy virtually anywhere, and count on to run reliably," said Janet Matsuda, senior director, AMD Professional Graphics. "The low power consumption enables cool, energy-efficient operation, as well as superior reliability and longevity. The compact form factor can be deployed in nearly any system. This accelerator is perfect for customers who need more than two displays, such as in financial services and process control."
"The ATI FirePro 2450 offers the reliability professionals expect and the efficiency IT departments require. IT managers want a card they can test once, deploy virtually anywhere, and count on to run reliably," said Janet Matsuda, senior director, AMD Professional Graphics. "The low power consumption enables cool, energy-efficient operation, as well as superior reliability and longevity. The compact form factor can be deployed in nearly any system. This accelerator is perfect for customers who need more than two displays, such as in financial services and process control."
Sunday, March 8th 2009
CeBIT 2009: QNAP
Acer, HP, Dell and Lenovo Included in China Stimulus Program, ASUS Rejected
DigiTimes recently reported that four out of the top-five branded PC vendors - Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Lenovo and Acer - have been listed as branded PC products eligible for subsidies under the China government's rural stimulus program, and as a result are expected to enjoy increased sales in the China market in 2009. However, the number five ASUS did not gain the government's approval. According to ASUS that's because the company market their PC products under multiple tradenames. BenQ was another company not to find favor with the Chinese government. Exact details concerning the deal between the listed manufacturers and the Chinese government are still unclear.
Saturday, March 7th 2009
CeBIT 2009: Girls Review
In times of economic crisis companies are saving where it hurts most: the amount of booth babes at this year's CeBIT has been at an all-time low. We looked extra hard to bring you proof that there are still companies out there who can afford to please your eyes.
EVGA Precision 1.5.0 Released
EVGA today introduced an update for its popular graphics card performance control software, the EVGA Precision 1.5.0. The software facilitates adjusting graphics cards' clock-speeds, fan-speeds and provides real-time monitoring of some of the parameters of the cards. The new version brings in a host of changes that include independent adjustment of cards' parameters in setups with multiple GPUs, regardless of SLI being enabled or disabled, monitoring in the same mode, and an updated On-Screen Display Server that works well with SecuROM-protected games.
Registered EVGA users can download the software from here.
Radeon HD 4890 X2 a Reality On The Basis of Performance Against Competitor
AMD is attempting to revive its competitiveness that took a beating with NVIDIA's introduction of 55 nm G200b-based graphics accelerators. The method AMD seems to be adopting is by giving its existing flagship GPU, the RV770, a series of design improvements that facilitate higher clock-speeds, in turn, better performance on offer.
A lot has been said about RV790 till date, with each commentator coming up with a new version of the story. It has been more or less established that the RV790 will be a improvement over the RV770, though not a revolutionary one. Fresh information gathered by PC Games Hardware places a realistic estimate on up to where RV790 is going to push the performance envelope for AMD.
A lot has been said about RV790 till date, with each commentator coming up with a new version of the story. It has been more or less established that the RV790 will be a improvement over the RV770, though not a revolutionary one. Fresh information gathered by PC Games Hardware places a realistic estimate on up to where RV790 is going to push the performance envelope for AMD.
CeBIT 2009: Akasa
CeBIT 2009: A-DATA
PowerColor bundles S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky with HD 4870
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, is thrilled to offer the most exciting game bundle to all gamers: the latest DirectX 10.1 support game-S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky with PowerColor HD4870 series graphics!
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is set in 2011 and brings forth the events to have preceded the third campaign of Strelok to the Zone center. It has enabled DirectX 10.1 in game, numerous features and optimizations improvements, and has offered up 7% or more performance when compared to DirectX 10 games. PowerColor gamers can take full advantage of the featuring assets of DirectX 10.1 with HD4870 series graphics, promoting superior visual experience.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is set in 2011 and brings forth the events to have preceded the third campaign of Strelok to the Zone center. It has enabled DirectX 10.1 in game, numerous features and optimizations improvements, and has offered up 7% or more performance when compared to DirectX 10 games. PowerColor gamers can take full advantage of the featuring assets of DirectX 10.1 with HD4870 series graphics, promoting superior visual experience.
CeBIT 2009: Arctic Cooling
CeBIT 2009: Glacialtech
CeBIT 2009: DFI
CeBIT 2009: CoolIT Systems
CeBIT 2009: OCZ Technology
CSX Readies Core i7 Compatible Diablo DDR3-2000
Compustocx (CSX), always made headlines with its Diablo series overclock-friendly memory modules. Some of its earlier DDR3-2000+ memory modules received raving reviews. Unfortunately, DRAM voltages on those modules were to high to let the modules count safe for the Core i7 platform.
The company now released a new 3 GB and 6 GB, triple-channel memory kits that brandish Core i7 compatibility. The DIABLO3-2000-3GB-3KIT and DIABLO3-2000-6GB-3KIT come with the district Diablo-series heatspreaders over the modules. They use Samsung HCF0 DRAM chips which count as some of the best performing parts. Each module holds eight 1 Gb (for the 3 GB kit) or 2 Gb (for the 6 GB kit) chips. By default, the modules are programmed to run at JEDEC standard speeds: 1333 MHz, with CAS latency at 9T. The modules are guaranteed to run at a max speed of 2000 MHz, with DRAM timings of 9-9-9-24, at a voltage of 1.64 V. CSX has these kits out in limited quantities for now.
The company now released a new 3 GB and 6 GB, triple-channel memory kits that brandish Core i7 compatibility. The DIABLO3-2000-3GB-3KIT and DIABLO3-2000-6GB-3KIT come with the district Diablo-series heatspreaders over the modules. They use Samsung HCF0 DRAM chips which count as some of the best performing parts. Each module holds eight 1 Gb (for the 3 GB kit) or 2 Gb (for the 6 GB kit) chips. By default, the modules are programmed to run at JEDEC standard speeds: 1333 MHz, with CAS latency at 9T. The modules are guaranteed to run at a max speed of 2000 MHz, with DRAM timings of 9-9-9-24, at a voltage of 1.64 V. CSX has these kits out in limited quantities for now.
Scythe Prepares Kabuto CPU Cooler
Yet to be released worldwide, the Kabuto CPU cooler by Scythe made an appearance on the company's Japanese website. It is designed to be a high performance stock-cooler replacement for Intel sockets x478, LGA-775, and LGA-1366. All AMD desktop sockets since s754 are supported.
Measuring 124 mm (l) x 133 mm (w) x 132 mm (h), the cooler seems like a complex work of metal: A CPU contact block doubles up as a small heatsink. From it, arise six copper heatpipes. The heatpipes, in groups of two, convey heat to three independent aluminum fin stacks. A 120 mm PWM-controlled fan, operating at speeds of around 1300 rpm blows air onto the three fin stacks. At those speeds, its noise levels remain around 26.5dBA. The cooler tips the scales at 730 g (around 1.6 lbs). It remains to be seen when Scythe announces this cooler worldwide.
Measuring 124 mm (l) x 133 mm (w) x 132 mm (h), the cooler seems like a complex work of metal: A CPU contact block doubles up as a small heatsink. From it, arise six copper heatpipes. The heatpipes, in groups of two, convey heat to three independent aluminum fin stacks. A 120 mm PWM-controlled fan, operating at speeds of around 1300 rpm blows air onto the three fin stacks. At those speeds, its noise levels remain around 26.5dBA. The cooler tips the scales at 730 g (around 1.6 lbs). It remains to be seen when Scythe announces this cooler worldwide.
XFX Gives Radeon HD 4650 Passive Cooling
Barely months into being an ATI add-in board partner, XFX refuses to be a newbie to the scene. After starting off the proceedings with non-reference designs for most of its initial product lineup, XFX adds yet another of its own designs to its small yet formidable ATI Radeon HD 4000 series: a passive-cooled design for an HD 4650 model.
Pictured by ATI-Forum at the ongoing CeBIT event, the XFX Radeon HD 4650 silent keeps up with XFX' black and red colour scheme. The PCB stays black, so does the heatsink over the GPU. Two heatpipes convey heat from the heatsink to a dense array of aluminum fins at the back of the card. One can expect reference clock-speeds for the card, considering its USP mainly is its silent cooling, and not exactly its cooling efficiency to aid overclocking. XFX may announce this card shortly.
Pictured by ATI-Forum at the ongoing CeBIT event, the XFX Radeon HD 4650 silent keeps up with XFX' black and red colour scheme. The PCB stays black, so does the heatsink over the GPU. Two heatpipes convey heat from the heatsink to a dense array of aluminum fins at the back of the card. One can expect reference clock-speeds for the card, considering its USP mainly is its silent cooling, and not exactly its cooling efficiency to aid overclocking. XFX may announce this card shortly.
Some Apple 17-inch MacBook Pros Have Failing Graphics ?
A new rainstorm may be coming on Apple's head if the following scenario becomes as real as the previous one. Numerous owners of brand new 17-inch MacBook Pro are complaining that their video cards or perhaps notebooks are failing. The new $2,799 MacBook, which was debuted in January at Macworld, features both GeForce 9600M and GeForce 9400M mobile graphics cards from NVIDIA, that switch during operation depending on the graphics load. Owners are now reporting that their laptops have started to show random green lines and artifacts on the display - a certain symptom for failing video card. Users also believe that the issue occurs only when the second card - the GeForce 9600M - turns on. Both NVIDIA and Apple had very serious problems over faulty GPUs last year. A second NVIDIA fiasco over faulty mobile graphics, won't be good at all for the company. Hopefully, this time an update from Apple will fix the issue. If not, prepare for more lawsuits on our news page. A discussion in the Apple forums was also posted, direct link here.
Buffalo Releases New USB Flash Drives with Enhanced Security Features
Buffalo on Friday released fresh 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB USB flash drives with enhanced security features. The RUF2-HSCL-U series drives keep your private data safe thanks to a 256-bit AES encryption and built-in realtime scanning anti-virus software developed by Trend Micro. Buffalo said the drives could come out around the middle of this month, priced at $55, $76, $129 and $184 respectively.
Rumor: Microsoft to Drop Xbox 360 Elite as Regular Model
Rumor has it, that Microsoft will be ending the mass availability of the Xbox 360 Elite console in many parts of the world and plans on positioning it as a "limited edition" console instead of a regular one like it was until now. That's a result of the drop in the interest of the premium priced console. Consumers choose to buy the Arcade or Pro models and do not pay attention to the more expensive model. Microsoft will start winding down production of the black Xbox 360 Elite model in the spring and will eventually leave just the limited editions of the consoles on the market, like the recently introduced Resident Evil 5 Elite bundle for example. To compensate the small crowd of people that want to have the 120 GB hard drive found in the Elite models, Microsoft is said to prepare an upgrade standalone hard drive that's even bigger than 120 GB. Expect more information in the following weeks.
Friday, March 6th 2009
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Monitors
Motherboards
Processors
Cisco Adds New Linksys Wireless-N Products to its Portfolio
Cisco today announced the Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N Ethernet Bridge with Dual-Band (WET610N), Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-N Router (WRT400N), and the Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router (WRT320N). These new offerings extend the Award-Winning Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N family of products to further advance the Media-Enabled home. The WET610N Wireless-N Ethernet Bridge can add high-speed Wireless-N connectivity to Ethernet-enabled devices such as Set-Top Boxes, game consoles, and Televisions for On-Demand broadcast, online gaming, or media streaming throughout the home. Both the WRT400N and WRT320N Dual-Band routers help consumers realize the benefits of using the 5GHz wireless spectrum to connect their devices to the network with a lower price of entry. The WRT400N offers connectivity in both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz spectrums at the same time, while the more value-priced WRT320N allows the user to select which band they prefer to use.
Buffalo Out with More Replacement SSDs for the Eee PC
Buffalo has unveiled new replacement solid-state drives for those who want to update the storage capacity one their Eee PC 901. The drives are offered in two sizes - SHD-ES9M32G with 32 GB and SHD-ES9M64G with 64 GB. Both drives weight 11.5 grams and make use of MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash memory. Buffalo is also offering an external enclosure for the drives, that easily converts them to external SSDs. In this scenario, the communication with the PC is via a high-speed USB 2.0 port. Both SSDs are set to go on sale next month for $118 and $218 respectively. The USB equivalents will be priced at $130 and $229.
