LR News History - Legit Reviews

Legit Reviews News History

Toshiba and SanDisk to Reallocate NAND Memory Production

Toshiba today announced that Toshiba and SanDisk have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding on the reallocation of wafer output and equipment ownership and funding at their two joint ventures producing NAND flash memory on 300 millimeter (mm) wafers at Toshiba’s Yokkaichi Operations in Japan, in response to a proposal from SanDisk. The move is designed to enhance the production flexibility of NAND flash memory in line with the rapidly changing marketplace and to optimize each company’s business strategies.

Fab 3 and Fab 4 at Toshiba’s Yokkaichi Operations are currently operated by Flash Partners, Ltd. and Flash Alliance, Ltd., the production joint ventures between Toshiba and SanDisk. Investment in the manufacturing equipment installed at the two fabs is equally shared by Toshiba and SanDisk through the JVs, with the same capacity allocated to each company. The revised allocation will make Toshiba the sole owner of some 30% of the total capacity. The remaining about 70% will still be owned by the JVs, and the production capacity allocated to the JVs will be divided equally between Toshiba and SanDisk. As a result, Toshiba’s overall allocation of capacity in the two fabs will increase by about 30%. By expanding its production capacity efficiently, Toshiba aims to increase sales of NAND flash memories.

Posted by | Mon, Oct 20, 2008 - 10:36 AM | Comments

Intel Demonstrates World's First Working 'Moorestown' Platform

At the Inte Developer Forum in Taipei, Taiwan, Anand Chandrasekher cited the Intel Atom processor, the upcoming "Nehalem" processor, and the Intel "Moorestown" platform scheduled for the 2009-2010 timeframe as prime examples of innovation and technology leadership. Also highlighted was the progress Intel is making in the Mobile Internet Devices (MID) market segment with the world's first working "Moorestown" platform demonstration.

Moorestown comprises of an SOC, codenamed "Lincroft," which integrates the 45nm processor, graphics, memory controller and video encode/decode onto a single chip and an I/O hub codenamed "Langwell", which supports a range of I/O ports to connect with wireless, storage, and display components in addition to incorporating several board level functions. Chandrasekher stated that Intel is on track to reduce Moorestown platform idle power by more than 10x compared to the first-generation MIDs based on the Intel Atom processor.

Posted by | Mon, Oct 20, 2008 - 08:08 AM | Comments

MSI to launch 3.5G Wind netbook next month

Micro-Star International (MSI) is planning to launch the Wind U120 with a built-in 3.5G module in November this year. The netbook will feature Intel's Atom N270 processor, 1GB memory, 120GB hard drive and Windows XP and be priced around NT$18,000 (US$552) in a choice of white or black, according to notebook industry sources.

With the addition of the new netbook, the company's total netbook shipments will have a chance to break 500,000 units in 2008, and may reach 600,000 if MSI's cooperation with telecommunications operators goes well. MSI recently teamed up with Taiwan-based telco Vibo Telecom to bundle its 8.9-inch Wind U90 netbook with the Vibo's 3.5G services. The company is also in negotiations with local telecom providers in Europe to build similar cooperative deals.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Mon, Oct 20, 2008 - 08:01 AM | Comments

October 20 News from Around the Web

Find out what [H]ardOCP has to say about the Xigmatek NRP-MC851 850w Power Supply and see other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!

Xigmatek NRP-MC851 850w Power Supply - No Rules Power! That makes for a good product tag line, but we all know damn well that power without rules makes for a terrible computer power supply. Does Xigmatek's NRP 850 watt PSU play inside the rules when it comes to serving up 850 watt?

Posted by | Mon, Oct 20, 2008 - 07:34 AM | Comments

AMD Co-Founder, Ed Turney Dies

Ed Turney, one of the eight founders of semiconductor-industry giant Advanced Micro Devices, died yesterday at the age of 79. Brain cancer was the cause, said his brother, George. His years at AMD, which ultimately became a major force in the semiconductor industry and industry-leader Intel’s major competitor, were the zenith in the high-low career of Edwin James Turney.

Known as “Fast Eddie,” Turney’s initial assignments at the fledgling AMD involved buying equipment and overseeing construction of the company’s first chip factory. At the same time, as director of sales, Turney was charged with building a sales organization, including developing a network of electronic distributors – a vital step in enabling the company to compete with established companies such as Intel, Fairchild, National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Motorola and other companies that no longer exist.

Posted by | Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 09:39 AM | Comments

October 17 News from Around the Web

NVIDIA GeForce 9300 Launch Roundup from Motherboards.org and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!

In terms of overall graphics performance, the GeForce 9300 is in a class by itself on the Intel side of things. While the G45 struggles to maintain any kind of playable frame rates in the games that I tried and crashed 3DMark Vantage altogether, the GeForce 9300 was able to finish the test and have decent frame rates throughout. The GeForce 9300 chipset is 20% faster than the Intel G45 chipset across the board. By this performance metric, it is likely that the faster 9400 boards will outstrip the G45 chipset by 35% or more across the board. This is a very impressive feat for an integrated graphics card to say the least. Had the GeForce 9300 and 9400 come out when the G45 launched, Intel might have had a real problem. Intel is rumored to have a new CPU coming out for the high-end and we'll see how that translates with integrated graphics at that time.

Posted by | Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 07:26 AM | Comments

OCZ Technology Announces World's First Triple Channel Memory Kits

OCZ Technology Group today unveiled the industry’s first triple channel memory kit designed specifically for the impending Intel Core i7 processor / Intel X58 Express Chipset. Optimized for the Core i7’s triple channel mode, these new 3GB and 6GB kits ensure optimal performance via an ideal combination of low voltage requirements, speed, and latency.

