Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
News Archive
Sunday, August 31st 2008
BFG Tech Releases GeForce 9500 GT, GeForce 9800 GT series
BFG Technologies, Inc., the leading North American and European supplier of advanced NVIDIA-based 3D graphics cards, power supplies and other PC enthusiast products, announced today the BFG NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT, 9800 GT OC, and the GeForce 9500 GT graphics cards.
All three new BFG graphics cards offer best-in-class price versus performance, and are backed by free 24/7/365 world-class tech support and the best lifetime warranty in the industry.
All three new BFG graphics cards offer best-in-class price versus performance, and are backed by free 24/7/365 world-class tech support and the best lifetime warranty in the industry.
Saturday, August 30th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Monitors
Scythe Musashi VGA Cooler Spotted in Japanese Stores
Japanese PC cooling specialist, Scythe released the "Musashi" SCVMS-1000 VGA cooler spotted at a Japanese store. This double-fan aluminum cooler suits all popular card designs although the GeForce GTX 200 series isn't advertised.
The cooler consists of an aluminum fin arrays of unequal sizes through which pass four nickel-plated copper heatpipes, two in opposite direction of the other two. The GPU contact block from which those pipes project out itself isn't in the center. On one the other side of the fin arrays are two 100 mm, 12 mm thick PWN controlled fans which have individual speed controls provided by two knobs on an expansion bracket. These regulate the speeds of the fans between 800 and 2500 rpm (combined noise level 12.5 dB to 29.22 dB depending on the fans' rpm).
The cooler consists of an aluminum fin arrays of unequal sizes through which pass four nickel-plated copper heatpipes, two in opposite direction of the other two. The GPU contact block from which those pipes project out itself isn't in the center. On one the other side of the fin arrays are two 100 mm, 12 mm thick PWN controlled fans which have individual speed controls provided by two knobs on an expansion bracket. These regulate the speeds of the fans between 800 and 2500 rpm (combined noise level 12.5 dB to 29.22 dB depending on the fans' rpm).
LAN Party at NVISION '08 Sets World Record
One of the highlights at the NVISION '08 event was a world-record attempt LAN Party organised by NVIDIA and sponsors for the longest continuous LAN party. The BYOC (bring your own computer) event saw 203 gamers battle it out for 36 hours, and winners awarded gold medals. Several multiplayer LAN Party favourites such as the Quake series, Unreal Tournament series and Team Fortress 2 were played. Some were seen continuing their (never-ending) World of Warcraft campaign too.
During the events, gamers were allowed 10 minute breaks every 60 minutes of play or six of such breaks could be saved up for a 1 hour break every six hours. During the course, they were provided free food and drinks. An adjudicator from the Guinness Book of World Records was flown in from London to monitor the attendees and keep records of the event. An attendee, Raymond Yuen captured the event to compile a public album of the GeForce LAN 4, worth taking a look here.
During the events, gamers were allowed 10 minute breaks every 60 minutes of play or six of such breaks could be saved up for a 1 hour break every six hours. During the course, they were provided free food and drinks. An adjudicator from the Guinness Book of World Records was flown in from London to monitor the attendees and keep records of the event. An attendee, Raymond Yuen captured the event to compile a public album of the GeForce LAN 4, worth taking a look here.
Thermalright HR-03 GTX kit Pictured
Thermalright is releasing a variant of the HR-03 VGA cooling kit that supports the GeForce GTX 200 series graphics cards called the HR-03 GTX. The kit consists of the main heatsink unit, heatsinks over the memory, a heatsink for the card's VRM area and a heatsink over the NVIO2 processor. The main GPU heatsink is essentially the same as the HR-03 except for modifications of the portion that makes contact with the GPU and the heatpipe configuration. Although the HR-03 series kits were meant to provide silent cooling to graphics cards, the manufacturers of this cooler insist you install an additional fan using provided retention clips.
Scythe Announces Kaze Maru series Case-fans
Scythe Co., Ltd (Tokyo, Japan) announces another original designed 140mm dimension-surface 120mm case fan, "Kaze Maru". "Kaze" means "Wind" & "Maru" means "Round" in Japanese language. 500rpm version of this case fan is used for Scythe giant fanless CPU cooler, "Orochi" CPU Cooler as a default cooling fan to generate super silent CPU cooler. By making the shape to be round shaped, the screw hole for 120mm case fan is build-in to this case fan, which means the case fan can be mounted into the 120mm case fan position yet generate the performance and maintain the silence of 140mm equivalent. Round shaped case fan is also unique design in the today's hardware market. By replacing the existing 120mm case fan on CPU cooler or case fan with this "Kaze Maru" 140mm case fan, more gain in airflow and reduction in noise can be accomplished! 3 various fan speed can be selected, 500rpm for super silent purposes, 1200rpm for silent purposes, and 1900rpm for silent yet more power/airflow purposes. Depending on your needs and demands, this case fan can be the versatile product to fit your needs! For further details, please refer to the below specifications.
NVIDIA Updates Chip Package Materials, 55nm GPUs subject to Changes too
A product change notification (PCN) document by NVIDIA The Inquirer claims to have access to, indicates changes to the bump materials of several NVIDIA graphics processors (GPUs). Affected by this change are popular GPUs such as G92 and G92b (55nm). Changes include replacement of a High-Pb solder (95% Pb / 5% Sn) bump material with Eutectic Solder (63% Sn / 37% Pb). Bumps are those parts of the die that establish electrical contact with the leads/pins of the FC-BGA package. Failures of these bumps are irreparable leading to permanent damage. This follows several events that lead to NVIDIA owning up defects in certain mobile graphics and MCP parts.
Implications of this PCN are:
Implications of this PCN are:
- Current G92 and G92b are weaker and could be subject to failures similar to those products already diagnosed with failing packages and official announcements issued.
Friday, August 29th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mouse
IBM Tests 4 TB SSD Technology
Following Intel and its partners working extensively on solid-state storage technology, IBM's research staff at the IBM Hursley development lab in England and the Almaden Research Center in California, USA, have demonstrated performance results that outperform the world's fastest disk storage solution by more than 250%, according to the company.
Titled Project Quicksilver, an effort in which IBM coupled solid-state drives with its storage virtualization technology to achieve a sustained data transfer rate of more than 1 million input/output per second (IOPS), with a response time of less than one millisecond in a 4.1-terabyte rack of SSD storage. SSDs are being supplied by Fusion-IO.
"It's feasible that we could get it commercialized within 12 months," said Charlie Andrews, director of product marketing for IBM systems storage. "Right now we have a screaming (fast) system, but there's more work to be done in terms of long-term reliability and integration with systems applications. We don't want to get distracted with 'push the hardware.' We want to focus on the solution piece first," he added.
Titled Project Quicksilver, an effort in which IBM coupled solid-state drives with its storage virtualization technology to achieve a sustained data transfer rate of more than 1 million input/output per second (IOPS), with a response time of less than one millisecond in a 4.1-terabyte rack of SSD storage. SSDs are being supplied by Fusion-IO.
"It's feasible that we could get it commercialized within 12 months," said Charlie Andrews, director of product marketing for IBM systems storage. "Right now we have a screaming (fast) system, but there's more work to be done in terms of long-term reliability and integration with systems applications. We don't want to get distracted with 'push the hardware.' We want to focus on the solution piece first," he added.
Lian Li Launches the All New Silent Force PSU Series
Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the Silent Force Power supply unit (PSU) series. After one year in development, and with strict attention to detail, the Silent series has been extensively researched to make it stand out from the crowd. The Silent Force PSU's offer outstanding cooling while containing noise from fans, and also offers safety features with 80 Plus certification showing Lian Li's commitment to quality, while exemplifying Lian Li's attention to detail through craftsmanship.
NVIDIA Could Ready HD 4670 Competitor
GPU Café published information on future competition lineups., which shows the entry of a "GeForce 9550 GT" stacked up against the Radeon HD 4670. Sources in the media have pointed to the the possibility that the the RV730 based HD 4670 from ATI outperforms NVIDIA cards in its current lineup, relative to the segments where GeForce 9500 GT sits. The HD 4650 could exchange a few blows with the GeForce 9500 GT with equal or better levels of performance while the HD 4670 surpasses it.
The entry of a GeForce 9550 GT shows the 9500 GT cannot compete with the HD 4650, a newer price demographic of ~ $129 is shown in that chart that not only indicates prices, but also shows the HD 4650's lead over 9500 GT is so significant that ATI could be comfortable with asking you $20 more than what 9500 GT asks, relative to the range. GPU Café reports that the 9550 GT would be a toned-down (and shrunk) G94, as in the 55 nm G94b, featuring 64 shader processors and a 192-bit memory bus (and presumably, memory configurations such as 384 MB or 768 MB of GDDR3 memory).
The entry of a GeForce 9550 GT shows the 9500 GT cannot compete with the HD 4650, a newer price demographic of ~ $129 is shown in that chart that not only indicates prices, but also shows the HD 4650's lead over 9500 GT is so significant that ATI could be comfortable with asking you $20 more than what 9500 GT asks, relative to the range. GPU Café reports that the 9550 GT would be a toned-down (and shrunk) G94, as in the 55 nm G94b, featuring 64 shader processors and a 192-bit memory bus (and presumably, memory configurations such as 384 MB or 768 MB of GDDR3 memory).
ASUS ROG Matrix Series Could Include Radeon HD 4850 and GeForce 9800 GT
ASUS could make additions to its Republic of Gamers (ROG) Matrix series graphics cards with two new models based on the ATI Radeon HD 4850 and NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT GPUs. These cards are peculiar for their dark colour theme, dual-slot cooler design and dynamic performance adjustment features that adjust clock-speeds, voltages and fan speeds automatically depending on load. For the HD 4850, the cooler design comes as a boon, to meet an overclocked GPU's thermal requirements. The 9800 GT matrix card uses a display output connector arrangement similar to that of the older Matrix 9600 GT, DVI + HDMI + HDTV + optical SPDIF (pass) out. while the Radeon HD 4850 based card uses dual-DVI + HDTV composite connector. Official details from ASUS are awaited. For more pictures, please visit this page.
ASUS Rolls-out the Slimmest LCD Monitor
Presenting the new LS221H widescreen LCD from ASUS, the world's slimmest 22" display crafted with the highest level of luxury.
The slender LS221H combines superb display capabilities and robust performance with pleasing aesthetics. Slim and sleek with the bezel measuring just 45mm, the LS221H is the 'supermodel' of displays. Diamond cut corners and glass edges fused with glossy black piano finish chassis and bottom dressed in genuine leather exude sophisticated elegance.
Equipped with the toughest diamond cut glass surface - 9H hardness-rated - that protects against damage or harmful pollutants, the LS221H screen features an anti-reflection glass that provides a 96% transmission rate and a reflective rate of less than 2% allowing users to view clearer images and more vibrant colours. Additionally, Light-in-Motion II technology built into the base gives off dynamic illumination from LEDs and adds ambiance.
The slender LS221H combines superb display capabilities and robust performance with pleasing aesthetics. Slim and sleek with the bezel measuring just 45mm, the LS221H is the 'supermodel' of displays. Diamond cut corners and glass edges fused with glossy black piano finish chassis and bottom dressed in genuine leather exude sophisticated elegance.
Equipped with the toughest diamond cut glass surface - 9H hardness-rated - that protects against damage or harmful pollutants, the LS221H screen features an anti-reflection glass that provides a 96% transmission rate and a reflective rate of less than 2% allowing users to view clearer images and more vibrant colours. Additionally, Light-in-Motion II technology built into the base gives off dynamic illumination from LEDs and adds ambiance.
MSI Releases GX400 14'' Gaming Notebook
With MSI exclusive Turbo Drive Engine Technology, while the MSI GX400 is in AC mode, just touch the turbo button above the keyboard and you can increase the speed of your CPU. Your computer can run smoothly to the very best of its abilities.
The GX400 selects the brand new ECO Engine; the outstanding and unique power saving function by MSI Notebook, the power management function is aimed to extend the battery running time while performing different tasks. Touch the ECO quick launch touch sensor repeatedly to switch among the 5 different modes - Gaming mode, Movie mode, Presentation mode, Office mode, and Turbo Battery mode while performing game applications, playing multimedia applications, performing presentation applications, dealing with office documentation tasks, or looking forward to minimizing the battery power consumption.
The GX400 selects the brand new ECO Engine; the outstanding and unique power saving function by MSI Notebook, the power management function is aimed to extend the battery running time while performing different tasks. Touch the ECO quick launch touch sensor repeatedly to switch among the 5 different modes - Gaming mode, Movie mode, Presentation mode, Office mode, and Turbo Battery mode while performing game applications, playing multimedia applications, performing presentation applications, dealing with office documentation tasks, or looking forward to minimizing the battery power consumption.
Abit to Exit Motherboard Market
It is confirmed that abit, maker of high-end and gaming motherboards will exit the business of motherboards. The production is to stop by the end of this year. HEXUS.channel has confirmed this as fact from sources close to South East Asian distributors, all of which will be notified by their abit sales contacts from today onwards.
The company will continue to sell motherboards till the end of the year and will honour RMA and warranties for three years subsequently. This first made news as rumours back in May, and back then abit responded that they had no intentions of leaving the market, apparently because they weren't intended to move out back then.
The company will continue to sell motherboards till the end of the year and will honour RMA and warranties for three years subsequently. This first made news as rumours back in May, and back then abit responded that they had no intentions of leaving the market, apparently because they weren't intended to move out back then.
Thursday, August 28th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Notebooks
Air Live HP-3000E 200Mbps Ethernet over Powerline Adapters Review
Power Line adapters utilize the existing cables in your home to establish a network where Wifi is not an option. The Airlive HP-3000E is the company's newest offering of such a system, it promises up to 200 Mbps of bandwidth.
Internet Explorer 8 beta 2 Installation on Windows XP SP3 Irreversible
Typically, a "beta" software item is that which is meant for evaluation, testing, or use not guaranteed by the developer of the software. If you happen to use Windows XP Service Pack 3, get ready for this: once installed over an existing older version (beta 1), Internet Explorer (IE) 8 beta 2 cannot be uninstalled, much in the same way you cannot uninstall Internet Explorer 7 on the said operating system. Only a system restoration or re-installation (if you have System Restore disabled) can fix it. What's more, Microsoft displays IE 8 beta 2 like it's the "current version" of the browser and IE 7 (final release, stable version) as a "previous version". If you happened to have IE 8 beta 1, and updated from Service Pack 2 to 3, uninstall beta 1 before "trying out" beta 2, as listed on the IEBlog at MSDN. You will be shown a confirmation dialog box before its installation:
If you chose to continue, Windows XP SP3 and IE8 Beta2 will become permanent. You will still be able to upgrade to later IE8 builds as they become available, but you won't be able to uninstall them.
To avoid getting into this situation, we strongly encourage you to follow these steps before installing Internet Explorer Beta 2:
1. Uninstall Windows XP SP3
2. Uninstall IE8 Beta1
3. Re- install Windows XP SP3
4. Install IE8 Beta2
ATI Deliberately Retards Catalyst for FurMark
It is a known flaw that some models of the Radeon HD 4800 accelerators fail oZone3D FurMark, an OpenGL based graphics benchmark application that has found to stress Radeon HD 4800 series far enough to result in over-heating, artifacts or even driver crashes. The Catalyst 8.8 drivers have found to treat the FurMark executable differently based on its file-name. Expreview tested this hypothesis by benchmarking a reference design HD 4850 board using Catalyst 8.8 driver, with two runs of FurMark. In the first run, the test was cleared at a low score, much lower compared to those of whatever successful runs on older drivers could churn out. Suspecting that the driver could be using some sort of internal profile specific to the FurMark executable, Expreview renamed the furmark.exe file, thereby not letting the driver know it's FurMark that's being run. Voila! the margin of lead the renamed FurMark executable gave over "furmark.exe" shows the driver to behave differently. A shady thing since Radeon HD 4800 almost became infamous for failing at FurMark, and at least passing it with a low score seemed better than failing at it altogether.
Expreview caught this flaw when testing the PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 Professional Cooling System (PCS+) when odd behaviour with the newer driver was noted. Successive BIOS releases didn't fix the issue, in fact, it only got worse with erratic fan behaviour caused due to a "quick-fix" BIOS PowerColor issued (covered here).
Expreview caught this flaw when testing the PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 Professional Cooling System (PCS+) when odd behaviour with the newer driver was noted. Successive BIOS releases didn't fix the issue, in fact, it only got worse with erratic fan behaviour caused due to a "quick-fix" BIOS PowerColor issued (covered here).
Best News of the Day, NVIDIA Allows Native SLI Support for Intel X58
Apparently NVIDIA has decided to give all Intel owners a big present by introducing the native support of its SLI technology for Intel Nehalem. This information was published first at The Tech Report by Scott Wasson, and comes directly from the final editors meeting of NVISION. According to Tom Peterson, director of Technical Marketing for MCP products at NVIDIA, the company will authorize native SLI support on Intel X58 motherboards without the need of its nForce 200 chip - under certain circumstances. Those circumstances actually include a certification process of every Intel X58 motherboard at NVIDIA's Santa Clara certification lab. Once in the lab, the boards must pass basic testing for functionality, slot placement, and other criterions. After that the makers of these boards must select from a menu of licensing options available to them. Afterward to be certified boards will also be required to display an "SLI Certified" logo on their boxes and other marketing materials. Once the above steps are completed without a problem, NVIDIA will provide the board maker with an approval "cookie" key that it must embed in the system BIOS. The combination of this approval key and an Intel X58 chipset will then unlock SLI support in NVIDIA's ForceWare driver software. The whole process of certification is reported to be cheaper than the cost of the nForce 200 chip alone, which is around US $30. That's the interesting part you need to know, now we wait. The full story is posted here.
Radeon and GeForce Share Work, PhysX Applications Win
The functionality of CUDA and its implementation of GPU-accelerated PhysX processing has benefited many a GeForce user. Users of ATI accelerators lacking this incentive either use Ageia PhysX card or avoid it altogether. It has been verified by Hardspell that in an environment where Radeon accelerator(s) do graphics processing, a GeForce accelerator can be used standalone to process PhysX. Hardspell used a Radeon HD 3850 along with a GeForce 9600 GT on the same system with the display connected to the Radeon, though no form of multi-GPU graphics connection existed, the GeForce card partnered the Radeon well in processing physics, while the Radeon did graphics. Results of the oZone 3D FluidMark, a benchmark that includes routines to evaluate the machine's capability in processing physics, showed a greater than 350% increase in scores, showing that the GeForce accelerator is doing its job.
GECUBE Unleashes HD4850 1.0GB Overlocking Series
Info-Tek GECUBE, the renowned Taiwanese graphics card maker, released the HD4850 Overlocking series with a Zalman fan onboard in July. This proved a great success on the market thanks to its spectacular gaming and video playback performance. To capitalize on its popularity among enthusiasts and consumers, The GECUBE team has now developed a more advanced offering in the form of the HD4850 1.0GB Overclocking series. The new HD4850 1.0GB Overclocking series includes an exclusive ceramic fan that delivers not only an ultra-quiet working environment, but also extreme performance. The new card also comes with the RV770PRO 2nd generation 55nm chipset, the PCI-Express 2.0 interface, full support for DirectX10.1/SM4.1 and ATI CrossFireX technologies but also built-in HDCP, HDMI, Blu-Ray and HDVD decoder support.
CPU-Z Version 1.47 Released
The CPUID developers have released the latest version of their processor, memory and motherboard detecting utility CPU-Z. In CPU-Z 1.47 they have added support for:
- Intel Core i7 processor.
- Intel Core 2 Duo S Mobile processors.
- NVIDIA MCP79/7A chipset.
- AMD 790GX / SB750 chipset.
Evo-G Introduces Unique Mouse Anchor
Evo-G innovative Mouse Anchor is a working result of Evo-G end users and Evo-G Design Group. The Mouse Anchor is an efficient and simple cable management system that prevents unwanted mouse movements caused by long wires. With its heavy-duty construction, it effectively secures excess cable and increases stability and accuracy during fast-paced movements.
Gigabyte Enhances DDR2 Memory Table for P45 and P43 Motherboards
Gigabyte has given all its DDR2-supportive motherboards based on the Intel P45 and P43 chipsets a BIOS upgrade with which they now support assured overlocking headroom till DDR2 1333+ for the P45 series and DDR2 1200+ for the P43 series, with the "+" denoting it could go higher. DDR2 1333 and DDR2 1200 memory would be natively supported by the motherboards. The following motherboards benefit from the BIOS update.
Gigabyte Intel P45 Motherboards:
GA-EP45-DQ6
GA-EP45-DS5
GA-EP45-DS4P
GA-EP45-DS4
GA-EP45-DS3P
GA-EP45-DS3L
Gigabyte Intel P45 Motherboards:
GA-EP45-DQ6
GA-EP45-DS5
GA-EP45-DS4P
GA-EP45-DS4
GA-EP45-DS3P
GA-EP45-DS3L
Wednesday, August 27th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Input Devices
Motherboards
Mousepads
Multimedia
Processors
Interview: Tamas Miklos / Everest Review
This month's interview is with Tamas Miklos who is the brains behind the popular system information software Everest. He talks about his personal background, first experience with computers and how he came to make Everest.
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 Released
The latest beta of Microsoft's next web browser has been released today. This time it is a public beta, unlike Beta 1, which was aimed at developers, this version has many of its new features enabled. Some of these include, tab groups, accelerators and compatibility view, which enables Internet Explorer 8 to better display web pages designed for older browers.
You can find out more information and download the beta here.
You can find out more information and download the beta here.
Samsung Introduces High-Performance, Low-Density and Low-Priced SATA II SSDs
Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it has begun sampling low-density, higher-performance solid state drives (SSDs) that are only 30 percent of the size of 2.5-inch SSDs and highly cost-efficient to manufacture. With the introduction of these smaller, low-capacity SSDs, Samsung now offers an attractive replacement for existing hard drives used in low-cost PCs. Available in densities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, the new multi-level-cell SSDs will be mass produced beginning next month.
Phenom FX in the Works, AMD to take Another shot at...Kentsfield
The transition of the K10 architecture by AMD to the 45nm silicon fabrication process is stirring up interesting revelations these days. First, it was about surprisingly low power consumption of the quad-core Phenom parts, and then about the overclocking headroom those 45nm parts provided, at least the engineering samples did so far. And now, news coming in that AMD could be resurrecting the "FX" series of extreme performance products. Over the past three or so years, the performance trail AMD products had over Intel's made it close to impossible for AMD to sell parts that provide performance tuning advantages such as unlocked FSB multiplier settings for a premium, like it did back when K8 reigned the performance segment. "Black Edition" chips made up for that deficit by providing consumers overclocking advantages while not charging a significant premium and at the same time, safeguarding the "FX" title, not letting it dilute.
Come AMD Deneb core and lot seems to be on offer. To begin with, unlike the Windsor core that had a maximum FSB multiplier of 16.0x, initial reports suggest the Deneb to sport a maximum 25.0x multiplier, 200 MHz x 25 = 5.00 GHz, with the FSB left to play with. Considering at 2.30 GHz the Deneb draws in 57.3 W (according to findings), it should still leave enough room for AMD to sell premium products clocked at high frequencies.
Come AMD Deneb core and lot seems to be on offer. To begin with, unlike the Windsor core that had a maximum FSB multiplier of 16.0x, initial reports suggest the Deneb to sport a maximum 25.0x multiplier, 200 MHz x 25 = 5.00 GHz, with the FSB left to play with. Considering at 2.30 GHz the Deneb draws in 57.3 W (according to findings), it should still leave enough room for AMD to sell premium products clocked at high frequencies.
NVIDIA GPU Failures Caused by Material Problem, Sources Claim
NVIDIA has recently been experiencing higher-than-normal failure rates with some of its GPUs. Charlie Demerjian from The Inq. speculates that NVIDIA could actually have a much larger problem than what it admits to - it is quite possible, according to Demerjian, that not only mobile GPUs are affected, but the desktop G92 and G94 could also carry the fault.
