News Archive

Friday, September 30th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Motherboards
Mouse
Netbooks
Notebooks
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Antec Basiq VP550P 550 W Review

Antec Basiq VP550P 550 W Review

Antec's new Basiq series offers affordable power supplies that are engineered for 230VAC only, to maximize price/performance. While we don't see fancy colors, sleeved cables, modular connectors or LED lighting, the VP550P features great performance characteristics and good component selection like japanese capacitors.

ELSA Unveils Compact GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card

As the market for compact PCs grows, so will the push to make them faster. In space-congested mini-ITX form-factor cases, you're more likely to face a crunch with the length of addon-cards the case can accommodate, than its height (whether it's low-profile or full-height). To address this, Japansese graphics card manufacturer ELSA unveiled its latest GeForce GTX 560 Ti based graphics card, which uses a much shorter PCB (lengthwise).

Called the ELSA Gladiac GTX 560 Ti Mini, the card provides a reasonably powerful GPU that's game for 1080p gaming, in a compact form-factor. The PCB's length is 59 mm less than that of NVIDIA reference PCB. It uses a heat-pipe fed fan-heatsink assembly that uses a 80 mm fan to ventilate a dense aluminum fin array. The card uses clock speeds of 822 MHz, 1644 MHz, and 4008 MHz (core/CUDA cores/memory effective). It features 1 GB of GDDR5 memory over a 256-bit wide memory interface. It can pair with any other GTX 560 Ti card in 2-way SLI configuration. It will make its way to markets next week.

Alpenfohn Announces K2 Twin-Tower CPU Cooler

Alpenföhn is aiming at the performance crown under the CPU coolers with the K2. For this, Alpenföhn is employing two cooling towers and ships the unit with two, potent Wing Boost fans. The middle fan with 140 mm is intended to keep the air flow at a maximum, while the smaller 120 mm unit in front is meant to offer maximal compatibility to modern mainboards, while still providing impressive air flow. Those wanting to go even further may install a third fan in the rear of the cooler. The Alpenföhn K2 CPU cooler is available immediately at Caseking.

The cooler utilizes an incredible amount of materials with a massive weight of 1050 grams. Using more mass does not simply equate to greater performance, as only an intelligent use of such will make for a great cooler and this is something the Alpenföhn engineers are certainly experts in. Eight heatpipes are embedded in a Copper, with both aspects featuring a high-quality Nickel plating. On top of that, all contact points between cooling fins, heatpipes and ground plate feature high-quality solder points to maximize the potential of the K2.

Sonnet Introduces Fusion F2QR Portable Two-drive Hardware RAID Storage System

Sonnet Technologies, a leader in providing storage systems for professional users of Macintosh, Windows, and UNIX systems in the film, video, and broadcast industries, today announced the Fusion F2QR portable two-drive hardware RAID storage system. Mounted side by side in a tough aluminum enclosure about the size of two stacked CD cases, the diminutive system contains two, 2.5-inch, 1TB hard drives.

Based on the multiple-award-winning Fusion F2, a portable two-drive RAID SATA storage system recognized for its performance, reliability, whisper-quiet operation, and shock-resistant characteristics, this compact device adds a built-in hardware RAID controller for configuring the drives; a quad interface with eSATA, FireWire(R) 800, and USB 2.0 ports for flexible compatibility; and a greater storage capacity. The Fusion F2QR delivers great performance with up to 160 MB/sec read and 100 MB/sec write data transfer rates, and is bus-powered by a FireWire port on the computer regardless the interface used.

Super Talent Announces USB 3.0 Storage Pod Enclosure

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced the USB 3.0 Storage POD enclosure, a hard drive enclosure that converts almost any 2.5" HDD into a USB 3.0 external hard disk.

Chances are you already have an external USB drive and its USB 2.0 connector is holding it back. The USB 2.0 bus keeps most drives from performing at their true potential and relegates their usage to simple storage backup. Now you can do something about it. By simply changing the enclosure, you can liberate your existing HDD and see double and even triple the speed - without reformatting.
Thursday, September 29th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Memory
Monitors
Motherboards
Processors
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Patriot Wildfire 120 GB SSD Review

Patriot Wildfire 120 GB SSD Review

Patriot's new Wildfire SSD is based on the popular Sandforce SF-2281 controller, but is advertised as "enterprise" model by Patriot. In our real-world testing we are amazed by the drive's performance, which makes it the fastest Sandforce SSD we tested so far, even the mighty Intel 510 SSD is only 1% ahead.

Nox Xtreme Rolls Out USB 3.0-Equipped Hummer 3.0 ATX Full-Tower Case

Nox Xtreme released the Hummer 3.0 ATX full-tower chassis in Europe. The Hummer 3.0 is a USB 3.0 front-panel enabled variant of the original. Its front-panel features two USB 3.0 ports, which are wired using specifications-compliant headers to the motherboard. Apart from the two USB 3.0 ports, the front-panel houses two USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA ports, front-panel audio, and controls for an in-built 2-channel fan controller.

Measuring 610 (H) x 232 (W) x 520 (D) mm, this monstrosity supports most ATX motherboard form-factors, including micro ATX, ATX, E-ATX, XL-ATX and Flex-ATX. Its tray features an opening around the CPU socket area, to help handling coolers with backplates, several valved openings to pass cables behind the tray, and a total of 10 expansion slot bays. The lower drive cage holds six 3.5"/2.5" drives, there are six exposed 5.25" bays. Fans included with the case are one 230 mm white LED-lit front intake, one 140 mm rear exhaust, and two 140 mm top exhaust. The side panel features a grille with mount holes for a 230 mm fan. The Nox Xtreme Hummer 3.0 is priced at €109.90.

HIS Intros HD 6970 IceQ Eyefinity RTS Graphics Card

HIS unveiled a new Radeon HD 6970 graphics card that makes use of its IceQ cooler design, which features what the company calls Eyefinity RTS (ready to see). Simply put, this card lets you set up 3-display Eyefinity without needing to connect any of the displays to the mini-DisplayPort connectors. The third display can be connected to the HDMI 1.4 port, instead.

The feature weeds out the need for hard-to-find mini-DP active dongles. An increasing number of full HD monitors support the HDMI interface, they naturally support DVI, and hence this card makes setting up a 3-display Eyefinity a lot easier, in essence, "ready" out of the box. That aside, the card sticks to AMD reference clock speeds of 880 MHz core and 5.50 GHz memory, and features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. Pricing and availability information is not known.

NZXT Launches Phantom Big Tower Pink Edition

For the ladies! NZXT proudly presents the Phantom Big-Tower in pink, which is intended for the female gamer base. All new Phantoms, including this variant also come equipped with USB 3.0 connectivity. Additional features of these enclosures are a five channel fan controller with 20W load capacity on each circuit, spacious interior, lighting which may be turned off, elaborate cable management, numerous anti-vibration measures and a water cooling ready design.

The futuristic design of the NZXT Phantom makes it the perfect basis for an extravagant gaming PC as the case specialist has included unique shapes and lines which resembles that of modern high performance sports cars. A front door covers the drive bays, so that the chassis looks perfect, regardless of what type of drives you have installed. Besides the pink color option, NZXT also offers a white, black, red and red/white variant with more special editions in the works.

Share Data Wirelessly with LaPlug by LaCie

LaCie announced the LaPlug, a simple solution to share any USB hard drive or key over a local network. The LaPlug also offers a convenient way to access data at home or on the go, as well as share personal files such as vacation or birthday photos with family and friends. Additionally, the LaPlug can stream multimedia content and back up multiple computers to one central location. Even better, all this functionality can be achieved with USB hard drives a user already owns.

BIOSTAR TA990FXE Socket AM3+ Motherboard Pictured

BIOSTAR is ready with its new performance-segment socket AM3+ motherboard based on the AMD 990FX + SB950 chipset, the TA990FXE. It carries on with the design elements and component choices for some of BIOSTAR's recent Intel Z68 motherboards, it's likely that the board will carry a sweet-spot price. The CPU is powered by a 5-phase VRM, it is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3-2000 MHz memory.

Expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x16/x16/x4), a PCIe x1, and two PCI. Five of the six SATA 6 Gb/s port from the southbridge are internal ports, with the sixth one being assigned as an eSATA. The connectivity loadout covers essentials: 8-channel HD audio, USB 3.0, gigabit Ethernet, and FireWire, apart from USB 2.0 and PS/2. The board is driven by AMI UEFI firmware, with BIOSTAR's own GUI setup program.

NVIDIA Begins Sampling First Kepler GPUs

Graphics major NVIDIA has begun sampling the first GPUs of its next-generation Kepler family. Kepler succeeds the present generation Fermi family of GPUs, that make up the GeForce 400 and 500 series. Members of the GeForce Kepler family will follow the codename nomenclature of GK1xx, like GeForce Fermi followed GF1xx. The first GPU being sampled is codenamed GK107. The codename suggests that this isn't the top-end part, it's more like a lower-mainstream or value segment offering.

It is reported that GK107 has a 128-bit GDDR5 memory bus, which also supports inexpensive DDR3 memory. It is built in small quantities on TSMC's 28 nanometer fab process (as the foundry isn't ready for 28 nm bulk manufacturing. NVIDIA will follow a "bottom-to-top" strategy, when dealing with a new fab process technology. It will first design the smallest, simplest GPUs in the lineup, and then gradually move on to larger ones. The first GK107-based SKUs will succeed the GeForce GT 500M series. NVIDIA will carve out four SKUs, internally, NVIDIA will refer to those as N13P-LP, N13P-GS, N13P-GT and N13E-GE, with N13E-GE being the "enthusiast" part. Its market SKU will likely succeed the GeForce GT 560M.

AMD Announces Preliminary Third Quarter Results

AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that revenue for the third quarter ending Oct. 1, 2011 is expected to increase four to six percent as compared to the second quarter of 2011. The company previously forecasted third quarter 2011 revenue to increase 10 percent, plus or minus two percent, from the second quarter of 2011.

In addition, AMD expects third quarter gross margin to be approximately 44 to 45 percent. The company previously forecasted third quarter 2011 gross margin to be approximately 47 percent.

Sapphire Intros Pure Platinum A75P Motherboard

Sapphire announced its second motherboard based on the AMD A75 chipset, the Pure Platinum A75P. This is the slightly more cost-effective A75-based socket FM1 motherboard by Sapphire compared to the Pure Platinum A75. It uses a more compact PCB, does away with features such as mSATA, features just two DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory, and the open PCIe x4 slot making way for a longer PCI-Express x16 slot, which still runs at x4 speed.

Sapphire does seem to have improved the processor VRM design, it's likely that the board continues to use an 8-phase VRM, but features better power conditioning components. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 wired to the APU, one PCI-Express x16 (electrical x4) wired to the A75 FCH, three PCI-Express x1, and two legacy PCI. Display outputs include DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. There is 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. Apart from UEFI, this board features redundant ROM chip technology, that protects against failed BIOS updates. We expect the Pure Platinum A75P to be one of the more affordable FM1 motherboards in the ATX form-factor.
Wednesday, September 28th 2011

Today's Reviews

Accessories
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Motherboards
Mouse
Mousepads
Notebooks
Speakers
SSD
Storage
ModMyMachine SlamePad Mouse mat Review

ModMyMachine SlamePad Mouse mat Review

ModMyMachine's first mouse mat is tested to see whether it can compete with the more estabilshed brands. The SlamePad is made from aluminum and has a lot of distinctive design features. All those looking for a certain color of mouse mat will be pleased to find that the SlamePad is available in a multitude of different colors.

Electronic Arts' Massive 2012 $1.6m Battlefield 3 Tournament: Consoles Yes, PC No

While PC gamers are getting understandably excited about one of the year's biggest releases, which is guaranteed to have standards-setting graphics at least, there's a kick in the teeth waiting just around the corner. EA and Virgin Gaming have teamed up to launch a massive BF3 contest with $1.6m in cash and prizes - for consoles only. Yes, you read that right. And the reason? Consoles are the "gold standard". That's the aging console platforms reported on TechPowerUp a few days ago. GameStop's president Tony Bartel said in an interview with IndustryGamers:
We continue to believe that the console is a strong platform and will continue to be the gold standard.

Kingston Digital Introduces New Ultra-Secure DataTraveler 6000 USB Flash Drive

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the DataTraveler 6000 (DT6000) USB Flash drive, which protects sensitive data with Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 Level 3 Validation and 100-percent encryption. For financial service organizations and government agencies that need the strongest data protection in mobile storage devices, the DT6000 meets data-at-rest regulations and is the most secure USB Flash drive available on the market.

The Kingston DT6000 utilizes patented Secured by Spyrus technology which supports 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption using XTS block cipher mode. XTS is current generation technology that provides much stronger protection than other block cipher modes such as CBC and ECB. The DT6000 uses 'military-grade' elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), which is recommended by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) as part of its Suite B set of cryptographic algorithms.

AMD Releases Catalyst 11.9 WHQL

Here's the latest Radeon Catalyst driver suite for all you Radeon graphics card fans! It has one major new feature:
Enables AMD HD 3D technology support on DisplayPort panels, such as the Samsung 750 and 950 series 3D displays
which sounds very cool and is begging to be reviewed and benchmarked, plus quite a few fixes:

Prolimatech Announces Panther CPU Cooler

Prolimatech presents the Panther, their newest CPU cooler aimed to take the mid-range by storm, while featuring the same excellent quality as all products from Prolimatech. Besides the mounting for all modern AMD and Intel based systems, the Panther CPU cooler also includes a 120 mm fan with PWM functionality. This complete package manages to impress with an excellent price/performance ratio.

Prolimatech has set the bar with the high-end Genesis cooler, so it is only natural that the company takes their experience and engineering capabilities and develop the Panther, a potent solution for the mainstream market. The Panther utilizes less material in the most efficient manner possible, keeping a maximum of surface area while offering compact dimensions. It is also the first CPU cooler from Prolimatech which ships with a fan.

Greenliant Now Shipping SATA NANDrive, Increasing Adoption of Embedded SSDs

Greenliant Systems, a leader in energy-efficient, highly secure and reliable solid state storage products, has started volume production of its SATA interface NANDrive solid state drives (SSDs). The GLS85LS product family has the same pin-out across all capacities-2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and higher in the future-which simplifies system-level board design.

Measuring 14mm x 24mm x 1.95mm, in a 145 ball grid array (BGA), 1 mm ball pitch package, SATA NANDrive devices are one of the smallest SSDs, giving OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) flexibility when designing data storage into their embedded products. The BGA package can be soldered directly onto the motherboard-no extra connectors are needed-providing added stability to the SSD.

ASUS Unveils Trio of PCI-Express 3.0 Motherboards Based on Intel Z68 Chipset

ASUS unveiled a trio of socket LGA1155 motherboards based on the Intel Z68 chipset, which feature PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x8/x8 when both are populated). The new motherboards are PCI-Express Gen 3.0 specifications compliant, complete with switches and electrical components. Leading the pack is the P8Z68 DELUXE/Gen3 in the $250-segement, followed by the P8Z68-V PRO/Gen3 in the $200-segment, and the P8Z68-V/Gen3 in the sub-$200 segment.

All three feature 16-phase Digi+ CPU VRM, an Intel-made gigabit Ethernet controller, and Lucid Virtu support. All three feature the same expansion slot loadout, with two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8), one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical 2.0 x4), and two each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and legacy PCI wired to an ASMedia-made bridge chip.

JEDEC Publishes News Standard for Serial NOR Flash

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the availability of JESD216: Serial Flash Discoverable Parameters (SFDP) for Serial NOR Flash. Widely anticipated by software engineers, the SFDP will allow Serial Flash manufacturers to embed a standard description of important device characteristics inside the Flash chip.

Users can read the description and obtain critical information about the functional characteristics and capabilities of SFDP compliant Flash memory devices, which will enable user applications such as mobile phones, set-top boxes, HDTVs, PC/NB motherboards, or any system that needs to support multiple Serial NOR Flash device types, to configure themselves to handle various Serial Flash implementations.

Intel Intros New Z68-based Extreme Series Desktop Boards

Intel released two new Desktop Board Extreme Series motherboards based on the Z68 chipset, supporting Core processors in the LGA1155 package, the DZ68ZV and DZ68BC. The DZ68ZV uses the same exact PCB as the DP67BG, replacing the P67 PCH with Z68 (they're pin-compatible). It lacks display connectivity. The only plus here is support for Intel Smart Response Technology. It uses a 8-phase active-swiching/load-balancing digital PWM power circuitry for the CPU, and quite a few overclocking features. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16, three PCIe x1, and two PCI. Storage connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s four SATA 3 Gb/s and one eSATA 3 Gb/s. Then there's 8-channel HD audio, USB 3.0, and Intel GbE controller.

The DZ68BC is a completely new design that is tailored for the Z68 chipset, complete with overclocking features, as well as display connectivity. The CPU is powered by an 8-phase digital PWM VRM, makes use of improved VRM cooling, expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16, three PCI and two PCIe x1, storage connectors consist of four SATA 6 Gb/s, four SATA 3 Gb/s, and two eSATA. There's 8-channel HD audio, Intel GbE connections, display IO that includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI, USB 3.0, and possibly FireWire. Lucid Virtu comes bundled, that provides active switching between the integrated and discrete GPUs.
Tuesday, September 27th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Headphones
Motherboards
Notebooks
Speakers
SSD
Storage
Fractal Design Define Mini Review

Fractal Design Define Mini Review

The Fractal Design Define Mini is not only a successful shrink of the award winning Define R3 or Define XL cases, but also adds USB 3.0 to the mix. We take the chassis for a spin to see if the small case really carries the same genes as its bigger brothers.

Firefox in Warp Zone, Updated to Version 7.0

A little over a month after releasing Firefox 6.0, and quickly following it up with two minor updates (6.0.1 and 6.0.2), Mozilla released its next "major" version, Firefox 7.0 into the release channel. It is now clear that Mozilla Firefox is playing catch-up with other popular web-browsers in some sort of a version number game. The three year old Google Chrome is already into version 14, with version 16 already in the dev channel.

