The Swiss cooling solutions provider ARCTIC COOLING today announced the launch of the dual-fan Accelero TWIN TURBO, adding another multicompatible high performance merchandise into their reputable VGA cooler product line. Specifications are provided below:

Intel Nehalem Posts Impressive CPU Scores with 3D Benchmarks

The rather lucky Taiwanese team of Tom's Hardware got their hands on an Intel Bloomfield engineering sample that has a clock-speed of 2.93 GHz, running on a Intel X58 chipset based motherboard made by Foxconn called Renaissance to evaluate a Gainward Radeon HD4850 sample. System details are provided below.

During AMD's recent Cinema 2.0 event, TG Daily caught up with representatives of JulesWorld. They are associated with the video production process of an unnamed movie studio and adopted components that are standard in the FX industry (AMD Opteron + Nvidia Quadro). Ray-tracing was an early focus of the company and they were told that JulesWorld started experimenting with a 100% ray-traced pipeline on a GPU with the arrival of ATI's R600 (2900XT) chip. And the results were impressive.

JulesWorld will be releasing OTOY and LightScape, two distinctive technologies that could shape the future of movie and games production. The company developed a ray-tracer that uses elements of the DirectX 9 API as well as its own high-level code that uses Tessellation and anti-aliasing algorithms.

AMD Releases ATI All-In-Wonder HD Series Card

AMD today expanded The Ultimate Visual Experience for North America with the ATI All-In-Wonder HD, combining award-winning ATI Radeon Premium graphics and ATI TV Wonder HD tuner technology card in one PCI Express 2.0 solution. As the newest multimedia powerhouse to join the long line of All-In-Wonder offerings, ATI All-in-Wonder HD transforms the PC into a highly immersive digital video recorder for HDTV and analog TV, plus expands the realm of exceptional gaming with cinematic HD graphics for mainstream PCs. Blu-ray disc playback can be enjoyed in full HD glory (1080p) thanks to ATI All-in-Wonder HD's unified video decoder (UVD) technology, ensuring movies play back smoothly and with incredible detail.

The graphics core is derived from the Radeon HD 3650, 55 nm, clocked at 725 MHz (memory: 600 MHz DDR2). AMD claims that the graphics performance of the card will beat a standard Radeon HD 3650 by 5 to 15% in popular games. The card incorporates the ATI Theater Pro 650 chip. Other prominent features include ClearQAM, a hardware MPEG-2 encoder and full hardware acceleration for H.264 and VC-1. The Adaptive Comb-filter provides better image quality.

For more information, please visit this page.

MSI, a leading manufacturer of computer products, proudly unveils its latest R4800 series graphics cards for the game ethnic groups. MSI R4870-T2D512 and R4850-T2D512 support the DirectX 10.1 framework of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and both have the 800 stream processor, which achieves the unprecedented levels teraflop (1000Gflops) computing capability. It is ten times higher than any high-end CPU. MSI R4800 series graphics card comes with the superb computing capability which can be converted to high-definition games special effects, and provide the extreme gaming experience.

MSI R4800 series graphics cards are based on the latest 2nd generation of 55nm GPU. Integrated with the ATI PowerPlay power-saving technology, MSI R4800 provides twice the performance enhancement with the same watt. It conforms to the environmental energy conservation worldwide initiative with MSI (ECOlution) environmental protection ideal. In addition, MSI R4800 series graphics cards also have built the enhanced version of UVD 2.0 video decoder core. "High performance", "energy efficiency", and "HD video experience" are the main features of MSI R4800 series graphics cards.

AMD today announced the immediate availability of the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics processor, expanding the visual boundaries of PC entertainment well beyond the 1080P High Definition (HD) threshold. The industry's first graphics processor to break the Teraflop (one trillion floating point operations per second) barrier, the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 nearly doubles the performance of the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 3870 introduced in November 2007.

