LR News History - Legit Reviews

Legit Reviews News History

AMD to update its low-power CPU lineup

AMD is planning to launch several low-power triple-core and quad-core CPUs during the second half of 2008 all featuring a TDP of 65W, according to sources at motherboard makers. Meanwhile the company will launch the low-power quad-core Phenom X4 9350e in the third quarter and another model in the fourth quarter, the sources added, and in the first quarter of 2009, AMD will begin to roll out its 45nm quad-core CPUs (Propus) targeting core frequencies between 2.3-2.6GHz.

Two low-power triple-core Phenom CPUs – X3 8250e and 8450e – will feature core frequencies of 1.9GHz and 2.1GHz, respectively, and both include an L2 cache of 1.5MB and L3 cache of 2MB. The two CPUs will enter DVT in July and start mass production at the beginning of August. If the process goes smoothly, the two CPUs should appear in the channel by mid to late August, the sources said.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Tue, Jun 17, 2008 - 10:07 AM | Comments

ASUS My Cinema - PE9400 Combo TV Card Announced

For the consumer who needs to watch one thing while recording another, ASUS, has introduced a new PCI-express TV tuner, the ASUS My Cinema - PE9400 Combo. This versatile add-in card supports both digital (ATSC/QAM) and analog (NTSC) TV formats, and features an MPEG2 hardware encoder to reduce CPU loading with high-quality video output – allowing users to enjoy an all-in-one PC multimedia package. The My Cinema PE9400 Combo will be available via ASUS North American resellers starting July 1st, 2008 with the introductory MSRP being $79 USD.

The My Cinema - PE9400 Combo allows users to watch and record high-quality digital (ATSC/QAM) and analog (NTSC) TV programs on their PCs simultaneously. This card adopts a 500 Mb/s PCI Express x1 interface, which is 3 times faster than the default PCI bus (133Mb/s) in transmission speed. An embedded MPEG2 hardware encoder dramatically reduces CPU loading whilst guaranteeing high-quality video when processing transmissions. This allows users to surf the Internet and record TV programs without degrading performance. Additionally, the PE9400 Combo leverages hardware noise reduction technology, which minimizes video artifacts.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 17, 2008 - 10:05 AM | Comments

June 17 News from Around the Web

Tweaknews has posted their In Win Powerman Commander 1200 Watt Power Supply Review! Find this and other reviews from around the 'net by visiting our forums!

"In-Win is surely going to turn some heads with the Commander – not only does it have a one of a kind look, it has demonstrated excellent stability and its four +12V rails are ready to power up any hardware thrown its way. I can see this being not only a good choice for today's gaming rigs, but it should easily last through another upgrade or two as well. Realistically, not many current systems out there are going to pull 1200W of power but in a few years this might be exactly what's needed."

Posted by | Tue, Jun 17, 2008 - 07:24 AM | Comments

AMD Stream Processor First to Break 1 Teraflop Barrier

At the International Supercomputing Conference, AMD today introduced its next-generation stream processor, the AMD FireStream 9250, specifically designed to accelerate critical algorithms in high-performance computing (HPC), mainstream and consumer applications. Leveraging the GPU design expertise of AMD's Graphics Product Group, AMD FireStream 9250 breaks the one teraflop barrier for single precision performance. It occupies a single PCI slot, for unmatched density and with power consumption of less than 150 watts, the AMD FireStream 9250 delivers an unprecedented rate of performance per watt efficiency with up to eight gigaflops per watt.

The AMD FireStream 9250 stream processor includes a second-generation double-precision floating point hardware implementation delivering more than 200 gigaflops, building on the capabilities of the earlier AMD FireStream 9170, the industry's first GP-GPU with double-precision floating point support. The AMD FireStream 9250's compact size makes it ideal for small 1U servers as well as most desktop systems, workstations, and larger servers and it features 1GB of GDDR3 memory, enabling developers to handle large, complex problems.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 16, 2008 - 10:32 AM | Comments

PNY Unveils XLR8 GTX 280 and GTX 260 Graphics Cards

PNY Technologies just announced the XLR8 GeForce GTX 280 PCI-e 2.0 and GTX 260 PCI-e 2.0 graphics cards. Based on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 200 Series of GPUs’ second generation unified architecture and NVIDIA’s new GPU PhysX technology, gamers will undergo a dynamic 3D gaming experience. Legit Reviews took had a chance to review the XLR8 GeForce GTX 280 here and found it to be a great card! The MSRP on the GTX 280 will be $649.99 and $399.99 on the GTX 260.

'With convincing facial animation, multiple ultra-high polygon characters in complex environments and fully simulated physical effects, these cards bring 3D games to life,' said Nicholas Mauro, senior marketing manager, PC components. 'Not just for gamers, these cards broaden our scope of products to reach even programmers—who need to offload processing tasks from the CPU to the GPU. In fact, the GTX 200 series delivers performance improvements up to 7x a traditional CPU.'

Posted by | Mon, Jun 16, 2008 - 10:25 AM | Comments

ASUS GTX280 Video Card Announced - ASUS ENGTX280/HTDP/1G

ASUS just announced the release of the ASUS ENGTX280/HTDP/1G SLI-ready graphics card. Sporting the NVIDIA GeForce GTX280 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), the ENGTX280/HTDP/1G boasts 1GB memory enabling users to easily enjoy the latest games at extremely high resolutions. The card ships with ASUS’ latest version of SmartDoctor, an exclusive utility that gives gamers the freedom to easily adjust the Shader Clock, allowing gamers to squeeze the most out of their gaming system. The ASUS ENGTX280/HTDP/1G will go on sale through ASUS North American dealers on June 17, 2008. The introductory MSRP is $649 USD.

Bottlenecks are now a thing of the past thanks to 1GB of on-board memory. The more embedded memory a video card has the more data it can store. To address the requirements of today’s resource intensive PC games, the ASUS ENGTX280/HTDP/1G offers not only more memory but faster memory. The end result is that users can enjoy the ultimate gaming experience without lag or stuttering even at extremely high resolutions and with the maximum quality settings turned on.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 16, 2008 - 10:21 AM | Comments

June 16 News from Around the Web

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 launched today, so be sure to check out our review here. Be sure to check out the other reviews from around the web in our forums!

Hot on the heels of a rapid-succession GeForce 9800 GX2 and GeForce 9800 GTX launch only two short months ago, NVIDIA now officially unveils the GeForce GTX 280 and GTX 260 video cards. Using the fastest and most-powerful graphics processor NVIDIA has ever developed, both new GeForce products are constructed from a freshly-minted GT200 graphics processor. Both the GTX 280 and GTX 260 products position themselves at the very highest segment of the GeForce product line. NVIDIA Estimates that the GeForce GTX 280 will be introduced at $649, while the similarly powerful GeForce GTX 260 will enter the $399 price point. If the competition ever had a very good reason to be concerned with their future, it would be right now.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 16, 2008 - 09:45 AM | Comments

NVIDIA Launches GTX 200 Series GPUs

NVIDIA has launched it GTX 200 series graphics processing units, which include the GTX 260 and the GTX 280. The GPUs have the 240 processing cores compared with the two or four cores that PC processors have today. This technology is seen as a great leap forward in the industry to provide more realistic gaming to enthusiasts as well as faster functionality in general to mainstream computer users.