While Firefox users will not be in for a different user interface (it's bad to drastically change it from time to time), Firefox 7 does seem to come with several under-the-hood changes. To begin with, the Windows version features a brand-new rendering back-end that speeds up Canvas, a tweaked Sync system that instantly syncs changes to bookmarks and saved passwords, support for text-overflow: ellipsis, compliance with the Web Timing specification, WebSocket protocol updated from version 7 to 8, and improved support for MathML. The only UI change is that the protocol of the page loaded is hidden. The full URL will be copied when you copy the address in the bar. Firefox 7 is launched for all platforms it's available in: Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.
DOWNLOAD: Mozilla Firefox 7

Toshiba Expands Line of All-in-One Desktops with New 23-Inch Model

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today expanded its line of All-in-One PCs with the introduction of the Toshiba DX735, featuring a 23-inch Full HD multi-touch display. A complete entertainment hub for the home or dorm room the DX735 offers high-end audio, video and computing performance as well as premium computing capabilities to manage and create content.

"Our All-in-One systems blend the best of Toshiba's PC and visual product expertise for families and students looking to enjoy TV, watch DVDs and play games," said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "Featuring a stylish and space-saving TV-like design, the DX735 is a great add to almost any room, enabling users to interact with their media, while acting as an ideal hub for family photos, videos, music and more."

ZOTAC Announces GeForce GT 520 in PCI and PCIe x1 Interface Variants

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and channel manufacturer, today expands the value GeForce GT 520 lineup with new PCI and PCI Express x1 form factors for users with pre-built systems that have limited expansion capabilities. The new ZOTAC GeForce GT 520 PCI and PCI Express x1 graphics cards breathe new life into older systems by delivering a performance punch and new video capabilities.

"Upgrading your graphics card is the easiest way to boost your system performance and gain new capabilities. The new ZOTAC GeForce GT 520 PCI and PCI Express x1 graphics cards shows that you can experience good graphics without upgrading the rest of your system," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.

QNAP Debuts New Performance-Minded yet Budget-Friendly Turbo NAS Lineup

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced three new Turbo NAS models: the TS-419P II (4-drive), TS-219P II (2-drive), and TS-119P II (single-drive), positioned to provide corporate workgroups, SOHO, and home users with budget-friendly network attached storage (NAS) solutions for efficient data backup and convenient file sharing. The new models can be upgraded to the latest, free to download QNAP NAS firmware (version 3.5), with many new features and enhancements, and are backed by a two-year warranty.

The new models of the TS-x19P II series are equipped with a 2.0GHz Marvell processor, 512 MB DDR3 memory and one or two Gigabit LAN ports. The products can be easily integrated into an existing network of workgroups, provide centralized storage with antivirus protection, cross-platform data sharing for Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX users, as well as secure connections for users to access data on the server via FTP, a web-based file manager, or WebDAV. With the MyCloudNAS service, the new models can also be converted into private cloud storage systems for remote access from the Internet.

Cooler Master Announces Hyper TX3 EVO and Hyper 212 EVO CPU Coolers

Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer, signals the rebirth of two household names in computing, the Hyper 212 EVO and Hyper TX3 EVO CPU Coolers. They come packed with an improved tower fin design, heat pipe layout, upgraded fans, and fan brackets. All of which provides an even more extreme value for end-users of all types.

Cooler Master Announces CM Storm Trooper Premium Gaming Chassis

CM Storm, of the Cooler Master Group, unleashes a truly magnificent feat of engineering into an arena that represents the future of warfare; the Trooper full-tower chassis. Capable of lightning fast redeployment, it's the first in its class to include an ultra-strong carrying handle; allowing a gamer to travel with the finest system configurations available with relative ease. CM Storm Trooper includes features that are most coveted by gaming enthusiasts in that it has full dust filter coverage, a fan controller, an external SSD drive hot-swap dock and two uniquely designed modular hard drive cages. These features give CM Storm Trooper the ability to adapt to workstation or water-cooled gaming configurations easily.

Aspire One Powered by AMD C-60 Hits Shelves

Acer's first Aspire One 522 netbook powered by AMD's low-power C-60 accelerated processing unit hit shelves in Europe. The Aspire One 522 was released in January, powered by other AMD APUs that aren't as power-efficient as the C-60. The AMD C-60 features two x86-64 cores clocked at 1.00 GHz, which can jump up to 1.33 GHz with TurboCore, and a Radeon HD 6290 graphics core that runs at 276 MHz, that can run at 400 MHz with TurboCore.

The Aspire One 522 is a 10.1-inch netbook with all the essentials you'd expect from a netbook from this category, plus the performance advantage AMD's APUs bring to the table over Intel Atom. Its LED-backlit screen features 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, the APU is backed by 1 GB of DDR3 memory, and storage is care of a 320 GB hard drive. Connectivity includes a web-cam, 10/100 Ethernet, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, and a 5-in-1 card reader. Display connectivity includes D-Sub and HDMI. A 6-cell battery powers the machine. It comes with Windows 7 Starter pre-installed. The new Aspire One 522 is priced at €279.

Intel Releases First Atom ''Cedar Trail'' Processors

Intel released its latest generation of Atom processors, codenamed "Cedar Trail". Unlike earlier expected, the portable (netbook) variants of the new Atom processor aren't launched this day, just the low-power desktop (nettop) variants of Atom D2500 and Atom D2700. Cedar Trail is built on the 32 nm fabrication process, it features faster graphics, more graphics connectivity options (such as DisplayPort), hardware HD video acceleration, and a faster integrated memory controller.

Both the D2500 and D2700 are dual-core processors, with two x86-64 cores, and four logical CPUs for the OS to deal with, using HyperThreading technology. The D2500 is clocked at 1.86 GHz, while the D2700 runs at 2.13 GHz. Both chips feature 1 MB of shared L2 cache, the TDP of both are rated at 10W. New features included with the two are Intel Wireless Display Technology, Fast Boot, and PC Sync. The improved embedded graphics core is capable of 1080p video playback, supports hardware acceleration of popular HD video formats, and supports Blu-ray 2.0 format. Available to OEMs, the Atom D2500 and D2700 are BGA chips, priced at $42 and $52 in 1K quantities, respectively. The portable (netbook) variants of this generation, the N2600 and N2800, are expected to arrive a little later.
Monday, September 26th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
NAS
PSUs
Speakers
SSD
In Win Glacier 900 W Review

In Win Glacier 900 W Review

In Win Glacier is a new modular PSU series which focuses on efficiency and reliability. The Glacier 900W is the first released model and provides up to seven PCIe power connectors for maximum expandability. Warranty is a whole seven years which shows the confidence In Win has in their product.

HideMyAss.com... Doesn't

UK-based www.hidemyass.com bills itself as a service offering complete online privacy, for a fee. However, that soon evaporates when the law comes knocking... just when you need them most. This is how alleged LulzSec member Cody Andrew Kretsinger, 23, of Phoenix, Arizona is now facing potential time in court over accusations of hacking using the service. However, HideMyAss claim on their home page:
In this day and age of hackers, censorship, online identity theft, people spying and monitoring your online activities, your online privacy has never been so important. Our aim is to provide easy to use services that help protect your online identity and privacy. Our free web proxy is a secure service that allows you to surf anonymously online in complete privacy. For more advanced features our Pro VPN service adds increased security and anonymity on to your existing internet connection.
Which can be taken as considerably misleading by some, as it gives no hint of a clause in their contract that means this bold claim is actually not strictly true.

AMD Radeon Gets Battlefield 3 Ready, Too

Just hours after NVIDIA released its Battlefield 3 optimised GeForce driver suite, AMD is ready with a similar piece of software of its own, the AMD Catalyst 11.10 Preview. Preview drivers are essentially BETA hotfix drivers. The new Catalyst software suite makes your ATI/AMD Radeon graphics card (that meets minimum/recommended requirements) optimized for Battlefield3. Its changelog follows:
  • Improves performance in Battlefield 3 Open Beta release for both non-Anti-Aliasing, and application enabled Anti-Aliasing cases on the AMD Radeon HD 6000 and AMD Radeon HD 5000 Series for single GPU configurations
  • Enables support for Eyefinity 5x1 display (portrait and landscape) configurations using the AMD Radeon HD 6000 and AMD Radeon HD 5000 Series
  • Vision Engine Control Center: User Interface enhancements have been implemented for the CrossfireX, GPU Overdrive, and Information Center pages.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 11.10 Preview Driver Suite

Thermaltake Introduces Chaser MK-I LCS Case with Liquid Cooling System

Thermaltake, being the industry pioneer brand in thermal solutions, carrying the corporate vision of "building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology, and lifestyle" and continues to drive toward the corporate mission of "delivering the perfect user experience" for all man kinds. Beginning of this year Thermaltake has sent the Chaser MK-I with air cooling system (ACS) out on a mission into the universe for all e-Sports enthusiasts to counteract all heat issues.

This Fall, the new Chaser MK-I returned to the base with its indestructible form and dynamic appearance which is ready to be equipped with an alternative thermal solution - the liquid cooling system (LCS) and be transformed into the new Chaser MK-I LCS to serve a greater good for the most discerning PC gaming purists.

NVIDIA Releases Battlefield 3 Specific GeForce BETA Driver

NVIDIA today released a new BETA version of its GeForce driver suite. What makes the new GeForce 285.38 BETA important is its timing, and what it brings to the table. Recently, EA/DICE released an open-beta of the highly anticipated AAA title, Battlefield 3, and gamers are already sharpening their skills ahead of its market release.

The new GeForce BETA drivers are said to increase performance of Battlefield 3 beta by up to 38%, add SLI profiles for the game, and add several stability fixes and image-quality improvements for the game. In essence, Battlefield 3 beta is at the center of GeForce 285.38 BETA. Apart from Battlefield 3, the drivers add SLI profiles for Dead Island, Diablo III, Dragon Age 2, Need for Speed: The Run, and Saints Row: The Third; and fix a stability issue with Crysis 2 (DirectX 9).

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 285.38 BETA

Be Quiet! Releases New Pure Power L8 and L7 PSUs

Be quiet!, market leader for PC power supplies in Germany since 2008 according to GfK market data, announced today the release of its all new Pure Power line. The new L8 generation of power supplies brings many features from their prior premium models, including Silent Wings fan technology and cable management, to this new line targeted to achieve fresh levels of silence and performance at popular prices. At the same time they have released new 630 Watt and 730 Watt versions of their L7 series.

AMD Delivers Multi-Display Support with Longevity on Latest Entry-Level Embedded GPU

Today at Embedded Systems Conference East, AMD introduced the AMD Radeon E6460 discrete graphics processor as AMD's next generation entry-level embedded graphics processor, complementing the previously announced AMD Radeon E6760. With support for up to four simultaneous displays and more than double the 3D graphics performance of the ATI Radeon E2400 GPU1, the AMD Radeon E6460 GPU sets a new bar for features and performance in an entry-level embedded GPU. With five years of planned supply availability and with the graphics memory included in the same package, the AMD Radeon E6460 GPU delivers the longevity, small footprint, and ease of design demanded by embedded system designers.

"The AMD Radeon E6460 GPU provides the high value, small footprint, and long supply demanded by embedded customers," said Richard Jaenicke, director of Embedded Client Business for AMD. "With a footprint-compatible subset of the high-performance AMD E6760 GPU, the new AMD Radeon E6460 GPU enables broadly scalable graphics and multimedia performance in a single board design."

A-Data Announces New S510 Series SATA 6 Gbps SSDs

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today announced the release of the S510 Solid State Drive (SSD), a mid-range version of the company's flagship S511. Implementing the SATA III (6Gb/sec) specification, the S510 is aimed at the growing pool of users who recognize the cost and performance advantages of solid state drive upgrades for both desktop and portable computers.

The performance advantages of the SATA III transfer specification are becoming well-known among consumers, and the S510 capitalizes on this trend with native support through adoption of the SandForce SF-2200 series chip. Its read and write speeds are twice that of SSDs using the older SATA II specification, and in real world test simulations reached 550/510MB read and write speeds respectively, with 4K random write speeds as high as 85,000 IOPS.

Vishera and Trinity to Take Over AMD Processor Lineup in 3Q 2012

The latest AMD 2012 market outlook slides disclosed by DonanimHaber reveal that AMD will have a brand new lineup of processors and APUs by the third quarter of 2012. In the second quarter, AMD will begin with new accelerated processing units (APUs) that succeed the current A-Series "Llano" APUs, codenamed "Trinity". Trinity APUs will make use of next-generation "Piledriver" architecture x86-64 cores, as well, as next-generation Radeon HD 7000 series graphics.

Then in the third quarter, AMD will release its next-generation "Vishera" processors that succeed "Zambezi" AMD FX processors. Vishera will make use of next-generation "Piledriver" modules, and increase IPC (instructions per clock) beyond its predecessor "Bulldozer" architecture. In the interim, AMD will update its A-Series and AMD FX processor lines with new models. These include a new high-end processor, the AMD FX-8170, and two new A-Series APUs, the A8-3870K, and A6-3670K, both of which are unlocked for overclocking.

Now, S3 Graphics Slaps Apple with Two Patent Infringement Charges

Soon to be subsidiary of HTC, currently held by VIA Technologies, S3 Graphics, fired off two more patent infringement charges against Apple Inc. Last week, VIA Technologies had sued Apple for alleged infringement of two of its CPU-related patents. These fresh charges by S3 Graphics, like those by VIA, seek sales ban on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, as well as Mac in the United States. The complaints were filed with the US ITC (United States International Trade Commission), and a district court in Delaware.

S3 Graphics patents that the company claims Apple infringed are: #5945997 "block- and band-oriented traversal in three-dimensional triangle rendering," and #5581279 "VGA controller circuitry". If S3 Graphics pulls it off, it could inflict significant damage on Apple's sales, as the company heads towards the winter shopping season.
Sunday, September 25th 2011

Sunday Special: PC Gaming On the Rise, Set To Outsell Consoles by 2014 - NVIDIA

Some claim that PC gaming is dying. However, recent trends as explained by NVIDIA, disagree and it is in fact console gaming that will soon decline, as PCs have some compelling advantages such as ever improving graphics and moddability, to keep the gaming scene thriving. Techgage held a conference call with NVIDIA, where the company explained why PC gaming is on the up and up. PC gaming software sales are growing fast, according to this comparative graph and the predicted crossover point is 2014:
Saturday, September 24th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Input Devices
Keyboards
Motherboards
Multimedia
Notebooks
PSUs
SSD
Storage

EVGA GTX 580 Classified + watercooling Doubles Core Clock Speed!

The EVGA GTX 580 Classified 3072MB, previously announced on TechPowerUp, is now available to buy according to this forum post by an EVGA product manager - in limited quantities, of course. According to Gaming Blend, this card can amazingly reach a doubled 1.6GHz core clock when overclocked using waterblocks - GTX 590 eat your heart out! This card also has custom designed VRMs to take all the extra power that the card will use, which means that they won't squeal when the card is overclocked hard and also when running intensive applications such as Folding@Home.
UPDATE: Turns out that 1.6GHz overclock was actually achieved using LN2, not water. To confirm it, click the EVGA promo link after the jump and see the extreme cooling section video, or just skip directly to the YouTube video here.

How To Overclock a Locked New Sandy Bridge E Processor - By Intel

We know how chip manufacturers aren't usually very keen on overclocking of their products, but here, Intel explains the actual steps to take in achieving a great overclock! And oddly enough, this includes their locked CPUs as well, which raises the question of why lock them at all? Bit-tech looked into overclocking the new LGA2011 Sandy Bridge E in detail.

Intel highlights the key areas for overclocking Sandy Bridge E processors, and gives a practical example of a 4.74 GHz overclock

AMD FX 8150 Looks Core i7-980X and Core i7 2600K in the Eye: AMD Benchmarks

The bets are off, it looks like Intel is in for a price-performance shock with AMD's Bulldozer, after all. In the press deck of AMD FX Processor series leaked by DonanimHaber ahead of its launch, AMD claims huge performance leads over Intel. To sum it up, AMD claims that its AMD FX 8150 processor is looking Intel's Core i7-980X in the eye in game tests, even edging past it in some DirectX 11 titles.

It is performing on par with the Core i7-2600K in several popular CPU benchmarks such as WinRAR 4, X.264 pass 2, Handbrake, 7Zip, POV Ray 3.7, ABBYY OCR, wPrime 32M, and Bibble 5.0. AMD FX 8150 is claimed to be genuinely benefiting from the FMA4 instruction set that Sandy Bridge lacks, in the OCL Performance Mandelbrot test, the FX 8150 outperforms the i7-2600K by as much as 70%. Lastly, the pricing of the FX 8150 is confirmed to be around the $250 mark. Given this, and the fact that the Core i7-2600K is priced about $70 higher, Intel is in for a price-performance shock.
Friday, September 23rd 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Keyboards
Monitors
Motherboards
Mouse
Netbooks
Processors
PSUs
SSD
ECS A75F-A AMD FM1 Review

ECS A75F-A AMD FM1 Review

ECS is back, with another "Black Series" product, the ECS A75F-A. Built for the recently released Llano AMD APUs, the ECS A75F-A offers entry-level pricing, with quite a few enthusiast features. We take the shinig knight in black armor, and put it into battle!

Super Talent Announces DataGuardian USB 3.0 Secure Flash Drive

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced the USB 3.0 DataGuardian, a password protected USB 3.0 flash drive that makes data security easy and affordable.

By now almost everyone is familiar with USB flash drives. They are incredibly useful and have become an indispensible part of our computing environments. We all know that we should be using a secure solution, but the fact is security solutions are expensive, cumbersome and limit the usefulness of a flash drive. That is, until now.

AMD Announces Executive Changes

AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced that Rick Bergman is leaving AMD. President and CEO Rory Read will serve as interim general manager of AMD's Products Group. AMD also announced that Paul Struhsaker, 49, has joined the company to lead AMD's newly-formed commercial business division as the corporate vice president and general manager, Commercial Business Division.

Struhsaker will oversee product management and roadmap planning for AMD's server, high performance computing and embedded products. He joins AMD from Comcast, where he was senior vice president of engineering responsible for all set-top box platforms and video server applications for the Comcast Video Networks.

