The age of USB 3.0 is almost here. Today, storage leader Thecus Technology is proud to announce its first portable storage device featuring the new USB 3.0 standard - the D0204. With massive storage capacity in a tiny package no larger than a paperback book, the D0204 delivers impressive data security and performance with an integrated USB 3.0 port, making it the most powerful and versatile portable DAS on the market.

The D0204 is a small and compact direct attached storage (DAS) device. Wrapped in a housing measuring a mere 86mm x 55.3mm x 132mm, the D0204 may appear to be a mere portable hard disk at first glance, but peering inside this tiny form factor reveals a powerful storage unit.

Buffalo released the RUF2-JVS series of USB flash drives, which come with built-in virus and malware protection, powered by Trend Micro. The drives have slide-out USB connectors, and measure 21 (W) x 55 (H) x 9 (D) mm, weighing 15 g. The drive uses USB 2.0 standard, and comes in capacities of 4, 8, and 16 GB. The embedded Trend Micro USB security software prevents viruses and malware from being copied onto the drive. The RUF2-JVS drives from Buffalo Technology will reach markets in mid-July.

Japanese display maker Iiyama released its ProLite E2271HDS-B 21.5-inch monitor. This model has a display resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and uses LED-backlit illumination, which further cuts down its thickness to 18.5 mm at its thinnest point. The panel has a response time of 5 ms, contrast ratio of 1,000:1 with 50,000:1 ACR; and brightness of 250 cd/m². It takes display input from DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The LED-backlit consumes lesser power than CCFL illumination used in traditional LCD screens, making the ProLite consume 21W for operation. The ProLite E2271HDS-B will cost 22,800¥ (about US $258) in Japan, when it releases to market in July.

The much talked about upcoming GeForce GTX 460 GPU from NVIDIA was recently pictured and detailed. Out of its first, grainy pictures, it became clear that the GF104 core it's based on indeed supports a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, but that only six of its eight 32-bit wide channels were occupied (192-bit), yielding 768 MB of memory. Fresh reports suggest that NVIDIA indeed will release the GeForce GTX 460 in two variants, a 768 MB one, and a 1024 MB (1 GB). The 1 GB variant by design will be faster, even if an application doesn't need all its video memory, because it will have a wider 256-bit memory interface, that's 25% higher memory bandwidth. Both variants will have the same memory clock speed of 900 MHz (3600 MHz effective). The GF104 core will be clocked at 675 MHz on both models, with 336 CUDA cores. Built on the 40 nm process at TSMC, the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB will have a TDP of 150W, while the 1 GB model will have a TDP of 160W. New reports suggest that the 768 MB model will be priced at less than $200. NVIDIA will release the GeForce GTX 460 on the 12th of July.

MSI rolled out two of its performance Lucid Hydra based motherboards it's been working on, the socket LGA1156 P55A Fuzion and socket AM3 870A Fuzion. The P55A Fuzion uses a 10-phase CPU VRM that makes use of high-C capacitors, Lotes-made socket, two-phase VRM for the memory, and expansion slots which include two PCI-E 2.0 x16 (full-bandwidth), two PCI-E x1, and two PCI. The PCI-E x16 slots are wired to the Lucid Hydra 200 chip that gives each graphics card full interface bandwidth, and offers vendor-neutral multi-GPU pairing. Users can pair NVIDIA graphics cards with ATI, and can also mix and match different GPUs. Connectivity features include two SATA 6 Gb/s ports, six SATA 3 Gb/s, USB 3.0, 8-channel audio, and gigabit Ethernet.

The 870A Fuzion is based on the AMD 870 chipset with SB850 southbridge. It supports socket AM3 CPUs, including six-core Phenom II X6. The CPU is powered by a 4+1 phase VRM. Expansion slots include two PCI-E 2.0 x16, two PCI-E x1, and one PCI. Apart from the CPU architecture, this board has all the features of P55A Fuzion, except that it has eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Connectivity here, too, includes USB 3.0, 8-channel audio, Lucid Hydra multi-GPU technology, and gigabit Ethernet. The 870A Fuzion is expected to be priced around US $160, while the P55A Fuzion is expected to go for $190.

SSD and flash memory specialists PhotoFast developed what they call the GBox mini, an adapter that converts USB 3.0 to SATA. The adapter connects to the host with a USB 3.0 connector (for data and power), and an additional USB 2.0 (purely for power). The two connectors share the same cable so clutter is minimized. On its other end, the adapter has a SATA connector with both data and power ports. It can connect to any SATA HDD, SSD, or optical drive. Although the USB 3.0 interface has a generous maximum bandwidth of 4.8 Gb/s, the device has transfer speeds of up to 128 MB/s (SATA device to system) and 96 MB/s (system to SATA device). The GBox mini comes with a copy of DriveClone 7 Pro software bundled, necessary cable, and is expected to be priced at US $22, when it hits the Japanese markets next month.

MSI, the global leading brand in All-in-One PC, announced the launch of two new space-saving, entertainment-oriented models in MSI's Wind Box PC series: the Wind Box DE520 and DC520. They are the latest small form factor entertainment mainframe complete with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition and the Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor. The design is stylish, and works beautifully in almost any room. It is also light weight and promises exceptional operation at an attractive price point.

Wind Box DE520 and DC520 inherit the slim good looks of the earlier generation of Wind PC, with the addition of stylish front panel. They use Intel Pentium Dual core processor, which greatly improves the performance over the previous generation of Atom CPU. The Wind Box DE520 also features an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430 graphics processor, ensuring outstanding performance for both high-definition video content viewing and 3D gaming.

Putting more terabytes in the hands of consumers worldwide, Seagate, the leader in hard drives and storage solutions, today announced the world's first 3 Terabyte (TB) external desktop drive. Available immediately, the 3TB FreeAgent GoFlex Desk external hard drive helps to meet the explosive worldwide demand for digital content storage in both the home and the office. With 3TB of capacity people can store up to 120 HD movies, 1,500 video games, thousands of photos or countless hours of digital music.

A key addition to the company's recently introduced GoFlex family of hard drives, the 3TB GoFlex Desk external drive couples immense capacity with the flexibility to adapt the drive's USB 2.0 interface to a USB 3.0 or FireWire 800 connection to meet varying performance and transfer speed needs. Consumers can easily create, store and access content from either a Windows or Mac OS X computer on the GoFlex Desk external drive, thanks to an included NTFS driver for Mac.

Less than a year into the launch of Windows 7, and a few months in the making for its first service pack update, Microsoft has already taken large strides into outlining the key areas the company's next consumer operating system would focus on. Aimed to be released within the year 2012 time-frame (when Windows 7 will have become 3 years and 2 service packs old), Microsoft's next operating system is referred to as "Windows 8" (tada). The company had recently released to its industry partners a set of presentations, all covering different departments of the product's development, to outline the ideas in store for the developers. These confidential presentations were leaked to the public domain.

Among these presentations, some of the most interesting ones give us an insight on what interfacing with the PC will be like in a few years from now. To begin with, the average PC is poised to get a few mandatory updates to its hardware capabilities (just as how having a sound controller became mandatory for consumer PCs through the late 1990s). The PC will have a few sensors, cameras and accelerometers that will serve dual-purpose of user authentication and utility (use by software).

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced it latest Mini-ITX board, the VIA EPIA-M840, designed for a range of embedded device designs including advanced industrial and factory management applications.

The VIA EPIA-M840 packs the latest 64-bit VIA Nano E-Series processor, dual Gigabit LAN, eight COM ports and support for two dual channel 24-bit LVDS displays, creating the ideal backbone for a range of embedded applications including intelligent industrial automation applications that integrate remote network access, network management and other advanced application management scenarios.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, releases the RevoDrive PCI-Express SSD, an innovative storage solution that focuses on both performance and affordability for consumers. The new RevoDrive was developed to push the limits of economical SSD technology to deliver a revolutionary product with a remarkable price point.

Moving beyond the bottleneck of SATA 3 Gb/s, the OCZ RevoDrive features a PCIe interface to deliver superior speeds over 500 MB/s reads and random small file writes up to 80,000 IOPS, nearly twice the speed of other consumer SSDs. Thanks to a proprietary RAID 0 design, the RevoDrive maximizes data access and bandwidth to promote a faster, more responsive PC experience compared to not only hard drives, but other SSDs on the market.

GeIL announces the launch of the all new DDR3 EVO TWO Gaming Series Memory to be added as the benchmark in GeILs' gaming performance memory line of products. Like its' predecessor EVO ONE, the EVO TWO heat-sink system is designed with Maximum Thermal Conduction & Dissipation (MTCD) Technology for maximum cooling efficiency and enhanced memory performance. The EVO TWO Series will be available in the fastest speed as well as covering the rest of the speed range with enhanced performance and stability by GeILs' DBT - Die-hard Burn-in Technology. EVO TWO is the hardcore gaming memory to have.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the latest addition to its N-Series netbook range - the N230. With a sleek profile, stunning premium black finish and ultra-convenient features, the N230 will appeal to design-conscious consumers looking for the ultimate experience in mobile computing.

No effort has been spared in designing the exclusive N230, with its well-harmonized finish of glossy, mat and patterned black surfaces. Weighing less than 1kg and just 23.2mm thick, it is a super-slim and ultra-portable netbook, perfect for the go-anywhere mobile user. It also features an ergonomic island keyboard, increasing the stylish looks while reducing users' wrist strain when typing for extended periods.

Acer, the world's second largest vendor in the PC market, today announced its newest Acer Aspire "Predator" gaming desktop PC is armed for combat and ready to do battle in the U.S. A force to be reckoned with, the power-packed AG7750-U2222 gaming rig harnesses the pinnacle of processor, graphics and memory technologies for conquering the fiercest opponents.

Taking bold style and performance to a killer level, the Aspire Predator is designed for avid gamers with a "take no prisoners" attitude. It's a monster machine outfitted with plenty of ammo, including Intel Core i7 quad-core processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 graphics with 3-way SLI support and a whopping 12GB DDR3 memory for blowing away the competition.

NZXT expanded its lineup of Premium Cables with a few additions. These cables are meant to expand or replace a variety of power and data cables in the PC primarily for aesthetics, and with cable-management in mind. Till now the company has been selling 24-pin ATX cables with customizable sleeving, the new additions include a 450 mm 8-Pin PCI-E power extension, 300 mm SATA (data) cables, SATA (power) to Molex, 600 mm 3-pin fan power, 600~750 mm long 4-port SATA (data) cable-cluster, front-panel control cluster, Molex extension, 6-pin and 8-pin PCI-E power, and Y-cables for power distribution. The cables come sleeved, with a variety of sleeve color options. Prices start at US $2.99, and go up to $14.99.

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced the finalization and release of the specifications for BDXL, the new multi-layer recordable Blu-ray Disc format with up to 128GB of capacity. With the completion and approval of the specification, manufacturers can now obtain licensing information and license applications needed to begin production of the high capacity write-once and rewritable discs and hardware.

Targeted primarily at commercial segments such as broadcasting, medical and document imaging enterprises with significant archiving needs, BDXL provides customers with triple layer 100GB RE (rewritable) and R (write-once) discs and quadruple layer 128GB R discs. Possible consumer applications include capture and playback of HD broadcast and satellite programming in markets where set-top recorders are prevalent.

Club3D finally added to the shelves its own GeForce GTX 465 graphics card. The company's design sticks to the NVIDIA reference design, except for a green colored PCB and fancier gold-colored DVI connectors. It also sticks to the reference clock speeds of 607/1215/801(3206) MHz (core/shader/memory(effective)). Like every other GTX 465, it is DirectX 11 compliant, and is powered by 352 CUDA cores, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 256-bit wide memory interface. It draws power from two 6-pin power connectors. Pricing is also more or less on par with most reference-design GTX 465 graphics cards in the market.

Thermaltake, leading DIY chassis and storage enclosure brand, introduces the newest series of USB 3.0 SuperSpeed docking stations for all 2.5" and 3.5" HDDs, making it more convenient and easy to transfer large documents, pictures or movies between hard drives and computers. With support for hard drives of up to 2 TB capacity the Thermaltake BlacX 5G offers utmost storage convenience and flexibility for people on the move and those with huge data archives.

Backward compatibility with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 increase usage scenarios to even migrate data from older systems and make them available on the latest USB 3.0 SuperSpeed devices. The easy plug & play installation warrants for operation with Windows systems as well as Mac OS, while the premium shielded data cable does not only guarantee increased data safety but also boosts transfer rates up to 5.0 Gbps with USB 3.0 compatible devices.

Sharkoon presents another external housing with a faster USB3.0 port: After the accessory specialist had introduced their QuickStore Portable USB3.0 for 2.5-inch SATA hard drives in May, Sharkoon has now expanded their "Rapid Case" series with a SuperSpeed model for SATA hard drives with a 3.5-inch form factor.

The "Rapid Case" series offers solid Aluminum for users who are searching for an inexpensive yet quality made external hard drive case for an enclosure. Current models will be available with external USB2.0 ports for 2.5 and 3.5-inch IDE hard drives as well as either with USB2.0 or USB2.0 plus eSATA hard drives in both sizes.

Team Technology Inc. has once again leveraged its powerful R&D capability to launch a new high-speed USB 2.0 flash disk - the C101. The shield shape, carbon fiber pattern and mirror finish combined with fashionable urban colors fusion classic style with modern technology.