Imagine instead of taking over five hours to convert a video for your iPod, it only takes 35 minutes. Imagine using your PC to simulate protein folding to help find a cure for debilitating diseases. Imagine that your PC can dramatically accelerate everyday tasks, and deliver an exciting visual experience in the process. Today that imagination becomes a reality now that the leader in visual computing technologies, NVIDIA has introduced its new family of GeForce GTX 200 graphics processors (GPUs)—which includes the GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 260 GPUs—taking graphics beyond gaming and gaming beyond anything that’s ever been possible before on a consumer computing platform.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 16, 2008 - 09:33 AM | Comments

CoolIT Announcing Intel SkullTrail Liquid CPU Cooling Kits

We just got a heads up that CoolIT is announcing liquid cooling solutions for Skull Trail later today! CoolIT Systems will announce later today its new “ST” line of liquid cooling solutions designed specifically to work with Intel’s D5400XS motherboard (formerly codenamed Skull Trail). The lineup consists of the Boreas MTEC Chassis ST and PURE ST both of which cooling to both CPUs and the chipset. Both the Boreas MTEC Chassis ST and PURE ST are available from multiple distributors and online etailers, with street prices expected to be $899 and $269 respectively. The picture of the $899 Boreas MTEC Chassis ST can be seen below.

The PURE ST easily fits into any chassis with a 120mm fan mount and efficiently cools both CPUs and the chipset with near silent operation. The Boreas MTEC Chassis ST combines CoolIT’s most powerful MTEC technology in the Boreas with the well renowned Silverstone TJ07 chassis to create the ideal barebones kit for the most avid PC enthusiast to the experienced professional content creator.

Posted by | Thu, Jun 12, 2008 - 10:25 AM | Comments

AMD and Havok to Optimize Physics for Gaming

AMD and Havok today announced plans to jointly investigate the optimization of physics effects utilizing AMD’s full line of products. With over 100 developers and 300 leading titles already using Havok’s physics engine - Havok Physics – the company has clearly defined its position as the leading developer of game physics. By working together, both companies are demonstrating their commitment to open standards and continued support for the needs of the game community.

Havok Physics scales extremely well across the entire family of AMD processors, including quad-core products such as the AMD Phenom X4. As part of the collaboration, Havok and AMD plan to further optimize the full range of Havok technologies on AMD x86 superscalar processors. The two companies will also investigate the use of AMD’s massively parallel ATI Radeon GPUs to manage appropriate aspects of physical world simulation in the future.

Posted by | Thu, Jun 12, 2008 - 09:10 AM | Comments

June 12 News from Around the Web

[H]ardOCP posted a review of the Thermaltake Purepower RX 600W. Find this and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!

Thermaltake Purepower RX 600W - We move from Thermaltake's Toughpower to its line branded the "Purepower." No doubt that when you are buying a power supply for your upgrade or new build you want "pure power" and enough of it to handle today's power hungry CPUs and GPUs.

Posted by | Thu, Jun 12, 2008 - 08:35 AM | Comments

Monster Cable goes wireless with HD kit

Monster Cable Products Inc., the company that's synonymous with expensive video and audio cables, is going wireless. On Thursday, Monster is introducing a set of two boxes: a receiver that plugs into the back of a high-definition TV and a transmitter that connects to a DVD player or other components of a home entertainment center. The transmitter can send an HD video signal wirelessly up to 30 feet to the receiver, using so-called ultra-wideband, or UWB, technology from Sigma Designs Inc.

"This is our Monster Cable-less solution," joked Monster Cable president Noel Lee, in an interview. The Monster Digital Express HD boxes will be available in October for $299.95 each. Wireless HD connections are a hot field in consumer electronics, with many companies trying different technologies to solve the problem of maintaining a steady flow of wireless data at very high speeds. Ultra-wideband, a relatively novel technology, is a leading contender.

Posted by | Thu, Jun 12, 2008 - 01:18 AM | Comments

Kingston Releases High-Performance 800MHz HyperX SO-DIMMS

Kingston Technology today announced it is shipping HyperX 800MHz low-latency DDR2 SO-DIMM notebook memory kits in 2GB and 4GB capacities. The 4GB kit (KHX6400S2LLK2/4G) has 5-5-5-18 memory timings and retails for $138. That is impressive as many 4GB desktop memory kits run at the same timings and frequency! I wish notebooks like the Dell XPS M1730 ran at 800MHz out of the box, but those only run at 667MHz. You can overclock that system though and this kit could come in handy!

The latest offering provides mobile computer users an even greater performance and flexibility option as the SO-DIMMs are pre-programmed with three serial presence detect (SPD) profiles, allowing the memory to work in 800MHz-CL5, 667MHZ-CL4 and 533MHz-CL3 low-latency configurations. The release of the 800MHz SO-DIMM kits continues a series of new performance notebook memory offerings. In May, Kingston launched HyperX 667MHz-CL4 SO-DIMM kits.

Posted by | Wed, Jun 11, 2008 - 04:00 PM | Comments

OCZ Announces Spyder USB 2.0 Flash Drives

OCZ Technology Group today announced the latest addition to its award-winning lineup of performance flash drives with the all-new Spyder, first debuted at Computex 2008. Undertaking exciting new endeavors in the flash memory market, OCZ is all about affordable, portable, and innovative style with this super-sleek and cap-less design that offers students and professionals highly reliable and high-capacity flash storage at an aggressive price point. The Spyder will be initially available in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities.

“With the latest flash technology, OCZ saw the opportunity to serve customers that are always on the go with our new ultra-portable Spyder USB drive,” said Alex Mei, CMO, OCZ Technology Group. “The Spyder is an ultra portable and lightweight USB drive that features an innovative slide design which eliminates the possibility of ever losing a cap, making the Spyder the perfect USB drive for consumers to carry their valuable data and multimedia with them at all times.”

Posted by | Wed, Jun 11, 2008 - 03:51 PM | Comments

AMD Next-Generation OpenGL ES 2.0 Graphics Technology

AMD today announced that it has reached a new milestone in the mobile graphics industry as the first 3D graphics technology provider to achieve OpenGL ES 2.0 conformance certification. AMD OpenGL ES 2.0 mobile graphics technology, which will be included in AMD processors, is based on the same AMD Unified Shader Architecture powering the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console.

OpenGL ES 2.0, an industry-specified application programming interface (API), enables rapid rendering of cutting-edge 3D graphics for a variety of consumer electronics devices. As a leading supplier of media processors and graphics cores for the handheld market, AMD works with an ecosystem of device makers, software developers and baseband suppliers to deliver innovative technology solutions that can yield truly compelling mobile content. The company has been an early and active proponent of the OpenGL ES 2.0 API. “We are pleased to be the first technology provider to achieve OpenGL ES 2.0 certification from the Khronos™ Group,” said Mikko Saari, senior director of design engineering for AMD’s Handheld division. “This underscores our commitment to building and nurturing the mobile gaming ecosystem to thrill consumers while providing our OEM customers and the mobile gaming community with a competitive advantage.”

Posted by | Wed, Jun 11, 2008 - 02:52 PM | Comments

ASUS Announces First-Ever Republic of Gamers Convention

ASUS today officially unveiled its first-ever gaming event in North America. Named after its successful line of gaming-focused products, the Republic of Gamers, the Republic of Gamers Convention (ROGCon) will bring gaming sizzle to Dallas, Texas this July. The ROGCon is the first joint gaming initiative by ASUS and Intel in North America.

