Just a little later this week, NVIDIA will unveil the GeForce GTX 550 Ti mainstream graphics processor (GPU), successor to GeForce GTS 450. NVIDIA partners seem to be ready with their products based on the new GPU. One of NVIDIA's largest partners, Galaxy, is even ready with a highly overclocked model with its core running at 1 GHz (900 MHz reference), and 1150 MHz (1025 MHz reference) memory speed. Galaxy's card will use the HOF (Hall of Fame) identifier, which is supposed to indicate the company's highest level of factory-overclock speeds.

Based on the 40 nm GF116 silicon, the GeForce GTX 550 Ti packs 192 CUDA cores, and a 192-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 1 GB of memory, that's right, 1 GB, not 768 MB or 1536 MB. It looks like NVIDIA will be doing a mixed density memory chip setup. We can hypothesize that four of the six chips are 1 Gbit (128 MB), amounting for 512 MB; and two 2 Gbit (256 MB), amounting for the other 512 MB. Galaxy's HOF card will use a 3+1 phase VRM to power the card, and feature a dual-slot cooler. Its display connectivity includes one each of DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Eizo Nanao Corporation today announced the ColorEdge CG275W, a 27-inch monitor for professionals in prepress, digital photography, graphic design, video editing, post production, and other graphics fields.

The ColorEdge CG275W features a built-in calibration sensor for self-calibration. It becomes the second monitor in the graphics industry with this capability, following EIZO's ColorEdge CG245W which was released last year.

Gigabyte unveiled its latest high-end graphics card, the Radeon HD 6970 WindForce 3X. Based entirely on an in-house design, the card uses a Ultra Durable VGA+ PCB that makes use of 2 oz copper layers, and high-grade chokes, MOSFETs, and capacitors. Cooling is care of Gigabyte's workhorse high-end VGA cooler, the WindForce 3X. It makes use of a dense aluminum fin array to which heat is conveyed by several heat pipes, and is ventilated by three fans.

The card is slightly overclocked, 900 MHz core against 880 MHz reference, and 2 GB of memory clocked at 5500 MHz. That apart, the GPU packs 1536 VLIW4 stream processors, and connects to the memory over a 256-bit wide memory interface. Display outputs include two DVI, and one each of full-sized HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2. Gigabyte didn't give out pricing.

TODAY Hightech Information System Ltd. is proud to unleash the HIS 6990 Fan 4GB GDDR5, accelerating advanced PC game by running at 830 MHz core clock and 5000 MHz memory clock. Loaded with stunning array of advanced technologies, such as AMD HD3D, Eyefinity, EyeSpeed and Eye-Definition, HIS 6990 4GB delivers the Power Gamers superior gaming performance and flawless image quality. Bundled with a Mini Display Port to Single Link DVI (Active) dongle and a HIS Exclusive Mini Display Port to Display Port dongle, HIS 6990 is geared for gamers to enjoy the incredible Eyefinity technology.

What's more? The HIS 6990 4GB supports the latest industry standards with DirectX 11 and scalable geometry processing, making HD 6990 4GB the fastest graphics card in the world. The powerful dual GPUs accelerate frame rates and therefore give hardcore gamers the definitive solution at every advantage. Meanwhile, the integrated HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 readiness enable gamers to experience unparalleled display flexibility. If you are looking for the best hardware and extreme configurations to maximize your gaming experience, HIS 6990 4GB is no doubt an only choice for you.

AMD today announced the launch of the fastest graphics card in the world, the AMD Radeon HD 6990, packing so much raw performance it delivered a new single graphics card world record score of P11865 in the industry standard 3DMark11 benchmark. AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards are available immediately from retailers worldwide, with select models starting at US $699 MSRP.

Designed for the power gamer, AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards include AMD's second-generation, Microsoft DirectX 11-capable architecture, advanced image quality features for the best looking games, and AMD PowerTune intelligent technology to enable higher clock speeds and faster gaming. The AMD Radeon HD 6990 offers the ultimate in immersive HD gaming and computing with native support for up to five displays using AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology, with six display support possible via DisplayPort 1.2 components available for purchase later this year. The AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards also feature a dual-BIOS toggle switch, allowing enthusiast gamers to unlock the card and rev up the clocks and voltages for even more performance. Finally, AMD HD3D technology provides a cutting-edge stereoscopic 3D gaming and movie experience, thanks to HDMI 1.4a support.