The C101 is provided with the USB 2.0 interface with a bandwidth up to 480 Mbps. With actual read and write speeds of 20MB and 10MB per second, the C101 is available in five different capacities between 2GB and 32GB to meet the needs of different user. The sliding extendable design means the C101 has no need for a cumbersome cap. C101 is also made from environmentally friendly materials, it's the perfect addition to a LOHAS 3C digital lifestyle.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash and computer peripheral solutions, today announced the immediate availability of the Viper II Series 'Sector 7' Edition to its family of Extreme Performance DDR3 memory. The Sector 7 Edition DDR3 is the ultimate performance memory solution for the Intel X58 system platform and has been designed with overclockers, enthusiasts and gamers in mind. Sector 7 modules are compatible for use with Intel 'unlocked' Core i7 and Extreme Edition Core i7 processors.

Patriot's Sector 7 Edition is available in 6GB, 12GB and 24GB tri-channel kits in speeds ranging from 1600MHz to 2000MHz. The Sector 7 Edition products are an extension of the well received dual-channel Sector 5 Edition line of DDR3 for the P55 platform.

The wait for a CPU cooler that both looks great and still outperforms the competition is over, as the Cooler Master V6GT combines a new thinking in CPU cooler design, yet doesn't compromise on cooling performance. It also packs a range of great features as standard, such as the use of a Double-V heatpipe design, twin 120mm DynaLoop PWM fans, a built in LED strip on the top and of course support for multiple CPU sockets.

Cooler Master has designed the V6GT as a no compromise air cooler and has come up with several new key improvements that makes this one of the best CPU air coolers on the market. Cooler Master put V6GT coolers through torture tests by using them to cool a pair Xeon X5670 processors on EVGA's Classified SR-2 motherboard and a i5 655K processor.

Elpida Memory, Inc., Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), today announced that it had completed development of a high-density, high-speed, low-power consumption 50nm process 2-gigabit GDDR5 using copper interconnects (product name: EDW2032BABG). The new GDDR5, the first graphics DRAM designed by Elpida, was developed at the company's Munich Design Center in Germany.

Applications for GDDR (GDDR: Graphics Double Data Rate) memory devices used with GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) are found not only in such graphic processing equipment as game consoles and PC graphics cards but also in equipment that require high-performance computing for use in such areas as science and technology, physical simulation, digital image processing and video conversion. Using 2-gigabit GDDR5 in these applications can double the frame buffer size of each GPU compared with 1-gigabit memory products.

Liberty means freedom, which the modular cable management provides users. "ECO" stands for economy and indicates that this power supply includes not only a high efficiency (80PLUS certified) but an attractive price as well: that's twice the saving passed onto our customers. Considering that the consumption of modern PC-systems is growing due to high-performance graphic cards for gamers, Enermax has accordingly decided to expand its LibertyECO II series towards more powerful models.

Enermax LibertyECO II 720W provides an attractive high-end model for gamers and hardware-enthusiasts, that includes a strong and stable power source with sufficient reserves to run all current high-end graphics cards and processors. The highest quality components and Enermax designed, industry leading topology, enable the LibertyECO II series to reach an outstanding efficiency of up to 86 per cent on 230V(80PLUS certified). Following the Enermax standard, LibertyECO II distributes the load with multi-12V-rails: in this case three 12V-rails ensure a reliable performance up to 55 Amps. The 12V-rails are protected by a separate OCP (over-current-protection) so PC-components are more secure in comparison to common single-rail power supplies.

MSI, the world's leading graphics card and mainboard manufacturer, today launches two of its latest graphics cards, N470GTX and N465GTX Twin Frozr II which are based on MSI's unique Twin Frozr II thermal design. MSI also revealed its limited N465GTX Twin Frozr II golden edition graphics card which adopts the full copper design. The cards are powered by NVIDIA's advanced GeForce GTX 400 GPU and support NVIDIA technologies such as 3D Vision Surround, PhysX and CUDA etc and boast MSI's Twin Frozr II thermal design. As compared to the reference graphics cards, MSI's latest offerings show a reduction in noise by 21.5dB and heat by 16℃ in full load, making them the industry's most outstanding graphics cards with the best heat dissipation and noise reduction features.

If you absolutely need 2 GB of video memory to talk about in your rig, Club3D developed an easy means to get there. Its latest ATI Radeon HD 5550 variant boasts of 2 GB of DDR3 memory across a 128-bit wide memory interface, and some out of the box overclocked speeds. The single-slot full-height card uses an active GPU cooler, and draws all its power from the PCI-E slot. The DirectX 11 compliant Radeon HD 5550 GPU has 320 stream processors, and a 128-bit wide memory interface, with clock speeds of 650 MHz core, 1200 MHz (2400 MHz effective) memory. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI-D, D-Sub, and HDMI. Club3D did not give out a price.

Here are the first pictures of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 460 graphics card, an upper-mainstream model based on the company's new GF104 GPU which was pictured earlier. The pictures reveal the reference design card to be shorter than any of the GF100-based graphics cards (such as GTX 470, GTX 480), and compacted in many ways. The cooler is dual-slot, and instead of an air-channel that's draws air from the interior and blows it out from the rear, the cooler has a centrally-located fan right over the GPU. As expected from the older article, the GPU package indeed is rectangular in shape rather than square.

The PCB is black, though a green PCB cannot be written off given the product's positioning. There are traces for eight memory chips on the card (looking at the components on the reverse-side of the PCB), confirming a 256-bit wide memory interface, though six chips are occupied (indicating that for this SKU only, a 192-bit wide memory interface is used. There is only one SLI finger showing that it only supports 2-way SLI multi-GPU standard. Connectivity on the rear panel is consists of the usual 2x DVI-D and mini-HDMI. Power is drawn in by two 6-pin PCI-E power inputs. Other specifications include DirectX 11 compliance, 336 CUDA cores, 768 MB of 192-bit GDDR5 memory (or another SKU with 1 GB of 256-bit GDDR5 memory), and clock speeds of 675 MHz core, 1350 MHz shader (CUDA cores), and 900 MHz (or 3600 MHz effective) memory. The GTX 460 768 MB is expected to launch next month at a price of US $230.

Japanese cooling specialist Scythe Co. Ltd., expands his portfolio with the new USB Foot Switch product line. These USB foot switches are available with one, two or three-button which can be used as an additional input device to facilitate the work with the computer. Depending on the used variant up to three buttons can be assigned freely with the included software. A robust design and clean processing ensure high ease of use.

Scythe USB Foot Switch are now available for a MSRP of 19.90 € / 29.80 USD (Single version), or 28.50 € / 39.80 USD (Double version) and 32.50 € / 59.80 USD (Triple version). All prices excluding VAT / Tax.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today introduced a 64GB addition to the award-winning Crucial RealSSD C300 product line. The new 64GB RealSSD C300 drive, like its predecessors, natively supports SATA 6Gb/s, is backwards compatible with the SATA 3Gb/s interface, and provides scorching-fast read speeds of up to 355 MB/s and write speeds up to 75 MB/s. Competitively priced at US$149.99, the new 64GB C300 drive is available in a standard 2.5-inch form factor, and comes with a limited three-year warranty.

"The 64GB C300 drive is a natural extension of our award-winning Crucial RealSSD C300 product line. This aggressively priced 64GB C300 drive makes SSD technology more affordable than ever, delivers durability for mobile computing, and makes it a compelling boot drive for desktop PCs," said Robert Wheadon, Lexar Media senior worldwide SSD product manager.

MSI, a well-known personal computer system and components designer and manufacturer, today released its new AMD Opteron 4000 Series processor-based server motherboards: MS-91F7 and MS-96D7.

MSI lines up with AMD's strategy and has developed 2P and 1P AMD Opteron 4000 Series platform (formerly code-named: "San Marino") server board in CEB and ATX form factors respectively, and plans to bring the server motherboards to market soon. MSI's 2P volume AMD Opteron-based server board, MS-91F7, can be configured with 3 options: desired PCIe lanes between SR5650 and SR5670, MUX selector of one x16 PCIe Gen2 slot or two x8 PCIe Gen2 slots, and dual layout of Aspeed BMC controller of AST1100 or AST2050.

At the GigaOm Structure Cloud Computing and Internet Infrastructure conference, AMD today announced availability of the new AMD Opteron 4000 Series platform. This is the first server platform designed from the beginning to meet the specific requirements of cloud, hyperscale data center, and SMB customers needing highly flexible, reliable, and power-efficient 1 and 2P systems. This platform is also available for high-end embedded systems such as telecom servers, storage, and digital signage, through AMD Embedded Solutions. Systems from Acer Group, Dell, HP, SGI, Supermicro, ZT Systems, and numerous other channel partners are expected beginning today and in the coming months.

HighPoint Technologies, announces shipment of the RocketRAID 2722. The RocketRAID 2722 delivers the next generation of SAS 6Gb/s performance with 8 channels of external point-to-point direct connectivity. The newest member broadens the HighPoint SAS 6Gb/s RAID product portfolio which now includes all generations of SATA (6Gb/s, 3Gb/s & 1.5Gb/s) and SAS 6Gb/s storage interface.

HighPoint RocketRAID 2722 is first 8 channel external member of the SAS/SATA 6Gb/s RAID host adapter family series. There two SFF-8088 connectors to support up to 8 external SAS/SATA devices. A PCI-Express 2.0 x8 bus interface is backward compatible to PCI-Express 1.0. HighPoint hardware assisted RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50 and JBOD offers a balance of storage performance with protection.

Mushkin Enhanced, a global leader in high-performance computer products, announced today the release of a new solid state drive series, Callisto deluxe. The Callisto deluxe Series offers new improvements that increase the drives' IOPS (input/output operations per second) to up to 50,000.

"The Callisto deluxe SSD Series is Mushkin Enhanced's finest hour in a long tradition of high-performance, high-reliability flash storage products. Gamers, enthusiasts and even casual users will appreciate the considerable performance advantage this iteration of SSDs offers." - Brian Flood, Mushkin Enhanced director of product development. Boasting read speeds of up to 285MB/s and write speeds of up to an impressive 275MB/s, the Callisto deluxe Series is equipped with the industry-acclaimed Sandforce SF-1200 controller.

TechPowerUp Forums leader Kreij challenges you to improve the TechPowerUp logo, and to give it a modern 3D redesign using any of the latest 3D imaging technologies available. The winner takes away a spanking-new Intel X25-M 80 Gigabyte solid-state drive (SSD). Open from today (06/22/2010) to the 08/01/2010, the contest is open to all TechPowerUp Forums members, new and old. Good Luck!

For all related details, resources, and to participate, visit the Contest Thread.

ARCTIC is entering the input devices market. The products are characterized by high quality at a reasonable price and leave behind a valuable and elegant impression. ARCTIC has launched a keyboard, K381, and two gaming mice known as M551 and M571. The ergonomic designs of these peripherals make surfing and gaming more comfortable and pleasant.

The keyboard, K381, has an ultra‐slim design. Although the K381 is small and thin, it is embedded with 12 one‐touch office function keys, including volume control, full‐sized arrow keys, and numeric keypad.

Sources in the hardware industry leaked some interesting pictures of a new, supposedly reference-design NVIDIA GF100 GPU graphics card PCB, watermarked by board partner Little Tiger. The pictures reveal a PCB that's similar to that of the GeForce GTX 480, but with a stronger VRM that makes use of better high-C surface-mount capacitors (completely doing away with cylindrical capacitors), and draws power from two 8-pin PCI-Express power inputs. The design can deliver up to 375W of power (that's not the board power we're talking about).

This also opens up speculation about what NVIDIA would do with this design. The most talked about theory as of now points to a new high-end SKU by NVIDIA based on the GF100, that enables all streaming multiprocessors (SMs) physically present on the GF100, taking the CUDA core count up to 512, and ROP count to 64. The most likely marketing name for this SKU is GeForce GTX 485. Apart from higher CUDA core and ROP count than that of the GTX 480, slightly higher clock-speeds for the GPU are also on the cards. The memory subsystem remains untouched, at 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 924 MHz (effective 3.7 GHz), over a 384-bit wide memory interface. NVIDIA could release this SKU this fall.

Alongside the July 27th launch of Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, SteelSeries is pleased to announce the release of original co-branded gaming peripherals for gamers eager to jump back into the epic struggle between the protoss, zerg and terran races.

SteelSeries will offer a complete gaming solution with the StarCraft II Limited Edition Zboard gaming keyboard bundle, which includes the SteelSeries Zboard Base with Z Engine II software, the Zboard Standard QWERTY Keyset for everyday use and the SteelSeries Limited Edition Zboard Keyset (StarCraft II). The specially designed Zboard Keyset (StarCraft II) provides labeled commands, in-game shortcuts, official artwork from the game, and three race-specific mods featuring unique abilities for each of the races. Through its unique Z Engine II software, gamers can also remap every key on the keyboard, guaranteeing a completely customized experience for each and every user.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced a new line of SAS Solid State Disks, the ShuttleCraft Series SAS SSD.

Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is a new interface standard designed to meet the storage needs of the Enterprise market. SAS features key benefits required by enterprise servers including: high performance, strong reliability and advanced management features.

Already known for extreme reliability, Solid State Disk (SSD) technology can be improved to meet the needs of the enterprise by implementing advanced: Wear Leveling, Bad Block Management, Error Correction and Power Failure Management features. These new features are the cornerstones of our ShuttleCraft Series SAS drive products.