The goal of ROGCon is to bring classic LAN gaming back, and to honor the gaming enthusiasts who help fuel technology advancements. With over 40,000 square feet of BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer), BYOL (Bring Your Own Laptop), tournament and exhibition space, ASUS and Intel expect to draw over 1,000 gamers and spectators to the event. “Gaming enthusiasts are an integral part of our product plan and design. Through this event, we want to give them an opportunity to get to know the company behind the products they use and love,” said Kevin Huang, Senior Marketing Director at ASUS Computer International (ACI). “This is our most ambitious gaming focused endeavor in North America. Thanks to Intel’s support and our sponsors like Kingston, we plan to make the ROGCon the most talked about gaming event this summer,” added Huang.

Posted by | Wed, Jun 11, 2008 - 02:50 PM | Comments

June 11 News from Around the Web

In Win Metal Suit GD Designer Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews.net and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!

"In-Win continues to make a name for themselves by releasing excellent cases like the Metal Suit GD. I was impressed by the build quality – every part of the case was solidly constructed; nothing about it felt “cheap”. It packs in a lot of features like liquid cooling readiness, an internal VGA cooling system, and plenty of drive bays while maintaining a sleek, uncluttered look."

Posted by | Wed, Jun 11, 2008 - 08:11 AM | Comments

AMD suspends several Phenom desktop CPUs until 45nm generation

AMD originally planned to launch two 65nm dual-core Phenom processors codenamed Kuma for the desktop PC market in May or June this year, however the company has recently suspended the plans and will let its Athlon X2 5600B processor cover the market until the company enters 45nm production, according to sources at motherboard makers.

In addition to dual-core Phenoms, AMD has also halted plans to launch Phenom FX processors for the enthusiast market. The sources pointed out that due to AMD's inability to increase the frequencies of its Phenom CPUs, the company has decided to shelve the launch of Phenom FX-80 1P and Phenom FX-90 2P processors. However, AMD is still on track with the launch schedule for its 45nm Deneb FX processors

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Wed, Jun 11, 2008 - 07:29 AM | Comments

NZXT Announces New Ultra-Premium Gaming Chassis - Khaos

NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the Khaos, a high-performance premium gaming chassis in the NZXT Classic Series. Khaos features breakthrough design in every category effectively satisfying the needs of the most power hungry PC Enthusiasts and Gamers. Khaos will be retailing for $399 and is said to be available in mid-June.

“With Khaos, we have achieved an optimal balance of elegant, symmetric design and an unparalleled set of features, effectively creating the ultimate powerhouse gaming chassis housed in a work of art” said Johnny Hou, Chief Designer at NZXT. “With features like three channel cooling, dual power supply support, and a thick aluminum build, PC Enthusiasts and Gamers have a lot to be excited about.”

Posted by | Tue, Jun 10, 2008 - 10:54 AM | Comments

Workstation Market Q1 '08 - Slowing Down According to Jon Peddie

It had to end sometime. The market for professional workstations had set records for unit shipments dating back to Q3'04 and extending all the way through Q4'07. But according to Jon Peddie Research's Workstation Report, Q1'08 finally broke that long string of sequential gains. The quarter saw a total of 822.6 thousand machines shipped, down 3% from Q4'07. Some of this down turn could be from the economy though, so you can't call the workstation market shrinking just yet if you ask me.

But despite the sequential decline, the quarter was far from disappointing. With quarterly fluctuations common, a year-over-year (YoY) measure paints a more accurate picture of market health. And from that perspective, the market posted an 18.4% growth in units, still robust though nudging down a bit from the 23.5% and 23.2% gains of the two quarters prior.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 10, 2008 - 08:04 AM | Comments

SanDisk Acquires MusicGremlin - Wi-Fi Player Maker Bought Up!

SanDisk Corporation today announced it has acquired MusicGremlin, a privately-held technology company that develops advanced digital content distribution technologies. The acquisition falls under SanDisk’s Sansa audio/video business unit. MusicGremlin has a pretty slick wi-fi MP3 player that stores and plays your favorite music and is shown below.

“MusicGremlin’s digital distribution platform and capabilities will provide SanDisk with adaptive and innovative technology that will play a key role in the development of future Sansa products for consumers,” said Daniel Schreiber, general manager and senior vice president for SanDisk’s Sansa audio/video business unit. Robert Khedouri, co-CEO and co-founder of MusicGremlin, will join the Sansa team as vice president of services.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 10, 2008 - 07:54 AM | Comments

Western Digital Caviar Black 750 GB and 1 TB Hard Drives Announced - Faster Than Ever!

Western Digital today launched a new line of WD Caviar Black 7200 RPM 3.5-inch SATA (Serial ATA) hard drives for high-performance desktop, workstation and multi-drive systems. Available in capacities of 750 GB and 1 TB, WD Caviar Black hard drives are the new flagship monsters from the crew at WD. WD Caviar Black 750 GB (model WD7501AALS) and 1 TB (model WD1001FALS) hard drives will be available next week through select distributors and resellers. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD Caviar Black 750 GB is $199 and the 1 TB is $249 USD. Both drives are covered by a five-year limited warranty.

In keeping with WD’s leadership in hard drive performance, WD Caviar Black drives combine 7200 RPM spin speed with the SATA 3 Gb/s interface and 32 MB cache to deliver ultimate performance in a maximum-capacity drive. The WD Caviar Black series of hard drives are designed for use in high-end OEM desktop systems, as well as by users who want to upgrade the speed and capacity of their system. WD’s new ‘blue, green, black’ product system enables customers to choose the right drive for them. WD Caviar Blue represents the performance and reliability that WD has been building for over 20 years, the WD Caviar Green employs WD’s GreenPower technology for cool, quiet and eco-friendly operation, while the WD Caviar Black family of hard drives delivers maximum performance for today’s discriminating technology enthusiasts.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 10, 2008 - 07:45 AM | Comments

Open Patent Alliance Formed to Advance WiMAX 4G Technology

To accelerate the widespread adoption and deployment of WiMAX technology and products, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Clearwire, Intel Corporation, Samsung Electronics and Sprint today announced the formation of the Open Patent Alliance (OPA). WiMAX is a 4G, IP-based broadband wireless technology that provides low-cost, multi-megabit speed and greater throughput for the mobile Internet era of video-rich content and bandwidth-intensive applications. It is based on the IEEE 802.16e standard.

The OPA will advance a competitive and open intellectual property rights model, thus stimulating a larger WiMAX industry that supports innovation through broader choice and lower equipment and service costs for WiMAX technology, devices and applications globally. The patent pool will aggregate essential patent rights needed to implement the WiMAX standard as defined by the WiMAX Forum and the IEEE 802.16e standard. To help ensure product differentiation and interoperability at a more predictable cost, this approach will focus on providing a more competitive royalty structure by charging only for the features required to develop WiMAX products. The patent pool will incorporate a variety of royalty licensing solutions, including accounting for cross-licensing among individual members within the pool.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 10, 2008 - 07:20 AM | Comments

DRAM tester vendors ready for DDR3, but consumer demand not ready

Despite leading memory tester vendors Advantest and Verigy both having rolled out solutions for DDR3 testing, projection of a meaningful crossover between DDR3 and DDR2 has yet to be seen. Advantest and Verigy have introduced the T5503 and V9300 HSM testers, respectively, to meet demand for DDR3 testing. PC makers will only grow their interest in DDR3 when the price of DDR3 shrinks to one and a half times or lower than that of DDR2, Verigy said.

