Legit Reviews News History
May 19 News from Around the Web
Find Reviews from around the web by visiting our forums! The following is from [H]ardOCP:
ASUS EN9600GT Silent - The GeForce 9600 GT currently represents an amazing value. For those looking for a completely silent video card ASUS may have just the ticket: The passively cooled ASUS EN9600GT Silent. We see how this silent card performs in today's top 3D shooters.
Posted by | Mon, May 19, 2008 - 03:43 PM | Comments
Lexar Announces Crucial DDR2 FBDIMM Memory Kits
Lexar Media today announced immediate availability of Crucial 1.5V DDR2 FBDIMM server memory modules. As part of its commitment to the enterprise-computing space, Lexar Media's new energy-efficient Crucial server memory product line utilizes the industry's first 1.5V, 1Gb-based components to deliver reduced chip count, energy-efficient FBDIMM modules. The DDR2-667MHz FBDIMM modules are available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB kits.
Specifically designed to lower the power consumption of servers in the data center, the modules operate at 1.5V, compared to the industry-standard of 1.8V. This lower voltage, along with a reduced chip count, can translate into more than a 50% reduction in memory power consumption, without compromising the performance or reliability users have come to expect from Crucial memory.
Posted by | Mon, May 19, 2008 - 09:47 AM | Comments
EA deadline on Take-Two passes - $1.9 Billion won't do it
A deadline set by US video game giant Electronic Arts for shareholders in Take-Two Interactive Software to accept a $1.9bn offer has passed. EA revealed its unsolicited $25.74 a share move for Take-Two, the owner of Grand Theft Auto, back in February.
Take-Two's board had refused to discuss a takeover with EA before the 29 April launch of "Grand Theft Auto IV." Take-Two saw its stock close at $27.10 on the Nasdaq, down 0.8% but 5.2% above the $25.74 per share offered by EA. "The market's probably suggesting that EA should come up with a few more dollars and that may be a likely a scenario," said Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Lazard Capital Markets.
Posted by | Mon, May 19, 2008 - 09:32 AM | Comments
Intel Tukwila Itanium servers due early next year
Intel will start shipping a quad-core version of its Itanium processor to system vendors in about six months, with the first servers based on the chip due in early 2009, Intel said Monday. Intel said the new chip, code-named Tukwila, will roughly double the performance of the current, dual-core version of Itanium. Aside from the additional cores, Tukwila includes 30MB of on-chip cache memory -- about 15 percent more than its predecessor -- and Intel's QuickPath Interconnect technology, which should speed data transfer between components. We already know that Tukwila's die size is 21.5x32.5mm2, and the first run of chips will reach speeds of up to 2GHz on 170W of power. The diagram of the die can be seen below.
Intel won't say yet what clock-speeds the chip will be offered at, except that it will launch at up to 2GHz. It will be manufactured using a 65-nanometer process, a step up from the current Itanium. Itanium is designed for high-end servers running large databases, data warehouses, and transaction-heavy business applications. Intel positions it as a substitute for RISC-type processors like IBM's Power and Sun's Sparc, and as a lower-cost alternative to mainframes. Most Itanium servers are sold by Hewlett-Packard, although they are also offered by Fujitsu, NEC, and others.
Posted by | Mon, May 19, 2008 - 09:26 AM | Comments
Three Intel chipsets to see price increase due to Sichuan quake
Three of Intel's chipsets, the G31, G33 and 945GC, are seeing an increase in price following the earthquake in Sichuan, China last week, according to sources at motherboard makers. Although Intel's packaging and testing plant in Sichuan was unaffected by the quake, the local transport infrastructure has been severely impacted. The three chipsets occupy approximately 45% of Intel's desktop chipset shipments which has lead to rapid shortages.
The 945GC is seeing an increase from around US$15 in thousand-unit tray quantities to US$18-19, while the G31 will see its price boost from US$23 to US$25-27 and the G33 from US$28 to US$31. However, the price increases are expected to be absorbed entirely by motherboard makers hoping to maintain market share, noted the sources, and so changes to pricing in the channel are unlikely.
Posted by | Mon, May 19, 2008 - 09:15 AM | Comments
AMD GAME! Enables Console-like Simplicity for Mainstream PCs
From the company powering the visual experience of the two most popular gaming consoles in the world today, AMD announces AMD GAME!. This program is designed to help consumers select perfectly suited PCs for high-definition gaming. AMD GAME! platforms combine the powerful balance of multi-core processors, exceptional HD digital media , and next-generation graphics processing power. Industry leaders including Acer, Alienware, Logitech and Microsoft are joining AMD to ensure consumers can easily identify PCs that deliver HD gaming and entertainment experiences out of the box.
AMD GAME! systems combine proven AMD technology including AMD Phenom processors, the upcoming AMD Turion Ultra processors, AMD Athlon processors, ATI Radeon HD 3000 series graphics, and AMD chipsets to deliver an enhanced and simplified mainstream PC gaming experience. AMD GAME! platforms are available immediately on-line from system builders such as Alienware, Cyberpower, iBuypower, Maingear and Velocity Micro; retail availability is expected in the second half of 2008.
Posted by | Mon, May 19, 2008 - 09:10 AM | Comments
AMD's Game! Looks like a decent attempt to help buyers
AMD HAS DONE the seemingly impossible and made a logo campaign that looks like it means something instead of being a marketing/advertising scheme. Let's take a look at the new AMD Game programme.
The programme is meant to address the soft middle of the gaming market, people between the hardcore techie (aka most everyone reading this) and people that make your brain hurt when you overhear them talk at the store (Does that CPU come in different colors? Oooh, blue lights!). AMD commissioned a survey asking what percentage of people "plan to use their new PC to play video games" ? Sixty-one of the US, 49 per cent of Europeans and 48 per cent of Chinese respondents said they would play games on their shiny new box. More numbers, presented in pie-chart format this time, show that enthusiasts (us) make up five per cent of the market, the 'Yes' responders above make up about 20 per cent more of the market. They however lack the technical abilities of the enthusiasts. This means there are about 50 million people out there that want to game on a PC but don't really have a clue about how to do it or what to buy. If they walk into a Best Buy, more often than not they get shafted and walk out with an Intel $599 i945 based machine with a $999 extended warranty that skips on the solitaire win screen. Stores preying on the stupid, imagine that!