Elpida Develops Industry's First 25 nm Process 4-Gigabit DDR3 SDRAM

Elpida Memory, Inc., the Japan-based third largest Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) maker in the world, today announced it had completed development of the industry's first 25-nanometer (nm) process 4-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM. The new chip is also the smallest 4-gigabit DRAM. The new cutting-edge smallest available 4-gigabit chip uses ultra fine-width 25nm process migration technology. Back in May, Elpida finished development of a 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM using the advanced 25nm process and began sample shipments in July.

By using ultra-fine process technology the 4-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM becomes a more energy efficient chip and achieves higher productivity. As a 4-gigabit product, its density is double that of Elpida's 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM based on the same process node. The newly developed 4-gigabit DRAM enhances productivity by about 45% compared with Elpida's 30nm 4-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM. Compared with this same 30nm DDR3, it reduces operating current by about 25-30% and standby current by about 30-50%. It has also realized the industry's highest speed data transfer rate.

Enermax Introduces ETD-T60 Series Bottom-Flow CPU Coolers

ENERMAX introduces a new down flow CPU cooler, the ETD-T60 series. ENERMAX thermal team presents the new CPU cooler, ETD-T60, with down flow solutions and thermal resistance down to 0.12°C/W; a breakthrough for down flow CPU coolers. ETD-T60 combines six Ø6mm heat pipes that cross from two sides of the heat sink with enhanced soldering technology to ensure flawless thermal conduction from CPU to heat sink. The fins of ETD-T60 series are added with ENERMAX's unique VGF, VEF technology and Twister-bearing fan.

Furthermore, the ETD-T60 is attached with ENERMAX's new patented AAP (Auto-Adjustable-Pressure) universal brackets. The AAP brackets support various CPU sockets and gives perfect contact force (18~28kgw) in between CPU and cooler. Thanks to AAP, the insufficient thermal conduction due to under-pressure or damage to CPU from over-pressure will no longer be an issue for users.
Thursday, September 22nd 2011

Today's Reviews

Accessories
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mouse
Nettops
Notebooks
PSUs
Speakers
SSD
Storage
Akasa Venom Toxic Review

Akasa Venom Toxic Review

Akasa can be considered an institution or constant as a computer brand. The Venom Toxic chassis is their latest case aimed at the gaming crowd. The neon green accents make for a badass chassis. We give the large chassis a spin to see if it's all hot smoke or if the Viper has a real toxic bite.

'Warco', the First Person Shooter Without a Gun

Well, this looks different to your standard gaming offering. Warco, short for "war correspondent", is a game that's a first person shooter, but without a gun. Instead, you play journalist Jesse DeMarco thrust into the middle of battle, armed only with your wits and your trusty video camera, who is tasked with documenting the horrors of war. You then have to edit your footage into a compelling news story, ranging from all-action shootouts to quiet moments, as you discuss the events of the day with your fellow journalists. This appears to be more a trainer for how to be a war correspondent than a game, as it's the brainchild of Tony Maniaty, an Australian journalist who has reported from regions like East Timor and post-Soviet Eastern Europe.

Intel to Reorganize its LGA1155 Core i7 Unlocked Processor Market Placement

In a possible bid to counter the upcoming AMD FX eight-core processors, Intel is reportedly reorganizing its Unlocked Core i7 processor series in the LGA1155 package. Currently there's only one Unlocked Core i7 LGA1155 processor model, the Core i7-2600K, and that is holding on to a US $320 price-point. It will be joined by the Core i7-2700K in the near future.

According to sources, this won't quite be a case of i7-2700K displacing the i7-2600K from its $320 price point, but that the new chip will occupy a slightly higher price point than the $320 the i7-2600K commands. According to the sources VR-Zone spoke with, the new i7-2700K could "end up somewhere close to US$340-350." It would then give Intel the flexibility to play with the price of the i7-2600K as the situation demands (letting the i7-2600K keep its $310~$320 price, or send it down below $300). Intel's Core i7-2700K is expected to launch on October 24, close to two weeks after AMD launches its first AMD FX processors.

VIA Seeks US Ban of iPhone, iPad Over Patent Infringements

Taiwan-based low-power computing technology company VIA sought a sales ban of Apple's iPhone and iPad, for what it alleges to be patent infringements of its microprocessor intellectual property. VIA sought a jury trial along with a sales ban on Apple products containing the inventions in the U.S., according to a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.

In its complaint VIA says "The products at issue generally concern microprocessors included in a variety of electronic products such as certain smartphones, tablet computers, portable media players and other computing devices." This specifically impinges upon Apple's cash-cow products, the iPhone and iPad, and it isn't coming at a good time because Apple, according to market analyst Gartner Inc., will dominate tablet sales this holiday season. The case is Via Technologies v. Apple Inc. (AAPL), U.S. District Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington).

WD Announces New My Passport Studio and My Studio for Mac Portable Hard Drives

Western Digital today introduced its newest generation of My Passport portable hard drives specifically designed for use with Mac computers and Apple Time Machine, featuring compact, elegant Mac-inspired designs with high capacity storage options and exceptional security for today's active lifestyles.

My Passport Studio boasts the all-metal design and performance needed for today's discerning Mac user, serving as an ideal companion for the on-the-go photographer, videographer, graphic artist, or creative professional that produces, shares and consumes massive amounts of digital content daily. Offering up to 1 TB capacity, the My Passport Studio also provides multiple connectivity options with two FireWire 800 ports and a USB 2.0 interface.

ZOTAC Announces A75-ITX WiFi Motherboard

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today announces the A75-ITX WiFi platform that enable users to embrace the power of AMD accelerated processing units, or APUs, in a compact mini-ITX form factor to form the perfect gaming capable home theatre PC.

The ZOTAC A75-ITX WiFi features an FM1 socket to take advantage of the latest AMD A8, A6, A4 and E2 series APUs with AMD Radeon HD 6000 series graphics processors for the perfect synergy of CPU and GPU performance power. Two memory slots enable users to install up to 8GB of high-speed DDR3 memory with speeds up to 1866 MHz, depending on the APU installed, for maximum system responsiveness for media playback, gaming and every-day use.

Lian Li Announces PC-TU200 Mini-ITX Chassis

Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd, designer and manufacturer of high-end, all-aluminum computer chassis for over 12 years, announces their latest PC-TU200 Mini-Tower PC case. This chassis optimizes thermal efficiency, convenience and mobility, offering consumers a superior platform for building their next portable PC.

The PC-TU200 is the latest addition to Lian Li's Mini-Tower product line, designed for performance-hungry consumers who require a light, compact and versatile chassis as a base for their ultimate portable gaming rig. With a base weight of only 3.15kg, the PC-TU200 is primed and ready for transportability. Available in black or silver, its "nuclear football" style design includes a top-mounted handle which allows it to be carried to LAN parties or anywhere desired with ease. The all-aluminum body features reinforced corners for strength and durability.

I-O Data Intros BDXL-Capable Portable Blu-ray Burner

Japanese company I-O Data unveiled its latest portable Blu-ray drive, the BRP-U6XE, which is capable of writing the new BDXL format, with disc capacities of up to 100 GB. Measuring 137 x 154 x 20 mm, the drive relies entirely on USB 2.0 for its connectivity. Its USB cable is built into it, and is retractable. Corel WinDVD BD3D and Nero Express Essentials come bundled.

The drive is capable of burning single and double layer BD-R discs at 6X, triple and quadruple layer (BDXL) BD-R discs at 4X, BD-RE at 2X, DVD-R/+R and DVD+RW at 8X, DVD-R/+R double-layer and DVD-RW at 6X, DVD-RAM at 5X, CD-R at 24X, and CD-RW at 16X. Backed by a one-year warranty, the I-O Data BRP-U6XE is priced at about $233.

HIS Intros HD 6870 IceQ 1 GB Graphics Card

HIS today released its latest performance segment graphics card, the HD 6870 IceQ 1GB. This card makes use of the large IceQ cooler found on Radeon HD 6970-based IceQ graphics cards. Its cooler makes use of a large heatsink to which heat is fed by four exposed-copper heat pipes, and ventilation is care of what HIS calls "Black Hole Impeller", a blower that draws in air from both sides of the card (obverse, reverse), channels it though the heatsink, and out of the case. This cooler, HIS claims, can keep temperatures down by as much as 24°C, and noise levels down by as much as 10 dB, compared to the AMD reference cooler.

Under the hood is an AMD Radeon HD 6870 GPU, which follows reference clock speeds of 900 MHz core, and 1050 MHz (4200 MHz effective) memory. It is backed by 1 GB of GDDR5 memory over a 256-bit wide memory interface. Perhaps the idea here is to let users take advantage of the cooler and overclock the card themselves. The HD 6870 packs 1120 VLIW5 stream processors, and is DirectX 11 compliant. The card draws power from two 6-pin PCIe power connectors. Display outputs include two DVI, one HDMI 1.4, and two mini-DisplayPort 1.2 connectors. There is a single CrossFire connector, that allows you to pair with any other HD 6800 series graphics card. Expect the HIS HD 6870 IceQ to charge a small premium over the reference base model graphics card.

Samsung Announces Mass Production of Industry's First 20nm-Class DDR3

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun operations of its new Line-16 memory semiconductor fabrication facility, which will provide the industry's largest production capacity. It also announced the start of mass production of the industry's first double data rate-3 (DDR3) dynamic random access memory (DRAM) based on 20 nanometer (nm) class process technology, which offers significant improvements to productivity and reduces energy consumption. The announcements were made during a ceremony at Samsung's Nano City Complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where the new Line-16 is located.

Receiving the first wafer from the new memory line, Samsung Electronics Chairman Kun-hee Lee said: "The global semiconductor industry is in a period of fierce cyclical volatility, so the opening of this new memory fab and the start of mass production of the world's first 20nm-class DRAM are important milestones to reinforce Samsung's industry leadership."
"We must prepare for an intensifying storm in the semiconductor industry by further enhancing our technological capabilities and expertise in order to maintain our leadership position," he said.
Wednesday, September 21st 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Memory
Mouse
Processors
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Mach Xtreme MX-DS Turbo 120 GB SSD Review

Mach Xtreme MX-DS Turbo 120 GB SSD Review

Mach Xtreme's MX-DS Turbo SSD is based on the Sandforce SF-2281 controller which features support for the SATA 6 Gbps interface among other improvements. In our real world testing we pit the MX-DS Turbo against a handful of competing solid state drives to check whether it can stand out in the crowd of Sandforce drives.
Centon Rush USB 3.0 16 GB Review

Centon Rush USB 3.0 16 GB Review

The Centon Rush boasts with good read performance but also excellent write speeds. We shred through the plastic packaging and test the compact flash drive on our testing station, with surprising results - it's even faster than what the manufacturer advertises.

Windows 8 Secure Boot: Designed to Lock Out Linux?

Proposed changes to the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware specifications would mean PCs would only boot from a digitally signed image derived from a keychain rooted in keys built into the PC. Microsoft is pushing hard to make this mandatory, so that users cannot override it. This feature would have the handy benefit of excluding alternative operating systems such as Linux and FreeBSD. This is according to Professor Ross Anderson of Cambridge University and other industry insiders. Also, it's not at all clear that it actually secures against viruses and other malware and appears to be solely designed to appease corporate self interests for unbreakable Digital Restrictions Management (DRM).

UEFI supercedes the 30 year old veteran BIOS found in most PCs today, which is very inefficient and slow for modern PCs, carrying a lot of old, legacy compatibility baggage that's just not needed in today's PC. UEFI, a key component of Windows 8, is designed to work on several CPU architectures, such as ARM and is streamlined and efficient. It also includes a much improved graphical interface that replaces the keyboard-driven menu system of the BIOS.

ViewSonic Intros Pearl White 24-inch Monitor

ViewSonic introduced the VX2451mhp-LED, a 24-inch LED-backlit LCD monitor. It's rather broad lower bezel might give you the impression that it's a 16:10 monitor, but that's not the case. This screen is another full-HD (1920 x 1080) model, but features native aspect-ratio adjustments that allow you to toggle image scaling. The monitor presents itself in a pearl-white finish, its stand allows basic tilt adjustments.

Apart from the full-HD resolution, the panel of the VX2451mhp-LED features a response time of 2 ms (gray to gray), static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, 20,000,000:1 DCR, and brightness of 300 cd/m2². It takes input from DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. It packs 5W stereo speakers. Backed by a 3-year warranty, the ViewSonic VX2451mhp-LED is priced at €178.

Eurocom Adds Intel Core i7-2960XM Processor Extreme Edition to its line of Notebooks

Eurocom Corporation, a leading developer of long lifespan, fully upgradable notebooks, high performance mobile workstations and mobile servers is adding new high performance Intel Core i7 Processors to its line of High Performance Notebooks.

"Eurocom is always striving to offer the best available technology, and in our mind the second generation Intel Core i7 Mobile Processors will greatly improve our Business and Gaming Notebooks, through increased efficiency and performance" said Mark Bialic, Eurocom President.

Micron Unveils RealSSD C400 Series Self-Encrypting Solid State Drives

Micron Technology, Inc., introduced a new version of its popular RealSSD C400, featuring self encryption for unmatched data security. The C400 SED (Self-Encrypting Drive) is based on the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Opal specifications and provides a hardware-based answer for the increasing wave of data breaches that continue to impact computer users and enterprises worldwide.

Security breaches caused by malicious attacks are on the rise, according to the recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. While it's notable that the increase in small-scale external attacks doesn't rely on highly sophisticated approaches, encryption is widely credited as the first choice for the most affordable security solution for deterring such intrusions.

Gigabyte Unveils 990FXA-UD3 1.2 Motherboard

Gigabyte unveiled a new socket AM3+ motherboard targeting a price-point sweetspot, the 990FXA-UD3 1.2. The board is based on the AMD 990FX + SB950 chipset, and supports the upcoming AMD FX processors apart from socket AM3 processors in the Phenom II and Athlon II series. As a new revision, the board supports AMD FX processors out of the box. The AM3+ socket is powered by an 8+2 phase VRM. The board is constructed according to the UltraDurable 3 Classic specifications, with 2 oz copper-layer PCB, 50,000+ hours capacitor durability, and DualBIOS. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3-2000 MHz memory with overclocking.

There are four PCI-Express x16 slots on this board, however, only two of them are wired to the AMD 990FX northbridge, both run at full PCI-Express 2.0 x16 bandwidth at all times. The other two are electrical PCI-Express x4, wired to the SB950 southbridge. The board supports both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX, though it's likely that it will ship with just the 2-way SLI bridge cable.

Adobe Flash Player 11, AIR 3 Out in Early October

In early October, content technology major Adobe will release Flash Player 11, the next major release of the Adobe Flash client-end software. The new browser plugin promises a platform that allows 1,000 times faster 2D/3D rendering performance over Flash Player 10, using full hardware-acceleration. Right here we see Adobe waking up to the HTML5 threat. Angry Birds on Google Chrome, anyone? The next key area addressed by Flash Player 11, is full native 64-bit (x86-64) web-browser support. This move will potentially cause the long-overdue decline of 32-bit web-browsers on 64-bit operating systems, since you already have HTML5 and Java on 64-bit browsers.

Next up, Adobe will pack its AIR platform, a Flash-based application runtime environment that uses the "superior user-interface" plank. AIR 3, which accompanies Flash Player 11, will support native extensions, that gives AIR applications added functionality. These include hardware capabilities including access to device data, vibration control, magnetometers, light sensors, dual screens, near field communications (NFC) and more. You know what adobe is getting at, future portable devices that are extremely powerful and functional.

LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series Now Available

LaCie announced the Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series is now available for purchase. It is the first portable solution to feature the shocking 10Gb/s speeds of Thunderbolt technology. This next-generation Little Big Disk is the first product in LaCie's series of high-end Thunderbolt solutions.

Designed for the most demanding applications, the LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series will bring a new level of performance to creative workflows and professional storage users. It offers ultra-fast data transfers, complete system backup in minutes, and faster content editing than ever before.

AMD FX Processor Prices Lower Than Expected

Sources among retailers told DonanimHaber that retail prices of AMD's next generation performance desktop processor series, the AMD FX, are a lot lower than expected. On October 12, AMD will launch three new parts worldwide, the eight-core FX-8150, FX-8120, and six-core FX-6120, priced at US $245, $205, and $175, respectively.

OCZ Technology Introduces Synapse Cache Series SSDs for High-Performance Caching

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today launched its Synapse Cache Series 2.5" SSDs. The new Synapse SSDs are optimized for caching applications and leverages Dataplex cache software to dynamically manage the Synapse SSD in conjunction with standard hard disk drives (HDDs), to provide users with SSD-level performance across the entire capacity of the HDD.

"The industry has shown that it craves the performance advantages that SSDs provide, however, many users still value the high capacities associated with HDDs," said Tobias Brinkmann, Director of Product Management, OCZ Technology Group. "We see the Synapse Cache SSDs integrated with Dataplex software as a big win for a large number of customers who value SSD performance but still require HDD capacity. We are proud to be the first to offer this no-compromise approach to enabling high-performance and high-capacity storage for virtually any PC platform."
Tuesday, September 20th 2011

Today's Reviews

Accessories
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Monitors
Motherboards
Netbooks
Networking
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Lian Li PC-90B 'The Hammer' Review

Lian Li PC-90B 'The Hammer' Review

HPTX cases are usually so tall that they do not fit under a normal desk. Lian Li - the company who first offered such a chassis - has managed to shrink things down to mid tower size while still offering HPTX compatibility and the ability to install up to 12 hard drives. We rip the case apart to see how everything is suppose to fit in such cramped spaces.

Super-High 4096 x 4096 Display From An IGP? The Upcoming Ivy Bridge Can Do It

The new Ivy Bridge processors, due out in about six months, have one apparently overlooked but important feature. No, it's not the greatly increased speed (about double or more of Sandy Bridge) or the advanced feature set. It's actually the super-high resolution capability: specifically 4096 x 4096 pixels. This astonishing capability is far better than any of the top-end discreet graphics cards such as the NVIDIA GTX 590 or AMD HD 6990 via a single monitor port. It's so high in fact, that there's almost no content at that resolution and no monitor that can handle it. This IGP can actually play multiple 4K video streams, too. NVIDIA unsurprisingly, is talking up the gaming possibilites at such a resolution. I'd like to see what kind of monster GPU could handle it. It will be interesting to see what uses this capability gets put to generally - and just how much the whole setup will cost.

Duke Nukem Forever Feedback Survey: Where Did We Go So wrong?

Highly anticipated for 14 years and becoming the most infamous vapourware ever, Duke Nukem Forever unfortunately was met with widespread derision and ridicule on release in June. Many reviews gave it around 40% or less, accusing it of being a 90s throwback and made in very bad taste. Not everybody hated it though and it has some loyal fans. So, Gearbox, priding itself on listening to its customers, has set up an online feedback survey and wants to honestly, truly know what you think of it (assuming its servers survive the heat of all those flames of course, which isn't guaranteed at all). This is especially important for Gearbox, as it's going to release a sequel and wants to ensure its customers like it (and rather more importantly, buy it).

Cracking a Tough AIDS Research Puzzle: Boffins 0, US Gamers 1. Rock On!

An AIDS protein folding puzzle has stumped scientists for a decade, but US gamers cracked it in a mere three weeks! This was achieved by combining the brute force logic and speed of the digital computer, with the lateral thinking of the distinctly fuzzy human brain. To achieve this, a distributed computing application called Foldit was used, which involved gamers solving individual puzzles in a competitive atmosphere. This amazing merger of minds and machine over the internet creates a sort of distributed "cybernetic organism", which combines the strengths of biological and silicon computers into something far more powerful than either alone.

Customer Agony over Netflix's Price Rises & New Split Personality

Netflix's CEO, Reed Hastings, has apologized for mishandling a recent price increase that caused customers to fly away in droves. However, that was immediately drowned out by the decision to split the Netflix service into two, one with the odd name of Qwikster. The new streaming service will still be called Netflix and continue to have the same dedicated website as the old physical media one, netflix.com. However, the DVD rental service is now branded Qwikster, which will also have it's own site. Crucially, both sites will operate completely independently, which means separate logins and user profiles for each one, causing significant inconvenience to customers.

AOC USB-Powered 16-inch Monitor Heads for October Launch

First spotted at this year's CEA LineShow event in New York, this June, AOC's E1649FWU portable, USB-powered 16-inch monitor is heading towards an October launch. It is set to cost US $139. Roughly the size of a 15.6" laptop screen, E1649FWU is extremely portable. It comes with its own retractable stand that can let you place it in both portrait and landscape modes.

The E1649FWU takes one USB 2.0 input, through which it draws both its power, and signal. The monitor has its own USB display adapter built-in, to handle that. Illumination is care of an LED array. Vital stats include 1366 x 768 pixels native resolution, 5 ms response time, 50,000,000:1 DCR, and up to 250 cd/m² brightness. It is not HDCP-compliant.

Imation To Acquire IronKey's Security Hardware Business

Imation Corp., a leading global technology company dedicated to helping people and organizations store, protect and connect their digital world, and IronKey, a global leader in securing data and online access, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Imation will acquire the assets of IronKey's secure data storage hardware business.

The two companies also announced a strategic partnership whereby Imation will receive an exclusive license from IronKey for its secure storage management software and service, and a license to use the IronKey brand for secure storage products. IronKey will partner with Imation to provide its online cloud-based security services.

Homefront Sequel to be Given the Crytek High Quality Graphics Treatment

Homefront creator KAOS studios shut its doors in the summer, leaving the sequel without a developer - and players of the cliffhanger ending of the first game well, hanging. However, publisher THQ has hired Crysis 2 developer Crytek to develop the sequel (Homefront 2?) which is expected to be out in 2014 for PC and console platforms. This is perhaps unsurprising, as Crytek recently made a very impressive DX11 upgrade for Crysis 2, as reported by TechPowerUp (with video) so this appointment is likely to make the next Homefront visually exciting at least and will do its bit to help keep up the graphics quality of games written for the PC. I'm looking forward to their high quality DX11 graphics that will push our PC's to the limits and once more give us a reason for upgrading to the latest hardware. They now just need to concentrate on making the gameplay as good as those graphics.

Gigabyte Responds to MSI's Bluff Call

A little earlier this month, MSI's PR team dished out a presentation in which they claimed that Gigabyte was misleading buyers into thinking that as many as 40 of its recently-launched motherboards were "Ready for Native PCIe Gen.3". MSI tried to make its argument plausible by explaining what exactly goes into making a Gen 3-ready motherboard. The presentation caused quite some drama in the comments. Gigabyte responded with a presentation of its own, in which it counter-claimed that those making the accusations ignored some key details. Details such as "what if the Ivy Bridge CPU is wired to the first PCIe slot (lane switches won't matter)?"

Shogun Bros Intro Updated Chameleon X-1 Wireless Mouse Gamepad Combo

Shogun Bros released a new version of its Chameleon wireless gaming peripheral, a fusion between a gaming mouse and a gamepad. The new Chameleon X-1 has a completely rubberised body that improves grip, its internals are modified to make more power-efficient (to make its battery last longer). The new version is said to have even better tactile feedback on its buttons, and a more ergonomic button layout.

As a mouse, the Chameleon X-1 has a 1600 dpi optical sensor, which makes it qualifies it as a gaming mouse, has a right-handed orientation, and about 5 mouse buttons. A sliding switch on the side switches between its mouse and gamepad modes. In the gamepad mode, the optical sensor and mouse buttons are deactivated, except that some side buttons remain active and double up as triggers and bumpers. It has a typical gamepad layout with a D-pad, four face buttons, and two sticks. The mouse connects to the PC wirelessly, using a USB nano-receiver. The new Chameleon X-1 is priced at US $59.99, and is available from October 1.
Monday, September 19th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Motherboards
PSUs
Sound Cards
SSD
OCZ ZS Series 750 W Review

OCZ ZS Series 750 W Review

OCZ, having the value-oriented user in mind, recently released a new PSU series. According to OCZ the ZS series PSUs offer affordable power solutions to value-oriented gaming systems.

Sol Computer's $749 Netbook, $1000+ Tablet: Achieving Cheap and Overpriced

Ok, let's get what's sort of good-ish about this netbook out of the way: the Pixel Qi's screen allows it be viewed easily in bright sunlight, which seems great - if you don't mind washed out colours and poor contrast under normal room conditions. The bad? Everything else. This Netbook isn't even made by Sol Computers. It turns out to be just a rebadged, refurbished Samsung netbook with a Pixel Qi panel in it. And get this: Sol Computer doesn't even hide the Samsung logo under the screen proving this is just a repackaged netbook, yet, it costs a hefty $749.00! Yes, Sol Computers' sole achievement is to have made something that is both cheap and overpriced. Amazing. Now, their Tablet PC is even worse: it's a rebranded "Alibaba special" i.e. generic Chinese tablet that doesn't even appear to support multitouch interface - yet it costs a staggering $1,099.00. It costs more than a high-end Macbook. I do wonder who their target market is for these products.

Addonics Releases New Snap-In Disk Array Solutions

Addonics Technologies today announced the Addonics 2.5" and 3.5" Snap-In Disk Array removable drive systems that are ideal solutions for increasing hard drive storage in both small and large computing systems.

The Addonics 2.5" Snap-In Disk Array is a high density removable hard drive system that supports installing up to four 2.5" SATA hard drives or SSDs into one standard 5.25" drive bay. This compact form factor makes it an ideal solution for increasing hard drive storage in small computers, mini ATX systems or for applications that require a large number of drives.

ColorFire Shows Off Xstorm HD 6850 X2 4 GB Graphics Card

Asian graphics card manufacturer known for its intriguing designs, Colorful, after a brief gap of four months, unveiled its latest graphics card in the works, under its Radeon-centric ColorFire brand. Called the ColorFire Xstorm HD 6850 X2 4GB, its name pretty much spells out what it's about: a dual-GPU (CrossFire on-a-stick) graphics card with two Radeon HD 6850 GPUs, and 4 GB of total memory (2 GB per GPU system). It's not just the specifications that earned Colorful/ColorFire its popularity, it's their nerdtastic choice of components. This card is no exception.

Thermaltake Introduces the Overseer RX-I eSports Chassis

Thermaltake, the leader and pioneer in PC thermal solutions, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, with "delivering the perfect user experiences" as our mission. The new Thermaltake Overseer RX-I e-Sports chassis's global market launch commences in mid-September. The most invaluable full-tower chassis made for e-Sports fanatics to govern and benefit from all valuable resources while in or out of the game. It is an unprecedented e-Sports chassis that is designed for gaming purists looking for the ultimate gaming performance, ensure true enjoyment.

Intel Slip Up Discloses Core i7-2700K

A slip-up by Intel revealed its next high-performance socket LGA1155 processor, the Core i7-2700K. The box part product code of the new chip was disclosed in the latest material deceleration datasheet (MDS) document, as BX80623I72700K, carrying the spec code SR0DG. From the given product code, one can deduce the SKU as Core i7-2700K. No other specifications were given out, but given that Core i5 2000 and Core i7 2000 quad-core models are spaced out in steps of 100 MHz, one can only guess that the i7-2700K carries a clock speed of 3.50 GHz, with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost. In all likelihood, the release of this new chip could be timed to coincide with AMD FX 8150, displacing the Core i7-2600K from its existing price-point, and making the 2600K compete with the FX-8150 at a more competitive price.

High Point Announces RocketU 1144AR USB 3.0 RAID HBA

HighPoint Technologies, Inc., an industry leading HBA and storage solutions manufacturer, launches the latest of its revolutionary USB 3.0 HBA's, the RocketU 1144AR. Four dedicated 5Gb/s ports deliver an unprecedented 20Gb/s of throughput, and support single disk and RAID configurations including 0, 1, 5, 10 and JBOD.

Conventional USB 3.0 Card + RAID Enclosure packages restrict performance with a maximum transfer bandwidth of 5Gb/s. Such solutions effectively handicap today's fastest external devices, including the latest generation of SSD's, which now meet or exceed this 5Gb/s limitation.

Targus Rolls Out new WiFi-connected Wireless Laser Mouse

Peripherals specialist Targus, released the new AMW58US wireless laser mouse that uses WiFi to interface with the computer, and in the process, eliminates the need for a dongle. Its design is based on the OZMO2000 by Ozmo Devices. The mouse is 8.25 cm long, 5.71 cm wide, and is about 2.54 cm tall. It has a five button layout, with a 4-way scroll-wheel, and is ambidextrous in shape. Powered by 2 alkaline batteries, it can provide up to 12 months of usage. Backed by a 1 year warranty, the Targus AMW58US is priced at $49.99.

HIS Intros 2 GB Radeon HD 6570 Graphics Card

HIS prided itself is being the world's first with a Radeon HD 6570 graphics card with 2 GB of memory. The GPU addresses the 2 GB of memory over a 128-bit DDR3 memory interface, clocked at 1000 MHz, doling out 32 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 6570 GPU features 480 stream processors, and is DirectX 11 compliant. On this card, it is clocked at 650 MHz (core), with 1000 MHz (memory). The new graphics card uses a half-height PCB and a single-slot passive heatsink, low-profile expansion brackets come bundled. Display outputs include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI 1.4a. The new card is priced at about $105.

Announcing the 2011 World Community Grid Contest

TechPowerUp World Community Grid (WCG) team is at the forefront of promoting the power of distributed computing to help solve the world's problems. The team decided to run our biggest distributed computing contest this year in a bid to promote participation. The contest involves scoring the most WCG BIONC points for TechPowerUp! team (#22175) over the duration of the contest. The winner and first runner up get awesome new cruching boxes (distributed computing headless PCs) that are configured with components that help with distributed computing applications. These include multi-core 64-bit processors and NVIDIA CUDA-powered GPUs.

For more information, and to participate visit this page.

ECS X79R-AX Black Series Smiles for the Camera

Last week, ECS showed off its top-of-the-line HEDT (high-end desktop) segment motherboard in the making, the X79R-AX Black Series. This socket LGA2011 motherboard based on the Intel X79 chipset is expected to be launched along with the Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors. It targets the gamer-overclocker market, providing support for up to four graphics cards in 4-way SLI and CrossFire. The LGA2011 socket is powered by a 14-phase VRM, is is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots on its either sides, supporting up to 32 GB of quad-channel DDR3 memory.

Expansion slots include four PCI-Express 3.0 x16, that can be electrically configured as x16/NC/x16/NC (single card or 2-way), x16/NC/x8/x8 (3-way), and x8/x8/x8/x8 (4-way). Other slots include two PCI-Express x1. Storage connectivity includes 12 internal SATA ports, and two eSATA. The data-rates of the internal ports are not known, but it most likely has two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports wired to the X79 PCH, while the remaining six ports are driven by additional SATA 6 Gb/s 2-port controllers. The eSATA ports run at 6 Gb/s.

Shuttle Announces XPC Barebone SH61R4 Based on Intel H61 Platform

Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH, European subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., one of the leading developers and manufacturers of compact PC solutions such as the world-renowned XPC Mini-PC Barebones, today announces the sales launch of a Mini-PC for second-generation Intel Core processors.

The XPC Barebone SH61R4 establishes itself as a highly efficient Mini-PC platform for cost-conscious users. It is suitable for all new second-generation Intel Core processors (i3/i5/i7 for LGA1155) as well as energy-saving DDR3 memory and boasts a particularly well-balanced performance/energy consumption ratio. Effective cooling is managed by a system comprising several heatpipes and a large, speed-controlled fan for optimal smoothness when running.
Sunday, September 18th 2011

AMD's Bulldozer 8.4GHz+ OC Achievement: Cooled to Near-Absolute Zero

AMD's Bulldozer 8.4 GHz+ OC Achievement: Cooled to Near-Absolute Zero

TechPowerUp recently brought you news on AMDs fantastic overclocking achievement with their new processors. Now we can tell you how it was done: cherry-picking the chips and slapping on some water cooling isn't quite enough. AMDs new processors can operate at much lower temperatures without displaying the "cold bug" - where it just gives up and goes home - and performance scales very well at super-low temperatures. The problem is that the cold affects lots of things such as timing, but more importantly, power circuits, which stop switching and just fry everything in sight - surely one to avoid. AMD senior manager of social media, Simon Solotko explains in detail how it was all done, using both liquid helium and liquid nitrogen to make the poor processor really cold. The new processor had these great qualities, according to Solotko:
It was able to take a lot of voltage, extremely low temperatures, extremely high frequencies," he said. "It was very durable under extreme overclocking. So that was awesome. So it worked well, it scaled well, it responded to cold well - all the right variables.
This overclock is an impressive feat and it will be interesting to see if Intel can match it.
Saturday, September 17th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Headphones
Memory
Monitors
Motherboards
Mouse
PSUs
Speakers
SSD
Storage

Razer to Design The Ultimate Arcade Stick for The XBOX 360 with The Community

Razer, the world leader in high performance gaming hardware, just announced a program to co-develop the ultimate arcade stick for the Xbox 360 together with the arcade stick community. The arcade stick, developed with pro-gamer feedback, is currently at the prototype stage. For the finishing touches, up to 200+ specially selected top-seed Street Fighter IV pro-gamers, influential modders, and members of the arcade enthusiast community will each be given a Razer arcade stick to test and provide feedback to further improve it to perfection, whereupon the final design will then proceed to production.

Since the company's beginnings in '98, Razer has continually taken pro-gamer feedback and validation during the product development phase to ensure that the design for every gaming product shipped is the absolute best for the competitive edge in tournament-grade play. But in an unprecedented move in the gaming hardware space, Razer is now reaching out to the entire arcade stick community to help make this yet-to-be-named product the best arcade stick in the world. Their feedback will be a huge influencing factor in the design of the final product.

NZXT Rolls Out New High-End Tempest 210 Mid-Tower Case

NZXT has introduced another Crafted Series gaming PC chassis, the mid-tower Tempest 210 which promises great airflow and easy cable management. Coated, unusually, in black cloth inside and out, it has a full mesh front panel, three exposed 5.25-inch bays and a full eight 3.5-inch internal bays, all of which use convenient tool-free mountings. The I/O panel has USB connectors (one each of USB 3.0 and USB 2.0) and standard audio connectors. Cooling is looked after by two per-installed fans, a 120mm at the rear and a 140mm on top. The new Tempest 210 gaming case costs $54.99
Friday, September 16th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Motherboards
PSUs
SSD
Storage
ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z LGA1155 Review

ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z LGA1155 Review

ASUS has updated their microATX ROG offerings with the latest chipset from Intel, and we take a look. A red and black racer, the ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z is ready for high speed gaming without a doubt, and packs in many exclusive features that just might see it hit the finish line first. Ready? Set? GO!

Club 3D Announces GeForce GTX 560 Green Edition

Club 3D unveils today the newest member of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 graphics core. The Club 3D GeForce GTX 560 Green Edition features high quality components that minimize power loss, as a result you will expect lower temperatures and noise.

This card shares identical gpu and memory speeds to the standard configuration but improves on energy efficiency. The GPU is clocked at 810 MHz and the memory comes along with 4008 MHz The card is backed by a 2 year warranty and will be available at leading online and in-store retailers across Europe and Asia.

OWC Announces Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD for Macbook Air

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the industry's first 6G SSD upgrade for the 2011 Apple MacBook Air 11.1" and 13.3"models. The new OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSDs combine award-winning SandForce technologies and Tier 1/Grade A Toggle Synchronous NAND to deliver data rates that are more than 3x faster and capacities that are up to 4x greater than factory available SSD options. Currently available in two sizes--120GB and 240GB--the new 6Gb/s SATA 3.0 Revision models continue OWC's position as the only alternative to factory SSD options for the 2010-2011 MacBook Air. 3G speed models from OWC are also available in capacities of up to 480GB.

The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G offers 2011 MacBook Air owners a cost-effective SSD upgrade path that delivers higher performance, functionality, and reliability over the factory installed SSD. Because the Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD is SATA Revision 3.0 (6Gb/s) compatible, it can take advantage of the 2011 MacBook Air's built-in 6Gb/s SATA data bus to deliver peak, sustained data rates over 500MB/s, versus the factory installed SSDs, which are limited by SATA Revision 2.0 (3Gb/s) capability.

Corsair Announces New Vengeance Gaming Keyboards and Laser Gaming Mice

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced their new line of Vengeance PC gaming peripherals, including two gaming keyboards and two laser gaming mice.