Apart from the Silver Arrow dual-block tower CPU cooler, Thermalright is also readying a gargantuan single-block tower CPU cooler, the HR-02. Measuring 110 (L) x 140 (W) x 160 (H) mm, this cooler makes use of nickel plated copper heatpipes, aluminum fins, and tips the scales at 1.1 kg. Heat is conveyed to the 32 aluminum fins using six 6 mm thick heat pipes. The fins are punched in places to increase turbulence and area of dissipation. Although it doesn't ship with any fans, there are two sets of 120 mm and 140 mm fan retention clips included, along with a tube of Chill Factor III TIM. All current CPU sockets are supported. The HR-02 will reach stores soon.

Thermalright is readying a new CPU cooler modeled around the twin-block tower design that is getting some takers these days, the Silver Arrow. This cooler uses two aluminum fin blocks that dissipate heat from the CPU, with air circulated by two 140 mm TY-series fans. Heat is conveyed to the two blocks by four U-shaped 8 mm thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes. The fans spin at 500-1300 rpm, with noise-levels of up to 21 dBA. All current CPU sockets are supported, including LGA1366, LGA1156, AM3/AM2(+), and LGA775. Pricing is yet to be known.

MSI announced the slender and stylish CR630 features a large screen and high performance multimedia. The CR630 comes with MSI's own 45-degree beveled construction and new lustrous starlight design color film print which changes with shifts in lighting, underscoring the stylish yet unpretentious exterior for which MSI's Classic series is known.

MSI Marketing Director Sam Chern points out, The 15.6" CR630 features chic starlight design color film print and powerful multimedia performance. Under the hood, it has AMD's latest Danube platform for NBs with the AMD Athlon II processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4270 integrate graphics for high performance, low power consumption, and exceptional graphics processing capabilities."

Iomega, an EMC company and a global leader in data protection, today announced the launch of the exciting new line of Iomega Skin branded Hard Drives, three different 500 GB portable hard drives that pop with unique designs and colors that scream, "Who says portable storage has to be boring?"

In conjunction with the popular Skin Industries, one of the leading alternative "Sports Fashion" brands in America today, Iomega's new Skin Hard Drives feature three compact personal storage models with custom Skin-branded graphics that stand out in a burst of hip culture compared to anything else in the hard drive market today.

One of the first pictures of NVIDIA's upcoming GF104 graphics processor has come to light, with a Chinese source picturing a GF104 qualification sample. The sample is based on the A1 silicon. The GPU package is similar to that of the GF100, it makes use of an integrated heat-spreader (IHS) to disperse heat from the die underneath it. The package is rectangular rather than square (probably a move to reduce board footprint, translating into more compact boards) The GPU is built on TSMC's 40 nm process, and is said to have significantly lower TDP compared to the GF100. One of the first SKUs built around it is the GeForce GTX 460.

Contrary to older reports, Expreview's report suggests that the GeForce GTX 460 will have 336 CUDA cores (instead of 256), and 768 MB of memory across a 192-bit GDDR5 memory interface. Its TDP is expected to be around the 150W mark, similar to that of a GeForce GTS 250. It will target price-point slightly above the $200 mark, while other SKUs carved out of this silicon will be lesser.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today announced the launch of the VG28 series, its latest family of ergonomic widescreen LCD monitors with Energy Star 5.0 and EPEAT certifications. Offering innovative space-saving and ergonomic design features as well as an ECO mode, saving up to 30% of average power consumption, the VG28 series is making its debut with 20" VG2028wm, 22" (22.5" viewable) VG2228wm, 24" (23.5" viewable) VG2428wm and 27" VG2728wm models.

All models in the VG28 series offer a flexible, ergonomic screen setup for ultimate comfort. Including height adjust, swivel and tilt functions, as well as a slim bezel design with hidden stereo speakers, these monitors contribute to a space-saving and clutter free work or entertainment setup. Additionally, the 24" VG2428wm and 27" VG2728wm will offer a 90° pivot to allow for portrait or landscape viewing. Whether on a desk, mounted on a wall or coupled with any VESA compliant monitor stand, the VG28 series monitors provide a stylish and adaptable solution to any space.

A recent report by HKEPC shows that Intel will be cutting the prices of certain key SKUs to make them and the price-point they're targeting, more competitive. For instance, until now available for over US $500, and replaced by the Core i7 960, the Core i7 950 (LGA1366, 3.06 GHz, quad-core) chip will be placed at the $294 price-point, displacing the Core i7 930 2.80 GHz chip.

With the value segment, the socket LGA1156 Core i3 500 series chips will have a new SKU, the Core i3 560. This dual-core chip is clocked at 3.33 GHz, and priced at $138. Intel has recently released its new $200 LGA1156 quad-core chip, the Core i5 760 2.80 GHz. The new pricing will be effective from August 29.

Toshiba UK today celebrates 25 years of laptop innovation with the launch of three genre-defining mobile computers - the Portégé R700, the AC100, and the Libretto W100. As user needs have changed dramatically since Toshiba introduced the world's first mass-market laptop in 1985, Toshiba has announced three brand new products packed with innovative features, compelling form factors and class-leading hardware. All three models have been specifically engineered to cater for the ever-evolving way in which computers are used.

The AC100 is a stunning new device that is always on and highly portable. Everything about the AC100 is designed for mobile, online use, including the Android platform it runs on. The AC100 is an ideal choice for consumers that stay in touch via social networks, store their personal content in the cloud and need to be online at the touch of a button - captured in an incredible 14mm (1) thin body. Providing up to seven days' standby time, the AC100 is always ready for action, starting up in under a second, while Wi-Fi and optional 3G connectivity means the AC100 can be online wherever you are.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced a new milestone in the affordability of Corsair Solid State Drives. For a limited time, Corsair's award-winning Nova Series SSDs are available for as little as $69.99 after mail-in rebate.

"The 32GB Nova Series SSD is great for streamlined boot drives, netbook upgrades, and even RAID configurations," stated Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing at Corsair. "The aggressive pricing of these drives makes the benefits of SSDs accessible to everyone."

The creation and consumption of multimedia have become mainstream trends among users. As a result, the PC world continues to evolve pushing the boundaries to offer users a better experience. The new Acer Aspire X5950 and X3950 excel at handling even the most demanding home computing and entertainment needs. Great for sharing your photos and videos, mixing music or doing multimedia editing, these desktops feature first-rate applications, components and performance in a cool design taking up just a third of the space of standard PCs.

Harnessing the power of the Intel Core i7, i5 and i3, a family of processors capable of delivering maximum processing power in response to the most demanding tasks such as editing multimedia files, or playing fast-paced games, these desktops can speed through intensive computing applications matching the performance according to requirements, thus ensuring maximised entertainment and productivity. Allowing much faster multitasking the Aspire X5950 and X3950 help you be more efficient and get more done in less time. On top of it, you get a reduction of power consumption while taking advantage of great performance.

ASUS extended its lead in the thin and light notebook segment with two new U Series models that offer unprecedented performance while maintaining super slim form factors.

The ASUS U35 and U45 notebooks are powered by standard voltage Intel Core i5 or i3 processors, adding much-needed computing muscle to a breed of notebooks typically associated with compromised performance. The heat generated by standard voltage CPUs previously made their use unfeasible in super slim notebooks, but ASUS' engineers have found a way to incorporate them without any detrimental thermal effects.

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the 2-Port USB 3.0 ExpressCard Adapter, model TU3-H2EC, and 2-Port USB 3.0 PCI Express Adapter, model TU3-H2PIE. The adapters add two super speed 5Gbps USB 3.0 ports to a laptop or desktop computer. Transfer content from USB 3.0 storage enclosures, flash drives, and camcorders at 5Gbps speeds-10 times faster than USB 2.0.

TRENDnet's 2-Port USB 3.0 ExpressCard Adapter, model TU3-H2EC, plugs into any available ExpressCard port on a Window's based laptop computer to provide two USB 3.0 ports. A power adapter provides full power to all connected USB 3.0 devices. Backward compatibility allows users to connect USB 2.0 devices to the USB 3.0 ports.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, launches 1.8 inch Solid State Drives (SSD) to offer a storage upgrade for the thin and light market. With a smaller footprint, OCZ 1.8 inch drives still deliver the reliability and performance demanded by high-end enthusiasts.

"Solid State Drives provide numerous benefits to mobile users including improved performance and reliability as well as lower power consumption versus traditional hard drives," said Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ Technology Group. "We are now introducing two new drives that are designed to cater to the entire range of mobile applications including the Vertex2 1.8" which delivers the same performance as our popular 2.5" version in a smaller form factor for customers looking to achieve maximum performance on the go, and the new Onyx 1.8" which is designed for consumers looking for a quality SSD that is aggressively priced and is ideal for Netbooks."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, today introduced the first solid state drive (SSD) utilizing high-performance toggle-mode DDR NAND. The new 512 gigabyte (GB) SSD provides electronic data processing application designers with advanced performance and reliability for notebooks with premium value.

"The highly advanced features and characteristics of our new SSD were obtained as a direct result of an aggressive push for further development of our NAND flash technology, our SSD controller and our supportive SSD firmware," said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Electronics. "Early introduction of this state-of-the-art toggle DDR solution will enable Samsung to play a major role in securing faster market acceptance of the new wave of high-end SSD technology," he added.

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz" or "the Company"), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider today announced the launch of the AX 180 wireless gaming headset being launched under the Company's TRITTON gaming audio brand.

Based upon the critically-acclaimed wired AX 180, the new wireless TRITTON headset uses 2.4GHz wireless technology to free gamers from wired constraints, allowing total immersion and freedom of movement, while providing the high-fidelity sound quality which gamers have come to expect from the TRITTON brand.

Enermax released the Apollish Vegas series case fans. These bright-colored, illuminated fans are similar to the original Apollish series fans the company released last year, except that the Vegas is more efficient and features lighting effects made with its up to 18 LEDs. Available in glossy red, blue, green and silver, these fans are available in 120 mm and 140 mm sizes. The fans make use of Twister-bearing, and the blades are detachable for cleaning. The 120 mm models come in speeds ranging between 800 - 2000 rpm, 56.51 - 143.72 m³/h airflow, and as low as 16 dBA noise output, while the 140 mm ones spin at 700 - 1500 rpm, push 71.99 - 154.27 m³/h of air, with as low as 15 dBA noise level. The 120 mm model costs €21.14, and the 140 mm €25.84.

Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user-friendly designed PC components, unveiled FX Series USB 3.0 flash drives. The MX-FX is the most compact USB 3.0 flash drive on the market, and is available in worldwide retail and e-tail.

As PCs became increasingly powerful and able to process larger amounts of data, users needed to get more and more data into and out of their PCs. Using traditional flash drives to transfer gigabytes of data has become a time consuming process. MX-FX USB 3.0 flash drives address this need by adding a super-high transfer rate. This drive is fast, bidirectional, dynamically attachable that is consistent with the requirements of the PC platforms of today and tomorrow. MX-FX USB 3.0 flash drive requires no separate power cable and is fully backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, at USB 2.0 speeds.

ADATA Technology, the world leader in DRAM modules and flash memory products today unveiled its supreme-generation N005. Adopting SuperSpeed USB 3.0 technology to achieve ultra-speedy read/write performance, N005 is designed to complement the modern lifestyle and to make data access much more efficiently with its powerful USB 3.0 connectivity.

Leading the industry in innovation and design, ADATA completes its USB 3.0 solution lineup with the introduction of this new USB 3.0 flash drive. N005 is perfectly positioned to fulfill the growing need for faster data transfer in personal portable storage for every-day computing. It takes advantage of the enhanced bandwidth of USB 3.0 and delivers transfer speed up to 85 MB/s based on real-world tests, outperforming the conventional USB 2.0 by nearly 300%.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the addition of a 16GB model to its Flash Padlock 2 line of secure USB flash drives. With 16GB of flash memory, the newest Padlock doubles the amount of secure storage from the previous version.

The Flash Padlock 2 employs two security technologies for robust data protection. The first of these is a user-defined PIN, or personal identification number. This PIN is entered directly on the Padlock using an integrated keypad, and can range from four to ten digits in length. The second security technology used is 256-bit AES encryption of the contents of the drive.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just strengthened its mainstream range of ATI-based graphics cards with the introduction of several new models in the HD 5500 series and a new bundle deal with ArcSoft.

The SAPPHIRE HD 5500 series is based on the highly successful graphics architecture from the ATI division of AMD, built in its 40nm process. It supports the advanced graphical features of Microsoft DirectX 11, as well as on-board Stream Processing and video decoding, delivering superb video clarity and visual effects, whilst consuming very low power levels.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.(TAEC) and its parent company Toshiba Corporation today announced the launch of a 128-gigabyte (GB) embedded NAND flash memory module, the highest capacity yet achieved in the industry. The module is fully compliant with the latest e-MMC standard, and is designed for application in a wide range of digital consumer products, including smartphones, tablet PCs and digital video cameras. Samples will be available in September, and mass production will start in the fourth quarter (October to December) of 2010.

The new 128GB embedded device integrates sixteen 64Gbit (equal to 8GB) NAND chips fabricated with Toshiba's cutting-edge 32nm process technology and a dedicated controller into a small package 17 x 22 x 1.4mm. Toshiba is the first company to succeed in combining sixteen 64Gbit NAND chips, and applied advanced chip thinning and layering technologies to realize individual chips that are only 30 micrometers thick.