Posted by | Mon, May 19, 2008 - 04:07 AM | Comments
X-Fi finally goes PCI-Express
THOSE ITCHING FOR a little more aural pleasure than that provided by their on-board motherboard sound may be pleased to know that Creative is stepping out with a few new models in its X-Fi Fatal1ty line.
Yes, carrying the moniker of legendary super-dweeb Jonathan 'Fatal1ty' Wendell, he of the 5 minutes of Quake fame, Creative has two new boards designed with gamers in mind, both with names long enough to give Mavis Beacon finger fatigue. The 'Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series' card is a fairly standard X-Fi card with a PCI-Express x1 connector to fit onto modern motherboards that lack standard PCI slots. It has the usual bevvy of output connectors as well as the Alchemy technology that returns EAX effects to Vista gaming. Meanwhile, the 'Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series' is the same thing, but with a drive-bay add-in that brings audio ports and volume controls to the front of the computer.
Posted by | Mon, May 19, 2008 - 03:52 AM | Comments
ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series Graphics Cards Coming Late June
The stage is set for a great graphics cards battle this summer. In one corner you have NVIDIA gearing up to release their next-generation architecture and in the other you have the ATI R700 that will be designated the Radeon HD 4800 series. The cards that we are waiting for would be the Radeon HD 4870 512MB and Radeon HD 4870X2 1GB as they will feature super fast GDDR5 memory. The Radeon HD 4850 will use cost effective GDDR3 memory and as a result cost just under $200 if the rumors are true. Are you ready for faster graphics cards? The time is almost here and many of the cards will be spotted at Computex in a couple weeks.
ATI will introduce the much-anticipated 4800 series of graphics card on a date "somewhere between the 15th and 22nd of June" according to our old mate Theo over at TG Daily. This is, coincidentally, the same week in which Nvidia is expected to unveil the significantly more expensive (though not significantly more advanced) GT200. The 4800 range is expected start at less than two hundred of your yankee dollars for the 4850 variant with half a gig of GDDR3 graphicy goodness and the abilty to run up to four cards per system. The 4870, and 4870X2 to be launched in July, will carry 512MB and 1024MB of GDDR5 respectively.
Posted by | Sat, May 17, 2008 - 08:45 AM | Comments
May 16 News from Around the Web
Find reviews from around the web by visiting our forums! The following quote is from Ninjalane's DFI LanPartyDK X38-T2R Motherboard Review:
"Here is a common question. Do you splurge and get the shiny new model? Or hang back and look for something realistic for the current market?. The DFI Dark Series makes that question easy by featuring top of the line chipsets, high-end LanParty styling, and excellent BIOS features. All at a fraction of the cost, in a way this is what enthusiast hardware should be, all business and no fluff!"
Posted by | Fri, May 16, 2008 - 12:31 PM | Comments
One Laptop Project Adds Windows
Open-source advocates like saying Linux is free, as in free speech; not free, as in free beer. Well, for the price of a cold one, Microsoft plans to make its software an option on laptops throughout the developing world. The software giant and the One Laptop Per Child project said Thursday that they will install the Windows operating system on the OLPC's cheap XO laptops. The plan, says OLPC spokesperson Kyle Austin, is to redesign the laptops, adding another $7 worth of hardware so that they can run a stripped down version of Windows, which costs $3 a copy, in addition to running the OLPC's version of the Linux operating system.
That makes sense on a machine where every dollar counts. The XO currently costs roughly $180, although as more laptops are cranked out, they will likely come down in price, Austin noted. Trials of so-called dual-boot laptops will begin in June, although those will involve machines equipped with secure digital card readers, rather than gear designed to handle a dual-boot system. Laptops designed for poor children have become a sort of proving ground for low-cost Internet devices. Intel is pushing a rival design, dubbed the Classmate. Intel's processors power the Classmate, while Advanced Micro Devices chips are powering the XO.
Posted by | Fri, May 16, 2008 - 09:14 AM | Comments
Thermaltake Introduces the ProWater 850i Water Cooler
The guys over at Thermaltake USA just sent us word that the have announced the ProWater 850i Water Cooler. Notice we didn't say BigWater as Thermaltake is launching a brand new series of DIY liquid cooling systems, the ProWater Series. The first model to be introduced is the new PW850i that incorporates the latest production techniques and technology of the internal liquid cooling segment. The $149.99 Thermaltake BigWater 760i was a great success as you can see from our review on the unit here, so keep your fingers crossed that the ProWater 850i will perform even better.
The P500 Pump used in the PW850i has a maximum high output of 500L per hour to support the liquid cooling system even under heavy load; the hard-wearing ceramic bearing further increases the life span of the pump, users will not need to worry about pump failure even with extended VGA or memory liquid cooling components. The professionally designed inlet and outlet will eliminate the possibility of air blockages. The PW850i also adopts an automotive style radiator with Thermaltake exclusive "Dimple Dimpled Tubes" DDT technology rather than traditional round tubes, and with the adjustable 120mm fan (1300~2400 RPM); CPU heat will be transmitted efficiently in the coordinated system environment.
Posted by | Thu, May 15, 2008 - 02:51 PM | Comments
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Shuts Down PC Club and ClubIT.com
Today's announcement was made in light of the fact that the owners of PC Club were apparently forced into involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings on Tuesday, May 13, 2008. With the bankruptcy, PC Club closed 37 stores in eight states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Prior to today, PC Club had three stores in Utah (in Riverdale, Murray and Orem), as well as a store in Las Vegas. In addition, PC Club also shuttered its online e-commerce Website: ClubIT.com.