"Corsair has built a reputation for developing innovative products that focus on the unique needs of our customers," said Andy Paul, Corsair's President and CEO. "Our new Vengeance keyboards and mice follow in that tradition. PC gamers will love their gorgeous design and attention to the smallest details, like the intelligently designed button layout on our mice or the specially shaped WASD keycaps on our keyboard."

ZOTAC ZBox Mini PC to Get VIA Nano X2 Power

ZOTAC is readying a new ZBox mini-PC model that makes use of VIA Nano X2 ultra-low power x86 platform. Nano X2-powered ZBox models have been already spotted in the Japanese market. The new ZBox model will make use of Nano X2 U4025, which is a dual-core processor clocked at 1.20 GHz. While VIA is the smallest x86 processor vendor, in the ULV category, the company does tend to punch above its weight, competing with low-wattage Intel Atom processors.

The Nano X2 U4025 processor will be backed by VIA VX900H chipset, with integrated S3 Graphics. The VIA-powered ZBox will be available in two SKUs: a complete product, and a barebones package to which you have to add some of your own compatible components. Both will support up to 4 GB of DDR3 memory, a 2.5-inch SATA bay will be provided to install a hard drive or SSD. Most other features will be consistent with other ZBox models: 6-in-1 card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 3.0 connectivity, as well as HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. Originally based on the Intel Atom platform, ZOTAC's ZBox is available in AMD Fusion "Zacate" platform apart from the new VIA-powered one. The new ZBox models will be available worldwide by the end of this month.

Corsair Announces New Vengeance Gaming Headsets

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced their new line of Vengeance PC gaming peripherals, including three new gaming headsets.

"The award-winning Corsair Gaming Series audio products have built a reputation for providing accurate, detailed audio that makes everything from games to music and movies a joy to listen to, as well as creating the situational awareness gamers need for a competitive advantage," said Andy Paul, Corsair's President and CEO. "Our new Vengeance gaming headsets continue that tradition. Everything from the sleek design and the careful choice of materials, to the obsessive focus on audio tuning is dedicated to the goal of providing a compelling experience for PC gamers who are as passionate about sound as they are about winning."

BitFenix Announces Shinobi Germany Edition Mid-Tower Case

The case specialist BitFenix is now offering the latest version of the Shinobi chassis as the exclusive GERMANY Edition. As the name implies, the chassis takes its inspiration from the German flag, featuring an all black frame, red mesh stripes and a golden logo.

Who does not remember the ocean of flags during the Soccer World Cups in 2006 and 2010 during which the cars and cities were plastered with the many colours of all the participating countries. The reason why BitFenix has chosen to name this chassis the way it did should be obvious, as the case features the three colours of the German flag.

Finally, Gigabyte Goes UEFI

Gigabyte surprised many last year, when it broke its decade-long tradition of blue-colored PCBs to unveil its first black ones. Pictures of the first black PCB Gigabyte boards were first dismissed as Photoshop jobs, but after some confirmation, news posts carried quite some shock-value. It's such small things that Gigabyte has known to be quite particular about. Not that it's bad, Gigabyte is the second biggest motherboard vendor because many of its rigid design policies paid off, but some of these could work against the company.

One such has been the company's reluctance to use UEFI firmware on its motherboards. With socket LGA1155 and AM3+, we saw motherboard vendors of all shapes and sizes, including much smaller ones such as BIOSTAR adopt UEFI. Besides allowing vendors to deploy mouse-driven graphical user interface for the CMOS Setup program, UEFI addresses many glaring limitations of legacy BIOS, which hasn't changed much over decades. UEFI allows you to boot from volumes bigger than 2.2 TB in size. Eventually, storage volumes several terabytes in size will become mainstream, and that's when the ticking time-bomb that is BIOS, will blow.
Thursday, September 15th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Keyboards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Networking
Processors
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Be Quiet! Pure Power CM L8 730 W Review

Be Quiet! Pure Power CM L8 730 W Review

Be Quiet, as the name implies, specializes in the construction of silent PC components like CPU coolers, fans and power supplies. In this review we will test the Pure Power CM L8 730W, a modular PSU that targets the tight budget users since it features an affordable price, it is 80 PLUS Bronze certified and is equipped with four PCIe connectors. On top of that it promises quiet operation even at full load thanks to the SilentWings fan technology.

SAPPHIRE Announces HD 6870 Dirt 3 Edition Graphics Card

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced a new model in its successful HD 6800 series of graphics cards - the HD 6870 1GB Dirt3 Edition with Dual fan cooler and a voucher code for the full game in the package.

The SAPPHIRE HD 6870 Dirt3 Edition has the same internal architecture as the standard model, with 1120 stream processors and 56 texture processing units, but clock speeds are increased to 920MHz for the core and 1050Mhz (4.2Gb/sec effective) for the 1GB of GDDR5 memory giving users a boost in performance. The new SAPPHIRE exclusive cooler design has Dual fans to keep this model cool and quiet even when under load conditions, keeping even extreme gamers happy! This new design has two 90mm fans with thin impellers that can move the same amount of air at 10% lower rotation speeds than conventional fans, keeping noise low, and their special dust repelling bearings contribute to high reliability.

Samsung Develops 1.25V Green DDR3 Modules for Ultra Low-Power Servers

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has developed double data rate-3 (DDR3) registered dual inline memory modules (RDIMMs) designed for use in low-power enterprise server systems at a 1.25 voltage.

Utilizing four gigabit (Gb) DDR3 components based on 30 nanometer (nm) class process technology, Samsung's new DDR3 modules deliver greener memory solutions for servers than conventional 1.5 volts alternatives or the previous leading-edge 1.35V version, while providing higher performance.

AMD Trinity APU-powered Notebook Shown Running Deux Ex: Human Revolution

AMD showed off a notebook powered by its next-generation "Trinity" A-Series accelerated processing unit (APU). Trinity makes use of the Piledriver x86-64 micro-architecture (a more evolved version of Bulldozer), packs two Piledriver modules (four cores), and a faster DirectX 11 compliant Radeon graphics component. AMD displayed a Trinity-powered notebook running Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Trinity will be built on the 32 nm process, and will make use of the new socket FM2 platform. There's no word so far pointing that FM2 will be incompatible with FM1.

Intel Announces New SATA Solid-State Drive for the Data Center

Intel Corporation announced today its latest solid-state drive (SSD), the Intel Solid-State Drive 710 Series, a purpose-built Multi-Level Cell (MLC) data center SSD and replacement for the Intel X25-E Extreme SSD. While the Intel X25-E was based on more expensive but highly reliable Single-Level Cell (SLC) NAND flash memory, the Intel SSD 710 uses compute-quality Intel 25-nanomenter (nm) MLC NAND flash memory with Intel High Endurance Technology (HET) to deliver the endurance and performance necessary for data center, financial services, embedded, Internet portal, search engine and other demanding storage and server applications, but at a greater value.

"The Intel SSD 710 Series gives enterprise data center and embedded users extreme endurance and performance, enabled by Intel's High Endurance Technology based on Intel 25nm MLC NAND technology," said Rob Crooke, Intel vice president and general manager of the Intel Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. "Intel SSDs are widely deployed in the data center due to their performance, reliability and value. Our latest SSD product family offers more than 30 times the write endurance of our current MLC SSDs, plus improved performance and new features, such as power-loss data protection and surplus arrays of NAND for enhanced reliability."

SanDisk Announces Memory Vault Solid State Storage, Preserves Data for Upto 100 Years

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today introduced the SanDisk Memory Vault, the first product in a new category of devices that are designed for long-term data preservation. SanDisk announced the device today as part of a comprehensive new suite of retail products.

The SanDisk Memory Vault is a photo album for the digital age that allows consumers to preserve images in one reliable location. The device connects to a computer's USB port for easy drag-and-drop functionality and features a sleek, ruggedized, metallic design that looks great on any desktop and fits into any drawer.

MSI Displays Voice-Activated Motherboard Technology

PCs following voice commands isn't new. Windows comes with Speech Recognition and voice-command features, which when properly configured, can serve as a great accessibility feature. MSI plans to take voice commands a step further with what it calls "Voice Activated Motherboard" technology. The feature extends voice-commands to OS-independent ACPI functions such as powering on the PC from halted state (cold booting), suspend it, or powering down, both graceful (OS shutdown) and forceful (power off).

The feature depends on a daughterboard accessory that requires a PCI-Express x1 slot. This daugherboard connects to the motherboard using a special header found on some recent MSI motherboards that has been labelled "JDLED3", and a mic/line input. JDLED3, we assume, gives the card some low-level connectivity to the board that it can't have through HAL. The rest of the daughterboard looks to have a some legacy circuitry and an ADC. On the OS side, MSI will deploy the Voice Genie software which can be used to get the device to recognize your voice and set your own voice commands. The software probably could even be used to suspend voice recognition. Otherwise, imagine telling your Teamspeak buddy in-game to "restart" the server or a map, and the board following a system restart command that sounds identical. MSI says that this accessory will have a "more than affordable price."
Wednesday, September 14th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Monitors
Motherboards
Mouse
Networking
Notebooks
PSUs
SSD
Pandawill Rii mini i6 Keyboard & Remote Review

Pandawill Rii mini i6 Keyboard & Remote Review

Pandawill Rii mini i6 is the name of a new miniature keyboard and remote combo product. The device integrates a full Bluetooth QWERTY-keyboard into the back of a normal infrared remote control. The unit is priced at $60 so it will not break the bank.

AMD Showcases its First 28 nm GPU

AMD showed off its first graphics processor (GPU) built on TSMC's cutting-edge 28 nanometer silicon fabrication process, the next foundry process standard for discrete GPUs. Bulk manufacturing at TSMC's Fab 15 facility at 28 nm is still taking shape, TSMC will take volume orders only later this year. For the moment, it can run small batches for designers to test their designs. The GPU was running on a mobile platform (pictured below, the red PCB), cooled by a compact copper-channel air cooler, leading us to believe that this is a mainstream segment GPU, if not lower. The demo platform was showcased running DirectX 11 title Dirt 3. Besides that, absolutely no other details were shared, not even a company codename for the GPU board.

LucidLogix Injects HyperFormance to Virtu Software for Faster, More Responsive Gaming

LucidLogix demonstrated today for the first time at Intel Developer Forum 2011 (IDF) the injection of HyperFormance technology into its Virtu Universal GPU virtualization software for outstanding gaming responsiveness, visual quality and frame rates.

"Games are all about creating a suspension of disbelief and a more immersive overall lifelike experience," said Offir Remez, president and founder of Lucid. "HyperFormance technology provides a more responsive game interaction together with a clean visual image, making for a more pleasurable experience."

Gigabyte Displays its X79 High-End Motherboard Lineup at IDF

At IDF, motherboard vendors got to show off their near-complete socket LGA2011 motherboards based on the X79 chipset. Many of these were half-built and straight out of R&D at this year's Computex event, back in June. Gigabyte showed off its first X79 motherboards, the GA-X79-UD5, GA-X79-UD7, and G1.Assassin 2. Unlike previous generations of high-end Gigabyte motherboards, the UD7 isn't a beefed-up UD5 with added features and better cooling. The two are entirely different right from the PCB, to the features they offer.

The UD5 targets premium users, with eight DDR3 DIMM slots, geared for 3-card SLI/CrossFire, while the UD7 is bleeding-edge with just four DDR3 DIMM slots, but a wealth of overclocking features and support for 4-card SLI/Crossfire. Then there's the G1.Assassin 2, which targets the gamer-overclocker market with neat features such as hardware-accelerated Creative X-Fi audio and Bigfoot Killer NIC, with support for 3-card SLI/Crossfire.

AMD Set to Deliver Next Generation x86 Platforms for Windows 8

AMD announced today that it has created drivers to enable support for the upcoming Windows 8 operating system on AMD-based tablets, netbooks, PCs and servers. Continuing a long history of collaboration, AMD is working closely with Microsoft to empower a new generation of innovative PCs and small form factor computing devices.

Currently available Windows 7-based PCs powered by AMD VISION technology deliver multi-core processing for amazing performance, discrete-level graphics for brilliant HD experiences, and AMD AllDay Power for entertainment on the go. Furthermore, AMD VISION Engine Software is uniquely tailored to unlock visual computing with AMD Radeon Cores and video accelerators that enable vivid HD, AMD Steady Video software and accelerated applications like blazing fast Internet browsing.

Scythe Announces Mugen 3 PCGH Edition CPU Cooler

Japanese cooling expert Scythe is hereby announcing the special edition of Mugen 3 CPU Cooler. Scythe introduced a special PC Games Hardware Edition CPU Cooler already in the past. Back then Mugen 2 CPU Cooler was modified in cooperation with the editors from the German PC Magazine called PC Games Hardware. Today announced special edition of the Mugen 3 CPU Cooler was once again created in cooperation with the editors of PC Games Hardware in order to fulfill the demand of Power Users.

Outcome of the cooperation was a modified Mugen 3 CPU Cooler which was aiming for super silent noise level during operation, yet not sacrificing the high performance level. Hence main aluminum hetasink was not the target of modification instead airflow optimization was chosen. Normal version of Mugen 3 is equipped with one Scythe Slip Stream PWM Silent 120 mm axial fan where the PC Games Hardware Edition comes with the total of two Slip Stream 120 mm fans. Both Slip Stream 120 mm axial fans are constantly rotating with 800 rpm in a Push/Pull alignment, each creating total noise level of only 10.70 dBA. This dual fan setup is able to provide the required high performance level while remaining permanently silent.

Intel Desktop Board DX79SI Pictured

Here are the first pictures of Intel Desktop Board Extreme Series DX79SI. This is the first socket LGA2011 we've seen that has eight DDR3 DIMM slots (four on either side of the socket, two DIMMs per channel), every other board has barely enough room for four. LGA2011 supports quad-channel DDR3 memory, yielding 33% bandwidth gain over triple-channel DDR3 and 100% gain over dual-channel DDR3. Despite its large memory area, the DX79SI sticks to standard ATX board dimensions. This is thanks to some smart engineering.

While on other LGA2011 boards, the CPU VRM is concentrated to the north of the socket, on this board, it is split between the north and south of the socket. Both areas have heatsinks, and the VRM area to the south is located where older generations of motherboards would typically have the northbridge chip. X79 is a single-chip chipset, located where the PCH/southbridge typically is.

Intel Displays Self-Branded Water Cooling Solution for Sandy Bridge-E

Back in August, it was reported that the retail packages of some, if not all, Intel's Sandy Bridge-E Core i7 LGA2011 processors will not pack the certified cooling solution like Core i7 LGA1366 processors do. It was also reported that Intel will sell its own-branded cooling solutions separately. It became a little obvious right then, that Intel won't selling dinky-little heatsinks that cost a couple of dozen Dollars. At the ongoing IDF event, Intel displayed its first retail-packaged cooling solution that's not only LGA2011-compatible, but also supports older socket types such as LGA1155, LGA1156, and LGA1366.

The cooling solution is a closed-loop (self-contained) liquid cooler made by water cooling OEM Asetek. Called the RTS2011LC, the cooler is rated to cool processors with TDP of up to 130W. The cooler consists of an exposed-copper block that also houses the pump, tough and flexible tubing that runs to the radiator assembly, which houses a reservoir, and a fancy-looking 120 mm fan. Along with the fan, the Intel logo on the block lights up blue. The radiator used looks similar to that on the Hydro Series H70, a popular cooler by Corsair, which is also made by Asetek. Expected to be available around the same time as Core i7 LGA2011 processors, the Intel RTS2011LC could command a price over $99.
Tuesday, September 13th 2011

Today's Reviews

Accessories
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Motherboards
Mouse
NAS
Notebooks
Processors
Speakers
SSD
Storage
Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Review

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Review

The Thermaltake Chaser MK-1, a futuristic looking chassis with a long list of useful features manages to impress in terms of looks, but can it hold up on our test bench? We fill the case with hardware to see if it ends up being chased or really manages to stay the chaser in every scenario.

Silicon Power Launches 2011 Limited Edition Products

Leading memory storage brand, SP/Silicon Power announces a limited edition of Touch 850 flash drive, Luxmini 322 flash drive and Diamond D05 external portable hard drive today. With the fashionable design theme and exquisite product look, SP truly personalizes memory products for customers and again delivers its brand promise of "Memory is Personal".

The limited products are designed with a lightweight, small casing, and a quality coating that turns them into charming and easy-to-carry accessories. Touch 850 and Luxmini 322 come in capacities of 8GB and 16GB. Diamond D05 comes in choices of 500GB and 750GB.

ASUS ROG CG8565 Gaming Desktop Pictured

Here are the first pictures of ASUS' latest gaming desktop under its premium Republic of Gamers banner, the ROG CG8565. This black beauty is sculpted with the typical "edgy" design that has been found on recent ROG products. The case has no windows, but its design is enough to be an eyeball-magnet at LAN parties. The case looks well-ventilated with its intricately-designed vents on its top and sides. The front door slides down revealing the front panel, with two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, audio, multi-format card reader, a Blu-ray ROM + DVD-RW combo drive, and a 3.5-inch SATA hard drive hot-swap bay. The ROG logo glows red when the system is powered on.

Under the hood, the ROG CG8565 is a Sandy Bridge-powered system. It is driven by an Intel Core i7-2600K quad-core processor, that's overclocked out of the box at 4.20 GHz. There are two higher OC presets that's selectable using the ROG panel, OC1 runs the CPU at 4.40 GHz, and OC2 runs it at 4.60 GHz. The CPU makes use of liquid cooling. In all likelihood, the motherboard is an ROG Maximus IV-class. There's 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory.

Kingston Digital Launches First SandForce-based Business-Equipped SSD

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping the SSDNow KC100, the company's first SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s) business-equipped SSD. KC100 utilizes the latest award-winning SandForce controller. This powerhouse SSD delivers exceptional performance and instantly boosts the productivity of any client system.

KC100 is backed by a five-year warranty to match the industry average for product refresh cycles in the enterprise. Utilizing SandForce's DuraClass technology, KC100 delivers world-class data integrity protection. Corporations can rest assured their data is safe as the drive offers advanced wear leveling and garbage collection to maintain optimal endurance and performance. Data integrity protection runs transparently in the background so it never disrupts daily business.

