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Tuesday, September 30th 2008
iStarUSA T-5 SS SAS/SATA Mobile HDD Rack Review
The iStarUSA T-5 SS SAS/SATA Mobile HDD Rack is an affordable, easy to use mobile storage solution designed to make hard drive swapping easy for both the novice end-user and the professional server administrator. No nonsense looks, durable craftmanship, and quiet/smooth operation are some of the inherent qualities of the T-5 SS Mobile HDD rack.
WesternDigital Intros New WD ShareSpace Storage Systems
WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new WD ShareSpace high-speed network storage systems that provide cost-effective, centralized storage for small office and home networks. WD ShareSpace represents WD's first entry into the small-office network storage market, where it plans to bring to a new class of users the ease-of-use, design and value enjoyed by millions of WD My Book and My Passport customers.
MSI Silently Introduces its Custom-design 9800 GTX+ OC
There has been an influx of non-reference graphics cards based on the GeForce 9800 GTX+ graphics processor, over the last few weeks. MSI made its addition, with the N9800GTX PLUS-T2D512-OC. Like every other manufacturer making news for releasing such products, MSI designed its own PCB. The cooler chosen has featured on several MSI cards, in the past, including some models based on the GeForce 8800 GT and 9600 GT. This time around, MSI changed the cooler's shroud with a more designer one. This is only a cosmetic change. The cooler remains to be the heatpipe through aluminum fin design.
Unlike the custom design 9800 GTX+ cards from some other manufacturers, MSI released its card factory overclocked. The card ships with clock speeds of 760/1880/2300 MHz (core/shader/memory) against the reference speeds of 738/1836/2200 MHz. The card comes with 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. The package is to include a copy of Rainbow Six Vegas 2. It is to be priced at roughly US $248 in Europe. MSI will be shipping two designs under the same model number and SKU. The first being this, and the other is a 100% reference NVIDIA PCB + Cooler design.
Unlike the custom design 9800 GTX+ cards from some other manufacturers, MSI released its card factory overclocked. The card ships with clock speeds of 760/1880/2300 MHz (core/shader/memory) against the reference speeds of 738/1836/2200 MHz. The card comes with 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. The package is to include a copy of Rainbow Six Vegas 2. It is to be priced at roughly US $248 in Europe. MSI will be shipping two designs under the same model number and SKU. The first being this, and the other is a 100% reference NVIDIA PCB + Cooler design.
AMD Shanghai Ready to Ship
AMD Shanghai is the codename for a new enterprise processor the company is working on. It is a monolithic quad-core x86 processor that retains the design methodology of the K10h generation of AMD processors. It carries forward the Opteron brand. This time around, the company promises to have made numerous changes, big and small, learning from the shortfalls of the Barcelona chip. Shanghai will be the first 45nm AMD processor to make it to the market. Originally slated for Q1, 2009 its launch was pushed to Q4, 2008.
In a press event held yesterday, the company claimed that the company is all set to roll out the new chip. Initial volumes of the processor would run off existing core logic platforms by NVIDIA and Broadcom. It will retain the Socket F (aka s1207) package and support DDR2 memory. The lineup shows that most of these chips would retain the 2000 MT/s system bus, and all of them come with 6 MB of level 3 cache. A new company slide sourced by C|Net shows that the Opteron processor could embrace DDR3 memory only by 2010, with the introduction of the Magny-Corus 12-core processor architecture. Until then, the Istanbul 6-core processor the is slated for H2, 2009, could be the company's flagship product.
In a press event held yesterday, the company claimed that the company is all set to roll out the new chip. Initial volumes of the processor would run off existing core logic platforms by NVIDIA and Broadcom. It will retain the Socket F (aka s1207) package and support DDR2 memory. The lineup shows that most of these chips would retain the 2000 MT/s system bus, and all of them come with 6 MB of level 3 cache. A new company slide sourced by C|Net shows that the Opteron processor could embrace DDR3 memory only by 2010, with the introduction of the Magny-Corus 12-core processor architecture. Until then, the Istanbul 6-core processor the is slated for H2, 2009, could be the company's flagship product.
MSI Releases VR602 Notebook, Performance with Value
MSI today announces a new model to its line of notebook, the MSI VR602 Not only provides top Operation Performance, but also provides multimedia functions, MSI VR602 is ideal for any environment, whether home, office, or school. With MSI exclusive ECO Engine, the outstanding and unique power saving management function, VR602 could extends the battery running time while performing different tasks. VR602 applied the exterior with an Aerodynamic and Elementary design, also concealing all the openings at the connecting edges. There are no unnecessary gadgets for a Simplistic and Practical Styling, elevating our swift and practical feature. Just like a hard-cover book added with the seal of approval, and perfect work of art on display.
With1280x800 High-Resolution, perfect length and width ratio for the screen,15.4 inch LCD monitor,VR602 enables you to open many windows applets at once. Furthermore, the high accuracy board materials to go along with 1280 × 800 High-Resolution can perfectly portraying a picture's detail, letting you pleasantly enjoy at all times. Besides, built-in with a 1.3 mega pixel webcam and an internal mic, the VR602 enables you to engage in real-time sharing and live-video. Additionally, VR602 has a 4-in-1 card reader, and 4 well distributed USB 2.0 ports, facilitating connection with various types of computer peripherals. VR602 is the best choice for value and performance, and your best notebook choice.
With1280x800 High-Resolution, perfect length and width ratio for the screen,15.4 inch LCD monitor,VR602 enables you to open many windows applets at once. Furthermore, the high accuracy board materials to go along with 1280 × 800 High-Resolution can perfectly portraying a picture's detail, letting you pleasantly enjoy at all times. Besides, built-in with a 1.3 mega pixel webcam and an internal mic, the VR602 enables you to engage in real-time sharing and live-video. Additionally, VR602 has a 4-in-1 card reader, and 4 well distributed USB 2.0 ports, facilitating connection with various types of computer peripherals. VR602 is the best choice for value and performance, and your best notebook choice.
ASUS and MSI Innovate Custom Cooling over Referece HD 4550, HD 4350 PCBs
AMD released the Radeon HD 4550 and Radeon HD 4350 graphics cards today. With their introduction, AMD allowed the AIB partners to roll out custom designs right away. Sapphire and Force3D have already taken the advantage of releasing their own PCBs, while ASUS and MSI have used the reference PCB design with their own coolers. ASUS for one (model: EAH4550/DI/512MD3), has used a black metal chunk with projecting metal that is actively cooled, while MSI (model: R4350-D512H/R4350-D256H) adopted passive cooling with a single large heatsink. The only glitch, is that the heatsink spans across two expansion slots. MSI has already released its card, while ASUS releases its card soon. Both cards use reference ATI parameters, and could carry price-tags around the US $60~$40 marks.
Sapphire Releases Radeon HD 4550 and HD 4350
SAPPHIRE Technology, the leading manufacturer and worldwide supplier of AMD/ATI based graphics solutions is introducing two new graphics families aimed at mainstream users.
The new SAPPHIRE HD 4550 is a new mainstream product based on the architecture of the highly successful HD 4000 series. With its 80 stream processors, core clock speeds of 600MHz and carrying 512MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 900MHz (1.8GHz effective) the SAPPHIRE HD 4550 brings features previously associated only with high end cards to the cost conscious user. These include DX 10.1 compatibility, on board hardware UVD version 2.0 with support for AMD's Avivo HD, HDMI support with 7.1 surround sound as well as extremely low power operation featuring AMD Powerplay dynamic power management.
The new SAPPHIRE HD 4550 is a new mainstream product based on the architecture of the highly successful HD 4000 series. With its 80 stream processors, core clock speeds of 600MHz and carrying 512MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 900MHz (1.8GHz effective) the SAPPHIRE HD 4550 brings features previously associated only with high end cards to the cost conscious user. These include DX 10.1 compatibility, on board hardware UVD version 2.0 with support for AMD's Avivo HD, HDMI support with 7.1 surround sound as well as extremely low power operation featuring AMD Powerplay dynamic power management.
Force3D Radeon HD 4550 & 4350 - Step Up Your Game
Force3D launch the Force3D Radeon HD 4550 and Force3D Radeon HD 4350, that deliver you the performance you need, to to take your high-definition experience to the new level, at home, work and play. The Force3D Radeon HD 4550 and Force3D Radeon HD 4350 outwit the old generation performance by more than double the 3DMark Vantage Performance speeds and more than 25% in 3DMark06.
With Force3D Radeon Radeon HD 4550 and Force3D Radeon HD 4350, you can watch Blu-ray movies and HD content with incredible visual fidelity and view digital photos with over 1 billion colours. Enjoy unprecedented levels of graphics realism and play the latest games with support for Microsoft DirectX 10.1 . Do it with the entire breakthrough efficiency that doesn't compromise on performance.
With Force3D Radeon Radeon HD 4550 and Force3D Radeon HD 4350, you can watch Blu-ray movies and HD content with incredible visual fidelity and view digital photos with over 1 billion colours. Enjoy unprecedented levels of graphics realism and play the latest games with support for Microsoft DirectX 10.1 . Do it with the entire breakthrough efficiency that doesn't compromise on performance.
Inno3D Adds to the 9800 GTX+ Custom Design Lineup
Here comes yet another GeForce 9800 GTX+ graphics card based on the manufacturer specifications, rather than NVIDIA's. Inno3D is ready with its GeForce 9800 GTX+ Freezer DHT edition. For starters, the card ships with reference NVIDIA frequencies of 738/1836/2200 MHz (core/shader/memory), but the company makes use of a custom PCB and the Freezer DHT (direct heatpipe touch) GPU cooler. The cooler consists of a GPU contact block, in which the 3 heatpipes make direct contact with the GPU die. These convey heat to an aluminum fin array. The memory and VRM area are given independent heatsinks. The card continues to use two 6-pin PCI-E power inputs.
Corsair Introduces 64GB Portable USB Flash Drive
Corsair, a worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, announced today that it is expanding its best selling Flash Voyager USB family lines with a new 64GB capacity offering. The new 64GB USB Flash Voyager has enough capacity for a library of DVD-length movies and tens of thousands of high-resolution digital images.
Thanks to the 64GB USB Flash Voyager, users now have the ultimate solution for storing, transporting and backing up large amounts of personal and professional data. With storage capacity that just a year ago could only be found in hard drives, the 64GB USB Flash Voyager drive also provides the added ruggedness, water resistance and performance not found in storage drives utilizing rotating media.
Thanks to the 64GB USB Flash Voyager, users now have the ultimate solution for storing, transporting and backing up large amounts of personal and professional data. With storage capacity that just a year ago could only be found in hard drives, the 64GB USB Flash Voyager drive also provides the added ruggedness, water resistance and performance not found in storage drives utilizing rotating media.
ARM, Chartered, IBM and Samsung Collaborate to Enable 32nm and 28nm Systems-on-Chip
IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung Electronics, and ARM today announced they will develop a comprehensive 32 nanometer (nm) and 28nm Systems-on-a-Chip (SoCs) design platform based on high-k metal-gate (HKMG) technology from the IBM-led joint-development alliance. Under this multi-year collaboration, ARM will develop and license a design platform of physical intellectual property (IP) including logic, memory and interface products for the Common Platform technology alliance of IBM, Chartered and Samsung for distribution to their customers.
ASUS Rampage II Extreme LGA 1366 Motherboard in Pretty Pixels
After yesterday's ASUS P6T Deluxe quick introduction, today is time for the heavy artilery to come by and stop at our front door. For sure ASUS, one of the biggest brands in the computer industry is not going to have only one or two motherboards to support Nehalem. Although the platform is not yet officially introduced, ASUS is ready with its Rampage II Extreme motherboard. As the name suggests this will be the enthusiast range of motherboard offerings support for LGA 1366 processors, triple-channel DDR3 memory and up to three PCI-Express x16 graphics cards. The new Republic of Gamers machinery might not have a fancy heat pipe cooling (it might not need one) but it has a few other tricks, such as a special VTT CPU power card that provides a 16-phase CPU and 3-phase memory power design. The board also features a number of strange buttons that will help experts overclock their hardware. The Rampage II Extreme also has six SATA 3.0 Gbps connectors, dual Gigabit Ethernets, FireWire, eSATA ports and most likely support for both ATI CrossFire X and NVIDIA triple SLI technology. Let the pictures finish this post:
Point of View Teams up with Arctic Cooling to Introduce New GeForce 9800 GTX+ Card
Graphics card manufacturer Point of View is jumping the Arctic Cooling band wagon just like many other manufacturers did, by introducing the brand new POV GeForce 9800 GTX+ with 512MB of GDDR3 memory (R-VGA150900H+). The 55nm built GeForce 9800GTX+ is one of the great cards currently on the market, performing very well with the latest games and also offering an acceptable price tag. To get even more performance out of the graphics card Point of View has decided to team up with Arctic Cooling and start offering their cards with AC coolers that will help lower temperatures and even more. The Arctic cooled POV GeForce 9800 GTX+ comes clocked at 738MHz core, 1836MHz shader clock and 2200MHz memory clock. At the same time the card is up to 20% cooler and also makes less noise than the standard NVIDIA cooling system. The actual model used is Arctic Cooling Accelero TWIN TURBO with two ultra quiet 80mm fans, 4 heatpipes and 30 fins that together form a dual-slot cooling monster able to transfer up to 120W of heat. To make their card even better all-rounder, POV has decided to equip it with a dual-link DVI port, a HDMI port and a VGA port. For additional information, please click here.
Super Talent Begins Shipping Affordable 64GB and 128GB SSDs Next Week
Evolution continues, flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules manufacturer Super Talent today launched a pair of new high quality SATA-II SSDs. Solid state drives have become legendary for their many advantages over hard drives, but still can't take the market share they deserve because of their high retail prices. The new MasterDrive LX SSDs, offered in 64GB and 128GB capacities, combine all the advantages the solid state technology can offer but also appeal with an attractive price. The Super Talent MasterDrive LX 64GB model will retail for about $179, while the 128GB unit is expected to retail for under $300. Unfortunately performance scores are little lower. Using SATA 3Gbps interface both drives will offer sequential read speeds of up to 100 MB/sec, and sequential write speeds of up to 40 MB/sec. Both models will begin shipping this week, backed with Super Talent's 1-year warranty.
ATI Radeon HD 4550 and ATI Radeon HD 4350 Graphics Cards Announced
AMD today announced the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 4550 and ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics cards, the latest additions to the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 4000 series graphics line up. These feature-rich graphics cards deliver exceptional gaming and HD multimedia performance at value prices. Both cards are based on the same technology found in the celebrated ATI Radeon HD 4800 series, including support for the latest DirectX 10.1 games and superior HD multimedia capabilities. Delivering mainstream-class performance at a value price, the ATI Radeon HD 4550 graphics card plays demanding game titles previously unplayable by cards in this price segment, and for less than USD $59 for a 512MB memory configuration. An even more incredible value, the ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics card is the ideal introduction to the ATI Radeon HD 4000 series, priced for less than USD $39 for a 256 MB memory configuration, giving gamers and multimedia enthusiasts more features than products available from the competition today.
Monday, September 29th 2008
Today's Reviews
Lian-Li XB-01 Xbox 360 Case Review
Lian-Li is known for their unique high-quality cases. They are now offering a chassis for the Xbox 360. The black case should finally make your console look good next to that fancy TV of yours. We pack the XB-01 with the consoles guts to see how it fares.
ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition Spotted
To support the upcoming LGA-1366 socket Core i7 processors, motherboard manufacturers have their first-waves of motherboards ready. ASUS for one, has had its P6T Deluxe pictured before several of its competitors could have their flagship motherboards pictured on the internet. Enter P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition. What's new with this motherboard is that it bundles a gadget ASUS calls an "OC Palm", looking at its visual similarity to hand-held PCs. The device holds controls apart from an LCD screen. What this gadget does is, that it allows you on-the-fly overclocking of several system parameters for which, you would have had to use the system BIOS configuration. The device is handled by software that does the changes, it connects to the motherboard using standard USB interface, and the LCD screen gives the convenience of overclocking even when say playing a game. That apart, the package gives you essentially the same P6T Deluxe motherboard.
ASUS Uses Fragrance Release in Notebooks, Rolls out the F6V
Take a good look at ASUS. First they come up with notebooks and PC monitors with leather infused, and then bamboo upholstery, and now, they've taken the "luxury" moniker to a whole new level, with a notebook that gives out fragrances. Believe it. The ASUS F6V is touted to be a "fragrance" notebook, not that it has the machinery to generate fragrances, but that the notebook has planted fragrance packs that send out the fragrance with flowing hot air from the notebook's heat-vents.
ASUS would be launching four models with identical system specifications, but different fragrances (flavours), chassis colour and body-graphics. Standard system specs include an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 processor, ATI Radeon HD 3470 graphics with 256 MB dedicate memory, 2 GB of DDR2-800 memory (up to 4 GB supported), a 250 GB SATA hard drive. It comes with a 13.3 inch screen, support for wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.1 and tips the scales at 2 kg (roughly 4 lbs).
ASUS would be launching four models with identical system specifications, but different fragrances (flavours), chassis colour and body-graphics. Standard system specs include an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 processor, ATI Radeon HD 3470 graphics with 256 MB dedicate memory, 2 GB of DDR2-800 memory (up to 4 GB supported), a 250 GB SATA hard drive. It comes with a 13.3 inch screen, support for wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.1 and tips the scales at 2 kg (roughly 4 lbs).
Transcend Launches new SSDs
The market for solid-state drives is growing steadily. Transcend put in its newest offerings, 2.5 inch SSDs with double the read/write speeds over its predecessors. The company equipped these drives with new controllers that add to its performance and energy efficiency. The drives come in capacities of up to 64 GB, in both SATA II and IDE interface flavours. The drives come with built-in Error Correction Code (ECC) for reliable data transfer, and the drive offers sustained transfer speeds of 159 MB/s (read) and 136 MB/s write, with latencies below 1 ms.
Warning: Latest Ubuntu Alpha Kernel May Damage Your Intel NICs
This is a warning to all Linux users that are currently using the latest Ubuntu OS. Reports claim that some users may damage their Intel network adapters using Ubuntu's latest 2.6.27-rc kernel. Although this is an alpha release and bugs are expected, it might even damage your hardware to a state where you can't repair your NIC. In bug #263555 posted on the bugs.launchpad.net experts say: "In some circumstances it appears possible for the 2.6.27-rc kernels to corrupt the NVRAM used by some Intel network parts to store data such as MAC addresses. This is limited to the new e1000e driver, and reports have only appeared from users of "82566 and 82567 based LAN parts (ich8 and ich9)". The reports seem to be isolated to laptops, but it is not clear if this is because desktop/server parts are not vulnerable, or if use cases simply increase the chances of laptop users being hit. Once this corruption has occurred, recovery may be possible via a BIOS update, but may well require replacement of the hardware. Use of Intel's IABUTIL.EXE is strongly discouraged, as it will worsen the problem to the point where the network part will no longer appear on the PCI bus."
Samsung Samples Smallest 2 Gigabit DDR3 for Servers and PCs
Samsung Electronics Co., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it is sampling the industry's smallest two gigabit (Gb) DDR3 devices. By using 50 nanometer (nm) class circuit technology, productivity of the new devices is 60 percent higher than DDR2 devices of an equivalent density. The new 2Gb DDR3-based modules, which enable use of up to 16 gigabyte (GB) RIMMs (registered in-line memory modules), will save over 40 percent of the power of 1Gb DDR3 memory modules.
"We have focused on maximizing density alternatives and power savings to make our 2Gb DDR3 solution as flexible as possible for designers," said Jim Elliott, Vice President, Memory, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.
"We have focused on maximizing density alternatives and power savings to make our 2Gb DDR3 solution as flexible as possible for designers," said Jim Elliott, Vice President, Memory, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.
NVIDIA Settles GPU Price Fixing Class Action Case, Offers to Pay $850,000
Following the legal class action case filled in December of 2006 in California (if I remember right) which alleged that "Nvidia and ATI conspired to fix, raise, maintain and stabilize prices of graphics processing chips and cards.", NVIDIA yesterday offered a settlement agreement detailed in an 8-K form that was filed on September 24th. The Agreement calls for NVIDIA to pay $850,000 into a $1.7 million fund, AMD/ATI must pay the remaining $850,000. The class includes anyone who bought a graphics card directly from either ATI or NVIDIA's websites in the US between 4th December 2002 and 7th November 2007. Purchases of both ATI and NVIDIA cards from other retailers or online vendors does not count. NVIDIA will also pay $112,500 to the plaintiffs who brought the case to court, in exchange for a dismissal of all claims and appeals they made. Read the full 8-K form here. There's still no official response from AMD/ATI.
Sunday, September 28th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
PSUs
Storage
Silent Hill: Homecoming banned in Australia
Konami has confirmed that its upcoming survival-horror game "Silent Hill: Homecoming" has been refused classification in Australia, so selling it there is illegal. According to a Atari spokesman (Atari is the local distributor for Konami) Australia's Classification Board found issue with the high impact of Silent Hill's violence.
Silent Hill: Homecoming is just one more victim in a series of banned games in Australia this year. Dark Sector, Shellshock 2: Blood Trails, and Fallout 3 were all banned in 2008, though both Dark Sector and Fallout 3 were eventually allowed back into the country after some modifications were made.
The game is currently being developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows. The PC version will be distributed exclusively through Valve's Steam digital content delivery service.
Silent Hill: Homecoming is just one more victim in a series of banned games in Australia this year. Dark Sector, Shellshock 2: Blood Trails, and Fallout 3 were all banned in 2008, though both Dark Sector and Fallout 3 were eventually allowed back into the country after some modifications were made.
The game is currently being developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows. The PC version will be distributed exclusively through Valve's Steam digital content delivery service.
Saturday, September 27th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
- Antec Notebook Cooler to Go and Notebook Cooler Mikhailtech
- Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro TweakNews
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 Think Computers
- Gelid Silent 12 TC Overclockers Online
- Glacialtech Igloo 7321 Silent-E FrostyTech
- Sunbeam Core-Contact Freezer Legit Reviews
- Vizo Ninja HS Notebook Cooler Elite Bastards
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Multimedia
Notebooks
Processors
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Earphones Review
Ultimate Ears just released a completely new earphone dubbed the Super.fi 5. It is aimed at budget conscious earphone users looking for a good sounding, decent looking set of in-ears. The new radical design is a major leap forward compared to the old Ultimate Ears design.
Zotac 9800 GTX+ Accelero Twin Turbo Model Spotted
Here's the third GeForce 9800 GTX+ non-reference model in the works. Zotac has prepared a graphics card based on the GeForce 9800 GTX+ GPU with its own PCB design. As for cooling, they've employed the expertise of Arctic Cooling, with an Accelero Twin Turbo cooler for the GPU. Zotac may have worked on aspects related to the card's power design and memory, keeping in mind, that the 9800 GTX+ is a 55nm GPU which might draw lower power than its 65nm counterpart, keeping clock speeds constant. It uses clock speeds of 740/1836/2200 MHz (core/shader/memory). Notable PCB features include:
- 0.8 ns GDDR3 memory chips made by Samsung
- A 4+2 phase power design
- Power input reduced to a single 6+2 pin PCI-E power connector
Dell Silently Intros the 23-inch 16:9 S2309W Widescreen LCD Monitor
Dell has silently launched one more slave up its LCD monitor line-up, the 23-inch Dell S2309W. Base specs of this 23-incher reveal a 1920x1080 wide resolution, making it Dell's second 16:9 full HD display after S2409W. Response time is measured to be 5ms, brightness is 300 cd/m2, and contrast ratio is 1,000:1. The S2309W connects to the PC via DVI or analog VGA. It follows the new trend by matching the resolution found on modern TVs, so you may think this would be the perfect choice for movie lovers, if it did not lack HDMI connectivity for some reason. The display is currently only on Dell's Canadian site here. There is no information on pricing and availability yet.
Slides Reveal Radeon HD 4830 to be Tougher than Expected
Performance projections for the upcoming Radeon HD 4830, made news yesterday, where it is projected to outperform the GeForce 9800 GT. Two new slides published by VR-Zone shed light on how the RV770LE graphics processor manages to do that, and there's a surprise: It was earlier known that the RV770LE comes equipped with 480 stream processors, and one of the earliest reports even suggested that it could have a narrower 192-bit memory bus. The slides published, show that the new GPU could carry as many as 640 stream processors, double that of the RV670. It comes with a proper 256-bit wide GDDR3 memory bus. Also included, is hardware support for 24x custom filter anti-aliasing (CFAA).
It is also known that the new card is gearing up for an October 21 launch and would be priced below US $150. AIBs would be able to sell custom designed cards right upon launch. While the new GPU does look "tougher" and more equipped than expected, here's something to ponder: with twice the amount of stream processors as the Radeon HD 3870, as projections suggest, is it going to be only 10% faster than the 9800 GT?
It is also known that the new card is gearing up for an October 21 launch and would be priced below US $150. AIBs would be able to sell custom designed cards right upon launch. While the new GPU does look "tougher" and more equipped than expected, here's something to ponder: with twice the amount of stream processors as the Radeon HD 3870, as projections suggest, is it going to be only 10% faster than the 9800 GT?
Friday, September 26th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Monitors
Motherboards
Processors
- AMD Phenom HT4U.net (de)
Storage
HIS HD 4670 IceQ Turbo 512 MB Review
HIS' latest HD 4670 card comes equipped with the VGA Silencer made by Arctic Cooling. It also features an extra 30 MHz core clock. Even though it is factory overclocked we saw another 10% overclocking potential on both core and memory.
ASUS Preparing New Gamer and Audiophile Sound-Cards
ASUS has sensed that there is a sizable market for discrete high-end sound cards, and is now out to grab its share. There are primarily two kinds of high-end sound card segments: gamer-grade and audiophile-grade. ASUS has created a new sound card to cater to each segment, though there could be more SKUs carved out of these sound card designs. The gamer-grade card, called Xonar Essence. From what the picture vaguely shows, the card continues to use the AV200 audio chipset, also seen is the bus translation logic, made by PLX. The card uses PCI-Express x1, though interestingly, requires that you collect a Molex connector to fuel it. It is said to carry industrial-grade Japanese capacitors. The portion of the card that houses vital DAC/ADC circuitry is covered by a fancy EMI shield. It is said that this card comes with a signal to noise ratio of 124 dB.
On with the audiophile card, ASUS has introduced the Xonar HDAV series sound cards. There are two cards: HDAV 1.3 and HDAV 1.3 Deluxe, depending on the presence of a daughter-card that expands the card's connectivity. The card uses RCA connectors for both digital and analog outputs. It also features two HDMI 1.3 ports for both output and input (for recording/mastering), is HDCP compliant and allows audio pass for protected Blu Ray content. The Xonar Essence awaits launch while Xonar HDAV 1.3 has been launched, and product page published. Pictures (in order) for Xonar Essence, Xonar HDAV 1.3 Deluxe, its connectors and package are provided.
On with the audiophile card, ASUS has introduced the Xonar HDAV series sound cards. There are two cards: HDAV 1.3 and HDAV 1.3 Deluxe, depending on the presence of a daughter-card that expands the card's connectivity. The card uses RCA connectors for both digital and analog outputs. It also features two HDMI 1.3 ports for both output and input (for recording/mastering), is HDCP compliant and allows audio pass for protected Blu Ray content. The Xonar Essence awaits launch while Xonar HDAV 1.3 has been launched, and product page published. Pictures (in order) for Xonar Essence, Xonar HDAV 1.3 Deluxe, its connectors and package are provided.
MSI X58 Tylersburg Motherboard Lineup Surfaces
Following the launch of Nehalem architecture based CPUs from Intel, motherboard vendors would introduce their fleets of motherboards into the market, all of which are based on the new extreme performance chipset from Intel, the X58. MSI on its part, has three models lined-up. There is a performance segment X58 Platinum, followed by an enthusiast-grade X58 Eclipse. There's an even higher model, whose name is under the wraps for now. This model would cater to the market of super-overclockers.
A company slide showing model-specific features has surfaced. It can be seen that all motherboards MSI has to offer, support both ATI Crossfire and NVIDIA SLI multi-GPU technologies. X58 Platinum and Eclipse offer SLI support without the presence of the nForce 200 chipset, while the super-overclocker board uses it. X58 Eclipse sports 3 PCI-Express x16 slots, making it 3-way SLI capable. X58 comes with two such slots. The highest offering, however, has four slots. Perhaps it helps set-up 3-way SLI for graphics plus one card dedicated to handle PhysX calculations, and of-course, 4-way ATI Crossfire X.
