ARM, Red Hat, Inc. and Applied Micro Circuits Corporation today announced a collaboration that aims to develop a disruptive 64-bit server design platform to dramatically lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of cloud computing, data centers and enterprises.

Fully compliant with the ARMv8 architecture, the AppliedMicro X-Gene Server on a Chip has been purpose-built for cloud and enterprise server deployment to deliver unprecedented low power, high performance and integration, with the goal of changing the way servers are designed for cloud, data center and enterprise applications.

Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source solutions, is actively engaged in developing support within the Fedora community for the new 64-bit ARMv8 architecture, also known as AArch64.

Intel has made available the new HD Graphics driver version 15.28.7.2867, which includes support for Microsoft Windows 8, OpenGL 4.0 and Ultra HD video playback & display (4K resolution). Additionally, this driver improves the gaming fun delivered on dozens of recent PC game titles including Runic Games' Torchlight 2, Arkane Studios' Dishonored, and EA's Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes. With support for Ultra HD resolution, 3rd generation Intel Core based PCs can support playback of content at resolutions beyond 1080p up to 4096x2048 on Ultra HD displays. This driver supports both Windows* 7 and Windows* 8 and be downloaded from these links:

DOWNLOAD: Intel HD Graphics Driver for Windows 8 32-bit and 64-bit

AMD announced the 2012 FX "Vishera" line of eight-core, six-core, and quad-core desktop processors. Based on the new "Piledriver" CPU micro-architecture, the new processors feature increased performance and an updated instruction set, over the previous generation. To begin with, the processors are based around the "Vishera" silicon, built on the 32 nm HKMG process at Global Foundries. With a transistor count of 1.2 billion and a die area of 315 mm², Vishera packs four Piledriver modules, with two cores each, 2 MB L2 cache per module (8 MB total), and 8 MB of L3 cache. Eight-, six-, and four-core models are carved out by toggling the number of modules between four, three, and two.

The Vishera silicon also features an updated CPU instruction set, which includes SSE/2/3/S3/4.1/4.2/4A, AVX, AES-NI, FMA/FMA2/FMA3, XOP, and F16C. An x86 processor by design, Vishera features the AMD64 x86-64 instruction set. Its updated integrated memory controller supports up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, with a standard speed of DDR3-1866 MHz, and more possible with overclocking. The memory interface is single, monolithic 128-bit, unlike the dual 64-bit IMC approach of the "Stars" micro-architecture. Built in the same socket AM3+ package as the previous generation FX, the new chips are compatible with existing AM3+ motherboards with a BIOS update. The 2012 FX processor lineup includes a total of four models, the FX-8350 flagship eight-core, FX-8320 performance eight-core, FX-6300 mainstream six-core, and FX-4300 value quad-core. All models feature unlocked base-clock multipliers, making each of them fit for overclocking. Their specifications and target SEP pricing are tabled below. Market prices could be about 5~10% above the SEP prices.

Microsoft's biggest launch of the year, Windows 8, may be under two weeks away, but there are still a couple of things Redmond managed to keep secret despite consumers getting a fair look-and-feel of the new operating system with pre-launch Consumer Previews. A large volume of Windows licenses are sold through hardware vendors, where the operating system is sold pre-installed on PCs and notebooks. The rest is sold as packaged software, through conventional retail channels.

As packaged software, the two variants of Windows 8 (Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro) will be available as upgrade and full-version. The upgrade package lets you move from an existing installation of Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, to the new OS. The Windows 8 Pro Upgrade is listed at an introductory price of US $69.99. For the same price, you get Windows 8 Pro Pack, which is a card with a software key to Windows 8 Pro (any architecture), no installation media. The OEM (builder) packages of Windows 8 (standard), which includes a key and installation media is sold in 64-bit and 32-bit variants, each priced at $99.99. Lastly, there are similar 64-bit and 32-bit packages for Windows 8 Pro, each priced at $139.99. Newegg.com is accepting pre-orders.