"It stinks to be left with no place to turn to for any help, particularly with something like a personal computer," said Dan ("The Laptop Man") Young, president and founder of PC Laptops. "That's why (as the largest independent personal computer company in the Rocky Mountain region) we're announcing free lifetime labor and service support to any owner of a PC Club brand computer. Simply put, if you own a PC Club computer and you need help, come see us. Bring your desktop or laptop into one of our eight stores in Utah and Nevada, and we'll get you taken care of right away - at no cost for labor or service."
Posted by | Thu, May 15, 2008 - 11:52 AM | Comments
CBS buying CNet for $1.8 billion
CBS announced plans today to buy CNET for $1.8 billion in a deal that would combine an old-school television network with one of the Internet's pioneers. The deal would instantly give CBS a top 10 presence on the Internet. At the same time, it likely will help CNET appease shareholders who have pressed for changes amid frustrations about the company's stock performance and business execution.
"There are very few opportunities to acquire a company like CNET Networks," said CBS CEO Leslie Moonves in a statement. "CNET will add a tremendous platform to extend our complementary entertainment, news, sports, music and information content to a whole new global audience." "We're thrilled to join CBS and combine our interactive media experience with CBS's world-class content," CNET CEO Neil Ashe added in the statement. Under the deal, which CNET's board has approved, CBS will pay $11.50 a share for the San Francisco-based online media company. That represents a 45 percent premium to CNET's closing price on Wednesday of $7.95 a share.
Posted by | Thu, May 15, 2008 - 11:50 AM | Comments
Intel to develop e-commerce PC with China's Alibaba
Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba.com and Intel plan to jointly develop a computer designed to get small and medium-sized Chinese businesses online, the companies said this week. The planned computer, the first step in a broader alliance between the two companies, will come with Alibaba's e-commerce applications preinstalled and use Intel components, according to a joint statement.
The statement did not detail which Intel components would be used in the PC, but one likely candidate is the company's upcoming Atom processor, due to be launched next month. Formerly called Diamondville, Atom was designed for low-cost laptops but will also be used in a crop of low-cost desktops. These desktops, which Intel calls nettops, are basic systems designed to be inexpensive and used for Internet applications, a description that neatly fits the announced objectives of Intel and Alibaba. However, Intel ruled out Atom as an option. "The PCs will not be nettops, or based on Atom," said Leo Wang, a company spokesman, in an e-mail response to questions.
Posted by | Thu, May 15, 2008 - 10:33 AM | Comments
Apple's largest U.S. (Boston) store highlights growth plan
Apple Inc unveiled its largest U.S. store on Wednesday, a glass-facade building sheathed in steel that a senior company official said reflects Apple's plans to expand retail ventures at home and abroad. Sandwiched between aging brick buildings, the minimalist 20,000-square-foot store stands out on Boston's historic Boylston Street, featuring a ground floor with more than 100 Mac laptops and computers, a second level for iPod music players and iPhones, and a third entirely for service.
"Concierges" stand at attention in orange shirts bearing the slogan "I know people" -- part of changes made in recent weeks to more thoroughly identify roles played by employees with the color of their shirts worn in Apple stores. A sales force of "specialists" wear aqua blue and technicians are each dubbed "genius" as they work the third floor wearing dark blue -- all projecting a trademark retail image that has helped drive sales growth. "These stores have served them very, very well and really raised the bar in terms of technology customer service," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research, a technology consulting firm.
Posted by | Thu, May 15, 2008 - 10:29 AM | Comments
May 14 News from Around the Web
Madshrimps posted their GeForce 9800 GTX Extreme Overclocking Experiment. Find this and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!
"The GeForce 9800 GTX product was received with mixed feelings; on the one hand you had an affordable high end VGA solution, but on the other hand it was not much of improvement over the 8800 GTX. One area where the 9800 GTX might shine through however is overclocking, the new GPU generates less heat, and with the help of some LN2 it will be interesting to see how high it can climb!"
Posted by | Wed, May 14, 2008 - 09:38 AM | Comments
Dell Tells Gamers That Alienware and XPS Systems Will Remain Industry Leaders
Dell issued a statement on Tuesday night, saying the XPS brand will live on but that more resources will go into Alienware. It seems the Wall Street Journal didn't lay down the facts correctly in a recent article and Dell has a blog post setting the record straight. With new gaming systems like the Dell XPS M1730 gaming notebook and the Dell XPS 730 H2C would you expect Dell to pull back?
XPS remains an important Dell brand with its heritage of premium performance. While closely associated with gaming, in the last year XPS has expanded well beyond a gaming brand – look at the XPS One, our first entry into the all-in-one market, the XPS M1330, an industry leading ultraportable or the XPS 420 desktop, designed for multi-media activities. How the WSJ missed all this is a little beyond us. And XPS gaming systems will remain an important part of our gaming product portfolio. We don’t plan an early phase-out of these systems as the WSJ incorrectly stated, and in fact will continue to refresh them to keep them on the front edge of gaming.
Posted by | Wed, May 14, 2008 - 09:16 AM | Comments
Nokia sees half of cellphones with GPS in 2010-12
Nokia plans to add navigation to half of the phones it sells within a few years to find new revenue streams amid decreasing handset prices, a senior official at the world's top cellphone maker said. It sells five models with built-in GPS and has unveiled four more which will ship in the coming months.
"We are planning to ship 35 million GPS units this year," Halbherr said, adding "and many more location-enabled phones that use cell-towers to orient themselves on the map". "You will see few 'E' or 'N' Series phones without GPS," he said. Last year Nokia sold 437 million phones, and it expects the volume to grow more than 10 percent this year. It sold 38 million phones in its multimedia range "N Series" and some 7 million "E Series" business phones.
Posted by | Wed, May 14, 2008 - 09:11 AM | Comments
ProMOS China fab mass production schedule not affected by quake
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Sichuan province of China will not affect ProMOS Technologies' 8-inch fab mass production schedule set for the third quarter of 2008, according to company chairman ML Chen.