Advantest stressed that consumers are constantly looking for higher memory densities and better performance in their systems and DDR3 can help address such demands. As price competition among chipmakers will be severe, the importance of lower memory testing cost becomes more important, the company noted. Verigy, though having its DDR3 testers gain adoption by several leading DRAM makers and testing companies, said PC makers can still hardly accept the high price premium of DDR3 over DDR2. Since the price of the same density DDR3 is currently about two to three times greater than that of DDR2, the penetration of DDR3 in DRAM production only reaches 3-4%.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Tue, Jun 10, 2008 - 07:18 AM | Comments

Steve Jobs Announces Apple iPhone 3G - $199 for 8GB

One year after the introduction of the first iPhone Apple did what we all expected them todo - they announced a 3G capable iPhone - the iPhone 3G. The new phone has a ton of features and packs a price tag of just $199 for the 8GB model. Engadget is there and in person, so follow the link below for dozens of pictures and the down low on what is taking place.

"We think the iPhone 3G will be affordable to almost everyone. 16GB model for $299 -- for that model we have a white one" "iPhone started off at $599 for an 8GB device, which now sells for $399 -- we want to make it even more affordable. I'm happy to tell you the 8GB will sell for $199." "These deals are all signed, sealed, and delivered. Our stretch goal was 25 countries -- we'll be in 70 countries this year, we think we can check off more countries." Applause. "Which brings us to more affordable."

Posted by | Mon, Jun 09, 2008 - 02:03 PM | Comments

June 9 News from Around the Web

TweakTown reviews the ECS A780GM-A 780G Motherboard and other reviews from around the web can be found in our forums!

"AMD’s progress of late has been rather slow. With Phenom being initially delayed due to poor clocking, and then being bitten by the TLB bug in its B2 stepping core, AMD’s Phenom has been a late bloomer. Although it has now come out of its shell, it’s still not able to kick Intel off the performance ladder. Today we are testing out ECS’ AMD 780G chipset variant that is designed to replace the 690G chipset which was very popular as a value option. How does ECS’ 780G compare to the ASUS 780G we have already tested? Let’s take a gander."

Posted by | Mon, Jun 09, 2008 - 10:34 AM | Comments

AMD Launches Four New Quad-Core AMD Opteron SE Processors

AMD today introduced four new Quad-Core AMD Opteron SE processors to help IT managers take a new approach to 'scaling up' their datacenter in order to address demanding enterprise-computing environments. Rather than invest in traditionally large and expensive enterprise-class proprietary hardware, the new Quad-Core AMD Opteron SE processors empower businesses to affordably and easily scale up a datacenter by moving to servers that can offer enterprise-class functionality at industry-standard pricing. Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor Models 2360 SE (2.5 GHz), 2358 SE (2.4 GHz), 8360 SE (2.5 GHz), and 8358 SE (2.4 GHz) are widely available starting today.

“For many customers, the concept of ‘scaling up’ a datacenter has meant a sizeable financial investment in new hardware to gain satisfactory performance during peak workloads,” said Patrick Patla, director, Server and Workstation Business, AMD. “Today, the performance benefits of the new Quad-Core AMD Opteron SE processor built on AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture and HyperTransport™ technology can help IT managers improve application performance and scalability of memory and data intensive workloads at a fraction of the cost. This is a significant benefit for customers looking to consolidate their datacenter or those interested in moving from proprietary hardware to x86 servers for mission critical software, such as database applications.”

Posted by | Mon, Jun 09, 2008 - 08:30 AM | Comments

Western Digital working on 20,000 RPM Raptor

According to several sources close to the hard drive industry, Western Digital is working on a 20,000 RPM Raptor hard drive to combat the increasing pressure from SSD manufacturers.

The new drive will be very similar to the recently-released VelociRaptor, in that it’ll be a 2.5in drive with a custom 3.5in housing built around it. Details are incredibly light at this stage, given that the product is still in development, and we don’t even have a release timeframe at the moment.

Posted by | Fri, Jun 06, 2008 - 09:59 AM | Comments

Intel, AMD antitrust suit pushed back to 2010

The trial for Advanced Micro Devices' five-year-old antitrust suit alleging that competitor Intel unfairly manipulated the chip market has been delayed until February 2010. The trial was previously scheduled for April 2009, AMD spokeswoman Hollis Krym, said Friday.

AMD is accusing Intel of using illegal subsidies in order to coerce 38 companies in North America, Asia, and Europe to use its products, in some cases threatening retribution if those companies used or sold AMD products. It alleges that Intel pushed major customers, such as Dell, Sony, Gateway and Hitachi, into making exclusive deals in return for cash, discriminatory pricing or marketing subsidies.

Posted by | Fri, Jun 06, 2008 - 09:00 AM | Comments

NVIDIA To Make VIA Nano Supporting Chipsets Later This Year - MCP79

VIA Technologies held a launch party on June 5 in Taiwan to officially announce its new VIA Nano processor (Isaiah) and a new standard for small form factor motherboards, Mini-ITX 2.0. Nvidia's general manager of MCP business, Drew Henry, appeared at the show lending weight to previous reports the two companies will be teaming up on a new CPU-chipset platform in the near future. It seems highly likely that a VIA/NVIDIA deal has been struck and that is good news for both of them and bad for Intel as the Atom is getting some competition. It only makes sense for Both VIA and NVIDIA as Intel and AMD are the dominant forces in the industry.

Although VIA made it clear it was not announcing any cooperation with Nvidia or related products at the event, sources at PC vendors have revealed that Nvidia's first VIA CPU-based chipsets will be launched in the first quarter of 2009. The MCP79 chipset will support VIA's Nano processors and a bus speed up to 1333MHz. The built-in graphics core will support DirectX 10, the sources contend. Both VIA and Nvidia declined to comment any further regarding their cooperation, but industry watchers believe the appearance of Henry at the launch, and comments he made about VIA's Nano CPUs, point to a clear indication of the relationship between the two companies.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Fri, Jun 06, 2008 - 08:56 AM | Comments

VIA Unveils Mini-ITX 2.0: The Mini PC Platform of the Future

VIA Technologies today announced a new standard for Mini-ITX boards to ensure an optimized multimedia and computing experience in small form factor desktop PCs. Mini-ITX 2.0 is a set of minimum specifications for the next generation of Mini-ITX boards to encourage the integration of the latest PC technologies into the small form factor market and to provide OEMs, system integrators and end-users alike greater freedom of choice in configuring mini PCs and home media centers to deliver an optimized graphics, high definition video, and computing experience.

"With the Mini-ITX, VIA set the de facto standard for small form factor x86 platform integration, triggering industry-wide innovation in mini PC systems," said Timothy Chen, Special Assistant to the President, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Through the introduction of Mini-ITX 2.0, we are defining the mini PC platform of the future, paving the way for the emergence of a new generation of high performance systems that deliver an optimized experience in today's increasingly media rich environment."

Posted by | Thu, Jun 05, 2008 - 07:36 AM | Comments

Intel Unveils 4GB and 8GB Solid-State Drives - Z-P230 PATA

I was just looking around the Intel site and I just saw that they have Intel Solid State Drives now shown! Looks like they have 4GB and 8GB versions right now that have an IDE system interface. The Intel Z-P230 PATA Solid-State Drive is the only one listed, but hey it's a start. The read throughput is 35MB/s while the write throughput peaks at 7MB/s. A picture of the Intel Z-P230 PATA Solid-State Drive can be seen below.

