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Monday, October 31st 2011
Seasonic Platinum-1000 1000 W Review
Seasonic entered the Platinum party late since they wanted to make a big and well planned entrance. After many rumors, spy photos and lots of unconfirmed data Seasonic's Platinum series is finally released and is ready to fight for the crown. The stronger of the two fresh units, the Platinum-1000W, will be the test subject of today's review.
AMD Catalyst 11.10 WHQL Released
AMD today released its latest official version of Catalyst, a software suite that provides drivers for AMD/ATI Radeon graphics processors, A-Series APUs, 7-series and 8-series integrated graphics, and related system software. Catalyst 11.10 WHQL launched today has essentially the same change log as the 11.10 Preview 3 driver, except that it's WHQL-signed. Catalyst 11.10 WHQL is the driver to have when playing some of the latest titles such as Battlefield 3 and Rage.
Catalyst 11.10 WHQL brings in a few new features, too, such as support for 5x1 Eyefinity, with maximum resolution increased to 16000 x 16000 pixels on Radeon HD 6000 series GPUs, and in DirectX 11 applications, and improved Vision Engine Control Center / Catalyst Control Center applications (VECC is installed for A-Series APUs and Chipset IGPs, CCC is installed for discrete Radeon GPUs).
DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 11.10 WHQL for Windows 7 and Vista 64-bit | Windows 7 and Vista 32-bit
Catalyst 11.10 WHQL brings in a few new features, too, such as support for 5x1 Eyefinity, with maximum resolution increased to 16000 x 16000 pixels on Radeon HD 6000 series GPUs, and in DirectX 11 applications, and improved Vision Engine Control Center / Catalyst Control Center applications (VECC is installed for A-Series APUs and Chipset IGPs, CCC is installed for discrete Radeon GPUs).
DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 11.10 WHQL for Windows 7 and Vista 64-bit | Windows 7 and Vista 32-bit
QNAP Expands its Turbo NAS Peripherals Compatibility List
QNAP Systems, Inc. is extending the number of compatible peripherals for its popular lineup of Turbo NAS products. The additions, including two external storage devices, two 3.5-inch hard drives, four IP cameras, and three 3rd party backup applications are now fully compatible.
The Turbo NAS series models are now compatible with the Astone RD-230 Dual Bay and Tandberg Removable Cartridges (160GB & 640GB) external hard drives and the following 3.5-inch internal hard drives: Hitachi HUA723020ALA640 and HDS5C3030ALA630.
The Turbo NAS series models are now compatible with the Astone RD-230 Dual Bay and Tandberg Removable Cartridges (160GB & 640GB) external hard drives and the following 3.5-inch internal hard drives: Hitachi HUA723020ALA640 and HDS5C3030ALA630.
ASRock X79 Motherboard Headed by Feature-Rich Extreme9 Model
ASRock's socket LGA2011 motherboard lineup doesn't end with X79 Extreme7 as thought before, the company thinks there's scope for an even more loaded model that's literally bursting with connectivity and expansion features. Enter the X79 Extreme9. This board uses high-grade digital PWM circuitry to power the CPU. It draws power for the CPU VRM from two 8-pin EPS connectors. Unlike the X79 Extreme7, this board features eight DDR3 DIMM slots, two per memory channel. Expansion slots include five PCI-Express 3.0 x16, and a PCIe x1.
Since it completely ran out of room on the main PCB, ASRock put two important connectivity features on a separate (included) addon card, called the ASRock "Game Blaster". This card occupies the PCIe x1 slot, it packs a next-generation Creative SoundCore3D audio processor (more advanced than X-Fi), and a low-overhead/low-latency gigabit Ethernet connection. It's not exactly known if this connection is driven by a Killer 2100 or a more common PCIe GbE PHY backed by ASRock's proprietary packet prioritization software (XLAN).
Since it completely ran out of room on the main PCB, ASRock put two important connectivity features on a separate (included) addon card, called the ASRock "Game Blaster". This card occupies the PCIe x1 slot, it packs a next-generation Creative SoundCore3D audio processor (more advanced than X-Fi), and a low-overhead/low-latency gigabit Ethernet connection. It's not exactly known if this connection is driven by a Killer 2100 or a more common PCIe GbE PHY backed by ASRock's proprietary packet prioritization software (XLAN).
ASRock Shows Off First LGA2011 Micro-ATX Motherboard
ASRock showed off pictures of the first socket LGA2011 motherboard in the compact micro-ATX form-factor, the ASRock X79 Extreme4-M Within its small board footprint of 240 x 240 mm, the X79 Extreme4-M offers almost every feature the platform has to offer. To begin with, the LGA2011 socket is powered by an 8-phase VRM that makes use of high-grade solid-state chokes, and driver-MOSFETs. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, two on either sides of the socket. All four expansion slot bays available to the mATX form-factor are made use of, with three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 and one legacy PCI.
The electrical configuration of the three PCI-Express slots appears to be x16, x8, x16 (permanent). The chipset is cooled by an active fan-heatsink. All six of its SATA ports are wired as internal ports, with two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. Connectivity features include 8+2 channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two via header), one gigabit Ethernet, a number of USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, and legacy PS/2. The CMOS can be reset from the rear panel. The board will be driven by UEFI firmware.
The electrical configuration of the three PCI-Express slots appears to be x16, x8, x16 (permanent). The chipset is cooled by an active fan-heatsink. All six of its SATA ports are wired as internal ports, with two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. Connectivity features include 8+2 channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two via header), one gigabit Ethernet, a number of USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, and legacy PS/2. The CMOS can be reset from the rear panel. The board will be driven by UEFI firmware.
Thermaltake Announces Contac 39 and Contac 30 CPU Coolers
Thermaltake, being the industry pioneer brand in thermal solutions with the mission of "delivering the perfect user experience," carrying the corporate vision of "building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology, and lifestyle," featured the Contac CPU air cooling Series that aids in fulfilling various needs in the market as well as the corporate mission of "delivering the perfect user experience." This fall adding the shimmering Thermaltake Contac 39 and Contac 30 CPU air cooling to the series, providing a wider range of solution for bargain hunter who desire value and performance equally.
Sandy Bridge-E and X79 Motherboards Listed on Chinese Stores
A couple of weeks ahead of its worldwide launch, Intel's much talked about "Sandy Bridge-E" Core i7 processors and compatible motherboards are beginning to surface on an online store in China. Listings include all three of the Core i7 LGA2011 processors Intel will launch in November, that includes the quad-core Core i7-3820, six-core Core i7-3930K and six-core Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition (details on the three here. Apart from these, a few compatible motherboards such as the ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme and MSI X79A-GD65 8D, were also listed.
Before getting into the pricing, it's important to note that prices of components in mainland China, in general, are more or less consistent with those in the US. The top-of-the-line Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is priced at RMB ¥7,800 (converts to US $1,227). The next best LGA2011 offering, Core i7-3930K, is priced at ¥5,800 (US $912). The most afforable of the three, Core i7-3820, goes for ¥3,500 (US $550).
Before getting into the pricing, it's important to note that prices of components in mainland China, in general, are more or less consistent with those in the US. The top-of-the-line Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is priced at RMB ¥7,800 (converts to US $1,227). The next best LGA2011 offering, Core i7-3930K, is priced at ¥5,800 (US $912). The most afforable of the three, Core i7-3820, goes for ¥3,500 (US $550).
Sunday, October 30th 2011
Are Improving Integrated Graphics Slowly Killing Off Discrete Graphics Cards?
Intel started the trend of improving integrated graphics with their second generation LGA1155 socket Core i3, i5 & i7 line of processors. Depending on the model, these processors sport integrated HD2000 or HD3000 graphics right on the processor die, which nowadays give acceptable performance for low-end gaming and can play Full HD 1080p video perfectly. This trend is increasing with the upcoming Ivy Bridge processors, which will be able to support a massive 4096 x 4096 pixel display, as we reported here. AMD now also have equivalent products with their Llano-based A-series processors. So, where does this leave discrete graphics cards? Well, the low end market is certainly seeing reduced sales, as there really isn't enough of a performance difference nowadays to always warrant an upgrade from an IGP. As integrated graphics improve further, one can see how this will hurt sales of higher end graphics cards too. The problem is that the bulk of the profit comes not from the top-end powerhouse graphics cards, but from the low to mid-end cards which allow these companies to remain in business, so cannibalizing sales of these products to integrated graphics could make high-end graphics cards a much more niche product and crucially, much more expensive with to boot.
Saturday, October 29th 2011
ARM Going 64-Bit To Compete In High-End Desktop Market
Judging by their latest press release, ARM Ltd really is serious about competing with Intel and AMD in the high-end desktop and server computing market, where competition is fierce. For years, ARM had said that there was no need to extend their architecture to 64-bit yet. However, it appears that the time has now come for this to happen, as ARM has announced its new ARMv8 architecture, the first to include a 64-bit instruction set, at ARM TechCon 2011 in Santa Clara, California. ARM CTO Mike Muller said:
ARMv8 will enable the development of ARM architecture compatible devices that can be designed to maximize the benefits across both 32-bit and 64-bit application areas. This will bring the advantages of energy-efficient 64-bit computing to new applications such as high-end servers and computing, as well as offering backwards compatibility and migration for existing software through a consistent architecture.
Windows 8 Secure Boot: Handy Malware Backdoor for Nosy Governments?
We've written before how Microsoft's new secure boot feature in Windows 8 could likely be used to shut out competition and create the ultimate in walled garden consumer lock-ins - something that is very undesirable from a competition, price and consumer choice viewpoint. However, it now appears that governments could lean on Microsoft in order to install secret snooping malware on user's PCs.
Ross Anderson, professor of Security Engineering at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, has written in the Light Blue Touchpaper blog, about this issue. He starts off by explaining how secure boot could limit the purchase Metro apps to only the official Microsoft app store, saying. "Even if users can opt out, most of them won't. That's a lot of firms suddenly finding Steve Ballmer's boot on their jugular." That sounds very well put and really doesn't paint a pretty picture, does it? It's exactly the same tactic as all these firms that require you to opt out of receiving their junk mail, toolbars etc when installing software, knowing full well that the majority won't.
Ross Anderson, professor of Security Engineering at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, has written in the Light Blue Touchpaper blog, about this issue. He starts off by explaining how secure boot could limit the purchase Metro apps to only the official Microsoft app store, saying. "Even if users can opt out, most of them won't. That's a lot of firms suddenly finding Steve Ballmer's boot on their jugular." That sounds very well put and really doesn't paint a pretty picture, does it? It's exactly the same tactic as all these firms that require you to opt out of receiving their junk mail, toolbars etc when installing software, knowing full well that the majority won't.
AMD OC Record Broken, Still Powered by AMD FX-8150
In mid-September, earlier this year, a team of overclockers sponsored by AMD set a new Guinness Record for clock speed by a silicon processor, setting an AMD FX-8150 processor to run at a staggering 8429.38 MHz. If anything, the coveted Guinness Record feat helped cement the general notion that AMD FX processors are good at overclocking. Sadly, AMD's record didn't last long, with renowned overclocker Andre Yang breaking it with his 8461.51 MHz feat. At this point we don't know if Andre had Guinness covering his feat to he could officially break AMD's record. AMD wouldn't mind it at all, because the new record was set using an AMD FX-8150, too. Andre did it single-handed, or at least he is the only person in the "Submitted by" field on the CPU-Z Validation page.
According to the validation page, 8461.51 MHz was achieved using a base clock speed of 272.95 MHz, with 31.0X multiplier, and a brutal core voltage of 1.992V (almost 2 volts!). As with AMD's record feat, an ASUS Crosshair V Formula motherboard was used. A single 2 GB Corsair-made memory module was used doing 909.8 MHz (1818.16 MHz DDR) with timings of 9-9-9-24T. Like with AMD's feat, only two out of the FX-8150's eight cores were enabled. More details are awaited.
According to the validation page, 8461.51 MHz was achieved using a base clock speed of 272.95 MHz, with 31.0X multiplier, and a brutal core voltage of 1.992V (almost 2 volts!). As with AMD's record feat, an ASUS Crosshair V Formula motherboard was used. A single 2 GB Corsair-made memory module was used doing 909.8 MHz (1818.16 MHz DDR) with timings of 9-9-9-24T. Like with AMD's feat, only two out of the FX-8150's eight cores were enabled. More details are awaited.
Friday, October 28th 2011
Today's Reviews
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AMD Reports Third Quarter Results
AMD today announced revenue for the third quarter of 2011 of $1.69 billion, net income of $97 million, or $0.13 per share, and operating income of $138 million. The company reported non-GAAP net income of $110 million, or $0.15 per share, and non-GAAP operating income of $146 million.
"Strong adoption of AMD APUs drove a 35 percent sequential revenue increase in our mobile business," said Rory Read, AMD president and CEO. "Despite supply constraints, we saw double digit revenue and unit shipment growth in emerging markets like China and India as well as overall notebook share gains in retail at mainstream price points. Through disciplined execution and continued innovation we will look to accelerate our growth and refine our focus on lower power, emerging markets, and the cloud."
"Strong adoption of AMD APUs drove a 35 percent sequential revenue increase in our mobile business," said Rory Read, AMD president and CEO. "Despite supply constraints, we saw double digit revenue and unit shipment growth in emerging markets like China and India as well as overall notebook share gains in retail at mainstream price points. Through disciplined execution and continued innovation we will look to accelerate our growth and refine our focus on lower power, emerging markets, and the cloud."
Shuttle Launches Matrox-Powered Mini PC to Support Large Multi-Display Configurations
Matrox Graphics Inc. today announced that Shuttle Inc., a leading specialist in innovative mini PCs, has validated the Matrox M-Series multi-display graphics cards with the new Shuttle XPC H7 5820S mini PC. The M-Series PCI Express (PCIe) x16 boards support up to eight DisplayPort or single-link DVI monitors at resolutions of up to 2560x1600 per display. A second M-Series card can be combined within the H7 5820S workstation, allowing system integrators to actualize a wide range of multi-display installations in corporate, digital signage, security surveillance, process control, and other professional environments.
Measuring only 19 centimeters (7.5 inches) in height, the space-saving Shuttle XPC H7 5820S mini PC comes equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor with up to six cores and up to 16 GB of DDR3 memory to reliably run the most demanding professional applications. The high-performance H7 5820S can be incorporated with one or two M9128 dual-monitor, M9138 triple-monitor, M9140/M9148 quad-monitor, and M9188 octal boards. With up to 2 GB of on-board memory and advanced desktop management features such as stretched and independent desktop modes, M-Series cards render pristine image quality and exceptional functionality across all displays.
Measuring only 19 centimeters (7.5 inches) in height, the space-saving Shuttle XPC H7 5820S mini PC comes equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor with up to six cores and up to 16 GB of DDR3 memory to reliably run the most demanding professional applications. The high-performance H7 5820S can be incorporated with one or two M9128 dual-monitor, M9138 triple-monitor, M9140/M9148 quad-monitor, and M9188 octal boards. With up to 2 GB of on-board memory and advanced desktop management features such as stretched and independent desktop modes, M-Series cards render pristine image quality and exceptional functionality across all displays.
Intel Releases SSD Toolbox 3.0 Software
Intel released the Solid-State Drive Toolbox 3.0 system software, which it recommends for use with its SSDs. SSDs have a limited number of times they can rewrite data onto their NAND flash cells. The most common 20-nanometer class MLC NAND flash offers around 5,000 rewrite cycles. This software monitors your Intel SSD for performance degradation, and provides a measure of how many rewrite cycles are left, so you can plan beforehand about backing up your data and replacing it. The software also provides a suite of diagnostics for your Intel SSD. Lastly, the software can update your drive's firmware without the need for a DOS bootable disk.
DOWNLOAD: Intel SSD Toolbox 3.0
EVGA Intros GeForce GTX 580 Batman: Arkham City Graphics Card
EVGA released a new Batman: Arkham City-themed GeForce GTX 580 graphics card. Carrying the model number 015-P3-1582-A1, this card carries NVIDIA clock speeds of 797/1594/4050 MHz (core/CUDA cores/memory effective). Apart from the game-themed cooler shroud sticker and a themed box, we can't really see what's new with this product. Perhaps it has a voucher for a copy of the game?
Based on the 40 nm GF100 graphics processor, GeForce GTX 580 is the single fastest GPU on the planet. It packs 512 CUDA cores, and 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 384-bit wide memory bus. The GTX 580 also packs features Batman: Arkham City can benefit from, such as PhysX. Available on American retailer Newegg.com, the EVGA GTX 580 Batman: Arkham City Edition is priced at $529.99. At $30 over the base model GTX 580, it has got to pack a copy of the game.
Based on the 40 nm GF100 graphics processor, GeForce GTX 580 is the single fastest GPU on the planet. It packs 512 CUDA cores, and 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 384-bit wide memory bus. The GTX 580 also packs features Batman: Arkham City can benefit from, such as PhysX. Available on American retailer Newegg.com, the EVGA GTX 580 Batman: Arkham City Edition is priced at $529.99. At $30 over the base model GTX 580, it has got to pack a copy of the game.
TRENDnet Now Shipping First to Market 450 Mbps Dual Band Wireless N HD Media Bridge
TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the first to market 450Mbps Dual Band Wireless N HD Media Bridge, model TEW-680MB.
With the proliferation of streaming HD video over the Internet into the home, wireless network loading has never been greater. TRENDnet's TEW-680MB provides the highest wireless connection speeds available for up to four media center devices such as media players, gaming consoles, Internet televisions, and NVRs. This high performance product helps ensure that the wireless component of an overall network does not produce lag or jitter when wirelessly streaming HD movies and more to a media center.
With the proliferation of streaming HD video over the Internet into the home, wireless network loading has never been greater. TRENDnet's TEW-680MB provides the highest wireless connection speeds available for up to four media center devices such as media players, gaming consoles, Internet televisions, and NVRs. This high performance product helps ensure that the wireless component of an overall network does not produce lag or jitter when wirelessly streaming HD movies and more to a media center.
Thursday, October 27th 2011
Today's Reviews
Cases
Motherboards
Notebooks
Secure Apple Macs Fall Prey To Linux DDoS Trojan
For years Apple Mac users have felt smug that their computers didn't need any security software installed, unlike their poor Windows counterparts which were always coming down with a cold. This they believed is because their beloved operating system is inherently more secure than leaky old Windows (which it used to be). This smug feeling has been especially strong over the last decade, since the release of Mac OS X in 2001, as it's based on Unix which has always had security baked into it. They therefore felt safe from the multitude of viruses, keyloggers, trojans and various other nasties that the bad guys like to infect operating systems with. However, there have been successful attacks in the past on every Apple Mac operating system since the first one in 1984, just nowhere near the number of attacks as on Windows. Of course, what Windows users, Linux users and other OS users have also been saying for years is that Apple's operating systems simply weren't popular enough to bother with and aren't particularly secure. After all, the hackers do this for fun and financial profit, so why aim for a little teeny tiny target, when you can aim for a big, fat one like Windows?
Gigabyte Intros A75N-USB 3.0 Mini-ITX Motherboard for AMD A-Series APUs
Gigabyte released its newest premium HTPC motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, the A75N-USB3. As the name might suggest, this is a socket FM1 motherboard based on the AMD A75 chipset, and features USB 3.0 connectivity. Despite its compact dimensions, the board crams in everything a HTPC can benefit from. First, the FM1 socket seats AMD A-Series accelerated processing units (APUs), which pack up to four x86-64 cores with up to 4 MB cache, dual-channel DDR3-1866 integrated memory controller, and more importantly, a very powerful integrated graphics processor in the Radeon HD 6500 class. The FM1 socket on this board is powered by a 3+1 phase VRM that makes use of driver-MOSFETs. Power is drawn by a 24-pin ATX and a 4-pin CPU power connector.
The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16. The CPU is wired to two full-length DDR3 DIMM slots, which can take in up to 32 GB (that's right, future 16 GB DIMMs are supported) of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory. The AMD A75 chipset gives out four internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and one eSATA 6 Gb/s port on the rear panel. Display outputs include HDMI 1.4a and DVI. Analog outputs are done away with. Audio is handled by a high-quality Realtek ALC889 HD audio codec. Although this codec supports 8+2 output channels, it is wired to a 5.1 channel shared audio jack cluster, apart from the internal HDA_FP header. Those needing 7.1 channel output can still use the TOSLINK connector, that supports 7.1 channel output with 24-bit, 192 kHz resolution and Dolby Home Theater support. If even that's not enough, the HDMI connector gives you 7.1 channel HDMI audio with Dolby Prologic support.
The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16. The CPU is wired to two full-length DDR3 DIMM slots, which can take in up to 32 GB (that's right, future 16 GB DIMMs are supported) of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory. The AMD A75 chipset gives out four internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and one eSATA 6 Gb/s port on the rear panel. Display outputs include HDMI 1.4a and DVI. Analog outputs are done away with. Audio is handled by a high-quality Realtek ALC889 HD audio codec. Although this codec supports 8+2 output channels, it is wired to a 5.1 channel shared audio jack cluster, apart from the internal HDA_FP header. Those needing 7.1 channel output can still use the TOSLINK connector, that supports 7.1 channel output with 24-bit, 192 kHz resolution and Dolby Home Theater support. If even that's not enough, the HDMI connector gives you 7.1 channel HDMI audio with Dolby Prologic support.
Logitech Introduces Gaming Keyboard and Mouse for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Logitech unveiled the Logitech Gaming Keyboard G105 and the Logitech Laser Mouse G9X, specially made for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Ideal for power gamers, the new accessories make it easy and fun to customize your path to victory.
"The Logitech Gaming Keyboard G105 and the Logitech Laser Mouse G9X are perfect for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 enthusiasts who want the best in precision and customization for their gaming experience," said Chris Pate, senior product marketing manager for gaming at Logitech. "Both devices let you jump right into the action with the power to perform complex maneuvers with confidence."
"The Logitech Gaming Keyboard G105 and the Logitech Laser Mouse G9X are perfect for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 enthusiasts who want the best in precision and customization for their gaming experience," said Chris Pate, senior product marketing manager for gaming at Logitech. "Both devices let you jump right into the action with the power to perform complex maneuvers with confidence."
Gigabyte Intros GZ-P5 Plus Case
Gigabyte released the new GZ-P5 Plus, an ATX mid-tower case for gamers on a shoestring budget. Measuring 180 x 420 x 380 mm, the GZ-P5 Plus is larger than the original GZ-P5 released about an year ago. It is also lighter, at 3.2 kg (compared to 3.5 kg of the original). The case is made almost entirely of SECC steel, with the front made of glossy ABS plastic. Internally, the case uses the PSU-on-top layout. The motherboard tray supports ATX and micro-ATX cases. Drive bays include four 5.25-inch and five 3.5-inch. There's only one fan bundled with the case, an 80 mm exhaust on the rear panel. There's no word on the pricing.
LSI Announces Agreement To Acquire SandForce
LSI Corporation today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SandForce, Inc., the leading provider of flash storage processors for enterprise and client flash solutions and solid state drives (SSDs). Under the agreement, LSI will pay approximately $322 million in cash, net of cash assumed, and assume approximately $48 million of unvested stock options and restricted shares held by SandForce employees.
SandForce's award-winning products include flash storage processors at the heart of PCIe flash adapters and SSDs. Flash storage processors provide the intelligence required to deliver the performance and low-latency benefits of flash storage in enterprise and client applications. With market-proven, differentiated DuraClass technology, SandForce flash storage processors improve the reliability, endurance and power efficiency of flash-based storage solutions.
SandForce's award-winning products include flash storage processors at the heart of PCIe flash adapters and SSDs. Flash storage processors provide the intelligence required to deliver the performance and low-latency benefits of flash storage in enterprise and client applications. With market-proven, differentiated DuraClass technology, SandForce flash storage processors improve the reliability, endurance and power efficiency of flash-based storage solutions.
Colorful Shows Off The Most Powerful GeForce GTX 560 Ti PCB Featured in iGame Card
Asian graphics card vendor Colorful is at it again with its innovative board designs. This time, the company is after a GeForce GTX 560 Ti (GF114-based) graphics card that boasts of very strong power delivery, and a few mysterious expansion options. Colorful's emphasis has always been on PCB design and choice of high-grade components. This particular card, most likely called the Colorful GTX 560 Ti iGame, is no exception to that. The PCB is particularly long (as much as a GF110-based board).
The additional length is put to use by an innovative arrangement of VRM phases in two rows of four phases. This card employs high-grade chokes with driver-MOSFETs (a component that integrates up/down MOSFETs and driver IC into a single compact package). This 8-phase VRM draws power from three 6-pin power connectors, and can deliver 300W of power to help with record-seeking overclocking feats. There are consolidated voltage measurement points to help manually measure voltages.
The additional length is put to use by an innovative arrangement of VRM phases in two rows of four phases. This card employs high-grade chokes with driver-MOSFETs (a component that integrates up/down MOSFETs and driver IC into a single compact package). This 8-phase VRM draws power from three 6-pin power connectors, and can deliver 300W of power to help with record-seeking overclocking feats. There are consolidated voltage measurement points to help manually measure voltages.
Gigabyte X79 UD3 and UD5 Final Design Motherboards Detailed
Here are pictures of the release-grade revision (1.0) of Gigabyte's socket LGA2011 motherboards in its main linuep, the GA-X79-UD3 and GA-X79-UD5. These are the release-grade 1.0 revisions, that are redesigned for X79 chipset with just six SATA ports (doing away with SAS). With the LGA2011 motherboard lineup, Gigabyte is doing away with the "UD7" model, in its segment there is GA-X79-OC. We saw this coming, because UD7 was meant to be an overclocking motherboard identifier. On the company website, for example, the product page of GA-X58A-UD7 (2.0) shows GA-X58A-OC as a "newer model". The GA-X79-UD3 is poised to be the most affordable LGA2011 motherboard from Gigabyte, while the GA-X79-UD5 offers some premium connectivity and memory expansion features.