Chen indicated that operations at ProMOS' Chongqing fab in Sichuan province is normal, with electricity supply not being affected by the earthquake. Only a few lithography equipment stopped operating during the quake but operations resumed soon afterward, he said. ProMOS is well prepared for any earthquake due to its rich experience gained from its Taiwan operations, Chen stressed. As already scheduled, ProMOS will gradually relocate its 8-inch wafer production facilities from Taiwan to the China fab. The 8-inch fab in Taiwan, which is now running at peak utilization rate, will transition to produce 12-inch wafers after all equipment is relocated. The company plans to complete the transition by the end of 2008.
Posted by | Wed, May 14, 2008 - 09:09 AM | Comments
VIA Unveils the World’s Lowest Power x86 Processor on the World’s Smallest Board
VIA Technologies today announced the VIA EPIA PX5000EG Pico-ITX board that features the extremely power efficient 500MHz VIA Eden ULV processor, offering embedded developers an uncompromisingly compact, highly integrated board.
“The introduction of the VIA EPIA PX5000EG elevates the VIA EPIA range of innovative embedded solutions to new heights of thermal and energy efficiency in an extremely miniaturized form factor,” said Daniel Wu, Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. “The VIA EPIA Pico-ITX form-factor continues to evolve, addressing the embedded industry’s needs for greater efficiency and miniaturization.” Developed exclusively by VIA, the Pico-ITX form factor squeezes a full feature set into a mere 10cm x 7.2cm. A complete system in the palm of your hand, the VIA EPIA PX5000EG includes both LVDS/DVI and VGA support, integrated 5.1 channel audio, fast 100/10 Ethernet, both IDE and S-ATA drive support and up to six USB ports and a COM port.
Posted by | Wed, May 14, 2008 - 09:08 AM | Comments
More Than 550 Million GPS-Enabled Handsets Will Ship by 2012
In the wake of personal navigation devices' success, cellular carriers have started to offer on-board and off-board navigation solutions, as well as a range of LBS (Location Based Services) such as friend finder and local search on GPS handsets. Community and social-networking-related functionality, such as the sharing of POIs (Points of Interest) and geo-tagged pictures, is also becoming popular and is expected to boost GPS-enabled handset uptake as carriers, handsets manufacturers, and service providers look to capitalize on the LBS trend.
"While most CDMA handsets are already GPS-enabled and GPS is set to become a standard feature in GSM smartphones, GSM feature phones are next on the agenda to be equipped with GPS technology," says ABI Research principal analyst Dominique Bonte. "GPS chipset vendors increasingly target handsets, looking for new markets and spurred on by the recent dramatic growth of personal navigation devices." However, as GPS begins to penetrate lower-end phones, the cost, power consumption, and footprint of GPS chipsets will have to be further reduced. This will be made possible by single chipset technology and the emergence in 2009 of combination chips integrating GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi all on one die. Major silicon vendors such as Broadcom, NXP, and Atheros are well positioned to develop such solutions following the acquisition of GPS chipset vendors Global Locate, GloNav, and u-Nav, respectively.
Posted by | Tue, May 13, 2008 - 10:04 AM | Comments
HP to Acquire EDS for $13.9 Billion
HP and EDS today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which HP will purchase EDS at a price of $25.00 per share, or an enterprise value of approximately $13.9 billion. The terms of the transaction have been unanimously approved by the HP and EDS boards of directors.
Acquiring EDS advances HP's stated objective of strengthening its services business. The specific service offerings delivered by the combined companies are: IT outsourcing, including data center services, workplace services, networking services and managed security; business process outsourcing, including health claims, financial processing, CRM and HR outsourcing; applications, including development, modernization and management; consulting and integration; and technology services. The combination will provide extensive experience in offering solutions to customers in the areas of government, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, energy, transportation, communications, and consumer industries and retail.
Posted by | Tue, May 13, 2008 - 09:57 AM | Comments
AMD planning to outsource CPU production to TSMC in 2H08
In addition to its GPU production, AMD is planning to also outsource CPU production to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in the second half of this year, according to industry sources. Although Hector Ruiz, CEO of AMD did not mention any plans to outsource production during the company's recent investors conference, the industry sources revealed that TSMC has already started testing procedures for a SOI manufacturing process in order to land manufacturing orders for AMD's Fusion CPUs.
The increase in outsourcing could allow AMD to sell off some of its manufacturing equipment and help lower the company's operating costs, noted sources at AMD's partners. AMD's current goals are to return to profitability in the first half of 2009 and to grab back a 30% worldwide market share by the second quarter in 2009, noted the sources.
Posted by | Tue, May 13, 2008 - 09:54 AM | Comments
Sun Microsystems Offers Quad-Core AMD Opteron Based Systems
AMD today announced enterprise customers now have more choices for rack-mount and blade systems based upon Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors with the launch of eight new innovative servers from Sun Microsystems. All systems are specifically designed to take advantage of the enhanced power management and virtualization capabilities offered with Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors and the overall system efficiency and scalability of AMD's Direct Connect Architecture.
Sun has expanded its line of AMD Opteron processor-based servers with the new Sun Fire X4140, Sun Fire X4240 and the industry's only 4-socket x64 AMD Opteron processor-based server in a 2U form factor, the Sun Fire X4440. In addition, the Sun Fire X2200 M2, Sun Fire X4100 M2 and Sun Fire X4200 M2 servers are now available with the Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor. The Sun Blade X8440 and Sun Fire X4600 M2 servers are planned to be available by the end of June 2008.
