Legit Reviews News History
T-Mobile USA and RIM Introduce the New BlackBerry Curve 8520
T-Mobile and Research In Motion (RIM) yesterday announced the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone, a new addition to the BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones, with availability expected on August 5. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone is a world phone, and is also Wi-Fi-enabled to arm customers with fast Web browsing and Wi-Fi calling.
The slim new BlackBerry Curve 8520 is an incredibly approachable smartphone that comes in two attractive colors from T-Mobile – black and frost. For people who like to be connected, it provides easy mobile access to email, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and popular social networking sites (including Facebook® and MySpace) and features a highly tactile full-QWERTY keyboard for comfortable, accurate typing. It also features rich multimedia capabilities and access to music, games and other mobile apps for entertainment on the go.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 08:57 AM
AMD Launches ATI FirePro V8750 3D Workstation Accelerator
To meet the extreme productivity needs of today’s CAD, Digital Content Creation (DCC) and oil and gas professionals, AMD announced this morning that the ATI FirePro V8750 3D workstation graphics accelerator is joining the AMD line of ultra high-end professional graphics hardware. The ATI FirePro V8750 3D workstation graphics accelerator has 800 shader engines (800) with 2 GB of memory that is good for 115.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The new ATI FirePro V87503D workstation graphics accelerator is available now at the MSRP of $1,799
With ATI FirePro V8750 3D workstation graphics accelerator, applications that take advantage of the shader units and memory bandwidth perform significantly better than with competing solutions. For example, UG NX4 software from Siemens PLM performs up to 56 percent faster and Autodesk 3ds Max OGL runs 118 percent faster on ATI FirePro V8750 than the comparable competing solution. Concurrent with this product launch, AMD is also announcing the availability of ATI CrossFire™ Pro technology which enables users to combine the power of two discrete graphics cards to scale their application performance for maximum productivity. This capability which simply involves coupling the two graphics cards using an interconnect cable, is designed to provide a significant performance boost to CAD and DCC applications such as UG NX, Ensight, Maya and Teamcenter. In addition to ATI FirePro V8750, ATI CrossFire Pro is planned for availability on the mid-range and above graphics cards including ATI FirePro™ V5700, ATI FirePro V7750, and ATI FirePro V87003D workstation graphics accelerators. Initial support is provided for Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit) with support for other operating systems scheduled to follow in the second half of 2009.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 08:43 AM
AMD Announces The ATI FirePro S400 Synchronization Module
To meet the demanding synchronization needs of today's professionals, AMD introduced the ATI FirePro S400 Synchronization Module, providing framelock and genlock synchronization for demanding broadcast, video editing, visualization, simulation and rich display applications.
The new ATI FirePro Synchronization Module supports four professional graphics cards, features a modern Serial ATA power connector and allows ATI FirePro graphics accelerators to receive signals and synchronize to virtually any video input source, including PAL and NTSC standard definition video black burst, high definition TV tri-level, TTL and SDI sync. The upgradeable firmware of the ATI FirePro S400 module is designed to allow future updates to be deployed without requiring internal access to the host computer, saving time and effort by allowing updates to be deployed in the field.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 08:35 AM
MSI Announces N250GTS Twin Frozr Video Card
Yesterday MSI unveiled two new cards - N250GTS Twin Frozr 1G and N250GTS Twin Frozr. Both utilize the radical Twin Frozr thermal design coupled with dual PWM fans and 3 high-efficiency heatpipes to cool down the temperature and improve the cards' stability. Additionally, MSI's N250GTS Twin Frozr series features 128 stream processors, 256-bit GDDR3 high-speed memory, and Military Class components for the best lifespan and stability. With so many features on the powerful N250 Twin Frozr series, these cards are sure to provide smooth DirectX 10 game play for fantastic enjoyment.