"OCZ engineered these 3GB and 6GB kits specifically for Intel's imminent platform," commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. "By using special-screened, low voltage-capable ICs, these modules are the perfect complement for the Intel® X58 Chipset to deliver the maximum performance by enabling low latency settings and higher system frequency."

Posted by | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 - 05:29 PM | Comments

AMD Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results

AMD today reported third quarter 2008 revenue from continuing operations of $1.776 billion, including process technology license revenue of $191 million. Third quarter 2008 revenue increased 32 percent compared to the second quarter of 2008 and 14 percent compared to the third quarter of 2007.

In the third quarter of 2008, AMD reported a net loss of $67 million, or $0.11 per share. For continuing operations, third quarter 2008 income was $41 million, or $0.07 per share, including the process technology license revenue of $191 million, or $0.31 a share. Third quarter 2008 operating income was $131 million. Loss from discontinued operations was $108 million, or $0.18 a share.

Posted by | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 - 03:27 PM | Comments

NVIDIA Introduces Quadro CX For Adobe CS4

Today NVIDIA introduced its new accelerator for Adobe Creative Suite 4 software, the NVIDIA Quadro CX. This new GPU provides creative professionals with a faster, better, more reliable way to maximize their creativity. Quadro CX was architected to deliver the best performance for the new GPU-optimized features of Adobe Creative Suite 4.

NVIDIA specifically designed and optimized the Quadro CX to enhance the performance of Adobe Creative Suite 4 product line and meet the unique needs of the Creative Suite 4 professional. Adding NVIDIA Quadro CX to the pipeline gives creative professionals a faster, better, and more reliable experience. With NVIDIA Quadro CX users can encode H.264 videos at lightning-fast speeds with the NVIDIA CUDA enabled plug-in for Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, RapiHD from Elemental Technologies; accelerate rendering time for advanced effects; and accurately preview what deliverables will look like with 30-bit color or uncompressed 10-bit/12-bit SDI before final output.

Posted by | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 - 03:01 PM | Comments

ATI Released Catalyst 8.10 Video Card Drivers for Download

ATI has just released Catalyst 8.10 for Windows Vista, Windows XP and Linux platforms, so if you want the latest drivers grab them here. One of the biggest changes in this driver is fan control of Radeon HD 4800 series cards, which is a nice touch and removes the need to 'hack' the drivers. Also included are performance improvements in games like Unreal Tournament 3 and Prey, so update!

Unreal Tournament 3: Performance increases of up to 15% are seen when using the ATI Radeon HD 4000 Series or ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of products
Prey: Performance increases between 2% to 5% are seen on ATI CrossFire configured systems when using the ATI Radeon HD 4000 Series, and ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of products

Posted by | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 - 07:45 AM | Comments

Intel X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drives Now Shipping - SLC NAND Flash

Intel Corporation has begun shipping its highest- performing solid-state drive (SSD), the Intel X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive, aimed at server, workstation and storage systems. Unlike mechanical drives, the SSDs contain no moving parts and instead feature 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory technology. Systems equipped with these drives will not suffer from the performance bottlenecks associated with conventional drives. By reducing the total infrastructure, cooling and energy costs, SSDs can lower total cost of ownership for enterprise applications by more than five times. The 32GB capacity drive is in production and priced at $695 for quantities up to 1,000.

The product was designed for intense computing workloads which benefit primarily from high random read and write performance, as measured in IOPS. Key technical performance specifications of the 32 GB Intel X-25E SATA SSD include 35,000 IOPS (4KB Random Read), 3,300 IOPS (4KB Random Write) and 75 microsecond read latency. This performance, combined with low active power of 2.4 watts, delivers up to 14,000 IOPS per watt for optimal performance/power output. The product also achieves up to 250 megabytes per second (MB/s) sequential read speeds and up to 170 MB/s sequential write speeds, all in a compact 2.5-inch form factor.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 15, 2008 - 05:15 PM | Comments

NVIDIA Announces The GeForce 9400M GPU

Demand for better visual computing performance continues to grow as more and more applications tap the massively parallel processing power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for more than just graphics. As gamers, video enthusiasts, designers, and now creative professionals require optimized PC solutions, the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU brings a 5x performance increase over integrated core-logic to today’s sleek notebook designs. Expect a full review on a motherboard using this new GPU in the coming days!

The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M is a single chip, high performance, highly integrated design that is ideal for notebooks and smaller computing devices. It features 16 parallel processing cores that deliver a whopping 54 GFLOPs of processing power, making it the most powerful integrated GPU on the market today. It also delivers up to 5x faster graphics performance than Intel Centrino 2, and long-lasting battery power, allowing consumers to watch a complete, full-length HD movie on a single charge.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 15, 2008 - 10:13 AM | Comments

Video games feature ads for Obama's campaign

Barack Obama has become the first presidential candidate to buy ad space inside a game! Eighteen video games, including the extremely popular "Guitar Hero" and "Madden 09," will feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign in the final weeks before the election. The ads — appearing on billboards and other signage — remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign Web site that encourages people to register for early voting.

The timing of the Obama ads within the video game varies from state to state. Players in smaller states may see the Obama ads for almost an entire month, while users in bigger states may see them for a shorter period. "It reaches an audience that is typically hard to reach — young males, roughly 18 to 34," said Rockwood. "That's very appealing to our advertisers."

SiliconValley.com

Posted by | Wed, Oct 15, 2008 - 09:34 AM | Comments

Kingston sees surge in demand for NAND flash products in China

Memory module maker Kingston Technology expects a staggering increase in shipments of NAND flash products in October as demand in China is growing strongly. Kingston said its shipments of NAND flash products will increase 250% on year in October, with sales from the segment expected to hit the highest level of the year.