AMD released the latest version of its ATI Catalyst software suite, version 10.6 WHQL, which provides drivers and system software for ATI Radeon GPUs (HD 2000 series and above), AMD 7-series and 8-series chipsets, and ATI Theater multimedia processors. The new version packs pays attention to video-acceleration, and packs two new features that improve video output quality, official support for Adobe Flash 10.1 GPU acceleration, official support for OpenGL 4.0 and GL 3.3, a wide range of game-specific performance increments, and the usual load of bug fixes.

To begin with, Catalyst 10.6 adds GPU-accelerated video de-blocking (a feature that helps improve quality of upscaled videos), and mosquito-noise reduction, which helps improve quality of lossy video formats. Although ATI was first to be out with a GPU driver that packs OpenGL 4.0 ICD, it was only in the form of preview drivers. Catalyst 10.3 provides official support for OpenGL 4.0, a graphics API technologically comparable to DirectX 11, compatible with Radeon HD 5000 series GPUs. It also adds OpenGL 3.3 support.

DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst 10.6 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

Details about game-specific improvements follow.

Thermalright is ready with a Black variant of its Venomous X CPU cooler. It uses essentially the same materials as the standard model, except for its black nickel-plating, which makes it suit aesthetics of certain builds. It uses Thermalright's standard tower design, with six heatpipes. It has provision to hold a 140 mm fan on either side. The unit measures 127 x 63 x 160 mm, weighing 755 g. It supports all current sockets, including LGA1366, LGA1156, AM3/AM2(+), and LGA775. The Venomous X comes with a tube of Chill Factor III TIM bundled. It will be priced around the 55 EUR mark.

ASRock introduced two of its latest entertainment nettops, the Core 100HT and Core 100HT/BD. Unlike older models from ASRock in this category which were based on the NVIDIA ION platform, these use the much faster Intel Calpella mobile platform, making these SFF PCs. Making use of Intel Core i3/i5 dual-core processors, the Core 100HT make use of the embedded Intel HD graphics, 4~8 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, 2.5" HDD with SSD options, and optical drive options which include Blu-ray Combo for the Core 100HT-BD, and DVD-writer for Core 100HT. Connectivity features are also updated, with the inclusion of USB 3.0, 7.1 channel HD audio with THX TruStudio Pro, 802.11 b/g/n WLAN, and gigabit Ethernet. The unit measures no more than 195 (W) x 70 (H) x 186 (L) mm. ASRock did not reveal pricing.

Razer, the world's leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals, has joined forces with Blizzard Entertainment, a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games, to introduce an entire suite of peripherals designed specifically for the release of Blizzard Entertainment's highly anticipated real-time strategy (RTS) game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Featuring a look and feel inspired by the StarCraft universe, this line of peripherals includes the Razer Spectre StarCraft II Gaming Mouse, the Razer Marauder StarCraft II Gaming Keyboard and the Razer Banshee StarCraft II Gaming Headset.

"We are all huge StarCraft players here at Razer, so we are really excited to give gamers a first glimpse at the StarCraft II gaming peripherals," said Robert "Razerguy" Krakoff, president, Razer USA. "The peripherals were created with our newly developed APM (Actions-Per-Minute) Lighting System and feature a gaming-optimized design inspired by the StarCraft universe to complement the on-screen action."

EVGA expanded its GeForce GTX 480 lineup with a new SuperClocked+ variant. Introduced with the GeForce 200 series, SuperClocked+ (SC+) is originally a factory overclock level that's between SC and SSC, but in case of the GTX 480, the SC+ has the same clock speeds as SC, with a few added features that might help increase the overclocking headroom. EVGA's GTX 480 lineup doesn't have an SSC variant yet, but there is an even higher FTW variant that comes with HydroCopper water block to sustain those high clock speeds, and provide some overclocking headroom.

The SC+ is air-cooled, and uses most of the NVIDIA reference board design. It has higher out of the box clock speeds, at 726 MHz GPU, 1451 MHz shader, and 950 MHz (3800 MHz effective) memory. It features 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 384-bit wide memory interface, and 480 CUDA cores. The added features include an EVGA-made backplate that runs through the entire length of the reverse-side of the PCB, which dissipates some heat from the components behind, and a "high-flow bracket", an expansion bracket with more ventilation than the reference design bracket. With these two changes, EVGA claims the SC+ will run up to 7 °C cooler than the normal SC. Its bundle includes an HDMI cable (instead of a mini-standard dongle) which plugs into the mini-HDMI on one end, and a standard-sized HDMI device on the other; and a free copy of Cryostasis. The EVGA GTX 480 SC+ is priced $50 higher than the reference design base model, at $549.99.

Apple released the latest version of its Mac mini desktop. Mac mini serves as an entry-level product to let consumers into the world of the Mac. Connected to any HDMI display, USB keyboard and mouse, the user is good to go. Its new specifications include Core 2 Duo CPU running at 2.40 GHz, 2 GB of memory, NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics, 320 GB hard drive, slot-in DVD-writer, and connectivity which includes FireWire 800, USB 2.0, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n wireless network, and Bluetooth 2.1 EDR. It comes with Apple OSX Snow Leopard and iLife pre-installed. The new Mac Mini goes for US $699. A higher variant which goes for $999 includes OSX Snow Leopard Server, 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of memory, and 500 GB hard drive.

NVIDIA today released GeForce 257.21 WHQL driver suite for GeForce series graphics cards and NVIDIA ION platforms, this is the first WHQL-signed driver in its 256 series of drivers, which archives two main goals as far as driver packaging goes: unifying desktop and mobile GeForce drivers; and unifying GeForce 400 series drivers with that which supports GeForce 6 thru GeForce 300 series into one package (NVIDIA initially had a separate package for GeForce 400 series). GeForce 257.21 also packs a boatload of changes, including a large number of game-specific performance increments, new technologies, updates key extra components, and fixes bugs.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 257.21 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit
A complete list of changes follows.

Active Media Products (AMP), manufacturer of SSDs and innovative USB drives, today began shipping a new key-shaped USB 2.0 drive in 4GB and 8GB capacities that measures a mere 3mm thick.

This is an excellent drive for carrying data with you anywhere. The sleek key shape fits on any key chain and holds an amazing amount of data - up to 2400 six megapixel photos or up to 2000 MP3 songs. "The Key drive makes an excellent gift, and is ideal for transporting data anywhere," stated Active Media Products' VP of Sales, Jerry Thomson. Measuring only 2.3 x 1.1 x 0.1 inches (58 x 29 x 3 mm), the Key drive is compatible with Windows, Linux and OS X, and USB 3.0, 2.0 and 1.1.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new Blu-ray disc (BD) Combo, the SH-B123 optical disk drive (ODD), which reads BD-ROMs at the world's fastest speed of up to 12X, CDs at up to 48X, and DVDs at a maximum speed of 16X. With Samsung's new internal Blu-ray drive, users can watch HD movies on their PCs as well as record HD camcorder movies and HDTV broadcasting on DVDs with Samsung's Cyberlink Powerproducer software provided in the BD combo package.

"As market demand and adoption of BDs, HDTVs and digital broadcasting accelerate, so has consumer interest in watching Blu-ray movies on personal computers," said John Suh, Director of Samsung Semiconductor Inc. Optical Disc Drive Division Sales Team. "Samsung's new BD combo drives can read BD discs, and read and write CD/DVD discs, providing consumers with a broad choice of HD movie sources on their computers."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new slim external DVD writer, the SE-S084D optical disk drive (ODD), is now available worldwide.

Featuring a sleek design with a stylish metallic centerline, the SE-S084D won an iF Product Award Design, which is one of the world's top three leading design awards, sponsored out of Hannover, Germany. The SE-S084D features a rounded shape and is available in seven colors. Its compact size is 20 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than conventional DVD writers to accommodate today's active mobile lifestyle.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced that it is now shipping the Spinpoint F4, the newest model of its Spinpoint F series drives. The superior performance and high-reliability Spinpoint F4 is engineered for high-end computing in PCs, Macs, high-end workstations and server applications.

"Higher performance combined with increasing capacities continues to accelerate demand for 3.5" drives in desktops storage," said In-Chul Park, vice president of sales, storage systems division, Samsung Electronics. "The one-head platform of the new 7200rpm Spinpoint F4, packing up to 320GB of storage capacity per one head in half platter, delivers added reliability that our customers have come to expect from Samsung."

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, unveils the Deneva Series Solid State Drives, a new enterprise line that is based on cutting-edge architecture that utilizes Sandforce's 1500 SSD processor with MLC and eMLC to address the performance and reliability demands of enterprise storage environments.

"Our new Deneva Series of drives are designed to improve performance and are the first to deliver Tier-0/1 Enterprise level reliability, using a range of lower cost flash technologies including eMLC and MLC in processes as low as 3xnm," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. "Deneva SSDs deliver exceptional price to performance and reliability ratios while giving customers the freedom to design in a variety of interfaces including SATA , SAS, FC and PCIe and an assortment of form factors, giving clients the ultimate flexibility and control to address their distinct enterprise requirements."

Chieftec introduced Nitro series of 80 Plus Bronze and Silver compliant power supply units (PSUs), available in a wide range of price points. The series starts with 350W, 400W, 450W, and 500W models that have fixed, sleeved cables, are 80 Plus Bronze compliant, and are suitable for entry level gaming PCs. These offer basic power connectors which includes single 6-pin PCI-E, four SATA, three Molex, one floppy, and 24 + 4-pin CPU. These units are cooled by a 120 mm fan.

Moving further into the series are 550W, 650W, 750W, 850W, and 950W models that offer modular cabling, and also sport 80 Plus Bronze compliance, and are aimed for mainstream-thru-performance segments of gaming PCs, with more connectors, including two PCI-E 6+2 pin connectors (for 550W, 650W models), or four 6+2 pin (for 750W, 850W, 950W models); six~eight SATA, four Molex, and 24 + two 8-pin CPU power. These are cooled by 140 mm fans. At the very top is the 1200W model, which boasts of even higher efficiency with is 80 Plus Silver compliance, and modular cabling. Connectors include 6x PCI-E 6+2 pin, 10x SATA, 8x Molex, and 24 + 2x 8 pin CPU power.

Panasonic today launched its new Toughbook CF-F9, the perfect business rugged companion for mobile office professionals. Delivering productivity boosting technology and fail-safe business support, the CF-F9 replaces the CF-F8 - previously the rugged business notebook of choice - with a higher resolution display, increased computing power and enhanced connectivity.

The CF-F9 delivers increased CPU performance over the CF-F8 in the same sized, 14.1" notebook - the lightest on the market. Its desktop-performance computing power is delivered by the Intel Core i5-520M with vPro technology. The device is designed to take advantage of Intel Turbo Boost Technology and Intel Multi-Threading to maximize the performance of the CPU.

Touch screen computing experience has just got better. Acer brought the ease of use of touch technology to LCD displays with the T230H model. Now the company takes a step further with the all-new T231H LCD, combining the immediacy of touch with an advanced ergonomic design that ensures maximum comfort even during sustained use.

The reason of the success of touch screen technology is easy to understand: it's through touch that we start to interact and discover the world we live in. This is why one of the most common reactions when we see an object is the desire to touch it. Touch is natural and immediate: users do not have to know how to use a computer, and even neophytes can make their choices simply touching the monitor.

Toshiba Corporation announced the introduction of the industry's first notebook PC featuring playback of 3D content in the Blu-ray 3D format. The new "dynabook TX/98MBL" will be available from the end of July in the Japanese market.

dynabook TX/98MBL features a 15.6-inch wide LCD display with LED backlighting and a 120Hz scan rate. It employs WinDVD BD for TOSHIBA to play back content in the Blu-ray 3D format and NVIDIA 3D Vision software and hardware to deliver a rich 3D experience.

The 14" CX410, the newest addition to MSI's new Classic series of notebook computers, is designed and crafted with MSI's craftsmanship. It features AMD's latest Vision (Danube) platform with AMD Athlon II Dual-Core processor and DDR3 system memory with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 545v (512MB GDDR3 display memory) for a smooth multimedia experience.

MSI Marketing Director Sam Chern points out that the CX410 boasts MSI's exclusive 45-degree beveled construction, power-saving, cinema-class 16:9 ratio LED display, as well as MSI's own ECO Engine power saving technology. The sophisticated exterior, superior multimedia performance, and extended battery power life make it the best choice for affordable mobile entertainment.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced immediate availability of the new TeraDrive CT SSD, which uses the SandForce 1222 SSD processor to deliver astounding performance in laptops and desktops.

The new TeraDrive CT has a standard SATA-II 3Gbps interface. It delivers sequential read and write speeds up to 285 and 275 MB/sec respectively. Built-in Garbage Collection and TRIM support ensure sustainable performance over the life of the drive, without degradation.

Thermaltake, leading DIY chassis brand, is introducing the world's first mid-tower chassis with integrated dual bay docking station for handy easy-swap of 3.5" and 2.5" SATA drives right from the top of the case. Users can handle data access and transfer on-the-go without the need to install their harddrives or having to add an external docking device. The color-coded (blue) USB 3.0 SuperSpeed connector in front of the case makes it most convenient to connect the latest USB 3.0 devices without having to crawl behind your case under the desk. Another USB 2.0 connector as well as HD audio microphone and earphone jacks on the top put all major multimedia connectors right in your hand's reach. The toolfree, all black Thermaltake V9 BlacX Edition offers a total of 10 bays for maximum storage expansion and 7 PCI expansion slots.

