Streacom gave us a sneak-peek into its upcoming case for Intel's next unit of computing (NUC) form-factor. Made of aluminum and ABS, the case doubles up as heatsink for the NUC's hot components (such as CPU and PCH). It features a universal CPU block, so the case can adapt to future NUC boards with CPUs at different spots.

The sides of the case are not made of aluminum, this is where the NUC's WLAN/Bluetooth antennae attach, and so an ABS panel boosts signal strength. The case is designed specifically for Intel's D33217GKE motherboard, with ports mapped for its two HDMI connectors, three USB ports, power, and Ethernet. It will be available in two color options, silver (pictured below) and carbon-black. Availability is expected sometime in Q2 2013.

Asustor displayed its first consumer NAS devices implementing Intel's recently announced Atom CE5315 SoC. The new model fill into the company's 3-series. On display at CeBIT are the 2-bay AS-302T and 4-bay AS-304T. The two are positioned a notch below the 2 GHz Atom dual-core powered AS-602T and AS-604T. The two feature single gigabit Ethernet interfaces, a couple of USB 3.0 and USB 2.0/1.1 ports, and HDMI display outputs. The company's ADM 1.0 "Dolphin" interface is standard issue. The two are expected to launch some time in June.

With consumers increasingly sharing and viewing content among different devices, Intel Corporation today introduced storage solutions based on the Intel Atom media processor CE5300 series. The new low power system-on-chip (SoC) enables high definition (HD) video to be simultaneously watched on smartphones, tablets and other smart devices, in real time, while also shared with consumer devices such as a Smart TV. "Streaming content across numerous mobile devices, not just from the cloud but locally, has become a common practice for today's consumers," said Bev Crair, general manager, of Intel's Storage Division. "New storage solutions based on the Intel Atom CE5300 series elevate this to a whole new level by making it simple to 'browse, click, and play'. The new SoC provides an excellent foundation for creating compelling entertainment experiences."

The powerful, dual-core Intel Atom CE5300 series delivers simple application and I/O support, making it ideal for synchronizing and streaming video content without compromising power for the performance necessary to allow seamless I/O and media transcoding. Storage solutions based on the Intel Atom CE5300 series allow consumers to easily set up all of their media in one place and avoid capacity limitations of mobile devices. They can use their storage system either as an iTunes server or DLNA (Digital Network Living Alliance) media server, and access that content from their mobile device of choice. Users can also simultaneously transcode 1080p video content to a smartphone, tablet, TV, Ultrabook or other smart device. The media processor system intelligently adapts to the screen resolution for each of these devices.

According to a Hardware.info report that cites an internal Intel document circulated to partners, the company's upcoming Haswell platform faces an erratum that could be fairly noticeable by end-users. The problem is confined to the platform's integrated USB 3.0 SuperSpeed host controller.

A system based on Haswell platform, when waking from S3 sleep mode, will experience issues with devices connected through USB 3.0. If you have open documents, videos, or music playing off of a USB 3.0 storage device, applications accessing that data could freeze, needing you to reopen them. For example, a PDF document you have open on Adobe Reader could display a blank page after waking up from S3, needing you to reopen the document and/or Adobe Reader. The bug doesn't cause any loss of data, but could be an irritant. An Intel representative told the source that launch of the Haswell platform is on-track for mid-2013.

The Spire Diablo PC case is a versatile ATX chassis with a modest gamer look. This tower structure is contemporary and cost effective. The meshed aluminum front panel allows unrestricted fresh air intake which is mandatory for today's extremely hot Micro-processors, Graphic cards and Data Drives. The internal design provides enough room for hardware assembly, supports up to six (6) 3.5-inch & three (3) 5.25-inch drive devices. The 5.25 bezels are tool-free and easy to remove. You can also install a 3.5 inch device such as a multifunctional card-reader. The chassis structure is all black and prepared for decent cooling, there is space for 1* 92mm fan at the rear and 1* 80mm fan on the side panel for additional VGA cooling.