The maker explained that following the country's long National Day holiday, the China market has been actively seeking to refill its inventory. Demand is exploding following a weak third quarter that failed to see a seasonal upturn. Although the NAND flash market is still in oversupply, the surge in demand is also helping prevent NAND flash prices from falling further in the short term, it added. Prices are also being stabilized by production cutbacks by Hynix Semiconductor and Micron, as well by Toshiba's decision to reduce its capital expenditure (capex), Kingston said. The NAND flash suppliers' moves have given the market a strong signal that they are starting the address the serious problem of oversupply, the US-based maker commented.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Wed, Oct 15, 2008 - 09:26 AM | Comments

October 15 News from Around the Web

Thermaltake V14Pro CPU Cooler CL-P0471 @ Benchmark Reviews and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!

Thermaltake, famed of their variety in air cooler selection, has just released their best performing CPU cooler: V14Pro. Claiming to have reached the highest cooling performance ever, the new V14Pro comes with the giant size 140mm fan, 6 copper heatpipes, and 98 extended copper fins. In this performance comparison, Benchmark Reviews tests the Thermaltake V14 Pro CPU cooler CL-P0471 against the best products available today.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 15, 2008 - 08:03 AM | Comments

Intel Posts Record Third-Quarter Revenue of $10.2 Billion

Intel Corporation today announced record third-quarter revenue of $10.2 billion along with operating income of $3.1 billion, net income of $2 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of 35 cents. Intel cautioned that the current financial crisis has made the technology sector predict its results for the current period, so they didn't say what exactly to expect for Q4.

"Intel delivered the best third-quarter revenue in its history," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "We were solidly profitable, with operating income of over $3 billion, reflecting strong across-the-board execution and best-of-class products. Intel delivered the best third-quarter revenue in its history. We were solidly profitable, with operating income of over $3 billion, reflecting strong across-the-board execution and best-of-class products."

Posted by | Tue, Oct 14, 2008 - 04:37 PM | Comments

Corsair Launches New Power Series Power Supply Line - Corsair Power

Corsair announced today a new line of economical, quiet, and energy-efficient desktop computer power supplies. Dubbed Corsair Power, the new series provides unprecedented features at a surprisingly affordable price point. The Corsair Power CX400W, CMPSU-400CX, is available immediately through Corsair’s world-wide authorized dealer channel, with a MSRP of $59.99 USD.

he Power series is designed to offer the best performance available at its price point. Initially available in a 400 Watt model, the CX400W, the Corsair Power series delivers clean and reliable power. Due to its energy-efficient design and Active PFC (Power Factor Correction) circuitry, the CX400W is capable of delivering greater than 80% efficiency ratings, allowing it to run extremely cool and use very little energy, reducing its operating costs significantly. Cooled by a large, thermally-controlled 120mm fan, the CX400W can provide stable, continuous power while remaining whisper quiet.

Posted by | Tue, Oct 14, 2008 - 01:01 PM | Comments

VIA Nano Processor: World's Safest & Power Efficient Cryptography for x86 PCs

VIA Technologies today showed that the cryptographic performance of the VIA Nano processor is the most power efficient on the market, due to its dedicated VIA PadLock Security Engine, a suite of security tools integrated directly into the processor die. The hardware security implementation within the VIA Nano processor means that user data is handled more efficiently and safely by circuitry deep inside the silicon, rather than by using more vulnerable operating system, memory and software resources.

The benchmarking of the 1.3GHz VIA Nano processor using SiSoftware's newest release of the SiSoftware Sandra 2009 diagnostic utility showed the VIA Nano processor performing the cryptographic tests at a blazing 765MB/s of bandwidth, over 93% faster than a 3.2GHz Intel Core 2 Quad QX9770 processor, yet using a mere 5% of the power. "Fast, power efficient and safe data encryption are quickly becoming a top concern of mobile PC users," said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Data protection and identity theft for lost and stolen devices are issues that are compounded by the growth of the mobile computing market, key areas where the VIA Nano processor can significantly help protect users data."

Posted by | Tue, Oct 14, 2008 - 09:26 AM | Comments

Lian-Li launches the all new Classic PC-9 Midi Tower Chassis

Lian-Li has launched the PC-9 midi-tower incorporating outstanding quality with a clean simple style. Standing at 209 x 435 x 488mm (W,H,D), with removable front panel around front bezels consisting of 5x 5.25” bays which can support all your ODD needs, while the lower part of the front bezel has an integrated HDD Hot swappable SATA cage with a front facing securely lockable door. The HDD Cage is ventilated uniquely from the sides of the case and exemplifies the innovation and attention to detail present in every chassis made by Lian Li.

The PSU bay is at the bottom, and has a specialized bracket to support your PSU component directly from below, with an adequate gap for airflow keeping them cooler for longer and in peak condition. In addition, rubber strips give insulation as well as prevent annoying vibration. The top mounted multimedia ports include 2x USB 2.0 ports, 1x Firewire (IEEE1394), and HD + AC97 Audio ports. The PC-9 has water pipe access holes, should you wish to use them.

Posted by | Mon, Oct 13, 2008 - 01:01 PM | Comments

Antec Launches Skeleton PC Case

Antec has launched the Skeleton, the first open air enclosure to the consumer market. The Skeleton's open structure design and flexibility bring a high level of cooling, ease-of-use and stylish appearance to any PC. The case will retail for approximately $189.95 and is backed by Antec's Quality 3-Year Warranty. We first spotted this case a couple months back at NVISION 08 and posted pictures of it here.