In wake of GeForce GTX 650 Ti launch, NVIDIA posted the latest WHQL-signed version of its GeForce software suite, version 306.97 WHQL. Recommended for Windows 8, the driver adds support for the newly-launched GPU, and is said to go well with Borderlands 2, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. New performance and stability improvements are said to cover a variety of games. 3D Vision profiles were added or improved for a large number of games.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 306.97 WHQL (International) for Windows 8/7/Vista 64-bit | Windows 8/7/Vista 32-bit

To address the significant increase in data over the next 10-15 years, and the demand for more energy-efficient network infrastructure and servers, ARM has announced the ARM CoreLink CCN-504 cache coherent network. This advanced system intellectual property (IP) can deliver up to one terabit of usable system bandwidth per second. It will enable SoC designers to provide high-performance, cache coherent interconnect for 'many-core' enterprise solutions built using the ARM Cortex-A15 MPCore processor and next-generation 64-bit processors.

LSI, a leading designer of intelligent semiconductors that accelerate storage, mobile networking and client computing, and Calxeda, an innovative supplier of disruptive SoC technology for the server market, are lead licensees for the CoreLink CCN-504 launch.

MSI announced the WindTop AP1612 series compact all-in-one (AIO) PC. Built for basic personal computing such as internet access and office applications, the WindTop AP1612 is a 15.6-inch AIO PC driven by Intel Celeron B830 processor ("Sandy Bridge" architecture, dual-core, 1.80 GHz, 2 MB L3 cache). The processor is backed by Intel HM65 Express chipset, 2 GB of DDR3-1333 MHz memory (expandable to 4 GB), and Intel HD graphics. The 15.6-inch LED-backlit LCD screen features 1366 x 768 pixels resolution. It features a resistive touchscreen layer. A 250 GB SATA 3 Gb/s HDD is the only storage device.

The WindTop AP1612 has plenty of network and legacy connectivity. It features two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, an 802.11 b/g/n WLAN interface, 4 in 1 Card Reader (SD+MS+MMC+XD), and a smartcard reader. Legacy connectivity includes a pair of serial COM and parallel LPT interfaces. Its body embeds a 320p web-camera, and 3W stereo speakers. Wired keyboard and mouse come included. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit comes pre-installed. The company did not give out pricing information.

Over the weekend, Activision released the minimum system requirements (MSR) list of its upcoming AAA title, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, for the PC platform. The publisher maintains that with the new engine being designed for DirectX 11, the game will no longer support Windows XP, yet it can make do with DirectX 10 hardware running on newer operating systems (Windows Vista and above). All you need to run Black Ops 2 is:

• Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 (2.66 GHz) or AMD Phenom X3 8750 (2.40 GHz), processor
• 2 GB for 32-bit, 4 GB for 64-bit environments, memory
• NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT 512 MB or ATI Radeon HD 3870 512 MB, video card
• Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7 or above, operating system

FinalWire announced the latest version of AIDA64, the popular system diagnostic and benchmarking suite. Version 2.60, which is released almost three months after the previous version, comes with support for most of the hardware and APIs that were released in the period. To begin with, AIDA64 adds support for VIA VX11 platform, Nano X2 and QuadCore CPUs. Details for GeForce GTX 660 and 650 series are added. The software even supports Windows 8 RTM and Windows 2012 RTM. Lastly, the 64-bit benchmarks are optimized for AMD "Trinity" APUs.DOWNLOAD: AIDA64 v2.60 Installer (EXE), Archive (ZIP)

AMD released the first WHQL-signed Catalyst drivers since June. Catalyst 12.8 WHQL is the first unified Catalyst driver certified for Windows 8, its release follows the RTM version of the operating system being available to enterprise and industry customers, ahead of the October 26 consumer retail launch. The driver introduces target-independent rasterization (TIR), an efficient new Direct3D rendering path. The driver also works to improve GPU power consumption. A suite of Windows 8-exclusive features, including native stereo 3D support and unified video API are included. Catalyst 12.8 WHQL also introduces performance-improvements specific to games, including up to 25% performance increase in Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, 10% in Dirt 3, 6% in Batman: Arkham City, and 3% in Battlefield 3. Several game-specific bugs were patched.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL for Windows Vista, 7 and 8 (64-bit), Windows Vista, 7 and 8 (32-bit), Windows XP (32-bit), Windows XP (64-bit)

The change-log follows.

