Renowned water-cooling components specialist Koolance is one of the first to be ready with a water block for the new single-PCB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 video card. The Koolance VID-NX295S provides full-coverage cooling for the accelerator. The package bundles a full-coverage cooling plate for even the rear-side of the card, where 14 out of 28 of the card's memory chips are located. The water block uses nickel-plated copper as its primary material, topped with an acrylic jacket. Its dimensions are 24.2 cm x 12.3 cm x 1.8 cm, and it weighs in at around 1 kg. It uses a standard G 1/4" nozzle threading. The VID-NX295S priced at US $159.99, and is available from the Koolance store.

Professional videographers face continuous pressure to deliver high quality work under tight deadlines. To ease that burden and enable greater levels of creativity, NVIDIA today announced the availability of GPU-accelerated plug-in solutions for Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) users, optimized to run on a wide range of NVIDIA Quadro graphics solutions.

NVIDIA is offering exclusive discounts of up to 50 percent on plug-ins from Elemental Technologies, Boris FX, Red Giant Software and proDAD when purchased at NVIDIA.com.

Among the plug-ins being offered is the NVIDIA CUDA architecture-based Elemental Accelerator 2.0 for Windows from Elemental Technologies (MSRP $499 discounted to $249). By leveraging the CUDA parallel computing architecture, this new plug-in offloads H.264 video encoding to the Quadro GPU, enabling Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 users to experience a performance increase of up to 11X when compared to CPU-only video encoders. Now available on a range of Quadro GPUs, Elemental Accelerator 2.0 supports the creation of Blu-ray DVDs and web content using Flash. In addition, NVIDIA and Elemental Technologies are bringing accelerated H.264 video encoding capabilities to Mac Pro users for the first time with the new Elemental Accelerator 1.2 for Mac OS X running on the Quadro FX 4800 for Mac.

Swedish firm called the Global Gaming Factory announced today that it has bought The Pirate Bay webpage for just 60 million Swedish Krona (roughly $7.8 million USD or £4.6 million GBP). That's the breaking news for today. There's no need to describe The Pirate Bay, probably everyone here knows about The Pirate Bay web address and has visited it at least a dozen times, searching for pirated software, books, videos, games and everything that can be transferred into zeros and ones. At the moment The Pirate Bay is one of the 100 most visited Internet sites in the world and one of the leading search engines for file sharing. The site has more than 20 million visitors and over one billion searches per month.
With the deal completed, GGF acquires domain names and related web sites, including the www.thepiratebay.org domain. After the full acquisition The Pirate Bay is said to become as legitimate as possible. A new "business models" are being prepared for it that will compensate "the content providers and copyright owners." Read the full press release below.

Cooling and power specialist, Akasa announced a new fan for its consumer lineup. The Apache 120 mm (model number: AK-FN057) banks mostly on its unique fan-blade design, and its appearance to sell it. It uses what Akasa calls an "S-Flow" blade design, which delivers 30% higher air-flow against traditional blade designs, keeping speed constant.

Apache 120 mm uses a copper-ish red colour for its frame, and military green for the fan. The frame is of standard 25 mm thickness. The fan is PWM controlled, and spins in speeds of 600~1300 rpm. Its maximum air-flow is 57.5 CFM, and noise levels between 6.9 and 16.05 dBA, depending on the speed. It has started selling in the UK, priced at about ₤13.80.

Mozilla today announced the newest stable version of Firefox, version 3.5, which has been available in various developer preview forms for months. The new version is a milestone release, unlike timely updates that Firefox receives on a near-monthly basis, and boasts of better performance. For instance, Firefox 3.5 outperforms its previous version (Firefox 3) by over 100% in the SunSpider benchmark.

Under the hood, this new version extends support for HTML5 audio and video elements, including native support for open-source formats such as Ogg Theora. It uses a faster TraceMonkey Javascript engine (which is behind the performance boost in SunSpider), It supports downloadable fonts, CSS media queries, new transformations and properties, JavaScript query selectors, HTML5 local storage and offline application storage, canvas-driven text, ICC profiles, and SVG transformations. The user interface remains fairly identical to its predecessor, except for a few minor changes. The browser finally supports a private browsing feature which MSIE 8 (InPrivate) and Google Chrome (Incognito mode) have. Existing users of Firefox will be prompted to upgrade to the new browser. Others can find it here.

Popular memory manufacturer Mushkin, which is also known for power supply units and until last year, for video cards, plans to resume being a video card manufacturer, and an add-in card partner for NVIDIA. The company just announced plans on an entire lineup of products based on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 200 series, called Mushkin UltimateFX. It includes products starting from the GeForce GTX 260 896 MB base model, going all the way up to GeForce GTX 285 2048 MB, with models carved out based on clock speeds and memory sizes.

For the most part, it looks like Mushkin will use non-reference designs which we may be familiar with. One of their products resembles a similar design by Sparkle, while another bears resemblance with the reference NVIDIA design, albeit a green PCB (something PNY has opted for). The cards will be shipped in an a classic wooden jewel case, similar to to the "WoodBox" it shipped with its older products. Here's what the lineup looks like:

Scythe Europe hereby announces the availability of the new compact-size BIG Shuriken CPU Cooler. This new product enriches the series of compact and silent CPU Coolers for computes with very limited height and weight restrictions. Due to its height of only 58 mm and the weight of 405 g, the BIG Shuriken CPU Cooler is perfectly qualified for such PC Systems.

Compared to normal Shuriken CPU Cooler which comes with a Kaze Jyu 100 mm Slim fan, the BIG Shuriken CPU Cooler is equipped with the brand new Slip Stream 120 mm Slim case fan with 12 mm thickness. Despite the name "BIG" Shuriken, the total height shrank by 6 mm (0.236 in) to 58 mm (2.28 in). Whereas the Shuriken CPU Cooler was equipped with 3 copper heatpipes the BIG Shuriken CPU Cooler received an additional copper heatpipe to further increase the performance. Yet, both of the models support the PWM feature (pulse-width modulation) for flexible fan by the motherboard. The specified fan speed varies from 650 (+300) to 1600rpm (±10%) whereas the generated airflow varies from 15.77 to 38.05 CFM (27 to 65 m³/h) at a noise level of 12.91 to 28.89 dBA.

Inno3D's iChiLL range is going to have one more product to talk about soon, this will be an upcoming NVIDIA ION-based mini-ITX mainboard with a name that's yet to be discovered. The board was shown for the first time during this year's COMPUTEX. It follows NVIDIA's reference design and is expected to ship in two flavours - one featuring an integrated single-core Intel Atom N270 processor, and another sporting an integrated dual-core Intel Atom 330. The second heart of the board is NVIDIA's ION chipset which brings with it a GeForce 9400m integrated graphics, with a GPU clocked at 450 MHz and 16 stream processors clocked at 1100 MHz. The iChiLL board provides two DDR2 DIMM slots, supporting up to 8 GB of 667 MHz/800 MHz memory, and is bundled with a 90W external power supply. The board is yet to be priced.

NDA has been lifted off AMD's newest processor for serious overclocking, the Phenom II Black Edition TWKR 42. While this processor isn't meant to be an out of the box high-speed performer, it caters specifically to those who know (TWK) the inside outs of overclocking. Hence, it comes with a speed of 2.00 GHz, but with an unlocked multiplier, high-leakage silicon, and a significantly higher overclocking headroom compared to other consumer-grade chips AMD offers. Currently AMD has only 100 of these ready to sell.

Legit Reviews is one of the first sites to review this chip, and adds an interesting list of myth busters to go with it. The chip is based on a cherry-picked high quality yield of Deneb C2 core. It comes with a vCore value of 1.44 V out of the box, and lets the overclocker decide which bus-multiplier, frequency, and voltage value to use. It comes in an exclusive jewel-case from AMD. Using air-cooling by an XIGMATEK HDT-S1283, the reviewer was able to reach 4.00 GHz on the air and more than 5.90 GHz using liquid-nitrogen cooling.

Micron Technology today announced mass production of new NAND flash memory products using its award-winning 34-nanometer (nm) process technology. As consumers demand increased capacity to store more music, videos, photos, and applications in ever smaller portable electronic devices, manufacturers need a storage solution that delivers on capacity, performance, and size. Micron's new 16- and 32-gigabit (Gb) NAND chips pair large capacity with performance, providing a compelling solution for today's demanding portable storage requirements that are tailored to end-customer product dimensions.
The newly architected 32Gb multi-level cell (MLC) NAND chip is 17 percent smaller than Micron's first-generation 32Gb chip. The 16Gb MLC NAND chip, at just 84mm², provides high-capacity in an ultra tiny package. Micron is also now sampling 8- and 16Gb single-level cell (SLC) NAND chips using the 34nm process.

Long renowned as one of the top providers of power supplies in desktop computing, Cooler Master makes a move into universal notebook power adapters with the SNA (Slim Notebook Adapter) 95; targeting business travelers carrying a notebook and other USB devices. With a sleek design and being the slimmest 95W notebook adapter available, the SNA 95 was immediately recognized as one of COMPUTEX 2009's hottest products by receiving the Design & Innovation Award 2009.

DirectX 11 isn't far from its being an official industrial standard. Both NVIDIA and AMD have high-end graphics processors supporting the standard in the works, though it is expected that by the time DirectX 11 reaches the masses, we will be into 2010. On the course, both companies have the time to perfect their designs on the new 40 nm silicon fabrication technology, which will build the first waves of DirectX 11 GPUs. One of the best ways of doing this is by building products based on the current architecture on the new process, and testing the foundry-companies' abilities to handle large market demands, while benefiting from low-manufacturing costs. Following AMD's introduction of the RV740, NVIDIA recently announced a new class of mGPUs based on the 40 nm process, and is having concrete plans of selling their desktop versions by this October.

Two of the important starting points for NVIDIA are the GT218 and GT216 graphics processors. The two have already being assigned mGPU branding of GeForce G 210M and GeForce GT 230M respectively. Their desktop versions are to be branded GeForce G 210 and GeForce GT 220 respectively. VR-Zone sourced the specifications of these GPUs, by running them on the upcoming GeForce 190.15 drivers.

A new list of features surraunding the upcoming RTS franchise Star Craft 2 that might interest you were announced today. Starting with the big one, Blizzard has confirmed that Star Craft 2 will not support LAN multiplayer mode. The game will be entirely online based, multiplayer connections will go through Battle.net only, no LAN connections will be allowed.
Blizzard today also posted a new 7 minute video footage of some ingame action. Units from all the three races are captured in the video, you can watch it in high quality here.
Also unveiled during an interview with Shacknews was that players will be able to hire NPC mercenaries and use them in the single player mode campaign. StarCraft II lead designer Dustin Browder also detailed that again in single player campaign mode, there'll be additional objectives and optional quests which if completed will give players different bonuses. You can read the full interview with Dustin Browder right here.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today began shipping a new line of IDE flash disk modules (FDMs), primarily developed for embedded computing applications, that deliver unmatched reliability and fast transfer speeds.

These FDMs, also known as disk on module (DOM), are made first and foremost for extreme reliability in embedded computing applications. They incorporate a standard IDE hard drive interface and use solid state NAND flash as the storage media. With no moving parts, these FDMs will have a very long worry-free usable life in harsh manufacturing environments where hard drives would not survive, such as areas exposed to high levels of dust, shock, vibration or extreme temperatures. Super Talent included wear leveling, ECC and bad bit management as standard features to further enhance reliability and endurance.

ASUS, a leading producer of innovative networking solutions, today announced the ASUS RT-N16, a technologically-advanced wireless router with a host of intuitive, easy-to-use features. Engineered for the future, the ASUS RT-N16 is a Wireless-N Gigabit Router offering three "S's" that fulfill users' all-around networking needs that no other brand can provide-Speed for ultra-fast data transfers, Simplicity for unparalleled ease-of-use and ease-of-setup, and Security for absolute peace of mind when performing online tasks. Such an unprecedented integration of powerful performance and user-friendly operation makes the RT-N16-and ASUS' full range of routers-the best choice on the market.

Auzentech, Inc. announced shipment dates today for the highly-anticipated X-Fi HomeTheater HD sound card. Reviewer shipments of the X-Fi HomeTheater HD will begin the second week of July. According to Auzentech the sound card will also go into full production at that time, enabling customer shipments to begin at the end of July.

"We are excited to officially announce shipment dates of the X-Fi HomeTheater HD sound card," said Stephane Bae, president of Auzentech, Inc. "We appreciate the patience of all our customers, distributors, and dealers who have waited anxiously for this sound card."

We've learned that Microsoft might be considering the opportunity to distribute Windows 7 on USB flash drives to ease netbook owners when installing operating systems. Although nothing is confirmed yet, this approach makes distribution of Microsoft software products a lot more convenient, bravo Microsoft for the idea. These drives will be used primary for netbooks and computers without any optical drives installed.
Unfortunately, the use of USB flash drives for this tight segment is just one of the many choices Microsoft is thinking over. Currently the company sells a downloadable version of Windows, so the same might apply to Windows 7, also users might download the content to an external hard drive and then hook it up to their netbook or a notebook for installation, instead of buying the more expensive USB flash drive with the licensed software. Read more at CNET.

Seiko Epson Corporation (Epson) today announced that it has started volume production of its latest line of liquid crystal panels ("3LCD chips") for 3LCD data projectors. Measuring just 0.55 of an inch (1.4 cm) on the diagonal, the new 3LCD chips are believed to be the world's smallest high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT panels offering XGA (1024x768) resolution.
The new 3LCD chips enable projectors to deliver 2000 to 2600 lumens of brightness. Epson made this possible by using a liquid crystal material with high light-resistance and by further increasing the luminance of panels with an organic alignment layer. Also, Epson achieved an aperture ratio equivalent to that of the company's earlier 0.63-inch (1.6 cm) panels while shrinking the chip size to 0.55 inch by using its latest process technology to narrow the pixel pitch of the new panels to 11 microns.

ASUSTeK today also announced that it will be starting an upgrade program that will allow users who have purchased a qualifying ASUS desktop PC, notebook, EeeTop PC or Eee PC to upgrade their existing Windows Vista OS to the better and yet to be finalized Windows 7 operating system. From June 26, 2009 through January 31, 2010 owners of the below listed ASUS products may visit this webpage here, complete the registration process and wait for their upgrade kit after the general availability date of Windows 7 which is October 22nd. The ASUS Windows 7 Upgrade offer will be free in the USA, while users from other parts of the world will have to pay a nominal shipping and handling fee. Below is the full list of ASUS products that are eligible for the Windows 7 upgrade program.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual display and computing products, today announced the commercial availability of its VPC100 All-in-One PC at an MSRP of $599. With 20 years of display experience as a leader in desktop technology and partnerships with computing market leaders, high quality computing products are a natural extension of ViewSonic's product offering. With its slim design (35mm thin), ease-of-use, eco-friendly design and affordability, the VPC100 is ideal for every lifestyle - from home and office settings, to call centers, libraries, school computer labs and any location where space is limited.

"When people talk about office clutter, it's not just about paperwork. Traditional computing solutions can be expensive, unattractive and take up an entire desk," said Jeff Volpe, vice president and general manager of ViewSonic North America. "We designed the VPC100 to overcome that 'computer clutter' problem with one cable ease and a clean, All-in-One design. We're excited to bring this product to market in the US and give our channel partners and customers a solution that further merges technology and lifestyle."

Rumor has it that chip giant Intel will be launching new solid-state drives based on the company's 34 nm NAND chips in just a few weeks time. The report claims that these new SSDs will be faster and most importantly cheaper than what we're used to pay for a solid-state drive. Intel will manufacture the 34 nm drives in 320 GB, 160 GB and 80 GB capacities, and most probably in other capacities that are still unknown for one or another reason. The drives are said to be coming out in about two weeks so stay tuned.

While the bulk of Intel's upcoming Nehalem and Westmere derived products include quad-core processors, the company hasn't left out dual-core processors just as yet. The dual-core Core i5 desktop processor will be based on the new Clarkdale core, built on the 32 nm Westmere architecture. Originally slated for a Q1 2010 launch, the new chip seems to have been pulled into the Q4 2009 launch schedule, deep enough to make for a significant amount of projected sales, according to sources in the Taiwanese motherboard industry.

The sales projections for Q4 look particularly interesting. Core i5 "Clarkdale" dual-core is projected to amount for 10% of Intel's sales, while Core i7 "Bloomfield" at 1%, Core i5 "Lynnfield" at 2% (Core i7 "Lynnfield" is slated for Q1 2010), Core 2 Quad at 9%, Core 2 Duo E7000/E8000 at 35%, Pentium E5000/E6000 at 31%, Celeron E3000 and Atom together at 9%, Pentium E2000 and Celeron 400 together at 4%. In the following quarter, Clarkdale's sales share is expected to rise to 20%. The numbers prove just how large the market for dual-core processors is, even four years into the introduction of quad-core chips.

ASUS, the leader in motherboard innovation, has launched a comprehensive range of SMB-ready motherboard solutions to help Small-and-Medium-Sized-Businesses (SMBs) refresh their technology environment, improve customer service provision, and boost operational performance. Developed in partnership with Intel, the solutions are grouped into secure, productive, and smart categories to meet different SMB requirements. The specially-designed motherboards come with all the industry-leading innovations synonymous with ASUS as well as extensive service support, including one year supply of product availability and conditional advance swap support.