Posted by | Tue, May 13, 2008 - 09:52 AM | Comments
Accelero XTREME 9800 Helps Improve GeForce 9800 GTX Cooling by 33%
Swiss cooling solutions provider ARCTIC COOLING today announced the launch of the Accelero XTREME 9800, a new exceptional cooler of the Accelero Xtreme series for the latest nVIDIA GeForce 9800 series graphics cards. The Accelero XTREME 9800 offers a 6-year limited warranty and is said to be 33% cooler than the stock cooler. It will be available in June 2008. The MSRP is US$53.95 and 34.95€ (excl. VAT).
Designed based on the acclaimed Accelero XTREME 8800, the Accelero XTREME 9800 is an even more powerful cooling solution for enthusiasts. Five 6mm heat pipes and 107 fins dissipate heat from the GeForce 9800 GTX card. Together with three 80mm PWM fans that transfer heat efficiently, the Accelero XTREME 9800 achieves 240 Watt cooling capacity, resulting in a 29°C temperature reduction from the stock cooler. In addition to the outstanding cooling performance, using the Accelero XTREME 9800 will also bring gamers a better overclocking experience and an extended service life of the graphics card.
Posted by | Tue, May 13, 2008 - 09:50 AM | Comments
May 12 News from Around the Web
Find reviews from around the web by visiting our forums! The following is from TweakTown's review of the Palit 9600GT Sonic 1GB Graphics Card.
"Palit are back again with another 9600GT. While this model is a Sonic variant, this one also sports 1GB of memory. What’s cool about this card is that more often than not you have two options when it comes to getting a card other than stock. You can get yourself one with more memory, which generally comes under the “Super” naming scheme; the other option is that you get yourself an overclocked model. This comes under the “Sonic” naming scheme for Palit. Today we’ve got ourselves a 1GB card which also happens to be overclocked. Unfortunately Palit has called it the 9600GT 1GB Sonic; personally I think they should have called it the 9600GT 1GB Super Sonic which just sounds plain cool, and since the card carries with it an overclock and more memory, it’s more than appropriate."
Posted by | Mon, May 12, 2008 - 07:58 AM | Comments
AMD Announces Five New 65W Low-Power Opteron HE Processors
AMD today introduced the industry's first energy-efficient x86 server processors with four processing cores and an integrated memory controller all in a low 55-watt ACP thermal envelope. Blade and rack systems based on five new low-power Quad-Core AMD Opteron HE (Highly Efficient) processors are now widely available from global OEMs and solution providers.
Quad-Core AMD Opteron HE processors are available in both the 2300 and 8300 Series for two-, four- and eight-way rack servers and blades. The new processors have set new performance records among comparable x86 energy-efficient processors, such as top scores for SPECfp_rate2006 in both two- and four-processor configurations, offering businesses of all sizes the exceptional scalability and efficiency benefits of AMD's unrivaled Direct Connect Architecture.
Posted by | Mon, May 12, 2008 - 07:49 AM | Comments
Microsoft Windows XP SP3 cripples some AMD based PCs
Installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 sends some PCs into an endless series of reboots, according to posts to a Microsoft support forum. Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft and a prominent Windows blogger, has worked with users to tentatively identify the problem as involving only machines using processors from Advanced Micro Devices.
According to Johansson, there appear to be two separate issues. One affects only AMD-equipped PCs sold by Hewlett-Packard. "The problem is that HP, apparently along with other OEMs, deploys the same image to Intel-based computers that they do to AMD-based computers," said Johansson. "Because the image for both Intel and AMD is the same all have the intelppm.sys driver installed and running. That driver provides power management on Intel-based computers. On an AMD-based computer, amdk8.sys provides the same functionality." Running the "intelppm.sys" driver on an AMD-powered PC isn't normally an issue, but on the first reboot after a service pack installation, it causes "a big problem," Johansson said. The machine either fails to boot or crashes and immediately reboots.
Posted by | Mon, May 12, 2008 - 07:41 AM | Comments
RIM unveils BlackBerry Bold/BlackBerry 9000
Research in Motion officially took the wraps off the highly anticipated and much-rumored smartphone, complete with a new name. The "Bold" is in reference to the smartphone's gorgeous display, but it's also bold in that it represents a number of new moves for the company. Pricing will also depend on the carrier, but RIM is guessing it will be in the $300 to $400 range and expected worldwide availability is "this summer."
As we just mentioned, the device gets its name from its screen. The BlackBerry Bold features a half-VGA (480x320 pixel resolution), 65,000-color display, and during some initial product testing, research group participants repeatedly called the screen "bold" and "brilliant." The Brilliant moniker didn't really jive with the company, thus the BlackBerry Bold was born.
Posted by | Mon, May 12, 2008 - 07:38 AM | Comments
Intel gains SSD orders from Google, say sources
Google plans to switch some of its servers over to solid-state drive-based (SSD-based) storage supplied by Intel in order to lower electricity consumption, according to sources at memory makers. The more power efficient SSDs will be installed at severs at Google's US headquarters.
Intel will supply flash chips and Marvell the corresponding controller ICs, the sources detailed. Shipments are slated for late second quarter, they added. With the increasing use of SSDs in server applications, a shortage for 16Gb and 32Gb NAND flash chips could become a possibility, the sources commented.
Posted by | Mon, May 12, 2008 - 07:34 AM | Comments
Nvidia CEO discusses his beef with Intel - Larrabee Ticks Him Off
Brooke Crothers over at CNET Networks got a chance to speak with NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang this week about why NVIDIA is going after Intel so publicly. It seems that Jen-Hsun is upset that Intel been dropping hints about its upcoming high-end graphics chip, called Larrabee, with relatively few specifics. "Larabee is a PowerPoint slide," Huang said. "I haven't met a product on my PowerPoint slide that I don't like. You know, they're floating Larrabee out there just to put a shadow over us, cast a cloud over us. They've already slipped it two years from the time they talked about. They would love to slip it another four years and leave a cloud over me." It looks like Jen-Hsun has put his boxing gloves on and is in it to win it. Since I used the 'in it to win it' line, we'll keep our fingers crossed that Jen-Hsun has better luck than Hillary Clinton with that saying.