The GA-X79-UD3 uses a simple 8+1 phase VRM to power the LGA2011 CPU. The memory is powered by a 4-phase VRM. There are just four DDR3 DIMM slots, one per channel. There are four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, among which two are x16 capable, and all four are x8 capable. There are two PCIe x1, and surprisingly, a legacy PCI slot (uncommon for LGA2011 platform). All six SATA ports from the X79 chipset are assigned as internal ports: two SATA 6 Gb/s (white), and four SATA 3 Gb/s (black). Three Marvell-made SATA 6 Gb/s controllers provide four additional internal ports (gray), and two eSATA 6 Gb/s. There are just four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, and two via internal header. 8+2 channel HD audio, a number of USB 2.0 ports, and one gigabit Ethernet connection make for the rest of the GA-X79-UD3.
The GA-X79-UD3 uses a simple 8+1 phase VRM to power the LGA2011 CPU. The memory is powered by a 4-phase VRM. There are just four DDR3 DIMM slots, one per channel. There are four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, among which two are x16 capable, and all four are x8 capable. There are two PCIe x1, and surprisingly, a legacy PCI slot (uncommon for LGA2011 platform). All six SATA ports from the X79 chipset are assigned as internal ports: two SATA 6 Gb/s (white), and four SATA 3 Gb/s (black). Three Marvell-made SATA 6 Gb/s controllers provide four additional internal ports (gray), and two eSATA 6 Gb/s. There are just four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, and two via internal header. 8+2 channel HD audio, a number of USB 2.0 ports, and one gigabit Ethernet connection make for the rest of the GA-X79-UD3.
Wednesday, October 26th 2011
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Motherboards
PSUs
Silverstone Precision PS06 Review
Stuffed with some cool features, like the hot-swap bay in the front, or the Air Penetrator fan in the top, the Precision PS06 offers many aspects while staying under that oh so important 100 USD barrier. We take the spacey looking chassis for a spin and test the usability of its long list of features.
R&D: Future Computers Could Be Powered By Living Gut Bugs
Boffins at Imperial College London have been researching the use of bacteria to create standard logic gates such as AND, NOR & NOT to construct a living computer with. They have actually created working prototypes that give the correct logical outputs for the corresponding inputs. The bacteria used was the common E. coli found in the gut and as typical food poisoning in a meal from a bad restaurant.
The scientists have also shown that these gates can be connected together combinatorialy, to provide complex logic functions, something that's critical to building any kind of digital circuit that is to have a useful function, such as a processor, no matter how simple. This original work, published in Nature magazine is worded in highly technical scientific language and is not easily understandable by us mere untrained mortals. However, for those that wish to dare try, click here. Here's a small sample:
The scientists have also shown that these gates can be connected together combinatorialy, to provide complex logic functions, something that's critical to building any kind of digital circuit that is to have a useful function, such as a processor, no matter how simple. This original work, published in Nature magazine is worded in highly technical scientific language and is not easily understandable by us mere untrained mortals. However, for those that wish to dare try, click here. Here's a small sample:
Maingear Announces New Gaming PCs Powered by Intel Core i7-2700K Processor
MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, workstations and media centers, embraces the latest update to the Intel Sandybridge platform with the addition of Intel's Core i7 2700k to their SHIFT and F131 desktops.
The Intel Core i7 2700k is a quad-core processor that clocks at 3.5GHz with 3.9GHz Turbo Boost and integrates CPU, graphics, memory controller, PCI Express all on a single chip. This allows pc fanatics to have extreme gaming, amazing multimedia, ultimate flexibility and extreme overclocking. PC enthusiast and PC gamers looking for pure performance will be looking to the unlocked Intel Core i7-2700K to maximize their gaming experience. Combine this with MAINGEAR's EPIC liquid cooling solutions; gamers will have a silent and stable system no matter what game their waiting for such as EA's Battlefield 3 pc game.
The Intel Core i7 2700k is a quad-core processor that clocks at 3.5GHz with 3.9GHz Turbo Boost and integrates CPU, graphics, memory controller, PCI Express all on a single chip. This allows pc fanatics to have extreme gaming, amazing multimedia, ultimate flexibility and extreme overclocking. PC enthusiast and PC gamers looking for pure performance will be looking to the unlocked Intel Core i7-2700K to maximize their gaming experience. Combine this with MAINGEAR's EPIC liquid cooling solutions; gamers will have a silent and stable system no matter what game their waiting for such as EA's Battlefield 3 pc game.
OCZ Talos SAS SSD Gets Certified by NexentaStor Software
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced certification of the Talos 6Gbps SAS SSD products with Nexenta System's NexentaStor unified storage solution software, and will be showcased together at the upcoming OpenStorage Summit, October 26-27 in San Jose, California.
"We are pleased that our enterprise class OCZ Talos SAS solid state drives have been tested and certified by Nexenta Systems for use with their leading edge NexentaStor software, and together we are able to deliver a seamless cloud-ready virtualized storage solution to the datacenter," said Alex Mei, CMO at OCZ Technology Group. "This total solution will be showcased with Nexenta Systems at the 2011 OpenStorage Summit which brings together storage experts to address key technologies including utilizing SSDs to address challenges relating to virtualization, high-availability, and cloud computing."
"We are pleased that our enterprise class OCZ Talos SAS solid state drives have been tested and certified by Nexenta Systems for use with their leading edge NexentaStor software, and together we are able to deliver a seamless cloud-ready virtualized storage solution to the datacenter," said Alex Mei, CMO at OCZ Technology Group. "This total solution will be showcased with Nexenta Systems at the 2011 OpenStorage Summit which brings together storage experts to address key technologies including utilizing SSDs to address challenges relating to virtualization, high-availability, and cloud computing."
PHANTEKS TC14PE Now Available for Purchase
The high-end CPU-Cooler from the newcomer PHANTEKS is available immediately at Caseking.de. This cooler with the name "TC14PE" already managed to receive numerous awards for its excellent performance. PHANTEKS employs multiple features to achieve such extraordinary results: a patented surface at the nano-level, twin tower design and two high-performance 140 mm fans. For the perfect looks to go with the installed hardware, the cooler is available in blue, orange red or silver.
The young company PHANTEKS has invested more than two years into the development of the TC14PE CPU coolers, as their goal was not simply to produce a good CPU cooler, but to lead the performance charts. Instead of focusing on the best heat dissipation of an open test bench, PHANTEKS has made sure that the TC14PE performs best in its intended setting - a closed system.
The young company PHANTEKS has invested more than two years into the development of the TC14PE CPU coolers, as their goal was not simply to produce a good CPU cooler, but to lead the performance charts. Instead of focusing on the best heat dissipation of an open test bench, PHANTEKS has made sure that the TC14PE performs best in its intended setting - a closed system.
Enermax Announces Two New Aluminum-Built Office Products
The perfect design and first-class quality of Enermax peripheral products make them an ideal choice for office use. In the last years, the manufacturer successfully established the Aluminium keyboard series Aurora as well as the compact and solid Brick HDD enclosures. With immediate effect, Enermax extends both product lines with new models: The Aurora Lite Wireless and the Brick 3.5" enclosures with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are now available.
EVGA X79 FTW Motherboard Pictured
EVGA released a teaser picture of its X79 FTW motherboard. This is EVGA's third LGA2011 motherboard, after the E-ATX Super Record 3 and XL-ATX X79 Classified. This board confines itself to the dimensions of a standard ATX form-factor motherboard (240 x 300 mm). It targets the gamer-overclocker market. The LGA2011 socket is powered by a 14-phase VRM, while the memory, 4-phase. EVGA completely did away with cylindrical conductive polymer capacitors, and used a 100% POSCAP capacitor design. Power is drawn in from a 24-pin ATX (angled) connector, 8-pin EPS, and a 4-pin Molex (for PCIe slot electrical stability). There are just four DDR3 DIMM slots, one per memory channel.
Expansion slots include four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (two are x16 capable, all four are x8 capable), a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x8), and one PCIe x1. NVIDIA 4-way SLI and AMD CrossFireX are supported. The only internal SATA ports on this board are the ones the X79 PCH gives out, two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. There are two eSATA ports, driven by a third-party controller. There are as many as eight USB 3.0 ports on the rear-panel, and two via internal header. 8+2 channel HD audio, two GbE connections, a Bluetooth connection, and PCH-wired USB 2.0 ports (for keyboard/mouse) make for the rest of the standard connectors. There is an EVBot header on the rear-panel, that lets you connect to the EVBot monitoring/control module. The UEFI BIOS is stored in two separate EEPROMs, and a 2-way switch lets you manually switch between the two. Expect the X79 FTW to be a part of the company's first wave of LGA2011 motherboards.
Expansion slots include four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (two are x16 capable, all four are x8 capable), a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x8), and one PCIe x1. NVIDIA 4-way SLI and AMD CrossFireX are supported. The only internal SATA ports on this board are the ones the X79 PCH gives out, two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. There are two eSATA ports, driven by a third-party controller. There are as many as eight USB 3.0 ports on the rear-panel, and two via internal header. 8+2 channel HD audio, two GbE connections, a Bluetooth connection, and PCH-wired USB 2.0 ports (for keyboard/mouse) make for the rest of the standard connectors. There is an EVBot header on the rear-panel, that lets you connect to the EVBot monitoring/control module. The UEFI BIOS is stored in two separate EEPROMs, and a 2-way switch lets you manually switch between the two. Expect the X79 FTW to be a part of the company's first wave of LGA2011 motherboards.
MSI Announces Z68MA-G43 (G3) PCI-Express Gen. 3 Ready mATX Motherboard
Leading global graphics card and motherboard brand and manufacturer MSI officially announced the Z68MA-G43 (G3) motherboard today. The new motherboard will be the first in the industry to adopt the next-generation PCI Express Gen 3 high-speed data transfer standard to deliver unprecedented levels of performance with a staggering 32GB/s of bandwidth. The motherboard will also feature MSI's proprietary ClickBIOS II that will allow enthusiasts to use the mouse or even touch control panel to adjust the system and overclocking settings through UEFI BIOS or Windows applications.
In addition, OC Genie II is included and can be used to optimize the CPU, memory, integrated graphics card, and storage devices for maximum stability and performance in just one second. When combined with Intel Smart Response Technology the performance of conventional HDDs can be increased by as much as 457%. With support for all solid capacitors, USB 3.0, SATA 6G, HDMI / DVI / D-Sub video-out, and multiple CrossFireX graphics cards, the new motherboard meets enthusiasts' demands for system stability, expandability, and extreme game graphics.
In addition, OC Genie II is included and can be used to optimize the CPU, memory, integrated graphics card, and storage devices for maximum stability and performance in just one second. When combined with Intel Smart Response Technology the performance of conventional HDDs can be increased by as much as 457%. With support for all solid capacitors, USB 3.0, SATA 6G, HDMI / DVI / D-Sub video-out, and multiple CrossFireX graphics cards, the new motherboard meets enthusiasts' demands for system stability, expandability, and extreme game graphics.
FinalWire Unleashes AIDA64 v2.00
FinalWire Ltd. today announced the immediate availability of AIDA64 Extreme Edition 2.00 software, a streamlined diagnostic and benchmarking tool for home users; and the immediate availability of AIDA64 Business Edition 2.00 software, an essential network management solution for small and medium scale enterprises.
The new AIDA64 offers a fully automatized online update, AVX-optimized 64-bit benchmarks for the upcoming Intel Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors, and further extends its exhaustive hardware database with Western Digital hard disk drives to cover 133,000 devices total.
The new AIDA64 offers a fully automatized online update, AVX-optimized 64-bit benchmarks for the upcoming Intel Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors, and further extends its exhaustive hardware database with Western Digital hard disk drives to cover 133,000 devices total.
Intel Sandy Bridge-E Can Reach Close to 5 GHz on Air-Cooling
As Intel's Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors in the LGA2011 package inch closer to their mid-November launch, there is already hectic activity among manufacturers of related components such as motherboards, memory, and coolers. By now, a large section of the industry has engineering samples to help design and test their components. OCWorkbench was witness to one such pre-release setup on which a Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" (unknown model, could even be quad-core for all we know), overclocked to 4.92 GHz with a "regular" air-cooler. The chip was idling at 45°C.
Sandy Bridge-E, as we know, can be effectively overclocked by increasing its base clock (BClk). On this particular setup, the BClk was set at 120 MHz, with a multiplier value of 41X, and core voltage of 1.51V. The memory used was DDR3-2400 MHz with CAS latency of 10T. This is particularly encouraging, not just to enthusiasts on a tight budget, but also the cooling products industry in general. Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" retail boxes don't contain a cooling solution, and Intel has been showing off its branded closed-loop water-cooling solution (to be purchased separately) as something that's "recommended" for Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E". This gave many an impression that you need at least closed-loop water coolers for any hope of achieving decent overclocked speeds with these chips, and that perhaps these chips are bad overclockers in general. The likes of Xigmatek, Thermalright, Noctua, and Scythe can breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Sandy Bridge-E, as we know, can be effectively overclocked by increasing its base clock (BClk). On this particular setup, the BClk was set at 120 MHz, with a multiplier value of 41X, and core voltage of 1.51V. The memory used was DDR3-2400 MHz with CAS latency of 10T. This is particularly encouraging, not just to enthusiasts on a tight budget, but also the cooling products industry in general. Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" retail boxes don't contain a cooling solution, and Intel has been showing off its branded closed-loop water-cooling solution (to be purchased separately) as something that's "recommended" for Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E". This gave many an impression that you need at least closed-loop water coolers for any hope of achieving decent overclocked speeds with these chips, and that perhaps these chips are bad overclockers in general. The likes of Xigmatek, Thermalright, Noctua, and Scythe can breathe a huge sigh of relief.
ASUS TUF Sabertooth X79 Detailed, Too
ASUS' top-tier LGA2011 lineup is completed by the TUF Sabertooth X79. This board, along with the ROG Rampage IV Extreme and P9X79 Deluxe makes up for it. There will be many more affordable LGA2011 boards by ASUS, one such model we're hearing about is the P9X79 Pro. The TUF Sabertooth family is based on the idea of rock-solid stability and component durability, these motherboards are built to last, if not score accolades with overclocking like the ROG boards are designed for.
The Sabertooth X79 uses an ASUS-designed Digi+ VRM to power the CPU, which is spread across two sides of the socket (north and west). The heatsink cooling the VRM components to the west is actively cooled by a 40 mm fan, the one over the X79 PCH is cooled by a similarly sized lateral blower, too. Like with the other two top-tier boards from ASUS' stable, this one provides eight DDR3 DIMM slots supporting quad-channel memory.
The Sabertooth X79 uses an ASUS-designed Digi+ VRM to power the CPU, which is spread across two sides of the socket (north and west). The heatsink cooling the VRM components to the west is actively cooled by a 40 mm fan, the one over the X79 PCH is cooled by a similarly sized lateral blower, too. Like with the other two top-tier boards from ASUS' stable, this one provides eight DDR3 DIMM slots supporting quad-channel memory.
ASUS P9X79 Deluxe Detailed
Here are the first pictures of ASUS P9X79 Deluxe, the company's premium segment LGA2011 motherboard based on the X79 chipset. This features in ASUS' main motherboard lineup, and not sub-lineups such as Republic of Gamers (ROG) or The Ultimate Force (TUF). The P9X79 Deluxe is loaded with features and connectivity options. To begin with, the LGA2011 socket is powered by a next-generation Digi+ VRM design by ASUS, driven by Dual Intelligent Processors III (next-generation Energy Processing Unit (EPU) chip and TurboV Processing Unit (TPU)). Like with the ROG Rampage IV Extreme, VRM is spread across three sides of the socket, and each cluster of MOSFETs is cooled by heatsinks. The socket is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots in two sets of four slots, supporting quad-channel DDR3. The memory VRM uses a Digi+ design, too.
Among the six expansion slots, there are four PCI-Express x16 slots, and two PCIe x1. The PCH gives out six SATA ports, two 6 Gb/s (white), four 3 Gb/s (blue), the two additional 6 Gb/s ports come from a third-party controller. There are two power-eSATA ports on the rear panel. The eight USB 3.0 ports on this board are spread across as six ports on the rear-panel, and two via standard header. Other connectivity includes 8+2 channel HD audio, two gigabit Ethernet connections, USB 2.0, and Bluetooth.
Among the six expansion slots, there are four PCI-Express x16 slots, and two PCIe x1. The PCH gives out six SATA ports, two 6 Gb/s (white), four 3 Gb/s (blue), the two additional 6 Gb/s ports come from a third-party controller. There are two power-eSATA ports on the rear panel. The eight USB 3.0 ports on this board are spread across as six ports on the rear-panel, and two via standard header. Other connectivity includes 8+2 channel HD audio, two gigabit Ethernet connections, USB 2.0, and Bluetooth.
Tuesday, October 25th 2011
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Motherboards
Processors
Storage
NZXT HALE90 850 W Review
The first PSU line that NZXT released is HALE90 which consists of five members. All feature 80 PLUS Gold efficiency, modular design, have a single +12V rail and the 140 mm fan they are equipped with is really quiet even at high loads/ambient. Today we will test the HALE90 850W which is the second strongest unit of the series and see if besides looks it offers good performance too.
Controversial Windows 8 Secure Boot Feature: FSF Issues Rallying Cry
The controversial new Secure Boot feature in Windows 8 has been covered here before, but now the Free Software Foundation have issued a public statement warning about likely restrictive implementation to lock out competition, pretty similar to the arguments currently being levelled against it. They are also giving people a voice to protest against this, in the form of a petition. They say quite fairly, that it can be used for good, if the option to use it is completely with the owner of the computer. However, it isn't much of a stretch to see that the option to disable it is likely to simply be removed from the user, thus locking out the competition, mainly Linux: This could be a feature deserving of the name, as long as the user is able to authorize the programs she wants to use, so she can run free software written and modified by herself or people she trusts. However, we are concerned that Microsoft and hardware manufacturers will implement these boot restrictions in a way that will prevent users from booting anything other than Windows. In this case, we are better off calling the technology Restricted Boot, since such a requirement would be a disastrous restriction on computer users and not a security feature at all. Click here to see the full public statement and sign the petition and here for a more detailed explanation of the issue by the FSF.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare3 for PC: Exclusive Developer Info
callofduty.com has published a blog entry from developer Infinity Ward / Sledgehammer detailing some of the features and improvements that will be in the upcoming MW3, to be released on November 8th:
I'm extremely excited about the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 this year, because we've been taking your feedback since Modern Warfare 2,and the franchise as a whole, on what you wanted to see in the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 and the team at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games has put aton of emphasis on delivering a PC experience that brings in all the great things we added in Modern Warfare 2:
Lobby System, Matchmaking with a Party, Matchmaking for Public Games, Steam Integration (Friends List, Server Browser,Achievements, Join on Friends)
While combining it with your favorite features from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare:
Dedicated Servers (Join your favorite or set up your own,without any 3rd party hosting requirements), In-game Server Browser that allows you to filter by ping, map, gametype, hardcore, voice, password, and more. In addition, we're supporting PC specific features that give you even more control over your experience like RCON, Custom Game Saving, NoGFX / Audio Card Requirement on DS.exe, Voice Chat, and SSAO.
Revised GF110-based GTX 560 Ti On The Way: a GTX 570 In Disguise?
Those on a budget looking to upgrade their graphics cards might do well to wait a little while, NVIDIA is preparing an upgraded GTX 560 Ti. The current model is based on the GF114 GPU which has 384 CUDA cores, 32 TMUs, a 256-bit memory interface and 1GB VRAM. However, the new model discards the GF114 GPU and replaces it with the beefier GF110 GPU that's used on the GTX 570 & GTX 580 cards. As one would expect, this GPU will be cut down compared to its bigger brothers, featuring 448 CUDA cores, 56 TMUs, a 320-bit memory bus and likely 1280MB VRAM. Another improvement comes in the form of two SLI connectors, allowing 3-card setups to be built, but the cost compared to using more powerful cards must of course be considered before such a build is attempted. The new card will be called the "GTX 560 Ti (448 Core)", which follows a similar convention that was used with the GTX 260 when NVIDIA upgraded it to the GTX 260 (216 Core). Given that the memory bus and memory size are now the same as that of the GTX 570, it brings with it the intriguing possibility that such cards may be unlocked to full GTX 570 performance by enterprising enthusiasts who are not afraid of risking their warranty in their unending quest for better performance.
ASUS Rampage IV Extreme Cometh
Here is ASUS' top of the line LGA2011 motherboard targeting the gamer-overclocker market, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage IV Extreme. This board offers all the expansion room and connectivity you'll ever need, plus a wealth of nifty features that help overclockers and ease incremental upgrades. To begin with, the Rampage IV Extreme employs a strong digital PWM circuitry that supports heavy voltage-assisted overclocking with Vdroop control.
The LGA2011 socket is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots (two per channel). CPU and memory VRM areas are located along three sides of the socket, all cooled by heatsinks that are connected by heat pipes. These VRM heatsinks share heat with the one over the X79 PCH, which is actively cooled by a fan.
The LGA2011 socket is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots (two per channel). CPU and memory VRM areas are located along three sides of the socket, all cooled by heatsinks that are connected by heat pipes. These VRM heatsinks share heat with the one over the X79 PCH, which is actively cooled by a fan.
Sapphire Celebrates Battlefield 3 Launch with Special Edition HD 6970 Graphics Card
Celebrating the launch of the much anticipated Battlefield 3 game, SAPPHIRE Technology is introducing the SAPPHIRE HD 6970 BF3 Special Edition - featuring two SAPPHIRE exclusive technologies, SAPPHIRE FleX and Vapor-X cooling as well as performance enhancing options for the enthusiast and access to a FREE copy of the full game!
The SAPPHIRE HD 6970 BF3 Special Edition is based on AMD's award winning second generation DX 11 graphics engine with the powerful configuration of 1536 stream processors and 96 texture processing units delivering smooth and detailed graphics to the latest generation of games and applications. SAPPHIRE FleX technology allows the direct connection of three DVI monitors in Eyefinity mode without the need for special adapters, making it the simplest solution to multi-screen enjoyment, and the highly efficient SAPPHIRE Vapor-X cooling enables performance to be maximised whilst keeping noise levels low.
The SAPPHIRE HD 6970 BF3 Special Edition is based on AMD's award winning second generation DX 11 graphics engine with the powerful configuration of 1536 stream processors and 96 texture processing units delivering smooth and detailed graphics to the latest generation of games and applications. SAPPHIRE FleX technology allows the direct connection of three DVI monitors in Eyefinity mode without the need for special adapters, making it the simplest solution to multi-screen enjoyment, and the highly efficient SAPPHIRE Vapor-X cooling enables performance to be maximised whilst keeping noise levels low.
EOLIZE Announces New SVD-NC11-02 Mini-ATX Chassis
German brand EOLIZE expands its portfolio by announcing a value for money Mini-ITX Case. EOLIZE SVD-NC11-02 aims for private and corporate customers who are looking for solid and reliable NAS Server as well as Home Server chassis. It has much in common with a Barebone chassis and can be used as such but additionally offers features such as two Hot Swap Modules.
Both Hot Swap Modules are located behind the decently designed front door and are able to fit two either 3,5 inch (8,89 cm) or 2,5 inch (6,35 cm) drives such as HDD or SSD. One further 2,5 inch sized HDD/SSD may be mounted inside the SVD-NC11-02 Mini-ITX chassis. This drive can be used as a system drive to install an appropriate Operating System and necessary Software. Additionally one 5,25 inch (13,3 cm) bay is located in the front giving enough space for a DVD, CD or Blu-ray drive as well as other commonly used bay accessory. SVD-NC11-02 Mini-ITX chassis is furthermore equipped with an I/O panel in the front offering two USB 2.0 connectors, one Mic and one Audio-out connector.
Both Hot Swap Modules are located behind the decently designed front door and are able to fit two either 3,5 inch (8,89 cm) or 2,5 inch (6,35 cm) drives such as HDD or SSD. One further 2,5 inch sized HDD/SSD may be mounted inside the SVD-NC11-02 Mini-ITX chassis. This drive can be used as a system drive to install an appropriate Operating System and necessary Software. Additionally one 5,25 inch (13,3 cm) bay is located in the front giving enough space for a DVD, CD or Blu-ray drive as well as other commonly used bay accessory. SVD-NC11-02 Mini-ITX chassis is furthermore equipped with an I/O panel in the front offering two USB 2.0 connectors, one Mic and one Audio-out connector.
AMD Trinity Detailed Further, Compatible with A75 Chipset
AMD detailed its upcoming "Virgo" PC platform that consists of next-generation "Trinity" APU (accelerated processing unit), and current-generation AMD A75 "Hudson-D" chipset. A notable revelation here is that the next-gen APUs will be compatible with AMD A75, although it will be designed for a new socket called FM2. It remains to be seen if FM1 and FM2 are pin-compatible.
"Trinity" packs four x86-64 cores based on the next-generation "Piledriver" architecture, arranged in two Piledriver modules. A module is a closely-knit group of two cores, with certain shared and dedicated resources. Each Piledriver module has 2 MB of L2 cache shared between the two cores. In all, Trinity, with its two modules, has 4 MB of L2 cache without any L3 cache.
