Ahead of its launch, details of the newest addition to Dell's Ultrasharp family of monitors, the 27-inch U2713HM were leaked to the web thanks to a mix-up by the company website's support and drivers section. The details reveal the U2713HM to be a 27-inch monitor with 2560 x 1440 pixels native resolution, based on an IPS LCD panel with LED-illumination and matte black screen surface, with DisplayPort, HDMI, and dual-link DVI for inputs. Most of its other features, including stand design, resemble those of the other launched Ultrasharp series, such as the U2212HM and U2412M.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today announced that it has released new compliance test specifications (CTS) for DisplayPort cable adaptors. The new CTS documents allow VESA members to have DisplayPort cable adaptors compliance tested through VESA's Authorized Test Centers (ATCs) worldwide, or by completing the new self-testing and reporting option.

"The DisplayPort logo signifies that a product is based on next-generation display technology," said Bill Lempesis, executive director at VESA. "By simplifying the certification process for our member companies, we've given them easier access to the logo."

Rambus Inc. (RMBS), one of the world's premier technology licensing companies, today announced that the International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued its notice of final determination in the action brought by Rambus against LSI Logic, ST Microelectronics and other Respondents. In its notice, the ITC affirmed the initial determination of Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Theodore R. Essex that there was no violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 with respect to the asserted patents. The Commission also reversed the ALJ's determinations that Rambus demonstrated the existence of a domestic industry, that certain asserted Dally claims were invalid, and that those claims were infringed. The action is Investigation Number 337-TA-753.

Rambus has not yet received the full opinion by the Commission. A copy of today's summary is available here.

SAPPHIRE Technology has now added two new Vapor-X Models to its HD 7970 series of high performance graphics cards based on the latest HD 7970 GHz Edition GPU from AMD.

The SAPPHIRE HD 7970 6GB Vapor-X Edition shares many of the features of the recently announced industry-leading TOXIC Edition. Its 6GB frame buffer makes it ideally suited to multi-screen gaming as well as providing the extra memory required for demanding professional applications such as content creation, video editing or rendering.

The performance lead that MSI's Radeon HD 7970 Lightning maintained over reference HD 7970 was cut down, first by NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680, and then by AMD's own Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition, leaving its engineers to go back to the drawing boards, and design an even faster graphics card. The result: a liquid-cooled HD 7970 GHz Edition Lightning graphics card, which could push clock-speeds up even further. The card ships with a pre-installed full-coverage water-block, made by EK WaterBlocks (EKWB). It comes ready for 6-display Eyefinity, with four mini-DisplayPort and two DVI. Here's hoping one of those is a dual-link DVI. More details are awaited.

Update: We've received word that it's not that MSI has a new product in the works, but that EKWB has a water-block tailored for MSI's existing R7970 Lightning.

The first two new versions of the HD 7850 being introduced by SAPPHIRE have 2GB of the latest DDR5 memory. The standard model will ship with a core clock speed of 860MHz, and. memory clocked at 1200MHz (4.8Gb/s effective). At the same time SAPPHIRE is introducing a higher performance model, the SAPPHIRE HD 7850 OC Edition, with the faster clocks of 920MHz core and 1250MHz (5Gb/s effective) for the memory. Offering excellent performance at an even keener price point, the third model in the series is the SAPPHIRE HD 7850 1GB model which will ship with the core clock of 900MHz and memory at 1200MHz (4.8Gb/s effective).

All three models are equipped with a dual BIOS, and the new output configuration of Dual link DVI-I, Dual link DVI-D, HDMI and Display Port. They also feature SAPPHIRE's latest dual-extractor cooler technology - Dual-X - a highly efficient multi-heatpipe cooler with dual fans providing quiet and very cool operation during normal operating conditions, and superb cooling performance even under extreme load.

ASUS is working to redesign its Radeon HD 7950 DirectCU II family of graphics cards. The new revision sees a breakaway from the common design that HD 7950 and HD 7970 DirectCU II graphics cards share, to one that has a more compact cooler and PCB, with denser aluminum fin stacks, six copper heat pipes (instead of five on the original design), and a redesigned display output layout (2x DVI DL, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort; compared to 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, and 2x mini-DisplayPort, on the original). The new design could be implemented on both the standard and TOP models. The standard model ships with clock speeds of 800 MHz core, while the TOP model ships with 900 MHz core clock speed. While it's not expected that the new cards will be cheaper than the current HD 7950 DirectCU II cards (at least not significantly), they could let ASUS brace itself for industry-wide price-cuts of the HD 7950, if and when they come about.