The Intel Z-P230 PATA Solid-State Drive (SSD) is an innovative storage solution for value mobile and desktop systems such as netbooks and nettops. Four times smaller and lighter than a traditional 1.8¨ hard disk drive, and with the same industry-standard PATA (IDE) connector, the Intel Z-P230 PATA SSD is a cost-effective storage solution designed to replace traditional hard disk drives in netbook and nettop systems. The solid-state design means no moving parts, providing ruggedness that’s perfect for mobile designs. And the Intel Z-P230 SSD’s low power requirements translate to longer battery life.

Posted by | Thu, Jun 05, 2008 - 07:32 AM | Comments

AMD CPUs Soon To Be Available Across Entire Toshiba Satellite Lineup

Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD) today announced its support of AMD’s next generation of Athlon, Turion and Turion Ultra microprocessors technology. These advanced CPUs are available throughout Toshiba’s lineup of Satellite laptops, and provide users with greater choice and variety while delivering ample strength to power the most demanding applications.

New models of the Satellite P300D, Satellite A300D, Satellite M300D, Satellite U400D, Satellite L300D and Satellite L350D series will be offered with variations of the AMD Athlon Dual Core QL, Turion Dual Core RM and Turion Ultra ZM processors1 technology. Toshiba’s AMD-powered Satellite series will be available this summer from a variety of major consumer electronics and computer stores nationwide with models carrying variations of the AMD Athlon Dual Core QL and Turion Dual Core RM to be available directly from Toshiba at www.toshibadirect.com.

Posted by | Wed, Jun 04, 2008 - 05:34 PM | Comments

June 4 News from Around the Web

Find the Thermaltake DuOrb CPU Cooler Review @ ASE Labs and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!

" My first orb was the Thermaltake Golden Orb way back when the Abit BP6 was the thing to have. Imagine having to shave a bit of a heatsink off to have it fit on your motherboard. Those were the days when you had to work hard for every ounce of performance. These days, you can squeeze so much out of new CPUs. Thermaltake has released a brand new orb, the DuOrb. It combines heatpipes and two huge orb coolers. "

Posted by | Wed, Jun 04, 2008 - 03:06 PM | Comments

Fujitsu sees 2011/12 WiMax chip sales of $1 bln

Japanese electronics maker Fujitsu Ltd said it aims for 100 billion yen ($951 million) in sales of its WiMax-use microchips in the year starting April 2011, up from virtually none in the year ended March 31. A new high-speed Internet technology, WiMax provides wireless data over long distances, allowing faster Internet downloads while on the move. WiFi, by contrast, only works near a transmitter.

The WiMax chip sales target of 100 billion yen is about 2 percent of Fujitsu's total revenues in the year to March 2008 of 5.3 trillion yen. Awaga said the number of WiMax users globally is likely to reach up to 50 million by 2012. "By 2011 or 2012, certain progress should have been made on commercial operations, and various services will have become available," Awaga said. "Counting users in the United States, Japan, BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China), Asia, and part of Europe, the number will probably be about 40 to 50 million."

Posted by | Wed, Jun 04, 2008 - 11:02 AM | Comments

Memory card and USB drive markets not yet saturated, says Kingston

Despite many industry players believing both the memory card and USB drive markets are saturated, Kingston Technology company president John Tu recently said substantial business potential still exists. Citing average monthly shipments of 20 million units for both memory cards and USB drives, Tu said the huge shipments imply that these markets are still growing. He thinks memory cards and USB drives serve as a "platform" for consumers to interact with different kinds of content.

While many people think memory device makers should pay digital content providers in order to add content to their products, Tu said it should be the providers paying Kingston to distribute content via its well-established sales network, brand and market share. He added in saying that shipments of both memory cards and USB drives are set to expand further in the future. However, Kingston remains cautious about solid-state drives (SSDs). Tu stressed that the company will only tap into segments it is certain will grow, but once it extends a presence, it will produce in big volumes in order to grab a large share of the market quickly.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Wed, Jun 04, 2008 - 10:59 AM | Comments

ATI XGP (External Graphics Platform) Launched - external PCI Expres 2.0 graphics platform

AMD today announced ATI XGP (External Graphics Platform) Technology, a new external PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 graphics platform, designed to deliver enthusiast-class desktop graphic performance and true multimedia upgradeability to notebooks. ATI XGP is an exclusive technology that capitalizes on PCIe 2.0 to deliver enthusiast-class graphics via a connected cable to an externally powered and cooled device. This unique innovation delivers up to 4.0 Gbyte/s in each direction in bandwidth communication between the notebook and external graphics, whereas previous consumer level external solutions were limited in graphics bandwidth. ATI XGP is fully optimized for new AMD Turion X2 Ultra notebook platforms, also announced today.

The initial offering of ATI XGP Technology features the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series graphics solution giving notebook users a variety of additional functionality:- PCI Express 2.0 offers more than enough horsepower for the most demanding professional graphics applications by boosting 3D graphics performance while providing fast throughput resulting in an excellent overall system performance. ATI XGP Technology is contained in an external chassis connected to the notebook via a specially designed self-latching, easy-connecting PCIe 2.0 cable from Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited, a leading provider of electronic devices and connectors. Based on AMD’s dedicated research and development, the cable also provides USB 2.0 connectivity directly to the notebook allowing for additional USB functionality. Independently cooled and powered, ATI XGP Technology offers the potential for higher performance than traditional entry-level graphics solutions.

Posted by | Wed, Jun 04, 2008 - 09:44 AM | Comments

Acer presents the Aspire One - Intel Atom Based 9" Notebook

Acer today presented the Aspire one, an all-new communication device designed to make your online activities fast, simple and utterly cool. At just 24 x 17 cm and weighing less than one kilo, the Aspire one is extremely compact! The Aspire one has an 8.9” CrystalBrite LED backlit display with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels and is powered by an Intel Atom processor. It comes with a couple hard drive options too, as one can select a NAND flash module of 8GB or an 80GB internal HDD. The same goes for the operating system as Linpus Linux Lite and Windows XP Home versions are available. The Aspire one comes with a 1-year carry in warranty which can be extended to 2 years with Acer Advantage.

"The Acer Aspire one netbook designed for internet use will help drive growth in the exciting new netbook category," said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager, Mobile Platforms Group, Intel Corporation. "Purpose built Intel Atom processors are enabling our customers to innovate and together we will bring the next billion users online."

Posted by | Wed, Jun 04, 2008 - 09:38 AM | Comments

AMD Launches Puma - The Next Generation AMD Laptop Platform

AMD today announced the availability of its next-generation notebook platform that has been talked about as 'Puma' since 2007. 'Puma' represents one of the first results of the 'new AMD,' designed as an optimized mobile solution with extended battery life, graphics and video processing enhancements and improved overall system performance. AMD is offering Puma as a complete package that includes the company’s own processor, the dual-core Turion x2 Ultra, 7-series chip set and ATI Radeon HD 3000 series graphics.

As a part of the new platform, AMD today also announced a new notebook processor and chipset, which together deliver the ultimate in HD visual performance on the go. The AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile processor includes top enhancements including AMD Independent Dynamic Core Technology, a new mobile-optimized memory controller, and power-optimized HyperTransport 3.0. The new mobile AMD 7-series chipset, AMD M780G and AMD SB700, features integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics and delivers support for Microsoft DirectX 10. The integrated graphics deliver up to three times the 3D graphics performance of comparable competitor graphics and offer ATI Avivo HD Technology for smooth video playback in hi-def format.