The failures, some sources say, are caused by a solder bump that connects the I/O termination of the silicon chip to the pad on the substrate. In Nvidia's GPUs, this solder bump is created using high-lead. A thermal mismatch between the chip and the substrate has substantially grown in recent chip generations, apparently leading to fatigue cracking. What supports the theory that a high-lead solder bump in fact is at fault is the fact that Nvidia ordered an immediate switch to use eutectic solders instead of high-lead versions in the last week of July. Eutectic solders are believed to solve the problem of fatigue cracking.
The failures, some sources say, are caused by a solder bump that connects the I/O termination of the silicon chip to the pad on the substrate. In Nvidia's GPUs, this solder bump is created using high-lead. A thermal mismatch between the chip and the substrate has substantially grown in recent chip generations, apparently leading to fatigue cracking. What supports the theory that a high-lead solder bump in fact is at fault is the fact that Nvidia ordered an immediate switch to use eutectic solders instead of high-lead versions in the last week of July. Eutectic solders are believed to solve the problem of fatigue cracking.
Futuremark's Shattered Horizon Game to Use NVIDIA PhysX Technology
NVIDIA and Futuremark's same studio will join their latest technologies in Shattered Horizon, the upcoming first-person shooter game which was officially unveiled last week at the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany. Shattered Horizon, a multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Futuremark Games Studio, will fully utilize NVIDIA's PhysX technology it was announced today. This leads us to believe that when released the game will feature a lot of goodies like totally destructive space environment, stunning lighting effects and zero gravity physics. "We are excited to be working with Futuremark on their first original game," said Roy Taylor, NVIDIA vice president of content relations. "By utilizing the advanced features that NVIDIA PhysX technology provides, Shattered Horizon will deliver a compelling, visual, and highly interactive experience to gamers." For more information on Shattered Horizon, please visit this page, a 130MB HD .wmv game trailer is also available for download here.
Thermaltake Releases New 750W and 850W Toughpower QFan PSUs
Thermaltake today also updated its line-up of power supply units to include the new Toughpower QFan 750W and 850W models. The QFan PSUs are named upon the big 14cm silent QFan with unique blades and the 360° open frame design featured on the power supplies. The QFan helps well in reducing the overall noise output and accelerating greater internal air flow at the same time. Both new high wattage PSUs are 80Plus compliant, offer a powerful single +12V 60A rail and meet the latest requirements for powering up to four graphics cards. Additionally they use Japan made capacitors only and come with a five year warranty. Both new PSUs are set to become available before the end of this quarter. Find more information at Thermaltake.
Thermaltake Showcases BigTyp14 Pro on YouTube
Thermaltake uploaded today a video on YouTube showcasing its upcoming BigTyp14 Pro CPU cooler, which is due out next month. The cooler, successor to the popular BigTyp 120VX, features six copper heatpipes and 69 aluminium fins on each side as cooling surface. There's also a top mounted VR controlled blue LED 140mm fan with a low noise output of 16dBA. BigTyp14 Pro uses a universal clip that supports most of current sockets. Thermaltake expects the BigTyp14 Pro to arrive sometime next month, but pricing is yet to be confirmed. Take a look at the teaser clip here.
AMD Phenom X2 Information Trickles
Time draws closer for the Athlon 64 X2 to retire. It has seen its good and bad days, leading Intel versus the Pentium D and trailing it versus the Core 2 Duo. German site Hardware Infos shed light on the primary lineup of the dual-core edition based on the K10 architecture, the Phenom X2. There are no core architectural changes for the Phenom X2, codenamed "Kuma" over the K8, except that like the Phenom X3 and X4, these chips feature 2 MB of L3 cache apart from 512 KB caches per core and the revised HyperTransport interface. The listed models come at a rated TDP of 45W. The first three Kuma chips listed have clock-speeds ranging from 1.90 GHz to 2.30 GHz and have been given model numbers that look confusing to the older PRN system AMD employed, with the top Athlon 64 X2 rated at 6400+. The later releases of the older X2 using the Brisbane core broke away from the older PRN and we saw models such as 4450e, 4850e or 4850b (note the absence of the "+").
The naming of these chips asserts that. For example, the 1.90 GHz Kuma part is named Phenom X2 GE-6400. Going by the performance evaluations of other parts based on the K10 architecture, at 1.90 GHz + the 2 MB L3 cache, this part might not be on par with the Windsor core Athlon 64 X2 6400+. Contradicting earlier reports that AMD would work out Kuma parts on the 45 nm fabrication process, all three Kuma parts reported are based on the 65 nm fab process.
The naming of these chips asserts that. For example, the 1.90 GHz Kuma part is named Phenom X2 GE-6400. Going by the performance evaluations of other parts based on the K10 architecture, at 1.90 GHz + the 2 MB L3 cache, this part might not be on par with the Windsor core Athlon 64 X2 6400+. Contradicting earlier reports that AMD would work out Kuma parts on the 45 nm fabrication process, all three Kuma parts reported are based on the 65 nm fab process.
AMD Brings in New Desktop CPUs, Cuts Prices
AMD has added weight to its CPU lineup by bringing in new CPUs and cutting prices for some older ones. New CPUs aside, the price cuts by AMD are rather dramatic to say the least. To begin with, it's known that the Phenom X4 9950 has a rated TDP of 140W, and that only a chosen few motherboards support it, perhaps leading to cold market response. AMD has revised the processor with a lower rated TDP of 125W. This isn't new, AMD did the same with the 125W B3 stepping model X4 9750 months ago, releasing a revised 95W B3 part. What's more, the Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition could sport a surprising price of US $186. Perhaps it's AMD paving the way for its 45nm parts. At its new TDP and price the X4 9950 is a much better buy.
The Phenom X3 8750 would sell for $139, making it very competitive with Intel's offerings at that price-band. Additionally, AMD added new dual-core processors based on the Brisbane core, the Athlon X2 6500 Black Edition priced at $105 and an Athlon X2 5050e 45W low-power part at $90.
The Phenom X3 8750 would sell for $139, making it very competitive with Intel's offerings at that price-band. Additionally, AMD added new dual-core processors based on the Brisbane core, the Athlon X2 6500 Black Edition priced at $105 and an Athlon X2 5050e 45W low-power part at $90.
NZXT Unveils the Whisper Full Tower Case
PC case manufacturer NZXT has taken the wraps off of their latest extended ATX case, the Whisper classic series steel silent tower. Big enough to accommodate up to nine hard drives and a total of six 5.25-inch bays with ample space for large expansion cards, the Whisper case also ensures that your cables will be well-arranged because of the pre-drilled wire management system inside the case. Moreover NZXT has outfitted the case with 10mm noise dampening foam pads fixed to the inside of the side and top panels, rubber grommets that reduce vibration noise from the HDDs, and a padded PSU holder to reduce the acoustic levels within the chassis. All in all, the Whisper case includes 4 fans: 1x120mm Blue LED intake, 1x120mm rear exhaust, and 2x80mm rear exhaust fans. "Whisper is a really exciting option for the gamer who wants to maximize both computing performance and silent operation" said Johnny Hou, Chief Designer at NZXT. "NZXT's advanced noise dampening technology combined with the many expansion options make Whisper a superior building block for any PC gaming rig." Retailing for $139.99, NZXT's latest case will be worldwide available in September. Please click here for more information.
Tuesday, August 26th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Keyboards
Motherboards
Games Convention 2008: Girls Review
Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig, Germany is the biggest tradeshow for the Gaming Industry. So it is just normal to see loads of pretty German girls around, showcasing the latest console and gaming products. We took 240 photos of the sweetest girls on site. Full-res images are available in case you want to see your favourite babe every day, as desktop wallpaper.
Point of View Announces GeForce 9400 GT
POINT OF VIEW, well known for its range of NVIDIA based Graphics cards, is launching today a new GeForce 9 series graphics card, the GeForce 9400 GT.
This graphics card will be available both in a passive and active version. Especially the passive version is perfectly suitable for Media Center use due to its low power consumption, cool temperatures and silent operation.
This graphics card will be available both in a passive and active version. Especially the passive version is perfectly suitable for Media Center use due to its low power consumption, cool temperatures and silent operation.
ZOTAC Unleashes New Affordable GeForce 9 series
ZOTAC International, a leading manufacturer of NVIDIA-based graphics cards, today unleashes its latest entry-level GeForce 9 series graphics cards for budget gamers on the second day of NVISION 08 - the ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT DDR2 and GeForce 9400GT DDR2 ZONE Edition. The new ZOTAC GeForce 9400GT DDR2 series enables users to bring their PCs to life with NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology and NVIDIA unified architecture for smoother high-definition video playback and realistic gaming capabilities.
ViewSonic Showcases First 120Hz 22-inch LCD Display at NVISION 2008
ViewSonic, best known for its iPod loving LCD monitors, has demonstrated its first 120Hz desktop LCD technology today at NVIDIA's NVISION 08 event in San Jose, California. The 22-inch ViewSonic VX2265wm prototype delivers exactly twice the refresh rate of most current LCDs (60Hz) and eliminates the blurring, ghosting, and other side effects that usually occur during fast-moving scenes. The 120Hz VX2265wm claims to have a response time of 3ms Motion Picture Response Time (MPRT), a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 nits of brightness and 2x2W stereo speakers. "ViewSonic continues to deliver innovative technology that leads and supports the growing trends and demands in digital entertainment," said Jeff Volpe, vice president of Global Brand and Emerging Technologies, ViewSonic. "The 120Hz technology will deliver superb front-of-screen performance and will drive new standards in desktop entertainment igniting the next evolution in digital viewing capabilities." The first displays with ViewSonic's 120Hz technology are expected later in the year at select resellers, retailers and etailers. Pricing is not yet available.
Palit Breaks the Mould, Shows off Non-Reference 9800 GTX+
NVIDIA regulates its partners from coming up with non-reference cooler or PCB designs for certain high-end products. It seems like NVIDIA has either lifted the regulation over GeForce 9800 GTX(+) or has given Palit the exception of coming up with a non-reference design for the GeForce 9800 GTX+. Palit showcased a card sporting a red PCB with a component arrangement dissimilar to that of the NVIDIA PCB, at the ongoing NVISION event. Quick snaps of this card were taken at the Palit booth. Additionally, Palit also showed-off a GeForce GTX 280 card with a factory-fitted Tieton water block made by Danger Den.
WD Adds High-Performance RE3 750GB and 1TB HDDs
As the enterprise market for highly reliable, high-capacity storage continues to grow, WD today added 750 GB and 1 TB WD RE3 SATA hard drives to its successful family of WD RE hard drives. Perfect for demanding server and storage application environments, WD's RE3 750 GB and 1 TB high-capacity enterprise SATA hard drives combine 32 MB cache, enhanced vibration and shock tolerance, and deploy new electronics to increase performance approximately 20 percent and by as much 60 percent in high-vibration environments. WD RE3 enterprise hard drives also include improved reliability features that help protect the drive and the data stored on it, and run cooler and quieter than previous generation enterprise drives.
Leadtek Releases WinFast PX9400 GT Graphics Accelerator
Leadtek Research Inc., known globally for extreme visual graphics technology development, is pleased to announce the launch of the latest graphics cards in the mainstream series - the WinFast PX9400 GT. The new graphics cards are designed with Leadtek's exclusive performance-driven layout that can increase your PC stability and performance while operating overclocking process.
Based on NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT GPU, the WinFast PX9400 GT is combined with PCI Express 2.0. They also come with the Ultra-High-Speed 512MB 128bit GDDR2 memory design. The GPU clock can run at a scorching speed of 575 MHz bringing users visual performance like never before. Furthermore, the WinFast PX9400 GT graphics cards are equipped with Leadtek innovative cooling systems; Leadtek exclusive graphics fansink system can provides the excellent cooling capability with lower noise level compared to NVIDIA reference fansink design. Leadtek noiseless Heatpipe is designed with high-capacity cooper heatpipe to maximum GPU heat absorption.
Based on NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT GPU, the WinFast PX9400 GT is combined with PCI Express 2.0. They also come with the Ultra-High-Speed 512MB 128bit GDDR2 memory design. The GPU clock can run at a scorching speed of 575 MHz bringing users visual performance like never before. Furthermore, the WinFast PX9400 GT graphics cards are equipped with Leadtek innovative cooling systems; Leadtek exclusive graphics fansink system can provides the excellent cooling capability with lower noise level compared to NVIDIA reference fansink design. Leadtek noiseless Heatpipe is designed with high-capacity cooper heatpipe to maximum GPU heat absorption.
First Picture of the Gigabyte GeForce 9400 GT 512M Emerges
Turkish website DonanimHaber presented the first picture of Gigabyte's entry-level GeForce 9400 GT accelerator. From the specifications and hardware bundle, it is clear that this one is for your HTPC. It provides sufficient graphics processing power for HD Videos, high resolution imaging and Windows Aero acceleration. The card is made from high quality components brandished under "Ultra Durable 2" by Gigabyte. The card allows SPDIF digital audio pass and a HDMI dongle is provided.
ARCTIC COOLING Introduces its First PSU - Fusion 550R
The Swiss cooling solutions provider ARCTIC COOLING, which is famous for its low noise cooling-solutions for CPUs and GPUs is presenting its first power supply unit - the Fusion 550R. In a close cooperation with Seasonic, ARCTIC COOLING has developed a PSU that not only fulfils highest demands but is at the same time virtually silent and highly efficient.
Lian-Li Launches the EX-H34 HDD Rack-mount kit and the BS-08 Fan Blower
Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd is launching the EX-H34 HDD rack to support 4x 3.5" HDD's in an all aluminum frame and housing. The HDD rack has a front loading door, with individual handles on a bracket for each HDD, as well as a back panel PCB designed to accept most modern SATA HDD configurations in a Hot Swap Plug & Play configuration supporting RAID 0, 1 and 0+1, depending on your motherboard configuration. To keep the device cool there is a 120mm fan (1500RPM) with a washable nylon filter keeping dust and debris out.
The HDD rack takes up the equivalent of 3x 5.25 bays, and can be installed into the front 5.25" panels of most modern chassis. This is ideal for those cases with rows of 5.25" bays, but with very little HDD space.
The HDD rack takes up the equivalent of 3x 5.25 bays, and can be installed into the front 5.25" panels of most modern chassis. This is ideal for those cases with rows of 5.25" bays, but with very little HDD space.
MSI Launches ''P45-8D Memory Lover'' Motherboard
MSI, a leading manufacturer of motherboard products, unveils its latest "P45-D8 Memory Lover" motherboard which is equipped with eight memory slots. When users want to upgrade the motherboard, they can use the current DDR2 memory to save money as well, also retain the future escalation of the DDR3 memory flexibility. When the price of DDR3 memory declines, users can utilize this to increase the performance.
The new MSI P45-8D Memory Lover motherboard is powered by the latest Intel P45 Express chipset. It supports the Intel Core 2 Extreme / Quad and other multi-core processors with an FSB up to 1600MHz. The main feature of P45-8D Memory Lover is the superb memory expansion flexibility. It has a total of eight memory slots which users can expand to 16GB by using four DDR2 memory or 8GB by using four DDR3 memory.
The new MSI P45-8D Memory Lover motherboard is powered by the latest Intel P45 Express chipset. It supports the Intel Core 2 Extreme / Quad and other multi-core processors with an FSB up to 1600MHz. The main feature of P45-8D Memory Lover is the superb memory expansion flexibility. It has a total of eight memory slots which users can expand to 16GB by using four DDR2 memory or 8GB by using four DDR3 memory.
Monday, August 25th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mousepads
PSUs
Storage
QPAD|UC Gaming Surface Review
QPAD|UC is the name of a brand new cloth based mouse pad from QPAD. The mat is available in four different sizes and the shape is similar to that of the hard QPAD mats. It is QPAD's first attempt at making a soft cloth based mat, see how this giant performed in the review.
NVIDIA CUDA Delivers 446% Speed Increase to Pegasys Video Processing Solution
Today, at the NVISION 2008 conference, NVIDIA Corporation in conjunction with Pegasys Inc., makers of TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress multi-format video encoding software, showcased a technology demonstration to optimize video processing with the massively parallel architecture of the GPU.
Using NVIDIA CUDA technology (a C-like programming language programming for the GPU), Pegasys is taking advantage of the parallel processing capabilities of an NVIDIA GeForce GPU to create a GPU-enabled beta version of TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress software. The software is used to dramatically increase video decode and processing speed by as much as 446% on a GeForce GPU.
Using NVIDIA CUDA technology (a C-like programming language programming for the GPU), Pegasys is taking advantage of the parallel processing capabilities of an NVIDIA GeForce GPU to create a GPU-enabled beta version of TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress software. The software is used to dramatically increase video decode and processing speed by as much as 446% on a GeForce GPU.
NVIDIA to Showcase its x86 Plans this NVISION?
Team R21 of FiringSquad studied the credibility of a rumor on NVIDIA materializing its long-term processor plans. They said they would be surprised if NVIDIA didn't have an x86 plan chalked out at least at a very interior level. The Inquirer speculated earlier that NVIDIA could lift the covers from its x86 plans as early as some time this week, during the ongoing NVISION event. The credibility of this rumor is based purely on who's breeding it. Many point it to have been doing rounds during IDF.
Reality bites: NVIDIA lacks a regularized x86 license which has to be issued by Intel to be able to use x86 in their products. Any mass announcement at this point could cost them. NVISION however looks to be an ideal substrate for discussions on CUDA and NVIDIA's SoC (System on a Chip) plans.
Reality bites: NVIDIA lacks a regularized x86 license which has to be issued by Intel to be able to use x86 in their products. Any mass announcement at this point could cost them. NVISION however looks to be an ideal substrate for discussions on CUDA and NVIDIA's SoC (System on a Chip) plans.
NVIDIA Quashes Larrabee and Fusion Hype
NVIDIA took potshots at Intel's upcoming Larrabee graphics processor and AMD's "GPU on CPU" device, the Fusion. Speaking to the media ahead of the opening of the annual NVISION expo on Monday, Andy Keane, general manager of NVIDIA's GPU computing group, said that there is an "incredible amount about Larrabee that's undefined" commenting on whatever is known about Intel's GPU.
"You can't just say 'it's x86 so it's going to solve the massively parallel computing problem.'" said Keane. "Look at the PC," he continued. "With an OS they don't control, and applications coming from everywhere... to say arbitrarily that everything's going to scale to 32 cores seems to me to be a bit of a stretch. " he added.
"You can't just say 'it's x86 so it's going to solve the massively parallel computing problem.'" said Keane. "Look at the PC," he continued. "With an OS they don't control, and applications coming from everywhere... to say arbitrarily that everything's going to scale to 32 cores seems to me to be a bit of a stretch. " he added.
Zotac Working on External OC Control Panel
Reports suggest that Zotac is working on - and seems to have prepared - an external overclock controller for graphics hardware. The device is named Zotac NITRO Hardware OC Controller. It connects externally to a PC and provides the user with a quick display on the card(s)' important measurements such as the various clock speeds and the fan's speed along with temperatures on a LED composite display. The user can control it with three buttons The device sits on a desk stand. It connects to your PC using what looks like a USB connection and installed software manage its controls over the graphics hardware installed in the PC.
It aims to give users control over the graphics hardware even when say playing a game or benchmarking the hardware on the fly. As a standalone device this device could be priced at € 89 in Europe and US $99 in the USA and could be out by end of October.
It aims to give users control over the graphics hardware even when say playing a game or benchmarking the hardware on the fly. As a standalone device this device could be priced at € 89 in Europe and US $99 in the USA and could be out by end of October.
Intel Bloomfield Operates at -120C on ASUS P6T Deluxe
Without doubt, Nehalem is what the computing world is raving about. Intel's next generation PC processors will arrive at stores sometime September thru October. Intel has put in a nice set of incentives to woo the enthusiast community, perhaps some of whom are sitting tight on US $3000 worth of CPUs in the form of dual QX9775 installations. Incentives include the Turbo Mode dynamic speed adjustment feature, projecting the processors as powerhouse chips that also have the potential for extreme computing or overclocking. NordicHardware captured such an installation which features a Core i7 Bloomfield processor seated on a ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard with a liquid-nitrogen copper pot installed (a cooling device which consists of a copper cavity in contact with the CPU, in which liquid nitrogen is poured for rapid cooling). It's noted that the CPU temperatures plummeted to -120° C (or -184° F). It was noted that the Core i7 held on pretty well at those deep-space temperatures. There however, are no stability tests to back those observations as yet. Enjoy the pictures for now.
For more pictures, visit this page.
BIOS Issues Continue to Haunt PowerColor HD 4870 PCS+
It was earlier reported that the non-reference high performance Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, the PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 PCS+, faced a BIOS glitch (covered here) that affected its stability. Barely days after Chinese website Expreview reported this, PowerColor posted a revised BIOS on their website. Expreview notes that the BIOS didn't quite fix the fan speed (as in up the maximum speed limit), but makes the fan operate at erratic speeds or "zipzip" as Expreview notes. The fan-speed sensor graph should give you a better idea:
Sunday, August 24th 2008
Travagan's Green & Mini speakers Review
Travagan's Green is a small headphone and speaker amp. It has an integrated DAC and can be hooked up to your PC via a USB cable. Besides the Green we also received a pair of 2" mini speakers. The set looks stylish, its main objective is to provide you with a good listening experience both with mini speakers and headphones.
Lenovo ThinkPad W500 and W700 Portable Workstations on Sale
These portable computers that resemble portable desktop replacements are classified under the portable workstation category, being equipped with workstation-class hardware and features that make them great companions of engineers, architects, or scientists on field-work that need abundant computing power that's also portable. Lenovo released the W700 and W500 earlier this month. They are taking orders.
Games Convention 2008: Sharkoon
FOXCONN X58 Renaissance Motherboard for Nehalem - Spy Shots
Intel's upcoming Core i7 processors (codenamed Nehalem) will use the new X58 chipset and the ICH10-R Soutbhridge. DRR3 memory can be installed in six slots running DDR3-800, 1066 and 1333.
The board we took photos of is a protoype that's why you can see manual soldering and cabling on it.
The board we took photos of is a protoype that's why you can see manual soldering and cabling on it.
DDR3 to DDR4 Transition Chalked-out, DDR4 in 2012
The transition between PC memory standards has always relied on changes in PC platforms for effectiveness. For example, the LGA 775 saw transition between two standards, the i915 MCH supported DDR and DDR2 memory, i925 onwards it became mandatory for people to use DDR2 memory as the platform required it. In came DDR3 and it became optional for users to choose it over DDR2. Even now, there is only a gradual transit between DDR2 and DDR3. With Nehalem however, it will become mandatory to use DDR3 memory, both with the LGA 1366 and LGA 1160 socket motherboards in either two or three channel configurations.
Qimonda has already chalked out plans for a smooth transition to DDR4 PC memory. According to Qimonda's development plan, DDR4 would be out by 2012. The memory standard will operate at (DDR) frequencies as high as 2,133 MHz at an approximate voltage of 1.2 V and by 2013, we could be seeing 2,667 MHz memory at 1.0 V, a phase during which there's a transition between the current DDR3 and future DDR4 PC memory standards.
Qimonda has already chalked out plans for a smooth transition to DDR4 PC memory. According to Qimonda's development plan, DDR4 would be out by 2012. The memory standard will operate at (DDR) frequencies as high as 2,133 MHz at an approximate voltage of 1.2 V and by 2013, we could be seeing 2,667 MHz memory at 1.0 V, a phase during which there's a transition between the current DDR3 and future DDR4 PC memory standards.
OCZ Technology Unveils Dominatrix Laser Gaming Mouse
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra high performance and high reliability memory and components, today unveiled the latest addition to its peripherals with the Dominatrix, a top-of-the-line laser mouse for PC gamers. The OCZ Dominatrix mouse is built with the hardcore player in mind with a solid design, maximum functionality, and programmable customization unique to each user. The Dominatrix offers a competitive edge with quality ergonomics and advanced features to excel even when immersed in the most challenging gaming environments.
"We continue to rapidly diversify our product range at OCZ in order to offer an end-to-end line of high performance gaming solutions to our customers," said Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management. "The new Dominatrix mouse is no exception, offering world-class performance and specifications guaranteed to provide the discerning gamer and enthusiast with an unparalleled tactile control experience."