Intel Makes Investment in French Academic Research Facility
Intel Corporation Chairman Craig Barrett announced that his company is investing in a new academic research facility dedicated to high-performance computing (HPC) in France.
The HPC lab initiative marks the start of a 5-year collaboration and is Intel's first major investment in academic research in France. The four-party agreement signed today is a model of public-private partnership, linking Intel with government agencies and academia.
The HPC lab initiative marks the start of a 5-year collaboration and is Intel's first major investment in academic research in France. The four-party agreement signed today is a model of public-private partnership, linking Intel with government agencies and academia.
Sapphire Showcases Radeon Video Cards with Vapour Chamber Coolers
ATI's official partner Sapphire Technology is showcasing a new type of video card cooling at CeBIT 2009. The VGA heatsink incorporates Vapour Chamber technology and will be featured on some of the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 and Radeon HD 4870 video cards to come. The Vapour Chamber technology is a rather new kind of cooling technology for video cards, and until now it was used only by ASUS. In essence, it is very similar to the heat-pipe technology we've seen plenty of times before, taking heat and transferring it away from its source to a cooler area. However, in the Vapour Chamber technology the cooling effect is achieved not by a gas, but by a vacuum chamber. The heatsink occupies two PCI slots, and also features a big fan on top. Unfortunately, that's all the information we have for now.
Patriot Memory Showcases 256GB Warp SSD at CeBIT Germany
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium quality memory module and flash memory solutions, today announced their 256GB Warp SSD v3. Patriot's newest Warp will be showcased at CeBIT Germany.
"Our new 256GB Warp SSD v3 now gives the consumer the fastest data-transfer rates plus all the storage space large enough to quench their multimedia thirst," says Meng Jay, Flash Product Manager for Patriot Memory. "With games and applications becoming larger all the time, for the hardcore gamer, some of the smaller SSDs would make poor investments, as they would quickly run out of space." Warp's v3 continues to be in a 2.5 form factor with SATA I/II connections for fast, reliable data transfer rates. For more information about Patriot's 256GB Warp v3 SSD and other memory module and flash memory solutions, please contact your Patriot Sales Representative or visit Patriot Memory.
"Our new 256GB Warp SSD v3 now gives the consumer the fastest data-transfer rates plus all the storage space large enough to quench their multimedia thirst," says Meng Jay, Flash Product Manager for Patriot Memory. "With games and applications becoming larger all the time, for the hardcore gamer, some of the smaller SSDs would make poor investments, as they would quickly run out of space." Warp's v3 continues to be in a 2.5 form factor with SATA I/II connections for fast, reliable data transfer rates. For more information about Patriot's 256GB Warp v3 SSD and other memory module and flash memory solutions, please contact your Patriot Sales Representative or visit Patriot Memory.
ASUS Unveils Energy-Saving Displays at CeBIT 2009
ASUS, a leader in the production of LCD monitors, is proud to unveil an array of innovative and energy-efficient LCD monitors that are geared not only to provide convenience to the user, but also protect the environment. These LCD monitors represent a leap forward in LCD manufacturing, and combine contemporary styling and user-centric innovations to deliver uncompromising performance.
ASUS Sneak-Previews P7U Series Motherboards, Based on Intel P55 Platform
During the ongoing CeBIT event, ASUS has two of its newest motherboards on display. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that they are based on the Intel P55 chipset, and have the LGA-1156 CPU socket, supporting the upcoming Intel Core i5 series processors. ASUS chose the "P6T" prefix for naming its first generation of LGA-1366 motherboards based on the Intel X58 chipset. With LGA-1156 and Intel P55 chipset, the company plans to use the "P7U" prefix. The two motherboards on display are the P7U and P7U Pro.
Both motherboards have identical PCB layouts, except for the P7U having a few features toned-down. Both use a (3+1)+2 phase CPU power circuit. Both feature 4 DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. Six SATA ports, a PCI-E x4 and a number of PCI-E x1 slots make for the rest of the mix. While the P7U Pro features two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots (which arrange as x8, x8 when both are populated), the P7U features a single PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot. Both models feature ASUS-exclusive features such as Turbo-V that allows on-the-fly overclocking, ExpressGate that is a basic instant-on OS, and the EPU power management feature.
Both motherboards have identical PCB layouts, except for the P7U having a few features toned-down. Both use a (3+1)+2 phase CPU power circuit. Both feature 4 DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. Six SATA ports, a PCI-E x4 and a number of PCI-E x1 slots make for the rest of the mix. While the P7U Pro features two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots (which arrange as x8, x8 when both are populated), the P7U features a single PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot. Both models feature ASUS-exclusive features such as Turbo-V that allows on-the-fly overclocking, ExpressGate that is a basic instant-on OS, and the EPU power management feature.
AMD 32 nm CPU Schedule Not In-Sync With ''Bulldozer'' Architecture Development
It was reported earlier this week, about AMD advancing its development schedule for processors built on the newer 32 nm manufacturing process. A default interpretation of the event back then was the likelihood of AMD advancing the development of its next-generation CPU architecture, codenamed "Bulldozer". The said architecture will be the company's next indigenous x86 CPU design since K8, which was only improved upon with the K10 series.
A new report from TechConnect Magazine suggests that AMD's plans to advance development of 32 nm processors and those Bulldozer aren't in synchrony. This means that the company's first 32 nm processors are not likely to be built on the newer architecture. Bulldozer has already suffered delays. Earlier in 2007, AMD was expected to put a start to its 45 nm CPU lineup with CPUs based on Bulldozer in 2009, although that didn't happen. The first known processor based on Bulldozer, codenamed "Orochi" is expected to be a multi-core CPU with >4 cores, 8 MB L3 cache and a pure DDR3 integrated memory controller. Orochi is set for internal testing in late 2010, following which volume-production is set to commence in 2011.
A new report from TechConnect Magazine suggests that AMD's plans to advance development of 32 nm processors and those Bulldozer aren't in synchrony. This means that the company's first 32 nm processors are not likely to be built on the newer architecture. Bulldozer has already suffered delays. Earlier in 2007, AMD was expected to put a start to its 45 nm CPU lineup with CPUs based on Bulldozer in 2009, although that didn't happen. The first known processor based on Bulldozer, codenamed "Orochi" is expected to be a multi-core CPU with >4 cores, 8 MB L3 cache and a pure DDR3 integrated memory controller. Orochi is set for internal testing in late 2010, following which volume-production is set to commence in 2011.
Foxconn Makes Flaming Blade X58 Series Official
Pictured last month as merely a low-end variant of the Blood Rage X58 series (read here), Foxconn Flaming Blade X58 has emerged as a product series in itself, with two sub-variants: Flaming Blade X58 and Flaming Blade X58 GTI. The former being the base-model, while the latter is a scaled-down, even cheaper one.
Both motherboards feature an identical feature set for the most part: Three DDR3-1800 DIMM slots, two PCI-E x16 slots, near-identical board layouts, etc. The differences start with the GTI variant featuring simpler component cooling, with individual heatsinks over the chipset and VRM areas. The base-model has a heat-pipe based cooler. Another set of differences are present with the boards' back-panel and the connectors on offer: the GTI variant lacks two eSATA connectors and an Ethernet controller (although the picture suggests otherwise). Both models will cater to the $200 market price-point.
Both motherboards feature an identical feature set for the most part: Three DDR3-1800 DIMM slots, two PCI-E x16 slots, near-identical board layouts, etc. The differences start with the GTI variant featuring simpler component cooling, with individual heatsinks over the chipset and VRM areas. The base-model has a heat-pipe based cooler. Another set of differences are present with the boards' back-panel and the connectors on offer: the GTI variant lacks two eSATA connectors and an Ethernet controller (although the picture suggests otherwise). Both models will cater to the $200 market price-point.
GIGABYTE Releases Ultra Durable VGA (UDV) Technology
GIGABYTE Technology Co. LTD., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched the latest GIGABYTE unique technology: Ultra Durable VGA. GIGABYTE latest innovative technology-Ultra Durable VGA features 2 oz copper PCB board, Samsung/Hynix memory, Japanese solid capacitor, Ferrite Core Chokes, and Low RDS (on) MOSFET to deliver incredibly low GPU temperature, unrivaled overclocking capability, low power switching loss, and guaranteed longer life. Compared with traditional graphics accelerators, Ultra Durable VGA graphics accelerators can lower GPU temperature by 5%~10%, lower power switching loss by 10%~30%, and increase overclocking capability by 10%~30%. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA graphics accelerators can provide truly both "high-performanced" and "green" graphic card resolutions.
GIGABYTE to Demonstrate 10-inch Mobile PCs at CeBIT 2009
After the heated feedback of the M912 Series with swivel screens that were launched in 2008, GIGABYTE will demonstrate various 10.1-inch mobile PCs at the CeBIT 2009 held in Hannover according to public expectation. These include the Touch Note M1028 also equipped with the swivel screen, the Thin Note M1024 which is only 890 grams and 2cm thick, and the Booktop M1022 equipped with the exclusive docking station for turning the Booktop into a desktop. These models will again display GIGABYTE's excelling R&D power. Also, the new-generation Intel Centrino 2 notebook PCs with different screen sizes will be the focus at the present CeBIT. As one of the leading brands in notebook PCs, GIGABYTE will surely bring refreshing models to the public in 2009.
Touch Note M1028: With a fashionable and elegant appearance, the Touch Note M1028 has a golden coffee top cover of exquisite quality and a 10.1-inch LED backlight swivel screen. It is a combination of notebook and tablet PCs that delivers multiple application modes for convenience use. The two resolution options for this model include 1024x600 and 1366x768, which are the mainstreams of the market. In addition to the mobile features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Express Card slot. What is noteworthy is that the M1028 is equipped with a wide range of crafty designs from GIGABYTE. Besides the 92% full-scale keyboard with premium quality, the M1028 supports the embedded 3.5G (HSDPA) module for users to experience the wonder of mobile life.
Touch Note M1028: With a fashionable and elegant appearance, the Touch Note M1028 has a golden coffee top cover of exquisite quality and a 10.1-inch LED backlight swivel screen. It is a combination of notebook and tablet PCs that delivers multiple application modes for convenience use. The two resolution options for this model include 1024x600 and 1366x768, which are the mainstreams of the market. In addition to the mobile features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Express Card slot. What is noteworthy is that the M1028 is equipped with a wide range of crafty designs from GIGABYTE. Besides the 92% full-scale keyboard with premium quality, the M1028 supports the embedded 3.5G (HSDPA) module for users to experience the wonder of mobile life.
AMD GPG To Make and Break Partnerships With AIBs
AMD's graphics product group, the core division that handles the company's ATI graphics and AMD chipset product lines, is said to be engaging in a reshuffling of its add-in board partners (AIBs). These are companies that manufacture and/or sell ATI Radeon-based graphics cards. With the recent success of the Radeon HD 4000 series graphics processors, the company added two more popular AIBs: Pine Group (XFX Graphics) and Gainward, a subsidiary of Palit.
Inter-AIB competition meant that a few weaker, non-performing AIBs have come to light, which AMD is reportedly contemplating breaking partnership with. GeCube is the first brand. GeCube is the channel-vendor brand for InfoTek Corp, a manufacturing partner for AMD GPG. Speculation is rife about hardware giant ASUS also being in the league. The most plausible explanation is poor sales figures.
On the other hand, a Chinese company that is relatively unknown to the Western markets yet not new to selling graphics cards, Colorful is joining AMD's league as an AIB.
Inter-AIB competition meant that a few weaker, non-performing AIBs have come to light, which AMD is reportedly contemplating breaking partnership with. GeCube is the first brand. GeCube is the channel-vendor brand for InfoTek Corp, a manufacturing partner for AMD GPG. Speculation is rife about hardware giant ASUS also being in the league. The most plausible explanation is poor sales figures.
On the other hand, a Chinese company that is relatively unknown to the Western markets yet not new to selling graphics cards, Colorful is joining AMD's league as an AIB.