MADBOXPC.COM claims to have some pictures and specs for AMD's upcoming Radeon HD 3450, 3470 and 3650 graphics cards. The HD 3450, pictured below on the left, uses the RV620 core manufactured using a 55nm process. It will have a core clock of 525MHz with 256MB of 64-bit DDR2 memory running at 800MHz DDR, and apparently it will also feature a DisplayPort output - the price is expected to be around $50. The HD 3470, shown in the middle, features the same RV620 core, although it is expected to run at above 600MHz and have 512MB of 64-bit GDDR3 memory running at 1000MHz DDR, with a price tag of around $60. Finally, the HD 3650, which is shown below on the right, is equipped with the RV635 core, which is also built using a 55nm process, and will run at 800MHz on the XT version and 600MHz on the Pro version. The card is expected to have 256-512MB of 128-bit GDDR3 memory running at 2GHz DDR, and will sell for about $100. Interestingly, there is no mention of DisplayPort despite earlier reports that it will feature on the card, so it may only be used on certain versions.

Graphics card manufacturer Diamond has quite conveniently leaked the specs for AMD/ATI's upcoming HD 3800 series of cards, giving the technical details of both the HD 3850 and the HD 3870. These do conflict a little with the earlier leaked specs, although they're still quite similar. According to the Diamond site, the HD 3850 will feature a core speed of 668MHz and 256MB of 256-bit GDDR3 memory at 828MHz (1656MHz DDR) and the HD 3870 will have a core speed of 775MHz and 512MB GDDR4 memory at 1.2GHz (2.4GHz DDR). Both will be manufactured using a 55nm process, and both will support DirectX 10.1 and Shader Model 4.1. Interestingly the cards are also said to feature up to four GPU support using an AMD 790FX based motherboard. The full specs are shown in the screenshots below, as Diamond has now removed the cards from its website.

It looks like AMD is planning to unveil its new RV670 chip to the public this weekend at the World Cyber Games. The Radeon HD2950PRO (which uses the RV670 graphics processor) is set to be officially released on November 19th, with the specs suggesting that it will support DirectX 10.1, Shader Model 4.0, PCI Express 2.0, UVD and CrossFire. The card comes in two varieties, the higher performing Gladiator model which will have GPU and memory clocks of 825MHz and 2.4GHz respectively, with its little brother Revival having clocks of 750MHz and 1.8GHz respectively - presumably AMD will be showing the faster card this weekend if it wants to impress gamers. Hopefully this should mean that some reliable benchmarks could be available soon, which would allow for a comparison between the RV670 and the power-hungry R600.

Rumors of Radeon HD 2900 Pro have been going around for a while. Beta drivers also revealed the existence of the card. Now Hightech Information System (HIS) surprisingly started offering ATI Radeon HD 2900 Pro based video card. The HIS HD 2900 Pro 512MB GDDR3 VIVO PCIe (PN: H290PR512DVN-R) unveils that HD 2900 Pro will feature the same 320 stream processing R600 GPU and 512-bit memory interface used in all ATI HD 2900 XT graphics cards. The only difference between the two cards will be the clock speeds, 600MHz/1600MHz core/memory for HD 2900 Pro (reference HD 2900 XT clocks: 740MHz/825MHz core/memory). HIS also recommends a price of $249 for the 512MB GDDR3 version of HIS HD 2900 Pro. Link to HIS HD 2900 Pro product page.

The Inquirer is claiming that they have some benchmark scores to disclose with AMD's K10. They say that it was running on the RD790 chipset, with two HD 2900 XT cards, and some Corsair's Dominator PC2-9136C5D. They clocked it at 3.0 GHz with the video cards clocked at 830 MHz for the GPU and 900MHz for the memory. They ended up with a score of 30,031 in 3DMark06 a new world record if true. They didn't point out what kind of cooling was used, but if it was just your standard heatsink. Expect even higher scores to be reached after their release.