AMD FX Sets Guinness Record for Clock Speed

Weeks ahead of its market launch, AMD pulled off a nice PR feat by setting making its trusty squad of overclockers, Sami Mäkinen, Brian Mclachlan, Pete Hardman, and Aaron Schradin set a new clock speed world record (as in Guinness World Record). With just one of its four modules enabled, the eight-core FX-8150 engineering sample was overclocked to a stunning 8429.38 MHz. The chip was able to tolerate a brutal core voltage of 2.016V. Even for a one-in-a-million cherry-picked chip, those are staggering numbers.

8429.38 MHz was achieved using a base clock of 271.92 MHz, with 31.0X multiplier. The memory used was a Corsair Dominator GT single module, which apparently tolerated 3:10 DRAM ratio and timings of 2-16-2-22. That's right, 2-16-2-22. ASUS Crosshair V Formula seated the platform. Cooling was care of a custom liquid-nitrogen evaporator setup. The team used liquid nitrogen as its cooling medium, and switched to liquid helium halfway, which has a lower boiling point. The team cherry-picked chips from the best lots on-site.
A video of the feat follows.

Sharkoon Announces Flexi-Drive Sprint Low-Cost USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Sharkoon is expanding their selection of USB3.0 sticks: With the previously introduced selection of high-performance models, the "Ultimate", "Extreme", and "Accelerate" are now joined by an economy model for price-conscious users: The Sharkoon Flexi-Drive Sprint offers a write speed of up to 20 MB/s and a read speed of up to 60 MB/s with full USB3.0 output, and storage capacities in both 16 GB and 32 GB. With native USB3.0 controller, is housed in a black plastic case with a cap and lanyard eyelet, measures 56 x 19 x 9 mm (L x W x H) and weighs 12 g.

Sharkoon offers both models at an aggressive price: The manufacturer's suggest retail prices are 16.49 euros for the 16GB model and 29.99 euros for the 32GB model. With the "Sprint" series, Sharkoon wants to give USB users an attractive incentive when transferring even larger storage capacities on a downward compatible SuperSpeed USB.

Alpenfohn Unveils Himalaya High-End CPU Heatsink

Alpenfohn unveiled its latest high-end CPU cooler, the Himalaya. Decked entirely in aluminum and nickel-plated copper, the Himalaya is a large tower-type cooler, with added innovations in the spread of heat pipes through the aluminum fin stack and the arrangement of fins in the stack itself. From the base, six U-shaped nickel-plated copper heat pipes arise, passing through the aluminum fin stack along the length and breadth of the aluminum fins. Fins are arranged in inverted sets of five producing a pattern along the column of the stack, which works to improve heat dissipation.

As a large heatsink the Alpenfohn Himalaya measures 40 x 164 x 55 mm, weighing 880 g. It makes use of a 140 mm Wing Boost PWM-controllable fan that spins between 300 to 1100 RPM with 10 to 19.4 dBA rated noise output. The cooler is compatible with all modern CPU socket types available in the market, including Intel LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, and LGA775; and AMD FM1, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, and AM2. It will be priced at €59.90.

MSI Announces N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2 GB Graphics Card

Leading graphics card and mainboard manufacturer MSI, has released N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5 and N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5/OC with double memory to provide a better gaming experience with big HD monitors. The N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5 series graphics card is equipped with the MSI exclusive Twin Frozr II thermal design that provides 20℃ lower temperatures.

The N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5 is supported by MSI's Afterburner overclocking utility and helps release its overclocking potential and adopting Military Class II components provides the best product stability. With the above features, the N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5 series graphics card is the best choice for HD gaming enthusiasts.

Intel Readies SSD 520 Series SATA 6 Gbps High-Performance Client SSDs

Intel is in no mood to settle down its high-end client solid-state drive (SSD) lineup, the company is preparing a new line of SSDs in the 2.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s form-factor that succeeds the SSD 510 Series. Called the SSD 520 Series, the new line consists of various size options that didn't exist with SSD 510 Series, improvements in performance and price per gigabyte, and a few new features. While the SSD 510 is available only in two sizes (capacities): 120 GB and 250 GB, SSD 520 Series comes in a lot more: 60 GB, 120 GB, 160 GB, 240 GB, and 480 GB. It's as if Intel is taking SandForce SF-22xx SSDs head-on at each price-point.

Sequential and random access performance figures are known to vary between different models (capacities) with Intel SSDs, but there's one set of them that we have in hand, perhaps it's of the fastest model: up to 530 MB/s read, 490 MB/s write sequential performance; and 40,000 IOPS reads and 45,000 IOPS writes random performance. SSD 520 Series drives make use of 25 nm MLC NAND flash memory, and a complete feature-set for today's client SSDs: TRIM, SMART, NCQ, and ACS-2 compliance. The drives are rated with 1.2 million hours MTBF, can operate between 0 and 70°C, and withstand up to 2.7 G (RMS) vibration. Production of Intel SSD 520 Series SATA 6 Gb/s drives are expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2011.

ENERMAX Releases New PLATIMAX Series 80 Plus Platinum Compliant PSUs

The most powerful power supply is ready to hit the market. ENERMAX is pleased to release the new PLATIMAX power supply series, which has achieved the highest 80PLUS Platinum standard with maximum efficiency over 94%.

PLATIMAX has a wide range of models from 600W to 1200W, which satisfies variety of heavy-duty platforms from multi-graphics-card workstation, industrial computer, or enterprise server. It is also great for the business application or home entertainment PC, bringing ultimate energy efficiency, stability, and silent power quality.
Monday, September 12th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Motherboards
Mouse
NAS
Notebooks
PSUs
SSD
Storage
OCZ ZS Series 650 W Review

OCZ ZS Series 650 W Review

OCZ is very busy lately releasing new PSU models. Today we have the chance to test the OCZ ZS 650W. The main difference compared to the bigger ZS 750W, besides capacity, is the reduced number of available PCIe connectors, only two. Like all ZS units it has 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency, its OEM is Sirfa and it uses a non-modular cabling design.

Apacer Unveils The Next-Gen Industrial Modular PATA SSD

Apacer Technology Inc., the global leader in memory module, demonstrates its outstanding customizability by rolling out the next-generation industrial modular PATA SSD for embedded/Thin Client devices: ADM 4 (ATA Disk Module). ADM4 boasts the slimmest profile among Apacer's PATA SSDs. It adopts a 44-pin connector and can be used either in parallel (at 180°) or perpendicularly (at 90° or 270°) for various mechanisms. The just-launched next-generation modular SSD breaks through the speed barriers by reaching the read/write speed of as fast as 80/50 MB/sec, which is several times higher than its predecessors. Widely recognized by Thin Client device users for its extreme reliability, the ADM series has made Apacer one of the main SSD suppliers for Thin Client systems around the world.

Lenovo Readies New ThinkVision Monitors

Lenovo is readying the launch of three new ThinkVision monitors, the 19-inch ThinkVision LT1952, the 22-inch LT2252p and the 24-inch LT2452p. The three feature LED-backlit LCD panels, among these, the LT2452p features an IPS (in-plane switching) panel, that ensures good viewing angles. A selling-point here is the UL Environment SPC Gold certification.

The LT1952p features a native resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels, a 1000:1 contrast ratio and 170°/160° viewing angles, the LT2252p has the same specifications, except for its 1680 x 1050 pixels resolution. The LT2452p leads the pack with its 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, 178°/ 178° viewing angles thanks to the IPS panel. A built-in USB hub, and a more flexible stand that allows tilting, swiveling and lifting adjustments, makes for the rest of this screen. The Lenovo ThinkVision LT1952, LT2252p, and LT2452p are priced at US $249.99, $339.99 and $449.99, respectively.

Broadcom to Acquire NetLogic Microsystems, Inc., A Leader in Network Processors

Broadcom Corporation, a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, and NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq:NETL), a leader in high performance intelligent semiconductor solutions for next generation networks, today announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Under the agreement, NetLogic Microsystems shareholders will receive $50 per share in a transaction of approximately $3.7 billion, net of cash assumed.

The acquisition meaningfully extends Broadcom's infrastructure portfolio with a number of critical new product lines and technologies, including knowledge-based processors, multi-core embedded processors, and digital front-end processors, each of which offers industry-leading performance and capabilities. The combination enables Broadcom to deliver best-in-class, seamlessly-integrated network infrastructure platforms to its customers, reducing both their time-to-market and their development costs.

VIA Labs Launches New Second-Generation USB 3.0 Hub Controller

VIA Labs, Inc., a leading supplier of SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) integrated chip controllers, today unveiled the VIA Labs VL811 4-port SuperSpeed Hub Controller. The VL811 is VIA Labs' second-generation USB 3.0 Hub product, and adds support for USB Battery Charging Spec. 1.2. Beyond transfer rates of up to 5Gbps, the VL811 features improved performance for new and existing devices with host controllers, and adds rapid-charging capabilities.

"VIA Labs VL811 builds on the success of the VL810, the world's first 4-port USB 3.0 Hub controller," said Terrance Shih, Project Manager of VIA Labs, Inc USB 3.0 Hubs. "It adds exciting new features, such as the rapid charging function and improved performance."

Radeon HD 7900 Series to Use XDR2 Memory?

AMD's next-generation enthusiast graphics processor (GPU) is shaping up to be something more unique than expected. The GPU codenamed "Tahiti" is going to be bleeding-edge in terms of its feature-set. To begin with, there's talk that it will make use of PCI-Express Generation 3 (Gen 3) system bus, which will give it a mammoth 32 GB/s of system interface bandwidth. Next, Tahiti will use a number-crunching architecture that's a generation ahead of even the VLIW4 it released with Cayman. VLIW4 will make up for most of the HD 7000 series, but not the top-end Tahiti GPU, it will use what AMD is referring to as "CoreNext Architecture", which is expected to boost performance per square millimeter die area beyond even what VLIW4 manages.

The most recent piece of information is bound to shock and awe. Tahiti, it appears, will use the XDR2 memory interface. XDR2 is an ultra-high bandwidth and power-efficient memory bus that's competitive with GDDR5, maintained by Rambus, which is claimed by it to be a generation ahead of GDDR5. It's not like XDR2 will be exotic to AIBs, the XDR architecture is used in game consoles where the high-bandwidth offsets low memory capacity by allowing quick streaming of texture data. Rambus licenses XDR memory chip manufacture to notable high-volume vendors. Nordic Hardware compiled data from various unreliable sources to sketch out what Radeon HD 7900 series could look like.

AMD FX Series Processors Up For Pre-Order

At last, AMD's highly-anticipated performance desktop processors, branded under the FX-Series, are up for pre-order, letting buyers book their chips so they could have it up and running on release date. American retailer Bottom-line Telecommunications (BLT) has the FX-8150 and FX-8120 eight-core chips; and FX-6100 six-core chip up for pre-order. Its price for the FX-8150 is US $266.28, the FX-8120 is priced at US $221.73, while the FX-6100 is priced at $188.32. BLT ships over ground for free to the 48 contiguous American states.

The new FX-Series processors are based on AMD's brand new "Bulldozer" micro-architecture, and come in the AM3+ package. The FX-8150 will lead the first wave with its eight cores clocked at 3.60 GHz, 16 MB of total cache (4x 2 MB L2 + 1x 8 MB L3); followed by the FX-8120 at 3.10 GHz, also with 16 MB cache. The FX-6100 six-core processor is clocked at 3.30 GHz, with 14 MB cache (3x 2 MB L2 + 1x 8 MB L3). Market release is expected in October. You can be ready for the new chips by purchasing socket AM3+ motherboards, ideally those based on the AMD 9-series chipset, as they are already available in the market.

Thermaltake Announces New High-Wattage, High-Efficiency Toughpower XT PSU Models

Thermaltake, an award winning state of art PC power supplies, the leader and pioneer in PC thermal solutions, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, with "delivering the perfect user experiences" as our mission, this September Thermaltake is presenting a visionary outlook of the world first efficient high-output power supply unit "The Toughpower XT Platinum & Gold series", - a rigorous power plant series aiming towards hardcore gamers, DIY enthusiasts, professionals and massive power consumption machines to fulfill every possible condition.

The new Toughpower XT Platinum & Gold series is a set of meticulous PC power plants include 1275W Platinum, 1375W Gold and 1475W Gold, are the world first high-output power supply units with 80Plus Platinum and Gold (the highest efficiency levels) certified which can perform up to 94% power efficiency.
Sunday, September 11th 2011

Shuttle Announces New Fanless Slimline PCs

Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH, European subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., one of the leading developers and manufacturers of compact PC solutions such as the world-renowned XPC Mini PC Barebones today announces the sales launch of Version 2 of its XS35 product line.

Just as its predecessor, the new generation of XS35 models is built around energy-saving components and runs virtually silently. The new XS35 series does away with any fans and remains nearly inaudible at any time which predestines such space-saving PCs use in the living room at home, in the office, classrooms and even in libraries. The energy-efficient Intel Atom D525 processor provides sufficient power for all daily computing applications. While the basic version, XS35V2, comes with integrated Intel GMA 3150 graphics, the XS35GTV2 barebone is equipped with NVIDIA's Next-Generation ION graphics solution that even allows for playback of full HD content at 1080p.

Corsair Announces New High-Speed USB 3.0 Flash Drives

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the availability of USB 3.0 versions of their award-winning Flash Voyager GT, Flash Voyager, and Flash Survivor product lines.

Flash Voyager GT USB 3.0: Superior Speed and Renowned Flash Voyager Durability
The premium performance Flash Voyager GT USB 3.0 provides data transfer rates of up to four times the speed of USB 2.0 drives, and even two times the speed of standard USB 3.0 flash drives - the 64GB model has a maximum read speed of 135 MB/sec and a maximum write speed of 83 MB/sec. Fully backward compatible with USB 2.0, it's also one of the fastest USB 2.0 flash drives on the market. The tough all-rubber housing is water-resistant, and the rounded edge design makes it an ideal choice for busy professionals and PC enthusiasts who need to quickly and safely transport important data.
Saturday, September 10th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Multimedia
Nettops
Networking
Notebooks
Processors
PSUs
SSD

Club 3D Announces the New GeForce GTX 560 Ti Green Edition

Club 3D unveils today the newest member of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560Ti graphics core. The Club 3D GeForce GTX 560Ti Green Edition features high quality components that minimize power loss, as a result you will expect lower temperatures and noise.

This card shares identical gpu and memory speeds to the standard configuration but improves on energy efficiency. The card is backed by a 2 year warranty and will be available at leading online and in-store retailers across Europe and Asia.
Thursday, September 8th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Motherboards
Mousepads
Multimedia
Networking
Notebooks
PSUs
SSD
Fractal Design CORE 1000 Review

Fractal Design CORE 1000 Review

The CORE 1000 is the most affordable entry into the Micro ATX case market from Fractal Design. It is aimed to take on the Cooler Master Elite and the Xigmatek Asgard by offering as many features at an affordable price point. Will it prevail?

Apacer Debuts World’s Lightest USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Apacer, a global leader in digital storage, unveiled today another masterpiece --AH350 USB 3.0 flash drive. Only a sleek and super speed gadget can keep you on board the trend bandwagon, and AH350 typified such a device with its top performance plus a streamlined design. AH350 adopts the single-chip controller, and is the lightest USB3.0 flash drive to hit the market.

"Flash drive is a widely-used functional storage product; users would look forward to a more compact, faster and better quality flash drive that features a larger storage capacity, more stable performance and a more customer friendly price," said Grace Lo, Associated Vice President of Apacer Commodity Business Unit. "Thanks to its competitive edge in storage technology, Apacer takes the lead in making USB 3.0 products more compact and prevalent by launching AH350. As a one-stop solution that meets every consumer need, AH350 is most lightweight USB 3.0 flash drive with the highest cost performance available in the market."

AMD Expands its Desktop Line-Up of AMD Fusion APUs with A4 Series

AMD today announced availability of the AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) A4-3300 and A4-3400 desktop processors, bringing the entry-level desktop APU price down to just $70 (U.S. suggested retail price) for consumers who want PCs with brilliant HD graphics, advanced performance, and fast application and connectivity speeds.

The AMD A4-3300 and A4-3400 desktop APUs each combine two x86 CPU cores with 160 Radeon cores, enabling powerful DirectX 11-capable discrete-level graphics and dedicated HD video processing on a single chip. These dual-core APUs enable responsive and energy-efficient performance for everyday PC productivity and multitasking, as well as an amazing gaming experience.

G-Technology by Hitachi Showcases Its First 4 TB Hard Drives

Post production pros know that you can never have enough fast, cool and reliable storage. Dedicated to serving the Apple Mac and creative professional audio/video (A/V) markets, G-Technology by Hitachi is demoing its first 4TB hard drives at IBC 2011 (Stand #7.D12a) in its two-drive, RAID 0, G-RAID solution. Continuing to develop innovative and creative storage solutions for those looking to push creativity beyond the limits, the 8TB G-RAID demo shows how G-Technology is making digital production faster, super-sized and affordable, giving users a competitive edge in the demanding entertainment and film industry.

AMD Readies Two Unlocked A-Series APUs

In the fourth quarter of 2011, AMD will unveil new A-Series APUs in the socket FM1 package, these include not one (as reported back in July), but two models that come with unlocked base clock multipliers. Unlocked multipliers made overclocking significantly easier. While AMD won't use the "Black Edition" moniker, it will use the "K" extension. Incidentally, "K" stands for "black" in the CMYK colour model.

AMD's unlocked APUs include the A8-3870K and the A6-3670K, which are 100 MHz faster than the A8-3850 and A6-3650, respectively. With its four x86-64 cores clocked at 3.00 GHz, the A8-3870K features 400 stream processors running at 600 MHz on its Radeon GPU component, while the A6-3670K CPU cores are clocked at 2.70 GHz, and the chip has 320 stream processors running at 444 MHz. The two chips, however, will not feature TurboCore technology for the CPU cores.

OCZ Strata and Nocti mSATA SSDs Listed

OCZ is an established SSD vendor with SSDs of all shapes and sizes, from SATA to PCIe, and even USB 3.0. It's natural that the company would pick up on mSATA, a form-factor that finds relevence in ultra-portable notebooks, and recently, motherboards with SSD caching technologies such as Intel Smart Response. OCZ has two mSATA SSD lines, Strata and Nocti. Strata is driven by OCZ's own Indilinx controller, while Nocti is SandForce-driven.