Colorful's AMD Radeon-centric graphics card brand, ColorFire, is out with a new graphics card which keeps in tune with the design principle of backing a performance-segment GPU with preposterous amounts of features (VRM, cooling, OC features, etc.) The company showed off its Radeon HD 7870 XStorm graphics card at this year's Computex event in Taipei, though it is only now that we're seeing pictures of the card taken apart. Pictured below is the card of the hour. This Radeon HD 7870 graphics card is so long, that it comes with a support brace for workstation cases and Apple Mac Pro.

The card powers the otherwise cool and quiet "Pitcairn" GPU with an 8+1+1 onboard VRM, which can be expanded by a 4-phase VRM card that supports higher power draw. The card draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Despite a VRM design that's fit to condition power for the HD 7970 GHz Edition (or jump-start an SUV), the ColorFire HD 7870 XStorm ships with mildly-overclocked speeds of 1050 MHz core and 1250 MHz (5.00 GHz effective) memory. It packs 2 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 256-bit wide memory interface.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today announced the release of the Mobility DisplayPort (MyDP) Standard. MyDP is an extension of the DisplayPort connectivity standard that enables mobile devices to share high-definition video, audio, and 3D content with the broad universe of larger external displays through common, widely adopted connectors. Offering the industry's highest mobile-to-display image resolution, MyDP allows consumers to experience their mobile content in full, uncompressed 1080p (HDTV).

"Today's mobile devices with powerful processors and mass storage capacities have become the new hub of media content," said Soumendra Mohanty, senior director of marketing for Analogix. "However, consumers wish to experience their mobile content in a more diverse manner, beyond what a four-inch screen can offer. MyDP gives the industry a standard interface to break down screen size limitations, and Analogix is ready today with its compatible SlimPort products."

Dell today announced the immediate availability of new displays that combine performance and value to enable customers amazing viewing experiences. The six new displays join Dell's industry-leading portfolio of solutions, which has once again ranked #1 in flat-panel display market share in North Americai, and #2 in flat-panel shipments worldwideii, according to DisplaySearch.

The newest additions to Dell's industry-leading portfolio of displays, the new P and E displays offer customers diverse solutions that help them get the most out of every environment.

AMD today introduced the latest entry to the AMD Embedded G-Series processor family with the AMD Embedded G-T16R Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). The AMD G-T16R is targeted at very low power, small form factor and cost-sensitive embedded designs that require a combination of x86 compatibility and graphics. The optimized design of the AMD Embedded G-T16R sips power, with power consumption of just 2.3 wattsiv on average or 4.5 watts thermal design power (TDP).

Embedded product designers are taking to the industry's green challenge to design a broad range of next-generation applications for the industrial control, point-of-sale, medical appliance and transportation markets. For example, industrial customers can use the APU to help create greener factories based on more power-efficient factory hardware. Additionally, embedded designers can develop applications like point-of-sale order entry stations and tablets, medical bedside terminals and even solar-powered traffic control devices using the AMD G-T16R.

Leading mainboard and graphics card maker MSI has just announced the release of the N680GTX Lightning, the new king of the graphics card world equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 GPU. The N680GTX Lightning utilizes proprietary Unlocked Digital Power architecture to unleash the full performance of the graphics card without any extra modifications. The innovative patented GPU Reactor power supply back plate also reduces power supply noise and improves overclocking stability. the N680GTX Lightning is kept cool by the Twin Frozr IV cooling solution with Dust Removal technology, dual temperature-controlled fan setup and SuperPipe.

Now see this: a fanless, passive-cooled GeForce GTX 680! Chinese graphics card designer Colorful unveiled the world's first passive-cooled GeForce GTX 680 graphics card, the iGame GTX 680 passive. The card uses a pair of detachable, dense aluminum fin heatsinks, which draw heat from the 3.5 billion transistor GPU using seven heat pipes, and dissipate it using two aluminum fin stacks on either sides of the PCB. The two stacks are joined by six 8 mm-thick heat pipes.

The cooler cumulatively has 20 heat pipes, a surface area of 2 square meters across 280 aluminum fins. The second module is optional, and is only recommended if the operating environment is warm, or if the end user is overclocking. The card is said to use a complex VRM design that draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, though we suspect the idea behind that to be heat spreading. The design guarantees reliable silent operation at reference clock speeds or mild overclocking. Display outputs include one each of dual-link DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Colorful is still assessing the marketability of the design. Watch this space for more.

Eurocom Corporation, a developer of High Performance Mobile Workstations and Hardcore Mobile Gaming Rigs is adding the AMD Radeon HD 7970M GPU to the Neptune 2.0 and Racer 2.0 high performance notebooks. The addition of the MXM 3.0b spec AMD Radeon HD 7970M offers gamers and enthusiasts a new level of ultra high performance GPU computing with AMD Enduro for insane battery life by taking advantage of AMD's existing ZeroCore Power and Power Gating battery-saving features.