"Trinity" packs four x86-64 cores based on the next-generation "Piledriver" architecture, arranged in two Piledriver modules. A module is a closely-knit group of two cores, with certain shared and dedicated resources. Each Piledriver module has 2 MB of L2 cache shared between the two cores. In all, Trinity, with its two modules, has 4 MB of L2 cache without any L3 cache.
Monday, October 24th 2011
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Motherboards
Processors
- AMD A6-3650 HWBox (gr)
Nexus Technology Introduces New Prominent R Case
The Nexus Prominent R case is your best choice premium chassis for a silent computer. It's toolless installation features make it a breeze to install your components or change your set-up. The sleek professional look and materials make the case fit in anywhere.
The Prominent R have a black painted interior which is great looking. Preinstalled are two 120mm Real Silent Nexus Fan. There is noise absorption material on the side panels and isolating padding where the PSU is placed to prevent resonance, ventilation holes (and room for a fan) in the bottom of the case for air-intake and high feet (with rubber pads) keep the case elevated from the floor to make a smooth airflow possible and eliminate resonance. There is cable and fan management and on top we have an external SATA Dock, USB3.0, USB2.0, eSATA and audio connectors.
The Prominent R have a black painted interior which is great looking. Preinstalled are two 120mm Real Silent Nexus Fan. There is noise absorption material on the side panels and isolating padding where the PSU is placed to prevent resonance, ventilation holes (and room for a fan) in the bottom of the case for air-intake and high feet (with rubber pads) keep the case elevated from the floor to make a smooth airflow possible and eliminate resonance. There is cable and fan management and on top we have an external SATA Dock, USB3.0, USB2.0, eSATA and audio connectors.
Westone Introduces R-Series Ultra High-Performance Earphones
Westone Laboratories, Inc. introduces the Westone 4 R-Series, a new line of ultra high-performance earphones engineered for a new level of in-ear performance.
The new Westone 4 R-Series builds on Westoneʼs unique four driver balanced armature architecture and introduces exclusive Acoustic Symmetry. Achieving an extremely tight tolerance of +/- 2dB between earpieces, Acoustic Symmetry sets the new standard for an audiophile grade in-ear system. R-Series earphones also add Westoneʼs new EPIC Removable Cable. This high-strength, ultra-low resistance tensile wire design with aramid fiber gives the user the ability to replace cables should they become damaged as well as the option to add the new EPIC MICS smartphone interface cable (coming soon). Additional accessories include an inline volume control, 1/8 to 1/4 adapter and premium fit kit with multiple foam and silicone ear tips.
The new Westone 4 R-Series builds on Westoneʼs unique four driver balanced armature architecture and introduces exclusive Acoustic Symmetry. Achieving an extremely tight tolerance of +/- 2dB between earpieces, Acoustic Symmetry sets the new standard for an audiophile grade in-ear system. R-Series earphones also add Westoneʼs new EPIC Removable Cable. This high-strength, ultra-low resistance tensile wire design with aramid fiber gives the user the ability to replace cables should they become damaged as well as the option to add the new EPIC MICS smartphone interface cable (coming soon). Additional accessories include an inline volume control, 1/8 to 1/4 adapter and premium fit kit with multiple foam and silicone ear tips.
LeadTek Announces WinFast GTX 560 Ti Hurricane Graphics Card
Leadtek Research Inc., known globally for its extreme visual graphics technology, added the new WinFast GTX 560 Ti Hurricane graphics card to the Fermi II generation family for enthusiasts. It features dual 90 mm fans, two 8 mm cooper heat-pipes, a large copper base and many fan fins equipped behind the GeForce Fermi 114 chipset, which can reduce temperature more effectively than the standard version containing only two 6 mm cooper heat-pipes from the chipset manufacture. This not only means improvements in the thermal solution but also in noise emission. Only 21 dB is measured during idle time, and even during peak time, it is just 43 dB. Leadtek will release more dual fan design graphics cards, naming them "Hurricane", to highlight these features.
Thermaltake Announces Frio Advanced CPU Cooler
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 and carrying the corporate vision of "building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle." This October, featuring the Thermaltake Frio Advanced CPU cooler - a CPU cooler that incorporated some of the most up-to-date CPU cooler technologies and persevered the greatnesses from its predecessors of Frio and Frio OCK which not only creating a new phenomenon for overclockers but also set another signature for the Frio Series.
NVIDIA Releases Key WHQL-Signed Driver Update for Battlefield 3
NVIDIA released its latest set of WHQL-signed GeForce drivers, GeForce 285.58 WHQL for Windows XP, and GeForce 285.62 WHQL for Windows 7 and Vista. The new drivers bundle PhysX system software v9.11.06.21, and feature the following [very] important changes:
DOWNLOAD: GeForce WHQL 285.62 and WHQL 285.58
- NVIDIA recommended driver for Battlefield, as it contains several performance and compatibility enhancements for the final release of the game.
- NVIDIA recommended and enhanced driver for Batman: Arkham City and RAGE
- Fixes reports of occasional driver timeouts while browsing the web
DOWNLOAD: GeForce WHQL 285.62 and WHQL 285.58
TSMC 28 nm Technology in Volume Production
TSMC today announced that its 28nm process is in volume production and production wafers have been shipped to customers. TSMC leads the foundry segment to achieve volume production at 28nm node.
TSMC's 28nm process offering includes 28nm High Performance (28HP), 28nm High Performance Low Power (28HPL), 28nm Low Power (28LP), and 28nm High Performance Mobile Computing (28HPM). Among these technology offerings, 28HP, 28HPL and 28LP are all in volume production and 28HPM will be ready for production by the end of this year. The production-version design collateral of 28HPM has been distributed to most mobile computing customers for their product-design use.
TSMC's 28nm process offering includes 28nm High Performance (28HP), 28nm High Performance Low Power (28HPL), 28nm Low Power (28LP), and 28nm High Performance Mobile Computing (28HPM). Among these technology offerings, 28HP, 28HPL and 28LP are all in volume production and 28HPM will be ready for production by the end of this year. The production-version design collateral of 28HPM has been distributed to most mobile computing customers for their product-design use.
Intel Releases Core i7-2700K Processor
Intel released its latest performance-segment processor, the Core i7-2700K. The i7-2700K is a quad-core chip in the LGA1155 package, based on the 32 nm "Sandy Bridge" silicon. It is clocked at 3.50 GHz, and features an unlocked base clock ratio multiplier, which makes overclocking possible. It features AVX instruction set, AES native acceleration, HyperThreading (which enables 8 logical CPUs), 256 KB L2 cache per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache.
Apart from these, it packs a dual-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller, PCI-Express root complex, and Intel HD 3000 series integrated graphics. The TDP remains consistent with many other Core i5 and Core i7 "Sandy Bridge" chips, at 95W. An interesting development here is that the pricing of Core i7-2700K didn't turn out to be what Amazon and MWave were charging for their pre-orders (around US $380), the retail price of this chip is merely $15 higher than that of the Core i7-2600K, at $332.
Apart from these, it packs a dual-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller, PCI-Express root complex, and Intel HD 3000 series integrated graphics. The TDP remains consistent with many other Core i5 and Core i7 "Sandy Bridge" chips, at 95W. An interesting development here is that the pricing of Core i7-2700K didn't turn out to be what Amazon and MWave were charging for their pre-orders (around US $380), the retail price of this chip is merely $15 higher than that of the Core i7-2600K, at $332.
RunCore Intros MoonDrive High-Performance USB 3.0 Flash Drive
RunCore SSD released a new series of flash drives that make use of the fast new USB 3.0 interface, and the kind of internals to truly take advantage of it. It uses single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash (higher performance and rewrite endurance compared to MLC), and delivers transfer rates of 164 MB/s reads and 150 MB/s writes (about as fast as a 10k RPM hard drive, but a whole lot more responsive). Called the RunCore MoonDrive, this stick uses a traditional detachable cap design. The company didn't give out pricing or availability information, or even the capacities the new drive will be available in.
Thermaltake America Launches FreeUp Program
The process and anticipation of upgrading to the latest processor has always been some of the most exciting times for every PC enthusiast. But along with the excitement, users are often faced with various decisions such as which motherboard to get, is a memory upgrade needed or will a new CPU cooler have to be purchased? While Thermaltake cannot make most of those decisions for you, if you currently own or are planning to purchase any of the following Thermaltake performance coolers listed below, you will be in good hands. In order to better serve our customers, Thermaltake is proud to announce the Thermaltake FreeUp Program.
The upcoming Intel Sandy Bridge-E processors will be based on socket LGA-2011 as evident from the recent Intel Developer Forum (IDF) conference. Thermaltake is here to ensure that our current and future customers of Thermaltake cooling solutions will have access to the newest technology without the hassle of trying to mock up new mounting or purchasing a new cooler entirely. The LGA-2011 upgrade mounting hardware will be provided free of charge to anyone who has purchased a qualified cooler on or after September 1st 2011. Thermaltake will be incorporating the new LGA-2011 kit into all LGA-2011 compatible coolers in both retail and e-tail space once the Intel Sandy Bridge-E processor launch is confirmed, but this program is to ensure that anyone who supports Thermaltake brands by choosing the qualified cooler as their solution will have the LGA 2011 mounting available to them when they make their purchase or in the case that the cooler may have been in store before the changeover. Thermaltake wants to ensure you can upgrade and use your recently purchased cooler with no worries about future compatibility.
The upcoming Intel Sandy Bridge-E processors will be based on socket LGA-2011 as evident from the recent Intel Developer Forum (IDF) conference. Thermaltake is here to ensure that our current and future customers of Thermaltake cooling solutions will have access to the newest technology without the hassle of trying to mock up new mounting or purchasing a new cooler entirely. The LGA-2011 upgrade mounting hardware will be provided free of charge to anyone who has purchased a qualified cooler on or after September 1st 2011. Thermaltake will be incorporating the new LGA-2011 kit into all LGA-2011 compatible coolers in both retail and e-tail space once the Intel Sandy Bridge-E processor launch is confirmed, but this program is to ensure that anyone who supports Thermaltake brands by choosing the qualified cooler as their solution will have the LGA 2011 mounting available to them when they make their purchase or in the case that the cooler may have been in store before the changeover. Thermaltake wants to ensure you can upgrade and use your recently purchased cooler with no worries about future compatibility.
Valve Announces Portal 2 Update Featuring In-Game Editor
Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the second game add-on for the year's highest rated multiplatform game, Portal 2, is in development and targeted for release early next year.
This major update will feature an easy-to-use in-game map editor that will let users design, build and share their own single-player and co-op test chambers with the community, who will be able to view, play and vote on them with a simple click.
This major update will feature an easy-to-use in-game map editor that will let users design, build and share their own single-player and co-op test chambers with the community, who will be able to view, play and vote on them with a simple click.
Sunday, October 23rd 2011
Sunday Special: LITS Event & Thoughts On The State Of PC Gaming
Yesterday, my friend and I went to the first ever London International Technology Show (LITS) www.litshow.co.uk held in one large hall at the modern and impressive ExCel centre in Docklands, London. I'll say now, that I didn't go intending to write a piece on it, so I didn't make any notes or take any pictures. Everything in this editorial is therefore from my memory and impressions of this event, so please forgive me that it's not a comprehensive review of everything that went on.
This event was billed as a "technology show", but the good news is that it was really a PC enthusiast show, as it covered the exact ground that sites like TechPowerUp do. Everywhere you looked, you saw the big names in the UK PC tech industry, such as Scan Computers, Samsung, CCL Online, Micro Mart, Mac User and lots more. Surprisingly, even Top Gear were there with a large enclosed driving simulator that you could sit inside and be thrown around in! In fact, it felt like the computer shows of the 80s and 90s I used to go to, but updated for the modern era - and I loved it.
This event was billed as a "technology show", but the good news is that it was really a PC enthusiast show, as it covered the exact ground that sites like TechPowerUp do. Everywhere you looked, you saw the big names in the UK PC tech industry, such as Scan Computers, Samsung, CCL Online, Micro Mart, Mac User and lots more. Surprisingly, even Top Gear were there with a large enclosed driving simulator that you could sit inside and be thrown around in! In fact, it felt like the computer shows of the 80s and 90s I used to go to, but updated for the modern era - and I loved it.
Friday, October 21st 2011
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Keyboards
Motherboards
PSUs
Viako Mini Letter ML-Style Review
After the Viako ML-55, we now get to take a look at one of the larger mini-ITX cases by the name "ML-Style". While it is bigger, it also allows for installation of a 3.5 inch drive along with a cool, slot-loading slimline DVD or Blu-Ray. We pull the case apart, stuff it with hardware and close it down to see if it can contain everything or burst at the seams.
Battlefield 3: EA Allegedly Tried Filtering Reviewers
When a blockbuster game is about to be released, there's always a certain amount of pressure placed on reviewers to give it a good review, which is considered a hazard of the business. Reviewers can also be filtered, sometimes subtly, so that only potentially the most favourable get to review the product. However, it appears like Electronic Arts went the extra mile to filter out potential bad reviews of Battlefield 3. Some reviewers in Norway, including gamer.no and gamereactor.no were asked to complete a questionnaire before they were given access to early review copies of the game. It appears that EA planned for reviewers that didn't answer the right way to be unceremoniously dumped. However, it didn't exactly turn out as they planned.
Cooler Master Announces Silencio 450 Mid Tower Case
Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, power supply, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer, today adds a new sibling to the Silencio 550, the Silencio 450.
The Silencio Series represents the best solution for sound absorption with system builds of all levels. Sound silencing foam padding seeks to severely reduce system noises produced by hard drives, numerous cooling fans, and other devices. Combine this with a solid-steel frame, vibration inhibiting rubber feet, two Cooler Master quiet-spinning fans and the Silencio 450 nearly becomes completely silent. Those that value a quiet computing space will immensely appreciate the Silencio Series.
The Silencio Series represents the best solution for sound absorption with system builds of all levels. Sound silencing foam padding seeks to severely reduce system noises produced by hard drives, numerous cooling fans, and other devices. Combine this with a solid-steel frame, vibration inhibiting rubber feet, two Cooler Master quiet-spinning fans and the Silencio 450 nearly becomes completely silent. Those that value a quiet computing space will immensely appreciate the Silencio Series.
RAIDMAX Releases the Seiran Gaming Case
The new SEIRAN case from the leading PC chassis maker, RAIDMAX, combines power-user features with ease-of-assembly, stylish design and server-class expandability and toughness. SEIRAN gives PC builders easy access and tool-less installation, simple cable management, plus great expandability, and stunning design with a selection of three color schemes.
Stand-out features of RAIDMAX's new SEIRAN case include front panel controls for fan speed and internal LED brightness, unlike competing PC cases which disturb you with noisy cooling fans and light up rooms with excessively bright LEDs, SEIRAN is easy to live with.
Stand-out features of RAIDMAX's new SEIRAN case include front panel controls for fan speed and internal LED brightness, unlike competing PC cases which disturb you with noisy cooling fans and light up rooms with excessively bright LEDs, SEIRAN is easy to live with.
Seagate Technology Reports Fiscal First Quarter Financial Results
Seagate Technology plc today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. The company shipped 51 million disk drives and reported revenue of $2.8 billion, gross margin of 19.5%, net income of $140 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.32. On a non-GAAP basis, which excludes the net impact of certain items, Seagate reported net income of $146 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.34 for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. For a detailed reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP results, see accompanying financial tables.
Additionally, Seagate returned $75 million to shareholders in the form of a dividend and repurchased $128 million of ordinary shares during the first fiscal quarter.
Additionally, Seagate returned $75 million to shareholders in the form of a dividend and repurchased $128 million of ordinary shares during the first fiscal quarter.
EVGA SR3 Super Record 3 Motherboard Pictured
Just as its detractors thought they were done with it, and just as people started to think that attrition among some of its "popular" designers cost EVGA dearly, the company hit back with teaser pictures of the Super Record 3 or SR3, it promised back in June, it would deliver to the enthusiast community. And yes, it matches its description! The SR3 is a dual socket LGA2011 2P enthusiast desktop/workstation motherboard in the E-ATX form factor. Socket 0 is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots (two DIMMs/channel), while socket 1 to four slots (1 DIMM/channel).
In LGA2011 2P systems, the processor sitting on socket 0 is wired to the PCH (SR3 looks to have Patsburg-T), while the processor on socket 1 is wired to the one on socket 0 using two QPI links, closing the daisy-chain. Socket 0, apart from its 4 GB/s DMI link, has a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 (another 4 GB/s) link to supplement the DMI link, so the storage controllers don't get bottlenecked with just DMI. Both processors contribute to the PCI-Express lane budget of the motherboard. There are seven PCI-Express x16 slots, among which four are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 capable, every slot is PCI-Express 3.0 x8 capable. NVIDIA 4-way SLI is supported. This board will support Sandy Bridge-EP Xeon processors, though we don't know at this juncture if Core i7 Sandy Bridge-E is 2P capable.
In LGA2011 2P systems, the processor sitting on socket 0 is wired to the PCH (SR3 looks to have Patsburg-T), while the processor on socket 1 is wired to the one on socket 0 using two QPI links, closing the daisy-chain. Socket 0, apart from its 4 GB/s DMI link, has a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 (another 4 GB/s) link to supplement the DMI link, so the storage controllers don't get bottlenecked with just DMI. Both processors contribute to the PCI-Express lane budget of the motherboard. There are seven PCI-Express x16 slots, among which four are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 capable, every slot is PCI-Express 3.0 x8 capable. NVIDIA 4-way SLI is supported. This board will support Sandy Bridge-EP Xeon processors, though we don't know at this juncture if Core i7 Sandy Bridge-E is 2P capable.
Thursday, October 20th 2011
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Processors
PSUs
SSD
Razer Announces World's First Cloud-based Storage For Personalized Gaming Settings
Razer, the technology leader in gaming user interfaces, brings you the next innovation in gaming peripherals by unveiling the all-new Razer Synapse 2.0, the world's first application for storing your personalized peripheral settings in the cloud, making your settings for gaming available anytime, anywhere.
In 2006, Razer invented Synapse, the world's first onboard memory feature for gaming peripherals, which allowed the user to store gaming macros, key binds, and profiles directly to their Razer devices, and enabled gamers to bring their personalized settings with them on the go. Onboard memory for gaming devices, pioneered by Razer, has quickly become an industry standard for gaming peripherals all over the world.
In 2006, Razer invented Synapse, the world's first onboard memory feature for gaming peripherals, which allowed the user to store gaming macros, key binds, and profiles directly to their Razer devices, and enabled gamers to bring their personalized settings with them on the go. Onboard memory for gaming devices, pioneered by Razer, has quickly become an industry standard for gaming peripherals all over the world.
AMD Catalyst 11.10 Version 3 Preview Driver
The driver updates for Rage and the upcoming Battlefield 3 are coming thick and fast now, with every full and preview releases - great news for fans of these games. Note that the BF3 improvements are specified for the beta release, but should also apply to the release version and more will of course follow. Other improvements include Eyefinity 5x1 display implementation on Radeon 6000 & 5000 cards, along with CrossfireX interface enhancements. See the full rundown after the jump!
Enermax Announces the ETD-T60 Series Top-Flow CPU Coolers
With clever ideas and technical novelties, Enermax brings a breath of fresh air into the CPU cooler market - in the true sense of the word, because the innovative construction of the Enermax CPU coolers significantly enhances the air stream conduction and heat dissipation. The manufacturer integrated small spoilers, the so-called Vortex Generators, on the fins of the new ETD-T60 cooler to lead the air stream closely along the heat pipes and to avoid the development of hot spots in the back of the heat pipes (so-called Vortex Generator Flow/VGF).
By utilizing the difference in pressure between the warm air inside the heat sink and the colder air outside, Enermax further improved the air supply: The CPU cooler sides are not fully closed, so that additional fresh air can be sucked into the heat sink (so-called Vacuum Effect Flow/VEF). Both effects, VGF and VEF, have been proved successfully with the side-flow series ETS-T40.
By utilizing the difference in pressure between the warm air inside the heat sink and the colder air outside, Enermax further improved the air supply: The CPU cooler sides are not fully closed, so that additional fresh air can be sucked into the heat sink (so-called Vacuum Effect Flow/VEF). Both effects, VGF and VEF, have been proved successfully with the side-flow series ETS-T40.
AMD and BlueStacks Join Forces to Bring Android Apps to x86-based Tablets and PCs
AMD today announced an investment in BlueStacks, a venture-backed firm developing innovative software. BlueStacks has introduced a solution to enable Android applications to run fast and full-screen on Windows-based devices.
AMD and BlueStacks are collaborating to optimize the BlueStacks App Player for Windows software for use with tablet and notebook PCs powered by AMD APUs with AMD VISION technology. With this combination of BlueStacks software and AMD technology, consumers will be able to access their favorite Android apps on virtually any AMD-powered Windows-based device, including more than 200,000 apps currently available in the Android Market.
AMD and BlueStacks are collaborating to optimize the BlueStacks App Player for Windows software for use with tablet and notebook PCs powered by AMD APUs with AMD VISION technology. With this combination of BlueStacks software and AMD technology, consumers will be able to access their favorite Android apps on virtually any AMD-powered Windows-based device, including more than 200,000 apps currently available in the Android Market.
OCZ Announces Indilinx Everest-powered Octane SATA SSD Family
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs), today launched the Indilinx Everest-based Octane SATA 3.0 and SATA 2.0 SSD series, striking the ideal balance between capacity, physical size, and speed. In addition to being the world's first SSD to achieve up to a 1TB capacity in a compact 2.5 inch format, OCZ's Octane SSD series combines high-speed data transfer rates with record-breaking access times to provide a superior user experience and improved application performance.
"OCZ has reached an important milestone in the development of its own controller technology," said James E. Bagley, Senior Analyst with Storage Strategies NOW. "The high sustained performance, even with compressed files, the rapid boot feature and high access speeds using SATA 3.0 protocol puts their controller technology in the major league."
"Until now SSDs have been tailored for specific applications, forcing users into a product which maximizes performance for a narrow band of applications, but is significantly lacking in others," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "The Octane Series solves this problem by providing the highest level of performance across varied workloads including mixed file sizes and mixed compressible and uncompressible data, all while nearly doubling NAND flash endurance."
"OCZ has reached an important milestone in the development of its own controller technology," said James E. Bagley, Senior Analyst with Storage Strategies NOW. "The high sustained performance, even with compressed files, the rapid boot feature and high access speeds using SATA 3.0 protocol puts their controller technology in the major league."
"Until now SSDs have been tailored for specific applications, forcing users into a product which maximizes performance for a narrow band of applications, but is significantly lacking in others," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "The Octane Series solves this problem by providing the highest level of performance across varied workloads including mixed file sizes and mixed compressible and uncompressible data, all while nearly doubling NAND flash endurance."
AOC Intros Two New Monitors for Small Businesses
AOC unveiled two new monitors for small businesses, the 22-inch e2219Ph, and 24-inch e2436Pa. The two feature WLED-backlit LCD panels, with 20,000,000:1 DCR, 1000:1 static contrast ratio, 5 ms response time, and power consumption of around 30W. While the e2219Ph features 1680x1050 pixel resolution, the e2436Pa ups it to 1920x1080. Both take inputs from DVI and D-Sub, the e2436Pa includes HDMI as well. Slated for mid-November, the e2219Ph and e2436Pa are priced at €169 and €189, respectively.
WD Announces Q1 Revenue of $2.7 Billion and Net Income of $239 Million
Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) today reported revenue of $2.7 billion, hard-drive unit shipments of 58 million and net income of $239 million, or $1.01 per share, for its first fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30, 2011. The company's results include expenses of $21 million associated with the planned acquisition of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) announced Mar. 7, 2011 and unrelated litigation accruals. Excluding these expenses, non-GAAP net income was $260 million or $1.10 per share.
In the year-ago quarter, the company reported revenue of $2.4 billion, net income of $197 million, or $0.84 per share, and shipped 51 million hard drives. The company generated $352 million in cash from operations during the September quarter, ending with total cash and cash equivalents of $3.7 billion. For more information, refer to First Quarter Fiscal 2012 Investor Information Summary.
In the year-ago quarter, the company reported revenue of $2.4 billion, net income of $197 million, or $0.84 per share, and shipped 51 million hard drives. The company generated $352 million in cash from operations during the September quarter, ending with total cash and cash equivalents of $3.7 billion. For more information, refer to First Quarter Fiscal 2012 Investor Information Summary.
Wednesday, October 19th 2011
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Headphones
Memory
Motherboards
Notebooks
OCZ ZT Series 750 W Review
OCZ's new ZT series fills a gap between the ZX and ZS series. The ZT units feature a fully modular cabling design, 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency, five year warranty and an affordable price for what they have to offer, so the deal sounds sweet. But before we jump into early conclusions let's first see if the OCZ ZT 750W will manage to impress with its performance, too.
Battlefield 3 To Ship With Release Day Patch
On the same day that Battlefield 3 is released, October 25th, a patch fixing bugs and making general improvements will be made available. While this may seem an odd thing to do, it's being done, because the developer DICE are perfectionists and want to released the best possible product. This means that development will continue right up to release day and the patch includes the sorts of things one would expect, such as added features as well as the bugfixes and is available for free on all three gaming platforms. This is the official statement from DICE about the patch:
Copies are set to arrive on Tuesday because there is a Day 1 update. DICE are perfectionists -- they will not stop polishing the game until it is in your hands. The Day 1 update incorporates real-time feedback from the beta, ensuring that the consumer experience on launch day is outstanding. It is the actual consumer experience that we wish to be reviewed. The game with the Day 1 update will be available for review on Oct. 25.