Posted by | Wed, Jun 04, 2008 - 09:29 AM | Comments

ASUS Previews World’s First HDMI-Ready Sound Card - Xonar HDAV1.3

ASUS today at Computex unveiled the world’s first HDMI 1.3a compliant audio/video enhancement combo card – the Xonar HDAV1.3. Capable of outputting uncompressed multichannel high definition audio from Blu-ray movies, the Xonar HDAV1.3 also enhances incoming HDMI video with an onboard Splendid HD processor.

ASUS’ Xonar HDAV1.3 is capable of decoding Blu-ray movies and takes full advantage of lossless digital audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™ for professional, high-fidelity sounds at 24bit, 96-192Khz. The PCI Express based Xonar HDAV1.3 is designed from the ground up for next generation home theater PCs (HTPC); delivering the highest quality 7.1 channel 192K linear pulse code modulation (LPCM) audio and high definition video through the HDMI port.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 10:06 PM | Comments

June 3 News from Around the Web

ASRock A780FullDisplayPort AMD Socket AM2 Motherboard Review by ocinside and other reviews from around the web can be found in our forums!

The ASRock A780FullDisplayPort Socket AM2+ Micro ATX motherboard is based on the AMD 780G chipset and offers especially fantastic connection options for the graphics output. VGA, DVI-D, HDMI and also the latest DisplayPort graphics output is possible with this brand-new ASRock board. The review will show, if this reasonably priced motherboard is suitable for a HTPC living room PC and if it can be overclocked for High-End PCs and underclocked for low power consumption PCs.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 01:57 PM | Comments

Dell XPS 730 Gaming Systems Use Corsair DOMINATOR 1600MHz DDR3 Memory Kits

Corsair announced today that 4GB of overclocked DDR3 memory is now officially ready for prime time. Using Corsair’s DOMINATOR memory modules, Dell’s XPS 730 gaming desktop runs with rock-solid stability at the overclocked memory frequency of 1600 MHz.

“The performance computing community is very aware of the improved game play that 4GB of memory offers, as well as corresponding improvements in task switching and program load times,” stated Andy Paul, President and CEO at Corsair. “Dell and Corsair completed many hours of testing and tweaking over many hardware and firmware revisions, and the result is a platform that is exquisitely tuned for performance and stability.” “The XPS 7XX-series platform is the ideal place for Dell to showcase the best that PC performance hardware has to offer,” said Patrick Desbois, Dell XPS Gaming Engineering. “We had very aggressive performance goals for this platform, including the ability to run 4GB of overclocked main memory with rock-solid stability. Corsair’s DOMINATOR DDR3 modules were the only logical choice for the best-in-class performance memory required for the Dell XPS 730.”

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 01:19 PM | Comments

NVIDIA Announces GeForce 9M Notebook GPUs - Hybrid SLI Ready

As the global demand for better visual experiences makes its way into the notebook market, NVIDIA Corporation continues to address that demand with the introduction of a new line-up of notebook GPUs, the NVIDIA GeForce 9M Series of graphics processors, and a new graphics innovation, NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology. These new technologies enable customers to optimize their notebooks to power today's visual applications, such as: the latest operating systems, photo editing, mapping software, games, and HD movies.

"Beginning this summer, GeForce 9M GPUs and Hybrid SLI, paired with AMD and Intel CPUs, will enable a new breed of notebooks," said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of the GPU business at NVIDIA. "These new notebooks will be optimized to deliver a visual experience and raw computing performance that traditional cookie-cutter notebooks with integrated graphics simply can't touch." "With the recent addition of advanced features to Blu-ray and the complexity of DirectX 10 games like Crysis, PC users need more graphics processing performance than today's generic integrated graphics can deliver," said Rene Haas, general manager of the notebook business at NVIDIA. "The new GeForce 9M series meets this need while also delivering processing muscle for applications beyond gaming and graphics."

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 09:12 AM | Comments

Intel Announces The Intel Atom N270 and 230 Processors - 1.6GHz

Intel announced the second wave of Atom processors at Computex 2008 – one CPU for Netbooks and one for Nettops during a keynote this morning. Both of the new processors are based on the Diamondville single-core, a slightly modified version of the original Silverthorne chip and are aimed at mobile Internet devices (MIDs). The Intel Atom N270 and 230 processors both run at 1.6GHz, with 512KB of L2 cache and a 533MHz front side bus in a 22mm2 package. The difference is that the N270 is intended for laptops such as the MSI Wind and the upcoming Eee PC update. The N270 supports Intel's Enhanced SpeedStep Technology, with the a deeper C4 sleep state than what the Intel Atom 230 is capable of. The Intel Atom N270 has a 2.5W TDP, rather than the 2W of the Z5-series. The Intel Atom 230 is for desktops (Nettops), and has a slightly higher TDP of 4W. The original Silverthorne based processors used Intel 915 Express based SCH chipset, but with the new Atoms announced today Intel has paired the 230 and N270 with the Intel 945 Express chipset (945GC for Nettops and 945GSE for Netbooks) since the features of the chipset better fit the demands for the devices they will be used in. We had a chance to talk to Intel's Erik Reid and he informed Legit Reviews that pricing on netbooks using the N270 would range between $249-$349 and nettops using the 230 would be $199-$299.

During the opening keynote speech at one of the world's largest technology trade shows, Maloney also unveiled new chipsets that make high-definition (HD) images on a desktop computer's screen look more realistic. He also announced the availability of new versions of Intel Atom processors for an emerging class of compact, easy-to-use devices called netbooks and nettops that will bring the Internet to new users. Netbooks are compact mobile devices that children, first-time Internet users and people who desire an extra PC can use for basic computing applications, listening to music, e-mailing and surfing the Internet. They can also be used for playing basic online games, social networking and making voice over IP phone calls.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 06:23 AM | Comments

Western Digital Announces Scorpio Black Notebook Hard Drives

Western Digital recently announced they are now shipping a new line of WD Scorpio Black 7200 RPM 2.5-inch SATA (Serial ATA) hard drives for high-performance notebook computers and portable storage devices. Available in capacities up to 320 GB, WD Scorpio Black hard drives are designed with ruggedness, reliability, and data-protection features that actively monitor and protect valuable data. WD Scorpio Black hard drives will be available at select distributors and resellers. MSRP for the WD Scorpio Black hard drives are up to $249.00 USD (depending on capacity and features).

The WD Scorpio Black family of hard drives is destined for use in OEM notebook systems as well as by users who want to upgrade the speed and performance of their current notebook system. As one of the fastest and most efficient hard drives on the market, WD Scorpio Black drives combine desktop-class 7200 RPM spin speed with a SATA 3 Gb/s interface and 16 MB cache to deliver maximum notebook performance.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 05:47 AM | Comments

MSI Launches The Wind - First 10 inch Notebook Using The Intel Atom Processor

MSI Computer announced the official launch of the much anticipated Wind Notebook. The Wind, an acronym for “Wi-Fi Network Device,” is the first 10” notebook to feature the speedy new Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor. The Windows version of the Wind is priced at $499 MSRP, and will be available for purchase starting June 16th, 2008 at www.msimobile.com. The Linux based models of the Wind will be available at the same site later this summer for $399 MSRP.