Customizable and offering unprecedented levels of cooling, the Skeleton features an open frame and a top mounted, three-speed, 250mm TriCool multi-color LED fan, allowing users to adjust fan speed, as well as case illumination. Specially designed layered trays allow for efficient cable routing that prevents wires from impeding airflow and an additional dedicated 92mm fan cools the hard drives. With a 0.8mm cold rolled steel-reinforced plastic frame and rackmount quality side rails, this enclosure emphasizes durability. The 13''(H) x 14.8''(W) x 16.5''(D) sized enclosure fits Mini ITX, MicroATX and Standard ATX motherboards.

Posted by | Mon, Oct 13, 2008 - 12:29 PM | Comments

Asustek to add motherboards to Eee family

In addition to the Eee PC and Eee Box, and previously announced all-in-one PC, Eee Top (previously known as Eee Monitor) and Eee TV, Asustek is also planning to add a motherboard line under the Eee family during first-quarter 2009, according to industry sources. The Eee Top will come in two versions, 16-inch and 19-inch, with pricing staring from US$450, noted the sources.

In additional news, Asustek has responded to recent reports of Eee Box systems shipping infected with a virus. The company said preliminary findings of its internal investigation suggest that the virus probably got on to the systems via a USB drive used for system testing and inspection. The initial virus infected program is only launched on models for the Japan market, the company claimed, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Mon, Oct 13, 2008 - 12:22 PM | Comments

October 13 News from Around the Web

OCC has published a new review on the Cooler Master GeminII S. Find this and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!

"The Cooler Master GeminII S Cooler is not only a great solution for someone using a smaller case or has other size restrictions, it also has a wide range of additional uses such as cooling other parts of your system like the RAM or North Bridge. The size to performance ratio of this cooler also makes it a great value, as it is quite small but packs a ton of features such as an pure copper base and 5 pure copper heatpipes running through the large array of aluminum fins located under a large yet quiet 120mm fan. The GeminII S does not stand quite a high as the TRUE nor the V8, however the temperatures the GeminII S was able to yield were very close within a few degrees of them."

Posted by | Mon, Oct 13, 2008 - 07:51 AM | Comments

Thecus Unleashes N7700 7-Bay NAS Server

Beginning with the venerable N4100 to the legendary N5200, Thecus NAS devices have established the company as a worldwide leader in digital storage. Today, Thecus is proud to release details about its latest NAS breakthrough – the N7700. Bringing together the cutting-edge technology and years of NAS experience, the N7700 is an enterprise class 7-Bay NAS server that makes no compromises.

To address the needs of business, the N7700 comes with a few more outstanding features. The N7700 supports iSCSI initiators, making it easy for users can centrally manage and deploy storage for their entire network. In addition, the N7700 is also stackable, enabling users to connect their unit with up to five additional N7700s and manage them via a master system. To manage all of that storage, users can look forward to multiple RAID modes on the N7700, including RAID 0, 1, 5,6,10, and JBOD. What’s more, the N7700 also features RAID expansion and RAID level migration, which means that users can add larger hard disks to available slots and join an existing RAID without having to power down the system, cutting productivity-killing downtime to zero.

Posted by | Fri, Oct 10, 2008 - 03:23 PM | Comments

October 10 News from Around the Web

The Overclockers Club posted their review of the XFX 9800GTX+. Find this and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!

"Since this card higher speeds from the start I had to wonder how much was left in the tank. As it turns out the tank had some gas left. I kept bumping it up and up until I hit the wall on the core and then the same with the memory. Then I had to find the best combination of the three clock speeds. Once I reached about 840-850 MHz on the core I was getting crashes, so I used RivaTuner to unlink and back down the shader cores a touch to move the bar a little higher. This yielded an increase on the GPU core of 123MHz and a final speed of 863MHz. The shader core clock increased by 235MHz and 150Mhz on the memory. All pretty substantial increases on air cooling. Speaking of cooling the stock cooler does a great job cooling this smaller core."

Posted by | Fri, Oct 10, 2008 - 07:22 AM | Comments

Asustek planing touch panel Eee PCs

Asustek Computer is planning to launch touch panel Eee PCs in the first quarter of 2009, which the company expects will help drive sales further, according to Samson Hu, general manager of Eee PC business at Asustek. The company has not yet decided details of the models which will be updated but will reach a decision based on market demand. The company expects to showcase the products during CES 2009, Hu noted.

Hu also revealed that Asustek will launch dual-core Atom-based netbooks as soon as Intel begins shipping the CPUs. However, Intel has not yet confirmed a date on when this will happen. In addition to touch panel and dual-core Atom-based Eee PCs, president, Jerry Shen, revealed that the company will also release a model priced less than NT$10,000 (US$307) during 2009.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Thu, Oct 09, 2008 - 11:04 AM | Comments

AMD Says Manufacturing Deal Does Not Violate Intel Processor Patents

The day after AMD announced a significant deal that will spin off its manufacturing facilities into a new joint venture company, AMD is defending its licensing agreement with Intel. In the wake of the deal, Intel said it would review its processor licensing agreement with AMD to ensure the deal does not violate any patent agreements. An AMD spokesman said the deal does not impact the chip licensing agreement with Intel.

A few hours after the announcement, Intel made a statement that it was investigating whether the new company violates a chip licensing agreement it has with AMD. Specifically, the agreement allows AMD to use Intel’s x86 chip instruction set and in return, AMD pays Intel a royalty. The next day, Oct. 8, AMD fired back and charged that the new company does not violate any previous agreement with Intel.