PowerColor Introduces a New Multimedia Streaming Solution - SlingIt
PowerColor today introduces all-new multimedia solution, SlingIt, which is designed to help centralize and distribute entertainment to various devices inside your home. SlingIt creates a gateway to wireless entertainment by offering a pair of devices that builds a bridge among multiple rooms.
Any device with HDMI connection can be supported by SlingIt. SlingIt allows users to set up easily by just plugging the transmitter to HDMI source and the receiver to HDVT, and then you can stream Youtube, play games, or share photos with your friends. SlingIt brings incredible HD experience to users with a variety media formats.
Any device with HDMI connection can be supported by SlingIt. SlingIt allows users to set up easily by just plugging the transmitter to HDMI source and the receiver to HDVT, and then you can stream Youtube, play games, or share photos with your friends. SlingIt brings incredible HD experience to users with a variety media formats.
Noctua Announces Free Upgrade for LGA2011
Noctua today announced its new NM-I2011 mounting kit for LGA2011. Continuing Noctua's tradition of supplying its customers with SecuFirm2 mountings free of charge, the NM-I2011 kit allows Noctua users to upgrade to Intel's upcoming LGA2011 socket for Core i7-3000 (Sandy Bridge-E) processors. The new mounting is backwards compatible with all Noctua retail coolers since 2005 and will be supplied to Noctua users free of charge after uploading a proof of purchase on the company's website.
"We feel that product quality and service quality should always go hand in hand, so we're determined to give the best possible support to our customers. Having provided free mounting upgrades for the last generations of Intel and AMD platforms, we're happy to announce that we will continue this tradition with the NM-I2011 kit for LGA2011", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "We always like to think of our coolers as safe long-term investments, and even if you bought one of our first models six years ago, you'll still be able to upgrade it to the latest socket technology free of charge."
"We feel that product quality and service quality should always go hand in hand, so we're determined to give the best possible support to our customers. Having provided free mounting upgrades for the last generations of Intel and AMD platforms, we're happy to announce that we will continue this tradition with the NM-I2011 kit for LGA2011", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "We always like to think of our coolers as safe long-term investments, and even if you bought one of our first models six years ago, you'll still be able to upgrade it to the latest socket technology free of charge."
AMD Appoints Mark Papermaster as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced today that Mark Papermaster, 50, has joined as the company's senior vice president and chief technology officer. He will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Rory Read and will oversee all of AMD's engineering, research and development (R&D), and product development functions as the head of the newly-formed Technology and Engineering Group. Papermaster, who was most recently vice president of Silicon Engineering at Cisco, will be responsible for establishing and executing the company's technology and product roadmaps, integrated hardware and software development, and overseeing the creation of all of AMD's products.
The advanced research and development team led by Senior Vice President of Research and Development Chekib Akrout, as well as the engineering teams residing in AMD's Products Group, will now report to Papermaster. Akrout, 53, will maintain responsibility for leading AMD's processor core development as well as system-on-a-chip (SoC) design methodology. In recognition of his ongoing technical and management contributions, Akrout will continue serving on AMD's senior leadership team responsible for key decision making and strategy setting.
The advanced research and development team led by Senior Vice President of Research and Development Chekib Akrout, as well as the engineering teams residing in AMD's Products Group, will now report to Papermaster. Akrout, 53, will maintain responsibility for leading AMD's processor core development as well as system-on-a-chip (SoC) design methodology. In recognition of his ongoing technical and management contributions, Akrout will continue serving on AMD's senior leadership team responsible for key decision making and strategy setting.
OCZ Technology Unveils the Modular ZT Power Supply Series
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and power management solutions for computing devices and systems, today unveiled the ZT Power Supply Series which offers consumers performance and stability for gaming systems and desktops. Providing high efficiency, cool operation, and a fully modular cable design, the ZT Series comes in a range of wattage options for users looking for a quality upgrade.
"The new ZT power supply is designed with quality components and rich features including a fully modular design for easy configuration and superior airflow within desktops," said Steve Lee, Senior VP and General Manager of Power Management at OCZ Technology Group. "This ZT PSU Series delivers clean and efficient power with the flexibility of modular cabling all at a competitive price point making it an ideal choice for mainstream consumers."
"The new ZT power supply is designed with quality components and rich features including a fully modular design for easy configuration and superior airflow within desktops," said Steve Lee, Senior VP and General Manager of Power Management at OCZ Technology Group. "This ZT PSU Series delivers clean and efficient power with the flexibility of modular cabling all at a competitive price point making it an ideal choice for mainstream consumers."
MSI X79A-GD65 8D Motherboard Smiles for the Camera
MSI is readying a new LGA2011 HEDT (high-end desktop) motherboard based on the Intel X79 chipset, which features eight DDR3 DIMM slots, two per memory channel, letting you take advantage of the fast quad-channel DDR3 IMC of Sandy Bridge-E Core i7 processors, as well as not letting you fall short of memory expansion. The X79A-GD65 8D, as it's called, makes room for eight DIMM slots, four on either sides of the socket. The CPU is powered by a 5+2 phase VRM, and the memory by a 4-phase VRM.
Expansion slots include four PCI-Express x16, from which four are wired to the CPU socket, two are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 capable, four are PCI-E 3.0 x8 capable (depending on the way the slots are populated with add-on cards), one is PCI-E 2.0 x4 capable and is wired to the chipset. Then there's the lone PCI-E x1. NVIDIA 4-way SLI and AMD 4-way CrossFireX are supported.
Expansion slots include four PCI-Express x16, from which four are wired to the CPU socket, two are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 capable, four are PCI-E 3.0 x8 capable (depending on the way the slots are populated with add-on cards), one is PCI-E 2.0 x4 capable and is wired to the chipset. Then there's the lone PCI-E x1. NVIDIA 4-way SLI and AMD 4-way CrossFireX are supported.
Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results, Reports All-Time Record Mac and iPad Sales
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter ended September 24, 2011. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $28.27 billion and quarterly net profit of $6.62 billion, or $7.05 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $20.34 billion and net quarterly profit of $4.31 billion, or $4.64 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.3 percent compared to 36.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 63 percent of the quarter's revenue.
The Company sold 17.07 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 21 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 11.12 million iPads during the quarter, a 166 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.89 million Macs during the quarter, a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 6.62 million iPods, a 27 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.
The Company sold 17.07 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 21 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 11.12 million iPads during the quarter, a 166 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.89 million Macs during the quarter, a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 6.62 million iPods, a 27 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.
Cooler Master Announces Hyper 412 PWM CPU Cooler
Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer brings a new CPU cooler to light, the powerful Hyper PWM CPU Cooler, which targets a delicate balance between cooling potential and noise. The Hyper 412 PWM perform extraordinarily well while maintaining minimal noise levels.
The Hyper 412 PWM CPU Cooler is designed for optimum heat dissipation at low fan speeds. This is thanks to wider fin gaps and a precise heat pipe layout that directs each of their four heat pipes across CPU "hot zones". These heat pipes are arranged using Cooler Master's patented CDC technology, creating a virtual vapor chamber for maximum cooling potential. The 412 PWM comes with a high-grade PWM that is controllable via BIOS and OS-based tuning applications.
The Hyper 412 PWM CPU Cooler is designed for optimum heat dissipation at low fan speeds. This is thanks to wider fin gaps and a precise heat pipe layout that directs each of their four heat pipes across CPU "hot zones". These heat pipes are arranged using Cooler Master's patented CDC technology, creating a virtual vapor chamber for maximum cooling potential. The 412 PWM comes with a high-grade PWM that is controllable via BIOS and OS-based tuning applications.
Gigabyte Teases with G1.Assasin 2 LGA2011 Motherboard Pictures
Gigabyte teased us with pictures of its high-end socket LGA2011 motherboard featured in its G1.Killer series of motherboards designed for the gamer-overclocker market. The G1.Assassin 2, as it's called, is based on the Intel X79 chipset. We don't have landscape pictures of the board, yet, but whatever little bits of pictures we do have, reveal quite a bit. To begin with, this board will retain the black+green "weapon" styling of predecessors in the series. The LGA2011 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, in sets of two, on either sides of the socket. Each DIMM slot has its own memory channel.
From the CPU VRM heatsink, a heat pipe is finding its way to a stylized X79 PCH heatsink. This heatsink is designed to look like a handgun. Since it's so small, it isn't looking as realistic as the clip design featured on other G1.Killer motherboards. There are just six internal SATA ports we can find from the picture, two 6 Gb/s, and four 3 Gb/s. In terms of expansion slots, we could spot three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, these could be arranged in the x16/x16/NC or x16/x8/x8 lane configuration.
From the CPU VRM heatsink, a heat pipe is finding its way to a stylized X79 PCH heatsink. This heatsink is designed to look like a handgun. Since it's so small, it isn't looking as realistic as the clip design featured on other G1.Killer motherboards. There are just six internal SATA ports we can find from the picture, two 6 Gb/s, and four 3 Gb/s. In terms of expansion slots, we could spot three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, these could be arranged in the x16/x16/NC or x16/x8/x8 lane configuration.
I-O Data Intros TB-3NT Line of USB 3.0 Flash Drives
I-O Data of Japan released the new TB-3NT line of trendy new USB 3.0 flash drives. Available in capacities of 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB; TB-3NT drives come in three color options, black, pink, and white. The drives use a typical detachable cap design, and measure 18.0 (W) x 69.4 (D) x 7.6 (H) mm, weighing 9 g. The drive is said to run optimally on USB 3.0, though the company did not give out transfer speed figures. It is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. The 8 GB variant is priced at 1880 JPY (US $24.5), the 16 GB at 3280 JPY ($42.75), and 32 GB at 6980 JPY ($91).
Aerocool Intros Strike-X Series Modular PSUs
Aerocool released its Strike-X high-end PSU series. It spans across a wide price range, starting with an 80 Plus Bronze-compliant 500W and 600W models, 80 Plus Silver-compliant 800W model, and the top of the line 1100W 80 Plus Gold one. All four feature modular cabling, and a racy red+black casing that's designed for gaming PCs. Compliant with ATX 12V 2.3 and EPS 12V 2.92, Strike-X PSUs feature active PFC, single 12V rail design, OCP, OVP, OPP, OTP, and SCP. The 500W, 600W, 800W, and 1100W models are priced at €44, €52, €120, and €150, respectively.
Intel Reports Record Revenue and Profit
Intel Corporation today reported third-quarter results, setting new records for microprocessor units shipped, EPS, earnings and revenue, which was up 28 percent year-over-year.
"Intel delivered record-setting results again in Q3, surpassing $14 billion in revenue for the first time, driven largely by double-digit unit growth in notebook PCs," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "We also saw continued strength in the data center fueled by the ongoing growth of mobile and cloud computing."
"Intel delivered record-setting results again in Q3, surpassing $14 billion in revenue for the first time, driven largely by double-digit unit growth in notebook PCs," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "We also saw continued strength in the data center fueled by the ongoing growth of mobile and cloud computing."
Cooler Master Announces CM Storm QuickFire Rapid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
CM Storm, of the Cooler Master Group, comes full circle by introducing its new line of sleek fully mechanical keyboards. A full complement of very durable and high quality CM Storm peripherals can now be had with the introduction of the QuickFire Rapid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.
Effortlessly melt into the smooth and clean aesthetic of the QuickFire Rapid via its laser-marked keycaps and its smooth, yet damage-resistant, rubber coating. This is complemented by a set of extra keycaps (includes a key puller) that give the keyboard an extra appeal that draws other gamers in. A response time of 1ms, in USB mode, offers gamers a necessary consistency to navigate the ever changing landscapes of their video game libraries. With the Windows Key being disabled in GAME mode, users will no longer worry about possibly losing a match from accidentally minimizing the game. Multimedia shortcuts are available to ensure that media can be controlled with ease. With N Key Rollover, users deploying the QuickFire Rapid in PS/2 mode can activate many keys on the keyboard at once with all of them registering.
Effortlessly melt into the smooth and clean aesthetic of the QuickFire Rapid via its laser-marked keycaps and its smooth, yet damage-resistant, rubber coating. This is complemented by a set of extra keycaps (includes a key puller) that give the keyboard an extra appeal that draws other gamers in. A response time of 1ms, in USB mode, offers gamers a necessary consistency to navigate the ever changing landscapes of their video game libraries. With the Windows Key being disabled in GAME mode, users will no longer worry about possibly losing a match from accidentally minimizing the game. Multimedia shortcuts are available to ensure that media can be controlled with ease. With N Key Rollover, users deploying the QuickFire Rapid in PS/2 mode can activate many keys on the keyboard at once with all of them registering.
Tuesday, October 18th 2011
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Notebooks
SSD
Spire Sentor 6004 Review
Spire packs the Sentor 6004 with six LED equipped fans and offers an extended chassis to allow for large graphics cards to be installed. We pull the chassis apart and fill it with with hardware to see if it manages to impress with its understated, timeless looks or if these are signs of weakness.
Prolimatech Launches Aluminum Vortex Silver Wings 140 mm Fan
The Product range of Prolimatech consists of award winning offerings. The Megahalems, Genesis, MK-13 or PK-1 - all managed to set the bar in terms of cooling performance in various magazines and reviews. The entry into the fan market with the Blue Vortex and Red Vortex was just as successful. Prolimatech is now presenting their latest addition to this segment with the unique Aluminum Vortex Silver Wings, which features Aluminum fan blades and red LEDs.
The main focus of the fan development is to ensure the most efficient cooling of their own CPU coolers. With the Vortex series, the Armageddon, Megahalems and all the other units really shine and manage to deliver the best cooling performance, but are also viable for all other coolers and computer cases in the market.
The main focus of the fan development is to ensure the most efficient cooling of their own CPU coolers. With the Vortex series, the Armageddon, Megahalems and all the other units really shine and manage to deliver the best cooling performance, but are also viable for all other coolers and computer cases in the market.
Wortmann Intros New 21.5-inch Full HD Monitor
Wortmann added a new 21.5-inch monitor to its lineup, the Terra LED 2250W. As the name suggests, it is a LED-backlit LCD monitor. It provides full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution support, with a response time of 5 ms, dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000,000:1, and 250 cd/m² typical brightness. To maintain its slim design, this monitor draws power from an external power brick. Thanks to its LED illumination, it draws just 15W. The Terra LED 2250W takes input from DVI and D-Sub, and packs stereo speakers. Backed by a 3-year warranty, it is priced at €129.
ADATA USB 3.0 Goes Full Swing, Breaks through Performance Limits
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, has launched a full range of USB 3.0 products. This USB 3.0 product lineup from ADATA offers a comprehensive range of styles, all of which incorporate new heights of performance excellence, leading consumers to experience the new era of USB 3.0 whirlwind speed.
After ADATA announced the different functionality and high performance USB 3.0 hard drive solutions SH14 & SH12, the constant pursuit for high quality, high efficiency, and the differing needs of consumers has spurred the company to re-launch its USB 3.0 flash drive line. This first new launch includes three models of ADATA USB 3.0 Flash drive: the N005 Pro, the first choice for those looking for professional performance, and the performance and value entries S102 Pro and C103. The N005 Pro and S102 Pro are advanced versions offering professional performance and improved overall speed, more than twice that of previous models.
After ADATA announced the different functionality and high performance USB 3.0 hard drive solutions SH14 & SH12, the constant pursuit for high quality, high efficiency, and the differing needs of consumers has spurred the company to re-launch its USB 3.0 flash drive line. This first new launch includes three models of ADATA USB 3.0 Flash drive: the N005 Pro, the first choice for those looking for professional performance, and the performance and value entries S102 Pro and C103. The N005 Pro and S102 Pro are advanced versions offering professional performance and improved overall speed, more than twice that of previous models.
Be Quiet! Upgrades Straight Power Series with New E9 Power Supplies
Be quiet!, market leader in Germany for five years in a row*, announced today the release of its all new Straight Power E9 line. be quiet!'s best selling line of power supply units (PSUs) has been upgraded in every power range including a new 135 mm cooling system and 80 PLUS Gold certification. Furthermore, for the first time the Straight Power line boasts a five year warranty on all models in the new E9 series.
The previous generation Straight Power E8 became the best sellers for be quiet! receiving over 29 Awards from test sites and journalists internationally. Now, be quiet! is introducing the next step in the Straight Power series. The German based company and design team was focused on improving the earlier product in every critical performance parameter.
The previous generation Straight Power E8 became the best sellers for be quiet! receiving over 29 Awards from test sites and journalists internationally. Now, be quiet! is introducing the next step in the Straight Power series. The German based company and design team was focused on improving the earlier product in every critical performance parameter.
Sharkoon Announces Hard Drive Docking Station with Gigabit Ethernet
Sharkoon presents the successor to their local network, insertable hard drive docking station with the SATA QuickPort Pro LAN: The Sharkoon SATA QuickPort Pro LAN Giga replaces the existing Fast Ethernet interface with a significantly faster Gigabit Ethernet interface. Through its LAN Port, associated hard drives and other medians can be integrated into a local home or office network.
In addition to the LAN Port and plug-in for SATA hard drives in 2.5 and 3.5 inch format, the Sharkoon SATA QuickPort Pro LAN Giga provides an integrated dual USB2.0 hub and a card reader for SD, SDHC, MMC and MS cards. The USB hub and card reader are connected via USB to a computer or laptop, with hard drives also being connected alternatively via the eSATA interface.
In addition to the LAN Port and plug-in for SATA hard drives in 2.5 and 3.5 inch format, the Sharkoon SATA QuickPort Pro LAN Giga provides an integrated dual USB2.0 hub and a card reader for SD, SDHC, MMC and MS cards. The USB hub and card reader are connected via USB to a computer or laptop, with hard drives also being connected alternatively via the eSATA interface.
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core to Have 77W TDP, Intel Plans for LGA1155 Ivy Bridge Entry
Intel's next generation "Ivy Bridge" Core processors slated for 2012 will mark the beginning of Intel's transition to the brand new 22 nanometer fab process. It looks like Ivy Bridge will significantly benefit from this transition, since Intel will raise the bar in terms of energy-efficiency. Even the fastest P1 (performance 1) tier quad-core chips will have TDP rated as low as 77W, down from the 95W Core i7 2600K, for example, has.
The punters at Intel marketing have sliced the market down to finer segments, to better address it. The market is sliced in terms of price-segments (vertical), and in terms of target users (horizontal). The two markers are independent of each other, yet they complement each other in pin-pointing areas of the market Intel can address. Ivy Bridge LGA1155 is restricted to P1 (performance tier 1) segment on the top, with higher tiers, along with HEDT (high-end desktop) being reserved for Sandy Bridge-E LGA2011, and future "Ivy Bridge-E". Horizontally, Intel will have "K" quad-core parts for Enthusiast, standard (locked) quad-core vPro for the Standard, "T" quad-core for Performance-optimized lifestyle, and "S" for Power-optimized lifestyle. Chaotic as it looks, the table below lays out the lineup perfectly.
The punters at Intel marketing have sliced the market down to finer segments, to better address it. The market is sliced in terms of price-segments (vertical), and in terms of target users (horizontal). The two markers are independent of each other, yet they complement each other in pin-pointing areas of the market Intel can address. Ivy Bridge LGA1155 is restricted to P1 (performance tier 1) segment on the top, with higher tiers, along with HEDT (high-end desktop) being reserved for Sandy Bridge-E LGA2011, and future "Ivy Bridge-E". Horizontally, Intel will have "K" quad-core parts for Enthusiast, standard (locked) quad-core vPro for the Standard, "T" quad-core for Performance-optimized lifestyle, and "S" for Power-optimized lifestyle. Chaotic as it looks, the table below lays out the lineup perfectly.
Arctic Intros Accelero Mono Plus VGA Cooler
Arctic released a new VGA cooler, the Accelero Mono PLUS. This cooler can handle thermal loads of up to 200W, and maintains a compact fin-stack design, unlike the monolitic heatsink design of the Accelero L2 series. Measuring 136 (L) x 138 (W) x 51 (H) mm, its main heatsink weighs 348 g. From an exposed-copper base (with pre-applied adhesive thermal compound) arise five 6 mm thick copper heat pipes, that fan out to pass through an aluminum fin stack. This stack is ventilated by a 120 mm PWM-controlled fan that can spin at speeds between 400 and 1500 RPM. It can be as quiet as 0.4 Sone.
Monday, October 17th 2011
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Motherboards
Mouse
PSUs
SSD
Thermaltake Toughpower 1500 W Review
Recently Thermaltake has added three new models to the Toughpower series, which are intended for power hungry systems with triple or even four-way SLI or Crossfire configurations. Today our load testers will have some extra work to do since we are going to test a monstrous Toughpower unit with 1500W capacity.
SandForce BSOD Firmware Bug: Fix Finally Available
Finally a fix for the BSOD/disconnect bug that has been plaguing users for months is available for SF-2200 based SSDs. OCZ uses these, has been testing this new firmware for several weeks and now believes that it's fit for release. The new firmware is at version 2.15 for OCZ drives and 3.3.2 for drives that SandForce's standard numbering system. As with any firmware update, it should be used cautiously, all data backed up and perhaps used on a non-mission critical Windows install for a while, for confidence. Note that there may be more unresolved issues and new ones introduced.
Battlefield 3 Torrent Leak: An Inside Job?
DICE's PC version has been leaked to various torrent sites almost two weeks before release on October 28th, with console versions being safe for now, DSOGaming reports. This is perhaps unsurprising because most, if not all high profile games are leaked early one way or another. It looks like it might have possibly been done by a retailer - but why would they risk reducing sales of the product like this? Perhaps a disgruntled employee? We can only speculate. Apparently, the single player campaign is fully playable and the file size weighs in at around 10GB.
The one thing that seems to hold true about such situations, as undesirable as they are, is that a game's success will be on its own merit, regardless of how much it has been downloaded illegally. No doubt though, however large the profits from this game turn out to be (and they're likely to be substantial for this triple A title) the publishers will complain that they would have been even bigger without piracy, but without being able to offer any actual proof of this, of course.
The one thing that seems to hold true about such situations, as undesirable as they are, is that a game's success will be on its own merit, regardless of how much it has been downloaded illegally. No doubt though, however large the profits from this game turn out to be (and they're likely to be substantial for this triple A title) the publishers will complain that they would have been even bigger without piracy, but without being able to offer any actual proof of this, of course.
Enermax Platimax 80 Plus Platinum-Compliant PSUs Released to Market
The introduction of the international energy saving certification 80 PLUS for desktop power supplies in 2004 has significantly changed the PSU market. Efficiency has turned into the guiding theme of the following years. PSU manufacturers quickly stepped forward and developed new technologies to achieve higher and higher efficiency rates. Accordingly, the 80 PLUS organisation extended the certification system with Bronze, Silver, Gold in 2008 and finally Platinum at the end of last year.
With its own R&D team and its own PSU production, Enermax plays a leading role in the development and market introduction of energy saving PSU technologies. Series like Modu82+, Revolution85+ or Modu87+ have won the most influential international awards and set new standards in terms of performance, quality and design. Also the latest Enermax creation, the high-performance MaxRevo series, continues the success story of its predecessors.
With its own R&D team and its own PSU production, Enermax plays a leading role in the development and market introduction of energy saving PSU technologies. Series like Modu82+, Revolution85+ or Modu87+ have won the most influential international awards and set new standards in terms of performance, quality and design. Also the latest Enermax creation, the high-performance MaxRevo series, continues the success story of its predecessors.
Team Group Announces New Xtreem Dark and LV Kits
Team Group Inc.'s memory modules have always been known for its stability and high performance among enthusiasts. In 2011, the company invests heavily to build the new series radiating modules, and changes the packaging to a smaller volume of paper card design that is more environmental friendly. Enthusiasts would be guaranteed to enjoy the ultimate feeling of freshness and classic at the same time.
Scythe Kama Connect 3 comes with USB 3.0 Support
Japanese cooling expert Scythe is hereby announcing the improved version of its multi functional Kama Connect adapter. Scythe is steadily enhancing the product portfolio and pushes Kama Connect to the next level. Third version of Kama Connect is of special use to technicians, DIY users as well as end-users who own various drives and require fast access to their media and files.
Compared to Kama Connect PLUS which was equipped with an internal card reader, new Kama Connect 3 is built more compact and comes without the card reader. Key improvement is the support of new USB 3.0 Standard for Super Speed data transfer which was achieved by implementing new controller alongside with the blue USB 3.0 type B connector. In case the end device such as PC or Notebook lacks USB 3.0 support Kama Connect 3 will automatically switch down to USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 mode to assure wide range compatibility and safe operation.
Compared to Kama Connect PLUS which was equipped with an internal card reader, new Kama Connect 3 is built more compact and comes without the card reader. Key improvement is the support of new USB 3.0 Standard for Super Speed data transfer which was achieved by implementing new controller alongside with the blue USB 3.0 type B connector. In case the end device such as PC or Notebook lacks USB 3.0 support Kama Connect 3 will automatically switch down to USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 mode to assure wide range compatibility and safe operation.
NZXT Phantom Big-Tower in Orange with USB 3.0
NZXT proudly presents the Phantom Big-Tower in orange, another special edition of the successful chassis. 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 white, black, red and red/white color options, NZXT also offers a special pink variant and now the sleek black and orange version.
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 white, black, red and red/white color options, NZXT also offers a special pink variant and now the sleek black and orange version.
Logitech Announces Wireless Mouse M525
Today Logitech introduced the Logitech Wireless Mouse M525, the ideal solution for anyone who wants to scroll quickly and easily through the Web.