"We continue to rapidly diversify our product range at OCZ in order to offer an end-to-end line of high performance gaming solutions to our customers," said Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management. "The new Dominatrix mouse is no exception, offering world-class performance and specifications guaranteed to provide the discerning gamer and enthusiast with an unparalleled tactile control experience."
HIS Radeon HD 4850 IceQ 4 Released
HIS has finally brought out its IceQ 4 series HD 4800 series graphics accelerator, this one uses the ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics processor and uses the fourth generation IceQ 4 dual-chamber cooling technology and continues to maintain a premium look and feel while offering higher levels of cooling performance and the usual UV-sensitive cooler. The card uses reference ATI GPU and memory clock speeds. Expreview reports that this card is already listed by Japanese sales partner Akihabara and priced at US $ 210 there.
Update:
HIS has two more models added to the IceQ 4 series: Radeon HD 4850 IceQ 4 Turbo (H485QT512P) comes with the core clocked at 650 MHz with 2.00 GHz and 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. Also on offer is a 1 GB variant (H485QS1GP). It uses reference ATI clock speeds. For more details, please visit the HIS IceQ series micro-site here.
Update:
HIS has two more models added to the IceQ 4 series: Radeon HD 4850 IceQ 4 Turbo (H485QT512P) comes with the core clocked at 650 MHz with 2.00 GHz and 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. Also on offer is a 1 GB variant (H485QS1GP). It uses reference ATI clock speeds. For more details, please visit the HIS IceQ series micro-site here.
HP Gives Option of 24 Hours Battery Life with EliteBook 6939p
With laptops, if mobility is what you seek for, and the convenience of working on the battery for longer, you would usually buy several spare batteries and keep one or two of them charged inside the laptop messenger bag. Imagine not having to hit the mains for 24 hours on a laptop, that's right, 24 hours. HP is making this possible with the Centrino 2 based EliteBook 6930p put on show at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) event. This laptop comes in two primary configurations, based on the Intel integrated graphics, or ones using discrete ATI graphics which understandably, come with lower battery life.
HP made this possible by providing you 6 hours of rated battery life on the stock battery, and expanded its life with the optional HP Ultra-Capacity battery takes its life up to 24 hours, a boon for people on long-flights, scientists on field work or even outdoor photographers, or even not having to charge up for days before it goes low and requires a charge. The machine put up at IDF for a MobileMark evaluation used Intel's upcoming Sold-State drives that draw a mere 0.15 W at load.
HP made this possible by providing you 6 hours of rated battery life on the stock battery, and expanded its life with the optional HP Ultra-Capacity battery takes its life up to 24 hours, a boon for people on long-flights, scientists on field work or even outdoor photographers, or even not having to charge up for days before it goes low and requires a charge. The machine put up at IDF for a MobileMark evaluation used Intel's upcoming Sold-State drives that draw a mere 0.15 W at load.
Saturday, August 23rd 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Multimedia
Processors
No Necromancer Class in Blizzard's Diablo 3
Blizzard has confirmed that the Necromancer, a character class featured in the second versions of Diablo, will be entirely missing in the third installment of the game. Speaking to Kotaku at the Leipzig Games Convention, Jay Wilson Diablo 3's lead designer said:
The Necromancer was simply a victim of his own success, ... He was just too well crafted as a character.The absence of the Necromancer will be replaced by a new class called Witch Doctor, the Barbarian will also go through some changes and character improvements. That's all for today Diablo fans, more is coming when Blizzard decides its time.
Intel Adds S-series Core 2 Duo Laptop Processors
Without much pomp, Intel expanded its laptop processor lineup with new variants of the Core 2 Duo, the S-Series. These chips use the same small package Intel used in making processors for the Apple MacBook Air and similar compact deployments of the Core 2 Duo. These chips run run at clock speeds between 1.20 and 2.40 GHz. Nomenclature includes a "SP" and "SL" prefixes to a model number of 9400 for the top model and 9300 for the lower one. There's a "SU" prefix for low-cost variants with 3 MB L2 caches and 800 MHz FSB speeds.
The S-series chips and platform core-logic are about 60% smaller than their conventional counterparts, Intel confirms that their transit to the 45 nm silicon fabrication process has made it possible to reduce the package size and also reduce their energy footprint. Lenovo, it seems has already started using the SU 9300 or 9400 parts in its Thinkpad X301 slim form-factor laptops that are aimed to compete with Apple's MackBook air updates. The first picture shows (left to right) the processor, northbridge and southbridge. An extract from the product page shows its models.
The S-series chips and platform core-logic are about 60% smaller than their conventional counterparts, Intel confirms that their transit to the 45 nm silicon fabrication process has made it possible to reduce the package size and also reduce their energy footprint. Lenovo, it seems has already started using the SU 9300 or 9400 parts in its Thinkpad X301 slim form-factor laptops that are aimed to compete with Apple's MackBook air updates. The first picture shows (left to right) the processor, northbridge and southbridge. An extract from the product page shows its models.
ASUS Unleashes New G71 and G50 ROG Notebooks
Maximize your gaming potential with the full throttle power and portable performance of the G Series from ASUS, part of the prestigious Republic of Gamers product line-up that represents the most innovative and best performing PC solutions for gamers today. Designed for gamers from the inside out, the G Series range now includes two striking new models: the G71 (17"wide) and G50 (15.4" wide and 15.6" wide) that give you unprecedented muscle to take on all comers with a full deck of features that enables you to stay in control of the gaming action. The stunning hardcore styling is alive to the pulse on the street and the G Series is hot to the latest gaming trends - leading the way into new computer gaming frontiers.
Galaxy Prepares Atom-embedded ATX Board
Following several companies coming up with nettop embedded platform boards based on the Intel Atom processor, Galaxy seems to have taken the initiative to build a ATX size board. This board features an Atom 230 processor aided by the i945GC + ICH7 chipset. It features a PCI-Express x16 slot along with five PCI slots. The i945GC provides integrated Graphics Media Accerator 950 to handle display, while the ICH7 provides four SATA ports. The board provides two DDR2 slots for 533 MHz or 667 MHz modules. The provision of a fan connector near the CPU suggests active cooling for the CPU.
The board provides only a D-Sub connector for display output though, several smaller form-factor boards even include DVI connectors, something that's lacking here. There's 8-channel audio provided, and the PCI-Express x16 provides the option of upgrading the graphics sub-system though don't expect to build a gaming machine out of this, it uses only an Atom 230 that isn't top of the line for Atom series either. Besides, Galaxy seems to building this for the OEMs, indications are this won't hit the retail market.
The board provides only a D-Sub connector for display output though, several smaller form-factor boards even include DVI connectors, something that's lacking here. There's 8-channel audio provided, and the PCI-Express x16 provides the option of upgrading the graphics sub-system though don't expect to build a gaming machine out of this, it uses only an Atom 230 that isn't top of the line for Atom series either. Besides, Galaxy seems to building this for the OEMs, indications are this won't hit the retail market.
MSI X58 Eclipse: Welcome Back Turbo Button
The high-end offering by MSI based on the upcoming Intel X58 chipset and the 1366-pin land grid array (LGA 1366) is pictured in its full capacity. It brings with it a fascinating set of features and is slated for Q4 2008. Like all the other X58 motherboards, the Eclipse supports QuickPath Interconnect, an FSB-replacement by Intel for the LGA 1366 processors, offering system bus bandwidth around twice as that of FSB 1600 MHz, 25 GB/s.
Creative Releases USB 2.0 Sound Stick X-Fi Go!
Creative on Friday announced the introduction of Sound Blaster X-Fi Go!, a USB 2.0 flash device with 1GB of built-in memory that also serves the role of a fully functional sound blaster. Sporting a sleek and distinctive black finish, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! is incredibly lightweight (less than 20g) and compact. It is compatible with USB 2.0 computer devices and features many of the sound enhancements found in other X-Fi sound cards, like X-Fi Crystalizer that restores details lost during compression of MP3 music or movie files and X-Fi CMSS-3D that expands the stereo signal into virtual surround over 5.1 speakers or headphones. The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! also supports Creative EAX Advanced HD 4.0 which provides a better and more realistic gaming experience for users. The 1GB onboard memory is there to store the essential software for instant simple installation on any notebook or desktop PC without the need of a CD, you just plug in the X-Fi Go! and enjoy it. The included software has drivers for both Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista as well as some bonus software that includes Creative Karaoke Player, Creative Mediasource 5/Organizer and Creative WaveStudio. The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! will be available in Singapore at the end of August 2008 at a suggested retail price of $79.00.
Shuttle Prepares X27 Nettop With Tiny Footprints
Shuttle, specialist with small form-factor PCs, is planning to release one with an even smaller footprint, the X27. Shuttle says the new PC will use as little as 23 W in idle mode, and 36 W on load. That's takes it more into the power consumption domain of some business-class laptops. The X27 falls into the 'Nettop' category of low-cost desktop PCs, and uses the Intel Atom low-power processor. It also has a tiny acoustic footprint at a mere 23 decibels, that's -- quieter than a "bedroom at night" (late night), according to decibel noise charts, reports Smart Planet.
The low noise is matched by a suitably small case which measures 10 inches long, 7 inches wide and 2.75 inches tall; about the same size as Asus' Eee Box. Pricing and availability are yet to be disclosed. Detailed specifications are provided:
The low noise is matched by a suitably small case which measures 10 inches long, 7 inches wide and 2.75 inches tall; about the same size as Asus' Eee Box. Pricing and availability are yet to be disclosed. Detailed specifications are provided:
Friday, August 22nd 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Motherboards
Tension Labs EAP03 Earphone Audio Processor Review
Tension Labs EAP03 is the name of a brand new earphone audio processor that can boost your experience in a variety of ways. The EAP03 features a built in microphone and can sample it into the audio feed, providing you with the power to control the level of isolation you want from your earphones.
Fujitsu Announces 5.6-inch Atom-Powered UMPC
Fujitsu's LifeBook FMV Biblo U/B50 will be its latest feature-rich UMPC offering. It offers a stylish, eye-catching chassis that holds a 5.6" display. This pushes it into the netbook domain but is quickly pulled back by its set of features at a point of portability. To begin with, the screen swivels like that of a tablet PC, just that it isn't a touch-screen. The screen offers a 1280 x 800 px native resolution, there is a fixed webcam too.
It is powered by the Intel Atom Z530 clocked at 1.60 GHz and 1 GB of DDR2 memory. Fujitsu claims it should suffice for Windows Vista, the OS it ships with. On to the connectivity front, There's 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth to provide connectivity. Options with storage include 60GB, 100GB or 120GB HDD, or a 64GB SSD. Display outputs include the HDMI port facing its front to let you connect it to larger screens. Prepare to shell out ¥123,800 (that's US $ 1,128) if you want one in Japan.
It is powered by the Intel Atom Z530 clocked at 1.60 GHz and 1 GB of DDR2 memory. Fujitsu claims it should suffice for Windows Vista, the OS it ships with. On to the connectivity front, There's 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth to provide connectivity. Options with storage include 60GB, 100GB or 120GB HDD, or a 64GB SSD. Display outputs include the HDMI port facing its front to let you connect it to larger screens. Prepare to shell out ¥123,800 (that's US $ 1,128) if you want one in Japan.
Intel Unveils Desktop Motherboard for Nettops
Offering more choice to entry-level desktop PC users, Intel Corporation today showcased a new desktop motherboard that packs a powerful price-performance value proposition. Running on the newly released 45nm dual-core Intel Atom Processor 330, the Intel Desktop Board D945GCLF2 Essential Series is the second generation of Intel's most affordable and differentiated motherboard that integrates a single unit of compute with a microprocessor, chipset, motherboard and heat sink.
Designed to specifically build nettops - a family of affordable desktops purpose built for Internet-centric usage models - the Intel Desktop Board D945GCLF2 targets entry-level computer users in the emerging markets, as second or basic home PCs for mature markets, or customized for unique vertical usage models such as Internet kiosks, thin clients or POS (point-of-sale) systems.
Designed to specifically build nettops - a family of affordable desktops purpose built for Internet-centric usage models - the Intel Desktop Board D945GCLF2 targets entry-level computer users in the emerging markets, as second or basic home PCs for mature markets, or customized for unique vertical usage models such as Internet kiosks, thin clients or POS (point-of-sale) systems.
Enermax Announcing the Revolution 85+ PSU Series
Do you remember when Enermax first released the Modu82+ and Pro82+? They were new a shiny, but despite the misleading name they were rated at only 625W for the highest end model, not exactly the wattage we're used to see for an enthusiast grade PSU. Now with a little help of our collegues at AnandTech, Enermax is announcing their new Revolution 85+ series, a new line of power supplies with higher wattage output and better compatibility with future requirements. The Revolution 85+ will be available in 850W, 950W, 1050W, and 1250W, though the last is slated to be available in Europe only with support for 230VAC. Specs wise, all PSUs will have six +12V rails each rated at up to 30A, and 3.3V and 5V rails that come from VRMs. The Revolution 85+ series will share a modular cable design that allows for up to ten extra cables to be plugged in. Four of these cables are with 6/8-pin PEG connectors for video cards. AnandTech will have a full review of the 1050W Revolution 85+ model soon. No pricing and availability information was released at the time of this publication.
First AMD Fusion Specifications, Hint Toward RV710 Specs.
AMD Fusion could well be the first CPU to feature a graphics processor core. It will incorporate a graphics processor with specifications identical to the RV710. This CPU would be based on the 45 nm silicon fabrication process, and this processor will be manufactured at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). This GPU will be called "Kong". Here are its specifications:
- Core Frequency between 600 ~ 800 MHz
- 128-bit wide memory bus (DDR3, Side-port supportive)
- 40 Stream Processors
- 8 TMUs, 4 ROPs
- DirectX 10.1 support
- UVD
USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Demonstrated
USB 2.0 has been around for quite some time now, it's already become a serious bottleneck with storage devices where its "up to" 480 Mbps speed limits transfer-rate significantly compared to what today's devices demand. External-SATA had proven to eradicate that bottleneck by providing speeds for external storage devices on par with internal fixed drives. A newer standard of the USB is in the works, this newer interface on paper promises 10-times the amount of bandwidth USB 2.0 did, that's 4.8 Gbps, more than three times over that of e-SATA, 1.5 times over e-SATA II.
At the ongoing Intel Developer Forum (IDF) event, prototype USB 3.0 boards and cables were shown transferring at 307+ MB/s. The USB 3.0 coalition proclaims this is fast enough to transfer a 27 GB HD in just 60 to 70 seconds. This interface is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 (HiSpeed) and USB 1.1 (FullSpeed), and will be referred to as SuperSpeed. A representative from Ellisys said current flash memory and hard drive storage capacities are outstripping USB 2.0 transfer speeds.
At the ongoing Intel Developer Forum (IDF) event, prototype USB 3.0 boards and cables were shown transferring at 307+ MB/s. The USB 3.0 coalition proclaims this is fast enough to transfer a 27 GB HD in just 60 to 70 seconds. This interface is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 (HiSpeed) and USB 1.1 (FullSpeed), and will be referred to as SuperSpeed. A representative from Ellisys said current flash memory and hard drive storage capacities are outstripping USB 2.0 transfer speeds.
Thursday, August 21st 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Networking
Games Convention 2008: Roccat
Games Convention 2008: MSI
Here are the highlights from the MSI booth at Games Convention.
The GeForce 9600 GT Hybrid Freezer uses a special cooler that keeps the card cool without fan most of the time. In case the card gets too hot for the passive solution the fan will kick in.
Games Convention 2008: Cool IT Systems
CoolIT Systems had several cooling products on site designed to reduce the noise and temperatures of the latest graphics cards from ATI and NVIDIA.
Just announced last week, Cooling System for the HD 4870 X2 using a 120 mm fan.
Games Convention 2008: Cooler Master
Cooler Master did not have their own booth, they just had a few glass cabinets on the show floor.
The Cooler Master Storm mockup we see on the image above gives a good impression what to expect in the final product. Three 200 mm fans create massive airflow in this steel case. An included fan controller will allow you to optimize the acoustics and cooling performance to your needs.
Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates to Promote Windows Vista
Not very long ago, Microsoft had announced a humongous allocation of funds (covered here) for a large-scale promotion campaign aimed to uplift their Windows Vista OS from lukewarm market reception. "The Mojave Experiment" (read here) that soon followed was part and parcel of the campaign. Meanwhile things looked better for Apple and in turn the propagation of its operating system. A major part of the campaign is covered at a non-public stratum, meaning that they don't involve public commercials, announcements, advertisements, etc., since they are aimed to promote enterprise siblings of Windows Vista and involve events directed towards small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The most recent development in terms of public-marketing from Microsoft comes in the form of the software giant taking off from where the Mojave Experiment left, by signing up comedian, former TV star Jerry Seinfeld for US $10M to feature in commercials promoting Vista. Microsoft explains the concept as "Windows, Not Walls," which involves "break[ing] down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting."
The most recent development in terms of public-marketing from Microsoft comes in the form of the software giant taking off from where the Mojave Experiment left, by signing up comedian, former TV star Jerry Seinfeld for US $10M to feature in commercials promoting Vista. Microsoft explains the concept as "Windows, Not Walls," which involves "break[ing] down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting."
Intel CTO Says Gap Between Humans, Machines will Close by 2050
Intel Corporation's chief technology officer took a fascinating look at how technology will bring man and machine much closer together by 2050.
Justin Rattner, during his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, predicted big changes are ahead in social interactions, robotics and improvements in computer's ability to sense the real world. He said Intel's research labs are already looking at human-machine interfaces and examining future implications to computing with some promising changes coming much sooner than expected.
"The industry has taken much greater strides than anyone ever imagined 40 years ago," Rattner said. "There is speculation that we may be approaching an inflection point where the rate of technology advancements is accelerating at an exponential rate, and machines could even overtake humans in their ability to reason, in the not so distant future."
Justin Rattner, during his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, predicted big changes are ahead in social interactions, robotics and improvements in computer's ability to sense the real world. He said Intel's research labs are already looking at human-machine interfaces and examining future implications to computing with some promising changes coming much sooner than expected.
"The industry has taken much greater strides than anyone ever imagined 40 years ago," Rattner said. "There is speculation that we may be approaching an inflection point where the rate of technology advancements is accelerating at an exponential rate, and machines could even overtake humans in their ability to reason, in the not so distant future."
Platform Images of the Ibex Peak Emerge
The first platform image of a reference motherboard based on the 1160-pin land grid array (LGA-1160) and its initial corresponding core-logic Ibex Peak has emerged, it was pictured at the Intel Developer Forum. The pictures show a company reference board with the LGA-1160 socket. A quick glance over the board shows its most significant feature, the core-logic (chipset) is now consolidated into a single chip instead of the traditional northbridge + southbridge design. The board features four DDR3 slots, the processors that make it this platform, namely Lynnfield and Havendale would sport dual-channel memory controllers. This board merely demonstrates the platform, it cannot be taken as Intel's final design at this point. Next to the DDR3 slots can be seen a SO-DIMM slot, that goes on to show that the very same platform could drive Nehalem's mobile platform.
NVIDIA to Upgrade GeForce GTX 260 with 24 Additional Shaders
In a move that can be seen as retaliation to the HD 4870 variations that come with high-performance cores and up to 1 GB of GDDR5 memory and preparations to counter an upcoming Radeon HD 4850 X2, NVIDIA has decided to give the GeForce GTX 260 an upgrade with an additional Texture Processing Cluster (TPC) enabled in the GTX 260 G200 core. The original GTX 260 graphics processor (GPU) had 8 TPCs, (24 x 8 = 192 SPs), the updated core will have 9 TPCs, that amounts to an additional 24 shader processors, which should increase the core's shader compute power significantly over merely increasing frequencies. It is unclear at this point as to what the resulting product would be called.
Everything else remains the same with frequencies, memory size, memory bus width. This upgrade could take shape by this September.
Everything else remains the same with frequencies, memory size, memory bus width. This upgrade could take shape by this September.
First Product Images of the MSI GeForce 9400 GT
The GeForce 9400 series succeeds the 8400 series. It is expected that the 9400 GT offers twice the level of performance as its predecessor, the 8400 GS. TweakTown posted the first pictures of cards made by MSI. The first picture shows the 512 MB variant(model: N9400GT-MD512H), the second shows the passively cooled 256MB variant (model: N9400GT-MD256H). The cards come equipped with DVI, D-Sub connectors and a HDMI port on the card. Don't be mislead by the flashy packaging of this card - showing a knight with a sword (that's not a surfboard) - these cards serve primarily as entry level accelerators for media / HTPC purpose with some very casual gaming thrown in. According to TweakTown, it hits the shelves on August 26.
ATI Catalyst 8.8 Released, Features and Fixes in Store
AMD released the ATI Catalyst version 8.8 drivers. This driver brings in two new features among a host of bug-fixes specific to games, performance increments as such aren't indicated.
The driver suite can be downloaded here.
The two new features include new Avivo video features such as Dynamic Gamma/Contrast correction and improved video presets for ATI accelerators, Radeon HD 3000 series and upward. Another feature addition is that of the Hybrid Graphics feature being available to users of Windows XP. This technology allows pairing of the integrated graphics processor (IGP) of the AMD 780G and 780D chipsets with a Radeon HD 2400 or Radeon HD 3400 series accelerator. For a comprehensive list of fixes, please read the Release Notes.
The driver suite can be downloaded here.
The two new features include new Avivo video features such as Dynamic Gamma/Contrast correction and improved video presets for ATI accelerators, Radeon HD 3000 series and upward. Another feature addition is that of the Hybrid Graphics feature being available to users of Windows XP. This technology allows pairing of the integrated graphics processor (IGP) of the AMD 780G and 780D chipsets with a Radeon HD 2400 or Radeon HD 3400 series accelerator. For a comprehensive list of fixes, please read the Release Notes.
ATI's Junior League Strikes a Pose: RV730 XT/Pro and RV710 Pictured
Hexus.net pictured the RV730 series and RV710 based reference graphics cards that will populate ATI's low-thru-mid range of products under the successful Radeon HD 4000 series. In the picture, the RV730 XT based Radeon HD 4670 is to the left in the foreground. Next to it (right), is the RV 730 Pro. The card in the center (background) is the RV710 that's passively cooled. The specifications of the RV730 cards can be read here. Little is known about RV710 at this point, except that it comes in two models, using DDR2 or GDDR3 memory and will be branded as Radeon HD 4450 and HD 4470. Here's a picture of a RV710 based card that is passively cooled this model seems to come with a DVI port along with a HDMI and DisplayPort connector.
The full article can be read here.
Overclocking Nehalem Brings in New Set of Challenges, Tweaks
Boon for some, possible bane for others, Intel Nehalem provides the overclocker or performance enthusiast to be more precise, with a whole new set of performance tuning features. For enthusiasts, tweaking the many components of a PC is entertaining and sometimes adventurous as expensive hardware is at stake, and to get the most out of it is definitely fun, to say the least. Enter Nehalem, and the enthusiast finds a whole new method of tweaking the processor, using what is called "Turbo Mode". Let me explain schematically.
Most enthusiasts looking to set overclock records and lodge record scores with single/dual threaded benchmarks or simply games avoid quad-core processors. The Core 2 Duo E8600 for example is very popular among overclocking and Super Pi enthusiasts. The reason quad-core chips are avoided is that when you increase the frequency and voltage of current quad-core chips, you're doing so for all four cores, when running the game or benchmark suite, the active core sweats it out, while inactive cores simply feast on the higher voltage / FSB settings thereby pushing up the thermal envelope and limiting the overclock:
Most enthusiasts looking to set overclock records and lodge record scores with single/dual threaded benchmarks or simply games avoid quad-core processors. The Core 2 Duo E8600 for example is very popular among overclocking and Super Pi enthusiasts. The reason quad-core chips are avoided is that when you increase the frequency and voltage of current quad-core chips, you're doing so for all four cores, when running the game or benchmark suite, the active core sweats it out, while inactive cores simply feast on the higher voltage / FSB settings thereby pushing up the thermal envelope and limiting the overclock:
Wednesday, August 20th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Multimedia
Storage
Games Convention 2008: Sapphire Technology
Games Convention 2008: OCZ Technology
Even though PC Power & Cooling is the premium power supply brand in the OCZ Technology Group, there are sometimes products that OCZ wants to release under their own name.