Thecus, the leader in digital storage, today announced the availability of its latest 7-bay NAS server, the N7700SAS. Offering massive storage capacity and cutting-edge technology, the N7700SAS is an enterprise class NAS server providing incredible flexibility, reliability, and expandability.

The N7700SAS brings the latest technologies to the table, including seven SATA/SAS hard disk bays that accommodate multiple terabytes of storage. To manipulate all of this data, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of DDR2 memory allow for more concurrent connections and quicker system response. For data protection, the N7700SAS lets you choose from a wide selection of RAID modes, including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD. The N7700SAS also supports multiple RAID volumes, enabling system administrators to choose the right combination of RAID volumes for the network. Should changes need to be made, the N7700SAS also features online RAID expansion, online RAID migration, and auto rebuild for maximum flexibility.

EVGA published the 13th release of its SLI Enhancement Patch. The patch works in conjunction with NVIDIA's drivers, and expands its SLI profiles for games. Based on GeForce drivers 186.18 WHQL, EVGA SLI Enhancement Patch v13 adds SLI support for the games ArmA 2 and Merchants of Brooklyn, along with the new SLI profiles GeForce 186.18 brings for the games Dark Sector, Trine, Prototype, Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Free Realms, Wolfenstein, Order of War, Disciples 3, and Bigworld. Registered EVGA users (registration is free) can download the software from here.

Lenovo finally made the initiative to include a netbook powered by the VIA Nano processor. This IdeaPad S-12 uses the same exact name and chassis as the one powered by Intel Atom, based on i945 chipset, and exists merely as a variant in the S12 series. On the brighter side, it is priced $50 lower than its Atom-based cousin.

Its specifications include a 12-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, VIA Nano ULV 2250 processor clocked at 1.30 GHz, 1 GB DDR2 memory, VIA VX855 chipset with S3 Chrome9 HC3 integrated graphics, 160 GB of storage, and a 6-cell battery, 1.3 MP web-camera, WLAN and Ethernet, and optional Bluetooth. It comes with Windows XP SP3 pre-installed. Backed by a one-year warranty, the S12 is priced at US $449.

Active Media Products, manufacturer of unique USB drives including the WWF Penguin and Panda drives, today announced immediate availability of the new 8GB Obama USB drive. the new USB flash drive that commemorates President Barack Obama, and comes pre-loaded with President Obama's Inaugural Address.

The Obama drive comes preloaded with 80MB of free bonus material that includes: high resolution photos of President Obama and the First Lady; over two hours of landmark speeches in MP3 format including the Inaugural Address and the Victory speech; text of 35+ speeches that track the President from 2002, to Senate addresses, the campaign trail, Presidential addresses and college commencement addresses in PDF format. Every Obama drive also includes a smiling rubber Obama charm that fits on the keychain. The drive itself is an impressive product. The waterproof drive features a chrome plated steel pivot-style lid that is adorned with a holographic image of the President. Measuring only 40 x 14 x 5 mm, the drive is exceptionally small and lightweight. The Obama drive is USB 2.0 compliant and works in any computer.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash and computer technologies, today announced their first co-branded Gamer Series for AMD's socket AM3 processors and desktop platform technology, codenamed "Dragon."

Built with Patriot's pre-sorted low-voltage solutions, the AMD Black Edition Ready G series, targeted for enthusiasts and overclockers, provide well-balanced performance and stability. In addition to the pre-programmed enhanced latency, the modules are AMD Black Edition Ready for use with AMD OverDrive software. With this program, users can easily adjust and fine tune their memory bandwidth, timing, and voltages under Windows with ease on AMD-based platforms featuring AM3 processors and AMD 7-Series chipsets. "Platforms featuring the latest socket AM3 for AMD processors, including the AMD Phenom II processor family, takes full advantage of the new Patriot Gamer Series memory," said Leslie Sobon, VP of Product Marketing, AMD. "Combined with AMD OverDrive software version 3.0.2, users can experience a state-of-the-art, real time over-clocking utility that allows unprecedented control over their AMD processor / chipset and memory to help push the performance threshold to it peak limits."

Earlier today, we were tipped off about the high-end MSI P55-GD80 motherboard. Looking a little eastwards, we were able to get information on its little brother, the P55-GD65, a low-frills motherboard based on the Intel P55 chipset, supporting LGA-1156 socket CPUs. This board concentrates on the feature-set the P55 chipset alone provides. The CPU is powered by a 7-phase circuit, with the active-phase switching power management feature, that turns off redundant phases when the power demand is low.

The board provides two PCI-E x16 slots (electrically x8 when both are populated), one open-ended PCI-E x4, and two PCI-E x1 slots. Two legacy PCI slots neighbour them. The PCH provides six SATA II ports, while an external JMicron controller gives out one internal SATA port, an eSATA port, and an IDE connector. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory. On the connectivity front, there are two gigabit Ethernet connections, 8-channel audio, Firewire, and USB.

Following its roadmap, AMD is continuing with new processor releases based on the Deneb core with increases in the multiplier. The Phenom II X4 965 comes with a clock speed of 3.40 GHz, and an FSB multiplier of 17.0x, giving it a 200 MHz increase over the 955 Black Edition. It is not known if 965 comes in a Black Edition branding, one which could determine its pricing. If launched as a Black Edition (version with unlocked bus multiplier), It could either be priced above the 955, or could displace it and position itself at US $249.99. Without the BE branding it could be priced slightly lower. The new chip will be based on the AM3 package, supporting DDR3 1333 MHz and DDR2 1066 MHz. It comes at a time when AMD is releasing the RS880-based AMD 785G chipset. AMD will dispatch samples of the Phenom II X4 965 starting next week.

MSI's lineup of LGA-1156 motherboards has a new high-end entry in the making, apart from a seeming higher-end G9P55-DC which was recently pictured. The P55-GD80 fills the lineup, perhaps a notch below it, and the other MSI LGA-1156 motherboards that lack an NVIDIA nForce 200 chip and 3-way SLI support. The P55-GD80 was pictured in all its glory (read: release grade chipset cooling), sourced by SAV-Computer. The picture reveals a PCB layout very similar to the G9P55-DC, with differences in the CPU power circuit, overclocker-friendly features, and the storage connectivity.

The board uses a 10-phase CPU power circuit with standard solid-state capacitors, compared to the 11-phase circuit with flat-bed ML capacitors on the G9P55-DC. This board surprisingly has more overclocker-friendly features, such as on-board controls for clock-speeds, clear-CMOS, OC-Genie, a DIP switch to control voltages, and voltage-sensing points that make measuring voltages convenient. Apart from the Intel P55 PCH, it uses an NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip that broadcasts 16 PCI-Express lanes (from the processor root complex) to 32 lanes on the PCI-E x16 slots. Apart from the six SATA II ports the PCH provides, an additional controller provides two internal and one external SATA ports, and one IDE connector. Two gigabit Ethernet connections, 8-channel audio, Firewire, and around 13 USB ports make for the rest of the package. The board supports Intel Lynnfield and Clarkdale processors.

DRAM major Elpida, like most other Japanese companies, is not seeing the best of days, in fact its worst. The world's third largest DRAM company holds great importance to the Japanese electronics industry. The state-backed Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) will acquire shares in the company, and the government has approved dispatching 30 billion Yen to the company as early as by next week. DBJ separately plans to offer 10 billion Yen, while another state-backed financial institution Japan Bank for International Cooperation, will provide 20~30 billion Yen in emergency loans.

Three of Japan's megabanks and others are expected to lend around 100 billion Yen to Elpida, said Nikkei daily, adding that a public-private fund that supports innovation will also consider providing tens of billions of Yen. In all, at least US 2.1 billion worth of aid is coming Elpida's way. More companies will follow suit and seek government aid.

Philips today introduced an LCD monitor with a unique energy-saving feature. The 22 inch Brilliance LCD with PowerSensor draws parallels with a proximity-sensor technology. It makes sure the optimal (or user-set) brightness levels are enabled only when the user is in front of it. When it finds that the user left it alone, it steps down the brightness and contrast levels by 50 percent to cut-down energy consumption. This feature is embedded in the monitor's own firmware, and doesn't require the host PC to control it. Its sensitivity is configurable, and can detect users anywhere from 30 to 120 cm (1 to 4 ft.) The PowerSensor feature aside, as a monitor, it offers a native resolution of 1680 x 1050, 1000:1 static contrast ratio, 5 ms of response time, and inputs from DVI and D-Sub. It is priced at about £170 (US $280) in the UK.

The TechPowerUp World Community Grid (WCG) team crossed an important milestone today, reaching a world rank of 99, entering the top 100 domain. The team ranks (TC) 99 out of 15,293 according to WCG statistics aggregator BOINC Synergy. 118 out of registered 132 members are active. According to statistics from Free-DC.org, the team will enter the top 90 teams in 10 days (at its present rate), and top 75 in about one month. The team's growth like clockwork could not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of its members, who believe in doing their bit for the various scientific and socially-relevant problems WCG attempts to solve. To learn more about contributing to the team, please visit this page. Extended team statistics can be viewed here.

Gateway announced two new widescreen LCD monitors in its ranks. The FHD2102 bmidgz is a 21.5 inch display, while the FHD2402 bmidgz is 24 inch. Both offer a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and brightness of 300 cd/m². While the FHD2102 offers access time of 5 ms and dynamic contrast ratio of 20000:1, the FHD2402 provides 2 ms of access time and 40000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Both monitors take input from DVI, D-Sub and HDMI. They are mounted with 2W stereo speakers. While the FHD2102 sells for $200, the FHD2402 is priced higher, at $270.

ASUS, a leading producer and innovator of notebooks, today announced the launch of its 15.6-inch G51 notebook, a gaming powerhouse which snared the 'Best Choice' award in the Digital Entertainment Products category at the recently-concluded COMPUTEX 2009. Sporting a futuristic, robot-inspired 'mecha' design, the ASUS G51's use of seamless gamer-centric interface elements and scorching gaming performance-both in the visual and audio departments-are a fitting recognition of the Republic of Gamers' tireless and extensive efforts to deliver on its promise: "Designed for gamers". The ASUS G51 also boasts industry leading audio technologies that combine to envelope users in true-to-life surround sound for added gaming realism. Users who appreciate the G51's gaming pedigree but prefer a slightly larger screen can opt for its 16-inch cousin, the ASUS G60.

A company called DataSlide has decided its not time for mechanical disk drives also known as hard disk drives (HDD) to roll over and die with SSDs beating them in just about every aspect other than price. The key aspect of the new technology is that it does not require the data platter to be spun like conventional hard disk drives do. For a start this provides savings in power consumption and due to the use of magnetic recording media as found in hard disk drives should allow the hard rectanguar drive (HRD) to be cheaper than an SSD or at least provide significantly more usable space for your money. A diagram explaining the technology and the manufacturers details and specifications follow.

Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer memory, power supplies and flash memory products, including solid-state drives, today announced two new products in its Performance Series SSD family: the P128 and P64 high-performance solid-state drives.

Building on the success of the award-winning P256 SSD, the Corsair P128 delivers the same 220MB/sec read speeds and 200MB/sec write speeds as its higher capacity cousin, at a lower cost. The P64 is one of the best-performing, lower-density SSDs available, with read speeds of up to 220MB/sec and write speeds of up to 120MB/sec. Both drives utilize the same cutting-edge technology as the P256, including a sophisticated Samsung controller IC with 128MB of cache memory and NCQ support to deliver class-leading, stutter-free performance.

Microsoft unveiled the retail pricing structure of its upcoming Windows 7 operating system, and its three important variants: Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate, elaborating on the pricing on both the upgrade and full versions. Microsoft also announced that customers buying PCs pre-installed with existing versions of Windows from select sources (retailers or OEMs), will be able to upgrade to Windows 7 at "little or no cost". The company also announced that select retailers in certain markets will be able to offer for a limited period of time, a pre-order discount scheme that can reduce the price by as much as 50 percent.

Here are the prices (in USD):

• Windows 7 Home Premium - $199.99 (full version), $119.99 (upgrade)
• Windows 7 Professional - $299.99 (full version), $199.99 (upgrade)
• Windows 7 Ultimate - $319.99 (full version), $219.99 (upgrade)

Microsoft also detailed the global availability of the OS, and in different languages. The English version will launch on October 22. PC OEM vendors will be able to start shipping PCs pre-installed with the OS on the same day. Apart from the English version, Windows 7 in Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Chinese (Hong Kong), will be available on the same day. Windows 7 in Turkish, Czech, Portuguese, Hungarian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Ukrainian, Romanian, Arabic, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Slovenian, Hebrew, Thai, Croatian, Serbian Latin, and Latvian, will be available on October 31.

Scythe is designing a new VGA cooler aimed at broad compatibility and a relatively compact built. The Scythe Setsugen will be the first VGA cooler from Scythe to formally support NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2x0. It uses a slightly smaller, slimmer overall design, and makes use of the recently announced Slip Stream 120 mm fan, which enables the cooler to stay within the limits of two expansion slots.

Its construction involves a copper GPU contact block from which four heat-pipes arise. Two heatpipes make convey heat to an aluminum fin block each (two in all). The blocks make an enclosure for the Slip Stream fan to stay closest to the GPU, blowing air away from the PCB, rather than on it. The kit includes heatsink for the NVIO2 processor and a heatsink that matches the VRM area of the P651 PCB, along with heatsinks for the memory. The cooler will remain compatible with most other GPUs from NVIDIA and ATI. Scythe is expected to announce this soon.

HP today announced it will offer the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system on consumer and business PCs beginning Oct. 22.

To meet customers' computing needs while protecting their investments, the company is participating in the Windows Upgrade Option Program to help customers transition easily to Windows 7. The program will enable customers who purchase qualifying HP PCs to enjoy the benefits of a new Windows-based PC immediately and receive a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it becomes available in October.

Ahead of the bulk of the crucial summer shopping season, NVIDIA sent a circular urging consumers to focus their PC upgrades on GPUs, rather than CPU and its platform. It thinks that if you have a reasonably good platform from last year or the year before, a GPU upgrade serves as a better price for performance increment when it comes to games. A slide explaining NVIDIA's advice was leaked (perhaps ahead of its formal publication, as it seems to be targeted at end-users and not intermediate customers or distributors).

Quite simply, the slide shows how upgrading the GPU is a more cost-effective way of increasing performance of a gaming PC, compared to upgrading the platform (CPU, compatible motherboard and memory). The side specifically targets the Intel Core i7 platform, and pits the upgrade path against upgrading the graphics components, keeping the rest of the PC constant, based on the common Core 2 Duo E8400. The price of this base system along with a GeForce GTS 250 GPU is measured at $506. A $159 upgrade to GeForce GTS 250 SLI sends the average FPS (application not mentioned) up to 54 from 42, likewise as you look further up the options NVIDIA provides. Upgrading the rest of the platform is making no performance impact on this application. The general idea conveyed is that for a gaming PC with recent generation hardware, better graphics is a better incremental upgrade. Choose with your wallet.

The MSI X-Slim X600 notebook computer uses Intel's latest CULV platform to deliver perfect processing performance at just one-sixth of a conventional notebook's power consumption. The built-in discrete graphics card also delivers even better display performance so slim aesthetics and discrete graphics are no longer mutually exclusive options.

The lines of the X600 were inspired by the round shape of a feather. The feather represents lightness and the styling makes the notebook impression of stiffness a thing of the past. What makes the X600 stand out is that it weighs just 2.1kg with the batteries fitted, making it possibly the lightest and thinnest 15.6" notebook in the world.

Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companies specializing in high-speed memory architectures, today showcased a silicon demonstration of a complete XDR memory system running at data rates up to 7.2Gbps with superior power efficiency. This silicon demonstration consists of Elpida's recently-announced 1Gb XDR DRAM device and an XIO memory controller transmitting realistic data patterns. The XIO memory controller is up to 3.5 times more power efficient than a GDDR5 controller, and the total memory system can provide up to two times more bandwidth than GDDR5 at equivalent power. In addition, the XIO memory controller demonstrated bi-modal operation with support for both XDR DRAM as well as next-generation XDR2 DRAM.

"Future graphics and multi-core processors require significantly higher memory performance under extremely challenging power and thermal constraints," said Martin Scott, senior vice president of Research and Technology Development at Rambus. "This technology demonstration highlights the outstanding power efficiency of the XDR and XDR2 memory architectures at performance levels from 3.2 to 7.2Gbps with scalability to well over 10Gbps."

Earlier this April, TechPowerUp and HIS announced the "Design Your HD 4890 Contest", to celebrate the launch of AMD's flagship Radeon HD 4890 graphics accelerator. The contest involved designing the accelerator's body graphics, an important ingredient in making the product. The winner receives a free Radeon HD 4890 accelerator with the winning design printed on the accelerator. The first and second runners up receive HIS Radeon HD 4850 IceQ4 512 MB, and HIS Radeon HD 4650 iSilence 512 MB respectively.

Nearly 60 days of contest time, and an overwhelming response of 314 entries later, a panel of 11 judges from HIS, AMD, and TechPowerUp selected the top three entries, along with a short list of noteworthy designs. Here are the winners:

Western Digital, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its newly redesigned My Book World Edition II dual-drive network storage system in capacities of up to 4 TB. With the double protection of two Mirrored (RAID 1) drives and continuous backup software, the My Book World Edition II network storage system provides an extra-safe place for users to back up and store the data and digital media from all the computers on their network in one central location. Available now at select retailers and the WD online store, the new dual-drive systems join the recently introduced (Feb. 2009) My Book World Edition and are compatible with PC and Mac computers.