Huang will tear into Intel when he thinks it's warranted. And Intel may have reason to be worried about the content of Huang's candor. Despite Intel's colossal size and and clout, Nvidia--not Intel--supplies the defining chip for the most savvy computer users: game enthusiasts. They depend on Nvidia graphics chips to deliver the spectacular visuals of games like Crysis. And few people will deny that computing is becoming more visual. The GPU is essentially a parallel-computing engine that is extremely efficient at running visual (and scientific) software--that is, many of the popular graphics, video, and photo applications now running on PCs.
Posted by | Fri, May 09, 2008 - 11:08 AM | Comments
Judge Hits TorrentSpy With $111M Damages
In what has to be mixed news for anyone who uses a BitTorrent client, Judge Florence-Marie Cooper of the U.S. District Court awarded the judgment to the Motion Picture Association of America, the MPAA announced late Wednesday. The court entered a default judgment against the operators of TorrentSpy in December, saying they had destroyed evidence related to an MPAA lawsuit against them. Ahh, TorrentSpy, we hate to see you go - at least you didn't take down your members though.
Last May, another judge ordered TorrentSpy to keep server logs, user IP (Internet Protocol) addresses and other information in support of the MPAA's lawsuit against the site. Cooper ruled in December that TorrentSpy had ignored that order.
Posted by | Fri, May 09, 2008 - 11:06 AM | Comments
Video games don't create killers, new book says
Playing video games does not turn children into deranged, blood-thirsty super-killers, according to a new book by a pair of Harvard researchers. Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl Olson, a husband-and-wife team at Harvard Medical School, detail their views in "Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do", which came out last month and promises to reshape the debate on the effects of video games on kids.
The pair reached that conclusion after conducting a two-year study of more than 1,200 middle-school children about their attitudes towards video games. It was a different approach than most other studies, which have focused on laboratory experiments that attempt to use actions like ringing a loud buzzer as a measure of aggression. "What we did that had rarely been done by other researchers was actually talk to the kids. It sounds bizarre but it hadn't been done," Kutner said.
Posted by | Fri, May 09, 2008 - 11:02 AM | Comments
AMD Reveals Its Future Server Lineup
AMD is planning to launch its 45nm server processor Shanghai in the second half of this year, which features HyperTransport 3.0, instruction-per clock enhancement (IPC) and will have its L3 cache increased from 2MB to 6MB, while the company will launch a six-core server processor codenamed Istanbul in the second half of 2009. The processors will fit with the current Socket F1 (1207) and will feature the company's Direct Connect Architecture.
In 2010, AMD expects to introduce its third-generation AMD Opteron processor socket G34 platform, which will offer features including DDR3 memory capabilities and AMD's RD890 chipset for non-coherent HyperTransport 3.0, along with an additional HT link. The company will also launch socket G34-based processor codenamed Sao Paolo in the first half of 2010, the processor will incorporate DDR3 memory, an additional HyperTransport 3.0 link and six-core design, while a 12-core processor codenamed Magny Cours will also leverage these features and launched in the first half of 2010.
Posted by | Fri, May 09, 2008 - 11:01 AM | Comments
Circuit City Opens Its Books to Blockbuster
Circuit City, the electronics retail chain, has effectively put itself up for sale. Circuit City announced today that it has hired Goldman Sachs & Co to help explore strategic alternatives, and would allow the video rental company Blockbuster to examine its books in its unsolicited takeover bid to acquire Circuit City.
The announcement indicated that some progress for Blockbuster’s bid, which is valued at more than $1 billion in cash. Many on Wall Street have called the deal a long shot, in part because of the difficulty of financing it.
New York Times Technology News
Posted by | Fri, May 09, 2008 - 10:59 AM | Comments
Grand Theft Auto IV steals record for first-week sales: $500 million
No taint of ill repute could deter the worldwide rush for "Grand Theft Auto IV," a notoriously violent video game that racked up a record $500 million in estimated retail sales globally in its first week. Take-Two Interactive Software, the "Grand Theft Auto" publisher that's under pressure from a takeover bid by Electronic Arts, said Wednesday that GTA IV sold approximately 6 million copies in the seven days since its April 29 release.
About 3.6 million copies were sold the first day, with a retail value of roughly $310 million for combined sales of the standard $60 game and a $90 collector's edition, the company said. GTA IV is available for two consoles, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. The dollar figures were boosted by exchange rates that made the retail price significantly higher in Europe, where almost as many copies may have been sold as in the United States, according to analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities. Still, the GTA results soared beyond the previously reported video-game and entertainment highs: $300 million in global first-week sales last year for Microsoft's "Halo 3" game, and worldwide first-week movie box office totals of more than $400 million each last year for Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and Sony's "Spider-Man 3."
Posted by | Thu, May 08, 2008 - 12:48 PM | Comments
Dell Virtualization Servers Feature Quad-Core AMD Opteron Processors
One of the industry's most scalable virtualization servers is now available from Dell and based on the Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor, AMD today announced. Enterprise customers interested in consolidating server infrastructure may turn to two new virtualization servers from Dell utilizing Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors, including the Dell PowerEdge R905 which set a new standard in VMmark performance testing with 60 virtual machines. The innovative new Dell servers take advantage of AMD Direct Connect Architecture to reduce bottlenecks, minimize latency and increase the performance of virtualized applications to maximize the benefits of virtualization.
"Energy and space constraints are requiring more enterprise customers to consolidate while simplifying their server management requirements," said Randy Allen, corporate vice president and general manager, Server and Workstation, AMD. "The combination of Direct Connect Architecture and AMD Virtualization technology helps them achieve those objectives by enabling more virtual machines on a server than ever before. Dell's innovative server offerings provide an optimal balance of virtualization performance and manageability for customers looking to scale their current virtualization infrastructure."
Posted by | Thu, May 08, 2008 - 07:48 AM | Comments
May 8 News from Around the Web
OCC has published a new review on the VisionTek Radeon HD 3870 X2 Overclocked Edition. Find this and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!