The all new N250GTS Tiwn Frozr uses the Twin Frozr thermal design featuring intelligent dual PWM fans, which adjust their speed based on the GPU's loading and temperature. This design helps the card to run quietly for normal applications; while maintaining cool, low-noise operation when running 3D programs and games. The dual-fan design also helps to ensure stable operation, if one fan fails, another would be still able to keep running to dissipate heat. The 250GTS Twin Frozr also uses three high-efficiency heatpipes which greatly increase speed of heat dissipation, and with the dual fans providing twice the amount of air blowing across the components. With Twin Frozr thermal design, overheating has become past.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 08:20 AM
BIOSTAR Launches TA785GE 128M Motherboard - AMD 785G
BIOSTAR announced the T-Series “TA785GE 128M” motherboard this week far in advance of AMD's official launch of the upcoming 785G chipset. The BIOSTAR A785GE 128M, based on ATI Radeon HD 4200 Graphics with AMD 785G Chipset is said to deliver an unprecedented HD visual experience at an incredible value. AMD's new chipset 785G comes with integrated Radeon HD 4200 graphics, which brings everything from DirectX 10.1 to UVD2.0 and Hybrid CrossFireX. Packed with HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI and VGA outputs this sounds like an optimal HTPC and office PC chipset and Biostar seems to be agree. The Biostar TA785GE 128M is a micro ATX motherboard, which is quite common among HTPC and office PCs.
4+1-phase VRM design with high quality power components such as low RDS(on) Mosfet for lower temperature and raise the over clocking ability for CPU. With 128MB Side-Port memory on board, it can accelerate 3D Gaming performance easily. ATI Hybrid CrossFireX takes your gaming experience to the next level. HDMI allows full Video & Audio support via standard DVI output.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 08:15 AM
A-DATA Technology Announces DDR3 4GB Single Memory Modules
A-DATA Technology announcing this morning the availability of high-capacity 4GB single module for its entire DDR3 offering, which includes U-DIMM for desktops, SO-DIMM for laptops, and unbuffered ECC-DIMM/ECC Registered DIMM for workstations and servers.
Memories have been quickly evolving to the next generation DDR3 as memory requirement for both hardware and software has grown significantly to cope with the increasingly sophisticated applications and the latest platforms. To address the needs for a more powerful memory support, A-DATA makes high-density memory upgrade available and much easier by offering high-capacity 4GB DDR3 in single module. In addition to the memories for desktops and laptops, to complete this high-capacity solution, unbuffered ECC-DIMM and ECC Registered DIMM were also introduced, each passed the industry-benchmarking tests on compatibility and reliability with Intel Tylersburg platform and Nehalem processor. Available in all speed standards for all types of systems, the 4GB DDR3 single module from A-DATA brings not only capacity, but also lower energy consumption and better heat dissipation, making it an ideal memory expansion solution for PC enthusiasts or professionals who demand top-notch computing power and system stability.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 07:51 AM
No new netbooks from Asustek or Acer in 2H 2009
Asustek Computer and Acer will not offer any new netbooks in the second half of 2009, as Intel plans to push the launch of its entry-level products including the Pine Trail-M platform to the first quarter of 2010, according to industry sources. The vendors will instead focus on ultra-thin notebooks during the second half of the year. Asustek currently still has the touchscreen-based Eee PC T91 and T101, as well as an Android-based netbook set to launch for the second half. The T101 is expected to appear after the launch Windows 7, while its Android-based netbook will not show up before the end of October.