One of these is this OCZ Fatal1ty branded power supply. It is still going through its final design stages. The cables are colored in red, the Fatal1ty logo is lit up red and the fan is red as well. Exact specs are still unknown, but expect something in the 850+ W range - we counted four PCI-Express 8-pin power connectors.
Games Convention 2008: Palit / XpertVision
XpertVision is Palit's European VGA graphics cards brand. Only recently they released an announcement that the brands will merge again to become "Palit Microsystems Ltd.".
At the show we saw several new ATI based cards from Palit. Since their booth is located in the AMD hall, no NVIDIA cards were on display.
First up is the new Palit HD 4870 which does not use the AMD reference design. The cooler is equipped with two fans and is much quieter than the normal cards. The HD 4870 Sonic Dual features DisplayPort and a Turbo switch which allows you to change the clock frequencies on the fly. When in "Turbo" mode, the card runs at 775/1000 and 750/950 in "Normal" mode. Even in normal mode this is still an overclock over the AMD reference clocks.
At the show we saw several new ATI based cards from Palit. Since their booth is located in the AMD hall, no NVIDIA cards were on display.
Microsoft Working on a Revised Xbox 360 Controller
Microsoft has confirmed that it will be releasing a revised Xbox 360 controller on October 24th. It will be available in Europe, Asia and Latin America only, and feature a revised d-pad.
The new limited edition green wireless controller offers enhancements to d-pad functionality, which will add to the experience of playing games where the d-pad is the primary control mechanism,
We're always looking to improve products and we made these changes based on feedback from gamers.Microsoft has told Eurogamer.net. There's also a bad news, the revised Xbox 360 controller will be a promotional item produced in limited quantities, so getting one won't be an easy task.
Fallout 3 Available October 28
Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that its highly anticipated title, Fallout 3, will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28, 2008 and in Europe on October 31, 2008. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios - creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.
"We are very excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest chapter in this beloved and highly acclaimed franchise," said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "To meet the huge demand for this title by our fans worldwide, we are planning one of the biggest launches of any game released this year."
"We are very excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest chapter in this beloved and highly acclaimed franchise," said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "To meet the huge demand for this title by our fans worldwide, we are planning one of the biggest launches of any game released this year."
Sony Announces PlayStation Portable PSP 3000
The Leipzig Games Convention has become a playground for one more announcement that's worth knowing. This time Sony is officially updating its game console line-up with the introduction of PlayStation Portable 3000. As the name suggests this is the third update for PSP and it comes to bring a built-in mic for VoIP calls and a new LCD that improves both the color range as well as the contrast over the original version of the 4.3-inch display. The home button of the PSP 3000 has also been redesigned. It is now called "PS Button" and has the PlayStation logo on it, instead of just the "Home" sign used in previous two versions, otherwise it has the same function. Other than that the console looks just like the older PSP 2000. First PSP 3000s should start shipping on October 15th for 199 Euros ($294) and be sold as bundles that will either include a game like FIFA 09 or the Go! communications pack.
ASUS X58-based ROG Implementation will Support both SLI and Crossfire
The functionality of NVIDIA SLI and ATI Crossfire on the same motherboard isn't something new, we saw Intel's high-end D5400XS "Skulltrail" support it, where it used BR-04 chips made by NVIDIA to support the SLI functionality. Not much has changed with NVIDIA's plans on cashing in on the first wave of Nehalem LGA-1366 processor even though it's not ready with a native chipset for the new Intel chip, the nForce 200 (BR-04) chips will be used on some motherboards based on the Intel X58 chipset, thereby making the motherboard support both NVIDIA SLI technology. ASUS will release a high-end motherboard targeted at the gaming and overclocking community branded under the Republic of Gamers (ROG) banner. This board, according to a recent presentation by ASUS supports SLI and Crossfire.
Derek Yu, responsible for the R.O.G. series, told NordicHardware that the new NF200 is already performing adequately in most cases, and above expectations in other. He also revealed that the NF200 (BR-04) chip is hot (temperature-wise), like so many other chips form NVIDIA, and that ASUS has had to look at a variety of cooling solutions to keep the temperatures at bay.
Derek Yu, responsible for the R.O.G. series, told NordicHardware that the new NF200 is already performing adequately in most cases, and above expectations in other. He also revealed that the NF200 (BR-04) chip is hot (temperature-wise), like so many other chips form NVIDIA, and that ASUS has had to look at a variety of cooling solutions to keep the temperatures at bay.
Atom Successor Moorestown to Further Reduce the Power Envelope
Ryan "Opie" Shrout, live blogger for PC Perspective took these snaps of slides pertaining to the next generation Atom processor that were on display at IDF.
According to the first slide, the next generation of Atom CPU, codenamed Moorestown planned for 2009 ~ '10 could reduce the idle power draw by greater than 10 times that of its predecessor. Intel also seems to be working on getting rid of the core-logic (chipset) the current implementations of the Atom processor are based on, the i945, which not many in the computing world seem to have appreciated owing to its power-draw. The second slide talks about a newer Langwell processor and Lincroft chipset which have been presented in a size comparison. If that plan materializes, expect a x86 PC module to be smaller in size than your credit card, fit for deployment into much smaller portable devices.
According to the first slide, the next generation of Atom CPU, codenamed Moorestown planned for 2009 ~ '10 could reduce the idle power draw by greater than 10 times that of its predecessor. Intel also seems to be working on getting rid of the core-logic (chipset) the current implementations of the Atom processor are based on, the i945, which not many in the computing world seem to have appreciated owing to its power-draw. The second slide talks about a newer Langwell processor and Lincroft chipset which have been presented in a size comparison. If that plan materializes, expect a x86 PC module to be smaller in size than your credit card, fit for deployment into much smaller portable devices.
Futuremark Games Studio unveils Shattered Horizon at Leipzig GC
Futuremark Games Studio today revealed Shattered Horizon, a new game where players fight to survive in the aftermath of a catastrophic Moon mining accident that throws billions of tons of rocky debris into near-Earth space. In this multiplayer first-person shooter for PC teams of players experience realistic zero gravity combat surrounded by the broken remains of orbital infrastructure and the millions of asteroids now encircling the Earth.
Centrino 2 Overclocked to 4 GHz Thanks to Aggressive Cooling and Software
A desktop-replacement laptop using the Centrino 2 Platform, Intel's highest dual-core mobile CPU, the Penryn-based Core 2 Extreme X9100 to be precise, was overclocked to 4.00 GHz with help from aggressive cooling made by CoolIT and Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility. Seen in the first picture is the laptop seated on an unreleased notebook component cooler made by CoolIT. The cooler uses external thermoelectric couple (TEC) and air cooling to draw heat away from the laptop. Despite using overclocked settings using this cooler, the CPU reaches a scorching 50° C.
The cooler releases in January 2008 and will be priced around US $120. This feat was also helped by Intel's new Extreme Tuning Utility (Iron City). Intel's Dan Ragland used the software to overclock the laptop's CPU to over 4GHz, stably. He commented that the notebook-cooler added around 500MHz over and above what's achievable by using the laptop's cooling alone.
The cooler releases in January 2008 and will be priced around US $120. This feat was also helped by Intel's new Extreme Tuning Utility (Iron City). Intel's Dan Ragland used the software to overclock the laptop's CPU to over 4GHz, stably. He commented that the notebook-cooler added around 500MHz over and above what's achievable by using the laptop's cooling alone.
Gigabyte Shows off its Premium X58 Motherboard
Motherboard vendors are preparing rigorously for catering to the market that the upcoming Intel Core i7 series processors generate. The processors are based on a new 1366-pin land grid array (LGA-1366) socket and would require you to purchase a compatible motherboard. ASUS had recently revealed that it would be in a position to make its LGA-1366 offerings available by launch-day of the Core i7. Gigabyte is getting ready with its high-end offering, the GA-X58-EXTREME, TweakTown caught more than just a glimpse of it.
Intel Demonstrates Centrino 3 Mobile Platform
We are barely months into having Centrino 2 laptops at the store, following delays of six weeks with its launch owing to last minute glitches with its integrated graphics (IGP), and Intel has already demonstrated a Nehalem-based mobile computing platform at the ongoing Intel Developer Forum (IDF). This mobile computing platform for now can be loosely called a prelude to the successor of Centrino 2, it is codenamed Calpella.
The platform will be using dual-core and quad-core CPUs codenamed Auburndale and Clarksfield respectively. Intel set-up a Clarksfield validation platform with the mobile Nehalem in situ. The size of the active cooler explains a lot, and that's a quad-core chip we're talking about. It wouldn't be too far sighted telling that by this time, next year high-end laptops will be equipped with an 8-thread-capable Nehalem mobile CPU.
The platform will be using dual-core and quad-core CPUs codenamed Auburndale and Clarksfield respectively. Intel set-up a Clarksfield validation platform with the mobile Nehalem in situ. The size of the active cooler explains a lot, and that's a quad-core chip we're talking about. It wouldn't be too far sighted telling that by this time, next year high-end laptops will be equipped with an 8-thread-capable Nehalem mobile CPU.
Hynix Demonstrates World's First 16GB DDR3 2-Rank R-DIMM Memory at IDF
Among the other hardware demonstrated at IDF, Hynix Semiconductor also made a shocking release of what's believed to be the world's first 16GB 2-Rank R-DIMM. Using MetaRAM's new DDR3 technology, Hynix's new 16GB (HMT32GR7AER4C-GD) and 8GB (HMT31GR7AER4C-GC) 2-rank DIMMs can triple DDR3 memory capacity in today's servers and workstations. DDR3 MetaRAM is similar to the previous generation of DDR2 technology that enables significantly more memory in a server. An added benefit of the DDR3 MetaRAM technology is that enables larger memory capacity without negatively impacting the operating frequency of the DDR3 memory channel. It is the only technology that has been demonstrated to run 24GB of DDR3 SDRAM in a channel at 1066 million transactions per-second (MT/s). Using 3 of 16GB DIMM, users can achieve 48GB per channel running at 1066 MT/s, while other competing solutions max out at 16GB per channel at 1066MT/s. Later on during the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco Intel will demonstrate a server with 160GB (10 slots) of Hynix's DDR3 R-DIMMs.
NEC Electronics Expands Wireless USB Portfolio with New Host Controller
NEC Electronics today expanded its suite of Wireless USB devices with the introduction of the µPD720171 Wireless USB host controller. Building on the company's first host controller (part number µPD720170), the new µPD720171 controller for PCI Express bus interfaces, enables high-speed, wireless data transmission between PCs that have MiniCard or Half-Minicard expansion cards and PC peripheral devices such as wireless hubs, printers, external storage equipment and digital cameras. The new host controller also provides laptop computer connectivity through an ExpressCard slot. Providing greater throughput and higher performance than previous host devices, the µPD720171 controller enables consumers to enjoy wireless lifestyles while maintaining wired USB functionality and ease of use.
Microsoft SideWinder X6 Keyboard and SideWinder X5 Mouse Released
Today at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Microsoft Hardware debuted the SideWinder X6 Keyboard - the most versatile gaming keyboard on the market with the first-ever switchable key pad that can be attached to the left or right side of the keyboard for ultimate flexibility. To round out the SideWinder line, the Hardware team is also announcing the SideWinder X5 Mouse, a fast, powerful gaming mouse designed to give mainstream gamers a competitive edge.
Razer Maelstrom Audio Engine Unveiled At Games Convention
Razer, the world's leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming peripherals, has unveiled the Razer Maelstrom Audio Engine at Games Convention, Leipzig at Hall 4, B01. The Razer Maelstrom is a highly upgraded virtual surround sound system found in the Razer Megalodon, Razer's latest 7.1 surround sound gaming headset.
Intel's 80GB X18 Solid State Drive Pictured
We promised to bring you some more details on Intel's future SSD family when IDF kicks off, and now that time has come. In San Francisco Intel demoed X18-M, the 80GB SSD model we talked about on Saturday here. X18 is the mainstream SSD from Intel based on the second generation SATA 3GB/s interface. The heart of X18 is made out of ten 8GB NAND flash chips, five on each side of the PCB. Intel promises read and write speeds of up to 240MB/s and 70-170MB/s respectively for this drive. Again no details on the price and the release date were disclosed. Please note that on the second picture, the controller chip of X18 is actually removed to prevent the drive from making its way into competitors' hands.
ASUS P6T Deluxe Intel Core i7 Nehalem Motherboard Up Close and Personal
After Intel's Nehalem platform is no secret anymore, it's time to start looking at the motherboards that will support the new Socket 1366 buddies. One of them is ASUSTeK's upcoming P6T Deluxe mainboard based on Intel's yet-to-be-released X58 Express, the first chipset to power the Socket 1366 Core i7 Nehalem processors. As part of the whole platform, the P6T Deluxe has a total of six DDR3 slots intended for triple-channel mode and three PCI-Express x16 slots with support for dual and triple video card configurations. It's too early to say which one, ATI's CrossFire, NVIDIA's SLI or both combos. Expect further information when the time comes. Meanwhile if you want to take a closer look at the motherboard please click here.
Tuesday, August 19th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
Networking
Processors
Sunbeamtech Core Contact Freezer Review
Sunbeam's Core Contact Freezer is a cost effective CPU cooler for AMD and Intel CPUs. Its four heatpipes make direct contact with the processor for optimum cooling. Also included in the package is a fan controller which allows you to optimize the acoustics to your usage scenario.
Intel Announces 6-core Enterprise CPU, Sheds Light on Nehalem
During the ongoing Intel Developer Forum (IDF) event, Intel has announced its first 6-core processor codenamed Dunnington. It will be branded as the Xeon X7460 and is expected to become available in servers beginning next month. Intel claims that systems using this chip already broke performance records, including an 8-socket 48-core IBM System x3950 M2 server, which became the first platform to break the 1 million tpmC barrier on the TPC-C benchmark.
Intel has also shed some light on the upcoming fleet of processors based on the Nehalem architecture. The first wave would only include quad-core, HyperThreading-enabled processors based on the Bloomfield core, also said is that they are planning to manufacture a second server derivative designed for the expandable server market (Nehalem-EX). Later, desktop processors based on the Havendale (dual-core) and Lynnfield (quad-core) processors, while the notebook/mobile platform will be offered the dual-core Auburndale and Lynnfield quad-core parts.
Intel has also shed some light on the upcoming fleet of processors based on the Nehalem architecture. The first wave would only include quad-core, HyperThreading-enabled processors based on the Bloomfield core, also said is that they are planning to manufacture a second server derivative designed for the expandable server market (Nehalem-EX). Later, desktop processors based on the Havendale (dual-core) and Lynnfield (quad-core) processors, while the notebook/mobile platform will be offered the dual-core Auburndale and Lynnfield quad-core parts.
ZOTAC Unleashes Silent GeForce 9500 GT
ZOTAC International (MCO) Ltd., a leading NVIDIA partner, today announced the two latest additions to its silent ZONE Edition product lineup - the ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT DDR2 and GeForce 9500GT DDR3 ZONE Editions. The new ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT ZONE Editions pair the high-performance of NVIDIA's GeForce 9500GT graphics processor with passive cooling for a silent graphical computing experience. The ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT DDR2 and GeForce 9500GT DDR3 ZONE Editions eliminate noise from the graphics card by replacing the active GPU cooler on ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT DDR2 and GeForce 9500GT DDR3 models. In place of the active GPU cooler is a large passive cooler that allows the ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT ZONE Editions to operate silently.
"We sought to eliminate noise from our affordable ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT DDR2 and DDR3 models," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International (MCO) Ltd. "Our ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT ZONE Editions are the result, and shows users can have a premium silent high-performance graphics card at an affordable price."
"We sought to eliminate noise from our affordable ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT DDR2 and DDR3 models," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International (MCO) Ltd. "Our ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT ZONE Editions are the result, and shows users can have a premium silent high-performance graphics card at an affordable price."
IBM and AMD First to Reach the 22 nm Silicon Fabrication Mark
IBM and its chip development partners announced today that they've developed the first functional 22nm silicon fabricated SRAM cell. This puts them ahead of Intel, which had announced its technological entry into the 32 nm domain in September, 2007. SRAM is usually the first semiconductor device a chip-maker tests a new fabrication-process on, before working on microprocessors. These devices were developed and manufactured by AMD, Freescale, IBM STMicroelectronics, Toshiba and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE). They were built in the conventional 6-transistor design and on a 300 mm wafer. This level of miniaturization made the SRAM cell shrink to a mere 0.1 sq. μm, compare this to the SRAM cells that go into making caches on the 45 nm Intel processors, 0.346 sq. μm.
NVIDIA Plans to Take on AMD 790, Intel P45 DDR3
The NVIDIA chipset division has decided to take on chipsets (core-logic) from both AMD and Intel in their respective platforms. To begin with, the nForce 780a SLI has been given a major update. The Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) feature has been added to this chipset that allows overclocking competitive to the latest chipset from AMD, the SB 750 southbridge which is used on high-end motherboards based on the 790 GX or 790 FX northbridges. NVIDIA will connect the southbridge to the JTAG interface and then update the BIOS to support ACC for up to 10% better Phenom overclocks.
On to the Intel platform, and NVIDIA plans to release a new chipset called the nForce 770i SLI. Think of it as NVIDIA's answer to the P45 DDR3 chipset which provides Crossfire support (Dual PCI-Express slots with PCI-E 2.0 x8 bandwidth each in Crossfire mode). The nForce 770i will use a DDR3 memory controller, this is what differentiates it from the nForce 750i SLI, the chipset will support the 2-way SLI in the electrical PCI-E 2.0 x8 format.
Update:
It is known that existing motherboards in the market cannot be updated with this feature by means of a BIOS update, addition of this feature requires a hardware-level modification. Provided is a company slide from NVIDIA.(Source: Expreview)
On to the Intel platform, and NVIDIA plans to release a new chipset called the nForce 770i SLI. Think of it as NVIDIA's answer to the P45 DDR3 chipset which provides Crossfire support (Dual PCI-Express slots with PCI-E 2.0 x8 bandwidth each in Crossfire mode). The nForce 770i will use a DDR3 memory controller, this is what differentiates it from the nForce 750i SLI, the chipset will support the 2-way SLI in the electrical PCI-E 2.0 x8 format.
Update:
It is known that existing motherboards in the market cannot be updated with this feature by means of a BIOS update, addition of this feature requires a hardware-level modification. Provided is a company slide from NVIDIA.(Source: Expreview)
Radeon HD 4600 Series Slated for September, Two Models in the Making
Based on the new RV730 graphics processor from AMD, the Radeon HD 4600 series is set for a September release. There are two models to start with in this series: Radeon HD 4650 and Radeon HD 4670. The HD 4650 is positioned to compete with the GeForce 9500 GT while the HD 4670 is in improvement over it. Both cards are built for HD entertainment, media and casual gaming added.
Specifications for the HD 4650 are as follows:
Specifications for the HD 4650 are as follows:
- 600 MHz core speed
- 667 MHz memory speed
- 512 MB of DDR2 or GDDR3 memory
- 21.3 GB/s memory bandwidth
- 320 Stream Processors
- 384 GFLOPs of shader compute power
- 16 TMUs
- UVD2 Video Processing Engine
- 55 W TDP, 55nm Silicon Fab. Process
HyperTransport 3.1 Specifications Emerge, 45 nm AMD CPUs Support it
The HyperTransport Consortium released an updated specification, HT 3.1, that increases the base clock speed of the HyperTransport bus from its previous version 3.0 limit of 2600 MHz (5200 MT/s) to 3200 MHz (6400 MT/s). The upcoming 45nm processors will be given a host of architectural updates, one of them being a revised HT 3.1 system bus. Since AMD processors use a 32-bit wide HyperTransport link to the core logic, the aggregate bandwidth of the system but would be raised to 51.6 GB/s (25.8 GB/s in each direction).
This 10 GB/s increment is supposed to favour the upcoming AMD Fusion processors, where a graphics processor would be embedded into the CPU. That could also mean that the CPU could carry PCI-Express switches, effectively eradicating the northbridge. This would mean performance gains with the CPU communicating with PCI-E devices directly instead of through a northbridge-based PCI-E switch, much in the same way as integration of memory controllers five years ago helped AMD processors. It is expected that motherboard vendors have no problems implementing HT 3.1, the AMD 790GX and 790FX chipsets offer native support to HT 3.1 with 45 nm CPUs.
This 10 GB/s increment is supposed to favour the upcoming AMD Fusion processors, where a graphics processor would be embedded into the CPU. That could also mean that the CPU could carry PCI-Express switches, effectively eradicating the northbridge. This would mean performance gains with the CPU communicating with PCI-E devices directly instead of through a northbridge-based PCI-E switch, much in the same way as integration of memory controllers five years ago helped AMD processors. It is expected that motherboard vendors have no problems implementing HT 3.1, the AMD 790GX and 790FX chipsets offer native support to HT 3.1 with 45 nm CPUs.
PhysX Makes it to MMOG with APB
Often underappreciated by those who only casually play games, fast and accurate physical models and calculations are a key to a game's playability and realism. From the effect of explosions on nearby objects, to the impacts of car accidents, to how a character reacts when hit, physics is as important to realism as high-quality graphics. Because of this, Realtime Worlds' upcoming massively multiplayer online game, APB, will take advantage of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs and PhysX technology to enhance the game's free-form combat and real-time driving environments.
APB will bring players into a living, breathing city where cash is king and territory equals respect. Scheduled for release in 2009, APB is one of many titles to take advantage of NVIDIA PhysX technology, the world's most pervasive development platform for physics acceleration in interactive entertainment.
APB will bring players into a living, breathing city where cash is king and territory equals respect. Scheduled for release in 2009, APB is one of many titles to take advantage of NVIDIA PhysX technology, the world's most pervasive development platform for physics acceleration in interactive entertainment.
OCZ Intros the ModXStream Pro PSU Line-up
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and components, today announced the ModXStream Pro, a superior gaming-grade power supply series that offers consumers a combination of OCZ's cutting-edge PSU architecture and an efficient modular cable management system. Designed for enthusiasts and gamers in 400W, 500W, 600W, and 700W configurations, the ModXStream Pro is built for unparalleled stability and will provide optimal high-performance power to the latest GPUs and CPUs while promoting a tidy case environment.
Monday, August 18th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Storage
Gainward Non-reference Radeon HD 4870 Fresh out
Gainward, a subsidiary of Palit Microsystems presented a set of pictures of its non-reference HD 4870. It will share this design with the Palit Radeon HD 4870 Sonic. Gainward sought aggressive cooling and overclocking for this card. The card will continue to feature 512 MB of GDDR5 memory. This card features dual-BIOS, a BIOS maintains 750 MHz / 950 MHz core and memory parameters, while a second high-performance BIOS ups these frequencies to 775 MHz / 1000MHz. Presumably this mechanism brings about redundancy with the BIOS, a boon for overclockers as accidental damage to the card due to tweaking the BIOS could be easily resolved.
Common LGA-1366 Cooling Myths Busted
With the entry of the Core i7 Bloomfield series processors this September thru October, the computing world will witness the entry of a new motherboard processor socket, the 1366-pin Land Grid Array (LGA-1366). FrostyTech demystified the new socket in respect to the way coolers are to be designed to be compatible with it, which will have implications on a vast segment of DIY consumers since LGA-1366 is meant to be a high-performance flagship computing platform. There are two key factors at play:
- The layout and cooler-retention mechanism of the socket
- The area of contact between the cooler and the processor's integrated heatspreader (IHS).
New Dell ''Mini Inspiron'' 910 Details Emerge
Dell Inspiron 910, probably the second most rumoured and anticipated netbook after the Eee PC, today showed more of its specs. A full featured 910 web documentation has made its way to the public, detailing the new "mini Inspiron" and its internals. According to it, 910 will sell with a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 512 or 1024MB 800MHz DDR2 RAM, 8.9-inch 1024x600 WLED display and support SSDs up to 16GB. All this will weight 2.20lbs (0.99kg) and wear the Dell badge, a fact you can't skip easily. As usual the mini will use 32-bit Windows XP SP2 as primary OS, specs also say about Ubuntu 8.04 preinstalled possibility. Other last minute details note at August 22nd as official release date. On that date we'll also know the official price of "mini me".