A company slide showing model-specific features has surfaced. It can be seen that all motherboards MSI has to offer, support both ATI Crossfire and NVIDIA SLI multi-GPU technologies. X58 Platinum and Eclipse offer SLI support without the presence of the nForce 200 chipset, while the super-overclocker board uses it. X58 Eclipse sports 3 PCI-Express x16 slots, making it 3-way SLI capable. X58 comes with two such slots. The highest offering, however, has four slots. Perhaps it helps set-up 3-way SLI for graphics plus one card dedicated to handle PhysX calculations, and of-course, 4-way ATI Crossfire X.
Radeon HD 4830 Projected to Outperform GeForce 9800 GT
As reported earlier, AMD is preparing a scaled-down version of the RV770 graphics processor, called RV770LE. The new graphics core would go into making the Radeon HD 4830 SKU. The new graphics core was created to compete with the GeForce 8800/9800 GT, which seem to be in a comfortable market position owing to their price and price/performance. They are comfortably placed between the GeForce 9600 seties and the 8800 GTS 512M/9800 GTX/GTX+.
AMD has already started projecting the HD 4830 to outperform the the G92GT, in essence, the GeForce 9800 GT. In a slide titled "Best Graphics Card for <$150", the company puts up figures where the new card is projected 10% faster in most games tested. The only glitch, is that most of AMD's own increment projections are based around that 10% mark, which means it could be a very tight contest between the HD 4830 and 9800 GT. A prelude could be that for the 9800 GT, its CUDA and PhysX processing capabilities could bail it out, if it does fall into a tight spot, as in, if the two end up in a neck and neck contest. The new Radeon accelerator comes out sometime next month.
AMD has already started projecting the HD 4830 to outperform the the G92GT, in essence, the GeForce 9800 GT. In a slide titled "Best Graphics Card for <$150", the company puts up figures where the new card is projected 10% faster in most games tested. The only glitch, is that most of AMD's own increment projections are based around that 10% mark, which means it could be a very tight contest between the HD 4830 and 9800 GT. A prelude could be that for the 9800 GT, its CUDA and PhysX processing capabilities could bail it out, if it does fall into a tight spot, as in, if the two end up in a neck and neck contest. The new Radeon accelerator comes out sometime next month.
Toshiba Starts Sampling 256GB Solid State Drives
After announcing its quarter terabyte 1.8-inch mobile hard drives yesterday, Toshiba is now pleased to inform that it has begun sampling 256-gigabyte (GB) SSDs and new small-sized Flash Modules for netbook computers and ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs). Working samples of both SSDs are available now, but mass production is expected in 4Q, 2008. The upcoming 2.5-inch drives use MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash chips that deliver maximum read speed of 120MB/s and maximum write speed of 70MB/s, via a high speed SATA 3.0Gb/s interface. In addition Toshiba will start manufacturing new flash modules fabricated on a 50mm x 30mm platform that offer a maximum read and write speeds of 80MB/s and 50MB/s, respectively. They will also be compatible with the SATA interface and come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models. The fast growing market for netbook PCs, UMPCs, mobile and peripheral applications will widely adopt them upon availability. The new drives will be showcased at the CEATEC in Makuhari, Japan, from September 30 to October 4, 2008. No word on pricing yet.
NVIDIA to Change GPU Nomenclature
Industry sources report, NVIDIA could be bringing about a massive nomenclature change, departing from its current GeForce 9000 series, to a newer naming system. And we're talking about the brand name here, not the GPU code name (such as G80, G92, G200, etc.) On October 15, the company is rumored to launch new graphics processors under the GT200 series. That's when it is noted that the company breaks away from its current nomenclature for GeForce 9xxx. One of the reasons known so far, is that the company wants to use its transition to the 55nm fab processors as a brand determining factor, easing confusion it has created when products made with the new processors share product names with the current 65nm GPUs.
On to the nomenclature itself, and "GTX 200" would be the series that accommodates extreme performance, enthusiast-grade products. This is already implemented. "GT 200" for high-performance GPUs, followed by "GS 200" for mainstream graphics products, and finally "G200" for entry-level products. Again, we're talking about the model numbers that make it to SKUs, product boxes, etc., not the GPU code-names. Regarding current GeForce 9000 series, they would be rebranded as G100, GT120, GT130, GT140 and GT150, bottom thru top. It is expected that the transition to this new naming system would be completed by Q1 thru Q2, 2009, as that's when NVIDIA is expected to release new enthusiast-grade GPUs based on the even newer 45nm silicon fabrication process.
On to the nomenclature itself, and "GTX 200" would be the series that accommodates extreme performance, enthusiast-grade products. This is already implemented. "GT 200" for high-performance GPUs, followed by "GS 200" for mainstream graphics products, and finally "G200" for entry-level products. Again, we're talking about the model numbers that make it to SKUs, product boxes, etc., not the GPU code-names. Regarding current GeForce 9000 series, they would be rebranded as G100, GT120, GT130, GT140 and GT150, bottom thru top. It is expected that the transition to this new naming system would be completed by Q1 thru Q2, 2009, as that's when NVIDIA is expected to release new enthusiast-grade GPUs based on the even newer 45nm silicon fabrication process.
Elpida, Buffalo Release Prototype DDR3 2400 MHz Memory
Elpida and Buffalo Technologies have unearthed a memory standard never before heard, and thought by many, as the limits of current DDR3 technology, given the silicon fabrication process current DRAM chips are made with. The elusive PC3-19200 standard has been achieved. Elpida has tested stable, a prototype memory module that runs at 2400 MHz DDR (1200 MHz actual clock-rate). The modules use Elpida's 2.5 Gbps DRAM chips.
These speeds, however, come at the cost of latencies and voltages. The module was tested stable at 2400 MHz only at 11-11-11-34, and a voltage of 2.1 V, which is high, by DDR3 standards. However, the module locks a surprise when it comes to the same numbers: The module was tested stable at 2096 MHz, at amazingly low 1.5V, with much tighter timings of 9-10-9-24. The companies wish to put this to mass production soon.
These speeds, however, come at the cost of latencies and voltages. The module was tested stable at 2400 MHz only at 11-11-11-34, and a voltage of 2.1 V, which is high, by DDR3 standards. However, the module locks a surprise when it comes to the same numbers: The module was tested stable at 2096 MHz, at amazingly low 1.5V, with much tighter timings of 9-10-9-24. The companies wish to put this to mass production soon.
Thursday, September 25th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Mouse
Multimedia
PSUs
Speakers
Vizo Ninja HS Notebook Cooler Review
The Ninja HS is Vizo's newest addition the their high quality notebook cooler line-up. The unit is made of heavy duty materials, encased in a nearly indestructible paint job and featuring a USB 2.0 hub. The cooling area can also be aligned to cool your notebook where it is needed most.
OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 Flex II 4 GB Review
OCZ's PC2-9200 Flex II modules can be used with both air and watercooling. They are designed for 1150 MHz DDR2 at CL 5 with 2.1V. In our testing we could easily push the modules above DDR2-1200 without an extra voltage increase.
Diamond Responds to Faulty Supply Issue, Claims Only 188 units Faulty
It was earlier reported (as early as yesterday), that Diamond Multimedia may have sold thousands of defective graphics cards through OEM / OEI channels. Diamond, on its part has responded to the original report, saying that only 188 units were defective in reality, not thousands, as alleged.
Bruce Zaman, CEO for Diamond responded to the TG Daily article, saying that only 188 units out of the thousands shipped were found with defects, and that the figures put up by an engineer at Alienware were incorrect as it was later found. Those were the figures and data the original report on this whole controversy was built on. Zaman said that not the hardware problem in itself, but the time it took the engineer to fix the issue was the reason why it lost Alienware as a customer. Zaman added, that the engineer was fired, for not only playing a key role in the whole controversy, but also for allegedly providing the company with false credentials.
Bruce Zaman, CEO for Diamond responded to the TG Daily article, saying that only 188 units out of the thousands shipped were found with defects, and that the figures put up by an engineer at Alienware were incorrect as it was later found. Those were the figures and data the original report on this whole controversy was built on. Zaman said that not the hardware problem in itself, but the time it took the engineer to fix the issue was the reason why it lost Alienware as a customer. Zaman added, that the engineer was fired, for not only playing a key role in the whole controversy, but also for allegedly providing the company with false credentials.
OCZ Technology Introduces HydroFlow CPU Waterblock
OCZ Technology Group, Inc. a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the "HydroFlow" HF-MK1 Waterblock for superior CPU watercooling. Designed with the highest possible exchange rate between the block and coolant, the HydroFlow can be easily integrated into any enthusiast system and help efficiently lower the processor temperature.
"The HydroFlow HF-MK1 targets the highest possible thermal exchange rate between a solid body and the surrounding fluid, while maintaining enough cross sectional area for superior thermal conductance within the fin structure," commented Dr. Michael Schuette, V.P. of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. "Additionally, the relieved contact area concentrates the pressure on the actual die area of any processor, thereby minimizing the thermal interface material-induced loss in heat dissipation. In short, the HydroFlow epitomizes the recent advances in fluid cooling at an affordable price.
"The HydroFlow HF-MK1 targets the highest possible thermal exchange rate between a solid body and the surrounding fluid, while maintaining enough cross sectional area for superior thermal conductance within the fin structure," commented Dr. Michael Schuette, V.P. of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. "Additionally, the relieved contact area concentrates the pressure on the actual die area of any processor, thereby minimizing the thermal interface material-induced loss in heat dissipation. In short, the HydroFlow epitomizes the recent advances in fluid cooling at an affordable price.
Noctua Releases New CPU Coolers for Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron
Noctua today released four new CPU coolers for Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron processors. Optimized for use in dual socket systems, the new DX (Dual Xeon) and DO (Dual Opteron) versions of Noctua's highly successful NH-U12 and NH-U9 series introduce the premium quality quiet cooling performance that has become synonymous with Noctua to the world of professional workstations and servers. "Maximum cooling performance at minimum noise levels and excellent reliability can be particularly important when it comes to high-end workstations and special server applications", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "Due to the ever-growing demand for our Xeon and Socket F mounting kits, we decided to design new, customized versions of our coolers that are completely tailor-made for use on Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron systems, especially dual socket configurations. Enter the DX/DO series!"
NVIDIA Announces Strategic Partnership with MotionDSP
NVIDIA Corporation today announced a strategic partnership with MotionDSP, an emerging leader in digital video software applications and a new NVIDIA CUDA ecosystem partner. MotionDSP relies heavily on the computation power of NVIDIA CUDA technology to accelerate its breakthrough video enhancement software that significantly improves the visual quality of consumer-created videos. As proof that NVIDIA GPUs deliver more than just graphics rendering horsepower, MotionDSP engineers were able to achieve a 500% increase in numerical software performance after porting to CUDA. MotionDSP's revolutionary video enhancement technology-shown with CUDA acceleration for the first time at last month's NVISION 08 conference-allows users to clean up videos from cell phones, still cameras, camcorders, or the Internet. By tapping into the many parallel cores of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, and utilizing NVIDIA CUDA technology, MotionDSP's software can immediately achieve real-time performance, something not attainable with today's CPUs.
NVIDIA GeForce Driver Version 178.13 Released
NVIDIA released today GeForce driver release 178.13, the latest official WHQL driver with support for GeForce 6-series, 7-series, 8-series, 9-series, and 200-series GPUs, including the newly released GeForce 9800 GTX+, 9800 GT, 9500 GT, and 9400 GT GPUs. This release is available for both Windows XP 32-bit/64-bit and Windows Vista 32-bit/64-bit. For more information, please read the full story.
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Toshiba Introduces Industry's First 250GB 1.8-inch Mobile HDD
Toshiba Corporation, the industry pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), today announced expansion of its market-leading 1.8-inch lineup with three new high-capacity, high-performance Serial ATA HDDs for mobile PC applications, including the industry's first 250GB) 1.8-inch HDD. Toshiba's third-generation 5,400 RPM SATA 1.8 HDD family also features 120GB and 160GB capacities, along with the throughput power of the SATA 3.0Gb/s interface. In addition, the new series includes Toshiba's state-of-the-art free fall sensor option, which enhances protection from external shock and vibration events by responding to drops as low as five inches in height.
Unveiling Windows 7 to the World: Keynote, Sessions and Pre-Beta Bits
Microsoft Corp. confirmed today that it will unveil Windows 7, the next major version of Windows, at PDC and provide developers and attendees with a pre-beta build of the operating system. During the Professional Developers Conference 2008 (PDC), Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, will keynote some of the Windows 7 features -including the kernel, networking, hardware and devices, and user-interface. Also, at this year's PDC, keynote attendees will be among the first to receive a pre-beta build copy of Windows 7. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to attend 21 different sessions that drill down into the details of developing for Windows 7. "Keynote attendees will be among the first to receive the pre-beta build of Windows 7," the company said.
ASUS Eee PC 901 to Feature 3.75G for Internet Access Next Month
ASUS today informed that it will be adding 3.75G connectivity to its hugely-popular series of Eee PC netbooks, enabling convenient and high-speed access to the Internet anytime, anywhere. The inclusion of 3.75G will allow for low latency mobile broadband Internet access at high downlink and uplink speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps and 2 Mbps respectively. 3.75G will make its first appearance in Eee PC 901 netbooks released to market from October 2008 onward.
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Natively Supports NVIDIA GPUs
NVIDIA today announced that Adobe will natively support its graphics processing units (GPUs) in their newly announced Adobe Creative Suite 4. Adobe is the latest visual computing company to grab on to the massively parallel processing power of NVIDIA GPUs for more than just rendering pixels to the screen. With NVIDIA GPU acceleration, Adobe Creative Suite 4 enables a faster, more natural way of working with images, while improving quality and productivity. The latest edition in a long line of award-winning software toolsets, Adobe Creative Suite 4 is the first application set of its kind to take advantage of the power of native GPU acceleration.
Diamond Multimedia Faces Flack for Faulty Radeon HD 3800 Products
There are two ways you get a gaming PC. You either shop for all its components and build it yourself, or buy one pre-buit from a company in the business of selling them. Alienware is one such company. One of the differences between the two modes of getting a gaming PC is that if you find that a component is faulty, within a period, you could return the faulty part to the retailer for a replacement. With pre-built PCs, the whole unit has to be sent to a service center, for them to diagnose the fault and replace parts.
Diamond Multimedia, popular for its ATI graphics accelerators have allegedly pumped anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000 defective graphics cards using the Radeon HD 3800 series SKUs between the months of January and July, 2008, through OEM channels. As as a report from TG Daily finds out, it may be more of a case specific to Diamond and its manufacturing sources, particularly Info-Tek Corporation (ITC). Alienware has alleged that a disturbingly high amount of graphics card related failures have been noticed with its products. The system builder found failure rates of more than 10% with HD 3870 X2 cards, more than 2% with 3870 models and almost 8% for 3850 versions. Problems included random crashes and artifacts. These problems may have been caused because of the cards lacking power-management features (for the HD 3850), resistors with wrong values (for HD 3870). The source of the problems may have been traced to ITC, one of the manufacturers that has contracts with Diamond. Diamond itself is also to blame, since clearly its product testing, quality assurance teams have been sleeping on the job. This just might cost Diamond its supply contract with Alienware.
Diamond Multimedia, popular for its ATI graphics accelerators have allegedly pumped anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000 defective graphics cards using the Radeon HD 3800 series SKUs between the months of January and July, 2008, through OEM channels. As as a report from TG Daily finds out, it may be more of a case specific to Diamond and its manufacturing sources, particularly Info-Tek Corporation (ITC). Alienware has alleged that a disturbingly high amount of graphics card related failures have been noticed with its products. The system builder found failure rates of more than 10% with HD 3870 X2 cards, more than 2% with 3870 models and almost 8% for 3850 versions. Problems included random crashes and artifacts. These problems may have been caused because of the cards lacking power-management features (for the HD 3850), resistors with wrong values (for HD 3870). The source of the problems may have been traced to ITC, one of the manufacturers that has contracts with Diamond. Diamond itself is also to blame, since clearly its product testing, quality assurance teams have been sleeping on the job. This just might cost Diamond its supply contract with Alienware.
Wednesday, September 24th 2008
Today's Reviews
Chieftec Hi-Fi Series HM-02B HTPC Case Review
Chieftec's new HM-02B HTPC case has been specifically designed to support regular sized graphics cards and power supplies. Integrated in this very reasonably priced media PC enclosure are a VFD display, card reader and vibration dampening for optical and hard drives, making it one of the best choices on the market we encountered so far.
ASUS Launches 9800 GTX+ ''Dark Knight'' Edition...Seriously!
NVIDIA seems to have made an exception with the GeForce 9800 GTX / GTX+, for allowing its partners to design and sell non-reference design graphics cards based on the said GPU. Earlier we had seen pictures of a card designed by Palit, perhaps the first non-reference 9800 GTX+, taken during this year's NVISION event. It's ASUS now, with their non-reference GeForce 9800 GTX+ accelerator branded as EN9800GTX+ DK/HTDI/512M, in which "DK" abbreviates Dark Knight.
The card uses a custom PCB designed by ASUS, the power inputs are pushed to the posterior end of the card, a black metal railing is seen covering the side of the card (XFX style), the center of attraction is the large cooler designed by ASUS. It consists of aluminum fin arrays on either sides of a fan, to which heat is conveyed by four heat-pipes. The has a double-slot design, sports 512 MB of GDDR3 memory and is 3-way SLI capable. The card can be pushed as far as 735 MHz (core) and 2,200 MHz (memory). ASUS has set up its product page already.
The card uses a custom PCB designed by ASUS, the power inputs are pushed to the posterior end of the card, a black metal railing is seen covering the side of the card (XFX style), the center of attraction is the large cooler designed by ASUS. It consists of aluminum fin arrays on either sides of a fan, to which heat is conveyed by four heat-pipes. The has a double-slot design, sports 512 MB of GDDR3 memory and is 3-way SLI capable. The card can be pushed as far as 735 MHz (core) and 2,200 MHz (memory). ASUS has set up its product page already.
S3 Graphics Delivers Ultra Power Efficient Mobile GPUs
S3 Graphics today announced its Chrome 400 Ultra Low Power (ULP) graphics processor series, based on the most power-efficient GPU architecture on the market. Today's users will now be able to enjoy the latest HD media playback and DirectX 10.1 gaming experience on mini-notes as well as notebook PCs.
Ultra mobile PCs, like the increasingly popular mini-note PC category, are designed to be thin and light so manufacturers could not integrate largely due to the required cooling apparatus. Using less than 7 watts, the S3 Graphics Chrome 400 ULP series graphics processors produce significantly less heat than competitor offerings, enabling the addition of dedicated graphics to mini-note PCs for the first time.
Ultra mobile PCs, like the increasingly popular mini-note PC category, are designed to be thin and light so manufacturers could not integrate largely due to the required cooling apparatus. Using less than 7 watts, the S3 Graphics Chrome 400 ULP series graphics processors produce significantly less heat than competitor offerings, enabling the addition of dedicated graphics to mini-note PCs for the first time.
Dell Driving Transition to Energy-Efficient LED Displays
Dell plans to transition all of its new laptop displays to light-emitting diode (LED) in the next 12 months, a major achievement in its commitment to become the 'greenest' technology company on the planet. "Our customers have made it clear that they want the greenest technology possible," Jeff Clarke, senior vice president, Dell Product Group said during the company's mobility summit in Monte Carlo today. "As an industry, we can shape the future of green innovation and significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with mobile computing. Dell is committed to leading the transition to energy-efficient LED technology."
ASUS to Cut P45 Motherboard Prices
The Intel P45 chipset has had a fair bit of success in the markets these days. ASUS has a whole range of motherboards based on the P43 and P45 chipsets to cater to all price-bands ranging from US $100 to $250. P45 itself however, comes at a time when a section of the industry is gearing up for the upcoming range of processors from Intel, based on the newer LGA-1366 socket, which would be followed later by the LGA-1160 socket. ASUS plans to give its range of P45 chipset based motherboard some model-specific price cuts that channel vendors determine. ASUS commented that it decided to reduce prices in order to meet demand for P45-based motherboard among students.
It is also noted that other first-tier motherboard vendors wouldn't be able to follow suit with price-cuts due to the impact it could have on their revenues. So a price-cut from ASUS alone could put ASUS in a comfortable position since they could be the only ones selling their products at attractive prices, and so, make up for the revenue lost on the price-cuts while preparing its market for the next line of products in the months to come.
It is also noted that other first-tier motherboard vendors wouldn't be able to follow suit with price-cuts due to the impact it could have on their revenues. So a price-cut from ASUS alone could put ASUS in a comfortable position since they could be the only ones selling their products at attractive prices, and so, make up for the revenue lost on the price-cuts while preparing its market for the next line of products in the months to come.
Windows 7 Will Not Include Email, Photo and Movie Programs
Talking to CNET, Microsoft has confirmed it will not be including any built-in programs for Email, Photo Editing and Movie Making. Instead the Windows Live Suite (found here) will be available to download if consumers still wish to use the relevant Microsoft Products.
Windows Live general manager Brian Hall said Microsoft made the decision to remove the tools from Windows for several reasons, including a desire to issue new operating system releases more quickly than it has in the past. The move also removes the confusion of offering and supporting two different programs that perform essentially similar functions.
"It makes it much cleaner," Hall said.
Lastly, he said, making the Windows Live tools completely separate from the operating system paves the way for Microsoft to work selectively with specific partners.
"We can do things with specific partners to enable really great experiences that might be hard in Windows," Hall said.
Antitrust rules make it hard for Microsoft to tie operating system features to specific services.
Packard Bell Enters the Netbook Market with the 8.9-inch ''dot''
Another day and another computing brand announces it's entry into the netbook market. There are not many names left, but its Packard Bell this time making the entry with "dot", an 8.9-inch netbook that features a full installation of Windows XP. The "dot" is built around an Intel Atom processor with 160GB of hard disk space and 1GB DDR2 RAM. The netbook also accommodates 3x USB ports, 5-in-1 card reader and a built-in Wi-Fi (b/g). Additional extra's can include a 6-cell battery for extended battery life, a webcam and a 3G module. The Packard Bell "dot" will be available in European retail outlets from November, starting at an estimated street price of €399.
Sony Debuts 8x Blu-Ray Disc Writer Drive
In yet another PR posted yesterday Sony debuted its third generation internal Blu-ray Disc (BD) writer for the computer aftermarket, which at about $400 achieves a new level of affordability for BD enthusiasts. The new BWU-300S model burns single and dual layer BD-R media at up to 8X speed, recording a full 25GB disc in about 15 minutes and a full 50GB disc in about 30 minutes. The 8X recording speed is achieved using 6X compatible BD-R media. The drive also records DVDs at up to 16X, CDs up to 48X, and supports DVD-RAM recording. The internal BWU-300S features a Serial ATA (SATA) interface and standard 5.25-inch form-factor for easy installation inside a desktop PC with Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems. It comes bundled with a "Men in Black" Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Also included with the drive is CyberLink's software suite for capturing, authoring, editing, burning and viewing high-definition personal content. The BWU-300S drive will be available through select retailers, resellers and directly at Sony Style starting next month. Pre-orders are now being accepted by Sony on the website.
Sony Unveils World's Lightest Blu-Ray Disc Notebook
Yesterday Sony took the wraps off the world's lightest computer with Blu-ray Disc technology - the VAIO TT Series notebook. Available in two models VAIO TT160 and VAIO TT198, both laptops come housed in a lightweight carbon-fiber chassis, weight just 2.87 pounds and are less than 1-inch thin, but have different hardware installed. The TT160 series comes with a 1.2GHz U9200 Intel Centrino 2 processor (3MB L2 cache), 3GB PC3-6400 memory and 160GB 5400rpm SATA hard drive, while the TT198 features a 1.4GHz U9300 CPU (3MB L2 cache), 4GB PC3-6400 memory and 2x128GB SATA solid state drives in RAID. Sony offers both models with a 11.1-inch XBRITE-DuraView widescreen LCD that also has LED backlight. This screen boasts 16:9 HD 1366x768 wide resolution. Future owners who want to pay a premium price can also purchase a Blu-Ray writer drive. The TT models start at $2,000. The BD version will go for about $2,700, while the SSD model (128GB) for around $2,750. Available colors include premium carbon black, silk black, champagne gold and crimson red. Retailers will start selling the TT series starting this fall. Click here for any additional information.
Intel Capital to Acquire $20 Million Stake in Telligent
Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, today announced an agreement to acquire a $20 million stake in Telligent Systems, makers of social computing solutions and business intelligence tools. Based in Dallas, Telligent will utilize the funds to expand its sales teams and territories, including growth in international markets, as well as increase its marketing and advertising initiatives and product development plans. "Intel Capital makes strategic global investments to help provide enterprises with the latest tools they need for growth, innovation, productivity improvement and cost savings," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and executive vice-president of Intel.
Tuesday, September 23rd 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
- GeCube HD 3650 OC and Point of View 9600 GSO Digit-Life
- Sapphire HD 4670 Club Overclocker
- Sapphire HD 4670 Elite Bastards
- Sapphire HD 4670 Phoronix
- Sapphire HD 4670 Crossfire ProClockers
- PowerColor HD 4850 PCS+ Bit-Tech
- PowerColor HD 4870 PCS+ 1 GB HotHardware
- Sapphire Toxic HD 4870 ProClockers
- XFX GeForce 9500 GT XXX DriverHeaven
- XFX GeForce 9600 GSO 384 MB Bit-Tech
- Asus GeForce 9800 GT Think Computers
- Zotac GeForce 9800 GTX+ t-break
- EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Guru3D
Monitors
Motherboards
Processors
PSUs
Aerocool Hi-Tech 7 Pro Review
The Aerocool Hi-Tech 7 Pro features a huge 400 mm fan which is the biggest ever seen on a computer case so far. Also included is a fan controller and thermal monitor up front. We fire the turbine up to see how that monster fan performs.
TechPowerUp GPU-Z v0.2.8 released
A new version of GPU-Z has been released. New features include the much requested sensor logging feature and support for AMD's latest RV730 cards.
Patriot Releases 4GB DDR3 PC3-16000 Viper Kit
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium quality memory module and flash memory solutions, today unveiled their 4GB DDR3 2000MHz low latency Viper series memory kit. The newest addition to Patriot's Viper series, the 2000MHz kit boasts both high-density and high-frequency, enhancing overclocking capabilities for gamers and PC enthusiasts alike on today's latest DDR3 platforms.
"Patriot's DDR3 2000MHz memory kits are perfect for PC gamers and enthusiasts," said Les Henry, Technical Director of Patriot Memory. "Capable of handling the demands that high-bandwidth multimedia programs and PC games require, the 4GB PC3-16000 2000MHz memory has the perfect combination of density and speed to push systems beyond what is currently imaginable."
"Patriot's DDR3 2000MHz memory kits are perfect for PC gamers and enthusiasts," said Les Henry, Technical Director of Patriot Memory. "Capable of handling the demands that high-bandwidth multimedia programs and PC games require, the 4GB PC3-16000 2000MHz memory has the perfect combination of density and speed to push systems beyond what is currently imaginable."
Gigabyte Intros GeForce GTX 260 OC with 216 Shaders
GIGABYTE UNITED INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched their next generation graphic accelerators, the GIGABYTE GV-N26OC-896H-B, equipped with NVIDIA's latest GeForce GTX 260 OC graphics processor. Delivering a 5-10% performance boost over the previous GeForce GTX 260, the GeForce GTX 260 OC with its 216 stream processors and 448bit, 896 GB GDDR3 memory provides a sophisticated level of 3D game rendering to take your game play to the next level. Supporting HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) and Full HD to 1,080P, the GIGABYTE GV-N26OC-896H-B also provides the highest quality, High-Definition video for the ultimate home theater experience.
Supporting NVIDIA's PhysX Technology, the GIGABYTE GV-N26OC-896H-B enables a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 OC. In addition to providing a completely unique gaming experience, it also compliant with CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) Technology, unlocking the power of the processor core of the GeForce GTX 260 OC to accelerate the most demanding system tasks such as video transcoding for an up to 7x performance enhancement over traditional CPUs.
Supporting NVIDIA's PhysX Technology, the GIGABYTE GV-N26OC-896H-B enables a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 OC. In addition to providing a completely unique gaming experience, it also compliant with CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) Technology, unlocking the power of the processor core of the GeForce GTX 260 OC to accelerate the most demanding system tasks such as video transcoding for an up to 7x performance enhancement over traditional CPUs.
AMD 45nm Quad-Core Opteron Lineup for 2009 Detailed
AMD would be releasing 45nm silicon fabricated series of the quad-core Opteron processor based on the newer Shanghai core. Like its desktop PC counterpart, the Deneb core, it features 6 MB of L3 cache along with some enterprise-specific features. They will be designed for high-uptime and energy efficiency. AMD banks heavily on the performance efficiency and virtualization capabilities of these processors. There are primarily two types of these processors based on the multi-processor capabilities: the 2000 series 2-way processors and the 8000 series 8-way processors. The former supports two-socket systems while the latter is designed for dense 2+ socket environments, where up to 8 Opteron processors could work in tandem. The processors continue to have Socket-F (s1207) interfaces, hence the entire lineup retains its DDR2 memory standard.
Interestingly, AMD did not rework the system interface for all its newer chips. Across the vast lineup of 20 models, only four support the newer HyperTransport 3.0 interface with 4400 MT/s interconnects. The rest continue to use the 2000 MT/s interconnects. It could be mid-2009 by the time AMD launches its own enterprise-segment chipsets, which could also be the time when the current leading player, NVIDIA launches its newer nForce Professional lineup for the Opteron. Since current chipsets from both NVIDIA and Broadcom feature only the older HyperTransport 2000 MT/s interfaces, it could explain why most of these chips feature it.
Interestingly, AMD did not rework the system interface for all its newer chips. Across the vast lineup of 20 models, only four support the newer HyperTransport 3.0 interface with 4400 MT/s interconnects. The rest continue to use the 2000 MT/s interconnects. It could be mid-2009 by the time AMD launches its own enterprise-segment chipsets, which could also be the time when the current leading player, NVIDIA launches its newer nForce Professional lineup for the Opteron. Since current chipsets from both NVIDIA and Broadcom feature only the older HyperTransport 2000 MT/s interfaces, it could explain why most of these chips feature it.
ATI Radeon HD 4830 to be Launched this October
At this point, ATI has a product to counter NVIDIA in every segment barring some gaps, such as the GeForce GTX 260 (216 SP) at $299 and the GTX 280 itself at its low price, GeForce 8800/9800 GT in their price ranges and the GeForce 9600 GSO.
The entry of Radeon HD 4850 X2 aims to disturb the market position of the GeForce GTX 280. To compete with the 8800/9800 GT and 9600 GSO, ATI is preparing a new down-scale graphics processor called RV770LE. The GPU has 480 stream processors and carries the brand name Radeon HD 4830. It will sport 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. Upon launch, ATI's partners would be free to launch it at speeds that suit their product lines. This GPU launches sometime in October.
The entry of Radeon HD 4850 X2 aims to disturb the market position of the GeForce GTX 280. To compete with the 8800/9800 GT and 9600 GSO, ATI is preparing a new down-scale graphics processor called RV770LE. The GPU has 480 stream processors and carries the brand name Radeon HD 4830. It will sport 512 MB of GDDR3 memory. Upon launch, ATI's partners would be free to launch it at speeds that suit their product lines. This GPU launches sometime in October.
Gigabyte Unveils Ultra Durable 3 Motherboard Technology
GIGABYTE UNITED INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to introduce their revolutionary Ultra Durable 3 technology, the industry's first consumer desktop motherboard design to feature 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers, delivering a dramatically lower system temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking. GIGABYTE once again leads the motherboard industry for the highest quality, most innovative motherboard design with the launch of their latest Ultra Durable 3 technology. Ultra Durable 3 motherboards are the first consumer desktop motherboards to feature double the amount of copper for the Power and Ground layers of the PCB. Most traditional motherboard designs utilize a single ounce of copper for each layer, whereas GIGABYTE's ultra Durable 3 motherboards feature 2 ounces per layer.
Doubling the amount of copper provides a more effective thermal cooling solution by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. In fact, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 motherboards are able to deliver up to 50°C cooler working temperatures than traditional motherboards.
Doubling the amount of copper provides a more effective thermal cooling solution by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. In fact, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 motherboards are able to deliver up to 50°C cooler working temperatures than traditional motherboards.
Core i7 965 XE Unboxed, Stock Cooler and Processor Exposed
Intel would be rolling out an elite fleet of desktop processors based on the new Nehalem architecture soon. The first derivative, the Bloomfield core, is supposed to be the architecture's flagship for the desktop PC market. And for it, Core i7 Extreme 965 is supposed to be the leading processor. Priced at US $999, the processor is clocked at 3.20 GHz and features four cores and eight logical processors thanks to HyperThreading Technology (encore). Details of it are covered here.
Mobile01, unboxed the i7 965 before launch. The contents show a massive stock cooler and the processor itself. The stock cooler is composed of the same fins projecting radially, just that they are much thinner, and more in number (to boost surface area of dissipation). The cooler uses 50% of fins made of copper and the rest 50% made of aluminum. The large CPU contact base is made of copper and pre-applied TIM. The box pictured is the "white-box" part, expect the retail box to be of that exact size.
Mobile01, unboxed the i7 965 before launch. The contents show a massive stock cooler and the processor itself. The stock cooler is composed of the same fins projecting radially, just that they are much thinner, and more in number (to boost surface area of dissipation). The cooler uses 50% of fins made of copper and the rest 50% made of aluminum. The large CPU contact base is made of copper and pre-applied TIM. The box pictured is the "white-box" part, expect the retail box to be of that exact size.
Monday, September 22nd 2008
Today's Reviews
Motherboards
Thermaltake Reveals the XPRESSAR RCS100 Phase-Change Processor Cooling
Back in March 2008, Thermaltake introduced its first phase change cooling prototype. At the time, we were able to reveal only a few pictures, without knowing what was to come. Today Thermaltake said that after four years of research, the company's first DC inverter type micro refrigeration cooling system is finally ready to hit the market. The so-called Thermaltake XPRESSAR utilizes cyclic refrigeration method based on the vapor-compression refrigeration, to take away the heat produced by processors. Vapor-compression refrigeration systems use a circulating liquid refrigerant as cooling medium which absorbs and removes heat from the space to be cooled and subsequently reject that heat elsewhere. All such systems have four components: a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. For now the XPRESSAR phase-change cooling will be paired with a Xaser VI case and sold as XPRESSAR RCS100. The total weight of both parts will equal to 22.2kg. Thermaltake ensures that such a system will result in 20ºC better temps than most liquid-based systems, and also be compatible with all Intel LGA775 and LGA1366 (Nehalem) processors (maybe an AMD kit will be released sometime later). More information on the XPRESSAR RCS100 can be found here. Pricing and availability are still to be announced. It's time for the reviews now.
Cooler Master Prepares New Premium ATC 840 ''Raytheon'' Chassis
Over the past five or so years, the standards of design and engineering for computer cases certainly reached new highs. With increasing competition and market for pretty-much every segment of buyer, the general design of a computer case in 2001 transitioned from a 'box', to the snazzy techno and eventually, the more artistic brushed metal cases, some with lavish use of aluminum and even copper. Cooler Master has been in the business of computer cases for a while now. Over the years, the company emerged as one of those important companies to look out for, when in the market for a good, sturdy chassis. News is, that Cooler Master is preparing a premium desktop case called ATC 840 "Raytheon", which follows the launch of the HAF (high air-flow) design chassis.
Pictures show the case to have brushed metal overalls, with planned air-channels where air is guided by 120mm fans and drawn in by a powerful yet silent 230mm fan. There is also mention of air-filtering. As expected with cases of its range, the case is compartmentalized, and comes with a system-board tray that completely slides out from the rear of the case. This case should be out by the end of this month, prices are not known at this point.
Pictures show the case to have brushed metal overalls, with planned air-channels where air is guided by 120mm fans and drawn in by a powerful yet silent 230mm fan. There is also mention of air-filtering. As expected with cases of its range, the case is compartmentalized, and comes with a system-board tray that completely slides out from the rear of the case. This case should be out by the end of this month, prices are not known at this point.
Phenom X4, X3 45nm Lineup for H1 2009 Explained
AMD would be releasing its first desktop processors based on the 45nm silicon fabrication process, based on the newer Deneb core. The company is said to have made several tweaks to the original K10 design and equipped the core with 300% the amount of L3 cache as its 65nm Agena parts. The only thing got us wondering was what would be its nomenclature like? Well, be surprised to know that after Phenom X4 9000 series, the company plans to continue the numbering with a 5-digit model number scheme with x1000 unit deviations between models. A rather confusing naming scheme, as suggested by the chart provided, seems to have been adopted.
It is now clear, that there will be two distinct kinds of Phenom X4 45nm chips: those which continue support for DDR2 memory on the existing AM2/AM2+ sockets, and those which are exclusive to the AM3 socket and feature support for DDR3 memory, DDR3 1333MHz at that. The processors would feature dual 64-bit memory controllers, which could be ganged for a single 128-bit wide memory interface, or un-ganged to step up multi-tasking efficiency.
It is now clear, that there will be two distinct kinds of Phenom X4 45nm chips: those which continue support for DDR2 memory on the existing AM2/AM2+ sockets, and those which are exclusive to the AM3 socket and feature support for DDR3 memory, DDR3 1333MHz at that. The processors would feature dual 64-bit memory controllers, which could be ganged for a single 128-bit wide memory interface, or un-ganged to step up multi-tasking efficiency.
Sunday, September 21st 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Input Devices
Motherboards
GT200(b), GT300 SKUs Make for Early Sighting
Australian e-tailer Austin Computers has already begun listing two future NVIDIA stock keeping units (SKUs) - which obviously - are yet to arrive. The first listing is that of a GeForce GTX 280+, which preliminary specifications show could be a 55nm variant of the same GeForce GTX 280. Looking at how NVIDIA dealt with the 9800 GTX+, it could be assumed that the new GTX 280+ could feature higher clock speeds in order to make it more competitive.
Second to be listed, which looks rather surprising, is that of a GeForce GTX 350, based on the GT300 graphics processor. Again, whatever little specifications listed, show that the card is based on the 55nm silicon fab. process and holds 2 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 512-bit wide memory bus. It is mentioned that the product could be available any time in Q4 2008. Is NVIDIA gearing up for X'mas?
Second to be listed, which looks rather surprising, is that of a GeForce GTX 350, based on the GT300 graphics processor. Again, whatever little specifications listed, show that the card is based on the 55nm silicon fab. process and holds 2 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 512-bit wide memory bus. It is mentioned that the product could be available any time in Q4 2008. Is NVIDIA gearing up for X'mas?
VIA Readying Dual-Core Nano Processor
With ULPC, "small is big", they say. This summer, we had seen something not thought of since the days of the Cyrix processor: VIA (that eventually acquired Cyrix), battled with Intel for supremacy in regard to a segment of processors, in this case, ULPC. The VIA Nano proved to be a worthy alternative to Intel's Atom processor. However, with Intel releasing a dual-core version of the chip that remains within the 10W thermal envelope, it seemed like Intel leaped ahead of VIA Nano.
Fresh news suggests that VIA would release a dual-core version of the Nano processor by the end of this year to be able to make it to next year's CES held at Las Vegas. VIA has already earned itself production and supply contracts from HP, this could be accelerating the development of the new chip. In essence, the Nano could make it to HP's netbooks right upon release.
Fresh news suggests that VIA would release a dual-core version of the Nano processor by the end of this year to be able to make it to next year's CES held at Las Vegas. VIA has already earned itself production and supply contracts from HP, this could be accelerating the development of the new chip. In essence, the Nano could make it to HP's netbooks right upon release.
Intel Prepares Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad Price Cuts on October 19th
New reports suggest that on October 19th (on my birthday) Intel is planning to cut the prices of several Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors. According to the report on that date prices of the 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 and the 2.3GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 will drop from $193 to $183, and from $224 to $193 respectively. Intel's dual-core 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E7300 will fall from $133 to $113. In addition the company plans to introduce a new 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo E7400 part on that date too.
Saturday, September 20th 2008
Today's Reviews
Case Modding
Cooling
Processors
Lexar FireWire 800 Compact Flash Reader Review
Lexar's new FireWire 800 CF Card Reader uses the powerful interface to offer unprecedented bandwidth with allows you to optimally use the latest CF card technology. While the traditional USB interface is limited to a maximum of about 30 MB/s, the FireWire interface goes up to 100 MB/s. Clearly a difference if you move a lot of files to and from your CF card.
Intel Officially Begins Shipping Dual-Core Atom Processors
Intel has officially begun shipping a 45nm dual-core Intel Atom Processor known as the Intel Atom Processor 330. The newest member of the Atom family is designed specifically for nettops, which are affordable desktops purpose-built primarily for web surfing, email, and basic Internet usage. The dual-core Intel Atom Processor 330 features a 1.6GHz processing core, 1MB of level 2 cache, an 8W TDP and support for DDR2 667. The new processor is available as an integrated package and has been validated with the Intel 945GC Express Chipset, featuring built-in Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 and Intel High Definition Audio.
Magic Pro Releases Mini-ITX board with Sideport Memory and Wi-Fi
IN the past few months, an interesting set of Mini-ITX motherboards made it to the market. There are two primary classes of ITX boards: embedded CPU and those with CPU sockets. VIA and Intel have boards based on their small-footprint embedded processors, while others made innovative solutions with CPU sockets. The Minix-ITX, an AM2+ socket based ITX board, took it to the next level with a motherboard that fulfills most requirements of HTPC users.
Magic Pro, a Chinese company that concentrates on Asian markets has now come up with another solution based on the AMD 780G chipset. The board, MP-NC81 comes with 128 MB of Sideport memory to assist the integrated graphics processor (IGP) that's housed in the 780G chipset. The IGP supports UVD, it accelerates H.264, VC1 and MPEG2 1080p playback. It comes with SB600 southbrige which routes to four SATA II ports with RAID support. The board features a single SO-DIMM slot to hold notebook DDR2 memory. It supports AM2+ processors with TDP of up to 95W. A striking feature however, is that the board optionally ships with a wireless ethernet riser-card, much in the same way as some high-end motherboards from ASUS do. The riser card is said to support 802.11n standard.
Magic Pro, a Chinese company that concentrates on Asian markets has now come up with another solution based on the AMD 780G chipset. The board, MP-NC81 comes with 128 MB of Sideport memory to assist the integrated graphics processor (IGP) that's housed in the 780G chipset. The IGP supports UVD, it accelerates H.264, VC1 and MPEG2 1080p playback. It comes with SB600 southbrige which routes to four SATA II ports with RAID support. The board features a single SO-DIMM slot to hold notebook DDR2 memory. It supports AM2+ processors with TDP of up to 95W. A striking feature however, is that the board optionally ships with a wireless ethernet riser-card, much in the same way as some high-end motherboards from ASUS do. The riser card is said to support 802.11n standard.
First Intel Tolopai-based Commercial SoC Platform Launched
Habey USA, leading manufacturer of embedded and server storage products, today announces BIS-7750, the first Intel SoC based fanless NAS/Network Appliance embedded platform. BIS-7750 is based on Intel's latest EP80579 Tolapai Integrated Processor with Intel QuickAssist Technology. It offers five PCIe Gigabit Ethernet ports, Ethernet bypass segment, PCIe 4x slot, mini-PCIe slot for expansion, dual SATA II channel and supports up to 2GB of system memory. It is designed for small-to-medium business (SMB) and enterprise security and communications appliances (including VPN/firewall and unified threat management), transaction terminals, interactive clients, print and imaging applications, wireless and WiMax access applications, SMB and home network attached storage (NAS), converged IP PBX solutions, converged access platforms, IP media servers, and VoIP gateways.
Friday, September 19th 2008
Today's Reviews
Headphones
Keyboards
PSUs
Razer Salmosa Review
Razer's newest mouse is an entry level gaming device, stuffed with their awesome sensor technology at a great price point of $39. This makes it an interesting choice if you want go for a Razer mouse for the first time without spending a lot of money.
Creative Expands X-Fi Titanium Lineup
Creative has expanded its Sound Blaster (SB) X-Fi Lineup with two new entries. The Titanium series marked Creative's entry into true PCI-Express hardware-accelerated audio. The Titanium series cards are said to have a tweaked CA-20K audio processing core that has native PCI-Express interconnects to the rest of the system. It is also said to run a lot cooler than its older variant featured in some of the PCI versions of Sound Blaster X-Fi.
First up, is SB X-Fi Titanium. This vanilla version of the card features the same PCB as the other variants. It is best put as the successor to X-Fi Xtreme Gamer. It has the same audio processor, DAC and OPAMP circuit, just that the X-RAM buffer isn't provided. In its place, a low-capacity memory chip that keeps the CA-20K operational is present. That shouldn't in any way affect its function or quality, except that the X-RAM feature which will be lacking. The card lacks an EMI shield as well. This card has been put on sale for weeks now, on popular etailers such as Newegg. It carries a price tag of around US $100.
Next is the card we are interested in, the card is SB X-Fi Titanium Professional Audio. In many respects, the card is close to being identical to the X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional. The card lacks the Fatal1ty branding, perhaps to give it an audiophile card's look. It bundles 3.5mm to RCA converter cables. The software bundle includes Creative Media Toolbox, a content creation software kit that takes advantage of the card's Audio Creation Mode. Other than that, nothing else advertised seems to differentiate it from the Fatal1ty card. It has been published on Creative's Hong Kong website here, and is priced at approximately US $154.
First up, is SB X-Fi Titanium. This vanilla version of the card features the same PCB as the other variants. It is best put as the successor to X-Fi Xtreme Gamer. It has the same audio processor, DAC and OPAMP circuit, just that the X-RAM buffer isn't provided. In its place, a low-capacity memory chip that keeps the CA-20K operational is present. That shouldn't in any way affect its function or quality, except that the X-RAM feature which will be lacking. The card lacks an EMI shield as well. This card has been put on sale for weeks now, on popular etailers such as Newegg. It carries a price tag of around US $100.
Next is the card we are interested in, the card is SB X-Fi Titanium Professional Audio. In many respects, the card is close to being identical to the X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional. The card lacks the Fatal1ty branding, perhaps to give it an audiophile card's look. It bundles 3.5mm to RCA converter cables. The software bundle includes Creative Media Toolbox, a content creation software kit that takes advantage of the card's Audio Creation Mode. Other than that, nothing else advertised seems to differentiate it from the Fatal1ty card. It has been published on Creative's Hong Kong website here, and is priced at approximately US $154.
ASUS P5QPL-VM Spotted
ASUS will be expanding its P5Q series of motherboards based on the P4x, G4x chipsets with the P5QPL-VM. This one is an entry-level micro-ATX board based on the Intel G41 chipset that is accompanied by the older ICH7 southbridge. A distinctive feature is that the board provides a DisplayPort video out connector apart from DVI and D-Sub. It also provides the ExpressGate embedded software. Being based on the older ICH7 southbridge it doesn't offer RAID, though strives to be placed in the entry-level market. Its display output options along with the ExpressGate feature could serve as selling points.
Crysis Warhead Post-release Hardware Tests Show Neutral Improvements
Crytek has worked closely with NVIDIA in the development of the Crysis franchise, and it is a known fact that the original title was optimised for GeForce hardware. The original title, however, was criticised for being too demanding with hardware requirements, which may have contributed to the luke-warm sales of the game. With Crysis Warhead however, Crytek promises to have improved the game engine to work better with today's hardware. PC Games Hardware (PCGH) put the new game to test, not with the prime objective to review it, but to review its performance with today's hardware. There are positives that can be drawn from the findings of the review. The first being, that the game performs to the potential of installed hardware, be it GeForce or Radeon. There were very minor deviations of the hardware's performances from synthetic tests that show their capabilities. For example, Radeon HD 4870 performed neck and neck with GeForce GTX 260 in the "gamer mode", with the former achieving a higher minimum frame-rate. This was also seen with the game's "enthusiast mode" albeit the GeForce chipping away with a higher average frame-rate. The trend continued with the rest of today's GPUs, which indeed is a positive sign.
Swiftech Releases GT200 Adapter Kit for MCW60 Revision 2 GPU Water Block
Swiftech updated today its portfolio to include a GT200 adapter kit for its MCW60 Revision 2 GPU water block. This adapter will make the current MCW60 Rev. 2 GPU blocks compatible with all reference NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 280 video cards. The MCW60 waterblock is a liquid cooling solution for high-end graphics processors. It uses the same base plate technology as the award-winning Apogee CPU water-block and offers easy integration in most water cooling loops. Until now the block was compatible with most ATI and NVIDIA video cards thanks to various base plates. This latest GTX 200 hold-down kit will cost you $6.99. Please visit Swiftech for more information.
Intel Decides to Unlock the Memory Multiplier of its Core i7-920 and Core i7-940 CPUs
Thanks to some inside information that was published today by various hardware portals, now we know that Intel has decided to enhance the overclocking capabilities of two of its still to be released non-Extreme Core i7 processors. Intel's LGA 1366 Core i7-940 and Core i7-920, which are clocked at 2.93GHz and 2.66GHz respectively will now boast unlocked memory controlers, meaning that users will be able to change the memory multiplier and thus the memory frequency beyond the stock DDR3 800/1066MHz speed. The unlocked memory multiplier will also allow the QPI speed to be changed. The Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) bus resembles AMD's Hypertransport bus. A slide change in the memory frequency will result in higher QPI bus speed, just like in the current AMD processor family. Previously, we knew that only the Core i7 Extreme processors like the 3.2GHz Core i7-965 Extreme Edition will have these overclocking features. I sincerely hope that with this last minute change Intel will make us overclockers really happy.
Lenovo Intros Six New ThinkVision LCD Monitor Ranging from 17-inch to 24-inch
At the Interop show today, Lenovo announced the latest additions to its ThinkVision monitor portfolio that pioneer a new level of energy-efficiency for PC displays. Delivering outstanding performance, the new ThinkVision L1700p, L1940 Wide, L1940p Wide, L2240p Wide, L2440p Wide and L2440x Wide monitors use 30-60 percent less energy than previous ThinkVision models, are EPEAT Gold rated and GREENGUARD certified, and include packaging for select models with 65 percent recycled materials.
NVIDIA Announces Workforce Reduction, Cuts Around 360 Work Positions Worldwide
NVIDIA Corporation today announced a workforce reduction to allow for continued investment in strategic growth areas. As a result, NVIDIA expects to eliminate approximately 360 positions worldwide, or about 6.5 percent of the Company's global workforce. The reduction is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2009 ending October 26, 2008. NVIDIA will provide employees affected by this reduction with severance packages, counseling, and job placement services. "Our action today is difficult, but necessary considering current business realities. Despite our reduction, we will continue to invest in selective high-growth opportunities like our revolutionary CUDA parallel computing technology and our Tegra mobile single-chip computer," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. "We are taking fast action to enhance our competitive position and restore our financial performance. All of us at NVIDIA are determined to emerge from these challenges an even stronger company." The Company expects to record restructuring-related charges of approximately $7 million to $10 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 in connection with the reduction. These pre-tax charges are comprised of severance and related expenses and are expected to be charged primarily against NVIDIA's operating expenses.
Thursday, September 18th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Lexar Professional 8GB 300x UDMA Compact Flash Review
Lexar is joining the frey of high-performance UDMA Compact Flash cards with their Professional 300x series of cards. We get to take a look at their 8 GB version with a big, pleasant suprise during benching.
Buffalo to Release New 2.5'' SSDs
Buffalo Technology is said to be readying three models of 2.5 inch solid state drives for release later this month. The drives are part of the SHD-NSUM series. They are made of multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash design. It uses the standard SATA II interface and weighs 70 grams. The three models would come out in capacities of 30, 60 and 120 GB. It features a built that allows use both inside a notebook or PC and outside it. Apart from the standard SATA power and data connectors, there is a USB connection provided so that users could connect the drive directly using a USB cable that takes care of data and power. Such a feature was also seen with OCZ Core V2 series. The 30, 60 and 120 GB models are to be priced in Japan at about $153, $305 and $459 respectively.
AMD to Revamp 790 FX for AM3, Chipset Launches Delayed
The AM3 socket finally gives AMD Processors access to DDR3 memory. The only complication is that processors must feature DDR3 integrated memory controllers (IMC). Earlier roadmap slides had shown that the RD890 and RS880 along with SB800 would be the first platform with AM3 compliance. However, sources tell Expreview that AMD would not be ready with the chipsets by the time AM3 processors come out. Hence, AMD would be using the existing high-end duo of 790 FX and SB750 which would be re-launched in H1 2009 that support AM3 sockets. It is known that 790 FX supports HyperTransport 3.1 links that would offer processors system interconnect bandwidths of up to 6400 MT/s.
Another chipset that has been pushed to H1 2009 is the AMD 760G, which is a mainstream chipset with integrated graphics. It was expected that this would come out sometime in Q4 2008.
Another chipset that has been pushed to H1 2009 is the AMD 760G, which is a mainstream chipset with integrated graphics. It was expected that this would come out sometime in Q4 2008.
ZOTAC Launches GeForce 9600GT and GeForce 9800GT Synergy Edition
ZOTAC International, a leading manufacturer of NVIDIA-based graphics cards, today unleashes its new GeForce Synergy Edition graphics card lineup. The new ZOTAC GeForce Synergy Editions deliver the phenomenal gaming experience of NVIDIA's GeForce 9 graphics processors to budget-minded gamers and enthusiasts. Two new GeForce 9-based graphics cards kick off the ZOTAC GeForce Synergy Edition lineup - the GeForce 9800GT Synergy Edition and GeForce 9600GT Synergy Edition - delivering the power of NVIDIA's Unified Architecture, PhysX and PureVideo HD technology to value price points.
Antec Teases Enthusiast Community with Skeleton Chassis
Antec is planning to take enthusiast PC chassis to the next level with the Skeleton Chassis. It breaks the mould with a design case-modders and overclockers would build themselves. It is an open-ended design suited for flat-bed setups ideal for benchmark enthusiasts and reviewers. The design is basically two stages stacked. The top stage holds the motherboard and the lower stage holds hard drives, PSU and related peripherals and wiring. The stages slide out, in case the user decides to use extreme cooling such as LN2 pots, etc. Otherwise, the arches above the top stage hold a powerful 250 mm fan to keep the entire stage cool.
ASUS Unveils New N Series Notebooks
Form following function-ASUS N Series notebooks epitomize style and productivity through smart technologies and innovative product design. Each N Series notebook comes with innovative technological developments such as the highly-efficient Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) which automatically allocates power, preserving battery life up to 35%; the built-in Express Gate operating system that allows users to access their most commonly-used programs in 8 seconds; and the SmartLogon facial recognition system that recognizes users' facial features and logs them on without requiring any manual key input.
Intel Updates Plans with Desktop CPU Lineup
Intel has updated its plans with the desktop CPU lineup across segments with some of the current products getting discontinued from manufacturing. The company will send product discontinuance notices (PDNs), documents sent to relevant firms in the industry, notifying them of a time-frame in which the company plans to stop production of a product. Some products are also slated to reach end of life (EOL). Along with this, there are also plans to bring in new products based on the current architecture.
Sources at motherboard vendors tell that by Q1 2009, the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 and QX9650 discontinue, with PDNs being issued. They will be totally phased-out by Q2. The company will also send out PDNs for four quad-core CPUs including the Core 2 Quad Q9450, ten dual-core CPUs including the Core 2 Duo E8300, three Pentium CPUs including the Pentium E2220 and the Celeron E1200 starting in November, and all products will phase out between the first and second quarters next year. Other highlights include:
Sources at motherboard vendors tell that by Q1 2009, the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 and QX9650 discontinue, with PDNs being issued. They will be totally phased-out by Q2. The company will also send out PDNs for four quad-core CPUs including the Core 2 Quad Q9450, ten dual-core CPUs including the Core 2 Duo E8300, three Pentium CPUs including the Pentium E2220 and the Celeron E1200 starting in November, and all products will phase out between the first and second quarters next year. Other highlights include:
AMD Infuses Corporate Brand with the Power of ''Fusion''
AMD today launched a new corporate brand campaign under a new tagline, "The Future is Fusion." The campaign is intended to focus on how the unique AMD combination of technologies, coupled with close relationships with computer manufacturers and a deep understanding of customer needs, results in exciting next-generation capabilities and experiences at work, at home, and at play.
ASUS P6T Deluxe X58 Motherboard Coming Soon
XFastest.com posted today a ton of ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard press event shots and detailed product pictures. All the valuable information about the motherboard can be seen in the pictures. Only four pics will be posted here, the rest of them can be viewed at our collegues at VR-Zone.
Life With PlayStation for PLAYSTATION 3 Global Start Now Official
Sony Computer Entertainment just announced the simultaneous global launch of its free Life with PlayStation PS3 service for PLAYSTATION 3. Life with PlayStation is a new lifestyle service that offers users a new visual and interactive way to use their PS3 to access news and information from around the world, only possible on the PS3's feature-rich platform. Initially, Live Channel will worldwide news and and information such as time, weather and live camera images provided by The Earth Television Network of nearly 60 cities around the globe. All this is free of charge and requires your PS3 to be connected to Internet only. PS3 users can easily join Life with PlayStation by simply clicking the Folding@home icon on the network column of XMB (XrossMediaBar) that will update to Life with PlayStation. For more information, please see the official website here.
IBM, ITRI Collaborate to Advance New Solid-State Memory
IBM announced today that it has entered into a joint development agreement with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to further explore "Racetrack Memory," an entirely new approach to solid state memory. Racetrack Memory was conceived by IBM Fellow Dr. Stuart Parkin at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA. Racetrack Memory is an exciting and highly innovative concept that builds upon IBM's significant accomplishments in the research and development of nanomaterials and nanodevices based on the manipulation of spin-polarized electrical current," said Dr. T.C. Chen, IBM Fellow and Vice President, Science & Technology, IBM Research.
OCZ 2.5-inch 64GB Core Series Solid State Drive Now Available for as Low as $99
We usually don't use our front page for "deal of the week" news, but what I saw today made me do that. If you by any chance have a way to purchase from NewEgg you better wake your American contact now. Right now using a $70 mail-in rebate you can buy online OCZ's 2.5-inch 64GB Core Series SATA 3Gbp/s SSD drive for as low as $99. Yes $99 (original price $269.00) and you can have a 64GB SSD for your desktop PC or laptop. The OCZ Core series SSDs offer sequential read speed of 120-143MB/s and sequential write speed of 80-93MB/s. The MTBF for these is 1.5 million hours. Hurry up and buy yours here.
Wednesday, September 17th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Processors
Sapphire HD 4850 512 MB 100245L Own PCB Design Review
Sapphire has engineered their own version of the Radeon HD 4850 with cost and cooling in mind. The card's new unconventional heatsink looks good and keeps the card cool - far below reference design temperatures. The best of all is that the card costs only $169.99 online which makes it the cheapest HD 4850 available today.
Crysis Warhead Now Available Via Steam
Crysis Warhead is now available for purchase via Steam and to play for gamers in North America. In addition, the original Crysis is now available for purchase and play by gamers the world over. Outside of North America, Crysis Warhead will become available for play tomorrow (Thursday) via Steam.
Thermalright Ultra 120 Cu Limited Edition up for Grabs Next Month
Famous for their fin-array based air cooling, Thermalright had earlier announced that they would be releasing a full-copper version of their popular Ultra 120 CPU cooler. Reports suggest that the cooler indeed will make it to the market next month, just that the company would be making only 3,000 of these coolers making it a limited-edition product. The cooler uses copper in all its parts, starting from the CPU contact base, the six heatpipes, and the 50+ fins. With copper being a heavier metal than aluminum, the heatsink tips the scales at a whole 3 kilograms (roughly 6 lbs). The thermal properties of copper along with an element of aesthetic appeal would sell this product, which will be priced at US $99 when it releases next month.
Download - RivaTuner 2.11 Released
Rivatuner has been updated towards version 2.11 In this release we have included a huge number of new stuff to keep you busy, obviously support has been added as well as ForceWare GeForce drivers up-to 177.98 and AMD ATI Catalyst 8.8 support (experimental).
With this release comes support for ATI Radeon HD 4600/4800 (RV710 and RV730) class graphics adapters and better GeForce GTX series 200 support (including GeForce GTX 260 Core 216) as well. We now also support much asked for proper fan control on AMD RADEON HD 4870 X2 series. To download this release of RivaTuner, please visit this page.
With this release comes support for ATI Radeon HD 4600/4800 (RV710 and RV730) class graphics adapters and better GeForce GTX series 200 support (including GeForce GTX 260 Core 216) as well. We now also support much asked for proper fan control on AMD RADEON HD 4870 X2 series. To download this release of RivaTuner, please visit this page.
Creative Announces X-Fi Notebook ExpressCard
Creative today announced the Sound Blaster X-Fi Notebook ExpressCard. As the name suggests, device is a sound card for notebooks with ExpressCard slots. The X-Fi Notebook comes in two modules, the card itself and the portion that protrudes outside the notebook. It provides wired as well as wired interfaces. The card can transmit audio to wireless speakers. Features that are usual to the X-Fi series, such as CMSS-3D and 24-bit Crystalizer aling with EAX Advanced HD positional audio. The package includes a pair of earphones with microphone attached.
Additionally, the card provides theater DSPs such as Dolby Digital and DTS Surround through PowerDVD. Would you want to use this on a gaming notebook as an audio enhancement? While the card does provide features such as CMSS-3D and EAX Advanced HD, the audio processing itself isn't native. The card doesn't feature the CA-20K series audio processor, so there isn't a performance enhancement on offer. The card is priced at US $90. More details are provided on the product page.
Additionally, the card provides theater DSPs such as Dolby Digital and DTS Surround through PowerDVD. Would you want to use this on a gaming notebook as an audio enhancement? While the card does provide features such as CMSS-3D and EAX Advanced HD, the audio processing itself isn't native. The card doesn't feature the CA-20K series audio processor, so there isn't a performance enhancement on offer. The card is priced at US $90. More details are provided on the product page.
MSI Announces GX711 Value Gaming Notebook
Every second counts when it comes to transitions in games! MSI GX711 provides with the enormous 17-inch LCD monitor with powerful Ati HD3650 Graphic with 512 MB VRAM, GX711 can achieve the ultimate realism experience whether you are playing games or watching a DVD and create the most astonishingly realistic audio and visual effects. Moreover, in order to keep the edge in the fast paced world of intense gaming competition, GX711 especially adds the colorful W, A, S, D buttons on the keyboard, so the player can find the direction controls in record time. To deliver real-life listening enjoyment, GX711 is recognized and approved by the highest standards of Dolby, theater-class 4 high quality speakers and built-in subwoofer.
GX711 features AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-Core / Sempron Mobile Processor Technology which uses Ati RX690+SB600 chipset to deliver truly outstanding dual-core performance computing power, great battery life, and expanded wireless connectivity. Additionally GX711 is equipped with a 3 well distributed USB 2.0 ports, IEEE1394 connecting interface and a Muti-DVD burner for you to easy editing and saving high-quality photos/videos.With blistering speeds and true-to-life video and audio performance on-the-go,GX711 is gamers' first choice for gaming notebook. The newest Ati HD3650 Graphic with 512 MB VRAM delivers remarkable performance and an unsurpassed feature set for accelerating spectacular gaming. For a more fluid, more detailed, more realistic 3D high-definition while playing the game. Never a moment of delay to occur, feel the excitement.
GX711 features AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-Core / Sempron Mobile Processor Technology which uses Ati RX690+SB600 chipset to deliver truly outstanding dual-core performance computing power, great battery life, and expanded wireless connectivity. Additionally GX711 is equipped with a 3 well distributed USB 2.0 ports, IEEE1394 connecting interface and a Muti-DVD burner for you to easy editing and saving high-quality photos/videos.With blistering speeds and true-to-life video and audio performance on-the-go,GX711 is gamers' first choice for gaming notebook. The newest Ati HD3650 Graphic with 512 MB VRAM delivers remarkable performance and an unsurpassed feature set for accelerating spectacular gaming. For a more fluid, more detailed, more realistic 3D high-definition while playing the game. Never a moment of delay to occur, feel the excitement.
EVGA Ready with Water-Cooled GeForce GTX 260 (216 SP)
NVIDIA's move to give the GeForce GTX 260 a performance boost by increasing its shader count by 24, to make 216 in all has worked in pusing the performance envelope high up. Our review of the Zotac GeForce GTX 260 Amp2 has shown that at a price range the new GPU based graphics cards fall in, they offer terrific value.
EVGA has decided to cash in on this move with their lineup of cards that sport the newer GPU. Among this, is a high-end card that comes with factory-fitted water blocks. The EVGA e-GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 HC16 comes with a full coverage water block. What's more, the other side of the PCB has been provided with cooling for vital parts of the PCB as well. What's even more surprising is that the card uses a power design similar to that of the GeForce GTX 280. It comes with 6-pin + 8-pin PCI-Express power inputs. Evidently, the enhanced power circuit keeps the card overclock-stable beyond the speeds it comes in. The GPU core is clocked at 648 MHz, with 1404 MHz for the shader domain. Memory is clocked at 1053 MHz. It comes with the usual 896 MB of memory. This card however, carries a price-tag of US $489.99, leaving the enhanced PCB and cooling to justify it.
EVGA has decided to cash in on this move with their lineup of cards that sport the newer GPU. Among this, is a high-end card that comes with factory-fitted water blocks. The EVGA e-GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 HC16 comes with a full coverage water block. What's more, the other side of the PCB has been provided with cooling for vital parts of the PCB as well. What's even more surprising is that the card uses a power design similar to that of the GeForce GTX 280. It comes with 6-pin + 8-pin PCI-Express power inputs. Evidently, the enhanced power circuit keeps the card overclock-stable beyond the speeds it comes in. The GPU core is clocked at 648 MHz, with 1404 MHz for the shader domain. Memory is clocked at 1053 MHz. It comes with the usual 896 MB of memory. This card however, carries a price-tag of US $489.99, leaving the enhanced PCB and cooling to justify it.
Nexus Unveils Low-profile LGA 1366 Compatible CPU Cooler
The Dutch PC component cooling and power specialist, Nexus revealed its second CPU cooler that supports the upcoming 1366-pin Land Grid Array (LGA-1366) socket from Intel, called Low 7000. The cooler boasts of great cooling efficiency while being low-profile. It stands tall at only 7 cm while spreading its heat across a 138 x 123 mm aluminum fin array, to which heat is conducted by four copper heat-pipes that draw heat from the CPU contact. Interestingly, the cooler is backwards compatible with LGA-775 processors with the necessary attachments provided for that.
The 120 mm PWM-controlled fan spins at speeds between 500 to 2000 RPM and claims to have a low noise level between 15 to 24 dB depending on the speed. For details, please visit the Nexus website.
The 120 mm PWM-controlled fan spins at speeds between 500 to 2000 RPM and claims to have a low noise level between 15 to 24 dB depending on the speed. For details, please visit the Nexus website.
Microsoft Europe Lowers Xbox 360 Estimated Retail Price
Imagine if friends and families had the ability to instantly watch movies and share pictures, live out their musical fantasies through "Lips" (iNiS Corp./Microsoft Game Studios) and "Rock Band" (Harmonix/MTV Games) and star in their own Hollywood classics with "You're in the Movies" (Codemasters/Microsoft Game Studios) - all from one console, starting at an estimated retail price (ERP) of only €179/£129.99. That is the Xbox 360, and Microsoft today announced the new lower ERP for its Xbox 360 family of consoles in Europe. Now with an entry-level ERP of €179/£129.99 and offering a plethora of exciting and broad entertainment in the living room, Xbox 360 is the true home of mass market entertainment with something to offer for every interest and budget.
From Friday, 19th September, Xbox 360, which includes a 60GB hard drive and one wireless controller, will have an ERP of €239.99/£169.99. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace as well as their own music, will have an ERP of €299.99/£229.99. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, will have an ERP of €179/£129.99.
From Friday, 19th September, Xbox 360, which includes a 60GB hard drive and one wireless controller, will have an ERP of €239.99/£169.99. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace as well as their own music, will have an ERP of €299.99/£229.99. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, will have an ERP of €179/£129.99.
HP Intros New Gaming Mice
HP Announced two gaming mice based on the Voodoo DNA design methodology. The first one being HDX Laser Mouse and the other, Laser Gaming Mouse VoodooDNA. The HDX model has five programmable buttons, a somewhat ambidextrous design and 2400 dpi scan resolution (sensitivity). It stores up to five user profiles for button and sensitivity settings.
The VoodooDNA mouse comes with the kind of design you would expect from VoodooPC, a company acquired by HP about two years ago, that specializes in building gaming PCs. It comes with HP VoodooDNA software that gives gamers control over the mouse along with options to tweak and tune it, which also allows storage of up to 25 button profiles that gamers can switch to, specific to their games. It has a resolution of 3200 dpi. The HDX Laser Mouse will be priced at US $39.99, while the VoodooDNA mouse will carry a price tag of $59.99. Images (in order) of VoodooDNA Laser Mouse and HDX Laser are provided.
The VoodooDNA mouse comes with the kind of design you would expect from VoodooPC, a company acquired by HP about two years ago, that specializes in building gaming PCs. It comes with HP VoodooDNA software that gives gamers control over the mouse along with options to tweak and tune it, which also allows storage of up to 25 button profiles that gamers can switch to, specific to their games. It has a resolution of 3200 dpi. The HDX Laser Mouse will be priced at US $39.99, while the VoodooDNA mouse will carry a price tag of $59.99. Images (in order) of VoodooDNA Laser Mouse and HDX Laser are provided.
Super Talent Launch Fast SSDs under the MasterDrive Series
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today added two new series of SSD products in their MasterDrive family that deliver substantially faster performance than existing SSDs.
These new SSDs are based on a sophisticated new multi-channel SATA-II (3.0 Gbits per sec) controller. The MasterDrive OX uses MLC NAND Flash to transfer data at speeds up to 150 MB/sec (sequential read) and 100 MB/sec (sequential write). The MasterDrive OX is offered in capacities up to 128GB, and is backed with a 1-year warranty.
These new SSDs are based on a sophisticated new multi-channel SATA-II (3.0 Gbits per sec) controller. The MasterDrive OX uses MLC NAND Flash to transfer data at speeds up to 150 MB/sec (sequential read) and 100 MB/sec (sequential write). The MasterDrive OX is offered in capacities up to 128GB, and is backed with a 1-year warranty.
Tuesday, September 16th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Sound Cards
Zotac GeForce GTX 260 Amp² Edition 216 Shaders Review
Today NVIDIA released their updated GeForce GTX 260 GPUs which come with 24 extra shaders, for a total shader count of 216. Zotac has also overclocked their card beyond the GTX 280 clock speeds which results in a card that is just 1% slower than the regular GTX 280, yet costs over $130 less.
Crysis Warhead Available for PC Starting September 18, 2008
There's one more good news that will make gamers happier. Electronic Arts and Crytek GmbH announced today that Crysis Warhead, the next installment in the award-winning Crysis franchise, has shipped to retailers in North America and Europe and will hit store shelves and participating digital download services starting September 18, 2008 exclusively for the PC. Crysis Warhead takes place alongside the events of last year's original Crysis, with players taking control of Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes. Crysis Warhead won't require the first Crysis to be installed, it's a standalone game. Electronic Arts will charge $29.99 for it. "The launch of Crysis Warhead marks a significant milestone for the entire Crytek family," said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. "The team at Crytek Hungary has delivered a dynamic and intense single player experience more than worthy of the Crysis franchise, while the multiplayer team in Frankfurt has revisited and extended multiplayer in the Crysis universe with Crysis Wars. They are both great representations of our studio's core values of technical excellence, craftsmanship and quality."
Microsoft and Cray Team Up to Deliver the $25k Cray CX1 Supercomputer
Supercomputer leader Cray Inc. and Microsoft Corporation today introduced the new Cray CX1 supercomputer pre-installed with Windows HPC Server 2008. With U.S. list prices starting at $25,000 to over $60,000, "ease-of-everything" features and the ability to fit into standard office environments and workflows, the new product reflects Microsoft and Cray's shared goal to drive high productivity computing farther into the mainstream in a broad array of markets including financial services, aerospace, automotive, petroleum, life sciences, government, academic and digital media.
NVIDIA PhysX System Software Version 8.09.04 Released
NVIDIA released today the latest WHQL version of its NVIDIA PhysX System Software. Version 8.09.04 supports both Windows XP and Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit).
Release Highlights:
Release Highlights:
- Supports for NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB dedicated graphics memory.
- Experience GPU PhysX acceleration in several full games and demos today by downloading the GeForce Power Pack.
- Supports AGEIA PhysX processors and software runtimes (no change to PPU driver support).
- Includes the latest PhysX runtimes used in the latest game titles.
- Supports the following NVIDIA PhysX runtime engines: 2.8.1, 2.8.0, 2.7.4, 2.7.3, 2.7.2, 2.7.1, 2.7.0, 2.6.x, 2.5.x, 2.4.x and 2.3.x
- Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on GeForce via CUDA 2.0 for SDK versions 2.7.3, 2.7.2, 2.8.0 and 2.8.1 (requires graphics driver v177.81 or later).
- The PhysX control panel can be found in the Windows Start Menu under NVIDIA Corporation.
Core i7 Model Names and Details Surface
Later this year, Intel will launch three models of processors based on a newer socket, a newer architecture. The processors are based on the Nehalem-derived Bloomfield core, and require a compatible motherboard with the 1366-pin land grid array (LGA) socket. There are three models lined up, one in each category of extreme, performance and mainstream. They carry the Core i7 brand name and here are its model numbers:
- Core i7 Extreme 965 (PIB model: BX80601965)
- Core i7 940 (PIB model: BX80601940)
- Core i7 920 (PIB model: BX80601920)
BFG Announces Factory Overclocked GeForce GTX 260 MAXCORE Video Card
BFG Technologies, 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 GeForce GTX 260 MAXCORE graphics cards in three factory overclocked versions; OC, OC2, and OCX. BFG's GeForce GTX 260 MAXCORE graphics cards boast 216 processing cores-24 more cores than a standard GeForce GTX 260. This extra processing power combined with BFG's rock-solid factory overclocking provides end users with enthusiast-class performance and the protection of a lifetime warranty.
WoW: Wrath of the Lich King in Stores November 13
And now some good news for over 10 million World of WarCraft online players. Blizzard Entertainment announced today that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion for its award-winning subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), will arrive in stores on November 13th in North America, Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Russia, and November 14th in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. The expansion will be available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on November 18th. The new expansion pack takes all World of Warcraft players to the cold, forbidding continent of Northrend, where the fearsome Lich King Arthas Menethil, last seen in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, works from his secluded citadel to bring all of Azeroth under his twisted dominion. Players will battle the Lich King's undead army from the shores of Howling Fjord and Borean Tundra to the seat of his unholy power in Icecrown Glacier. In addition, players will be able to advance characters to level 80 and gain powerful new abilities while exploring several new zones and dungeons. The expansion also introduces a number of exciting new features, including an achievement system, expanded player-vs.-player combat options such as siege weapons and destructible buildings, and the game's first Hero class - the necromantic death knight. Available for Mac and Windows players, the expansion pack will come in two packages - a standard edition that costs $39.99, and a Collector's Edition priced at $69.99. The Collector's Edition includes an art book, an exclusive in-game pet, a behind-the-scenes DVD, a soundtrack CD, a mousepad featuring a map of Northrend and two starter decks for the World of Warcraft trading card game March of the Legion. Retailers in North America are currently taking pre-orders for the game, reserve your copy now online here.
Team Group Releases New Overclocking Heroic Duo DDR3 Modules
Last week Team Group Inc. has launched two new DDR3 modules under its Xtreem series. Like most manufacturers do, every brand has a name for its high-end products, Dominator for Corsair, Ballistix for Crucial and so on. Team Group has decided to name its high-performance DDR3 parts "Overclocking Heroic Duo". The two new Heroic Duos are the Xtreem DDR3-2000 and DDR3-1800 available both as single modules or in matched dual-channel kits. The modules feature premium 8-layer PCB design, 128x8 chips in BGA package and special black aluminum TeamXtreem heatsinks. More importantly, the Xtreem DDR3-2000 operates at 9-9-9-24 (tCL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS) timings at only 1.9V. The Xtreem DDR3-1800 uses a timing parameter of 8-8-8-24, and optimal performance is also obtainable at 1.9V. In terms of capacity, besides in 4GB (2x2GB) and 2GB (2x1GB) kits, Team Group also sells single 1GB and 2GB modules. Before shipping to customers every Overclocking Heroic Duo module passes burn-in test for at least 24 hours on a wide range of overclocking platforms made by ASUS and GIGABYTE to ensure maximum compatibility. Both models are also equipped with built-in EPP (Enhance performance profiles) and XMP (Extreme memory profiles). Team Group provides users with lifetime warranty for both the Xtreem DDR3-2000 and Xtreem DDR3-1800.
Logitech Introduces the Z-5 Omnidirectional Stereo Speakers
Attaching speakers to a PC has always improved on the sound quality of built-in PC speakers. But now, Logitech introduces the next evolution in PC-speaker acoustics, unveiling the Logitech Z-5 omnidirectional stereo speakers - for PC and Mac computers - which deliver great sound throughout your room. Unlike standard PC speakers that focus sound in one direction, the Logitech Z-5 speakers use omnidirectional acoustics that create a substantially wider sweet spot - an especially helpful feature if you often move your laptop around your home or office. An innovative speaker technology previously found only in expensive home-theater systems, omnidirectional acoustics on the Logitech Z-5 speakers use forward- and backward-firing drivers to transmit sound evenly in all directions.
Radeon HD 4850 X2 Priced at $399, Claims to Outperform GTX 280
The battle for supremacy in the current generation of consumer graphics hasn't calmed down as yet. Just as reports came in of NVIDIA giving the GeForce GTX 260 a boost with its shader compute power by enabling 24 shader units, taking on the Radeon HD 4870, GeForce GTX 280 seems to be enjoying its $420~$440 price-tag. For sure it isn't the fastest graphics accelerator but its compelling price tag is what is drawing buyers away from the HD 4870 X2.
AMD had already announced in its press release for the Radeon HD 4870 X2 launch that it would release a HD 4850 X2 at a roughly $400 price range. That moment seems to be coming closer, when ATI has a graphics card for $399, that outperforms the GeForce GTX 280. Three slides from the company have surfaced. The first one lists out its vital specifications, including its maximum power draw, rated at 230W. The memory bandwidth of this card is 128 GB/s, and it ends up with 2 GB of GDDR3 memory.
AMD had already announced in its press release for the Radeon HD 4870 X2 launch that it would release a HD 4850 X2 at a roughly $400 price range. That moment seems to be coming closer, when ATI has a graphics card for $399, that outperforms the GeForce GTX 280. Three slides from the company have surfaced. The first one lists out its vital specifications, including its maximum power draw, rated at 230W. The memory bandwidth of this card is 128 GB/s, and it ends up with 2 GB of GDDR3 memory.
Core 2 Duo E7400 Slated for October
The Intel Core 2 Duo E7000 series has brought in great performance at a low price point. They are basically current 45nm Wolfdale core based processors with 3 MB of L2 cache and 1066 MHz FSB. What it also means that it comes with higher FSB multiplier values to achieve the designated clock speeds. For applications that aren't cache intensive, and for users with appropriate tweaking skills, the E7000 series is a boon. Sources claim that on October 19th, Intel will release the Core 2 Duo E7400 processor, a successor to the current E7300. The release also affects prices across its segment.
The E7400 comes with a 2.80 GHz clock speed. It comes with a FSB multiplier of 10.5x for and 3 MB of L2 cache. Coming to its price, it displaces the E7300 from its current price of US $133 and pushes it down to $113, the E7400 will be priced at $133. In its segment, the E7400 will compete with AMD's Phenom X3 8750 and Phenom X4 9550, though it is expected to perform better than AMD's offerings in that price-range given today's applications.
The E7400 comes with a 2.80 GHz clock speed. It comes with a FSB multiplier of 10.5x for and 3 MB of L2 cache. Coming to its price, it displaces the E7300 from its current price of US $133 and pushes it down to $113, the E7400 will be priced at $133. In its segment, the E7400 will compete with AMD's Phenom X3 8750 and Phenom X4 9550, though it is expected to perform better than AMD's offerings in that price-range given today's applications.
Corsair Launches Flash Voyager 64GB USB Flash Drive
If you think 32GB is big enough for a flash drive, than think again. Corsair is doubling this space to 64GB today with the release of its latest Flash Voyager 64GB USB flash drive. This drive boasts the same old rugged, stylish, compact, and reliable Voyager design we all love (even I use one of these, the 8GB model). It's only more storage capable and maybe bigger than the 32GB, 16GB, 8GB and 4GB models already available on the market. As all Voyagers, the 64GB model comes pre-loaded with the company's TrueCrypt application and 10-year warranty. The drive is available now for pre-order from NCIX.com for $205.65 and cconline for £149.99.
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 TOXIC 512MB GDDR5 Video Card Spotted
AMD/ATI's graphics partner Sapphire has released today Radeon HD 4870 TOXIC, an overclocked Radeon HD 4870 card with a custom cooling on it. What makes this card so special is the patented Vapor-X cooling system and its clock speeds higher than the reference boards. The cooling itself takes up two slots, makes use of a Vapour Chamber technology and features a thermally-controlled fan supported by three copper heatpipes. The new TOXIC model is also factory-overclocked to 780MHz GPU from 750MHz stock speed and 4000MHz memory from 3600MHz stock respectively. The card is equipped with 512MB GDDR5 memory. It offers 800 Stream Processors, has DirectX 10.1 and CrossFireX support, a PCI-Express 2.0 interface and two DVI connectors. Except that and maybe the fancy retail box it ships with, there's nothing else about this card that could interest you more. Pricing and availability are still unknown.
New Intel High-End Xeon 7400 Server Processors Raise Performance Bar
Intel Corporation has extended its lead in the high-end server segment, setting new standards in virtualization performance with the launch of seven 45 nanometer (nm)-manufactured Intel Xeon Processor 7400 Series products. With up to six processing cores per chip and 16MB of shared cache memory, applications built for virtualized environments and data demanding workloads, such as databases, business intelligence, enterprise resource planning and server consolidation, experience dramatic performance increases of almost 50 percent in some cases.
Monday, September 15th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Notebooks
Head-Direct EF1 Hybrid Headphone Amp Review
Head-Direct EF1 is the name of a brand new headphone amplifier made by the guys behind Head-Direct. The amplifier is a hybrid design which means that it mixes the best from both tube based amplification and solid state amplification.
Scythe Announces Kama Reader 2
Upgraded version of 2-Way Usage, Internal or External Compact Card Reader has arrived. Direct insertion of microSD & Memory Stick Micro is the new feature for this upgraded version. Precise fit into the 3.5inch bay of your PC case or use this as external card reader device with easy-plug-in USB connection for notebook PC users. Compatibility is ready for most of the media available in the market. The reader supports a plethora of formats, it comes in white and black colours, and supports Windows XP/2000/Vista and Mac OS X. For more information, please visit the product page here.
New GeForce GTX 260 Could Lead to Overstock of Older GTX 260
Bad news for the manufacturers, possible good news for consumers. NVIDIA revised the GeForce GTX 260 (D10U-102) graphics processor (GPU) in an attempt to stamp performance superiority over the Radeon HD 4870. While from a technical standpoint there are mixed views about this move, with some suggesting the performance leads aren't significant over its older version, while others finding it a good move with potential for more performance gains with tweaks and overclocking, it cannot be denied that for the new GTX 260 to fit into the market, there are some tough maths are at play.
The new GPU will certainly affect the prices of products across the segment, including those of the older GTX 260. If the GTX 260 gets a significantly lower price compared to the newer version or if this gets a significantly higher price, it could affect the sales of either products, and profits in general for manufacturers. Concerns over the new GPU causing over-stocking of the older GPU-based products loom at large, reports industry observer DigiTimes. Overstock is a condition where demand for a product is much lower or on a decline in relation to the supply. If such a situation arises where the D10U-102 sells much better than the older GTX 260 which is in good stock, manufacturers could be forced to sell the older cards at lower prices, as that is a common reaction to overstock commodities. Expect great prices caused not due to inter-brand competition, but intra-brand competition.
The new GPU will certainly affect the prices of products across the segment, including those of the older GTX 260. If the GTX 260 gets a significantly lower price compared to the newer version or if this gets a significantly higher price, it could affect the sales of either products, and profits in general for manufacturers. Concerns over the new GPU causing over-stocking of the older GPU-based products loom at large, reports industry observer DigiTimes. Overstock is a condition where demand for a product is much lower or on a decline in relation to the supply. If such a situation arises where the D10U-102 sells much better than the older GTX 260 which is in good stock, manufacturers could be forced to sell the older cards at lower prices, as that is a common reaction to overstock commodities. Expect great prices caused not due to inter-brand competition, but intra-brand competition.
ASUS Packs 1 GB Memory onto GeForce 9400 GT
ASUS prepared a new entry-level video card based on the GeForce 9400 GT with 1 GB memory. The EN9400GT/HTP/1G card from ASUS comes equipped with 1 GB of DDR2 memory. The card is based on the entry-level GeForce 9400 GT graphics core. The core is clocked at 550 MHz with 800 MHz for the memory and 1375 MHz for the shaders, 16 in number. It uses a 128-bit wide memory interface. The card supports NVIDIA SLI multi-GPU technology and features standard DVI, D-Sub and S-Video/Composite outputs. Given the performance band GeForce 9400 GT falls in, features such as 1 GB of memory and SLI make it a novelty product aimed at the entry-level market.
WD My Passport Portable USB Drive Now Puts Half a Terabyte in the Palm of Your Hand
Catering to consumers on-the-go with the world's most popular portable storage offerings, WD today introduced its new 500 GB capacity My Passport Portable USB Drives which are designed to make it easy to store a half a terabyte of music, videos or photos and carry them in the palm of your hand. Available now at WD's online store, the new 500 GB capacity is offered on the My Passport Elite and My Passport Essential portable drive models.
Topower Intros 850 Watt Quad Graphics Card Power Supply
The leading manufacturer of gaming and mainstream power supply systems Topower released today its latest 850 Watt Quad graphics card power supply. The Topower 850 watt QC (TOP-850SG model) is powered by the following features:
- Patented 20+4 Cable Design, ATX 2.01 compatible, 4x external power connectors for VGAs.
- Environmentally Friendly at Over 80% Efficiency.
- Hi Speed Mode to combine all Six +12 Rails to one for ultimate stability. Perfect for high end system demands.
- 120mm thermal controlled green LED cooling fan.
- REMI Technology for EMI Reduction.
- Extra Ground Wire to Further Reduce Static Noise.
- Architecture for Maximized Cooling and Noise Reduction.
- 100% Hi-Pot Tested.
- Titanium coating mirror case, dimensions (WxLxH) 6 x 6.5 x 3.5 inch.
Zotac Ready with GeForce GTX 260 (216 SP) Amp²!
NVIDIA is preparing the launch of a revised GeForce GTX 260 graphics processor that has 216 shader units. Early performance evaluations show that the card is NVIDIA's sharp retaliation to the Radeon HD 4870 GPU, and it manages to outperform it comprehensively (covered here). Zotac is ready with a factory overclocked card based on the new GPU, The Zotac GeForce GTX 260 AMP²!. One way to differentiate this from the Amp! model based on the older GTX 260 core is the superscript "²" next to "AMP".
The card continues to use two 6-pin PCI-Express power connectors, it continues to have 896 MB of GDDR3 memory across a 448-bit wide memory bus. Clock speeds are stepped up. The speeds are 650 MHz / 1400 MHz / 1000 MHz (core/shader/memory) against the reference speeds of 576 MHz / 1242 MHz / 999 MHz. This product should be out by the end of this month.
The card continues to use two 6-pin PCI-Express power connectors, it continues to have 896 MB of GDDR3 memory across a 448-bit wide memory bus. Clock speeds are stepped up. The speeds are 650 MHz / 1400 MHz / 1000 MHz (core/shader/memory) against the reference speeds of 576 MHz / 1242 MHz / 999 MHz. This product should be out by the end of this month.
Creative to Unravel a New X-Fi Product
Discrete sound cards aren't the essential PC component they used to be about a decade ago. Several forces such as Microsoft, Intel and upcoming semiconductor companies in Taiwan such as Realtek had then envisioned a day when the required processing power for audio would be completely at the disposal of the CPU, and that audio processing would have a very insignificant impact on CPU performance. Intel made the standards (such as AC'97, Azalia HD), Microsoft made the common software driver model, while semiconductor companies sold CODEC chips to motherboard manufacturers like pieces of toffee.
Today's discrete audio finds its way to an audiophiles, HTPC users willing to splurge, and enthusiasts. So features are all that matter. Creative recently released the X-Fi Titanium series of sound cards that offer native PCI-Express support while running a tweaked CA-20K series audio processor. They've done quite a bit, in propagating the "Xtreme Fidelity" technology beyond their own sound cards. Currently Auzentech, MSI and ASUS hold agreements with Creative to launch PC audio products, while Creative itself makes headphones with the X-Fi DSP, iPod docks and external sound cards. They could well be heading towards another sound card release, and as early as this Wednesday. Indications are, that this could well be an external sound device. Creative has already released two external cards based on the X-Fi technology, though not much is known about this device.
Today's discrete audio finds its way to an audiophiles, HTPC users willing to splurge, and enthusiasts. So features are all that matter. Creative recently released the X-Fi Titanium series of sound cards that offer native PCI-Express support while running a tweaked CA-20K series audio processor. They've done quite a bit, in propagating the "Xtreme Fidelity" technology beyond their own sound cards. Currently Auzentech, MSI and ASUS hold agreements with Creative to launch PC audio products, while Creative itself makes headphones with the X-Fi DSP, iPod docks and external sound cards. They could well be heading towards another sound card release, and as early as this Wednesday. Indications are, that this could well be an external sound device. Creative has already released two external cards based on the X-Fi technology, though not much is known about this device.
Seagate Debuts the Fall 2008 Line-up of the Company's FreeAgent External Hard Drives
Seagate, the world leader in storage solutions, today announced the Fall 2008 lineup of the company's award-winning FreeAgent external hard drives. This new generation of the Seagate FreeAgent family includes attractive desktop and mobile options, for both Mac and Windows operated PCs that make it a breeze to back up, share and protect valuable digital content like photos, videos and music.
Sunday, September 14th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
GeForce GTX 260 with 216 Stream Processors Pictured, Benchmarked
NVIDIA is dressing up a new version of the GeForce GTX 260 GPU as reported earlier, with a revision that carries 216 shader units (against 192 for the original GTX 260). Chinese website Bear Eyes has pictured the new GPU. Other than the increased shader count, that should provide a significant boost to the shader compute power, other GPU parameters such as clock speeds remain the same. The core features 72 texturing units and 28 ROPs. The core is technically called G200-103-A2 (the older core was G200-100-A2). The card reviewed by Bear Eyes was made by Inno3D, called GeForce GTX 260 Gold. This shows that the GTX 260 brand name is here to stay.
Saturday, September 13th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Monitors
Motherboards
AMD Software Roadmap Surfaces, HDCP Content in Linux
As much as releasing hardware that brings in competition and products at great prices is essential for AMD, backing it up with software is equally important. Company slides that point to tentative time-scales that pertain to AMD's software releases have surfaced. Some of the important software products AMD releases are Catalyst driver suite for ATI products and OverDrive, a tool that provides features to tweak AMD processors and graphics cards, as well as several motherboard parameters for motherboards equipped with AMD chipsets.
The slides also provide a sneak-peak into what could be in store with those releases. VR-Zone has published slides, from which the first one points to release dates for the Catalyst driver suite with respect to release candidates and public releases. The second slide points to time-scales at which software with vital changes are released. We are already past August and AMD has rolled out the feature pertaining to that release, allowing Hybrid Crossfire of AMD chipsets with integrated graphics working in tandem with Radeon HD 3400 series graphics accelerators.
The slides also provide a sneak-peak into what could be in store with those releases. VR-Zone has published slides, from which the first one points to release dates for the Catalyst driver suite with respect to release candidates and public releases. The second slide points to time-scales at which software with vital changes are released. We are already past August and AMD has rolled out the feature pertaining to that release, allowing Hybrid Crossfire of AMD chipsets with integrated graphics working in tandem with Radeon HD 3400 series graphics accelerators.
Sony Releases New Blu-ray Equipped Laptops
Sony released two models of the Vaio laptop, the Vaio CS and Vaio NS. Both these models come with Blu-ray drives, with the option of having them without the drives as well. The Vaio NS comes with a 15.4" display and is powered by a 2.00 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 processor. It comes with 3 GB of DDR2 memory and a 250 GB hard drive. Additionally, the Sony Vaio NS has an integrated A/V mode, featuring a dedicated menu for quicker access to nine user-selected programs. With the Blu-ray drive installed, the product range starts at US $1000. Without it, the range starts at $650.
The Vaio CS features a smaller 14.1" screen with the same optional Blu-ray drive feature. It comes with the much more powerful Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor at 2.26 GHz, 4 GB of memory, and a 320 GB hard drive. It also offers a uniquely configured keyboard, designed with spacing between the keys, for a more comfortable typing experience. The notebook has a 12-tone music analyzer that translates your music into a colorful LED light show. Prices start at $970 without the Blu-ray drive, and $1070 with it.
The Vaio CS features a smaller 14.1" screen with the same optional Blu-ray drive feature. It comes with the much more powerful Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor at 2.26 GHz, 4 GB of memory, and a 320 GB hard drive. It also offers a uniquely configured keyboard, designed with spacing between the keys, for a more comfortable typing experience. The notebook has a 12-tone music analyzer that translates your music into a colorful LED light show. Prices start at $970 without the Blu-ray drive, and $1070 with it.
NVIDIA Pioneers New Hybrid Graphics for Select Notebooks
Notebook PC makers and users desire the realism and performance of a discrete graphics processing unit (GPU), but they still demand maximum battery life. Now Sony, Fujitsu Siemens, and BenQ have announced the availability of notebooks that let users dynamically switch between a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GPU and Intel Centrino 2 integrated graphics without rebooting, giving users the choice of more visual computing performance or reducing power demands to extend battery life.
All GeForce 9M Series GPUs support the hybrid graphics feature, but the notebook must be designed to support the technology. The hybrid graphics feature is currently available in the following new notebook models:
All GeForce 9M Series GPUs support the hybrid graphics feature, but the notebook must be designed to support the technology. The hybrid graphics feature is currently available in the following new notebook models:
Crysis Warhead is Coming to Steam
Crytek and Valve today announced an agreement to bring Crysis Warhead and Crysis to Steam, a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.
"The millions of gamers logging into Steam every week to play today's best PC games are going to love Crysis Warhead," said Avni Yerli, Managing Director at Crytek. "Crytek Hungary has done a terrific job creating this new experience while optimizing CryEngine 2, and we're looking forward to delivering it and the original Crysis as our first offerings on Steam."
"The millions of gamers logging into Steam every week to play today's best PC games are going to love Crysis Warhead," said Avni Yerli, Managing Director at Crytek. "Crytek Hungary has done a terrific job creating this new experience while optimizing CryEngine 2, and we're looking forward to delivering it and the original Crysis as our first offerings on Steam."
Friday, September 12th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Notebooks
Evercool Transformer 6 Review
The Evercool Transformer 6 is a cooler made to look good and perform well. The included fan controller allows it to remain very quiet for day to day usage but then give added performance and brighter LED lights for the overclocking enthusiast. With a large 120 mm bright blue LED fan, six heat pipes, a stainless steel coating and performance coming close to the newer HDT coolers, the Transformer 6 is certainly one to please!
Memory Overclocking Could Pose Risks and Limits on Nehalem
Intel's upcoming Nehalem architecture brings in a host of changes. One of the most important of them is that the processors now carry memory controllers. From what is known so far, the upcoming Nehalem processors come with official support for DDR3 800 MHz and DDR3 1066 MHz though talk is that it just could slip in DDR3 1333 MHz support on an official scale. Here's a complication: Some of the computer enthusiasts with plans of retaining their current DDR3 1800/2000/beyond may have severe problems running the memory at their rated frequencies on a Nehalem chip. They might not work on their rated frequencies at all.
The reason behind this is that Nehalem has processor and memory voltages synchronized. Fresh studies suggest that a voltage of 2.0 V can fry a Nehalem processor. It was earlier noted that this voltage limit was 1.60 V to 1.70 V. It would need extreme caution for you to set the core to run at even 1.8 V since at that voltage the processor could start degrading and finally cease to work. The conclusion is that the Nehalem platform, with its synchronized CPU and memory voltages, will be limited by the DDR3 modules ability to reach high frequencies at lower voltages. This could have implications on the kind of memory kits that come out in the near future. Manufacturers could offer high-end kits that function well within 1.6 V with the supposedly high frequencies albeit loose timings, just to keep the memory and processor operating safely.
The reason behind this is that Nehalem has processor and memory voltages synchronized. Fresh studies suggest that a voltage of 2.0 V can fry a Nehalem processor. It was earlier noted that this voltage limit was 1.60 V to 1.70 V. It would need extreme caution for you to set the core to run at even 1.8 V since at that voltage the processor could start degrading and finally cease to work. The conclusion is that the Nehalem platform, with its synchronized CPU and memory voltages, will be limited by the DDR3 modules ability to reach high frequencies at lower voltages. This could have implications on the kind of memory kits that come out in the near future. Manufacturers could offer high-end kits that function well within 1.6 V with the supposedly high frequencies albeit loose timings, just to keep the memory and processor operating safely.
Gainward Launch Feature-rich Radeon HD 4670
Gainward has launched a custom design Radeon HD 4670 graphics card featuring the latest GPU from ATI. The card spans across two slots. While cooling might attribute to that, the other reason is that Gainward has provided every kind of display connector that's standard today. The card has a dual-link DVI, an analog D-Sub, a HDMI with 7.1 ch audio, and a DisplayPort connector.
It comes with the RV730 core clocked at 750 MHz, features 512 MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 2000 MHz. Underneath the sporty grill hood of the card is a cooler consisting of a fan blowing air onto a heatsink with radially projecting fins. Such a cooler can be seen on some of Gainward's own mid-range GeForce Golden Sample series graphics cards, though this card didn't get that title.
It comes with the RV730 core clocked at 750 MHz, features 512 MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 2000 MHz. Underneath the sporty grill hood of the card is a cooler consisting of a fan blowing air onto a heatsink with radially projecting fins. Such a cooler can be seen on some of Gainward's own mid-range GeForce Golden Sample series graphics cards, though this card didn't get that title.
Ex-Intel Employee Charged with Stealing Sensitive Information En Route AMD
Intel has accused Biswahoman Pani, an ex-employee working at the company's Hudson facility, for theft of sensitive company information as he sought employment with rival AMD. In a complaint filed in late August in US District Court in Boston, FBI Special Agent Timothy Russell said in an affidavit that more than 100 pages of sensitive Intel documents, as well as 19 CAD drawings, were found in a search of Pani's house conducted on July 1.
The affidavit says that in may, Pani told his supervisors that he was unhappy because he missed his wife who worked at an Intel facility in California. Intel later agreed to transfer Mrs. Pani to the Hudson facility. Just hours after this, Pani submitted his resignation saying he was interested seeking opportunity with an investment firm. Pani said he would leave the company on June 11, and would be on vacation until that date, but that his wife would continue to work for Intel. Without the knowledge of Intel's officials, Pani was discussing a job at AMD and started working for the company on June 2, eight days before his employment with Intel was supposed to end, during which he had the company laptop and access to the company's internal network. He was ordered to give up his passport, but was not taken into custody.
The affidavit says that in may, Pani told his supervisors that he was unhappy because he missed his wife who worked at an Intel facility in California. Intel later agreed to transfer Mrs. Pani to the Hudson facility. Just hours after this, Pani submitted his resignation saying he was interested seeking opportunity with an investment firm. Pani said he would leave the company on June 11, and would be on vacation until that date, but that his wife would continue to work for Intel. Without the knowledge of Intel's officials, Pani was discussing a job at AMD and started working for the company on June 2, eight days before his employment with Intel was supposed to end, during which he had the company laptop and access to the company's internal network. He was ordered to give up his passport, but was not taken into custody.
WD Ships 500 GB Capacity Notebook Hard Drives
WD today announced that it has commenced volume shipments and OEM qualifications of its WD Scorpio Blue 2.5-inch notebook hard drives with capacities up to 500 GB. Utilizing industry-leading 250 GB-per-platter technology, the new WD Scorpio Blue 500 GB and 400 GB SATA hard drives are designed for notebook computers and portable storage devices.
WD Scorpio Blue delivers high-performance with a 3 Gb/s transfer rate, while including proprietary features that make the drive extraordinarily quiet, while running at cool operating temperatures. The WD Scorpio Blue 500 GB is the highest capacity 2.5-inch, standard form-factor (9.5mm) hard drive shipping-to-date, and is developed for use in OEM notebook platforms that offer the highest storage capacities to the market.
WD Scorpio Blue delivers high-performance with a 3 Gb/s transfer rate, while including proprietary features that make the drive extraordinarily quiet, while running at cool operating temperatures. The WD Scorpio Blue 500 GB is the highest capacity 2.5-inch, standard form-factor (9.5mm) hard drive shipping-to-date, and is developed for use in OEM notebook platforms that offer the highest storage capacities to the market.
Pictures of Samsung's Netbook Emerge
It looks like Samsung has finally decided to take the dip into the ULPC market with the announcement of a netbook slated for October. Pictures of this unnamed netbook have emerged that shows a milky-white, slightly Apple-ish chassis with a 10.2" screen. Only the most essential keys make it to the keyboard, omitting special multimedia keys.
This netbook is said to ship with the Windows XP operating system, it is driven by a Intel Atom N270 processor with 1 GB of memory. Storage configurations could have 80 or 120 GB HDD as standard. It comes with a 6-cell battery for a rated operation time of roughly 5 hours.
This netbook is said to ship with the Windows XP operating system, it is driven by a Intel Atom N270 processor with 1 GB of memory. Storage configurations could have 80 or 120 GB HDD as standard. It comes with a 6-cell battery for a rated operation time of roughly 5 hours.
NVIDIA to Embed GeForce 9400 GT into MCP7A Series IGP
It is becoming a market trend of people avoiding entry-level discrete graphics alotgether to either choose a low-mid graphics card or settle for motherboards with integrated graphics to suit their needs, with that segment of buyers. Both NVIDIA and AMD that have chipset divisions sought to capitalize on this with releasing integrated graphics laden system chipsets, the only difference being that NVIDIA makes them for both AMD and Intel CPU platforms. With AMD platform, NVIDIA already has a dominating market position while it tries to catch up with Intel's homegrown chipsets in its plaform.
Towards the end of this month, NVIDIA could release a new chipset called MCP7A that aims to compete with AMD's recent 780G and 790GX IGPs that took IGP performance to the next level. The MCP7A comes with the GeForce 9400 GT graphics core embedded. The chipset comes in two variants: MCP7A-U and MCP7A-S. The former has GeForce 9400 GT in specifications and speeds identical to the discrete GPU, while the latter has a slightly toned down variant of the same GPU in terms of clock speeds, called GeForce 9300. The difference between the two is that the 9300 will be clocked at 450MHz and 1200MHz (core, shader) compared to the 9400 GT in its reference specs. of 580MHz, 1500MHz (core, shader).
Towards the end of this month, NVIDIA could release a new chipset called MCP7A that aims to compete with AMD's recent 780G and 790GX IGPs that took IGP performance to the next level. The MCP7A comes with the GeForce 9400 GT graphics core embedded. The chipset comes in two variants: MCP7A-U and MCP7A-S. The former has GeForce 9400 GT in specifications and speeds identical to the discrete GPU, while the latter has a slightly toned down variant of the same GPU in terms of clock speeds, called GeForce 9300. The difference between the two is that the 9300 will be clocked at 450MHz and 1200MHz (core, shader) compared to the 9400 GT in its reference specs. of 580MHz, 1500MHz (core, shader).
OCZ Technology Unveils the Gladiator and Gladiator Max CPU Coolers
OCZ Technology Group, Inc. a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the OCZ Gladiator and Gladiator Max, the latest CPU cooler line designed for supreme thermal management and efficiency. Combining a distinctive stacked fin array, heat-pipe direct touch (HDT) design, and a large low-noise fan, the Gladiator series is built to take on the cooling challenges of today's most powerful processors and ensure your system functions at its peak.
Thursday, September 11th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Monitors
Motherboards
Processors
Sound Cards
iStarUSA xAGE HDD Docking Station Review
iStarUSA's xAGE-N99 HDD Docking Station is a simple, easy to use hard drive dock for 2.5" and 3.5" internal hard disks. It utilizes most of the transfer speeds that USB 2.0 has to offer and demonstrates excellent read and write speeds with a great price/performance value. For a company that has been making server and storage products for close to twenty years, iStarUSA certainly does not dissapoint.
SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash Series Doubles Capacity To 32GB At Twice The Speed
Who says big cards can't be fast? SanDisk Corporation today announced the 32-gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash (CF) card, the latest addition to its award-winning SanDisk Extreme III line. Combining world-class storage capacity with fast data transfer rates, SanDisk's new memory card is designed to meet the demands of professional digital videographers and photographers. For many cards, an increase in storage capacity often comes at a cost to speed, but the 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CF card at 30 megabytes per second (MB/s) offers customers the best of both worlds.
Microsoft Reports 100% Sales Increase, Prompted by the Last Week Price Cut
Microsoft is glad to report that sales of its Xbox 360 have gone double, after Microsoft last week lowered the price of the console. After cutting the price in US by as much as 29 percent retailer sales have risen 100%, some even report a 600% rise in the sold Xbox 360s compared to the previous week. Let me remind you that Microsoft slashed the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade unit last week to US $199 (down from $279), while the Core or Premium edition is now selling for US $299 (down from $350) and the Elite unit for US $399 (down from $449). After the Sept. 5 price reduction, the Xbox 360 Arcade is now also the cheapest current generation home console on the market. "We are thrilled to be the first next-generation console on the market to reach USD 199, a price that invites everyone to enjoy Xbox 360," said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.
Thermaltake Fanless 330 GPU Cooler Spotted
One of Thermaltake's upcoming products happens to be a huge passive GPU cooler named Fanless 330. This one aims to compete in the niche Thermalright HR-03 series created. In a recent video posted on YouTube by them, they they explain its features. Broadly, it consists of four heatpipes arising from a mirror-finished copper GPU block, two of these heatpipes flow through an aluminum fin array above the GPU and two of them go behind the PCB individually giving rise to fin arrays. In the video, they go as far as saying that the cooler is "specially designed to solve the noise problem that all extreme PC gamers have been suffering" without providing technical details hinting at what target GPU would this cooler go as far as it could to cool passively.
Radeon HD 4550 Details Surface
Later this month, AMD is expected to launch the ATI Radeon HD 4550 graphics processor (GPU). Its board SKU details have surfaced. The RV710 graphics processor will make it to the grass-root of entry-level and high-definition media grpahics boards. It is based on the 55nm silicon fabrication process. The GPU has a transistor count of 242 million, it has 80 stream processors. It is engineered in a way that makes it draw less than 25W. In the form of reference designs, AMD will release two cards: a full height, passively cooled 512 MB DDR3 version, and a low-profile, 256MB fan-heatsink cooled card. Both models have core clock speeds of 600 MHz with the memory clocked at 800 MHz on a 64-bit wide memory bus. The GPU schematic shows it to have 8 texture address and 8 texture filter units. There's only one render back-end. The 512MB variant is expected to be priced at US $49~59, while the 256MB variant in the $39~49 range. These cards are expected to compete with the GeForce 9400 GT GPU.
NVIDIA Sued Over Faulty GPUs
Graphics card manufacturer NVIDIA is being sued for withholding information over defect GPUs and thus causing investors to lose money. NVIDIA shareholder Lisa Miller has filed the suit in the US district, seeking for legal action against NVIDIA. The lawsuit alleges that the company knew of the problem last year, but didn't disclose the issue to shareholders. Earlier this summer NVIDIA by its own admitted that it had a problem with faulty GPUs indeed. In July NVIDIA confirmed that there's a thermal problem with its GPUs. The problem is in the thermal stress caused when the chip powers up and then powers down. The difference in temperature caused the solder attaching the chips to crack and fail. After the issue was made public it led to an immediate stock reaction. The company's share price fell 31% from $18.78 USD to $12.98 for one night, effectively wiping $3 billion off the company's and shareholders' pockets in less than 24 hours. If NVIDIA tries to cover the cost of repairs and returns for the faulty GPUs, it would cost up to $200 million. Because of the obvious losses, the shareholders now want some compensation that needs to be paid by NVIDIA. "The truth is that, at least as early as November 2007, NVIDIA and the other defendants have known about these unprecedented failure rates as well as their 'root causes'," the lawsuit claims. "Nevertheless, for at least eight months, defendants concealed from NVIDIA investors these defects and their obvious impact on the company's financial condition and future business prospects," it adds. Till the moment of this release, there is still no official response from NVIDIA. You can find the full lawsuit in .pdf format here.
AMD Release FirePro V8700 & V3750 Professional Graphics Cards
Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Digital Content Creation (DCC) professionals who require maximum performance from their workstations can turn to AMD and the powerful new ATI FirePro V8700 graphics accelerator, which provides a 40 percent performance gain1 for memory intensive applications. Additionally, the new ATI FirePro V3750 delivers superior performance in an entry class professional graphics accelerator. Delivering on the AMD commitment to the professional graphics market, these products join the ATI FirePro family of professional graphics accelerators introduced last month at Siggraph 2008 in Los Angeles: ATI FirePro V5700 and ATI FirePro V3700.
Microsoft Gets Official with the SideWinder X8 BlueTrack Gaming Mouse
Microsoft Corp. today unleashed the SideWinder X8 Mouse, offering wireless freedom with wired performance with a 2.4GHz wireless connection that is built for lag-free play. The latest SideWinder mouse features an innovative play-and-charge system to ensure a nonstop gaming experience - up to 30 hours of active gaming on a single charge - with no need to stop the game to change batteries. The SideWinder X8 Mouse is a top performer thanks to Microsoft's new, proprietary BlueTrack Technology that gives this mouse the best frame rate, speed and acceleration on the market and a tracking range from 250 to 4,000 dots per inch (dpi).
Wednesday, September 10th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Multimedia
PSUs
LaCie Releases New 730, 724 and 720 LCD Monitors for Professionals
Whether you're a graphics designer, computer professional or just a person like me who wants to know everything, it's good to know about the immediate existence of these new LaCie professional LCD monitors. It's a whole new 700 series of monitors actually, consisting of the 20-inch LaCie 720, 24-inch LaCie 724, and the 30-inch LaCie 730. Time to get to the cool stuff, the whole new line-up is capable of offering ultra-wide gamut of up to 123 percent of Adobe RGB colourspace that furthers for the reachnes of the colors that are being reproduced. Moreover all 700 LaCies have LED backlight that offers just about the perfect screen uniformity and black levels you'd ever want. "The cutting edge technology embedded in LaCie's new 700 series Monitors supports the colour-critical workflow of prepress operators, photographers and graphic designers by enabling the most-precise on-screen proofing yet," said Daniel Mayer, LaCie's Colour Business Unit Manager. All 700 Series Monitors are also bundled with LaCie's blue eye pro Proof Edition calibration software package. This software allows the ability to calibrate and profile displays, verify profile accuracy and maintain display uniformity. The LaCie 720, 724, and 730 monitors are available now from LaCie's specialised dealer network starting at £949. For more information on the monitors, you'll have to wait a little bit because LaCie's site is still not aware that these monitors exist. Once they update their page, you'll have all the information you need.
AMD Prepares its Initial ULPC Processors
AMD plans to offer two processors for the ULPC. Cost-effectiveness being the mantra, AMD plans to offer processors that provide users of ULPC with a level of performance that takes it closer to that of regular PCs and eradicate the netPC/netbook moniker as the processors offer more performance at a low cost than what the likes of Atom or Nano could. Of course this comes at the expense of much higher TDP and slightly higher price. Perhaps the performance to price ratio is what AMD is banking on.
There are two parts under the Athlon X2 banner. The 22W, 1.50 GHz dual-core 3250e processor aims to compete with the desktop variant of Atom dual core where the Athlon's architectural superiority aims to give it a leading edge. The issue of energy savings dampens when it comes to desktop. Another processor, the single-core Athlon 2650e that is available now is rated at 15W with a 1.60 GHz clock speed. It comes with 512 KB L2 cache.
There are two parts under the Athlon X2 banner. The 22W, 1.50 GHz dual-core 3250e processor aims to compete with the desktop variant of Atom dual core where the Athlon's architectural superiority aims to give it a leading edge. The issue of energy savings dampens when it comes to desktop. Another processor, the single-core Athlon 2650e that is available now is rated at 15W with a 1.60 GHz clock speed. It comes with 512 KB L2 cache.
Opteron to get Homegrown Chipsets in 2009
The chipset division of AMD really is reminiscent of former ATI Technologies that jumped into the business of making chipsets looking at rival NVIDIA's success with nForce series. After being acquired by AMD, the chipset division started making chipsets under the AMD banner. AMD has had a good amount of success with its recent 7-series chipsets for the desktop platform. It has managed to snatch a 20% market share away from NVIDIA which even today leads in market share for platform core-logic technologies for AMD. Not only have they had a desktop line of nForce products but also an equally popular enterprise chipset for the Opteron platform in the form of nForce Professional series server and workstation core-logic.
Microsoft to Close Ensemble Studios Following the Completion of Halo Wars
In an article published by Shacknews, Microsoft has released an official statement which details their decision to close Ensemble Studios, a developer within Microsoft Game Studios, upon completion of the upcoming title Halo Wars, a real-time strategy game based on the Halo franchise.
The full statement can be read below:
The full statement can be read below:
Microsoft has decided to close Ensemble Studios following the completion of Halo Wars. After the closure, the Ensemble leadership team will form a new studio and has agreed to provide ongoing support for Halo Wars as well as work on other projects with Microsoft Game Studios.
The team at Ensemble has made invaluable contributions to the games industry with their Age of Empires and Age of Mythology games and with the highly anticipated release of Halo Wars. This decision does not reflect at all on Ensembles talent or the quality of Halo Wars. in fact, many people who have had a chance to test drive Halo Wars agree that it is on track to being a fantastic game.
This was a fiscally-rooted decision that keeps MGS on its growth path. While the decision to dissolve Ensemble was not an easy one, Microsoft is working to place as many Ensemble employees who do not move to the newly formed studio into open positions within Microsoft as possible.
As to our overall strategy at MGS, it remains the same. We are committed to growing MGS with world-class talent both internally and with our external partners around the globe. We have recently added some well-known developers to our team and will continue growing the team. Were particularly excited about the titles we have in the pipeline and continue to evaluate additional opportunities to bring incredible games to life with the industrys best. Our investment in games has never been greater than it is today.
SPARKLE Proudly Introduced GeForce 9800 GTX+ Graphics Cards with Non-Reference PCB
SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today proudly introduced the SPARKLE GeForce 9800 GTX+ Graphics Cards with SPARKLE own designed great non-reference PCB, which brings better performance, stability and native HDMI support compared with NVIDIA reference design.
Microsoft and Hauppauge First to Bring Freeview-Certified PC Solution to UK Viewers
Microsoft Corp., working with tuner manufacturer Hauppauge Computer Works Inc., today announced the launch of the first Freeview-certified, PC-based TV solution. With Windows Media Center, found on all PCs running Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate, and Windows Media Center TV Pack, Microsoft will now be able to offer U.K. consumers best-in-class interactive and enhanced TV paired with some of the best personal video recorder (PVR) features available on the market today.
Freeview support is one of the major Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) enhancements of the Windows Media Center TV Pack, an update released to OEMs worldwide on July 16, 2008, with targeted optimizations for TV standards in Europe. Other enhancements of this update include support for Digital Video Broadcasting-Satellite (DVB-S), improved guide and playback experience, great PVR auto-extend support, and the flexibility of support for multiple TV standards.
"The launch of our Freeview-enabled solution is a great addition to Windows Media Center, allowing us to reach more users and add real value to TV consumers and broadcasters," said John Curran, director, Windows Client Group, Microsoft UK. "We are dedicated to improving Windows Media Center for customers worldwide, and this addition of Freeview as a platform and brand will offer a real benefit to our partners and consumers. We see this as a critical step to building awareness and setting a standard for great TV experiences on the PC."
Freeview support is one of the major Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) enhancements of the Windows Media Center TV Pack, an update released to OEMs worldwide on July 16, 2008, with targeted optimizations for TV standards in Europe. Other enhancements of this update include support for Digital Video Broadcasting-Satellite (DVB-S), improved guide and playback experience, great PVR auto-extend support, and the flexibility of support for multiple TV standards.
"The launch of our Freeview-enabled solution is a great addition to Windows Media Center, allowing us to reach more users and add real value to TV consumers and broadcasters," said John Curran, director, Windows Client Group, Microsoft UK. "We are dedicated to improving Windows Media Center for customers worldwide, and this addition of Freeview as a platform and brand will offer a real benefit to our partners and consumers. We see this as a critical step to building awareness and setting a standard for great TV experiences on the PC."
F.E.A.R. Sequel to be Called F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
Monolith has been working on a sequel to F.E.A.R. called Project Origin. This time around, Monolith is working for a different publishing house, that's Warner Bros. Interactive, and so couldn't use the F.E.A.R. trademark that Sierra (in effect Activision-Blizzard) owned. In a recent statement at the community website, the developers announced that they have purchased the name F.E.A.R. from Activision-Blizzard as they continue developing the title in its new complete name: F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.
The game is being developed for Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 platforms. It will be published under the Warner Bros. Interactive banner and is slated for February 3 in Europe and Feb. 10 in North America. Being a sequel, the game is said to "continue the legacy of the original F.E.A.R. game with story and combat while adding new twists, gameplay and graphics to expand the players' experience." It takes off where the original title's story leaves: "A Special Forces squad is on a routine mission when the city of Auburn is rocked by a supernatural explosion. Alma, a girl with immense power and a thirst for revenge, has unleashed her wrath upon the city and thrown it into chaos. The squad must combat enemy forces and the supernatural as they struggle to find a way to stop Alma and uncover the mysterious forces arrayed against them before it's too late." A new trailer has been published on the community website.
The game is being developed for Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 platforms. It will be published under the Warner Bros. Interactive banner and is slated for February 3 in Europe and Feb. 10 in North America. Being a sequel, the game is said to "continue the legacy of the original F.E.A.R. game with story and combat while adding new twists, gameplay and graphics to expand the players' experience." It takes off where the original title's story leaves: "A Special Forces squad is on a routine mission when the city of Auburn is rocked by a supernatural explosion. Alma, a girl with immense power and a thirst for revenge, has unleashed her wrath upon the city and thrown it into chaos. The squad must combat enemy forces and the supernatural as they struggle to find a way to stop Alma and uncover the mysterious forces arrayed against them before it's too late." A new trailer has been published on the community website.
NVIDIA And Opera Team to Accelerate the Full Web On Mobile Devices
Browsing the Internet on a mobile device will take a leap forward with today's announcement that NVIDIA Corporation and Opera Software are collaborating to bring the full desktop Web-browsing experience, including support for JavaScript, accelerated vector graphics, and video content, to smartphones and mobile Internet devices. As a result, NVIDIA will offer an optimized Opera 9.5 browser in its suite of pre-integrated, in-house and third-party software for the NVIDIA Tegra family of computer-on-chip Windows Mobile and Windows CE solutions.
"Seamless, effortless Internet access is critical to any state-of-the-art connected mobile device, and the combination of Opera 9.5 and NVIDIA Tegra will deliver the full Web experience into the palm of your hand," said Neil Trevett, vice president of mobile content at NVIDIA. "Opera and NVIDIA are cooperating to create a powerful browsing experience that will truly make the Internet an integral part of the advanced Tegra mobile visual computing experience."
"Seamless, effortless Internet access is critical to any state-of-the-art connected mobile device, and the combination of Opera 9.5 and NVIDIA Tegra will deliver the full Web experience into the palm of your hand," said Neil Trevett, vice president of mobile content at NVIDIA. "Opera and NVIDIA are cooperating to create a powerful browsing experience that will truly make the Internet an integral part of the advanced Tegra mobile visual computing experience."
Toshiba Announces 240 GB 1.8'' Hard Drive
Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), the pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), today announced the world's first dual-platter 240GB(1) (MK2431GAH) and single-platter 120GB (MKxx31GAL series) 1.8-inch HDDs for integration into portable media players, camcorders and compact ultra-mobile PCs for the holiday shopping season. The new MKxx31GAL series also includes an 80GB capacity offering, rounding out the most complete line of high-capacity 4,200 RPM 1.8-inch HDDs for consumer electronics (CE) and mobile PC system manufacturers.
Toshiba's two new Parallel ATA HDD families feature the industry's highest areal density at 344 gigabits-per-square-inch, using fourth-generation perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology, which was first introduced and commercialized by Toshiba in 2005. Toshiba's technology leadership in PMR has enabled the company to consistently deliver leading-edge capacities in the 1.8-inch form factor to support growing demand for the miniaturization of mobile devices to run digital video, photo, audio and computing applications.
Toshiba's two new Parallel ATA HDD families feature the industry's highest areal density at 344 gigabits-per-square-inch, using fourth-generation perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology, which was first introduced and commercialized by Toshiba in 2005. Toshiba's technology leadership in PMR has enabled the company to consistently deliver leading-edge capacities in the 1.8-inch form factor to support growing demand for the miniaturization of mobile devices to run digital video, photo, audio and computing applications.
Phenom X2 Churns out Roughly 15% Increments with Super Pi
Phenom X2 is intended to be the latest dual-core processor from AMD. It is based on the newer K10 architecture. The 65nm Kuma core is what sits inside the first to release models of the Phenom X2. Although based on K10 architecture and Kuma core, the initial batch being 65nm, AMD for some reason chooses to call it Athlon X2 saving the Phenom brand name perhaps for the 45nm batches? At least the sample Expreview got had the Athlon X2 etching on it. The chip carried the "AD6500" label and came with a 2.30 GHz clock speed.
Here's something to ponder: 6500 isn't a performance rating, it is just a model number. The Athlon 64 X2 6400+ had a 3.20 GHz clock speed. As performance evaluations will soon show, the Phenom/Athlon 6500 isn't anywhere close to the performance of the X2 6400+. However, architectural improvements meant that Kuma outperforms Brisbane (K8, 65nm) on a clock to clock basis. To ascertain this, Expreview used a Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition (Brisbane) that was underclocked to 2.30 GHz, the clock speed which AD6500 comes with. Super Pi 1M benchmark was run. While the Brisbane chip crunched it in 39.374 s, Kuma did it in 33.43 s indicating a performance increment of roughly 15%. The test-bed consisted of a NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI motherboard and GEIL 1GB DDR2-800 memory. Kuma AD6500 comes with a shared L3 cache of 2 MB apart from dedicated L2 caches of 512 KB per core. It uses a broader HyperTransport 3.0 system interface at 3600 MT/s. It supports DDR2-1066.
Here's something to ponder: 6500 isn't a performance rating, it is just a model number. The Athlon 64 X2 6400+ had a 3.20 GHz clock speed. As performance evaluations will soon show, the Phenom/Athlon 6500 isn't anywhere close to the performance of the X2 6400+. However, architectural improvements meant that Kuma outperforms Brisbane (K8, 65nm) on a clock to clock basis. To ascertain this, Expreview used a Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition (Brisbane) that was underclocked to 2.30 GHz, the clock speed which AD6500 comes with. Super Pi 1M benchmark was run. While the Brisbane chip crunched it in 39.374 s, Kuma did it in 33.43 s indicating a performance increment of roughly 15%. The test-bed consisted of a NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI motherboard and GEIL 1GB DDR2-800 memory. Kuma AD6500 comes with a shared L3 cache of 2 MB apart from dedicated L2 caches of 512 KB per core. It uses a broader HyperTransport 3.0 system interface at 3600 MT/s. It supports DDR2-1066.
AMD Gives ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series Graphics Cards to the Masses
AMD today announced the ATI Radeon HD 4600 series, mainstream graphics offerings that deliver exceptional gaming and HD multimedia performance while consuming less power than a standard light bulb. Comprising the ATI Radeon HD 4670 and the ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics cards, the ATI Radeon HD 4600 series leverages the leading technology found in the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 4800 series, including support for the latest DirectX 10.1 games, superior HD multimedia capabilities and industry leading performance-per-watt, all delivered at affordable prices for the mainstream graphics segment. The combined features and technologies and incredible prices makes the ATI Radeon HD 4600 series a superb all-around performer, ideal for playing the latest games or driving a high quality home theatre entertainment experience.
Tuesday, September 9th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Notebooks
Powercolor PCS HD 4670 512 MB Review
Today AMD launches their new cards based on the RV730 graphics processor. The Powercolor PCS HD 4670 we have on our testbench today comes with a dual slot heatsink which offers excellent cooling and low noise. Together with the serious gaming performance of this card, AMD has managed to successfully position their product in the sub-$100 segment.
HIS HD 4850 IceQ4 TurboX 512 MB Review
HIS has just released the IceQ4 version of the AMD Radeon HD 4850. The IceQ4 cooler is a dual-slot solution which ensures low temperatures under both idle and load. Also HIS has overclocked the card which results in a nice performance boost compared to the reference design card.
PQI 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Review
PQI's newest class 6 SDHC card is aimed at those looking for a cheap and fast storage card. Being a competitively priced class 6 card it is definitely worth considering if you are looking to upgrade your camera or other write intensive devices' memory.
Techpowerup Folding at Home Team Has Made it into the Top 200 Teams
Several days ago, the Techpowerup Folding at Home (F@H) team made it into the top 200 teams in the official F@H stats. This was no small feat and was accomplished due the countless hours of CPU/GPU time donated by the team's members. I would like to thank all of them for the time, energy, and money they have selflessly donated to this wonderful project. I encourage everyone who is able to join the team and help us reach the top 100! A list of all members who have donated CPU/GPU time to the team has been included inside the thread.
For those of you who have not heard of the Folding At Home project it is a distributed computing project run by Stanford University. It uses spare CPU/GPU cycles of idle processors from around the world to calculate the folding of proteins. Protein folding is a complex action that takes place after protein synthesis where the interaction of several forces in the molecule causes it to assemble or "fold" into its functional form. The shape of a protein has more to do with its function than its composition. The misfolding of proteins is the suspect cause behind many diseases including Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes. The F@H project aims to calculate the folding/misfolding of key proteins in order to find cures and treatments for some of these debilitating diseases.
For More Information You May Visit These Sites:
Folding at Home | Techpowerup Folding at Home Team (TeamId: 50711)
For those of you who have not heard of the Folding At Home project it is a distributed computing project run by Stanford University. It uses spare CPU/GPU cycles of idle processors from around the world to calculate the folding of proteins. Protein folding is a complex action that takes place after protein synthesis where the interaction of several forces in the molecule causes it to assemble or "fold" into its functional form. The shape of a protein has more to do with its function than its composition. The misfolding of proteins is the suspect cause behind many diseases including Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes. The F@H project aims to calculate the folding/misfolding of key proteins in order to find cures and treatments for some of these debilitating diseases.
For More Information You May Visit These Sites:
Folding at Home | Techpowerup Folding at Home Team (TeamId: 50711)
The Invasion Continues: Microsoft LifeCam VX-5500 Debut
Today, Microsoft Corp. also unveils two new webcams - LifeCam Show and LifeCam VX-5500 - featuring stunning new designs that not only look great but also provide versatility for use on a laptop or desktop monitor, or sitting next to your PC. No matter where these LifeCams are used, they will make a statement. LifeCam Show is ultra sleek - one of the thinnest webcams on the market- while the LifeCam VX-5500 takes a more sassy approach with switchable faceplates in three colors and an innovative, collapsible design. These LifeCams deliver high-end audio and video performance, groundbreaking new video effects, and Video Messages - a new service for sending and receiving video messages from friends and family.
Microsoft Arc Mouse: Where Fashion and Technology Collide
Microsoft Corp. today raised the style stakes with the unveiling of a revolutionary crescent-moon-shaped mouse designed to be just as fashionable as it is functional - the Arc Mouse. With its unique foldable design, Arc reduces by almost half for portability when it is snapped shut, but provides complete comfort when opened to its full size. Microsoft today also introduced the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000, a notebook mouse with stunning color offerings at an affordable price, based on the design of the No. 1 best-selling notebook mouse in the U.S.
Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 and Media Desktop 1000 Keyboards Announced
Microsoft Corp. today announced two new desktop sets - the Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 and Wireless Media Desktop 1000 - with stylish designs and high-end productivity features at affordable prices, giving consumers more quality options for their workspaces. A Comfort Curve design complements the sleek lines of the Wireless Laser Desktop 6000, making for hardware that looks and feels good at the same time. Slick design features also grab attention on the Wireless Media Desktop 1000, a keyboard-and-mouse combination created for digital media enthusiasts.
Microsoft Unveils BlueTrack Tracking Technology - New Mouse Devices Announced
Microsoft Corp. today unveiled the world's most advanced tracking technology, Microsoft BlueTrack Technology, which allows consumers to take their mice anywhere and work with confidence on more surfaces than before. Microsoft's new proprietary tracking technology combines the width and power of optical technology with the precision of laser tracking to allow consumers to mouse on virtually any surface - from a granite kitchen countertop to the living room carpet. BlueTrack Technology will debut in two new top-of-the-line mice, Microsoft Explorer Mouse and Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse, available this fall at BestBuy.com and in Best Buy stores.
Gyration Air Music Remote with Motionsense Hits Retail Today
Movea, Inc., the leader in motion-sensing technology for digital media, today announced the retail availability of its new Gyration Air Music Remote with MotionSense technology. The Air Music Remote offers digital media convergence enthusiasts complete control of their home theater systems, bridging the PC-to-TV gap by combining a universal remote control with the functions of a PC mouse. The new remote features a backlit LCD panel that displays music selections from Windows Media Player (including Media Center) and iTunes, and allows one-click play and volume control from up to 100 feet away.
The Air Music Remote controls all digital home entertainment with the ability to replace existing TV, cable, A/V and Media Center remotes, and eliminates the need for a mouse. With Movea's industry leading MotionSense technology, the Air Music Remote allows the use of natural hand movements to control the on-screen cursor and all aspects of Windows Media Center software with pinpoint precision. It includes standard menu navigation, an alphanumeric keypad and shortcut buttons.
The Air Music Remote controls all digital home entertainment with the ability to replace existing TV, cable, A/V and Media Center remotes, and eliminates the need for a mouse. With Movea's industry leading MotionSense technology, the Air Music Remote allows the use of natural hand movements to control the on-screen cursor and all aspects of Windows Media Center software with pinpoint precision. It includes standard menu navigation, an alphanumeric keypad and shortcut buttons.
AMD to Launch Interim AM2+ 45nm Phenom X4
AMD plans to bring about a gradual transition with its desktop quad-core Phenom chips. Contradicting roadmap slides, Taiwanese industry observer DigiTimes has come up with fresh rumours that AMD could release a pair of AM2+ exclusive Deneb 45nm quad-core processors towards the end of this year. Their clock-speeds could range between 2.60 to 3.00 GHz and TDP ratings at 125W. Meanwhile AM3 designs would surface for manufacturing of both the processors and supportive motherboards that feature DDR3 memory support. It is expected that my May thru June next year, there will be enough AM3 based products in the market for AMD to stop producing any more of these "AM2+ only" Deneb chips. Earlier projections based on company slides showed the two chips coming up in January.
Palit Releases Radeon HD 4850 1GB Sonic
Palit Microsystems, leading graphics card manufacturer, follows up the release of HD 4850 Sonic by introducing the astonishing HD 4850 1GB Sonic equipped with 1024MB king size memory along with pre-overclocked 2000MHz memory speed and 685MHz core speed combining Palit's own design innovative cooling system and power management technology offering another amazing choice to performance hunters.
Palit HD 4850 1GB Sonic edition, as the 1GB Sonic naming implies, has 1024MB king size memory along with pre-overclocked 2000MHz memory speed and 685MHz core speed. This card is able to provide stunning graphics performance while offering extra memory buffer, allowing users to enjoy extreme performance improvements while playing the latest DX10 PC games under HD large screen and high quality image (such as 8xAA.).
Palit HD 4850 1GB Sonic edition, as the 1GB Sonic naming implies, has 1024MB king size memory along with pre-overclocked 2000MHz memory speed and 685MHz core speed. This card is able to provide stunning graphics performance while offering extra memory buffer, allowing users to enjoy extreme performance improvements while playing the latest DX10 PC games under HD large screen and high quality image (such as 8xAA.).
ELSA Slide Shows GTX 200 Series Successors
Slides published during a press meeting held at ELSA's headquarters in Shenzhen, China reveals what look like NVIDIA's future graphics processors (GPU). Although not quite playing on the global stage, ELSA is a popular channel vendor operating in China that concentrates on Asian markets. ELSA showcased several of its products. During a press event where its consumer graphics plans were discussed, ELSA published a slide that shows two future GPUs from NVIDIA, codenamed GT206 and GT212. These GPUs are positioned to succeed current flagship GPUs as in the G200. The slide shows a graph with launch time on the x-axis and performance projection on the y-axis. It can be inferred that GT206 is going to succeed the current GeForce GTX 260 and the GT212 succeeds GTX 280. Time scales show that GT206 comes out towards the very end of this year, and GT212 comes out sometime in Q1, 2009.
OCZ Elixir II in Pretty Pixels
It was the beginning of July when the first Elixir keyboard from OCZ saw daylight and not long after that rumours about a second version of it started spreading. Now these rumours have been confirmed by our collegues from Fudzilla. A second keyboard named Elixir II is indeed going to be released sometime before Christmas. It will have a slim design with blue painted border lines and rubberized coated "SoftTouch" keys with a lifespan of 5 million cycles. OCZ Elixir II will weight around 600g (1.35lbs) and have only three extra keys - Internet, Email and System Power-down - in contrast to the original OCZ Elixir which has 10 tri-mode programmable macro keys. According to Fudzilla the keyboard will cost around €20-€30 and maybe even cheaper when released.
ASUS Radeon HD 4670 Picture and Specs. Emerge
Donanimhaber released pictures of the upcoming ASUS Radeon HD 4670 graphics card (model EAH4670). The card is based on the newer graphics processor from ATI, the RV730. There are two models by ASUS lined up for release. The first one being a standard 512 MB GDDR3 model, and another 1 GB model. The card provides HDMI port onboard, neighboured by D-Sub and DVI connectors. The card supports ATI Crossfire X.
The card features a custom design by ASUS. A rather large GPU cooler that spans across two slots is featured. It is advertised to keep the GPU 15 °C cooler than the reference cooler. Specifications wise, the card features GDDR3 memory clocked at 2008 MHz, with the core at 750 MHz. It is HDCP compliant.
The card features a custom design by ASUS. A rather large GPU cooler that spans across two slots is featured. It is advertised to keep the GPU 15 °C cooler than the reference cooler. Specifications wise, the card features GDDR3 memory clocked at 2008 MHz, with the core at 750 MHz. It is HDCP compliant.
ASUS Launches G50V Gaming Notebook
ASUS, a world leader in notebook design and the fastest growing notebook brand, today announced the latest addition to the coveted Republic of Gamers line of high-performance products - the G50V gaming notebook. Based on Intel's latest Centrino 2 mobile platform, the G50V is loaded with killer features, the latest NVIDIA discrete graphics, 4GB of RAM and dual hard drives - all for just $1,699.
In addition to being one of the first notebooks to feature the latest Discrete Graphics Engine (DGE) powered by NVIDIA, the GeForce 9700M GT GPU, ASUS has also built the G50V with a number of exclusive gaming features including: one-touch overclocking, secondary display for checking mail/IMs/CPU usage while gaming, LED lighting, LAN-pack and gaming mouse included.
In addition to being one of the first notebooks to feature the latest Discrete Graphics Engine (DGE) powered by NVIDIA, the GeForce 9700M GT GPU, ASUS has also built the G50V with a number of exclusive gaming features including: one-touch overclocking, secondary display for checking mail/IMs/CPU usage while gaming, LED lighting, LAN-pack and gaming mouse included.
AMD Delivers Optimum Platform for Virtualization with Microsoft
AMD today announced the availability of robust new virtualization solutions powered by a combination of technologies from AMD and Microsoft Corp. This new deployment model uses AMD Opteron processors with AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) technology together with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V to deliver significant efficiencies to enterprises large and small. Mid-market companies in particular, which have traditionally been slower to implement virtualization, can take advantage of the combined AMD and Microsoft product offering to help reduce cost, complexity and energy consumption.
"AMD has taken a leading role in driving virtualization innovation into the x86 processor, helping to meet a compelling need in the commercial market for cost reduction, increased performance and energy efficiency," said Kevin Knox, vice president of Worldwide Commercial Business, AMD. "Now, through our continued partnership with Microsoft, AMD is expanding virtualization's reach and the benefits of resource consolidation to companies that might not have taken advantage of virtualization in the past."
"AMD has taken a leading role in driving virtualization innovation into the x86 processor, helping to meet a compelling need in the commercial market for cost reduction, increased performance and energy efficiency," said Kevin Knox, vice president of Worldwide Commercial Business, AMD. "Now, through our continued partnership with Microsoft, AMD is expanding virtualization's reach and the benefits of resource consolidation to companies that might not have taken advantage of virtualization in the past."
Corsair to Launch Low-latency 8GB DDR2 Kit Later This Month
Although DDR3 is around the corner, high-quality institution Corsair is still trying to release top DDR2 kits. RAM-hungry users, seeking for the best memory out there will be glad to know that as of next month, a new 8GB quad kit from Corsair will be released. Corsair's Q2X8G6400C4DHX 8GB DDR2 kit will consist of four 2GB modules matched to work together at 800MHz, and at the low latencies of CL4-4-4-12. All modules will also employ Corsair's Dual-Path Heat Xchange (DHX) technology. Pricing information will be available when the kit is officially released.
AMD Lowers the Price of its X3 Phenoms Again, Introduces Three New Processors
TG Daily reports that AMD has cut the prices of its triple-core Phenom X3 processors once more. According to Pricegrabber.com, AMD has once again lowered the value of four Phenoms with 5% within the last two weeks. The Phenom X3 8450 now sells for $104 (down from $125 in July), the X3 8650 for $119 (down from $145), the X3 8750 for $129 (down from $175) as well as the new X3 8750 Black Edition with unlocked multiplier, which is priced at $134. Furthermore Advanced Micro Devices has released three more "new" X3 processors all featuring a TDP of 65W, 2MB of L3 cache and HyperTransport 3.0. First is the above 2.4GHz Phenom X3 8750 Black Edition which we already mentioned has unlocked multi and is sold as overclocking friendly processor. The other two CPUs include Phenom X3 8450e operating at 2.1GHz and Phenom X3 8250e at 1.9GHz. Last two Phenoms are yet to be officially priced.
Monday, September 8th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Notebooks
Speakers
Point of View GeForce 9400 GT 1024 MB Wall-E Edition Review
NVIDIA's new GeForce 9400 GT Series is based on the same G96 GPU that is also used on the 9500 GT. The 9400 GT has half the shaders however, which seriously limits the uses of the card in a gaming PC. On the other hand this greatly reduces the heat output which allows a completely passive solution. Point of View differentiates their card by using 1 GB of video memory and bundling a full version of the Wall-E game.
HP Breaks the 24-hour Battery Life Barrier
HP today announced an unprecedented milestone in mobile computing: up to 24 hours of continuous notebook operation on a single battery charge. As measured by an industry-standard benchmark, the new HP EliteBook 6930p configured with an optional ultra-capacity battery delivered up to 24 hours of battery runtime.
Fusion IO Shows off the Power of 4000 Hard Drives
Fusion IO is known for its NAND flash based storage solutions in the form of expansion cards with dedicated controllers. They've now come up with an IO-SAN card that offers transfers at a stellar 1.5 GB/s. The device can hold 340 GB of data which is roughly a third of a tera-byte. The capacity can be doubled with an add-on card.
Fusion IO claims the IO-SAN card can turn any off-the-shelf server into a full-bore storage area network. The card is installed on a PCI Express slot and has the flash memory right on the card. Fusion IO claims the card can perform up to 200,000 IOPS, with which they seem to have worked out the "power of 4000 hard drives" figure. The card also houses a conventional storage controller so hard drives could be connected. It also has a network controller for 10 GigE or 40 Gb/s InfiniBand.
Fusion IO claims the IO-SAN card can turn any off-the-shelf server into a full-bore storage area network. The card is installed on a PCI Express slot and has the flash memory right on the card. Fusion IO claims the card can perform up to 200,000 IOPS, with which they seem to have worked out the "power of 4000 hard drives" figure. The card also houses a conventional storage controller so hard drives could be connected. It also has a network controller for 10 GigE or 40 Gb/s InfiniBand.
Blu-ray has 5 Years Left says Samsung
After having won the battle for supremacy over HD DVD, Blu-ray is on its way to become the standard consumer video format. It is not just a format, it's an industry in itself which begins from HD content creation production houses to recording companies to the consumers who again, invest in necessary equipment such as high-definition displays, Blu-ray disc players, etc. An important name in this industry, Samsung, which makes high definition televisions and players has noted that the format has five years left to remain a premium content format.
In an interview to Pocket-lint, the director of consumer electronics at Samsung UK, Andy Griffins said "I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10". Griffins believes that 2008 is the year of the Blu-ray, where consumers embrace the format by purchasing necessary appliances. He added that Samsung is heavily back-ordered in regard to appliances at the moment.
In an interview to Pocket-lint, the director of consumer electronics at Samsung UK, Andy Griffins said "I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10". Griffins believes that 2008 is the year of the Blu-ray, where consumers embrace the format by purchasing necessary appliances. He added that Samsung is heavily back-ordered in regard to appliances at the moment.
HD 4670 Crossfire Outperforms HD 4850
Pre-release 3DMark tests show that two Radeon HD 4670 graphics cards in Crossfire multi-GPU mode outperforms a single Radeon HD 4850 card. The HD 4670 cards score just a little above the HD 4850 in three tests that include 3DMark06 in Shader Model 2.0 mode, the same benchmark in SM 3.0 mode and 3DMark Vantage.
The cards scored 54xx 3DMarks in SM2.0 and 65xx 3DMarks in SM3.0 tests, a 4850 on the same test-bed produced 49xx and 57xx respectively. With 3DMark Vantage, the Crossfire setup churned out 7300, with the single HD 4850 just 100 points behind at 7200. These scores can be attributed to the raw texturing power the HD 4670 cards have despite memory bandwidth advantage staying with the single HD 4850. Indications are that the HD 4650 won't scale as well since (at least reference models) lack hardware Crossfire.
The cards scored 54xx 3DMarks in SM2.0 and 65xx 3DMarks in SM3.0 tests, a 4850 on the same test-bed produced 49xx and 57xx respectively. With 3DMark Vantage, the Crossfire setup churned out 7300, with the single HD 4850 just 100 points behind at 7200. These scores can be attributed to the raw texturing power the HD 4670 cards have despite memory bandwidth advantage staying with the single HD 4850. Indications are that the HD 4650 won't scale as well since (at least reference models) lack hardware Crossfire.
Intel Starts Shipping its X18-M and X25-M Solid State Drives
Intel Corporation announced today it has begun shipping Intel X18-M and X25-M Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drives (SSDs) based on multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash technology for laptop and desktop computers. The new high-performing data storage devices give computer buyers a new level of system responsiveness in a lightweight, rugged, low-power package that can replace traditional hard disk drives. Validated for Intel-based computers, the X18-M is a 1.8-inch drive and the X25-M a 2.5-inch drive, offering several advantages over hard drives including faster overall system response, boot and resume times. With no moving parts, SSDs run cooler and quieter and are a more reliable option than hard drives. In addition, SSDs remove input/output (I/O) performance bottlenecks associated with hard disk drives that help maximize the efficiency of Intel processors, such as the company's Core family of products. For example, lab tests show that the Intel X18-M and X25M increase storage system performance nine times over traditional hard disk drive performance.
Tegra SoC Designs based on GeForce 6 series
Tegra is NVIDIA's System on a Chip (SoC) platform. It takes NVIDIA's supreme expertise in the field of visual computing and architectural finesse to SoC that is projected to have a large market in the near future in several industries, mainly consumer electronics and automobiles. Heavyweights in the automobile industry such as Daimler AG (Mercedes Benz), FIAT Group (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia, Maserati), V.A.G. group (Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, VW) have lobbied around the Terga technology to be used to enhance their products.
As automobiles manufacturers venturing into a realm of new technology of compact computing, they would prefer proven and stable technologies from NVIDIA over future tech. For this matter, NVIDIA has derived some versions of the graphics processor part of Tegra on the GeForce 6 series. It makes it fully DirectX 9.0c compatible and capable of running up to three or more displays. Some variants NVIDIA plans to sell V.A.G. group includes a GPU derived from GeForce 9600 GT albeit much lower speeds (since it's not required to work to its potential). Futuremark has already showcased its 3D dashboard software for Audi which could harness the power of Tegra to display a futuristic dashboard panel that provides drivers with information on the car's operation along with maps and guidance in 3D.
As automobiles manufacturers venturing into a realm of new technology of compact computing, they would prefer proven and stable technologies from NVIDIA over future tech. For this matter, NVIDIA has derived some versions of the graphics processor part of Tegra on the GeForce 6 series. It makes it fully DirectX 9.0c compatible and capable of running up to three or more displays. Some variants NVIDIA plans to sell V.A.G. group includes a GPU derived from GeForce 9600 GT albeit much lower speeds (since it's not required to work to its potential). Futuremark has already showcased its 3D dashboard software for Audi which could harness the power of Tegra to display a futuristic dashboard panel that provides drivers with information on the car's operation along with maps and guidance in 3D.
Atom Dual-Core Performance Numbers Emerge
A spy-shot of the dual-core Intel Atom processor has surfaced. The picture reveals an important bit about the design of the processor. Dual-core Atom isn't about two processor cores integrated onto one die, but two dies sharing a package and front-side bus, much in the same way its distant ancestor, the Pentium D was built. This design allows modularity and helps Intel cut manufacturing costs. They don't have to build separate wafers of dual-core dice but rather use two single core dice and integrate them onto one package. The Atom 330 will be the first product based on this design. Early performance tests with arithmetic and memory bandwidth reveal a good level of scaling, close to 100% that of the N270, a single-core 1.6 GHz part:
Nexus Unveils the Socket LGA 1366-ready FLC-3000 Processor Cooler
Holland-based Nexus unveiled today what's I believe the first cooling reported on our site to support Intel Socket LGA 1366. That's the same socket that will be used with Intel's next-gen Core i7 processors, scheduled to be released later this year (Q4 2008). Made out of pure copper, the Nexus FLC-3000 houses a rather unusual design, measuring 128 (L) x 105 (W) x 119 (H) mm. It weights in 450 grams, has an aluminum heatsink and four 6mm copper heatpipes angled at 30 degrees. The cooling surface is chilled by a 90mm RPM-controlled fan that works between 900 and 2500 RPM and has a sound output between 15 dB(A) and 24 dB(A) depending on the rotation speed. The fan is also equipped with two orange LEDs. In addition, the Nexus FLC-3000 is also Intel LGA 775 and AMD AM2/AM2+ socket compatible. The cooler is yet to be priced.
Microsoft to Deploy ''Gurus'' to Assist Shoppers
In the US, very soon at a computer store or the computers section of your mall, chances are you could come across "Gurus" to assist your software related purchases. Simply put, these are liaisons deployed by Microsoft to assist shoppers with "choosing the right software" for the PC. They will be in place to help customers with buying PCs with Windows installed or simply to learn more about Windows and related products.
Microsoft has plans to deploy 155 "Microsoft Gurus" across the United States within this year to begin with, and plans to expand the program depending on its success. According to Microsoft general manager of corporate communications, Tom Pilla, the customer reps would be responsible for helping answer questions regarding Microsoft and PCs offered in the stores. This has something in common with the recent Gates-Seinfeld commercial in which Gates is assisted by Seinfeld when shopping for shoes at a mall.
Microsoft has plans to deploy 155 "Microsoft Gurus" across the United States within this year to begin with, and plans to expand the program depending on its success. According to Microsoft general manager of corporate communications, Tom Pilla, the customer reps would be responsible for helping answer questions regarding Microsoft and PCs offered in the stores. This has something in common with the recent Gates-Seinfeld commercial in which Gates is assisted by Seinfeld when shopping for shoes at a mall.
Intel Ships New Eco-Friendly Quad-Core Xeon Server Processors
Intel Corporation continues to expand its 45-nanometer (nm) manufacturing chip portfolio with the launch of its first four halogen-free Intel Xeon processors, signaling another step in Intel's march toward minimizing the environmental footprint of its products. The chips reach new heights in performance and energy efficiency. Much of the energy efficiency these new processors provide comes from Intel's advanced 45nm manufacturing capability and its reinvented transistors that use a Hafnium-based high-k metal gate formula. In addition, all previously launched versions of the Intel Xeon 5200 and 5400 series will now be halogen-free.
Sunday, September 7th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
ATI Plans to Take on GeForce 9800 GT, RV770LE in the Works
Earlier this year, the unthinkable happened when ATI brought in stiff competition with NVIDIA in almost all segments to snatch the performance crown. All NVIDIA could do as a retaliation was to hurry up with a transition to the 55nm silicon fabrication technology and price cuts among all its segments. The latter is of more importance since price cuts for NVIDIA's products have been huge, in many cases, as much as 40%. While Radeon HD 4850 in its 512 MB and 1 GB avatars took on GeForce 9800 GTX/GTX+, the GeForce 9800 GT slipped in from nowhere. Technically at launch the GeForce 9800 GT isn't much more than 8800 GT except a few features that only nForce chipset users could benefit from, among other changes. Indications are that this product isn't faring bad in the market and to retaliate ATI is devising a new graphics core, the RV770LE.
Simply put, the RV770LE is a toned down variant of the RV770 core that will position below the RV770 Pro (Radeon HD 4850). It features lower clock speeds than the RV770 Pro and more importantly, a 192 bit memory bus and 480 Stream Processors. This also affects the TMU and ROP counts with the new core having 12 ROPs and 24 TMUs. Memory configurations would be affected as well. While some sources indicate that it would be branded as Radeon HD 4830, others say it's likely to be branded as the Radeon HD 4750 and is slated for release in October.
Simply put, the RV770LE is a toned down variant of the RV770 core that will position below the RV770 Pro (Radeon HD 4850). It features lower clock speeds than the RV770 Pro and more importantly, a 192 bit memory bus and 480 Stream Processors. This also affects the TMU and ROP counts with the new core having 12 ROPs and 24 TMUs. Memory configurations would be affected as well. While some sources indicate that it would be branded as Radeon HD 4830, others say it's likely to be branded as the Radeon HD 4750 and is slated for release in October.
Happy 10th Birthday Google
On September 7th we celebrate the birthday of Google. Ten years ago in 1998 Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google Inc. a designation that has now become a synonym for the world's most famous Internet search engine. Initially having only two employees, now Google has nearly 20,000 workers and a $150 billion market value. At the moment Google is still on top of all internet search pages, and without a doubt can be considered an Internet icon, everybody knows about Google even our grandparents. If there's something you can't find, just Google it! Once again, Happy 10th Birthday Google. There're a few sites below that have covered the occasion:
NYTimes | Wired | BBC | ZDNet
NYTimes | Wired | BBC | ZDNet
New Galaxy G31 Motherboard Provides Solid Overclocking Under $50
Over the years, market trends show entry-level discrete graphics on the decline. People would rather choose a motherboard with onboard graphics. Industry heavy-weights such as AMD and NVIDIA sought to cash in on that trend by introducing desktop chipsets with nearly the same amounts of graphics processing power as those of discrete graphics at the grass-root level. For companies like Galaxy, a partner of NVIDIA, it meant moving from selling high-end nForce 680i motherboards to some inexpensive ones while continuing to sell graphics cards. Earlier, they had come up with an Intel Atom embedded ATX motherboard. This time around its their micro-ATX motherboard called iG31MX, based on the Intel G31 desktop chipset that's making news for an impressive performance with its overclocking capabilities.
Using a Wolfdale E5200 CPU that has a stock speed of 2.50 GHz, this board allowed overlocking up to 3.25 GHz at reference vCore value of 1.2 V. With the voltage stepped up to 1.36 V, the board took that limit further up to 3.68 GHz. An impressive feat given the market position of this motherboard and a price tag of US $43. The board powers the CPU using a 3 phase circuit, provides two memory slots and integrated Intel GMA 3100 graphics. Galaxy made sure this board was fat-free so it could be delivered at a low price-point. It features the older ICH7 southbridge, only one PCI slot apart from a PCI-Express x16, 6-channel audio and 10/100 ethernet interface. The PCB is cut to size with just enough area to seat all the components. The essentials are taken care of sans the bells and whistles.
Using a Wolfdale E5200 CPU that has a stock speed of 2.50 GHz, this board allowed overlocking up to 3.25 GHz at reference vCore value of 1.2 V. With the voltage stepped up to 1.36 V, the board took that limit further up to 3.68 GHz. An impressive feat given the market position of this motherboard and a price tag of US $43. The board powers the CPU using a 3 phase circuit, provides two memory slots and integrated Intel GMA 3100 graphics. Galaxy made sure this board was fat-free so it could be delivered at a low price-point. It features the older ICH7 southbridge, only one PCI slot apart from a PCI-Express x16, 6-channel audio and 10/100 ethernet interface. The PCB is cut to size with just enough area to seat all the components. The essentials are taken care of sans the bells and whistles.
Saturday, September 6th 2008
Larrabee Launch Title Concept Art Released
Intel will release its discrete graphics processor codenamed "Larrabee". In an industry that's pretty-much governed by NVIDIA and AMD, Intel looks for its slice of the pie. The Larrabee incorporates parallelism brought about by x86 processing elements. It is not far sighted to assume that Larrabee will face stiff competition from both NVIDIA and AMD, with both having graphics technologies two generations advanced from what they are now. NVIDIA already raised questions about the credibility of Larrabee in a 2010 setting. On Intel's side, it has to show the industry what its new product is capable of these would be using technology demos and games that would exploit Larrabee in other words, unleash the potential of the product. One such title is being developed by Offset, a game production house acquired by Intel this February last having access to its game developer staff and its own game engine.
The first game, based on that engine titled Project Offset is in the works. A video leaked on YouTube earlier showed its gameplay and is said to have received praise for its visuals. As far as implementation of this engine in the production of other titles that serve as "launch vehicles" for Larrabee go, it's known that the engine has been licensed by Red5 Studios. For now, concept art of the engine's capabilities has been released.
The first game, based on that engine titled Project Offset is in the works. A video leaked on YouTube earlier showed its gameplay and is said to have received praise for its visuals. As far as implementation of this engine in the production of other titles that serve as "launch vehicles" for Larrabee go, it's known that the engine has been licensed by Red5 Studios. For now, concept art of the engine's capabilities has been released.
ASUS Expands ROG Graphics Card Series with GeForce 9800GT MATRIX
Following the mammoth success of the ROG (Republic of Gamers) EN9600GT MATRIX graphics card, ASUS, world-leading producer of top quality graphic solutions, has today released the new ASUS ROG EN9800GT MATRIX/HTDI/512M. Combining cutting-edge technology and features, this innovative piece of hardware unleashes the true power of graphics cards - allowing gamers to enjoy unrivaled gaming experiences. It achieves all this by incorporating several unique features that include:
- Integrated hardware and software for total graphics card control
- Accurate adjustments of the GPU and memory voltages
- Complete monitoring of the GPU/memory/Power IC/ambient temperatures
- Complete monitoring of the GPU/memory/board power consumption
- Automatic control of fan speeds according to advanced GPU loading detection
- Power savings that surpasses generic boards
- Customizable functions to add a new level of control for gamers
Aqua-computer Releases Cuplex hd CPU Water Block
Germany's top quality water cooling manufacturer aqua-computer has recently released a new processor water block. Named aqua-computer cuplex hd it has the following characteristics:
- low resistance high flow / double impact design
- 99.99% pure electrolyte copper base plate
- G1/4" in and out diameter
- Compatible with Intel Socket 478 and LGA775 processors only
Intel Desktop CPU Lineup for 2009 Split Wide Open
Intentional or not, a huge set of company-confidential diagrams from Intel have surfaced from Japanese website PC Watch. The diagrams show Intel's roadmap until the beginning of 2010. While the authenticity of these diagrams are questionable, and there are bound to be inaccuracies, they provide a broad view of Intel's consumer PC processor plans. The first time shows a gradual transition between the current Core and upcoming Nehalem architectures. What's more, it shows how Intel may have segregated the desktop PC market, with six main product divisions from bottom to top being integrated board, value, essential, mainstream, performance and extreme. The value, mainstream and performance segments are further classified on price-bands.
The contents of the diagram are pretty self explanatory in terms of what kind of products are slated for when and a little peak into what they are made of. Highlights of the diagram include:
Scythe Announces Space Saving HDD Mounting Kit
Scythe Co., Ltd announces the space saving Hard Disk mounter in 5.25" Bay, "Hard Disk Stabilizer x4", to the market. Are you lacking of space to mount more Hard Disk into your PC case? This item makes it possible to mount up to 4 x Hard Disks into the space of 3 x 5.25inch bay! Not only the space saving feature, but also this item can provide an important job to prevent vibration transfer from your Hard Disk to the PC case. There is no need to explain in details, but just by looking at the product image, the item explains the features itself! At the same time, Scythe also offers the "Hard Disk Stabilizer 2" as the current product line-ups for preventing the vibration transfer as well as to mount the extra Hard Disk onto 5.25inch bay for a single Hard Disk mounting purposes. For this alternative product, please go to the product page.
The stabilizer kit spans 15.5 mm x 20mm / 0.61in x 0.79in (Diameter x Length of Anti-Vibration Screw) and fits into a standard 5.25" Bay. The kit consists of anti-vibration screws and mounting plate.
The stabilizer kit spans 15.5 mm x 20mm / 0.61in x 0.79in (Diameter x Length of Anti-Vibration Screw) and fits into a standard 5.25" Bay. The kit consists of anti-vibration screws and mounting plate.
Friday, September 5th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Memory
Monitors
Motherboards
Vizo Mirrorbox Card Reader Review
The Mirrorbox is an all-in-one card reader, able to handle every card you throw at it. It has a stylish black housing with compact dimensions and everything to get access to those holiday images on that memory card.
Next Gen. Atom in Q3 2009, Incorporates GPU, IMC : Roadmap Slide
A portion of a company slide from Intel shows that in the third quarter of 2009, Intel could release a successor to current Silverthrone Atom chips. The successor to the Silverthrone architecture, code-named "Lincroft", would feature significant architectural enhancements that help Intel in its efforts to propagate x86 to a broader range of consumer electronics products.
To begin with, the core based on Lincroft architecture, code-named "Pineview" comes in single core and dual-core flavours. Both support Intel HyperThreading technology, each core can handle two processing threads simultaneously. As of now it's unclear if the dual-core variant offers a level of integration higher than what Silverthrone dual-core chips offer (2 dies, 1 package). Some of the highlights of Pineview core is that the chip incorporates a integrated graphics controller and an integrated memory controller. These serve the vital purpose of eradicating a northbridge, reducing the board footprint of the platform. Some variants of i945 northbridge received criticism from industry observers owing to its high power draw and thermal output that marred the purpose of a low-power CPU. Therefore the elimination of northbridge would mean only an ICH outside the CPU.
To begin with, the core based on Lincroft architecture, code-named "Pineview" comes in single core and dual-core flavours. Both support Intel HyperThreading technology, each core can handle two processing threads simultaneously. As of now it's unclear if the dual-core variant offers a level of integration higher than what Silverthrone dual-core chips offer (2 dies, 1 package). Some of the highlights of Pineview core is that the chip incorporates a integrated graphics controller and an integrated memory controller. These serve the vital purpose of eradicating a northbridge, reducing the board footprint of the platform. Some variants of i945 northbridge received criticism from industry observers owing to its high power draw and thermal output that marred the purpose of a low-power CPU. Therefore the elimination of northbridge would mean only an ICH outside the CPU.
OCZ Announces “OCZ Gear” Online Store for Clearance, EOL, and Refurbished Products
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra high performance and high reliability memory and components, today announced the expansion of its product availability through its new online store. The "OCZ Gear" site will give customers the option to directly purchase select OCZ items, with the added benefit of top notch customer service and support as the driving force behind every order.
"We are excited to introduce the OCZ Gear online store which will sell special clearance and B-Stock products direct to our customers," commented Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management of the OCZ Technology Group. "OCZ Gear is simply another way for us to better support our customer's needs. The majority of products listed are clearance items and those that are re-certified will be clearly marked."
"We are excited to introduce the OCZ Gear online store which will sell special clearance and B-Stock products direct to our customers," commented Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management of the OCZ Technology Group. "OCZ Gear is simply another way for us to better support our customer's needs. The majority of products listed are clearance items and those that are re-certified will be clearly marked."
New Buffalo Blu-ray Writers Burn at 8x
Buffalo Technologies claimed to have made the fastest PC Blu-ray disc writers. The Buffalo BR-816FBS is a standard sized internal optical drive while the BR-816FBS-WH is an external drive. The drives are HDCP compliant and play Blu-ray titles. Apart from this, the storage capacity of the media means that the amount of data that can be backed up in one go is substantially increased. This drives burn Blu-ray discs at 8x (38 MB/s) speeds which means that a full capacity single-layer volume could be written in 12 minutes compared to the 45 minutes it takes for 2x speed writers to do the same task.
The drive can write DVDs at 16x and CDs at 48x. Buffalo includes CyberLink disc authoring software with the drive. This, according to Buffalo, offers a "smart non-linear stretching feature" intended to enhance colours, lighting and effects to ensure regular DVDs can be experienced at optimal quality. The drives are available at all major retailers and online stores and priced at US $370 for the internal drive and $420 for the external version.
The drive can write DVDs at 16x and CDs at 48x. Buffalo includes CyberLink disc authoring software with the drive. This, according to Buffalo, offers a "smart non-linear stretching feature" intended to enhance colours, lighting and effects to ensure regular DVDs can be experienced at optimal quality. The drives are available at all major retailers and online stores and priced at US $370 for the internal drive and $420 for the external version.
Gigabyte Silent Radeon HD 4850 in the Works
Gigabyte might well be the first AIB partner for ATI to release the first passively cooled Radeon HD 4850 accelerator, and a 1 GB one at that. The Gigabyte GV-R485MC-1GH sports the RV770 graphics processor clocked at 625 MHz and 1 GB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 1.00 GHz. Gigabyte is to use its "Multi-Core" passive cooler that consists of two arrays of aluminum fins, with two copper heatpipes each conveying heat from the core to the fin arrays. The card will feature Ultra Durable 2 high-grade electrical circuitry with what vaguely looks like a 4 + 2 phase power design. The GV-R485MC-1GH will be available soon. Word is that PowerColor would follow Gigabyte with their passively cooled Radeon HD 4850 model.
AMD Product lineup For Q4 2008 Uncovered
There is a brief insight into what AMD has in store for the desktop CPU market till towards the end of this year. The good news however is that AMD's 45nm conquest flags off by the end of this year. Chile Hardware published yet another company slide from AMD. This one lists out AMD's desktop processors lined-up for release (both actual and on paper) by the end of this year.
To begin with, AMD will continue to make additions to the Athlon X2 energy-efficient dual-core processors. On October the 2nd, Athlon X2 5050e would be released in both tray and processor-in-[a]-box (PIB) stocks. This processor is rated at 45W and has a clock speed of 2.60 GHz, that's 13.0x 200 MHz. It is based on the Brisbane 65nm core. Later in November, this line would be expanded by the Athlon X2 3250e. This Brisbane-based part comes clocked at 1.50 GHz and a rated TDP of an incredibly low 22W. There's also a single-core part based on the Lima core, the Athlon 2650e, an energy efficient single core rated at 15W with a clock speed of 1.60 GHz.
To begin with, AMD will continue to make additions to the Athlon X2 energy-efficient dual-core processors. On October the 2nd, Athlon X2 5050e would be released in both tray and processor-in-[a]-box (PIB) stocks. This processor is rated at 45W and has a clock speed of 2.60 GHz, that's 13.0x 200 MHz. It is based on the Brisbane 65nm core. Later in November, this line would be expanded by the Athlon X2 3250e. This Brisbane-based part comes clocked at 1.50 GHz and a rated TDP of an incredibly low 22W. There's also a single-core part based on the Lima core, the Athlon 2650e, an energy efficient single core rated at 15W with a clock speed of 1.60 GHz.
Patriot Releases 4GB DDR3 PC3-16000 Low-Latency Viper Series Memory Kits
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium quality memory module and flash memory solutions, today unveiled their 4GB DDR3 2000MHz low latency Viper series memory kit. The newest addition to Patriot's Viper series, the 2000MHz kit boasts both high-density and high-frequency, enhancing overclocking capabilities for gamers and PC enthusiasts alike on today's latest DDR3 platforms.
Samsung Interested in Possible SanDisk Acquisition?
Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of flash memory chips, said today that it is considering an acquisition of SanDisk Corp.
We are considering various opportunities regarding SanDisk but nothing has been decided,said James Chung, a spokesman at Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung. Possible acquiring of SanDisk would help Samsung save about 400 billion won ($355 million) in royalties annually, it has been reported.
It would have a significant impact on the supply and demand in the flash memory industry, ... Samsung could create additional demand from SanDisk's customers.said Lee Sun Tae, an independent analyst at Meritz Securities Co in Seoul. On the other side, Mike Wong - SanDisk's official spokesman said that SanDisk is not aware of Samsung being interested in any acquisition. Expect more information, when there's any.
AMD to Launch Two Low-Power Desktop CPUs in November
DigiTimes made today the early announcement of two low-power AMD desktop processors that are to appear sometime in November. The Athlon 2650E and Athlon X2 3250E will both be part of the company's UVC (Ultra-Value Client) product line targeting OEMs. The single core 2650E CPU will have a core frequency of 1.6GHz and TDP of 15W, while the dual-core Athlon X2 3250e will have a core frequency of 1.5GHz and TDP of 22W. The two CPUs will be fabbed on a 65nm process and will initially be provided to OEM customers only. Manufacturers like ASUSTeK Computer, Acer and Shuttle, are expected to show up machines powered by the two processors in December. In additional news, AMD is also planning to launch a triple-core Phenom X3 8850 CPU using a 65nm process in early October. The CPU will feature a core frequency of 2.5GHz and a maximum TDP of 95W. The company will also launch a new Black Edition CPU in December.
Engineers at IBM Set a New Solid-State Drive Speed Record
Engineers and researchers at the IBM Hursley development lab in England and the Almaden Research Center in California have demonstrated groundbreaking performance results that outperform the world's fastest disk storage solution by over 250 percent. IBM has demonstrated, for the first time, the game-changing impact solid-state technologies can have on how businesses and individuals manage and access information.
Thursday, September 4th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Networking
Processors
Storage
S3 Graphics Chrome 440 GTX 256 MB Review
The Chrome 440 GTX is the latest card from S3 Graphics. It features all the main bullet points like DirectX 10.1, PCI-Express 2.0, native HDMI with integrated audio, small form factor and low heat output. But is this enough to compete with the offerings from ATI and NVIDIA?
OCZ Dominatrix Gaming Mouse Review
The Dominatrix is OCZ's newest dive into the gaming mice market. It offers features usually found on much more expensive mice at an entry level price point and comes in a stylish blue and black color. You can store your profiles in the mouse so they are available on any PC, even without the mouse software.
Radeon HD 4600 Gets Multiple Listings, Partners Ready with Fleets of Custom Designs
After a successful high and enthusiast segment conquest, ATI seems to be going for the kill. Pre-release evaluations show the RV730 graphics processor to be a potent piece of silicon. When it's made to stretch in its Radeon HD 4670 512M variant, it certainly ousted competitor's offerings but owing to the price-band it belongs to, in the process of beating the GeForce 9500 GT, it seems to have created a vacuum. The HD 4670 could be faster than the 9500 GT, but at a price that takes it away from the band 9500 GT sits on. Certain European online stores have started listing RV730 based products. Their prices in terms of US Dollars seem high, but the product itself is awaited in the North American markets. PCHC.ch listed products that seem like custom designed. They haven't released pictures but as their specifications and product names tell, they do have an interesting mix in store.
HIS is already out with IceQ variants of the HD 4670, with a 1 GB GDDR3 variant priced as high as $141 (in terms of EUR to USD conversions). Also in store is a 512MB variant of the same card at $115. There are two variants of HD 4650, a base model and another advertised as silent. The RV730 graphics processor features 320 stream processors and a 128 bit wide GDDR3 / DDR2 memory bus. It features one of the smallest dies in relation to its performance, at 145 sq mm. Tests show the RV730 to deliver a performance level up to what a Radeon HD 3850 can deliver.
HIS is already out with IceQ variants of the HD 4670, with a 1 GB GDDR3 variant priced as high as $141 (in terms of EUR to USD conversions). Also in store is a 512MB variant of the same card at $115. There are two variants of HD 4650, a base model and another advertised as silent. The RV730 graphics processor features 320 stream processors and a 128 bit wide GDDR3 / DDR2 memory bus. It features one of the smallest dies in relation to its performance, at 145 sq mm. Tests show the RV730 to deliver a performance level up to what a Radeon HD 3850 can deliver.
Intel Prepares 6-core Server Xeon 7400 Processor for September
On September 15th Intel plans to fabricate the Intel Xeon 7400 Dunnington series processor, the company's last Penryn generation processor to be released. Xeon 7400 will mark the end of a previous server era, and after it the new Nehalem Core i7 processor family will start to appear in the fourth quarter. The Xeon 7400 will be Intel's first 6-core server chip. It will be produced using 45nm high-k process technology and will boast 16MB of L3 cache. The Xeon 7400 Dunnington series is also one of the first Intel chips to have a monolithic design, like Nehalem. In other words, all six cores will be on one piece of silicon. To date, for any processor having more than two cores, Intel has put two separate pieces of silicon - referred to as die - inside of one chip package. Server vendors announcing Xeon 7400 powered products will include Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, IBM and Unisys, according to Intel senior vice president Pat Gelsinger.
Sony Recalls VAIO TZ Models Due to Overheating Risk
Yet another overheating drama has struck Sony's laptop subdivision. As of today a potential overheating issue has been discovered in the following notebook PC models:
- VGN-TZ100 series
- VGN-TZ200 series
- VGN-TZ300 series
- VGN-TZ2000 series
Google Chrome Claims 1% Market-Share in Just 9 Hours
On September the 3rd, Google released a beta version of its upcoming Chrome web-browser software. The beta was released at 3:02 PM EDT and it captured 0.5% of the browser market share in just 2 hours of release. What's more, by the end of 9 hours since launch, the browser had already captured 1% of the market. Net Applications found that value to fluctuate but the browser currently is looking above the 1% mark. Data was collected studying the browser's ID:
Official Build 1583The numbers are mind-boggling. Considering there are about 1.46 Billion internet users, 1% should take at least 14 million users to keep that value. In other terms, the number of times Chrome beta may have been downloaded looks threatening to Mozilla. It wouldn't be too far sighted to think Google Chrome could challenge Mozilla's world record when (or if) a stable release does come out (G-Mail is still beta). The browser has received a largely positive response albeit issues concerning its privacy policy, where irregularities were noted. All in all, Google did manage to make heads turn.
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US) AppleWebKit/525.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/0.2.149.27 Safari/525.13
Dell Inspiron 910 ''Mini'' Gets Official, Starts at US $349
Dell's first netbook, the Inspiron Mini 9 also known as Inspiron 910 has finally changed its status to official. This small, easy-to-carry device stands for the modern people. It is perfect for web browsing, office tasks, watching videos and listening to music and even playing games on the go. With a starting weight of 2.28 lbs, the Inspiron 910 packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 512MB DDR2 memory at 533MHz, 4GB Solid State Drive, Intel GMA 950 graphics and a 8.9-inch glossy LED display with 1024x600 resolution. Standard features include a built-in Wi-Fi and a 4-cell battery, but you can futher customize your "mini" with a 1.3MP webcam and built-in Bluetooth. Dell ships the 910 with Ubuntu 8.04 or Microsoft Windows XP Home. Two color options are available for now, Obsidian Black that's included in the price or Alpine White for an additional $25. At last, all Dell Inspiron 910 netbooks come with 1 year warranty. You can purchase one right now directly from Dell. The starting price is $349 with Ubuntu, and $399 if you want Windows XP Home.
Xbox 360 Invites Everyone to Play
Imagine if friends and families had the ability to instantly watch movies from Netflix, live out their musical fantasies through Rock Band 2 and Lips, star in their own Hollywood classics with You're in the Movies, or have the power to never miss the latest episode of Heroes-all from one device, starting at $199.
That device is Xbox 360, and today Microsoft announced lower retail prices for the gaming and entertainment console in the United States, which offers the leading Xbox LIVE service. Beginning September 5, Xbox 360 Arcade retails for the estimated price of $199.99, the Xbox 360 console for $299.99, and Xbox 360 Elite for $399.99.
That device is Xbox 360, and today Microsoft announced lower retail prices for the gaming and entertainment console in the United States, which offers the leading Xbox LIVE service. Beginning September 5, Xbox 360 Arcade retails for the estimated price of $199.99, the Xbox 360 console for $299.99, and Xbox 360 Elite for $399.99.
SiSoft SANDRA 2009 Released, GPGPU Support and Tests in Store
SiSoftware is pleased to launch SiSoftware Sandra 2009 with GPGPU support, the latest version of the award-winning utility, which includes remote analysis, benchmarking and diagnostic features for PCs, servers and networks. At SiSoftware from version to version we focus four key areas of software development to make sure we give our users the best software experience. Quite simply the four drivers are:
1. Inclusion of new technologies that ensure our tools remain current.
2. Increased hardware and software support for existing modules.
3. Improving the user interface to make it a richer easier user experience.
4. Filling gaps in the product line in response to our customers' needs.
1. Inclusion of new technologies that ensure our tools remain current.
2. Increased hardware and software support for existing modules.
3. Improving the user interface to make it a richer easier user experience.
4. Filling gaps in the product line in response to our customers' needs.
AMD FireStream 9250 Out in This Month
Within this month, AMD will release a FireStream GPGPU card based on the successful RV770 graphics processor. This card provides computing parallelism derived from 800 stream processors, that churn out a peak collective computational power of 1000 GFlops. That's a 100% improvement over the FireStream 9170 in terms of computational power and a 60% improvement in terms of GFlops per Watt. That said, the power draw of this card has gone up to 150W compared to its 100W predecessor. This card is the fastest in the industry in terms of double-precision floating point performance. It packs 1 GB of GDDR3 memory on a 256-bit wide memory bus.
FireStream series of cards to catered towards delivering blistering performance of AMD's GPUs to business users in high performance computing situations such as financial analysis, seismic processing, simulations, rendering, climate research, protein folding etc. Apparently the card retains the display logic with a single DVI connector though normally GPGPU devices lack it. This card will be out within this month and will carry a price-tag of US $999.
FireStream series of cards to catered towards delivering blistering performance of AMD's GPUs to business users in high performance computing situations such as financial analysis, seismic processing, simulations, rendering, climate research, protein folding etc. Apparently the card retains the display logic with a single DVI connector though normally GPGPU devices lack it. This card will be out within this month and will carry a price-tag of US $999.
Wednesday, September 3rd 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Keyboards
Motherboards
Mousepads
A-DATA 16 GB 350x Turbo Compact Flash Card Review
The new "Turbo" Compact Flash card from A-DATA raises the bar from 266x to 350x performance. It also adds Ultra DMA capability and uses SLC flash memory to attain insane speeds never seen before. If you are looking to build a solid-state HDD using CF Technology then this is one of the cards you should definitely consider.
Kingston First to Launch High Performance Ultra Low-Latency DDR2 SO-DIMM Memory
Kingston Technology Company, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is first to release high performance, ultra low-latency 800MHz notebook memory. Shipping immediately in 4GB memory kits, the HyperX PC2-6400 CL4 SO-DIMMs offer the additional benefit of Serial Presence Detect (SPD) capabilities to provide performance benefits to a wider array of notebooks.
MSI Launches the World's Fastest Overclocked GeForce 280 GTX Video Card
Taiwan-based Micro-Star International (MSI) presented today N280GTX OC HydroGen, the company's fastest clocked, water cooled GeForce 280 GTX card. The card is said to run the world's highest core clock settings at 700MHz, a boost of 17% over the default 280 GTX core speed. That's achieved by the full cover water block of course. Its micro-channel design allows for that speed to be achieved, while maintaining working temps of under 40'C. Another advantage of this water block is its single slot design, allowing for easier multiple video card installation. No price tag or retail availability were announced by the time of this post.
China to Launch its Quad-Core CPU in 2009
Chinese researchers unveiled details of a general-purpose microprocessor with which they hope to give computing to the most ordinary people in China. The chip, code-named "Godson-3", was developed with government funding by more than 200 researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Computing Technology (ICT). Analysts suggest this takes China one step closer technological independence.
These chips are being manufactured by ST Microelectronics and branded as "Loongson" meaning Dragon Chip. Predecessors of this chip have been manufactured since 2001 and with its advancement marks rapid propagation of the Linux platform and other open-source software. These PCs would make it to as many workplaces and schools as the Chinese government can take them to. It is noted that the Godson-3 that has four processing cores releases in 2009 with a design that is scalable. In fact an 8-core version is planned as well. These chips use the 65nm fabrication process, with the 4-core version rated to consume as low as 10W. An interesting bit on the machine architecture is that these chips aren't x86 per say, but the designers have added instruction sets to simulate an x86-like environment. With it they hope to run a broader range of software, Microsoft Windows included. Since its a simulated x86 environment, a license from Intel isn't required. Erik Metzger, a patent attorney at Intel, says that the chip will only perform at about 80% of the speed of an actual x86 chip.
These chips are being manufactured by ST Microelectronics and branded as "Loongson" meaning Dragon Chip. Predecessors of this chip have been manufactured since 2001 and with its advancement marks rapid propagation of the Linux platform and other open-source software. These PCs would make it to as many workplaces and schools as the Chinese government can take them to. It is noted that the Godson-3 that has four processing cores releases in 2009 with a design that is scalable. In fact an 8-core version is planned as well. These chips use the 65nm fabrication process, with the 4-core version rated to consume as low as 10W. An interesting bit on the machine architecture is that these chips aren't x86 per say, but the designers have added instruction sets to simulate an x86-like environment. With it they hope to run a broader range of software, Microsoft Windows included. Since its a simulated x86 environment, a license from Intel isn't required. Erik Metzger, a patent attorney at Intel, says that the chip will only perform at about 80% of the speed of an actual x86 chip.
AMD Desktop Roadmap for 2009 Reveals no Surprises
Without doubt, AMD needs something revolutionary to pull it out of the mess it set itself in. AMD's first reaction to the Conroe onslaught was to lower prices and build up a "Smarter Choice" repute, though with successive price cuts from Intel and down-scale products based on the Core architecture coming out by the fortnight, and the transit to 45nm fab process, there's been an increasing need for AMD to get back to the drawing boards with their CPU division.
From what looks like an excerpt from an AMD company slide, can be seen AMD's CPU plans for 2009. The chart broadly shows that K10 architecture is here to stay. Throughout the year, desktop CPUs based on the K10 architecture feature in the roadmap, with no signs of their "truly next-gen" architecture. AMD completes its transit to the 45nm silicon fabrication process and will finally embrace DDR3 system memory standards. To begin with, the fact that the Deneb core's entry slightly steps into the 2008 column shows that the Deneb core-based desktop CPU could release sometime towards the very end of this year. Sources note that two models based on the Deneb core could be out by the end of this year. It supports both DDR2 and DDR3 memory standards and socket compatible with current AM2+ and future AM3. From what's known so far, AM3 is the same 940 pin design that adds pins for the DDR3 memory interconnect between the CPU and the memory.
From what looks like an excerpt from an AMD company slide, can be seen AMD's CPU plans for 2009. The chart broadly shows that K10 architecture is here to stay. Throughout the year, desktop CPUs based on the K10 architecture feature in the roadmap, with no signs of their "truly next-gen" architecture. AMD completes its transit to the 45nm silicon fabrication process and will finally embrace DDR3 system memory standards. To begin with, the fact that the Deneb core's entry slightly steps into the 2008 column shows that the Deneb core-based desktop CPU could release sometime towards the very end of this year. Sources note that two models based on the Deneb core could be out by the end of this year. It supports both DDR2 and DDR3 memory standards and socket compatible with current AM2+ and future AM3. From what's known so far, AM3 is the same 940 pin design that adds pins for the DDR3 memory interconnect between the CPU and the memory.
RV730 Tested, Performs Close to Radeon HD 3850
The ATI RV730 graphics processor in its Radeon HD 4670 avatar was reviewed by Chinese website IT168. Findings of the review show the card outclassing its predecessor, the RV635, and deliver a level of performance close to that of the RV670-based Radeon HD 3850 512MB. Several tests that include 3DMark Vantage, Crysis Single Player Demo and Call of Duty 4 among other game tests were run. The highlight of the test was where the HD 4670 produced up to 100% performance gains over the NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT in the Crysis Single Player Demo test, more or less explaining NVIDIA's possible move to bring in a GeForce 9550 GT. Across several tests, the RV730 trailed the HD 3850 by a small margin of FPS.
The RV730 GPU features the same number of stream processors as that of the HD 3850, while it uses a narrower 128-bit memory bus. The HD 4650 has a 600 MHz core clock speed, while the HD 4670 uses a much higher 750 MHz core clock speed.
The RV730 GPU features the same number of stream processors as that of the HD 3850, while it uses a narrower 128-bit memory bus. The HD 4650 has a 600 MHz core clock speed, while the HD 4670 uses a much higher 750 MHz core clock speed.
Tuesday, September 2nd 2008
Today's Reviews
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Monitors
NEC Display Solutions Launches Premium 22-inch MultiSync EA221WM Display
NEC Display Solutions of America launched today the new 22-inch MultiSync EA221WM widescreen display aimed towards high-end users and professionals. The MultiSync EA221WM comes with top-performing panel that boasts a 5ms response time, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, a brightness of 250 cd/m², wide-viewing angles of 176 degrees and the tipical 22-inch 1680x1050 WSXGA resolution. The new LCD is also enhanced with a 4-way adjustable stand (height, tilt, swivel, pivot), 4-port USB hub, and NEC's robust NoTouch Auto Adjust. On top of that the EA221WM comes with down-firing speakers with headphone jack, a DVI with HDCP and one analog inputs. NEC ships the MultiSync EA221WM display with a three-year parts, labor and backlight warranty, an extended warranty is available too. The display will be available for September 2008 shipment at an estimated street price of $399.99.
LG Display and AmTRAN Form a Joint Venture
LG Display announced today that it has established a joint venture with AmTRAN Technology, a fast growing OEM/ODM LCD TV company in Taiwan, to better position itself in the LCD TV market. LG Display and AmTRAN Technology signed an agreement to set up a joint venture that will produce LCD modules and EMS(electronic manufacturing system) based LCD TVs. The joint venture company, to be named Suzhou Raken Technology Ltd., will be set up in Suzhou, China, and funded with an investment of USD 20 million. LG Display and AmTRAN will each hold a 51% and 49% equity position in the new company. And the joint venture will be run on the spirit of full collaboration between both LG Display and AmTRAN.
ASUS Released Non-Reference Radeon HD 4870 with Expanded Power Circuitry
ASUS has released a non-reference version of the ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card. The model is called EAH 4870 D5 and it's main difference is the enhanced power circuitry. The card uses a 4 phase vGPU power circuit along with a 2 phase vMem circuit, making it similar to that of the PowerColor HD 4870 PCS+, while the reference design uses 3 + 2 phases. The PCB uses a 100% conductive polymer capacitor design. The same Qimonda memory chips as those used on reference design boards rounds up the card.
The card runs at reference speeds of 750 MHz Core / 900 MHz Memory. ASUS used its signature Glaciator Fansink cooler for the GPU, which can already be found on many of their other cards but decided to leave the memory chips without active or passive cooling. Expreview notes that the heatsink on the MOSFETs looks small and could be a cause for concern since temperatures of that zone of video cards in general could reach as high as 110 degrees Celsius. The card uses single slot expansion bracket though the card itself requires two slots worth space due to the heatsink. This release follows several other designs from the likes of Palit, PowerColor, etc., that have similar power circuitry, presumably to facilitate better overclocks though poor cooling designs implemented by these AIBs mar the effort put in to design these superior PCBs.
The card runs at reference speeds of 750 MHz Core / 900 MHz Memory. ASUS used its signature Glaciator Fansink cooler for the GPU, which can already be found on many of their other cards but decided to leave the memory chips without active or passive cooling. Expreview notes that the heatsink on the MOSFETs looks small and could be a cause for concern since temperatures of that zone of video cards in general could reach as high as 110 degrees Celsius. The card uses single slot expansion bracket though the card itself requires two slots worth space due to the heatsink. This release follows several other designs from the likes of Palit, PowerColor, etc., that have similar power circuitry, presumably to facilitate better overclocks though poor cooling designs implemented by these AIBs mar the effort put in to design these superior PCBs.
ASUS Spurs Green Computing Revolution with Bamboo Series Notebook
ASUS, recognized as a highly environmental friendly company in the Computers and Peripherals Industry by oekom in 2007, today launched the ASUS Bamboo Series notebook, a groundbreaking bamboo-clad product that is truly green throughout every phase of its life - from its conception, production and use to its eventual recycling and disposal. In developing the ASUS Bamboo Series notebook, ASUS staff at all levels leveraged the full spectrum of environmental expertise that the company has accumulated since 2002 when it initiated its Green ASUS drive - before the RoHS and WEEE directives were enforced - and utilized the comprehensive green product design and management tools specifically created to encourage the disciplined adherence to green principles at a systemic level.
The ASUS Bamboo Series is a major milestone for ASUS and the IT industry at large, as it signals the coming of age of green technologies that are no longer confined to the conceptual realm, and that are implementable on a mass production scale. It also serves as a tangible manifestation of ASUS' commitment to continually bolstering its green capabilities. Finally, it is proof positive that meeting the demands of modern computing can be reconciled with the need to preserve the Earth, especially when a green mentality has become deeply ingrained in the solution provider's culture - just as it has at ASUS.
The ASUS Bamboo Series is a major milestone for ASUS and the IT industry at large, as it signals the coming of age of green technologies that are no longer confined to the conceptual realm, and that are implementable on a mass production scale. It also serves as a tangible manifestation of ASUS' commitment to continually bolstering its green capabilities. Finally, it is proof positive that meeting the demands of modern computing can be reconciled with the need to preserve the Earth, especially when a green mentality has become deeply ingrained in the solution provider's culture - just as it has at ASUS.
Logitech Introduces New Set of Keyboards
To help you find the keyboard that best matches your needs - and style - Logitech today introduced three new keyboards, including the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard, which offers an optimized backlight experience, Logitech PerfectStroke key system and Logitech's thinnest design ever. Also unveiled today, the Logitech diNovo Keyboard for Notebooks is designed for laptop owners who use a notebook mouse to improve comfort and need a keyboard to complete their setup, while the Logitech Cordless Desktop S520 offers a keyboard-and-mouse combination that matches a wide variety of computer setups.
GeIL to Make Use of its DBT Technology for Black Dragon and BD EVO ONE DDR2 Modules
US based memory maker GeIL has recently unveiled that it will make use of DBT (Die-hard Burn-in Technology) when manufacturing not only its DDR2 SO-DIMMs but also the Black Dragon and BD EVO ONE Gaming series of DDR2 memory modules. Thanks to DBT every module of the above series will go through a series of burn-in tests to detect if there are any early failures. The proces quarantees to improve the overall product quality of GeIL memories and minimize the chance of getting defect GeIL memory to minimum. The DBT process is conducted in GeIL's own designed burn-in chamber called DBT-1. Inside it, 1000 pieces of modules are slotted onto DRAM controller boards. The modules are then dynamically tested by own-designed testing software simultaneously. DBT-1 can elevate the testing temperature up to 100 °C and maintain a full 24 hours of burn-in testing. GeIL will be announcing the following product lines that are scheduled to adopt DPT in the near future.
Monday, September 1st 2008
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Case Modding
Cases
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
PSUs
Palit HD 4870 Sonic Dual Edition 512 MB Review
Palit is one of the first AMD board partners to release a custom Radeon HD 4870 version. Their new HD 4870 Sonic Dual Edition comes with a completely revamped cooling assembly that features two fans to keep the card cool. Also included is a DisplayPort connector and a Turbo switch which lets you select the operating frequencies of the card. The mandatory "overclocked out of the box" is included as well.
Google Plans a Web-browser, To be called Google Chrome
Google plans to launch its very own web-browser software in competition to Microsoft Internet Explorer called Google Chrome. The new browser according to entries at the official Google blog suggest the driving force behind the browser is to provide value-added features to its users, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web. It is claimed that the browser is tailored to give the most out of common tasks on the internet as a web-browser has become a very significant component of the connected PC.
The browser designed to be streamlined and simple for you to accomplish tasks quickly and easily by offering enhanced address-bar features and other elements that are very different from those on other browsers. The product will be open-source. Says the blog post "To most people, it isn't the browser that matters. It's only a tool to run the important stuff -- the pages, sites and applications that make up the web. Like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go."
Google released a comic book explaining its design approach towards the web-browser, it can be read here. Under the hood, Google claims the browser to have what it takes to run complex web-applications any by keeping each browser tab in its "sandbox", the probability of a web-application crash on one tab affecting other tabs is eradicated. A beta version of this browser software would be released in over 100 countries tomorrow, September the 2nd.
The browser designed to be streamlined and simple for you to accomplish tasks quickly and easily by offering enhanced address-bar features and other elements that are very different from those on other browsers. The product will be open-source. Says the blog post "To most people, it isn't the browser that matters. It's only a tool to run the important stuff -- the pages, sites and applications that make up the web. Like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go."
Google released a comic book explaining its design approach towards the web-browser, it can be read here. Under the hood, Google claims the browser to have what it takes to run complex web-applications any by keeping each browser tab in its "sandbox", the probability of a web-application crash on one tab affecting other tabs is eradicated. A beta version of this browser software would be released in over 100 countries tomorrow, September the 2nd.
Creative Announces New GigaWorks T3 2.1 Speakers
Creative, a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products, announces the Creative GigaWorks T3 speaker system. Designed to deliver the ultimate music listening experience, the Creative GigaWorks T3 combines innovative design, the best audio components and state-of-the-art technologies to elevate users' audio listening experience to an entirely new level of excellence.
Xbox 360 Dips Below the $200 mark in Japan
Microsoft has reduced the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade to 19,800 yen, which equates to $183 US Dollars, in Japan. This means that the console is the first of the latest generation parts to drop below the $200 US Dollar mark. This news was leaked earlier today following a story in Japan's Nikkei financial newspaper that was also picked up by Forbes, causing Takeshi Sensui, Xbox Japan general manager, to joke onstage that his announcement was the "official" one, during a media event held in Tokyo today.
Apparently this low price is to propagate the console, preparing a market for the launch of Square Enix and Tri-Ace's Infinite Undiscovery RPG, which comes out by September 11. In addition, on that date Microsoft will release a new Xbox 360 model equipped with a 60GB drive that will replace the current 20GB 360. It will be priced at 29,000 yen ($275) against 34,800 yen ($320) for the 60GB model. Last but not least comes Xbox 360 Elite 120GB which will be getting a price reduction of almost $80, down to 39,800 yen ($367).
Apparently this low price is to propagate the console, preparing a market for the launch of Square Enix and Tri-Ace's Infinite Undiscovery RPG, which comes out by September 11. In addition, on that date Microsoft will release a new Xbox 360 model equipped with a 60GB drive that will replace the current 20GB 360. It will be priced at 29,000 yen ($275) against 34,800 yen ($320) for the 60GB model. Last but not least comes Xbox 360 Elite 120GB which will be getting a price reduction of almost $80, down to 39,800 yen ($367).
Intel Launches Three Budget Processors
Intel launched three budget processors that include the Core 2 Quad Q8200, Core 2 Duo E5200 and Celeron D 450. The Q8200 quad-core chip comes with a clock-speed of 2.33 GHz. This processor is based on the newer 45 nm silicon fabrication process and comes with a total of 4 MB L2 cache. Owing to a front-side bus frequency of 1333 MHz, it comes with a FSB multiplier of 7x. This part is priced at US $224 in thousand-unit tray quantities.
The Core 2 Duo E5200 is clocked at 2.50 GHz, comes with 2 MB of L2 cache and 800 MHz FSB with a multiplier of 12.5x. It is priced at $84. This one is based on the 45nm process as well. The Celeron D 450 is clocked at 2.2 GHz with 800 MHz memory and features 512 KB of L2 cache. It is priced at $53 per piece. This however, is based on the older 65nm process.
The Core 2 Duo E5200 is clocked at 2.50 GHz, comes with 2 MB of L2 cache and 800 MHz FSB with a multiplier of 12.5x. It is priced at $84. This one is based on the 45nm process as well. The Celeron D 450 is clocked at 2.2 GHz with 800 MHz memory and features 512 KB of L2 cache. It is priced at $53 per piece. This however, is based on the older 65nm process.
RivaTuner Creator Protests Anti-Russian Nazism, Bans NvNews Linkage
Alexey Nicolaychuk, popularly known by the computer enthusiast community as "Unwinder", creator of RivaTuner graphics card tweaking utility, lodged a strong protest against community members of NvNews for allegedly using slurs against his national identity. Community members of NvNews will not be able to post links to download RivaTuner as they are explicitly blocked by the author. Not that they can't get the software some way or another, but that it is more of a retaliation by Unwinder to contents of this thread, which portrays mockery against Russia and the recent Russian-Georgian conflict. The most recent license-agreement of RivaTuner now shows an added clause:
New license agreement explicitly restricts publishing any links to RivaTuner on www.nvnews.net homepage or in www.nvnews.net discussion forums. Russian software can not co-exist with the community tolerating anti-Russian nazism.
Shark OC Team Italy Breaks the Present SuperPI 1M World Record
A new world record has been set today (technically yesterday). Shark OC Team Italy has published the undeniable evidence that their DFI DK P45-T2RS PLUS motherboard and Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 processor are the fastest computer combo to calculate Super PI 1M in just 6.875 seconds. This world record was achieved using the E8600 CPU clocked at the incredible 6562MHz (FSB 656MHz x 10 multi) with 1.968 volts! not the best imaginable core voltage for a 45nm processor. If you are interested at what today's technology is capable of doing, please head over the original thread at XtremeSystems.com.
Congrats team Italy!
Congrats team Italy!
Download - Rivatuner Version 2.10
The popular video card utility Rivatuner has been updated today towards version 2.10. In this release developers have included a huge number of new stuff which is included in the full story body. To download the latest release of Rivatuner please click here.
Thermaltake Readies V9 Gaming Chassis
Thermaltake released yesterday the V9 chassis, a new brand that stays behind the company's latest generation of gaming cases. Although it reminds of the famous Antec 900 a lot, the V9 has its unique black look and cool features. Airflow is the main strenght of V9, the case ships with a built-in 23cm top mounted fan, and a 120mm exhaust TurboFan (1300rpm,17dBA). With little extra skills you can also mount one 120mm or 140mm intake fan and one 70mm optional motherboard tray fan. Other design features of V9 include a bottom mounted PSU, pre-drilled holes for water cooling, tool-free design and place for a total of 11 drive bays: 4x5.25", 2x3.5", 5x3.5" hidden. Thermaltake sells the case in two variants: V9 - VJ40001W2Z with a transperant side panel and V9 - VJ40001N2Z with pred-rilled side panel holes for two extra 120/140mm fans. For detailed information on each case please click on the hyper links. Although just released, both cases haven't been officially priced yet.
Razer Announces Limited Edition PAX 08 Deathadder Gaming Mouse
Razer, the world's leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming peripherals, has announced that an exclusive and limited edition Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 08 Razer DeathAdder will be available for purchase at PAX, set to begin on August 29, 2008.
The PAX 08 Razer DeathAdder's sleek new custom design delivers on both style and performance. Equipped with the award-winning Razer 3G Infrared sensor and the widely acclaimed form factor of the Razer DeathAdder, this special edition of the Razer DeathAdder combines the best of gaming technology with the best of gaming culture. Only 400 units of the PAX 08 Razer DeathAdder will be produced and will be available exclusively at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo.
The PAX 08 Razer DeathAdder's sleek new custom design delivers on both style and performance. Equipped with the award-winning Razer 3G Infrared sensor and the widely acclaimed form factor of the Razer DeathAdder, this special edition of the Razer DeathAdder combines the best of gaming technology with the best of gaming culture. Only 400 units of the PAX 08 Razer DeathAdder will be produced and will be available exclusively at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo.
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