Yes, you heard that right, when completed, the Raspberry Pi foundation will be selling a credit card sized computer running Linux that can plug into your television and play H.264 1080p30 videos. Raspberry Pi is the somewhat cheekily-named UK registered charity which has been set up to design and build a very low cost computer that is targeted for use in computer science lessons in schools, to "put the fun back into learning computing." Why, was it ever not fun?! However, such a simple and cheap general purpose gadget has the potential for many other uses than the classroom, as the world is full of inventive tech-minded people that can tinker with something like this and build innovative projects with them, perhaps by using several of these together.

The product will come in two configurations, a $25 Model A with 128 MB SDRAM & $35 Model B with 256 MB SDRAM and both will come with the same 700 MHz Broadcom BCM2835 media processor featuring an ARM11 (ARM1176JZF-S) core, Broadcom GPU core, DSP core and support for Package-on-Package (PoP) RAM. We expect that in this day and age, most people will go for the 256 MB model, which is still a very small amount of RAM. For those that want to get the most out if this device, the website - www.raspberrypi.org - has a forum and a wiki with tons of technical details on the device, including benchmarks and links to many other news stories & blogs about the product. There's even a shop, although at the moment, it's only selling keyboard stickers of the foundation's logo.

As the demand of high speed data transmission is increasing, KINGMAX, a world renowned leading brand of DRAM and flash memory, has launched two stylish metallic look UD-09 USB 3.0 flash drives at the same time, to cater to users who pursue comprehensive high speed data transmission equipment.

On the whole, the speed of new UD-09 is twice that of typical USB 2.0 drive, and the grey and piano black with stylish shinning plating in the middle adds to the excitement of UD-09. The new entry-level PD-09 projects simplicity in style with pink and mist grey to choose from, and scratch resistant design makes PD-09 the most durable. Capacities of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB are now available.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced several new quad channel DDR3 memory kits optimized for motherboards using the Intel Core i7 processor family for Socket LGA-2011.

After announcing the world's first high-performance quad channel 32GB memory kit in October, Corsair is following up with the addition of three new quad channel memory kits. Like all Dominator memory kits, the new kits are assembled with tightly screened DRAM and include Corsair's DHX+ heatsink patented technology. All Dominator quad channel kits support Intel's latest XMP 1.3 profiles for easy performance tuning.

German memory maker Exceleram is among the first to release quad-channel DDR3 memory kits, in time for Intel's Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processor platform. Sandy Bridge-E processors pack a massive four-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller, and require at least four DDR3 modules to perform optimally. The kit released by Exceleram features in its "Grand" series, and totals 32 GB in size, spread across four 8 GB modules. These modules run at DDR3-1333 MHz speed, with timings of 9-9-9-24, and DRAM voltage of 1.5V. Exceleram did not give out pricing details, but you should be able to buy one of these in time for your big fat Sandy Bridge-E build.

A month after debuting its Premier line of mainstream DDR3 memory modules, A-Data released new high-density 8 GB modules in the series. Available in both desktop UDIMM and notebook SO-DIMM form-factors, A-Data's new modules operate at PC3-10700 (DDR3-1333 MHz) speeds with CAS latency of 9T, and DRAM voltage of 1.5V. The new modules make use of 4 gigabit memory chips made possible in the mainstream segment by advancements in silicon fab processes. Unfortunately, the pricing isn't quite "mainstream" yet. One of these 8 GB Premier modules by A-Data could set you back by €159.90. They are backed by limited lifetime warranty.

Last week we got a glimpse of Gigabyte's new 3D BIOS technology, a UEFI setup program with an innovative and functional user interface built into Gigabyte's upcoming X79 motherboards. Today Gigabyte released a new video detailing another such innovation, called 3D Power. This program gives you total and unrestricted control over the three main dimensions of your motherboard's power delivery: voltages, PWM frequency, and phase control. Gigabyte announced that all its upcoming X79 motherboards will feature PWM (pulse width modulation) CPU power design, backed by highly capable PWM controllers that give you a plethora of things you can tweak.

To begin with, the 3D Power application starts up with a cube that has the icons of the three main elements. Clicking on "voltage" gives you control over voltage-related settings in three main pages, turbo voltage response, load line calibration (active V-droop control), and active over-voltage protection. Load line calibration allows you to fine-tune the extant of V-droop correction over a variety of power domains, such as CPU, VTT, IMC, and DRAM.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced a new portfolio of load reduced dual-inline memory modules (LRDIMMs) featuring a 64GB offering. In addition to the standard densities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, which are sampling in high volume to several customers, Micron is introducing a 64GB LRDIMM to meet the ever-growing density requirements of servers.

Micron continues its memory market leadership with modules that provide 50 percent higher memory capacity and a performance increase of 33 percent for server applications. Resulting improvements to system scalability can significantly enhance cloud computing, high-performance computing, Web servers, transactional databases, and data analytics while reducing power needs by nearly 10 percent per DIMM slot compared to standard modules.