Posted by | Thu, Oct 09, 2008 - 11:03 AM | Comments

Toshiba Announces Satellite E105 notebook at Best Buy

I just got word from our friends at Toshiba that they have announced a brand new freshly designed Satellite laptop PC — the Toshiba Satellite E105, developed in collaboration with Best Buy and its customers. The Satellite E105 is one of the first products to be offered under Best Buy’s exclusive Blue Label program. With a starting price of $1,249.997, the Satellite E105 is available Best Buy retail stores nationwide or online.

“Toshiba’s aim is to produce high quality laptops with features that consumers look for, and our combined effort with Best Buy has helped us further realize this goal,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. “The Satellite E105 is a special laptop, and we are delighted with the result and the opportunity to bring this impressive machine to market.”

Posted by | Wed, Oct 08, 2008 - 02:14 PM | Comments

Foxconn Announces G45MG GREEN Series Motherboard

Foxconn just released their G45MG motherboard based on Intel G45 Chipset. This is the second model launched in their GREEN Series. Not only does this model brings users high multimedia performance (BlueRay, HDMI, Integrated Graphics X4500, Dual DDR3, and more), but combined with Foxconn's properietary 3G Technology (energy efficient features),an average PC system will have a power savings of more than 68% depending on PC usage. The Foxconn G45MG GREEN series motherboard should be available around end of October to early November in North America.

The G45MG is a highly capable integrated HD graphics platform, ready to play Blu-Ray and HD DVD content without upgrading the onboard graphics. The integrated Intel GMA 4500HD graphics processor not only includes encoding/decoding technologies for HD video, but also provides DirectX 10 graphics for the latest games titles. With 3.0X the 3D performance of the Intel G33 chipset and and 1.7X the 3D performance of the Intel G35 Express chipset graphics, the list of playable games has grown significantly, saving many home users the additional cost of installing a dedicated graphics card.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 08, 2008 - 12:34 PM | Comments

Google launches AdSense for Games

If Google's entry into a field of advertising doesn't legitimize it, nothing can. And that's why the in-game advertising industry just got a huge shot in the arm. On Tuesday night, Google announced the beta launch of its new AdSense for Games program, the search giant's first foray into the video games market, and the long-awaited answer to the question of what the company planned to do with AdScape Media, which it bought for $23 million in February 2007.

According to Christian Oestlien, the senior product manager for AdSense for Games, the program's beta launch will focus on the placement of a variety of forms of ads in Flash-based casual games and some larger titles. In the beginning at least, Oestlien said, Google will work with partners like PlayFish, Mochi Media, Demand Media and Konami. The latter, Oestlien said, would use AdSense for Games to place ads in well-known titles like Frogger and Dance Dance Revolution. And among the initial advertisers participating in the program are eSurance, Sprint, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 08, 2008 - 10:20 AM | Comments

Kingston Launches 32GB DataTraveler 150 USB Flash Drive

Kingston Technology announced today that they are adding a new high capacity 32GB USB drive to its product line. The DataTraveler 150 (DT150) USB Flash drive allows users to conveniently combine work-related content and personal digital content on the same drive with plenty of room to spare. Users can now transport and share entire libraries of music, photos, large business documents, and even video without ever having to change USB drives or search other portable storage devices containing specific content. The MSRP on the 32GB DataTraveler 150 is $139 USD and should be shipping now.

“The new DataTraveler 150 has broken through storage barriers by allowing users to store all their digital files ― business or personal ― all under one roof,” said Mark Akoubian, Flash business manager, Kingston®. “As file sizes increase especially with content such as music and photos, the need for small form factor storage drives with high capacities will continue to go up. The DT 150 certainly addresses those needs today.”

Posted by | Wed, Oct 08, 2008 - 08:38 AM | Comments

Gelid Solutions Launches Silent Spirit CPU Cooler

Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions launches its first CPU Cooler of its SILENT product line. The Quad heatpipe CPU cooler “Silent Spirit” uses 4 sintered high performance heatpipes for optimum heat transfer from copper core to aluminum fins. The fins are built in a unique architecture to ensure an equal air flow distribution to the heatsink. The “Silent Spirit” cooler will be available in November 2008 and has a MSRP of $35 USD or Euro 23.

This Top-flow cooler “Silent Spirit” follows an open frame structure concept whereby both design and dimensions have been improved to eliminate humming and buzzing noises while maintaining a compact overall size. Precise software calculations were made during the development stage to simulate both airflow and cooling performance in order to create a prototype that would live up to the expectations of a true silent aficionado. In order to cool down the Northbridge heatsink (chipset) and surrounding voltage regulator module close to the CPU, the heatsink has been tilted specially to an angle for this purpose.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 08, 2008 - 07:53 AM | Comments

OCZ Finally Launches NIA 64-Bit Beta Drivers

The OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator has been out for seven months, but just now has OCZ released 64-bit drivers. Late last night I got an e-mail from one of the engineers at OCZ giving me the good news and I thought I'd pass it along this morning. If you need them download them here. Make sure you get both the 64-bit beta driver and the 64-bit beta driver patch. For some reason there is already a patch for something that was just released last night. I'm not even going to ask!

“Advances in hardware and software allow today’s games to offer consumers an exceptional entertainment experience, and we wanted to take the next step by immersing gamers into these environments with the innovative new NIA,” stated Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. “The NIA radically changes the ways that gamers can interact and control elements within games, and can be configured in a matter of minutes for any game that is already published or will be released.”

Posted by | Wed, Oct 08, 2008 - 07:45 AM | Comments

October 8 News from Around the Web

Synology DS408 4-Drive SATA RAID Gigabit NAS @ Benchmark Reviews and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!