As characteristic for Thermaltake chassis, special attention had been paid to optimized ventilation and airflow. Therefore one 23 cm exhaust Silent fan on top and another 12 cm exhaust TurboFan in the back warrant that heat dissipated by the CPU is immediately blown out of the case. The drive cage for five hidden 3.5" drives is rotated by 90 degrees as to allow users direct access and easiest toolless installation, while a 12 cm intake fan with blue LED light effect right in front of the cage makes sure that the harddrives are continuously cooled down at all times. The V9 BlackX Edition is also ready for liquid cooling setups with two holes for 1/2", 1/8" and 1/4" water tubes in back. Further airflow is created by 2 pre-drilled ventilation hole areas on each side panel of the case.

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

ADATA Technology today unveiled its latest skinny frame C003 USB flash drive with merely 7.5 mm in thickness. With the advanced technology facilitates C003 in a super miniaturized size and only 10 grams in weight.

With the ultra-compact size and light weight, users can easily enjoy transfer experience anytime, anywhere at their precious moment. Apart from its ultra-slim size, C003 generates all practical functions from classic USB flash drives as its three hallmarks: Compact size, easy operation and price- wise. Meanwhile, the C003 is conveniently designed with a strap hole so that users could make it as a decoration or accessory hooking on to a keychain or a mobile phone. Featuring cute strawberry red and sparkling lavender blue in C003 conveys an animate impression and lasting brand value to customers through these two highly saturated colors. Hot plug-and-play ready and available in 2GB~32 GB, the C003 serves more than just a storage device but also a unique taste for fashion. C003 is born to blend a functional device into a trendy accessory with its simplicity.

Intel is working on a newer high-end processor SKU based on its 32 nm "Gulftown" six-core design, the Core i7 990X Extreme Edition. It is reportedly slated for Q4 2010. As with most other Extreme Edition SKUs, the 990X will feature a higher default BClk multipler, and a higher resulting clock speed. Like the Core i7 980X Extreme Edition, it will feature an unlocked BClk multipler to help with overclocking. Gulftown features six cores on a monolithic die, with a triple-channel DDR3 IMC, and 12 MB of L3 cache. The launch of 990X is said to have been pulled forward by a quarter, as it was earlier reported to launch in Q1 2011.

The other six-core processor that is said to release before the 990X is the Core i7 970, a standard (non-XE, limited BClk multiplier) SKU that will be positioned in the upper-Performance segment, above current Core i7 quad-core SKUs. The Core i7 970 is slated for Q3 2010.

Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions unveils its multi-compatible VGA Cooler "ICY VISION" of its GAMER product line. The "ICY VISION" cooler contains 5 power heatpipes in a unique heatpipe constellation. The heatpipes are interlaced into 85 optimized high-quality Aluminium fins. Together with a flat stack fin soldered Copper base, they enable the most efficient heat transmission and dissipation from GPU core in its class.

Besides the heatsink, two 92mm UV-reactive fans with 11 blades in S-shape generate 20% more air flow than traditional fans. The fan contains a high-quality ball bearing to ensure a longer lifetime in high temperature environments. The "ICY VISION" is both CrossFire and SLI compatible on a number of cards. Ram and Voltage Regulator Module cooling components as well as the high performance GC-2 thermal compound are included in the package.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and flash-based storage as an alternative to hard disk drives (HDDs), unveils the Vertex 2 Pro and Vertex 2 EX Solid State Drive (SSD) Series, high-performance 2.5 inch storage solutions designed for enterprise applications.

"OCZ is committed to enabling our enterprise clients with the latest solid state drive technology in a variety of interfaces," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. "With our new Vertex 2 EX and Pro series SSDs, we are able to deliver robust solutions that address the critical requirements of enterprise applications, including enhanced endurance, write performance, and data protection, with the option of either MLC or SLC NAND. These are truly best-in-class solutions designed for the most rigorous computing environments."

To celebrate the greatest event associated with the beautiful game, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cooler Master, EVGA, and TechPowerUp, bring to you the Football Fever Contest. Show your passion for the world's greatest football event by modding, painting or any creative use of a football theme or your favourite team on a computer case, cooler, power, mouse and/or accessory, and win some rad PC hardware, including:

• Cooler Master HAF X case
• EVGA Classified SR-2 motherboard
• Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1000W PSU
• Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler
• Cooler Master Storm Sentinel gaming mouse

For more details and to participate, visit this page..

At this year's Computex event, some of the most unexpected exhibits were socket LGA1155 motherboards based on Intel 6-series chipsets, across the board, from virtually every major motherboard vendor. Unexpected, because it's been less than an year since released mainstream derivatives of the Nehalem/Westmere architectures that use the LGA1156 socket. LGA1155 will form the base for performance, mainstream, and value segments of processors based on the upcoming Sandy Bridge architecture, which is a generation successor of Nehalem. With so many motherboard vendors showing off their creations in release-grade conditions, it is obvious that engineering samples of processors to go with them are already on the loose and will land in some enthusiast's hands. It did, in the skillful hands of Coolaler, who wasted no time in putting it through a quick run through popular benchmarks.

Coolaler tested an LGA1155 quad-core processor operating at 2.5 GHz, which CPU-Z can't name but marks it as a Sandy Bridge engineering sample. Among the little that's known about this processor, is that it has a base clock speed of 100 MHz (Nehalem/Westmere processors use BClk of 133 MHz), which means that to achieve 2.5 GHz, it uses a multiplier value of 25. It has all the instruction sets of Westmere including SSE 4.2 and AES acceleration, but also features AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions), a successor to SSE 4.2 which expands the processor's number crunching abilities, and increases performance per MHz. The cache structure up to the second level is the same (32 KB L1I, 32 KB L1D, 256 KB /core L2), but uses a smaller L3 cache at 6 MB (compared to 8 MB on Lynnfield). HyperThreading technology provides the OS with 8 logical CPUs to deal with.

Last week's Computex Taipei trade show saw the first public showing of several upcoming Noctua products and prototypes such as an upgrade to the C-series of down-draft CPU coolers, possible additions to the U and D-series as well as a new low profile heatsink. Giving an exclusive insight into our current projects, we've gathered excellent feedback from our sales partners, visitors and members of the international press.

First off, we've been exhibiting four tower-style prototypes following in the footsteps of our current U and D line of CPU coolers. The two D-style heatsinks pick up the dual-radiator design of our award-winning NH-D14 and adopt it to 120mm and 92mm size. Due to the asymmetric construction of the 120mm prototype, the heatsink doesn't overhang the RAM slots on LGA1156 and thus allows for improved compatibility with tall memory heatspreaders. Measuring 95mm by 95mm, the prototype with 92mm fan is the same size as the LGA1156 socket square and hence allows for optimal compatibility with high profile RAM or chipset heatsinks too.

In light of the environmental issues that plague us today, people are realizing the importance of adopting a green mindset and are making proactive steps towards incorporating a greener approach to their daily lives.

The Green ASUS initiative promotes green and environmentally-friendly practices throughout ASUS. Its latest products are designed to care for the environment, incorporating power-saving technologies like the ASUS Super Hybrid Engine. Steps have also been taken towards the use of environmentally-friendly materials like bamboo and recycled plastics in its products and packaging materials.

Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. and the industry pioneer in small form factor enterprise-class and mobile hard disk drives (HDDs), has begun volume shipment of its MBF family enterprise HDDs. Matching the growing demand for 2.5-inch enterprise-class HDDs, volume availability of the MBF family marks the broad availability of the latest Toshiba series to deliver high capacity, high performance, and power efficiency.

The 2.5-inch HDD form factor continues to gain favor for enterprise-class storage solutions where reliability, high capacity, and performance are required, particularly mid-range volume servers, mainstream storage arrays, blade and rack-mount servers. These benefits, alongside the power consumption and cost efficiencies of 2.5-inch drives, have become even more valuable as organizations pursue storage consolidation strategies. Moving to storage systems that utilize 2.5-inch drives such as the MBF series can reduce data center floor space requirements as well as lower storage infrastructure and management costs.

At next week's Design Automation Conference (DAC), GLOBALFOUNDRIES will unveil a new platform to spur innovation in semiconductor manufacturing and help deliver unparalleled service to chip designers. Called GLOBALSOLUTIONS, the new ecosystem combines the company's internal resources with a broad spectrum of partners to efficiently enable the fastest time-to-volume for foundry customers.

"As chip design grows in complexity and manufacturing partnerships become increasingly critical, foundry customer enablement needs to extend beyond process design kits and reference flows to include the full spectrum of the semiconductor value chain," said Jim Kupec, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. "To this end, GLOBALSOLUTIONS includes ecosystem partners in all aspects of design enablement, turnkey services, design for manufacturability, optical proximity correction and mask operations, and will further expand our capabilities in advanced assembly solutions. This will allow our customers to unlock their innovation potential and differentiate at all levels of the design process, from the silicon and SoC level all the way up to the full system."

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs), memory modules, and power supplies for computing devices and systems, announces the StealthXStream 2 Power Supply Series. Redesigned to provide higher efficiencies, quieter operation, and a sleeker updated look, the StealthXStream 2 Series offers an excellent value for performance to accompany home, gaming, or enthusiast systems.

"Three years ago we launched the original StealthXStream PSU line with the goal of delivering a power supply with the right balance of performance, features, and value," said Alex Mei, CMO at the OCZ Technology Group. "The new StealthXStream 2 is the natural evolution of this popular line and features an updated core, a sleeker more compact form factor making it easy to integrate into any chassis and plenty of stable power for dual GPU platforms, and with a complete range of models to choose customers can select the perfect wattage for their unique system configuration."

WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced the WD TV Live Plus HD media player, which makes it easy for Netflix members to instantly watch thousands of TV episodes and movies on the biggest screen in their home -- their HD television set. The new Netflix interface enables members to browse and add movies to their instant Queue on the Netflix Website right from their TV.

In addition to Netflix, the WD TV Live Plus HD media player also enables users to stream personalized Internet content from YouTube, Flickr, Pandora, Live365, as well as the MediaFly network which includes daily podcasts from CNN, NBC, MTV, ESPN and other online content providers1. Unlike most other Netflix-capable devices, the WD TV Live Plus HD media player also lets consumers enjoy a broad variety of the digital media they already own, creating a unified entertainment experience.

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

Synology Inc. today announced that its DiskStation DS1010+ has achieved VMware Ready status. This designation indicates that the Synology DS1010+ has passed a detailed evaluation and testing process managed by VMware and is now listed on the VMware Hardware Compatibility List.

Passing the extensive VMware-specified testing helps ensure that the Synology DS1010+ makes best use of VMware technology and is ready for deployment in customer environments. "We are pleased that the Synology DS1010+ qualifies for the VMware Ready logo, signifying to customers that it has passed specific VMware testing and interoperability criteria and is ready to run their mission-critical business applications and operations," said Bernie Mills, senior director, alliance programs, VMware.

It's that time of the month again, when we unveil the winners for last month's round of the ASUS and TechPowerUp Hardware Giveaway (for the period of May, 2010). The giveaway is an ongoing event for users of TechPowerUp GPU-Z, brought to you by ASUS. In each of the three months this giveaway is spread across, we will pick six lucky winners who win some groovy prizes from ASUS. This month's winners and prizes are as follows:

• Mauricio from Argentina wins ASUS ROG Matrix HD 5870 graphics card
• Cesare from Italy wins ASUS ROG Rampage II Extreme motherboard
• Ho from Taiwan wins ASUS 23" LCD Screen
• ASUS Blu-Ray DVDROM was won by:
  o Kamil from Poland
  o Justin from USA
  o Frank from Germany

Unfortunately we had to disqualify Mr. "Big Daddy", send me a scan of your passport if that is your actual name and we will arrange a prize for you.

Congratulations to the winners. ASUS will contact them directly and arrange shipping of their prizes. This month, we pick from around 57,000 unique submissions. If you have already made a submission in this round, you don't need to make a submission again. Being an ongoing contest, winners are picked from an ever-growing pool of submissions. Redundant entries are disqualified. Good Luck for this month's round. Following is a map of where in the world we got this month's entries from.

Toshiba Europe GmbH today presented its new external hard disk drive, the STOR.E ALU2, a successor of the fast-selling STOR.E ALU. It comes in two different versions: A 2.5" hard disk version, offering storage capacity up to 640GB and the other, a 3.5" hard disk providing storage space of up to 2TB. The STOR.E ALU2 will be available in the second quarter 2010 throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The 3.5" model with a 24 Watt 12V/2A power supply is intended for stationary use at home or in the office. The 2.5'' STOR.E ALU2 is designed for users who require a portable device that performs well on the go and at home. The 175g lightweight drive is powered by an USB connection and measures only 129mm x 14mm x 74mm. To ensure fast data transfer, the STOR.E ALU2 features a High Speed USB 2.0 interface which offers a transfer rate of up to 480 Mbps.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EITX-3001, its latest Em-ITX form factor board and the ideal solution for a range of durable and fanless next generation devices in kiosk, HMI, POI and POS embedded applications.

Combining the latest VIA Nano E-Series processor and the VIA VX855 media system processor, the VIA EITX-3001 offers a full featured I/O specification on a specially developed slim-line board. Fanless devices based on the VIA EITX-3001 can enjoy absolute stability within a wide temperature range in a low profile system of less than 35mm high.