"Overclocking a pre-overclocked card? Can it be pushed any further? The answer is yes. It didn't take me long to discover that this video card does not like to be pushed, but I was able to obtain a minimal overclock on the already overclocked beast of a video card. I reached 850MHz on the core clock from the stock frequency of 840MHz, and on the memory I obtained a frequency of 975MHz over the stock 960MHz. It's not much, but we'll see if it gives a performance increase at all."
Posted by | Thu, May 08, 2008 - 07:28 AM | Comments
Mushkin Announces Ascent Memory Modules With eVCI Cooling
Mushkin just announced the launch of a new high performance line of memory modules aimed at the power gamer market. Called Ascent, the new line raises the bar on its Redline and XP premium memory offering by using eVCI (enhanced Vapor Chamber Interface) cooling technology, the current state-of-the-art in heat spreaders. Mushkin says the kits will be available within sixty days through select Mushkin resellers.
At the heart of Mushkin’s eVCI cooling solution are two 123mm x 25mm liquid filled copper vapor chambers developed by Celsia Technologies that are encased on the outer dimensions by high conductivity 6063 aluminum alloy. In direct contact with 95% of the memory chip surface area, the vapor chambers effectively eliminate hot spots on the chip and quickly transfer heat to the aluminum where it is dissipated into the surrounding air. eVCI, Celsia’s unique vapor chamber solution, was exclusively designed for the Mushkin Ascent line of Redline and XP memory modules, and the new line is among the first to use this innovative approach to rapid cooling of high performance chips.
Posted by | Tue, May 06, 2008 - 05:44 PM | Comments
Intel & Samsung Agree on 450mm Wafer Manufacturing
Intel Corporation, Samsung Electronics and TSMC today announced they have reached agreement on the need for industry-wide collaboration to target a transition to larger, 450mm-sized wafers starting in 2012. The transition to larger wafers will enable continued growth of the semiconductor industry and helps maintain a reasonable cost structure for future integrated circuit manufacturing and applications. In the past, migration to the next larger wafer size traditionally began every 10 years after the last transition. For example, the industry began the transition to 300mm wafers in 2001, a decade after the initial 200mm manufacturing facilities (also known as "fabs") were introduced in 1991.
Historically, manufacturing with larger wafers helps increase the ability to produce semiconductors at a lower cost. The total silicon surface area of a 450mm wafer and the number of printed die (individual computer chips, for example) is more than twice that of a 300mm wafer. The bigger wafers help lower the production cost per chip. Additionally, through more efficient use of energy, water and other resources, bigger wafers can help diminish overall use of resources per chip. For example, the conversion from 200mm wafers to 300mm wafers helped reduce aggregate emissions per chip of air pollution, global warming gasses and water, and further reduction is expected with a transition to 450mm wafers.
Posted by | Tue, May 06, 2008 - 03:11 PM | Comments
May 6 News from Around the Web
ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe - Intel P45 chipset review from NoricHardware has been posted. Find this and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!
ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe is based on the upcoming Intel P45 chipset. You may have seen a number of previews around the web, but what they all have in common is that the boards have been dead. Today we have one of the first functional P45 motherboards in the world. We took it into the lab and ran some tests to see how it stands up to the predecessors, and what makes it worthy of the Deluxe suffix. Beside the raw benchmarks, we've also done some quick overclocking tests and take a peek at ASUS' new Memory OC Charge technology.
Posted by | Tue, May 06, 2008 - 08:05 AM | Comments
OCZ Technology Announces First 4GB DDR3 Memory Kit at 2GHz
OCZ Technology just announced the world's first 4GB DDR3 memory kit that operates at 2GHz. The PC3-16000 4GB (2x2048MB) DDR3 dual channel kits and are backed by an industry-leading lifetime warranty that overclockers have come to love over the years. Designed to offer the earliest adopting enthusiasts the advantages of high-density memory coupled with the highest speeds available, the OCZ PC3-16000 4GB kits make use of the unbeatable overclocking capabilities of the latest platforms and takes DDR3 to unimaginable performance levels.
“It is no myth that higher memory densities make it harder to push higher clock frequencies,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “OCZ Technology pulled off this seemingly impossible task with the release of the world’s fastest high-density memory solution. The new OCZ DDR3 PC3-16000 Platinum Edition kits combine two 2GB modules for 4GB system density running at 9-9-9 latencies and a record-breaking 2GHz data rate. All of this is achieved at only 1.9V which falls well within the voltage tolerances of any DDR3 memory controller currently on the market.”
Posted by | Mon, May 05, 2008 - 02:38 PM | Comments
Noctua announces the NH-C12P 6 heat pipe CPU cooler
Noctua just announced its new premium class CPU cooler, the NH-C12P. Being equipped with 6 heat pipes and the award-winning NF-P12 120mm fan, the NH-C12P achieves excellent performance and outstanding quietness of operation. The down-facing c-type design allows for lower height and also provides additional cooling for motherboard components through two Airflow-Gaps. The NH-C12P is available immediately at a recommended price of EUR 59.90 / USD 69.90. Legit Reviews has reviewed the Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler once here and again here in an updated roundup that showed it to be one of the best coolers on the market. The new NH-C12P should allow for even better performance and it looks great.
Just like the successful NH-U12P, the NH-C12P is equipped with Noctua's NF-P12 premium fan that ensures outstanding cooling performance at minimal noise levels and has received more than 50 recommendations from leading international websites and magazines since its introduction in November. The premium bundle is topped off by Noctua's award-winning NT-H1 high-end thermal compound, making the NH-C12P a total quality package for the highest demands.
Posted by | Mon, May 05, 2008 - 09:33 AM | Comments
May 5 News from Around the Web
XFX GeForce 9800GTX Black Edition Review from Gamepyre and other reviews from around the web can be found in our forums!