Weighing in at just 2.6 lbs, MSI designed the Wind to be lightweight and ultra mobile, without sacrificing convenience or performance. The Wind features an ergonomically designed keyboard that is only 20% smaller than of a full sized keyboard, with keys spaced a comfortable 0.68 inches apart. Business travelers will welcome the extended battery life available with the Windows based version, which provides up to 5.5 hours of untethered work time.The Windows version of the Wind features an 80G / 2.5” SATA hard drive, which further sets it apart from other ultra portable notebooks, whose manufacturers have compromised memory capacity to save space.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 05:42 AM | Comments

AMD Launches Three New Quad-Core AMD Opteron Processors

AMD today introduced three new Quad-Core AMD Opteron 1300 Series processors for one-socket servers and workstations. Global tier-one OEMs including HP and Dell plan to incorporate the new processors into upcoming platforms, and global supercomputer leader Cray is now shipping Quad-Core AMD Opteron 1300 Series processor-based Cray XT4 systems and upgrading some of the world’s fastest supercomputers to incorporate Quad-Core AMD Opteron 1300 Series processors.

The new Quad-Core AMD Opteron Models 1352 (2.1GHz), 1354 (2.2GHz), and 1356 (2.3GHz) processors are designed to empower small to mid-market customers to meet growing IT and budgetary demands and increase business productivity. With the enhanced computing capabilities of AMD’s native quad-core architecture in the same socket and thermal requirements as previous AMD Opteron 1000 Series processors, and industry-leading power management and virtualization innovations such as Enhanced AMD PowerNow! technology and Rapid Virtualization Indexing, Quad-Core AMD Opteron 1300 Series processors provide small and mid-size customers an energy-efficient yet powerful computing platform that can maximize IT resources and grow with their business demands.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 05:37 AM | Comments

ASUS Eee PC 901, 1000 and 1000(H) Unveiled at Computex 2008

Upon reaching the milestone of surpassing 1 million Eee PC sets sold in just 6 months after its launch, ASUS has provided yet another wave of anticipation with its release of the new Eee PC 901, 1000 and 1000(H) models. These new iterations of the ever popular electronic gadget add even more options to users. This new range of Eee PC notebooks are also equipped with the exclusive Super Hybrid Engine technology that can provide longer battery lifespans of up to 7.8 hours, exclusive web storage and high speed connectivity, and large displays for easy viewing. They are available on both Windows and GNU Linux platforms.

The new Eee PCs will integrate large 8.9” to 10” displays – allowing users to view more screenspace and enjoy easier viewing of A4 documents and online webpages – without the need to scroll left or right. Furthermore, the Eee PCs™ pair a built-in 1.3M Pixel webcam with high speed wireless Internet connection capabilities for easy web communications anywhere, anytime – increasing work efficiency or just making it easier to chat with friends and family. What’s more, the keyboard is 92% the size of generic notebooks – making it more comfortable to type for more relaxed usage.

Posted by | Tue, Jun 03, 2008 - 05:31 AM | Comments

Super Talent Announces 1.8-Inch Micro-SATA SSD for Laptops

Super Talent Technology today released a new line of 1.8-inch Micro-SATA SSDs. At merely 5mm thick, these Micro-SATA SSDs are slimmer than most 1.8-inch hard drives, and hold up to 120GB of data. Prices start at $299 for model number FUM30GK18H, which is the 30GB and go all the way up to $679 for the 120GB model (FUM20GK18H). Expensive they are, but you have to admit that they look pretty slick though!

Built with MLC NAND Flash, the MasterDrive KX is offered in 30GB, 60GB and 120GB capacities. With 0.1ms access time and 120MB/sec and 40MB/sec max sequential read and write speeds, these SSDs provide lightning fast access to files. The Micro-SATA connector in a 1.8-inch form factor makes these SSDs an ideal upgrade for UMPCs (Ultra Mobile PCs). MasterDrive KX SSDs are available now through NewBiiz.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 08:20 PM | Comments

ASUS Unveils Plans for Mobile WiMAX 802.16e CPE Solutions - Eee PC 901 Pictured

ASUS has just announced its plans to exhibit Mobile WiMAX CPE solutions at the WiMAX Summit Taipei 2008. On inaugural display is the new ASUS WiMAX Eee PC 901, along with the ASUS WMV25E1+, WMNV25E2+, WUSB25E2V2 and WEXP25E2V2 – which all support this latest technology, and guarantee fast WiMAX connectivity and compatibility. we have a picture of the new ASUS WiMAX Eee PC 901 notebook with the WiMAX dongle in use below. We have three more pictures in the forums along with the full press release, so take a look if you want more information.

Highly portable and shockproof, the world popular Eee PC combines excellent wireless capabilities with broadband wireless WiMAX connectivity to provide users with fast and reliable connectivity anytime, anywhere. “Imagine carrying the Eee PC, and while travelling or at a café, connect to the world in just 20 seconds – just like carrying a portable gateway to the world.” said Jonathan Tsang, Vice Chairman of ASUS, while holding aloft the lightweight Eee PC™. He also says, “Combining the Eee PC with WiMAX will surely provide revolutionary and unique user experiences for everyone.”

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 03:13 PM | Comments

Google Gphone Delayed to 2009

It's looking like 2008 may not be the year of Google's Gphone. Despite a lot of advanced hype the soon-to-be rescuer of the smartphone industry may not be able to join the fray until sometime in 2009. According to a source familiar with the situation, although a large number of people are hard at work on the Gphone and the open-source operating system/platform for mobile devices (Android) the actual Gphone will not be ready for release this year.

That means that Apple's second-generation iPhone, and the ever-growing list of about-to-be-released handsets (like the Garmin nuviphone, Research In Motion Blackberry Bold and Thunder, Sprint/Samsung Instinct and SonyEricsson Xperia) will now have a huge head-start over the Gphone. The source would not speculate on the possibility that other devices that might run on variants of Android would be ready in time for the Christmas shopping season, nor would the source elaborate on exact reasons for the delay or a possible release date for the Gphone or various Android variants.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 01:18 PM | Comments

Biostar Introduces New Intel 4-Series Motherboard Models - TPower I45

BIOSTAR Microtech Int'l Corp. is launching a top of the line model for Intel platform – TPower I45, a highly tunable performance model. BIOSTAR has not launched just one motherboard, but rather a few models for different user groups at different price points. TPower I45, TP45 HP, TP43 HP, TP45D2-A7, TP43D2-A7, P43-A7 collocate with either ICH10R or ICH10. The TPower I45 is the most unique solution with its wide set of features and new, extended TPower utility. This model is future-proof and users will get the most tunable and upgradeable platform supporting upcoming CPUs and PCI-Express 2.0 graphics cards ever. The TPower I45 is pictured below and is a sweet looking board.