Thursday, March 5th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mousepads
ATI M97 Already Using 5 GT/s GDDR5 Memory, Highest Memory Bandwidth for Any mGPU
In an interesting observation, it has come to light that AMD's soon to be released ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 MXM modules will carry the industry's fastest 5 GT/s GDDR5 memory chips made by Qimonda. From the part name on the chips, IDGV1G-05A1F1C-50X. One can infer "50X" to be the bandwidth per pin at reference speeds: 5 GT/s (5 GB/s in one direction). Across the 128-bit wide memory bus the M97 HD 4860 has, the chips can churn-out a staggering 80 GB/s memory bandwidth, never before seen on any mGPU board. In comparison, NVIDIA's G92b-based GeForce GTX 280M delivers 60.08 GB/s and AMD's own M98 RV770-based Mobility Radeon HD 4850 doles-out 56.8 GB/s.
The 5 GT/s GDDR5 chips are yet to be used by AMD in its desktop products. Development cycles have gone as far as including "40X" (4 GT/s) memory chips labeled IDGV1G-05A1F1C-40X on company-internal RV790 samples. Another DRAM major, Hynix had announced its plans to introduce 7 GT/s GDDR5 chips back in November 2008. The company is known to commence volume production of the 7 GT/s chip by the end of Q2 2009.
The 5 GT/s GDDR5 chips are yet to be used by AMD in its desktop products. Development cycles have gone as far as including "40X" (4 GT/s) memory chips labeled IDGV1G-05A1F1C-40X on company-internal RV790 samples. Another DRAM major, Hynix had announced its plans to introduce 7 GT/s GDDR5 chips back in November 2008. The company is known to commence volume production of the 7 GT/s chip by the end of Q2 2009.
OCZ DIY Neutrino 10.1-inch Netbook Pictured, Detailed
The latest ultra-portable solution showcased at CeBIT 2009, is OCZ Technology's DIY (do-it-yourself) Neutrino netbook. Priced competitively, this sleek 10.1-inch LED-backlit (1024x600) machine will come loaded with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processors, Intel 945GSE powered motherboard, VGA output, Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, a 4-cell 2200 mAh battery, WiFi card and a 1.3 MP webcam as standard. The rest of the hardware is up to your desire. You can update the memory to 2 GB DDR2. Hard drive options include various conventional hard drives or an optional 250 GB OCZ solid-state drive. Operating systems offered are two: Ubuntu or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. The Neutrino netbook should be available for purchase in two to three month time. Read a little more here at Engadget.
Samsung Launches 1.5 Terabyte ''EcoGreen'' F2EG Hard Disk Drive
Samsung Electronics, a world leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced its new EcoGreen F2EG hard disk that delivers a massive 1.5 TB of capacity with 500 GB per disk. With increased recording density and reduced number of disks, the EcoGreen F2 drive is more power efficient by supporting a capacity up to 1.5TB with 3 disks.
"Lower platter count means less power to start the motor, less power to continuously spin the motor and a lighter head-stack which takes less power to seek," said Andy Higginbotham, director of HDD sales and marketing for the Samsung Semiconductor Storage Division. "With fewer heads and disks, the F2EG hard drive has a lower probability of head-disk failures, enabling customers to build more reliable systems."
"Lower platter count means less power to start the motor, less power to continuously spin the motor and a lighter head-stack which takes less power to seek," said Andy Higginbotham, director of HDD sales and marketing for the Samsung Semiconductor Storage Division. "With fewer heads and disks, the F2EG hard drive has a lower probability of head-disk failures, enabling customers to build more reliable systems."
Amazon Enters Used Video Game Market
Amazon announced on Thursday that is has launched a service to allow users to trade in used video games for credit that can go toward the purchase of new titles. The service, which currently includes 1,500 titles from across all platforms, allows users to pick which games they own and want to trade in. Once the used game is mailed in, the user receives credit that can go towards new or used games, as well as any other items sold on Amazon.com. Also worth noting, Amazon is offering higher trade-in prices for used games compared to competitors like Gamestop.
Cooler Master Scout True Gaming Chassis Comes Forward
The Cooler Master Storm family has grown with one more member, the Scout gaming chassis. The CM Storm Scout is a mid-tower chassis that features a solid steel body with a sexy all-black interior and exterior. Measuring (D) 19.2" x (W) 8.6" x (H) 19.5", the case comes equipped with a 140mm front intake fan, single 140mm top fan and a 120mm rear exhaust fan. Two non-included 120mm fans can be attached to the side panel of the case if required. Inside the case, up to five 3.5-inch hard drives can be mounted, as well as up to five 5.25-inch optical drives. The case supports 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch solid-state drives too. At last, part of the chassis' design includes carrying handles, handy enough for gamers on the go, people that go to LAN parties or people that use to move their cases a lot. The CM Scout will be available to end users on the 21st of April with a MSRP of $109.99. Detailed preview of the case with a lot of pictures can be found here.
Confirmed: ASUS to Phase Out 7-inch Eee PC Netbooks
Someone wrote today that there are too many Eee PCs to choose from. Yes, there are indeed so ASUS is to phase out some of them that are considered not vital for the brand. Rumors about this step were circulating for the past month.
"It seems that customers prefer to have a greater screen, which also means a larger keyboard,
I still believe we have a good opportunity in 8.9-inch for kids, telecoms [providers] or emerging markets. The seven-inch [netbook] is going to be phased out, although some emerging countries may still have some demand.company chairman Jonney Shih said on Tuesday. ASUSTeK's other netbook at risk, the 8.9-inch Eee PC 900, remains available for sale and won't suffer its little brother's fate as previously reported.
ASUS Readies New Line of Graphics Cards
Today ASUS is all over the place, promoting all kinds of products. Now is the time for the Formula video cards line-up, inspired by Formula 1 race cars. ASUS is already showcasing a few products from the line-up at CeBIT 2009 (where else if not there). The part that brings the cards' name is actually the heatsink. From above it resembles the shape of a F1 car. Despite that, the heatsink is nothing so revolutionary. It is combination of anti-oxidizing aluminum fins, five copper heat-pipes and a dust-proof fan. The whole cooling occupies two PCI slots. ASUS forgot to mention if the cards will be supercharged, sorry I mean overclocked. Pricing and availability information is also missing, neither we know if the cards will be with NVIDIA or ATI GPUs.
Dell Launches New PowerEdge Rack Enclosures
Dell today introduced next-generation data center infrastructure products designed to help customers simplify and manage their data center environment while improving energy efficiency. The Dell PowerEdge 4220 and PowerEdge 2420 rack enclosures support Dell's broad portfolio of servers and storage systems and can be used in virtually any environment, including data centers, remote offices, wiring closets or even factory floors.
ATI Catalyst 9.4 to Lack Support for Many Older Cards
ATI wants to diminish the list of supported graphics cards in the next release of Catalyst. With the release of ATI Catalyst 9.4, the plan is to exclude support for Radeon 9500, 9600, 9800, X800, X1800, X1900 and other desktop video cards. Catalyst 9.4 will also lack support for the FireGL X1/X2/X3, V3000, V5000, V7000 and FireMV 2200, 2250 professional cards. Of course owners of these models will still be permitted to download older drivers and use them happily. The ATI Catalyst 9.4 is set to be released next month.
CeBIT 2009: ASUS Republic of Gamers Products Overview
The ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) was out in full force at CeBIT 2009, showcasing a stellar cast of the most innovative and exciting gaming products and peripherals. Staying true to their promise of delivering the best available technology for uncompromising performance, the ROG was able to enthrall gamers with all-rounded gaming solutions that included: blazingly-fast desktops, "icy-cool" thermal coolers, powerful gaming notebooks and much more.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Announces Key Leadership Additions
GLOBALFOUNDRIES, a new leading-edge semiconductor foundry formed by a joint venture between AMD and Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), today announced key additions to its management team that bring extensive semiconductor experience to the table. Joining GLOBALFOUNDRIES Chief Executive Officer Doug Grose and Chairman of the Board Hector Ruiz are:
- Jim Doran as senior vice president and general manager of Fab 1, the company's current primary manufacturing facility in Dresden, Germany
- Bruce McDougall as chief financial officer
- Alexie Lee as vice president and general counsel
ASRock to Start Selling Notebooks After CeBIT 2009
Here's today's big news coming directly from CeBIT 2009. Apparantly, ASRock - a subdivision of ASUS - has decided to start production of entry-level notebooks and nettops.
Motherboard maker ASRock is showcasing new entry-level notebooks and a nettop at CeBIT 2009. The company has confirmed its 12.1-inch notebook is named the MultiBook G12, is equipped with a dual-core processor, and weighs around 1.7kg. The company also has a 15.6-inch notebook, the M15, which comes with either an Intel Pentium or Celeron processor.The two notebooks will start shipping to Europe or China markets after CeBIT 2009 ends.
The company is also showcasing the S330 nettop equipped with a dual-core Intel Atom 330 processor and 160GB hard drive.
Gainward Shows the Ultimate 3D Gaming Graphics Experience with iZ3D Monitors at CeBit
iZ3D Inc., designer, developer and pioneer of advanced stereoscopic 3D visualization systems, will have its 2D/3D gaming monitors showcased in the Gainward Stand this week at the CeBit tradeshow in Hanover, Germany in Hall 27, Stand E47. iZ3D brand monitors are top of the line 2D monitors the entire family can use for everyday applications. Then, with the push of a button, users can put on a pair of 3D-glasses and enjoy their favorite off the shelf games in stunning 3D.
"We are pleased that Gainward chose iZ3D monitors to demonstrate the versatility and power of their new graphics cards. 3D as an entertainment delivery medium is here to stay. More off the shelf 3D games, 3D TV broadcasts and a multitude of 3D movies will be distributed this year," commented David Chechelashvili, VP Marketing for iZ3D Inc.
"We are pleased that Gainward chose iZ3D monitors to demonstrate the versatility and power of their new graphics cards. 3D as an entertainment delivery medium is here to stay. More off the shelf 3D games, 3D TV broadcasts and a multitude of 3D movies will be distributed this year," commented David Chechelashvili, VP Marketing for iZ3D Inc.
Integrated Graphics Chip Market to Disappear by 2012 According to Jon Peddie Research
Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, today announced a new study that indicates the end of the market for the popular integrated graphics processor chipset, known as the IGP.
After fifteen years of stellar growth the IGP, will cease to exist, replaced by graphics embedded in the processor. Integrated graphics are used in desktop and net top PCs, notebooks, and netbooks, and various embedded systems such as point of sale, set-top boxes, and signage systems.
In 2008 67% of the graphics chips shipped were IGPs. In 2011 it will drop to 20%, and by 2013 it will be less than one percent.
After fifteen years of stellar growth the IGP, will cease to exist, replaced by graphics embedded in the processor. Integrated graphics are used in desktop and net top PCs, notebooks, and netbooks, and various embedded systems such as point of sale, set-top boxes, and signage systems.
In 2008 67% of the graphics chips shipped were IGPs. In 2011 it will drop to 20%, and by 2013 it will be less than one percent.
Eurocom Preps the World's Most Powerful Clevo D900F Phantom i7 Laptop
Eurocom, the world's leading developer of highly personalized, high-performance notebook PCs and energy efficient All-in-One PCs, recently introduced the EUROCOM D901C PHANTOM-i7 Mobile Workstation/Server powered by Intel's newest line of Quad Core and XEON LGA1366 processors. EUROCOM PHANTOM-i7 provides workstation and server-caliber capabilities with 1.5 Terabytes of storage with three physical SATA-300 hard drives in RAID 0/1/5, super-powerful 3.2 GHz Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition I7-965; 3.2 GHz XEON X5580 processors running at 2x 6.4 GT/sec bus speed or 2.93 GHz Intel Core i7 Processor I-940 running at 4.8 GT/sec with 8 MB L3 cache, Gigabit Ethernet port on-board, HDMI, eSATA, DVI ports, with a 17" WUXGA LCD display and full size keyboard.