Sunbeamtech let loose its Smart Fan Controller 6 and Smart Fan Controller 3. These internal fan-speed controllers fit into the 5.25" and 3.5" drive bays, and offer manual control over 6 and 3 channels, respectively. Both controllers take power input from a Molex connector, as well as have a connection with the motherboard to let you synchronize all fan speeds using PWM signals from the motherboard. While the Smart Fan Controller 6 offers up to 30W per channel, the Smart Fan Controller 3 gives 20W per channel. The units are enclosed in aluminum that's open on top to help ventilate the heat-producing FETs. The front-bezel is made of perforated black metal, with aluminum rotary knobs.

PC case maker Bitfenix launched itself amidst quite some talk from the media. At the Computex event, it showed off two of its first products, the Colossus and Survivor. The Colossus is an ATX full-tower that marks a return to silvery-white On its exterior it sports wavy grooves that light up. The Front panel opens up as a door to reveal the five 5.25" drive bays, and front air-intakes. Common utilities such as front panel audio, USB and eSATA ports are right above the drive bays, though an additional set of USB ports are present in its top compartment. The top-compartment is a chamber that has a combi-lock protected lid. It has two USB ports inside, and can securely hold (and charge) devices such as smartphones, PMPs, and pocket-hard drives, which is of nice use in LAN parties. Grooves in the front-panel channel cables connected to front ports, and well as inside the secure chamber.

Internally the Colossus features an all-white interior, with seven 3.5"/2.5" drive bays, a motherboard tray that can hold EATX, ATX, m-ATX motherboards, and has 8 expansion bays, so a graphics card seated in the 7th expansion slot of a motherboard has room for its double-slot cooler. Ventilation includes front and top 140 mm fans, and a rear 120 mm fan, with four holes for water tubing. The next case, Survivor, is an all-black ATX mid-tower that has a strong frame, and an exterior that makes use of rubber and polycarbonate. The Rubber layers serve two purposes: noise dampening, and absorbing shocks in rough-handling during transportation. It has just three 5.25" drive bays, six 3.5/2.5" bays, and a front-panel located on the top, under a flap, with four USB, eSATA, and audio connectors.

VisionTek Products today announced the official launch of the VisionTek Killer 2100 Gaming Network Card. VisionTek has partnered with Bigfoot Networks to manufacture and sell the fastest network card ever made for online games through North American online and retail channels, as a compliment to VisionTek's full line of PC graphics cards and accessories.

This network interface card (NIC) combines elements of speed, intelligence and control demanded by gamers with major throughput and latency enhancements and an innovative and easy-to-use software interface. The VisionTek Killer 2100 epitomizes blazing speed and maximum performance of up to 10X better than that of standard connections, with a sleek, new race-inspired exterior.

WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new high performance My Book Studio LX external hard drive, which offers a high speed FireWire 800 interface and features a sleek new, cool-to-the-touch aluminum case that complements any iMac, G5 or MacBook Pro. The award-winning book-like design, with its customizable, always-on digital e-label, allows creative professionals to easily archive and find photos and videos from different projects and time periods, even when the drives are unplugged.

Key features include a FireWire 800 interface to give users the speed they need for demanding tasks like photo and video editing and graphic design, as well as a customizable e-label that enables users to easily personalize their media collection and identify critical information about the drive, such as the contents and remaining capacity, without having to boot up their computer and plug in the drive. The My Book Studio LX drives also support USB 2.0, so users have maximum flexibility in allocating their FireWire and USB ports or plugging the drive into a variety of computers.

Gigabyte displayed a new non-reference Radeon HD 5750 based graphics card that boasts of being silent (passive cooling) that's also up to 18 °C cooler than the reference active cooler. The GV-R575SL-1GI or Gigabyte HD 5750 Silent Cell uses a large passive heatsink that spans across two slots and is a little taller than the card itself. The cooler is an aluminum fin array to which heat is conducted by three copper heat pipes. Display outputs include dual DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI, and it can pair with any other Radeon HD 5700 series graphics card. The card draws all its power from the PCI-E slot. Like every other Radeon HD 5750 card, it has 720 stream processors, is DirectX 11 compliant, and uses 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit wide memory interface.

As motherboard manufacturers frantically came up with socket LGA-1155 motherboards to display, most ended up showing their upper-range (performance and enthusiast segments) products, barring ASUS which seems to be ready with a cost-effective ATX board based on the Intel P67 chipset called P8P67D, and micro-ATX based board based on the Intel H67 chipset, called P8H67D-M. The P8P67D uses a simple 4+2 phase CPU VRM that's controlled by the ASUS EPU chip, has expansion slots that include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16, four PCI-E x1, and two PCI. The TPU unit makes overclocking easier. Connectivity includes 8-channel audio, gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, IDE, and eSATA.

The P8H67D-M is based on the H67 chipset that features the Intel Flexible Display Interface (FDI), and connects the processor's on-die graphics controller to display connectivity which includes DVI and D-Sub. Expansion slots given are one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x16, PCI-E x1, and two PCI. The board makes do with six SATA 3 Gb/s ports, IDE, its connectivity features include 8-channel audio, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 and eSATA. One can expect these boards to be out in 2011.

KINGMAX, the world leading manufacturer of DRAM Module and Flash Products, announces the epochal product - DDR3 2400MHz with Nano Thermal Dissipation Technology. The new product abandons the traditional heat sink which has heavy and huge size, instead of the Nano Thermal Dissipation Technology to provide higher performance and economical power.

To compare with the normal heat sink which equipping with DRAM Module usually, KINGMAX DDR3 2400 MHz has the advantages as the lighter size to provide more convenient space to arrange other components ; the no power request design to offer economical operation environment than those needing external power for fans. Furthermore, the Nano Thermal Dissipation Technology enables the performance of DRAM Module to the maximum, which makes the product to be over-clocked up to 2400MHz and more.

Toshiba launched two new ultra-slim notebooks based on Intel's latest CULV processors, the 11.6-inch Satellite T210 and 13.3-inch Satellite T230. The T230 is driven by an Intel i3 ULV 330UM dual-core processor, up to 4 GB of DDR3 800 MHz memory, 500 GB HDD with motion sensor (parks the drive if it senses a fall), 3x USB 2.0 ports, USB+eSATA combo port, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, VGA webcam, and multi-card reader. It measures 322 x 223 x 17.6/33.6 mm, weighing a little over 1.75 kg. The battery runs for 8.5 hours on a full charge. This model is available with a "Precious Black" finish. The Satellite T210 is the value model, powered by Pentium U5400 processor, 3 GB of DDR3-800 memory, 250 GB storage with motion sensor, and connectivity features identical to the T230. This one features an "Iron-Red" finish, it measures 284 x 202.8 x 17.6/33.6 mm, weighing 1.48 kg.

The first thing that meets the eye is the entirely new look, with a glossy finish and the Aspire One logo proudly looming from the cover. But the new Aspire One 533 does not only look great, it's the perfect device to enjoy multimedia on-the-go, offering ultra-portability, optimal performance as well as superb entertainment. You can now enjoy flawless high-definition web content streaming and multitask with ease.

The Aspire One 533 comes in a compact 28 cm (10.1"), slim and light design making it the perfect fit for people always on the move. The cool look combines with up to 10 hours of battery life to help you have more time and more fun. What's more, the Aspire One 533 makes accomplishing any task, from setting up video-conferences to socializing online or simply chilling out a truly delightful experience.

ASUS' Eee PC series of netbooks is finally going to get an AMD-based model, the 1015T. This 10.1 inch netbook has a 1024 x 600 pixel screen, and is driven by an AMD V105 single-core processor based on the K8 architecture. The V105 is a 45 nm based processor with 1.20 GHz clock speed, HyperTransport 2 GT/s system interface, 128 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 cache, and a TDP of 9W. The processor is accompanied by RS880 chipset, with integrated ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics. The 1015T packs 512 MB of memory, 250 or 320 GB HDD with 500 GB of web-based storage, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 (optional), and a battery with up to 6 hours of operation on a full-charge. There is no word on its pricing.

HIS today unveiled low-profile graphics cards based on the Radeon HD 5550 and Radeon HD 5570 that make use of GDDR5 memory that doubles the memory bandwidth available to the GPU. The cards come in both 512 MB and 1 GB variants. Both have memory operating at 1000 MHz (4 GHz effective). Based on the 40 nm Redwood core, the HD 5550 card has 320 stream processors, is DirectX 11 compliant, and has a 128-bit wide memory interface that normally holds GDDR3 or DDR2 memory for the HD 5500 series SKUs. HIS went beyond the specs, using GDDR5 (which the GPU supports in its HD 5600 series SKUs). The HD 5570 has 400 stream processors, with the GPU operating at 650 MHz, while on the HD 5550, it runs at 550 MHz. The low-profile cards are also silent, with a passive cooler that occupies a single expansion slot doing the job of cooling the memory and GPU. The HD 5550 512 MB GDDR5 card goes for 89 EUR, while the 1 GB variant at 99 EUR. Pricing of the HD 5570 cards are yet to be known.

ECS showed off a trio of socket LGA-1155 Black Series motherboards based on the Intel P67 chipset, designed for next-generation Sandy Bridge processors. It consisted of the high-end P67H2-A, upper-mid range P67H2-A2, and mid-range micro-ATX P67H2-M. The P67H2-A packs most high-end features, making use of an nForce 200 bridge chip, to give out three PCI-Express x16 slots (x16, x16, NC or x16, x8, x8), supporting 3-way SLI and CrossFireX, USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, and certain overclocker-friendly features. Expansion slots include 3x PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1, and 2x PCI. Connectivity includes dual Gigabit Ethernet.

The P67H2-A2, while lighter on features, is equally overclocker-friendly, in fact more. A rotary-knob on the board has 9 digits, each digit stepping the BClk by 5%, giving the knob the ability to overclock the processor by 45% on the fly. Expansion slots include 2x PCI-E x16 (x16, NC or x8, x8), PCI-E x1, and 2x PCI. There are two SATA 6 Gb/s controllers for 4 internal ports, 4 SATA 3 Gb/s, dual gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel audio, and USB 3.0. The P67H2-M is the simplest of them all. The micro-ATX motherboard features PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1, and PCI; 2x SATA 6 Gb/s, 3x SATA 3 Gb/s, 2x eSATA 3 Gb/s; 8-channel audio, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and USB 3.0. As with every other LGA-1155 motherboard, these can be expected only in 2011.

Thermaltake Technology, leading DIY computer components and power supply brand, today announced the latest addition to the popular "Toughpower" line of high-end PC power supply units, the Toughpower Grand Series. Its grandiose looks with a classy black finish make a clear statement through sheer appearance: this is quality pure. The proprietary 14cm dual-ball-bearing flower-shaped fan provides optimized ventilation for the inside components of the Tougherpower Grand unit. Being 80 PLUS Gold certified users don't just get a guaranteed eco-friendly PSU with more than 90% efficiency at 50% load and a 0.95 active power factor correction (PFC), but the electricity bill will noticeably drop as well. By virtue of their high-efficiency, the Toughpower Grand 650W (750W peak) and 750W (850W peak) models are ideally suited for high-end gaming and enthusiast PCs powering multi-core processors in combination with multi-GPU setups.

G.Skill displayed its Phoenix Pro series solid state drives (SSDs), while up the transfer rates slightly from its TRIM-supportive predecessor, the Phoenix. Making use of the SandForce SF-1200 processor, the Phoenix Pro features a custom firmware that makes the drive even speedier than most of the SandForce-driven SSDs in the market. Available in 60 GB, 120 GB, and 240 GB variants, the drives feature transfer rates of 285 MB/s (read) and 275 MB/s (write), and 4K writing performance of over 50,000 IOPS. It has the SATA 3 Gb/s interface, and supports the TRIM feature.

One of Zalman's latest creations is a refresh on its CNPS9900 CPU cooler, the CNPS9900 MAX. While identical to the CNPS9900 base model (copper) in many ways, the MAX sports a black+graphite look, making use of nickel-plated copper. The design involved two loops of copper fins to which heat is conducted by heat pipes, while air is circulated by a 120 mm FDB bearing fan that spins between 800~1200 rpm, with a noise output of 18~43 dBA. The cooler measures 94 (L) x 131 (W) x 152 (H) mm, weighing 730 g. It supports all current CPU sockets out of the box, including LGA-1366, LGA-1156, AM3, and LGA-775. A tube of ZM-STG2 thermal compound is bundled with it. There's no word on the pricing yet.

ASUS is also planning to expand its TUF series motherboard lineup with the Sabertooth X58. This socket LGA-1366 uses the design model of the TUF series, which includes 2 oz copper layered PCB, a choice of high-grade components, and CeraMX ceramic surface heatsinks that have greater heat dissipation area. These give the board higher thermal limits, making it suitable for operation in really hot places (or simply turning that into overclocking headroom in cooler places).

The CPU is powered by an 8+2 phase VRM, wired to six DIMM slots for triple channel memory. Expansion slots include three PCI-Express x16, two PCI-E x1, and one PCI. Apart from the six SATA 3 Gb/s ports, there are two 6 Gb/s ones. Other connectivity features include USB 3.0, gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel audio and FireWire. Expect this model to be priced in the league of premium ones.Image Courtesy: Future Looks

Gigabyte displayed its high-end non-reference GeForce GTX 470 based graphics card, the GTX 470 SuperOverclock (GV-N470SO-13I). The card is built using Gigabyte's Ultra Durable VGA Plus (UDV+) technology, and makes use of a 12+2 phase VRM, because of which the PCB is about as long as a GTX 480. The GPU and memory chips used are said to be hand-picked (by binning), to have the highest overclocking potential. The GPU cooler used is no less complex, making use of a large aluminum fin array that's cooled by three fans that's are slightly inclined to reduce turbulence. There is no word on the clock-speeds, though being an SOC model it will likely be on the higher side.