According to a July 2008 report by research firm Parks Associates, the number of households worldwide with data networks will grow from around 170 million in 2008 to 240 million by year-end 2012. The firm also reports that the average broadband household will see its digital media storage needs grow to nearly 900 GB by year-end 2012. In addition, consumers indicate that the most important feature for a network-attached storage (NAS) device is the amount of available storage. With its massive 4 TB capacity, the My Book World Edition II network storage system will serve this rapidly growing need for home data storage.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced the appointment of Norm Armour as vice president and general manager and Eric Choh as vice president of operations to lead an expanding team dedicated to developing Fab 2, the company's next semiconductor fabrication facility, or "fab," at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Saratoga County, New York. Once constructed, Fab 2 is expected to be the world's most advanced semiconductor foundry, creating more than 1,200 new direct jobs plus an additional 5,000 spin-off jobs in the region.

"Norm and Eric bring a wealth of semiconductor manufacturing experience to GLOBALFOUNDRIES and will play critical leadership roles as we build and operate the most sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world," said Douglas Grose, chief executive officer, GLOBALFOUNDRIES. "With a wealth of industry expertise in fab build-out and global operations, we now have the leadership team in place to create a cluster of semiconductor manufacturing and technology innovation in upstate New York that will bring the next wave of chip innovation to the marketplace."

Delivering on the specialized requirements of the Mac community, Seagate today introduced an advanced line-up of mobile and desktop FreeAgent for Mac storage solutions and accessories: the FreeAgent Go for Mac with USB, FreeAgent Go Pro for Mac, the 2TB FreeAgent Desk for Mac and FreeAgent Go Dock+, a powered USB hub and dock for the FreeAgent Go.Providing a complete storage toolkit for today's creative professionals, such as web designers, musicians and graphic artists, as well as multimedia enthusiasts, these enhanced FreeAgent for Mac external hard drives each include performance and capacity improvements to help store, record, protect and share creative inspirations.

"Performance is all that counts when I record," said Rami Jaffee, award-winning keyboard player for the Wallflowers and Foo Fighters. "I can depend on Seagate hard drives for quality and convenience. When recording, a song could take up to a few gigabytes, but the fact that I can have a whole record ready for me to attack and record on a slim external hard drive is so convenient that its value is immeasurable."

Buffalo announced a new USB flash drive that pushes the limits of how small these drives can get, giving similarly sized flash-storage cards a challenge. The Buffalo RUF2-PS packs up to 16 GB of data in 18 (W) x 18 (H) x 8 (D) mm, and comes in variants of 2, 4, 8, and 16 GB. It is truly feather-weight at 3 g. The drive is so compact that the a couple of these could stay latched on to a notebook even when carrying it around. It uses a standard USB 2.0 interface. Its transfer rates or availability haven't surfaced.

Japanese company Green-House unveiled two new lines of SSDs, the internal MLC-based GH-SSDxxGS-2MA (where "xx" can be 32, 64, 128, or 256, corresponding to the model's capacity in GB), and the portable GH-SSDExxGU-M. To begin with, the GH-SSDxxGS-2MA comes in the standard 2.5" form-factor. It comes in capacities of 32, 64, 128, and 256 GB, and sports a 64 MB cache. It uses standard SATA II interface, and offers read/write speeds of 220/140 MB/s.

The GH-SSDExxGU-M portable SSD on the other hand, comes in capacities of 32, 64, and 128 GB. It measures 117 x 72 x 10 mm (WxDxH), and weighs in at a pocketable 63 g. The connectivity however, is limited to USB 2.0 for some reason, with lack of a faster interface such as eSATA. Its read/write speeds are limited to 20/18 MB/s. Perhaps the only selling point is its higher durability compared to mechanical portable HDDs. With USB sticks already touching 64 GB capacities, choose with your wallet. The pricing and avilability for the two are yet to surface.

Pioneer rolled out the DVR-XD09J portable DVD writer. It sports a slim cuboid design, and uses a top-loading mechanism like retro portable CD players. It measures 133x133x14.8 mm, and weighs in at 240 g. It relies on USB for both connectivity with the host PC, and power. It burns DVD±R at 8x and DVD±R DL at 6x speeds without requiring any external power other than what USB provides.
It packs CyberLink Power2Go 6, InstantBurn 5, MediaShow 4, and PowerBackup 2. It hits stores in Japan next month.

Last week, Intel sketched out its strategy in dealing with its client processor brand Core, and placing its different kinds of processors in series of markers (such as "i3", "i5", and "i7"), on the merit of performance and features they offer, and not necessarily a segregation based on core type and socket type. This raised a big debate in our forums, on who is really going to benefit from this kind of branding.

Chinese website INPAI.com.cn sourced information which explains what factors go into determining which brand marker a processor gets. The table elaborates on how different kinds of Intel processors (determined by core and socket types) cross different lines, with a few features toggled or enhanced. It is sure to throw up some surprises.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Numonyx B.V. today announced they are jointly developing market specifications for Phase Change Memory (PCM) products, a next generation memory technology that will help enable makers of feature-rich handsets and mobile applications, embedded systems* and high-end computing devices to meet the increasing performance and power demands for platforms loaded with content and data. Creating common hardware and software compatibility for PCM products should help simplify designs and shorten development time, enabling manufacturers to quickly transition to high-performance, low-power PCM products from both companies.

Phase change memory produces very fast read and write speeds at lower power than conventional NOR and NAND flash memory, and allows for bit alterability normally seen in RAM.

"Our joint efforts with Numonyx will enable a more secure path for introducing PCM into the mobile environment," said SeiJin Kim, vice president, mobile memory technology planning and enabling, Samsung Electronics. "We anticipate that PCM will eventually be a major addition to our family of memory products, one that will nicely compliment our other mobile memory solutions and ultimately increase our leadership in the industry," he added.

Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, today unveiled the Matrox DualHead2Go DisplayPort Edition and TripleHead2Go DisplayPort Edition Graphics eXpansion Modules (GXMs) for DisplayPort-enabled computers and monitors. These latest GXMs incorporate the next-generation display interface standard, allowing users to benefit from DisplayPort technology on two or three displays.

"Matrox is pleased to offer its first external multi-display upgrades to DisplayPort adopters seeking maximum display performance across multiple displays," says Samuel Recine, Director of Business Development, Matrox Graphics. "For example, with the new TripleHead2Go DP Edition, the DisplayPort interface allows users to easily connect three displays to a single notebook to generate a purely digital connection from system to monitors, while enabling resolution support of up to an impressive 1680x1050 per external display."

Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, today announced the availability of the Matrox M9138 and Matrox M9148 DisplayPort graphics cards. Expanding the M-Series product line, these new triple- and quad-monitor cards offer a remarkable 1 GB of memory, and with support for independent or stretched mode at resolutions up to 2560x1600 per output, users can drive business, industrial, and government applications on an exceptional multi-monitor platform.

"The first generation of Matrox DisplayPort graphics cards bring a tremendous amount of flexibility to today's DisplayPort users," says Samuel Recine, Director of Business Development, Matrox Graphics. "Not only can users choose any combination of pivoted, independent, or stretched displays, but also have the opportunity to combine two M9148 cards in a single system to drive up to eight DisplayPort or DVI monitors."

ZOTAC International, a leading manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, today unleashes the latest addition to it's award-winning GeForce GTX 275 graphics card lineup - the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 1792MB -- ushering in a new era of high-resolution gaming with its high-performance graphics processor and large amount of video memory. Packing 1792 MB of screaming-fast GDDR3 video memory, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 1792 MB is ready to take on high-resolution gaming with resolutions up to 2560x1600. An ultra-wide 448-bit memory interface ensures communications between the video memory and graphics processor occur at lightning-fast speeds for vivid and realistic visuals.

"We try to deliver the best performance value for gamers. With the new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 1792 MB, we've managed to achieve a balance of performance and value for those that demand more video memory for gaming at extreme HD resolutions," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.

Dutch PC casing, cooling, and power specialist Nexus announced the RX-1K modular PSU. This 1000 W PSU caters to the high-end PC market, at a relatively affordable price point. Its semi-modular connector desin makes sure the most important connectors are fixed, while additional ones are modular. Under the hood, it uses a single, powerful 75A +12V rail, which has a company rated efficiency of 85.6%. It is cooled by a single 1500 rpm fan which has a noise output of 15.3 dBA. On the connectors' front, the PSU provides two 6+2 pin PCI-E power connectors that are fixed, while two modular 6 pin PCI-E power connectors are included. Nine SATA power, ten Molex, and two Berg connectors. The cables are sleeved and compacted to help with the air-flow inside the case. The RX-1K is priced at 159 EUR.

Galaxy is readying another variant of the GeForce 9600 GT Low Power Edition. Prior to this, the company had launched the 9600 GT Low Power, Low Profile (LPLP edition), and the 9600 GT Green Edition. Unlike the two, the new variant uses a full-height PCB, and a cooler made by Cooler Master, that doesn't span into more than one expansion slot.

The card draws all its power from the PCI-Express slot, and uses a 2+1 phase power design. Under the cooler is a 55 nm G94 GPU, with clock speeds of 600/1625 MHz (core/shader). The 512 MB of 256-bit GDDR3 memory is passively cooled under the cooler's air-flow. It is clocked at 900 MHz (1800 MHz DDR). Output is care of DVI, D-Sub, and audio-relayed HDMI connectors. It's pricing and availability isn't disclosed yet.

Active Media Products, manufacturer of unique USB drives including the Obama drive, today introduced the new Predator GT series of 2.5-inch Serial ATA solid state drives that support outrageously fast data transfer speeds and include a Flex-fit adapter bracket to facilitate mounting in 3.5-inch drive bays.

The Predator GT is immediately available through Amazon and other online resellers in 64 GB and 128 GB capacities. Predator GT SSDs are based on a new 8-channel controller and employ a beefy 128 MB SDRAM cache to reach blistering fast speeds. The 128GB model supports sequential write speeds up to 200 MB/sec while the 64GB drive supports sequential write speeds up to 120 MB/sec. Both models are capable of sequential read speeds up to 220 MB/sec and 0.1ms access times.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it is now sampling a SATA-interface mini-card solid state drive (SSD) with some of its customers, for use in the expanding netbook marketplace. The Samsung SATA mini-card SSD expands the use of SSDs from not only being a primary storage medium, but also as a complementary drive to boost the performance of PCs with dual drive capabilities.

Samsung's new mini-card form factor, with a highly robust interface, makes an already rugged SSD even less susceptible to damage from jarring, jostling and dropping.

Corsair's recently announced HX750W and HX850W modular power supply units have bagged the elusive 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating, a title enjoyed only by a few high-end enterprise-grade PSUs. To qualify for this rating, a PSU must provide an output efficiency of at least 87% at 20% load, 90% at 50% load, and 87% at 100% load. At these levels of load, the efficiency of HX750W was measured 88.04%, 90.02%, and 87.04% respectively, while those of the HX850W were 89.14%, 90.38%, and 87.06%. These are Corsair's first PSUs to get the 80 Plus Gold rating, above the 80 Plus Silver which were expected of them, when the two were announced.

Shuttle Inc., the market leader in the Mini-PC segment and manufacturer of Multi-Form-Factor solutions, is now shipping the All-in-One-PC X 5000TA that was shown at the Computex in Taipei as a barebone. Now users can decide for themselves which components should be installed in their All-in-One-PC.

Now individualists can really get their money's worth. With the Shuttle X50 Barebone the decision for HDD or SSD, 512 MB or 2 GB DDR2-memory is totally left to the purchaser of this little gem that is only 3.6 cm thin.

Acer America announced U.S. availability of new Acer Aspire notebooks offering exceptional price/performance and cinematic high-definition entertainment to anyone on-the-go, including students and small business professionals.

These systems boast a dynamic multimedia experience with cinematic HD, 16:9 widescreens and Dolby surround sound audio in a visually appealing sapphire design known as Gemstone Blue. The Aspire notebooks are engineered to suit the needs of users desiring an affordable mobile workhorse for being productive and enjoying digital life at school, on the road or at home.

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and components, today announced the highly-anticipated Sabre OLED multimedia keyboard for advanced gaming and customization complete with intelligent management software. The Sabre's unique combination of user-friendly functions, durability, and personalization features is the answer for serious gamers and professionals seeking improved productivity and competitiveness.

HP today unveiled the world's first web-connected home printer: The HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web. HP is bringing the power of the web directly to the printer and combining it with HP's TouchSmart technology to give people quick, easy, touchscreen access to popular digital content.

Designed for the digital generation and connected households, the HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web features an entirely new web-based printing platform with HP applications (apps). Similar to other Internet-connected devices, these apps, which are viewable on an extra-large, intuitive-to-use TouchSmart panel, allow people to connect instantly with fun, informative and personal content.

In addition to receiving apps preloaded on the printer, people can download new ones as they become available at the HP Apps Studio to suit their interests and needs. With the sweep of a finger, users will be able to browse and view popular web destinations and simply touch the app of their choice to launch a web page where they can customize and print content on demand in an easy-to-read format.

Kingston today alerted that it is now shipping its HyperX 1600 MHz triple-channel kits with the high-profile T1 heatspreaders. Recently introduced, the patented blue T1 heatspreaders not only transfer more heat thanks to a special aluminum design, but also make the memory modules look very cool and unique. The new 1600 MHz kit (part number: KHX12800D3T1K3/6GX) is available now in 6 GB capacity for $155.00 (U.S. MSRP). Its full specs list 1.65V operating voltage and CL9-9-9-27 latencies. Standard for all high-performance Kingston HyperX modules, this memory kit also comes with a lifetime warranty.

Strengthening its external storage portfolio for small business Seagate today announced three additional BlackArmor product offerings: the BlackArmor NAS 220 storage server, the BlackArmor WS 110 external drive workstation and the BlackArmor PS 110 portable drive. Joining the existing network attached storage line up - the BlackArmor NAS 440 and BlackArmor NAS 420 storage servers - these new solutions share the same suite of robust backup applications for business professionals and home office use.

Reacting to users' demands for portable, high speed storage, Walton Chaintech has announced its new APOGEE Pronto eSATA drive. Modeled after APOGEE's award-winning SSD design, the Pronto uses the eSATA port instead of the USB 2.0 port for its file transfers. This product specifically targets users who require better performance and capacities than conventional flash pen drives but do not require speeds to run software and operating systems like SSDs.

The APOGEE Pronto eSATA has dualistic connectors, supporting both the eSATA and USB ports. This flexibility allows users to use the Pronto as a simple high capacity storage device, while also supporting read/write speeds of 90/50MB/s respectively, about three times faster than conventional flash pen drives. Available in 32G and 64G capacities, the Pronto supports users to store a multitude of different file types, from multimedia to office documents or any combination of both.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today introduces the SS-839 Pro Turbo NAS, the world's smallest 8-bay, Intel Atom network attached storage solution supporting eight 2.5-inch hard drives or solid state disks (SSD). Targeted at business users who require a storage solution of high performance, stability, scalability, low noise and low power consumption, the SS-839 Pro adopts low power Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz CPU, disk on module (DOM) architecture, and 2GB DDRII memory. The total storage capacity of the NAS is up to 4TB. It also features 2 eSATA and 5 USB ports for storage expansion and external storage backup. With ultra silent and excellent energy-saving design, the power consumption of the NAS with 8 hard drives installed is about 34W, which is almost 60% less than general 8-bay, 3.5-inch NAS. Moreover, the SS-839 Pro is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX operating systems. It offers abundant software features such as built-in iSCSI application (up to 8 iSCSI targets) with Thin Provisioning, Online RAID Capacity Expansion, Online RAID Level Migration, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, Wake on LAN, automatic policy-based IP blocking, network share status report, instant SMS and email alert, BT download, Touch-N-Go RAID configuration by the LCD panel, scheduled power on and power off (max 15 schedules), 2 Giga LAN ports, 4 IP cameras for network surveillance, etc.

Western Digital is adding another high-capacity hard drive to its ranks. This time, the company it looking to expand its Caviar Black series of performance desktop hard drives, with the RE4-GP (WD2002FYPS). This 2 Terabyte drive boasts of a large 64 MB of cache, and two controllers on board to up the performance. It spins at 7200 rpm, and uses the standard SATA II interface. With four platters inside it, the drive weighs in at 0.73 kg. Ahead of its global launch, the drive seems to have already made it to stores in Japan, where unit packs of the drive are decking up shelves. When released in the west, these drives could go for around US $300 a piece.

Auzentech announced today the immediately availability of the X-Fi Titanium I/O Drive for purchase from the Auzentech Online Store. According to the Auzentech website, the X-Fi Titanium I/O Drive is "the ideal way to harness the power of connectivity for select Auzentech PCI Express X-Fi Sound Cards. With the ability to go straight to gaming mode with the push of a button, Headset Connectivity, volume controls and the ability to record your own music, the I/O drive expands your system with a wealth of options."

Scythe Europe hereby officially announces the supply of the in-house developed Kamariki 4 Power Supply series. The early stage production samples were first displayed at this year's CeBit in Hannover, Germany and gathered a lot of attention of visitors and press representatives.