HP Intros Three Ultra-Portable Notebooks
HP today introduced three ultra-portable notebook computers, including a three-pound EliteBook, the smallest and lightest HP notebook with a built-in optical drive. Inspired by aircraft construction and designed for style-conscious mobile professionals, the HP EliteBook 2530p features the sleek and durable HP DuraCase - a brushed, anodized aluminum exterior casing combined with a magnesium alloy chassis that is engineered to pass several military-standard durability tests such as extreme temperature, dust and humidity.
Thecus Reveals the AMD Processor-Based N4100PRO NAS
Beginning with the introduction of the N4100 NAS device, Thecus has rocked the world of digital storage with innovation after innovation. Today, Thecus is proud to reveal the brand new 4-bay NAS - N4100 PRO. With powerful new RAID options, a built-in LCD, and vastly improved data throughput, the N4100 PRO ups the ante once again with increased usability, functionality, and performance.
Powered by the AMD Geode LX800 processor and 256MB of DDR400 memory, the N4100 PRO delivers the raw horsepower required to transfer files quickly and efficiently. With updated hardware and a ton of performance improvements, the data transfer speed of N4100 PRO doubles that of the original N4100! Four 3.5" SATA hard disk bays enable up to 4TB of storage, and users can manage this space with an updated list of RAID mode selections, including 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD. The N4100 PRO also offers advanced RAID management features, including RAID expansion and RAID level migration for ultimate flexibility. To top it off, the N4100 PRO comes equipped with a big, bright LCM module, which displays useful status messages such as IP address, date and time, and RAID status, making it easy for users to keep an eye on the condition of their N4100PRO. With features like these, the N4100 PRO is easier to manage than ever.
Powered by the AMD Geode LX800 processor and 256MB of DDR400 memory, the N4100 PRO delivers the raw horsepower required to transfer files quickly and efficiently. With updated hardware and a ton of performance improvements, the data transfer speed of N4100 PRO doubles that of the original N4100! Four 3.5" SATA hard disk bays enable up to 4TB of storage, and users can manage this space with an updated list of RAID mode selections, including 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD. The N4100 PRO also offers advanced RAID management features, including RAID expansion and RAID level migration for ultimate flexibility. To top it off, the N4100 PRO comes equipped with a big, bright LCM module, which displays useful status messages such as IP address, date and time, and RAID status, making it easy for users to keep an eye on the condition of their N4100PRO. With features like these, the N4100 PRO is easier to manage than ever.
NVIDIA Demonstrates Real-time Interactive Ray-tracing
Ray-tracing is the buzzword with consumer and professional graphics these days. It's a technique with which accurate representation of light with its behaviour in adherence with the laws of physics can be done when generating 3D computer graphics.
NVIDIA took ray-tracing to an interactive level with its work on an interactive real-time ray-tracing application. Currently NVIDIA has a larger stash of intellectual property in the field of ray-tracing than other players such as AMD or Intel, with the acquisition of MentalRay, a company that is pretty-much a standard in Hollywood.
NVIDIA took ray-tracing to an interactive level with its work on an interactive real-time ray-tracing application. Currently NVIDIA has a larger stash of intellectual property in the field of ray-tracing than other players such as AMD or Intel, with the acquisition of MentalRay, a company that is pretty-much a standard in Hollywood.
ASUS Could have X58 Motherboards Available by Core i7 Launch Date
Intel is readying its first wave of processors based on the Nehalem-derived Bloomfield core which should hit shelves sometime this autumn. Meanwhile motherboard manufacturers seem to be in a rush to bring in supportive LGA 1366 motherboards based on the spanking-new Intel X58 chipset around that time. Intel had reportedly preponed launch of the Bloomfield processors till September. It was then known that motherboard manufacturers wouldn't be able to keep up and would take a little later (as in late October) to deck their shelves with supportive motherboards.
Bit-Tech interviewed Richard Liu of ASUS (read here). It can be read that ASUS would be out with not only Intel X58 based motherboards by the (new) launch date of these Intel processors, but also have NVIDIA SLI-supportive motherboards with BR-04 chips ready by that time.
Bit-Tech interviewed Richard Liu of ASUS (read here). It can be read that ASUS would be out with not only Intel X58 based motherboards by the (new) launch date of these Intel processors, but also have NVIDIA SLI-supportive motherboards with BR-04 chips ready by that time.
Diamond Multimedia Releases Radeon HD 4870 X2 - XOC³ H2O
Diamond Multimedia (www.diamondmm.com), a leading manufacturer of PC graphics cards, sound cards and communications products, launched today, the Diamond Radeon HD 4870 X2 - XOC³ H2O edition graphics card. This card offers exquisite gaming capabilities combined with state of the art efficiency.
The Diamond Radeon HD 4870 X2 - XOC³ H2O,edition is a dual slot Monster card sitting on a PCI-Express 2.0 slot, loaded with 2GB of DDR5 memory and over clock speeds of 800 MHz on each GPU. The memory speed is OCed to rev at 1100 MHz and is designed with 1600 stream processors. "This adrenaline pumped card on steroids will make our competitors card look like a Ford Pinto station wagon engine" says, Mario Gastelum, Director of Product Development & Engineering. Diamond brings the same engineering mentality to it's high performance line of Radeon graphics boards that AMG brings to a Mercedes Benz". This finely tuned beast was re-engineered, to go beyond what our competitors are capable of delivering to their end consumers; the real Super RV 770 came out of the closet today to deliver a "real can of ass whooping".
The Diamond Radeon HD 4870 X2 - XOC³ H2O,edition is a dual slot Monster card sitting on a PCI-Express 2.0 slot, loaded with 2GB of DDR5 memory and over clock speeds of 800 MHz on each GPU. The memory speed is OCed to rev at 1100 MHz and is designed with 1600 stream processors. "This adrenaline pumped card on steroids will make our competitors card look like a Ford Pinto station wagon engine" says, Mario Gastelum, Director of Product Development & Engineering. Diamond brings the same engineering mentality to it's high performance line of Radeon graphics boards that AMG brings to a Mercedes Benz". This finely tuned beast was re-engineered, to go beyond what our competitors are capable of delivering to their end consumers; the real Super RV 770 came out of the closet today to deliver a "real can of ass whooping".
EKWaterBlocks Makes Available One More Full-Cover HD 4870 X2 GPU Block
If Danger Den water blocks aren't for your taste, EKWaterBlocks is here to offer an alternative. On the same date DD showed its GPU block for ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, EKWaterBlocks also said it will have a full-cover water solution for HD 4870 X2 that weights nearly a kilo (970g) and will be available after 20.8.2008. Typically for EK, there'll be three models of the same block design:
- EK-FC4870 X2 CF - made of electrolytic copper with acrylic glass top
- EK-FC4870 X2 - CF Nickel - base is made of electrolytic copper brushed to look like nickel, top is made of quality acrylic glass
- EK-FC4870 X2 - Acetal CF - same as the first, with the only difference being the top made out of quality POM acetal
Sunday, August 17th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Chipsets
Graphics Cards
Networking
AMD Athlon 64 2000+ for Immediate Competition with Intel Atom
While AMD touted the Bobcat as a definitive competitor to Intel Atom, being a low-power K8 based part with the same design advantages its ancestors had over competing Intel parts when they made up for higher performing alternatives, this part won't make it until next year, enough time for the Atom to gain a stronger foothold in the market. As immediate competition to the Atom, AMD seems to have set an Athlon 64 2000+ single core processor as its ULPC / UMPC processor part. This processor is single core, features a 1.00 GHz clock-speed and 256 KB of L2 cache, which should still give it a performance edge over a 1.50 GHz Atom judging purely by the fact that the Atom isn't based on the Core micro-architecture (yet) and uses an older design.
This processor is based on the Lima core, what's most surprising is that it is found to operate at 8 W at its 1.00 GHz frequency which brings it into the Atom platform's energy domain. The second most surprising point is that this processor will be aided by the powerful AMD 780G core logic (chipset), as opposed to current Atom platforms using a i945G adaptation that has significantly higher thermal envelope as opposed the AMD 780G while being a lot slower (in terms of graphics performance and features). Tom's Hardware conducted a comparison between the two and found that the Athlon-780G combo "knocks-out" Atom-i945G technologically.
This processor is based on the Lima core, what's most surprising is that it is found to operate at 8 W at its 1.00 GHz frequency which brings it into the Atom platform's energy domain. The second most surprising point is that this processor will be aided by the powerful AMD 780G core logic (chipset), as opposed to current Atom platforms using a i945G adaptation that has significantly higher thermal envelope as opposed the AMD 780G while being a lot slower (in terms of graphics performance and features). Tom's Hardware conducted a comparison between the two and found that the Athlon-780G combo "knocks-out" Atom-i945G technologically.
Danger Den Ready with Radeon HD 4870 X2 Water-blocks
Fluid-cooling specialist Danger Den is ready with its Radeon HD 4870 X2 series water blocks designed to provide high-levels of thermal control to facilitate overclocking. The block provides full coverage cooling to the front part of the PCB that holds all the main components. The memory chips on the rear of the cards might still require passive cooling by means of heat-sinks.
MSI Puts Forward Zilent Series GeForce 9800 GT and GeForce 9500 GT Accelerators
MSI rolled out two non-reference graphics accelerators based on the GeForce 9800 GT and 9500 GT under the Zilent banner. MSI uses Zilent to brand its products such as graphics cards and motherboards where the acoustic envelope is significantly reduced without affecting the thermal envelope. The first card, N9800GT-Zilent is based on the newer G92b 55nm silicon fabricated core. It uses a cooler designed by Zalman which claims to have a smaller acoustic footprint than the stock NVIDIA cooler. The cooler is a double-slot solution and consists of four copper heat-pipes emerging out of the die contact area into a grill of aluminum fins. Central to this grill is what looks like a 60mm fan. MSI decided to step up the memory, this card comes with 1 GB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 950 MHz (1900 MHz DDR). The core is overclocked to 660 MHz. As with other GeForce 9800 GT cards, it supports NVIDIA HybridPower technology.
The second release is the N95000GT-MD512Z/D2. This card is completely silent, it has no moving parts. It consists of a core contact from which two aluminum heat-pipes convey heat away to aluminum fins behind the card that dissipate it. It comes with a HDMI port, and the usual DVI and D-Sub connectors. It comes with 512 MB of DDR2 memory clocked at 1000 MHz. The core is clocked at 550 MHz.
The second release is the N95000GT-MD512Z/D2. This card is completely silent, it has no moving parts. It consists of a core contact from which two aluminum heat-pipes convey heat away to aluminum fins behind the card that dissipate it. It comes with a HDMI port, and the usual DVI and D-Sub connectors. It comes with 512 MB of DDR2 memory clocked at 1000 MHz. The core is clocked at 550 MHz.
MSI Unveils its R4870-T2D1G Graphics Cards With 1 GB GDDR5 Memory
MSI, a leading manufacturer of computer products, proudly unveils its latest R4870-T2D1G graphics cards for the game enthusiasts. It comes with the 1G DDR5 memory which enables users to enjoy the DirectX 10 high-capacity 3D games easily and smoothly.
This high-end level graphics card is based on the latest 2nd generation of 55nm GPU. Integrated with the ATI PowerPlay power-saving technology, MSI R4870-T2D1G provides twice the performance enhancement with the same wattage. It conforms to the environmental energy conservation worldwide initiative with MSI (ECOlution) environmental protection theory of evolution objective. In addition, MSI R4870-T2D1G graphics card also has the advanced UVD 2.0 video decoder core, a built-in HDCP key encryption which supports Blu-Ray and HD DVD movie disc playback and make 100% complete hardware acceleration to the MPEG-2/VC-1/H.264 video format. MSI R4870-T2D512 supports the DirectX 10.1 framework of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and offers 800 stream processors, which achieve the unprecedented levels teraflop (1000Gflops) computing capability. MSI R4870-T2D1G graphics card supports CrossFireX technology. Combined with CrossFire ready mainboard to enable 2~4 graphics cards to work at the same time; substantially enhancing gaming performance.
This high-end level graphics card is based on the latest 2nd generation of 55nm GPU. Integrated with the ATI PowerPlay power-saving technology, MSI R4870-T2D1G provides twice the performance enhancement with the same wattage. It conforms to the environmental energy conservation worldwide initiative with MSI (ECOlution) environmental protection theory of evolution objective. In addition, MSI R4870-T2D1G graphics card also has the advanced UVD 2.0 video decoder core, a built-in HDCP key encryption which supports Blu-Ray and HD DVD movie disc playback and make 100% complete hardware acceleration to the MPEG-2/VC-1/H.264 video format. MSI R4870-T2D512 supports the DirectX 10.1 framework of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and offers 800 stream processors, which achieve the unprecedented levels teraflop (1000Gflops) computing capability. MSI R4870-T2D1G graphics card supports CrossFireX technology. Combined with CrossFire ready mainboard to enable 2~4 graphics cards to work at the same time; substantially enhancing gaming performance.
Saturday, August 16th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Memory
Intel G45 Blu-Ray Playback Acceleration Imperfect, Buck Passed on to Software
It's been a few weeks since Intel launched its latest chipset with integrated graphics, the Intel G45. Among other things, Intel claimed this chipset accelerated HD video formats such as Blu-ray, where the integrated graphics logic is supposed to off-load the CPU of processing the video. Such as it is, Intel's integrated graphics processors (IGP) have been hugely reliant on the CPU for its functions.
Aaron Brezenski, a product engineer for Intel at its Chandler, Arizona US facility. In his recent blog entry (read here), he writes about the G45 not exactly achieving what it set out for, in other words, it was "still imperfect". He mentions about AMD hosting a demo booth where it was publicly demonstrated that a G45 based notebook made by HP failed to accelerate Blu-ray playback, the processor tipped 100% load throughout the playback which isn't what G45 is intended to bring about.
Aaron Brezenski, a product engineer for Intel at its Chandler, Arizona US facility. In his recent blog entry (read here), he writes about the G45 not exactly achieving what it set out for, in other words, it was "still imperfect". He mentions about AMD hosting a demo booth where it was publicly demonstrated that a G45 based notebook made by HP failed to accelerate Blu-ray playback, the processor tipped 100% load throughout the playback which isn't what G45 is intended to bring about.
AMD Shanghai Rushed in, Hits Market in Q4 2008
AMD seems to have decided that it won't face any more flack in the computing industry owing to the lack of success the Barcelona / Agena (K10) architecture had compared to a determined Intel that seems to be going for the kill with a string of products lined up, Intel in fact has looked forward four years in time based on its IDF slides. On the eve of IDF, AMD executives said the company's 45-nanometer Shanghai processor will enter the market by the fourth quarter of 2008. The AMD processor is designed to compete against the Intel Nehalem processor, especially in the volume two-socket server market.
AMD Shanghai is touted to be the server/enterprise version of the upcoming Deneb series 45nm quad-core processors. Unlike the Deneb that retains the 940-pin AM2/AM2+/possible AM3 socket, Shanghai would use the enterprise segment Socket 1207, there already are server boards with four sockets in the market, AMD plans to use this as something to flash before Intel, as for server applications, cost-effective Shanghai parts used in four-CPU configurations should provide high levels of computational power.
AMD Shanghai is touted to be the server/enterprise version of the upcoming Deneb series 45nm quad-core processors. Unlike the Deneb that retains the 940-pin AM2/AM2+/possible AM3 socket, Shanghai would use the enterprise segment Socket 1207, there already are server boards with four sockets in the market, AMD plans to use this as something to flash before Intel, as for server applications, cost-effective Shanghai parts used in four-CPU configurations should provide high levels of computational power.
A Radeon ''HD3730'' Makes for UFO Sightings in Russia
While at the consumer market level companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and Intel are crystal clear about their product line ups and take initiatives to keep the world informed by means of press-releases, employee leaks and events such as IDF, Cinema 2.0 and NVISION, the OEM market is a wild place, it's the Amazon, lot is left undisclosed to consumers since the products go from manufacturers to OEMs directly bypassing public distribution channels (and lopping taxes, middlemen, etc.).
3D News Russia, got hold of a graphics card made by ASUS that's reported by GPU-Z as "HD3730" in the GPU Name field. Specifications of this card are in the window itself, not much to tell:
3D News Russia, got hold of a graphics card made by ASUS that's reported by GPU-Z as "HD3730" in the GPU Name field. Specifications of this card are in the window itself, not much to tell:
Intel to Debut Ultra-Fast 180GB SSDs Next Week at IDF
Trying to keep up with the competition in the eyes of Micron and its recently introduced RealSSD drives, Intel declared readiness to debut new SSDs too during IDF next week. With the SSD market heating up, Intel's new storage agents will offer bumped read/write speeds and double the SSD storage capacity we're used to see. The drives will be available in 1.8" and 2.5" format factors and offer a bandwidth of 240 MB/s read and 70-170 MB/s write. Capacities will range from 32GB and 64GB to the rather unusual 80GB and 160GB. No pricing information is available, but big toys always come with a price so don't expect them to be cheap.
Friday, August 15th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
- Sapphire HD4850 Toxic Club Overclocker
- Sapphire HD 4850 XSReviews
- PowerColor HD 4870 Bjorn3D
- Diamond HD 4870 XOC Tweaktown
- ATi HD 4870 X2 CHW
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Club Overclocker
- ATI HD 4870 X2 DriverHeaven
- 4870 X2 Crossfire Guru3D
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Hexus
- Palit HD 4870 X2 NeoSeeker
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Overclockers Club
- ASUS TOP 9600GT Big Bruin
Memory
Motherboards
Processors
Mushkin XP2-6400 4GB CL4 Kit Review
Mushkin has also jumped the 4 GB DDR2 memory bandwagon and is offering these kits at tighter than usual latencies. This kit runs at 4-4-4-12 at 2.0 - 2.1V.
Jen-Hsun Huang (NVIDIA): ''We Underestimated RV770''
NVIDIA suffered its first red-quarter in five years. There are several contributors to this, namely an up to US $200M write-off to cover expenses in recalling and restoring faulty mobile graphics processors.
Another factor has been a replenished product lineup from competitor AMD/ATI that is taking on NVIDIA products at mid thru high and enthusiast segments of the market, in essence ATI now has products to counter NVIDIA at every possible segment, with more dressing up to go to office.
Seeking Alpha spoke with CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, he was quoted saying:
Another factor has been a replenished product lineup from competitor AMD/ATI that is taking on NVIDIA products at mid thru high and enthusiast segments of the market, in essence ATI now has products to counter NVIDIA at every possible segment, with more dressing up to go to office.
Seeking Alpha spoke with CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, he was quoted saying:
We underestimated the price performance of our competitor's most recent GPU, which led us to mis-position our fall lineup. The first step of our response was to reset our price to reflect competitive realities. Our action put us again in a strong competitive position but we took hard hits with respect to our overall GPU ASPs and ultimately to our gross margins. The price action was particularly difficult since we are just ramping 55-nanometer and the weak market resulted in taking longer than expected to work through our 65-nanometer inventory.Huang says that with their transit to the 55nm silicon fabrication process, they hope to do better.
AMD Launches New Business Class Phenom and Athlon X2 Processors
AMD is launching today a bunch of new "business class" 64-bit processors. The four new Phenom and Athlon CPUs are:
- AMD Phenom X4 9750B 2.4GHz, 2MB L3 cache, 95W, rev. B3
- AMD Phenom X3 8750B 2.4GHz, 2MB L3 cache, 95W, rev. B3
- AMD Athlon X2 5600B 2.9GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 65W
- AMD Athlon X2 4850B 2.5GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 45W
Engineering Windows 7 MSDN Blog Surfaces
Microsoft has launched an MSDN Blog for the Engineering of Windows 7, dubbed E7 for short. The blog, hosted by two Windows 7 senior engineering managers, is aimed to inform "...enthusiasts, bloggers, and those that are the most passionate about Windows... what's in store for the next major release of Windows."
You can check out the blog here
You can check out the blog here
We strongly believe that success for Windows 7 includes an open and honest, and two-way, discussion about how we balance all of these interests and deliver software on the scale of Windows. We promise and will deliver such a dialog with this blog.Windows 7 is currently scheduled for release in 2010 based on information which we covered here
We, as a team, definitely learned some lessons about "disclosure" and how we can all too easily get ahead of ourselves in talking about features before our understanding of them is solid. Our intent with Windows 7 and the pre-release communication is to make sure that we have a reasonable degree of confidence in what we talk about when we do talk. Again, top of mind for us is the responsibility we feel to make sure we are not stressing priorities, churning resource allocations, or causing strategic confusion among the tens of thousands of partners and customers who care deeply and have much invested in the evolution of Windows.
Radeon HD 4670 (RV730) Pixellated, P32xx in 3DMark Vantage
Pictures of a fresh-bake Radeon HD 4670 have surfaced. There are several iterations of this card (as in display output configurations), the one in the picture has a dual-link DVI port along with two DisplayPort connectors. Sources tell GPU Café that the card manages a 3DMark Vantage Performance score of P32xx (anywhere between P3200 and P3299).
Here are its GPU specifications:
Force3D Launches Radeon HD 4870 with Freezer DHT Cooling Technology
Force3D are excited to introduce the Force3D Radeon HD4870 with the high performance Freezer DHT cooler that is equipped with DHT (Direct Heatpipe Touch) technology. The heatpipes touch the GPU directly and transfers the heat hence cooling performance is maximized. The fan is silent and its durability is excellent by hydromantic bearing method.
Intel Announces Community-Driven Computer Animation Project
Intel Corporation announced a collaborative animation project to produce a computer-generated animated short film for theatrical release. The Mass Animation Project, presented by Intel, will be open to established and aspiring animators.
Intel is sponsoring the development and promotion of a Facebook Page where animators will be able access a collaboration application built on the Facebook Platform, and will work together to create the animated short film. Starting this fall, artists around the world will be able to contribute by animating small pieces of a 5-minute, professional-quality animated short film. The start date will be announced soon.
"This is a great opportunity to bring together computer graphics with the creativity of both Hollywood and the Facebook community," said Michael Hoefflinger, general manager of Intel's Partner Marketing Group. "The power of Intel high-performance processor technology makes it possible for content creators to design, animate and innovate. Intel processor performance and Facebook communication and sharing tools enable large numbers of people around the globe to collaborate on a single creative endeavor."
Intel is sponsoring the development and promotion of a Facebook Page where animators will be able access a collaboration application built on the Facebook Platform, and will work together to create the animated short film. Starting this fall, artists around the world will be able to contribute by animating small pieces of a 5-minute, professional-quality animated short film. The start date will be announced soon.
"This is a great opportunity to bring together computer graphics with the creativity of both Hollywood and the Facebook community," said Michael Hoefflinger, general manager of Intel's Partner Marketing Group. "The power of Intel high-performance processor technology makes it possible for content creators to design, animate and innovate. Intel processor performance and Facebook communication and sharing tools enable large numbers of people around the globe to collaborate on a single creative endeavor."
AMD Aims Higher, 50% Market-share in Discrete-graphics in Sight
Following the release of the R700 Spartan, the most powerful graphics card till date, AMD has noted that the ATI Radeon HD 4800 series products has boosted the company's market share in the discrete graphics industry from 30% to 40%. This has triggered optimism with the company, it expects to achieve the 50% mark against rival NVIDIA corporation, and that's as soon as late 2008, continuing the introduction of its products, surpass NVIDIA in 2009.
AMD also noted that it expects its discrete graphics card to IGP ratio in notebook shipments will be 35:65 in 2009. Meaning there will be growth in the sales of notebooks with discrete graphics in general against integrated graphics. NVIDIA rubbished AMD's comments saying it has the performance lead with its GeForce 200-series graphics products, while AMD claimed its Radeon HD 4800-series were clearly the more advanced lot.
AMD also noted that it expects its discrete graphics card to IGP ratio in notebook shipments will be 35:65 in 2009. Meaning there will be growth in the sales of notebooks with discrete graphics in general against integrated graphics. NVIDIA rubbished AMD's comments saying it has the performance lead with its GeForce 200-series graphics products, while AMD claimed its Radeon HD 4800-series were clearly the more advanced lot.