For the ultra-thin notebook market, Asustek currently has 12-, 13.3- and 15-inch models ready, with the 13.3-inch model expected to be the major sales driver. The company will also launch 12- and 14-inch ultra-thin notebooks, that do not feature an optical drive in August. Meanwhile, Acer continues to reduce its budgets for netbook marketing and R&D and will continue to let its current 10-inch Aspire One serve the netbook market in the second half, the sources noted. Although Acer had originally announced plans to launch a dual-OS netbook with both Windows XP and Android in August, further evaluation has found demand for an Android netbook is not strong enough, and it has therefore decided to postpone the launch of the model.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 07:49 AM
VIA Collaborates with DTS to Deliver '7th Row Center' Sound
VIA Technologies today announced the integration of the new DTS Surround Sensation Ultra PC plus Head Tracker headphone technology into the VIA Vinyl VT1610 Audio Codec industry-leading audio solution. Combiningthe VIA Vinyl VT1610 Audio Codec with DTS Surround Sensation Ultra PC plus Head Tracker headphones technology takes mobile 3D surround sound to the next level. It provides the listener with a fixed forward-facing sound stage creating a perception of a virtual space that renders the ideally-balanced acoustics traditionally associated with the best seat in the house - 7th row center. Here is a video showing how DTS Surround Sensation Ultra PC plus Head Tracker headphones works.
"As more and more people opt to have their entertainment delivered via versatile mobile devices, there is a rising demand for more realistic audio playback," said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "VIA is excited to work with DTS to develop a technology that will offer headphone users an improved and truly unique audio experience."
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 07:41 AM
Thecus Launches the N0503 ComboNAS
Today, Thecus is pleased to reveal the world’s first NAS device with the ability to accommodate both 2.5” and 3.5” hard disks – the N0503. One look at the N0503 tells you it’s different. Using its special combo hard disk bays, the N0503 can actually support up to five 2.5” hard disks or three 3.5” hard disks. Fill the N0503 with three 3.5” hard disks and the N0503 is a high-performance three-bay NAS with up to 6TB of storage capacity. Equip the N0503 with five 2.5” hard disks, and you have a five-bay NAS unit that offers lower power consumption and noise.
With dual form-factor hard disk support, users are given unparalleled flexibility with the N0503. The N0503 also offers quick system response and file transfer capabilities with its powerful Intel ATOM CPU and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports. Multiple RAID modes including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and JBOD are selectable, and auto volume rebuild, hot swap and hot spare capabilities mean maximum data reliability. The N0503 also comes with advanced data protection in the form of disk array roaming and Nsync – Thecus’ remote replication utility. Speedy and secure, the N0503 makes a perfect place to house your digital data.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 28, 2009 - 07:37 AM
Western Digital Launches 750GB and 1TB Scorpio Blue Notebook Hard Drives
Today, WD will be launching the largest mobile hard drive ever, with its WD Scorpio Blue 750 GB and 1 TB hard drives. Geared for external hard drives and notebook that utilize 12.5 mm height hard drives, the new WD Scorpio Blue drives are the highest capacity drives in the industry. Shipping immediately in WD's branded My Passport SE products, the WD Scorpio Blue 750 GB will also be available through distribution. The WD Scorpio Blue 1 TB (part number WD10TEVT) will immediately be shipping in the WD My Passport SE products.
WD Scorpio Blue 750 GB drives (model WD7500KEVT) are available now through select distributors and resellers; the 1 TB capacity (model WD10TEVT) is available now configured into My Passport Essential SE USB drives. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the WD Scorpio Blue 1 TB drive is $249.99 USD and for the 750 GB version it is $189.99 USD. WD Scorpio Blue hard drives are covered by a three-year limited warranty.
Posted by | Mon, Jul 27, 2009 - 10:20 AM
Wistron lands Toshiba notebook orders for 2010
Wistron has landed consumer notebook orders from Toshiba, according to industry sources. This is the first time Toshiba has used the Taiwan-based manufacturer. In the past, Toshiba mostly outsourced its notebook orders to Inventec, Quanta Computer and Compal Electronics. It also started outsourcing a small volume of orders to Pegatron Computer in 2009.