The bundle and support are very well with the XFX Black Edition GeForce 9800GTX, it comes with COD4, which is one of the hottest PC gaming titles available at this moment and costs around $49.95 at most e-tailors or retailers making the card a more attractive buy. Support and warranty options are well taken care of BY XFX as they take very good care of their customers in the after purchase environment and quick RMA return times. Overall this card is a solid piece of equipment that excels in the 1920X1200 and below resolutions with moderate AA and AF settings. In the 1680 and 1280 resolutions you can turn up the AA and AF settings to their maximum values and get great FPS gameplay. Not quite a gamers gold card, but definitely a Gamers Silver card award winner.
Posted by | Mon, May 05, 2008 - 08:38 AM | Comments
Microsoft withdraws offer to buy Yahoo Inc.
Microsoft Corp walked away from its bid to buy Yahoo Inc on Saturday after the Internet company turned down its offer to raise the price by $5 billion to $47.5 billion. Microsoft's offer was for $33 a share but Yahoo would not lower its demand below $37, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said. The software company initially bid $31 per share for Yahoo more than three months ago.
"We believe the economics demanded by Yahoo do not make sense for us, and it is in the best interests of Microsoft stockholders, employees and other stakeholders to withdraw our proposal," Ballmer said in a statement. Analysts say Yahoo has overplayed its hand and they expect the Web pioneer's shares to fall as much as 30 percent to $20 levels when Nasdaq trading resumes on Monday. The stock rose nearly 7 percent to $28.67 on Friday on hopes of an agreement between Microsoft and Yahoo.
Posted by | Sun, May 04, 2008 - 12:07 AM | Comments
May 2 News from Around the Web
"Mainstream Quad Core Processors Compared from AMD and Intel" at Madshrimps and other reviews from around the web are availabe in our forums!
"In this review we compare AMD's latest AM2+ based Phenom X4 9850 to Intel's mainstream Q9300 Processor. Which one gives you more performance for the buck? Answering this question is not as straightforward as you might think. With AMD aggressive pricing and new B3 revision does it stand a chance against an upgraded Q6600? Let us find out."
Posted by | Fri, May 02, 2008 - 08:45 AM | Comments
Intel Atom CPU shortage to persist until September, says Asustek president
The high volume of Atom processor orders from PC vendors has, according to industry reports, left Intel unable to meet demand. Asustek Computer president Jerry Shen recently said he expects the shortages will persist until September this year. Intel has declined to confirm the reported shortages, adding that it is ramping its 45nm production to meet anticipated demand.
Asustek will launch an Atom-based 8.9-inch Eee PC in June which will coexist with the current Celeron M-based Eee PC 900 during the shortage, said Shen. The company may also raise its Eee PC shipments goal of five million units in July, noted Shen. The company expects 8.9-inch Eee PC shipments to surpass those of 7-inch models by the late May. In the third quarter, the proportion of 7-inch models to overall Eee PC shipments will drop below 30%. However, although the 8.9-inch model contributes a better gross margin, overall gross margins have slid slightly.
Posted by | Fri, May 02, 2008 - 07:57 AM | Comments
Thermaltake Announces The Armor+ MX Case Is Ready For Purchase
After the success of “Armor+ Series” engineers at Thermaltake has worked around the clock to improve and innovate another and better chassis. Armor+ Series was launched at Computex 2007 a super tower allowing consumer to fully utilize the advance graphic technology. Today Thermaltake announced that the “Armor+ MX” a middle tower chassis with countless advance features is ready to enter the market. The Armor Plus MX will be available on the first week of MAY 2008 throughout major retailers and e-tailers, price has been set at $139 MSRP.
The Armor+ MX also come with Four Removable 3.5” HDD Trays, Five 5.25” Optical Bays and Seven Expansion PCI slots – All equipped with “Tool-less” feature. Cooling Capability - oversized 230MM side fan just to overcome your toasty graphic cards, 120MM Blue LED fan in front cools off four HDD and 120MM high performance rear fan exhausting pre-heated air in the chassis. “High-performance line of chassis has long been considered to belong in a full-tower form factor category,” commented David Hwang, President of Thermaltake. “With the introduction of Armor+ MX, the versatility and performance characteristics can now be found in a much smaller and manageable package.”
Posted by | Thu, May 01, 2008 - 08:28 PM | Comments
Kingston Technology Releases High-Performance 800MHz HyperX FB-DIMMS
Kingston Technology today announced the release of high-performance, low-latency 800MHz DDR2 fully-buffered dual-inline memory modules (FB-DIMMs). Designed for system builders creating high-end workstations, servers and extreme gaming systems, the new Kingston HyperX PC2-6400 FB-DIMMs are shipping immediately in 2GB kits. This memory kit should look familiar to our readers as we showed you the prototype heat sink last year at the Intel Developer Forum!
"In a new tradition of expanding the Kingston HyperX product line, we are pleased to introduce HyperX FB-DIMM modules for customers building specialty workstations, servers and performance gaming systems based on the Intel 5400 chipset," said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston. "Using a specialized dual-phased cooling system to cool the FB-DIMMs' controller IC, this new design will provide optimal temperature conditions. As part of our production process, these new modules have been tested on the Intel Skulltrail platform."
Posted by | Thu, May 01, 2008 - 08:17 PM | Comments
Scientists develop new type of memory circuit
It took about 40 years to find it, but scientists at Hewlett-Packard said on Wednesday they discovered a fourth basic type of electrical circuit that could lead to a computer you never have to boot up.
The finding proves what until now had only been theory -- but could save millions from the tedium of waiting for a computer to find its "place," the researchers said. Basic electronics theory teaches that there are three fundamental elements of a passive circuit -- resistors, capacitors and inductors. But in the 1970s, Leon Chua of the University of California at Berkeley, theorized there should be a fourth called a memory resistor, or memristor, for short, and he worked out the mathematical equations to prove it.
Posted by | Thu, May 01, 2008 - 04:25 AM | Comments
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