The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 features an innovative micro-precise wheel that packs more grooves per millimetre, giving you a smoother navigation experience. It makes scrolling through long Web pages faster and easier. Plus on most computer systems, the built-in tilt wheel lets you move backward and forward on the Web just like with a swipe.
The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 features an innovative micro-precise wheel that packs more grooves per millimetre, giving you a smoother navigation experience. It makes scrolling through long Web pages faster and easier. Plus on most computer systems, the built-in tilt wheel lets you move backward and forward on the Web just like with a swipe.
ViewSonic Introduces New Ultra-fast 3D LED Display
ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today expanded its 3D display leadership, announcing the immediate availability of its V3D231 LED monitor.
This 23-inch3D-Ready LED monitor features an ultra-fast 2 ms video response time, making it perfect for enjoying a crystal clear 3D gaming and video experience. Paired with a native 1920x1080 full HD resolution and 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, users can expect great color accuracy and picture detail, making for unsurpassed 3D image quality.
This 23-inch3D-Ready LED monitor features an ultra-fast 2 ms video response time, making it perfect for enjoying a crystal clear 3D gaming and video experience. Paired with a native 1920x1080 full HD resolution and 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, users can expect great color accuracy and picture detail, making for unsurpassed 3D image quality.
Thermalright Intros Revised Archon CPU Cooler
Air cooling specialist and pioneer of tower-type heatsinks, Thermalright, released a new revision of its Archon CPU cooler. Archon is a large tower-type heatsink that uses long aluminum fins. The heatsink measures 170 (H) x 155 (L) x 53 (W) mm. Such is the length of the fins that with this new revision, Thermalright decided to use a larger 150 mm fan, the Thermalright TY-150.
The TY-150 spins 500 to 1100 RPM, can be controlled using PWM, and has a noise output range of 19 to 23 dBA. The heatsink uses six 6 mm thick nickel plated copper heat pipes to convey heat evenly to the fin stack, in two rows of U-shaped pipes. The fins themselves are angled at spots to improve heat dissipation. The heat pipes converge at a mirrored copper base, but don't make direct contact with the CPU. The new Archon Rev. A is priced at €52.90.
The TY-150 spins 500 to 1100 RPM, can be controlled using PWM, and has a noise output range of 19 to 23 dBA. The heatsink uses six 6 mm thick nickel plated copper heat pipes to convey heat evenly to the fin stack, in two rows of U-shaped pipes. The fins themselves are angled at spots to improve heat dissipation. The heat pipes converge at a mirrored copper base, but don't make direct contact with the CPU. The new Archon Rev. A is priced at €52.90.
AMD's First 28 nm GPUs in December
It looks like AMD will have the symbolic achievement of launching its first GPUs built on the new 28 nanometer process in 2011 itself. Sources told Heise.de that AMD is working towards launching some of its planned 28 nm GPUs in the second week of December, 2011. One of these sources specifically named December 06. Details on whether the launched GPU will be for the mobile (notebook) or desktop (graphics card) platforms; or even whether it will use the VLIW4 or so-called 'NextGen' compute architecture, are not known at this point.
Another source reinforced the theory that the launch will be more about symbolism than volume manufacturing for sales. It's likely that a small number of these GPUs will be manufactured, just about enough to send to OEMs for their qualification, and perhaps even the media for published performance testing. We expect these GPUs to be lower-end or mid-range GPUs, and since AMD is reserving the NextGen compute architecture for only the high-end GPU part, these ones will most likely use VLIW4.
Another source reinforced the theory that the launch will be more about symbolism than volume manufacturing for sales. It's likely that a small number of these GPUs will be manufactured, just about enough to send to OEMs for their qualification, and perhaps even the media for published performance testing. We expect these GPUs to be lower-end or mid-range GPUs, and since AMD is reserving the NextGen compute architecture for only the high-end GPU part, these ones will most likely use VLIW4.
EVGA X79 Classified E799 Motherboard Pictured
EVGA was missing on the LGA2011 motherboard wall at this year's Computex event in June. EVGA is one of the top brands overclockers and enthusiasts look forward to, for motherboards. As a late consolation, EVGA gave out a teaser picture of one of its upcoming X79 motherboards a little later in June. At GeForce LAN 6, however, EVGA made full use of the spotlight to unveil its X79 Classified (E799), a top-tier socket LGA2011 motherboard clearly designed for overclockers.
The X79 Classified uses a traditional LGA2011 motherboard layout, but with wide open spaces to make insulating it (against condensation) easier. The CPU power delivery seems to be in the hands of some very high-grade VRM design, it draws power from two 8-pin EPS connectors apart from the 24-pin ATX (that's right-angled). There are just four DDR3 DIMM slots, one per memory channel. A 4-phase memory VRM is deployed. Over the chipset area, a large contiguous heatsink covers most hot components in the central-right region. We don't expect there to be a bridge chip.
The X79 Classified uses a traditional LGA2011 motherboard layout, but with wide open spaces to make insulating it (against condensation) easier. The CPU power delivery seems to be in the hands of some very high-grade VRM design, it draws power from two 8-pin EPS connectors apart from the 24-pin ATX (that's right-angled). There are just four DDR3 DIMM slots, one per memory channel. A 4-phase memory VRM is deployed. Over the chipset area, a large contiguous heatsink covers most hot components in the central-right region. We don't expect there to be a bridge chip.
Sunday, October 16th 2011
NVIDIA Introduces 3D Vision 2 Products
NVIDIA today unveiled its second generation of 3D Vision products, designed to immerse gamers and enthusiasts in the ultimate 3D experience for games, movies and photos.
NVIDIA 3D Vision 2, the next generation of NVIDIA's award-winning 3D glasses, features a sleek new design and other features to enhance the immersive experience when playing 3D games, or enjoying 3D movies or photos. Among these is NVIDIA 3D LightBoost, a unique new display technology that dramatically improves the 3D experience by delivering images that are up to twice as bright and colors that are far richer than those provided by other 3D display technologies.
These features give gamers the ultimate 3D platform for this Fall's hot new titles, including Batman: Arkham City, LA Noire and more. In addition, through the 3D Vision Ready ecosystem, NVIDIA is delivering the industry's broadest selection of high-quality 3D content and supported displays.
NVIDIA 3D Vision 2, the next generation of NVIDIA's award-winning 3D glasses, features a sleek new design and other features to enhance the immersive experience when playing 3D games, or enjoying 3D movies or photos. Among these is NVIDIA 3D LightBoost, a unique new display technology that dramatically improves the 3D experience by delivering images that are up to twice as bright and colors that are far richer than those provided by other 3D display technologies.
These features give gamers the ultimate 3D platform for this Fall's hot new titles, including Batman: Arkham City, LA Noire and more. In addition, through the 3D Vision Ready ecosystem, NVIDIA is delivering the industry's broadest selection of high-quality 3D content and supported displays.
Walled Garden Outfit Valve Accuses Apple Of Operating A Walled Garden
You've got to laugh at the hypocrisy of big companies sometimes. It's a well known fact that Apple operates a very closed and controlling walled garden eco system with all of their products, courtesy of the late Steve Jobs. Examples include the iPhone, which can only purchase apps from the official Apple apps store and the iPod, which can also only sync with iTunes, both due to deliberate vendor lock-in using a combination of hardware and software DRM (Digital Restrictions Management). Apple claims that this is to ensure a seamless, consistent and high quality user experience. Savvy users know this to be only half the story, instead it's there to shut out competition and lock you in to Apple for everything in order to charge high prices for allegedly "premium" product. The only way to avoid this, is to jailbreak the devices (break the DRM) which conveniently (for Apple) voids the warranty on these expensive gadgets. Thankfully, this process is no longer underground, due to a recent court ruling that said jailbreaking was legal, much to Apple's displeasure.
However, the equally closed Valve, with their Steam gaming platform and it's account-based DRM has accused Apple of being a closed system! They are also "concerned" about it. This happened in an interview between Bellevue-based Valve's Gabe Newell and leading games investor Ed Fries at the WTIA TechNW conference. This has been reported in The Seattle Times in Brier Dudley's blog.
However, the equally closed Valve, with their Steam gaming platform and it's account-based DRM has accused Apple of being a closed system! They are also "concerned" about it. This happened in an interview between Bellevue-based Valve's Gabe Newell and leading games investor Ed Fries at the WTIA TechNW conference. This has been reported in The Seattle Times in Brier Dudley's blog.
Saturday, October 15th 2011
Got A Virus? It's Your Fault Says Microsoft
Yes, that's right the maker of notoriously vulnerable software is now blaming you, the user, should you get a virus, trojan or other malware infection on your Windows computer. However, it does look like they have some justification for saying this. For those with long attention spans, Microsoft have just released their 168 page Microsoft Security Intelligence Report 6MB PDF, with the stated aim of providing:
An in-depth perspective on software vulnerabilities and exploits, malicious code threats, and potentially unwanted software in the first half of 2011The first thing to note about the report is that it is limited to its Malicious Software Removal Tool and Microsoft's other anti-malware products. Zero-day attacks that it can't detect are not included in the findings. So, surely it can't all be the user's fault then? It also means that the security angles from third party security vendors such as Kaspersky, Norton and McAfee aren't represented here.
Friday, October 14th 2011
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Processors
Intel 320 Series SSD 300 GB Review
Intel's 320 Series SSD has been on the market for a while now. Recently the drives were plagued by a series of failures which caused the drive to report as 8 MB. A recent Intel firmware update adresses this issue. The installed the new firmware and gave the drive a spin.
AM3+ Processor Support BIOS Updates Available for Several MSI Motherboards
Leading international mainboard and graphics card maker MSI released the mainboard BIOS with full AMD AM3+ 8-core CPU support for download today. Enthusiasts that own one of the listed mainboards1 can now download the update to support the latest AMD AM3+ 8-core CPUs (B2 Stepping). For those planning to purchase a new mainboard, if the box is labeled with "Supports AM3+ CPU with New BIOS," the mainboard will support the powerful AMD AM3+ 8-core CPUs out of the box. Enthusiasts that have purchased a mainboard that is on the list of compatible mainboards can update the BIOS themselves to support the latest AM3+ 8-core CPUs. Also, new in this BIOS update is official support for MSI's proprietary ClickBIOS II system optimization tool for all AMD 900 mainboards. The graphical UEFI BIOS provides mainboard-level support, and exporting OC Profiles to USB drives offers unparalleled convenience.
ASRock Announces Wide-Ranged Support for AMD FX Processors
Motherboard giant, ASRock Inc. is proud to announce that their AMD Motherboard Series now can fully support the newly launched AM3+ Bulldozer processors. It's been an incredible year for multi-core processing and it's almost time for you to upgrade the essential CPU.
ASRock have prioritized AM3+ motherboard implementation and is the first to produce the most sophisticated AM3+ CPU-capable motherboards. The entire range of AM3+ mobo includes AMD's 9-Series, 8-Series, 7-Series and Nvidia's GeForce 7025 chipset series. Importantly, ASRock have a complete motherboard products line (from high-end, performance to budget-level) supporting AM3+ Bulldozer processors. Users are able to enjoy the exciting AM3+ performance with the latest BIOS update. ASRock is confident to say that they are the only motherboard maker that can offer so many AM3+ mobo choices based on difference chipsets. And this is what other mobo makers cannot do.
ASRock have prioritized AM3+ motherboard implementation and is the first to produce the most sophisticated AM3+ CPU-capable motherboards. The entire range of AM3+ mobo includes AMD's 9-Series, 8-Series, 7-Series and Nvidia's GeForce 7025 chipset series. Importantly, ASRock have a complete motherboard products line (from high-end, performance to budget-level) supporting AM3+ Bulldozer processors. Users are able to enjoy the exciting AM3+ performance with the latest BIOS update. ASRock is confident to say that they are the only motherboard maker that can offer so many AM3+ mobo choices based on difference chipsets. And this is what other mobo makers cannot do.
AMD to Turn to TSMC for ''Bulldozer'' Manufacturing
AMD is rumored to be seeking ties with TSMC, Taiwan's premier semiconductor manufacturing foundry, for future manufacturing of its "Bulldozer" architecture processors, according to a report by DonanimHaber. This has two very distinct implications: first, AMD could be facing issues with GlobalFoundries 32 nm HKMG node, its de facto foundry for CPU manufacturing, and second, this could just be an obvious development of future low-power APUs based on the new x86 architecture being manufactured at TSMC, much like how current E-series and C-series APUs are.
Then again, AMD doesn't exactly have any APUs in works that use "Bulldozer" architecture for the x86 cores, rather, its successor codenamed "Piledriver". Another couple of important things to note here are that TSMC does not have a 32 nm bulk node (it was scrapped with the transition to 28 nm bulk), and its HKMG (high-K metal gate transistor) manufacturing technology is deployed rather recently. It would be interesting to follow this development.
Then again, AMD doesn't exactly have any APUs in works that use "Bulldozer" architecture for the x86 cores, rather, its successor codenamed "Piledriver". Another couple of important things to note here are that TSMC does not have a 32 nm bulk node (it was scrapped with the transition to 28 nm bulk), and its HKMG (high-K metal gate transistor) manufacturing technology is deployed rather recently. It would be interesting to follow this development.
DangerDen Announces Q20 Black Series Case
The color cases options are back at Danger Den with the new Q20 Black Series Case! The Q20 has standard color options for the top and bottom panels as well as the front and back grills. Now you can easily match your case color to your planned modding theme!
The front grill allows the Q20 to have an air filter that can easily be removed and blown off, keeping the dust out of your case! The internal fan shroud can be configured to mount 120mm or 140mm fans. If you want to liquid cool you can match the radiator to the fans.
The front grill allows the Q20 to have an air filter that can easily be removed and blown off, keeping the dust out of your case! The internal fan shroud can be configured to mount 120mm or 140mm fans. If you want to liquid cool you can match the radiator to the fans.
OCZ Technology Announces Deneva 2 and Intrepid Series mSATA SSDs for OEMs
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today launched the Deneva 2 and Intrepid Series mSATA SSD lineup for OEM clients. These small form factor drives are designed for a wide range of embedded applications including slim servers, tablets, dual drive notebooks, and network security devices, delivering superior performance over hard drives while meeting the stringent reliability, security, and cost-saving needs of enterprise storage environments.
Embedded system designers require small format, cost-effective SSD solutions that do not compromise performance or reliability. Unlike standard drives, OCZ mSATA SSDs are much smaller with no outer housing, making them an easy to deploy storage solution for mobile computing, boot modules for virtualization applications, or HDD caching, allowing for high capacities, high performance, and low power consumption in a very compact form factor.
"OCZ Deneva 2 and Intrepid mSATA solid state drives provide OEMs with the flexibility to address storage and caching requirements within innovative form factors, including embedded and dual-drive devices and blade servers," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. "These new SSDs are available in a wide range of capacities and configurations to deliver exceptional scalability, performance, and endurance, all with a compact and energy efficient design."
Embedded system designers require small format, cost-effective SSD solutions that do not compromise performance or reliability. Unlike standard drives, OCZ mSATA SSDs are much smaller with no outer housing, making them an easy to deploy storage solution for mobile computing, boot modules for virtualization applications, or HDD caching, allowing for high capacities, high performance, and low power consumption in a very compact form factor.
"OCZ Deneva 2 and Intrepid mSATA solid state drives provide OEMs with the flexibility to address storage and caching requirements within innovative form factors, including embedded and dual-drive devices and blade servers," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. "These new SSDs are available in a wide range of capacities and configurations to deliver exceptional scalability, performance, and endurance, all with a compact and energy efficient design."
Thursday, October 13th 2011
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Processors
Soundgraph Hummin' 3.03 & Finger VU 1016W Review
Soungraph is the company behind all the great functionality of the major brand HTPC cases found on the market. With their retail products the company enables users to morph their normal cases and employ these as home theater system. We take a look at their first designed HTPC chassis called the Hummin' 3.03 and the first ever wireless USB based touch screen monitor.
Bulldozer Aims For 50% Improvement By 2014: Is This Really Enough To Counter Intel?
The reviews are now out for AMD's brand new Bulldozer architecture, in the form of the Zambezi FX 8120 & FX 8150 processors and they don't paint a pretty picture of these flagship products. The chips use lots of power, run hot and significantly underperform compared to their Intel competition. On top of that, they are being marketed as 8 core processors, when they are actually 4 core with an advanced form of multi-threading, due to the siamesed nature of each dual processor module. Perhaps to counter this negative publicity and try to restore some faith in the AMD brand, they have released a roadmap for the planned improvements to the architecture, all the way to 2014 - an ambitious timeline, given how much and how unexpectedly things can change at the cutting edge of the technology world.
GIGABYTE Launches Force K3 Gaming Keyboard
GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to announce a new standard gaming keyboard - Force K3, a gaming keyboard with professional features and friendly price. Back to the end of 2010, GIGABYTE had just released the first gaming keystroke keyboard Aivia K8100 Macro Gaming Keyboard, the Red Dot design award winner, and received good reviews from all around the world. To continue fulfilling gamers' needs, GIGABYTE is launching Force K3 Gaming Keyboard, which features enlarged elastic rubber dome, one-piece rubber membrane design, enhanced frame structure, water-resistant functionality, and shock-resistant design.
PQI Releases H552V USB 3.0 2.5'' Portable Hard Drive
Power Quotient International (PQI) has just released its all-new H552V USB 3.0 2.5" portable hard drive! The drive features sharp and refined curves that create a stylish sports car-like appearance, a dual curved back case that lends it a stunning beauty, and a precision engraving polishing technique and ornate buffing that manifests a high quality combination glossy/matte black finish. The device's smooth surface texture, which is both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable to the touch, subtly exudes a reserved sense of extravagance. The PQI H552V boasts stylish race car-like curves and also features a USB 3.0 transfer interface crafted like a hawk-eyed double headlight. The bright LED light at the center of the headlights clearly displays transfer status to help avoid interrupting data transfers-and thereby losing one's important data-as a result of accidentally removing the device at the wrong time.
SteelSeries and Gunnar Optics Introduce SteelSeries DESMO Gaming Eyewear
Today, SteelSeries and GUNNAR Optiks introduced a new style of eyewear designed for competitive gamers, the SteelSeries Desmo. Featuring GUNNAR's i-AMP lens technology, the new co-branded eyewear improves visual efficiency, endurance, and recovery during gaming sessions. To minimize peripheral distractions, the unique design is semi-rimless and provides an exceedingly broad visual field that allows the user to completely focus on the screen. The sleek frame features flexible twin-rail temples combined with adjustable nose pads to provide a lightweight, stable fit. As an added benefit for gamers, the ultra-slim temples rest comfortably beneath a gaming headset. The new style will be available in two color options - the Desmo Onyx and Desmo Snow (limited edition).
Zalman Announces CNPS12X High-End CPU Cooler
Zalman announced its latest high-end CPU air cooler, the CNPS12X. This beast was first shown to public at this year's Computex trade-show, back in early June. Between then and now, the CNPS12X got some important retention module changes that make it fully compatible with the upcoming LGA2011 socket on which "Sandy Bridge-E" Core i7 processors are based, as well as AMD AM3+ and FM1. Measuring 151 x 132 x 154 mm (L x W x H), and weighing exactly 1 kg, the CNPS12X uses a design that's essentially identical to that of the NH-D14 from Noctua, that of two fin stacks. It's just that the stacks here are somewhat circular in shape, and that the CNPS12X uses three fans: an intake (before the first stack), a conveyer (between the two stacks), and an exhaust (after the second stack). All three fans are 120 mm in size, and are illuminated by blue LEDs.
The fans seem to be using 3-pin (voltage) method of speed control. Supplied with the cooler are three RC5 intermediate resistors, which make the fans spin at speeds between 850 and 1100 RPM with as low as 22 dBA noise output. Without the RC5, the fans spin between 950 and 1200 RPM, with at least 24 dBA noise output. The heatsink is made almost entirely of dark nickel-plated copper, with certain aluminum parts. Heat is conveyed to the two copper fin stacks by six nickel-plated copper heat pipes, that make direct contact with the CPU at base. Zalman did not give out pricing and availability information.
The fans seem to be using 3-pin (voltage) method of speed control. Supplied with the cooler are three RC5 intermediate resistors, which make the fans spin at speeds between 850 and 1100 RPM with as low as 22 dBA noise output. Without the RC5, the fans spin between 950 and 1200 RPM, with at least 24 dBA noise output. The heatsink is made almost entirely of dark nickel-plated copper, with certain aluminum parts. Heat is conveyed to the two copper fin stacks by six nickel-plated copper heat pipes, that make direct contact with the CPU at base. Zalman did not give out pricing and availability information.
Corsair Announces World's First High-Performance Quad Channel 32GB Memory Kit
Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the world's first high-performance quad channel Dominator 32GB DDR3 memory kit.
The Dominator 32GB Quad Channel kit (part number CMT32GX3M4X1866C9) consists of four rigorously-screened 8GB DDR3 DRAM modules with Corsair's patented DHX+ heatsinks. It operates at 1.5V and is designed to run at 1866MHz, with 9-10-9-27 C9 timing. Corsair has compatibility tested the new 32GB Quad Channel kit with upcoming quad channel platforms as well as current dual channel platforms.
The Dominator 32GB Quad Channel kit (part number CMT32GX3M4X1866C9) consists of four rigorously-screened 8GB DDR3 DRAM modules with Corsair's patented DHX+ heatsinks. It operates at 1.5V and is designed to run at 1866MHz, with 9-10-9-27 C9 timing. Corsair has compatibility tested the new 32GB Quad Channel kit with upcoming quad channel platforms as well as current dual channel platforms.
Buffalo Intros Legacy DLNA TV-friendly Hard Drive
Buffalo introduced a unique new external hard drive that provides 3 TB of storage while retaining compatibility with certain kinds of DLNA-capable TVs that don't support mass storage volumes greater than 1 TB or 2 TB in size. The HD-ALCTU2/V, as it's known, features a selector switch on its front-panel, which "adjusts" capacities of its first volume (volume0) between its default 3 TB, to 2 TB, and even 1 TB. The remaining size gets logically partitioned off into different volumes. This allows not only compatibility with older TVs, but also the organization that comes with partitioning a large drive. Measuring 121 x 40 x 201 mm, the drive features an all-black body. Its front panel features status LEDs besides the selector switch. On its rear side is its DC power input, a Kensington lock slot, and a USB 2.0 connector. Pricing and availability are not announced.
iiyama Intros New ProLite 23-inch Full HD LED Monitor
Japanese display maker iiyama released a sleek new 23-inch monitor, the ProLite X2377HDS. It makes use of an LED-backlit IPS panel, that can provide high contrast ratios as well as good viewing angles, of 178°/178°. It features standard 1920 x 1080 resolution, with 5 ms response time, maximum brightness of 250 cd/m², 1000:1 static and 5000000:1 dynamic contrast ratios. Display inputs include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Stereo speakers make for the rest of it. Up for pre-order, the iiyama ProLite X2377HDS is priced as low as €165.37.
Thermaltake Announces Transporter Carry Bag - Take Your Rig Places
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" in varies PC market segment, debuts the Transporter Carry Bag which offers LAN game party fanatics a burly chassis carry bag that maximizing portability for all types of full-tower and PC accessories with exclusive protection in various weather conditions.
Wednesday, October 12th 2011
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Game Controllers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Nettops
Processors
- AMD FX-8150 Benchmark Reviews
- AMD FX-8150 Guru3D
- AMD FX-8150 HardwareCanucks
- AMD FX-8150 HardwareHeaven
- AMD FX-8150 Hi Tech Legion
- AMD FX-8150 HotHardware
- AMD FX-8150 LAN OC
- AMD FX-8150 Legit Reviews
- AMD FX-8150 LostCircuits
- AMD FX-8150 Madshrimps
- AMD FX-8150 NeoSeeker
- AMD FX-8150 Overclock3D.net
- AMD FX-8150 Overclockers Club
- AMD FX-8150 Overclockers.com
- AMD FX-8150 Planet 3DNow! (de)
- AMD FX-8150 PureOverclock
- AMD FX-8150 Rage3D
- AMD FX-8150 SSDReview
- AMD FX-8150 Tech Report
- AMD FX-8150 TechSpot
- AMD FX-8150 Techware Labs
- AMD FX-8150 Tweaktown
- AMD FX-8150 Vortez
- AMD FX-8150 VR-Zone
PSUs
SSD
Storage
Lian Li PC-V600F Review
The PC-V600F takes the successful V1020 series and shrinks it down for the mATX crowd. We will take the case for a spin to make sure it did not lose any of the important features on the way and to see if the chassis is really worth more than 200 bucks.
CyberpowerPC Unveils Gamer Scorpius Gaming PCs
CyberpowerPC., a leading manufacturer of custom gaming PCs, today announced the Gamer Scorpius line, a series of desktop gaming PCs based on AMD's new FX-series "Bulldozer" CPU series.
The new Gamer Scorpius series combines AMD's new FX CPU, Socket AM3+ (900 series chipset motherboard), and AMD Radeon HD 6000 graphics into a desktop gaming rig that has a boost in performance of 50 percent over the previous generation of AMD desktop platforms at a low cost. The new AMD FX CPU provides fully unlocked processor clock multipliers that ensure maximum speed while processing to enable an unrivaled PC enthusiast experience for multi-display gaming, mega-tasking and High-Def content creation.