Motherboard vendors aren't the only ones getting ready for the big launch of Intel's new high-end desktop (HEDT) platform - Sandy Bridge-E, the ecosystem also consists of memory and cooling products vendors - more importantly, memory. Intel Sandy Bridge-E processors pack an integrated memory controller with a massive 256-bit bus width. To put it into perspective, if a motherboard is populated with four DDR3-1333 MHz modules, the system memory bandwidth would be a staggering 42,600 MB/s. Like everyone, G.Skill is expected to have memory kits with four DDR3 memory modules. It is likely that these kits consisting of four matched modules will be referred to as "quad-channel". Around this time, the company will have a new lineup, RipjawsZ.

RipjawsZ will make use of a new, slightly taller than standard heatspreader design, and will be available in at least two color options - black and red. Some of the kits will consist of just modules, while some will also pack Turbulence II air-coolers that use two fans. In all there are two basic types of modules: ZL, ZH; among these ZH provides the best timings for the frequencies it offers. These modules will be available in a variety of speeds: DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600, DDR3-1866, DDR3-2133, and DDR3-2400. Modules with speeds of up to DDR3-1866 make do with 1.5V DRAM voltage, DDR3-2133 needs 1.60V, while some higher speed modules need up to 1.65V. These kits are available in a variety of capacities - 8 GB (4 x 2 GB), 16 GB (4 x 4 GB), 32 GB (4 x 8 GB), and 64 GB (probably 8 x 8 GB). These modules will be Intel eXtreme Memory Profile (XMP) revision 1.3 compliant.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AMD's release of APU processor is a huge revolution. The new Llano architectures are a shot in the arm for integrated graphics, delivering the most powerful discrete-level graphics performance in mainstream market. Following the great launch of ASRock A75 mobo platform, ASRock is delighted to introduce its fantastic APU Motherboard Series based on the AMD A55 chipset. Supporting AMD Fusion A-Series APU, Socket FM1, DirectX 11 technology and a wide range of ASRock signature functions, ASRock brand new A55 APU Motherboard Series will surely bring the perfect components and combos to build up the ultimate rig.

Commenting on the new release, James Lee, V.P of ASRock Sales and Marketing, is with confidence. "ASRock A55 APU Motherboard Series has more to offer than just the combined powers of integrated graphics processor, as ASRock motherboards are best known for its perfect balance between price and performance. If users are looking for a value mobo supporting AMD's full-power 32nm Llano processor, then ASRock A55 platform is unambiguously the best choice!" He stated.

Crucial, a leading global brand of memory and storage upgrades, today introduced Crucial 8GB DDR3-1333 MHz UDIMM (desktop) and SODIMM (laptop) memory modules to fully support the latest 2nd generation Intel Core i7 and i5 processors. Users demand more from their computers than ever before, simultaneously running and switching between multiple, complex applications such as photo editing, high-definition video editing, and gaming software. With that in mind, Crucial high-capacity 8GB desktop and laptop memory modules enable users to meet these computing challenges head on, enhancing the user experience by providing a more responsive system.

The new modules also allow for high-capacity memory in smaller form factors such as laptops, All-in-One PCs, and home theater PCs. Traditionally, most laptops have been limited to one or two DIMM slots for system memory needs. As form factors continue to shrink, providing even less space on the motherboard to populate memory, an 8GB Crucial laptop module is ideal for newer, more portable form factors that only have one DIMM slot available. Additionally, these new 8GB DDR3-1333MHz SODIMM modules are 1.35V, compared to their standard 1.5V counterparts. For laptops that support the lower voltage, the modules help reduce power consumption and operating temperature while increasing battery life.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced worldwide retail availability of 4GB DDR3 memory for Apple Mac desktop and laptop PCs.

Corsair's Mac memory kits are tested at Apple Developer Compatibility Labs and are guaranteed to work with any Mac desktop or notebook PC that supports 4GB DDR3 SODIMMs, including iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models. This includes virtually all models offered by Apple since 2010.

Japanese company Green House launched two lines of SSDs for use in compact devices and embedded applications. These include the GH-SSD*S-H in the "half-slim" SATA form factor (where * stands for number of GB in capacity), and GH-SSD*S-M in mSATA form factor. The half-slim form factor is basically a half length SSD PCB with its case stripped out, which makes it a lot more compact. The two are further available in two variants based on NAND flash type used, SLC and MLC. The SLC variants come in capacities starting from 1 GB to 16 GB, including 2, 4, and 8 GB models along the way; while the MLC variant includes capacities starting from 4 GB to 128 GB, with 8, 16, 32, and 64 GB models along the way.

Transfer rates are different between each specific model. The the SLC variant, it's 29 MB/s (read) / 17 MB/s (write) for the 1 GB, 55 MB/s (read) / 34 MB/s (write) for 2 GB, 100 MB/s (read) / 65 MB/s (write) for 4 GB, and 120 MB/s (read) / 100 MB/s for the 8 and 16 GB models. Moving on to MLC, it's 34 MB/s (read) / 12 MB/s (write) for the 4 GB, 66 MB/s (read) / 24 MB/s (write) for 8 GB, 120 MB/s (read) / 45 MB/s (write) for 16 GB, 135 MB/s (read) / 90 MB/s (write) for 32 GB, 200 MB/s (read) / 170 MB/s (write) for 64 GB, and 200 MB/s (read) / 200 MB/s (write) for the 128 GB model. All drives make use of a Phison-made controller, with 64 MB DRAM cache. The drives are rated to have 1,000,000 hours of MTBF, and pack standard features such as TRIM command support and NCQ. They are backed by 1 year warranty.