The Kamariki series is entering the next level as the 4th version and is now available for the worldwide market. In Japan, Scythe is one of the market-leading brands for High-End Power Supplies and Cooling Components for many years where the essential experience and know-how is coming in which were gathered successfully over these years. Kamariki 4 PSU is available in a Plug-in (modular) version with detachable power cables for more convenience and also available in a standard version with non-detachable power cables. For better usability, 45 to 55 cm long cables are wrapped by robust and flexible mesh. Each version is available in 450, 550, and 650W models. In order to comply with market demands and the GreenIT movement, Scythe Kamariki 4 PSU Series are fully conform to 80Plus Standards (20/50/100% system load).

NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the immediate availability of the Cryo S, a high performance notebook cooler built with thick, brushed aluminum, with two adjustable 120mm fans that provide powerful cooling to any notebook up to 15 inches. The Cryo S is available now in America from Newegg.com for $49.99.

The Cryo S features a rubber finish that lifts the notebook up slightly to remove heat pockets and enhance airflow. Just like its award-winning big brother, the Cryo LX, this cools not only the fan vents, but it removes heat from the entire notebook case which is crucial for high performance gaming making the Cryo S best in its class for effective notebook cooling. It can be powered via USB or the included AC adaptor and provides two additional USB ports to give users even more options for media, storage and input devices.

A sneak peek of tomorrow was provided by Intel Corporation today at the company's annual Research@Intel Day. Nearly 40 futuristic projects and concepts were showcased in such areas as eco-technology, 3-D Internet, enterprise IT and wireless mobility. Intel also has made public a beta website where users can play "point, counterpoint" by submitting a statement found online and learning whether he or she has been duped.

Two researchers on hand included Ajay Bhatt, the co-inventor of USB, the standard to connect devices to computers and Joshua Smith, a pioneer in wireless power and robotics. Both are currently featured in a new commercial called "Rock Star," which is part of the company's current Sponsors of Tomorrow marketing campaign.

Korean cooling specialist Zalman introduced the ZM-RHS90 heatsink specially designed for ATI Radeon HD 4890, and HD 4870 reference-design PCB. The heatsink is made of anodized aluminum. It measures 93.4 x 36.5 x 23 mm (LxWxH), and weighs 55 g. Due to the large number of Radeon HD 4890/HD 4870 graphics cards in the market using the reference AMD PCB design, Zalman expects a good compatibility range. The heatsink is mounted behind the VDDC chokes, and covers the most significant set of MOSFETs on the card. It uses push-pin retention mechanism. The use of this heatsink is recommended by Zalman, when users opt for their compatible GPU heatsinks that don't cover the card's VRM area. It will arrive at stores very soon.

ASRock has yet another socket LGA-1366 motherboard up its ranks: the X58 Extreme. This model is distinct from the X58 SuperComputer and X58 Deluxe, which shared the same PCB. It has three PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots, from which only two are routed to the X58 northbridge. The CPU is powered by an 8-phase circuit, similar to the other ASRock models. The blue PCI-E x16 slots are connected to the northbridge with full 16-lane bandwidth, while the third orange slot is wired to the southbridge with 4-lane bandwidth. The package bundles only the 2-way SLI bridge, and 3-way SLI is not advertised, although 3-way CrossFireX is. The ICH10R southbridge provides 6 SATA ports, while an additional controller provides IDE and eSATA connectors. ASRock's InstantBoot feature is supported. Looking at the features on offer, we expect this board to sell for a lower price than the X58 Deluxe, which is on the brink of entering the sub-$200 segment.

In a recent blog post by Intel's Bill Calder, details emerged on how Intel will be treating its product names to make it simple for consumers to choose their client products. The strategy lays to rest a long-standing speculation that markers such as "i7", "i5", and "i3" remain confined to a particular kind (read: core design) of the client processor lineup, and spells out the purpose of these markers, and how they make it easy to figure out which Intel processor to buy.

To begin with, there are three markers it calls "modifiers": i3, i5, and i7, to denote entry-level, mid-level, and high-level respectively. These serve merely as modifiers to the brand "Intel Core". As such, "Intel Core i7" isn't a brand in itself, but a higher class of Intel Core series processors, than Core i5 and Core i3. The actual silicon, socket, or architecture used remains abstract to the marker. For example, some higher variants of the "Lynnfield" quad-core processor will use the name Core i7, while the bulk of its mainstream lineup remains in Core i5. The "Clarksfield" mobile quad-core chip makes it to the Core i7 series, as it denotes the highest performance available for notebooks. In all, we can expect Intel to use its modifiers solely to explain what features each processor carries, to replace the existing strategy of giving model numbers to spread products across value, mainstream, performance, and extreme performance segments.

MAINGEAR Computers, award-winning builders of high performance custom computers for PC gamers and enthusiasts, is proud to announce the Axess HD Gamer, a luxury gaming PC that brings high end gaming to the living room. Built into a sleek, low profile, aluminum HTPC form factor with an acrylic trim, the Axess HD was designed to integrate seamlessly into any home theater set up with existing A/V components.

The impressive list of hardware for the Axess HD includes a powerful Core i7 processor combined with dual 9800 GT video cards in SLI to deliver a stunningly visual1080p experience. MAINGEAR also teamed up with NVIDIA to integrate GeForce 3D Vision so that gamers with Mitsubishi DLP's or Samsung desktop LCDs can experience an unparalleled 3D gaming experience. MAINGEAR further enhances the luxurious home theater gaming experience by being the first company to offer the Phantom Lapboard, a unique keyboard that liberates users from desktop settings through an innovative 360-degree rotating design. The Axess HD Gamer also offers cutting edge media center capabilities including 7 channel pre amplified audio, Blu Ray and DVD Movies, Music, Home Videos, HD TV, Internet TV, based on Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium which also provides access to Netflix's online streaming through the Media Center interface.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has developed the world's first 32 Gigabyte (GB) DDR3 module - for use in server systems. The new module operates at 1.35-volts, in support of the global trend to cut power usage in mass storage computing environments.
"Compared to the 8GB memory modules used in today's servers, our new module packs an eco-sensitive wallop with four times the density at significantly reduced power levels and no increase in the overall footprint," said Jim Elliott, vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "For data centers, it's a powerhouse in energy efficiency and performance," he added.

NVIDIA released the GeForce 186.18 WHQL driver suite for Windows, close to a fortnight after the release of version 186.08 beta. This release claims to patch numerous bugs from previous versions. It packs PhysX system software version 9.09.0428, and supports the complete range of GeForce GPUs from 6-series up to the latest GTX/GTS 200 series, and NVIDIA Ion platform. The following prominent features are introduced by the 186/185 series drivers:

• Adds support for Ambient Occlusion - the newest NVIDIA Control Panel feature to offer enhanced 3D gaming realism exclusively to GeForce GPUs.
• Adds support for CUDA 2.2 for improved performance in GPU Computing applications. See CUDA for more details.
• Expands GPU hardware acceleration for the NVIDIA Video Encoding library to GPUs with less than 32 cores. Applications using this library include CyberLink PowerDirector 7, Nero Move it 1.5, Loilo SuperLoiloScope MARS, and CyberLink MediaShow Espresso.

Application performance increments advertised are: up to 25% performance increase in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, up to 22% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with antialiasing enabled, up to 11% performance increase in Fallout 3 with antialiasing enabled, up to 14% performance increase in Far Cry 2, up to 30% performance increase in Half-Life 2 engine games with 3-way and 4-way SLI, and up to 45% performance increase in Mirror's Edge with antialiasing enabled.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 186.18 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit | Windows 7/Vista 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows XP 32-bit

Stealth Computer, a leading ISO 9001 manufacturer of industrial rugged computers and peripherals has released the new Model WPC-500F, a waterproof rugged, small footprint, fanless computer for environments where ordinary computer hardware won't survive.

The new Stealth WPC-500F is a rugged PC that is completely water-tight, surviving liquids, chemicals, dust and dirt intrusion, meeting IP67/NEMA 6 environmental specifications. Designed without cooling fans the internal CPU is cooled through advanced heat pipe technology. The rugged aluminum chassis also acts as a heat sink to dissipate internal heat and provide noise free operation.

Scythe Europe is officially announcing the new Slip Stream 120 mm Slim case fan series which were first displayed at the exhibition CeBIT 2009 (Germany). Due to its thickness of only 12 mm, this new case fans are the best suited for HTPCs and PC cases with limited space where a normal case fan with 25 mm thickness cannot be mounted.

Slip Stream 120 mm Slim case fan is available in 800, 1,200, 1,600, and 2,000 rpm version, and it extends the popular Slip Stream 120 mm case fan family. The lowest model is spinning at 800rpm designed for silent users, and generates an airflow of 19.40 CFM (32 m³/h) at a noise level of 19.53 dBA. For high performance and use in combination with a fan controller, the highest model is the best suited. It is specified with 2,000 rpm and an airflow of 45.47 CFM (78 m³/h) at a noise level of 37.00 dBA. Weight of the fan is 98 g (2.71 oz), and the optimized sleeve bearing has the designated life span of 30,000 hours (MTBF).

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today launched a new line of MasterDrive SX SSDs that incorporate 128MB of DRAM cache and reach new performance levels in high performance laptops.

The MasterDrive SX is based on an advanced new 8-channel controller and MLC NAND Flash. Its 8-channel architecture combined with a hefty 128MB of DRAM cache takes full advantage of the 3Gbps SATA-II bandwidth. The MasterDrive SX is capable of sequential read speeds up to 220 MB/sec and sequential write speeds up to 200 MB/sec.

Shuttle Inc., the market leader in the area of mini-PCs and the manufacturer of multi-form-factor solutions, is now offering another barebone for modern AMD processors. The SA76G2 hits the market with a style not unlike its predecessor, the SN68SG2: classic black G2 design in polished aluminium.

Even at only 30 x 20 x 18.5 cm (DxWxH), the compact device is the first mini-PC barebone from Shuttle to support AMD processors for socket AM3. Processors with AM2 and AM2+ sockets can also be used, ensuring maximum compatibility and long-term upgrade options. This versatility comes thanks to the AMD RS760/SB710 chipset inside.

QNAP Security today unveils the high performance 8-bay chassis VioStor-8040U-RP NVR and 8-bay tower VioStor-8040 NVR network surveillance systems featuring Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz CPU, 2 GB DDRII memory, 8 hot-swappable hard drive bays for up to 16TB storage capacity, 40-channel recording from IP cameras, megapixel recording (up to 8 megapixels) and other advanced features such as RAID 0/1/5/6/5+spare/6+spare, Online RAID Capacity Expansion, and Online RAID Level Migration. The VioStor-8040U-RP NVR and VioStor-8040 NVR support M-JPEG, MPEG-4, and H.264 video compression and are compatible with the IP-based cameras and network video servers from AXIS, ACTi, Arecont, Canon, Cisco, D-Link, EDIMAX, ELMO, EtroVision, GANZ, iPUX, IQeye, LevelOne, Linksys, MOBOTIX, Panasonic BB/ BL/ i-Pro, SANYO, SONY, TOA, TOSHIBA, TRENDnet, VIVOTEK, and Y-CAM, etc.

ECS is readying new custom-designed graphics accelerators based on the GeForce GTS 250 GPU, with the highest factory overclocked settings. There are 2 GB and 1 GB variants of the ECS GTS 250 Black Edition, which features a core clock speed of 815 MHz, and memory running at 2200 MHz (1100 MHz actual). While the shader clock speed isn't known at the moment, the core speed qualifies as the highest factory overclocked speed for the GTS 250. ECS uses an elaborate dual-fan cooler for the 2 GB variant, while a slightly simpler single-fan one cools the 1 GB variant. Interestingly, the cards rely on a single 8-pin PCI-E power connector, instead of the dual 6-pin power inputs used by many overclocked GTS 250 models. ECS is yet to announce the models. Production-grade cards may feature a black-colored PCB instead of the blue one pictured, to stay in tune with its name "Black Edition".

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and ASUS, maker of the pioneering Eee PC netbook, have collaborated to develop the Disney Netpal, a netbook computer for children that's fun, web-safe and easy to use. Developed with parents and kids in mind, the Disney Netpal by ASUS is durable, with a reinforced mechanical design, and offers a truly magical and engaging computing experience with a unique Disney user interface. Features include more than 40 robust parental control options, an 8.9-inch LCD display, Wi-Fi capabilities, Windows XP Home, and kid-friendly software featuring Disney characters and icons in stunning visual environments. Browsers and email have extra filters to assure that parents are able to control online safety and content for their children, and can easily select with whom their children can correspond via email. The Disney Magic Desktop "gadget tray" offers a creatively designed 2D menu displaying Disney-themed email, Disney-themed browser and a robust suite of Disney-themed parental control options.

Here's a good example of what can be born in times of recession. ASUSTeK is planning on asking $1700 for its latest ASUS R.O.G. (Republic of Gamers) Mars limited edition graphics card. Well the card is an eye catcher for sure, but it's up to you to decide if it's worth the cash after all. On paper specs look almost too good to be true, the card will carry two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 (G200b) GPUs on a single PCB. Each main graphics proccessor will be complemented by 2 GB DDR3 memory for a total of 4 gigs working at 2484MHz with 512-bit memory bus width. Each of the graphics processors will operate at 648 MHz with 480 stream processors, meaning that R.O.G. Mars will be as fast at two GeForce GTX 285 graphics boards in SLI mode and faster compared to a standard NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 graphics solution. ASUSTeK engineer estimate that the card will offer 23% higher performance compared to the reference NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295. The ASUS R.O.G. Mars limited can also be paired in SLI, for a total of four GeForce GTX 285 graphics cores and whooping 8 GB video memory on a single desktop system. There will be only one thousand of ASUS ROG Mars graphics boards ever built, each will be marked with its own unique number. English Scan.co.uk is now taking pre-orders of the card for £1030.98, which is approximately $1700 or €1222.

Thermaltake has just introduced the Element G case, for those of you still searching for the best case. Moulded in medium tower form factor, Element G offers maximum airflow using two massive 200x200x20 mm front and top mounted Touchcolor fans (600~800 rpm, 12~14 dBA), single 230x230x20 mm Touchcolor side fan (600~800 rpm, 13~15 dBA), one rear 140x140x25 mm TurboFan (1000 rpm, 16 dBA), and two more optional 60 mm fans. All fans have LEDs that glow in 6 different colors, controlled by the user's preference from a front panel multifunctional knob that is also used for controlling the fan's rotation speed. Internal space allows for a Micro ATX or a standard ATX motherboard to be installed as well as up to 7x 3.5-inch HDDs and 2x 2.5-inch solid-state drives for maximum expandability. Up to three 5.25-inch optical drives or fan controllers can be installed in front of the case. When empty, the Thermaltake model VL10001W2Z weights exactly 7.92 kg. No release date neither pricing information were mentioned in the official press release, but you can expect the Thermaltake Element G to become available very soon. Find more information here.

Video calls have always offered the promise of strengthening the connection between you and your distant friends and family. But for many, getting the software and hardware to work has been a challenge. If you've been waiting for a simpler way to make a video call, Logitech Vid is the answer - the free, fast and easy way to make true-to-life video calls with your Logitech webcam on a PC or Mac computer.
A pioneer in the development of webcams and video calling, Logitech dramatically simplifies video calling with Vid by offering a streamlined setup and a simple, intuitive interface dedicated to video calling. In fact, you can set up Vid in fewer than half the steps required by the major instant-messaging programs. Vid is available for download here.

Gainward just became the next major company from NVIDIA's list of partners, to offer single PCB version of the well known dual-GPU GeForce GTX 295 graphics monster. Gainward has decided to use the NVIDIA reference design for this card, and only decorate the stock cooling with its own stickers. Clock speeds are also set to the reccomended minimum of 576 MHz for the core, 1242 for the shaders and 2016 MHz for the 1792 MB of on-board GDDR3 memory. The card is PhysX and CUDA ready, and can be paired with another one to work in Quad SLI mode. Gainward will ask around 450 Euro when the card becomes available later this month.

RADVISION and Samsung Electronics America, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, today unveiled the VC240, their first product on the market to integrate all the components required for high definition desktop video conferencing into a single unit at an affordable price. The VC240 can operate as a standalone desktop HD video conferencing device and as a 24 inch high resolution monitor.

Modern portable USB flash drives tend to become equal in capacity to solid-state drives, as Patriot Memory is today introducing its highest-capacity flash drive yet, the 128 GB Xporter Magnum. With more than twice the capacity of most USB drives, the Xporter Magnum features a USB 2.0 high speed interface, is Windows ReadyBoost ready, and provides read speed of up to 31 MB/s. Constructed with a durable water and shock resistant housing and backed by a lifetime warranty, the Xporter XT Boost ranks among the best offerings users can find. The 128 GB Patriot Xporter Magnum drive is yet to be priced.

WD today announced that it has begun shipping its new SiliconDrive III SSD product family based on technology from its March 2009 acquisition of SiliconSystems. The company's new SiliconDrive III products feature faster read/write speeds and increased capacities, and offer mechanical scalability, making them a perfect storage solution for embedded system and data streaming applications such as multimedia content delivery systems and data center media appliances.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES today described an innovative technology that could overcome one of the key hurdles to advancing high-k metal gate (HKMG) transistors, bringing the industry one step closer to the next generation of mobile devices with more computing power and vastly improved battery life.

The semiconductor industry is celebrated for overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to continue the trend toward smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient products. Performed in partnership with IBM through GLOBALFOUNDRIES' participation in the IBM Technology Alliance, the new research is designed to enable the continued scaling of semiconductor components to the 22 nanometer node and beyond.

SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today announced the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 275 1792MB Graphics Card, delivering doubled power and performance for mainstream gamers requirements.

Compared with ordinary GeForce GTX 275 graphics cards on market, SPARKLE GeForce GTX 275 1792MB Graphics Card doubled the video memory capacity from 896MB to incredible large 1792MB, an unbelievable 100% video memeory capacity improvement when compared to any other reference designed board. This 100% improvement makes SPARKLE GeForce GTX 275 1792MB Graphics Card to be the perfect platform for mainstream gamers looking for extreme gaming performance right out of the box. So it delivers unrivaled graphics performance in the hottest games including Far Cry 2, Mirrors Edge, and Call of Duty 5: World at War which have rigorous demand on the capacity of video memory, taking gaming performance to extreme levels delivering breathtaking frame rates and total graphics bliss.

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the latest memory cooling accessory, the OCZ XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) Cooler Revision 2 to promote dedicated airflow to modules. Active cooling combined with passive thermal solutions is extremely important in any rigorous overclocking environment, and OCZ developed the next generation XTC Cooler for supreme heat management of OCZ's complete lineup of high-speed RAM.

"The first revision of the OCZ XTC Memory Cooler proved to be a very popular product with a wide range of enthusiast and power users," said Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management for OCZ. "We are excited to now offer a follow-up design with improved performance, an enhanced feature set, and a sleek new look, all at the same affordable price point as the original. The XTC Cooler Rev. 2 is fully compatible with the complete range of OCZ high-performance memory products."

Gigabyte decided to make its DualBIOS feature standard for all its motherboards. The feature involves using two BIOS EEPROM chips to store two copies of the BIOS. In the event of a failure of the first copy, the system starts with the second copy of the BIOS, and attempts to replace the first copy. The feature is especially useful when the BIOS is damaged in the process of updating it, or physical damage to the ROM chip. Gigabyte initially made this feature exclusive for its higher-end motherboards, and propagated it lower along the lineup.

Sapphire today announced its Radeon HD 4730 accelerator. The new GPU surfaced along with Radeon HD 4790. Together these GPUs fill the Radeon HD 4700 series, bringing relief to the demand Radeon HD 4770 created, but is apparently unable to meet due to technical problems with the 40 nm manufacturing node of foundry partner TSMC.

The Sapphire Radeon HD 4730 uses a PCB that is pin-compatible with Radeon HD 4870, as it is based on the same RV770 core with a different configuration. The company used a simple cooler with radially-projecting aluminum fins, which it has been using on inexpensive models of the Radeon HD 4850, and HD 4830. The memory is subjected to its air-flow, while the VRM area has a heatsink of its own. The GPU has 640 stream processors enabled, with a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 512 MB of memory. Sapphire cut down on the number of memory chips used, thanks to the narrower memory bus, while maintaining the memory bandwidth of similarly clocked 256-bit GDDR3. The core is clocked at 750 MHz, while the memory is at 900 MHz (3.6 GT/s effective). The outputs provided on the card are DVI-D, D-Sub, and HDMI. The card takes its power input from two 6-pin power connectors. The card uses a 3+2 phase power circuit. The Sapphire HD 4730 is expected to be priced at 80€.

Inno3D are excited to launch the Inno3D GeForce GTX 295 Platinum Edition with extreme cooling performance for better gaming speeds. The unbeatable Inno3D GeForce GTX 295 is built with the 2nd Generation NVIDIA Unified Architecture with 480 stream processors. The Inno3D GeForce GTX 295 runs at 576/1242/2000MHz and is the fastest card in the market. The advanced Platinum cooler allows airflow to circulate through the front and back of the case chassis which decreases heat more effectively.

Earlier this month, EVGA announced its GTX 295 HydroCopper water-block which it plans to sell separately, and not pre-installed with the GeForce GTX 295 CO-OP Edition. In the company's press release, EVGA called itself the " the undisputed leader for water cooling solutions". Apparently this statement hasn't gone down well with its market competitor BFG, which circulated an email across its press-contact list officially challenging the statement, just so the claim doesn't remain "undisputed".

The reasons BFG claims, revolve basically around the longer history the company had with selling factory-fitted water-cooling ready graphics cards, the fact that all its offerings are factory-fitted solutions unlike EVGA's, which relies on user installation, puts the installation risk entirely on the customer, amongst other regular claims of having superior customer support and lifetime warranty.

AMD announced the availability of ATI Catalyst version 9.6 driver suite, that provides driver support for ATI Radeon series graphics processors (driver version 8.62), Hydravision, AMD Southbridge/Chipset driver, and Catalyst Control Center (version 8.62). The new version brings along the following application-specific performance increments:

• Company of Heores - performance gains of up to 25% for the ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series, and performance gains of up to 10% for the ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series.
• Crysis Warhead - performance gains of up to 11% for ATI CrossFireX configurations.
• Crysis - performance gains of up to 13% for ATI CrossFireX configurations.
• World in Conflict - performance gains of up to 30% for settings are were previously CPU limited.

The Linux version of this driver suite adds production support for SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) and SLED 11. It also provides early support for RedHat Enterprise Linux 4.8.

DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst 9.6 for Windows XP 32-bit | Windows 7/Vista 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows 7/Vista 64-bit

Release Notes can be read here

Noctua today presented two new additions to its DX series of quiet Intel Xeon CPU coolers: Now compatible with Intel's latest LGA1366 based Xeon 5500 (Nehalem EP) processors, the new NH-U12DX 1366 and NH-U9DX 1366 are true drop-in replacements for standard Intel coolers and make it easier than ever before to significantly reduce the noise emission of high-end workstations and severs.

HP today unveiled a versatile laptop computer featuring a unique and award-winning design that takes individual style and entertainment performance to new limits. Featuring the young Japanese designer Hisako Sakihama's winning submission from the HP and MTV Engine Room Laptop Design Contest, the new HP Pavilion dv6 Artist Edition Laptop PC comes wrapped in an exceptional design inspired by the Okinawa sea and sky.

For tech-savvy youth looking to stand out from the crowd, this special edition laptop is the perfect stylish technology companion and also comes with a matching imprinted sleeve and mouse in the same one-of-a-kind Sea and Sky design.

NVIDIA today announced its latest line of mobile graphics processors (mGPUs) based on the new 40 nm manufacturing technology. The GPUs also come as a surprise, as they embrace two technologies very few expected them to, this early/late. The GPUs support the DirectX 10.1 API, and some feature the new GDDR5 memory interface that doubles effective bandwidth. Enter GeForce GTS 260M, GTS 250M, GT 240M, GT 230M, and G 210M.

The G 210M succeeds the GeForce 9400, at least as far as the manufacturing technology and clock speeds go. It holds 16 shader processors, a 64-bit GDDR3 memory interface, and 512 MB of memory. The GT 230/240M hold 48 shaders, 1 GB of 128-bit GDDR3 memory, and clock-speeds that make up each variant. The GTS 260/250M are especially new, as they feature a 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface. 96 shaders and 1 GB of memory make the rest of their specs., while their clock speeds make for the variants. The table below spreads out the specifications.

G.Skill International Co. Ltd., a world leader in extreme performance storage and memory products with solid quality, today launches the world's fastest memory, Perfect Storm DDR3 2133 CL9 6GB. In addition G.Skill has announced the retail availability of its perfect cooling partner, the Turbulence Fan. Both of these products have been shown in a very successful Computex 2009.

Firstly, the Perfect Storm series has represents the ultimate memory solution since G.Skill launched 2000 CL7 6GB Triple channel kit just three months ago. To continuously satisfy overclocking enthusiasts and extreme gamers' demand for ultra performance computer memory, G.Skill once again pushes the boundaries further at the highest frequency of 2,133MHz. The Perfect Storm 2133 CL9 provide overclockers and enthusiasts the best overclocking potential for their Core i7 platforms with affordable price and lifetime warranty.

AMD is preparing yet another performance-mainstream Radeon HD 4000 series SKU. The Radeon HD 4790 finds lineage from the Radeon HD 4890, currently AMD's fastest GPU. The RV790 GPU will be given a new set of specifications and memory configuration, to yield an SKU that performs better than the Radeon HD 4770, and slightly better than HD 4850. It beats us as to why it is positioned in the HD 4700 series, and not say "Radeon HD 4860", but we are too late to comment on that.

Specifications-wise, the RV790 core runs at 600 MHz, slightly lower than the RV770 in Radeon HD 4850 (625 MHz), but its performance increment over it comes from the use of GDDR5 memory. The GPU makes use of a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. It handles 512 MB of memory clocked at 800 MHz (3200 MHz effective). Being based on the RV790, it is pin-compatible with any existing HD 4890 PCB. Price-wise, it is expected to sit between the HD 4850 and HD 4870.

Scythe announces its first PC Case for the PC DIY market. FenrisWolf PC Case was designed by a cooperation with Germany's most famous case modder called Benjamin "benny" Franz. This cooperation is displayed by the logo "b" on the side panel. The new pc case has more to show than just a nice design, it's equipped with several popular Scythe products.

6 kg (13.23 lb) full aluminum FenrisWolf PC Case has the overall dimensions of 527 × 203 × 455 mm (20.75 × 7.99 × 17.91 inch) and is covered completely in elegant black color. It is equipped with the famous Slip Stream 120 mm case fans which are spinning at 800 rpm, generates a low noise level of 10,70 dBA and constant airflow of 40,17 CFM (68 m³/h). The fan in the front can be mounted in other 5.25" bays which allows an individual optimization of airflow.

ASUS' P55 motherboard lineup seems to have come a full-circle, complete with a Republic of Gamers (ROG) series model. The Maximus III Formula takes over its name from the X38-based Maximus, and P45-based Maximus II. The board is based on the new Intel P55 chipset, which supports the upcoming Intel Core i5 series processors.

The board is a sprawling metropolis. The CPU is powered by a massive 19-phase power circuit. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory, with its own 3-phase power circuit. A sporty cooler sits atop the board's VRM while a pseudo-heatsink gives it the industrial feel of having a northbridge which it doesn't, while a flat, large heatsink cools the P55 chipset. The board packs several ROG-exclusive features, such as iROG, Voltmeter LED, and ROG-Connect. The two red PCI-Express x16 slots arrange as dual x8 slots when both are populated, while the third white slot is electrically x4 and connected to the the P55 PCH. From the looks of it, a SupremeFX audio card will be bundled. Gigabit Ethernet, LCD poster, eSATA, Gigabit Ethernet, and a CMOS reset switch make for its rear-panel. It is expected to arrive in Q3 2009. More pictures of the board can be viewed here.

A lot of controversy and uncertainty is surrounding the future of lower end Core i7 models. Recently surfaced information suggested that the company would phase out lower models of Core i7 to make room for higher Core i5 ones. The recently introduced Core i7 950, is already staring at its successor, which will displace it from its price point, and put in in line for being phased out, as early as in Q4 2009.

The Core i7 960 inherits a part of its specifications from the Core i7 965 Extreme Edition, which is now replaced by the 975 Extreme Edition. The i7 960 comes with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz, with a bus multiplier of 24 (24 x 133 MHz). Unlike the 965 Extreme Edition chip, the multiplier will be capped at 24x, and it will use a 4.8 GT/s QPI interface, unlike 6.4 GT/s for the 965. The rest of its specs remain standard. It comes with a triple-channel DDR3 memory interface, and 8 MB of L3 cache. It is expected to be priced at US $562, displacing the Core i7 950 from its range.

Foxconn is ready with a socket LGA-1156 motherboard under its high-end Quantum Force series, a product line that includes popular models such as X58 Blood Rage for the Core i7, and X48 Black Ops for Core 2 series. This full-featured board is expected to pack a companion NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip alongside the Intel P55 chipset, which expands the board's PCI-Express capabilities by providing two PCI-Express x16 slots. The second x16 slot can divert 8 lanes to a third (black) PCI-Express x16 slot, giving this board 3-way SLI capability.

The CPU is powered by a 12-phase circuit. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support dual-channel DDR3 memory, while an additional NVRAM slot provides support for Intel Braidwood platform technology. Its six internal SATA II ports are wired to the P55 PCH, while additional controllers drive an IDE connector, and two eSATA ports. Gigabit Ethernet, Firewire, and 8-channel audio make for the rest of the mix. The board lacks display outputs, and hence doesn't support Intel Flexible Display Interface.

Also announced this weekend was EVGA's GeForce GTX 295 CO-OP Edition (PN: 017-P3-1295-AR) which represents NVIDIA's first single PCB dual-GPU video card with EVGA descent. Again, this card combines two 55 nm GT200 GPUs onto a single PCB, comes with 1792 MB of onboard DDR3 memory and even more it's QUAD SLI ready. For the CO-OP Edition EVGA has imprinted 576 MHz GPU clock speeds and 2016 MHz effective clock speed for the memory. Outputs are standard and only two in the form of DVI-I connectors. The card is still on hold and not in stores, but the price one should pay for it is $529 USD.

Without further delay EVGA also issued a full-cover waterblock only for the single-PCB GTX 295 CO-OP card. The EVGA GTX 295 CO-OP Hydro Copper waterblock (PN: 200-CU-HC95-B1) is constructed from a massive copper baseplate and sealed from an all black top. This block cools everything that needs cooling on the PCB and will cost you $129.99 USD. Again like in most cases, the Hydro Copper block for GTX 295 CO-OP ships with both 3/8-inch & 1/2-inch fittings for different watercooling loops.

During the weekend EVGA released a new part - the Hydro Copper waterblock (PN: 200-CU-HC59-B1) for its EVGA X58 Classified top of the line motherboards. Featuring a sleek black top and a full copper design, the Hydro Copper waterblock can drop the operating temps of the X58 Classified by half, and still it won't make your watercooling system too restrictive because of the block's unique E-Flow design. Priced at $129.99 USD the block ships with both hi-flow 1/2-inch and 3/8-inch fittings depending on your needs. The Hydro Copper is fully compatible with the following EVGA parts: 141-BL-E759-XX, 141-BL-E760-XX, and 141-BL-E761-XX.

Thermaltake Technology, leading manufacturer of computer components, today announced its newest and unparalleled aesthetic power supply unit - the EVO_Blue. Available in 550Watts, 650Watts, and 750Watts, the EVO_Blue comes with several cutting-edge features such as a fancy built in multi-color LED, large size 14 cm whisper-quiet ball bearing fan, robust and dedicated single +12V rail, and advanced cable management system.

Following Thermaltake's most innovative design concept, the EVO_Blue's unparalleled aesthetic exterior design has set itself above all other currently available PSUs in the market. The fancy built-in multi-color LEDs surrounding the fan and the blue LEDs backlight behind the modular cable sockets give users a feel of tough atomic energy. The EVO_Blue is also equipped with an large size 14 cm whisper-quiet ball bearing fan to dramatically reduce overall PC noise and increase thermal efficiency. In addition, the robust and dedicated single +12V output provides superior performance under all types of system loading. The modular cable management design improves internal airflow and reduces cable clutter by allowing you to use only the cables you need.

Optical drive specialist Lite-On is released a new Blu Ray drive, the iHOS104, which started shipping this week. At US $69.99, the drive provides reading Blu Ray discs at 4x speed, 8x for DVD-ROM, and 32x for CD-ROM. It supports reading known sub-formats of the media. The drive packs 2 MB of cache, and uses a standard SATA interface. It comes with a copy of Cyberlink TrueTheater software.

AMD tasted a bit of success with its Phenom II series of processors, which reflected in recent market share figures, where the company's share grew by around 5 percent, despite a fall in sales throughout the PC processor industry. Leading its pack currently, is the Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition, which holds a full-featured 45 nm Deneb core with unlocked bus multiplier, and AM3 platform support. It seems like AMD isn't stopping at this. The company is preparing a new model targeted at the enthusiast segment, called Phenom II TWKR ("tweaker").

High-end PC manufacturer Maingear PC has reportedly received this chip in a display model form, and looks forward to incorporating it in its lineup of PCs. Very little is known at this point in time, about this chip, beyond the point that it will provide better clock-speeds compared to the Phenom II X4 955. We can tell that it retains the AM3 socket package from the looks of it, and comes in a pretty jewel-case. AMD is yet to announce the chip, or disclose more about how it plans to sell it, and at what price.

Introducing the future of MINI-ITX, The Spire PowerCube. Nowadays workspace is constantly getting smaller, which means your PC has to move with the times.

This stylish and innovative case is a designer piece on its own. 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 front integrated Audio and USB ports to provide you maximum connectivity and flexibility. Placement horizontal or vertical makes the PowerCube great for home or office use. No matter the challenge, this case will be sure to deliver what you want, when you want.

Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions launches the cutting-edge "GC-Extreme" thermal compound. In comparison to the previous multi awards winner compounds of GELID Solutions the "GC-Extreme" breaks all records.

Ultimate heat conductivity makes the "GC-Extreme" the leader of all thermal compounds. As with the other compounds of GELID Solutions the "GC-Extreme" is non-electrical conductive, non-corrosive, no bleeding and non-curing. Created for Extreme Users the "GC-Extreme" thermal compound ensures the best heat transfer from your CPU, VGA or even Chipset. Like the other compounds of GELID Solutions the "GC-Extreme" offers a GELID applicator which enables an easier application. As a product of the GAMER product line the "GC-Extreme" contains 3.5 g.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash and computer technology, today announced the release of their Tri-Channel Viper II Series bundle packs with Futuremark 3DMark Vantage software.