Galaxy displayed a new GeForce GTX 480 graphics card that uses non-reference design PCB and cooling. The unique selling point here is a cooler that Galaxy claims to be superior than the reference, making use of the Vapor-chamber technology for quickly transferring heat off the GPU to the heatsink. It also features a very Gundam-styled cooler shroud the company has been toying with on several of its recent designs. The GeForce GTX 480 packs 480 CUDA cores, and 1536 MB of memory across a 384-bit GDDR5 interface. Clock speeds are not known at this point.

HIS designed a new silent Radeon HD 5570 graphics card. Having a silent design, the GPU is cooled by a large heatsink that takes up two expansion slots, and uses ridged aluminum fins to increase surface area. As with every other HD 5570, it is based on the 40 nm Redwood GPU, having 320 stream processors, DirectX 11 compliance, and 512-1024 MB of GDDR3 memory across a 128-bit wide memory interface. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort.

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

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

While every NVIDIA GPU since GeForce 8 series, with over 256 MB of memory supports the CUDA GPU compute technology, and with it PhysX GPU acceleration, the prospect of dedicated GPUs for computing PhysX interests many, especially enthusiasts, after NVIDIA stopped production of the PhysX processor from erstwhile Ageia. EVGA first devised a graphics card that has a high-end GPU processing graphics, and a mainstream GPU dedicated to PhysX processing, with its GeForce GTX 275 Co-op. Building on the same principle, Galaxy designed an enthusiast-grade graphics card that uses an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 for DirectX 11 compliant graphics processing, while its sidekick on board is a 40 nm GeForce GT 240 GPU.

The GeForce GTX 480 sticks to specifications, complete with 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 384-bit wide, while the GT 240 has its own 512 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit wide interface. Both GPUs share the system bus over an NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip, which gives both GPUs a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 link. The GTX 480 GPU packs 480 CUDA cores, and features the latest GPU technologies, including 3D Vision surround. Since it is independent from the GT 240, the GTX 480 can pair with three more of its kind for 4-way SLI, without affecting the functionality of the GT 240 in any way.

Gigabyte is next in line to exhibit its product readiness for Intel's next-generation "Sandy Bridge" socket LGA-1155 processors that release next year, with the company showing off its high-end GA-P67A-UD7 motherboard. Resembling the GA-P55A-UD7 in many aspects, this board features a 24-phase VRM. Apart from the Intel P67 PCH, an NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip multiplies the processor's 16 PCI-E 2.0 lanes intro 32 PCI-E 2.0 lanes, which split up between four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, depending on how they are populated. The monolithic VRM+chipset cooler has a water-block for better cooling. Other expansion slots include one PCI-E x1, and two PCI. The usual plethora of connectivity features, such as dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, eSATA, and 7.1 channel HD audio, are also present. Expect this board to be out in 2011.

Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user-friendly designed PC components, launched MX-STARTER Series 2.5" SSD for mainstream users demanding the latest technology at an affordable price point.

The new MX-STARTER Series of SSDs is the latest addition to the Mach Xtreme lineup of solid state drives. The MX-STARTER Series of 2.5" SATAII SSDs are ideal for upgrading desktop for all those who are on a budget. Mach Xtreme recommends adding an SSD option to current desktop PC in a dual-drive or "boot drive" set up. In a dual-drive configuration, the MX-STARTER solid state drive is added to a desktop with an existing hard disk drive. Replacing your hard disk drive with MX-STARTER will revolutionize your computing experience. Games load quicker, your computer starts faster, and multiple applications run smoother, all while running cool and silent. MX-STARTER is provided at an incredible value, so the upgrade won't ruin your budget as well.

Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user-friendly designed PC components, today unveiled Copper Series 8GB (4GB x2) Dual-Channel DDR3 high-density memory kits based on the latest DRAM chips. MX-Technology develops and manufactures a wide range of high quality memory modules, whether seeking maximum frames rates on the latest games, achieving the highest benchmarks through overclocking or demand ultimate, consistent stability.

Copper is the mainstream memory solution within the MX Technology Dual-Channel DDR3 desktop memory product line. Featuring enhanced capacity of 4GB per module, these new high-density 8GB kits provide customers with cutting-edge memory solution and significantly increase memory space. All kits are strictly hand-selected with focus on stable performance. Coupled with an attractive price, the Copper 8GB kits are an excellent choice for your next upgrade.

ASUS is ready with a feature-packed socket AM3 motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, based on the AMD 880G + SB710 chipset. The ASUS M4A88T-I Deluxe, as it is called, supports AM3 processors, probably with a TDP limited at 95W or 125W, and supports up to 8 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory using SODIMMs (laptop memory). It far from stops here. The 880G chipset packs a DirectX 10.1 compliant ATI Radeon HD 4290 graphics, complete with SidePort memory and HD video acceleration features. The SB710 gives out five SATA 3 Gb/s ports on this board, of which three are internal, and two eSATA. The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16.

Connectivity includes 6-channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF output, WiFi b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, and display connectivity which includes DVI and HDMI (with 7.1 channel HDMI audio). The SB710 comes with the unintended functionality of unlocking disabled cores on some processors.

A-Data showed off two lines of 2.5" internal SSDs, the S501 and S596 Turbo. The S501 uses the SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and has transfer rates that could use the additional bandwidth at its disposal. The S501 reads at 350 MB/s, and writes at 200 MB/s. It makes use of 34 nm MLC NAND flash chips, and 128 MB of cache. It will be available in capacities of up to 512 GB.

The S596 Turbo is a upgraded version of the original S596, it uses SATA 3 Gb/s and mini USB 2.0 interface. The 128 MB of cache in place is of DDR2 type. The SSD can read at speeds of up to 280 MB/s, and write at 180 MB/s. It is available in capacities of up to 256 GB.

GeIL is readying a wide range of dual, triple, quad, and hexa-channel (6 piece) DDR3 memory kits that consist of the new Evo Two series DDR3 modules. Evotwo uses a redesigned heatsink that draws and dissipates heat from the heatspreader. The company claims that a technology designed by it called Maximum Thermal Conduction and Dissipation (MTCD) helps, apart from GeIL's much marketed DBT technology that seasons DIMM modules through harsh conditions.

Module densities include 1 GB, 2 GB, and 4 GB; to give 2, 4, 8 GB dual-channel, 3, 6, 12 GB triple-channel, and 12, 24 GB hexa-channel. Speeds range from PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) with timings of 6-6-6-15T, thru PC3-10660 (1333 MHz), PC3-12800 (1600 MHz), PC3-14400 (1800 MHz), PC3-16000 (2000 MHz), PC3-17600 (2133 MHz), PC3-19200 (2400 MHz), and PC3-20000+ (2500+ MHz).

Antec, Inc., the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, today announced its newest premium line of consumer power supplies, the High Current Pro series. Available in four 80 PLUS Gold certified models, the High Current Pro series boasts unrivaled server-grade efficiency and reliability for powering the most demanding system builds.

The High Current Pro uses a unique full-bridge phase-shift topology for fast response time, superb efficiency and none of the annoying pitch noise typically found in higher-power PSUs. The HCP-750, HCP-850, HCP-1000 and HCP-1200 with 750 watts, 850 watts, 1000 watts and 1200 watts of Continuous Power, respectively, all achieve the highest 80 PLUS certification level, Gold, delivering their rated Continuous Power with least 87% efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% loads, even at up to 50?C - a rare distinction in energy efficiency attained by very few other power supplies. In addition, Active Power Factor Correction (Active PFC) on all models, with a power factor above 0.9 helps reduce electrical waste and further increases efficiency.

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 460 (not to be confused with the older speculative name of GTX 465), is expected to be the company's weapon of choice to take on the lower-end of ATI Radeon HD 5800 series, and Radeon HD 5770. Based on the new 40 nm GF104 GPU, the GTX 460 will step up competition in the DirectX 11 compliant performance GPU category.

The specifications so far known show that the GPU will make use of all the components available on the GF104, which include 240 CUDA cores, and will feature 768 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 192-bit wide memory interface. Apart from basic specs, the board's TDP too will be much lesser than that of the GeForce GTX 480, at 180W. It comes with the usual bunch of NVIDIA exclusive features including SLI (we expect 2-way), CUDA, PhysX, and 3D Vision Surround. It expected to launch in mid-July, just in time for summer.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced Crucial Ballistix high-performance memory modules with thermal sensor and temperature-monitoring utility, encased in a radically redesigned and more effective heat spreader. The thermal sensor and monitoring utility allow PC enthusiasts to view memory module temperature in real time, a major benefit for overclockers and enthusiast users constantly battling against excessive system heat. Additionally, the new Crucial Ballistix modules feature a redesigned "finned" heat spreader design that reduces memory module temperature by up to 30% more than the current Crucial Ballistix design. The new Crucial Ballistix modules are initially available exclusively at popular online retailer Newegg.com.

"Ask any PC enthusiast and they'll tell you that system heat is a constant concern," said Crucial Ballistix senior product manager, Jeremy Mortenson. "Our new Crucial Ballistix memory modules offer two incredibly effective tools in memory cooling: thermal sensors for temperature monitoring, and an improved heat spreader design."

VIA demonstrated a dual-core variant of its Nano processor. With tiny board and power footprints, Nano is designed to be a competitive processor to Intel's Atom. The processor was displayed on a working demo platform. Although the chip in the demo system was built on the 65 nm manufacturing node, the final product will be built on 45 nm. The dual-core Nano runs at 1.60 GHz, with an FSB of 800 MHz. It is paired with the VIA VN1000 Digital Media chipset, that has a dual-channel DDR3 memory controller which supports DDR3 1066 MHz memory, and S3 Chrome 520 graphics that is DirectX 10.1 compliant. The Chrome 520 claims to pack enough power for 1080p Blu ray playback, and the Aero UI, while giving multiple connectivity options that include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Also located in the VN1000 is the PCI-Express 2.0 root complex, which gives out one PCI-Express 2.0 x8 and four PCI-E 2.0 x1 links. The southbridge packs all the bare essentials, including a 4-port SATA 3 Gb/s and IDE storage controller. Gigabit Ethernet and HD audio will also be part of the package. VIA expects the Nano dual-core to feature in nettops, netbooks, and ULPCs, especially for cloud computing.

Following Biostar's display of its socket LGA-1155 motherboard, market-heavyweights ASUS and MSI were also seen exhibiting their LGA-1156 motherboards based on the Intel P67 chipset. The ASUS P8P67D EVO uses 12+2 phase CPU VRM, has four DIMM slots for dual-channel DDR3 memory, and expansion slots which include two PCI-Express x16 (electrical x8 when both are populated), two PCI, and three PCI-E x1. MSI's P67A-GD65 uses an 8+1 phase VRM with High-C capacitors. Both models feature SATA 6 Gb/s, USB 3.0, and other features commonly found in today's P55-based motherboards, with the difference of the LGA-1155 socket that will fit next-generation Sandy Bridge processors. LGA-1155 is not compatible with LGA-1156, probably except for the cooler mount hole spacing. LGA-1155 platform will likely be introduced in early 2011, looking at how major motherboard vendors are ready with their products in time for this year's Computex event, which is the large major IT exposium before next year's CES.

Coolink gave a small design update to the Corator DS CPU cooler it introduced in January. Spotted at Computex, the new variant, called Corator DS Plus, features design changes including denser aluminum fin blocks, fins that are jagged on two sides to increase air-turbulence, and importantly, two fans instead of one. One of the fans pushes air in from the outer-side, while a fan nested in the middle of the two aluminum fin blocks conveys it onto the next block. It uses a copper CPU base, and 8 mm thick copper heat pipes. Coolink may release the Corator DS Plus soon.

EVGA founder, director and CEO Andrew Han continue to plan expansion of the EVGA brand by stepping up its EVGA Europe operation and broaden the company's market reach. Besides restructuring EVGA Europe operation that covers Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, EVGA CEO Andrew Han's priority is to provide even better overall experience by focusing on providing second to none customer service backed by deep interaction with market at all levels.

"EVGA is seen here in Europe mostly as premium brand. But we have so much more to offer" said Andrew, and then he went on to say "Over the years we have created "EVGA Way" of doing business based on groundbreaking engineering, excellent customer service, generous product warranty and genuine care of our community that has been supporting us loyally for over 10 years. Ultimately EVGA is about providing unique experience of product ownership and true sense of the belonging. We really believe in the strength of EVGA brand and we believe that over the coming months, more and more customers will see advantages and benefits of our products and services here in Europe starting with June re-launch of the EVGA Europe Step Up program."

Galaxy is finally breaking ground on graphics cards with two GF100 "Fermi" GPUs from NVIDIA, with the company displaying one such design sample at the ongoing Computex event. The dual-Fermi board uses essentially the same design NVIDIA has been using for generations of its dual-GPU cards, involving an internal SLI between two GPUs, which connect to the system bus via an nForce 200 bridge chip, and are Quad SLI capable.

The power conditioning and distribution on this design consists of two sets of 4+1 phase VRM, the card draws power from two 8-pin PCI-Express power connectors. The GPUs carry the marking "GF100-030-A3", which indicates that it has the configuration of GeForce GTX 465, and since we count 8 memory chips per GPU system with no traces indicative of the other two memory chips per GPU sitting on their own memory channels, on the reverse side of the PCB, it is likely that the GPUs have a 256-bit wide memory interface. Galaxy, however, calls the card GTX 470 Dual. Output connectivity includes 3 DVI-D, with a small air-vent. It's likely that the cooler Galaxy designs will dissipate hot air around the graphics card, rather than out through the rear-panel.

AMD demonstrated its first Fusion APU (accelerated processing unit), which is a "fusion" between a processor and a graphics processor. The first such processor in the works is based on the 32 nm silicon fabrication technology, codenamed Llano, and fuses a quad-core processor with a DirectX 11 compliant GPU. AMD's Rick Bergman showed off a wafer of the Llano APUs, but it didn't stop there. Rick surprised the press when he went on to claim that the APU can power Aliens vs. Predator in DirectX 11 mode, with a reasonable level of detail, which was demonstrated. Find a video of the same at the source.

Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer) a leading ISO 9001 manufacturer of industrial rugged computers and peripherals has released a new line of Solid State Drives (SSD) in MLC and SLC technologies for both commercial and industrial applications.

Stealth Computer has been delivering Solid State Drive (SSD) computer products for over 15 years. SSD's are ideal for applications that need to operate in high/low temperatures, high shock, vibration, altitude or to operate reliably in high electromagnetic areas. In addition the quick read/write performance and noise free operation are huge benefits when comparing to standard mechanical hard drives. Typical capacities of SSD's are currently 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. Stealth offers SSD's in two technologies, MLC and SLC and provides an on-line knowledge base to help customers decide which is better for their applications.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it has developed the fastest DDR3 triple-channel, Intel-certified memory in the world. Running at 2333MHz, Kingston's HyperX triple-channel DDR3 memory kit (Kingston part #: KHX2333C9D3T1FK3/6GX) gained Intel XMP certification on the Core i7 platform. Intel's certification is posted here.

The 2333MHz kit runs at 9-11-9-27 timings at 1.65 volts. Kingston achieved the feat on an X58 system consisting of the Intel Core i7-980X processor and ASUS P6X58D Premium motherboard. Kingston will soon introduce 2333MHz 3GB triple-channel kits to the market, as well as 2250MHz 6GB kits for enthusiasts, gamers and benchmarkers looking to scale new memory heights.

CoolIT Systems, leaders in IT liquid cooling technology announced today their first four products in what will be the world's largest range of specialised advanced liquid cooling solutions. Our aim is to offer a wide variety of configurations to satisfy a vast amount of individual cooling requirements across many IT platforms whilst maintaining cost effective, highly efficient, easy to install and maintenance free cooling" explained Geoff Lyon, CEO, CoolIT Systems.

For the ultimate cooling performance, the CoolIT Systems ECO 240 ALC features a 240mm optimised radiator with a twin 120mm fan assembly powered and regulated by a single 12V motherboard header. The fans can be configured in either a push or pull orientation according to the customer's preference.

High-end computers are getting more and more demanding when it comes to power requirements and these days it's not good enough to have any old power supply if you're a demanding gamer or overclocker. The latest top of the range graphics cards from both ATI and Nvidia are demanding more power than ever before and the latest flagship motherboards are equally demanding once you start pushing the limits of your system by overclocking it.

The new Silent Pro Gold series from Cooler Master addresses all of these problems while maintaining - or even exceeding - an extraordinary 90 percent power efficiency under load which gains it an 80 Plus Gold certification.

EVGA is ready with a large full-tower case and power supply that's tailor-fit for the Classified SR-2 dual-socket LGA1366 motherboard, both carrying the Classified SR-2 brand markers for easy identification. The SR-2 case is larger than XL-ATX and EATX. Its motherboard tray is as wide as EATX, while being as long as XL-ATX. It has 10 expansion slots, 7 internal 3.5"/2.5" drive bay trays, 5 larger 5.25" trays, and holes punched out in the motherboard tray at the right spots to help manage CPU coolers for both the sockets better, and help with cable-management.

On its front-panel (located on the top), apart from the usual power, reset, and basic LEDs, there is also a system diagnostic LED display which takes input directly from the motherboard's system management module. A pop-up panel holds four USB, audio, FireWire, and eSATA ports.

Thermaltake commenced its foray into gaming peripherals under the banner of TT e-sports, the company showed off some of its first products in the category, a gaming headset called Shock One, a mechanical gaming keyboard called MEKA, and BLACK six-button gaming mouse, paired with a mouse mat of the same brand.

Shock One is a wired, 5.1 channel gaming headset that has native sound processing. The sound processor is DTS 5.1 compliant, and connects to the system over USB. The head-band is collapsible, making it easy to fold the unit. The telescopic mic features noise-cancellation.

The MEKA keyboard is compact, does away with redundant keys (but retains the number-pad cluster), and lacks macro keys, but has mechanical keys for better tactile feedback. And finally, there's the duo of BLACK 6-button optical gaming mouse, and XTra mouse mat from Thermaltake. While Thermaltake isn't new to making input devices, with swanky-looking Xaser Office keyboards, TT e-sports seems like a definite start for the company into this market.

Call it the admin's graphics card or the gamer's network card, but PowerColor seems to have come up with an unusual combination of a graphics processor (ATI Radeon HD 5770) with a hardware-accelerated network processor (Bigfoot Killer), which are seated on the same board, and share the system bus using a PCI-Express bridge chip. The GPU is a fairly standard HD 5770 that packs DirectX 11 support, 800 stream processors, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit wide interface, while the NPU is an ARM-derived system-on-chip (SoC) which offloads network stack processing completely from the host in a bid to cut system latencies. The inclusion of a PCI-Express bridge chip and the NPU significantly increased the size of PCB, yet the card seems to make do with just a single 6-pin power input. Given that a standalone PCI-E Killer NIC easily costs over $120 and the HD 5770 around the $150 mark, with the $10-odd PCI-E bridge chip, one can expect this product to easily cost over $250.

Closely trailing ASUS' launch of the Eee Pad compact tablet, MSI displayed its Wind Touch 10.5 inch tablet. Wanting to cash in on the replenished tablet PC segment, Wind Touch, like the Eee Pad, offers the advantage of being powered by the Intel x86 architecture, driven by an Atom processor, and running Windows 7 operating system. While giving you the ability to run all your Windows applications, the tablet has MSI's own multi-touch enhanced user interface that makes it easy to do all essential tasks. Apart from sporting most common connectivity features such as WiFi, the tablet has a built-in web camera. There is no word on when MSI releases it to the market, though it shouldn't take very long given consumers' newfound love for compact tablets.

The second creation from PowerColor that caught our eye is their HD 5770 Evolution, a graphics card with a Lucid Hydra Engine chip on board, which allows it to be paired with any other ATI or NVIDIA graphics card. The Lucid Hydra engine drives the graphics subsystem with whatever resources that are available to it. Apart from this unique feature, the HD 5770 is fairly standard, with an ATI Radeon HD 5770 GPU, reference clock speeds, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory. Its display connectivity includes one each of DVI-D, DisplayPort and HDMI.

Here are some of the industry's first low-profile graphics cards based on the ATI Radeon HD 5700 series GPUs. PowerColor's approach is straightforward, with a somewhat long PCB that houses the HD 5700 series GPU, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory with chips on either sides of the PCB. With over a billion transistors, the Juniper GPU still needs a reasonable amount of cooling, so the card is given a double-slot cooler with an aluminum heatsink that is cooled by two 50~60 mm fans. The card draws power from a single 6-pin power connector. Output connectivity includes one DVI-D, and an HDMI. PowerColor will release both Radeon HD 5770 and Radeon HD 5750 in using this low-profile design.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced the industry's broadest family of ultra slim and light 7mm z-height drives. Whether customers need a slim 7mm drive that is the highest capacity, fastest or tuned precisely for A/V streaming, the new Hitachi Z-series family of Travelstar and CinemaStar drives delivers on the company's proven strengths of reliability, low-power consumption, exceptional shock resistance and quiet acoustics. With the entire family offered in capacities up to 320GB - the industry's highest 7mm drive capacity in a one-disk design - Hitachi is at the forefront, leading the shift from 9.5mm 2.5-inch drives to 7mm 2.5-inch drives across a broad range of market segments.

From laptops and handhelds to PVRs and blade servers, Hitachi's new 7mm Z-series family of Travelstar and CinemaStar drives are designed as a direct replacement for today's standard 2.5-inch, 9.5mm hard drives. All Hitachi Z-series drives feature common connectors and common mounting points for simple integration into existing systems, and enable greater design flexibility to differentiate and meet market demands for new, thinner, lighter and more robust devices.

SanDisk Corporation, the global leader in flash memory cards, today introduced its latest solid state drive (SSD) products. The SanDisk SSD G4 serves as a drop-in replacement for hard disk drives (HDD) in notebooks; while the SanDisk SSD P4, the successor to the widely used pSSD modular drive, enables designers to offer even thinner netbook and tablet computers.

The new drives offer a unique balance of performance, high-capacity storage and long-term reliability. SanDisk SSD P4 and SanDisk SSD G4 offer up to 128 gigabytes (GB)1 and 256GB of storage respectively, double the capacities of the company's previous SSD offerings. The drives are available in various compact form factors, which SanDisk can customize according to manufacturers' specification, offering greater freedom and flexibility in how OEMs design their products. The SSDs use SanDisk's advanced 32-nanometer (nm) multi-level cell (MLC) process technology, which enables cost-competitive high-capacity storage with a tiny footprint.

At Computex today, Intel Corporation unveiled new products and features based on its low-power Intel Atom processor family, including plans to further differentiate the popular netbook category and expand into several new market segments beyond its growing PC, laptop and server businesses.

In the past 45 days, Intel and its Atom processor has entered a variety of markets beyond the more than 50 million Intel-based netbooks sold in the past 2 years. Intel announced a processor and MeeGo* software win with Chinese carmaker HawTai Automobile for a future in-vehicle-infotainment platform; a greater than 50-times lower platform idle power reduction with Intel's next generation Atom processor platform for handheld devices including smartphones; and a collaboration with Google*, Sony* and Logitech* to deliver a new Smart TVs experience powered by Intel Atom CE products and running Android*-based Google TV*.

Palit's latest offering is a GeForce GTX 465 graphics card that reuses the dual-fan design used on the GeForce GTX 470 the company recently released. Apart from a cost-effective PCB and overclocker-friendly cooler than uses a dense aluminum fin array cooled by two 90 mm fans, the card has four display connectors, including two DVI-D, and one each of HDMI and DisplayPort. With design constraints, however, only two of the four connectors can be used at a time. Palit's GTX 465 will be available at a fairly standard price of around US $ 280.

MSI showed off a limited edition GeForce GTX 465 graphics card for those looking for some bling and exclusivity in their rigs, the MSI N465GTX Twin Frozr Golden Edition. This card uses an all-copper GPU heatsink, complete with copper fins, base, and heat pipes, and a copper-colored cooler shroud. Expect this card to cost a premium.Image Courtesy: Futurelooks

Following last week's release of EVGA X58 FTW3, the company is ready with two new boards, the EVGA X58 SLI3 and X58 Classified3. While being based on essentially the same board design as the X58 SLI LE and X58 Classified, these boards have feature updates which include USB 3.0, and SATA 6 Gb/s. Both these features use 3rd party controllers from NEC and Marvell, and are available in 2-port forms. For existing users of X58 SLI LE and X58 Classified, EVGA developed its own 2-port USB 3.0 addon card.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the Corsair AirFlow Pro parametric display for select models of Dominator memory. This display reads memory activity and voltage from modules enabled with DHX Pro technology, and presents the data on an outrageously cool LED display that mounts above the memory.

Enthusiast customers have always been interested in knowing what is going on with their memory, and in response Corsair has offered unique, pioneering products to provide this information for many years. In 2003, the Pro Series memory took the enthusiast community by storm, providing an LED meter display that showed how intensively the memory subsystem was being accessed. We took that idea a step further in 2005 with the XPERT series, which offered display of memory parameters both on the module and through a Windows application. Now, Corsair continues to innovate with the launch of the AirFlow Pro parametric display.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the new Professional Series Gold AX1200, AX850 and AX750 fully-modular power supply units, with 80 PLUS GOLD certification.

The Professional Series Gold range of power supplies have been designed from the ground-up by Corsair's engineers to be the highest-performing and most technologically-advanced PSUs on the market. Built utilizing server-grade power train architectures designed for mission-critical levels of voltage stability and reliability, Professional Series Gold power supplies deliver previously unheard-of levels of performance.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the Graphite Series 600T mid-tower case, the latest addition to Corsair's award-winning range of high-performance computer cases.

The Graphite Series 600T builds on the success of the Obsidian Series 700D and 800D full-tower cases, by combining the features and performance that enthusiasts demand with a premium standard of build quality. It is designed to accommodate years of future component upgrades, with a USB 3.0 front panel connector and heavy duty latches and panels. The Graphite Series 600T stands out from the crowd of standard mid-tower cases on the market by offering builder-friendly features, optimized airflow, and exciting, dynamic styling.

TechPowerUp is coming to you live from Computex 2010, quite literally. A new technology used lets you see high-quality photos from Computex seconds after they're taken from our reporters in the field. A new interface lets you browse through those images, as well as chat with other TechPowerUp members to discuss without even entering the forums. Select pictures will be detailed further in news posts.

TechPowerUp LIVE