Sparkle computer's CeBIT bit booth featured an eye-catching new graphics card, the Sparkle One GTX 570. This is the first air-cooled single-slot GeForce GTX 570 series graphics card. While it is thin, the card is extremely long. We estimate around 13-inches long, if not more. Sparkle seems to be making use of the extra length to squeeze in as much metal (heatsink) as possible. A fan pushes air backwards. The card features clock speeds of 752/1504/4000 MHz (core/shader/memory).

Like every other GTX 570, it's based on the 40 nm GF110 GPU with 480 CUDA cores enabled, and 1280 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 320-bit wide memory interface. Display outputs include one each of DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Sparkle expects the card to be released by next month.

While it is slated for release on the 8th of this month, AMD's Radeon HD 6990 was detailed to sections of the industry. It wasn't long before someone leaked the press deck, revealing all the specifications and AMD performance estimates. The Radeon HD 6990 is a dual-GPU graphics card making use of two AMD Cayman GPUs in internal CrossFire. Cayman is the same GPU that is at the center of Radeon HD 6950 and HD 6970.

In the HD 6990, each Cayman is configured to use all 1536 of its VLIW4 stream processors. The GPU core is clocked at 830 MHz, and memory at 1250 MHz (5.00 GHz GDDR5 effective). The 256-bit wide memory interface of each GPU is populated with 2 GB of memory, setting the total board memory to 4 GB. Display IO includes five connectors, including one DVI and four mini-DisplayPort 1.2. While the HD 6990 is said to outperform GeForce GTX 580, AMD is also bracing itself for NVIDIA's dual-GPU GTX 590, with HD 6990 OC variants following an official specification of 880 MHz core, and the same 5.00 GHz memory.

MSI is ready with a new Radeon HD 6950 2 GB graphics card that makes use of the company's new Twin Frozr III cooling assembly. The R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition from MSI makes use of a custom-design PCB with strong, overclocker-friendly VRM circuitry, out of the box overclock speeds of 850 MHz core and 1300 MHz (5200 MHz effective) GDDR5 memory speeds, against reference speeds of 800/1250 MHz. The Twin Frozr III cooler makes use of a dense aluminum fin array to which heat is conveyed by a number of nickel-plated copper heat pipes, and is ventilated by two 80 mm fans that use "propeller-design" fan blades that deliver higher air-flow at lower noise outputs.

Based on the 40 nm Cayman silicon, Radeon HD 6950 packs 1408 VLIW4 stream processors, is DirectX 11 compliant, and makes use of a high-speed GDDR5 memory controller with 256-bit bus width. Display output connectors include two DVI, two mini-DisplayPort 1.2, and one HDMI 1.4a. AMD-exclusive technologies such as Eyefinity and HydraVision are supported. The card can pair with up to three more Radeon HD 6900 series GPUs for 4-way CrossFireX multi-GPU operation. MSI's new Radeon HD 6950 2 GB Twin Frozr III Power Edition graphics card is priced at around 300€.

LaCie today announced the LaCie Little Big Disk featuring the all-new Thunderbolt technology, developed by Intel and brought to market with collaboration from Apple. Designed to store large audio and video files, the LaCie Little Big Disk will bring a new level of performance to creative workflows with ultra-fast data transfer, complete system backup in minutes, and faster content editing than ever before.

"Thunderbolt technology is a breakthrough in I/O technology and represents the future of mobile computing. Soon you will be able to carry workstation-class power and functionality in compact devices," said Philippe Spruch, Chairman and General Manager, LaCie. "LaCie is excited to be one of the first to deliver Thunderbolt technology with the LaCie Little Big Disk."

Intel Corporation today announced the availability of Thunderbolt technology, a new high-speed PC connection technology that brings together high-speed data transfer and high-definition (HD) display on to a single cable. Running at 10 Gbps, Thunderbolt technology can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds. This Intel-developed technology is coming to market through a technical collaboration with Apple, and is available first on Apple's new line of MacBook Pro laptop computers.