"Hardcore gamers, enthusiasts, your dreams have come true! The AMD Radeon HD 7970M is the best graphics GPU in terms of overall price and performance on the market . The AMD Radeon HD 7970M, combined with Intel XTU and Intel XMP gives gamers and power users full control of their powerful EUROCOM super-notebooks " Mark Bialic, Eurocom President.

One aspect of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 670 that blew us away, was its unusually short PCB for a high-performance GPU. NVIDIA's reference board still ended up being of average length, because NVIDIA's lateral-flow cooling assembly protruded beyond the PCB's length. AIC partners such as ZOTAC realised that custom-design graphics cards with short PCBs can be made to stay short, by opting for top-flow cooling solutions, something it materialised with the new GTX 670 TwinCooler (model: ZTGTX670-2GD5TCR001/ZT-60305-10P).

Pictured below, the GTX 670 TwinCooler from ZOTAC is short (about 60 mm shorter than NVIDIA reference design card). It uses a dense aluminum fin heatsink to cool the GK104 GPU, memory, and VRM. The heatsink is ventilated by two 80 mm fans. The card needs just a tiny bit more than two expansion slots in your system, it appears like it won't block the third expansion card slot. Despite its diminutive form, the card is factory-overclocked, with 954 MHz GPU clock, 1033 MHz GPU Boost, and 6208 MHz memory (against reference speeds of 915/980/6008 MHz). It draws power from two 6-pin PCIe power connectors, outputs include two dual-link DVI, and one each of HDMI and DisplayPort. It will be launched on the 20th of June.

AMD today announced immediate availability of the AMD FirePro W600 professional graphics card, the company's first professional graphics card to leverage AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture and 28nm production technology, for use in high-resolution, content-rich, multi-screen display wall environments. With this launch, AMD is addressing a growing need for large, dynamic screens that are easily updated with new content.

"Whether we are checking flight times at the airport or watching the latest ads on massive screens in city squares, digital signage has quickly become an important and ubiquitous part of our lives," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager of AMD Graphics. "To enable these displays, the digital signage industry demands technology that can be regularly refreshed with new, feature-rich content. With the launch of the AMD FirePro W600 professional graphics card, AMD is helping advance the digital display wall industry by providing suppliers and developers with impressive display density, performance and exceptional value."

Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) 4-inch mini-PC concept is taking shape as more of a premium mini-PC, than an affordable mainstream PC. According to sources, the NUC will arrive some time in Q3 2012, priced at US $400. The base system will be powered by a Core i3 dual-core processor paired with HM65 chipset, about 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, 40 GB mSATA SSD, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, WiFi, and Bluetooth. The first-generation NUC hence sticks to mature previous-generation components, while 7-series chipset, and 22 nm processors could be part of its specifications a little later. The demo system at Computex was driven by a Core i5 "Ivy Bridge" processor, with a Turbo Boost speed of 2.70 GHz. A cheaper Celeron-powered version of the NUC is also on the cards.

Biostar is ready with a trio of socket FM2 motherboards, based on AMD's new A85 FCH chipset, the higher-end Hi-Fi A85X, mid-range Hi-Fi A85W, and value Hi-Fi A85S. Biostar implemented some of its latest innovations on the two. To begin with, the thee feature Hi-Fi amplifiers for the analog channels of the onboard audio. Another innovative feature with the two is a bank of capacitors that make the board electrostatic discharge proof up to 15,000V. Find the furriest carpet to assemble your rig on.

The audio solution combines a high SNR CODEC (probably ALC898) with an OPAMP circuitry that uses sound card grade electrolytic capacitors. The entire audio portion of the motherboard, including the rear panel jack cluster and front-panel headers, have a ground PCB layer of their own, that is isolated from the ground layer of the rest of the board. This ensures there's no ground layer interference from other high-current components on the board, a problem common with onboard audio solutions.

We knew back in May, that PowerColor isn't the only AMD AIB partner with a custom-design dual-HD 7970 graphics card (≠ HD 7990) in the works, and that other partners are also attempting high-end dual-GPU designs. We got to see one of those at Computex, courtesy of HIS. Called the HIS HD 7970 X2 IceQ X2, is a 100% custom-design (cooler and PCB) dual-GPU graphics card, which makes use of two 28 nm "Tahiti" GPUs in an internal CrossFire configuration.

Like the PowerColor HD 7970 X2 Devil 13, the HIS HD 7970 X2 IceQ X2 draws power from three 8-pin PCIe power connectors, and packs two "Tahiti" GPUs with all components enabled. The two GPUs could have clock speeds higher than even single-GPU HD 7970, although HIS did not finalize them. HIS implemented a super-sized triple-slot variation of its otherwise dual-slot IceQ X2 cooler. Its card has a different display output configuration from PowerColor's, with one dual-link DVI, and four mini-DisplayPorts. Earlier today, we confirmed that PowerColor's card will reach the market only by late-July. HIS, on the other hand, wants to beat PowerColor to it, and is confident of launching the industry's first HD 7970 X2.