CyberPower Inc., a global manufacturer of custom gaming PCs, entered the era of the Gaming Supercomputer when it today unleashes a series of performance desktop PCs based on NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX Titan GPU. With the DNA of the world's fastest supercomputer and the soul of NVIDIA Kepler, the GeForce GTX Titan is a revolution in PC gaming. This monster GPU establishes a new class of gaming PCs for CyberPowerPC customers: the Gaming Supercomputer. CyberPowerPC systems based on this formidable GPU will deliver the ultimate combination of power, performance, efficiency, control, and acoustics that PC gamers and enthusiasts demand.

Starting February 21, CyberPowerPC customers can configure new GeForce GTX Titan-based gaming PCs across CyberPowerPC's enthusiast Fang III and Zeus series along with the Gamer Xtreme and Ultra series of custom gaming systems. When paired with Intel 3rd Generation processors, users can create the ultimate gaming supercomputer. CyberPowerPC systems based on this game-changing GPU will start at $1699.

Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated graphics chip shipments and suppliers' market share for Q4'12.

The news was disappointing for every one of the major players. AMD dropped 13.6%, Intel slipped the least, just 2.9%, and Nvidia declined the most with 16.7% quarter-to-quarter change, this coming on the heels of a spectacular third quarter. The overall PC market actually grew 2.8% quarter-to-quarter while the graphics market declined 8.2% reflecting a decline in double-attach. That may be attributed to Intel's improved embedded graphics, finally making "good enough" a true statement.

Intel made an addition to its SSD 335 line of performance-segment consumer SSDs, which is currently available in just one capacity, 240 GB. The new 180 GB variant (SKU: SSDSC2CT180A4K5) retains the feature-set and rated speeds of its older sibling, boasting of up to 500 MB/s reads, up to 450 MB/s writes, and up to 52,000 IOPS 4K random write throughput. Based on the LSI-SandForce SF-2281 processor, the drive features 20 nm MLC NAND flash chips by IMFlash Technologies (Intel, Micron JV).

In addition, Intel updated the drive body design, which will also apply to newer batches of the 240 GB variant. The new design consists of a brace running the perimeter of the drive (without affecting its 2.5-inch 9 mm-thick size compliance), and a "circuit board" print art. Backed by a 3-year warranty, the Intel SSD 335 180 GB is priced at US $179.99.

Russian tech publication OCLab.ru, which claims access to Intel's next-generation Core "Haswell" processor engineering-sample (and an LGA1150 8-series motherboard!), wasted no time in running a quick clock-for-clock performance comparison with the current Core "Ivy Bridge" processor. In its comparison, it set both chips to run at a fixed 2.80 GHz clock speed (by disabling Turbo Boost, C1E, and EIST), indicating that the ES OCLab is in possession of doesn't go beyond that frequency.

The two chips were put through SuperPi 1M, PiFast, and wPrime 32M. The Core "Haswell" chip is only marginally faster than Ivy Bridge, in fact slower in one test. In its next battery of tests, the reviewer stepped up iterations (load), putting the chips through single-threaded SuperPi 32M, and multi-threaded wPrime 1024M. While wPrime performance is nearly identical between the two chips, Haswell crunched SuperPi 32M about 3 percent quicker than Ivy Bridge. It's still to early to take a call on CPU performance percentage difference between the two architectures. Intel's Core "Haswell" processors launch in the first week of June.

ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, today announced the release of four new enterprise-level 1U and 2U rackmount NAS devices. These new devices consist of the four drive bay AS-604RS and AS-604RD models and the nine drive bay AS-609RS and AS-609RD models. All devices come equipped with the Intel Atom 2.13 GHz dual-core processor which combines supercharged performance with low power consumption. Furthermore, all devices are verified as VMware, Citrix and Hyper-V ready, providing businesses with a flexible and cost-efficient virtual storage solution.

"Our new rackmount NAS models include the type of hardware specifications required by the most demanding business environments such as dual gigabit Ethernet ports, eSATA and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interfaces and support for hard drive hot swapping." said Johnny Chen, Product Manager at ASUSTOR. "The AS-604RD and AS-609RD models also feature redundant power supplies meaning that should the primary power supply fail, a second one will automatically start running to keep the NAS powered on. This undoubtedly gives businesses the type of 24/7, round-the-clock, uninterrupted access that they need."

FinalWire Ltd. today announced the immediate availability of AIDA64 Extreme Edition 2.80 software, a streamlined diagnostic and benchmarking tool for home users; and the immediate availability of AIDA64 Business Edition 2.80 software, an essential network management solution for small and medium scale enterprises.

The new AIDA64 update offers optimized benchmarks for Intel Atom Z2760, implements support for OpenCL 1.2 Update and OpenGL ES 3.0, and provides GPU details for the latest AMD Radeon and nVIDIA GeForce graphics accelerators.DOWNLOAD: FinalWire AIDA64 v2.80 Installer (EXE), ZIP package

Intel Corporation announced today the Intel Solid-State Drive 525 Series (Intel SSD 525 Series) in a small mSATA form factor with 6-gigabit-per-second (Gb/s) performance. The Intel SSD 525 Series gives OEM customers, channel and tech enthusiasts an ultra-portable, low-power storage solution in one-eighth the space of a traditional 2.5-inch hard disk drive (HDD) to drive innovative Ultrabook, tablet and embedded applications.

The Intel SSD 525 is the latest entry to the Intel 500 Series SSD Family aimed at higher-performance, enthusiast solutions. Measuring 3.7 mm x 50.8 mm x 29.85 mm and weighing 10 grams, the mSATA with PCI Express (PCIe) mini-connector delivers the performance of the company's Intel SSD 520 Series client drive. This makes the Intel SSD 525 suitable for All-in-One desktops, notebooks, Ultrabooks and workstation upgrades, as well as automotive, digital signage, embedded video and retail solutions.

Intel Corporation today announced that its board of directors promoted five corporate officers and elected three new corporate vice presidents. William M. Holt, 60, was elevated from senior vice president to executive vice president. He is general manager of the Technology and Manufacturing Group and jointly oversees all technology development and manufacturing activities across the company. Holt joined Intel in 1974, was named a senior vice president in 2006, and is based in Hillsboro, Ore.

Thomas M. Kilroy, 55, was promoted from senior vice president to executive vice president. He is general manager of Intel's Sales and Marketing Group and is responsible for all of the company's sales and marketing efforts worldwide. Kilroy joined Intel in 1990, was named a senior vice president in 2010, and is based in Hillsboro, Ore.

Intel's performance-segment mSATA SSDs, the SSD 525 series, started selling in Japan under OEM packaging, although freely available in ground stores (much like bare hard drives). Based on the LSI-SandForce SF-2281 processor and Intel's own 25 nm MLC NAND flash chips, the SSD 525 is available in four capacities: 30 GB, 120 GB, 180 GB, and 240 GB. The 240 GB variant stands out, with speeds of up to 550 MB/s reads with 500 MB/s writes; while the others max out at 500 MB/s reads with 275 MB/s writes. The 30, 120, 180, and 240 GB variants are priced at 5,180¥ ($57), 14,480¥ ($160), 20,800¥ ($228), and 26,980¥ ($295), respectively.

Intel Corporation's board of directors has declared a 22.5 cents-per-share (90 cents-per-share on an annual basis) quarterly dividend on the company's common stock. The dividend will be payable on March 1, 2013 to stockholders of record on Feb. 7, 2013.

"With the payout of this quarterly dividend, Intel's dividend and stock buyback program will have returned approximately $119 billion to stockholders since the program's inception," said Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini. "This is a testament to our commitment to return cash to our stockholders as we continue to generate strong cash flow driven by the combination of new products and design wins from the lowest power portable devices to the most powerful data center servers."

According to a new market research report, "Global Micro Servers Market (2013 - 2018), By Processor Type (Intel, Arm, Amd), Component (Hardware, Software, Operating System), Application (Media Storage, Data Centers, Analytics, Cloud Computing) & Geography (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Row)", published by MarketsandMarkets, the total market for next generation memory is expected to reach $26.55 billion by 2018 at an estimated CAGR of 62.3% from 2013 to 2018.

In a simpler terminology, micro servers can be termed as servers that multiple mobile processor chips, consume low power, use less space and are specifically used by small to medium - sized businesses. Micro servers find their major application in media storage and internet data centre especially for applications like lightweight web serving, simple content delivery nodes and low end dedicated hosting. It was identified that cloud computing and analytics are some other applications of micro servers which are growing rapidly. Micro servers presently account for 2.3% of the total server sales however looking at the current growth rate, in the next five years it is expected to reach 25 to 30% per cent of the global server market.

We've known for a while that Intel's 4th generation Core "Haswell" line of processors are going to miss the 2013 International CES. It turns out the new line of processors will be launched in June, in fact right on the backdrops of the 2013 Computex, the year's biggest PC hardware expo. A few days ahead of Computex, Intel will host a press-conference announcing the processors with downstream partners. The processors, and related products (motherboards, coolers), will be exhibited at Computex, and market availability will soon follow. The company is optimistic about the new chips, estimating them to make up 14-16 percent of its CPU shipments by the end of Q3 2013 (September).

Keeping up with an updated launch roadmap for Q1 2013 posted last November, Intel rolled out entry-level Celeron and Pentium dual-core processors based on its 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon. All of the seven desktop and four mobile chips announced occupy price-points under $100. The desktop lineup begins with the Celeron G1610 (2.60 GHz, dual-core, 55W TDP), priced at US $42; Celeron G1610T (2.30 GHz, dual-core, 35W TDP) at $42; followed by Celeron G1620 (2.70 GHz), priced significantly higher at $52; Pentium G2010 (2.80 GHz, dual-core, 55W TDP) and G2020 (2.90 GHz), and G2020T (2.50 GHz, 35W TDP) at $64; and Pentium G2130 (3.20 GHz, dual-core, 55W TDP) at $86.

Intel has two kinds of Celeron mobile processors, targeting the mainstream and Ultrabook-like notebook form-factors. Among the mainstream notebook processors are the Celeron 1000M (1.80 GHz, dual-core, 35W TDP) and Celeron 1020M (2.10 GHz, dual-core, 35W TDP). Among the Ultrabook-like form-factor models are the Celeron 1007U (1.50 GHz, dual-core, 17W TDP), and Celeron 1037U (1.80 GHz, dual-core, 17W TDP). Interestingly, all four mobile Celeron "Ivy Bridge" CPU models are priced at $86, in 1000-unit tray quantities.

In addition to the industry's first fully-patterned 450 mm wafer, Intel announced that its 14 nanometer silicon fabrication node at three of its fabs will begin this year. The next leap forward from 22 nm, on which two of the company's CPU generations "Ivy Bridge" and "Haswell" are based, the 14 nm node will eventually facilitate production of the company's 5th generation Core "Broadwell" processors, which are due to arrive in 2014. Given the pace at which the 14 nm node is being developed, some of the first Broadwell Core chips, at least engineering samples, will be released to the industry within 2013. Among the three Intel facilities with 14 nm nodes are D1X, located in Oregon; Fab 42, located in Arizona; and Fab 24, located in Ireland.

At the SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) held late last week, Intel unveiled the pride of its fabs, the industry's first fully-patterned (ready to slice) 450 mm wafer. Major semiconductor fabs around the world are locked in a race for who gets volume-production on 450 mm wafers going first. Among the contenders are Taiwan's TSMC, UAE's GlobalFoundries, and Korea's Samsung, and with the unveiling of the first fully-patterned wafer, Intel appears to have announced its lead. The 450 mm (diameter), thanks to its large surface area, significantly increases yields.

"[This] is an important step forward and it indicates that there will soon be substantial volume of patterned test wafers for use by suppliers in developing their 450 mm tools," stated Chuck Mulloy, a spokesperson for Intel. As for what Intel etched on the wafer, a report claims it could be large dies of simple (highly-patterned) devices such as flash. The fab reportedly used Impints' J-Fil imprint lithography technology that demonstrated 24 nm patterning with line edge roughness of less than 2 nm to 3Σ and critical dimension uniformity to 1.2 nm 3Σ, offering the prospect of 10 nm patterning with single-step process.

Intel Corporation today reported full-year revenue of $53.3 billion, operating income of $14.6 billion, net income of $11.0 billion and EPS of $2.13. The company generated approximately $18.9 billion in cash from operations, paid dividends of $4.4 billion, and used $4.8 billion to repurchase 191 million shares of stock.

For the fourth quarter, Intel posted revenue of $13.5 billion, operating income of $3.2 billion, net income of $2.5 billion and EPS of 48 cents. The company generated approximately $6 billion in cash from operations, paid dividends of $1.1 billion and used $1.0 billion to repurchase 47 million shares of stock.

Lenovo today announced the ThinkPad X131e Chromebook -- a fast booting, highly customizable ThinkPad built with rugged features for the daily rigors of K-12 education. The ThinkPad X131e Chromebook simplifies software and security management for school administrators and provides students and teachers with quick access to thousands of apps, education resources and storage.

Throughout the course of a typical school day, students' laptops are often subject to extreme wear and tear. To help school-proof them, the ThinkPad X131e has rugged features including a rubber bumper around the top cover and stronger corners to protect the system in the case of an accidental drop. The hinges and hinge brackets are also strengthened to last more than 50,000 open and close cycles.

Intel Corporation announced a collaboration with Facebook to define the next generation of rack technologies used to power the world's largest data centers. As part of the collaboration, the companies also unveiled a mechanical prototype built by Quanta Computer* that includes Intel's new, innovative photonic rack architecture to show the total cost, design and reliability improvement potential of a disaggregated rack environment.

"Intel and Facebook are collaborating on a new disaggregated, rack-scale server architecture that enables independent upgrading of compute, network and storage subsystems that will define the future of mega-datacenter designs for the next decade," said Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer during his keynote address at Open Computer Summit in Santa Clara, Calif. "The disaggregated rack architecture includes Intel's new photonic architecture, based on high-bandwidth, 100 Gbps Intel Silicon Photonics Technology, that enables fewer cables, increased bandwidth, farther reach and extreme power efficiency compared to today's copper based interconnects."

With its 4th generation Core "Haswell" processor lineup not too far away, Intel is making efforts to clear inventories of its 2nd generation Core "Sandy Bridge" one. Usually, OEMs on the receiving end of such a move stand to score truckloads of chips at discounted prices. Samsung is one such OEM, which may have bagged a ton of "Sandy Bridge" Core i5-2450M dual-core chips clocked at 2.50 GHz, to deploy in its new premium Chromeboxes, which normally use entry-level Celeron B840 chips, because you can't exactly use Chrome OS to play Crysis, and so you don't need a faster CPU. The new, faster Chromebox is listed on Amazon for $423, bearing the SKU "Samsung Chromebox XE300M22-A01US."

Intel's spring cleaning began early, with the company discontinuing twelve processor models spanning across the Core and Celeron lines, based on the 32 nm "Sandy Bridge" silicon. The company issued a PDN (product discontinuation notice) to that effect. A majority of these are mobile parts, whose market lifetime is stretched to keep up with OEM orders. Among the chips are the Core i7-2960XM, i7-2860QM, i5-2557M, i7-2637M, and Celeron B710, and 857. According to the PDN, Intel will stop accepting orders for the chips from July 11, 2013, and the last orders will have shipped out by January 14, 2014.