VIA Announces First Nano-ITX Board with VIA VX800
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EPIA N700 Nano-ITX board, designed as a complete solution for compact industrial PC and embedded automation devices. Featuring a 1.5GHz VIA C7 or 500MHz VIA Eden processor, the VIA EPIA N700 is the first Nano-ITX board to feature the latest VIA VX800 media system processor, offering system designers the perfect balance of ruthless miniaturization and uncompromising functionality.
Compact, yet user friendly, the VIA EPIA N700 uses additional onboard ports to make system design of compact PCs easier; two S-ATA ports, a Gigabit LAN port, a COM port, two USB 2.0 ports and a VGA port are provided, with additional COM, LVDS and IDE support available through onboard pin-headers. With the VX800 offering an integrated DX9 graphics core and excellent hardware accelerated video playback, this compact, low heat, power-efficient board is the ultimate solution for designing low heat, compact systems.
Compact, yet user friendly, the VIA EPIA N700 uses additional onboard ports to make system design of compact PCs easier; two S-ATA ports, a Gigabit LAN port, a COM port, two USB 2.0 ports and a VGA port are provided, with additional COM, LVDS and IDE support available through onboard pin-headers. With the VX800 offering an integrated DX9 graphics core and excellent hardware accelerated video playback, this compact, low heat, power-efficient board is the ultimate solution for designing low heat, compact systems.
OCZ Unveils Enhanced 2.5-inch Core V2 Solid State Drives
Responding the demands of enthusiasts and high-performance mobile computing consumers, OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the newest addition to their industry-leading OCZ Core Series SATA II 2.5" Solid State Drives. The Core Series has established OCZ as a pioneer in the SSD market by offering consumers the benefits of solid drives technology at an affordable price. With the industry continuously shifting in this direction, OCZ strives to place its Core Series at the forefront.
Thursday, August 14th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
- Sapphire HD 4850 CrossFire X-bit labs
- Powercolor PCS HD 4850 512 MB TechPowerUp
- Palit HD 4870 X2 Bit-Tech
- Asus EAH4870X2 Computer Shopper
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 HardwareSecrets
- ATi HD 4870 X2 Hartware (de)
- Palit HD 4870 X2 Motherboards.org
- Palit HD 4870 X2 TechGage
- XFX GeForce 9600GT Legit Reviews
- ECS 9600 GT Tweaktown
- ECS 9800 GTX+ Hydra HardwareSecrets
- MSI N280GTX HotHardware
Harddisks
Memory
Motherboards
Mousepads
Storage
Powercolor PCS HD 4850 512 MB Review
Powercolor's latest HD 4850 PCS graphics card is based on the AMD HD 4850 reference design but comes with an improved cooler and slightly increased core clocks. While the overclock makes only a small performance difference, the cooler substantially improves the product. Even under load the PCS 4850 is barely audible which makes it the quietest graphics card ever tested - of all performance classes.
NVIDIA OpenGL 3.0 and GLSL 1.30 Supporting Driver Released
Released during Siggraph 2008, the following NVIDIA driver release supports the latest OpenGL 3.0 specs. It's good to know, that this driver is aimed at developers only, and the new OpenGL 3.0 and GLSL 1.30 features are not enabled by default. They can be unlocked using the nvemulate utility, as described here. You'll also need one of the following graphics cards to enable the OpenGL 3.0 and GLSL 1.30 functionality.
- Desktop: GeForce 8000 series or higher; GeForce GTX 260, 280; Quadro FX 370, 570, 1700, 3700, 4600, 4700x2, 5600
- Notebook: GeForce 8000 series or higher; Quadro FX 360M, 370M, 570M, 770M, 1600M, 1700M, 2700M, 3600M, 3700M
CoolIT Systems Unveils Liquid Cooling Solution for ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2
CoolIT Systems, the leading innovator in liquid cooling technology, announces the Dual Drive Bay VGA Cooler designed to aggressively cool AMD's new ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Graphics card. The unique form factor enables extreme computing performance for PC Enthusiasts and Gamers. In recent testing, the liquid cooled cards were stably clocked up to 880MHz (13.5% Increase) core clock speed and the GDDR5 memory pushed to 1GHz (11% increase).
Quake 4 run Ray-tracing Enabled on Intel Larrabee
Part of the series of published slides by French website CanardPlus on slides part of the IDF event shows a picture of Quake 4 run with ray-tracing enabled on Intel's upcoming GPU codenamed Larrabee. The slide shows the advantages of ray-tracing, being accurate shadows, reflections, and the image looking more natural that what conventional shaders can achieve in bringing about.
Nehalem's Successors Caught on Slides at IDF
French website CanardPlus published slides from Intel covering its future plans and product evolution model called the "tick tock" model in which an architecture is released every time frame and improvised following it, where the fabrication process is shrunk and some features added. Les nouveaux CPU suivront donc le schéma de développement « The new CPU release will follow the pattern of development "Tick-Tock", ie a new architecture every two years (Tock), followed by a die shrink (Tick) to increase the fine print.
Spin Flip Trick Points to Fastest RAM Yet
Here's a good story catch found by one of our readers and sent to me. Because of the nature of this post I won't try to rewrite it, otherwise I might make a mistake explaining the technical terms used. The text below is borrowed from the original source of the news - NewScientistTech.
Do you wish your computer was faster? Engineers and physicists from Germany have demonstrated the quickest prototype yet of an advanced form of RAM tipped by hardware manufacturers to be the future of computing. The device is so fast it brushes against a fundamental speed-limit for the process. Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) is a faster and more energy efficient version of the RAM used in computers today, and hardware companies think it will in a few years dominate the market.
Do you wish your computer was faster? Engineers and physicists from Germany have demonstrated the quickest prototype yet of an advanced form of RAM tipped by hardware manufacturers to be the future of computing. The device is so fast it brushes against a fundamental speed-limit for the process. Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) is a faster and more energy efficient version of the RAM used in computers today, and hardware companies think it will in a few years dominate the market.
Logitech to Acquire Ultimate Ears, Leader in In-Ear Monitors and Consumer Earphones
Logitech International today announced that the company has agreed to acquire privately held Ultimate Ears, of Irvine, Calif., for $34 million in cash. The long-established leader in custom in-ear monitors for on-stage professional musicians and sound engineers, Ultimate Ears has over the last few years expanded its product line to include a range of acclaimed in-ear consumer earphones for portable music enthusiasts, including users of iPhone, iPod and other MP3 players. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in August.
Intel Drops the Centrino Atom Brand-name
Five months into using 'Centrino Atom' to name its ULPC platform, Intel decided to drop the name. The first release of Centrino Atom codenamed Menlow consisted of the Intel Atom processor, a single-package core-logic (chipset), and was meant to serve as a unified branding much like the rest of the Centrino brand.
A company spokesperson for the company, Nick Jacobs has been quoted saying "Basically, we are simplifying and coalescing our efforts around 'Atom' as the single brand for Internet devices,".
It was believed that use of 'Centrino' was confusing and in a way even diluted the brand since Centrino Atom served into UMPC / ULPC netbooks. Part of the reason also was that netbooks that made it to the marked brandished Centrino Atom while using a chipset outside its specifications, in many cases a two-chip i945 + ICH7.
A company spokesperson for the company, Nick Jacobs has been quoted saying "Basically, we are simplifying and coalescing our efforts around 'Atom' as the single brand for Internet devices,".
It was believed that use of 'Centrino' was confusing and in a way even diluted the brand since Centrino Atom served into UMPC / ULPC netbooks. Part of the reason also was that netbooks that made it to the marked brandished Centrino Atom while using a chipset outside its specifications, in many cases a two-chip i945 + ICH7.
ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI Prepare 790 GX Motherboards with Sideport Memory Onboard
ASUS, Gigabye and MSI, three leading consumer motherboard vendors have prepared motherboards with DDR3 Sideport memory onboard to minimise the potential bottlenecks the HD 3300 integrated graphics processor (IGP) faces with the memory, taking the IGP closer to what it's built to deliver. Each of these IGP's come with memory controllers like almost any discrete GPU, the IGP features a DDR3 (not to be confused with GDDR3) memory controller that accesses 128 MB of memory that's on the motherboard, this memory size is expanded by ATI Hypermemory technology.
These boards use DDR3 memory chips made by Qimonda and Elpida. Presenting, the ASUS M3A78-T, Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H and MSI K9A2GX-Digital:
These boards use DDR3 memory chips made by Qimonda and Elpida. Presenting, the ASUS M3A78-T, Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H and MSI K9A2GX-Digital:
Passive PowerColor HD 4850 Pictured
The guys over at Hexus.net have got hold of a photo showing a passively cooled PowerColor Radeon HD 4850.
The card...utilizes 54 aluminium fins, an all-copper base and four heatpipes to help keep it cool. The high-rise design, however, rules out users with low-profile HTPC chassis.Considering the temperatures the actively cooled HD 4850 reaches, I cannot imagine a passive cooler is wise. However, this cooler is considerably larger than the reference cooler and it will be interesting to see how it performs, if and when it is released.
Topower Intros 400W and 500W SilentEZ Budget PSUs
Topower, a manufacturer of power supply units since 1986, has revealed a new gamma of high performance and high reliability power supplies for the people on a budget. The new Topower SilentEZ PSUs feature 80% max efficiency at typical working environment, modular cables, and a 120mm thermally controlled fan for minimal noise levels. If the thermally controlled fan does not do the job for you, there's a turbo fan button round the back of the PSU, that gives extra control when excessive heat is generated during heavy workload. The SilentEZ will be available in 400W and 500W configurations with a MSRP of $55 and $60 in the United States, respectively.
Micron Announces New 32GB E-MMC Devices
Continuing to deliver innovative storage solutions for mobile and consumer applications, Micron Technology, Inc. today announced their latest e-MMC embedded devices. At 32GB, they are the highest densities available on the market today and are fully compliant with MMC standards. In addition, these newest e-MMC devices from Micron take advantage of the company's industry-leading 34nm MLC NAND process technology, and feature an extended temperature range (-40C to +85C) for automotive and industrial applications.
Lian Li Launches PC-XB01: the Xbox 360 Chassis Replacement
Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd will launch the PC-XB01 chassis for the Xbox 360 today. The XB01 is a chassis replacement for the XBox 360 chassis, which alleviates heating issues from hot components and reduces noise from vibrating optical drives in the original case design. The PC-XB01 requires DIY knowledge for the transfer of components, but once completed, heat will no longer be a factor in dampening your XBox 360 gaming experience.
Gateway Updates its FX Notebook Family with the P-7811 FX Gaming Laptop
Gateway today gave its FX notebook family a fresh new member, the P-7811 FX gaming notebook. Based on Intel's Centrino 2 platform that runs a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 with bumped 1066MHz bus, the P-7811 FX also packs NVIDIA's GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB, 4GB of RAM, a 200GB hard drive, and a 17-inch widescreen LCD with 1920x1200 native resolution. The P-7811FX even includes a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 5-in-1 memory card reader, a DVD writer, HDMI 1.3a connectivity and Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OS to visualize all that hardware. BestBuy shops should start selling the Gateway P-7811 FX any minute now, so be prepared. The recommended price tag for this configuration is $1,399.99.
Lexar Media Announces Crucial DDR3 RDIMM Memory Modules
Lexar Media, a subsidiary of Micron Technology, announced today the immediate availability of some new Crucial DDR3 RDIMM memory modules for servers. The DDR3-1066MHz and DDR3-1333MHz ECC (error detection and correction) RDIMMs are available now in 1GB and 2GB capacities at Crucial's official resellers worldwide. "We're committed to providing our customers with new memory solutions that address the ever-changing data center environment. Our new DDR3 RDIMM memory supports users as they transition to upcoming next-generation server platforms," said Jim Jardine, Lexar Media's senior DRAM product marketing manager. For qualified information, please visit this page here.
Gainward Releases Radeon HD 4850 Golden Sample Graphics Card
Gainward, announced it's own design graphics card of HD4850 chipset, the Gainward HD4850 graphics cards to the market. From performance point of view, the GAINWARD HD4850 Golden Sample brings a 700MHz core clock and 1100MHz memory clock, designed with higher efficiency heatpipe and special cover for better protection and air flow. Designed with 512MB, DDR3 memory and 256bit memory bandwidth, supports PCI-express 2.0 interface and 800 units of stream processors. Gainward HD4850 Golden Sample can completely run with the high resolution DX10.1 games in perfect smoothness and deliver the highest quality gaming experience, upscale the resolution to a 1920*1200 Full HD level and rest assured to still get smooth gaming experience on most of games.
For the mainstream segment, GAINWARD HD4850 normal version use 512MB DDR3 memory with 256bit memory bandwidth and supports PCI-express 2.0 with 625 MHz core clock, 1986MHz memory clock and 800 units of stream processors. Gainward HD4850 512MB comes with better performance fan sink design, it can deliver the most reliable & incredible gaming experience with lower temperature and noise.
For the mainstream segment, GAINWARD HD4850 normal version use 512MB DDR3 memory with 256bit memory bandwidth and supports PCI-express 2.0 with 625 MHz core clock, 1986MHz memory clock and 800 units of stream processors. Gainward HD4850 512MB comes with better performance fan sink design, it can deliver the most reliable & incredible gaming experience with lower temperature and noise.
Gainward Brings out the Dual-power Monster for Extreme HD Gaming
Gainward officially announced the highest segment products of ATI chipsets -Gainward HD 4870 X2 graphics card to the market.
Gainward HD 4870 X2 is the latest graphics solution equipped with two powerful RV770 GPUs which is designed to take advantage of the power that GDDR5 memory delivers. GDDR5 has twice the available memory bandwidth compared to GDDR3 and GDDR4; thanks to its quad data rate. The Gainward HD 4870 X2 comes with 2048MB of GDDR5 memory at an effective memory speed of 3,600MHz (900MHz quad data rate) connected to two RV770 graphics processors with each 256bits bus per GPU. The two graphics processors, which are clocked at a massive 750MHz, are combined to 800 stream processors for a big performance boost. It supports the latest ATI CrossFire X technology to smoothly fulfill HD gaming experience at highest details settings even with the most demanding games. The card supports a PCI Express 2.0 interface to ensure maximum bandwidth availability.
Gainward HD 4870 X2 is the latest graphics solution equipped with two powerful RV770 GPUs which is designed to take advantage of the power that GDDR5 memory delivers. GDDR5 has twice the available memory bandwidth compared to GDDR3 and GDDR4; thanks to its quad data rate. The Gainward HD 4870 X2 comes with 2048MB of GDDR5 memory at an effective memory speed of 3,600MHz (900MHz quad data rate) connected to two RV770 graphics processors with each 256bits bus per GPU. The two graphics processors, which are clocked at a massive 750MHz, are combined to 800 stream processors for a big performance boost. It supports the latest ATI CrossFire X technology to smoothly fulfill HD gaming experience at highest details settings even with the most demanding games. The card supports a PCI Express 2.0 interface to ensure maximum bandwidth availability.
First ULPC Notebook with Dual-Core AMD Processor Out
While Intel readies its dual-core Atom processor, a certain company called Raon Digital has already come up with a ULPC notebook (dubbed netbook) named EVERUN NOTE that uses a dual-core AMD Turion X2 processor that has low clock-speeds that reduce power consumption. The netbook comes with a 7" (1024 x 600 px) screen making it very compact, a 1.3 MP web-cam, 802.11b/g and Bluetooth connectivity and an electronic dictionary. It runs Windows XP, uses either a 12 GB SSD or 60 GB HDD storage. It tips the scales at a 742 g.
Wednesday, August 13th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Keyboards
Motherboards
Mouse
Networking
Storage
PowerColor HD 4870 PCS Faces a BIOS Glitch
When pictures of the PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 PCS (Professional Cooling System) first hit the internet, it caught the attention of many for having a very upscale hardware feature set. It comes with a 6-phase power circuit, it is based on the SuperRV770 design methodology, comes with a cooler made by ZeroTherm that looks promising. As expected the card comes with overclocked GPU and memory parameters.
Expreview decided to give one of these cards a go before they hit the markets. They spent a day extensively testing it and found a glitch with the BIOS with which the card's stability at those parameters is marred. The BIOS has a very low fan-speed limit (the maximum speed to which the fan can be adjusted by the user). This results in a very hot GPU and instability during prolonged operation. To give you an idea, the card was able to clear the 3DMark Vantage benchmark but simply gave up on them when running the FurMark benchmark, it failed to clear the tests. Nonetheless, this product gained a very positive opinion, hopefully with this glitch cleared by PowerColor, the card could prove to be promising.
Expreview decided to give one of these cards a go before they hit the markets. They spent a day extensively testing it and found a glitch with the BIOS with which the card's stability at those parameters is marred. The BIOS has a very low fan-speed limit (the maximum speed to which the fan can be adjusted by the user). This results in a very hot GPU and instability during prolonged operation. To give you an idea, the card was able to clear the 3DMark Vantage benchmark but simply gave up on them when running the FurMark benchmark, it failed to clear the tests. Nonetheless, this product gained a very positive opinion, hopefully with this glitch cleared by PowerColor, the card could prove to be promising.
Intel Unveils Extensible Host Controller Interface Draft Spec to Support USB 3.0
Intel Corporation today announced the availability of the Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) draft specification revision 0.9 in support of the USB 3.0 architecture, also known as SuperSpeed USB. The xHCI draft specification provides a standardized method for USB 3.0 host controllers to communicate with the USB 3.0 software stack.
Interoperability among devices from multiple manufacturers is important for consumer adoption of SuperSpeed USB products. The Intel xHCI draft specification revision 0.9 supports compatibility among various implementations of USB devices and will make it easier to develop software support for the industry.
Interoperability among devices from multiple manufacturers is important for consumer adoption of SuperSpeed USB products. The Intel xHCI draft specification revision 0.9 supports compatibility among various implementations of USB devices and will make it easier to develop software support for the industry.
EA and Crytek set Deployment date for Crysis Warhead
Electronic Arts Inc. and Crytek GmbH announced today that Crysis Warhead, the pulse-racing new installment of the Crysis universe, will ship to retail stores in North America on September 16th and in Europe on September 12th. Beginning today, gamers can pre-order Crysis Warhead at the EA Store here for only $24.95; $5 less than the full retail price, or receive $10 off when purchasing both Crysis Warhead and Crysis. Crysis Warhead recently recognized by IGN PC as being the Best First Person Shooter and showcasing the Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008.
"We think Crysis Warhead is going to offer a tremendous experience to a wide range of gamers," said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. "Fans of Crysis are going to enjoy more of the open-ended gameplay, cutting-edge visuals and huge, epic battles from the first game, while also finally finding out what kind of havoc Psycho was wreaking on the other side of the island.
"We think Crysis Warhead is going to offer a tremendous experience to a wide range of gamers," said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. "Fans of Crysis are going to enjoy more of the open-ended gameplay, cutting-edge visuals and huge, epic battles from the first game, while also finally finding out what kind of havoc Psycho was wreaking on the other side of the island.
Alienware Aurora Series now out with Radeon HD 4870 X2 Graphics Cards
Following the launch of the flagship graphics card from AMD, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 (codenamed R700 Spartan), Alienware has begun offering its Aurora series high-performance gaming desktops with this card. It lists as a US $550 upgrade over the base model that comes with the GeForce 9600 GT accelerator, buyers can customize their desktops with these cards. When configuring, buyers might incur costs such as $1100 for two cards in Crossfire X plus $350 for the required 1,200 Watt power supply that (Alienware finds) is required when configuring Aurora desktops with two cards.
The Radeon HD 4800 series micro-site can be reached here
The Radeon HD 4800 series micro-site can be reached here
Logitech Unveils Clip-and-Go V550 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks
Many people prefer a mouse to a touchpad but often leave the mouse behind when moving from room to room. Logitech is about to change all that with the introduction of the Logitech V550 Nano cordless laser mouse for notebooks, featuring the Clip-and-Go dock. The unobtrusive dock lets you conveniently clip the V550 mouse to your laptop - and go.
NVIDIA Reports Results for Q2 of Fiscal 2009 & Announces Increase to Stock Repurchase
NVIDIA Corporation today reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 ended July 27, 2008. For the second quarter of fiscal 2009, revenue decreased to $892.7 million compared to $935.3 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2008, a decrease of five percent. For the six months ended July 27, 2008, revenue increased to $2.05 billion compared to $1.78 billion for the six months ended July 29, 2007, an increase of 15 percent.
AMD Cuts the Prices of Three Phenom Processors
After Intel slashed the prices of several dual and quad core processors in the beginning of the week, today AMD informed it is tweaking the prices of three Phenom CPUs, too. First to receive price reduction is the 2.1GHz clocked triple core Phenom X3 8450, going down from $125 to $104. Second one is the 2.2GHz Phenom X4 9550 lowering down from $175 to $154. Third and final is the 2.6GHz X4 9850 Black Edition down from $205 to $194. All prices are for 1000-unit tray quantities.
Intel to Release New Chips, Cut Prices and More
Following the release of two variants of dual and quad core processors (CPU) this Monday last (covered here), A new set of CPUs are lined up for release by the end of this month. Here's a quick round-up of things to come according to industrial sources:
Product Additions
Product Additions
- A cost-effective Core 2 Quad, model Q8200 with 4 MB of total L2 cache, 2.33 GHz of clock speed, price of US$224 in thousand-unit tray quantities
- A value segment Pentium Dual Core E5200, 2.50 GHz priced at $84
- Another value segment 65nm Conroe-L-based Celeron 450 CPU at 2.20GHz and price-tag of $53
Swiftech Releases Apogee GTZ Processor Water Block
It's been awhile since something new and interesting was released on the watercooling front. But today watercooling king Swiftech is introducing Apogee GTZ, the company's new flagship water-block for processors. Apogee GTZ outperforms both its Apogee GT and Apogee GTX predecessors, thanks to an entirely new design that pushes and refines both thermal and mechanical specifications to the limits of today's technology. The new Apogee GTZ combines the benefits of direct coolant impingement over the CPU area with an entirely new CNC machined C110 copper base plate design which is primarily characterized by a pin matrix composed of 225 µm (0.009") micro structures. This results in a 20% improvement in thermal resistance compared to the Apogee GTX. In real world, a comparison chart shows that when used to cool an overclocked to 3500MHz C2Q6600 processor with 1.5V, Apogee GTZ beats Apogee GTX with 8'C. By default Apogee GTZ is compatible with LGA775 sockets only, but for $9.95 you can purchase optional hold-down plates for Socket 603/604, 771, Socket 754, 939, 940, F and Socket AM2. The Apogee GTZ water-block sells for $69.95. Find more info here.
AMD and Blizzard Entertainment Join Forces in Strategic Global Agreement
AMD today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Blizzard Entertainment that will allow AMD to bundle Blizzard's best games across all ATI Radeon graphics products, to deliver a superior gaming experience. As the exclusive graphics sponsor for BlizzCon 2008 in Anaheim, Oct. 10-11, AMD will treat gamers to the unparalleled graphics capabilities of the ATI Radeon HD 4800 series in all PCs for game play at BlizzCon.
Tuesday, August 12th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Mousepads
Networking
Processors
Storage
AMD Showcases Cinema 2.0, Photo-realism Closer to Developers' Reach
Part of a recent press-event held in New York, AMD showcased a new technology that makes rendering photo-realistic humans possible. It made game developers stand up and take note.
This technology called Cinema 2.0 makes producing photo-realistic human characters possible. It can be used in scenarios such as producing a full-on CGI movie or parts of it, where computers generate the actors' computer-animated replica that's the most photo-realistic in today's time. For example, the woman in the picture below is computer-animated. Believe it!
It works on this principle:
This technology called Cinema 2.0 makes producing photo-realistic human characters possible. It can be used in scenarios such as producing a full-on CGI movie or parts of it, where computers generate the actors' computer-animated replica that's the most photo-realistic in today's time. For example, the woman in the picture below is computer-animated. Believe it!