As a network administrator for several small and medium businesses, I am used to seeing pedestal servers with expensive Windows Server edition Operating Systems running for the sole purpose of serving files out to the workgroup or domain. Such environments has made it necessary to look for money-saving opportunities in the office environment. A few years back Network Attached Storage server hit the scene with a price tag comparable to the alternative, but the NAS products offered in today's market are far superior and cost far less than before. Synology has pioneered the NAS server into mainstream, and now offers devices to fit every range and environment from home to enterprise. Benchmark Reviews has the good fortune to performance test the 4-drive SATA Disk Station DS408 RAID NAS.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 08, 2008 - 07:43 AM | Comments

Super Talent Launches SSDs for Asus Eee PCs

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced a new line of mini PCI-Express SSDs, available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities, that were designed explicitly for the Asus Eee PC. The drives will not be in full production till next month and the MSRP will range from $53 to $149.

Super Talent Director of Marketing, Joe James mentioned, “It’s a natural extension of our SSD product range to offer SSDs for popular netbook brands. Solid state storage is ideal for entry level mobile PCs”. These mini PCIe SSDs are sampling now, and will be in mass production in November.

Posted by | Tue, Oct 07, 2008 - 01:48 PM | Comments

Nvidia can't shake MacBook, chipset unit rumors

Nvidia has become a Silicon Valley hot spot for rumors. One is tied to an analyst downgrade Monday, the other to the rumored Apple MacBook refresh. An analyst rekindled speculation Monday that the world's largest graphics chip supplier would sell off its chipset business, while rumors persist that the company would play a larger role in an expected refresh of the Apple MacBook.

Nvidia shares fell Monday after a Pacific Crest analyst issued a negative report on the company's prospects. In the report, the analyst said "our checks confirm" that Nvidia will exit the chipset business next year. Nvidia chipsets--sometimes referred to as MCPs--serve as supporting silicon for the company's graphics processors. In the past, Nvidia has denied that

Posted by | Tue, Oct 07, 2008 - 09:16 AM | Comments

Ford feature will let parents set limits for teens

So you think junior is a little too lead-footed when he drives the family car? Starting next year, Ford Motor will give you the power to do something about it. The company will roll out a new feature on many 2010 models that can limit teen drivers to 80 mph, using a computer chip in the key.

The feature, called "MyKey," will be standard on an unspecified number of Ford models when the 2010 cars and trucks come out late next summer. The feature will spread to the entire Ford, Lincoln and Mercury lineup as models are updated, spokesman Wes Sherwood said. Ford arrived at the 80-mph limit even though freeway speed limits are lower in most states because it wanted to leave a margin in case an unusual situation arises, Buczkowski said. In some states, freeway speed limits are above 70 mph, Sherwood said. "Just lopping it off at exactly 70 mph was felt to be too limiting," Buczkowski said.

SiliconValley.com

Posted by | Tue, Oct 07, 2008 - 09:11 AM | Comments

October 7 News from Around the Web

SilverStone ST60EF 600 Watt Power Supply Review @ Ninjalane and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!

In today's world 600Watts may not sound like much but it is really more than enough power for the average user and there are several aspects of the SilverStone ST60EF that help to reinforce this

Posted by | Tue, Oct 07, 2008 - 07:41 AM | Comments

AMD to Spin Off Manufacturing Operations and Forms Capital Region Plant with ATIC

AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) of Abu Dhabi today announced the creation of a U.S.-headquartered, leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company to address growing demand for independent, leading-edge foundry production capabilities. The new global company, to be temporarily called “The Foundry Company”, will serve this need by combining advanced process technology, industry-leading manufacturing facilities and aggressive plans to expand its global capacity footprint. At the same time, the Mubadala Development Company will increase its current investment in AMD to 19.3 percent on a fully diluted basis. Mubadala, an existing 8.1 percent AMD shareholder, will increase its stake to 19.3 percent of outstanding AMD shares on a fully diluted basis. This will be accomplished through the purchase for $314 million of 58 million newly issued AMD shares and warrants for 30 million additional shares. Mubadala will also have the right to appoint a designee to AMD’s board of directors.

AMD will contribute to The Foundry Company its manufacturing facilities, including two fabrication facilities in Dresden, Germany, as well as related assets and intellectual property rights. ATIC will invest $2.1 billion to purchase its stake in The Foundry Company, of which it will invest $1.4 billion directly in the new entity and the remainder will be paid to AMD to purchase additional shares in The Foundry Company. The Foundry Company will also assume approximately $1.2 billion of AMD’s existing debt. ATIC has committed additional equity funding to The Foundry Company of a minimum of $3.6 billion and up to $6.0 billion over the next five years to fund the expansion of The Foundry Company’s chip-making capacity beyond the manufacturing facilities initially contributed by AMD. These funds will be used by The Foundry Company to proceed with capacity expansion at its fabs in Dresden, Germany, including an upgrade of one of its fabs to a state-of-the-art facility, and begin construction on a new state-of-the-art facility in Saratoga County, New York, subject to the transfer of previously-approved New York State incentives. The New York facility is expected to create more than 1,400 direct jobs, and, through its operation, to generate an additional 5,000 jobs in the region. Once operational, the New York facility will be the only independently-managed, leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing foundry in the United States.

Posted by | Tue, Oct 07, 2008 - 07:12 AM | Comments

Kingston Technology Introduces Limited Edtion Black HyperX Heatspreaders

I just got word that Kingston is shipping a HyperX DDR2 1066MHz memory kit with a special, limited-edition black heatspreader. This part is available exclusively at Newegg.com, and is U.S. only. The Kingston MRSP is $123, but Newegg.com has them priced lower at just $67.99 after a $20 rebate offer. The price is right, but the 7-7-7 timings are not the best in the world.