Specifications are tabled below:

November 15 Launch Date for Sandy Bridge-E

Even as AMD struggles to get its FX series processors out, and into to the market, Intel seems to be doing the opposite: trying to get Sandy Bridge-E (enthusiast) out as quickly as possible. The new high-end desktop/workstation platform was slated for December, and then there was news that chipset delays could push it into 2012. Fresh news pin-points the launch date to Week 46 of 2011, more specifically, November 15. On that day, Intel will have processors as well as compatible Desktop Board products (Intel-branded motherboards) out in the markets, ready for purchase. Ideally, motherboard vendors should have their socket LGA2011 products stocked up by then, too.

Intel will begin the Sandy Bridge-E platform with Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition 6-core Unlocked processor, Core i7-3930K 6-core Unlocked processor, and Core i7-3820 4-core processor. Intel X79 Express is the De facto desktop chipset. The first compatible Intel Desktop Board products include DX79SI, and DX79TO.

Antec Announces SOLO II Enclosure

Antec, Inc., the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, announced today the SOLO II enclosure, which offers a new set of Quiet Computing and high performance features for enthusiasts and specialty users.

The SOLO II is smaller than a mid-tower but as expandable as larger, higher priced enclosures, making it a versatile case for home and corporate settings. With sturdy construction and elegant finishing, the SOLO II functions quietly and gracefully for whatever it houses.
Wednesday, September 7th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Notebooks
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Fostex HP-P1 Headphone Amplifier & DAC Review

Fostex HP-P1 Headphone Amplifier & DAC Review

Fostex's newest product is a headphone amplifier and DAC dubbed the HP-P1. The HP-P1 offers a fully digital connection to any newer iPod or iPhone. Its ability to read digital data from the device is a unique feature that promises maximized audio quality because it bypasses the cheap analog hardware in the i-device.

AMD Ships First ''Bulldozer'' Processors, Available in Q4

Today, AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced revenue shipments of the first processors based on its new x86 "Bulldozer" architecture. Initial production of the world's first 16-core x86 processor, codenamed "Interlagos," began in August and shipping to customers is already underway. Compatible with existing AMD Opteron 6100 Series platforms and infrastructure, "Interlagos" is expected to launch and be available in partner systems in the fourth quarter of this year. Many of the initial shipments have been earmarked for large custom supercomputer installations that are now underway.

"This is a monumental moment for the industry as this first 'Bulldozer' core represents the beginning of unprecedented performance scaling for x86 CPUs," said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group. "The flexible new 'Bulldozer' architecture will give Web and datacenter customers the scalability they need to handle emerging cloud and virtualization workloads."
For more information, visit the pages of Opteron 6000 series and Opteron 4000 series.

MSI Calls Bluff on Gigabyte's PCIe Gen 3 Ready Claim

In August, Gigabyte made a claim that baffled at least MSI, that scores of its motherboards are Ready for Native PCIe Gen. 3. Along with the likes of ASRock, MSI was one of the first with motherboards featuring PCI-Express 3.0 slots, the company took the pains to educate buyers what PCI-E 3.0 is, and how to spot a motherboard that features it. MSI thinks that Gigabyte made a factual blunder bordering misinformation by claiming that as many as 40 of its motherboards are "Ready for Native PCIe Gen. 3." MSI decided to put its engineering and PR team to build a technically-sound presentation rebutting Gigabyte's claims.

More slides, details follow.

AMD Delays FX Series Launch to October, Expands First Wave

Even as there are rumors that the launch of Opteron processors based on the Bulldozer architecture is imminent, there is news that AMD has rescheduled the launch of its FX series performance desktop processors to October 2011, sources told X-bit Labs. The reasons for the delay are known, but when the processors do come out, AMD wants to make sure that they target as many performance price-points as possible, and so the first wave of FX processors will include 7 models, that's four 8-core FX-8000 series chips, one 6-core FX-6000 series chip, and two 4-core FX-4000 series chips.

The first wave is going to include the 3.60 GHz FX-8150, the 3.10 GHz FX-8120 that will be available in 95W and 125W variants, and 2.80 GHz FX-8100 eight-core models; 3.30 GHz FX-6100 six-core model; 4.20 GHz FX-4170 and 3.60 GHz FX-4100 quad-core chips. As you can see, AMD does seem to have tweaked the clock speeds of some of the models compared to older clock speed tables by other sources. The next wave of FX series processors is slated for Q1 2012, which includes faster models across the three lines. According to data compiled by X-bit Labs, the FX series can now be tabulated as shown below.

Gigabyte Releases Sandy Bridge-Ready Thin Mini-ITX Motherboard to Retail Channel

What you're looking at below is one of the first "Thin mini-ITX" motherboards sold in the retail channel. The GA-MSH61DI is designed for extremely compact mini-ITX cases, that are thinner than the rear panel of ATX/ITX form-factors, and all-in-one PCs. The board draws power from an external power brick through a 12V DC input jack, the board then gives out SATA and Molex power via cables. It seats socket LGA1155 "Sandy Bridge" Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors with a maximum TDP of 95W.

The CPU socket is powered by a 3-phase VRM. The processor is backed by Intel H61 Express chipset. It is wired to two angled DDR3 SO-DIMM slots that can hold up to 8 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1333 MHz memory. There are no perpendicular expansion slots, but there's one mSATA slot that can hold an SSD, an mPCIe that can hold a wireless networking card, and an LVDS (low-voltage differential signaling) slot that can be used for devices such as VGA connections to LCD panels. The H61 chipset gives out two SATA 3 Gb/s ports apart from the mSATA slot.

Seagate Announces World's First 4 TB Desktop Hard Drive

Seagate today announced it is shipping a new 4TB GoFlex Desk external hard drive - the highest capacity hard drive in the industry. This latest addition to the GoFlex Family of external hard drives showcases Seagate's new desktop design. The streamlined industrial design delivers a smaller footprint and better reflects the aesthetic of today's modern offices while still providing all of the benefits of previous generations of the GoFlex drives. The new 4TB GoFlex Desk drive is now available from www.seagate.com and will be available from select online retailers within the month for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $249.99 USD. The entire line of GoFlex Desk products will also adopt the new industrial design in the coming weeks. The GoFlex Desk for Mac external drive featuring both FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 will be available in Apple stores by the end of the month.

HighPoint Ships RocketRAID 2711 Cost-Effective 4-port SAS 6 Gbps HBA

HighPoint Technologies, Inc., a leading HBA and storage solutions manufacturer, is now shipping its latest SAS 6Gb/s HBA, the RocketRAID 2711. Designed specifically for workstations and entry-level servers, the RocketRAID 2711 is an external 4-port, SAS 6Gb/s PCI-E 2.0 x8 RAID controller supports SAS/SATA devices in a variety of storage configurations including direct connectivity, SATA JBOD, and SAS expansion.

The RocketRAID 2711 delivers enterprise management and connectivity features at entry level costs. The Industry standard external Mini-SAS port (SFF-8088) simplifies installation procedures and is compatible with a wide range of storage devices available for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and Mac platforms, including the recent release of MacOS X Lion. The low-profile design allows the card to be integrated into a variety of rack-mount and chassis designs.

TRENDnet Demonstrates First 500 Mbps Powerline Adapter with Four Integrated GbE Ports

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, demonstrates today from IFA Berlin the first 4-Port 500Mbps Powerline AV Adapter, model TPL-405E, which features four Gigabit ports to connect all media center devices to a high speed 500Mbps Powerline network.

New media center devices such as Internet televisions, NVRs, Receivers, and game consoles are now network ready-meaning that each device is capable of streaming large HD files directly from the Internet. TRENDnet's ground breaking 4-Port 500Mbps Powerline AV Adapter connects up to four media center devices to the Internet at the same time using existing electrical lines.

BIOSTAR Announces TZ68K+ Performance Motherboard

BIOSTAR, a world famous manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, industrial computing systems and computer peripherals, expanded the T Series with the TZ68K+ motherboard based on the latest single-chip Intel Z68 chipset. The new board features the ATX form-factor (305 x 230 mm) and is aimed at system integrators and individual builders of high-performance desktop systems.

The BIOSTAR TZ68K+ motherboard fully supports all functional capabilities embedded into the latest version of the Intel Z68 chipset. They are a support for second-generation multi-core Intel Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 CPUs (Sandy Bridge) with TDP up to 95W for the LGA 1155 Socket, integrated SATA 3.0 ports (SATA600) and speedy PCI Express 2.0 interfaces for peripherals. One can also arrange RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 arrays with the Matrix RAID function and make use of the Smart Response technology that allows caching storage devices with additional flash memory.
Tuesday, September 6th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
Desktop PC
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Z68 PCI-Express 3.0 LGA1155  Review

Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Z68 PCI-Express 3.0 LGA1155 Review

Outfitted with a real X-Fi chipset and a KillerNIC E2100 to score maximum kills, Gigabyte's latest from the G1.Killer series, the G1.Sniper2, hits TechPowerUp's boot camp. Ready to jump into trenches and enter combat, we put the Intel Z68-equipped G1.Sniper2 in the front lines, target in sight.

Invensas Unveils Multi-Die Face-Down Packaging Technology at IDF

Invensas Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tessera Technologies, Inc., announced that it will demonstrate the dual-face down (DFD) implementation of its new multi-die face-down (xFD) packaging technology at the Intel Developer's Forum (IDF) in San Francisco September 13-15, 2011.

As a result of rapid growth in multi-core processing and computing virtualization, today's data center servers require increased DRAM capacity and performance. New applications for notebook computers, tablets and smart phones also demand additional device performance balanced with battery life and reduced form-factor. A market-ready packaging platform, the Invensas xFD technology is cost-effective and improves capacity and performance for DRAM devices and memory modules.

ASRock Gives Vision 3D Sandy Bridge Power

ASRock's frontline mini PC product, Vision 3D, is set to get a hardware specifications update, to the second generation Intel Core processor "Sandy Bridge" family, from its current Core "Westmere" family. The new model will be available with your choice of Core i3, i5, or i7 processor, and will come with an updated connectivity. Aiding the Sandy Bridge processor will be NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M GPU. Using NVIDIA Optimus technology, users will be able to switch between the GeForce discrete GPU and the Intel integrated GPU. The desktop supports NVIDIA's stereo 3D technologies.

In its tiny dimensions of 200mm(W) x 70mm(H) x 200mm(L), the Vision 3D packs 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1333 MHz memory, several storage options, a slot-in Blu-ray drive and connectivity that includes four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, eSATA, 8 channel THX-compliant audio with optical SPDIF output, and display outputs that include HDMI 1.4 and DVI. A Windows Media Center Remote comes bundled, completing the package of what will be a great mate for your HDTV.

EIZO Helps Businesses Go Green with LED-Backlit 23-inch Monitors

Eizo Nanao Corporation today introduced two 23-inch full HD (1920 x 1080 native resolution) monitors for trading rooms, back offices, and other business environments, the FlexScan EV2335W and FlexScan EV2315W. These models are the latest in EIZO's "EcoView" line of ecological, ergonomic and energy-efficient monitors. They both feature white LED backlights which are mercury free and reduce power consumption to just 16 watts during typical use.

MSI Develops Dust Removal Technology for Graphics Cards

Of late, MSI has been at the forefront of graphics card innovations. The latest is what the company refers to as "Dust Removal Technology". Dust buildup on the surface of heatsink fins can reduce cooling efficiency. Without giving us too many details about its testing, MSI claims that a clean cooler can keep temperatures down by as much as 15°C. Dust Removal Technology uses a simple method of running fans in the opposite rotation, drawing air from the heatsink and pushing it out through its intakes, with 100% fan speed for 30 seconds at system startup can work to reduce dust accumulation in the tough to clean parts of the cooler. Since the "dust removal" happens on each system startup, cleaning happens on a very regular basis. MSI plans to implement the Dust Removal Technology on all its new and upcoming graphics cards.

Hitachi GST Ships One Terabyte Per Platter Hard Drives

As the first to ship a multi-disk 1TB hard disk drive (HDD) in 2007, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that is has achieved yet another 1TB milestone by squeezing it on a single disk. Leveraging the company's strong R&D heritage and time-to-market leadership, the new one terabyte per platter (1TB/platter), one-disk, Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.D drive family is now shipping worldwide. Featured in both Deskstar and CinemaStar brands, Hitachi is providing a full range of capacities, 250GB - 1TB, on both low RPM CoolSpin and 7,200 RPM platforms.

With the addition of the new Deskstar and CinemaStar drives, which are first in a family of 1TB/platter drives, Hitachi continues to offer one of the broadest most reliable product lines for desktop and mobile solutions. For the ultra thin and light notebook market, Hitachi delivers the 7mm z-height Travelstar Z5K500 drives (636 gigabits per square inch "Gb/in²"). And now, ideal for high-performing desktop computers and the consumer electronics (CE) market, Hitachi presents the new 1TB/platter Deskstar and CinemaStar family drives (569 Gb/in²).

3 Million Dirt 3 Steam Keys of AMD Radeon Promotion Leaked

In a major embarrassment to the people behind the AMD Radeon Dirt 3 promotion, as many as 3 million Steam product redeem codes of Dirt 3, the new rally simulator game, were leaked to the internet, according to a post on Steam forums by a Bohemia Interactive representative. AMD is running a promotion where select models of Radeon graphics cards across various AIB partners and AMD's own A-Series APUs, come with free Dirt 3 keys that can be redeemed in Steam for a copy of the game.

According to the representative, those millions of keys were stored in an SQL database that could have been easily accessed by a simple missing .htaccess exploit. Steam might blacklist all those keys, and ask users with valid codes to re-register their products with AIB partners for fresh keys. Steam users reported a "Steam Key Giveaway" running on an infamous imageboard, to which the Bohemia Interactive representative responded.

Update 09/06

ASUS Intros E45M1-M PRO Fusion Motherboard with AMD E-450 APU

ASUS released a new embedded micro-ATX motherboard based on AMD's Fusion "Zacate" processor platform. The new E45M1-M PRO from ASUS resembles the E35M1-M PRO, except that it's powered by the newer AMD E-450 dual-core APU. Clocked at 1.65 GHz, the E-450 combines two Bobcat architecture x86-64 cores with Radeon HD 6320 DirectX 11-compliant graphics packing 80 stream processors, and a DDR3-1333 MHz integrated memory controller. The E45M1-M PRO measures 244 x 183 mm, and makes use of all of its expansion area to provide four expansion slots: a PCI-Express 2.0 x16, a PCI-E x1, and two legacy PCI.

The board draws power from standard 24-pin ATX with 4-pin CPU power. A 3-phase VRM handles APU power, it is backed by ASUS EPU chip that works to improve energy efficiency. The APU is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, for single-channel DDR3 memory. A large heatsink cools both the APU and Hudson M1 chipset, optionally a fan can be attached to cool it better.
Monday, September 5th 2011

Today's Reviews

Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Input Devices
Keyboards
Motherboards
Mouse
NAS
Nettops
Notebooks
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Corsair TX750M 750 W Review

Corsair TX750M 750 W Review

The new Corsair TX M lineup is an evolutionary step forward from the Corsair TX V2 Series. It introduces modular connectors and a new fan grill design. Internally, the platform provider has been changed from Seasonic to Channel Well Technology. Overall the TX750M is a rock solid performer that comes at only a moderate price increase.

Intel Readies SSD 710 Series for the Enterprise Market

In the weeks to come, Intel will unveil a new family of solid state drives, the SSD 710 series, codenamed "Lyndonville". These come in the 2.5-inch form-factor, and use the 3 Gb/s SATA interface. Intel is pitching SSD 710 series to the enterprise computing segment, as a potential successor of even the X25-E series. Its design principles include giving the enterprise segment an SSD with lower price per gigabyte and endurance comparable to X25-E. Intel is able to achieve lower price per gigabyte because it is using High Endurance Technology Multi-Level Cell (HET-MLC) NAND flash memory chips built on the 25 nanometer fabrication proces, and not 50 nm SLC NAND flash.

Intel's SSD 710 series are available in three capacities - 100 GB, 200 GB, and 300 GB. The endurance rating, 4 KB and 8 KB random read/write performance, and even sequential transfer rates vary between the three. Endurance and performance are also affected by overprovisioning. The drives can be set provide its maximum advertised unformatted capacity, or 20% of it can be overprovisioned. The SSD 710 drives provide up to 1,500 TB 4 KB random write endurance, and up to 2,400 IOPS 4 KB random write performance.

TYAN Announces its First LGA1155 Client Motherboard for Core Processors

TYAN, an industry-leading server platform manufacturer, and a subsidiary of MiTAC International Corp., announced its TYAN S5515, the first Intel Core i3/i5/i7 supporting single socket server platform. As a Micro ATX form factor motherboard with Intel Q67 chipset on-board, the TYAN S5515 is designed to support single Intel 32nm Core i3/i5/i7 Processors. The innovative S5515 delivers higher performance in comparison to other desktops, workstations or general embedded solutions because of its sever-level feature set. The TYAN S5515 is also a compelling, cost-effective embedded solution because of its flexibility through multiple PCIe expansion slots on-board.

The S5515 motherboard features the following expansion slots (1) PCI-E 2.0 x16, (1) PCI-E x8, (1) PCI-E x1 and (1) PCI x1. The S5515 also includes (4) DDR3 DIMM sockets, (2) GbE LAN ports, (4) SATA II ports, (2) SATA III ports, (2) USB 3.0 ports and (4) RS232 Com ports on board that makes it the most ideal embedded platform that targets gaming, kiosk and signage and medical industry applications which require greater graphical functions. The S5515 is available worldwide through the TYAN distribution channel now.

Intel Releases 16 New Chips Over The Weekend

Intel launched as many as 16 new processors over the weekend, including 11 desktop socket LGA1155, and 5 mobile chips. The new wave includes several new sub-$100 parts covering key price-points, and carrying the Pentium and Celeron brands. Leading the pack is a new quad-core chip that is sure to strike a price-performance sweetspot: the Core i5-2320. This chip displaces the Core i5-2300 from its price-point of US $177, and is faster. While the i5-2300 is nominally clocked at 2.80 GHz, the i5-2320 runs at 3.00 GHz. Another significant introduction here is the Core i3-2130, which displaces the i3-2120 from its price-point of $139. The new dual-core chip is clocked at 3.40 GHz, 100 MHz faster than the chip it's displacing.