TPower I45 is the most spectacular motherboard of BIOSTAR 4-series with a full set of BIO-TEX features and newly released version of TPower utility. The multi-functional TPower I45 is made of 100% solid capacitors, supports 8+2 Channel HD audio, two PCI-Express x16, goes with TPower utility, new thermal solution called Cooler Harbour and the best overclocking range to bring the best value for the users. TPower I45 is the ultimate future-proof performance board of choice for enthusiasts.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 12:02 PM | Comments

Gigabyte to apologize to Asustek

The legal battle between motherboard makers Gigabyte Technology and Asustek Computer looks set to be over before it even started, with Gigabyte agreeing to issue a public apology. Tensions between the two companies flared up over 'defamatory' comments and comparisons Gigabyte made in a internal document which challenged Asustek's claims of using high-quality components in its motherboards, and the merits of Asustek's EPU energy saving technology and its own DES equivalent

Asustek took issue with the particularly strong wording used in the document and that Gigabyte failed to present independent test results. Problems also arose from the juxtaposition of an image of "blown" capacitors on an unidentified maker's product alongside an Asustek motherboard, which Asustek alleged was an attempt by Gigabyte to imply Asustek products were of equally poor quality. In response Asustek lodged a complaint with Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and initiated legal proceedings against the Gigabyte employee responsible for writing the document.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 10:57 AM | Comments

ASUS AMD based motherboards are now 140W Phenom Ready

ASUS today announced a wide range of high-performance AMD based motherboards are ready to support the upcoming 140W Phenom processors. These next generation AMD Phenom processors are equipped with faster CPU core frequencies, and will provide unprecedented performance gains for thread-intensive games and applications. ASUS has a total of 10 boards ready for the 140W Phenom processors! That is a ton of power consumption folks!

The following chart shows the ASUS motherboards that are currently 140W CPU-ready. With top-notch R&D, ASUS consistently stays ahead of the competition with the latest developments and technologies to provide users with hardware and firmware for optimal performance and functionality. The following list is not exhaustive, and more 140W CPU ready ASUS motherboards are expected to be announced soon.

Crosshair II Formula

M3N-HT Deluxe/Mempipe

M3N-HT Deluxe/HDMI

M3N72-D

M3N78 PRO

M3N78-VM

M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi-AP

M3A32-MVP Deluxe

M3A78-EM

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 10:54 AM | Comments

ABIT IP45 MAX Motherboard Pictured at Computex

abit has the IP45 MAX motherboard on display over at computex and we have the specifications and a picture to share with you! The abit IP45 MAX features the Intel P45 Express chipset and has a sexy black PCB (the one pictured is an early sample and is blue).

The IP45-MAX has a pair of x16 PCIe 2.0 slots, two PCIe x1 slots and two PCI slots. Around the back you'll find a PS/2 port, eight USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, two eSATA, 7.1-channel audio with optical and coaxial S/PDIF out, Gigabit Ethernet and a CMOS reset button. This board also has six SATA connectors, headers for a further four USB 2.0 ports and, of course, silent OTES chipset cooling and micro Guru BIOS. Finally, this board has four DDR3 memory slots with support for 1,600MHz DDR3 memory

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 10:24 AM | Comments

June 2 News from Around the Web

Benchmark Reviews released their review of the Palit GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic. Find this and other reviews by visiting our forums!

The Palit GeForce 9600 GT Sonic provides users with the best image quality and most flexible visual experience regardless of the output standard needed. The new advanced DisplayPort output supports a maximum of 10.8 Gbit/s data rate and display resolutions up to 2560×1600; high-definition video is supported with the HDMI output. Palit maintains dual Dual-Link DVI outputs on GeForce 9600 GT Sonic, further extending the usability of this graphics card. All four outputs support 40-bit HDCP and the DisplayPort output also supports 128-bit AES DPCP. Benchmark Reviews tests the Palit NE/960TSX0202 GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic video card against a wide variety of Geforce products in this product review.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 07:52 AM | Comments

No-Charge Havok PC download released

Havok announced in February that an Intel sponsored PC version of their award-winning physics and animation products would be available for download at no charge. The products are now available!

The No-Charge Havok PC download is a binary-only bundle that includes all of the standard features and functionality of both the Havok Physics and Havok Animation products. The download includes Havok SDK libraries, samples, and technical documentation for software developers; as well as Havok's Content Tools for preparation and export of physical assets and characters directly from recent versions of Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, and Avid XSI 3D modeling and animation tools.

Posted by | Mon, Jun 02, 2008 - 05:06 AM | Comments

The First Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 Yorkfield Notebook Released - Broodling

Diamond Multimedia introduced today in collaboration with SmoothCreations the Intel Quadcore 9770 Notebook “Broodling” PC gaming system. This is one sweet looking notebook that is hand painted & custom built for each customer that buys one. It also happens to be the fist notebook to use an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 'Yorkfield' 3.2GHz processor! Very impressive stuff for those looking for power on the go!

The Smooth Creations Broodling Notebook is powered by an Intel Extreme Edition 9770 Quadcore 4GB of GSkill Dual Channel DDR2 memory. Driving the graphics is a Diamond Mobile Viper Radeon HD3850 -- A single 500GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 hard drive and Lite-On 20X DVD+/-RW drive round out the peripherals. SmoothCreations worked with Diamond & Epower engineers to ensure the motherboard had been designed with the utmost in over clocking capabilities, and attention cooling on the cpu and epower was part of the development to ensure a robust external power supply design was capable of supplying the notebook with the needed power. The distinctive artwork designs are the labor of love from of the artists at Smooth Creations.

Posted by | Sun, Jun 01, 2008 - 09:15 AM | Comments

ATI Radeon HD 4850 GDDR3 Graphics Card Pictured in Taiwan - RV770

Pictures of AMD’s upcoming ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card were leaked this weekend as one lucky editor got some face time with the new graphics card while at meetings before the show. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here you go!

So here it is - it could be mistaken for the Radeon HD 3850, except for the larger fan, although nothing much else has changed on the surface. It's still red and single slot with a six-pin PCI-Express power connector. We scrounged for some light to get a side on die shot but it just wasn't happening. From the looks of it though, it's not all that huge and to keep it under the ~130W envelope the heatsink can stand, we still expect the same TSMC 55nm process. According to the rumours we've been hearing, both the Radeon HD 4850 and the higher-end Radeon HD 4870 will feature 480 stream processors in a similar arrangement to the R600 generation (i.e. 96 five-way shader processors). The Radeon HD 4850 is rumoured to use GDDR3 memory, while AMD has already announced that the high-end Radeon HD 4870 will utilise the all-new GDDR5 memory.

Posted by | Sun, Jun 01, 2008 - 09:03 AM | Comments

Intel Nehalem Processors and X58 Express Chipsets show up in Taipei for Computex

The crew over at bit-tech are over in Taiwan for Computex and have already spotted some great stuff. The talked MSI into letting them take snap some pictures of Intel’s upcoming “Tylersberg” X58 Express chipset, which is whatthe new Nehalem processor will run on.

They were also able to take some motherboard pictures with the the new triple-channel memory DIMM slots along with the LGA1366 CPU socket.

First, the CPU and its new socket: while the roadmaps say the high-end Nehalem to be launched in Q4 will have up to eight cores, the one MSI had in its office was just a quad-core but with eight threads. The socket is still LGA, but instead of the 775 used on current boards, this one now features 1366 pins and is slightly rectangular – not Pentium Pro rectangular, but simply a stretched out square. The back of the socket now has a metal backplate to brace itself and I’m afraid you’ll be buying a new heatsink too because the socket fittings have changed since LGA775. In fact, the whole area that needs to be exclusively for “Intel CPU use” is now apparently over twice the volume of that compared to LGA775 giving motherboard manufacturers even less space to shoehorn in additional components.

Posted by | Sun, Jun 01, 2008 - 08:57 AM | Comments

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