Patriot Memory and Futuremark have teamed up once again to offer PC enthusiasts and overclockers the tools necessary to build the ultimate performance system. Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage, the world's #1 benchmarking software, offers consumers the chance to see how their system performs and stacks up against worldwide contention.

Software giant Microsoft has had disturbed relations with the EU markets following series of lawsuits to penalise the company's alleged anti-competitive market practices. Abiding by the courts' judgments, Microsoft will release two special types of its upcoming Windows 7 operating system to sell in Euro-zone countries. The OS will be devoid of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 (MSIE 8) web-browser, and Windows Media Player (WMP) 12 multimedia software. The first type is Windows 7 E, which lacks MSIE 8 alone. The second is Windows 7 N, which lacks MSIE 8 and WMP 12. The standard type which includes both, will not be available in Euro-zone countries. These types maintain their variant hierarchy (with the lineup starting from Home Basic to Ultimate).

Furthermore, the copies of Windows 7 (E, N) will require a clean installation. Users will not be able to upgrade their existing Windows Vista installations with such types of Windows 7. This however, won't affect the standard version. The move puts users in a bit of inconvenience, since the OS will not remain web-capable as soon as it's installed. In an effort to make things as easy as possible for users, Microsoft is recommending OEM vendors to pre-install MSIE 8, or any web-browser they choose. MSIE 8 will be available as CD-ROM installation media at stores. It will also be available for users to download using FTP, so a web-browser could be downloaded and installed without the presence of another one. "We're committed to making Windows 7 available in Europe at the same time that it launches in the rest of the world, but we also must comply with European competition law as we launch the product," said Microsoft deputy general counsel Dave Heiner said in a written release. "Given the pending legal proceeding, we've decided that instead of including Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in Europe, we will offer it separately and on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users. We're committed to launching Windows 7 on time in Europe, so we need to address the legal realities in Europe, including the risk of large fines. We believe that this new approach, while not our first choice, is the best path forward given the ongoing legal case in Europe," he added.

ASUS, the leading producer of servers and workstations, recently announced the availability of its latest 5U pedestal and rack-mountable servers and workstations-the ASUS TS700-E6/RS8 and TS500-E6/PS4. Both are based on Dual and Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processor 5500 series platforms with DDR3 memory and PCIe 2.0 support. They also feature additional expansion slots which can also be used for a dedicated graphics card, a MIO network card and other expansion options for personal workstation use-providing customers with high flexibility, reliability, storage capacity and expandability.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced that the recently launched VIA Vinyl HD Audio codecs, the VIA Vinyl VT1818S and 1828S, are now supported by ArcSoft's universal multimedia player, ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre.

With the rising demand for a realistic cinema experience in the comfort of the home, along with the growth in adoption of the Blu-ray Disc video format, VIA and ArcSoft have collaborated to provide an enhanced playback solution that makes home movie viewing more enjoyable than ever.

The CEO of Electronic Arts (EA), John Pleasants confirmed that the company will publish Battlefield 3, the newest addition to the Battlefield franchise, which is one of the most popular online team-based tactical-shooter games. Pleasants spoke with TechFragments, during a presentation at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference in Chicago. "I've had the luxury of looking at Battlefield 3 over at DICE in Sweden and was highly impressed by the way the team is working on that product. Of course, that's not in [this] fiscal year, but that is a product that is looking very good.", he said.

The source also shed some light on the game, which inherits its gameplay from Battlefield 2, and will be similar to it. The game will support up to 40 players per team, will feature 24 different vehicles, and 17 different weapons. Some kinds equipment need to be unlocked in order to use them, which serve as achievements in online play. From what EA says, the game will not make it this year, though it is likely that it will hit stores in the winter holiday season of 2010. A beta could serve as prelude to the launch, which may arrive by summer of 2010, according to the source.

In EU, a land that worships fair market practices, that recently booked two of the biggest names in the IT industry (Intel, Microsoft) for anti-competitive market malpractices, and penalized them for billions of Dollars, one would expect high standards of business practices. Apparently one has to peel the onion to find it's not all that fresh inside. Aquatuning, a German reseller has found an interesting way of locking its competitors out, of pretty much everything it does. The store deals in high-performance PC component cooling products, such as water-cooling components. In order to make sure nobody else in the country sells what it does, the company is registering the brands its sells, under its own name.

Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer memory, power supplies and flash memory products, including solid-state drives, today announced the launch of Corsair Extended Cooling Fins for triple-channel Dominator and Dominator GT memory kits using Corsair's DHX+ technology.
Corsair memory modules using DHX+ (Dual-path Heat eXchange) technology - a patent-pending cooling approach that uniquely removes heat from both the memory ICs and print circuit board - feature removal cooling fins that allow for modular cooling accessories to be fitted. These include the recently-announced Hydro Series H30 water-block and Ice Series T30 thermo-electric cooler, which are now joined by the extended cooling fins.

The TechPowerUp World Community Grid (WCG) team has been roaring up the rankings thanks to several dedicated participants. In celebration of our continued success, and in an effort to entice new members, we will be holding our first ever TechPowerUp WCG contest starting Monday, June 15th. This competition is geared toward ALL WCG members, not just those putting up huge numbers. Everyone has a chance to win a great prize! Here are the rules:

• You must be a member of the TPU WCG by June 15th
• You must accumulate at least 50,000 BOINC points over 90 days to be eligible

If you make it to 50,000 (and almost everyone can), your name will be put into a drawing for an awesome Xclio 1000 full tower case worth US $270! Free shipping to the winner of the drawing is included in the prize! The prize will be to any country/region.

We highly encourage anyone interested to sign up for the TPU WCG by June 16th!! Please contact the WCG forum moderator, paulieg with any questions.

Photofast is on a roll with its G-Monster series solid-state storage, with product launches on a monthly basis. This time around, the company is readying two products that are unique in their own ways. First up, is the G-Monster-3.5, the company's first SSD in the standard 3.5" form-factor. The drive uses internal RAID to achieve high-capacities. While most other SSD manufacturers would simply stripe two SSD modules in internal RAID 0 configurations, Photofast used an internal RAID 5 configuration that ups reliability. The array is completely abstract to the host machine, which only sees it as a single drive. The drive uses a standard SATA II interface. It comes in capacities of 64, 128, 256, 512 GB, and 1, 2 TB. As far as its performance goes, the company rates the read/write speeds around 270 MB/s. The drive will be backed by a one-year warranty.

Next up, is the G-Monster ExpressCard/54 SSD. This drive serves the purpose of expandable, removable storage for notebooks, that performs on par or faster than the hard-drive. The card comes in the standard 54 mm ExpressCard form-factor. It can function in both PCI-Express and USB 2.0 modes for the slot. When in PCI-Express mode, the drive provides stellar read/write speeds of 170/100 MB/s, and in USB 2.0 mode, 36/30 MB/s. It comes in 32, 48, and 64 GB variants, and boasts of 1.5 million hours MTBF. It will be backed by a standard one-year warranty. There is no word on the pricing and availability.

Water-cooling specialist Swiftech expanded its lineup with the Apogee GTZ Ci7 CPU water block. From its name, one can infer that it specifically supports the Intel LGA-1366 socket (Core i7 and Xeon 5500 series). The frame that holds the block has the appropriate mount holes for LGA-1366. A bolt-through retention mechanism is bundled. The block itself is near-identical in specifications to the original Apogee GTZ. The CPU copper contact base is lapped, and has a matrix of 225 micron copper pins to boost surface area of heat dissipation. The housing is Delrin-made. Options for 1/2" and 3/8" hose barbs are provided. A tube of Arctic Silver Ceramique is bundled. It is priced at US $69.99.

Antec, Inc., the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, today announced the Mini Skeleton-90, the Mini-ITX model of Antec's popular Skeleton case. The Mini Skeleton-90 is the first open-air enclosure designed exclusively for Mini-ITX motherboards, and offers unique cooling, flexibility and style for small form factor systems. Providing high levels of cooling, the Mini Skeleton-90 features a top-mounted 150mm TriCool blue LED fan and a rear 70 mm fan, while the open-air frame enables greater airflow than traditional enclosures. The removable component tray provides quick, convenient access to components and allows for efficient cable routing which prevents wires from impeding airflow.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced it has issued the formal commitment letter to the State of New York for the construction of the Fab 2 project at the Luther Forest Technology Campus (LFTC). The letter officially initiates the construction phase of the Fab 2 project and triggers the State of New York to begin the process of issuing bonds for the payment of reimbursements and incentives to the company for the development of the estimated $4.2 billion semiconductor wafer fabrication facility, or "fab."

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today released the OCZ Agility SATA II 2.5" Solid State Drive (SSD) Series, an affordable offering for mainstream notebook and desktop users demanding the latest technology in this fast-developing sector of the storage market. OCZ continues to place solid state technology within reach of the average consumer, and delivers on the promise of SSDs as an alternative to traditional hard drives in consumer targeted mobile and desktop applications. The Agility Series will join the lineup as the latest solution for mainstream users including professionals, students, gamers, and enthusiasts on a budget.

NVIDIA has today updated its driver package for notebooks to WHQL version 186.03. This is a reference driver that supports GeForce 8M, 9M, 100M, and 200M-series notebook GPUs. Please read below for the full list of bugs fixed and performance improvements version 186.03 has to offer.

DOWNLOAD: GeForce Release 186.03 for Notebooks for Windows Vista 32-bit | Windows Vista 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit

We have reviewed a few of the cases in the past, and the fairly young company is expanding their family of enclosures. Ikonik is introducing a red dial, which is the signature feature of all future enclosures. It allows you to control the included fan speed. The newest addition in the mid tower sector are called M2-2 and EN2-4, while the large case goes by the name P2-1.

Gigabyte has been showing off a lot of cases in a suite at the Tapei 101 on the 36th floor. The MIB enclosures feature a VESA compatible monitor arm, so you can buy the case, add your own mini ITX board and other components. Then add a monitor of your choice to create an all in one PC. Gigabyte is showing off two versions of the case, but there is another one in the works, which we were not able to take a picture of.

LaCie announced an economic way to add media player functionality to existing storage devices. LaCinema Classic Bridge enables users to leverage the investments already made on internal and external storage solutions, and turn them into dynamic multimedia devices. Simply connect the Classic Bridge to a desired TV, add a storage device, and play libraries of movies, music, and photos in flawless 1080p HD resolution.

The attractive and compact LaCinema Classic Bridge fits seamlessly into entertainment centers, and enables two options for adding storage. Option one allows users to connect an external USB drive to the front of the device for easy access to their multimedia content. Option two allows users to easily insert an internal hard disk directly into the device for a clean, fully integrated set-up, just like the LaCinema Classic. Users may also choose to implement both options for expanded capacity.

We had a chance to drop by the XFX suite during the Computex. They are showing off their Radeon HD 4770. It comes with the dual slot reference cooler, which was actually not intended for retail and the power supply has a very unique design along with a cable management system. The PSU is rated for 850W and features a single 70A 12V rail. On top of that it is 80Plus Silver certified.

EVGA quietly slipped in the GeForce GTX 285 Mac Edition graphics card, which is its fastest offering to Mac users. The card uses a standard PCI-Express interface available with Intel x86 based Mac Pro workstations, and provides all the features of NVIDIA's fastest GPU. It is technically identical to its base-model PC counterpart, using a reference design for the PCB and cooler, reference clock speeds of 648/1476/2484 MHz (core/shader/memory), and 1 GB of GDDR3 memory across a 512-bit interface. It bundles the necessary power dongles, and packs system software for Mac. Two dual-link DVI connectors support two Apple Cinema displays with resolutions of 2560 x 1600 each. The OpenGL 3.0 acceleration backs the advanced drawing features of Adobe CS4 applications. EVGA is pricing this at US $449.99, a notch higher than the GTX 285 2 GB FTW accelerator for PC.

WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new 4 terabyte capacity My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage systems, which are designed to seamlessly work with Mac computers and provide an ideal blend of high performance and power conservation. The new My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage systems are available now at select retailers and the WD online store.
Compatible with Apple Time Machine automatic backup feature and formatted for Mac computers, the new 4 TB My Book Studio Edition II external storage system's dual-drive RAID 0 configuration and high-speed interfaces deliver high performance for creative professionals, workgroups, small offices and anyone looking for fast data transfer. The system offers four interfaces: eSATA and FireWire 800 for maximum performance as well as FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 for maximum flexibility. The eco-friendly system uses WD's hard drives with WD GreenPower Technology for power savings and cool and quiet operation.

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading stand-alone provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the new MultiSync LCD2490WUXi² and LCD2490W2-BK-SV with NEC's SpectraViewII Color Calibration Solution. These two high-performance desktop displays are ideal for graphic arts, desktop publishing, photography, medical imaging and other professional applications.
Joining the award-winning MultiSync 90 Series and SpectraViewII Series respectively, the LCD2490WUXi² and LCD2490W2-BK-SV displays offer a multitude of innovative technologies, leading-edge capabilities and ergonomic design functions. The widescreen display (true 16:10 aspect ratio) enhances user productivity, as it provides roughly the same work area as two smaller-sized displays, enabling users to view and work simultaneously in multiple application windows.

AMD is expected to introduce a series of price-cuts next month, for its ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics products. The price-cuts may amount to as much as US $50, perhaps taking advantage of the low manufacturing costs. The cuts also come ahead of the time-frame in which the company will introduce a DirectX 11 compatible future-generation of ATI Radeon, to sync with the commercial launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system.

When implemented, the price of the high-end Radeon HD 4890 is expected to be $199, down $50 from its current price of $249. Radeon HD 4870 will sell for $149 from its current listing price of $199, although there needs to be some clarity on how the 1 GB and 512 MB variants are positioned. Finally, the Radeon HD 4850 will enter the $100 realm, to substitute the Radeon HD 4770, which seems to be suffering an acute stock shortage.

The Pirate Party silenced skeptics, gathering enough votes in the European Union elections this year, to make it to the Parliament from Sweden. This serves as a huge victory to the party whose ideology revolves around fighting harsh and archaic copyright laws and enforcement agencies, that it finds incompatible with the digital age we live in. The party secured 7.1 percent of the 99.9 percent districts' votes counted, which guarantees at least one of the 18 or 20 seats Sweden contributes to the EU Parliament. Sweden has 20 seats, but until the Lisbon treaty passes only 18 with voting rights. In this case, the party might secure 2 seats.

Rick Falkvinge, leader of the party, in a statement to TorrentFreak said "Together, we have today changed the landscape of European politics. No matter how this night ends, we have changed it." National and International press gathered in Stockholm, where the party celebrates its landmark victory. "This feels wonderful. The citizens have understood it's time to make a difference. The older politicians have taken apart young peoples' lifestyle, bit by bit. We do not accept that the authorities' mass-surveillance," Falkvinge added.

MAINGEAR Computers, award-winning builders of high performance custom computers, is proud to announce the Pulse, a powerful, energy efficient small form factor PC based on NVIDIA ION graphics. The Pulse is the world's first ION PC that can be upgraded with a GeForce GPU, offering consumers the flexibility to choose an economical, low power ION solution or an energy efficient, high performance configuration with GeForce.

The ION configuration is available with Intel Core 2 45nm processors and a 80+ Certified 300 watt power supply that is 80%+ efficient. This configuration is the smallest, most energy efficient gaming PC on the market today.

ASUS, the leading provider of integrated Home Entertainment PC solutions, today unveiled an innovative suite of entertainment solutions for home users. Slim, stunningly beautiful, and incorporating the latest standards in dynamic home entertainment, the solutions include the ultra-slim ASUS LS and MS Series monitors, the versatile ASUS 24T1E TV Monitor that receives both analog and digital TV signals, the convenient ASUS O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player that supports a wide array of media formats, the aurally superior ASUS Xonar Essence ST audio card which minimizes jitters for clearer and crisper audio output, and the highly portable ASUS External Slim Blu-ray Optical Disk Drives for high quality, high definition entertainment on the go.

ASUS, a leading producer of innovative server and workstation solutions, today announced three cutting-edge solutions designed to address the specific needs of SOHO and Business Enterprises. First in the line-up is the ASUS P6T7 WS SuperComputer motherboard, which provides users with sublime graphics capabilities and flexible high speed data input/output. Next is the ASUS RS700D-E6 Duo Nodes 1U Server, which features independent power supplies for superb reliability-giving business owners complete peace of mind-while offering exceptional space savings in the form of 4 + 4 hot-swappable 2.5-inch SATA/SAS hard disk drives. Finally, the ASUS Z8NA-D6 is the world's first slim dual processor server and workstation motherboard, making it the best workstation foundation for all forms of businesses.

Most motherboard vendors chose Computex as the ideal platform to showcase their upcoming products for the upcoming Intel LGA-1156 processors. The Intel booth was decked up wall-to-wall with Intel 5-series motherboards, some of which, made it to cameras for their unusual designs. Take for instance, the Shuttle SP55H7. This board uses a custom form-factor to fit into the company's bare-bones systems. The socket is slanted, and surrounded with an unusual mount-hole arrangement for the cooler, which again, could be of Shuttle's own design. This is, perhaps to make the most out of the available PCB area.