Then there's another kind of change, the Core i3-2125. This chip is identically clocked with the i3-2120 at 3.30 GHz, but it might be tweaked in other parameters (such as GPU clock speed, feature-set, etc). Core i3-2120T is a new low-power desktop chip, that's clocked at 2.60 GHz, and nearly half the rated TDP, at 35W. Then there's a trio of Pentium-branded dual-core chips, including the G630T, G860, and G630, clocked at 2.30 GHz, 3.00 GHz, and 2.70 GHz, displacing the G620T, G850, and G620, respectively.

Thermaltake Announces Massive 23 GT Notebook Cooler

Thermaltake continually revolutionizes the market by creating, innovating and implementing the most efficient solution on the products which designed to provide maximum performance to gamers of all levels. With the "deliver the perfect user experience" as the determinative mission, Thermaltake this September is globally introducing the new Massive 23 GT Notebook Cooler which continues the illustrious features of Thermaltake "Massive23 LX" and "Massive23 CS", and excitingly takes it into future. The design idiom accentuates its lively, stylish and passionate presence. The same applies to the functionality.

The new Massive 23 GT Notebook Cooler blends flip-up valve design with five different angles adjustment with ergonomic typing angle, high airflow 200mm red LED fan decreases temperature, multiple applications for notebook and tablet PC, such as iPad, its fan speed control from 500 to 800 RPM, dual USB and one mini USB ports for expandable usage for everyday uses, top performance with exemplary for keeping notebook components running at optimal temperatures and creating the perfect atmosphere for the users! This summer, the easy carrying Massive 23 GT Notebook Cooler will put out the fire in games and cool the battling gears for gamers to achieve best effectiveness in FPS, RPG, MMORPG and RTS gaming competition.

Samsung's Portable DVD Writer Doubles Up As Wireless AP

Samsung Electronics unveiled a new portable DVD writer drive that can be networked, and wireless at that. The Samsung SE-20BW can join your wireless network, or start one by working as a wireless access point (AP). As an access point, it can be used as a standalone NAS to serve data on optical discs to your PC, smartphone, and tablet. There's a USB 2.0 port that takes in an additional USB mass storage device, such as a portable hard drive or USB flash drive, and lets you share it along with the optical disc over the wireless network. The drive can stream DVDs to all DLNA-compliant consumer electronics device, such as HDTVs.

As an optical drive, the Samsung SE-20BW reads DVDs and CDs at 24X speed. It writes DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-R discs at 8X. DVD-RW, double-layer DVD+R and double-layer DVD-R discs are written at 6X. DVD-RAM discs are written at 5X. CDs are written at 24X. Measuring 140 x 21.5 x 200 mm, this network-attached optical drive is quite pocketable, if it isn't for the power adapter it lugs. Market release is expected in early 2012.

NEC Display Solutions Announces MultiSync P Series P241W Desktop Monitors

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today the first model in the new generation of the MultiSync P Series with the 24-inch widescreen MultiSync P241W desktop monitor and added the P241W-BK-SV to the renowned SpectraView II Series.

Ideal for web graphics and photography applications, the P241W utilizes an e-IPS panel for great imaging performance. This sRGB monitor offers users working in color-critical environments the opportunity to take advantage of professional-grade desktop display features without breaking budgets. Its widescreen real estate, USB hub with DisplaySync Pro and completely customizable Picture Modes greatly improve user productivity.

Phanteks Introduces PH-TC14PE Premier CPU Cooler

Phanteks announced the launch of its Premier CPU cooler PH-TC14PE with patented C.P.S.C and P.A.T.S. technology. The PH-TC14PE will be available in four models, standard color and Blue/Red/Orange Edition

Phanteks coolers are designed with patented Cold Plasma Spraying Coating Technology (C.P.S.C), a brand new technologic forming deposit that displaces heat onto corresponding metals at a quicker rate. With this technology, Phanteks coolers enhances thermal conductivity on the soldered surfaces of the heatpipes through the copper deposits.

HighPoint Launches Cost-Effective, Dual-Port USB 3.0 5Gb/s HBA

HighPoint Technologies, Inc., an industry leading HBA and storage solutions manufacturer, launches the first of its Dual-Port 5Gb/s USB 3.0 HBA's, the RocketU 1022A. These low-cost, PCI-E 2.0 x1 USB 3.0 SuperSpeed HBA's are ideal upgrades for any desktop PC, and are well-suited for a variety of external storage configurations.

The Introduction of the low-cost Dual Port RocketU USB 3.0 HBA's is in keeping with Highpoint's long standing reputation as the manufacturer of choice for cost-effective, cutting-edge storage HBA's. The RocketU 1022A is a PCI-E 2.0 x1 USB 3.0 SuperSpeed HBA and delivers 5Gb/s of transfer bandwidth. The two type-A ports have been designed to deliver optimal performance for USB 3.0 hard drives and SSD's, and are suited for a wide-range of applications including portable/removable storage, storage expansion, personal media libraries, and backup solutions.
Friday, September 2nd 2011

Today's Reviews

Accessories
Cases
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mouse
PSUs
Sound Cards
SSD
Storage

Samsung Unveils Slim Portable Blu-ray Writer Drive for Mobile PC Market

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new slim portable Blu-ray Writer, the SE-506AB optical disk drive (ODD).

SE-506AB features a slim and sleek design with a hi-glossy anti-scratch surface. It is 12 percent smaller than Samsung's conventional Blu-ray drive to accommodate today's hectic mobile lifestyle. The slim form factor is also supported with a USB power interface that eliminates the need for a separate electrical outlet.

Creative Rolls Out Sound Blaster SoundCore 3D 'Quad-Core' PCIe Sound Cards

Alongside the Recon3D external audio device for PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, Creative announced its latest line of PCI-Express sound cards. It's curtains for the X-Fi generation of sound cards that led Creative's pack through the second half of the last decade. Creative's newest sound card technology is called Sound Core3D. Unlike with X-Fi which continued the tradition of high-performance native (hardware) audio processing by making use of RISC processors on the card such as the CA20K series, with Sound Core3D "quad-core", the focus finally shifted to the set of DSPs (digital signal processors).

The "quad-core" moniker doesn't refer to there being four processing cores on the sound card, but a set of four DSPs, not necessarily hardware-accelerated, that work to give out the best audio. Two main DSP sets include Creative CrystalVoice and THX TruStudio Pro. THX TruStudio Pro is a DSP set that we're familiar with, some modern sound cards feature it, some motherboard vendors even pack it with their onboard HD audio solutions. THX TruStudio Pro provides THX TruStudio Pro Crystalizer, which works to improve clarity of lossy compressed audio, TruStudio Pro Surround creates a virtual 360 degree surround space that is touted to be better than the countless earlier attempts by various companies, at virtual surround. Smart Volume is a volume stabilizer that keeps in check abrupt volume spikes in games. Dialog Plus controls the mid frequencies to ensure the clearest voice dialog in games (cut-scenes or multiplayer voice chat). Lastly, Pro Bass is a bass compensation feature that works to restore lossy bass.

Buffalo Unveils MiniStation 750 GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive

Backing up the launch of MiniStation 3.0 1.5 TB, Buffalo Technology also released the MiniStation 750 GB (HD-PCT750U2). This one, however, uses the USB 2.0 HiSpeed interface. It uses essentially the same chassis as the MiniStation 3.0, measuring 77 x 14 x 114 mm, and weighining in at 165 g. It comes in Piano Black or Pearl White glossy finishes. Software for data backup, encryption, and power savings (ECO Manager) come bundled with the drive. Slated for a little later this month, the Buffalo MiniStation 750 GB is backed by a one-year warranty, and is expected to be priced at the equivalent of US $138 in Japan.

Thermaltake Announces LifeCool Notebook Cooling Pad

Thermaltake, a cult brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, eSports, technology and lifestyle, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components, with "delivering the perfect user experiences" as our mission, is pleased to announce a global launch of a brand new LifeCool Notebook Cooling Pad for your e-lifestyle and A-entertainment (fruity entertainment).

Designed for maximum cooling performance and excellent flexibility, the LifeCool Notebook Cooling Pad extends the lifespan of the notebooks/laptops/ tablet PC and reduces the risk of heat failures of the notebook components. The LifeCool Notebook Cooling Pad is an ultimate cooler with excellent ergonomics between you and your notebook/ laptop or tablet PC while you are working, enjoying games at your desk or on the road. Both appearance and functionality make the LifeCool Notebook Cooling Pad the best possible choice in the market for cooling and entertainment.

Toshiba Extends USB 3.0 HDD Range with STOR.E CANVIO and BASICS

Toshiba Europe Storage Peripherals Division, today announced a new series of USB 3.0 external hard disk drives (HDDs) that meet the high capacity, fast access storage demands of the data-hungry digital generation. The new STOR.E HDD series offers two products, the STOR.E BASICS and the STOR.E CANVIO, with (500GB, 750GB, 1TB) capacities to provide users with flexibility according to their digital needs. Along with high capacities, the USB 3.0 interface delivers fast transfer rates of up to 5 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps), ensuring the quickest access times to your data. Both HDDs come fully equipped with an Internal Shock Sensor and Ramp Loading Alert, which are essential features to protect data against accidental knocks whilst carried around in bags or pockets. The drives come in a range of exciting STOR.E CANVIO colour options, including black, red, green, and blue.
Thursday, September 1st 2011

Today's Reviews

Accessories
Cases
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Monitors
Motherboards
Mouse
Multimedia
NAS
Notebooks
Processors
PSUs
Biostar TA75A+ Socket FM1 Review

Biostar TA75A+ Socket FM1 Review

AMD's new Llano APU lineup gets a stylish new addition with the Biostar TA75A+. Sporting an fancy color scheme, and a low price, the Biostar TA75A+ seeks to bring some enthusiast features to the entry-level market.

Creative Announces a Game Changer with Sound Blaster Recon3D for PC/Mac, Xbox360, PS3

Creative Technology Ltd today announced the Sound Blaster Recon3D, the USB audio device that provides unprecedented cross-platform audio immersion and realism and voice clarity for the Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Mac.

The Sound Blaster Recon3D comes in a compact size similar to a gaming mouse and easily connects to an Xbox 360, PS3, PC or Mac via USB. It dramatically improves the audio playback quality and experience with THX TruStudio Pro, a suite of audio enhancements developed by the collaborative expertise of Creative and THX audio engineers. The Sound Blaster Recon3D features Dolby Digital enabled via the optical input to provide full 5.1 surround decoding, which combines with THX TruStudio Pro Surround to deliver stunning accuracy and positional audio playback over a gaming headset and an amazing virtual multi-speaker movie listening experience over headphones. In addition, for voice communications, the Sound Blaster Recon3D improves voice quality with CrystalVoice processing, which implements innovative technologies that are specially designed to deliver crystal clear vocal fidelity in multiplayer games, online chats and video conferencing.

NEC Display Solutions Adds 20-inch EX201W to Ultra-Slim MultiSync EX Series

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today the addition of the 20-inch widescreen MultiSync EX201W to the award-winning MultiSync EX Series.

Joining the 23-inch MultiSync EX231W with TN panel and MultiSync EX231Wp with premium-grade PVA panel, the EX201W ultra-thin (16.4mm bezel depth) desktop monitor offers extensive viewing angles (176°H/170°V) and contrast ratio (25,000:1 dynamic, 1000:1 typical). The ultra-slim design and lightweight portability (4.9 lbs. without stand) make the EX201W ideal for business users on-the-go and small-to-medium-sized business client meetings and presentations. The LED backlighting allows a low power consumption of 21W, which helps customers looking to lower their total cost of ownership.

PowerColor and TechPowerup Present Pimp My Rig Contest

It's that time again, when bagging some rad graphics hardware is as easy as showing off your PC tuning skills and filling up a form in GPU-Z 0.5.5. PowerColor is back on board with us, and this time what we're giving away will come with the bragging rights of being perhaps the only people in the world to have it! Presenting, PowerColor and TechPowerUp Pimp my Rig Contest 2011!

You stand to win a rare, one of its kind PowerColor dual Radeon HD 6970 X2 prototype, which is designed by its makers to be one of the fastest, most tweakable graphics cards. There's just one prototype on the planet that's fully finished for the consumer, and you stand to win it! All you have to do is get the lowest possible 3DMark 03 score in default settings (of 3DMark), submit the validation link of your feat along with other details in the "PowerColor Giveaway" tab of GPU-Z 0.5.5. That's right, you don't need the fastest hardware to win this contest, just your skills.

That's not all! You can still leave things to Lady Luck. From the pool of valid entries, we will randomly pick one person, who will bag an awesome new PowerColor Radeon HD 6870 X2 dual-GPU graphics card! So there's simply no reason not to try!

For more information, download GPU-Z 0.5.5, and click on the "PowerColor Giveaway" tab. Good luck!

TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.5.5 Released

TechPowerUp today announced the latest version of GPU-Z, the graphics hardware information and diagnostic utility trusted by the PC enthusiast community at large. Version 0.5.5 comes with support for the latest graphics processors, makes the interface a little more accessible to users, and improves stability and reliability.

To begin with, GPU-Z 0.5.5 adds full support for AMD A-Series accelerated processing units (the Radeon GPU component embedded in them), a load of new and lesser-known GPUs from NVIDIA including GeForce GT 560 Ti OEM, GT 545, GT 530, GeForce GTX 580M, GT 555M, GeForce 520MX, GT 520M, 410M, 305M, Quadro 5000, Quadro 4000M, Quadro 400; from AMD including Radeon HD 6290, Radeon E6760 & E4690, FirePro V8800, FirePro V3700, FirePro 2460 (FireMV); and the recently launched ASUS ROG MARS II, which probably got Santa's inbox flooded by now.

DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.5.5 | TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.5.5 ASUS ROG Edition

AMD Trinity A-Series APUs to Pack Radeon 7000 Series Graphics

An internal presentation slide leaked to the press reveals some details of AMD's next generation "Trinity" APUs that succeed current generation A-Series "Llano" Fusion series. The presentation was run by AMD's principal foundry partner, Global Foundries, outlining upcoming products built on the 32 nm High-K metal gate transistor (HKMG) process. With Trinity, AMD is expecting a 50% improvement in gigaFLOP performance over the present generation, which doesn't sound far-fetched considering it will use next-generation Piledriver CPU core architecture and Radeon HD 7000 series graphics, which uses VLIW4 stream processor architecture.

Piledriver is an evolved x86 architecture that uses the modular shared resource design of Bulldozer, with much higher IPC compared to Stars architecture. VLIW4 stream processors ensure higher performance per square millimeter die area. Trinity will be available for notebooks as "Comal" and "Virgo" for desktops. They will be branded in the A-Series. AMD expects a 2012 market entry for the two.

Buffalo Intros 1.5 TB Variant of MiniStation 3.0 Portable Hard Drive

Buffalo Technology added a new variant to the MiniStation 3.0 series of portable hard drives, which offers a huge 1.5 TB of storage in a device as big as 77 (W) x 114 (D) x 20 (H) mm, weighing a little over 250 g. The MiniStation 3.0 is so called because it uses the new USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, eliminating any interface bottlenecks that exist. A suite of related software is bundled with the MiniStation 3.0 1.5 TB, that cover data backup, data encryption, and drive power savings (by spinning down the drive when idling). The drive is available in piano black and pearl-white options. Backed by a one-year warranty, the Buffalo MiniStation 3.0 1.5 TB portable hard drive is priced at the equivalent of US $273 when it releases in Japan mid-September.

Gigabyte Website Lists out FX Series Processors in Support Lists

The CPU support list in the product page of Gigabyte's top of the line socket AM3+ motherboard, the GA-990FXA-UD7, spilled out details of upcoming AMD FX series processors, days ahead of actual product launches. Tables listing out specs of FX processors aren't new, but in older occasions, they were posted by the media citing sources. This table comes from a leading motherboard manufacturer. In this case, the 990FXA-UD7 will support FX series processors from BIOS version F4.

The table lists out FX 8000 series 8-core processors, and one each of FX 6000 and FX 4000 series 6-core and 4-core chips. A new detail emerging with this table is the system interface speed, which has been bumped all the way up to 5200 MT/s, up from 4000 MT/s of the previous generation. The faster 8-core chips have TDP rated at 125W, while every other FX series chip is rated at 95W. FX 8000 series chips include the 3.60 GHz FX-8150, the 3.10 GHZ FX-8120, 2.80 GHz FX-8100; FX 6000 series includes the 3.30 GHz FX-6100; while the quad-core FX 4000 series includes the 3.60 GHz FX-4100. The FX series is expected to launch in this month.

Toshiba to Launch FlashAir, the World's First SDHC Memory Card with Wireless b/g/n

Toshiba Corporation today announced that it will launch the world's first SDHC memory card with embedded wireless LAN functionality to meet the SD Memory Card Standard. The new card, "FlashAir", has an 8GB capacity and supports both peer-to-peer transfers and uploads to and downloads from servers. Samples will be available from November 2011 and sales will start in February 2012.

At a time when digital cameras have achieved immense popularity, users want a quick and easy way to share photographs with friends and to transfer them to and from online storage services and social networks. Toshiba provides the solution with FlashAir, the world's first SDHC memory card with embedded wireless LAN functionality that is fully compliant with the SD Memory Card Standard.

Explore your 3D world with new VAIO L Series 31 August 2011

Slip on the supplied pair of re-chargeable active shutter glasses - the same as used with latest BRAVIA 3D TV models. Then let VAIO immerse you in a fast-growing world of 3D movies, games, videos and panoramic photos.

With its slim, space-saving looks, VAIO L Series 3D makes an elegant addition in any living space. Its stunning design is accented by a 61cm (24") Full HD VAIO Display Plus screen with LED backlight. This super-size display brings all your movies, photos, music and games vividly to life with superb clarity and contrast, whether you're watching in 2D or 3D.
Jan 10th, 2025 12:30 EST change timezone

New Forum Posts

Popular Reviews

Controversial News Posts