The vision for Thunderbolt technology (formerly codenamed "Light Peak") is to move media faster, simplify connections between devices, and foster new and exciting ways to build and use PCs. Combining high-speed data and HD video connections together onto a single cable is instrumental to achieving that vision. Thunderbolt technology delivers this via two communications methods, or protocols -- PCI Express for data transfer and DisplayPort for displays.

PowerColor is reportedly working on a new Radeon HD 6870 graphics card that uses Eyefinity6 display output configuration. Eyefinity6 allows users to connect up to six full-HD monitors over each of the GPU's six TMDS links, which can then be virtually merged to create a large display head spanning the six physical displays. You can also create multiple Eyefinity display heads among the six physical displays, or use HydraVision to create multiple virtual display heads to occupy each physical display. The graphics card uses six mini DisplayPort 1.2 connectors to connect to its display, a variety of connector dongles should be bundled as well.

Eyefinity aside, PowerColor's card sports 2 GB of GDDR5 memory over a 256-bit wide memory interface. Clock speeds are not known. The card uses the same GPU cooler found on the HD 6870 PCS models, and a red-colored PCB. The DirectX 11 compliant GPU features 1120 stream processors, and can pair with any other Radeon HD 6800 series graphics card in CrossFire configuration. PowerColor is likely to unveil this card at the upcoming CeBIT event.

Sony launched 17-inch and 24-inch Trimaster EL professional-grade monitors, which are based on the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. OLED is not to be confused with LED-backlit LCD, which is merely LCD with LED illumination instead of CCFL. OLED is a kind of a flat-panel display technology in which electroluminescent organic compounds spread across a film generate images. Hence, OLED provides far greater picture clarity, and eliminates pixellation, a problem encountered with low pixel-density LCD displays. OLED-generated images are more CRT-like in terms of fidelity. Sony's new Trimaster OLED monitors are targeted at the broadcasting industry and professional studios that seek bleeding-edge image quality.

Both Trimaster OLED monitors feature resolutions of 1920 x 1080 (full-HD), with 10-bit drivers, 100 cd/m² brightness, and 178° viewing angles. Display inputs include HDMI, DisplayPort, and SDI, which is used in professional development houses. Carrying the model numbers BVM-E250 and BVM-E170, they will cost $28,900 and $15,710, respectively.

Club3D announced its Radeon HD 6950 1 GB graphics card (model no.: CGAX-69524F). Making use of a completely in-house design by Club3D, the card uses a red PCB that is 10.5 inches long, and a custom-design cooling assembly that uses a large aluminum fin heatsink to cool the GPU, ventilated by two 80 mm spinners. The card uses 1 GB of memory over a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. It uses AMD-reference clock speeds of 800 MHz core and 1250 MHz (5.00 GHz effective) memory. Like every other HD 6950, it features 1408 stream processors. Display outputs are standard, two each of DVI and mini-DisplayPort 1.2, one HDMI 1.4a. Club3D did not give out pricing information.

EIZO announced its latest display for professionals, the FlexScan SX2762W-HX. This 27-inch LCD display bears a 16:9 aspect ratio, with a native resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. The display uses an IPS panel that gives 97 percent Adobe RGB palette coverage, with 850:1 static contrast ratio and 270 cd/m² brightness. Panel response time is rated at 6 ms. An ambient light sensor adjusts settings optimized to the lighting conditions, while a proximity sensor lets the display know if the user is away from keyboard, which then sends the display into a power-saving mode.

The FlexScan SX2762W-HX takes input from dual-link DVI, DisplayPort, and mini-DisplayPort. It packs a USB 2.0 hub that gives users easy access to a couple of ports. The stand allows height, tilt, and pivot adjustments. Slated for release in the second week of February, the EIZO FlexScan SX2762W-HX comes backed by a 5-year warranty, priced at US $1533.

AMD today introduced the AMD FirePro 2270 and ATI FirePro V5800 DVI professional graphics cards. AMD designed these new offerings for professionals in the medical, financial, design and engineering fields who require the ability to view and interact with multiple applications simultaneously.

"Because of their superior power consumption and multi-display capabilities, solutions based on the AMD FirePro 2270 and ATI FirePro V5800 DVI deliver strong value for financial, medical and corporate workstation environments," said Janet Matsuda, general manager, AMD Professional Graphics. "With the AMD FirePro family, we continue to demonstrate our focus on enhancing productivity through an enhanced visual experience."

Last month, Gainward introduced its GeForce GTX 570 Phantom, which won quite some appreciation among readers for its radical design. The company decided to extend it to the GeForce GTX 580, too, since it's based on the same GF110 silicon. The only major change is that 2 Gbit memory chips are used, yielding a total memory of 3072 MB (3 GB). The memory is spread across 12 2 Gbit memory chips across a 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. Clock speeds stick to NVIDIA reference: 783/1566/4020 MHz (core/CUDA cores/memory effective). The GTX 580 packs 512 CUDA cores.

The cooler makes use of a black aluminum fin array, to which heat is fed by six heat pipes. Instead of fans on its obverse side blowing air onto the PCB, there are three fans on its reverse side, drawing air from the aluminum fin array, and onto the PCB. The result is a better-looking product. Display outputs include two DVI, and one each of HDMI and DisplayPort. Gainward will release its 3 GB GTX 580 Phantom graphics card soon, at a premium over the reference design.

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today the 23-inch MultiSync EA232WMi, a 16:9 model designed for corporate, financial, healthcare, engineering, CAD and other professional applications.

Replacing the popular MultiSync EA231WMi, the new MultiSync EA232WMi maintains an IPS panel for superior color, viewing angles and image quality. Additionally, it adds LED-backlit technology, which provides more energy efficiency and less power consumption, heat and carbon dioxide emissions. The display's ambient light sensor and ECO Mode can further help save energy and prolong product life.

XFX' in-house design AMD Radeon HD 6850 accelerator, was released to the markets, carrying a price tag of US $195. The card uses a custom high-performance dual-fan GPU cooler that makes use of a large aluminum fin array to which heat is conveyed by 8 mm thick copper heatpipes. The card also makes use of AMD reference speeds: 775 MHz core, and 1000 MHz (4000 MHz GDDR5 effective) memory. It draws power from one 6-pin PCI-E power connector, can pair with another HD 6800 series graphics card over CrossFireX, and includes display outputs of two DVI, an HDMI, and a DisplayPort.

HIS today unveils the HIS 5450 Silence 1GB (64bit) DDR3 PCIe x1 Eyefinity graphics card, offering the best features and functionality in their class with AMD Eyefinity technology. Powered by the Radeon 5400 GPU, HIS 5450.

The HIS 5450 Series is designed to give you stunning high definition entertainment from your PC, no matter Blu-ray/HD DVD discs or other HD sources. Gamers will enjoy the ultimate immersive gaming experience with innovative "wrap around" multi-display capabilities. In addition, the HIS 5450 Silence 1GB is built as high-profile capable single-slot design with two low profile brackets included, making it possible to fit them in both full-height and half-height PCI Slots.

Matrox Graphics Inc. today announced connectivity improvements to the Matrox DualHead2Go DP Edition and TripleHead2Go DP Edition Graphics eXpansion Modules (GXMs) benefitting Apple Mac notebook and desktop users. The DualHead2Go DP and TripleHead2Go DP products now come packaged with a Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable that allows Mac users to connect these external multi-monitor modules directly to the mini-DisplayPort output of their systems to swiftly drive multiple monitors or projectors. Mac professionals and enthusiasts now benefit from the convenience of a true plug and play platform while experiencing the productivity-enhancements gained across an advanced dual- or triple-monitor workspace. In addition, an upcoming firmware release will enable the support of a dual 1600x900 resolution on DVI monitors, further expanding the list of supported resolutions for greater flexibility when choosing displays.

Internationally renowned graphics card and mainboard manufacturer MSI announces today the R6870 Twin Frozr II graphics card. It is equipped with the latest 40nm AMD Radeon HD6870 GPU, IGB GDDR5 high-speed graphics memory, and the award-winning Twin Frozr II thermal solution. As a result, the operating temperature and noise of the R6870 Twin Frozr II are reduced by 19°C and 12.8dB respectively (versus the reference design). Also, the overvoltage function from the MSI-exclusive Afterburner software further enhances the OC potential of the Barts GPU, and AMD's Eyefinity Technology provides optimal multi-display 2D/3D output for gaming, productivity and entertainment. Along with the super reliable Solid CAPs which prolong product life and enhance product stability and quality, the R6870 Twin Frozr II is the best choice ever for power users looking for graphics cards with ultimate performance and low operating temperature.

We scored an early look at MSI's latest graphics card, the R6850 Cyclone OC Power Edition. This AMD Radeon HD 6850 based graphics card makes use of MSI's popular Cyclone GPU cooler, which it has used on several generations of graphics cards. It consists of a GPU based turned heatsink with spirally-projecting aluminum fins, from which heat is conveyed to two aluminum fin arrays on either sides of the GPU, by 8 mm thick heat pipes. Carrying the "power edition" label, this card is geared for overclocking, in which software voltage control is provided and made use of.

The PCB draws power from just one 6-pin power connector, it uses a 6+1+1 phase VRM that makes use of high-grade components. Display connectivity includes two DVI, and one each of HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2. While MSI did not mention what clock speeds it ships with, it definitely put it through some OC tests. The card was able to achieve 1000/1200 MHz (core/memory) with a core voltage of 1.2V. The card was put through Furmark, where it settled down to 65 degrees Celsius. MSI will introduce this card to the market very soon.

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today the new 19" MultiSync EA192M and 20" widescreen MultiSync E201W to the desktop product lineup.

Compared to previous generations of NEC's desktop LCD monitors, the LED backlight technology in both the MultiSync EA192M and E201W allows less greenhouse gas emissions and reduces power consumption and heat radiation. These new LED-backlit models also use more recycled plastics, less hazardous materials and are mercury-free, a significant advantage when compared to conventional CCFL-backlit LCD monitors.

Earlier this year, Gigabyte surprised us by displaying its first motherboards that use a black-colored PCB, the higher end of its socket LGA1155 motherboard lineup based on the P67 Express chipset, the GA-P67A-UD5 and GA-P67A-UD7; the company's mid-thru-entry range of P67 and H67 based motherboards got their photo-shoot. Pictured below (in order) are the P67A-UD3R, P67A-UD3, and H67MA-UD2H. The P67A-UD3R is the third Gigabyte motherboard to be pictured with a black PCB, it is decked in black overall (slots and connectors), with a dash of white. The LGA1155 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. Expansion slots include three PCI-E x1, one PCI-E 2.0 x16, one PCI-E x16 (electrical x4), and two PCI.

The P67A-UD3 marks a return to blue PCB (indicating that lower-mainstream Gigabyte motherboards will retain the blue color-scheme. It's is a slightly skimpier version of the UD3R, and probably has the SATA RAID function disabled. Connectivity of this, and the UD3R are nearly identical: 8+2 channel HD audio, two USB 3.0 ports, a number of USB 2.0 ports, two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports. The H67MA-UD2H is a micro-ATX motherboard optimized for processors with on-die graphics, it features the flexible display interface (FDI), with display connectivity including one each of DVI, D-Sub, DisplayPort, and HDMI. Expansion slots include two PCI-E x16 (electrical x16, x4); and two PCI-E x1. Connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, three SATA 3 Gb/s, one eSATA, 8 channel HD audio with optical SPDIF, two USB 3.0 and a number of USB 2.0 ports. Gigabyte's P67 and H67 series motherboard will launch in early 2011, in time for Intel's latest processor lineup.

Chinese graphics card manufacturer ColorFire designed a new non-reference design AMD Radeon HD 6850 graphics card that that uses a stronger VRM and a Zalman VF-3000 GPU cooler. The PCB sets the red color-scheme, and the cooler keeps up with it, using a hot rod looking shroud. The card uses a 7+1 phase VRM that draws power from two 6-pin power connectors, facilitating high clock speeds. The PCB also holds two CFBI fingers, indicating the card to support 3-way and 4-way CrossFireX. Low-latency (0.5 ns) GDDR5 memory chips by Hynix are used.

The VF-3000 has some hefty credentials, it can handle very high thermal loads. The cooler makes use of a dense aluminum fin array that is ventilated by two 90 mm fans. The exact clock speeds are not known. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI, D-Sub, HDMI 1.4, and DisplayPort 1.2. Like every other HD 6850, this one packs 960 stream processors, and supports the latest graphics APIs such as DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.x. It's not known if ColorFire will market this card outside China.