The new Gamer Scorpius series combines AMD's new FX CPU, Socket AM3+ (900 series chipset motherboard), and AMD Radeon HD 6000 graphics into a desktop gaming rig that has a boost in performance of 50 percent over the previous generation of AMD desktop platforms at a low cost. The new AMD FX CPU provides fully unlocked processor clock multipliers that ensure maximum speed while processing to enable an unrivaled PC enthusiast experience for multi-display gaming, mega-tasking and High-Def content creation.
Palit Shows Off GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Light Turbo Graphics Card
Palit unveiled a new limited-edition GeForce GTX 560 Ti based non-reference design graphics card, the Palit GTX 560 Ti Twin Light Turbo. The card's design is based on a black colored PCB (Palit uses a red-colored one on its regular GTX 560 Ti cards), and a unique GPU Cooler design. The heatsink follows essentially the same structure as the one featured on Gainward Phantom cards, in which heat is conveyed to the aluminum fin stack by four heat pipes, but the fans that ventilate the card are located on the side of the heatsink facing the PCB, rather than on top of it. The fans draw in air from the heatsink. Palit claims that the cooler has a noise output of less than 10 dBA.
The clock speeds of the card are not given out, yet. Like every other GTX 560 Ti, this card makes use of a 40 nm GeForce Fermi 114 GPU, is DirectX 11 compliant, packs 384 CUDA cores, and makes use of 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 256-bit wide memory interface. Display outputs include two DVI, and one each of D-Sub and HDMI (full-size). There is one SLI connector that allows 2-way SLI with any other GTX 560 Ti card, and power is drawn in from two 6-pin PCIe power connectors. Availability and pricing information is not known at the moment.
The clock speeds of the card are not given out, yet. Like every other GTX 560 Ti, this card makes use of a 40 nm GeForce Fermi 114 GPU, is DirectX 11 compliant, packs 384 CUDA cores, and makes use of 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 256-bit wide memory interface. Display outputs include two DVI, and one each of D-Sub and HDMI (full-size). There is one SLI connector that allows 2-way SLI with any other GTX 560 Ti card, and power is drawn in from two 6-pin PCIe power connectors. Availability and pricing information is not known at the moment.
WD Reports Impact on HDD Production Due to Severe Flooding in Thailand
Western Digital Corp. today announced that production of hard drives in its facilities close to Bangkok, Thailand, will be constrained in the current quarter due to the severe flooding in Thailand. The flooding is causing problems with the region's infrastructure, including transportation and utilities, and has resulted in the inundation of some supplier facilities and employee homes. The company is gratified to report that its approximately 37,000 Thailand-based employees are deemed safe at this time.
The company is working with its suppliers to maximize throughput and availability of parts in order to best meet the needs of its customers.
The company is working with its suppliers to maximize throughput and availability of parts in order to best meet the needs of its customers.
Review Consensus: AMD FX Processor 8150 Underwhelming
It's been in the works for over three years now. That's right, the first we heard of "Bulldozer" as a processor architecture under development was shortly after the launch of "Barcelona" K10 architecture. Granted, it wasn't possible to load close to 2 billion transistors on the silicon fab technology AMD had at the time, but AMD had a clear window over the last year to at least paper-launch the AMD FX. Delays and bad marketing may have cost AMD dearly in shaping up the product for the market.
After drawing a consensus from about 25 reviews (links in Today's Reviews on the front page), it emerges that:
After drawing a consensus from about 25 reviews (links in Today's Reviews on the front page), it emerges that:
- AMD FX-8150 is missing its performance expectations by a fair margin. Not to mention performance gains in its own presentation, these expectations were built up by how AMD was shaping the product to be a full-fledged enthusiast product with significant performance gains over the previous generation
- AMD ill-marketed the FX-8150. Hype is a double-edged sword, and should not be used if you're not confident your offering will live up to at least most of the hype. AMD marketed at least the top-tier FX-8000 series eight-core processors as the second coming of Athlon64 FX.
AMD Unlocked FX Processors Announced
AMD today unleashed the AMD FX family of CPUs, delivering a fully unlocked and customizable experience for desktop PC users. The AMD FX series of desktop CPUs includes the first-ever eight-core desktop processor, enabling extreme multi-display gaming, mega-tasking and HD content creation for PC and digital enthusiasts - all for less than $245 (suggested U.S. retail price). This marks the first retail availability of processors that use AMD's new multi-core architecture (codenamed "Bulldozer"), which is included in AMD's upcoming server CPU (codenamed "Interlagos") and the next-generation of AMD Accelerated Processing Units.
"AMD FX CPUs are back with a vengeance, as validated by the recent feat of setting a Guinness World Records title for 'Highest Frequency of a Computer Processor,'" said Chris Cloran, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Group at AMD. "While overclockers will certainly enjoy the frequencies the AMD FX processors can achieve, PC enthusiasts and HD media aficionados will appreciate the remarkable experience that AMD FX processors can provide as part of a balanced, affordable desktop system."
"AMD FX CPUs are back with a vengeance, as validated by the recent feat of setting a Guinness World Records title for 'Highest Frequency of a Computer Processor,'" said Chris Cloran, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Group at AMD. "While overclockers will certainly enjoy the frequencies the AMD FX processors can achieve, PC enthusiasts and HD media aficionados will appreciate the remarkable experience that AMD FX processors can provide as part of a balanced, affordable desktop system."
Tuesday, October 11th 2011
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
Graphics Cards
Memory
Netbooks
Speakers
SSD
Antec Basiq VP350P 350 W Review
Strictly power is Antec's primary slogan for the new members of their Basiq PSU series, the VPx50P units. As it seems only three things were the main concerns during the design/manufacturing of these PSUs: quality, performance and high price/performance ratio.
Memoright Unveils HTM Series SSD
Memoright, a leading provider of solid state drive (SSD) products, unveils its latest SSD solutions HTM series which delivers constant sequential performance and constant random access performance and allows MLC- based SSDs to deliver longer life span for enterprise storage.
As Memoright's Chairman and CEO Eric Kao stated in the keynote speech of Flash Memory Summit, "one size does not fit all in SSD world." SSDs are not simply as a faster version of HDDs. If SSD's performance characteristic does not match data access patterns, SSDs will not perform as expected and sometimes can be slower than HDDs.
As Memoright's Chairman and CEO Eric Kao stated in the keynote speech of Flash Memory Summit, "one size does not fit all in SSD world." SSDs are not simply as a faster version of HDDs. If SSD's performance characteristic does not match data access patterns, SSDs will not perform as expected and sometimes can be slower than HDDs.
Scythe Announces the Big Shuriken 2 CPU Cooler
Japanese cooling expert Scythe announces the successor of Big Shuriken CPU Cooler. Big Shuriken 2 had to undergo further development on the heatsink and axial-fan side to provide better even performance and compatibility.
Applied improvements of heatsink are not obvious at first sight because main heatsink structure was inherited from Big Shuriken (1) CPU Cooler. Total amount of copper-heatpipes was increases from four to five pieces. Curved heatpipes are connecting the nickel-plated copper-base with the two upper layers of aluminum fins. Big Shuriken (1) was equipped with a solid heatsink on top of the copper-base which has been removed in the new version.
Applied improvements of heatsink are not obvious at first sight because main heatsink structure was inherited from Big Shuriken (1) CPU Cooler. Total amount of copper-heatpipes was increases from four to five pieces. Curved heatpipes are connecting the nickel-plated copper-base with the two upper layers of aluminum fins. Big Shuriken (1) was equipped with a solid heatsink on top of the copper-base which has been removed in the new version.
Patriot Memory Announces New Second Gen Pyro SE SSD
Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage, and enthusiast computer products, today expanded their Pyro brand of SATA III solid-state drives with the launch of its new Pyro SE. Powered by SandForce's SF-2281 SSD processor, the Patriot Memory Pyro SE brings the added performance of synchronous NAND to the brand while offering a very aggressive price per performance ratio.
To ensure rock-solid performance, the Patriot Memory Pyro SE utilizes TRIM, DuraClass, and DuraWrite technologies. Offering read/write speeds of 500+ MB/s, the Pyro SE will chew through large file transfers and make even the most demanding applications a smooth experience. The Pyro SE series will feature a standard 2.5-inch form factor for flexible compatibility with both notebooks and desktops.
To ensure rock-solid performance, the Patriot Memory Pyro SE utilizes TRIM, DuraClass, and DuraWrite technologies. Offering read/write speeds of 500+ MB/s, the Pyro SE will chew through large file transfers and make even the most demanding applications a smooth experience. The Pyro SE series will feature a standard 2.5-inch form factor for flexible compatibility with both notebooks and desktops.
LG Display Develops World's Most Energy Efficient LCD TV Panel
LG Display, a leading innovator of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) technology, today announced it has developed a 47-inch Full HD LCD panel, featuring vertical single side LED backlight technology, that offers maximum brightness while consuming less electricity than other LCD TV panels over 40 inches in size and even normal PC monitors over 20 inches in size.
The newly developed LCD panel achieves the world's lowest power consumption rate among large LCD panels by dramatically reducing the number of LED lamps used while maintaining a high level of brightness. To reduce the quantity of LED bulbs used, LG Display introduced its own backlight technology in which LED lamps are attached vertically to a single side of the panel, a world first for such technology.
The newly developed LCD panel achieves the world's lowest power consumption rate among large LCD panels by dramatically reducing the number of LED lamps used while maintaining a high level of brightness. To reduce the quantity of LED bulbs used, LG Display introduced its own backlight technology in which LED lamps are attached vertically to a single side of the panel, a world first for such technology.
Cooler Master Announces CM Storm Xornet Gaming Mouse
CM Storm introduces the latest addition to its line of gaming mice, the CM Storm Xornet. Gamers focused on minimalistic designs are the inspiration behind the Xornet. It's an ultra lightweight, claw-grip design with anti-slip rubber side grips that make it well suited for the intensity of extended gaming sessions. The textured stealth black finish allows the Xornet to fly under the radar as a secret weapon at LANs.
Hanns-G Intros New 23.6-inch Full HD Monitor
Hanns-G released HK241DPB, its latest 23.6-inch monitor. The display continues to use CCFL illumination, but has a high DCR of 80,000:1. It features a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, 300 cd/m² brightness, 5 ms response time, apart from the high DCR. Display connectivity includes D-Sub and DVI, there is no HDMI, but DVI is still an HDCP-capable connection. 1.5W stereo speakers wrap up things with this display, which is priced at US $179.99.
HIS Intros Radeon HD 6670 iSilence4 Graphics Card
HIS released its latest mainstream graphics card, the HIS HD 6670 iSilence4. As the name suggests, this is a silent (fanless) graphics card based on the Radeon HD 6670 graphics processor. The card's design is based around Zalman's VNF100 GPU heatsink that provides passive cooling to the GPU, the DDR3 memory and simple FET configuration VRM fend for themselves. VNF100 features a variable fin profile design, that works to improve heat dissipation efficiency.
On the obverse side of the PCB, there is just the base of the heatsink, from here, heat is conveyed to the main portion of the heatsink that's over the reverse side of the PCB, using three heat pipes. The Radeon HD 6670 GPU is built on the 40 nm process, is DirectX 11 compliant, packs 480 stream processors, and features a 128-bit wide memory interface. On this card, 1 GB of AMD-branded DDR3 memory is used. The GPU is clocked at 800 MHz, and the memory at 1600 MHz DDR (25.6 GB/s bandwidth). Display outputs include one each of DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The card relies entirely on the PCI-Express slot for power. HIS did not give out pricing details.
On the obverse side of the PCB, there is just the base of the heatsink, from here, heat is conveyed to the main portion of the heatsink that's over the reverse side of the PCB, using three heat pipes. The Radeon HD 6670 GPU is built on the 40 nm process, is DirectX 11 compliant, packs 480 stream processors, and features a 128-bit wide memory interface. On this card, 1 GB of AMD-branded DDR3 memory is used. The GPU is clocked at 800 MHz, and the memory at 1600 MHz DDR (25.6 GB/s bandwidth). Display outputs include one each of DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The card relies entirely on the PCI-Express slot for power. HIS did not give out pricing details.
Monday, October 10th 2011
Today's Contests
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Motherboards
Notebooks
PSUs
SSD
Sandy Bridge-E Stock Watercooling: Enthusiast Overclocking Right Out Of The Box
Intel have finally confirmed that they will be including water cooling as an enthusiast solution for their upcoming Core i7-3000 series Sandy Bridge-E processors due for release on November 14 - a first for Intel and something for AMD to match. They have gone with Asetek due to their high quality products and good reputation, which will be branded with the distinctive Intel blue logos. The 12cm radiator fan will actually be illuminated in Intel Blue, giving a classy look to the kit. On top of that, they will actually sell the kit separately, so no one need feel left out. The E-series chips are already significantly faster than the current Sandy Bridge offerings, but water cooling will be able to stretch that lead even further and should make for some exciting overclocking achievements. Perhaps 6GHz or more 24/7 reliable operation is within reach? No prices as yet.
Battlefield 3 To Duke It Out With Modern Warfare 3 For Supremacy
BF3 and MW3 are both being released at nearly the same time, just a couple of weeks apart. Since they both target the same high-end gaming audience, there's going to be some very stiff competition indeed between the two games. What's interesting is the chest-beating that Patrick Liu, producer of developer DICE, is doing. He believes that BF3 will take on and make a severe dent in market share for MW3, although he admits that Activision will be hard to push aside:"From what I've seen of Modern Warfare 3 it looks great, as usual. I think we're going to put a huge dent, so to speak, in [Activision's] market, but they're a behemoth. It's not easy to move them... although I believe that we have already done that, with Battlefield 3's campaign so far. But at the same time, from a developer standpoint, we really focus on creating our own game and making the best that we can. We set the bar quite high for ourselves, and that's usually the biggest challenge for us." From the looks of it though, it looks like he wanted to set it even higher, but it would have taken too much time:"I know that the game is never actually done - we can always improve the game. We have lots of ideas on how to improve this, so if we could we would push Battlefield 3 back a year or two maybe. But that wouldn't make any sense. So the biggest challenge is really our own requirements for ourselves." Who wins the battle of the ratings remains to be seen.
Modern Warfare 3 new trailer, Redemption SP. Graphics as good as BF3?
There's a great new single player trailer just out for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It continues the story from the previous game and looks excellent, as you might expect. However, since it's coming out at the same time as Battlefield 3, one can't help compare the graphics quality between the two. MW3 seems to look like an evolutionary improvement, but still looks like "computer generated graphics", while BF3 appears to define a whole new level of realism which isn't that hard to mistake for the real thing if it's not looked at closely. Go watch it over at Guru3D at 720p and decide for yourselves. Note that watching the video directly on YouTube requires a free account registration due to the strong nature of the content, but not on Guru3D. 
Spire Announces Kepler Series Universal CPU Coolers
The Spire all new Kepler universal micro-processor cooler series are direct contact heat-pipe solutions for Core i3/i5 and i7 from Intel and the AMD AM2/3/FM1 micro-processors. There are three (3) different models ranging from two up to four 6mm sinter powder heat-pipes which are in direct contact with the cpu heat-source, dissipating heat effectively and fast.
The high density fins are crowned with a powerful fan for high airflow and great cooling performance. The 92mm dc fan provides ample airflow and silent cooling at 19.0dBA. Compatibility is ensured with the multi-platform mounting clip for Intel 775/1155/1156 sockets and AM2/AM3/FM1 micro-processors. The Kepler series from Spire are build to deliver great cooling for maximum system performance.
The high density fins are crowned with a powerful fan for high airflow and great cooling performance. The 92mm dc fan provides ample airflow and silent cooling at 19.0dBA. Compatibility is ensured with the multi-platform mounting clip for Intel 775/1155/1156 sockets and AM2/AM3/FM1 micro-processors. The Kepler series from Spire are build to deliver great cooling for maximum system performance.
ADATA Launches Premier Pro Series DRAM Modules
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today announced the launch of its new Premier Pro DRAM modules.
The Premier Pro DRAM modules are designed for IT professionals who need to deliver rock-solid quality computer systems to their customers. The quality of ADATA Premier Pro modules are enhanced in two aspects. First, the modules are engineered for long term reliability. "When memory devices are not reliably engineered," said Ukyo Jeong, Vice President of DRAM product engineering at ADATA, "there is very high chance that the memory module will fail within the first year of usage." He continued: "a 1.6 to 3.2% rate of system failure due to problems with DRAM is not acceptable for IT professionals, and this is the typical failure range when a DRAM module uses components that are not subjected to burn-in process."
The Premier Pro DRAM modules are designed for IT professionals who need to deliver rock-solid quality computer systems to their customers. The quality of ADATA Premier Pro modules are enhanced in two aspects. First, the modules are engineered for long term reliability. "When memory devices are not reliably engineered," said Ukyo Jeong, Vice President of DRAM product engineering at ADATA, "there is very high chance that the memory module will fail within the first year of usage." He continued: "a 1.6 to 3.2% rate of system failure due to problems with DRAM is not acceptable for IT professionals, and this is the typical failure range when a DRAM module uses components that are not subjected to burn-in process."
ADATA Introduces XM13 mSATA Solid State Drive
Following up on the successful launch in May this year of the S511 SATA III solid state drive, which received an enthusiastic industry response and multiple awards, ADATA Technology has introduced the industry's fastest high-performance XM13 mSATA solid state drive. This display of the company's increasingly strong R & D capabilities establishes a firm foundation for ADATA in the Small Form Factor (SFF) applications market.
The "rapid start" usage of Tablet PCs has had an impact on the consumer desktop market, causing rising hopes and expectations for performance. The future market is expected to demand that boot devices combine the power of rapid, efficient operation with a thin profile and price competitiveness. To this end, ADATA has set its sights squarely on the market trends of the near future, applying the full force of the company's development capability and years of experience in memory storage. The result is the introduction of the XM13 mSATA SSD, incorporating mSATA memory cache, low power consumption, and implementing the latest Sandforce controller.
The "rapid start" usage of Tablet PCs has had an impact on the consumer desktop market, causing rising hopes and expectations for performance. The future market is expected to demand that boot devices combine the power of rapid, efficient operation with a thin profile and price competitiveness. To this end, ADATA has set its sights squarely on the market trends of the near future, applying the full force of the company's development capability and years of experience in memory storage. The result is the introduction of the XM13 mSATA SSD, incorporating mSATA memory cache, low power consumption, and implementing the latest Sandforce controller.
Intel To Revamp SSD Lineup in 2012
It looks like Intel has concrete plans with its SSD lineup moving into 2012. A roadmap slide sourced by VR-Zone reveals that its main SSD lines feature major additions or replacements that will take shape by the third quarter of 2012. To begin with the enterprise-grade 700 Series, Intel will have launched SSD 720 "Ramsdale" family of PCI-Express SSDs with SLC NAND flash memory, and SSD 520 "Cherryville", a successor of SSD 510; by the end of 2011. These products will lead the lineup through, with no changes in the first quarter of 2012.
In 2012, Intel will launch "Ramsdale MLC" PCI-Express SSD, a variant of Ramsdale that uses MLC-HET NAND flash memory, that increases capacities, while offering endurance roughly comparable to SLC, if not as fast as it. Capacities will double over Ramsdale SLC, into 400 GB and 800 GB. Around that time, Intel will also launch SSD 500 Series "King Crest", a new 2.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s SSD that succeeds SSD 520 "Cherryville" family, and makes use of 25 nm MLC-HET NAND flash instead of standard 25 nm MLC NAND flash. Its capacity options are unknown.
In 2012, Intel will launch "Ramsdale MLC" PCI-Express SSD, a variant of Ramsdale that uses MLC-HET NAND flash memory, that increases capacities, while offering endurance roughly comparable to SLC, if not as fast as it. Capacities will double over Ramsdale SLC, into 400 GB and 800 GB. Around that time, Intel will also launch SSD 500 Series "King Crest", a new 2.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s SSD that succeeds SSD 520 "Cherryville" family, and makes use of 25 nm MLC-HET NAND flash instead of standard 25 nm MLC NAND flash. Its capacity options are unknown.
Sony Announces a New Range of Portable Hard Drives
Sony is making data storage and backup easier, safer and more enjoyable with its latest range of external hard drives. The new HD-EG5 and HD-EG5U offer advanced features in a slim, stylish package that enable users to save and access their data quickly and conveniently, wherever they go.
The new drives with 500GB capacity provide USB3.0 compatibility and use pre-loaded Data Transfer Accelerator software to increase transfer speeds up to three times as compared to data transmission without the software. When connected to a USB2.0 port, the software boosts transfer speeds up to two times. These features make them one of the quickest 2.5-inch hard drives in the market.
The new drives with 500GB capacity provide USB3.0 compatibility and use pre-loaded Data Transfer Accelerator software to increase transfer speeds up to three times as compared to data transmission without the software. When connected to a USB2.0 port, the software boosts transfer speeds up to two times. These features make them one of the quickest 2.5-inch hard drives in the market.
ASRock X79 Extreme7 Pictured
ASRock is readying is new, high-end socket LGA2011 motherboard targeting the upper-most tier of the PC enthusiast market, the X79 Extreme7. This board will be a part of the company's first wave of LGA2011 motherboards, which are slated for mid-November, 2011. Pictures scored by XFastest reveal the board to be filled to the brim with features. The CPU socket is powered by a 16-phase VRM making use of high-grade chokes, and server-grade poscap capacitors.
The socket is wired to six DDR3 DIMM slots arranged in sets of three on either sides of the socket, powered by a 4-phase VRM. Among channels A, B, C, and D; channels B and D have two DIMM slots wired, so if you have four DDR3 modules, you should populate slots 0, 2, 3, and 5; to take advantage of quad-channel DDR3 memory. There are heatsinks over the memory VRM areas, that are connected to the heatsink over the CPU VRM using heat pipes.
The socket is wired to six DDR3 DIMM slots arranged in sets of three on either sides of the socket, powered by a 4-phase VRM. Among channels A, B, C, and D; channels B and D have two DIMM slots wired, so if you have four DDR3 modules, you should populate slots 0, 2, 3, and 5; to take advantage of quad-channel DDR3 memory. There are heatsinks over the memory VRM areas, that are connected to the heatsink over the CPU VRM using heat pipes.
Sunday, October 9th 2011
Ditch The Restrictive DRM: Happy Customers Equals More Profit
Rice University and Duke University are the latest in a long line of educational institutions to fund research on the effect of using restrictive Digital Rights Management (DRM) to try and control levels of so-called "piracy", which is allegedly reducing sales of content-only, infinite goods/virtual products, such as music, movies, computer games and books. (Some observers writing about DRM replace the word "Rights", giving us the phrase Digital Restrictions Management, which seems a more accurate description of what it's really about and removes the veneer of legitimacy from it. When buying DRM'd content, you are buying digital handcuffs, nothing more, nothing less.) The universities sponsored a study called Music Downloads and the Flip Side of Digital Rights Management Protection and what it found is that contrary to popular belief amongst the big content companies, removing DRM can actually decrease levels of piracy and increase sales. The fact is that DRM is always broken by hackers and pretty quickly too, often within a day or two (there isn't a single one still standing) leaving legal users who work within its confinements with all the restrictive hassles that it imposes, while the pirates get an unencumbered product to do with as they please. How is this progress?
MSI Overclocking Competition Won By the Favourites, Real Money Handed Out As Prize
Well, this is good news for PC enthusiasts. PC overclocking has become a competitive sport in recent years with various brands hosting the competitions and others also chipping in with sponsorship money. This year's event was the fourth annual MSI Master Overclocking Arena competition held in Taipei, Taiwan, with sponsorship money coming from the likes of Intel and Kingston among others. Basic competition info: sixteen teams worldwide; benchmarks used were Super PI 32M, 3DMark 11 and surprisingly, the ancient 3DMark 2001SE but it's not clear why such an old benchmark is being used; the components used are given to contestants based on a lottery system, the team picking a number corresponding to either a CPU or a complete rig. This prevents contestants from having an unfair advantage by bringing in their own heavily modified kit to press home an advantage. Imagine how much more potent a modded motherboard with beefed up voltage regulators could be? Turned out that the favourites, previous winners Romania, won the competition. The prize money was only $3000, which is paltry compared to mainstream sports, but remember that this overclocking "sport" is still very new and is very niche in nature, so isn't so unreasonable when viewed in that light. Head on over to VR-Zone for more competition details and photos.
Mirror's Edge Fans Should Keep Holding Their Breath For The Sequel
Mirror's Edge received good reviews when it was released and has been quite popular with gamers who unsurprisingly, want a sequel. This is especially important in the case of Mirror's Edge, as this game is single player only, so it's not something a gamer can come back to time after time. However, a sequel has never really been on the cards for Electronic Arts, since it didn't sell as well as they had thought it should have and rejected a prototype ME2. Now, developer DICE have been busy with other projects such as upcoming blockbuster Battlefield 3, but good news could be on the horizon, since Electronic Arts are adamant that Mirror's Edge is an important brand for their portfolio. SPOnG recently interviewed Patrick Liu from DICE and asked him if he thought that the games market would be receptive to Mirror's Edge 2. He answered:
Yeah, definitely. I think it's something that people are ready to get into again. We see that there's a huge fan following, it's almost like a cult! And we know what strengths we had, and what weaknesses we had in that game. If we were to release a new game, we'd know what to improve and how to reach a broader audience. So I definitely think there's a market there.Good news then for Mirror's Edge cult members, err, fans, keep holding your breath!
Saturday, October 8th 2011
Battlefield 3 Interview With Producer Patrick Liu: maps, betas and jets
The Guardian has published an interesting interview with the producer of Battlefield 3, Patrick Liu and in it a selection of reader's questions were put to Liu. The choice of maps and the meaning of what a "beta" and a "demo" seem to be causing confusion amongst players are just two. It appears that players were disappointed with the Paris map, because it doesn't have any vehicles, but there was a good technical reason for that. The alpha game had a quickly designed "rush" map just to test the basic code, performance etc. To make testing comparisons between the alpha and the beta as similar as possible, the map used in the beta had to be essentially the same but it looks like gamers were expecting a demo with lots of different maps. However, providing those isn't necessarily appropriate for a beta test. On top of that Liu is confident that the various technical glitches will be ironed out by the time of the launch on 28th October.
Friday, October 7th 2011
Today's Contests
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Cases
CPU Coolers
Desktop PC
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Motherboards
Notebooks
Enermax Platimax 850 W Review
After the Maxrevo series Enermax hits again with the Platimax. The members of this series meet the 80 PLUS Platinum certification requirements so they are among the most efficient units on the market. In today's review we will take a detailed look at the Platimax 850W which, among others, uses a semi-modular cabling design and promises reliable performance even at 50°C ambient.
AMD Catalyst™ 11.10 Version 2 Preview Driver: BF3 Beta and Rage Improvements
Good news for hardcore gamers: AMD has just released their 11.10 v2 preview driver and it's heavy on performance and stability improvements for Battlefield 3 beta and Rage. Click the link for the full list.
R&D: TDK Uses Lasers To Double Hard Disc Capacity, Helping Save HDs From Extinction
Here's a development that will bring joy to those that prefer to hear mechanical noises from their hard discs instead of the inky silence of the new solid state drives. The current perpendicular magnetic recording technology used in today's hard discs are due to hit a brick wall within a couple of generations or so. This will finally give SSDs the chance to make mechanical drives obsolete once and for all when their capacities increase and the prices drop. To get around this, TDK intend to use lasers coupled with a high coercivity material to achieve this capacity improvement. The coercivity value of a material is a measure of how difficult it is to magnetize ie how strong the magnetizing field needs to be. A material with low coercivity, is easy to magnetize, but it can also lose its magnetic imprint (north and south domains) easily, especially with densely packed data and is easy to erase with stray magnetic fields and to some extent, physical shock. Conversely a material with a high coercivity value can be damned hard to magnetize, but will keep its magnetic imprint much more stably and crucially for data storage, can retain much smaller magnetic domains, giving rise to greatly increased storage capacity for all that ever increasing avalanche of crucial data, such as music files, dodgy videos and humungous video game installs.
ASUS Unveils ROG Maximus IV Gene-Z/Gen 3 with PCI-Express 3.0 Slots
ASUS is ready with a new PCI-Express 3.0 compliant socket LGA1155 motherboard, adding to its recently-launched line of Intel Z68 chipset-based boards that feature Gen 3.0 PCI-Express x16 slots. This latest one is part of the elite Republic of Gamers (ROG) family, and is built on the compact micro-ATX form factor, called Maximus IV Gene-Z/Gen 3. This is the second modification of the Maximus IV Gene, the original was based on Intel P67 chipset, the Gene-Z replaced the chipset with Intel Z68 that supports Smart Response technology, while the Gene-Z/Gen 3 adds PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots.
The board uses a 12-phase Digi+ VRM for the CPU, it is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting DRAM speeds of up to DDR3-2200 MHz with overclocking. The socket is wired to two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots over Gen 3 compliant switches and electrical components, the slots configure to PCI-Express 3.0 x8/x8 when both are populated. PCI-Express Gen 3 support requires next-generation 22 nm Ivy Bridge Core processors, which will be launched next year. The only other expansion slot is an open-ended PCI-Express 2.0 x4, wired to the Z68 PCH. NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire are supported.
The board uses a 12-phase Digi+ VRM for the CPU, it is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting DRAM speeds of up to DDR3-2200 MHz with overclocking. The socket is wired to two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots over Gen 3 compliant switches and electrical components, the slots configure to PCI-Express 3.0 x8/x8 when both are populated. PCI-Express Gen 3 support requires next-generation 22 nm Ivy Bridge Core processors, which will be launched next year. The only other expansion slot is an open-ended PCI-Express 2.0 x4, wired to the Z68 PCH. NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire are supported.
Sharkoon Announces Vaya Value Edition with USB 3.0 and Side Window
In July, Sharkoon presented a competitive priced ATX case with the introduction of the 25 euro Sharkoon Vaya model. Now a Value Edition with a USB3.0 interface and side window is provided.
The Value Edition replaces one of the two USB2.0 ports on the standard design with a SuperSpeed USB3.0 interface. In lieu of the side air intake with pre-drilled air holes, the Value Edition offers a large acrylic side window, allowing insight into the PC while the internal illumination is benefiting operation. Sharkoon offers the Value Edition in two color versions: a black case with red LED front fan, and a white case with blue LED front fan.
The Value Edition replaces one of the two USB2.0 ports on the standard design with a SuperSpeed USB3.0 interface. In lieu of the side air intake with pre-drilled air holes, the Value Edition offers a large acrylic side window, allowing insight into the PC while the internal illumination is benefiting operation. Sharkoon offers the Value Edition in two color versions: a black case with red LED front fan, and a white case with blue LED front fan.
AMD FX 8120 Listed on Ukrainian Store
Less than a week ahead of its launch, a Ukrainian online store named Fixer started listing the AMD FX 8120 eight-core processor PIB (FD8120FRGUBOX). The store is listing the FX 8120 at 1791 UAH (US $223.5). According to the source, FX 8120 stocks arrived at Fixer's warehouse on the 5th of this month, and the product is listed since. The variant listed is the one with 95W TDP, there is a 125W TDP variant, too. It remains to be seen how the two variants spread across distribution channels. The FX 8120 is based on the Bulldozer micro-architecture, it features 8 cores, 16 MB total cache, and a nominal clock speed of 3.1 GHz (which can go up to 4 GHz with TurboCore). A worldwide launch of the AMD FX Processor family is expected on October 12.
Gigabyte Intros New H61M-USB3-B3 Motherboard
Gigabyte rolled out its latest budget socket LGA1155 motherboard in the micro-ATX form-factor, the GA-H61M-USB3-B3 rev. 2.0. This new board adds to the slim feature-set of Intel H61 with third-party SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 controllers. The CPU is powered by a 6-phase VRD12 compliant VRM, it is wired to just two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3-1333 MHz memory. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16, a legacy PCI, and two PCI-Express 2.0 x1.
All four of the chipset's SATA 3 Gb/s ports are internal (H61 lacks SATA 6 Gb/s). An additional Marvell 88SE9172 controller gives out two SATA 6 Gb/s ports with RAID 0/1/0+1 support. An Etron EJ168 controller gives out two USB 3.0 ports on the rear panel. Gigabyte used a cost-effective Atheros AR8151 to handle gigabit Ethernet, while squeezing in the high-grade Realtek ALC889 HD audio codec to handle 6-channel audio. Display connectivity includes DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub. A number of USB 2.0 ports, and serial COM port (via header) make for the rest of the connectivity. The board is driven by dual AwardBIOS, with HybridEFI technology that lets it boot from >2 TB volumes. Pricing is unknown.
All four of the chipset's SATA 3 Gb/s ports are internal (H61 lacks SATA 6 Gb/s). An additional Marvell 88SE9172 controller gives out two SATA 6 Gb/s ports with RAID 0/1/0+1 support. An Etron EJ168 controller gives out two USB 3.0 ports on the rear panel. Gigabyte used a cost-effective Atheros AR8151 to handle gigabit Ethernet, while squeezing in the high-grade Realtek ALC889 HD audio codec to handle 6-channel audio. Display connectivity includes DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub. A number of USB 2.0 ports, and serial COM port (via header) make for the rest of the connectivity. The board is driven by dual AwardBIOS, with HybridEFI technology that lets it boot from >2 TB volumes. Pricing is unknown.
Team Also Announces C117 3D Titanium-coated Black Flash Drive
Team Group Inc. announced that they are going to display the all new C117 delicate flash drive at the Middle-East's largest consumer exhibition - GITEX. C117 is created targeted at the stylish men, made with one-piece stainless steel materials; in order to stress the unique metropolitan style, its surface is specially processed with high-tech 3D titanium coating, allowing it to have features such as wear-resistance, scratch-resistance and anti-fingerprint etc., and uses a restrained and calm black color appearance to display attractive personal style.
As 3C products gradually made into boutiques, in addition to being committed to the development of high performance products, Team Group's R&D team also pondered more diverse surface processing and material applications for different regions. The all new C117 is a portable storage product that is created for metrosexual men; it uses a USB2.0 interface with storage capacity selections ranging from 2~16 GB. The only 6 gram lightweight feature makes it extremely to carry with; the excellent black titanium color shows the unique confidence and outstanding style of modern metropolitans.
As 3C products gradually made into boutiques, in addition to being committed to the development of high performance products, Team Group's R&D team also pondered more diverse surface processing and material applications for different regions. The all new C117 is a portable storage product that is created for metrosexual men; it uses a USB2.0 interface with storage capacity selections ranging from 2~16 GB. The only 6 gram lightweight feature makes it extremely to carry with; the excellent black titanium color shows the unique confidence and outstanding style of modern metropolitans.
Team Debuts TL01 Leather USB Drive
Team Group's TL01 leather drive is a stylish, high-speed and for a new generation flash drive, which made its debut at the GITEX exhibition; it imitated the Arabian Gulf design, and used the newest double-stitched leather construction method, along with delicately made white steel side decorations and rings, cleverly combined metropolitan fashion and whimsy style.
Team Group's TL01 leather drive uses a rotational storage design, eliminating the risk of damage from connector collision, in addition to having a delicate and exquisite style, it also combined features such as yuppie aesthetic and leather's wear-resistance and durability; by using the standard USB 2.0 interface, it can be widely applied to personal computers and peripheral devices. The TL01 leather drive also comes in several storage capacities ranging from 2~32GB available for consumers to purchase in order to satisfy the application needs of different users.
Team Group's TL01 leather drive uses a rotational storage design, eliminating the risk of damage from connector collision, in addition to having a delicate and exquisite style, it also combined features such as yuppie aesthetic and leather's wear-resistance and durability; by using the standard USB 2.0 interface, it can be widely applied to personal computers and peripheral devices. The TL01 leather drive also comes in several storage capacities ranging from 2~32GB available for consumers to purchase in order to satisfy the application needs of different users.
GlacialTech Launches Igloo H46 & H58 Series CPU Coolers
GlacialTech Inc., a diverse provider of cooling, power supply and PC enclosure solutions for consumer and industrial applications and a world-class provider of cost effective cooling components and chassis launches the latest Igloo H46 & H58 Series CPU coolers with Intel LGA1155/1156 and AMD FM1 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 sockets. The unique design provides good cooling effect to the components around the CPU.
As is usual, GlacialTech comes out with a product that provides highest quality materials and workmanship. The design is clear and functional. The manufacturer decided to waive all creative elements that may have negative influence on the cooling performance. Users can choose out of two different models. The attached PWM fan is certainly equipped with the durable and silent bearing. Price performance, noise performance and weight performance are GlacialTech's three principle design philosophies.
As is usual, GlacialTech comes out with a product that provides highest quality materials and workmanship. The design is clear and functional. The manufacturer decided to waive all creative elements that may have negative influence on the cooling performance. Users can choose out of two different models. The attached PWM fan is certainly equipped with the durable and silent bearing. Price performance, noise performance and weight performance are GlacialTech's three principle design philosophies.
Super Talent Introduces new Green-Line VLP for Servers
Super Talent Technology (San Jose, CA) announces a new line of Green-line series lower-power consumption DDR3 memory modules for severs.
These new eco-friendly modules feature lower operating voltages, lightweight and smaller form factors which improve cooling while continuing to satisfy the latest JEDEC standards. Super Talent engineers worked to reduced product height and succeeded with modules that measure 0.72 inches high; a full 39% reduction from a standard size module, yet can deliver speeds at 1600MHz and at 4GB capacities. The short form factor lets the system to run cooler by affording airflow across other components. These design also reduces the Voltage requirements a full 10%, from the traditional 1.5V traditional voltage to the new 1.35 volt standard.
These new eco-friendly modules feature lower operating voltages, lightweight and smaller form factors which improve cooling while continuing to satisfy the latest JEDEC standards. Super Talent engineers worked to reduced product height and succeeded with modules that measure 0.72 inches high; a full 39% reduction from a standard size module, yet can deliver speeds at 1600MHz and at 4GB capacities. The short form factor lets the system to run cooler by affording airflow across other components. These design also reduces the Voltage requirements a full 10%, from the traditional 1.5V traditional voltage to the new 1.35 volt standard.
Thursday, October 6th 2011
Today's Contests
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Cooling
CPU Coolers
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Headphones
Keyboards
Motherboards
Nettops
Sound Cards
Lian Li PC-U6 Review
Lian Li has made quite a few unique enclosures in the past. This includes the Spider looking PC-T1 or the extravagant PC-888. Now, their newest designer case, the PC-U6, comes in the shape of a snail's house, with round circular shapes. Such a case will turn heads, even with a Van Gogh hanging next to it, that is for sure.
Quantum Computers: Research Into New Way of Creating Qubits With Improved Stability
Qubits are the quantum version of the smallest building block used in conventional digital computers today. They are subject to the laws of quantum physics, which means they possess the remarkable property of allowing them to be in a superposition of both zero and one states, until a measurement is taken, at which point they become either a one or a zero. This property allows the result of many possible outcomes to be calculated at once, making a quantum computer insanely fast and powerful - just the sort of thing you need for such things as climate modelling, code-breaking, Folding@Home style distributed projects, advanced artificial intelligence - and possibly gaming computers of the like never before seen, if they can be made small and cheaply enough. To give an idea of the enormous advance in processing power possible, physicist Rui-Rui Du of Rice University, Houston, Texas, who is researching the creation of stable qubits explained:
In principle, we don't need many qubits to create a powerful computer. In terms of information density, a silicon microprocessor with 1 billion transistors would be roughly equal to a quantum processor with 30 qubits.It's not hard to see that using something like 64 qubits would increase processing power beyond anything we can imagine now.
Western Digital Announces WD TV Live Streaming Media Player With Spotify Capability
Western Digital, the world's leader in external storage solutions and maker of the popular WD TV media player family, today introduced the next generation of its WD TV Live streaming media player, an easy to use Wi-Fi enabled media player that is the first in its category to deliver the Spotify music service.
WD TV Live features WD's newest intuitive user interface that delivers the latest hit movies, TV shows, music and online services from companies like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Blockbuster directly to your TV. The new streaming media player connects to the Internet wirelessly or through an Ethernet connection, with the high performance 802.11n wireless connectivity supporting Full-HD 1080p video resolution.
WD TV Live features WD's newest intuitive user interface that delivers the latest hit movies, TV shows, music and online services from companies like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Blockbuster directly to your TV. The new streaming media player connects to the Internet wirelessly or through an Ethernet connection, with the high performance 802.11n wireless connectivity supporting Full-HD 1080p video resolution.
ZOTAC Announces ZBOX Nano VD01
ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today launches the latest addition to the ZBOX nano product lineup with the new ZBOX nano VD01 series - an affordable palm-sized mini-PC powered by a VIA Nano X2 processor.
The ZOTAC ZBOX nano VD01 series combines the latest VIA Nano X2 U4025 CPU and VX900H media system processor for outstanding energy-efficiency and performance. VIA Chrome9 graphics with ChromotionHD 2.0 processing enables the ZOTAC ZBOX nano VD01 series to deliver silky-smooth playback of popular high-definition video formats, including Blu-ray, MPEG2, H.264, VC-1 and streaming Internet video.
The ZOTAC ZBOX nano VD01 series combines the latest VIA Nano X2 U4025 CPU and VX900H media system processor for outstanding energy-efficiency and performance. VIA Chrome9 graphics with ChromotionHD 2.0 processing enables the ZOTAC ZBOX nano VD01 series to deliver silky-smooth playback of popular high-definition video formats, including Blu-ray, MPEG2, H.264, VC-1 and streaming Internet video.
Corsair Announces Availability of $139 Gaming PC Case
Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced worldwide retail availability of the Carbide Series 500R gaming PC case.
The Carbide Series 500R joins the Carbide Series 400R, released in September. Like the 400R, it has been designed for PC gamers with the same builder-friendly philosophy as the award-winning Obsidian Series and Graphite Series of PC cases, and at an exceptionally aggressive price point. The 500R's upgraded design is available in arctic white and graphite gray and includes a side mesh panel with a 200mm fan for additional GPU cooling, a multi-channel fan controller, and movable hard drive cages for installation of graphics cards of up to 452mm in length.
The Carbide Series 500R joins the Carbide Series 400R, released in September. Like the 400R, it has been designed for PC gamers with the same builder-friendly philosophy as the award-winning Obsidian Series and Graphite Series of PC cases, and at an exceptionally aggressive price point. The 500R's upgraded design is available in arctic white and graphite gray and includes a side mesh panel with a 200mm fan for additional GPU cooling, a multi-channel fan controller, and movable hard drive cages for installation of graphics cards of up to 452mm in length.
Corsair Announces New Liquid CPU Coolers
Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the Hydro Series H40 and Hydro Series H70 CORE liquid CPU coolers.
The Hydro Series H40 is Corsair's new entry-level liquid CPU cooler and is designed to provide effective and reliable liquid cooling at a price that's affordable for mainstream computer users. Like all Corsair Hydro Series liquid CPU coolers, the H40 is a self contained, closed-loop system that comes pre-filled and never needs refilling. It works with most modern AMD and Intel sockets, and comes with an illustrated quick start guide to make installation easy even for CPU cooling novices.
The Hydro Series H40 is Corsair's new entry-level liquid CPU cooler and is designed to provide effective and reliable liquid cooling at a price that's affordable for mainstream computer users. Like all Corsair Hydro Series liquid CPU coolers, the H40 is a self contained, closed-loop system that comes pre-filled and never needs refilling. It works with most modern AMD and Intel sockets, and comes with an illustrated quick start guide to make installation easy even for CPU cooling novices.
Corsair Announces Major Advance in High-Capacity SSDs
Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced worldwide retail availability of the 480 GB Force Series GT SSD and 180GB and 480GB Force Series 3 SSDs.
As solid-state drives reach wider adoption rates, Corsair's new SSD models address growing market demand for fast, high-capacity drives. The 180GB Force Series 3 targets consumers and IT professionals who want an affordable step up from 120GB, and the 480GB models are ideal for high-performance notebook PC users who require massive SSD storage capacity in a single drive. The top of the line 480GB Force Series GT SSD is designed for video editing, competitive gaming, and other applications for which extraordinary performance is required.
As solid-state drives reach wider adoption rates, Corsair's new SSD models address growing market demand for fast, high-capacity drives. The 180GB Force Series 3 targets consumers and IT professionals who want an affordable step up from 120GB, and the 480GB models are ideal for high-performance notebook PC users who require massive SSD storage capacity in a single drive. The top of the line 480GB Force Series GT SSD is designed for video editing, competitive gaming, and other applications for which extraordinary performance is required.
Thermaltake Announces V3 BlacX Edition Case
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" on all segment of the market. The newest member of the Thermaltake V series family - the aesthetic V3 BlacX Edition chassis is an evolution of V3 Black Edition Chassis with the BlacX docking station which offers advocates who desire an incredible value with an extra touch.
Some Intel LGA1156, LGA775 Processors to be Discontinued
Intel is preparing to discontinue a couple of Core processors in the LGA1156 package, and a few older processors in the LGA775 package. These include the Core i5-661 and Core i3-530, two of the first Clarkdale dual-core processors, Pentium Dual-Core E5700, Celeron E3500 and E3400.
Intel will take orders for Core i5-661 and Core i3-530 till April 27, 2012, and will ship the last of them by October 5, 2012. Orders for Pentium E5700, Celeron E3500 and Celeron E3400 will be taken till December 30, 2011. While the last of the tray shipments will be completed by June 8th, 2012, boxed versions will ship till supplies are depleted in Intel's warehouses.
Intel will take orders for Core i5-661 and Core i3-530 till April 27, 2012, and will ship the last of them by October 5, 2012. Orders for Pentium E5700, Celeron E3500 and Celeron E3400 will be taken till December 30, 2011. While the last of the tray shipments will be completed by June 8th, 2012, boxed versions will ship till supplies are depleted in Intel's warehouses.
Wednesday, October 5th 2011
Today's Reviews
Cases
CPU Coolers
Game Controllers
Motherboards
PSUs
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1050W Hi Tech Legion
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1050W ProClockers
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1050W PureOverclock
- Enermax MaxRevo 1350W and Platimax 750W Dinoxpc
- In Win Commander II 750 W TechPowerUp
- Innergie mCube Slim 95 Notebook Power Adapter XSReviews
- OCZ ZS 550W Technic3D (de)
Storage
In Win Commander II 750 W Review
In Win's first Commander power supplies were built by Channel Well Technology. The second generation, which we are reviewing today, uses Andyson as OEM. Internally the Commander II uses a modern design based on DC-DC converters, which promises high efficiency and stable voltage supply.
Steve Jobs No More
A bright lamp in the information technology industry put out. Legendary industry pioneer and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died. He was 56. His death was announced by Apple without giving a specific cause, though it is reported that Jobs had been battling cancer since 2004. "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," the company said in a brief statement. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve," it added. TechPowerUp joins the rest of the industry in mourning this great loss.
OCZ Technology Acquires UK Design Team from PLX Technology
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the UK Design Team and certain assets from PLX Technology, further strengthening the company's global research and development team.
PLX's UK Design Team has built a reputation for designing innovative and reliable system-on-chip (SOC) solutions and the acquired engineering team's expertise provides OCZ with additional resources for controller design. Through the acquisition of the engineering team and the license of intellectual property (IP), OCZ will be able to accelerate solid state drive development, reducing its time to market for next generation SSD products, while also reducing development costs.
PLX's UK Design Team has built a reputation for designing innovative and reliable system-on-chip (SOC) solutions and the acquired engineering team's expertise provides OCZ with additional resources for controller design. Through the acquisition of the engineering team and the license of intellectual property (IP), OCZ will be able to accelerate solid state drive development, reducing its time to market for next generation SSD products, while also reducing development costs.
Sharkoon Intros Two New Micro-ATX Gaming Cases Supporting Long Graphics Cards
Sharkoon introduces two micro-ATX cases, which despite its compact form factor, can contain graphic cards up to 36 cm in length: The Sharkoon MS120 mATX and the Sharkoon 140 mATX are especially aimed at gamers who are looking for a handy companion at LAN parties and at the same time not wanting to miss out on extra-long graphics power.
The two black finished cases differ in their front fan configurations: The MS120 is equipped with two blue illuminating 120 mm front fans behind a mesh insert. The MS140 instead features a blue illuminating 140 mm front fan. The MS120 is a little taller at 375 mm than the MS140 at 368 mm.
The two black finished cases differ in their front fan configurations: The MS120 is equipped with two blue illuminating 120 mm front fans behind a mesh insert. The MS140 instead features a blue illuminating 140 mm front fan. The MS120 is a little taller at 375 mm than the MS140 at 368 mm.
PowerColor Announces Radeon HD 6970 Devil 13 Graphics Card
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, today reveals the ultimate edition of the HD 6970: Devil 13 HD 6970. Designed to fulfill the most demanding HD titles, the Devil 13 HD 6970 has default clock settings at 880 MHz core speed and 1375MHz memory speed. An OC switch means gamers can easily increase 10% frequencies to 960 MHz core and 1425 MHz memory, boosting up gaming performance to the next level.
Titan Intros TTC-SC07TZ(RB) Graphics Card Fan Accessory
Titan launched the TTC-SC07TZ(RB), a graphics card fan attachment. This isn't really a graphics card cooler as such, but supplements your graphics card cooler by blowing air on to it. The attachment is modular, consists of three parts, and takes up an expansion slot. The three parts include a fan controller attached to the expansion bracket, and two 95 mm fans.
The fan frames can be rearranged along a Z-axis of each other, so one fan blows air along the plane of the motherboard, while the other perpendicular to it. The fans spin at speeds between 1000 to 1800 RPM, with 15 ~ 27.8 dBA sound output. The frames are designed such that the bundled 95 mm fans can be replaced with your own 60 mm, 80 mm, or 92 mm fans. Pricing is not known.
The fan frames can be rearranged along a Z-axis of each other, so one fan blows air along the plane of the motherboard, while the other perpendicular to it. The fans spin at speeds between 1000 to 1800 RPM, with 15 ~ 27.8 dBA sound output. The frames are designed such that the bundled 95 mm fans can be replaced with your own 60 mm, 80 mm, or 92 mm fans. Pricing is not known.
AMD Readies Opteron 4200 ''Valencia'' Line for 1P/2P Servers
In early September, AMD announced that it started shipping the first processors based on the "Bulldozer" architecture, in the enterprise-centric Opteron 6100 "Interlagos" family. Opteron 6100 chips are capable of 4P (four-socket) servers, and feature up to 12 cores. AMD isn't stopping at the Opteron 6100 series, it has a new line of Opteron processors based on the same "Bulldozer" architecture, that targets small and medium enterprises. The line is codenamed "Valencia", its parts are filed under the Opteron 4200 series.
Opteron 4200 "Valencia" consists of 6-core and 8-core parts in the s1207 package. These chips are capable of single socket and two socket (2P) server setups, because while Opteron 6100 "Interlagos" has four HyperTransport links, Opteron 4200 has just two, so a processor can use its two links to connect to the SR56x0 I/O hub and the other processor. Opteron 4200 series consists of four 8-core models: Opteron 4284, Opteron 4280, Opteron 4274HE, and Opteron 4256EE; and four 6-core models: Opteron 4238, Opteron 4234, Opteron 4228HE, and Opteron 4226.
Opteron 4200 "Valencia" consists of 6-core and 8-core parts in the s1207 package. These chips are capable of single socket and two socket (2P) server setups, because while Opteron 6100 "Interlagos" has four HyperTransport links, Opteron 4200 has just two, so a processor can use its two links to connect to the SR56x0 I/O hub and the other processor. Opteron 4200 series consists of four 8-core models: Opteron 4284, Opteron 4280, Opteron 4274HE, and Opteron 4256EE; and four 6-core models: Opteron 4238, Opteron 4234, Opteron 4228HE, and Opteron 4226.
GeForce BETA Driver Hints At First GeForce 600 Series Models
If not mission-critical stability, GeForce BETA drivers do tend to be great speculation starters. The driver information file packs entries for existing supported GPUs, as well as some future GPUs. GeForce 285 BETA drivers seem to have contained entries for two such future GPUs, marked "NVIDIA GeForce 610M" and "NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M", with identifications of NVIDIA_DEV.1058.01 and NVIDIA_DEV.0DE9.01, respectively.
These new "discoveries" more or less fall in line with an earlier report of NVIDIA having taped out its first GeForce Kepler family GPU, the GK107. It is becoming clear that NVIDIA has charted out a bottom-up course for its next GPU family, to play safe with the new 28 nm fabrication processes at TSMC, that of beginning with the simplest GPUs, and then scaling them up till the highest-performing part is perfected.
These new "discoveries" more or less fall in line with an earlier report of NVIDIA having taped out its first GeForce Kepler family GPU, the GK107. It is becoming clear that NVIDIA has charted out a bottom-up course for its next GPU family, to play safe with the new 28 nm fabrication processes at TSMC, that of beginning with the simplest GPUs, and then scaling them up till the highest-performing part is perfected.
BIOSTAR Releases T-Series TA990FXE Motherboard
BIOSTAR Group, a world famous manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, industrial computing systems and computer peripherals, proudly announces the TA990FXE motherboard aimed at the most demanding overclockers and gamers.
The TA990FXE is made in the ATX form-factor on the flagship AMD 990FX chipset in combination with the most advanced SB950 Southbridge which guarantees the support of the latest technologies and ensures the unprecedented performance. The board supports all Socket AM3+ based Phenom II X6, Phenom II X4, Phenom II X3, Phenom II X2, Athlon II X4, Athlon II X3, Athlon II X2 and Sempron CPUs including top 6-core and 8-core AMD FX, AMD Phenom II and AMD Athlon II chips with the maximum thermal design up to 140W.
The TA990FXE is made in the ATX form-factor on the flagship AMD 990FX chipset in combination with the most advanced SB950 Southbridge which guarantees the support of the latest technologies and ensures the unprecedented performance. The board supports all Socket AM3+ based Phenom II X6, Phenom II X4, Phenom II X3, Phenom II X2, Athlon II X4, Athlon II X3, Athlon II X2 and Sempron CPUs including top 6-core and 8-core AMD FX, AMD Phenom II and AMD Athlon II chips with the maximum thermal design up to 140W.
Tuesday, October 4th 2011
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Mouse
Nettops
Notebooks
Processors
SSD
Storage
Cooler Master Announces Silent Pro Hybrid Power Supply Series
Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer, is proud to announce a world's first in power supply technologies, the Silent Pro Hybrid Series. Equipped with fully modular cables, centralized control of power supply and system fans, a noise-free operation mode, and an included 5.25" drive bay fan controller module, the Silent Pro Hybrid Series becomes the industry benchmark to aspire to.
AMD Rushes Out Catalyst Rage Performance Driver
AMD introduced a special BETA Catalyst driver for AMD Radeon graphics processors, that improves performance on the latest title from FPS pioneer id Software, Rage. Bluntly called the "Catalyst Rage Performance Driver", this driver has been rushed in by AMD to address performance issues. It provides "signifacant performance gains" for Rage in both single GPU and CrossFire configurations. The improvements are effective only on Radeon HD 5000 series and Radeon HD 6000 series graphics processors, and is available only for Windows 7.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst Rage Performance Driver for Windows 7
Corsair Announces 8GB DDR3 Memory Modules
Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the addition of 8GB DDR3 memory modules to its Vengeance and Value Select product lines.
The new 8GB Vengeance DDR3 memory operates at 1.5V for compatibility with the new 2nd generation Intel Core processor family and is guaranteed to operate at 1600MHz. Providing 8GB of rigorously-screened DRAM on a single module allows gamers and performance enthusiasts to build systems with 32GB of high-performance memory.
The new 8GB Vengeance DDR3 memory operates at 1.5V for compatibility with the new 2nd generation Intel Core processor family and is guaranteed to operate at 1600MHz. Providing 8GB of rigorously-screened DRAM on a single module allows gamers and performance enthusiasts to build systems with 32GB of high-performance memory.
Intel X58 to Retire in 2012
In 2012, it's curtain's for Intel's iconic Nehalem/Tylersburg platform, with the company issuing the Intel X58 chipset a schedule for discontinuation. The chipset has exactly 12 more months to attain EOL (end of life) status. Intel will continue to take orders for Intel X58 till April 27, 2012, the last of these orders will have shipped by October 12, 2012. Intel X58 + ICH10/R is the de facto chipset for Intel's Core i7 client processors in the LGA1366 package.
To motherboard vendors, the X58 I/O Hub (northbridge) is priced at US $39, and another $14 for the ICH10R southbridge. In November 2011, Intel is releasing the proper successor for the Nehalem/Tylersburg platform, the Sandy Bridge-E/Patsburg, consisting of Core i7 processors in the LGA2011 package, and Intel X79 chipset.
To motherboard vendors, the X58 I/O Hub (northbridge) is priced at US $39, and another $14 for the ICH10R southbridge. In November 2011, Intel is releasing the proper successor for the Nehalem/Tylersburg platform, the Sandy Bridge-E/Patsburg, consisting of Core i7 processors in the LGA2011 package, and Intel X79 chipset.
GlacialTech Launches Igloo 5620 Series CPU Cooler
GlacialTech has just come to your rescue with the Igloo 5620 series CPU coolers. The Igloo 5620 series consists of heat pipe cooler which belong to mainstream level and offers a powerful modular base for your ultimate CPU Cooling solution. The Igloo 5620 series can run at incredibly low noise; thanks to its High Fin Density and it's massive fin surface area. Or you can add 92 x 92 x 25 mm fan to boost the air through put and improve its cooling performance even further.
Igloo 5620 is a simple name for a promising product, the unique CPU cooler series from GlacialTech. The GlacialTech engineers have created a high-performance product. They focused especially on the optimisation of the air stream conduction inside the heat sink to reach more efficient heat dissipation. The result is a combination of smart innovations that successfully reduce the thermal resistance of the Igloo 5620 - a new milestone in CPU cooler industry.
Igloo 5620 is a simple name for a promising product, the unique CPU cooler series from GlacialTech. The GlacialTech engineers have created a high-performance product. They focused especially on the optimisation of the air stream conduction inside the heat sink to reach more efficient heat dissipation. The result is a combination of smart innovations that successfully reduce the thermal resistance of the Igloo 5620 - a new milestone in CPU cooler industry.
Plextor Introduces New Line of SATA 6 Gbps SSDs
Plextor Japan introduced its latest generation of solid state drives (SSDs) in the 2.5-inch SATA form factor. The drives take advantage of the SATA 6 Gb/s interface. The lineup currently consists of two models, the 128 GB PX-128M2P, and the 256 GB PX-256M2P. Both drives make use of Marvell 88SS9174 controller, and Toshiba TH58TV68D2FDA88 Multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash built on the 34 nm process.
The 128 GB model features a 256 MB DDR3 cache, while the 256 GB model is backed by 512 MB DDR3 cache. Sequential speeds vary between the two models. The 256 GB drive can transfer data at 500 MB/s read and 440 MB/s write; while the 128 GB drive transfers at 500 MB/s read and 320 MB/s write. The drives feature SMART, NCQ, TRIM, Bad Block Management, Instant Restore, and Plextor TrueSpeed firmware. The 256 GB drive is priced at 46,800 JPY, an equivalent of US $610, while the 128 GB model is priced at 21,800 JPY, or $284.
The 128 GB model features a 256 MB DDR3 cache, while the 256 GB model is backed by 512 MB DDR3 cache. Sequential speeds vary between the two models. The 256 GB drive can transfer data at 500 MB/s read and 440 MB/s write; while the 128 GB drive transfers at 500 MB/s read and 320 MB/s write. The drives feature SMART, NCQ, TRIM, Bad Block Management, Instant Restore, and Plextor TrueSpeed firmware. The 256 GB drive is priced at 46,800 JPY, an equivalent of US $610, while the 128 GB model is priced at 21,800 JPY, or $284.
New Storage Class Memory Beats Fusion ioDrive On All Metrics
Fusion-io, Inc., pioneer of shared data decentralization, today announced the next evolution of its ioMemory platform for powering application acceleration and data center optimization. The company that broke performance barriers, brought you the first enterprise MLC products, dramatically enhanced reliability metrics for enterprise flash, and redefined server side flash has done it all over again with the new ioDrive2 and ioDrive2 Duo.
"Customers have grown to expect nothing but groundbreaking products from Fusion-io. Today, we are proud to raise the bar once more with the ioDrive2," said David Flynn, Fusion-io CEO and Chairman. "Just as many competitors gauge success by Fusion-io performance standards, we developed the ioDrive2 to outperform the original ioDrive on all measures. Companies around the world trust ioMemory to supply critical data to their trading platforms, ERP systems, virtual environments, enterprise applications and databases, and now, they can rely on the ioDrive2 to accelerate even more of the data that powers our information economy."
"Customers have grown to expect nothing but groundbreaking products from Fusion-io. Today, we are proud to raise the bar once more with the ioDrive2," said David Flynn, Fusion-io CEO and Chairman. "Just as many competitors gauge success by Fusion-io performance standards, we developed the ioDrive2 to outperform the original ioDrive on all measures. Companies around the world trust ioMemory to supply critical data to their trading platforms, ERP systems, virtual environments, enterprise applications and databases, and now, they can rely on the ioDrive2 to accelerate even more of the data that powers our information economy."
AMD Piledriver to Boost Performance by 10%, Feature New Instruction Set
"Piledriver" is the codename of AMD's processor micro-architecture that succeeds "Bulldozer", which AMD is referring to in a company presentation slide as "2nd Generation Bulldozer". This, even before the first Bulldozer processors in the AMD FX Processor series begin shipping. Piledriver isn't an evolution over Bulldozer as such, and is more of a incremental update to the architecture.
Piledriver features an improved core design to bring about performance improvements of 10% over Bulldozer. It features two new instruction sets: FMA3 (Fast Memory Access 3) and Converged BMI (Branch if MInus). It will feature an improved IOMMU (memory mapping unit), referred to as IOMMU v2. Apart from these, Piledriver will fit into the existing ecosystem of AMD FX Processors, consisting of socket AM3+ and AMD 9-series chipsets. AMD is currently referring to the platform Piledriver-based processors will form around themselves as "FX Next". There is no reason for you to skip Bulldozer for this, our sources told us that Piledriver CPUs can be expected only by mid-thru-late 2012. AMD FX Bulldozer processors are on course for a mid-October launch.
Piledriver features an improved core design to bring about performance improvements of 10% over Bulldozer. It features two new instruction sets: FMA3 (Fast Memory Access 3) and Converged BMI (Branch if MInus). It will feature an improved IOMMU (memory mapping unit), referred to as IOMMU v2. Apart from these, Piledriver will fit into the existing ecosystem of AMD FX Processors, consisting of socket AM3+ and AMD 9-series chipsets. AMD is currently referring to the platform Piledriver-based processors will form around themselves as "FX Next". There is no reason for you to skip Bulldozer for this, our sources told us that Piledriver CPUs can be expected only by mid-thru-late 2012. AMD FX Bulldozer processors are on course for a mid-October launch.
Monday, October 3rd 2011
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
CPU Coolers
Notebooks
Processors
Arctic Intros Accelero Twin Turbo 6990 Graphics Card Cooler
Arctic slipped in the latest member in its reputed Accelero Twin Turbo series of graphics card coolers, the Accelero Twin Turbo 6990. As the name suggests, it is tailored for the top of the line AMD Radeon HD 6990 dual-GPU graphics card. The cooler is designed to cool everything on the obverse side of the PCB, that includes the two AMD Cayman GPUs, the VRM, and the bridge chip.
The cooler's design consists of two main heat-pipe fed heatsinks over the two GPUs cooled by 120 mm fans, which are connected by a common base. The main heatsinks maintain contact with the GPUs through cutouts in this base, while other components pass heat on to the base. There is a third central heatsink that relies on the air-flow from the two ventilated heatsinks. In all, the heatsink measures 300 (L) x 138 (W) x 50 (H) mm, and weighs 820 g. It doesn't replace the AMD reference backplate, so PCB bending is checked that way. Backed by a 6-year warranty, the Accelero Twin Turbo 6990 is priced at US $150.
The cooler's design consists of two main heat-pipe fed heatsinks over the two GPUs cooled by 120 mm fans, which are connected by a common base. The main heatsinks maintain contact with the GPUs through cutouts in this base, while other components pass heat on to the base. There is a third central heatsink that relies on the air-flow from the two ventilated heatsinks. In all, the heatsink measures 300 (L) x 138 (W) x 50 (H) mm, and weighs 820 g. It doesn't replace the AMD reference backplate, so PCB bending is checked that way. Backed by a 6-year warranty, the Accelero Twin Turbo 6990 is priced at US $150.
Samsung Announces New Series 7 All-in-One PC
Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, today announced the Samsung Series 7 All-In-One PC, an elegant, streamlined and easy-to-use desktop computer. By combining Samsung's powerful technology with a sleek, minimalist design profile, the Series 7 All-In-One PC offers a top-of-the-line computing experience in a sophisticated, clutter-free package. Additionally, the elegant touch screen monitor capitalizes on Samsung's renowned television technology, offering users a TV-quality experience on their PC.
"Samsung's new all-in-one PC provides all of the benefits of a full-sized desktop computer without the cumbersome tower and wires often associated with that form factor," said Scott Ledterman, director of mobile PC marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. "It's an ideal choice for consumers looking to upgrade their PC, as it will provide them with the latest technology while freeing up valuable desk space in their home or office setup."
"Samsung's new all-in-one PC provides all of the benefits of a full-sized desktop computer without the cumbersome tower and wires often associated with that form factor," said Scott Ledterman, director of mobile PC marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. "It's an ideal choice for consumers looking to upgrade their PC, as it will provide them with the latest technology while freeing up valuable desk space in their home or office setup."
Evercool Unveils Transformer S CPU Cooler
Evercool showed the first pictures of its Transformer S series CPU cooler. The Transformer S is a compact aluminum fin tower-type CPU cooler aimed at those just getting started with performance third-party cooling. It has Intel LGA 1366/1155/1156/775 (adjustable) push-pins pre-fitted, so installing it is as simple as installing the stock cooler, it also comes with a mounting kit for AMD sockets. Measuring 130 x 161 x 78.5 mm, the cooler weighs 630 g, so the cooler isn't quite "entry-level".
The Transformer S uses a high density aluminum fin stack to which heat is fed by two 8 mm copper heat pipes, that pass through the base, making direct contact with the CPU. It is ventilated by a 120 mm "Ever Lubricated" bearing fan that is PWM controlled, and spins between 800 and 2,200 RPM, with rated noise output under 35 dBA. Evercool didn't let out pricing details.
A promotional video follows after the break.
The Transformer S uses a high density aluminum fin stack to which heat is fed by two 8 mm copper heat pipes, that pass through the base, making direct contact with the CPU. It is ventilated by a 120 mm "Ever Lubricated" bearing fan that is PWM controlled, and spins between 800 and 2,200 RPM, with rated noise output under 35 dBA. Evercool didn't let out pricing details.
LG Embraces IPS Panel Technology for a New Standard in Monitor Performance
LG Electronics (LG) has introduced a new monitor series based on in-plane switching (IPS) technology, the IPS5. The IPS5 series is the latest version of the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Award winning monitor line-ups of the IPS1 and IPS6 series. The IPS5 series has been upgraded with expert color calibration to ensure that colors remain sharp and true. The IPS5 series is equipped with outstanding color reproduction technology intended for enterprise customers and photographers who require bright and realistic images.
"We're committed to continually improving all aspects of our monitors with the best technology currently available," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. "The IPS5 series is proof of that commitment, as these monitors deliver superbly accurate images with true color representation with a wide viewing angle for demanding professionals."
"We're committed to continually improving all aspects of our monitors with the best technology currently available," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. "The IPS5 series is proof of that commitment, as these monitors deliver superbly accurate images with true color representation with a wide viewing angle for demanding professionals."
Verbatim Intros Store 'n' Save USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive Series
Storage veteran Verbatim is out with the new Store 'n' Save USB 3.0 line of desktop external hard drives. The company's outdoorsy Store 'n' Go portable hard drives is complemented by a the new line, which consist of hard drives that are designed to offer capacious storage, but not quite move a lot from the desk because of its size. Store 'n' Save USB 3.0, as the name suggests, makes use of the new USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface to connect to the host PC, virtually eliminating the bus bottleneck USB 2.0 is associated with, thanks to the 5 Gbps device-to-host bandwidth.
Measuring 192 x 118 x 49 mm, these rather bulky drives come in three capacity options: 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB. The drive includes a license of Nero BackItUp and Burn Essentials software that help with data backup and optical disc burning. The bundled Green Button application software helps reduce power draw by spinning down and parking the drive when idling. Backed by a 2 year warranty, the Verbatim Store 'n' Save USB 3.0 desktop hard drives are priced, depending on the capacity options, at €76 for the 1 TB model, €96 for the 2 TB one, and €176 for the 3 TB one.
Measuring 192 x 118 x 49 mm, these rather bulky drives come in three capacity options: 1 TB, 2 TB, and 3 TB. The drive includes a license of Nero BackItUp and Burn Essentials software that help with data backup and optical disc burning. The bundled Green Button application software helps reduce power draw by spinning down and parking the drive when idling. Backed by a 2 year warranty, the Verbatim Store 'n' Save USB 3.0 desktop hard drives are priced, depending on the capacity options, at €76 for the 1 TB model, €96 for the 2 TB one, and €176 for the 3 TB one.
Razer and Hasbro Launch Transformers 3 Gaming Peripherals
Earth will soon shroud in the dark of the moon as the great war between the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS explodes, threatening to tear our planet apart. Razer, the world leader in high performance gaming hardware, under license from Hasbro, Inc., will unleash a unique Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon Collector's Edition product line to prepare you for the metal on metal battle of epic proportions now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and Shockwave: four legends crafted and transmuted into four uniquely designed Razer DeathAdder mice to give you unparalleled gaming performance while evoking the heart-pumping excitement and robot wonder of the Transformers universe.
Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and Shockwave: four legends crafted and transmuted into four uniquely designed Razer DeathAdder mice to give you unparalleled gaming performance while evoking the heart-pumping excitement and robot wonder of the Transformers universe.
Some Corsair Hydro Series H100 Coolers Affected with Fan Controller Issues
An increasing number of users of Corsair's Hydro Series H100 CPU water cooler have been reporting issues with its fan-controller on the company forums. Acknowledging this, Corsair issued a general warning to all owners of the H100 that it's likely that some of the coolers might be part of a bad manufacturing batch. It looks like Corsair is taking steps towards a general recall (taking back batches of H100 coolers off the shelves, and asking users of affected batches to return their coolers for free replacement).
Affected Hydro Series H100 series units belong to batch #11359403 (the number under the first barcode in the serial number sticker on your H100 package). The issue itself is related to the button on the unit that changes fan profiles. On affected coolers, the button doesn't change the fan profile, and the fan works on the default speeds. This doesn't quite render the cooler dysfunctional, but the cooler doesn't work as advertised, so it's a severe-enough quality issue. Corsair posted some clear directions on what owners of affected units should do next. The post by Corsair can be read here.
Affected Hydro Series H100 series units belong to batch #11359403 (the number under the first barcode in the serial number sticker on your H100 package). The issue itself is related to the button on the unit that changes fan profiles. On affected coolers, the button doesn't change the fan profile, and the fan works on the default speeds. This doesn't quite render the cooler dysfunctional, but the cooler doesn't work as advertised, so it's a severe-enough quality issue. Corsair posted some clear directions on what owners of affected units should do next. The post by Corsair can be read here.
PowerColor and TechPowerUp Pimp My Rig Contest Winners
Announcing the winners of PowerColor and TechPowerUp Pimp My Rig Contest. Over September, we ran an interesting contest open to GPU-Z users, in which the one with the lowest valid 3DMark 03 score gets to win an exotic new PowerColor HD 6970 X2 dual-GPU graphics card, and one lucky participant with any valid score, is given a PowerColor HD 6870 X2 graphics card.
And the winners are:
And the winners are:
- Sheng from South Africa, wins the PowerColor HD 6970 X2 for the lowest valid score
- Max from Brazil, wins the PowerColor HD 6870 X2, for getting lucky big time
Sunday, October 2nd 2011
Sandy Bridge-E VT-d Broken In C1 Stepping, Fixed In C2 Stepping, Shortly After Launch
PC enthusiast customers and companies running corporate datacentres looking to buy into the new Sandy Bridge-E platform may want to wait a little while before handing over their hard-earned money to Intel. The initial batch of C1 revision Sandy Bridge-E processors have a bug - "errata" in Intel terminology - in them with VT-d, which means that hardware accelerated virtualization doesn't work properly with them (software only mode is unaffected). The feature when working properly, allows all hardware acceleration to work on the hosted operating system (virtual machine). This would allow things such as hard drive controllers to work, plus applications such as high-powered 3D games, typically First Person Shooters, to run at nearly full speed and the full Windows Aero desktop to be displayed on the hosted OS, as the hardware features of the graphics card can be used. Therefore, working VT-d is a critical feature for these kinds of applications.
Windows 7 Slowly But Surely Nudges out Windows XP From the Top Spot
Microsoft's first attempt at replacing XP with Vista failed miserably, since Vista had many initial issues and was so poorly received, that the brand was irrevocably tarnished. However, Microsoft's second attempt with Windows 7 has been very successful, since it has always worked very well, even during its development phase and is well liked. Now, if figures from Stat Counter are to be believed, then Windows 7's share of the market has climbed to 41.64%, while Windows XP has dropped to 37.20% - still a hefty percentage and one that Microsoft will be keen to see drop to zero as soon as possible. This means that Windows 7 is now finally the most popular Windows version after almost two years since the retail version was released on October 22nd 2009, with Windows 8 due out likely in summer 2012.
Guru3D Has MSI Afterburner 2.2.0 Beta 8 Up For Grabs
Today we release an updated Beta revision of Afterburner, this application successfully secured the leading position on graphics card utilities. We're happy to see MSI Afterburner is leading the overclock applications. MSI Afterburner 2.2.0 Beta 8 is ready.There's quite an extensive change list too, including things like faster startup and unlocking of additional hidden video capture formats. Go get it here.
Those Pesky Battlefield 3 Bugs Are Getting Quashed
Here's some good news for all those beta testers that have been unhappy at the level of bugs in upcoming game, Battlefield 3. Electronic Arts have now released a slew of updates, which should relieve the worst of the problems. The odd crash and framerate stability fixes are just some of the improvements. Head on over to Joystiq for the full rundown.
In Development: Full-On, High Performance 3D Gaming Right In Your Web Browser
Mozilla are developing a full-on 3D game engine for their Firefox browser. It looks like having a viable high performance game engine built right into the browser could allow first person shooter type games to reach a much wider audience and possibly even raise the bar for integrated graphics - we're already seeing this with the upcoming Sandy Bridge E processors. The project is called Paladin, which is developing the Gladius 3D gaming engine. To help test it, a basic 3D game, RescueFox has been prototyped, although that's not going to be developed further, but forking is welcomed. We'll let the Mozilla development blog take it away from here.
Saturday, October 1st 2011
New Portal 2 DLC Imminent – and It’s Free!
It took somewhat longer than expected, after having been promised for the summer and then a couple more times, but now this fresh new DLC called Portal 2: Peer Review will be released to eagerly waiting Portal 2 fans on October 4 on PC (Steam), PS3 & Xbox 360 platforms. This is a hard date, so there should be no more slips.
PC Exclusive Game: Gotham City Impostors Beta Begins October 5
The 1UP article is short and sweet, so I'll quote it in full, after the jump. Essentially, Steam activation codes have gone out to invited beta testers. This is a private beta, so testers cannot discuss their experiences with the public unfortunately and it all goes live on October 5. Specs seem quite reasonable too, so the game should play quite smoothly on midrange hardware. This looks like a cool game worth waiting for, so check out the video.
Friday, September 30th 2011
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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.
Apple Emerges Victorious Against Psystar, But Have They Really Triumphed? (UPDATED)
In a court ruling on Wednesday 28th September 2011, Apple's assertion that any kind of 'Hackintosh' was, is and always will be, illegal, was conclusively affirmed. This will bring great dismay to Psystar customers, potential purchasers of other "alternative Macs" and the many PC enthusiasts who want to run the latest Apple OS on the high-spec rigs they've built themselves from hand-picked components. This ruling has unfortunately sounded the death knell for enterprising and surprisingly plucky upstart outfit, Psystar, who showed what could be possible with an open mind and technical skill. UPDATE after the jump.
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