Available for Kingston part # KHX8500AD2K2/4G, the black heatspreaders show off Kingston's enthusiast memory in a new light while guaranteeing the same thermal performance benefits as the famous signature blue heatspreaders. The promotion is for a limited time only and available while supplies last.

Posted by | Mon, Oct 06, 2008 - 01:09 PM | Comments

Asustek shipped 700,000 Eee PCs in September this year

Asustek Computer shipped around 700,000 Eee PCs in September this year, a new monthly high for the company. Total shipments for the third quarter reached around 1.7 million units, and since October and November are traditionally peak months, the company expects fourth-quarter shipments will maintain at a similar level, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

Currently, Asustek's Eee PC gross margins are between 15-20%. But since Acer has started to increase its netbook shipments, market watchers expect Asustek to adjust margins down to around 15% in oder to counter. However, the company denied the speculation saying margins will remain steady and that shipments of 10-inch Eee PC models will start to pick up in the fourth quarter, added the paper.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Mon, Oct 06, 2008 - 09:41 AM | Comments

Belkin CAT6a Cabling Enables 10-Gigabit Ethernet Network Performance

Belkin today announced its ETL-Verified CAT6a cabling solutions, designed to enable 10-Gigabit-per-second connectivity in the data center and throughout a structured cabling system. The solution links 10GBase-T networking equipment using Belkin CAT6a patch cords, patch panels, keystones, and bulk cabling. Belkin's CAT6a end-to-end solutions pass all TIA/EIA-568-B.2-10 requirements in both channel and permanent link configurations, including alien crosstalk, return loss, insertion loss, propagation delay, and delay skew.

Belkin's release of our CAT6a structured cabling system is another important step in our 25-year tradition of providing organizations with reliable standards-based connectivity solutions. By complying in full to the final ratified CAT6a standard, Belkin's CAT6a system assures data communications professionals reliable performance in the high-density and high-performance computing applications that demand CAT6a performance.

Posted by | Mon, Oct 06, 2008 - 09:40 AM | Comments

Slower growth expected in tech industry

Lower prices on consumer electronics may help carry the tech industry through a difficult holiday shopping season. But analysts believe corporate spending on computer servers, PCs and business software is entering a period of slower growth that will last well into next year.

With banks failing and the stock market in turmoil, holiday shoppers may be nervous about spending too much on laptops, mobile phones or video consoles, analysts say. And businesses and government agencies — which spend three times more on technology in this country than individuals spend on consumer electronics — had delayed some purchases even before the chaos on Wall Street. In recent quarters, the tech industry has seemed immune to the larger economic downturn, as major companies like Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Oracle reported soaring profits and double-digit revenue growth. But industry analysts say the impact has only been delayed, not avoided.

SiliconValley.com

Posted by | Fri, Oct 03, 2008 - 09:53 AM | Comments

Asustek accounts for 80% of P45-based motherboards shipments

Asustek's P45-based motherboards occupy an 80% share of worldwide shipments, according to sources at the company. The company's motherboard shipments in the third quarter are estimated at 6.12 million units, a growth of 20% and higher than original expectations of 15%. In the fourth quarter, hopes are high that next generation X58-based motherboards will continue to drive company sales.

However, sources at channel vendors pointed out that since Asustek only shipped 17.22 million units in the first three quarters of this year, the company would need to ship 6.78 million units in the fourth quarter in order to reach its target of 24 million for 2008, a difficult task

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Fri, Oct 03, 2008 - 09:50 AM | Comments

October 3 News from Around the Web

Find reviews froma round the web by visiting our forums! The following is from Metku.net's 6-way DDR3 Memory Roundup (CSX, Patriot, Crucial, G.SKILL, Mushkin, Corsair):

"Our goal was to get some of the highest-performing memory kits and pit them against each other over various different benchmarks. This time we are mainly going to concentrate on the performance of the kits, not the technology behind them. The people at CSX, Patriot, Crucial, G.Skill, Mushkin and Corsair were nice enough to join us. Now that the contenders were sorted out we can get busy..."

Posted by | Fri, Oct 03, 2008 - 08:21 AM | Comments

AMD to launch nine 45nm Shanghai server CPUs in October

AMD has updated server makers that it is planning to bring forward the launch of 45nm server processors (Shanghai) from the original schedule of January 2009 to mid-October. Nine CPUs with core frequencies between 2.3-2.7GHz will be offerered initially, according to sources at server makers.

The nine Shanghai processors will include five 2-way and four 8-way models. All will support the company's socket F (1207), and include an on-die DDR2 memory controller and 6MB L2 cache. In February 2009, AMD will launch five 55W low-voltage server CPUs – three 2-way and two 8-way – and two 105W high-performance models – one 2-way and an 8-way.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Thu, Oct 02, 2008 - 08:47 AM | Comments

October 2 News from Around the Web

Antec Twelve Hundred Gaming Case @ Benchmark Reviews and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!

Antec has had great success in the computer enclosure market with several great designs ranging from mild to wild. Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere you should be familiar with one of their latter, the Antec 900, labeled as the Ultimate Gaming Case. In this article Benchmark Reviews will examine the anticipated successor; the Antec Twelve Hundred... The Unbeatable Gaming Case. With six bright LED fans and enough size to park a small hybrid car inside, could the Antec 1200 be unbeatable?

Posted by | Thu, Oct 02, 2008 - 07:24 AM | Comments

Western Digital Might Buy Fujitsu Hard Drive Business for ~$945 Million

Japan's Fujitsu Ltd is said to be in talks with Western Digital Corp and others on the sale of its money-losing hard drive business, a company source said on Thursday. Reports that it was in talks sent Fujitsu's share price up 3.3 percent to 620 yen, against the benchmark Nikkei's 0.3 percent rise at 0008 GMT. Fujitsu denied that it was now approaching an agreement or arranging a sale.