Dell Takes Business Laptops to New Latitudes
Inspired by close collaboration with nearly 4,000 IT professionals and end users, Dell today announced a completely new line of Latitude and Dell Precision laptops, ranging from the lightest ultra-portable in the company's history to the most powerful mobile workstation.
WD Announces VelociRaptor SATA HDDs With Backplane Compatibility
Western Digital has released a new model of its fastest performing "prehistoric" VelociRaptor hard drives. The new backplane version is specifically designed for 3.5-inch drive-based servers, PC and Mac computer enthusiasts and professional workstations that require the need for a backplane structure. "We designed the latest version of the WD VelociRaptor due to the increasing amount of systems that require a backplane mounting system. We have had overwhelming demand of our WD VelociRaptor as it provides enthusiasts with the computing speed and capacity they thirst for," said Tom McDorman, vice president and general manager of WD's enterprise solutions storage business unit. "The new WD VelociRaptor further demonstrates WD's commitment to the enthusiast and server market by delivering the greatest performance, compatibility, and reliability of all SATA hard drives currently on the market." Except the backplane mounting system, the updated VelociRaptors remain the same in specs which include: the 2,5-inch hard drive itself, 300GB of space, 10,000 rpm, SATA 3 Gb/s interface, 16MB cache and 1.4 million hours MTBF. WD VelociRaptor model WD3000HLFS and WD1500HLFS are available through select resellers and distributors. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD VelociRaptor 300GB and 150 GB are $319.00 and $229.00 respectively.
oZone3D.Net PhysX FluidMark v1.0.0 Benchmark Released
Now that the PhysX engine is a lot closer to every NVIDIA owner, new benchmarks designed to test these physics capabilities are unavoidable. First among many are the developers at oZone3D, releasing their first version of FluidMark, a physics benchmark based on NVIDIA's PhysX engine that measures the physics processing capabilities of CPUs, Ageia cards and OpenGL 2.0 compliant graphics card like NVIDIA GeForce 5/6/7/8/9/GTX200 (and higher), AMD/ATI Radeon 9600+, 1k/2k/3k/4k (and higher) or a S3 Graphics Chrome 400 series with the latest graphics drivers. This benchmark performs a fluid simulation by imitating the renderering of lava. Real physics parameters such as viscosity are used. SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) algorithm is enabled to increase the realism of the simulation. To test the FluidMark v1.0.0 please click here.
NVIDIA Intros New Quadro Fx Notebook Family of Graphics Cards
Demand for better graphics performance and programmability within the professional notebook market continues to increase as animators, designers and engineers work with larger 3D models, datasets and images. NVIDIA Corporation, the worldwide leader in visual computing technologies, continues to address the demand with the introduction of a new series of NVIDIA Quadro FX mobile GPUs, featuring an NVIDIA CUDA Parallel Computing Processor. Leading workstation manufacturers such as Dell, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP and Lenovo are now offering the new series of Quadro FX mobile GPUs across a wide range of professional notebook workstations.
OpenGL 3.0 Specs Released Today
The Khronos Group announced today it has released the OpenGL 3.0 specification with strong industry support to bring significant new functionality to the open, cross-platform standard for 3D graphics acceleration. OpenGL 3.0 includes GLSL 1.30, a new version of the OpenGL shading language, and provides comprehensive access to the functionality of the latest generations of programmable graphics hardware. The OpenGL working group has also defined a set of OpenGL 3.0 extensions that expose potential new functionality for the next version of OpenGL that is targeted for release in less than 12 months, and a set of extensions for OpenGL 2.1 to enable much of the new OpenGL functionality on older hardware.
Asetek First to Release Liquid Cooling For the Radeon HD 4870 X2
Asetek's industry-leading, LCLC liquid cooling solution is now available for AMD's much anticipated multi-GPU cards, the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 family of graphics cards (codenamed R700). The unique, liquid cooling approach is exactly what OEMs need to extract the highest performance from the graphics card and produce top-of-the-line gaming and entertainment products.
"Heat is an 'age-old' problem for computers. However, what once used to be a concern primarily for cutting-edge systems has now become an issue for everyone," says Gary Baum, Asetek's Senior VP of Marketing. "OEMs developing high-performance, low-noise systems require a safe thermal management solution that not only keeps their systems cool, but is easy to install, maintenance free, and most important, is virtually noise free,"
Baum continues: "The days of computers that sound like jet aircraft taking off are over. Our award-winning, LCLC provides worry-free, aggressive thermal management for advanced gaming and graphics-intensive applications-especially those using multiple GPUs like AMD's latest R700-based graphics cards."
"Heat is an 'age-old' problem for computers. However, what once used to be a concern primarily for cutting-edge systems has now become an issue for everyone," says Gary Baum, Asetek's Senior VP of Marketing. "OEMs developing high-performance, low-noise systems require a safe thermal management solution that not only keeps their systems cool, but is easy to install, maintenance free, and most important, is virtually noise free,"
Baum continues: "The days of computers that sound like jet aircraft taking off are over. Our award-winning, LCLC provides worry-free, aggressive thermal management for advanced gaming and graphics-intensive applications-especially those using multiple GPUs like AMD's latest R700-based graphics cards."
NVIDIA Releases 177.83 Forceware, Offers Powerpacks
Strategically timed, NVIDIA released a new Forceware driver package, version 177.83 Forceware. This package weighing nearly 120 MB packs the PhysX API runtime, and brings about a host of changes. With this release, NVIDIA devised what is known as a "Powerpack" approach to deliver software and promote sales of its products. NVIDIA is giving away several goodies for free that are exclusive to users of the GeForce accelerators, most of them being exclusive demos of games such as Nurein, Metal Knight Zero. Warmonger, the full game is given away as a free download. Other parts of this pack includes the GeForce Folding @ Home client, a 30-day fully functional trial of the Badaboom Video Transcoding software and Unreal Tournament 3 PhysX mod. Two technology demos are also included. Users can customise on what should download, in essence make their own Powerpacks from what's available, following which depending on the web-browser used, the page launches an ActiveX or Java based download manager to deliver the software.
The NVIDIA Powerpack web page can be reached here.
The NVIDIA Powerpack web page can be reached here.
GELID Launches Green UV WING Case Fans for Gamers and Modders
GELID, a fan manufacturer that I knew nothing about till yesterday, has launched the WING series - their first series of premium case fans in green color. A quick look at the specs of these fans immediately reveals that they are pretty good actually. Available in 8, 9 and 12cm sizes for gamers and modders, the WING series spin on an unique Nanoflux bearing motor which is not only water and dustproof, but also allows the impeller to be removed for cleaning. The fan blades are also designed to achieve larger airflow, greater static pressure and are UV reactive. A voltage regulator is also supplied with every fan, allowing the user to adjust the fan speed between 5-12 Volts as desired. All fans are backed by a 5 year warranty (MTTF 100'000 hours) and cost $12.50 for the WING 8 model, $13.50 for the WING 9 model and $16.40 for the WING 12 fan. Full specs of all three fans are listed below.
Elpida Develops World's First 2.5Gbps DDR3 SDRAM
Elpida Memory today announced that it had developed the world's first 2.5Gbps (bit per second) 1-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM. The new memory device has an optimized design based on a copper interconnect process and new circuit technology that not only enables faster speeds but also an ultra-low voltage operation of 1.2V while conforming to DDR3 specifications.
Details on the Ibex Peak Platform Emerge, 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16 @ x16
Ibex Peak is the name of the system core logic platform that runs the LGA 1160 socket processors that are expected to release later next year. It is peculiar as to being a single-chip design, where the northbridge (NB) + southbridge (SB) design that Intel has been having for all these years paves way for a single chip that handles both their functions. This level of integration is possible with a huge chunk of machinery for the memory controller being transferred to the CPU, with the chipset left to perform all functions of the ICH and also hold a PCI-Express switch. This design methodology has been adopted by NVIDIA almost five years ago with some of the nForce chipsets for the AMD platform coming in single chip designs for the very same reason. Only in cases where large PCI-E switches were used, the chipset was split up into SPP and MCP (NB and SB), such as the nForce 590 SLI, with the SPP and MCP holding smaller PCI-E switches each to total the x16, x16 lane count.
Back to 2008 and Ibex Peak, apart from the Calpella mobile platform where mobile variants of these chips are used, three new desktop/enterprise platforms emerge:
Back to 2008 and Ibex Peak, apart from the Calpella mobile platform where mobile variants of these chips are used, three new desktop/enterprise platforms emerge:
AMD Launches Radeon HD 4870 X2, Radeon HD 4850 X2 Announced at a $400 Price-point
AMD today announced the world's fastest graphics card, the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, advancing visual computing ever closer to eye-definition computing gaming and cinematic experiences and delivering a whopping 2.4 teraFLOPS of processing power. Also announced today is the ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2 graphics card, delivering blistering performance at a compelling price point.
These cards comprise the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series, combining two ATI Radeon HD 4800 series GPUs with a more advanced cross-GPU connection based on the PCIe 2.0 standard, plus two gigabytes of memory - the most in any currently available consumer graphics card. These technologies combine to make the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series perfectly suited for the most demanding games, able to deliver astonishing frame rates at extreme resolutions and image quality settings.
The capabilities of the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series were on display yesterday in New York City, where leading experts from the game development community and Hollywood joined AMD to discuss and demonstrate eye-definition computing computing. Eye-definition computing is the art and science of achieving visual computing experiences that seem optically real. The tremendous computational 2.4 teraFLOPS horsepower of the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series makes computing experiences that approach eye-definition computing possible. The first application of eye-definition computing computing, demonstrated by AMD in New York yesterday, is Cinema 2.0, the fusion of digital people, places and things, rendered with real-time interactivity. Cinema 2.0 shows the power to digitally create interactive environments and characters that seem optically real in either a video game or digital cinema context. With the help of leading content creators, AMD demonstrated the first "virtual" actor to be rendered in real-time in perfect, lifelike detail, via the incredible processing power found in the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series.
These cards comprise the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series, combining two ATI Radeon HD 4800 series GPUs with a more advanced cross-GPU connection based on the PCIe 2.0 standard, plus two gigabytes of memory - the most in any currently available consumer graphics card. These technologies combine to make the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series perfectly suited for the most demanding games, able to deliver astonishing frame rates at extreme resolutions and image quality settings.
The capabilities of the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series were on display yesterday in New York City, where leading experts from the game development community and Hollywood joined AMD to discuss and demonstrate eye-definition computing computing. Eye-definition computing is the art and science of achieving visual computing experiences that seem optically real. The tremendous computational 2.4 teraFLOPS horsepower of the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series makes computing experiences that approach eye-definition computing possible. The first application of eye-definition computing computing, demonstrated by AMD in New York yesterday, is Cinema 2.0, the fusion of digital people, places and things, rendered with real-time interactivity. Cinema 2.0 shows the power to digitally create interactive environments and characters that seem optically real in either a video game or digital cinema context. With the help of leading content creators, AMD demonstrated the first "virtual" actor to be rendered in real-time in perfect, lifelike detail, via the incredible processing power found in the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series.
Monday, August 11th 2008
Today's Reviews
Chipsets
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Memory
Motherboards
Sapphire HD 4870 X2 2048 MB Review
Today AMD released their new HD 4870 X2 graphics cards. They are based on two RV770 GPUs on one PCB. With a total of 1600 shaders and 2 GB GDDR5 memory the card has excellent chances to achieve the goal "fastest graphics card in the world".
Evaluation of the 45nm AMD Deneb Reveals an Efficient Processor in the Making
Chinese website Hardspell conducted a comprehensive pre-release evaluation of the upcoming Deneb 45nm Quad-core processor by AMD. The Deneb core incorporates thrice the amount of L3 Cache (that's 6 MB), and uses the same SIMD sets as its 65nm counterparts.
Here's a shocker: While the Phenom X4 9650 (65nm, 2.30 GHz, B3) consumes 104.1 W at load (peak), the 45nm Deneb (45nm, 2.30 GHz) peaks at an astonishing 57.3 W according to Hardspell's findings, go to see, the Deneb has an added load of transistors due to a 300% increase in the L3 Cache size. Let's bring in some numbers and figures.
Here's a shocker: While the Phenom X4 9650 (65nm, 2.30 GHz, B3) consumes 104.1 W at load (peak), the 45nm Deneb (45nm, 2.30 GHz) peaks at an astonishing 57.3 W according to Hardspell's findings, go to see, the Deneb has an added load of transistors due to a 300% increase in the L3 Cache size. Let's bring in some numbers and figures.
VIA Quits Motherboard Chipset Business
In a rather surprising for me move VIA, the company that has always been third in the motherboard and processor battle for supremacy, announced today it's stepping down from the motherboard business. Production of future chipsets for third party AMD and Intel processors will be halted. Instead, VIA will migrate in the x86 processor business and the integrated motherboard market. Speaking to Custom PC, VIA's vice president of corporate marketing in Taiwan, Richard Brown, explained that "One of the main reasons we originally moved into the x86 processor business was because we believed that ultimately the third party chipset market would disappear, and we would need to have the capability to provide a complete platform." That time has come and moving to the x86 processor business is the right decision to make. Most of the chipset business is now handled by Intel and NVIDIA. ATI and AMD also have complete solutions to offer. VIA's departure from the motherboard business won't make a big gap in the market. Chipsets from the above named companies will quickly share the left piece of the cake in between each other.
MSI Launches a Fleet of AMD 790 GX Motherboards, Sideport Meets DDR3
Micro-Star International (MSI), the world's third-largest mainboard manufacturer, will officially promote its latest high C/P value mainboard series - DKA790GX. The mainboard series utilizes AMD's latest 790GX/SB750 chipsets which provides full HD, best-in-class 3D graphics performance, enhanced scalability, and "Rock-Solid Stability" for mainstream gaming, multimedia and commercial PC systems.
MSI DKA790GX series mainboard based on AMD 790GX and SB750 chipset. This solution brings the new technology "Advanced Clock Calibration" for extreme user. In the BIOS or AMD Overdrive software of DKA790GX, user can enable ACC option to improve communication with Black Edtion Phenom CPU, removing a previous bottleneck and improving the maximum overclocking. In addition, the DKA790GX series mainboard comes with several unique technologies, including Flat Circu-Pipe for cooling solution, 5 phases PWM with DrMOS support for 140W CPU and high performance IGP overclocking. The 790GX mainboard series offers 3 models: DKA790GX Platinum, DKA790GX and KA790GX. All these mainboards are designed to meet the needs of avid gamers and high-end multimedia applications.
MSI DKA790GX series mainboard based on AMD 790GX and SB750 chipset. This solution brings the new technology "Advanced Clock Calibration" for extreme user. In the BIOS or AMD Overdrive software of DKA790GX, user can enable ACC option to improve communication with Black Edtion Phenom CPU, removing a previous bottleneck and improving the maximum overclocking. In addition, the DKA790GX series mainboard comes with several unique technologies, including Flat Circu-Pipe for cooling solution, 5 phases PWM with DrMOS support for 140W CPU and high performance IGP overclocking. The 790GX mainboard series offers 3 models: DKA790GX Platinum, DKA790GX and KA790GX. All these mainboards are designed to meet the needs of avid gamers and high-end multimedia applications.
NZXT Unleashes Avatar High Performance Gaming Mouse
NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the Avatar high performance gaming mouse. As with all of NZXT's PC accessories, Avatar is designed to provide gamers with the ultimate crafted gaming armor to emerge victorious in the gaming arena of choice. Avatar provides extreme enhancements to gameplay with the following breakthrough features…
(Editors note: Check out our review of the mouse.)
(Editors note: Check out our review of the mouse.)
First PowerColor HD 4870 X2 Images Appear
Another HD 4870 X2 picture leak comes from an anonymous E-Mail in my inbox. The pictures show how the PowerColor HD 4870 X2 will look like.
Toshiba Launches the Largest Density Embedded NAND Flash Memory Devices
Toshiba Corporation today announced the launch of 32GB embedded NAND flash memory modules that offer the largest density yet announced plus full compliance with the e-MMC(1) and eSD(2) standards. The embedded devices are designed for application in mobile digital consumer products, including mobile phones and video cameras. Samples will be available in September 2008, and mass production will start in the fourth quarter.
MSI Tempts with Product Images of their R700 Product
The good souls at GPU Café provided product images of the Radeon HD 4870 X2 offering from MSI, placed under the product name MSI R4870X2. Being a standard reference design, it is identical to R700 products from any of ATI's partners (AIBs). MSI went a step ahead by providing product images of a suspended-dismantle image of the card showing two identical copper heatsinks over the GPUs with the black base heatsink assembly and the rear heatspreader assembly. Another image shows two cards seated on a motherboard ganged by a Crossfire interconnect bridge.
Intel Updates Core 2 Quad Q9550 to E-0 Stepping
We continue our Monday news list with another Intel story that brings to our attention information concerning the company and more specificly its 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad Q9550 chips that will move from the current C-1 to the newer E-0 stepping. The updated chips will start selling on August 22nd, featuring the following changes:
Product Change Notification 108663 - 00
- New SSpec and MM numbers for the converting products
- CPUID will change from 0x10677 to 0x1067A
- Package change to Halide free package
Product Change Notification 108663 - 00
B replaces Q, Intel Prepares New Business Standard Desktop Chipset
Intel plans to put forth a new set of value/business segment desktop core-logic (chipset), the B33. This comes as a nomenclature change for the Q series chipsets (predecessors being Q33 and Q35), aimed at cost-effective business stable desktop platforms for the Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) segment, primarily OEMs get to built motherboard solutions that go into making branded business PCs. The successor would be named B43. Highlights include several security and management features, integrated graphics processor that is Microsoft DirectX 10 compliant called the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500, boards could feature dual outputs via DisplayPort, other output standards such as DVI are in the stash as well. The MCH supports DDR2 800 MHz or DDR3 1066 MHz memory, it will be accompanied by a "business-stable" ICH10D southbridge.
Intel Prices Q9550 at $316, Intros Four New 45nm Processors
Following the official name scheme confirmation of the Nehalem processors, Intel today also slashed the price of its Core 2 Quad Q9550 (2.83 GHz) CPU by a massive 40% from $530 to $316 in 1000-unit tray quantities. In addition Intel introduced today four new CPUs, confirming the Sunday information posted on our site here:
- Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 2.66GHz 3MB L2 cache - $133
- Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33GHz 6MB L2 cache - $266
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 (45nm) 2.66GHz 1333MHz FSB 6MB L2 cache - $266
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 (45nm) 3.0GHz 12MB L2 cache - $576
ECS Launches A790GXM-A Black Series AMD 790GX Motherboard
Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the world's leading motherboard, barebone system, and notebook manufacturer, is pleased to deliver innovations to high-performance PC systems with the release of the A790GXM-A motherboard. Presenting a highly-scalable Socket AM2+ supporting AMD Phenomx4, Phenomx3, Athlon x2, Athlon 64 and Sempron CPUs as well as AMD's new AM2+ Energy Efficient microprocessors, massive 16 GB dual-channel DDR2 1066 memory support, integrated ATI Radeon HD 3300 graphics engine, ATI Hybrid Graphics technology and ATI CrossFire X support, and 8-channel HD audio and expansive connectivity,the A790GXM-A motherboard is an ideal platform to run the graphics-driven applications to deliver the ultimate computing experience.
ECS A790GXM-A is based on AMD 790GX and SB750 chipsets, supporting AMD's latest socket AM2+ processors. The A790GXM-A motherboard is equipped with solid capacitors and 5 phase power design which is capable to support 140W processors and will provide better durability, stability, and lower working temperature. As a member of ECS Black Series motherboards, the A790GXM-A motherboard features the exclusive ECS M.I.B. (Motherboard Intelligent BIOS) overclocking utility for performance users to get extra benefit. The utility integrates all the overclocking options into a single page providing the most convenient way to adjust the clock/ voltage settings of CPU and memory.
ECS A790GXM-A is based on AMD 790GX and SB750 chipsets, supporting AMD's latest socket AM2+ processors. The A790GXM-A motherboard is equipped with solid capacitors and 5 phase power design which is capable to support 140W processors and will provide better durability, stability, and lower working temperature. As a member of ECS Black Series motherboards, the A790GXM-A motherboard features the exclusive ECS M.I.B. (Motherboard Intelligent BIOS) overclocking utility for performance users to get extra benefit. The utility integrates all the overclocking options into a single page providing the most convenient way to adjust the clock/ voltage settings of CPU and memory.
Intel's Next-Generation Nehalem PC Chips to Carry the Intel Core Name
Intel Corporation announced today that desktop processors based on the company's upcoming new microarchitecture (codenamed "Nehalem") will be formally branded "Intel Core processor." The first products in this new family of processors, including an "Extreme Edition" version, will carry an "i7" identifier and will be formally branded as "Intel Core i7 processor." This is the first of several new identifiers to come as different products launch over the next year.
Sunday, August 10th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
R700 Initial Listings Reveal Low Price
The Radeon HD 4870 X2 (R700), the flagship graphics card by AMD is observed to have a lower than expected price-point that seems to justify its performance lead (through pre-release performance evaluations). Going by several reports in the past few months, the R700 was expected to have a US $549.99 launch price, at a time when the competitor NVIDIA was pricing their flagship product in that range. In the period between then and now, the price of the GeForce GTX 280 plummeted from $649.99 to $449.99 while still regarding $499.99 as the company standard price, with some stores and partners in the US selling for as low as $429.99, a huge lop of its original price.
NordicHardware studied several European stores that began listing the R700 for as low as 395 €, with the North American markets keeping their shelf prices set at around the $500 mark. With these price points set as standards, there's bound to be flexibility in pricing, coupled with the launch driver which AMD claims to have fixed several issues in both feature and performance aspects, the product is expected to deliver a level of performance that justifies its price while still remaining 'competitive' per say, and not commanding a high price merely because it holds the performance crown, again going by pre-release performance evaluations.
NordicHardware studied several European stores that began listing the R700 for as low as 395 €, with the North American markets keeping their shelf prices set at around the $500 mark. With these price points set as standards, there's bound to be flexibility in pricing, coupled with the launch driver which AMD claims to have fixed several issues in both feature and performance aspects, the product is expected to deliver a level of performance that justifies its price while still remaining 'competitive' per say, and not commanding a high price merely because it holds the performance crown, again going by pre-release performance evaluations.
Inno3D Innovates GeForce 9800GT with Pre-fitted Arctic Cooling and ZeroTherm Coolers
Inno3D has come up with two models of the GeForce 9800 GT graphics cards with factory-fitted coolers made by Arctic Cooling and ZeroTherm. These products branded under the iChill banner use the ZeroTherm Hurricane and Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo coolers and are accordingly named Hurricane and Twin Turbo.
Both cards use identical specifications, a 700 MHz core clock with 1500 MHz shader and 2000 MHz memory clock speeds. Inno3D claims these coolers allow high-performance settings and can maintain silent operation of as low as 0.6 sone. The cards have pre-applied Arctic Cooling MX-2 thermal interface compound.
Both cards use identical specifications, a 700 MHz core clock with 1500 MHz shader and 2000 MHz memory clock speeds. Inno3D claims these coolers allow high-performance settings and can maintain silent operation of as low as 0.6 sone. The cards have pre-applied Arctic Cooling MX-2 thermal interface compound.
Intel to Release New Chips this Monday the 11th
Intel will release four mid-thru-high range desktop processors tomorrow. These CPUs will be based on the 45nm Yorkfield and Wolfdale cores. Two new Core 2 Quad models, the performance segment Q9650 and the mainstream segment Q9400 are dressed up. The Q9650 has identical parameters to the Core 2 Extreme QX9650 barring the locked FSB multiplier of 9x. The Q9400 is an improvement over the current Q9300. It has a 2.66 GHz core clock speed with a total of 6 MB L2 cache and an FSB multiplier of 8x.
With the Core 2 Duo, there is a top of the line dual core chip, the E8600 which comes with 3.33 GHz core speed, 6 MB of L2 cache and an FSB multiplier of 10x. There's also a mid-range offering, the E7300 that comes with 2.66 GHz core speed, 1066 MHz FSB and an FSB multiplier of 10x. It has 3 MB of L2 cache.