What you might pass away for a bare entry-level graphics card at first glance, could end up being Sapphire's new Radeon HD 7750 single-slot low-profile graphics card. The design is a beneficiary of 28 nm "Cape Verde" silicon, which is found to have good-enough temperatures on its reference-design board. The card is ideal for mini-ITX systems. It relies entirely on the PCI-Express slot for power, and uses a 2+1+1 phase VRM, which utilizes high-grade driver-MOSFETs on its GPU phases.

The card sticks to AMD reference clock speeds of 800 MHz core, with 1125 MHz (4.50 GHz effective) memory. It packs 1 GB of GDDR5 memory over a 128-bit wide memory interface. The GPU packs 512 Graphics CoreNext stream processors. Display outputs include one each of dual-link DVI, mini-DisplayPort, and mini-HDMI. Adapters converting them to standard-size connectors, and a low-profile bracket will come included.

Sapphire's growing motherboard lineup as a new entry in the form of the Pure Platinum Z77i. This socket LGA1155 motherboard is based on the Intel Z77 Express chipset, and is built in the super-compact mini-ITX form-factor, making it ideal for gaming PCs that are LAN party-animals. The motherboard is designed to draw power from a 24-pin ATX, and a 4-pin CPU power connector. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a simple 4-phase VRM, which uses ferrite-core chokes and compact driver-MOSFETs. The VRM should be strong enough to handle CPUs that aren't heavily overclocked.

The LGA1155 socket on the Pure Platinum Z77i is wired to a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, and two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory. The Z77 PCH gives out two internal SATA 6 Gb/s, and two SATA 3 Gb/s ports. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. There are a total of four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, two by headers. Rounding off the connectivity are 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth.

It looks like the Pure Platinum A75 FM2 isn't Sapphire's top socket FM2 offering. Sapphire showed off its Pure Platnum A85XT among its other top-tier motherboards. The A85XT is based on AMD A85 FCH chipset, and supports next-generation "Trinity" APUs in the FM2 package. The APU socket is powered by an 8-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, and two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (x8/x8, when both are populated).

Other expansion slots on the A85XT are a strangely positioned mPCIe, a PCI-Express 2.0 x4, two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI. Seven of the A85 PCH SATA controller's eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports are assigned as internal ports, with the eighth one as mSATA. There are four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, and two via headers. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, and 8-channel HD audio complete the package.

MSI showed off its top socket FM2 motherboard, the A85XA-G65. Based on the AMD A85 FCH chipset, the board supports upcoming AMD "Trinity" APUs in the FM2 package. MSI designed the A85XA-G65 with its Military Class III construction. The FM2 APU is powered by an 8-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (x8/x8, when both are populated). Given that it supports both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire, it's a little strange that MSI didn't name this model "A85XA-GD65." Other expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and two legacy PCI.

All eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the A85 FCH are wired out as internal ports, with no eSATA. Display outputs include one each of DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Other connectivity options include four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and 8+2 channel HD audio. The A85XA-G65 features quite a few OC-friendly features, including voltage-measurement points with lead-holders, OC Genie, ClickBIOS II UEFI BIOS, etc. It will be among MSI's first socket FM2 motherboards to be launched, a little later this quarter.

Among GIGABYTE's new motherboard extravaganza, are some of its first socket FM2 motherboards, which based on the new AMD A85 FCH chipset (higher price-points) and previous-generation A55 FCH (lower price-points) and support next-generation "Trinity" APUs. Among these are the high-end F2A85X-UP4 with Ultra Durable 5 construction, mainstream F2A55-DS3, and entry-level F2A55M-DS2 Ultra Durable 1 motherboards.

The F2A85X-UP4 is loaded with top-tier VRM components, including high-current ferrite core chokes, IR3550 PowIRstage driver-MOSFETs, which make up an 8-phase CPU VRM. The FM2 socket is wired to four DDR3 memory slots, with support for dual-channel DDR3-2400 MHz by overclocking; and two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (x8/x8, when both are populated). Other expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), and a legacy PCI, all of which are wired to the A85 FCH.

It's good to see GIGABYTE back to doing high-end motherboards with overkill CPU power designs. Its latest creation, the Z77X-UP7, was shown to sections of the media, at a private exhibition, ahead of Computex. The Z77X-UP7 is the company's first motherboard to feature its Ultra Durable 5 motherboard construction technology, which is basically Ultra Durable 4 augmented with higher current 60A chokes, and International Rectifier PowIRStage IR3550 ICs (a highly potent driver-MOSFET implementation). The Z77X-UP7 is based on the Intel Z77 Express chipset, and supports Core "Ivy Bridge" and "Sandy Bridge" processors in the LGA1155 package.