The good people over at VR-Zone have learned some valuable information about AMD/ATI's new mainstream video cards. According to them, the upcoming RV670 GPU is projected to run as fast as the current R600, but with lower GPU temps and TDP. AMD calls RV670 a Gaming Applications Processor which bridges 3D HD gap. RV670 is 55nm based, has 320 stream processors and a 256-bit memory interface. There will be 2 versions of RV670: Gladiator and Revival. Gladiator is clocked at 825MHz core and 1.2GHz memory while Revival is clocked at 750MHz core and 900MHz memory. Gladiator has 512MB of GDDR4 memory and Revival comes with either 256MB or 512MB of GDDR3 memory. These cards will be single slot and fully DX10.1/SM4.1 compliant. Both video cards will support PCI Express 2.0, UVD as well as the next generation Crossfire technology. RV670 is scheduled for sampling in September, with expected mass production in December 2007 or early 2008. RV670 will be officially known as Radeon HD 2950 Pro when launch and will probably priced between $199 to $249. ATI Radeon HD 2950 Pro will officially replace the Radeon X1950 Pro when released.

HIS is trying to set itself apart from the competition by offering a very unique and surely well performing HD 2600 Pro with DDR3 memory. The card comes with a blue PCB, black and golden DVI connectors, a black and blue heatsinkg & fan combination. The 256MB 128-bit DDR3 memory runs at a whooping 1400 MHz while the core is set at 600 MHz.

If you look at the current offerings from AMD/ATI, you can see that there is quite a large gap between midrange and high-end video cards. In contrast to the previous offerings, where the gap between X1950GT and X1950XTX was somewhat small, the Radeon 2900XT is easily two to three times as powerful as the Radeon 2600XT. Fortunately, AMD/ATI is planning to remedy this by developing the RV670. The current rumors say that it will be a 65nm chip, clocked similarly to the HD 2900, but with an unknown amount of ROP's, or TMU's. We should hear more about this chip in Q3, and if all goes well, it will be released by this Christmas.

Samsung Electronics announced today that its 80nm GDDR4 high-speed graphics memory chip is being used in both the 1GB ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT and the 256MB ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics processing cards. The 1GB card has the widest bus in the industry designed for full-performance, high dynamic range (HDR) rendering in PCs.

We chose Samsung's GDDR4 memory for our 1GB ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT and ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics cards because its design complements our strategy in offering leading-edge technology to a broader enthusiast gaming market

said Vijay Sharma, Director, Product Marketing, AMD Graphics Products Group. Samsung's GDDR4 memory devices are now in mass production and will appear widely as soon as the new ATI graphics cards hit the market.

AMD today announced the arrival of the ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 series, the mid-range and entry-level graphics processors in the ATI Radeon HD 2000 series. These next-generation graphics processing units (GPU) bring premium support for Windows Vista with feature-rich DirectX 10 graphics, and built-in multimedia functions for an immersive HD video experience on the PC.

AMD has now started shipping the HD 2400 and 2600 GPUs to its add-in board customers, which should mean the final cards will be available from online retailers within a few weeks. The companies which AMD has started shipping to include AsusTek, Club 3D, Diamond Multimedia, GECUBE, Gigabyte, HIS, MSI, Palit, PowerColor, Sapphire and VisionTek. No final pricing has been given, but the HD 2400 series of cards will be aimed at entry-level consumers, whilst the HD 2600 cards will be ATI's mid range offerings. Below is a comparison of the HD 2000 series cards (including the mobility HD 2300).

Although this was posted in the forums a couple of days ago, there is now some more official news of the first ATI HD 2900 XT using GDDR4 memory that will be available for retail, as well as a few more places to purchase it. The card will initially be exclusively available from Diamond Multimedia, featuring 1GB of GDDR4 memory along with all the other 2900 perks such as built in HDMI and 5.1 surround sound. The card will officially be launched on 14th June, and the current list of retailers is as follows: Biohazard Computer Systems, Extreme PC, Falcon North West, Maingear, Memory Express, NCIX, Smooth Creations, Velocity Micro, Vigor Gaming, XI, ABS, Cyberpowerpc, Polywell, ibuypower and Canada Computers. Pricing is generally around $650, and most of those sites should accept pre-orders. Presumably this is essentially the HD 2900 XTX, as that was originally going to be the 2900 with GDDR4 memory, however the name is still XT - perhaps ATI has more to come in the HD 2900 series? At present this should be the most powerful ATI card.

CoolIT Systems announced the first product in the new Reference Series liquid cooling systems to quietly and effectively cool a Crossfire configuration of AMD's new high performance graphic card, the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT. This factory sealed, maintenance free single slot system will be on display by appointment for the first time at Computex in Taipei June 5th - 9th.