Featuring workstation-class or server-class Intel Core i7 or Xeon Processor and up to 16 GB of DDR3-1366 memory, the D900F PHANTOM-i7 also features the largest storage capacity on the market today - a whopping 1.5 TB with RAID 0/1/5 - making it the perfect mobile workstation or server laptop for users who demand extra-large capacity storage and reliability for true portable server / workstation experience.
Featuring workstation-class or server-class Intel Core i7 or Xeon Processor and up to 16 GB of DDR3-1366 memory, the D900F PHANTOM-i7 also features the largest storage capacity on the market today - a whopping 1.5 TB with RAID 0/1/5 - making it the perfect mobile workstation or server laptop for users who demand extra-large capacity storage and reliability for true portable server / workstation experience.
ASUS Eee PC Keyboard Could Ship in May This Year
ASUS Eee PC Keyboard, another clone of the Eee PC trend, could arrive to users as early as May the company's bosses have confirmed at CeBit. Company chairman Jonney Shih said the firm is aiming to deliver the product in Q2 this year, which means in May according to his words. If not delivered on that month, the Eee PC Keyboard will ship in June for sure, he added. The device incorporates a fully working PC and a touchscreen display into a standard keyboard form factor. Initially, two versions will be released - a wired one for $400 and a wireless model for around $500. Both will feature a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM and a 16 GB or 32 GB SSD for storage. For now it is unclear what the 5-inch touchscreen will let you do. Other specs include built in 802.11b/g/n Wi Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and Ultra Wideband HDMI, on top of that there are 2 x USB 2.0 ports, 1x VGA and 1 x HDMI, as well as a headphone and mic ports.
ASUS Presents the New U and UX Series Notebooks
ASUS, a leader in innovative industrial design, today presented the new U and UX Series, a new range of notebooks that celebrate contemporary styling and effortless elegance. Each of them a masterpiece so immensely desirable, the U and UX Series takes modern day computing to the streets, bringing delight to the users' senses and allowing them to work or play in style.
Mozilla Firefox 3.0.7 Released
Exactly as predicted, Mozilla today released version 3.0.7 of the beloved Firefox web browser. Available now for Windows, Mac, and Linux users, Firefox 3.0.7 fixes several security and stability issues present in previous versions of the browser. For the complete list of bugs fixed click here.
DOWNLOAD: Mozilla Firefox 3.0.7
DOWNLOAD: Mozilla Firefox 3.0.7
Intel Develops World's First Embedded Antenna for Digital TV on Laptops
Intel researchers have developed the world's first embedded balanced antenna for digital TV. This patent-pending Intel innovation will enable on-the-go users to watch digital television on their laptop without the need for an external antenna. Eliminating the external antenna reduces the number of items to purchase, carry and keep track of. No other details were unveiled.
Wednesday, March 4th 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
- Sapphire HD 4600 Series Hexus.tv
- EVGA GTS 250 Bjorn3D
- Gainward GTS 250 / XFX HD 4850 DriverHeaven
- Palit GTS 250 Guru3D
- Asus GTS 250 HardwareZone
- Evga GTS 250 HotHardware
- BFG GTS 250 Legit Reviews
- BFG GTS 250 Overclockers Club
- Twintech GTS 250 t-break
- Evga GTS 250 Tech Report
- EVGA GTS 250 TechGage
- Galaxy GTS 250 Tweaktown
- GTX295 Quad SLI Overclock3D.net
Input Devices
Multimedia
Processors
MSI Showcases the Winki Instant OS for MSI Motherboards
MSI formally announced at CeBIT the creation of a new interactive device dubbed simply Winki. Based on a Linux distribution, Winki allows instant internet access with no need of operating system. The device looks like a little USB flash and plugs directly into an MSI motherboard. From that moment on, Winki will allow you to instantly load its Linux program, before there's a request send to a hard drive or whetever else you are trying to load the main OS from. Once the Winki OS is loaded, a screen shows up and offers functions like built-in web browsing, immediate communication, VOIP calls, photo searching and other common PC functions. The OS also loads an instant messaging (IM) software called "Pidgin", which allows up to 15 different IM accounts to run at the same time. Some of them include MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, and even Skype. For now this thing will be available only on select MSI mainboards. Eventually the Winki might also show up in some of the high-end MSI laptops. Look at the screenshots or read the official press release for more information. More screenshots courtesy of Engadget are here.
Buffalo Out with New Netbook External DVD Burner
Buffalo today presented the DVSM-PN58U2V DVD writer primarily designed to be used with netbooks. The optical drive is installed in a super slim body with 137x20x142 mm dimensions and weighs only 340 g. Available in black or white, the new recorder can write DVD-R/+R SL and DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-R/+R DL at 6x, DVD-RAM at 5x, and CD-R, CD-RW at 24x. It uses one or two USB ports for connection, depending on the write speed. The Buffalo DVSM-PN58U2V is set to ship in mid-March, and sell for about $85.5.
NVIDIA to Try and Develop x86 CPU in Two to Three Years
Graphics market seems to be already small enough for NVIDIA, so the green corporation looks further ahead into building a x86 processor in the near future. At the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in San Francisco yesterday, the company revealed that it had plans to enter the x86 processor market by building a x86 compatible system-on-chip in the next two to three years. Michael Hara, NVIDIA's senior vice president of investor relations and communications, commented:
I think some time down the road it makes sense to take the same level of integration that we've done with Tegra ...... Tegra is by any definition a complete computer on a chip, and the requirements of that market are such that you have to be very low power, very small, but highly efficient. So in that particular state it made a lot of sense to take that approach, and someday it's going to make sense to take the same approach in the x86 market as well.He also said that NVIDIA's future x86 CPU wouldn't be appropriate for every segment of the market, especially the high-end of the PC market which includes gaming systems, graphics engineering stations and many other. The x86 chip will be mainly targeted at smaller system-on-chip platforms. No other details were unveiled at the time of this publication. It's also very early to talk about something that's still on paper.
NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Approved by Game Developers
NVIDIA Corporation today announced that NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision technology, the world's first high-definition 3D stereo solution for the home, has received a rousing thumbs up from the who's who in the game development world. Now that the designers, artists, and creative forces behind the industry's hottest games have had a chance to take 3D Vision for a test drive, they have been unanimous in their praise for this hot new technology sensation that debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
abit Closes Down Forever
According to the latest news on the web, the well known motherboard manufacturer abit, once a leading provider of high-performance motherboards and video cards, will close doors forever in the month to come. Now we all know that the company halted the production of its motherboards, but it was never meant to close doors forever. Instead, abit was to move into the consumer electronics market with products like digital picture frames and mobile internet devices. Yes, but no one thought of the world economic crisis. HEXUS.net reports that abit's parent company USI has now decided to pull abit out of the channel market entirely. abit's marketing director Thore Welling commented:
After 20 years in the market the abit brand now bids farewell, so it's also time for me now to lock the doors of the marketing department. That's it for good now.If this information confirms, the whole liquidation of abit should be finished in around a month.
Microsoft Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2 RC Released for Public Download
As expected, both Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 RC were made available for public download today. This build is the same one that was sent to testers last week. Download links follow:
EVGA Releases Four GeForce GTS 250 Cards with 512 MB and 1024 MB GDDR3 Memory
EVGA today also updated its video card line-up to include a full gamma of GeForce GTS 250 cards. A total of four GTS 250 cards were released:
- GeForce GTS 250 512-P3-1150-TR - 756 MHz/ 1836 MHz / 2200 MHz core/shader/memory clock speed, 512 MB GDDR3 memory, MSRP: $149.99 USD
- GeForce GTS 250 Superclocked 512-P3-1151-TR - 771 MHz/ 1890 MHz/ 2246 MHz core/shader/memory clock speed, 512 MB GDDR3 memory, MSRP: $159.99 USD
- GeForce GTS 250 01G-P3-1155-TR - 756 MHz/ 1836 MHz / 2200 MHz core/shader/memory clock speed, 1024 MB GDDR3 memory, MSRP: $169.99 USD
- GeForce GTS 250 Superclocked 01G-P3-1156-TR - 771 MHz/ 1890 MHz/ 2246 MHz core/shader/memory clock speed, 1024 MB GDDR3 memory, MSRP: $179.99 USD
GLOBALFOUNDRIES, World’s First Global Semiconductor Foundry Opens for Business
GLOBALFOUNDRIES, a new leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company formed by a joint venture between AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), today announced its official launch and outlined plans to drive profound change and expand opportunities in the semiconductor industry. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is led by an experienced semiconductor management team, including CEO Doug Grose, formerly senior vice president of manufacturing operations at AMD, and Chairman of the Board Hector Ruiz, formerly executive chairman and chairman of the board at AMD. The Company is the only U.S. based global semiconductor foundry and commences operations with approximately 3,000 employees worldwide with headquarters in Silicon Valley.
ZOTAC Introduces New GeForce GTS 250 Performance Graphics Cards
ZOTAC International, an award-winning manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, today kicks off CeBit 2009 with three new performance graphics cards - the new ZOTAC GeForce GTS 250 512MB, GeForce GTS 250 1GB and GeForce GTS 250 AMP! Edition. The new ZOTAC GeForce GTS 250 series deliver a host of technologies to value-minded gamers everywhere - including DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 compatibility, NVIDIA CUDA and PhysX technologies. A unified architecture packs the ZOTAC GeForce GTS 250 series with 128 high-speed programmable stream processors that are configurable for screaming-fast 3D gaming performance or high-performance general purpose computing with CUDA. High-speed GDDR3 memory technology with a wide 256-bit memory interface feeds the graphics processor with high-resolution textures for vivid and realistic visuals.
ZOTAC Announces Power Efficient GeForce 9600 GT Eco
ZOTAC International, an award-winning manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today unveils new GeForce 9600GT based graphics cards with greater power efficiency. The ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT Eco delivers performance comparable to the award-winning ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT, but with 40-percent more power efficiency. "It is important to think green and reduce our resource consumption. With the new power-efficient ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT Eco, users can have an eco-friendly graphics card that offers competitive performance," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.
CeBIT 2009: G.Skill
CeBIT 2009: Pretec SDXC Pops Up
CeBIT 2009: Scythe
CeBIT 2009: Jetway P55 Offering
CeBIT 2009: Kingmax
Seven PCI-Express Slot X58 ASUS Motherboard Shown at CeBIT
Yes, you read the title correctly, on their stand at CeBIT, ASUS has a motherboard on show featuring seven full length PCI-Express slots. Four operate at full x16 speed, whilst the remaining three are at 8x speed. This has been achieved through the use of Intel's X58 chipset and the addition of two NVIDIA NF200 chips. Dubbed the P6T7 WS Supercomputer, it has been said to be the, "best choice for intensive parallel computing demand." Although no details yet on availability or pricing, the board is confirmed to support up to 24 GB RAM through six DDR3 slots, six SATA ports, two SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) and two eSATA ports and the usual 7.1 onboard sound and gigabit ethernet. The featured shot shows the board "naked" so to speak but due to this, you can see how ASUS have crammed the northbridge, southbridge and two NVIDIA chips into the bottom right corner of the board. This has given the space for the seven PCI-E slots, though it will require some sort of low profile cooling solution so as not to obstruct the installation of any graphics cards.
ASUS Marine Cool Motherboard Concept Becomes Official
Following the first news we heard of ASUS' new concept motherboard, they have now released an official press release, including some close-up imagery of the new cooling solution. The odd "backplate" to the rear of the board is in fact a built in UPS (uninterruptible power supply) through the use of a polymer battery. The board also features built in memory to guarantee a successfull boot in the event of installing faulty or incompatible RAM. Then of course is the new cooling solution utilizing a combination of ceramincs and metals which ASUS say doubles the cooling efficiency. The official press release follows.
EVGA SLI Enhancement Patch Version 03.03.09 Released
Very shortly after its third update, EVGA's SLI Enhancement utility has been updated to version 03.03.09. Once again, this unofficial patch enables temporary SLI support in the latest games. Now the EVGA SLI Enhancement supports Windows XP and adds a few new games (see below). To download the tool you need to make a quick registration here.
Thermaltake Celebrates its 10th Anniversary at CeBIT with an Unique Case
Today at CeBIT in Hannover, Thermaltake showed something that is fairly far outside of the regular mold. Having its name from the tenth anniversary of Thermaltake, the Level 10 case looks like nothing else seen before. The basic idea of this concept is to provide housing for each component of a normal PC individually. The case is formed out of four separate compartments - one for the optical drives, one for the six hard drives, one for the motherboard and one for the power supply. From the pictures we can see a lot of plastic is used, but no fans are visible. There's only one standard 120 mm (if I'm right) case fan to exhaust hot air from the motherboard chamber and that's all. We can expect more details on Thermaltake's 10th anniversary case at this year's Computex, that starts in June. The case is said to be launched then, and sell in limited quantity.
Microsoft and Lenovo Make Dean’s List With Ultimate Academic PCs
Today, Microsoft Corp. and Lenovo announced the availability of the Ultimate Academic Personal Computer promotion with high-powered, highly functional, affordable laptop PCs designed specifically for college and university students, faculty, and staff. As part of the program, initially offered as a pilot by Microsoft, Lenovo will offer four different ThinkPad laptops pre-loaded with Windows Vista Ultimate and Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007.
Tuesday, March 3rd 2009
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Palit GeForce GTS 250 2048 MB Review
Today NVIDIA released their GeForce GTS 250 Series which is based on the G92 graphics processor that has already been used on a number of GeForce 8 and GeForce 9 designs. While NVIDIA's reference design comes with 1 GB of memory, Palit has chosen to create a card that comes with 2 GB of VRAM.
ASUS Announces the Eee PC 1008HA 10-inch Netbook
ASUS just can't stop launching new Eee PC netbooks. This time the company announces the Eee PC 1008HA. This 10-inch glossy netbook is only being shown as CeBIT exponent at this time, its launch date or MSRP are still unknown, but it's going to get some retail attention for sure sooner or later. Specs of the little box are also tight. For now, we only know that it weights less than 2.5 pounds and has built-in 1.3MP webcam, Draft-N wireless network card, Bluetooth and probably an optional WiMAX module. Other than that, there're a few press photos.
ASRock Enables CrossFire on nForce 740i SLI Motherboard
ATI's CrossFire multi-GPU technology started off on the Intel platform with ATI's own brand of chipset before AMD acquired the company. AMD/ATI then allowed CrossFire and the succeeding CrossFireX standards to be supported by Intel chipsets. The only current chipset platform that doesn't support CrossFire is the NVIDIA nForce series, which as ASRock demonstrated during the ongoing CeBIT event, breaks the dogma.
ASRock devised a BIOS for its nForce 740i based N7AD-SLI motherboard that enables support for CrossFire. AMD's Catalyst drivers were able to detect the motherboard as a qualified platform and enable CrossFire between two installed ATI Radeon accelerators. The setup was able to show performance increments during a 3DMark06 session. ASRock is reportedly working out similar BIOS firmware for several other motherboards made by it, and wants to enable CrossFire, CrossFireX for all its nForce motherboards.
ASRock devised a BIOS for its nForce 740i based N7AD-SLI motherboard that enables support for CrossFire. AMD's Catalyst drivers were able to detect the motherboard as a qualified platform and enable CrossFire between two installed ATI Radeon accelerators. The setup was able to show performance increments during a 3DMark06 session. ASRock is reportedly working out similar BIOS firmware for several other motherboards made by it, and wants to enable CrossFire, CrossFireX for all its nForce motherboards.
WD ShareSpace Network Storage Systems Now with Huge 8 TB Capacity
WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today announced that WD ShareSpace network storage systems now offer 8 TB (terabytes) of capacity, up to 30 percent faster transfer speeds, and DLNA media streaming capabilities. Combined with its ease-of-use and small footprint, WD ShareSpace is now a more compelling solution for small offices and digital media enthusiasts who want to store, protect and share massive amounts of content.
Responding to small-business customers' needs for increased shared storage, WD incorporated its industry-first 2 terabyte WD Caviar Green drive into WD ShareSpace's flexible four-bay design, creating a massive 8 TB's of storage in a small footprint.
Responding to small-business customers' needs for increased shared storage, WD incorporated its industry-first 2 terabyte WD Caviar Green drive into WD ShareSpace's flexible four-bay design, creating a massive 8 TB's of storage in a small footprint.
OCZ Demos 1 TB RAID0 Solid-State Drive with Unbelievable Transfer Speeds
Who would of guessed that exactly OCZ will be able to achieve the unachieveble. At CeBIT the famous overclocking memory and peripherals maker has demoed Z Drive, a PCI-Express x8 connection storage device that boasts four 256 GB (MLC-equipped) solid-state drives in RAID 0 setup. In total we get 1 TB space and 256 MB of data cache. Put this into a system with a Core i7 965 EE CPU and an ASUS P6T motherboard, get some external power for the drives, and you'll easily reach transfer speeds at up to 712 MB/s read, 500 MB/s write as well as almost zero access time, a dream come true. Now the bad news, the Z Drive is obviously going to cost a lot, about $1500 to be more precise.
Gigabyte GA-IBP LGA-1156 Motherboard Pictured
It looks like motherboard vendors aren't missing the opportunity CeBIT provides to display their upcoming motherboards, notably those based on Intel's LGA-1156 supportive P55 chipset. One of the first ones from the house of Gigabyte is the GA-IBP. "IBP" refers to "Ibex Peak", the platform codename. Featuring most common components of a motherboard of its kind, that include four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory, connections for Intel's Felxible Display Interface (FDI), three PCI-E x16 (electrical x16, x8, x8, rearranges based on slot population), and the single-chip P55 chipset, the board supports both ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI technologies. six internal SATA ports, HDCP-compliant onboard audio and dual-Gigabit LAN make for the rest of the offering. We will learn more about this basic design from Gigabyte as we get closer to the launch of Intel's upcoming LGA-1156 processors.
ECS Shows Off LFH-A P55 Motherboard
ECS showcased yet another upcoming motherboard during the ongoing CeBIT event: the LFH-A. Based on Intel's P55 chipset, the motherboard supports LGA-1156 socket. Featuring all the essentials the Ibex Peak platform provides, that includes two support for dual-channel DDR3 memory, six internal SATA ports, two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots and one PCI-E x4, the board also extensively supports Intel's Flexible Display Interface that links the IGP on the processor die to the connectors on the board: DVI, D-Sub and HDMI.
The P55 chipset is cooled by a small pre-production heatsink. It should also indicate that the P55 chip indeed runs cool enough to warrant a heatsink of that size, and that since most of the traditional chipset machinery has migrated to the CPU, there's very little the vendors need to do as far as chipset cooling goes. ECS LFH-A might feature in some of the first waves of motherboards to launch along with the launch of the platform itself.
The P55 chipset is cooled by a small pre-production heatsink. It should also indicate that the P55 chip indeed runs cool enough to warrant a heatsink of that size, and that since most of the traditional chipset machinery has migrated to the CPU, there's very little the vendors need to do as far as chipset cooling goes. ECS LFH-A might feature in some of the first waves of motherboards to launch along with the launch of the platform itself.
Palit Announces GTS 250 series 2GB, 1GB and 512MB
Palit Microsystems, leading graphics card manufacturer who caters to users who want ultra high definition graphics for extreme gaming and entertainment, announces its new custom design addition to the GT200 series: Palit GTS 250 2GB, 1GB and 512MB. The new cards feature a higher core speed of 745MHz on its 0.8ns GDDR3 memory with a 256bit interface. This powerful single GeForce GTS 250 GPU is equipped with Palit's own advanced cooling system delivering full-throttle gaming experience with unbelievable thermal efficiency!
The Palit GTS 250 is the first to offer 2GB memory providing no-lag visual performance when using high standard monitors. Palit's uniquely designed cooling system comprises of two-ball bearing PWM fan, heat-pipes, and superior copper base plating (with nickel to prevent oxidation). This system ensures high performance and consistent thermal results allowing users to unleash the true power of this graphics card without fear of overheating. Palit's cooling design dissipates the heat efficiently from the GPU, memories, and all other components on the graphics card while still maintaining low fan noise.
The Palit GTS 250 is the first to offer 2GB memory providing no-lag visual performance when using high standard monitors. Palit's uniquely designed cooling system comprises of two-ball bearing PWM fan, heat-pipes, and superior copper base plating (with nickel to prevent oxidation). This system ensures high performance and consistent thermal results allowing users to unleash the true power of this graphics card without fear of overheating. Palit's cooling design dissipates the heat efficiently from the GPU, memories, and all other components on the graphics card while still maintaining low fan noise.
Arctic Cooling Freezer XTREME Rev. 2 Pictured
PC component cooling major Arctic Cooling is readying a revision for the Freezer XTREME CPU cooler. The new cooler, simply called Freezer XTREME Rev. 2, retains the basic design, while having a reworked retention module. Due to the size and cooling efficiency of the cooler, it was found of it to be capable of supporting the entire range of desktop processors based on Intel's Nehalem architecture.
The new, reworked retention module provides support for Intel sockets LGA-1366 and LGA-1156. That aside, standard features and design of the cooler remain: copper CPU contact block, four copper heatpipes, large aluminum fin array, and a central 120 mm fan to circulate air. Arctic Cooling is expected to announce this cooler soon. Whether it comes up as a separate SKU or it replaces the existing Freezer Xtreme model from the lineup remains to be seen.
The new, reworked retention module provides support for Intel sockets LGA-1366 and LGA-1156. That aside, standard features and design of the cooler remain: copper CPU contact block, four copper heatpipes, large aluminum fin array, and a central 120 mm fan to circulate air. Arctic Cooling is expected to announce this cooler soon. Whether it comes up as a separate SKU or it replaces the existing Freezer Xtreme model from the lineup remains to be seen.
ECS Showcases First AMD 880G Motherboard
During the ongoing CeBIT event, Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) showcased the first motherboard seen based on AMD's upcoming 8-series chipset. The ECS A880GM-M is based on the RS880-derived AMD 880G chipset. The chipset succeeds the existing AMD 780G, in providing a high performance mainstream chipset with a strong integrated graphics processor. The RS880 chipset is known to feature an RV620 class IGP with an expanded feature-set. Learn more about the RS880 here.
The ECS A880GM-M targets the next-generation mainstream AMD motherboard segment that features support for DDR3 memory. AMD as we know, is releasing an entire range of quad-core, triple-core and dual-core CPU lineup that is based on the DDR3-supportive AM3 socket package. By mid-2010 one can expect DDR3 supportive AMD processors that are backwards compatible with DDR2-supportive AM2+/AM2 motherboards, in any given value thru mainstream price-point. A880GM-M is based on the micro-ATX form factor. Its release will be in-sync with AMD's release of the chipset, which as older reports suggest, is sometime in H2 2009.
The ECS A880GM-M targets the next-generation mainstream AMD motherboard segment that features support for DDR3 memory. AMD as we know, is releasing an entire range of quad-core, triple-core and dual-core CPU lineup that is based on the DDR3-supportive AM3 socket package. By mid-2010 one can expect DDR3 supportive AMD processors that are backwards compatible with DDR2-supportive AM2+/AM2 motherboards, in any given value thru mainstream price-point. A880GM-M is based on the micro-ATX form factor. Its release will be in-sync with AMD's release of the chipset, which as older reports suggest, is sometime in H2 2009.
A-DATA Launches 2.5-inch 512 GB XPG Solid-State Drives for PC Enthusiasts
A-DATA has launched the 512 GB XPG 2.5-inch solid-state drive, designed for notebook and PC enthusiasts with deep pockets. With enough space for normal daily use, the 512 GB flash drive reads data at up to 230MB/s and writes one at speeds exceeding 160 MB/s. Encased in an aluminium casing, the drive boasts SATA 3.0 Gbps interface and mini-USB 2.0 port for external usage. The drive weighs 85g and still has to be priced, but don't expect it to come cheap.
NVIDIA GeForce 182.08 WHQL Released - Adds Support for GeForce GTS 250
Get ready to download some new NVIDIA drivers. GeForce release 182.08 brings WHQL support for all GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, and 200-series desktop GPUs. This driver adds support for GeForce GTS 250, and new SLI profiles for the latest games.
DOWNLOAD: GeForce Driver Release 182.08 WHQL for Windows XP and Windows Vista (32-bit/64-bit)
DOWNLOAD: GeForce Driver Release 182.08 WHQL for Windows XP and Windows Vista (32-bit/64-bit)
Apple Debutes New 20-inch and 24-inch iMacs
Hot on the heels, Apple today also refreshed its iMac line. The long-awaited update of the iMac includes a 20-inch model for only $1,199 and three 24-inch iMac variants with a mere start price of $1,499. That's the same price as previous generation 20-inch iMac with one difference, the new 24-inch iMac models deliver a 30 percent larger display, twice the memory and twice the storage. All configurations run a single Intel Core 2 Duo processor, support up to 8 GB of 1066 MHz SO-DIMM DDR3 memory, up to 1 TB of storage, and several options for graphics processors.
Leadtek Launches WinFast GTS 250
LEADTEK Research Inc., world acclaimed for its extreme visual graphics leading brand technology, proudly announces the WinFast GTS 250, a new performance level graphics card. Based on the Best-in-class NVIDIA graphics development technology, this graphics card comes with high-speed 1024MB 256bit GDDR3 memory providing ultra smooth 3D rendering and a more realistic gaming presentation. The WinFast GTS 250 also features a special cooling design "shield fan-sink". This specially designed 2-slots fan-sink can efficiently reduces heat from GPU by creating smooth air flows on the top and side of the processor. Moreover, this fan-sink can maintain a low fan-sink noise level especially in full-throttle operating mode. All these features ensure that the WinFast GTS 250 delivers users a great performance and gaming experience.
QNAP Unveils New Firmware for VioStor NVR Series- NVR w/ Multi-server Monitoring
QNAP Security today announces the new firmware version 2.8 for the entire VioStor NVR series (VioStor-101/ 201/ 5020) to support the world's first innovative multi-server monitoring. By the firmware update, the VioStor NVR is turned to be a high expansibility network surveillance system which is capable of monitoring up to 120 channels simultaneously.
"We are more than excited to unveil the new firmware for our VioStor NVR series. The multi-server monitoring function is a significant technology breakthrough in the network surveillance industry. By upgrading the firmware on one single VioStor NVR, our users can add other QNAP NVR servers regardless of their physical locations and monitor the channels. There is no need to install any other software and no complicated configuration is required," remarked by Jacky Cheng, Senior Product Manager from QNAP. "More importantly, a maximum of 120 IP-based cameras can be monitored on a standalone server with this embedded feature. The scale of the network surveillance is boundlessly expanded by grouping the multiple NVR servers together for simultaneous monitoring."
"We are more than excited to unveil the new firmware for our VioStor NVR series. The multi-server monitoring function is a significant technology breakthrough in the network surveillance industry. By upgrading the firmware on one single VioStor NVR, our users can add other QNAP NVR servers regardless of their physical locations and monitor the channels. There is no need to install any other software and no complicated configuration is required," remarked by Jacky Cheng, Senior Product Manager from QNAP. "More importantly, a maximum of 120 IP-based cameras can be monitored on a standalone server with this embedded feature. The scale of the network surveillance is boundlessly expanded by grouping the multiple NVR servers together for simultaneous monitoring."
Apple Updates Mac Mini with NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Apple today updated its Mac mini as well. Starting at $599, the new Mac mini is an innovative, tiny desktop that measures just 6.5 by 6.5 by 2 inches. Now it features a 2.0 GHz or 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M all-in-one platform with up to 256 MB shared for the video unit, up to 4 GB of DDR3 SO-DIMM memory (2x slots), and up to 320 GB of storage using 5400 rpm SATA hard drive. Drawing less than 13 watts of power in idle, the new Mac mini is also the world's most energy efficient desktop. You can find it in stores now.
Patriot Memory Releases 8GB DDR2 6400LL Quad Kit
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium memory module and flash memory solutions, announced today the release of their DDR2 Quad Channel 8GB Kits.
In today's complex, multi-task world, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to switch between scenerios, and still maintain enough memory to run multiple applications," says Saeed Arash Far, Patriot Memory's Technical Marketing Engineering Manager.
In today's complex, multi-task world, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to switch between scenerios, and still maintain enough memory to run multiple applications," says Saeed Arash Far, Patriot Memory's Technical Marketing Engineering Manager.
Kingston Out With HyperX 2 GB Netbook Memory
Kingston Memory released a 2 GB DDR2 HyperX SO-DIMM compatible with netbooks, MIDs and ULPCs supporting SO-DIMMs. The most peculiar part about this module is that it is PC2-4300 (DDR2-533 MHz) compliant. Kingston brandishes the DRAM timings of this module that puts in in the low-latency segment in today's scenario: 3-3-3-8. Kingston notes that the module is programmed in a way that lets any netbook or MID to automatically run at the modules tight DRAM timings. The module is backed by a lifetime warranty, it is priced at US $35.
Apple Launches Core i7 Powered Mac Pro
Apple just introduced the new Mac Pro featuring Intel "Nehalem" Xeon processors. Thanks to the new 8-core Intel architecture running at speeds up to 2.93 GHz, the new Mac Pro delivers up to twice the performance of the previous generation Mac Pro. It also features the latest graphics from both NVIDIA and ATI - the system can be purchased with either GeForce GT 120 with 512 MB of GDDR3 memory or Radeon HD 4870 with 512 MB of GDDR5 memory. The new Mac Pro also supports up to 32 GB of DDR3 ECC SDRAM and up to 4 TB of internal storage in four hard drive bays. Additionally the 45nm Mac Pro comes with revised interior that makes expansion even easier than before. Available next week, the new Mac Pro starts at $2,499. Visit Mac Pro web page, for more information.
Arctic Cooling Readies Twin Turbo PRO VGA Cooler
Spotted as part of the package for a custom-design upcoming graphics card SKU by Inno3D (most likely its iChill GTS 250), Arctic Cooling has come up with a new graphics card cooler: the Accelero Twin Turbo PRO. The new cooler comes with updated dissipation mechanism and fans, that either make it more silent than its predecessor for the same levels of cooling performance, or better than its predecessor at the same fan-speeds. To do so, the cooler uses two PWM-controlled 90 mm fans as opposed to two 80 mm fans on its predecessor.
Adding to the cooling efficiency is the aluminum fin count: 35 as opposed to 30 on its predecessor, upping the dissipation surface-area from 2,700 cm² on the Twin Turbo to 3,675 cm². That's an increment of 35%. The copper-made GPU contact block gives out four copper heatpipes that convey heat to the fins. The retention module supports most of today's single-GPU cards using two sets of mounting holes: 43 mm and 53 mm, except unfortunately, the GeForce GTX 200 series. A buckle-design for the retention module holds the PCB firmly. Arctic Cooling is yet to announce this cooler in its own channel brand, though as seen with its recent history, some of its best coolers such as the Accelero Xtreme GTX 280 are being given away to OEM customers, leaving the retail channels rather dry.
Adding to the cooling efficiency is the aluminum fin count: 35 as opposed to 30 on its predecessor, upping the dissipation surface-area from 2,700 cm² on the Twin Turbo to 3,675 cm². That's an increment of 35%. The copper-made GPU contact block gives out four copper heatpipes that convey heat to the fins. The retention module supports most of today's single-GPU cards using two sets of mounting holes: 43 mm and 53 mm, except unfortunately, the GeForce GTX 200 series. A buckle-design for the retention module holds the PCB firmly. Arctic Cooling is yet to announce this cooler in its own channel brand, though as seen with its recent history, some of its best coolers such as the Accelero Xtreme GTX 280 are being given away to OEM customers, leaving the retail channels rather dry.
VIA Announces Em-ITX Board Form Factor, with Dual I/O Coastlines
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced its latest board form factor for embedded system developers; the Em-ITX form factor. Offering embedded developers a compact, versatile and highly integrated board form factor, VIA's Em-ITX establishes an off-the-shelf standard for ultra-slim embedded devices.
The Em-ITX form factor is a new open industry standard defined by VIA, and is 30% more compact than Mini-ITX, yet offers 200% more I/O real estate. At 12cm x 17cm, the Em-ITX form factor includes unique dual I/O coastlines and an exclusive Em-IO expansion bus to bring unrivalled flexibility and scalability. Benefits also include reduced time-to-market cycles for developers and access to a scalable processor platform that includes the latest 64-bit VIA Nano processor.
The Em-ITX form factor is a new open industry standard defined by VIA, and is 30% more compact than Mini-ITX, yet offers 200% more I/O real estate. At 12cm x 17cm, the Em-ITX form factor includes unique dual I/O coastlines and an exclusive Em-IO expansion bus to bring unrivalled flexibility and scalability. Benefits also include reduced time-to-market cycles for developers and access to a scalable processor platform that includes the latest 64-bit VIA Nano processor.
ASUS Intros P5Q PRO Turbo and P5Q Turbo Motherboards with Xtreme Phase Power Design
ASUS, the world leader in motherboard production, has released the new P5Q PRO Turbo and P5Q Turbo motherboards. These motherboards are the new models in ASUS' reputable P45-based P5Q Series and feature a unique Xtreme Phase Power Design to provide exceptional power efficiency. These motherboards are also exclusively equipped with the TurboV and Turbo Key features for easy overclocking options, plus the ASUS EPU and Express Gate functions to let users enjoy unprecedented performance, power savings and instant fun all rolled into one.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 200M and GTS 100M GPUs for Notebooks Announced
NVIDIA today introduced GPUs in four separate categories that push performance to the highest levels ever achieved in enthusiast and high-performance notebooks. Included in the group is the fastest notebook GPU in the market, the GeForce GTX 280M, with up to 50% more performance than previous generation enthusiast notebook GPUs.
"These new NVIDIA GeForce GPUs are for those who won't accept compromise in notebook performance," said Rene Haas, general manager of notebook business at NVIDIA. "These new GPUs meet the needs of the most demanding consumers in the marketplace by delivering industry-leading performance at all price segments along with features that go beyond graphics."
"These new NVIDIA GeForce GPUs are for those who won't accept compromise in notebook performance," said Rene Haas, general manager of notebook business at NVIDIA. "These new GPUs meet the needs of the most demanding consumers in the marketplace by delivering industry-leading performance at all price segments along with features that go beyond graphics."
Transcend Presents a Full Line of Solid State Drives
With the ever-increasing popularity of compact notebooks and high-end portable devices, the demand for solid-state drives (SSD) is greater than ever. Transcend is poised at the forefront of this new solid-state revolution, offering a complete line of SSD products including its brand-new 1.8" portable SSD (SSD18M) that features the versatility of both eSATA and USB connection interfaces in capacities of up to 128 GB, and also 1.8" and 2.5" form-factor SATA-II and IDE interface SSDs with up to 192 GB storage capacity. All of these high-speed reliable drives are backed by a two-year warranty along with the support of Trancend's global service network.
Transcend Reveals Eye-catching StoreJet 25M-R Shock-Resistant Portable Hard Drive
Transcend Information, an international leader in storage products, today announced a stylish new addition to its exciting line of StoreJet portable hard drives. The StoreJet 25M-R portable hard drive is an innovative combination of anti-shock construction with an attractive design that masks the drive's true rugged nature in a tantalizing blend of crimson red and jet black.
ASUS Eee TOP All-in-one Desktop PC Now Available for Pre-order
Building on the Eee PC foundation, ASUSTeK's Eee TOP all-in-one desktops made their debut on Amazon.com today. The 15.6-inch models, available in white and black, are now up for pre-order and will ship to US customers on March 9th for the money equivalent of $600. Both trims get the same custom touchscreen interface, 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, 160 GB hard drive and a fresh copy of Windows XP Home. Meant to be the perfect kitchen or budget media center PC, the Eee TOP also comes with a built-in 4W speaker system and a 1.3-megapixel webcam, a multi-format card reader and 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless network card.
New Specialized Intel Atom Processor Targets Cars, Internet Phones
Advancing innovation around the Intel Atom processor with a goal to target additional market segments, Intel Corporation today announced four unique versions of processors and two new system controller hub additions to the company's "embedded" business division product line-up. The new products for the Intel Atom processor Z5xx series include industrial-temperature options, as well as different package-size choices better suited for in-car infotainment devices, media phones, eco-technologies and other industrial-strength applications.
MSI Announce the MSI N260GTX Lightning Series
But wait, that's not all from MSI for today. The company also made public the release of the N260GTX Lightning video card. This NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 based card features 1792 MB of DDR3 memory, dual fan design and an exclusive "AirForce Panel" with touch buttons for instant overclocking and voltage regulation.
MSI Unveils N250GTS Series Video Cards
MSI International today announced the all-new N250GTS series, baded on NVIDIA's venerable G92 core. Both cards use their own cooling systems and also feature all solid capacitor design. Unfortunately, specs of the new cards are still to be uploaded on the manufacturer's web site. Until then we're left with a hefty press release and a bunch of pictures.
MSI Announces the GT725 Gaming Laptop
MSI Computer is excited to announce GT725 - the world's first gaming notebook with ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB video card. The GT725 weighs just over seven pounds and comes outfitted with a 2.53 GHz Intel 45nm Penryn P9500 (6 MB L2 cache) CPU, 4 GB of DDR2 memory, a Blu-ray player and a 17-inch 1080P HD LCD display. "GT725 is our flagship gaming notebook," said Andy Tung, Vice President of Sales, MSI US. By the time the laptop was released, our friends over at HEXUS.net have already posted a very well written review here. If you need any additional information about MSI's latest desktop-replacing notebook, I believe it will be somewhere in the review.
ASUS Showcases Full Line-up of Notebooks at CeBIT 2009
ASUS, a worldwide leader in notebook design and manufacturing, has unveiled an extensive lineup of mobile computing solutions at the annual CeBIT 2009. These notebooks represent the pinnacle of ASUS research and development, as well as impassioned industrial design to provide users with not only a functional notebook, but also one that allows them to compute in style while on the move.
Bruce Claflin Appointed AMD Chairman of the Board
Following the big announcement AMD made today, the company has appointed Bruce Claflin as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Mr. Claflin replaces Hector Ruiz, who retired from AMD's Board in conjunction with assuming the position of Chairman of the Board of "The Foundry Company". Mr. Claflin has been a member of AMD's Board of Directors since August, 2003. The AMD Board also appointed Waleed Al Mokarrab to the Board. Mr. Al Mokarrab is chief operating officer of Mubadala Development Company. Dirk Meyer continues in his role as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the AMD Board of Directors.
"Bruce Claflin brings a wealth of business experience that applies directly to the challenges and opportunities relevant to our company," said Meyer. "We are also honored to welcome Waleed Al Mokarrab to the Board. His experience in business development across a broad range of industries will be an invaluable asset to AMD."
"Bruce Claflin brings a wealth of business experience that applies directly to the challenges and opportunities relevant to our company," said Meyer. "We are also honored to welcome Waleed Al Mokarrab to the Board. His experience in business development across a broad range of industries will be an invaluable asset to AMD."
AMD Closes “Asset Smart” Transaction, Form Global Semiconductor Company with ATIC
AMD today announced it has closed its Asset Smart strategic transaction with the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) and Mubadala Development Company of Abu Dhabi, setting the stage for the formal launch of the world's only U.S.-headquartered semiconductor foundry, temporarily called "The Foundry Company." The Foundry Company is expected to formally launch and disclose its new name and visual identity later this week.
AMD received $700 million from ATIC for a portion of its ownership interests in The Foundry Company, The Foundry Company assumed responsibility for the repayment of approximately $1.1 billion of associated AMD debt, and Mubadala paid AMD approximately $125 million1 for 58 million newly issued AMD shares and warrants for 35 million additional shares.
AMD received $700 million from ATIC for a portion of its ownership interests in The Foundry Company, The Foundry Company assumed responsibility for the repayment of approximately $1.1 billion of associated AMD debt, and Mubadala paid AMD approximately $125 million1 for 58 million newly issued AMD shares and warrants for 35 million additional shares.
AMD Launches ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830
AMD today announced the world's first graphics processors to harness 40nm process technology: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830. These feature-rich graphics processors redefine mobile PC entertainment with advanced capabilities including support for the latest Microsoft DirectX 10.1 games, a home theater-quality HD multimedia experience, and energy-efficient features for long battery life at work, at home or at play.
Psion Countersues Intel Over the Netbook Drama, Demands $1.2 Billion
We continue to give you the latest information on the Psion versus Dell and Intel saga. In episode three, Psion counter attacks and surprisingly demands $1.2 Billion from Intel. Psion Teklogix has filled a counterclaim against Intel in response to the chip giant's attempt to get the Netbook trademark freed from legal responsibilities. Part of the complaint, filed with the US District Court for Northern California, says:
Intel has acted willfully and maliciously, has unlawfully attempted to trade on the tremendous commercial value, reputation and goodwill of the Netbook mark, and has deliberately and intentionally confused and deceived the public as to an affiliation, connection or association of Intel with Psion, and/or as to the origin, sponsorship or approval of Intel's goods and/or services,checkmate
Monday, March 2nd 2009
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Memory
Motherboards
Inno3D iChill GTX 260 896 MB (216 SP) Review
If you are looking for a quiet high performance card, then the factory-overclocked iChill GTX 260 is certainly a great choice for you. Using Arctic Cooling's Accelero XXX cooler it emits less fan noise than most low-end cards, yet offers performance close to the GeForce GTX 280.
EVGA SLI Enhancement Patch 02.26.09 Released
EVGA recently released a third version of their SLI Enhancement patch, based on the NVIDIA GeForce 182.06 driver. This unofficial patch enables temporary SLI support in the latest games. The EVGA SLI Enhancement patch version 02.26.09:
- Enables SLI support for The Last Remnant Demo and Benchmark
- Enables SLI support for Grand Ages: Rome Demo
- Enables SLI support for Codename: Panzers Cold War Demo
- Enables SLI support for Men Of War Beta
- Improved SLI support for Burnout Paradise
- Enables SLI support for NecroVision Demo (DX10 Mode)
EVGA Officially Announces the Hydro Copper Water Block for GeForce GTX 285
EVGA is proud to announce the availability of the EVGA Hydro Copper Waterblock for the GTX 285 graphics card. With this product, EVGA continues to show that it cares about its buyers and wants to offer them premium products only. The Hydro Copper design consists of a full cover copper water block with black acetal top that cools the card's core, memory chips and power regulators. Also included are 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch barbs for maximum compatibility with all water loops. The EVGA Hydro Copper is offered both as standalone water-block (Part Number: 200-CU-HC85-B1) or coupled with an EVGA GeForce GTX 285 graphics card (Part Number: 01G-P3-1290-AR). The combo variant comes with the card overclocked to 720 MHz/1620 MHz/2772 MHz core/shaders/memory. Both products are available for pre-order now. The card and the block are priced at $549.99, while the Hydro Copper waterblock alone costs $129.99.
Intel and TSMC Collaborate
Intel Corporation and TSMC today announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on addressing technology platform, intellectual property (IP) infrastructure, and System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions. Under the MOU, Intel would port its Atom processor CPU cores to the TSMC technology platform including processes, IP, libraries, and design flows. The collaboration is intended to expand Intel's Atom SoCs availability for Intel customers for a wider range of applications through integration with TSMC's diverse IP infrastructure.
NVIDIA GeForce Release 181.71 BETA for Windows 7 Released
NVIDIA has rolled out new Windows 7 GeForce 181.71 BETA drivers for the GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9 and 200 series cards. The new drivers work with both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions of current Windows 7 beta release. Release highlights:
- Installs WDDM v1.1 for GeForce 8, 9, and 200-series DirectX 10 GPUs.
- Installs WDDM v1.0 for GeForce 6 and 7-series DirectX 9 GPUs.
- Supports Direct3D, Direct2D, and DirectWrite.
- Supports NVIDIA CUDA - Compute Unified Device Architecture.
- Supports NVIDIA PhysX (this driver package automatically installs PhysX System Software version 9.09.0203 for all GeForce 8, 9, and 200-series GPUs).
- Supports NVIDIA SLI on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL applications.
Always Innovating Unveils the Touch Book Netbook and Tablet
Always Innovating today unveiled the Touch Book, a versatile new device that works as both a netbook and a tablet thanks to a detachable keyboard and a 3D touchscreen user interface. The Touch Book, previewed at DEMO 09, weighs less than two pounds as a netbook and has a battery life of 10 to 15 hours -- three times longer than most netbooks.
"The Touch Book is perfect for these tough economic times because you can use it in so many ways," said Gregoire Gentil, founder of Always Innovating and creator of the Touch Book. "You can use it as a netbook computer, a hand-held game device, or a video player. You can even reverse the keyboard to prop it up on a table in an inverted 'V'. Finally, because it is magnetic, you can remove the keyboard and put the tablet on the fridge to serve as a kitchen computer or digital frame."
"The Touch Book is perfect for these tough economic times because you can use it in so many ways," said Gregoire Gentil, founder of Always Innovating and creator of the Touch Book. "You can use it as a netbook computer, a hand-held game device, or a video player. You can even reverse the keyboard to prop it up on a table in an inverted 'V'. Finally, because it is magnetic, you can remove the keyboard and put the tablet on the fridge to serve as a kitchen computer or digital frame."
GeForce GTX 200M, GTS 100M Series Unveiled
Reigning supreme again in the desktop segment, NVIDIA is looking forward to taking the wraps off its GeForce GTX 200M mGPU series. The new GPU series looks to up the performance offer by 50%, as claimed by the company. In the league are GeForce GTX 280M, GTX 260M and GTS 160M. Before you infer from the product names that at least two of them are based on the G200 graphics processor, let us break it to you, they're not. The entire series is based on the 55 nm G92b series. The 55 nm manufacturing technology seems to have facilitated some jumps in reference clock speeds.
ATI Radeon HD 4870 and Radeon HD 4850 Price Cuts This Week
With the release of ATI's next generation Radeon HD 4890 just a few weeks ahead, the company is going to cut the prices of its Radeon HD 4870 512 MB GDDR5 and Radeon HD 4850 512 MB video cards and thus balance its graphics cards product line-up. The ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB will drop $50, from $199 down to $149 and fight with NVIDIA's rebranded GeForce GTS 250 1 GB. The ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB will drop to $129, and will become main competitor of NVIDIA's GTS 250 512 MB version. Resellers and distributors are expected to start selling with the new prices this week.
CeBIT 2009: We are here once again
The CES '09 aftermath has just died down and we are in Germany right now, getting ready for the CeBIT 2009. Having had the chance to walk the show floor today already, watching the manufacturers build their booths, there seems to be a cautiously optimistic vibe in the air. We do expect a few surprises and will try our best to let you know about them - with a lot of pictures of course!
AMD and Seagate to Demo 6 Gbps SATA Interface
AMD and Seagate are set to demonstrate the new 6 Gbps SATA storage device interface. The companies will hold the demo today, in New Orleans, USA. Although not a player in the enterprise storage controller market, AMD is using this demo to exhibit the kind of technology that will go into its future chipset. The company already has plans to build chipset for its own current-generation Opteron processors.
Seagate, on the other hand, is a large player in the hard drive industry, enterprise storage included. The company notes that SATA 6 Gbps will benefit solid-state drives before they can significantly help conventional hard-drives. "Flash will take advantage [of the new interface], in applicable markets, sooner than you think," said Marc Noblitt, senior marketing I/O development manager for Seagate. "Six-gig is a perfect interface. OEMs tell us that they want to have the same SATA interface for flash as for a 1.8-inch rotating drive, so they can swap in a drive for flash, or vice versa." he added.
Seagate, on the other hand, is a large player in the hard drive industry, enterprise storage included. The company notes that SATA 6 Gbps will benefit solid-state drives before they can significantly help conventional hard-drives. "Flash will take advantage [of the new interface], in applicable markets, sooner than you think," said Marc Noblitt, senior marketing I/O development manager for Seagate. "Six-gig is a perfect interface. OEMs tell us that they want to have the same SATA interface for flash as for a 1.8-inch rotating drive, so they can swap in a drive for flash, or vice versa." he added.
MSI P55 Motherboard Pictured
MSI will be one of the first motherboard manufacturers to design one based on Intel's upcoming P55 chipset, supporting Intel's upcoming Core i5 series processors, using the LGA-1156 socket design. Boy, is this one interesting board. Pictured by Hardware-Aktuell, the MSI G9P55-DC picture shows perhaps the first picture of a fully-assembled LGA-1156 socket, with its complete retention mechanism in place.
The CPU is fuelled by two independent 6-phase power circuits. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support dual-channel memory. Storage comes in the form of six SATA II ports routed to the P55 chip, with four (blue) SATA II ports and an IDE connector courtesy of an additional controller. The board features two PCI slots, a PCI-E x1 slot to hold a "hardware" sound card (part of the package), an open-ended PCI-E x4 slot and three PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots. In case you're wondering how the 16 PCI-E lanes the CPU ends up sparing for graphics ends up into a 3-Way SLI supportive solution, take a look at what would trick you for a southbridge. That, infact is the NVIDIA BR-03 chip. It can provide two PCI-E x16 links, or PCI-E x16, x8, x8 connections to the three slots, much like in the nForce 780a SLI solutions for the AMD platform. Let the puny chipset heatsinks not fool you either. This board is pre-production and its release-grade version will feature an MSI-made cooling solution that cools the chipset and the rather crowded VRM area. We will learn more about this board as CeBIT progresses.
The CPU is fuelled by two independent 6-phase power circuits. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support dual-channel memory. Storage comes in the form of six SATA II ports routed to the P55 chip, with four (blue) SATA II ports and an IDE connector courtesy of an additional controller. The board features two PCI slots, a PCI-E x1 slot to hold a "hardware" sound card (part of the package), an open-ended PCI-E x4 slot and three PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots. In case you're wondering how the 16 PCI-E lanes the CPU ends up sparing for graphics ends up into a 3-Way SLI supportive solution, take a look at what would trick you for a southbridge. That, infact is the NVIDIA BR-03 chip. It can provide two PCI-E x16 links, or PCI-E x16, x8, x8 connections to the three slots, much like in the nForce 780a SLI solutions for the AMD platform. Let the puny chipset heatsinks not fool you either. This board is pre-production and its release-grade version will feature an MSI-made cooling solution that cools the chipset and the rather crowded VRM area. We will learn more about this board as CeBIT progresses.
Corsair Venturing Into Cases
Starting off as an ambitious memory products manufacturer in a highly competitive market, Corsair diversified its product lineup at a great pace: liquid cooling, SSDs, power supplies and now PC cases. That's right, Corsair is here to take on market heavyweights in the high-end PC case category, such as SilverStone, Lian Li, and Antec. This is suggested by a photoshoot of an upcoming Corsair PC case, sourced by Hexus.net, which shows a black, compatmentalized, aluminum full-ATX tower.
The pictures show the case to sport a typical design when it comes to placing the various components in the case, that till you find out that a front-door opens up the hard-drive enclosure to give the case hot-swap capabilities. Corsair's yet to be named case might get the spotlight at CeBIT.
The pictures show the case to sport a typical design when it comes to placing the various components in the case, that till you find out that a front-door opens up the hard-drive enclosure to give the case hot-swap capabilities. Corsair's yet to be named case might get the spotlight at CeBIT.
Microsoft Launches Clothing Line, Called Softwear
The following news story is not as much hardware related as our site usually does, but it is funny enough to make your whole week better and even good enough to provide with clothing some of you. Microsoft, the monopolist in software industry, has announced a new line of clothing, in partnership with rapper Common, called Softwear. I'm not joking, now you can be 101% original by wearing Microsoft clothes. It's Microsoft's turn to set the trend in clothing;
"This collection inspired and created by Common exhibits the parallels between two groundbreaking movements of the 80s: personal computing and hip-hop. Microsoft, and Common, pioneers of their respective crafts, pushed the envelope of what was expected and even what was accepted. Through lyrical expressions and enabling connectivity, the world was changed. That's something worth celebrating."
The first shirts will be sold via Urban Outfitters, with more products being sold at specialty stores in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta. Take a look at the Softwear official site.
"This collection inspired and created by Common exhibits the parallels between two groundbreaking movements of the 80s: personal computing and hip-hop. Microsoft, and Common, pioneers of their respective crafts, pushed the envelope of what was expected and even what was accepted. Through lyrical expressions and enabling connectivity, the world was changed. That's something worth celebrating."
The first shirts will be sold via Urban Outfitters, with more products being sold at specialty stores in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta. Take a look at the Softwear official site.
Spansion Files for Bankruptcy
Spansion Inc., the world's largest pure-play provider of Flash memory solutions, today filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as part of its strategy to strengthen its financial position and focus its business for long-term success. The company's strategic plan is designed to restructure its burdensome debt obligations and intensify its focus on market segments with greater profit potential. Each of Spansion's domestic subsidiaries also simultaneously filed chapter 11 petitions.
"Given our focus on Spansion's future, management and the Board have concluded that chapter 11 provides the most effective means for Spansion to preserve its business, meet its post-petition obligations and maintain customer confidence and continuity while we complete this restructuring," said President and CEO John Kispert. "At the same time we will continue to explore opportunities for a strategic transaction to ensure that we are doing all we can to maximize value for our stakeholders."
"Given our focus on Spansion's future, management and the Board have concluded that chapter 11 provides the most effective means for Spansion to preserve its business, meet its post-petition obligations and maintain customer confidence and continuity while we complete this restructuring," said President and CEO John Kispert. "At the same time we will continue to explore opportunities for a strategic transaction to ensure that we are doing all we can to maximize value for our stakeholders."
Sunday, March 1st 2009
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Notebooks
Processors
Storage
- Eagle Consus ET-CSPESU2-BK 2.5 Bjorn3D
- Eagle Tech ET-CS2MSU2-BK 2.5" SATA to USB mesh enclosure DragonSteelMods
- Ineo 2.5 inch All in one Enclosure Red and Blackness Mods
- Sunbeamtech HDD Docking Station OCModShop
- SanDisk 16GB Mobile Ultra microSDHC Card Legit Reviews
- PNY 16GB Attache USB 2.0 Flash Drive Test Freaks
AMD 32 nm CPU Conquest to Begin in 2010
After spinning off its manufacturing division to The Foundry Co., AMD is left with all the engineering resources it needs to make processors. Contradicting older roadmap slides by the company predicting it would start selling 32 nm processors in 2011, Dirk Meyer, CEO of AMD in an interview with Information Week said that the company is on-track to ship smaller, more powerful processors built on the 32 nm manufacturing process by 2010.
The new manufacturing process would allow the chip maker to step up transistor counts to add more features and computational power. Tomorrow, on March 2, the AMD is expected to close the deal with Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) of Abu Dhabi to form The Foundry Company (TFC). This would render AMD fabless. The company will then, like other fabless market heavyweights such as NVIDIA and VIA, will focus on designing processors, while TFC, its largest foundry partner will manufacture the processors. Currently AMD is tied up with foundry companies such as TSMC and UMC for manufacturing products of its Graphics Products Group, products such as GPUs and chipset.
AMD will be an year behind larger market rival Intel in selling processors built on the 32 nm technology. Intel plans to roll out 32 nm processors by Q4 2009. AMD's designs will be ready by mid-2010, following which volume production of its 32 nm chips will commence by Q4 2010.
The new manufacturing process would allow the chip maker to step up transistor counts to add more features and computational power. Tomorrow, on March 2, the AMD is expected to close the deal with Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) of Abu Dhabi to form The Foundry Company (TFC). This would render AMD fabless. The company will then, like other fabless market heavyweights such as NVIDIA and VIA, will focus on designing processors, while TFC, its largest foundry partner will manufacture the processors. Currently AMD is tied up with foundry companies such as TSMC and UMC for manufacturing products of its Graphics Products Group, products such as GPUs and chipset.
AMD will be an year behind larger market rival Intel in selling processors built on the 32 nm technology. Intel plans to roll out 32 nm processors by Q4 2009. AMD's designs will be ready by mid-2010, following which volume production of its 32 nm chips will commence by Q4 2010.
New Method of Nanoscale Elements Could Transform Data Storage Industry
An innovative and easily implemented technique in which nanoscale elements precisely assemble themselves over large surfaces could soon open doors to dramatic improvements in the data storage capacity of electronic media, according to scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst).
"I expect that the new method we developed will transform the microelectronic and storage industries, and open up vistas for entirely new applications," said co-lead investigator Thomas Russell, director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UMass Amherst, visiting Miller Professor at UC Berkeley's Department of Chemistry, and one of the world's leading experts on the behavior of polymers. "This work could possibly be translated into the production of more energy-efficient photovoltaic cells, for instance."
"I expect that the new method we developed will transform the microelectronic and storage industries, and open up vistas for entirely new applications," said co-lead investigator Thomas Russell, director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UMass Amherst, visiting Miller Professor at UC Berkeley's Department of Chemistry, and one of the world's leading experts on the behavior of polymers. "This work could possibly be translated into the production of more energy-efficient photovoltaic cells, for instance."
Cooler Master Conducts Survey, Prizes at Stake
Cooler Master today announced a survey for residents of North America. The survey covers a broad set of questions regarding what users ask for when looking for a gaming mouse, mousing surface, and notebook accessories. It should also give you a hint that the company plans to venture into these product lines. Up for grabs are a Storm Sniper PC case, V10 CPU cooler, and a Silent Pro modular power supply, as part of survey contest. For participation and rules, visit this page.
QNAP Launches TS-809U-RP, High Redundancy 2U Chassis 8-Bay iSCSI NAS
QNAP Systems, Inc. today introduces the enterprise-grade TS-809U-RP Turbo NAS, the 2U chassis 8-bay NAS with high redundancy, performance, and reliability. Featuring the powerful Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz CPU and 2GB DDRII memory, the giant TS-809U-RP delivers superior performance in high density data access environment. It supports 8 hot-swappable SATA hard drives and is able to serve up to a whopping 16TB storage capacity. Designed with excellent power and network redundancy, the NAS supports redundant power supply and two Giga LAN ports for load balancing or failover. Other advanced features include RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 6/ 5+spare/ 6+spare, Online RAID Capacity Expansion, Online RAID Level Migration, iSCSI with Thin Provisioning, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, automatic policy-based IP blocking, hard disk drive S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) etc.
"The TS-809U-RP is equipped with two power supply units, which share the load equally in normal operation. When one of them fails for any reasons, the other one will take over to supply the power of the entire NAS to ensure continuous operation. The IT administrator can replace the failed unit without turning off the server. This largely enhances the productivity of the business environment and minimizes the system maintenance cost," said Troy Lin, Product Manager from QNAP.
"The TS-809U-RP is equipped with two power supply units, which share the load equally in normal operation. When one of them fails for any reasons, the other one will take over to supply the power of the entire NAS to ensure continuous operation. The IT administrator can replace the failed unit without turning off the server. This largely enhances the productivity of the business environment and minimizes the system maintenance cost," said Troy Lin, Product Manager from QNAP.
Mozilla Firefox 3.1 Delayed, New Beta Release in the Works
Last week Mozilla developers confirmed that they will add another beta to the Firefox 3.1 development schedule, meaning that Mozilla users will have to wait a bit longer for the new final release. The reason hiding behind this delay is the recently found critical bug in the browser's TraceMonkey java script engine."We're going to wrap up Beta 3 in the next week regardless of 'upvar' status," said Mike Shaver, Mozilla's vice president of engineering. "A fourth beta will follow approximately six weeks after, as a vehicle for more testing of TraceMonkey, video, Places and other eagerly-awaited improvements, as well as feedback from Beta 3," he added.
Originally Mozilla Firefox 3.1 was slated to launch in late 2008, but the browser's progress has been much slower than planned. With this last update on the development schedule, the browser will possibly ship in the second quarter of this year or even later.
Originally Mozilla Firefox 3.1 was slated to launch in late 2008, but the browser's progress has been much slower than planned. With this last update on the development schedule, the browser will possibly ship in the second quarter of this year or even later.
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