A more popular motherboard vendor, MSI showcased the first M-ATX motherboard for the platform we have seen so far, the H57-ED65. Based on the Intel H57 chipset. The socket is powered by an 8-phase DrMOS power circuit. MSI takes care of the basics for this platform, providing a PCI-E 2.0 x16, one PCI, and two PCI-E x1 slots. The dual-channel DDR3 memory slots neighbour one NVRAM slot. Apart from the six SATA II ports the H57 provides, a second controller drives the IDE connector, and perhaps, one or more eSATA ports. The rest of the 'wall' can be viewed here. By the looks of it, Intel made sure a full-fledged lineup of motherboards are available to the consumers when it kicks off the series of LGA-1156 processors, and there is every indication that the new platform won't have much trouble replacing the current LGA-775 series.

The retail box packages of Microsoft's anticipated Windows 7 operating system, have shown up on one of the company's webpages. From that point on it's safe to say the box art pictures illustrated are to be the final to ship to future owners of Windows 7. The retail box covers are identical with previously leaked Windows 7 box art pics. Retail boxes will ship in green, blue and black, indicating the version of Windows 7, namely Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate. We already have official release date for Windows 7 (Oct. 22, 2009), now that we have the box art, it's time for the pricing and the final product itself.

During the weekend days Futuremark has updated most of its benchmarks, including 3DMark03, 3DMark05, 3DMark06, 3DMark Vantage, PCMark05 and PCMark Vantage. These patches update the system information detection component to the latest version for each of the benchmark products listed. This fixes numerous issues related to hardware detection in the testing tools. The updates are available now as separate small patches and will soon be available as full installer packages, downloadable through Futuremark's mirror sites. Please note, that benchmark scores after installing of these updates won't change at all.

DOWNLOAD

Intel Capital, Intel Corporation's global investment organization, invested $43 million (JP ¥4.15 billion) in Japan-based UQ Communications, a provider of WiMAX mobile services. UQ Communications will utilize the funding to continue the nationwide expansion of UQ WiMAX service in Japan, with the commitment to provide WiMAX coverage to 90 percent of the country by 2012.
"Intel Capital's investment in UQ Communications is one of our most significant commitments in developing the WiMAX ecosystem around the globe," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. "UQ's WiMAX deployment in Japan is a spectacular example of technology innovation being put to work."

While the Raven series was the only case with the unique layout up to this point, Silverstone has put the new guts not only into the Raven 2, but also into the Fortress 2 (FT02). It will come in black or silver at a price tag of around 200 US Dollars. Then there is the GD04, which is an affordable mATX HTPC case. The unique aspect is certainly the short depth of the chassis, so it should fit well into your A/V rack. The GD04 will sell for 99 US Dollars. The GD05 is similar, but features a plastic front, lined with a thin sheet of aluminum. This drives the price down to 79 US Dollars.

Xigmatek has a small, but packed booth. They are displaying their first chassis, the Midgard. It is intended to compete with other mainstream enclosures like the Cooler Master 690. It comes packed with plenty of fans, a painted interior and great expandability. Then there are the new mainstream power supplies aimed to give you the best bang for your buck. They come in 400 and 500 W, but Xigmatek will extend the range in the future.

A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., a worldwide leading manufacturer in high-performance DRAM modules and Flash application products, presenting the killer speed of eight A-DATA S592 SSDs with XPG 3.5" converter configure in RAID 0 at Computex Taipei 2009. With the utilization of XPG 3.5" converter, the capacity can reach up to 1TB to perform 825 MB/s read and 1,115 MB/s write transfer rate.

The eight A-DATA S592 SSDs adopting the latest XPG EX93 3.5" SSD converter, equipped with safety lock mechanism that can easily secure the SSD/hard drive in 3.5"drive bay without purchasing any accessories, to keeps the valuable data operate in a safety environment. This functional and worthful XPG EX93 3.5" SSD converter is the best choice for those PC user and enthusiasts.

We stopped by the Noctua and Coolink booth as well and they had a few little surprises in store for us. The austrian firm is showing off their 140 and 120 mm PWM fans for the first time. They mentioned quite some time ago, that such a unit is in planning and behold the sight of the new unit. It comes with the same mounting holes as a 120 mm unit, due to the round frame. The cooler is optimized for air pressure and the use for CPU coolers. Using this unit, Noctua will be offering the C12P as well as their newest addition - the NH-D14 with the 140 mm fan. Noctua will also be offering an upgrade kit for those who wish to replace their current 120 mm fans with the newest unit.

ASUS' Republic of Gamers (ROG), a brand synonymous with gaming and overclocking, today presented a host of innovations and products designed to provide users with the ultimate experience in high performance gaming and overclocking. These include ROG's exclusive MemOK! one-click memory rescue tool for effortless and worry-free memory upgrades, the limited edition ASUS ROG MARS GTX 295 graphics card that shatters all existing graphics benchmarks, and the world's most intelligent graphics card-the ROG MATRIX GTX 285. Other highlights include a 120 Hz 3D-ready Gaming Monitor that provides users with an immersive gaming experience, and the ASUS W90 notebook-a mobile gaming powerhouse that has recently set a Guinness World Record in overclocking. With such an impressive line-up, ASUS is once again poised to set the gaming and overclocking scene alight.

ASUS, which reshaped the notebook industry with innovations such as the use of genuine Moso bamboo paneling on notebooks, today showcased two new finishes that do much more than just beautify its products: Satin-brushed Aluminum and NeoWood. The Satin-brushed Aluminum finish, produced through Non-conductive Vapor Metallization (NCVM) technology, not only infuses treated surfaces with an elegant satin-brushed pattern, it provides scratch resistance, enhances the structural strength of the notebook, and improved wireless and Bluetooth performance.

The NeoWood finishing technique, which produces a high-strength wood grain veneer that looks and feels like real wood, is a first for the consumer electronics industry. It delivers all the benefits of real wood, including premium looks and natural tactility, while maintaining a level of resilience that far surpasses that of regular wood.

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading stand-alone provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the 43-inch NEC CRV43 ultra-widescreen specialty desktop display, designed for use in applications such as professional graphics, higher education, government, financial, command & control and home office.

The NEC CRV43 curved display can be seen at InfoComm 09 (Peerless Booth No. 5441) on June 17-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, the world's best known PC gamer, and Fusion-io join up at the Fatal1ty E3 booth to launch the ioXtreme, a solid state storage device for high-performance PCs and workstations using 64 bit operating systems. The ioXtreme eliminates application latency, delivering the kind of storage performance once limited to the world's fastest supercomputers.
Drawing from Fusion-io's industry-leading solid-state technologies, the ioXtreme is a PCI Express card that sits on the system bus filling the performance gap between RAM and disk drives. It adds 80 GB of non-volatile capacity, exponentially accelerating input and output, including file access, and improving application performance dramatically.

Yesterday, AMD unveiled its surprise for this year's Computex, with a demonstration of a DirectX 11 3D scene. Behind the scenes though, was what AMD claimed to be the "world's first true DirectX 11 graphics processor". The hardware itself however, wasn't publicly displayed, although a memento of AMD's partnership with TSMC, a wafer of 40 nm DirectX 11 GPUs, was made public. VR-Zone however, sneaked into the backdrops and pictured the machine that ran the demo (which ironically, was built into a case with a side-window).

The graphics card, a portion of which, is hidden behind the "wing" of the AMD Dragon logo graphic, is seen to be about 8.5 inches long, spans across two slots, and has a seemingly sporty cooler with the ATI-red shroud. It draws power from a single 6-pin PCI-E connector. The photographers note that this could be the RV840-based desktop accelerator, which forms the performance-mainstream product for the company's upcoming DirectX 11-compliant GPU lineup codenamed "Evergreen". The first product from this series is expected to be released in September, weeks ahead of the launch of Microsoft Windows 7.

We stopped by the In Win booth today and got a nice tour in their very detailed booth at Computex this year. First off, there are several enclosures being presented. They have the Maelstrom case, which is also the base for serveral concept cases. Then there are two mid tower cases, which are called Fanqua & Eco Chassis respectively. Both look very nice and have a sturdy finish to them.

We got a chance to take a close look at the Thermaltake Level 10 enclosure. It is constructed of solid aluminum panels. The full name of the chassis is "Level 10 Extreme Gaming Station" and will be available as a limited edition. Thermaltake is aiming for a 750 US Dollar price point. We have managed to take an exclusive sneak peak at the inside as well as the rear panel.

We managed to take a close look at a new product that Coolermaster is working on, which combines their expertise for PSU with the functionality of creating a network using the power lines within your home. This 700 W & 80Plus Silver certified power supply has a Power LAN adapter built in, so by plugging it into a socket, you may simply route the outgoing Ethernet port to the one of your PC.

We have seen plenty of ION nettop implementations around. The Acer Revo has been causing some waves in the recent past, but Sparkle has the best syste of the plattform around so far - in my humble opinion. The unit is modular and looks much like a small home stereo system. The actual PC is contained within the extremely compact middle module in the picture, while the bottom holds a hot swap bay for a 2.5 inch hard drive. The box up top contains a VFD. All of the modules are connectd to the main PC via USB.

Intel Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wind River Systems Inc, under which Intel will acquire all outstanding Wind River common stock for $11.50 per share in cash, or approximately $884 million in the aggregate. Wind River is a leading software vendor in embedded devices, and will become part of Intel's strategy to grow its processor and software presence outside the traditional PC and server market segments into embedded systems and mobile handheld devices. Wind River will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel and continue with its current business model of supplying leading-edge products and services to its customers worldwide.

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading stand-alone provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the 22-inch MultiSync E222W, an eco-friendly monitor with numerous features designed to lower total cost of ownership.
The MultiSync E222W offers an ErgoDesign adjustable stand with 4-way ergonomic design, including 110 mm height-adjust, tilt, swivel and pivot, adding flexibility and comfort for any user. The display's ECO Mode reduces power consumption and heat generation, while its Intelligent Power Management (IPM) and off timer help conserve energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by switching to a low-power state or automatically powering down when the monitor is on, but not in use. Users have the ability to track their carbon footprint savings with the display's carbon footprint meter, a unique tool that calculates the reduction of green gas emissions. The combination of these green technologies extends the life of the MultiSync E222W and raises the standard for green LCD displays.

EVGA expanded its motherboard lineup with the LGA-1366 based X58 SLI LE (141-BL-E757-TR). This ATX motherboard supports the most common standards of EVGA motherboards in the sub-series, at a price-point lower than that of its 3X-SLI series. It is priced at US $239. Making use of only the X58+ICH10R chipset, with no companion nForce 200 chips, the board goes on to feature four PCI-Express x16 slots, for NVIDIA 3-way SLI, or ATI CrossFireX. A 8-channel audio, and one gigabit Ethernet connection make for the rest of the signficant feature set. Popular retailer Newegg.com has already started listing it.

eGo Portable Hard Drive with Triple InterfaceIomega, an EMC company and a global leader in data protection, today announced the worldwide availability of the new Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive for Mac users, featuring multiple interface connections, a stylish new aluminum design, superior ruggedness and a robust combination of software, all backed with a three-year limited warranty.

Available in three different colors and up to 500GB in capacity, the new Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive for Mac users provides the dependability and versatility to meet today's on-the-go data storage needs.

Gigabyte has designed one of the first custom PCB designs for the Radeon HD 4770, this time, brandishing a silent cooler and double the amount of memory. The company also designed a new GeForce 9800 GT accelerator with a similar design and feature set. To begin with, the Radeon HD 4770 model GV-R477SL-1GI, sports a blue custom-PCB, which is built using the company's Ultra Durable VGA construction. A somewhat large passive cooler spans beyond the length of the card, and consists of three copper heat-pipes conveying heat to an aluminum fin block. The card features 1 GB of 128-bit GDDR5 memory. The GeForce 9800 GT model N98TSL-1GI(289) features a similar cooler over a blue custom UDV PCB. It makes use of 1 GB of 256-bit GDDR3 memory.

Some of the first AMD socket G34 motherboards were caught on camera, at the ongoing Computex event, by Inpai. The new socket succeeds the G3MX, which was discontinued in its development process itself. It facilitates upcoming six-core, and twelve-core "Magny-Corus" processors by AMD, which will use HyperTransport 3.0 system interface (for the first time on the enterprise AMD platform), and support the quad-channel (per socket) memory interface. One of the first processors in line for this socket is the based on the "Istanbul" six-core silicon.

The Inventec G34 HPC motherboard (left, below) will be targeted at the server and HPC markets. The two sockets are wired to twelve DDR3 DIMM slots per socket, each array supporting a 256-bit wide (quad-channel) memory interface. The Quanta G34 looks to be more workstation oriented, featuring several PCI-Express slots, and eight DIMM slots per socket. Like Socket F, the new socket physically will be a land-grid array, with pins on the socket, and contact points on the processor package. Its pin-count is known to be 1974.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash and computer technology, today announced the launch of the new Viper II Extreme Performance DDR3 memory modules for Intel Core i7 platforms.

The new Viper II series makes use of an innovative heat-shield cooling solution to more effectively dissipate heat produced by the high-speed memory, which offers optimal stability and performance.

"The next-generation Viper II technology is designed to work with Patriot's latest and greatest DDR3 memory, and will provide the most stability to hit maximum performance, says Les Henry, Patriot's Director of Engineering. "Viper II provides all the essentials for gaming enthusiasts."

We got a good look at the new Colossus SSD from OCZ today. It is a 3.5 inch version, which is available with up to an one TB capacity. It combines two identical SSDs in a RAID 0 array with up to 256MB/s read and write performance and a hefty price tag.

There are two very interesting items at the Zaward booth this year. First off, the is a complete series of the second generation "Golf Fans" on display. As you can see in the images below, the fan blades have a special design, which looks similar to the surface of golf balls. The units now have ball bearings - increasing their life span to 60.000 hours, come equipped with or without LEDs and are available in black or white. There are various sizes available from 80 mm to 140 mm. All of them are available with a PWM connector and the smaller versions are rated for around 10 dbA, while the 140 mm one has a noise level of 20 dbA.

Among the tons of new hardware stuff released these days, NVIDIA has managed to put a new BETA driver for download on its official webpage. The new GeForce/ION 186.08 BETA release supports the company's GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, and 200-series desktop GPUs and ION GPUs. This driver package is reported to fix numerous bugs and install a newer version of PhysX System Software (version 9.09.0428). You can download the 186.08 BETA driver for your OS from here.

TUL Corporation who are best known for their VGA card brand Powercolor, have started a new company called "VTX". Like Powercolor it will sell ATI based graphics cards, but initially focuses on markets like Russia and Turkey. The cards will be priced extremely competitive and based on custom PCB designs which will help reduce the cost.

In addition to the solid-state upgrage bundles, Kingston today also unveiled its new HyperX Fan specifically for Kingston's HyperX memory modules. Constructed from anodized aluminum and two 60 mm fans, the HyperX fan optimizes the airflow around the memory modules, helping them to run at their peak performance for longer periods of time. The HyperX fan is painted in the company's proprietary blue color that match the color of the HyperX heatspreaders. The two fans also illuminate in blue once the system is started. At full blast both fans produce 25 dBA noise levels. The fan is available as a standalone product or bundled with Kingston's 6 GB 2000 MHz (KHX16000D3T1FK3/6GX - CL9-9-9-27 @ 1.65V) and 1800 MHz (KHX14400D3T1FK3/6GX - CL9-9-9-27 @ 1.65V) triple-channel memory kits for Intel Core i7 systems. The HyperX fan when sold as separate product is backed by a one-year warranty. A video of the fan has been posted on YouTube here.

Apparently there is still a huge number of AGP users that want to upgrade their graphics, yet are not willing to invest in a new system with PCI-Express support. PowerColor has listened to those requests and has now announced the PowerColor HD 4670 AGP PCS which is going to be the fastest card available for this dying interface.The cornerstone specs are 1 GB GDDR3, 128 bit memory interface, 750 MHz core, 800 MHz memory.

To provide flight simulation enthusiasts with a realistic experience, Logitech today unveiled the Logitech Flight System G940. The latest addition to the acclaimed Logitech G-series line of gaming peripherals and the company's first force-feedback flight simulation controller, the design and controls of the Flight System G940 were inspired by military and commercial planes and helicopters.

Kingston Technology today announced the release of the SSDNow V Series solid-state drive (SSD) upgrade bundles. Targeted specifically for mass-market consumers and small and medium businesses, these bundles are first to try offering a low-cost solution for upgrading existing desktop and notebook computers with the advantages of solid-state technology. The NAND flash storage components are available in 64 GB and 128 GB capacities, and come with the widespread 2.5-inch form factor. They use SATA 3.0 Gbps interface. Moreover, the read and write speeds the drives achieve sustained go up to 100 MB/sec. read and 80 MB/sec. write. Two bundles are offered, the one being for desktop computers and the other for laptops. Along with the desktop bundle you'll receive a 2.5-inch SSD drive, a CD with Acronis True Image cloning software, 3.5-inch mounting brackets, and SATA data and power cable extenders. With the laptop bundle Kingston will sell you a 2.5-inch solid-state drive, and add a 2.5-inch USB SATA external enclosure in case you want your old HDD to continue working inside the laptop, and use the new SSD as external storage media. Of course, the new SSDs are being showcased at the moment at COMPUTEX 2009. They are backed with a three-year warranty, 24/7 tech support and are now shipping to retail channels.