Using this microchannel technology in a closed loop liquid cooling design, CoolIT are enabling users to exploit the full potential of AMD's latest GPU's such as the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT and ATI processors to come.

said Dr. Gamal Refai-Ahmed, AMD Fellow and lead thermal architect, AMD Graphics Product Group.

MSI Radeon HD X2600 XT benchmarks

Seems like first RV630 samples are out in the wild. What's interesting besides the framerates is the 65nm architecture which seems to work out fine. Forum member NV6800 on the Coolaler.com forum who tested the card claims his system only drew 197W at full load. That's just 51W more compared to when the system was idle.

The system used for the benches consisted of a Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Dual-Core with an FSB of 1066 @ 2,933 MHz, two Gigabyte PC2-6400 memory modules and a MSI Radeon HD X2600 XT with 256MB GDDR4 RAM. The GPU was clocked at 800 MHz, while the memory's clock was 1100 MHz.

Sapphire Technology has just announced that in addition to the new HD 2600 and HD 2400 series of graphics accelerators scheduled for release in July, the range will include the new completely passively cooled SAPPHIRE HD 2600 XT ULTIMATE Edition. The SAPPHIRE HD 2600 XT ULTIMATE Edition features the latest unified shader architecture with 24 shader pipelines, core clocks of 800MHz, a 128-bit memory bus and high speed GDDR3 memory clocked at 1.4GHz. Sapphire offers the HD 2600 XT Ultimate Edition in two memory sizes, 256MB and 512MB. Other family members include the SAPPHIRE HD 2600 PRO with a similar architecture, but using 256 or 512MB of GDDR2 memory. Also available are the SAPPHIRE HD 2400 XT and SAPPHIRE HD 2400 PRO, cost effective solutions with 8 unified shader pipelines and a 64-bit memory interface using GDDR3 and GDDR2 memory respectively. Sapphire is already shipping its new flagship model the SAPPHIRE HD 2900 XT. Other products in the family are scheduled for delivery in July.

The company website has the Radeon HD 2600XT listed in detail, while the Radeon HD2400 Series link is present but empty. Gecube opted for a special "X-Turbo2 Silent Fan" so the card may be clocked higher than default. No mention of actual clock speeds are made, but the card features 256MB GDDR4, Built-in HDMI (HD Video with 5.1 surround audio) and Dual DVI (2 Dual link, HDCP).

The following driver version 8.37.4.3 is provided as an update to the driver software that currently ships with the Radeon HD 2900 series products. The download file contains the display drivers and Catalyst Control Center. This driver applies to the following operating systems: Windows XP Home/Professional/Media Center Edition/Professional x64 Edition and Windows Vista 32/64-bit. For more information please refer to the release notes.

Building on the success of its TOXIC range of water cooled graphics solutions, SAPPHIRE Technology is set to launch its fastest graphics product yet - the new SAPPHIRE HD 2900 XT TOXIC. The SAPPHIRE HD 2900 XT TOXIC features the latest unified shader architecture with 320 shaders, the world's first 512-bit memory bus, native DX10 and Shader model 4.0 support. The new SAPPHIRE HD2900 XT TOXIC also features a drive-bay mounted water cooling system with integrated reservoir, pump and radiator system, efficient enough to cool not just the graphics card, but optionally a CrossFire pair of SAPPHIRE HD 2900 XT cards. SAPPHIRE is already shipping standard editions of its HD 2900 XT and is expected to ship the TOXIC version in the coming weeks.

ASUS has released the new EAH 2900XT/G/HTVDI/512M-a cutting-edge graphics card that features the latest generation AMD HD2900XT GPU. The new ATI Radeon HD 2900 GPU is designed to unleash the gaming power of DirectX 10; and excellent audio/video experience through HDMI support enabled by Avivo HD technology-providing gamers with an unparalleled gaming experience. The release of the ASUS EAH2900XT will come bundled with 4 explosive game titles which include the highly anticipated first person shooter game S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadows of Chernobyl, and Valve's "The Black Box" game bundle suite-consisting of 3 first rate games: Half Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal.