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Wednesday, December 31st 2008
TechPowerUp! Wishes You a Happy New Year!
Well, another year has come and gone and I here in Austria just moved on to the year 2009. We, the entire staff of TechPowerUp!, would like to take this opportunity to thank you for stopping by on the website on a regular basis and wish all of you a happy new year. May it be the best one yet and we hope to be able to welcome you in our forums, our front page or as a user of our tools in the new year as well.
All the best,
W1zzard, DarkSaber & the entire staff at TechPowerUp!
All the best,
W1zzard, DarkSaber & the entire staff at TechPowerUp!
A-DATA Launches XPG Dual SSD 3.5” RAID Enclosure
A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in high performance memory products, announced today that it is launching XPG Dual SSD 3.5" RAID Enclosure to expand its portfolio of SSD solutions.
The A-DATA XPG Dual SSD 3.5" RAID Enclosure is a complete RAID solution through the use of two 2.5" SATA SSDs and/or HDDs mounted on one standard 3.5" form factor drive cage. This multifunctional RAID enclosure can be used as two separate drives, as a redundant drive to protect against drive failure, combined to become one high-performance drive or combined to become one large drive. By utilizing the hardware DIP switch on the back of the unit or included software utility, all these different RAID configurations and more can be set in an instant. Connection via SATA or USB enables easy direct access.
The A-DATA XPG Dual SSD 3.5" RAID Enclosure is a complete RAID solution through the use of two 2.5" SATA SSDs and/or HDDs mounted on one standard 3.5" form factor drive cage. This multifunctional RAID enclosure can be used as two separate drives, as a redundant drive to protect against drive failure, combined to become one high-performance drive or combined to become one large drive. By utilizing the hardware DIP switch on the back of the unit or included software utility, all these different RAID configurations and more can be set in an instant. Connection via SATA or USB enables easy direct access.
Thermaltake Provides Phase Change Cooling for AMD Graphics Cards
Thermaltake today announced an initiative with AMD to redesign the revolutionary Xpressar micro refrigeration cooling system for use with ATI Radeon HD 4000 series graphics cards. First introduced in a specialized case designed to achieve CPU temperatures much lower than standard liquid cooling systems, the Xpressar technology will be modified for use as a graphics cooling solution. When commercially available, the Xpressar graphics solution could reduce graphics processor temperatures by as much as 20°C when compared to common liquid cooling products.
The Thermaltake Xpressar micro refrigeration cooling system utilizes a miniature version of the compressor cooling module commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners. To streamline installation, the graphics cooling module will utilize a compact design, occupying only the drive bay area in the computer.
The Thermaltake Xpressar micro refrigeration cooling system utilizes a miniature version of the compressor cooling module commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners. To streamline installation, the graphics cooling module will utilize a compact design, occupying only the drive bay area in the computer.
ASUS M4A Series to Spearhead Company's AM3 Motherboard Initial Lineup
With motherboards based on AMD's newest AM3 socket surfacing from the likes of ECS and ASRock, market heavyweights such as ASUS have decided to pixellate their offerings on the internet. ASUS for one has two motherboards in the pipeline, under the M4A series. As the series name suggests, It's based on the AM3 socket (AM2+ was M3A) and based on AMD chipset. AM3 boards based on NVIDIA nForce chipset will be most likely called the M4N series.
Here are the initial offerings: M4A78 Pro and M4A79 Deluxe. The two are based on the AMD 780G and 790FX chipsets respectively. Both the motherboards use DDR2 memory. A complete range of AM2, AM2+ and AM3 socket CPUs are supported. Surprisingly neither support DDR3 memory, the one that makes AM3 stand apart from AM2+. The two are expected to be released in January, their prices are unknown at this point in time.
Here are the initial offerings: M4A78 Pro and M4A79 Deluxe. The two are based on the AMD 780G and 790FX chipsets respectively. Both the motherboards use DDR2 memory. A complete range of AM2, AM2+ and AM3 socket CPUs are supported. Surprisingly neither support DDR3 memory, the one that makes AM3 stand apart from AM2+. The two are expected to be released in January, their prices are unknown at this point in time.
Symwave to Demonstrate USB 3.0 External Storage Solution at CES
A major update and commercial introduction to the USB technology has been long overdue. While most devices such as printers, MFDs and other office automation equipment seem fairly comfortable with the bandwidth USB 2.0 offers, with storage solutions where large amounts of data transfer is involved, USB needs a facelift, so much so that companies are slowly gaining interest in technologies such as eSATA.
At the upcoming CES event, Symwave is planning a demo of an external storage solution based on the new USB 3.0 "SuperSpeed" technology. The device it plans to demo could be an external hard-drive or an enclosure with USB 3.0 compliancy. With 10 times the available bandwidth (4.8 Gbps or 600 MB/s), the new technology looks to provide devices with both performance and backwards compatibility with older USB standards. The Symwave storage solution will be one of first devices the technology kicks-off with.
At the upcoming CES event, Symwave is planning a demo of an external storage solution based on the new USB 3.0 "SuperSpeed" technology. The device it plans to demo could be an external hard-drive or an enclosure with USB 3.0 compliancy. With 10 times the available bandwidth (4.8 Gbps or 600 MB/s), the new technology looks to provide devices with both performance and backwards compatibility with older USB standards. The Symwave storage solution will be one of first devices the technology kicks-off with.
Seagate Ups Storage Density With Single Platter 500GB HDD
Seagate, a vetran with fixed data storage solutions, already holds the reputation of making the conventional HDD with the highest unformatted capacity, 1.5TB. The company now looks to step-up the per-platter storage density with the introduction of high-capcity HDDs with single platters.
Hard drives with single platters are not only economical to manufacture and sell, but also could actually have lower access times since data is read and written on only two surfaces (either sides of a platter). The first in line will be the 500GB Seagate Barracuda (model: ST3500410AS) under the new 7200.12 series which is yet to be announced. As the name suggests the drive will have spindle speeds of 7,200 rpm. The drive will have a 16 MB cache and will use the standard SATA II interface. These drives will be available in the first week of January, priced under 50€.
Hard drives with single platters are not only economical to manufacture and sell, but also could actually have lower access times since data is read and written on only two surfaces (either sides of a platter). The first in line will be the 500GB Seagate Barracuda (model: ST3500410AS) under the new 7200.12 series which is yet to be announced. As the name suggests the drive will have spindle speeds of 7,200 rpm. The drive will have a 16 MB cache and will use the standard SATA II interface. These drives will be available in the first week of January, priced under 50€.
The Foundry Company to Make GPUs, To Accept Designs from Other Manufacturers Soon
At the AMD Analyst Day event, AMD indicated in its presentations that The Foundry Company, a manufacturing company formed from the assets of AMD with the intestments of ATIC under the AssetSmart program, would in the future become an independent foundry company accepting foundry partnerships from companies apart from its one largest customer, AMD. The move would keep the newly formed company profitable and competitive with other Asian foundry companies.
In the same presentation, AMD also indicated that eventually it would assign manufacturing of its ATI Radeon GPUs and chipsets, to The Foundry Company (TFC). Currently GPUs and chipsets are being manufacuted by foundry companies such as TSMC and UMC in Taiwan. This move would send a significant chunk of manufacturing to TFC. Sources tell ATI Forum.de that at FAB38 Dresden, a major manufacturing facility, installations of the 40nm bulk manufacturing node is in full-swing (not to be confused with 45nm SOI, on which K10.5 processors are built). Also there are indications of the facility accepting orders for manufacturing chips on the new node from other fab-less companies, an attempt to bring in profitability right from the start.
In the same presentation, AMD also indicated that eventually it would assign manufacturing of its ATI Radeon GPUs and chipsets, to The Foundry Company (TFC). Currently GPUs and chipsets are being manufacuted by foundry companies such as TSMC and UMC in Taiwan. This move would send a significant chunk of manufacturing to TFC. Sources tell ATI Forum.de that at FAB38 Dresden, a major manufacturing facility, installations of the 40nm bulk manufacturing node is in full-swing (not to be confused with 45nm SOI, on which K10.5 processors are built). Also there are indications of the facility accepting orders for manufacturing chips on the new node from other fab-less companies, an attempt to bring in profitability right from the start.
GeForce GTX 285 Reviewed, Lives-Up to Company Projections
NVIDIA looks to restore the market position it lost to ATI in the past two quarters. Its plans will be spearheaded by the G200b graphics processor, on which are based products that outperform and offer better value than ATI products in its price-bands. The GeForce GTX 280 lost its position as the fastest graphics card to the Radeon HD 4870 X2. While NVIDIA is looking to establish itself as the maker of the fastest grachics card with the dual-G200b based GeForce GTX 295, the Radeon HD 4800 Series faces a two-pronged attack from NVIDIA's products, in which the GeForce GTX 285, will fit in as a sub-$400 product that looks to be "too good for its price to opt for a Radeon HD 4870 X2". The GeForce GTX 285 comes with reference clock-speeds of 648 MHz (core), 1476 MHz (shader) and 2484 MHz (memory).
German website ComputerBase.de put the GeForce GTX 285 (GeForce GTX 280 overclocked to its specs) through a broad range of games and synthetic benchmarks. Its evaluation found the GeForce GTX 285 living-up to NVIDIA's performance projections when pitted against a GeForce GTX 280, that of increments of roughly 10%. The review was conducted at a set resolution of 1680x1050, with different AA/AF modes.
The full review (in German) can be read here (Google Translated to English).
German website ComputerBase.de put the GeForce GTX 285 (GeForce GTX 280 overclocked to its specs) through a broad range of games and synthetic benchmarks. Its evaluation found the GeForce GTX 285 living-up to NVIDIA's performance projections when pitted against a GeForce GTX 280, that of increments of roughly 10%. The review was conducted at a set resolution of 1680x1050, with different AA/AF modes.
Tuesday, December 30th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Storage
AirLive WL-2000CAM IP Camera Review
The WL-2000CAM is a brand new IP camera solution from AirLive. The camera is tailored for home surveillance and even has its own lights so you can use it in a dim room. Much like the other cameras from AirLive this one has wireless capabilities and can even stream video to a 3G cellphone.
RiData Releases 233x/300x CF Cards and SATA HDD Converter Kit
Advanced Media, Inc., is a manufacturer and marketer of the Ridata brand of electronic storage products, and digital accessories. The company is pleased to announce Ridata 233x Lightning Series CompactFlash cards plus a SATA Converter RAID 1. Compatible Ridata CF cards range in capacity from 512MB to 32GB. The adapter allows a CF card to function as a Solid State Drive (SSD). In the case of a hard drive failure, the CF card via the converter appears as an ordinary hard drive to any OS and can be configured as a boot device.
"Many of our portable device customers would like to try an SSD without the bigger price tag. Our industrial customers face the problem of waiting for long hard disk drive (HDD) rebuilds that may cause over heating issues. By using our CF card and SATA converter, users can hot swap the HDD with the card and converter saving storage rebuild time with low temperatures and high transfer speeds," commented Harvey Liu, president of Advanced Media, Inc.
"Many of our portable device customers would like to try an SSD without the bigger price tag. Our industrial customers face the problem of waiting for long hard disk drive (HDD) rebuilds that may cause over heating issues. By using our CF card and SATA converter, users can hot swap the HDD with the card and converter saving storage rebuild time with low temperatures and high transfer speeds," commented Harvey Liu, president of Advanced Media, Inc.
DFI Releases Two New Core i7 Motherboards
DFI made additions to its Core i7 compatible motherboard lineup today by releasing two new motherboards under the LANParty Dark and LANParty Junior series. While pictures and specifications of the LANParty JR X58-T3H6 surfaced earlier, its introduction makes it a one of its kind mATX motherboard supporting the Core i7 platform. DFI started its Core i7 motherboard series with the enthusiast-grade LANPARTY UT X58-T3eH8. Its newest entry that comes to surface is its LANParty Dark motherboard: the LANParty DK X58-T3eH6.
The LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 uses essentially the same PCB layout as the LANPARTY UT X58-T3eH8, except for a few changes: the CPU power ciruit and the component cooling. While the UT board comes with digital-PWM, the DK board comes with standard choke-based 6-phase CPU power circuit. It uses chipset and VRM coolers identical to those of the LANParty JR board, comprising of a simplistic northbridge cooler that propagates into the VRM cooler, while a heatsink cools the southbridge. It provides three PCI-Express x16 slots (electrically x16, x8, x8 or x16, NC, x16). These two motherboards are expected to reach retailers soon.
The LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 uses essentially the same PCB layout as the LANPARTY UT X58-T3eH8, except for a few changes: the CPU power ciruit and the component cooling. While the UT board comes with digital-PWM, the DK board comes with standard choke-based 6-phase CPU power circuit. It uses chipset and VRM coolers identical to those of the LANParty JR board, comprising of a simplistic northbridge cooler that propagates into the VRM cooler, while a heatsink cools the southbridge. It provides three PCI-Express x16 slots (electrically x16, x8, x8 or x16, NC, x16). These two motherboards are expected to reach retailers soon.
AOpen Ready with Dual-Core Atom Nettop Platform
Harnessing an adequately powerful processor in the Intel Atom 330 dual-core, AOpen is ready with a nettop system board in the mini-ITX form factor, the AOpen i945GCt-DN. AOpen has taken care of the essentials, making it an entry-level platform.
The i945GCt-DN embeds an Atom 330 processor clocked at 1.60 GHz, with provision for a single DDR2 memory module of the standard 240-pin DIMM size. It takes its power from an external 12V input or from the Molex connector. It lacks an ATX power switching input. Of all the components, the i945GS northbridge is actively cooled with a fan. The Atom 330 makes do with a heatsink, while the ICH7 southbridge is cool enough to run without one. Display output is via a D-Sub connector. A total of 8 USB 2.0 ports are provided (4 on the back-panel + 4 by headers). Also provided are the essential 10/100 Ethernet and 6-channel audio. A single PCI-E x1 slot provides expansion. Pricing is yet to be known.
The i945GCt-DN embeds an Atom 330 processor clocked at 1.60 GHz, with provision for a single DDR2 memory module of the standard 240-pin DIMM size. It takes its power from an external 12V input or from the Molex connector. It lacks an ATX power switching input. Of all the components, the i945GS northbridge is actively cooled with a fan. The Atom 330 makes do with a heatsink, while the ICH7 southbridge is cool enough to run without one. Display output is via a D-Sub connector. A total of 8 USB 2.0 ports are provided (4 on the back-panel + 4 by headers). Also provided are the essential 10/100 Ethernet and 6-channel audio. A single PCI-E x1 slot provides expansion. Pricing is yet to be known.
VIA Preparing Dual-Core Nano 3000 Processor for H2 2009
VIA, the third active player in the x86 processor market, is known for its low-power processors catering to the ULPC segment of the market. Sources tell HKEPC that the firm is now readying a dual-core variant of its Intel Atom competitor, the Nano 3000. The Nano 3000 series, slated for launches throughout 2009 includes a new architecture by VIA, while bearing the same essential Nano-BGA package.
The processor would use a boarder system interface with the 1333 MHz VIA V4 bus (FSB). It will feature x86-64 extension along with the SSE4 instruction sets to make it standards compliant. It will feature 128KB of L1 and 1MB of L2 caches. VIA is also looking to improve the processor's number-crunching capabilities by working on its integer and floating-point operations efficiency. The processor will be built on the Japanese Fujitsu 65nm manufacturing process which has so far been VIA's foundry partner with processors and S3 Graphics products. The company is also considering a switch to the TSMC 40nm or 45nm node later, sources note. The VIA Nano 3000 Dual-Core variant can be expected in the second-half of 2009, while single core variants of the architecture can be expected earlier.
The processor would use a boarder system interface with the 1333 MHz VIA V4 bus (FSB). It will feature x86-64 extension along with the SSE4 instruction sets to make it standards compliant. It will feature 128KB of L1 and 1MB of L2 caches. VIA is also looking to improve the processor's number-crunching capabilities by working on its integer and floating-point operations efficiency. The processor will be built on the Japanese Fujitsu 65nm manufacturing process which has so far been VIA's foundry partner with processors and S3 Graphics products. The company is also considering a switch to the TSMC 40nm or 45nm node later, sources note. The VIA Nano 3000 Dual-Core variant can be expected in the second-half of 2009, while single core variants of the architecture can be expected earlier.
EVGA Makes its 55nm GeForce GTX 260 Lineup Official, Intros SSC Variant
About a week into its market introduction, EVGA today made its 55nm GeForce GTX 260 graphics cards lineup official. The company also introduced a premium Super-Superclocked (SSC) variant of the said card. While having identical reference clock speeds to those of the 65nm GeForce GTX 260 Core-216 lineup, the new lineup offers higher energy efficiency and improved thermal characteristics.
The SSC variant introduced has clock speeds of 675 MHz (core), 1,458 MHz (shader) and 2,304 MHz (memory). It is backed by the EVGA limited lifetime warranty. EVGA also disclosed the suggested retail prices for the entire lineup (North American region) in its press-release, so you know which prices to buy them at: US $259.99 for the base model (896-P3-1255-AR), $269.99 for the Superclocked model (896-P3-1257-AR) and $289.99 for the SSC model (896-P3-1258-AR).
The SSC variant introduced has clock speeds of 675 MHz (core), 1,458 MHz (shader) and 2,304 MHz (memory). It is backed by the EVGA limited lifetime warranty. EVGA also disclosed the suggested retail prices for the entire lineup (North American region) in its press-release, so you know which prices to buy them at: US $259.99 for the base model (896-P3-1255-AR), $269.99 for the Superclocked model (896-P3-1257-AR) and $289.99 for the SSC model (896-P3-1258-AR).
Muskin Launches its First Hex DDR3 Memory Kit
Mushkin today introduced its first memory kit consisting of six DDR3 modules for use on Core i7 and other compatible platforms. The kit (model: HP3 995659) provides a combined memory capacity of 12GB (6x 2GB), which should suit workstations and other high performance systems based on the Core i7 platform. The modules operate at 1600 MHz (PC3-12800) at voltages between 1.5 and 1.6 volts with DRAM timings of 9-9-9-27. The modules come with the blue-coloured FrostByte heatspreaders. Pricing and availability will be announced soon.
Monday, December 29th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
- Antec VERIS Legit Reviews
- GELID Silent Spirit BurnOutPC
- Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer Ap0calypse
- Thermaltake GunMet Orb R3VIEW (de)
- Pro Termal 81 TIM BCCHardware
- CoolIT Domino A.L.C. Advanced CPU Liquid Cooling System TweakNews
- EK Water Blocks Chipsets PureOverclock
- Xirex Liquid Cooling Starter Set Madshrimps
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Motherboards
Mouse
Netbooks
Processors
New Tri-Channel DDR3 Testing Platform - Foxconn Blood RAGE & Noctua U12P
Well guys, you may be wondering what is happening with DDR3 reviews at Techpowerup. Especially with that juicy Core i7 and Tri-Channel memory kits popping up at insane speeds all over the internet. Well: fear not! We will have you covered in the near future. Thanks to the guys at Foxconn and Noctua we now have the basis for some of those reviews you have come to (hopefully) love. The choice of a CPU has not yet been made, but expect to see a reviews based on this rig in the new year! And now time for some pictures of this crazy board:
Mushkin Releases 996580X2 DDR2 Memory
Mushkin today announced a new DDR2 800 MHz, 2x 2GB dual-channel memory kit, the XP2 series model 996580X2. The product targeted at the mainstream thru value segments. Mushkin adopted a simplistic product design which includes two modules without heatspreaders. The modules operate at voltages between 2 and 2.1V and DRAM timings of 4-4-4-12. The modules use an 8-layer black coloured PCB to reduce electronic noise. Mushkin plans to sell this kit for 46 to 49 Euros including taxes.
HP Launches New MediaSmart Home Server for PCs and Macs
HP today launched a home server designed for use with both Windows and Mac computers. Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network.
The MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet, and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites.
The MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet, and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites.
Acer Enhances Aspire 8930G with the New Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 Processor
Acer America, part of the world's third largest PC company, today introduced the Aspire 8930G-7665 notebook PC, utilizing the new Intel Core 2 Quad Mobile Processor Q9000. The new quad-core processors allow for extreme mobile performance and speed for gaming on the go. Designed for multimedia and gaming enthusiasts, the Aspire 8930G-7665 combines superior computing power, innovative technology and productivity features, with stylish PC design.
VIA Platforms Hold 10-15% ULPC Shipments in 2008
A computing segment conceived by low-power CPU vendors such as VIA, that only got materialised with the participation of Intel with the Atom processor, the ULPC expects competition provided by the likes of VIA. According to news reports by a Chinese daily citing sources at VIA, the company's ULPC platforms have accounted for anywhere between 10 and 15 percent of ULPC shipments.
VIA, the third most popular x86 CPU producer specialises in low-power, low-cost CPUs to cater to the ULPC and UMPC segments. Its two main processor brands for this segment include C7 and Nano. With "low-power" being the selling point and Intel for a competitor, the major direction for CPU development would be performance per Watt while maintaining low thermal footprints. During its development in 2008, the VIA platform in general was able to reduce CPU size and power consumptions by up to 33 percent, which is further expected to drop by as much as 41% in 2009.
VIA, the third most popular x86 CPU producer specialises in low-power, low-cost CPUs to cater to the ULPC and UMPC segments. Its two main processor brands for this segment include C7 and Nano. With "low-power" being the selling point and Intel for a competitor, the major direction for CPU development would be performance per Watt while maintaining low thermal footprints. During its development in 2008, the VIA platform in general was able to reduce CPU size and power consumptions by up to 33 percent, which is further expected to drop by as much as 41% in 2009.
ASRock M3A790GXH AM3 Motherboard Pictured
Following ECS, ASRock will be one of the first ones to be out with an AM3 socket motherboard supporting the upcoming 45nm processors by AMD, as well as support for the newer DDR3 memory technology. The M3A790GXH-128M motherboard has been pictured by the guys at OCWorkbench. It is based on the AMD 790GX + SB750 chipset and features 128 MB of DDR3 Sideport graphics memory for the onboard Radeon HD 3300 IGP.
The most significant feature of this motherboard is support for up to 16 GB of DDR3 1333/1066/800 MHz memory. What's even more interesting according to the specifications OCW listed, is that the motherboard supports a range of AM3, AM2+ as well as AM2 processors that include Sempron and Athlon64, while featuring only DDR3 memory slots. There are three PCI-Express x16 slots ,which depending on the devices installed, arrange in lane configurations of (x16, NC, x4) or (x8, x8, x4). The IGP provides output from DVI, D-Sub and audio-routed HDMI ports. The SB750 southbridge provides six SATA II channels. The board also integrates a high-grade 7.1 HD audio CODEC, the Realtek ALC 889, which comes with a rated SNR of 110 dB. Overall, the motherboard features a simplistic construction. The cooling isn't extravagant, with heatsinks for the chipset. The CPU is powered by a 4+1 phase power circuit whose MOSFETs have no heatsinks. Pricing and availability isn't known at this point in time.
The most significant feature of this motherboard is support for up to 16 GB of DDR3 1333/1066/800 MHz memory. What's even more interesting according to the specifications OCW listed, is that the motherboard supports a range of AM3, AM2+ as well as AM2 processors that include Sempron and Athlon64, while featuring only DDR3 memory slots. There are three PCI-Express x16 slots ,which depending on the devices installed, arrange in lane configurations of (x16, NC, x4) or (x8, x8, x4). The IGP provides output from DVI, D-Sub and audio-routed HDMI ports. The SB750 southbridge provides six SATA II channels. The board also integrates a high-grade 7.1 HD audio CODEC, the Realtek ALC 889, which comes with a rated SNR of 110 dB. Overall, the motherboard features a simplistic construction. The cooling isn't extravagant, with heatsinks for the chipset. The CPU is powered by a 4+1 phase power circuit whose MOSFETs have no heatsinks. Pricing and availability isn't known at this point in time.
Creative Getting Creative This CES with Zii
Known for decades as a company that specialises in digital entertainment products, Creative is up to something new. The company is working on what it calls "Stemcell Computing". It is reportedly making a processing chip or architecture called Zii. A teaser micro-site of the same has been launched. The Zii processing chip is expected to give Creative the new direction the company has been striving for, with announcements of products incorporating the Stemcell Computing technology being expected at the upcoming CES event. Not much is known about Creative's plans at this point in time. The teaser goes with the tag-line "Everything you know is about to change", so we are expecting something big, or significant at least.
The World's First Hybrid Storage Netbook - MSI U115 Hybrid
MSI today announces U115 Hybrid. The very first notebook computer in the world that is capable of operating both SSD and HDD hard drives simultaneously, combining all the features of SSD and HDD in the U115 Hybrid for your enjoyment.
With MSI Exclusive Hybrid Storage Technology, in the "ECO on" mode, the battery life of U115 Hybrid is super long. This amazing battery life can escalate the mobility and the productiveness of the U115 Hybrid, which can also make your daily lives much more convenient.
With MSI Exclusive Hybrid Storage Technology, in the "ECO on" mode, the battery life of U115 Hybrid is super long. This amazing battery life can escalate the mobility and the productiveness of the U115 Hybrid, which can also make your daily lives much more convenient.
G92-Based GeForce 9 Series Products to be Renamed GeForce GTS 200 Series
The NVIDIA G92 graphics processor has had the reputation of spanning across two generations of GeForce graphics accelerators, which could well become three with talk about NVIDIA executing another re-branding to products based on the GPU. The re-branding will use the B1 revision of the G92 GPU (aka G92b), which is known to have been manufactured on the 55nm fabrication process, along with the 65nm A1 revision.
The new series created will include two SKUs based on the G92, the GeForce GTS 240 and GeForce GTS 250. These are the 112 SP and 128 SP variants of the G92 core, presently branded under 8800/9800 GT and 8800 GTS 512, 9800 GTX/GTX+ respectively. NVIDIA looks to capitalise on the sales improvement the GTX 200 series has seen for the past two or so months now, by giving it a present-generation branding. The re-branding, or rather, releasing products with the new naming scheme is said to be operationalised by February 2009.
The new series created will include two SKUs based on the G92, the GeForce GTS 240 and GeForce GTS 250. These are the 112 SP and 128 SP variants of the G92 core, presently branded under 8800/9800 GT and 8800 GTS 512, 9800 GTX/GTX+ respectively. NVIDIA looks to capitalise on the sales improvement the GTX 200 series has seen for the past two or so months now, by giving it a present-generation branding. The re-branding, or rather, releasing products with the new naming scheme is said to be operationalised by February 2009.
RivaTuner Version 2.22 Released, Adds Skins Support
RivaTuner has just been updated to the New Year's build number v2.22. This release has a number of updates and fixes, but most importantly RivaTuner now supports skins.
DOWNLOAD: RivaTuner Version 2.22
DOWNLOAD: RivaTuner Version 2.22
Intel Introduces New Mobile Dual-core and Quad-core Processors
Intel has released a total of five new mobile processors over the holidays, including one quad-core CPU and four dual-core models:
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 - 2.0 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP 45W - $348
- Intel Core 2 Duo T9800 - 2.93 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP of 35W - $530
- Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 - 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP of 35W - $348
- Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 - 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP of 25W - $316
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 - 2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP of 25W - $241
Sunday, December 28th 2008
In Win GD Review
The In Win GD case is a unique gaming case. The case has been designed with a futuristic/robotic theme and the chassis follows this on both the front and side. The innovative VGA Turbo Cooling Solution is a great way for gamers to keep their graphics cards cool when spending hours in-game.
Cygnus Systems Sues Google, Microsoft and Apple Over Preview Icons
It appears that Networking company Cygnus Systems has found the best Christmas present for Google, Microsoft, and Apple. Miracles happen, and Cygnus is now suing the three companies for violating its patent (US 7,346,850) on the use of document-preview icons or thumbnails as we know them in operating systems. Matt McAndrews, representative of Cygnus, said: "They were a logical starting place for us." He also added: "We've identified many other potentially infringing products that we're investigating."
In the suit, Cygnus Systems targets Google's Chrome, Microsoft's Vista and Internet Explorer 8, and Apple's iPhone, Safari, and Mac OS X as patent infringers. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona. The company is looking for compensation and a court injunction preventing further infringement of their patent. Responses from Google, Microsoft and Apple are still expected.
In the suit, Cygnus Systems targets Google's Chrome, Microsoft's Vista and Internet Explorer 8, and Apple's iPhone, Safari, and Mac OS X as patent infringers. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona. The company is looking for compensation and a court injunction preventing further infringement of their patent. Responses from Google, Microsoft and Apple are still expected.
Saturday, December 27th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Headphones
Motherboards
NVIDIA GPU Lineup for 2009 Tabled
The year 2008 has been eventful for the PC graphics industry. This is the year which, for the most of the part, saw some serious competition between NVIDIA and ATI. While pure horsepower and value are what determined product superiority, implementing new technologies is what looks to drive GPU makers in 2009. One of the first of these technologies is the introduction of the 40nm manufacturing process, which facilitates GPU makers to step-up transistor counts or even cut manufacturing costs. VR-Zone, based on a few documents it has access to, compiled a list of GPUs that NVIDIA could pull out of its hat in 2009.
To begin with, NVIDIA is expected to have a full-fledged lineup of GPUs top-to-bottom built on the 40nm fab process within 2009. Before it makes the move to the new fab process, the G200b, built on the 55nm fab process will be given a chance to hold the performance and enthusiast segment offerings by the company, in Q1. Come Q2, and the G200b will be succeeded by GT212. All that while, current G94, G96, G98 will hold the mainstream thru value segments, only to be replaced by GT214, GT216 and GT218 respectively in Q3. NVIDIA's gets a newer IGP too, the iGT209. NVIDIA looks to end the year with a newer high-end GPU, the GT300 to succeed GT212 in Q4.
To begin with, NVIDIA is expected to have a full-fledged lineup of GPUs top-to-bottom built on the 40nm fab process within 2009. Before it makes the move to the new fab process, the G200b, built on the 55nm fab process will be given a chance to hold the performance and enthusiast segment offerings by the company, in Q1. Come Q2, and the G200b will be succeeded by GT212. All that while, current G94, G96, G98 will hold the mainstream thru value segments, only to be replaced by GT214, GT216 and GT218 respectively in Q3. NVIDIA's gets a newer IGP too, the iGT209. NVIDIA looks to end the year with a newer high-end GPU, the GT300 to succeed GT212 in Q4.
Friday, December 26th 2008
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Motherboards
PSUs
Steam Holiday Sale On Now
The Steam Holiday sale is on now. Through January 2, 2009, every game on Steam is available at 10% to 75% off the regular price. Select publisher catalogs such as Ubisoft, THQ, and 2K Games are 25% off. Award-winning titles such as Bioshock and Portal are available for 75% off the regular price. For more information, please visit this page.
AMD Desktop CPU Schedule Updated
AMD, on the brink of making a start with its first desktop CPUs made on the 45nm manufacturing process, seems to have updated time-frames in which it will introduce new CPUs and manage inventories of currently available CPUs. Data compiled by DigiTimes from sources in the motherboard manufacturing industry points towards the following in 2009:
- The introduction of four new SKUs in the months of April, that include Athlon X4 (Propus core) 615 and 605, Athlon X3 (Rana core) 420 and 410, followed by Athlon X2 (Regor core) 240 and 235 in June
- Last orders for Phenom X4 9850 and 9950 (140W) to be taken in March, Phenom X4 9750, 9850 (95W) and 9950 (125W) will be in June, before which Phenom II X4 920 and 940 in May (in most likelihood replaced by models 925 and 945)
- Phase-out of Phenom X3 8450 and 8550 started, that of Phenom X3 8650 in March followed by Phenom X3 8850 and 8750 in June
- Last order notice for Athlon X2 4450e to be issued in March
Buffalo Releases DDR3-2200 Memory Kit
Buffalo, known by the PC enthusiast community for their high-end FireStix series memory modules, is readying a new high-speed memory kit under the FireStix Inferno brand. The rated memory speed for these modules is at a blistering 1100 MHz (2200 MHz DDR) setting a speed standard of PC3-17600, a notch above the DDR3-2133 MHz kit on offer by Corsair.
Buffalo will sell these modules in a dual-channel kit (model: FSI2200D3K-K2G), consisting of two modules. Each module has a capacity of 1 GB. They feature aluminum heatsinks for passive cooling. The modules are rated to hit clock speeds of 2200 MHz with DRAM timings of 9-9-9-24, at a voltage of 2.1V. The company has started shipping the kit today, widespread availability is expected by January.
Buffalo will sell these modules in a dual-channel kit (model: FSI2200D3K-K2G), consisting of two modules. Each module has a capacity of 1 GB. They feature aluminum heatsinks for passive cooling. The modules are rated to hit clock speeds of 2200 MHz with DRAM timings of 9-9-9-24, at a voltage of 2.1V. The company has started shipping the kit today, widespread availability is expected by January.
Inno3D iChill GeForce GTX 280 Extreme Edition Pictured
Our colleagues over at Expreview published today information on a new Inno3D video card, part of the company's premium iChiLL series. The Inno3D iChill GeForce GTX 280 Extreme Edition pictured below comes with the massive Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme VGA cooler that features five copper heatpipes and three ultra quiet 80mm PWM fans with low noise impeller. Although the huge cooler suggests that the card should be factory overclocked, it's not. It comes with stock clock speeds - 602MHz core, 1296Mhz shader and 2214MHz for the 1024MB of GDDR3 memory - but no one can stop you from overclocking it yourself. Remaining specs include DirectX 10 support, PhysX support with the latest GeForce drivers, CUDA support and triple-SLI support, plus the standard dual-DVI ports. The release date and pricing information for this product are yet to be determined.
Thermalright AXP-140 Heatsink Pictured
Thermalright, best known for its aluminum fin heatsinks devised the AXP-140 CPU heatsink for HTPCs, that is low-profile friendly with a height of 7 cm. VR-Zone unboxed the heatsink to take a few pictures.
The AXP-140 supports Intel processors on the LGA-775 socket. It consists of a thick nickel-plated copper CPU contact block from which six aluminum heatpipes convey heat to an aluminum fin array. Unlike conventional heatsinks from Thermalright, the array propagates horizontally along the plane of the motherboard. The dimensions of this heatsink are 145 x 147 x 70.2 mm (L x W x H). It weighs 900 g (1.98 lbs). Although this heatsink could cool some processors with low TDP passively for a silent operation, a 120mm fan can be attached to it for active air-cooling. The AXP-140 is expected to be priced at US $59 when it hits the stores.
The AXP-140 supports Intel processors on the LGA-775 socket. It consists of a thick nickel-plated copper CPU contact block from which six aluminum heatpipes convey heat to an aluminum fin array. Unlike conventional heatsinks from Thermalright, the array propagates horizontally along the plane of the motherboard. The dimensions of this heatsink are 145 x 147 x 70.2 mm (L x W x H). It weighs 900 g (1.98 lbs). Although this heatsink could cool some processors with low TDP passively for a silent operation, a 120mm fan can be attached to it for active air-cooling. The AXP-140 is expected to be priced at US $59 when it hits the stores.
Intel Denies False Report - No one Prevents Vendors from Using NVIDIA's Ion Platform
For good or for bad, it seems that DigiTimes was wrong on Intel and NVIDIA's plans about the future of netbooks. Recently DigiTimes reported that Intel is to forbid using of NVIDIA's brand new GeForce 9400 chipset also known as the Ion platform. Now, two days after the report, Intel spokesman said there is no such thing:
There is nothing preventing vendors from using the Ion platform. We sell Atom as a stand-alone processor, or as package with chipset,said Bill Calder, an Intel spokesman, in an e-mail sent to InternetNews.com. It's the manufacturers of the netbooks who will decide whether or not to combo the Atom with NVIDIA's chipset and powerful graphics core.
Thursday, December 25th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
PSUs
Thermaltake Announces New WB200 and WB100 CPU and Northbridge Water-Blocks
Great news for Liquid Cooling System enthusiasts! New liquid cooling system upgrade from Thermaltake ---WB100 waterblock for CPU and WB200 for North Bridge.
North Bridge thermal issue is often neglected in pc cooling field, but all true pc enthusiasts know it not only important but it also but one of the vital elements to the computer performance.. Thermaltake new WB200 is a perfect solution to North Bridge cooling in liquid cooling application. WB200 is purely copper-made for efficient and speedy heat dissipation in the first place; adding up the flawless contact surface with the chipset and the well-known brazing technology, WB200 should definitely guarantee impressive performance without worrying about leakage problems. Moreover, the Rotational Hose Connector used for connecting the tube and WB200 had made installation extremely easy!
North Bridge thermal issue is often neglected in pc cooling field, but all true pc enthusiasts know it not only important but it also but one of the vital elements to the computer performance.. Thermaltake new WB200 is a perfect solution to North Bridge cooling in liquid cooling application. WB200 is purely copper-made for efficient and speedy heat dissipation in the first place; adding up the flawless contact surface with the chipset and the well-known brazing technology, WB200 should definitely guarantee impressive performance without worrying about leakage problems. Moreover, the Rotational Hose Connector used for connecting the tube and WB200 had made installation extremely easy!
QNAP Turbo NAS Series Now Compatible with Seagate 1.5 TB HDDs
QNAP Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB (ST31500341AS) hard drive is supported by the entire TS-109/ 209/ 409/ 509 Turbo NAS series.
"The good news is, our Turbo NAS users now have more choices when selecting the hard drive models and more storage space. For example, the TS-509 Pro supports up to 7.5TB storage capacity," said Laurent Cheng, Product Manager from QNAP. The HDD compatibility list is available here.
The TS-409 and TS-509 series supports Online RAID Capacity Expansion which allows increasing the storage capacity by replacing the hard disk drives with the data reserved and not turning the server off. To read the online tutorial, please visit this page.
"The good news is, our Turbo NAS users now have more choices when selecting the hard drive models and more storage space. For example, the TS-509 Pro supports up to 7.5TB storage capacity," said Laurent Cheng, Product Manager from QNAP. The HDD compatibility list is available here.
The TS-409 and TS-509 series supports Online RAID Capacity Expansion which allows increasing the storage capacity by replacing the hard disk drives with the data reserved and not turning the server off. To read the online tutorial, please visit this page.
Chaintech Showcases APOGEE Magic Capsule
Walton Chaintech, the well-known innovative memory product provider, today announced the newest product APOGEE Magic Capsule and APOGEE Sharemate in 2009 International CES, with innovative product design of patented Flash memory technology. Besides, a complete memory products and solutions will also be showcased in International CES from Overclocking memory modules, FB-DIMM memory modules, Flash SSD, Flash USB and industrial standard storage products.
Exclusively designed by the adoption of the patented High Density Flash memory technology, APOGEE Magic Capsule works exactly like magic and is much more than a Flash USB drive. The innovative design and embedded software functions making it a perfect Flash memory companion to consumer's daily life. With its stylish appearance in classic black diamond shape and a chic, black necklace, each Magic Capsule is consists of 3 pieces of USB drives, the capacity of each USB can be chosen from 2GB to 8GB, users can easily use Magic Capsule to sort out business and personal images files and documents. Each USB can be connected to save space, so that users no longer need to carry different types of Flash USB along just for not enough of storage space or for file organization.
Exclusively designed by the adoption of the patented High Density Flash memory technology, APOGEE Magic Capsule works exactly like magic and is much more than a Flash USB drive. The innovative design and embedded software functions making it a perfect Flash memory companion to consumer's daily life. With its stylish appearance in classic black diamond shape and a chic, black necklace, each Magic Capsule is consists of 3 pieces of USB drives, the capacity of each USB can be chosen from 2GB to 8GB, users can easily use Magic Capsule to sort out business and personal images files and documents. Each USB can be connected to save space, so that users no longer need to carry different types of Flash USB along just for not enough of storage space or for file organization.
Micron Ends Year Badly, Reports $706 Million Loss
Micron Technology today announced results of operations for the company's first quarter of fiscal 2009, which ended December 4, 2008. For the first quarter of fiscal 2009, the company posted a net loss of $706 million, or $0.91 per diluted share, on net sales of $1.4 billion. These results reflect a non-cash charge to cost of goods sold of $369 million to write down the value of work in process and finished goods inventories of memory products to their estimated market values and a benefit of $157 million from first quarter sales of products that were subject to
previous write-downs. In the first quarter of fiscal 2009, the company generated $359 million in cash flow from operating activities and ended the quarter with cash and investments of $1.0 billion.
previous write-downs. In the first quarter of fiscal 2009, the company generated $359 million in cash flow from operating activities and ended the quarter with cash and investments of $1.0 billion.
NVIDIA GT216 Specifications Trickle-In
The AMD RV740 has been gaining quite some attention lately. Following news of it being the first GPU to be built on the 40nm manufacturing process, there is some information trickling in about NVIDIA's offering to combat it. The GT216, unlike what most speculations talked about being a next generation high-end GPU, is supposed to be a mainstream GPU whose specifications make it a rival to the AMD RV740. This, according to specifications of the said GPU emerging from Beyond3D, part of which they are sure of, part speculation.
For starters, the GT216 will be built on the 40nm manufacturing process. It will feature a 192-bit wide GDDR3 memory bus. Graphics cards built on this would feature 768 MB of memory (with possible OEM variants having just 384 MB). The memory is clocked at 1200 MHz (2400 MHz DDR). There is speculation linked to the rest of the specs at this point in time, notably that it might have 7 ALU clusters (168 SPs). The manufacturing process will make sure the GPU is cost-effective. With this, the next round of mainstream GPU competition sounds even more exciting.
For starters, the GT216 will be built on the 40nm manufacturing process. It will feature a 192-bit wide GDDR3 memory bus. Graphics cards built on this would feature 768 MB of memory (with possible OEM variants having just 384 MB). The memory is clocked at 1200 MHz (2400 MHz DDR). There is speculation linked to the rest of the specs at this point in time, notably that it might have 7 ALU clusters (168 SPs). The manufacturing process will make sure the GPU is cost-effective. With this, the next round of mainstream GPU competition sounds even more exciting.
Logitec Readying Slim External DVD Burners
Japanese manufacturer Logitec (≠ Logitech) announced the production of two models of external DVD burners under the LDR-PMD8U2L BR/RD (black/red) model series. The drives are simply slim form-factor optical drives in a stylish brushed metal chassis. They measure 133.6 (W) x 160 (D) x 17.7 (H) mm, and weigh 415 g. The drives use the standard USB 2.0 interface for connectivity. They support write speeds of 8x for for DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW media; 6x for dual-layer DVD+R, DVD-R media and 5x for DVD-RAM. CDs are written at speeds of up to 24x. The drives cost US $92 excl. taxes. The black model will hit stores later this month, while the red one follows in early January.
Team launches Diamond (D603) USB Drive
The bling-bling fashion has spread to communication, computing and consumer electronics. Eyeing the developmental potential of the women's market, Team Group, Taiwan's leading memory maker, announced today (21st) the brand new Diamond (D603) USB disk. In addition to continuing Team's fingerprint matchbox appearance and smart design for users to open it with just a gentle push, an eye-catching Swarovski crystal is embedded on the aluminum shell that brings the minimalist style over the top, making the Diamond USB disk sparkle with hip-hop bling-bling fashion. In short, Team's Diamond D604 is an absolute interpretation of aesthetics and technology.
The handy and cute Diamond D603 is equipped with a contractible USB connector, so that users will not have to worry about losing the cap. In addition to this thoughtful design, the Diamond D603 is really small and lightweight, simply 28.6mm by 13.2mm by 3.2mm and 3g. It is offered in three colors, gold, purple and titanium; and three capacity options, 2GB/4GB/8GB. Together with the zinc-alloy Team shield pendent, users can put it on their mobile, key or in front of the chest to display the bling-bling charm of Diamond D603.
The handy and cute Diamond D603 is equipped with a contractible USB connector, so that users will not have to worry about losing the cap. In addition to this thoughtful design, the Diamond D603 is really small and lightweight, simply 28.6mm by 13.2mm by 3.2mm and 3g. It is offered in three colors, gold, purple and titanium; and three capacity options, 2GB/4GB/8GB. Together with the zinc-alloy Team shield pendent, users can put it on their mobile, key or in front of the chest to display the bling-bling charm of Diamond D603.
SPARKLE Announces GeForce 9600 GT and GeForce 9800 GT Low Profile Graphics Cards
SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today announced the SPARKLE GeForce 9600 GT and GeForce 9800 GT Low Profile 512MB GDDR3 Graphics Cards, providing powerful 3D performance and HD experience to HTPC enthusiasts with low profile design and native HDMI support.
Wednesday, December 24th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Keyboards
Multimedia
Atom Not For NVIDIA: Intel
Barely a week into its announcement, the NVIDIA Ion platform, finds itself amidst a potential controversy that has trouble written all over it, reveals a DigiTimes report. The Ion platform is NVIDIA's attempt to bring to market, products incorporating the Intel Atom processor and its own core-logic with embedded GeForce graphics technologies. The controversy involves an internal statement distributed by Intel to hardware manufacturers that they will be able to purchase stocks of Atom processors bundled with homegrown i945GSE and i945GC chipsets, and not just the processor itself.
This leaves manufacturers with inability to buy just the processor. While manufacturers can work around this by buying the entire bundle per unit, in order to use the processor on products based on the Ion platform, it is an expensive way of doing it and substantially increases manufacturing costs. This would then render Ion based products too expensive to fit in the market segment originally conceived. NVIDIA's executives have been lobbying with Taiwanese PC makers to garner support for the Ion platform. Intel responded to the report, saying that it had no plans to validate NVIDIA MCP79 on netbook or nettop platforms. Intel also has no plans to form a partnership with Nvidia to support nettop or netbook platforms based on the Intel Atom CPU, the company added. A response is awaited from NVIDIA.
This leaves manufacturers with inability to buy just the processor. While manufacturers can work around this by buying the entire bundle per unit, in order to use the processor on products based on the Ion platform, it is an expensive way of doing it and substantially increases manufacturing costs. This would then render Ion based products too expensive to fit in the market segment originally conceived. NVIDIA's executives have been lobbying with Taiwanese PC makers to garner support for the Ion platform. Intel responded to the report, saying that it had no plans to validate NVIDIA MCP79 on netbook or nettop platforms. Intel also has no plans to form a partnership with Nvidia to support nettop or netbook platforms based on the Intel Atom CPU, the company added. A response is awaited from NVIDIA.
Dell Adamo Nears Reality
Computing giants such as Dell and HP are on an expansion mode with their product lineups. "Adamo" has been quite a buzzword in the gadget circles, which started off with rumors of it being Dell's competition to the Apple Macbook Air. Naturally, it is expected to have the one USP the Macbook Air holds: it's slim notebook form-factor. The advantage Adamo gives is that it happens to be PC, coming with a proper PC operating system installed.
The rumor materialized with a NY Times BITS blog post which showed an extract from UptownLife.net which read:
The rumor materialized with a NY Times BITS blog post which showed an extract from UptownLife.net which read:
Rumor has it that Dell is coming out with a computer called Adamo that will rival the MacBook Air. At press time, the company was keeping the product tightly under wraps, but PC users rejoice - word on the street is that something cool is coming your way
RV740 Successfully Taped Out, Other 40nm GPUs Follow
The RV740 graphics processor by AMD could well be the first GPU in production, to be built on the newer 40nm manufacturing process, giving its makers something to brag about. The RV740 design and specifications are largely derived from the RV770LE (covered here), while bringing the GDDR5 memory standard to the mainstream.
Chinese industrial journals tell DigiTimes that the company has completed taping-out the RV740, and that the GPU is awaiting mass-production by AMD's foundry partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Mass production of products based on this GPU could commence by the end of Q1 2009.
Chinese industrial journals tell DigiTimes that the company has completed taping-out the RV740, and that the GPU is awaiting mass-production by AMD's foundry partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Mass production of products based on this GPU could commence by the end of Q1 2009.
Details and Shots of the Voodoo Designed HP Firebird 803 Gaming Tower Leaked
Due to show up at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in 2009, the new HP Firebird 803 designed by Voodoo has surfaced early with leaked photos and specifications. Unlike the previous firebird, this design is much smaller, however it does come with its draw backs. To get such a small design, the entire unit is custom built and appears to follow no standard layout or format, i.e ATX, BTX, etc. As such one would imagine that upgrading components would be very limited, so this is more like a laptop or games console in which what you buy is what your stuck with. The tower also appears to be watercooled, but to further reduce the size and heat output, the power supply has been made external and judging by the pictures it's roughly twice the size of a normal laptop power supply.
iZ3D Previews Three New 2009 3D Display Prototypes at CES
iZ3D LLC, designer, marketer and enabler of advanced 3D visualization systems, will be featuring a hands on demonstration of three of its upcoming product prototypes for 2009. iZ3D is located in meeting room #25118M in the Gaming Showcase downstairs in South Hall 2 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
"We are continually pioneering new areas of 3D display for consumers with new display products, stereoscopic 3D software drivers, 3D player groups, events, and networking, 3D content certification and enablement, and system solution partnerships," stated Thomas Striegler, CEO of iZ3D LLC. "Introducing three cutting-edge 3D prototypes at CES is once again proving iZ3D is the defacto industry leader in 3D solutions," he added.
"We are continually pioneering new areas of 3D display for consumers with new display products, stereoscopic 3D software drivers, 3D player groups, events, and networking, 3D content certification and enablement, and system solution partnerships," stated Thomas Striegler, CEO of iZ3D LLC. "Introducing three cutting-edge 3D prototypes at CES is once again proving iZ3D is the defacto industry leader in 3D solutions," he added.
Kingston to Sell SSDs Co-Branded by Intel
A DRAM major is incomplete without a product lineup that includes solid-state drives (SSDs). Kingston is looking to fill the void in its lineup with SSDs. The company looks to update is lineup as early as by January 2009. Due to time constraints and to play safe with intellectual property terms, the company looks to source its products from manufacturing sources, with a monthly shipment goal of 10,000 units, according to a DigiTimes report.
Kingston co-founder David Sun stated that Kingston does not intend to cover the manufacturing part at this stage, as SSD technology involves numerous intellectual property (IP) items. Therefore, Kingston will enter the market follow the same path as for NAND flash products (memory cards and flash drives), by securing supply for its SSD products with Intel, Sun indicated.
Microsoft Announces Quarterly Earnings Release Date and Notes Upcoming Events
Microsoft Corp. will release fiscal year 2009 second-quarter financial results after the close of the market on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. A live webcast of the earnings conference call will be made available at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time on the Microsoft Investor Relations Website.
The company will also host the following event for the financial community:
Financial Analyst Briefing at the 2009 International CES Conference
Thursday, January 8, 2009, 3:00 p.m. PST, Robbie Bach, president, Entertainment and Devices Division
Interested parties can listen to a webcast of this event on Microsoft's Investor Relations Website.
The company will also host the following event for the financial community:
Financial Analyst Briefing at the 2009 International CES Conference
Thursday, January 8, 2009, 3:00 p.m. PST, Robbie Bach, president, Entertainment and Devices Division
Interested parties can listen to a webcast of this event on Microsoft's Investor Relations Website.
Tuesday, December 23rd 2008
Today's Reviews
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
PSUs
ASUS Triton 88 CPU Cooler Supports Latest LGA1366 Chipset Socket
To keep up with the latest trends in processor technologies, ASUS has been constantly launching powerful CPU coolers to cater to the demands of gaming enthusiasts worldwide. However, one of the most eagerly-awaited would no doubt be the latest ASUS Triton 88 CPU cooler. This "fierce-looking" exterior of the Triton 88 comprises of an exclusive twin-pillared heatsink design, a 120mm inner-fan with a Diamond blue LED, and 6 copper heatpipes. With this ensemble of thermal features, it is able to deliver ultimate cooling performances for up to 180W and can support multiple applications-including the latest Intel Core i7 processor (LGA1366).
World of Warcraft Reaches New Milestone, 11.5 Million Players are Now Playing
Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft, its award-winning subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now played by more than 11.5 million subscribers worldwide. This new high was reached following the November 13 release of the game's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. Within its first 24 hours of availability, Wrath of the Lich King sold more than 2.8 million copies, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. In addition to winning a number of editor's choice awards from major gaming publications, the expansion has now gone on to sell more than 4 million copies in its first month, setting a new record for monthly PC-game sales. Both sales records were previously held by World of Warcraft's first expansion, The Burning Crusade.
DRAM Makers in Taiwan Could Get $6.5 Billion USD Bailout
Digitimes are reporting that Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) may have drafted about NT$200 billion (US$6.50 billion) to bailout the DRAM industry there, although there has not yet been any official confirmation, it has certainly stirred up a commotion, $6.5 Billion USD is a lot of money wasted should the bailout go ahead and fail.
Chii-Ming Yiin, Taiwan's minister of economic affairs, did not deny the speculated bailout amount. According to Yiin, any bailout measures for local DRAM makers are subject to risks, costs and benefits on their impact on economic growth and they will be carefully evaluated. Yiin believed that the bailout applicants were not just looking for cash injections, but mainly requested that the government negotiate with local banks and help sort out their debt problems and schedules.
LG Comes Up With Energy Effecient, Easier to Read LCD Panel for Outdoors
LG Display has developed a new technology, which in outdoor environments, has the LCD to go into a mode which not only allows the screen to be seen more easily than conventional LCD displays, but also save power in the process. Currently one of the biggest drains on battery life for mobile devices is to power the backlight for the display, which is normally worstened in outdoor environments due to a need to increase the backlight brightness. The new 14.1 inch display from LG actually uses sunlight to illuminate the screen outdoors, the technology has been dubbed Backlight Data Signal Switching Technology and it will be available to see at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2009).
GeForce GTX 285 Pitted Against GeForce GTX 280
Following the industry-wide launch of the new 55nm GeForce GTX 260, NVIDIA would launch its fastest single-GPU graphics card: the GeForce GTX 285. This card is based on the 55nm G200b core. It has identical specifications to the GeForce GTX 280, except for its higher reference clock speeds, and lower power consumption. Due to these, NVIDIA seems to have given it the "285" number, while the 55nm GTX 260 continues to hold its "260" due to identical reference clock speeds as its 65nm counterparts.
ChipHell sourced two NVIDIA company slides which show some of the specifications of GeForce GTX 285 and its expected level of performance in comparison to the GeForce GTX 280. There is also a little mention about the testing conditions: a Core i7-based machine running 32-bit Windows Vista. Across the various synthetic and real-world gaming tests, the GeForce GTX 285 is rated to perform over 10% faster compared to the GTX 280. In games such as Crysis Warhead, Call of Duty: World at War, and FarCry 2, the leads were below 10%.
ChipHell sourced two NVIDIA company slides which show some of the specifications of GeForce GTX 285 and its expected level of performance in comparison to the GeForce GTX 280. There is also a little mention about the testing conditions: a Core i7-based machine running 32-bit Windows Vista. Across the various synthetic and real-world gaming tests, the GeForce GTX 285 is rated to perform over 10% faster compared to the GTX 280. In games such as Crysis Warhead, Call of Duty: World at War, and FarCry 2, the leads were below 10%.
Phenom II X4 940 Tested at Stock Speeds
BreakTheLimt.net, a Malaysian hardware portal tested the Phenom II X4 940 at its stock speed of 3.00 GHz, and posted a sting of benchmark results of the said chip. It was tested on a platform consisting of a MSI DKA790GX Platinum motherboard, with 2 GB of DDR2 1066 MHz memory and a ASUS Radeon HD 4870 TOP graphics card. All components were set to run at stock speeds. The chip was put through Super Pi 1M and 32M, Cinebench R10, PiFast Multithreaded, WPrime 1.5, Aquamark and 3DMark06.
Ridata Introduces eSATA SSD External Drive, Big Capacity in a Small Package
Advanced Media, Inc., manufacturer and marketer of the popular Ridata brand of recordable DVD, flash media, electronic storage products, and digital accessories, has introduced its eSATA external flash drive. The product, one of the first of its kind to hit the market, will be on display at the upcoming 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center in South Hall 3, booth #31761.
"Our new dual-end eSATA or USB flash drive is at home in either business or general-use applications," stated Harvey Liu, president of Advanced Media, Inc. "It is the perfect answer for anywhere a large capacity, ultra-fast portable storage device is desired. Offering true plug-and-play connectivity and fast boot up, it provides the best of both of these popular storage technologies."
"Our new dual-end eSATA or USB flash drive is at home in either business or general-use applications," stated Harvey Liu, president of Advanced Media, Inc. "It is the perfect answer for anywhere a large capacity, ultra-fast portable storage device is desired. Offering true plug-and-play connectivity and fast boot up, it provides the best of both of these popular storage technologies."
S3 Graphics and CyberLink Combine to Deliver Cutting-Edge Hi-Def Playback on PowerDVD
S3 Graphics, a leading provider of graphics and multimedia technologies, today announced the availability of CyberLink PowerDVD 8 software for Blu-Ray playback on the Chrome 500/400 Series graphics processors.
The combination of S3 Graphics' ChromotionHD 2.0 video engine and CyberLink's leading high-definition movie playback software gives users a higher level of theatre-quality HD video playback experience. Immersive realism in single and dual-stream (PiP) Blu-ray playback can now be experienced on the latest desktop and mobile platforms.
The combination of S3 Graphics' ChromotionHD 2.0 video engine and CyberLink's leading high-definition movie playback software gives users a higher level of theatre-quality HD video playback experience. Immersive realism in single and dual-stream (PiP) Blu-ray playback can now be experienced on the latest desktop and mobile platforms.
Thermaltake Launch 2009 Sweepstakes Survey
Thermaltake have launched their 2009 Survey along with a sweepstake for people who have completed the survey. The survey lasts approximatly 3 mintues and 38 seconds and ends January 19th, 2009 11:59pm PST. The prizes up for grabs are as follows:
1x Toughpower 850W
1x Speedo Advance Package
3x SpinQ CPU Cooler
5x V1 AX CPU Cooler
15x BlacX HDD Docking Station
15x Vi-ON 2.5" Enclosure
For more information and to take part click here
1x Toughpower 850W
1x Speedo Advance Package
3x SpinQ CPU Cooler
5x V1 AX CPU Cooler
15x BlacX HDD Docking Station
15x Vi-ON 2.5" Enclosure
For more information and to take part click here
EVGA Precision Tool Version 1.40 Released
EVGA has released a new revision of its EVGA Precision overclocking utility for NVIDIA based graphics cards. Version 1.40 adds new skin engine for easier skin modification, and some minor enhancements:
- EVGA On-Screen Display Server has been updated to version 3.0.0. New server supports skinned user interface (more skins coming soon!) and provides more quick and easy beginner friendly access to On-Screen Display customization features. The server's On-Screen Display profiles are upgradable now and no longer lost after installing new version of Precision.
- Now the first graph is automatically selected when opening monitoring tab in advanced Precision settings to make On-Screen Display, G15 LCD and tray icon monitoring settings more simple for beginners.
GTX295 SLi on Core i7 Platform Scores P32573 on 3DMark Vantage
The guys over at Xfastest have been hard at work testing out the upcoming NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 graphics card based on a dual GT200 GPU setup. For this particular setup they have got two said graphics cards for a quad-SLi arrangement on an Asus Rampage II Extreme, featuring an Intel Core i7 Extreme 965 overclocked to 4.19Ghz. The graphics cards were overclocked to 705Mhz (core), 1480Mhz (shader), 1250Mhz (memory). The test was run on 3DMark Vanatage's Performance setting and gave a GPU score of 35711, leading to a total score of P32573. These scores look promising as the tests have been run on pre-release drivers which will not yet be fully optomized, if you want to try out these drivers, they can be found here, obviously these are pre-release beta drivers, so use them at your own risk.
NVIDIA GeForce Driver 180.87 and 180.88 BETA Released - GeForce GTX 295 Support Added
New NVIDIA BETA drivers have made their way to the web, providing GeForce GTX 295 testers with an early driver to test their shiny cards. These are the very same drivers that were used in the web previews of GeForce GTX 295 last week and are now available for everyone. Both drivers are dated December 12th, also included in the package is the latest PhysX software version 8.10.13. These drivers also supports all cards from the GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9 and GTX 200 series, and as mentioned the unreleased dual-GPU, dual-PCB GeForce GTX 295.
DOWNLOAD: Windows Vista 32-bit (180.88) | Windows Vista 64-bit (180.87)
DOWNLOAD: Windows Vista 32-bit (180.88) | Windows Vista 64-bit (180.87)
Sapphire HD 4870 1GB Toxic Soon to be Released
TechConnect have got hold of what appears to be official imagery of a new 1GB variant of the Sapphire HD 4870 Toxic. It shows the card will feature a dual-slot, 3 heatpipe, Vapor-X Cooler, presumably using the same Vapor Chamber Technology (VCT), though one would hope that the heatpipes will not be in the way of the Crossfire fingers when the card hits retail. It can be seen on the product packaging that the card is factory overclocked and if the 512MB 4870 Toxic is anything to go by, the GPU will be clocked around 780Mhz with the memory around 4Ghz. There is yet no word on availabilty or pricing, but TechConnect expects it to arrive in the next few weeks.
ECS A790GXM-AD3 Discloses Extraordinary Gaming Performance of AMD Dragon Platform
Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), today releases the A790GXM-AD3 Black Series motherboard disclosing the extraordinary gaming performance of AMD's latest Dragon platform. Supporting the latest AMD Phenom II processors, ATI CrossFireX technology, and the dual channel DDR3 memory architecture, ECS A790GXM-AD3 unleashes the full potential of hardware components that gamers are always eager for. With its upscale capability, the A790GXM-AD3 motherboard brings a spectacular gaming platform delivering the irrefutable performance to satisfy the gaming desire of extreme gamers.
Monday, December 22nd 2008
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cooling
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Memory
Motherboards
Mouse
Multimedia
PSUs
Intel Starts Shipping 160GB X25-M SATA Solid State Drives
Intel is expanding its award-winning Intel X25-M and X18-M SATA Solid-State Drive (SSD) family by announcing the production release of a 160 gigabyte (GB) capacity drive in a 2.5-inch form factor. The product is shipping now, and a 1.8-inch 160GB version will begin shipping next month. There's one more thing worth mentioning for these multi-level cell-based drives - their read and write speeds - and they are sustained read of 250MB/sec and 80MB/sec write. Get more information and product details here.
Steam Launches EA Titles Across Europe
Valve today announced Spore, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Mass Effect, Need for Speed Undercover and EA SPORTS FIFA Manager 2009 are available now to gamers in most of Europe, the United States and Canada via Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world. In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and Dead Space, will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam. For more information, please visit Steam Games.
Samsung Readies 12.1-inch NC20 Netbook for CES Next Year
Samsung was a bit late to the netbook party with its first NC10 netbook, but now the company is going to catch up on others with NC20. Samsung NC20 will supposedly be the NC10 successor, and while the attention this week is on NVIDIA and Intel, the NC20 will be powered by a VIA platform. The reported specifications claim a 12.1-inch display, a 1.3GHz VIA Nano U2250 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a 160GB hard drive, all packed in a system that weighs 1.5 kilograms and costs US $642 (Euro 450). The netbook will feature built-in Bluetooth 2.0, Wireless 802.11b/g, single Ethernet, a 3-in-1 memory card reader and a 1.3MP camera. Other details remain sketchy for now, it's also unclear what platform this VIA CPU will plug into. Samsung will presumably debut the NC20 at CES next year.
Qimonda Arranges Euro 325 Million Loan
Qimonda AG announced today that it has arranged a Euro 325 million financing package for the ramp up of its innovative Buried Wordline technology. The package includes a Euro 150 million loan from the German Free State of Saxony, a Euro 100 million loan from a leading financial institution in Portugal and a Euro 75 million loan from Qimonda's parent company Infineon. In addition, Qimonda will have the opportunity to draw on a Euro 280 million state guarantee by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Free State of Saxony. Qimonda is in advanced negotiations concerning the financing of Euro 150 million of this amount.
EVGA 55nm GeForce GTX 260 Ready for Launch
With NVIDIA being ready with variants of the G200 graphics processors based on the 55nm manufacturing process, a fleet of new graphics cards are in the line for launches. The range starts with a sub-$300 offering, the GeForce GTX 260 55nm. You now have three SKUs that share the name "GeForce GTX 260". The GeForce GTX 260 comes with the 216 SP configuration with 896 MB of GDDR3 memory. EVGA for one, is aiming to be one of the first NVIDIA partners to be out with the new GeForce GTX 260, with a standard and Superclocked models ready for launch, already listed in European and North American online stores.
The EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR comes with NVIDIA reference clock speeds of 576 MHz (core), 1242 MHz (shader) and 999 MHz (memory), while the Superclocked EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR model is factory-overclocked with 626 MHz (core), 1350 MHz (shader) and 1053 MHz (memory). EVGA is further planning a SSC variant that could come with a core clock speed of 666 MHz. For now, American retailer ZipZoomFly has listed the reference speed card for $289.99 and the Superclocked variant for just $4 more. Both cards are listed as "pre-order".
The EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR comes with NVIDIA reference clock speeds of 576 MHz (core), 1242 MHz (shader) and 999 MHz (memory), while the Superclocked EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR model is factory-overclocked with 626 MHz (core), 1350 MHz (shader) and 1053 MHz (memory). EVGA is further planning a SSC variant that could come with a core clock speed of 666 MHz. For now, American retailer ZipZoomFly has listed the reference speed card for $289.99 and the Superclocked variant for just $4 more. Both cards are listed as "pre-order".
Sony Launches Teaser Site for Revolutionary New Vaio Laptop
Sony New Zealand has put up a teaser site called, "The Wait Is Over", stating, "On the 9th of January you will change the way you look at laptops. Forever". Other than a glossy Vaio logo and a link to enter a competition, for a chance to, "Win the revolutionary new VAIO", no other information is available. Could it be the world's thinnest laptop? The smallest? Or even the longest battery life? Who knows, all we can do now is speculate and wait for more information to emerge. If you want to see it for yourself, the website can be found here.
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The link is down at the moment, probably due to maintenance or update
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The link is down at the moment, probably due to maintenance or update
Koolance Release Sneak Peak of their New Thermal Management System the TMS-200
A new thermal management software and hardware board is currently being developed by Koolance, called the TMS-200. No official information or specifications have been released yet, but Koolance have released an early screenshot of the main page of the thermal management software, to hint at what some of the new features are. It appears that not only will you have many temperature check points, but also be able to independantly control your pump and fan speeds dynamically from within your OS. We will have to wait and see what the final feature set and specifications are, along with availability and pricing. Koolance have setup a mail listing to be notified of the product's release here.
Researchers at the Rice University Create New Memory from Graphene
A team at Rice University has determined that a strip of graphite only 10 atoms thick can serve as the basic element in a new type of memory, making massive amounts of storage available for computers, handheld media players, cell phones and cameras. In new research available online in Nature Materials, Rice professor James Tour and postdoctoral researchers Yubao Li and Alexander Sinitskii describe a solid-state device that takes advantage of the conducting properties of graphene. Tour said such a device would have many advantages over today's state-of-the-art flash memory and other new technologies. Graphene memory would increase the amount of storage in a two-dimensional array by a factor of five, he said, as individual bits could be made smaller than 10 nanometers, compared to the 45-nanometer circuitry in today's flash memory chips. The new switches can be controlled by two terminals instead of three, as in current chips.
Lenovo Announces Dual-Screen Mobile Workstation - ThinkPad W700ds
Lenovo this weekend officially announced its ThinkPad W700ds (ds stands for dual-screen), a mobile workstation with two fully functional LCD displays. Inside and round the back of the main 17-inch display is housed a second one, 10.6-inch in diagonal that can also be tilted up to 30 degrees like a car's rearview mirror. The secondary WXGA display (768x1280), allows users to own a workstation notebook with dual-monitor support for the first time. Wes Williams, product marketing manager for ThinkPads, said: "People that use high-end computers, whether they are professional photographers or work in other fields, all use two displays at their desktops ... What we were trying to do in building a mobile workstation is give them the same experience. Not only do you need a great display, great graphics, great processor and RAID hard drive with a workstation, but it is hard going back to a single display mode." The Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds is said to make its first appearance at CES, starting January 5, 2008. Among the other cool features that will be integrated inside the W700ds are the latest Intel Core 2 Quad 45nm processors, NVIDIA Quadro mobile graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and a pair of hard drive/solid-state drive bays for up to 960GB of storage. The W700ds' starting price is expected to be $3,600 upon availability.
Saturday, December 20th 2008
Today's Files
Today's Reviews
Chipsets
Graphics Cards
AMD Propus and Regor Die Sizes Surface?
The years 2007 and 2008 have been quite tough for AMD when it came to client CPU market. Its Barcelona K10 "Stars" micro-architecture, while not being able to lead Intel technologically, eventually got implemented into various processor SKUs. AMD carved several triple-core and dual-core processors out of a standard K10 die design by changing the count of available processing cores.
With the upcoming 45nm Phenom II and Athlon series, AMD is planning two primary die designs: those with the L3 cache, and those without. Sources suggest that AMD won't be carving out dual-core chips by disabling two cores from a quad-core die (for the Regor core). This is indicated by the estimated die sizes of some of the 45nm AMD desktop cores according to Macadamia from XtremeSystems. The Deneb core is sized at 243 sq. mm, with 140 sq. mm for the Propus core, followed by ~80 sq. mm for Regor. The die-size difference between the Deneb and Propus cores comes from the fact that the former carries a large 6144 KB L3. A lot can be inferred from these die-sizes. Ideally for the smaller core (Propus), the L3 cache is physically lacking, and not merely present but disabled. This could result in the chip having a lesser energy draw. AMD has a string of product-launches in the first half of 2009, that includes the Propus core under the Athlon X4 banner.
With the upcoming 45nm Phenom II and Athlon series, AMD is planning two primary die designs: those with the L3 cache, and those without. Sources suggest that AMD won't be carving out dual-core chips by disabling two cores from a quad-core die (for the Regor core). This is indicated by the estimated die sizes of some of the 45nm AMD desktop cores according to Macadamia from XtremeSystems. The Deneb core is sized at 243 sq. mm, with 140 sq. mm for the Propus core, followed by ~80 sq. mm for Regor. The die-size difference between the Deneb and Propus cores comes from the fact that the former carries a large 6144 KB L3. A lot can be inferred from these die-sizes. Ideally for the smaller core (Propus), the L3 cache is physically lacking, and not merely present but disabled. This could result in the chip having a lesser energy draw. AMD has a string of product-launches in the first half of 2009, that includes the Propus core under the Athlon X4 banner.
AOC Releases V22 Verfino Series Displays, Take Gaming to Another Level
AOC has launched their Gamer Certified series of displays designed to offer the latest in graphic technologies geared toward today's high definition, fast moving games.
AOC's Gamer Certified displays allow gamers to view HD games the way designers intended. All AOC Gamer Certified displays offer high contrast ratios and industry leading 2ms response times with DCR (dynamic contrast ratio) control, HDMI inputs and gaming modes for adjusting them to meet gamer needs on any HD game, whether it be on a console or PC.
AOC's Gamer Certified displays allow gamers to view HD games the way designers intended. All AOC Gamer Certified displays offer high contrast ratios and industry leading 2ms response times with DCR (dynamic contrast ratio) control, HDMI inputs and gaming modes for adjusting them to meet gamer needs on any HD game, whether it be on a console or PC.
Will Economic Recession Impact the Video Game Industry?
Unless you have been living in a cave for the past 6 months, you are aware that the global economy is in recession. Journalists for The Economist magazine have written an interesting article on how the video game industry has proven, so far, to be recession proof. Games sales in America were up 35% this year in October over last year and hardware sales were up as well. However large software developers, like EA and Activision Blizzard, are reporting losses. For a more detailed explanation check out the article.
55nm GeForce GTX260 by Inno3D Found on Sale in Japan
It seems that the first graphics card using NVIDIA's latest 55nm fabrication process has in fact reached retail earlier than the January 2009 release date we had previously anticipated. A Japanese technology website has photos of an Inno3D GeForce GTX260 Gold featuring a factory overclocked, 216 SP chip, made by the 55nm process. What is interesting is that Inno3D have clearly advertised this fact by displaying 55nm on the product and in the product description. The core clock is set at 620Mhz with a memory clock of 1050Mhz, there is no information as yet on the shader clock. It can also be seen that there are no memory chips on the rear of the PCB, this means that all the memory chips are cooled by the stock cooler and there is no longer a need for backplates, as seen on many 65nm GT200 based cards. The pricing however does seem a little steep, with today's exchange rate, this would set you back around $390 USD, with online stores selling the 65nm equivalent for over $100 less, one would hope that the price will drop before it reaches the rest of the world's shores.
Steam Launches Hit PC Games from EA
Valve today announced Spore, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Mass Effect, Need for Speed Undercover and EA SPORTS FIFA Manager 2009 are available now to gamers in the United States and Canada via Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.
In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and Dead Space, will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam.
"EA is one of the industry's largest publishers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "The EA titles coming to Steam this holiday include some this year's top PC titles."
"We are pleased to extend our holiday titles to gamers worldwide via Steam -- a revolutionary technology that is one of the game industry's most successful digital distribution services," said John Pleasants, President, Global Publishing & Chief Operating Officer.
For more information, please visit steamgames.com
In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and Dead Space, will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam.
"EA is one of the industry's largest publishers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "The EA titles coming to Steam this holiday include some this year's top PC titles."
"We are pleased to extend our holiday titles to gamers worldwide via Steam -- a revolutionary technology that is one of the game industry's most successful digital distribution services," said John Pleasants, President, Global Publishing & Chief Operating Officer.
For more information, please visit steamgames.com
RV740 a 40nm RV770LE in Disguise?
RV740, the first GPU built by AMD on the 40nm silicon fabrication process, seems to be gaining attention. While earlier reports suggested this core to be simply a miniaturized RV730, a fresh report emerging from VR-Zone says otherwise.
The RV740 is supposed to be largely derived from the RV770, as in its RV770LE avatar which went into making the ATI Radeon HD 4830. There are some interesting specifications attached to it. To begin with, the core physically holds only 640 stream processors, in comparison to the 800(+) on the RV770. The core continues to have 32 texture memory units (TMUs) and 16 render back-ends. Interestingly, there is a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory bus instead of 256-bit wide GDDR3 (for the RV770LE). With this, the RV740 has a rated memory bandwidth identical to that of the RV770LE, 57.6 GB/s, though the bus width would warrant the use of lesser number of memory chips, and effectively reduce manufacturing costs. Graphics cards based on this GPU are expected to emerge in early 2009. You can also expect derivatives based on this core with GDDR4, GDDR3 or even DDR2 memory. In any case, the products are expected to cost below US $100.
The RV740 is supposed to be largely derived from the RV770, as in its RV770LE avatar which went into making the ATI Radeon HD 4830. There are some interesting specifications attached to it. To begin with, the core physically holds only 640 stream processors, in comparison to the 800(+) on the RV770. The core continues to have 32 texture memory units (TMUs) and 16 render back-ends. Interestingly, there is a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory bus instead of 256-bit wide GDDR3 (for the RV770LE). With this, the RV740 has a rated memory bandwidth identical to that of the RV770LE, 57.6 GB/s, though the bus width would warrant the use of lesser number of memory chips, and effectively reduce manufacturing costs. Graphics cards based on this GPU are expected to emerge in early 2009. You can also expect derivatives based on this core with GDDR4, GDDR3 or even DDR2 memory. In any case, the products are expected to cost below US $100.
Scythe Brings In CPU Cooler Stabilizer for AMD Sockets 939, AM2
Although AMD juggled around with several desktop CPU sockets in this decade in comparison to the LGA socket that remained constant for a long time, the cooler retention assembly for the AMD sockets 939, 940, AM2/AM2+ have been largely the same. Scythe took advantage of this fact, and released its CPU Cooler Stabilizer, a replacement cooler retention assembly for AMD desktop CPU sockets after socket 939. It consists of a metal retention bracket, a back-plate, spacers and screws, along with a packet of thermal compound.
Scythe notes that due to the high quality materials used, the kit provides better retention with some of the heavier coolers. All inclusive, the kit weighs 126g. The CPU Cooler Stabilizer is available in Europe for €6,90 + VAT, and $11.50 + taxes in the US.
Scythe notes that due to the high quality materials used, the kit provides better retention with some of the heavier coolers. All inclusive, the kit weighs 126g. The CPU Cooler Stabilizer is available in Europe for €6,90 + VAT, and $11.50 + taxes in the US.
Friday, December 19th 2008
Today's Reviews
Accessories
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
- Palit HD 4670 Super 512MB Tweaktown
- PowerColor HD 4830 Hartware (de)
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled Benchmark Reviews
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled Big Bruin
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled Bit-Tech
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled Club Overclocker
- Sapphire HD4870X2 Atomic and Gainward Rampage 700 DriverHeaven
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled Hexus
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled Overclockers Club
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled TechPowerUp
- Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled TweakNews
- NVIDIA GTX 260 216 SP vs. 192 SP Elite Bastards
- NVIDIA GTX 295 (Preview) Bit-Tech
- NVIDIA GTX 295 (Preview) Bjorn3D
- NVIDIA GTX 295 (Preview) Guru3D
- NVIDIA GTX 295 (Preview) HardOCP
- NVIDIA GTX 295 (Preview) Hardwarecanucks
- NVIDIA GTX 295 (Preview) Overclockers Club
Harddisks
Motherboards
Nettops
PSUs
Sapphire HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled Review
Sapphire's new HD 4870 X2 Atomic Watercooled is a special edition of the popular dual-RV770 design that comes with a prefilled watercooling kit that also includes a waterbock for your processor. Being delivered in a nice aluminum case there are a load of extra accessories ranging from software to cabling - but the price tag is also outstanding: over $600.
Techpowerup Folding at Home Team Has Made it into the Top 125 Teams
Several days ago, the Techpowerup Folding at Home (F@H) team made it into the top 125 teams in the official F@H stats and is now ranked 123. This was no small feat and was accomplished due the countless hours of CPU/GPU time donated by the team's members. I would like to thank all of them for the time, energy, and money they have selflessly donated to this wonderful project. I encourage everyone who is able to join the team and help us reach the top 100! A list of all members who have donated CPU/GPU time to the team has been included inside the thread.
For those of you who have not heard of the Folding At Home project it is a distributed computing project run by Stanford University. It uses spare CPU/GPU cycles of idle processors from around the world to calculate the folding of proteins. Protein folding is a complex action that takes place after protein synthesis where the interaction of several forces in the molecule causes it to assemble or "fold" into its functional form. The shape of a protein has more to do with its function than its composition. The misfolding of proteins is the suspect cause behind many diseases including Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes. The F@H project aims to calculate the folding/misfolding of key proteins in order to find cures and treatments for some of these debilitating diseases.
Here is a list of the top 10 contributors. A full list can be found inside the thread.
For More Information You May Visit These Sites:
Folding at Home | Techpowerup Folding at Home Team (TeamId: 50711)
For those of you who have not heard of the Folding At Home project it is a distributed computing project run by Stanford University. It uses spare CPU/GPU cycles of idle processors from around the world to calculate the folding of proteins. Protein folding is a complex action that takes place after protein synthesis where the interaction of several forces in the molecule causes it to assemble or "fold" into its functional form. The shape of a protein has more to do with its function than its composition. The misfolding of proteins is the suspect cause behind many diseases including Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes. The F@H project aims to calculate the folding/misfolding of key proteins in order to find cures and treatments for some of these debilitating diseases.
Here is a list of the top 10 contributors. A full list can be found inside the thread.
Folding at Home | Techpowerup Folding at Home Team (TeamId: 50711)
Valve Inflicts European Gamers with $1 = €1 Equation
At the time of preparing this report, US $1.42 makes a Euro. Here's what Valve seems to be pricing its games and those of its affiliates on the Steam platform as: $1 = €1, ignoring exchange rates, meaning that if a product costs say $20 on Steam, you will be charged €20 (approximately $27.86), if you are buying from the EU. Several game titles have been priced in this fashion. Call of Duty 4, priced at US $49.99 ($59.4 after applicable taxes) is tagged at €49,99 ($70 before applicable taxes).
In reaction to this, disgruntled European gamers have started protesting this move by Valve on online forums, an example of which can be found on Valve's own Steam Users' Forums. Also found on the same board is a user group named 1€ ≠ 1$. Certain groups have even started reporting this to the European Commission Consumer Cell. The gamers allege that they have been given a largely unfair pricing scheme with products on the Steam platform, that violates trade laws. The Steam platform serves gamers from around the world with a common platform to purchase games, and coordinates multiplayer gaming and updates. An unhappy consumer base from one of the largest markets in the world could certainly impact on its revenues.
In reaction to this, disgruntled European gamers have started protesting this move by Valve on online forums, an example of which can be found on Valve's own Steam Users' Forums. Also found on the same board is a user group named 1€ ≠ 1$. Certain groups have even started reporting this to the European Commission Consumer Cell. The gamers allege that they have been given a largely unfair pricing scheme with products on the Steam platform, that violates trade laws. The Steam platform serves gamers from around the world with a common platform to purchase games, and coordinates multiplayer gaming and updates. An unhappy consumer base from one of the largest markets in the world could certainly impact on its revenues.
NVIDIA Ion Platform Energizes Atom Into A Premium PC Experience
NVIDIA is poised to energize the PC market by transforming Atom PCs into a premium experience found today in higher priced laptops and desktops. NVIDIA will supercharge the fastest-growing segments of the PC market - netbooks, small form factor and all-in-one PCs - by enabling these products to play rich media and popular games in high definition. At the same time, the Ion Platform will create new and exciting premium PCs that fit in the palm of your hand.
The formula is simple: Combine the highly rated GeForce 9400 GPU found in new desktop and notebook PCs with the Intel Atom CPU. This combination (code-named Ion Platform) enables the smallest premium PC experience available today, making it ideal for the exploding category of mini-notebooks and compact PCs.
The formula is simple: Combine the highly rated GeForce 9400 GPU found in new desktop and notebook PCs with the Intel Atom CPU. This combination (code-named Ion Platform) enables the smallest premium PC experience available today, making it ideal for the exploding category of mini-notebooks and compact PCs.
Sapphire Introduces ATOMIC Edition HD 4870 X2
Bringing the highest levels of graphics and gaming performance ever seen in the PC, SAPPHIRE Technology - the leading innovator of ATI-based graphics solutions - is now introducing the amazing single slot, liquid cooled ATOMIC Edition of its HD 4870 X2.
Featuring a closed loop liquid cooled system, the SAPPHIRE HD 4870 X2 ATOMIC brings workstation class cooling to the PC, enabling faster clock speeds and quieter operation - and delivering the fastest graphics performance ever seen in a single slot solution. Both GPU's in the SAPPHIRE HD 4870 X2 ATOMIC are clocked at 800MHz and each has 1GB of DDR5 memory clocked at 1000MHz, making a total of 2GB of memory on board. The streamlined single slot cooler assembly on the graphics card evenly cools both GPU's and their associated memories - enabling this dual graphics system to run with a high level of stability even when delivering the highest levels of performance - currently the fastest PC graphics available.
Featuring a closed loop liquid cooled system, the SAPPHIRE HD 4870 X2 ATOMIC brings workstation class cooling to the PC, enabling faster clock speeds and quieter operation - and delivering the fastest graphics performance ever seen in a single slot solution. Both GPU's in the SAPPHIRE HD 4870 X2 ATOMIC are clocked at 800MHz and each has 1GB of DDR5 memory clocked at 1000MHz, making a total of 2GB of memory on board. The streamlined single slot cooler assembly on the graphics card evenly cools both GPU's and their associated memories - enabling this dual graphics system to run with a high level of stability even when delivering the highest levels of performance - currently the fastest PC graphics available.
SPARKLE Introduces GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB Graphics Card For Mainstream PC Gamers
SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today proudly introduced the SPARKLE GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB Graphics Card, with incredible large 1GB GDDR3 video memory, it takes gaming graphic beyond anything that's ever been possible before on a mainstream consumer computing platform.
Thermaltake Launches the Xaser S1000 Notebook Cooler
Introducing Thermaltake Technology's top of the line product, Xaser Series Notebook Cooler. Designed with trendy and contemporary style, Xaser S1000 structures and coated with aluminum extrusion materials. It's ergonomic and elevation construction brings visual comfort; reduce eye-strain, and reducing typing discomfort.
Corsair Launches 850 Watt Power Supply for Gamers and PC Enthusiasts
Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the launch of the Corsair TX850W power supply unit (PSU), the latest addition to the award-winning TX-series of high-quality PSUs.
The TX850W has been designed by Corsair and engineered to meet the demanding requirements of PC enthusiasts, creative professionals and gamers. It is built using Industrial Grade components to ensure clean and stable voltages, and has been qualified to operate at 100% load at an ambient temperature of 50ºC for unmatched reliability.
The TX850W has been designed by Corsair and engineered to meet the demanding requirements of PC enthusiasts, creative professionals and gamers. It is built using Industrial Grade components to ensure clean and stable voltages, and has been qualified to operate at 100% load at an ambient temperature of 50ºC for unmatched reliability.
ATI Catalyst 8.12 Hotfix Released - Corrects Radeon HD 4850 CrossFire X Mode in Vista
ATI programmers have released a hotfix that corrects the black screen and boot OS failure when Catalyst 8.12 is installed on Windows Vista, and two or more ATI Radeon HD 4850 video cards are working in CrossFire X mode. This issue only occurs when two or more ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphic cards are installed in the system with ATI CrossFireX technology. One single ATI Radeon HD 4850 card will not encounter this issue. To download the hotfix for both Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit, please click here.
OCZ Intros 2000MHz Triple Channel Blade Series Memory Kits for Intel Core i7
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today introduced the Blade Series Triple Channel Memory kit, the latest maximum-performance RAM designed specifically for the Intel Core i7 processor / Intel X58 Express Chipset. At DDR3-2000 CL 7-8-7, the Blade Series harnesses industry-leading speeds at the low voltage required to safely run Core i7's triple channel mode. With the ideal combination of all the factors that formulate the ultimate memory solution- density, speed, latency, and an effective new cooling design-the Blade 2000 kit is guaranteed to please enthusiasts looking to take the hottest Intel platform to new heights.
Thursday, December 18th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Networking
Processors
PSUs
CoolIT Releases Domino Liquid Cooling System
CoolIT Systems announces Domino Advanced Liquid Cooling (ALC) that offers the technological advantages employed by high-end liquid cooling solutions of superior performance, quiet protection and years of maintenance-free operation that cannot be achieved by similarly priced heat sink/fan combinations. The unprecedented integrated status display and controls provide users with the ability to easily switch between multiple operation modes satisfying the need for quiet or the desire for overclocking performance.
Creative Releases Version 2.18.0008 Sound Blaster X-Fi Driver
Creative updated drivers for its Sound Blaster X-Fi series sound cards to version 2.18.0008. The driver covers all X-Fi series sound cards based on the CA-20K series audio processors, that includes the X-Fi Titanium Series, Xtreme Gamer Series, Xtreme Music, Platinum and Elite Pro. The new drivers add to the capabilities of the sound card in a Windows Vista environment, notably Dolby Digital and DTS decode for certain models, a feature that was lost in the transit between Windows XP and Vista. DVD-Audio playback for models which included the MediaSource DVD-Audio Player application has been re-established as a feature in 32-bit Windows Vista.
Fixes relating to issues such as audio popping/crackling during AC-3, PCM or Dolby Digital through digital outputs of the card, have been brought about. The driver also fixes erratic CMSS-3D behaviour in the Audio Creation mode. The driver can be downloaded from Creative Worldwide Support website.
Fixes relating to issues such as audio popping/crackling during AC-3, PCM or Dolby Digital through digital outputs of the card, have been brought about. The driver also fixes erratic CMSS-3D behaviour in the Audio Creation mode. The driver can be downloaded from Creative Worldwide Support website.
VIA Announces Trinity High-Def Platform
VIA Technologies, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced a powerful new 3-chip silicon platform that brings HD performance to ultra compact systems for a far richer user experience.
While desktop PCs, notebooks and embedded devices are getting smaller and thinner, demands on system resources are growing by the day, with higher definition video content, richer Internet resources and increasingly complex image manipulation requiring more powerful processing, video and graphics capabilities. Codenamed "VIA Trinity", the new platform meets all these performance requirements using much less board real estate than traditional 4-chip platforms, yet still within a comparably low power envelope.
While desktop PCs, notebooks and embedded devices are getting smaller and thinner, demands on system resources are growing by the day, with higher definition video content, richer Internet resources and increasingly complex image manipulation requiring more powerful processing, video and graphics capabilities. Codenamed "VIA Trinity", the new platform meets all these performance requirements using much less board real estate than traditional 4-chip platforms, yet still within a comparably low power envelope.
SilverStone Out With Low-Profile LGA 775 Cooler
With the introduction of the LGA 775 socket around half a decade ago, Intel introduced its very familiar stock cooler whose design remained essentially the same across generations of processors on the same socket. Intel however, later introduced changes to the size of those coolers with some of its 45nm Core 2 processors, along with other entry-level chips. SilverStone worked out a LGA 775 cooler, the NT07-775, that resembles it, albeit its design methodology circles around being low-profile capable, measuring 93 mm x 36.5 mm x 93 mm (W, H, D).
SilverStone suggests this cooler specifically for 45nm dual-core processors. Its construction is similar to that of the Intel stock cooler. It consists of a copper-embedded central contact base from which forked aluminum fins project radially in a somewhat spiral fashion. The 90mm fan rotates in speeds between 1200 and 1800 rpm and has a rated noise output between 15 and 23 dBA depending on the speed. The cooler will be available in January at a price of 20 EUR.
SilverStone suggests this cooler specifically for 45nm dual-core processors. Its construction is similar to that of the Intel stock cooler. It consists of a copper-embedded central contact base from which forked aluminum fins project radially in a somewhat spiral fashion. The 90mm fan rotates in speeds between 1200 and 1800 rpm and has a rated noise output between 15 and 23 dBA depending on the speed. The cooler will be available in January at a price of 20 EUR.
Scythe Announces Christmas 2008 Survey
Scythe EU GmbH looks back on a successful year 2008. We have to owe this success to YOU, our customers. Without the confidence in our products, such a positive development would not have been possible.
Since there is always cause for criticism, we as a manufacturer try to detect and fix problems as early as even possible being in constant dialogue with distributors, resellers and consumers. Only through constant informational exchanges, it is possible to achieve our efforts to implement new ideas effectively and to develop innovative products with superior quality.
Since there is always cause for criticism, we as a manufacturer try to detect and fix problems as early as even possible being in constant dialogue with distributors, resellers and consumers. Only through constant informational exchanges, it is possible to achieve our efforts to implement new ideas effectively and to develop innovative products with superior quality.
Apple Announces Its Last Year at Macworld
Apple announced that this year is the last year the company will exhibit at Macworld Expo. Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the opening keynote for this year's Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple's last keynote at the show. The keynote address will be held at Moscone West on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Macworld will be held at San Francisco's Moscone Center January 5-9, 2009.
Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple's Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.
Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple's Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.
GeForce GTX 295 Preview Suggests Aggressive Pricing
The newest lineup of high-end graphics accelerators by NVIDIA includes the dual-GPU GeForce GTX 295. The accelerator features two 55nm G200b GPUs featuring 240 stream processors each, along with a memory sub-system of 896 MB across a 448-bit wide GDDR3 memory bus per GPU. The reference clock speeds are 576 MHz (core), 1242 MHz (shader) and 999 MHz, 1998 MHz DDR (memory).
Guru3D previewed the accelerator. While the notion that this will be the fastest accelerator only gains ground with the preview, the most interesting part of it was in the first page: the street price. The preview suggests a street price of US $499. That's $50 less than the $549 the Radeon HD 4870 X2 asked for, at launch. This indicates that NVIDIA will carry forward its aggressive pricing to counter ATI.
Image Courtesy: Guru3D
Guru3D previewed the accelerator. While the notion that this will be the fastest accelerator only gains ground with the preview, the most interesting part of it was in the first page: the street price. The preview suggests a street price of US $499. That's $50 less than the $549 the Radeon HD 4870 X2 asked for, at launch. This indicates that NVIDIA will carry forward its aggressive pricing to counter ATI.
NVIDIA Updates PhysX System Software
NVIDIA slipped in an update to the PhysX System software, version 8.11.18. The piece of software serves as a backbone to the PhysX API, and is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit variants of Windows XP and Windows Vista. It provides hardware acceleration of PhysX with Ageia PhysX cards and graphics accelerators based on the NVIDIA GeForce 8 series, GeForce 9 series (with at least 256 MB of memory) and GeForce GTX 200 series. The software has been signed on 18 November, and is yet to replace version 8.10.29 from NVIDIA's software download portal.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA PhysX System Software 8.11.18.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA PhysX System Software 8.11.18.
Toshiba Launches Industry's First 512GB Solid State Drives Using 43nm MLC NAND
Toshiba Corporation today announced the expansion of their line up of NAND-flash-based solid state drives (SSD) with the industry's first 2.5-inch 512-gigabyte (GB) SSD and a broad family of fast read/write SSDs based on 43 nanometer (nm) Multi-Level Cell NAND. The new drives provide a high level of performance and endurance for use in notebook computers, gaming and home entertainment systems, and will be showcased at International CES 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 8 to 11, 2009.
Micron Collaborates with Sun to Deliver NAND Flash Storage with Extended Lifespan
Micron Technology today announced it has worked with Sun Microsystems to develop a new single-level cell (SLC) enterprise NAND technology that dramatically extends the lifespan of flash-based storage for enterprise applications. The result of the collaboration has yielded production devices capable of achieving one million write cycles, a milestone that will help prepare the industry for new uses in solid state storage set to come from Sun, Micron and others. The new technology delivers the highest write/erase cycling capability of any NAND technology available on the market.
Super Talent Ships World’s Smallest 16GB USB Flash Drives
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced that their ultra-small Pico family of USB drives will now be offered in 16GB capacities, making it the world's tiniest line of 16GB USB drives.
16GB Pico drives will be offered in four different styles that use patented closing mechanisms: retractable Pico-B; lidless Pico-C; swivel Pico-D; and sliding lid Pico-E. The Pico family represents a momentous advance in storage miniaturization, accommodating up to 4,000 MP3 songs on a drive that weighs less than a quarter.
16GB Pico drives will be offered in four different styles that use patented closing mechanisms: retractable Pico-B; lidless Pico-C; swivel Pico-D; and sliding lid Pico-E. The Pico family represents a momentous advance in storage miniaturization, accommodating up to 4,000 MP3 songs on a drive that weighs less than a quarter.
Lian Li Launches New Top Panel Radiator Kits for PC-A70 / PC-A7010 Chassis
Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched two top panel radiator kits called the T-7024W and T-7022W. Both are suitable for the PC-A70 / PC-A7010 chassis only. The kits include a copper radiator mounted into the underside of the top panel with open vents to allow the internal fans to exhaust the heat. The outer face of the panel has multimedia ports for ease of use. These combo panels are ideal for those with water cooling kits and who want to keep the kit low profile and internalized, while keeping the functionality of cooling your PC rig at a premium.
Wednesday, December 17th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Gaming PC
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Motherboards
Mouse
Netbooks
Shutters Down for Abit on December 31
Abit, one of the most popular brand names with motherboards, will be formally closing shop on December 31. A popular brand among computer enthusiasts, Abit has a history of churning out some of the best high-end motherboards. Bad corporate governance, along with poor decision-making at the management level, set Abit on a path towards its slow and painful end. Revived by the United Scientific Industrial (USI) in 2006, the company showed some resurgence, it also planned to diversify into peripherals such as digital photo frames, speakers, etc., alongside its desktop motherboards lineup, but evidently it didn't help the company. Post Dec. 31, the company will continue to honour its warranty and RMA commitments for up to three years according to an earlier report. Farewell Abit!
Patriot Memory Releases 256GB Warp v3 Solid State Drive
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium quality memory module and flash memory solutions, today announced their 256GB Warp SSD v3. Patriot's newest Warp version boasts read and write speeds up to 240MB/sec and 160MB/s, respectively.
"Our new 256GB Warp SSD v3 now gives the consumer the fastest data-transfer rates plus all the storage space large enough to quench their multimedia thirst," says Meng Jay, Flash Product Manager for Patriot Memory. "It wasn't long ago that SSD's maxed out at 64GB with read speeds of 130MB/s, now with the Warp v3 we literally 'Warp' into capacities that most consumers demand and speeds far faster than current conventional hard drives.
"Our new 256GB Warp SSD v3 now gives the consumer the fastest data-transfer rates plus all the storage space large enough to quench their multimedia thirst," says Meng Jay, Flash Product Manager for Patriot Memory. "It wasn't long ago that SSD's maxed out at 64GB with read speeds of 130MB/s, now with the Warp v3 we literally 'Warp' into capacities that most consumers demand and speeds far faster than current conventional hard drives.
Microsoft Acts on MSIE RCE Vulnerability, Issues Hotfix
A major security remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability discovered in the Microsoft Internet Explorer set data security agencies on high alert. Microsoft noted that 1 in every 500 internet users were exposed to the vulnerability through unsafe websites. The exploit allows hackers to remotely execute code over an IE session to gain access to, and comprimise a machine.
In a security advisory updated today, Microsoft claims to have acted on the vulnerability by issuing a critical security update MS08-078 that went online at 1:00 PM, EST. The hotfix is available for all current versions of the web browser through Microsoft Update.
In a security advisory updated today, Microsoft claims to have acted on the vulnerability by issuing a critical security update MS08-078 that went online at 1:00 PM, EST. The hotfix is available for all current versions of the web browser through Microsoft Update.
NVIDIA Reference Design Atom Nettop Spotted
NVIDIA has concrete plans to take up chipset manufacturing for ULPC, and nettop platforms based on the Intel Atom processor. With its visual computing expertise and platform core logic technologies, NVIDIA hopes to cash in on the segment in need for better consumer value than what it already enjoys. VR-Zone pictured the reference design nettop PC that uses the Intel Atom processor, aided by NVIDIA's MCP79 chipset.
The chipset is monolithic, and handles the jobs of a memory controller, graphics controller, and a peripheral hub. The chipset sits on a 10-layer PCB motherboard, which gives you an idea on the component density of the MCP79. The platform supports single core and dual core Atom processors. It supports single channel DDR3 memory in speeds up to the PC3-10666 (1333 MHz), with connections to a SO-DIMM module. A GeForce 9 series integrated graphics controller provides display output through DVI-I. There is a gigabit ethernet controller, and 8-channel HD audio. The front portion of the chassis provides a larger portion of the connections, which includes the audio (including optical SPDIF), USB 2.0, and eSATA. NVIDIA will allow OEM vendors to make their own case designs housing the platform.
The chipset is monolithic, and handles the jobs of a memory controller, graphics controller, and a peripheral hub. The chipset sits on a 10-layer PCB motherboard, which gives you an idea on the component density of the MCP79. The platform supports single core and dual core Atom processors. It supports single channel DDR3 memory in speeds up to the PC3-10666 (1333 MHz), with connections to a SO-DIMM module. A GeForce 9 series integrated graphics controller provides display output through DVI-I. There is a gigabit ethernet controller, and 8-channel HD audio. The front portion of the chassis provides a larger portion of the connections, which includes the audio (including optical SPDIF), USB 2.0, and eSATA. NVIDIA will allow OEM vendors to make their own case designs housing the platform.
PNY Releases Quadro FX 4800 and Quadro FX 5800 Professional Graphics Accelerators
PNY Technologies today announced the availability of two high-end professional graphics accelerators based on the NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 and Quadro FX 4800 GPUs. The two are based on the GT200 architecture. The Quadro FX 5800 features 240 shader units (dubbed CUDA programmable parallel cores) and 4 GB of GDDR3 memory, while the FX 4800 features 192 shader cores with 1.5 GB of GDDR3 memory.
The amount of visual computing power at its disposal allows deployment in computing areas of oil and natural gas exploration, medical imagery, scientific visualisation, and engineering and design.
The amount of visual computing power at its disposal allows deployment in computing areas of oil and natural gas exploration, medical imagery, scientific visualisation, and engineering and design.
Walton Chaintech Intros APOGEE GT Triple-Channel DDR3 Memory Module Kits
The overclocking memory module specialist, Walton Chaintech Corporation, introduces its new APOGEE GT Triple-Channel DDR3 Memory Module Kits specifically for the Intel Core i7 processor / Intel X58 Express Chipset.
Latest Intel Core i7 next generation platform supports the DDR3 memory has proven that INTEL X58 chipset's memory controller gives amazing performance and memory bandwidth increase while using DDR3 tri-channel modules. Chaintech prepared ready for DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600 & DDR3-1866 triple-channel kits. These new modules will be available in 3GB Kit and high capacity 6GB Kit.
Latest Intel Core i7 next generation platform supports the DDR3 memory has proven that INTEL X58 chipset's memory controller gives amazing performance and memory bandwidth increase while using DDR3 tri-channel modules. Chaintech prepared ready for DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600 & DDR3-1866 triple-channel kits. These new modules will be available in 3GB Kit and high capacity 6GB Kit.
RV740 Taped-Out, First 40nm GPU From AMD
The manufacturing process technologies for graphics processors that dominated the 2008 were TSMC 65nm and 55nm. While AMD made the transition to 55nm over an year ago, it was a little later when we started seeing 55nm versions of existing NVIDIA GPUs.
A month into TSMC's announcement of of its 40nm bulk production node, AMD has reportedly taped out its first 40nm GPU, the RV740. While this is no high-end GPU, it is supposed to be the first successful port of AMD's GPU architecture to the new node. The RV740 succeeds the RV730, the GPU that went into the making the Radeon HD 4670. It is a mainstream GPU that ideally should make it to the sub-$100 graphics card segment. With RV740, AMD gains some experience as a manufacturer as it works on the RV870 "Lil' Dragon", the next generation GPU from the red camp. A product based on the RV740 can be expected only after Q1 2009.
A month into TSMC's announcement of of its 40nm bulk production node, AMD has reportedly taped out its first 40nm GPU, the RV740. While this is no high-end GPU, it is supposed to be the first successful port of AMD's GPU architecture to the new node. The RV740 succeeds the RV730, the GPU that went into the making the Radeon HD 4670. It is a mainstream GPU that ideally should make it to the sub-$100 graphics card segment. With RV740, AMD gains some experience as a manufacturer as it works on the RV870 "Lil' Dragon", the next generation GPU from the red camp. A product based on the RV740 can be expected only after Q1 2009.
Mozilla Firefox Updated to 3.0.5
Mozilla Firefox has yet another sub-version, 3.0.5 released earlier today. The browser has been updated with several security patches, bug fixes and localization features. To begin with, Mozilla patched several moderate-thru-critical vulnerabilities. The list of security fixes can be found here. Mozilla also fixed several bugs (listed here). The company expanded localization for Firefox, with stable releases in Bengali, Esperanto, Galician, Hindi, and Latvian. For more information, please refer to the Release Notes. Firefox can be downloaded from the server closest to you, from the Firefox homepage. Existing users would be updated automatically.
BFG to Show Off its First Complete Gaming PC at CES 2009
BFG Tech has told Tweaktown that it will be putting its first complete gaming PC on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) early next year. It will feature a touch screen LCD, which judging by the image we have, allows you to control various aspects of your PC which one would imagine includes overclocking and other BIOS related settings. What it most interesting, is that they seem to be using the same LCD to replace the standard power and restart buttons usually found on a chassis. It has also been said that there will be, "maintainance-free liquid cooling and unprecedented in-home setup and maintainance servicing." Details are still vague and as yet there is no information on the configurations, availability or pricing. If you want to see the system for yourself, it will be at the MGM Grand from Thursday 8th to Saturday 10th January.
OCZ Technology Group Introduces New Flex EX Performance Memory Series
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today unveiled the Flex EX memory series, featuring breakneck speeds demanded by enthusiasts in an updated compact form factor to maximize memory configurations on your motherboard. These premium high-density modules operate at incredibly fast DDR2 and DDR3 speeds to run the latest memory-intensive games and applications, and offer enthusiasts the thermal management necessary for the stability and performance on high-end gaming and overclocking systems.
Tuesday, December 16th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Processors
PSUs
XFX Partners with AMD: Collaboration Gives Gamers More Options at Every Price Point
PINE today announced that its graphics division, XFX, is partnering with AMD. The collaboration will incorporate the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 4000 series GPUs into XFX's already impressive line of extreme performance graphics cards.
"We are delighted as this partnership allows us to incorporate the current and future AMD graphics technology into our future graphics card designs, and enables our R&D teams to develop an even wider range of graphics products for our worldwide customers," said Michael Chiu, Chairman and CEO of Pine Technology Holdings.
"We are delighted as this partnership allows us to incorporate the current and future AMD graphics technology into our future graphics card designs, and enables our R&D teams to develop an even wider range of graphics products for our worldwide customers," said Michael Chiu, Chairman and CEO of Pine Technology Holdings.
AMD and iZ3D Team Up to Deliver the Ultimate Gateway to Immersive 3D Entertainment
iZ3D Inc., designer, developer and pioneer of advanced stereoscopic 3D visualization systems, is pleased to announce its recently released 3D monitor driver Version 1.09 is the first to include support for AMD with an ATI 3D DLP output.
To encourage 3D game play using ATI Radeon graphics cards, iZ3D is offering all ATI Radeon graphics card users a US $50.00 rebate on the purchase of an iZ3D monitor. After installing the iZ3D monitor and driver, ATI Radeon graphics card users have 30 days to complete a simple form online and submit it to iZ3D to get the rebate. The rebate promotion is being promoted online and will be included in ATI Radeon graphics card packages and in-store at select retailers. For more information visit 3D Rulez or iZ3D.
To encourage 3D game play using ATI Radeon graphics cards, iZ3D is offering all ATI Radeon graphics card users a US $50.00 rebate on the purchase of an iZ3D monitor. After installing the iZ3D monitor and driver, ATI Radeon graphics card users have 30 days to complete a simple form online and submit it to iZ3D to get the rebate. The rebate promotion is being promoted online and will be included in ATI Radeon graphics card packages and in-store at select retailers. For more information visit 3D Rulez or iZ3D.
Corsair Unveils DOMINATOR GT - the Ultimate Tri-Channel DDR3 Memory for Core i7
Unveiled minutes ago, Corsair is now preparing a brand new series of blazing-fast tri-channel DDR3 DOMINATOR GT modules. Just like a modern fast car, these modules have their own distinctive marks - black and red heatspreaders and special red labels. Initially, Corsair is going to launch a kit that consists of three 2GB modules operating at 2,000MHz at just 1.65V with low latencies of CL7-8-7-20. The new modules are set to become available in "very near future".
Thermaltake Intros Tai-Chi S Notebook Cooler
Consumers' all time favorite, Tai-Chi Notebook Cooler, from Thermaltake Technology, is yet joining a new force.
Tai-Chi S, latest passive notebook cooler invention from Thermaltake, was designed base on the concept of chimney effect (Tunnel Effect). Through the hollow aluminum extrusion tunnels, the cold air is guided inward. Relatively, the hot air exhausts through the holes on top of Tai-Chi S, effectively dissipate heat without the usage of fan.
Tai-Chi S, latest passive notebook cooler invention from Thermaltake, was designed base on the concept of chimney effect (Tunnel Effect). Through the hollow aluminum extrusion tunnels, the cold air is guided inward. Relatively, the hot air exhausts through the holes on top of Tai-Chi S, effectively dissipate heat without the usage of fan.
Preliminary Tests on GeForce GTX 295 Run, Leads Radeon HD 4870 X2
A Chinese technology portal, IT168 has conducted a preliminary performance evaluation of the upcoming GeForce GTX 295 graphics card. The card will be a flagship offering by NVIDIA. It will feature two G200b graphics processors. Also provided are the first pictures of the finished product, along with a burst-shot of the card and its cooling assembly. Across several game tests, the evaluation showed the GTX 295 to outperform the HD 4870 X2 by up to 80%, while providing superior power characteristics.
DFI Ready with X58 LANParty Jr
DFI is ready with the first LGA 1366 motherboard in the micro-ATX form factor, the DFI LP JR X58-T3H6, dubbed LANParty Junior, which supports the latest Core i7 processors by Intel. The motherboard measures 245 x 245mm. Despite its smaller size, it has a respectable feature-set: 6-phase CPU power circuit, six DDR3 DIMM slots for triple-channel memory, two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots supporting both ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI, an additional PCI-Express x4 slot, and HDCP capable ALC 889A HD audio.
The BIOS features CMOS Reloaded, Voltage Tuning for vDIMM, vNB, vCore, vSB, vHT, frequency tuning in increments of 1 MHz, adjustable CPU multiplier, and ABS technology system. The board features as many as 7 fan headers, onboard power and reset switches, and diagnostic LED display. There is no word on the pricing or availability at this point in time.
The BIOS features CMOS Reloaded, Voltage Tuning for vDIMM, vNB, vCore, vSB, vHT, frequency tuning in increments of 1 MHz, adjustable CPU multiplier, and ABS technology system. The board features as many as 7 fan headers, onboard power and reset switches, and diagnostic LED display. There is no word on the pricing or availability at this point in time.
Sharkoon Intros Venga Economy Mid-Tower Case
Sharkoon announced today the expansion of its case line-up with an all new midi-ATX tower. The Sharkoon Venga Economy combines a compact and unobtrusive size with an elegant design in modern white or classic black. The front of the case features a high-gloss coating, distinctive rectangular fan vents and silver power and reset buttons as well as HDD activity and system LEDs. On the side of the front panel are two USB ports and audio connectors.
Up to four optical drives and one 3.5" external device can be installed in the front. Inside the case there is room for four hard drives and up to seven expansion cards. Cooling is user configurable with up to four case fans: an 80/ 92/120mm fan in the front, an 80/90mm fan in the rear and two 80mm or one 120mm fan in the side. The case measures 180 x 460 x 410mm (W x D x H).
Up to four optical drives and one 3.5" external device can be installed in the front. Inside the case there is room for four hard drives and up to seven expansion cards. Cooling is user configurable with up to four case fans: an 80/ 92/120mm fan in the front, an 80/90mm fan in the rear and two 80mm or one 120mm fan in the side. The case measures 180 x 460 x 410mm (W x D x H).
NVIDIA to Launch GT300 in Q1 2009?
The tentative release time-frames for upcoming GPUs by NVIDIA and AMD have been seesawing between early 2009 and Q4 2009 for some time now. Industrial sources tell DigiTimes, that NVIDIA will be launching the GT300 graphics processor as early as in Q1 2009. What's even more surprising according to the report, is that the new GPU will be built on the 55nm manufacturing node of its foundry partners.
In related news, NVIDIA will be showcasing its range of products based on the 55nm G200b core at CES 2009, which starts on January 8. The notable products include a dual-GPU card, the GeForce GTX 295, and the single GPU flagship product, the GeForce GTX 285. NVIDIA refused to comment on the report.
In related news, NVIDIA will be showcasing its range of products based on the 55nm G200b core at CES 2009, which starts on January 8. The notable products include a dual-GPU card, the GeForce GTX 295, and the single GPU flagship product, the GeForce GTX 285. NVIDIA refused to comment on the report.
Antec Introduces Next Chapter in Quiet, Elegant Computing with Sonata Elite Chassis
Antec, the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, has announced that it is launching the Sonata Elite, the latest addition to Antec's Sonata Family line of quiet PC cases. Introducing a distinct air flow design and sleek new aesthetics, the Sonata Elite offers new improvements while maintaining the original features preferred by quiet-conscious consumers.
AMD May Further Reduce Workforce
Layoffs or workforce reductions are a common feature for just about any company in functioning amidst a global economic crisis. Market sources tell DigiTimes, that AMD may layoff another 10% of its roughly 15,000 strong workforce in January 2009. According to the sources, the layoffs would be concentrated in the manufacturing division of the company, along with some administrative positions.
Earlier this year, AMD indicated that it would be reducing its then 16,500 strong workforce by 10%, and later in November by 3%. The company declined to comment on the report. AMD trimmed its fourth quarter estimates and the company now expects its Q4 sales to be approximately 25% lower than its Q3 revenues of US$1.585 billion. The decline, according to AMD, is due to weaker-than expected demand across all geographies and businesses, particularly in the consumer market.
Earlier this year, AMD indicated that it would be reducing its then 16,500 strong workforce by 10%, and later in November by 3%. The company declined to comment on the report. AMD trimmed its fourth quarter estimates and the company now expects its Q4 sales to be approximately 25% lower than its Q3 revenues of US$1.585 billion. The decline, according to AMD, is due to weaker-than expected demand across all geographies and businesses, particularly in the consumer market.
Monday, December 15th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Memory
Monitors
Motherboards
Processors
- Desktop CPU Comparison Guide 6.5 TechARP
- AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition and Athlon X2 7550 Bit-Tech
- AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition Hexus
- AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition and Athlon X2 7550 HT4U.net (de)
- AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition Overclockers Club
- AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition Planet 3DNow! (de)
- AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition Tweaktown
- AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition X-bit labs
- Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition TechSpot (es)
PSUs
NZXT Sentry LX Review
The Sentry LX is a high-end, well constructed thermal monitoring unit, which gives you constant access to five thermal sensors and five case fans at once. It also includes a date & time display, so you can enjoy those longer gaming sessions without losing track of time.
Eee PC is Forbes Asia's Product of the Year for 2008
ASUS' Eee PC has been named Forbes Asia's Product of the Year for 2008, right after being crowned Stuff Magazine's Gadget of the Year and Computer of the Year. In justifying its selection, Forbes hailed the Eee PC for "its innovation and disruption", and added that the "ultraportable" netbook had "changed the global PC industry". This new addition to the Eee PC's mantle joins numerous other awards chalked up in the media, design and industry circles over the past year, most notably NBC.com's Best Travel Gadget and the prestigious G-Mark Award.
Point of View Announces Prince of Persia Graphics Card Bundle
Point of View today, has announced special graphics card game bundles with Ubisoft's fourth generation addition to the Prince of Persia franchise. The bundles start at the range of a GeForce 9500 GT based graphics card, and go high up the range of what Point of View has to offer. These special edition bundles can be identified with the box packaging with the new Prince of Persia theme. Inside the box would be the usual contents of a graphics card package, along with a copy of the full-version of the game.
Point of View in its press release includes a short description of the game, and on how its hardware is geared up for it. The game by Ubisoft is described by Point of View as "a magnificent game which looks like nothing you've ever seen before!", which is somewhat justified by the screenshots posted. With the incorporation of design elements such as Cel-Shading the characters are presented as something hand-drawn, as something straight out of an animation film. The Point of View bundles will be hitting stores soon. The company has a history of offering such themed graphics card bundles, with affiliations to titles such as Assassins Creed and Wall E. The full press release can be read here.
Point of View in its press release includes a short description of the game, and on how its hardware is geared up for it. The game by Ubisoft is described by Point of View as "a magnificent game which looks like nothing you've ever seen before!", which is somewhat justified by the screenshots posted. With the incorporation of design elements such as Cel-Shading the characters are presented as something hand-drawn, as something straight out of an animation film. The Point of View bundles will be hitting stores soon. The company has a history of offering such themed graphics card bundles, with affiliations to titles such as Assassins Creed and Wall E. The full press release can be read here.
NOX Introduces the Coolbay HX
NOX's new chassis is ready to support the maximum performance in your PC. It includes an extreme ventilation system with 4 fans and enough space for 9 drive bays to offer great versatility.
Side-door with transparent window and 200mm fan with a blue LED, and an interior finished all in black makes this NOX case unique.
Side-door with transparent window and 200mm fan with a blue LED, and an interior finished all in black makes this NOX case unique.
NOX Launches APEX Series Power Supplies
NOX launches in Europe the new series of modular PSUs, APEX. These are modular PSUs with Plug-n connections in 600W, 700W & 800 W represented in different colors. Its advanced modular design allows connecting only the necessary cables, saving space and improving the airflow inside the PC Case. All three models come with Active PFC (Power Factor Correction), and a ultra-silent 140mm fan with automatic fan speed control.
Westone Releases Westone 3 In-Ear Monitors
Westone, an iconic brand name when it comes to in-ear-monitors, released the Westone 3 in-ear monitor, the world's first true 3-way in-ear monitors. Each bud includes three drivers as well as a proper 3-way crossover, with which low (bass), mid and high (treble) get an armature each. The drivers are mounted in a piggyback fashion that makes them phase-aligned, which could prevent abnormal distortions or reverberations. The set includes as many as 10 kinds of ear-tips that the user can select.
These bits of technologies make the Westone 3 a revolutionary product in its category. The Westone 3 has reached retail channels, and comes at a MSRP of US $399.
Press Release follows:
These bits of technologies make the Westone 3 a revolutionary product in its category. The Westone 3 has reached retail channels, and comes at a MSRP of US $399.
NVIDIA's Atom Chipset Supports SLI
Picture this: a nettop/netbook/ULPC chipset that supports a gamer-grade feature such as NVIDIA SLI. Well, that's about become a reality with a certain variant of the MCP7A chipset NVIDIA is preparing for the Intel Atom processor. VR-Zone has learned that the chipset would offer all features essential to platforms it caters to, plus offering integrated GeForce graphics and supporting external graphics, including support for 2-way NVIDIA SLI. The root complex would connect to two discrete graphics devices with 8 PCI-Express lanes each.
The 'essential' features this chipset brings to the table include support for PC2-6400 memory standard (up to four DIMM slots), six SATA II channels, twelve USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and IEEE 1394 and HD Audio. There is yet another chipset in the pipeline, the MCP79 for pico-ATX and SFF platforms, which supports a single DDR3 memory channel, integrated GeForce graphics with DVI-D and HDMI support.
The 'essential' features this chipset brings to the table include support for PC2-6400 memory standard (up to four DIMM slots), six SATA II channels, twelve USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and IEEE 1394 and HD Audio. There is yet another chipset in the pipeline, the MCP79 for pico-ATX and SFF platforms, which supports a single DDR3 memory channel, integrated GeForce graphics with DVI-D and HDMI support.
XFX to Play Balancing Act Between NVIDIA Partnership and ATI Products
A longstanding partner of NVIDIA, XFX would soon embrace AMD to release graphics cards based on the ATI Radeon series. Its plans however are somewhat similar to what Gainward seems to be executing: to maintain strong ties with NVIDIA, while dedicating a smaller portion of its product lineup to those incorporating ATI Radeon GPUs.
Expreview spoke with an XFX official, who confirmed that the company would be taking up projects based around ATI Radeon products, while continuing to maintain its partnership with NVIDIA by continuing to have flagship products using the NVIDIA GeForce. XFX would be going as far as making sure that its products based on ATI Radeon GPUs wouldn't release in the Chinese market (a key market for NVIDIA products). The decision by XFX to work on ATI Radeon products came as a surprise to many, since XFX has been a staunch NVIDIA tier-1 partner.
Expreview spoke with an XFX official, who confirmed that the company would be taking up projects based around ATI Radeon products, while continuing to maintain its partnership with NVIDIA by continuing to have flagship products using the NVIDIA GeForce. XFX would be going as far as making sure that its products based on ATI Radeon GPUs wouldn't release in the Chinese market (a key market for NVIDIA products). The decision by XFX to work on ATI Radeon products came as a surprise to many, since XFX has been a staunch NVIDIA tier-1 partner.
A-DATA Introduces New XPG Gaming Series Memory Modules
A-DATA Technology, a worldwide leader in high performance memory products, introduces today its entire XPG Gaming Series which represents the very best of A-DATA's cutting edge technology in gaming memories, delivering the perfect blend of performance, durability and stability with low power consumption. XPG Gaming Series features highest reliability and fulfills exceptional requirements for high-end modules at a very attractive, low price.
Athlon X2 7000 Series Reviewed
AMD is releasing a trio of dual-core desktop processors based on the K10 architecture, under the Athlon X2 7000 series. The trio consists of the overclocker-friendly 7750 Black Edition clocked at 2.70 GHz, the 7550 at 2.50 GHz and the 7450 at 2.40 GHz. The core, codenamed "Kuma" sports a basic cache design similar to the Phenom X3 and Phenom X4 processors, with 512 KB of L2 caches per core, and a shared L3 cache of 2 MB. The updated memory controller provides native support to the PC2-8500 (DDR2 1066 MHz) memory standard. The processor now sports a HyperTransport 3.0 3600 MT/s system interface. These, apart from the other tweaks AMD introduced with the K10 architecture give it an edge over current K8 based dual core AMD chips. The core is manufactured in the 65nm node.
AMD lifted the NDA over the Athlon X2 7000 series, following which several website posted reviews on the processors. Most of these reviews covered the Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition. The chip clocked at 2.7 GHz was found to be around 15% faster than a previous-generation Brisbane chip running at the same frequency, according to X-bit Labs, whose evaluation included several synthetic and real-world benchmarks. The same review team was able to overclock the chip to 3.30 GHz (+22 %) aided by a Zalman 9700 air cooler. The Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition will be priced at US $79. Links to some of the reviews are provided below.
Bit-Tech | Hexus | HT4U | Overclockers Club | Planet 3DNow! | Tweaktown | X-bit Labs
AMD lifted the NDA over the Athlon X2 7000 series, following which several website posted reviews on the processors. Most of these reviews covered the Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition. The chip clocked at 2.7 GHz was found to be around 15% faster than a previous-generation Brisbane chip running at the same frequency, according to X-bit Labs, whose evaluation included several synthetic and real-world benchmarks. The same review team was able to overclock the chip to 3.30 GHz (+22 %) aided by a Zalman 9700 air cooler. The Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition will be priced at US $79. Links to some of the reviews are provided below.
Bit-Tech | Hexus | HT4U | Overclockers Club | Planet 3DNow! | Tweaktown | X-bit Labs
Futuremark ''Life of a Benchmarker'' Video Contest Begins
Futuremark Corporation is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its 3DMark benchmark suite with a video contest for gamers and overclockers everywhere. Fans of the popular benchmarking program are invited to show the "Life of a Benchmarker" in an original video with great prizes awarded to the best entries.
"We're launching this contest as a thank you to all our fans who have helped 3DMark become the number one PC gaming benchmark," said Dr. Jukka Mдkinen, VP and General Manager at Futuremark.
"We're launching this contest as a thank you to all our fans who have helped 3DMark become the number one PC gaming benchmark," said Dr. Jukka Mдkinen, VP and General Manager at Futuremark.
Sunday, December 14th 2008
Today's Reviews
Tagan A+ Diablo Advance & BZ700 PSU Review
Tagan is a company well known for their power supplies and in recent years have ventured into the case market. In a case market of limitless varieties see how the Tagan A+ Diablo Advance separates itself from the pack with high styling and an elaborate air cooling system that features good looks right out of the box.
Swiftech Introduces the Full-Cover Caldera HD4870X2 Water Block
Introducing the Caldera cooling system for AMD HD4870X2 graphics cards from Swiftech. The Caldera 4870X2 is a hybrid cooling system for AMD HD4870X2 reference graphics cards. It is composed of two separate elements: a water-block that cools both GPU's, and a passive heatsink to cool the rest of the components such as the GDDR5 memory, voltage regulators and the I/O chip. The Caldera 4870X2 water-block utilizes Swiftech's proven Diamond Pin Matrix technology and premium copper baseplate for the highest cooling performance. Additionally, there's a built-in white LED that illuminates throught the clear acrylic sides of the GPU water block when in operation. The full-cover water block weights in 411g and has a MSRP of $159.95. It is available now. Inside the package you'll also find 1/2" barbs, (2) plugs, thermal pads, Arctic Céramique thermal grease, mounting screws and installation guide.
AMD 880G AM3 Chipset Details Emerge
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is planning on releasing a new 55nm chipset by Q3 next year, that will power the company's Socket AM3 processors (Athlon X4, Phenom II X3, Phenom II X4). Codenamed AMD 880G, this chipset will become part of the AMD Live! "Pisces" platform. AMD 880G will feature an integrated Radeon HD 3450 (RV620) DX10.1 graphics core, support for DDR3 memory, HyperTransport 3.0, Universal Video Decoder 2 (UVD 2), Hybrid Crossfire with the on-board Radeon HD 3450 graphics core and a PCIe 2.0 x16 discrete card, Display Port/HDMI/DVI/SurroundView support. The 880G chipset will be paired up with a SB710 southbridge to deliver 12x USB ports and 6x SATA ports. This chipset is also said to bring OverDrive 3.0 to AM3 platforms.
Saturday, December 13th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Keyboards
Memory
Motherboards
Processors
SSD
Intel Co-Founder Says Company Should Build Car Batteries
Former Intel CEO and Co-Founder Andy Grove has an interesting proposition for his former company. He believes that the emerging market for plug-in electric vehicles and hybrids presents a major business opportunity for Intel to become a leading manufacturer of advanced batteries. While Mr. Grove retired in 2005 he still serves as an advisor to Intel's leadership, including CEO Paul Otellini. This would mark a major divergence from Intel's current business model, as it would be unlikely much of their current research could be applied to such a drastically different product. In the early 2000s, Intel tinkered with producing consumer electronics, but the idea was shelved after a short time. More recently, Intel has abandoned business units that did not closely relate to its chip business. There is no doubt that the potential exists for advanced batteries to be a highly lucrative product as the public becomes ever more aware of environmental concerns and automotive manufacturers begin to design more electric and hybrid vehicles. One of the main obstacles for GM's Chevy Volt program is the lack of advanced battery technology to power it for a reasonable amount of time. Even though it would require creation of new departments from the ground-up Intel's financial resources make it a possible, although currently improbable, business venture. Currently there is no word from Paul Otellini on whether Intel is actively considering Grove's advice.
ASUS Simplifies P6T Deluxe with P6T
Roughly a month into its release, the P6T Deluxe is the most "affordable" LGA 1366 motherboard by ASUS. This however, isn't one of the most affordable LGA 1366 motherboards there are. There is a need for ASUS to cater to the value-ended LGA 1366 segment, which already has other major motherboard vendors' offerings such as the MSI X58 Platinum, Gigabyte EX58 DS4, etc.
ASUS will be releasing a toned-down variant of the P6T Deluxe, to be named P6T. It is based on the Intel X58 + ICH10R chipset. The CPU power circuitry consists of an 8+2 phase design. The memory is powered by a 2-phase circuit. ASUS reworked the arrangement of the expansion card slots, with uniform spacing between the three PCI-Express x16 slots (have electrical lane arrangements of x16/16/x1 or x16/x8/x8). The motherboard supports ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA 3-way SLI. A slightly simplistic component cooling has been introduced. There is a single gigabit ethernet controller. With these, ASUS looks to bring the motherboard out at an attractive price-point.
ASUS will be releasing a toned-down variant of the P6T Deluxe, to be named P6T. It is based on the Intel X58 + ICH10R chipset. The CPU power circuitry consists of an 8+2 phase design. The memory is powered by a 2-phase circuit. ASUS reworked the arrangement of the expansion card slots, with uniform spacing between the three PCI-Express x16 slots (have electrical lane arrangements of x16/16/x1 or x16/x8/x8). The motherboard supports ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA 3-way SLI. A slightly simplistic component cooling has been introduced. There is a single gigabit ethernet controller. With these, ASUS looks to bring the motherboard out at an attractive price-point.
More GeForce GTX 295 Details Trickle-in
Slated for CES '09, the GeForce GTX 295 would spearhead NVIDIA's quest for performance supremacy. The dual-GPU card consists of two G200b graphics processors working in an internal multi-GPU mode. VR-Zone collected a few more details about this card.
To begin with, the two GPUs will offer all their 240 stream processors unlike what earlier reports suggested. On the other hand, the memory subsystem of this card is peculiar. The card features a total of 1792 MB of memory (896 MB x 2), indicating that the memory configurations of the cores resemble those of the GeForce GTX 260, while the shader domains resemble those of the GTX 280 (240 SPs). The entire card is powered by an 8-pin and a 6-pin power connector. The construction resembles that of the GeForce 9800 GX2 in many aspects, where a monolithic cooler is sandwiched between two PCBs holding a GPU system each. The total power draw of the card is rated at 289W. The card has a single SLI bridge finger, indicating that it supports Quad-SLI in the same way the GeForce 9800 GX2 did (a maximum of two cards can be used in tandem).
To begin with, the two GPUs will offer all their 240 stream processors unlike what earlier reports suggested. On the other hand, the memory subsystem of this card is peculiar. The card features a total of 1792 MB of memory (896 MB x 2), indicating that the memory configurations of the cores resemble those of the GeForce GTX 260, while the shader domains resemble those of the GTX 280 (240 SPs). The entire card is powered by an 8-pin and a 6-pin power connector. The construction resembles that of the GeForce 9800 GX2 in many aspects, where a monolithic cooler is sandwiched between two PCBs holding a GPU system each. The total power draw of the card is rated at 289W. The card has a single SLI bridge finger, indicating that it supports Quad-SLI in the same way the GeForce 9800 GX2 did (a maximum of two cards can be used in tandem).
OCZ Introduces Premium Gold Series Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Cards
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the launch of its new Gold Series Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) flash memory cards, to offer professional phographers and videographers unbridled performance combined with ample storage capabilities for high-resolution pictures and video. These premium memory cards offer photography enthusiasts incredible speeds and capacities to deliver the tailored storage they demand.
Intel Ranks 4th in Climate Change Governance Report
Intel ranked 4th overall, and 1st for the semiconductor sector, in the first ever ranking of consumer and technology companies on climate change strategies. The Ceres report assessed 63 of the world's largest consumer and technology companies on their corporate governance and climate change practices. Check out the CSR@Intel blog to learn more about how Intel fared in the analysis.
SAPPHIRE Launches Special Water Cooled ATOMIC HD 4870 X2 Video Card
SAPPHIRE Technology is now introducing the SAPPHIRE ATOMIC HD 4870 X2, an exclusive new dual GPU water cooled version of the standard ATI HD 4870 X2 card. Because the article is written in Greek which is not my strongest language, I'll stick to the specs and pics, after all that's all we need. As usual, the SAPPHIRE ATOMIC HD 4870 X2 comprises of two complete HD 4870 graphics systems on a single PCI-Express card connected by an on-board PCI Express Gen 2 bridge chip. Each GPU has 1GB of GDDR5 memory, making a total of 2GB on-board memory. Core clock speed for this model is 800MHz, there are 2x800 stream processors, the memory clock speed is 1000MHz with 512-bit memory interface. What's so special in this model is the full cover liquid cooling provided by the famous OEM cooling expert Asetek. The water-block cools both GPUs, all memory chips, the bridge chip and all the power elements. Two Dual Link DVI outputs are provided as well as TV-Out. Additionally the card's bundle includes a CCL UV lamp and Sapphire USB memory stick with drivers. The card will be available starting December 18th for a MSRP of $649.
MSI's First EFI BIOS, More Now Available
MSI has launched the first EFI BIOS based motherboard "P45D3 Platinum & P45 Platinum". EFI, Extensible Firmware Interface, is intended to replace the legacy BIOS firmware interface used by current PCs. It offers a new and more flexible enviroment that supports colorful graphical interfaces, multiple languages and has mouse support. The EFI BIOS will encourage users to experience the full potential of MSI motherboards. Even at this early stage MSI has seen excellent OC potential using the current generation of MSI motherboards in combination with EFI BIOS.
Friday, December 12th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Game Controllers
Processors
IKONIK Vulcan 1200W PSU Review
IKONIK's latest power supply comes with a whopping 1200W of output power. It offers six 6+2 PCI-Express connectors, which means it is able to handle any video card configuration you can throw at it. The efficiency of over 83% also makes it a viable choice for green computing.
Seagate To Run On 100 Percent Renewable Energy
Seagate announced a decision which will dramatically reduce its carbon footprint in Derry. The company has switched from traditional electricity supply to environmentally friendly wind power, supplied by Airtricity, Ireland's leading renewable energy company. Airtricity specialises in the development of onshore and offshore wind farms and currently has 24 wind farms in operation throughout Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland. Going forward, the electricity required to run the massive Springtown plant will be 100 per cent renewable, reducing the site's carbon footprint by 41,800 tons of carbon dioxide, which equates to 95 percent of the total carbon emitted each year by Springtown. The reduction is the equivalent to the carbon dioxide emitted by 4,500 households per year.
Asus Plans to Launch New Omega Line of Notebooks
The new Omega line will target the high-end portion of the entry level market segment and should be available sometime next year. According to the Chinese-language Apple Daily news-paper Omega notebooks will be priced between $600-$900 USD in order to complement the Eee PC lineup. Targeting the mainstream market is a relatively new strategy for Asustek since, excluding the Eee PC, they have mainly produced notebooks for the high-end market. As of right now no system specifications or pictures have been released for the Omega, although we can reasonably expect performance similar to other notebooks in $600-$900 price bracket.
XFX to Sell AMD/ATI Graphics Cards Next Year
UK based HEXUS.net has learned that XFX, one of NVIDIA's main AIB partners, is about to start producing AMD/ATI based video cards in the very near future. HEXUS has learned that a formal announcement, detailing the exact relationship between XFX and AMD/ATI, is expected next Tuesday. The AMD/ATI deal won't reflect on XFX's NVIDIA series cards, the company will continue to sell them as it is doing now. Expect more information, when available.
Scythe Unveils Mounting Clips for Socket LGA1366
The Japanese cooling specialist Scythe Co., Ltd. offers Socket LGA1366 mounting clips for all Scythe CPU coolers.
"Since we want to provide our customers with optimal support and guarantee a long life for our CPU coolers, we decided to offer special mounting clips, which make all Scythe CPU coolers available on the market compatible for the new Intel Socket LGA1366", said Stefan Watzinger, Marketing Manager of the Scythe EU GmbH.
"Since we want to provide our customers with optimal support and guarantee a long life for our CPU coolers, we decided to offer special mounting clips, which make all Scythe CPU coolers available on the market compatible for the new Intel Socket LGA1366", said Stefan Watzinger, Marketing Manager of the Scythe EU GmbH.
Sharkoon Releases Desperado Series PC Cases
Sharkoon is now offering a new ATX midi tower in its case line-up. The Sharkoon Desperado comes in a striking black and silver design and is available in two configurations, with or without pre-installed case fans. The front of the case features a black mesh grill that helps improve airflow, while power and reset buttons as well as two USB ports, audio connections, and activity lights are found on an upright silver panel. In spite of the case's compact dimensions of 180 x 460 x 410 mm (W x D x H), it still has room for four optical drives, a 3.5 inch device, four hard drives and seven expansion cards.
The Value model comes with a high-performance 250 mm fan in the side panel, and features a manual fan control on the side of the case. LED lighting and a bull's-eye design on the fan grill add to the overall style of the case. In addition, space is available for an 80, 92 or 120 mm fan in the front and an 80 or 92 mm fan in the back of the case.
The Value model comes with a high-performance 250 mm fan in the side panel, and features a manual fan control on the side of the case. LED lighting and a bull's-eye design on the fan grill add to the overall style of the case. In addition, space is available for an 80, 92 or 120 mm fan in the front and an 80 or 92 mm fan in the back of the case.
ASUS Launches the VH Series of LCD Monitors for Multimedia Users
ASUS today continued its heritage of producing high performance, richly-featured LCD monitors with the addition of new HDMI-equipped models to its lineup. Available in screen sizes ranging from 18.5" to 23.6", and driven by an array of exclusive image enhancing innovations such as Splendid Video Intelligence Technology and ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio (ASCR) technology, the VH192, VH222, VH226 and VH242 are designed to deliver the ultimate multimedia experience. VH Series monitors boast a perfect aspect ratio of 16:9, ensuring the flawless playback of movies and games.
ASUS Introduces Redesigned Eee PC 1002HA Netbook
ASUS, a worldwide leader in notebook design and the fastest growing notebook brand, today announced the newest member of its award-winning Eee PC family-the Eee PC 1002HA. Featuring a stylishly redesigned chassis adorned with a brushed aluminum LCD cover and palm rest, the Eee PC 1002HA is a sophisticated, lightweight, easy-to-use netbook that brings a touch of elegance and utility to everyday computing.
GeForce GTX 285 to Lead Single-GPU Pack for NVIDIA
NVIDIA is planning a massive transition of the G200 architecture to the newer 55nm silicon fabrication process. With this, maintaining electrical constraints, the clock speeds of the GPU can be increased to levels that make them highly competitive, while also cutting manufacturing costs. With the newer G200b core running hypothetically cooler, the company is also planning a dual GPU card named the GeForce GTX 295. Its single GPU flagship offering will be called GeForce GTX 285.
While nothing substantially new is on the cards, GeForce GTX 285 has everything that makes it identical to the GTX 280, specifications wise, except for the clock speeds. This is where, NVIDIA gets to take the advantage of the superior electrical and thermal efficiencies of the 55nm core to step up clock speeds and thereby increase performance. While the clock speeds are unknown at this point in time, it is predicted that the new card has a 10% performance increase over the GeForce GTX 280. The card continues to be based on the NVIDIA P891 PCB the current cards use, and hence the GPU gets to use the high-grade power circuitry at its disposal to gain high clock speeds. The power consumption of the new card is pitted at 183W (down from 236W for the GTX 280). The card would need two 6-pin PCI-Express power inputs. The GeForce GTX 285 is slated for January 2009.
While nothing substantially new is on the cards, GeForce GTX 285 has everything that makes it identical to the GTX 280, specifications wise, except for the clock speeds. This is where, NVIDIA gets to take the advantage of the superior electrical and thermal efficiencies of the 55nm core to step up clock speeds and thereby increase performance. While the clock speeds are unknown at this point in time, it is predicted that the new card has a 10% performance increase over the GeForce GTX 280. The card continues to be based on the NVIDIA P891 PCB the current cards use, and hence the GPU gets to use the high-grade power circuitry at its disposal to gain high clock speeds. The power consumption of the new card is pitted at 183W (down from 236W for the GTX 280). The card would need two 6-pin PCI-Express power inputs. The GeForce GTX 285 is slated for January 2009.
AMD Sets RV775 to Chase Down G200b?
Sources tell Expreview that AMD is working on a new graphics processor (apart from the mysterious RV790), as an immediate reaction to the 55nm high-end GPUs NVIDIA is set to release. NVIDIA on its part is working on GeForce GTX 260 (55nm), GeForce GTX 285 (successor to GeForce GTX 280) and the dual-GPU monstrosity, GeForce GTX 295. To rival this, according to the source, AMD is working on the RV775 and derivatives based on its yields' performance.
These GPUs are slated for January thru March 2009. It has some very interesting specifications. To begin with, 840 stream processors. While stream processors on a current generation RV770 cannot be added/subtracted in quantities of 40 stream processors, perhaps, the increment of 40 SPs is derived from an extra ALU cluster the RV770 comes with by default (which helps in die harvesting, where the spare ALU cluster makes up for any damaged cluster, thereby improving yields). This would require near-perfect GPUs in the making (if re-engineering of the RV770 on a large scale is to be avoided). Another interesting point is regarding the smaller die. At this point we are clueless as to how that is possible without re-engineering the RV770 at a large scale. Treat yourselves to the specifications meanwhile:
These GPUs are slated for January thru March 2009. It has some very interesting specifications. To begin with, 840 stream processors. While stream processors on a current generation RV770 cannot be added/subtracted in quantities of 40 stream processors, perhaps, the increment of 40 SPs is derived from an extra ALU cluster the RV770 comes with by default (which helps in die harvesting, where the spare ALU cluster makes up for any damaged cluster, thereby improving yields). This would require near-perfect GPUs in the making (if re-engineering of the RV770 on a large scale is to be avoided). Another interesting point is regarding the smaller die. At this point we are clueless as to how that is possible without re-engineering the RV770 at a large scale. Treat yourselves to the specifications meanwhile:
HIS Releases Radeon HD 4870 IceQ4+
Amidst lot of speculation concerning its possibility, HIS indeed has an IceQ4+ model graphics card based on the ATI Radeon HD 4870. It uses the iconic IceQ4+ cooler, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory. The card is overclocked out of the box, with the core clocked at 770 MHz, and memory at 1000 MHz (effectively 2 GHz DDR or 4000 MT/s). The card uses a blue-coloured AMD reference PCB (includes the AMD brand mark on the PCB), with an identical layout of components as that on the reference design cards.
The advantage however, lies in its cooler. The card supports ATI CrossFireX, and sports two dual-link DVI ports for output. It requires two 6 pin PCI-Express power connectors. There are two basic sub-variants: IceQ4+ Turbo 512MB and IceQ4+ Turbo 1GB. The 512 MB model has a higher core clock speed at 780 MHz. The non-Turbo sub-variants use reference AMD clock speeds.
The advantage however, lies in its cooler. The card supports ATI CrossFireX, and sports two dual-link DVI ports for output. It requires two 6 pin PCI-Express power connectors. There are two basic sub-variants: IceQ4+ Turbo 512MB and IceQ4+ Turbo 1GB. The 512 MB model has a higher core clock speed at 780 MHz. The non-Turbo sub-variants use reference AMD clock speeds.
Nintendo Sets New Game Console Shipment Record
Nintendo has had a happy hunting season in the month of November, with record-breaking sales of the Wii game console in the US. According to data compiled by NPD and sourced from TG Daily, Nintendo shattered its own record it set in November 2007, of 981,000 units sold, with a phenomenal 2 million units sold in November '08.
Given the state the economy is in, game console shipment estimates for November 2008 by NPD, come as a big surprise. Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony shipped 3,254,000 static consoles last month, which compares to only 2,217,000 units in November and translates to a 47% increase in shipped units year over year and 139% sequentially. Sales of console by Sony saw a sharp drop at the expense of Nintendo and Microsoft. The month saw equally good sales of game titles (covered here), again with those for the Xbox 360 and Wii holding the top spots.
Given the state the economy is in, game console shipment estimates for November 2008 by NPD, come as a big surprise. Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony shipped 3,254,000 static consoles last month, which compares to only 2,217,000 units in November and translates to a 47% increase in shipped units year over year and 139% sequentially. Sales of console by Sony saw a sharp drop at the expense of Nintendo and Microsoft. The month saw equally good sales of game titles (covered here), again with those for the Xbox 360 and Wii holding the top spots.
XFX X58i Motherboard Launched
XFX has just released its X58i motherboard, yet another new member of the Intel X58 based guild. Pictures and specs of the motherboard follow below.
Seagate Lowers Warranty Period from 5 to 3 Years on Some Desktop Hard Drives
Seagate, the biggest hard drive manufacturer, has announced today that effective January 3, 2009, the company will be making some important changes to its limited warranty terms for selected drives. The warranty period for consumer electronics (Seagate Barracuda 7200 included), notebook (Momentus 7200 and Momentus 5400 included) and personal storage bare drives sold to Seagate Authorized Distributors will be changed from 5 years to 3 years. Seagate believes that the new warranty period and terms better reflect current industry standards. Seagate enterprise class drives and Seagate and Maxtor external retail products that have 5-year warranty periods will not be affected by this change. Please take a look at the Seagate Warranty Matrix for more information.
UnitedKeys Taking Pre-orders of its OLED Gaming Keyboard and Keypad
A rival of Art Lebedev is approaching. UnitedKeys OLED, a relatively new name in the computer OLED business, is now pre-ordering two OLED peripherals that resemble Art Lebedev's Optimus Maximus and Optimus Mini Three keyboards. I'm starting with the UnitedKeys OLED gaming keyboard, a 103 standard keys keyboard with 9 customizable monochromatic OLED buttons. This keyboard is 20.5-inches long, 7.25-inches wide and fully functional under both Windows XP or Windows Vista. You can pre-order the UnitedKeys OLED keyboard now for $259.99. Also announced was the UnitedKeys keypad with just 9 OLED (customizable) keys. Both peripherals connect to the PC using normal USB 2.0 connection. The keypad has a MSRP of $199.99 and is also available for pre-order now. For more information, please click here.
Google Chrome Sheds Its Beta Status
Thursday Google removed the beta status of its new web browser, Chrome. This is a surprisingly fast 100 days after its roll out in September, especially for Google whose popular "gmail" still retains beta status. Google is confident that Chrome is read for prime time since it has fewer bugs, is more secure and runs faster than it did three months ago. While Chrome still only claims about 1 percent of the browser market share it is hoped that since the browser is no longer in the beta stages it will be adopted by more users who are leery of the beta title and the negative connotations that come with it.
November Video Game Sales Up Despite Slumping Economy
Despite many sectors of the economy now formally entering a recession after two quarters of economic downturn video games sales have increased by ten percent. Data from NPD Group showed total video games sales in November were US$2.9 billion, taking year-to-date spending on software and hardware to $16 billion, which is up 22 percent on 2007. NPD Group theorizes that Economic factors are at play given that a video game is a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment for the hours of value it provides.
Thursday, December 11th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Monitors
Motherboards
Mouse
Multimedia
PSUs
PhysX will Die, Says AMD
In an interview with Godfrey Cheng, Director of Technical Marketing in AMD's Graphics Products Group, Bit-Tech.net has quoted him saying that standards such as PhysX would die due to their proprietary and closed nature. Says Mr. Cheng:
"There is no plan for closed and proprietary standards like PhysX," said Cheng. "As we have emphasised with our support for OpenCL and DX11, closed and proprietary standards will die."Bit-Tech.net interviewed the AMD person to get the company's take on EA and 2K's decision to adopt NVIDIA PhysX across all of their worldwide studios, earlier this week. Interestingly, when asked about how the major publishers such as EA adopting PhysX across all of their studios would impact the propagation of the API, Cheng responded with saying that monetary incentives provided to publishing houses alone won't help a great deal in propagating the API, and that the product (PhysX) must be competitive, and that AMD viewed Havoc and its physics simulation technologies as leaders. "Games developers share this view. We will also invest in technologies and partnerships beyond Havok that enhances gameplay." he added. PhysX is a proprietary physics simulation API created by Ageia technologies, which was acquired and developed by NVIDIA. You can read the full Bit-Tech.net interview with Godfrey Cheng here.
RivaTuner Version 2.21 Released, Fixes GTA4 Missing Textures
RivaTuner, a very powerful and easy to use video card tweaking utility, was updated today to version 2.21. This release has a small number of updates yet mainly is a hotfix for Grand Theft Auto 4 missing texture issue for some GeForce owners in combo with this tool. NVIDIA GeForce drivers 180.60, 180.70 and 180.84 as well as AMD/ATI Catalyst 8.12 are also supported now. For detailed information, please check out the changelist below.
DOWNLOAD: RivaTuner Version 2.21
DOWNLOAD: RivaTuner Version 2.21
AMD Adopts OpenCL 1.0 Specification
AMD today announced its intent to rapidly adopt the OpenCL 1.0 programming standard and integrate a compliant compiler and runtime into the free ATI Stream Software Development Kit (SDK).
OpenCL 1.0 was ratified today by the The Khronos Group, an independent standards body with company-members throughout the computing industry. The OpenCL programming standard and associated technologies are aimed at better enabling developers to write vender-neutral applications that can execute on either the CPU or GPU within a system. This allows developers to easily take advantage of whichever processor is best suited for the task at hand.
OpenCL 1.0 was ratified today by the The Khronos Group, an independent standards body with company-members throughout the computing industry. The OpenCL programming standard and associated technologies are aimed at better enabling developers to write vender-neutral applications that can execute on either the CPU or GPU within a system. This allows developers to easily take advantage of whichever processor is best suited for the task at hand.
Lian Li Launches TR-5F Fan Bus with Temperature Fan Combo
Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd is introducing the new TR-5F, a fan Bus and Fan Temp gauge combo unit. The innovative device takes up one 5.25 bay, and has a full frontal LCD, with a coupled LED fan which changes color according to the RPM registered. At a glance you can see if your PC is running hot (red color), or cool (green color). The Fan is transparent, and has airflow of 53CFM at full speed (1500RPM).
The TR-5 allows up to four different temperatures (0ºC to 99ºC ~ +/-2ºC) and fan speeds, ranging from (1) CPU, (2) VGA, and (3 & 4) system 1 & system 2 fans, the TR-5 is more than adequate for your cooling needs. In addition the device has an Alarm for high temperatures and fan failure as well as a Date and Time function, with settings for either ºC or ºF temperature display modes at the touch of a button. The addition of the Color LED fan adds convenience to an already versatile unit.
The TR-5 allows up to four different temperatures (0ºC to 99ºC ~ +/-2ºC) and fan speeds, ranging from (1) CPU, (2) VGA, and (3 & 4) system 1 & system 2 fans, the TR-5 is more than adequate for your cooling needs. In addition the device has an Alarm for high temperatures and fan failure as well as a Date and Time function, with settings for either ºC or ºF temperature display modes at the touch of a button. The addition of the Color LED fan adds convenience to an already versatile unit.
Elpida Completes Development of New 50nm Process 2-Gigabit Mobile RAM
Elpida Memory today announced that it had completed development of a 50nm process 2-gigabit Mobile RAM product using 50nm process technology with 193nm (ArF) immersion lithography and copper interconnect. The ultra low-power features of Mobile RAM are ideal for use in mobile phones, portable multimedia devices, portable internet-related devices and other handheld device applications. In its development of Mobile RAM Elpida has focused on conserving electric current. Compared with 70nm products the new 50nm product uses less than half the data retention current and half the operating current. These enhanced features enable double the memory capacity without an increase in system power consumption.
Ericsson Collaborates with Intel to Bring Theft Protection to Notebooks
Ericsson announced today that it is collaborating with Intel to ensure that Ericsson's Mobile Broadband Modules are interoperable with Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection Technology for notebooks to offer a secure and reliable anti-theft solution for mobile broadband users. The collaboration addresses solutions to minimize the negative consequences when notebooks are lost or stolen, and in conjunction independent encryption software when sensitive data is lost while on-the-go and to prevent unwanted data intrusion.
Cooler Master Black Label Limited Edition Launched
Cooler Master introduces the Black Label Limited Edition with worldwide availability of 500 individually numbered sets. This luxiourious collection brings together the company's award-winning computing chassis, cooler and power supply, with an added touch of sophistcated black appearance plus feature enchancements: Cosmos Black Label, Hyper Z600 Black Label and a powerful PSU unit. MSRP 599USD or 499EUR. Details at: Cooler Master Black.
Buffalo Readies 240GB SSD Equipped LinkStation Mini NAS Device
Buffalo recently released the LinkStation Mini line-up of NAS devices that fit SSD drives as storage media. Designed specially to ensure maximum transfer speeds, zero noise levels and high reliability for the customer, the LS-WSS240GL/R1 weights in just half a kilo and offers 240GB of storage space. The SSD NAS device measures 40 (W) x 82 (H) x 135 (D) mm and connects through a Gigabit Ethernet or a USB 2.0/1.1 port. General availability of the cube is expected later this month, with retail cost for the 240GB version around $1,146.
Logitech Prepares New G18 Gaming Keyboard to Accompany G13
It appears that G13 won't be the only one new gaming keyboard released this year by Logitech. A pre-production sample of what's to be named Logitech G18 was also spotted sitting next to a G13 by our colleagues at Engadget China. For now we can gather information only from a single picture. There you see a rather standard keyboard design, lots of programmable G keys and other extra keys plus what's maybe the best part of this keyboard - a new color LCD display. Now we wait for the press release.
Wednesday, December 10th 2008
Today's Reviews
LaCie and Noctua Team up to Create Quiet RAID Solutions
Leading external storage manufacturer LaCie and renowned quiet cooling specialist Noctua today announced their cooperation on the development of acoustically optimized storage solutions. The recently announced LaCie 4big Quadra and LaCie 5big Network, designed by Neil Poulton, are the first LaCie four and five-bay RAID external storage solutions to feature Noctua cooling technology. Thanks to the use of Noctua's NF-P12 fan, their noise emission is reduced, on average, by 40% compared to their predecessors.
Sony PlayStation Home Open Beta Starts Tomorrow
PlayStation.BLOG reminds today that PlayStation Home will enter into open beta, and will be available to everyone tomorrow. PlayStation Home is a 3D social gaming community available on PS3 that allows users to interact, communicate and share gaming experiences. Within PlayStation Home, users can create and customize their own unique avatars and explore virtual community in real time where they can communicate freely through text or voice chat. PlayStation Home users will not only be able to enjoy variety of entertainment content such as mini-games, videos and special events along with their friends, but will also be able to create their own community by starting clubs with other PlayStation Home users who share the same interests. Even purchasing customizable furniture and designer clothes will be possible with PlayStation Home. That's only a fraction of the features that will be available initially, not to mention that this is not a final version and there're still many updates to come. PlayStation Home, available as a free download starting December 11th, will launch directly from the PlayStation Home icon on the PlayStation Network column of XMB (XrossMediaBar) on PS3. After that date, SCE will vigorously promote the service and work with its partners to introduce new services. If you want to know more, hit the source link.
ATI Catalyst 8.12 Released
ATI has just released this year's final version of its Catalyst driver package. As you might already know from our previous BETA release post, with the release of ATI Catalyst 8.12 users can now unlock the potential of accelerated applications enabling ATI Stream technology for various ATI Radeon graphics processors. This release also adds Stream technology to ATI's AVIVO Video Converter and many performance improvements.
DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst 8.12
DOWNLOAD: ATI Catalyst 8.12
Logitech Debuts the G13 Game-Changing Gameboard
Whether you're rescuing hostages, on a quest with your guild or saving humanity, you don't want to worry about hand fatigue or hitting the wrong key. Today, Logitech introduced the Logitech G13 advanced gameboard - a hybrid gaming keyboard designed to complement your Logitech keyboard and mouse - giving you game-changing comfort and control on a Mac computer or a PC.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 Spotted
VR-Zone scored the first photo of the upcoming GeForce GTX 295 card that's reported to make first appearance at next year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Unlike previous reports, the card will feature a sandwich design, like most dual GPU cards released by NVIDIA. Two 55nm GT200 CPUs will be incorporated in this card. From the picture we also see two DVI and one Display ports. The source also reports the card is using 8+6 pin connector combo to deliver external power. The pricing is yet to be disclosed, but card makers are speculating that NVIDIA will price it competitively against AMD 4870X2.
Intel Releases Bonus Maps for Far Cry 2, Extends Gameplay by up to 3 Hours
Logitech Introduces Comfort Lapdesk for Notebooks
You can use your laptop anywhere in your home. But what you gain in mobility, you often sacrifice in comfort. To address this pain point, Logitech today introduced the Logitech Comfort Lapdesk for Notebooks - the newest addition to the company's line of notebook accessories. The Comfort Lapdesk provides a stable base and helps protect against laptop heat whether you're working from the comfort of your couch, relaxing on your bed or reclining on the living-room floor.
Dell Launches the 19-inch Widescreen UltraSharp 1909W LCD Monitor
Dell today included one more LCD offering to its monitor line-up. The 19-inch UltraSharp 1909W widescreen monitor won't impress with enormous desktop space or high specs, it's more of a beautiful office monitor. Featuring 1440x900 native resolution, the 16:10 display also boasts a 5ms response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and 300 nits of brightness. The display has VGA, DVI and four USB 2.0 ports, but there's no HDMI. Finally, its price is $239, a good value for such monitor. Order now onlince here.
Intel Completes Next Generation, 32nm Process Development Phase
Intel Corporation has completed the development phase of its next-generation manufacturing process that further shrinks chip circuitry to 32 nanometers (a billionth of a meter). The company is on track for production readiness of this future generation using even more energy-efficient, denser and higher performing transistors in the fourth quarter of 2009. Intel will provide a multitude of technical details around the 32nm process technology along with several other topics during presentations at the International Electron Devices meeting (IEDM) next week in San Francisco.
Tuesday, December 9th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Multimedia
PSUs
Storage
In Win Matrix Review
The In Win Matrix is a unique and extremely compact mATX enclosure. It looks good all around, thanks to a clever design and features a unique and well thought out interior. Despite its small size you can still fit in a regular graphics card and several harddisks.
VIA Introduces New ARTiGO A2000 Barebone Storage Server
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA ARTiGO A2000 barebone storage mini-server. The perfect balance of size and space, the ARTiGO A2000 packs terabytes of storage capacity within a stylish, compact, low power and low noise system.
Today's users are seeing their PCs filling up with gigabytes and even terabytes of locally stored media, and the proliferation of home DVD projects and high definition video downloads means file sizes are on the rise. The VIA ARTiGO A2000 consumes far less power and space than a regular desktop, yet provides ample storage for large home media libraries of music, photos and HD video. It can also serve as a headless Network Attached Storage box or media storage and streaming device in home server applications.
Today's users are seeing their PCs filling up with gigabytes and even terabytes of locally stored media, and the proliferation of home DVD projects and high definition video downloads means file sizes are on the rise. The VIA ARTiGO A2000 consumes far less power and space than a regular desktop, yet provides ample storage for large home media libraries of music, photos and HD video. It can also serve as a headless Network Attached Storage box or media storage and streaming device in home server applications.
Super Talent Announces Enterprise Class UltraDrive SSDs
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced a new line of UltraDrive solid state drives (SSDs) that are twice as fast as the world's speediest SATA hard drives and are offered in capacities up to 256GB.
UltraDrive LE SSDs are designed expressly for enterprise servers and data centers where exceptional performance, reliability and endurance are paramount. The UltraDrive LE supports very high transaction speeds (IOPS), and supports sequential read/write speeds of 230/170 MB per second. While outperforming 10,000 RPM hard drives, the UltraDrive LE uses substantially less power and generates less heat. Based on SLC NAND Flash, the UltraDrive LE is offered in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities.
UltraDrive LE SSDs are designed expressly for enterprise servers and data centers where exceptional performance, reliability and endurance are paramount. The UltraDrive LE supports very high transaction speeds (IOPS), and supports sequential read/write speeds of 230/170 MB per second. While outperforming 10,000 RPM hard drives, the UltraDrive LE uses substantially less power and generates less heat. Based on SLC NAND Flash, the UltraDrive LE is offered in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities.
Gigabyte Unveils Radeon HD 4870 1GB Equipped with DisplayPort
Gigabyte today, has released a new graphics card based on the ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics processor (GPU), in a non-reference design. While sporting a thin and light appearance, the card retains high-grade electrical components such as digital PWM circuitry the reference PCB sports. The prominent features of the card include a DisplayPort connector alongside an HDMI port, both on the PCB. The card features 1 GB of GDDR5 memory made by Qimonda, across a 256-bit wide bus.
Being non-reference and Gigabyte, it's expected to have a blue coloured PCB. The GPU is cooled by a Zalman VF830 cooler, which features on several of today's graphics cards by Gigabyte. The memory is left to be cooled under its air-flow. The VRM area gets a heatsink of its own. The card is powered by two 6-pin PCI-Express power connectors. It uses reference clock speeds of 750 MHz for the GPU and 900 MHz (effective 3600 MT/s) for the memory. It is yet to be priced.
Being non-reference and Gigabyte, it's expected to have a blue coloured PCB. The GPU is cooled by a Zalman VF830 cooler, which features on several of today's graphics cards by Gigabyte. The memory is left to be cooled under its air-flow. The VRM area gets a heatsink of its own. The card is powered by two 6-pin PCI-Express power connectors. It uses reference clock speeds of 750 MHz for the GPU and 900 MHz (effective 3600 MT/s) for the memory. It is yet to be priced.
OCZ Technology Introduces the High Performance Vertex Series Solid State Drive
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the OCZ Vertex SATA II 2.5" Solid State Drive (SSD) Series, a premium offering for enthusiasts demanding the latest technology in this fast-developing sector of the storage market. The latest high-performance and cost-efficient SSD, OCZ has gained momentum in pioneering flash storage technology while maintaining a price point that is truly within the reach of a wide range of consumers.
OCZ Technology Introduces Slate Series ExpressCards for Notebooks
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today introduced the Slate Series ExpressCard, a storage expansion drive for the latest generation of performance notebooks. The integration of express card storage is ideal for mobile users who want the peace of mind knowing they will always have a backup option and experience the convenience of an internal solution that eliminates peripheral devices.
IKONIK Launches Fleet of New Power Supplies
IKONIK has released six new power supply models under the high-end Vulcan and mainstream Gaia series. Under the Vulcan series the company released 650W, 850W, 1000W and 1200W models are ATX 12V V2.2 and EPS 12V V2.91-ready, with company-rated efficiency of 82%. They offer modularity for better cable-management, more than two +12V rails and use a 140mm fan for cooling. Depending on the model, they have PCI-Express power connectors between two and six in number.
Under the Gaia series, 450W and 500W models have surfaced. They offer essential features apart from efficiency ratings above 80%, active PFC, two +12V rails and two PCI-Express power connectors.
Under the Gaia series, 450W and 500W models have surfaced. They offer essential features apart from efficiency ratings above 80%, active PFC, two +12V rails and two PCI-Express power connectors.
Patriot Memory Releases Improved Xporter XT Boost USB Flash Drive
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium quality memory module and flash memory solutions, today announced their award-winning Xporter XT Boost USB flash drive now comes with improved read speeds of up to 200x. Previously, the Xporter XT Boost read speeds were rated up to 180x. The new Xporter XT still remains available in 2/4/8/16/32 gigabyte capacities and is still Microsoft Windows certified for Vista ReadyBoost.
"In keeping in-line with our cutting edge philosophy, we are updating our already blazingly fast Boost series, giving the consumers an even better value." says Meng Jay Choo, Flash Product Manager for Patriot Memory. "Consumers will see a noticeable difference when using the new Xporter XT Boost. The 20x increase in read speed from the previous generation of the Xporter XT Boost equates to 3MB/s. This means more time to enjoy your pictures or videos rather than waiting for them to open.
"In keeping in-line with our cutting edge philosophy, we are updating our already blazingly fast Boost series, giving the consumers an even better value." says Meng Jay Choo, Flash Product Manager for Patriot Memory. "Consumers will see a noticeable difference when using the new Xporter XT Boost. The 20x increase in read speed from the previous generation of the Xporter XT Boost equates to 3MB/s. This means more time to enjoy your pictures or videos rather than waiting for them to open.
NVIDIA Announces Full Support For OpenCL 1.0
NVIDIA Corporation announced its full support for the newly released OpenCL 1.0 specification from the Khronos Group. OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a new compute API that allows developers to harness the massive parallel computing power of the GPU. The addition of OpenCL is another major milestone in the GPU revolution that gives NVIDIA developers another powerful programming option.
NVIDIA kicked off the GPU computing revolution with the introduction of NVIDIA CUDA, its massively parallel computing ISA and hardware architecture. CUDA was designed to natively support all parallel computing interfaces and will seamlessly run OpenCL. Enabled on over 100 million NVIDIA GPUs, CUDA has unleashed unprecedented performance boosts across a wide range of applications and provides a huge installed base for the deployment of compute applications using OpenCL. With support for other industry standard languages such as C, Java, Fortran and Python, only the CUDA architecture provides developers with a choice of programming environments to aid the rapid development of compute applications on the GPU.
NVIDIA kicked off the GPU computing revolution with the introduction of NVIDIA CUDA, its massively parallel computing ISA and hardware architecture. CUDA was designed to natively support all parallel computing interfaces and will seamlessly run OpenCL. Enabled on over 100 million NVIDIA GPUs, CUDA has unleashed unprecedented performance boosts across a wide range of applications and provides a huge installed base for the deployment of compute applications using OpenCL. With support for other industry standard languages such as C, Java, Fortran and Python, only the CUDA architecture provides developers with a choice of programming environments to aid the rapid development of compute applications on the GPU.
Preliminary Tests on Intel Core i5 Conducted
i5? i5! Core i5 would be the brand name Intel's mainstream desktop derivatives of the Nehalem architecture based on the Lynnfield core would carry. It is similar to its big brother, the Core i7 for the most of the part except for a few differences:
- A current generation Direct Media Interface (DMI) Interconnect as chipset interface
- A 128-bit wide DDR3 memory interface (Dual Channel) instead of triple-channel
- Some more machinery from the northbridge migrated to the CPU, such as the PCI-Express root complex
- The newer LGA 1160 socket
NVIDIA to Work on Intel Atom Core Logic
NVIDIA will have the opportunity to design platform core logic (chipsets) for the Intel Atom processor, in the weeks to come. The visual computing giant has had a fair bit of success with its MCP79 chipset for mainstream PCs, which could be ported to platforms with much smaller footprints, such as netbooks and nettops. The starting point in its roadmap could well be the MCP79 itself which has architectural superiority over Intel chipsets in the same range, for being of a monolithic design.
Intel's own chipset for the Atom processor faced quite some criticism from the media for being dated in both design and manufacturing processes, resulting in its high TDP. Major players in the industry, ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI have said they welcome the partnership between Nvidia and Intel and believe the cooperation would give them more pricing flexibility.
Intel's own chipset for the Atom processor faced quite some criticism from the media for being dated in both design and manufacturing processes, resulting in its high TDP. Major players in the industry, ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI have said they welcome the partnership between Nvidia and Intel and believe the cooperation would give them more pricing flexibility.
Foxconn X58 Blood Rage Sets World Record DDR3 Overclock
Blood RAGE, the latest member of Foxconn's Quantum Force family with Intel X58 chipset, sets the highest record of DDR3 memory overclocking with Intel Core i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz armed by a Taiwan overclocker.
With a score of 2513.8MHz (1256.9*2) the test has produced one of the highest OC scores of all time, i.e., a new world record using A-DATA DDR3 800 Memory.
With a score of 2513.8MHz (1256.9*2) the test has produced one of the highest OC scores of all time, i.e., a new world record using A-DATA DDR3 800 Memory.
Monday, December 8th 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Input Devices
Keyboards
Motherboards
Notebooks
Hiper Type R Mk-II 680W PSU Review
The Hiper Type R Mk-II 680W is a unique power supply because it comes with an integrated 8-port USB hub. A ninth USB connector is dedicated to charging any USB based devices like your Iphone or Ipod, even while the PC is turned off. The PSU itself delivers excellent performance values in stability and fan noise. Efficiency is also high with 82%.
First Dual-Core Celeron Mobile CPUs Out
Intel has introduced its first set of mobile dual-core CPUs under the Celeron M branding. There are two models up for sale: T1700 and T1600, clocked at 1.83 GHz and 1.66 GHz respectively. These processors, based on the Core micro-architecture, have a shared L2 cache of 1 MB. These chips have a front-side bus speed of 667 MHz. Both these processors are derived from the 65nm silicon fabrication process, and come with rated TDP of 35W. The T1700 and T1600 are priced at US $86 and $80 respectively (in 1000 unit tray quantities), and are intended to be value offerings towards a segment of notebooks.
First Series of AMD Kuma Benchmarks Posted
AMD is releasing its dual-core desktop processor based on the 65nm K10 architecture, codenamed Kuma. One of the first SKUs based on the core, the Athlon X2 7750, has been evaluated by Donanim Haber. The Athlon X2 7750 comes with a clock-speed of 2.70 GHz, and a HyperTransport 3.0 system interface. It has 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a shared L3 cache of 2 MB. Donanim Haber put this chip to test on a Foxconn A7DA-S (AMD 790 GX + SB750) motherboard, with 2 GB of 800 MHz DDR2 memory. It was compared to the Intel Core 2 Duo E8200, Core 2 Duo E8400, Core 2 Duo E6420, AMD Phenom X3 8750 and Athlon X2 5200+ (Brisbane), all running at stock speeds.
A-Data Launches XPG X Series Version 2.0, The Ultimate Memory for Overclocking
A-DATA Technology, a worldwide leader in high performance memory products, announced today that it is launching A-DATA XPG DDR3-2133X v2.0 of its X Series. These high-performance modules run at incredible 2133MHz with CL10-10-10-30 timings and are available in 1GBx3/2GBx3 triple-channel as well as 2GB/4GB dual-channel module kits.
A-DATA XPG DDR3-2133X v2.0 is engineered with heavy Aluminum heatspreaders and an additional dual-fan unit, keeping the RAMs cool. A-DATA combined two methods of heat dissipation to maximize the OC performance for its entire X Series Version 2.0.
A-DATA XPG DDR3-2133X v2.0 is engineered with heavy Aluminum heatspreaders and an additional dual-fan unit, keeping the RAMs cool. A-DATA combined two methods of heat dissipation to maximize the OC performance for its entire X Series Version 2.0.
AMD RS880 Details Trickle in
AMD processors finally get to address DDR3 memory on the new AM3 socket. Compatible processors under the Phenom II and Athlon X3, X4 banners that come in AM3 socket packages, will run initially on updated AMD 7-series chipset variants, and later be succeeded by the the company's RD890 and RS880 chipset cores. HKEPC compiled some information on the RS880 core logic. The "RS" prefix for AMD GPG chipsets mark the presence of integrated graphics. Based on the performance efficiency of the RSx80 dice, they're branded into the mainstream RSx80 product (eg: RS780 for AMD 780G), RSx80C for a value product (eg: RS780C for AMD 740G) and a high-end RSx80D (eg: in AMD 790GX).
The RS880 will use feature-set refresh, though will embed a rather dated RV620-class graphics processor. The IGP will have DirectX 10.1 API compliance. Specifications-wise it is identical to the RS780, both sport 40 stream processors, 8 texture address and 4 texture filtering units, though the core speed on the RS880 is expected to be significantly higher. The feature-set refresh, as stated earlier, includes support for Universal Video Decoder 2 (UVD-2), in addition to 100% hardware acceleration for VC-1, H.264 and MPEG-2 bitstream decoding. Also provided is video dynamic-contrast. The IGP supports HDMI with audio routing, and DisplayPort. The chipset will be released in Q3 2009. Like the current RS780, the RS880 will be manufactured on the 55nm node of TSMC. It will be used on motherboards with companion SB710 or SB800 southbridge chips.
The RS880 will use feature-set refresh, though will embed a rather dated RV620-class graphics processor. The IGP will have DirectX 10.1 API compliance. Specifications-wise it is identical to the RS780, both sport 40 stream processors, 8 texture address and 4 texture filtering units, though the core speed on the RS880 is expected to be significantly higher. The feature-set refresh, as stated earlier, includes support for Universal Video Decoder 2 (UVD-2), in addition to 100% hardware acceleration for VC-1, H.264 and MPEG-2 bitstream decoding. Also provided is video dynamic-contrast. The IGP supports HDMI with audio routing, and DisplayPort. The chipset will be released in Q3 2009. Like the current RS780, the RS880 will be manufactured on the 55nm node of TSMC. It will be used on motherboards with companion SB710 or SB800 southbridge chips.
Windows Vista Ultimate (Product) Red Edition Up for Pre-Order
Microsoft has partnered with Dell to release the (Product) Red variant for the Windows Vista Ultimate operating system. (Product) Red is a brand license given to affiliated companies that mark their products with the brand mark and/or related themes, in return to voluntarily donating part of the revenue generated by the product to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Up until now, the special edition OS has been shipping with (Product) Red marked PCs and notebooks sold by Dell, but now, Microsoft is releasing a standalone retail package for the OS available to all. The OS comprises of special (RED) themed wallpapers, screensavers and visual styles. The company goes on to say and I quote "One (RED) PC purchased with Windows Vista Ultimate could provide up to six months of life-saving ARV medication for a person living with HIV-AIDS in Africa."
Microsoft will be releasing the standalone product on December 15, with retailers such as Amazon.com listing the OS for pre-order, priced at US $219.95. PCs and notebooks with this OS pre-installed are already sold by Dell. For more information, visit Microsoft here.
Up until now, the special edition OS has been shipping with (Product) Red marked PCs and notebooks sold by Dell, but now, Microsoft is releasing a standalone retail package for the OS available to all. The OS comprises of special (RED) themed wallpapers, screensavers and visual styles. The company goes on to say and I quote "One (RED) PC purchased with Windows Vista Ultimate could provide up to six months of life-saving ARV medication for a person living with HIV-AIDS in Africa."
Microsoft will be releasing the standalone product on December 15, with retailers such as Amazon.com listing the OS for pre-order, priced at US $219.95. PCs and notebooks with this OS pre-installed are already sold by Dell. For more information, visit Microsoft here.
Team launches Triple Channel Xtreem DDR3, Triple Bandwidth, X-Triple Speed
Founded in 1994, Team Group Inc. is a professional memory module maker that has launched various tri-channel products of high frequency and low latency ahead of its competitors with unrivaled capacity, including Xtreem DDR3 1866 and Xtreem Dark 1600/1333, to shock the DDR3 market and cope with the advent of the Intel Core i7 platform.
After winning countless praise and awards for the DDR3 1800 and DDR3 2000 modules, the Xtreem DDR3 tri-channel module from Team has become the key of the next-gen Core i7 platform. In memory architecture, the Core i7 has enhanced the frequency from DDR3 1333 to DDR3 1866. In addition to increasing the speed by nearly 30%, the tri-channel layout has an expanded bandwidth to 44GB/Sec for the Team Xtreem DDR3 1866 to exert its "market-fastest" advantage. The Xtreem Dark DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333 are low-latency models in 8-8-8-24 and 7-7-7-21 timings (tCL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS) respectively on 1.65V. These have displayed Team's unrivaled R&D capacity.
After winning countless praise and awards for the DDR3 1800 and DDR3 2000 modules, the Xtreem DDR3 tri-channel module from Team has become the key of the next-gen Core i7 platform. In memory architecture, the Core i7 has enhanced the frequency from DDR3 1333 to DDR3 1866. In addition to increasing the speed by nearly 30%, the tri-channel layout has an expanded bandwidth to 44GB/Sec for the Team Xtreem DDR3 1866 to exert its "market-fastest" advantage. The Xtreem Dark DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333 are low-latency models in 8-8-8-24 and 7-7-7-21 timings (tCL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS) respectively on 1.65V. These have displayed Team's unrivaled R&D capacity.
Sunday, December 7th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Monitors
Motherboards
Printers
Sun Microsystems Unveils JavaFX 1.0
Sun Microsystems, Inc. unveiled one of the most significant advancements to the Java platform with the release of JavaFX 1.0, a new platform that merges form and functionality for building rich internet applications (RIA) with immersive media and content for Web browsers and desktops. The announcement signals a broad expansion of Java software's ubiquitous reach to a wide range of Web developers, content authors and visual designers, and marks the next big innovation for the Java platform, extending its capabilities to include rich applications for all the screens of life, from desktops and browsers to mobile devices and TVs. Developers can download JavaFX 1.0 at: www.javafx.com.
Sun's JavaFX 1.0 platform opens a vast global market for developers and content authors who want to deploy their content, services and experiences across all the screens of their customers' lives. Worldwide industry estimates show that Java technology is already on more than 90 percent of desktops and laptops, 85 percent of mobile devices and is a technology leader in next-generation televisions, Blu-ray disc players and TV set-top boxes.
Sun's JavaFX 1.0 platform opens a vast global market for developers and content authors who want to deploy their content, services and experiences across all the screens of their customers' lives. Worldwide industry estimates show that Java technology is already on more than 90 percent of desktops and laptops, 85 percent of mobile devices and is a technology leader in next-generation televisions, Blu-ray disc players and TV set-top boxes.
AMD Responds to GeForce GTX 260 Price-Cuts, Prepares its Own
A common feature with shopping seasons, namely summer and Christmas, is that consumer graphics giants, AMD and NVIDIA announce new products that push up the pure performance and performance per dollar envelopes. With this Christmas season however, nothing notably new is going to come out of their stables, making their existing products slog it out. This resulted in both companies resorting to some serious price-cutting with their existing mid-thru-high-end products.
In the wake of massive price-cuts by NVIDIA for the GeForce GTX 260, AMD has decided to prepare its own price-cuts for the one card that goes neck and neck with the GTX 260, Radeon HD 4870. Originally seated in the $299~$399 bracket, the GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon HD 4870 have become some of the key SKUs for both companies. These are the products we have seen going neck and neck, resulting in both companies refreshing them, and later resorting to price-cuts. NVIDIA refreshed GeForce GTX 260 with a 216 stream processor version that came with added shader compute power, while AMD responded with the 1 GB variant of the Radeon HD 4870. As on today, the company pricing for the Radeon HD 4870 has been set around US $199 for the 512 MB and $239 for the 1 GB variants. This roughly catches up with the pricing for GeForce GTX 260, with roughly $199~$219 for the 192 stream processor and $239~$249 for the 216 stream processor variant.
In the wake of massive price-cuts by NVIDIA for the GeForce GTX 260, AMD has decided to prepare its own price-cuts for the one card that goes neck and neck with the GTX 260, Radeon HD 4870. Originally seated in the $299~$399 bracket, the GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon HD 4870 have become some of the key SKUs for both companies. These are the products we have seen going neck and neck, resulting in both companies refreshing them, and later resorting to price-cuts. NVIDIA refreshed GeForce GTX 260 with a 216 stream processor version that came with added shader compute power, while AMD responded with the 1 GB variant of the Radeon HD 4870. As on today, the company pricing for the Radeon HD 4870 has been set around US $199 for the 512 MB and $239 for the 1 GB variants. This roughly catches up with the pricing for GeForce GTX 260, with roughly $199~$219 for the 192 stream processor and $239~$249 for the 216 stream processor variant.
Saturday, December 6th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Keyboards
PSUs
Head-Direct RE0 Earphones Review
RE0 is the name of the brand new high-end in-ear solution from Head-Direct. Despite the naming scheme, these new in-ear have very little in common with its predecessors in the RE-line of products.
ASUS Introduces World's Smallest Desktop PCs with HD Capability
ASUS unveiled HD versions of its popular Eee Box-a tiny 1L-sized desktop PC-that it launched in June 2008. With the new Eee Box B204 and B206, users will be able to enjoy viewing hardware-accelerated HD content on LCD TVs, monitors and projectors via an HDMI output-making them ideal for families seeking a simple, space-saving home entertainment solution. The Eee Box B204 and B206 are also preinstalled with Eee Cinema, a full-featured media player that enables users to play high definition content easily. Eee Cinema offers superior format compatibility and extensive media library management options. To help users navigate Eee Cinema's comprehensive features speedily, both the Eee Box B204 and B206 come with a convenient remote control.
NVIDIA GeForce Release 180.84 BETA Released
NVIDIA fansite nZone, has just posted the links to a new NVIDIA GeForce BETA driver release 180.84. There's no detailed information on this version, it is only said to bring performance improvements with the Grand Theft Auto IV game. The driver is available for both Windows XP 32-bit/64-bit and Windows Vista 32-bit/64-bit. Use at your own risk.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce Release 180.84 BETA
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce Release 180.84 BETA
Acer Ships 22-inch B223 LCD Screen with DisplayLink USB
DisplayLink and Acer today announced the availability of a new Windows Vista Aero-compatible USB computer monitor, with integrated DisplayLink technology. The 22-inch B223 screen, part of Acer's ergonomic B series family of monitors, is now shipping in Europe. With 1680x1050 widescreen resolution, Acer's new display has integrated USB ports to facilitate multiple displays easily. Using DisplayLink's DL-160 network display chip, up to six Acer B223 monitors can be connected to a single PC or laptop, via a standard USB 2.0 connection.
Friday, December 5th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cooling
Harddisks
Monitors
Mouse
PSUs
QNAP TS-509 Pro Review
QNAP's latest NAS device is built around a full featured PC. As processor a Socket775 1.6 GHz Celeron is used. Upgrading the SO-DIMM memory should be easy too since QNAP was so kind to leave a memory slot unpopulated. The new hardware greatly improves the processing power resulting in much better transfer rates over the dual Gigabit interfaces.
Silicon Power Releases eSATA/USB SSD Featuring 8x the Write Speed of the Normal USB
This is not a normal USB flash drive. Silicon Power has released the availability of its pioneering product: eSATA/USB SSD (eSATA; External Serial ATA), a high-capacity handy SSD in worldwide markets. The eSATA/USB SSD features eSATA and Mini USB dual interface, hot plug and play and four-channel high performance technology. The eSATA connection has a read speed of 92 MB/s and a write speed of 48MB/s, which is 8 times the write speed of the normal USB. The eSATA/USB SSD is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities that are ideal for those wanting high-speed data transfer, high-capacity and portability.
The eSATA connector provides external data transfer at speeds up to 3Gbps, which is higher than USB 2.0 interface with 480 Mbps. It is very convenient for large volume of data transfer at a short time. The bottom of the eSATA/USB SSD is a Mini USB connector offering a read speed of 33MB/s and a write speed of 25MB/s.
The eSATA connector provides external data transfer at speeds up to 3Gbps, which is higher than USB 2.0 interface with 480 Mbps. It is very convenient for large volume of data transfer at a short time. The bottom of the eSATA/USB SSD is a Mini USB connector offering a read speed of 33MB/s and a write speed of 25MB/s.
International Trade Commission Grants Rambus Request for Investigation
Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companies specializing in high-speed memory architectures, today announced that, at its request, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has instituted an investigation regarding infringement of Rambus' patents by NVIDIA Corporation and other companies whose products incorporate the accused NVIDIA products.
In its complaint, Rambus has alleged infringement of nine Rambus patents. The accused products include NVIDIA products that incorporate DDR, DDR2, DDR3, LPDDR, GDDR, GDDR2, and GDDR3 memory controllers, including graphics processors, and media and communications processors.
The Investigation Number for this matter is 337-TA-661. A hearing date has not yet been set. The public record for this investigation may be viewed at edis.usitc.gov.
In its complaint, Rambus has alleged infringement of nine Rambus patents. The accused products include NVIDIA products that incorporate DDR, DDR2, DDR3, LPDDR, GDDR, GDDR2, and GDDR3 memory controllers, including graphics processors, and media and communications processors.
The Investigation Number for this matter is 337-TA-661. A hearing date has not yet been set. The public record for this investigation may be viewed at edis.usitc.gov.
DFI Releases List of New Phenom II Ready Motherboards
AMD declared new CPU information in mid November 2008; in consumer market, the AM2 based 45nm CPU which named "PhenomTM II" will be ready in January 2009; then, the new CPU which supports DDR3 will be released in February. In order to catch up the upcoming CPU, DFI LANParty already finished the compatibility test of the existed motherboards. Customers who bought DFI LANParty AMD 790FX/ 790GX motherboards can update the latest BIOS from website for supporting AMD 45nm Phenom II.
The DFI LANParty Phenom II ready motherboards are listed below:
The DFI LANParty Phenom II ready motherboards are listed below:
- UT 790FX-M2R
- DK 790FX-M2RS
- DK 790FXB-M2RS
- DK 790FXB-M2RSH
- DK 790GX-M2RS
- JR 790GX-M2RS
Logitech Unveils New Custom ID Grip for G9 Laser Mouse
The Logitech G9 Laser Mouse has always offered gamers the ability to tune their mouse for the way they play - including features such as weight tuning, interchangeable grips and custom-color LEDs. Now, Logitech lets you make the G9 mouse even more personal with the introduction of the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse ID Grip. With the ID Grip, you can have the image of your choice printed on the palm area of the grip. You can choose among game-specific artwork, a selection from a gallery of designs created by Logitech, or an image you provide.
Windows Vista and Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta Now Available for Public Download
Right on time, Microsoft today released the public beta of Service Pack 2 for both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. Both Service Packs are available now here in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Initially the Service Packs are downloadable in five different languages: English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Service Pack 1 for both operating systems is necessary in order to obtain the second Service Pack. Find more information here.
SilverStone Intros Sugo SG05 PC Chassis, Suited for Small Form Factor PCs
SilverStone Technology introduced today SG05, a new member of the Sugo family of barebone computer cases. Measuring just 218mm x 276mm x 175mm, this is without a doubt a small form factor PC case that fits a mini-ITX or mini-DTX motherboard with two PCI slots, and single graphics that's up to 230mm in length. The case comes with a 300W PSU, and there's room for a slim laptop-like optical drive, as well as one 3.5-inch drive or two 2.5-inch drives. Cooling is provided by a single 120mm front mounted intake fan. SilverStone warns that processor coolers should be smaller than 82mm in order to fit inside. The front of the case also features audio outputs and two USB ports. Retails availability of the SilverSonte Sugo SG05 is planed for mid-January 2009 at a recommended price of €83 excluding VAT. For more information, please visit SilverStone.
Zotac GeForce GTX 260² Pictured
NVIDIA will be releasing 55nm versions of the G200 graphics processor, which provides better thermal and power characteristics. What's more, NVIDIA could allow its partners to come up with their own designs or colour themes right away, at least from what can be seen with the Zotac GeForce GTX 260². The card uses a blue PCB, without a cooler shroud at the back of it. In the current iteration of the GeForce 200 series, memory chips are also located at the back of the card, requiring a heatspreader. In the newest iteration of the PCB, several changes are brought about:
- Toned-down power circuitry overall, with 4 phase vGPU and 2 phase vMem
- Aluminum support-brace surrounding the GPU
- Memory chips located only on one side of the PCB, leaving nothing at the back-side of the PCB that requires cooling, hence no heatspreader
Phenom II at 6+ GHz: How AMD May Have Done It
A couple of weeks ago, at the AMD Austin Tech Day event, the company stunned the computer enthusiast community, by presenting to the press, the overclocking capabilities of the upcoming Phenom II X4 processor. The enginners managed to boot the machine at CPU speeds in excess of 6 GHz, 6.213 GHz to be precise. A close-up snap of a portion of the CPU-Z window showing the overclock, made its way to AMD's own photostream at Flickr, among other pictures related to the event.
The picture reveals the clock speed at 6213.6 MHz, bus speed at 200 MHz, FSB multiplier at an unreal 31.0x and resulting HyperTransport link speed at 1002.2 MHz. This would mean that they may have dropped down the HT link multiplier (normally 200 x 10.0 for the Phenom II X4 940) to 5x. We already know from previous reports that the vCore was set around 1.90 Volts, and that a copper pot with liquid nitrogen was used to cool the chip. The motherboard used, from the pictures, appears to be Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H, which is based on the AMD 790GX + SB750 chipset. For more pictures, browse through the photostream. More pictures could be added to the stream once the NDA lifts on December 14.
The picture reveals the clock speed at 6213.6 MHz, bus speed at 200 MHz, FSB multiplier at an unreal 31.0x and resulting HyperTransport link speed at 1002.2 MHz. This would mean that they may have dropped down the HT link multiplier (normally 200 x 10.0 for the Phenom II X4 940) to 5x. We already know from previous reports that the vCore was set around 1.90 Volts, and that a copper pot with liquid nitrogen was used to cool the chip. The motherboard used, from the pictures, appears to be Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H, which is based on the AMD 790GX + SB750 chipset. For more pictures, browse through the photostream. More pictures could be added to the stream once the NDA lifts on December 14.
ASRock Releases N7AD-SLI Motherboard
ASRock has released its mainstream motherboard based on the NVIDIA nForce 740i SLI chipset, the N7AD-SLI. The motherboard supports Intel processors using the LGA 775 socket. The nForce 740i is a monolithic chipset based on the newer MCP79-D core. It sports GeForce 9400 class integrated graphics along with support for SLI. This particular motherboard does not feature automatic lane switching to dual PCI-E 2.0 x8, and hence relies on the provided lane switch card, for the user to manually set the second PCI-Express x16 slot active (electrically x8).
The N7AD-SLI offers a decent set of features for a mainstream motherboard. It supports DDR2-800 memory, features six SATA II ports, two Firewire and 10 USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA port and a high-grade Realtek ALC890 8+2 channel HD Audio CODEC, with a rated SNR of 110 dB and HDCP compliance. ASRock is brandishing an Instant-Boot feature that starts up the system (into the OS) in four seconds. This motherboard will reach retail channels soon, following which it will be priced.
The N7AD-SLI offers a decent set of features for a mainstream motherboard. It supports DDR2-800 memory, features six SATA II ports, two Firewire and 10 USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA port and a high-grade Realtek ALC890 8+2 channel HD Audio CODEC, with a rated SNR of 110 dB and HDCP compliance. ASRock is brandishing an Instant-Boot feature that starts up the system (into the OS) in four seconds. This motherboard will reach retail channels soon, following which it will be priced.
Motherboard Vendors Plan Workforce Reductions
The state of the global economy seems to have finally taken toll on motherboard vendors. A regular feature with companies gearing up for recession would be workforce reductions, and despite a larger than usual set of product launches, companies such as ASUS predict themselves not being able to meet their annual shipment goals. ASUS for one, is planning to layoff 5% of its total workforce, which amount to 200 workers, according to a report by DigiTimes. Says the report:
Although Asustek's revenues in 2008 will see a growth of over 20%, low gross margins for notebooks, netbooks and motherboards will cause the company's profits to drop 10-20% on year to NT$22-24.7 billion (US$654.96-735.34 million), noted the sources.ASUS also predicts its revenues to hit bottom in the months of January and February, 2009. Meanwhile, other notable motherboard vendors such as MSI, Gigabyte and ECS are planning workforce reductions on an average of 3% each.
Opera 10 Sneak Peek
Today, Opera Software introduces the first look at Opera 10. An alpha version of Opera 10 is now available here. This release gives people a taste of Opera's new rendering engine, Opera Presto 2.2 - the foundation of all future Opera 10 products. Opera Presto 2.2 offers approximately a 30-percent-faster browsing experience as compared to Opera Presto 2.1, introduced in Opera 9.5 in June 2008. Opera has fine-tuned its standards support and, as a result, Opera 10 alpha achieves an Acid3 100/100 Test score. This version also provides Web developers with a whole range of new technologies for building better Web sites.
Phenom II to Face Paper-Launch on Jan. 8
It isn't news that Phenom II X4 would be released by AMD, on January 8 2009, but that the company would only start taking orders from channel vendors from that date onwards, meaning that Phenom II X4 would face only a paper-launch by the company on that date. A paper-launch is the state where the product is officially launched by the company, but isn't ready with the retailers for you to buy.
Sources tell OC Workbench, that the products will be available with the retailers tentatively by February 4 2009. Retailers could at best, start off with pre-orders in January. The first products to launch, are Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition and Phenom II X4 920.
Sources tell OC Workbench, that the products will be available with the retailers tentatively by February 4 2009. Retailers could at best, start off with pre-orders in January. The first products to launch, are Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition and Phenom II X4 920.
Thursday, December 4th 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Graphics Cards
Multimedia
Processors
PSUs
Storage
Hiper Type M 780W Review
The Hiper Type M 780W is a great all-round power supply. It offers an exceptionally stable 12V line and is sufficiently quiet to not annoy you during every day PC use. Also it supports SLI or CrossFire with a high efficiency of over 83%. With a price of around $125 it is also cheaper than similar products from bigger brand names.
OCZ Technology Introduces the Throttle eSATA Drive
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today introduced the Throttle eSATA drive, which offers performance and versatility for enthusiasts that demand the best hardware. The integration of eSATA connectivity now extends beyond desktop systems to laptops, offering increased data transfer rates with extreme portability while eliminating extra cords and power cables.
AMD Updates Fourth Quarter Outlook
AMD today announced that it expects revenue from continuing operations for the fourth quarter ended December 27, 2008 to be approximately 25 percent lower than third quarter 2008 revenue of $1.585 billion, not including process technology license revenue. The decrease is due to weaker than expected demand across all geographies and businesses, particularly in the consumer market.
AMD will report fourth quarter 2008 results after market close on January 22, 2009. AMD will hold a conference call on this day for the financial community at 2:00 p.m. PT to discuss fourth quarter results. A real-time audio broadcast of the teleconference will be provided at www.amd.com. The webcast will be available for ten days after the conference call.
AMD will report fourth quarter 2008 results after market close on January 22, 2009. AMD will hold a conference call on this day for the financial community at 2:00 p.m. PT to discuss fourth quarter results. A real-time audio broadcast of the teleconference will be provided at www.amd.com. The webcast will be available for ten days after the conference call.
Kingston Technology Ships HyperX DDR3 Ultra-Low Latency SO-DIMMs
Kingston Technology, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is first to market with ultra-low latency HyperX DDR3 gaming SO-DIMMs. The new DDR3 1066MHz notebook memory modules are pre-programmed to high-performance, ultra-low latency values and built with a new metal heatspreader that further helps promote thermal conduction for added performance. Kingston's new HyperX DDR3 SO-DIMMs with model number KHX8500S3ULK2/4G come in a pair of 2GB modules (4GB total), that operate at 1066MHz using CL5-5-5-15 timings at 1.5V. The kit is available now for $228.00, backed by a lifetime warranty and free 24/7 technical support.
CPU-Z 1.49 Released
CPU-Z, the famous easy to use CPU, memory and motherboard information utility, was updated today to version 1.49. This release adds support for AMD Phenom II CPUs and more Intel Core 2 models, plus improved load times. Version 1.49 also adds a new Hall of Fame feature as well as a new online validation process.
DOWNLOAD: CPU-Z 1.49
DOWNLOAD: CPU-Z 1.49
iZ3D LLC 22-inch 2D/3D Monitor Drops to $399, Becomes the First Mainstream 3D LCD
iZ3D LLC, designer, marketer and enabler of advanced 3D visualization systems, has been quietly but actively promoting the adoption of 3D display technology since 2007. Now the company's breakthrough approach, widely hailed by users as delivering a premier 3D experience, is being priced to make it affordable to casual and enthusiast gamers.
Effective December 1st, the manufacturer's suggested resale price for the company's 22-inch widescreen switchable 3D/2D monitor will be $399.00. The new price has already been reflected at various online e-tailers with plans for availability at in-store retailers to be disclosed in the coming weeks.
Effective December 1st, the manufacturer's suggested resale price for the company's 22-inch widescreen switchable 3D/2D monitor will be $399.00. The new price has already been reflected at various online e-tailers with plans for availability at in-store retailers to be disclosed in the coming weeks.
MSI Releases G45M Digital Motherboard, First mATX with DrMOS
Keeping its position as one of the world's industry leaders in innovation and technology, MSI, the world's top motherboard manufacturers, today launched the world's first mATX motherboard, G45M Digital, which utilizes the server-class DrMOS. It provides the best energy-saving solution for multimedia entertainment applications. The new G45M Digital motherboard provides energy-saving power transmission. All CPU power supply modules are using the high-quality DrMOS chip, and the exclusive GreenPower/APS (Active Phase Switching) power-saving technology. Even when it is used for a long time, users do not have to worry about the power consumption. G45M Digital motherboard utilizes the latest Intel G45/ICH10R chipset based, built-in Intel X4500HD graphics core and Intel Clear Video high-definition technology to provide high-performance 3D graphics and images. Through hardware decoding acceleration, users can also enjoy the Blu-ray high-resolution HD movies which significantly reduce the CPU loading. In addition, it also provides HDMI, DVI, D-Sub multiple display output, as well as 8-channel HD audio quality, enabling users to experience the perfect multimedia applications.
ATI Catalyst 8.12 Beta Released, ATI Stream Now Available
It's already December, time for a new ATI Catalyst 8.12 driver. It's still a little bit early for the final driver release though, but a Beta version is already available, and now we know some inside information of what this driver will bring very soon. Here's a little sneak preview, with Catalyst 8.12 ATI will land its Stream support for Radeon video cards. The CAL (Compute Abstraction Layer) is now included in the Catalyst driver package. CAL is the enabling component for ATI Stream. Catalyst 8.12 is also said to bring Stream technology to ATI Avivo Video Converter, for enhanced video transcoding. For good or for bad, only ATI Radeon HD 4800 and Radeon HD 4600 series support this tool. At last, Catalyst 8.12 comes with many game performance improvements (read more below). Here's the link to the Catalyst 8.12 Beta version, the final release is coming soon. We'll inform you when it is available.
Hynix Semiconductor Develops the World’s First 2Gb Mobile DRAM
Hynix Semiconductor announced it has developed the world's first 2Gigabit mobile DRAM using 54nm process technology. This product provides twice as much storage capacity over current 1Gb mobile solution which has been the highest density offered among the mobile DRAM products in MCP(Multi Chip Package), PoP(Package on Package) platform. It boasts maximum operating speed of 400Mbps(Megabits per second) at 1.2V power supply and processes up to 1.6 Gigabytes of data per second with a 32-bit I/O. Moreover, the new product consumes less power than existing memory solutions.
Auzentech Unveils X-Fi Forte 7.1 Native PCI Express Soundcard
Auzentech has unveiled the X-Fi Forte PCI-Express sound card. The Auzen X-Fi Forte 7.1 is the first Low Profile native PCI express audio card that Auzentech has designed especially for gamers and audiophiles. Compared to the X-Fi chipset reference design, the Auzen X-Fi Forte 7.1 has improved circuitry and components.
"A large percentage of our customers are both gamers and audiophiles," said Stephane Bae, president of Auzentech, Inc. "Increasingly, they are requesting a low-profile sound card with 'mind-blowing' audio playback for music, movies, and games. We created the Auzen X-Fi Forte with these customers in mind."
"A large percentage of our customers are both gamers and audiophiles," said Stephane Bae, president of Auzentech, Inc. "Increasingly, they are requesting a low-profile sound card with 'mind-blowing' audio playback for music, movies, and games. We created the Auzen X-Fi Forte with these customers in mind."
Wednesday, December 3rd 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Processors
Zotac Nitro VGA Overclocking Controller Review
Zotac's Nitro is a clever little USB gadget that puts the overclocking power of your graphics card right at your finger tips. You can also monitor temperatures and adjust the fan speeds. The best is that all this can be done on the fly, without switching out of your game or benchmark.
Patriot Memory Releases New DDR3 1600 Triple-Channel Kits
Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium quality memory module and flash memory solutions, released their DDR3 1600MHz Viper Series Tri-Channel memory kits designed for the recently released Intel Core i7 processors and X58 Express Chipset. Available in 3GB and 6GB* kits, these new memory kits deliver exceptional bandwidth and latencies needed for today's PC applications.
"Optimized for Intel's new Core i7 processors and X58 Express Chipset, Patriot's DDR3 1600MHz Viper Series Low Latency Tri-Channel memory kits unleash a channel for unsurpassed memory bandwidth, virtually eliminating any bottlenecks between the CPU and memory," says Les Henry, Technical Director for Patriot Memory.
"Optimized for Intel's new Core i7 processors and X58 Express Chipset, Patriot's DDR3 1600MHz Viper Series Low Latency Tri-Channel memory kits unleash a channel for unsurpassed memory bandwidth, virtually eliminating any bottlenecks between the CPU and memory," says Les Henry, Technical Director for Patriot Memory.
NVIDIA Releases Graphics Plus Power Pack #2
NVIDIA adopted the marketing strategy of Graphics Plus, meaning that they intend to show their products as something more than just graphics hardware. The introduction of the CUDA GPGPU platform, and the subsequent introduction of GPU-acceleration physics in the form of NVIDIA PhysX helped the cause. The company released the Power Pack software delivery system back in August, which served as a mode for delivering not only system drivers, but also related content such as free games, technology demos, game demos, free software and software trials. The user can choose what to download, by customizing the Power Pack.
NVIDIA released Power Pack #2, the second major iteration, consisting of changes to the list of things that can be downloaded. The pack now includes Warmonger (full free game) with two new levels: Tombstone & Asylum. It includes three new tech demos, a PhysX accelerated screensaver, and most notably, trial versions of Power Director 7, TMPGENC XPRESS 4.6.2.266 and Badaboom media converter, all of which take advantage of GPU acceleration. Apart from these, the usual contents of Power Pack #1 are also included. At any point in time, the Power Pack includes the latest system drivers of NVIDIA Forceware, and PhysX system software. For more, please visit this page.
NVIDIA released Power Pack #2, the second major iteration, consisting of changes to the list of things that can be downloaded. The pack now includes Warmonger (full free game) with two new levels: Tombstone & Asylum. It includes three new tech demos, a PhysX accelerated screensaver, and most notably, trial versions of Power Director 7, TMPGENC XPRESS 4.6.2.266 and Badaboom media converter, all of which take advantage of GPU acceleration. Apart from these, the usual contents of Power Pack #1 are also included. At any point in time, the Power Pack includes the latest system drivers of NVIDIA Forceware, and PhysX system software. For more, please visit this page.
GPU-Z v0.2.9 Released
The latest update to our VGA information tool GPU-Z has just been released. Here is the list of changes:
- Added support for NVIDIA 9800 GT, 9600 GS/GSO, 9300 GS, Quadro FX Go1400, 9800M GTX, 9600M GT, 9650M GT, Quadro FX 770M, 9200M GS, 9300M GS, Quadro NVS 160M, G71 0x2e5
- Added support for ATI HD 4350, HD 4550, HD 4650, HD 4830, HD 4850 X2, RV670 0x9504
- Added support for Intel GM45 variant 0x2a43
- Added support for shader count reading on HD 48xx
- Changed ATI driver function call method. This should result in more accurate readings on X2 cards and non-desktop ATI devices
- Improved VGA BIOS Upload dialog. Drop down lists appropriate for your card will now be fetched from our servers to facilitate the upload process
- Corrected RV610 transistor count
PowerColor Announces ''The Best of 2008'' Contest
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards - announces "The best of 2008" is now available online! Gamers from all over the world are eligible to participate in "The Best of 2008". Be a fair judge and vote for the best bang for the buck graphics of 2008!
All judges will be automatically entered the lucky draw and could win big for the latest PowerColor HD4830. PowerColor HD4830 provides all the high-tech essential outputs --HDMI / DVI / CRT on board design; runs at 575MHz core speed and 900MHz memory speed; and is highly recommended by the worldwide media.
Are you ready to win a HD4830 now? Details are provided here.
All judges will be automatically entered the lucky draw and could win big for the latest PowerColor HD4830. PowerColor HD4830 provides all the high-tech essential outputs --HDMI / DVI / CRT on board design; runs at 575MHz core speed and 900MHz memory speed; and is highly recommended by the worldwide media.
Are you ready to win a HD4830 now? Details are provided here.
AMD Chalks-Out Chipset Launch Schedule for 2009
The year 2009 could be very decisive for AMD, with a fleet of desktop processors awaiting launch within H1, 2009. The company will also be preparing supportive core logic for compatibility with AM3 socket CPUs. Listed, are the highlights for the chipset division's product plans, as compiled by industry observer DigiTimes:
- The introduction of a value-oriented IGP chipset in January 2009, the AMD 760G, based on the RS780 architecture. This is expected to replace AMD 740G. It offers a DirectX 10 IGP without support for UVD, Hybrid Crossfire or DisplayPort. To be accompanied by AMD SB710 southbridge.
- The introduction of high-end AMD 790FX and 790GX chipsets that have been upgraded with native AM3 socket support, in May or June. To be accompanied by AMD SB750 southbridge.
- The company will introduce the RX780-based AMD 770, which also gets its share of changes that bring in AM3 socket compatibility, in July or August. To be accompanied by SB710.
- A next generation IGP-based RS880 northbridge would be introduced in May or June, also accompanied by SB710.
- Finally in September, the company will launch a proper successor to the 790FX, in the form of RD890, and the introduction of the new SB800 southbridge.
ZOTAC Unleashes Graphics Plus Mini-ITX Platform, the GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi
ZOTAC International, a leading manufacturer of NVIDIA-based motherboards and graphics cards, today unleashes its first Graphics Plus capable mini-ITX motherboard - the ZOTAC GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi. Powered by an NVIDIA GeForce 8200 mGPU, the ZOTAC GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi delivers NVIDIA unified architecture, NVIDIA CUDA, NVIDIA PureVideo HD and integrated WiFi technologies rolled up into a miniature 170mm x 170mm platform.
The ZOTAC GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi with NVIDIA unified architecture features 16 screaming-fast stream processors that are programmable for phenomenal visuals with DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 enabled 3D games and applications or high-speed general computing tasks with NVIDIA CUDA-enabled applications.
The ZOTAC GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi with NVIDIA unified architecture features 16 screaming-fast stream processors that are programmable for phenomenal visuals with DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 enabled 3D games and applications or high-speed general computing tasks with NVIDIA CUDA-enabled applications.
Absolute Software, Intel and Lenovo Bring Computer AntiTheft Protection to Businesses
Absolute Software, Intel Corporation and Lenovo are bringing hardware-based anti-theft and computer-theft deterrence technology for notebook computers to businesses.
Select Lenovo ThinkPad T400 notebooks will be among the first notebooks to ship with support for Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection and Absolute Computrace technology built in. The new optional services will be available beginning in December.
Select Lenovo ThinkPad T400 notebooks will be among the first notebooks to ship with support for Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection and Absolute Computrace technology built in. The new optional services will be available beginning in December.
Logitech Ships its Billionth Mouse
Logitech today announced that it has shipped its billionth mouse. A pioneer in the development of the computer mouse in the 1980s, Logitech has enthusiastically driven nearly every major innovation in mouse technology - persistently refining this ubiquitous interface between people and their digital experiences. With more than a billion people currently using computers worldwide and another billion expected to begin using computers by 2014, according to a report by analyst firm Gartner, Logitech continues to pursue compelling innovation to delight users of the next billion mice and input devices of the future.
QNAP Unveils TS-509 Pro Firmware Upgrade
QNAP Systems, Inc. today unveils the new firmware version 2.1.0 for the high performance TS-509 Pro Turbo NAS to support iSCSI target service and a number of security solutions, e.g. AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, automatic policy-based IP blocking, instant SMS alert, and the powerful Surveillance Station for live video monitoring and recording of up to 4 network cameras.
The new firmware of the TS-509 Pro has brought a number of benefits to the business users, specifically cost-effective and flexible storage expansion as well as secure data protection. The built-in iSCSI target service with Thin Provisioning on the NAS enables the server administrator to create up to 8 iSCSI devices for expanding the storage capacity of the existing application servers on the network, e.g. database server, mail server, or configuring the NAS as the backup destination of these servers. To meet the demand for high security data protection of the business users, the TS-509 Pro now supports AES 256-bit volume-based encryption. The encrypted disk volumes of the NAS must be unlocked by the encryption password to be accessed, which eliminates the fear of confidential data leakage if the hard drives or the NAS were stolen.
The new firmware of the TS-509 Pro has brought a number of benefits to the business users, specifically cost-effective and flexible storage expansion as well as secure data protection. The built-in iSCSI target service with Thin Provisioning on the NAS enables the server administrator to create up to 8 iSCSI devices for expanding the storage capacity of the existing application servers on the network, e.g. database server, mail server, or configuring the NAS as the backup destination of these servers. To meet the demand for high security data protection of the business users, the TS-509 Pro now supports AES 256-bit volume-based encryption. The encrypted disk volumes of the NAS must be unlocked by the encryption password to be accessed, which eliminates the fear of confidential data leakage if the hard drives or the NAS were stolen.
Cooler Master Paints Hyper Z600 Black, Bundles With Cosmos Black
There has been a lot of hype generated around Cooler Master's Cosmos Black system case. A special edition offering of this would bundle the Cooler Master Hyper Z600 Black CPU cooler. As the name suggests, the cooler would be dressed all in black, starting from its vital heat-dissipation components, to its shroud, and of course its fan.
The cooler consists of a metal CPU contact block from which six heatpipes carry heat through a dense array of aluminum fins. The fins are shaped in the form of a cross. A shroud directs air-flow from the fan attached to either of the array's sides. The 120mm fan is PWM controlled and its speed ranges between 800 and 2,200 rpm. The cooler will support all current desktop CPU sockets, including the Intel LGA-1366. The main aim of this new release is to provide aesthetic value to the cooler, as it blends with the black theme of the new Cosmos model. At this point in time, this cooler is intended to come as part of a bundle with the Cosmos black case, slated for December 11.
The cooler consists of a metal CPU contact block from which six heatpipes carry heat through a dense array of aluminum fins. The fins are shaped in the form of a cross. A shroud directs air-flow from the fan attached to either of the array's sides. The 120mm fan is PWM controlled and its speed ranges between 800 and 2,200 rpm. The cooler will support all current desktop CPU sockets, including the Intel LGA-1366. The main aim of this new release is to provide aesthetic value to the cooler, as it blends with the black theme of the new Cosmos model. At this point in time, this cooler is intended to come as part of a bundle with the Cosmos black case, slated for December 11.
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Vista SP2 Beta Available to Everyone Tomorrow
Tomorrow Microsoft will launch both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta for everyone, Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management Mike Nash announced. Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta are major updates to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 respectively. They provide customer with all the fixes found untill the moment of their release and in addition SP2 will contain changes focused on addressing reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards. For more information, please read the release notes for both service packs. Starting today, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will have access to the beta service packs. Beginning Thursday, Dececember 4, the beta will be available to everyone through a Customer Preview Program (CPP). To find more information about the CPP program, please click here. Mike Nash also added that Microsoft is tracking to ship the final version of Windows Vista SP2 in the first half of 2009.
OCZ Technology Announces the CrossOver USB Flash Drive
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today introduced the CrossOver USB 2.0 Flash drive, the latest line of flash media that also doubles as a microSD and microSDHC card adapter. For the on-the-go student, gamer, or professional, the OCZ CrossOver flash drive eliminates the need for card readers and transfers your important multimedia files to and from your computer, phone, and camera.
Tuesday, December 2nd 2008
Today's Reviews
Cases
Cooling
Graphics Cards
Harddisks
Keyboards
Motherboards
Vizo mini Ninja II Notebook Cooler Review
The Vizo mini Ninja II notebook cooler is the evolution of the first mini Ninja. While keeping the same design as the previous model, it also features the same great construction quality and cooling performance, but also adds an USB hub to the mix.
NVIDIA Launches Quadro FX 4800 Professional Graphics Accelerator
Today, mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD), digital content creation (DCC) and broadcast applications received a major performance boost with the introduction of the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 ultra-high-end professional graphics card. With advances in GPU architecture, added graphics memory and 30-bit color, the Quadro FX 4800 gives professionals the right toolset to dramatically push the boundaries of realism, performance and quality.
"In this increasingly competitive landscape, it's imperative that professionals deliver better, faster and more cost-effective results," said Jeff Brown general manager, Professional Solutions, NVIDIA. "NVIDIA is not only addressing this challenge, but is raising the ultra-high-end visualization bar by creating specialized solutions to meet the direct needs of professionals - whether it be a geophysicists or MCAD designer."
"In this increasingly competitive landscape, it's imperative that professionals deliver better, faster and more cost-effective results," said Jeff Brown general manager, Professional Solutions, NVIDIA. "NVIDIA is not only addressing this challenge, but is raising the ultra-high-end visualization bar by creating specialized solutions to meet the direct needs of professionals - whether it be a geophysicists or MCAD designer."
I-Fluid Now Available on Steam
I-Fluid is now available to gamers around the world via Steam, a leading platform for PC games with over 15 million accounts. I-Fluid allows you to explore the everyday world from a unique perspective, that of a drop of water. The title challenges "drops" to solve physics-based puzzles; avoid evaporation, absorption and thirsty insects as you move about a photo realistic environment. I-Fluid is available via Steam for just $9.99. For more information, visit Steam Games. The Steam page for the game can be found here.
Dell Unveils Design Studio, More Colors for Your Dell Laptop
Dell today unveiled Design Studio, an interactive gallery of original contemporary artwork commissioned exclusively for personalizing Dell Studio 15 and 17 laptops. The unveiling of Design Studio on Dell.com, one of the world's largest and best consumer electronics shopping destinations, marks an industry first and gives individuals nearly unlimited potential to turn their laptop into works of art.
Windows Market-Share Falls Below 90% Mark, Hits 15 Year Low
In the month of November, the market share of Microsoft Windows fell below the 90% mark, to 89.6%. This is a 15 year low in market share for the OS, according to market share data by Net Applications, sourced by TG Daily. The market share fell from its position same time, last year, at 92.4%.
One of the prime movers of this figure is the growth in market share of Apple's Mac OS X at 8.87%, slightly over 2% growth from its market share last year. According to the same data, Linux is still below the 1% mark.
One of the prime movers of this figure is the growth in market share of Apple's Mac OS X at 8.87%, slightly over 2% growth from its market share last year. According to the same data, Linux is still below the 1% mark.
Dual GeForce GTX 260 to be Officially Named GeForce GTX 295
NVIDIA would be giving its flagship consumer graphics processor, the G200 a refresh using the newer 55nm silicon fabrication process. With this, the company plans to carve out new SKUs taking the benefit of enhanced thermal and electrical properties of the updated core. In the pipeline, is a dual-GPU card based on two GeForce GTX 260 GPUs.
Expreview learned that the new graphics card is to be named GeForce GTX 295. NVIDIA is creating the card to regain the performance crown from ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, the fastest single graphics card in the market. The card will sport two G200b cores in the 216 SP configuration, although not much is known about the memory configuration and clock speeds, at this point in time. The card has already passed design phase and is awaiting trial production and testing. It is expected to be released in January 2009.
Expreview learned that the new graphics card is to be named GeForce GTX 295. NVIDIA is creating the card to regain the performance crown from ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, the fastest single graphics card in the market. The card will sport two G200b cores in the 216 SP configuration, although not much is known about the memory configuration and clock speeds, at this point in time. The card has already passed design phase and is awaiting trial production and testing. It is expected to be released in January 2009.
ASUS Rampage II Extreme Sets Core i7 OC Record
The release of the Intel Core i7 has set the overclocking arena abuzz with excitement in anticipation of new world records. Armed with the ASUS ROG Rampage II Extreme motherboard that supports the newest Intel platform, the Japanese overclocking enthusiast duck smashed to the top of the overclocking charts and notched in a world record for Core i7 CPU frequencies. Recording an exceptional score of 5510.09 MHz, duck clearly laid down the gauntlet for future challengers to the throne. A CPU overclocking veteran, duck still holds the world's highest frequency for overclocking a Pentium 4 631 CPU to a staggering 8180.4MHz last year.
The new world record was in no small part thanks to the overclocking-oriented features found on the new Rampage II Extreme motherboard. TweakIt, an easy-to-use joystick-like control on the motherboard, enables overclockers to make real-time changes to their systems' core frequency, voltage and other parameters-even while the benchmark utility is running. At no point does software come into play, as the tweaking is completely hardware-based. With hassle-free tweaking, coupled with real-time LCD poster information such as system frequency, users can implement on-the-fly modifications during CPU tests for extraordinary benchmark scores. The validation can be found here.
The new world record was in no small part thanks to the overclocking-oriented features found on the new Rampage II Extreme motherboard. TweakIt, an easy-to-use joystick-like control on the motherboard, enables overclockers to make real-time changes to their systems' core frequency, voltage and other parameters-even while the benchmark utility is running. At no point does software come into play, as the tweaking is completely hardware-based. With hassle-free tweaking, coupled with real-time LCD poster information such as system frequency, users can implement on-the-fly modifications during CPU tests for extraordinary benchmark scores. The validation can be found here.
S3 Graphics Unleashes Full OpenGL 3.0 API Support with Beta Driver for Chrome 500
S3 Graphics today released Beta drivers for the latest version of the OpenGL 3.0 API to take advantage of the Khronos Group's open, cross-platform 3D standard on the newly released Chrome 500 Series programmable GPUs. This major milestone allows software developers to start OpenGL 3.0 development on S3 Graphics hardware using the latest beta driver and GLSL 1.3 shading language on Windows XP and Vista.
These drivers bring out the latest capabilities of the OpenGL 3.0 API so developers can enhance their software applications to fully utilize the Chrome 500 Series graphics hardware for innovative and realistic 3D rendering. New features in OpenGL 3.0 include a new version of GLSL shader language, vertex array objects, 32-bit FP textures, four new texture compression methods, sRGB rendering/blending, and performance enhancements for conditional rendering with highly efficient array indexing.
These drivers bring out the latest capabilities of the OpenGL 3.0 API so developers can enhance their software applications to fully utilize the Chrome 500 Series graphics hardware for innovative and realistic 3D rendering. New features in OpenGL 3.0 include a new version of GLSL shader language, vertex array objects, 32-bit FP textures, four new texture compression methods, sRGB rendering/blending, and performance enhancements for conditional rendering with highly efficient array indexing.
NZXT Launches ZERO 2 Full Tower Computer Case
NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the Zero 2 Full Tower Steel Chassis that integrates a fully customizable cooling system. The structural integrity of the Zero 2 can not be doubted featuring a sturdy 1.0mm steel construction and weighing in at 10.2kg. Adopting a similar extreme cooling approach to that of the original Zero chassis, Zero 2 offers a fully customizable cooling system with space for seven 120mm fans and one 80mm fan making it a phenomenal option for users that run Multi GPU systems. This aggressive cooling system combined with other great features like screwless installation for HDD devices, top mounted USB, and Intel HD Audio and AC'97 Audio capability make Zero 2 one of the most compelling case options on the market for the PC Enthusiast and Gamer.
QPAD Launches its First Gaming Headset
QPAD, better known for gaming-grade mouse-pads and mousing surfaces, ventured into gaming audio with the QPAD Headset. The headset was developed in collaboration with Beyerdynamic. It is designed keeping today's games in mind, with a frequency response of 5 Hz to 30 KHz, with passive noise cancellation of up to 18 dBA. Active noise cancellation is provided to the microphone. The headset connects to the PC with USB, with a module holding controls for volume and mic mute. The company offers a five year warranty with it. Pricing and availability is yet to be disclosed. You can read the press release here.
AMD Foundry Plant in New York Gains Approval
The Empire State Development Corporation, New York's economic development authority has approved $1.2 billion in state incentives for a foundry fab plant in Malta, NY by the AMD (eventually The Foundry Company). The incentives are tied to a $4.6 billion fab plant that will make computer chips for semiconductor companies, employing an estimated 1,465 people once completed. The plant will be located in the Luther Forest Technology Campus about 10 miles north of Saratoga Springs.
The $1.2 billion incentive comprises of tax-breaks and cash to AMD, toward building the plant. The development authority's five-member board of directors met in Manhattan for the vote, which was unanimously in favor of it. A public hearing regarding the incentives will be held Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. at the Luther Forest site.
The $1.2 billion incentive comprises of tax-breaks and cash to AMD, toward building the plant. The development authority's five-member board of directors met in Manhattan for the vote, which was unanimously in favor of it. A public hearing regarding the incentives will be held Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. at the Luther Forest site.
Intel to Phase Out Two More 65nm CPUs - the Core 2 Quad Q6700 and Core 2 Duo E4700
After outlining the phase out schedule for its Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor, Intel today reported that it is retiring two more CPUs - the 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q6700 Kentsfield (65nm) quad-core and the 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo E4700 Allendale (65nm) dual-core. Intel will be taking orders for both processors until March 24, 2009 and shipping them until June 4, 2010 in trays, and until July 3, 2009 boxed.
Corsair Launches Online Survey, Wants to Know What Features Do You Look for in a PSU
Memory and PSU expert Corsair has launched today a free online survey, seeking for information from us. The company is looking to release a power supply that will have all the features we want, and for that matter is launching a survey to collect all the information needed. To get a better idea of what the customer really wants in a power supply, Corsair's online survey asks ten simple questions. No registration is needed, only a couple of minutes from your time and maybe one day you'll see "your" PSU, the way you imagined it. If you want, feel free to participate in the survey here.
ASUS to Replace Atom with Celeron in Eee Box to Boost Sales
ASUSTeK is planning on introducing a Celeron version of the Eee Box desktop replacement PC, as a desparate precaution. The Eee nettop products have not sold as well as expected since their first debut four months ago, and even the well designed Intel Atom processors are to be replaced by Celerons to see if things will go better.
While its nettop products have not sold as well as expected since debuting four months ago, Asustek is introducing a Celeron version of the Eee Box priced at NT$7,988 (US$240) in order to increase shipments for this year, according to market sources. The company is replacing the Atom processor with a Celeron 220 processor and upgrading its hard drive from 80GB to 120GB, while cutting the overall price, the sources explained. According to the latest Eee Box price quotes, a system featuring a Celeron 220 processor and 120GB hard drive is selling for NT$7,988, with the price bumped up to NT$11,900 when bundled with a 19-inch LCD monitor. A system with an Atom processor and 80GB hard drive, keyboard, mouse, and Eee Stick is selling for NT$9,999, the sources added. According to estimates from Asustek, the company expects to ship 100,000-200,000 units of the Eee box this year and over one million units in 2009, while Intel estimates shipments for nettops will reach 60 million units by 2011, the market sources noted.
Playstation 3 Firmware Updated to ver. 2.53
Sony released version 2.53 software update for the Playstation 3 game console. The new release brings in a host of feature tune-ups, feature additions and security fixes. This update is characterised by the introduction of full-screen Adobe Flash video playback for the web-browser, with the addition of Adobe Flash Player 9 to the browser. Others include minor user interface related changes that enhance the user experience. Ideally stability related issues should be addressed by this firmware release. The update can be installed from the console's own interface when connected to the internet, or by means of a PC download and when the update is bundled as a requirement on game discs. To learn more about this update, visit this page.
Xbox 360 Registers Biggest Black Friday in Its History, Outsells PS3 by 3-to-1 Ratio
Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system kicked off the holidays with record-breaking console sales on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year in the U.S. Retailers reported Xbox 360 console sales over the Black Friday weekend were on pace to beat previous years, outselling the PlayStation 3 by a three-to-one ratio and estimating a 25 percent increase from Xbox 360 Black Friday sales figures from 2007.
Strong game sales rounded out a historic Black Friday for Xbox 360, with record-paced software sales continuing for key Microsoft titles, such as "Gears of War 2," "Fable II," and "Lips." Xbox 360 continues to have the highest game attach rate of any console at 8.1 games per console.
Strong game sales rounded out a historic Black Friday for Xbox 360, with record-paced software sales continuing for key Microsoft titles, such as "Gears of War 2," "Fable II," and "Lips." Xbox 360 continues to have the highest game attach rate of any console at 8.1 games per console.
AMD Releases Energy-Efficient Phenom X3 8450e Processor
AMD released an energy-efficient version of the Phenom X3 8450 triple-core processor, the X3 8450e, which features a reduced TDP of 65W. The processor carries the SKU PIB code of HD8450ODJ3BGH. The processor comes with a clock speed of 2.10 GHz (10.5 x 200 MHz). The processor is based on the 65nm Toliman core. It comes in the AM2+ package, and comes with a HyperTransport 3.0 system interface of 3600 MT/s. The processors feature 512 KB per core of L2 and shared 2 MB of shared L3 caches. The Phenom X3 8450e has reached retail channels in Japan. Later, the company plans to release the Phenom X3 8250e, clocked at 1.90 GHz. The Phenom X3 8450e has started selling in Japan for approximately US $107.
G.Skill Unveils New Ultra Fast 2000MHz PI Black Series DDR3 Kits
Another memory manufacturer, the Taipei, Taiwan based G.Skill International also unveiled today its ultra fast DDR3 2000HMz 6GB (3x2GB) PI Black series memory products designed for Intel Core i7 processors and Intel X58 Express chipset. The PI memory series from G.Skill are especially designed for extreme speed demanders, and that's easily seen from the enormous strangely shaped heatspreaders. This particular kit provides outstanding performance and stability at an ultra-fast 2000MHz with an incredibly low CAS Latency of 8-8-8-21. Unfortunately, no pricing and exact availability date details were disclosed.
First Images of NVIDIA's 55nm GT200b GPU Emerge
Thanks to our friends over at Expreview, we can post what's reported as the first photo of NVIDIA's 55nm GT200b graphics core. According to the information, all NVIDIA cores marked with the G200-103-B2 nomenclature are made using NVIDIA's 55nm processing technology. First cards to ship with the revised GPU will be GeForce GTX 260 series. The video cards will hit the market in January next year, with unchanged memory (896MB) and stream processor specs (216sp). Non-reference versions of the cards as well as reported GT200b models of GeForce GTX 280 and dual-core GeForce GTX 260GX2 will go on sale at the same time, too. Hopefully, the installment of the new core will bring prices of the NVIDIA cards further down.
A-DATA Ready with XPG DDR3-1800+ Memory Kits
Memory maker A-DATA Technology announced today its latest A-DATA XPG DDR3-1800+ memory kits. Part of the Plus series, these kits are available now in both 2x1GB and 2x2GB dual channel kits, and in triple channel retail packages of 3x1GB and 3x2GB. The kits are JEDEC programmed to operate using CL9-9-9-24 timings, but despite that A-DATA claims flawless operation using CL8-8-8-24 at 1.65V-1.85V. In addition A-DATA ships these kits with limited lifetime warranty and shiny red heatspreaders. For more information, please read the full press release here.
Hitachi GST, and Intel Sign Joint Development Agreement for Enterprise-Class SSDs
Intel Corporation and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced plans to jointly develop and deliver Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Fibre Channel (FC) enterprise-class solid-state drives (SSDs) for servers, workstations and storage systems.
The combination of a leading Enterprise drive supplier with a NAND technology and manufacturing leader will produce world-class solutions in terms of reliability, performance and system compatibility. The two companies will work together exclusively to deliver enterprise SSDs with SAS and FC interfaces, with the first products expected to be available in early 2010.
The combination of a leading Enterprise drive supplier with a NAND technology and manufacturing leader will produce world-class solutions in terms of reliability, performance and system compatibility. The two companies will work together exclusively to deliver enterprise SSDs with SAS and FC interfaces, with the first products expected to be available in early 2010.
Monday, December 1st 2008
Today's Reviews
Graphics Cards
Motherboards
Networking
Black Mesa: Source Official Trailer Released
On the 17th of November, Valve Software celebrated the 10th anniversary of the game that pretty-much made the company what it is, Half Life. Valve used the simple 3D first-person shooter genre, focused heavily on the gameplay elements to churn out an awesome game of its time. With the introduction of the Source game engine, Valve made additions to the franchise with Half Life 2 (HL2), HL2: Episode 1 and HL2: Episode 2.
While the company itself could be working on another addition, an independent community-driven group sought to commemorate the 10th anniversary, by remaking the original Half Life using the Source engine. This is not to be confused with the simple Source-engine port Valve created in the form of Half Life: Source. The game is to be called Black Mesa: Source, which is comes in the form of a Half Life 2 modification. The levels, characters, graphics and physics get a refresh to the latest Source has to offer. The game is set for release in 2009. The Black Mesa: Source team has released its official trailer that has been posted on YouTube here. To know more about Black Mesa: Source, visit its home page.
While the company itself could be working on another addition, an independent community-driven group sought to commemorate the 10th anniversary, by remaking the original Half Life using the Source engine. This is not to be confused with the simple Source-engine port Valve created in the form of Half Life: Source. The game is to be called Black Mesa: Source, which is comes in the form of a Half Life 2 modification. The levels, characters, graphics and physics get a refresh to the latest Source has to offer. The game is set for release in 2009. The Black Mesa: Source team has released its official trailer that has been posted on YouTube here. To know more about Black Mesa: Source, visit its home page.
Pioneer Showcases Super Multi-Layer Disc
Pioneer showcased its high density multi-layer optical disc at the IT Month fair in Taipei, Taiwan. The optical disc uses the same protocol as that of the Blu-ray disc, except for that Pioneer perfected its material technology of reflective layers, that allows for 16 separate layers of 25 GB each on a single side of the disc. Blu-ray discs in production facilitate only two parallel layers making for a maximum of 50 GB storage space per disc. The 16 layers on Pioneer's disc would make for 400 GB.
The specifications of the pick-up head (PUH) of the disc is the same as those for the PUH of blank BD discs, and therefore the Pioneer discs can be read on any of the Blu-ray disc players in production, the company said. In its current form, the media is in a read-only (burn/press once) format, and could reach production anywhere between 2008 and 2010, with re-writable media slated for 2010~2012, and even denser 1 TB discs in 2013, according to the company's internal roadmaps.
The specifications of the pick-up head (PUH) of the disc is the same as those for the PUH of blank BD discs, and therefore the Pioneer discs can be read on any of the Blu-ray disc players in production, the company said. In its current form, the media is in a read-only (burn/press once) format, and could reach production anywhere between 2008 and 2010, with re-writable media slated for 2010~2012, and even denser 1 TB discs in 2013, according to the company's internal roadmaps.
Tentative Launch Time-Frames for AMD 45nm Desktop CPUs Tabled
A lot has been said about the launch schedules of AMD's upcoming 45nm desktop processors over the last fortnight. While the company itself slated its 45nm desktop CPU range to kick-off on January 8 2009, skeptics think otherwise saying it could take longer for AMD to have sufficiently stocked up inventories in retail channels.
HKEPC compiled a list of tentative order availability. time-frames for the 45nm CPUs sourced from PC manufacturers, which shows that the company launches Phenom II X4 940 on Jan. 8, while most of the product launches are concentrated in the months of February and April, 2009. Starting those months, channel vendors will be able to place bulk orders for those processors, to stock up inventories. Also pictured is the die-shot of AMD Deneb, and a picture showing the differences between the AM3 and AM2+ pin-grids (AM3 on the leftHS, AM2+ on rightHS).
HKEPC compiled a list of tentative order availability. time-frames for the 45nm CPUs sourced from PC manufacturers, which shows that the company launches Phenom II X4 940 on Jan. 8, while most of the product launches are concentrated in the months of February and April, 2009. Starting those months, channel vendors will be able to place bulk orders for those processors, to stock up inventories. Also pictured is the die-shot of AMD Deneb, and a picture showing the differences between the AM3 and AM2+ pin-grids (AM3 on the leftHS, AM2+ on rightHS).
Shuttle Launches New D 1416S Surveillance Barebone PC
Shuttle Inc., the market leader in the Mini-PC segment and manufacturer of Multi-Form-Factor solutions, today presents its first product in the "Special Solutions" category. The new Shuttle D 1416S surveillance system offers a unique operating convenience through an easy to understand software interface. Up to 16 separately available CCTV cameras can be connected and video signals can be recorded.
ECS Releases AM3 CPU Compatible Motherboard List
ECS has released a partial list of its motherboards that are ready for the upcoming 45nm desktop processors by AMD. Featured in the list, are most of ECS' AM2 and AM2+ socket motherboards based on the AMD 7-series chipsets along with those based on NVIDIA GeForce 8100a and 8200a. CPU compatibility of these existing motherboards can be expanded by means of a BIOS update. Excluded from the update notably, are the company's 7-series chipset based motherboards that use the older SB600 southbridge. For links to the supported motherboards' product pages for BIOS updates, please visit this page.
Intel Updates Mainstream and Value Processor Lineup
Intel made additions of three new chips to its mainstream thru value lineup of desktop processors. They include Core 2 Quad Q8300, Pentium Dual Core E5300 and Celeron Dual Core E1500.
The Core 2 Quad is based on the 45nm Yorkfield-4M core. It has an operating frequency of 2.50 GHz and a FSB configuration of (7.5 * 333 MHz) with an effective FSB of 1333 MHz. It has a total L2 cache of 4 MB. This chip will be priced at US $224 (1000 unit tray). Pentium Dual Core E5300, based on Wolfdale-2M sports 2 MB of L2 cache and a clock speed of 2.60 GHz (13.0 * 200 MHz) with an FSB of 800 MHz. It will be priced at $86, displacing the E5200. The Celeron series is now lead by E1500, clocked at 2.20 GHz and an L2 cache of 512 KB. This chip is based on the older 65nm Allendale core, and is priced at $53.
The Core 2 Quad is based on the 45nm Yorkfield-4M core. It has an operating frequency of 2.50 GHz and a FSB configuration of (7.5 * 333 MHz) with an effective FSB of 1333 MHz. It has a total L2 cache of 4 MB. This chip will be priced at US $224 (1000 unit tray). Pentium Dual Core E5300, based on Wolfdale-2M sports 2 MB of L2 cache and a clock speed of 2.60 GHz (13.0 * 200 MHz) with an FSB of 800 MHz. It will be priced at $86, displacing the E5200. The Celeron series is now lead by E1500, clocked at 2.20 GHz and an L2 cache of 512 KB. This chip is based on the older 65nm Allendale core, and is priced at $53.
Apr 24th, 2024 13:39 EDT
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