SanDisk Corporation today announced that it has begun shipping its next-generation flash memory-based solid state drives (SSD) for netbooks, offering high-performance components at a competitive price. SanDisk pSSD P2 and S2 employ a new technology called nCache, which improves netbook performance. The drives will be demonstrated at the SanDisk booth at Computex, Taipei, June 2-6, 2009: Booth # N709 Nangang Hall, 4th floor.
Netbooks are small, low-cost computers that offer consumers a highly portable means of surfing the Internet, accessing email as well as enjoying their favorite music and videos on the go. Market researchers, IDC, project consumer purchases of netbooks to rise from 11.5 million sold in 2008 to 50 million in 2013.

Thermaltake showed off some of its upcoming CPU coolers at the ongoing Computex event. A star attraction was the Thermaltake Frio (pictured below, first to the left). The design is of the popular perpendicular aluminum fin array type. The cooler ships with one 120 mm fan, although it can hold one fan on either side. It measures 130mm x 92mm x 160 mm. The cooler packs retention modules to support almost every current CPU socket type: LGA-1366, LGA-1156, LGA-775, AM3/AM2+/AM2, s939, etc. Another cooler spotted was the SpinQ VT. This cooler is near-identical to the SpinQ in terms of its features, except for that the aluminum fins propagate perpendicular to the plane of the motherboard, while the fan blows air on to the motherboard.

Today during a keynote address at Computex 2009 in Taipei, Microsoft's OEM Division Corporate Vice President Steve Guggenheimer revealed that the company is confident with the progress made with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and that as a result, Microsoft will deliver Release to Manufacturing (RTM) code to partners in the second half of July. Windows 7 will become generally available on Oct. 22, 2009, and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be broadly available at the same time.

"As we've said many times, quality is our primary goal," Guggenheimer said. "We announce each milestone once we're confident of where we are in the development cycle and that it is ready to be shared with customers and partners. We've received great feedback from our partners who are looking forward to offering Windows 7 to their customers in time for the holidays."

Air-cooling specialist Thermalright displayed a new version of the T-Rad² cooler, that has the required mount hole spacing for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 200 series graphics cards. Measuring 228 x 104 x 24.33 mm, and weighing 398 g, the T-Rad² GTX sports the same basic design of a dense aluminum fin array originating from the GPU contact block The array holds two 80 mm fans for active cooling. According to the company, this cooler goes into production from next month.

At a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan today, AMD publicly demonstrated the world's first Microsoft DirectX 11 graphics processor. The series of demonstrations shed new light on the significantly improved computing experience set to debut at the end of 2009. The fusion of AMD's new ground-breaking graphics processors with the forthcoming DirectX 11 programming interface is set to forever change both applications and PC gaming for the better. To illustrate, AMD showed numerous examples of faster application performance and new game features using the world's first true DirectX 11 graphics processor.

Cooler Master proudly announces the 80 Plus Gold Certified high wattage power supply, the highest rated 80 Plus power supply to-date by achieving a typical efficiency of 90.05% .

Cooler Master has long built a strong reputation based on industry-leading designs in coolers and computer cases, while its power supplies have often been over-shadowed. Today, marks a new era in the company's foray into the market of power supplies. With the UCP reaching new 80 Plus Gold specifications, Cooler Master has put itself at the cutting edge of PSU design.

Details of the 80 Plus Gold qualifying certification can be viewed here.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association and the SFF Committee today announced that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development of joint standards and publications related to solid state drives, with particular emphasis on the development of registered outlines for SSDs.

Recognizing the pressing need for comprehensive SSD standards, the partnership between JEDEC and SFF is intended to help unify the industry with respect to solid state storage standards. SSDs offer a growth opportunity to the industry, but widely adopted standards addressing a number of critical areas are seen as essential to more mainstream use.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the adoption of the VIA Nano processor platform by Tongfong, one of China's leading notebook providers, for their new Tongfong S30A 13.3" thin and light notebook.

The Tongfong S30A includes the high performance yet power efficient 64-bit 1.3GHz+ VIA Nano U2250 processor coupled with the unified VIA VX800 MSP and discrete S3 Graphics Chrome 435 ULP graphics for an HD video proficient, DirectX 10.1 certified notebook. HD audio and an HDMI port ensure that Tongfong customers will be able to enjoy rich media content in its finest form.

Antec is ready with another "Hundred" series PC case, this time a new entry-level model that squats below the Three Hundred. The Antec Two Hundred is a standard ATX case, with the basic Hundred series design as far as placement of fans goes. The front air-intake grill sports a polygonal design. The 3.5-inch HDD/FDD external drive bay provides hot-swap capability. Including this, there are six 3.5-inch bays in all, below three 5.25-inch bays. The PSU bay is below the motherboard tray, which provides a gap for some basic cable-management. The motherboard tray further features a gap behind the CPU socket area, which allows users to manage CPU coolers with back-plates or bolt-through kits better. There is provision for five fans, that include the bundled 140 mm top fan, a 120 mm rear exhaust fan, along with two 120 mm intakes in the front, and one 120 mm side. The case will make it deeper into the value-mainstream, with an estimated price tag of US $59.

There are a few new CPU coolers on display at the Glacialtech booth here at Computex. The first is the F101, which comes with a 120 mm fan. It has a unique shape, as part of the cooler hovers over the chipset. Then you have the mainstream coolers, with prices starting at around 25 US Dollars. These should be great alternatives to the boxed CPU coolers. They are also presenting a new fans, with the aim to deliver silent performance - simply called "the silent blade" series with the companies own fan blade design.

ViewSonic, a leading global provider of visual display products, today launched its new VG27 series of widescreen LCD monitors designed for business, government and education customers. The line includes the 24" VG2427wm, the VG2227wm and the 20" VG2027wm widescreen monitors.
ViewSonic's VG27 series of monitors have a 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 300 nits of brightness and Full 1080p HD resolution for detailed, crisp, clear images. The slim bezel design facilitates multi-monitor functionality for the ultimate in office productivity, while the DVI/VGA and 2 port USB hub inputs provide for flexible and convenient connectivity.

The Cyclone coolers are large CPU coolers with special fans to create a cyclone air flow to cool the fins and heatpipes. It comes in a full size variant as well as a compact version. They have also improved on the Ultra 120 by revising the surface area of the cooler and adding a hole within the fins to further aid air flow.

We saw an interesting graphics card at Galaxy today. Their latest
9800 GT uses a mini-HDMI connector instead of a normal sized one.

With the rush of ITX based boards out there, all the case manufacturers are starting to jump on the bandwagon. Origen AE is showing off their known case line-up as well as a new small enclosure by the name "M10". It can fit a mini-ITX board in combination with a 2.5 inch hard drive and slimline optical drive. The chassis will be available in black or silver and has a Soundgraph iMON VFD embedded in the front.

At Thermaltake's Luxa² booth we found this amazing looking custom version of the LM300 Touch Pro that we reviewed recently. Almost every inch of the enclosure has been covered with Svarovski crystals. Just don't ask about the price.

AMD launched the ATI Theater HD 750 PC TV chip offering HDTV viewing capabilities on desktop and notebook PCs around the world using analog, and digital, and free-to-air broadcast signals. ATI Theater HD 750 uses advanced video processing and signal reception technologies for clear HD picture quality, crisp images, high color performance and fidelity for an authentic HD home theater feel on the PC.

As you probably remember, we reported first on this card last week. Today ASUS has been showing this limited edition card to a public audience for the first time.Also you could see a display that shows how the card is constructed:

NVIDIA Corporation and industry partners today unveiled 12 new high-definition mobile Internet devices (MIDs) all powered by the NVIDIA Tegra processor, the world's smallest and lowest power computer-on-a-chip. These new Tegra-based devices, which include netbooks and tablets, deliver desktop-class Internet browsing with Flash video and animation acceleration, and up to 1080p video playback. NVIDIA Tegra processors feature always-on operation for instant access to the Internet, which compares to that of cell phone-class power management, and up to 5x the battery life of current netbooks-making days of HD mobile Internet experiences a reality.

ASUS today added the Eee PC T91 to its highly-successful Eee PC line. This new model is the first to sport an 8.9" swivelable touchscreen and a suite of touch-optimized software that enables users to get the most out of finger or stylus input-thus transcending the capabilities of previous generations of devices in its class. The Eee PC T91 was first unveiled at CES 2009 to tremendous buzz, and it is yet another example of ASUS outstripping its competitors in terms of being the first to market with cutting-edge innovations.

Intel today introduces four new mobile processors, and a new mobile chipset. The new CPUs include three Core 2 Duo models - T9900 (TDP 35W, 6 MB of L2 cache, $530 price), P9700 (TDP 25W, $348 price), P8800 (3 MB of L2 cache, $241) clocked at 3.06 GHz, 2.80 GHz and 2.66 GHz respectively, and the ultra-thin laptop orientated SU2700 that works at 1.3 GHz. As for the Core 2 Duo models, they all feature a 1066 MHz FSB. In addition, Intel today unveils the Mobile Intel GS40 Express chipset for future ULV-based laptops. This value chipset enables ULV-based laptops to support features consumers have come to expect from laptops including HD playback, Windows Vista Premium support and native support for integrated HDMI. All new Intel stuff is shipping now to retail and OEM channels, so you should expect availability very soon.

Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today at Computex 2009 announced its entry into the PC chassis category with the launch of the Corsair Obsidian Series 800D.
Flexible, roomy and sturdy, the Obsidian Series 800D full tower chassis was designed exclusively by Corsair and incorporates features demanded by the enthusiast market.
"The Obsidian Series 800D is a true builder's case," said Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing at Corsair. "It will reliably last you through years of motherboard, power, memory, cooling and component upgrades, while its advanced features and superior cooling performance allows you to build your ultimate dream system."

NVIDIA and Adobe Systems Incorporated announced that they are collaborating as part of the Open Screen Project to optimize and enable Adobe Flash Player, a key component of the Adobe Flash Platform, to leverage GPU video and graphics acceleration on a wide range of mobile Internet devices, including netbooks, tablets, mobile phones and other on-the-go media devices.
Adobe Flash Player will be accelerated across the range of NVIDIA processors, including NVIDIA Tegra, enabling users to enjoy uncompromised Web browsing, full H.264 video playback and rich, consistent Flash technology based content any time, any place and on any platform.

Bringing its acclaimed 45 nm technology to new high-volume processor designs, AMD today announced two new dual-core desktop processors. Building on 10 years of AMD Athlon processor innovation, the new 45 nm AMD Athlon II X2 250 processor gives mainstream consumers exceptional performance, efficiency and value. For enthusiasts and overclockers, AMD also announces the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor, the first ever dual-core AMD Phenom II CPU. With this latest addition to the AMD Phenom II processor family, users can now experience the power of AMD platform technology, codenamed "Dragon," with dual-, triple- and quad-core configurations.

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, computer components, and systems, today unveiled its next generation of pioneering products at Computex (Hyatt Suites 1003-1004). Showcasing the final production version of the highly-anticipated "Z-Series" Gold and Silver 80 Plus certified power supplies along with a breadth of new initiatives, OCZ continues to prove its cutting-edge solutions are always ahead of the curve for enthusiast communities worldwide.

Silverstone is getting ready to present the Raven 2 at the show, starting tomorrow. We were able to take a few pictures of the chassis already. It is much more compact than the original Raven, but features the same unique layout in which the mainboard is mounted with the rear slots facing upward.

Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2), the sequel to the best-selling and critically-acclaimed co-operative multiplayer thriller.

Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 and PC, L4D2 promises to set a new benchmark for co-operative action games and become one of 2009's marquee titles.

"A large part of how Left 4 Dead became 2008's top-selling new IP on Xbox 360 and the PC was the custom-tailored gameplay made possible by the AI Director," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "With the knowledge gained from creating the original, new technology, and a passionate team, L4D2 will set a new benchmark for cooperative action games."

Set for release on November 17, the title adds melee combat to enable deeper co-operative gameplay, with items such as a chainsaw, frying pan, axe, baseball bat, and more.

AMD today announced availability of the world's first six-core server processor with Direct Connect Architecture for two-, four- and eight-socket servers. Six-Core AMD Opteron processors (code-named "Istanbul") extend AMD's commitment to offering server customers superior value at every price point with unmatched platform flexibility.
Across a single platform, AMD can address the need for more cores and greater scalability with the new Six-Core AMD Opteron processor and offer a cost- and power-efficient solution with Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors. Systems based on Six-Core AMD Opteron processors are expected to be available beginning this month from leading OEMs including Cray, Dell, HP, IBM and Sun Microsystems, along with support from motherboard and infrastructure partners. HE, SE and EE versions of the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor are planned for the second half of 2009.

Intel is reportedly planning on building another chip manufacturing plant in southern Israel by 2012 at a cost of $2.5 billion. The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Intel executives had been holding meetings with Israeli government officials to determine whether the company would be eligible to receive grants for the plant. Intel spokepersons declined to comment on the publication, and also refused to give more information on the future plant. That's all we know for now.

NVIDIA Corporation and Supermicro today announced the immediate availability of a new class of server that combines massively parallel NVIDIA Tesla GPUs with multi-core CPUs in a single 1U rack-mount server. This unique configuration delivers 12 times the performance of a traditional quad-core CPU-based 1U server.
Supermicro is first to market and is demonstrating the NVIDIA Tesla-based SuperServer 6016T-GF-TM2 at Computex 2009 in Taiwan this week (booth # N806, Nangang Upper Exhibition Hall).

Our friends at HEXUS.net today posted pictures of Corsair's latest watercooling solution for computer processors. The Corsair Hydro H50 is essentially an Asetek LCLC OEM unit rebranded and sold under the Corsair trademark, but with one change - redesigned copper cold plate. The system itegrates the pump in the waterblock and adds a 120 mm radiator to the loop to cool the circulating water. Corsair will ship the system completely assembled, and ready to use for 50,000 hours without maintenance. Thanks to the redesigned base of the waterblock, Hydro H50 is compatible with Intel LGA775 and LGA1366 sockets. Owners of Socket AM2 and AM3 machines can ask for a free mounting bracket directly from Corsair. The cooler is expected to arrive later this month and cost around $82.

At the booth of ASUS we found a motherboard that supports the brand-new SATA 6 Gbit/s standard that was released just a few days ago. ASUS prepared a running demo that showcases the performance differences between SATA-II and SATA-III.

We didn't have much time but we got you a couple of shots of the latest and greatest desktop motherboards featured at Intel's booth. The linked pictures are about 2.5 MB each and not resized, straight from the camera for all your zooming pleasure. Please use the comments section of this news post to tell us about the highlights you spotted.

Apparently JMicron is on its way to perfect solid-state technology, as the company is working on a new NAND flash controller for use in solid-state drives that may halve their prices. Named JMF612, this chip will use an ARM9 core in a 289-ball TFBGA package with 32 KB of ROM and 128 KB of RAM at its core, and will support the use of up to 256 MB of DDR or DDR2 DRAM as an external cache. It will work specifically with new 34 nm and 32 nm NAND chips, have Native Command Queuing (NCQ) and will aslo support 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) disk encryption. Supported interfaces by the new controller will include SATA 3.0 Gbps and USB 2.0 for data transfers or firmware updates. JMicron will be showing engineering samples of the controller at Computex 2009. Mass production of the new chip is expected to start in July. Once in production, the cheap and fast JMF612 could contribute to a massive 50% drop in prices of solid-state drives, but this could happen as late as the end of the year sources indicate.

Taiwan motherboard manufacturers have surpassed an important technology milestone, shipping more than 1 billion Intel processor-based desktop PC motherboards.
"Intel congratulates the Taiwan tech industry on reaching this historic milestone," said Sean Maloney, Intel Corporation executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer. "This milestone is another signal that the desktop PC is not dead and that computer users continue to crave the processing power, graphics and storage capabilities that desktop PCs provide."

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 100 Day Power Supply Trade Up Program. The program is designed to give BFG customers a one time opportunity to exchange their current BFG power supply within 100 days of the original date of purchase for an upgraded model and only pay the difference in price, plus applicable shipping and taxes.

The new Power Supply Trade Up Program continues BFG Technologies' trend of adding innovative features and value-added services to their product offerings. BFG was the first company to offer round-the-clock free technical support and a lifetime warranty on all of their graphics cards. The company was also the first to give consumers an increase in performance right out of the box with their OC line of factory overclocked graphics cards. In 2008, the company introduced the well-received BFG 100 Day Graphic Card Trade Up Program.

TechPowerUp can be now followed on Twitter, the popular micro-blogging and social-networking portal. It is where TechPowerUp staff will post snappy 'tweets' (updates) on site content, including news, reviews, and other popular developments in the forums, and, it's where our team attending major events give live updates on what's happening. As we speak, our Editor-in-Chief W1zzard, along with Senior Editor Darksaber, are attending Computex 2009. The duo is attending a press-conference by NVIDIA on its upcoming technologies. Followers get to read informal scoops live from Computex, and also reply to them.

TechPowerUp can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/TechPowerUp

AMD announced the ATI Radeon E4690 graphics processor unit (GPU) designed to enable a whole level of new reality for embedded graphics applications with more than triple the 3D graphics performance of prior AMD embedded products. Arcade system manufacturers will appreciate the long term support and lower cost of placing the GPU chip directly on the motherboard instead of a separate add-in graphics card. This product will enable digital signage manufacturers to decode and play multiple high-definition videos in hardware, offloading all the decoding from the CPU. Casino system manufacturers will be amazed by triple the graphics performance to help attract players while increasing overall entertainment value with incredibly realistic 3D graphics, plus two-monitor support.