With the Core 2 Duo, there is a top of the line dual core chip, the E8600 which comes with 3.33 GHz core speed, 6 MB of L2 cache and an FSB multiplier of 10x. There's also a mid-range offering, the E7300 that comes with 2.66 GHz core speed, 1066 MHz FSB and an FSB multiplier of 10x. It has 3 MB of L2 cache.
Saturday, August 9th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Keyboards
Motherboards
Mouse
Multimedia
Networking
Processors
Storage
Akasa Omega Review
Akasa has taken the Mirage-62 case and has updated it using thick aluminum panels, adding air vents which also can be used for water cooling units and a stylish new front door. The mid-tower case features loads of space and some clever design choices to make it big enough for even the largest power supplies and longest graphics cards.
First Product Images of the Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 Emerge
The first product images of the Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 have been posted at Pro-Clockers. This card is based on the reference ATi design and features a total of 2 GB GDDR5 memory. GPU Café reports online stores to have started listing this product (such as this one) within a 5% price-range of the GeForce GTX 280, pre-release reviews already point to high performance gains over the GeForce GTX 280. The product formally launches this Tuesday.
ATI M98: The Fastest Mobile Graphics Processor in the Making
PCPop has access to an upcoming mobile (notebook) graphics processor (mGPU) from ATI, codenamed the M98. This graphics board makes use of the RV770 core and will be accompanied by 512 MB of GDDR3 memory, up to 1 GB in some models. It could be branded under the Radeon HD 4000 series. It can be dubbed the fastest till date if it's pitted against NVIDIA's current high performance mGPU, the GeForce 9800M GTX which makes use of the G92 GPU with a similar configuration to that of the desktop 8800 GT / 9800 GT cards (112 shader units). It then becomes comparable to GeForce 8800 GT versus Radeon HD4850 where the latter obtains 15% to 20% performance gains.
Pictures show the M98 Axiom Package featuring the the RV770 GPU next to four GDDR3 memory chips made by Qimonda. The GPU is marked "M98 XT", it is an engineering sample.
Pictures show the M98 Axiom Package featuring the the RV770 GPU next to four GDDR3 memory chips made by Qimonda. The GPU is marked "M98 XT", it is an engineering sample.
R700 Crossfire X Scaling Efficiency up to 104 %
Chinese hardware website ChipHell put up preliminary comparisons between the Radeon HD 4870 X2 and a Crossfire X setup using two of these cards to compare the scaling efficiency of these cards when paired in a Crossfire X setup. Readings were put up on a chart. The cards seem to scale up to 104% and in several tests the performance scaling stayed above 50%. The average performance increment a pair of these cards has over a single card is noted to be 66%, on launch drivers. It is general belief that entry-level and mid-range cards scale more efficiently than high-end cards. Scaling efficiency for these cards are high even with settings such as 4x AA, 8x AF enabled. The HD 4870 X2 is expected to be formally launched this Tuesday the 12th.
ASUS Makes 3-way SLI on GeForce 9800 GT a Reality
Although it was speculated by many that 3-way SLI would be a standard feature with the GeForce 9800 GT graphics cards, reference designs of the card were just a little more than an improvement over the 'previous generation' 8800 GT. 3-way SLI didn't turn out to be a feature standard to all 9800 GT cards, at least not the reference NVIDIA designs. ASUS took up the initiative and prepared the ASUS EN9800GT HybridPower. This non-reference design supports 3-way SLI multi-GPU technology, uses 4-phase VRM circuitry, and the signature ASUS Glaciator GPU fansink. It uses 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. There's no word on the card's parameters or pricing yet.
Sapphire Non-Reference RV770 PCB Pictured
The success of the RV770 graphics processor (GPU) meant that partners of ATI could experiment with the design and come up with several products based on the GPU. The likes of Sapphire, HIS, PowerCOlor, Palit, HIS, etc., have already come up with numerrous non-reference designs, though all those designs had a common ATI designed PCB, with a primary PCB design with common layout of the various components, where the memory configurations and coolers used made all the difference. Sapphire has come up with a new non-reference PCB design for the Radeon HD 4850 that places components in a different way, perhaps it aides manufacturing and keeps the memory chips at a distance from the VRM circuitry enough to keep it cool enough to be passively cooled by a central cooler's air-flow? Whatever be the design methodology, Expreview pictured an upcoming Sapphire product based on this new PCB.
Micron Technology Announces Superfast SSDs, 250 MB/s Sustained!
Considered by many as the memory perfectionists, Micron Technology, that's working closely with Intel these days in the field of solid state storage, NAND flash technologies, etc., has devised a drive series it calls RealSSD, the series is branched into consumer and enterprise segments, the P200 series are the enterprise offerings which are manufactured in a way that allows high uptime and MTBF to for mission-critical storage environments. The P200 uses Single-Level Cell (SLC) NAND technology while RealSSD C200 series aimed at the consumer segment uses the much cheaper Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND technology.
What makes the RealSSD stand out is that the drives offer sequential read and write speed of a whopping 250MB/s, something that takes 4 ~ 6 member RAID 0 arrays using conventional drives to achieve. The C200 series are available in the 1.8" and 2.5" form-factors, the 1.8" drives come in capacities between 32GB and 128 GB while the larger drives offer capacities up to 256 GB. The drives use the 3 GB/s SATA II interface and the MLC-based C200 parts offer respectable write speeds of around 100 MB/s which is still high for its segment, with read speeds of around 250 MB/s. These drives are expected to arrive in Q4, 2008 under the Lexar brand.
What makes the RealSSD stand out is that the drives offer sequential read and write speed of a whopping 250MB/s, something that takes 4 ~ 6 member RAID 0 arrays using conventional drives to achieve. The C200 series are available in the 1.8" and 2.5" form-factors, the 1.8" drives come in capacities between 32GB and 128 GB while the larger drives offer capacities up to 256 GB. The drives use the 3 GB/s SATA II interface and the MLC-based C200 parts offer respectable write speeds of around 100 MB/s which is still high for its segment, with read speeds of around 250 MB/s. These drives are expected to arrive in Q4, 2008 under the Lexar brand.
E8600 Overclock Record Broken, 6.70 GHz a Reality
Andre Yang, a civil engineer doing his PhD. in the US obtained a high-performing Core 2 Duo E8600 processor, he succeeded in overclocking this chip to a stellar 6.70 GHz clock-speed (FSB 672.16 x 10.0). The processor uses liquid-nitrogen (LN2) cooling and surprisingly this processor was overclocked on a motherboard with the Intel X48 chipset, the ASUS Rampage Extreme when previous record-holders across several recent processors made use of either the Intel P35 or P45-based motherboards. The validation page for this overclock can be reached here
Pictures of the RV730 Emerge
Pictures of an engineering sample of the RV730 based reference design card that will be branded as the Radeon HD 4760 have come to surface, the pictures show this low-mid range offering from ATI, the sample features 512 MB of GDDR3 memory at 900 MHz that shares a 128-bit wide memory bus to churn out a bandwidth of 28.8 GB/s. The card is Crossfire X capable.
Galaxy Prepares Low-Profile 55nm GeForce 9600 GT Video-card
Low-profile add-on cards are a boon for builders of PCs with slim form-factor, the kind which takes form of home-theater PC (HTPC) and slim business PCs. Targeting the HTPC consumer segment, Galaxy prepares a low-profile graphics card featuring the 55nm G94 graphics processor (GPU), the new GeForce 9600 GT.
From the picture it can be seen that the card comes with two connectors, the S-Video/composite and HDMI. There could be a HDMI-DVI dongle included for standard output, a digital audio input offers audio pass over HDMI for a single connection to the display making the card HDCP compliant. The GPU uses 650MHz/1625MHz/900MHz(Core/Shader/Memory) parameters. It features 512 MB memory, and a surprising 8-layer PCB to minimise electronic noise in dense environments such as compact HTPC chassis. It features an all solid-state capacitor design.
From the picture it can be seen that the card comes with two connectors, the S-Video/composite and HDMI. There could be a HDMI-DVI dongle included for standard output, a digital audio input offers audio pass over HDMI for a single connection to the display making the card HDCP compliant. The GPU uses 650MHz/1625MHz/900MHz(Core/Shader/Memory) parameters. It features 512 MB memory, and a surprising 8-layer PCB to minimise electronic noise in dense environments such as compact HTPC chassis. It features an all solid-state capacitor design.
Friday, August 8th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse Review
The NZXT Avatar is the first input device from the famous case and power supply manufacturer. It offers up to 2600 DPI, clean symmetric looks and a driver software that can rival what Razer and Logitech offer.
Ubisoft's Far Cry 2 System Requirements Published
Publisher Ubisoft issued today the minimum and recommended system requirements for the PC edition of Ubisoft Montreal's open-world first person shooter Far Cry 2. The successor of the original Far Cry game is also due to be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this fall. "It has always been our intention to make Far Cry 2 as accessible to everyone as possible, and we have worked continuously to optimize Far Cry 2 to achieve this goal," said lead technical director Dominic Guay. The full specs follow below.
BenQ Launches 18.5-inch 16:9 720p LCD Monitors
Monitor manufacturer BenQ marked the end of this week with two new 16:9 aspect ratio PC monitors. BenQ's E900HD/HDA and G900HD/HDA both utilize 18.5-inch panel that boasts 1366x768 16:9 wide resolution, exactly the same as the one used in modern 720p-capable HDTVs. These monitors are better-suited for watching HD content, because they remove the black bars you see on other non 16:9 monitors when watching high definition video files. BenQ reports that both monitors have 2-lamp backlight design, 5ms response time, a 300-nit brightness, 10,000:1 DCR (dynamic contrast ratio) and 170/160 (L/R;U/D) viewing angles. BenQ's exclusive Senseye+Photo Image Technology which delivers five pre-set modes for your everyday needs is also incorporated in both models. Also BenQ G900HD adds stereo speakers and a headphone jack in the mix. Finally both monitors allow DVI (with HDCP) and VGA connections.
ASUS Puts New Twist on PC Gaming with a Wee Like Eee Stick Wireless Controller
ASUS, a leading company in the new digital era that revolutionized personal computing with the Eee PC, today unveiled another world's first - the Eee Stick, an easy-to-use yet highly versatile Plug and Play wireless controller for the PC platform that translates users' physical hand motions into corresponding movements onscreen.
Nehalem Gets Named as the Core i7 Processor
According to the guys over at Expreview, Intel is naming its new Nehalem range of processors "Core i7".
There will be 3 Bloomfield to enter PC market later this year, and the 999USD top-of-the-line Bloomfield is the only Core i7 Extreme Edition processor current revealed.
All i7 processors and i7 Extreme Edition processor will be officially announced in Aug 11st, launch date set to Q4 this year.
Thursday, August 7th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mousepads
Processors
Sound Cards
Thecus N5200PRO NAS Review
Thecus' N5200 PRO NAS device holds up to five drives internally in any RAID configuration desired for maximum safety. With plenty of features and a modular design, when it comes to both hardware and software, it fits anyone's needs. As the N5200 PRO uses a fast 1.5 GHz CPU it has serious potential to stomp the competition.
NVIDIA Licenses Technologies from Transmeta Corporation
NVIDIA has achieved an agreement with Transmeta Corporation today, to license Transmeta's LongRun and LongRun2 technologies and other intellectual property for use in connection with NVIDIA products. The agreement grants to NVIDIA a non-exclusive and fully paid-up license to all of Transmeta's patents and patent applications, and a non-exclusive license and transfer of certain Transmeta advanced power management and other computing technologies. Under the agreement, NVIDIA agrees to pay Transmeta a one-time, non-refundable license fee of $25.0 million. The agreement also includes mutual general releases of all claims by both parties. "We are very pleased to have achieved this license agreement with NVIDIA," said Les Crudele, president and CEO of Transmeta. "We believe that this agreement both illustrates the value of Transmeta's intellectual property and technologies to our industry and realizes for Transmeta stockholders an immediate return from the strategic licensure of our intellectual property rights."
AMD Launches ATI FirePro V5700 and ATI FirePro V3700 Professional Video Cards
AMD today raised the bar for Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Digital Content Creation (DCC) application performance with the announcement of two new professional graphics accelerators - ATI FirePro V5700 and ATI FirePro V3700. As a part of that announcement, AMD also introduced a new brand for the company's professional graphics accelerators, ATI FirePro, reflecting AMD's continuing and evolving commitment to the professional graphics market.
Chieftec Introduces Hi-Fi Series of HTPC Cases
3 new models are going to extend CHIEFTEC's HTPC spectrum and add more variety and selection in order to meet the ascending demand for multimedia-based applications. "You name IT - CHIEFTEC got IT!"
CHIETEC's Hi-Fi series have clearly more to offer than the conventional HTPC chassis. 3 different stack types in combination with brushed and anodized aluminum in black or silver are provided in an exquisite packaging. Operating Timelessly and luxuriously with its already equipped components like a complete hi-fi system.
CHIETEC's Hi-Fi series have clearly more to offer than the conventional HTPC chassis. 3 different stack types in combination with brushed and anodized aluminum in black or silver are provided in an exquisite packaging. Operating Timelessly and luxuriously with its already equipped components like a complete hi-fi system.
OCZ Technology Introduces P45 Special 8GB & 16GB Kits for high performance PCs
Addressing the never ending need for greater amounts of system memory, OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced all new "P45 Special" 4GB modules, a module density optimized specifically for Intel 's latest chipset. Available in 8GB dual channel kits and a special 16GB "quad kit," this new line of modules support the latest memory-hungry applications and games, offering superior performance gains. As an industry first, OCZ brings memory densities to the desktop segment that were reserved previously for high-end server configurations, offering a unique range of high-density kits to suit the varying requirements and budgets of everyday consumers.
Europe Gets GTX200 Rebates From BFG of up to $120
BFG has announced that it will be offering its rebate program to Europe for the NVIDIA GTX 260 and GTX 280 graphics cards following price cuts last month (which we covered here ).
To qualify for this rebate program the qualifying products needed to have been purchased between June 16th and July 16th, 2008 and registered within 30 days of purchase.
Closing date is August 20th 2008.
To qualify for this rebate program the qualifying products needed to have been purchased between June 16th and July 16th, 2008 and registered within 30 days of purchase.
Closing date is August 20th 2008.
Wednesday, August 6th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Mousepads
Multimedia
Storage
Lexar 8 GB Class 2 SDHC Review
Lexar's new entry level 8 GB SDHC card is quite unique. It is both reasonably priced and offers really good performance for a "Class 2" card. Actually the card surpasses the Class 2 requirements in our testing. At around $50 quite a nice achievement.
Maximum PC Builds First Nehalem System
This is for all of you, who are impatiently waiting for that new CPU, the X58 boards with that new socket and that triple channel DDR3 support. Maximum PC has managed to get their hands on everything needed to build one of these systems. They give single, dual and triple channel memory setups a try as well. To top things off, they have even taken a few images. One image from Maximum PC can be seen below, but make sure to take a look at all the other ones on their site.
Elpida and Suzhou Form New DRAM Manufacturing Joint Venture in China
Japan's Elpida Memory and China's Suzhou Venture Group (SVG) today announced that they have agreed to establish a joint venture company by the end of 2008 to produce DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) chips in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province, China. The companies intend to build a 300mm wafer fabrication facility (fab) in Suzhou Industrial Park to meet growing DRAM demand in the Chinese market.
Numonyx and Hynix Partnership to Introduce New, Innovative NAND Flash Products
Hynix Semiconductor and Numonyx B.V. today announced a five-year agreement to expand its joint development programs for the fast-growing NAND flash memory segment. The companies will broaden NAND product lines and bring future product and technology innovations designed to address challenges facing NAND technology over the next five years.
Intel Plans to Launch its Next Gen Calpella Notebook Platform in 3Q09
DigiTimes published today information on what's believed to be Intel's next generation notebook platform Calpella.
Intel's next-generation notebook platform (Calpella) is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2009. As with other Nehalem generation products, Capella will abandon the current northbridge and southbridge chipset arrangement and transfer many typical northbridge components to the CPU package. A single integrated chipset codenamed Ibex Peak-M will coordinate other features on the motherboard, according to sources at notebook makers. Ibex Peak-M will support Intel's next-generation notebook CPUs (Clarksfield and Auburndale), both of which include an on-die DDR3 memory controller. Auburndale will also have a graphics core integrated in the CPU package. The Calpella platform will support Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (Puma Peak) or WiMAX (Kilmer Peak) wireless modules.
AMD 790GX Now Official
AMD today announced the availability of the industry's preeminent performance desktop platform, the AMD 790GX. Packing a host of innovations, the AMD 790GX integrates advanced performance tuning for AMD Phenom processors, plus ATI Radeon HD 3300 graphics - the world's fastest motherboard graphics processor (mGPU) - to take media aficionados beyond HD. In addition to AMD validation, independent testing of the AMD 790GX chipset shows significant increases in AMD Phenom processor performance via the introduction of Advanced Clock Calibration technology.
Tuesday, August 5th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mouse
Multimedia
Sapphire HD 4850 Toxic 512 MB Review
Sapphire's new HD 4850 Toxic graphics card comes with a preinstalled Zalman VF-900 GPU cooler that greatly reduces the operating temperature of the card. Also the operating frequencies have been bumped quite a bit, with some additional overclocking potential left in the card.
NVIDIA PhysX Beta Driver for GT200/G92/G96 Cards Leaked
A new NVIDIA beta driver leaked today over the web space, enabling full PhysX support for all GeForce 9800 GTX, GeForce 9800 GTX+, GeForce GTX 260, GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce 9500 GT graphics cards. The download link for this driver is provided by our collegues over at Expreview. Download NVIDIA PhysX 8.07.18 driver from here. Also note that this release is considered a beta, use with caution and at your own risk. One final line before I finish, release 8.07.18 is also reported to work with GeForce 9600 GT and 8600 GT cards although they are not listed in the supported list.
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Spotted
The mighty dual GPU ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 monster was spotted today during the QuakeCon 2008 Tournament finals in Dallas. This post comes to bring to your attention that AMD/ATI has finalized the work on the card, and it will hopefully be released sometime next week after the NDA content is over. Enjoy the two pics until then.
Elpida Ready to Launch World's Largest Capacity (16-Gigabyte) FB-DIMM
Elpida Memory, Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), announced today that it is ready to launch 16-gigabyte Fully Buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM), the world's largest capacity FB-DIMM. Based on its own unique integrated packaging technology (stacked FBGA or sFBGA) with 2-gigabit DDR2 SDRAM Elpida has achieved development of FB-DIMM products that feature an ultra thin thickness of 7.7mm along with the world's largest capacity of 16 gigabytes.
DFI Details LANParty JR P45-T2RS and LANParty JR 790GX-M2RS Micro-ATX Motherboards
DFI has let loose details on its latest Intel and AMD motherboards, meant to fit in micro-ATX systems. LANParty JR P45-T2RS runs on Intel's last mainstream P45 chipset whereas LANParty JR 790GX-M2RS is powered from AMD's 790GX chipset and SB750 southbridge. Both mainboards pack a great number of extras, featuring dual x16 slots for SLI/CrossFire support depending on the platform, Digital PWM, all-solid capacitors (presented in LANParty JR P45-T2RS only), copper heatpipe chipset cooling and other neat stuff like 12 USB ports, 8 channel audio, Genie BIOS and CMOS Reload. With so much oumph, these two fellows will be greatly accepted in high-performance HTPC systems or in compact cases made for LanParty events. Pricing and availability of both motherboards are still kept in secret.
Micron Intros Next-Gen RealSSD Drives for Enterprise Server and Notebook Applications
Micron Technology today introduced its next-generation RealSSD solid state drives (SSDs) for enterprise computing and notebook applications. The new drives-the enterprise-class RealSSD P200 and the client-focused RealSSD C200-provide a dramatic improvement in capacity, power and performance for the applications they serve.
Monday, August 4th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Motherboards
Multimedia
Speakers
OCZ DDR3 1600 MHz Platinum EB Ed. 4GB Kit Review
OCZ is offering a full line-up of DDR3 memory. Their Platinum Series was always known for their great price/performance ratio and this Enhanced Bandwidth kit is no different. It offers tighter timings at 1600 MHz than the competition, at a lower price point. So can it give us some serious bang for our buck?
Zotac GeForce 9800 GTX+ (Plus) Amp! Edition Review
NVIDIA's new GeForce 9800 GTX+ comes with a 55 nm CPU that runs at higher clock speeds, yet consumes less power than the original 65 nm chip. Zotac's Amp! Edition further increases the operating frequencies. Even though the higher clocks make the card faster than the ATI HD 4850, the difference is very small and probably not noticable while gaming.
MSI Launches New GX620/GX720 Gaming Notebooks
MSI Computer, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, is pleased to announce the release of the new GX620/GX720 Gaming Notebook. Winner of a Best Choice Award at COMPUTEX 2008, the GX620 's Blu-Ray player, MSI's VIVID Image Enhancement Technology, the NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT 3D graphics card and Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound capabilities guarantee the ultimate gaming or movie watching experience. This powerful notebook is housed in a sleek yet tough alloy case with strong red accents, and features user friendly quick launch touch sensors.
Lenovo Enters the Netbook Market With IdeaPad S10
Lenovo this morning officially started selling its first netbook, the IdeaPad S10. The ultra-portable system will compete with the latest ASUS Eee PC and MSI Wind models, offering a 10-inch LED backlit LCD screen and Intel's 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor. Two configurations of the 2.4 pound S10 will be available initially, with 512MB RAM and 80GB HDD, and with 1GB RAM and 160GB of HDD space. Lenovo will sell the first one for $399 while the beefed-up version will sell for $449.99. Papers also indicate that both models will support 2GB of RAM, so upgrading the onboard memory won't be a problem. From the OS point of view, first S10 mini-laptops will be offered with Microsoft Windows XP preinstalled, but later on Lenovo will start offering Linpus Linux preloaded models too. View the full Lenovo S10 specs below the Read full story marker.
Intel Details Larrabee
Intel Corporation is presenting a paper at the SIGGRAPH 2008 industry conference in Los Angeles on Aug. 12 that describes features and capabilities of its first-ever forthcoming "many-core" blueprint or architecture codenamed "Larrabee." Details unveiled in the SIGGRAPH paper include a new approach to the software rendering 3-D pipeline, a many-core (many processor engines in a product) programming model and performance analysis for several applications.
Saturday, August 2nd 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
ZOTAC Watercools GeForce 9800 GTX+ , Names it ZONE Edition
ZOTAC International, an award-winning NVIDIA AIC, today unleashes the latest edition to its ZONE Edition line of quiet graphics cards - the ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX+ ZONE Edition. The new ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX+ ZONE Edition delivers the power of NVIDIA GeForce 9 series graphics power, PhysX technology and PureVideo HD video processing technology into a virtually silent graphics card. The ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX+ ZONE Edition is quieted by a custom water-cooling system and able to deliver phenomenal visuals and frame rate in DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 titles while maintaining low thermal and noise levels.
Friday, August 1st 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Motherboards
PSUs
Zaward Gyre Review
The Zaward Gyre looks quite interesting with the black shroud. Its unique design shows us that it is a competitor to more "known" heatsinks. Featuring a nice finish with blue LED lights, being very easy to install and having great performance, the Gyre lives up to all of its expectations.
Corsair Dominator DDR3 Memory Sets New World Record
Corsair informed today that its Dominator DDR3 memory modules have again shattered the world record for frequency. The record was set using the Asus ROG Rampage Extreme motherboard (Intel X48 chipset) and Corsair Dominator memory, utilizing Corsair's award-winning DHX technology. The world record of 2580 MHz was reached at latency settings of 9-9-9-24 using a Corsair Dominator DDR3 memory module. These results were achieved with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 processor overclocked to a breathtaking 645MHz Front-Side Bus frequency. The results are verified by CPU-Z, an industry standard for verifying overclocking results, and are viewable here.
Goodbye NVIDIA nForce?
If the report from Taiwanese industry observer DigiTimes holds ground, NVIDIA could be wrapping up its chipset division. This was revealed by sources at top motherboard manufacturers who have attended a meeting with NVIDIA where the company sought support from them to continue the chipset business. The manufacturers didn't show obvious or in other words, positive support.
Here's how the exit of nForce could affect the industry and you :
Here's how the exit of nForce could affect the industry and you :
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