The new Thecus N4510U powered by Intel Atom with 2GB DDR3 RAM is a versatile 1U unit that offers enhanced performance, 4-bays for multiple RAID function, and link aggregation for easy expansion. It's perfect for the user who seeks a smaller NAS unit but requires the ability to integrate into a rack system.

The embedded Intel Atom CPU provides over-the-top performance to power on hungry NAS demands. In fact, utilizing a 64-bit driver allows the N4510U NAS to perform at its best. With HDMI output, USB 3.0 and hot-swap ability, the N4510U NAS packs powerful and dynamic features despite its 1U size. Attaching a TV tuner to the N4510U allows the ability to watch TV via your Thecus NAS. The flexibility of Thecus NAS elevates the user experience. In fact, not only watch TV but also record what you are watching directly to you NAS for instant media playback.

Intel releases their new 64-bit driver for multimedia support, thus advances Thecus new module that allows direct connection from Thecus NAS to HDTV - the highly anticipated Local Display module. The module allows for users to eliminate a computer or laptop to display visuals on a TV, display multimedia via third party modules and utilize internet browser features. In addition, local display allows users to enter the NAS UI and conduct managements easily. Lastly, a terminal icon appears on the local display homepage for developer use. Local display module is now supported.

With local display, displaying your Thecus NAS to a HDTV is hassle free. Often, a computer is required to manage display on a TV or projector. Local display module is the ultimate tool for those who seek a clean infrastructure set up. Eliminating a computer or laptop creates a sense that the NAS itself functions as a small computer.

While content-creation and media transcoding applications have transitioned to native x86-64 applications that can take advantage of large amounts of system and video memory, a similar transition by game developers has been rather slow. Very few PC games ship with 64-bit executables, as most games are ported from game consoles anyway, which have slim system requirements.

EA-DICE has been behind developing games that take advantage of the latest PC technologies (such as DirectX 11), and according to a lead developer and rendering architect with the studio, Johan Andersson, games that are driven by Frostbite engine, which are slated for 2013, will require 64-bit operating systems, these games will not run on 32-bit Windows, or in 32-bit mode, on 64-bit Windows, but with full-fledged 64-bit executables. The 64-bit address-space would allow games to take advantage of system memory over 4 GB, and more importantly, high amounts of video memory, as 2 GB and 3 GB become standard with performance-segment graphics cards.

HP today expanded its industry-leading computing portfolio with more than 30 new products engineered to address the design, reliability, security and performance demands of end users and IT departments across businesses of all sizes.

HP today expanded its award-winning notebook portfolio with thin and light Ultrabook systems and Sleekbooks packed with the latest technologies for both consumer and business demands. "Building on the success of the HP Folio13 and HP ENVY14 Spectre, we are now offering the most comprehensive Ultrabook portfolio in the industry," said James Mouton, senior vice president and general manager, Personal Computer Global Business Unit, HP. "Our expanded portfolio of HP Ultrabook systems and HP Sleekbooks for both consumers and businesses delivers uncompromised performance, quality and entertainment experiences within distinctive designs."

Dell today announced that customers such as Morphlabs and Vibrant Media are using Dell microserver technologies based on Intel Xeon processors to power business-critical web 2.0, cloud, and content delivery networks (CDN), as well as high-performance computing (HPC) applications. Driven by the emergence of a growing hardware and application ecosystem, x86-based microservers are rapidly evolving from a niche solution to one with widespread awareness and value.

"We're constantly inspired by the unique ways our customers are leveraging Dell microserver platforms to drive specialized web 2.0, HPC and cloud computing applications," said Forrest Norrod, vice president and general manager, Dell Server Solutions. "As the microserver market and ecosystem have matured, customers like Vibrant Media have validated that microservers are a cost-effective, scalable platform in web 2.0 environments."

Intel released its first HD Graphics drivers for Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The drivers are Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.2 compliant, supports HD 4000 graphics, found in 3rd Generation Core processors, HD 3000 and HD 2000 graphics of 2nd Generation Core processors; complete with stereoscopic 3D, DirectX 11 (on compatible models), and flicker-free display rotation.DOWNLOAD: Intel HD Graphics Driver for Windows 8 Consumer Preview 64-bit, 32-bit

What is a bit and what exactly does it stand for? A bit stands for "binary digit," the set of numbers used by computing devices to process commands. A 32-bit system demonstrates great performance but if one is in need for improvement; 64-bit is the solution to solve bottlenecks. In short, 64-bit allows the system to calculate and process more data compared to the lesser 32-bit. Ultimately, Thecus upgrades the new 7-bay N77000PRO and 8-bay N8800PRO v2 models to 64-bit. Some key benefits of switching from 32-bit to 64-bit: improved performance, capability to process more data at a time, and better overall structure.

A new DAC by Rubicon, the Rubicon Antelope, seeks to address the problem of jitter using a rubidium atomic clock instead of a crystal oscillator. Modern electronics rely on oscillators and clock-generators to time the flow of everything from signals to well-structured packets of data. Often the accuracy of these could impact on signal quality (think of a packet "missing the bus" due to bad timing), during digital to analog conversion. External DACs tend to suffer jitters during digital to analog conversion, which could ruin the experience for extreme-Audiophiles.

Rubicon used the most accurate clock generation technique known to man, by implementing a rubidium atomic clock. This clock, Rubicon claims, is 100,000 times more stable than conventional crystal oscillators. Although it sounds gimmicky to the mainstream, atomic clock-based equipment very much are used in big-budget professional mastering studios. Other features include 64-bit acoustically-focused clocking jitter management technology; 384 kHz D/A and A/D converters; ultra-linear, dual stage headphone amps; de-jittered audio S/PDIF output; DLNA streaming capabilities through an Ethernet interface.

I-O Data unveiled a new USB 3.0 host card (model: USB3-PEX2S), which is designed to be server-grade, with out of the box support for Windows Server, including USB 3.0 SuperSpeed support for Windows 2003, 2003 R2 64-bit/32-bit; Windows 2008, and 2008 R2 64-bit/32-bit. The low-profile capable card provides two USB 3.0 SuperSpeed ports, and appears to be driven by a Renesas-made chipset. It connects to the system bus over PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and draws auxiliary power from a SATA power connector. Slated for market launch in late-April, the USB3-PEX2S from I-O Data is priced at 3,885 JPY (US $48).

Back in the 1990's, when the software industry knew the 32-bit x86 address-space limitation was closing in, they geared up for transition to another machine architecture, then came AMD64 and EM64T, which allowed an x86 processor to perform in both 64-bit and 32-bit modes. Microsoft didn't want users of its 64-bit Windows to be deprived of using software coded for 32-bit Windows, which was infinitely more in number than 64-bit software. Hence it developed what is known as Windows-on-Windows 64 (WOW64), a translation layer that interfaces 32-bit software and drivers to the 64-bit OS and drivers. With its next major Windows version, Windows 8, Microsoft wants to give the ARM architecture a big push, with a Windows 8 version for ARM computing devices (such as tablets and netbooks). Guess what?