Fujitsu and Western Digial are negotiating a price of 70 billion yen to 100 billion yen ($661.5 million to $945 million), the Nikkei business daily reported Thursday morning. "There is no truth at this time to the Nikkei report concerning our hard drive business," Fujitsu said in a statement. Fujitsu, which also competes with International Business Machines Corp and Electronic Data Systems Corp in IT services, is trying to focus more resources on its IT consulting business.

Posted by | Thu, Oct 02, 2008 - 06:18 AM | Comments

EVGA 790i SLI FTW Digital PWM Motherboard Released

EVGA took the original overclockers dream; The EVGA 790i SLI FTW; and made it even more extreme with the addition of Digital Power Management (Digital PWM - Pulse Width Modulation), once again improving upon the voltage stability and efficiency. In addition, the EVGA 790i SLI FTW Digital PWM includes solid state capacitors, an 8-Phase Power design, on-board all ferrite core chokes, an enhanced enthusiast BIOS, Vdroop control and much more. The EVGA 790i SLI FTW Digital PWM is said to be the ultimate platform for those who demand the best and want to run SLI!

Innovative chipset fan design directs airflow away from the graphics card.

Reach extreme overclocking speeds supporting 1600MHz FSB and beyond

8 phase power design for superb stability and performance

Solid state capacitors and ferrite core chokes allow for better overclocking and stability.

Convenient layout with on-board Clear CMOS, Power, and Reset buttons.

Friendly system BIOS features with easy to use overclock and voltage settings.

Extreme DDR3 speeds of 2000MHz and beyond.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 01, 2008 - 08:36 AM | Comments

Albatron Announces The KI780G Mini-ITX Motherboard - AMD 780G Chipset

Albatron Technology has just announced the KI780G Mini-ITX mainboard featuring the AMD 780G chipset. This is one of the few mini-ITX boards on the market that support this chipset, which means it offers support for powerful 4-core, 3-core AMD Phenom processors with AMD AM2+ socket. Not only does the KI780G define a new class of performance Mini-ITX mainboards, it boasts the most complete set of functionality on par with many ATX boards on the market. The board looks pretty nice and if you are building a system with a mini-ITX platform, then be sure to give this board a look.

As for serious 3D gaming, the KI780G provides a PCIe X16 slot which employs four of the lanes but can still accept any PCIe X16 VGA card. As the 4-lane bandwidth is not as important as having a good GPU for 3D gaming, the KI780G has been shown to handle hardcore 3D games as long as it is used with an adequate VGA card.In addition to the great graphics facilities, the KI780G has everything you need to build your Home Theatre PC; a complete set of monitor connectors including HDMI; full 8-channel audio capabilities plus SDPIF in/out; and up to 10 USB 2.0 channels for the rest of your hi-tech gadgets.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 01, 2008 - 08:24 AM | Comments

DRAM price continues to weaken despite production cutback

DRAM makers such as PSC, Elpida, and Hynix have separately announced production cutbacks on September 8th , 9th , and 18th. If the cutbacks proceed as scheduled, we expect to see a reduction in worldwide DRAM production by 5 to 6% around end of October to November.

Spot market was encouraged - rose from 1.32 USD on September 8th to 1.4 USD on September 10th for an increase of 6% - initially when the first cutback was announced. However, the rebound was short-lived; by September 11th, price on spot market began to fall again. After the last announcement of cutback from Hynix, spot price failed to continue the rise with average price increasing slightly by 0.01 USD then weakened by the continued slow demand.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 01, 2008 - 08:16 AM | Comments

Western Digital Ships Second Generation Green Hard Drives

Western Digital just announed an update in GreenPower technology, with the launch of the new WD Caviar Green 1 TB drive. This new drive is a 333/GB per-platter hard drive with 32 MB cache. WD’s latest WD Caviar Green hard drives consume up to 20 percent less power and offer a 10 percent increase in performance over the previous version. The MSRP for the WD Caviar Green 1 TB hard drives (model WD10EADS) is $219.00 USD and are available now.

As an innovative leader in green storage technology, WD has ramped up its successful GreenPower technology-based hard drives to greater than 10 percent of its 3.5-inch hard drive shipments in the initial twelve months of production, making low-power technologies one of WD’s fastest growing segments and WD Caviar Green one of the most successful new products in the company’s recent history. WD’s latest WD Caviar Green hard drives consume up to 20 percent less power and offer a 10 percent increase in performance over the previous version , while continuing to provide the market with hard drives enabling quieter and cooler-running desktop PCs and external storage devices.

Posted by | Wed, Oct 01, 2008 - 08:14 AM | Comments

October 1 News from Around the Web

Sapphire HD4850 Dual Slot Heatsink Review @ OCC and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!

"The Sapphire HD4850 Dual Slot is a slightly different animal than the standard HD4850 from Sapphire. It maintains the same GPU (RV770) and amount of memory (512MB GDDR3 on a 256 bit bus), but is built on a Sapphire designed and built PCB, rather than using the reference design PCB. In addition to the non-reference PCB, there is the non-reference cooling solution to go with the board. There are no memory heatsinks used, but there is one additional heatsink at the front of the PCB. The clock speeds stay right at the factory specified 625MHz on the GPU core and 993MHz on the 512MB of memory. The card is slightly shorter than the standard PCB so this should allow some additional clearance in tight cases."

Posted by | Wed, Oct 01, 2008 - 07:22 AM | Comments

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