A latest bulletin at MSDN hints at the possibility of Microsoft working on a x86-to-ARM translation layer, which allows you to run desktop windows (Win32) software on Windows 8 ARM, effectively "Windows-on-Windows ARM". Without specifically pointing out the ability to run Win32 software on ARM, the bulletin mentions the ability to run non-metro applications (native Windows) on SoC (system-on-a-chip) architectures. It could also just be a reference to Intel's single-chip SoCs such as Medfield, which are x86-based. If Microsoft pulls off a "WOWARM", it could spell terrible news to Intel, because something such as the hypothetical WOWARM is all that stands between ARM and high-performance desktop PCs. In a market that only has two other competitors (AMD and VIA), dozens more could join in overnight, including NVIDIA's karmic entry after being shunned off an x86 license.

Tilera Corporation, the leader in manycore microprocessors, today announced several significant steps for the company including the immediate general availability of two of its highly anticipated, low-power, high-performance 64-bit processors - TILE-Gx36 and TILE-Gx16 - as well as companion evaluation systems. These processors are setting new records for performance and performance per watt, running multiple applications including networking, cloud computing and multimedia. Tilera is engaged with more than 80 customers for its TILE-Gx processors, including Harmonic and Mercury Computer Systems.

Moreover, Tilera's former CEO and Tilera co-founder Devesh Garg returns as CEO to scale the company into a leading processor provider in the market.

Matrox Graphics Inc. announced today that the source code of its M-Series drivers will be made available to approved OEM developers seeking to leverage their high level of expertise and development capacity.

Those interested in collaborating with Matrox and developing M-Series driver source code to better meet their specific requirements can contact Matrox. Developers authorized under specific license agreements can then gain access to various tools and resources, including the appropriate Matrox programmer's guide, register specifications, as well as consultation on suggested engineering and related devices to be used during the design process.

ZiiLABS, a pioneering media processor and platforms company (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd), today unveiled its ground-breaking 100-core ZMS-40 StemCell Media processor optimized for Android. The ZMS-40 combines 96 of ZiiLABS' StemCell media processing cores with four 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPUs to deliver stunning multi-tasking application and media processing performance.

By doubling the number of StemCell Media processors compared to the previous ZMS-20, the ZMS-40 delivers twice the peak media performance, while running the larger array at lower clock speeds to achieve the same performance leads to greater energy efficiency and a reduction in power consumption of up to 50 percent. With 2X the performance and 2X the power efficiency, the ZMS-40 delivers ground-breaking media capabilities to handheld devices such as tablets, including ultra-high-resolution H.264 HP decoding of up to 3840x1080 for true 1080p 3D stereo, a rich and interactive desktop browsing experience, 2560x1600 (WQXGA) display resolution support, higher-quality video encoding and immersive OpenGL ES graphics and future support for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC).

Intel has, in the past, referred to its two-chip low-wattage computing solutions as "SoC" (system on a chip), keeping with that trend, it was assumed that "Centerton", an Atom-derived processor for NAS servers that the company is working on, could be a similar 2-chip solution with the tiny NM10 PCH sitting next to the CPU. It is now coming to light that Intel will design Centerton to run as a true single-chip SoC, without the PCH.

Centerton's core and uncore components, housed on the same piece of silicon, are detailed in the first picture, below. It packs two x86-64 cores. Each core has 32 KB L1I cache, 24 KB L1D cache, and 512 KB of dedicated L2 cache. There is no shared tertiary cache between the cores, however, they converge at the integrated memory controller (IMC). This IMC can control a single DDR3 memory channel, supporting 1.5V DDR3 UDIMMs with ECC support or 1.35V DDR3 SO-DIMMs, at speeds of PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333 MHz). Up to 8 GB of RAM is supported. The core can be clocked as high as 1.60 GHz. It features HyperThreading technology, enabling four logical CPUs for the OS to deal with. Any current 32-bit or 64-bit x86-capable OS should run.