In additional news, Quanta has landed orders for Dell's Studio series notebooks for 2010, while Wistron has received Dell's Vostro series models. Latitude series enterprise notebook orders are shared by Quanta, Compal and Wistron. Wistron will be Lenovo's main manufacturer in 2009 with order volumes surpassing those of both Quanta and Compal, while Acer still has not yet settled its outsourcing plans
Posted by | Mon, Jul 27, 2009 - 08:31 AM
July 27 News from Around the Web
Exclusive hands-on with Runcore Pro IV 1.8" SSD @ TweakTown and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"We are here in Hangzhou, China in the technology and development area (or HEDA as it’s known officially) at the moment visiting the Runcore office to get a hands-on look at its range of Pro IV SSD drives that will launch later today and go on sale very soon. We spent some time exclusively testing the new Runcore Pro IV, specifically the 1.8-inch Micro SATA 128GB. We compared the performance of this new SSD against a standard notebook HDD in two identical Lenovo X301 laptops. We confirmed that no funny business was going on and that both systems were identical in terms of setup, clock speeds and so on."
Posted by | Mon, Jul 27, 2009 - 07:43 AM
CyberPower Announces Street Fighter IV NVDIA PC Bundle
CyberPower is celebrating the PC-platform release of the highly anticipated fighting game, Street Fighter IV, with a knock out gaming bundle. CyberPower will throw in a free copy of Street Fighter IV for customers purchasing a CyberPower gaming system with Nvidia 200 series graphics cards.
The most storied franchise among arcade fighting games is finally available on PC. Street Fighter IV combines some of the classic elements from previous Street Fighters with realistic 3D backgrounds for a stunning visual experience. Street Fighter IV also features new characters, new moves, and new combos and earned rave reviews from the gaming community. Show off your skills against the world’s best or challenge your friends and family to a duel through online play. With CyberPower PC and Nvidia’s GPU, you’ll have the power and performance to tackle your foes and enjoy the great game play that made Street Fighter one of the most famous fighting game franchises ever.
Posted by | Fri, Jul 24, 2009 - 01:10 PM
AMD Fusion GPU and CPU is 22nm and coming in 2012
Rumor has it that AMD's CPU and GPU "fusion" won't happen until the second half of 2012 when the 22nm (nanometer) process is up and running. Intel has already shown its plans for a CPU+GPU integration in the form of having two separate dies (pieces of silicon) inside the same chip. We have been talking about the Fusion processor for some time here at Legit Reviews. Last year we heard rumors that it would be based off Phenom and would be released in 2009. We have been talking about Fusion since 2007, but rumors of the processor started in 2006.
We got a quick update on Fusion, an AMD codename for CPU and GPU native chip. At a later date AMD renamed it to Swift. Since Intel is launching Clarksdale / Arrandale CPU and GPU on the same chip but with two separate dies in early 2010, AMD will be under a lot of pressure to launch such an CPU+GPU integrated chip. We've seen before the 45nm Fusion got canceled due to some manufacturing challenges and we expected that AMD might give it a try with 32nm. Unfortunately this won't happen as next Fusion will have to wait for 22nm production that is scheduled for second part of 2012.
Posted by | Fri, Jul 24, 2009 - 12:36 PM
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO Motherboard Preview
Even though the formal release of the AMD 785G chipset is not set to occur until some time in August, the first 785G motherboards have been shipping to retailers for weeks and one managed to find its way to our front door here at Legit Reviews. Today, we have the ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO motherboard to take a peak at.
As you can see from the image above the ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO is a full size ATX motherboard that features the AM3 processor socket by AMD. The board has a very clean layout and features an 8+2 phase power design. The M4A785TD-V EVO uses Stack Cool 3+ and is part of the Xtreme Design initiative that ASUS is currently promoting. This motherboard features SidePort Memory, which is an individual on-board DDR3 chip that acts as a memory buffer for the integrated Radeon 4200 graphics. Since the board has the Radeon 4200 graphics on-board it also sports ATI Hybrid CrossFireX technology.
Posted by | Fri, Jul 24, 2009 - 12:15 PM
July 24 News from Around the Web
Thermaltake Tough Power 850 XT PSU Review @ Hi Tech Legion and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"In order to achieve that level of performance most of us strive for in our builds comes with purchasing the next best processor or motherboard, and the latest and greatest in the battle among video cards. We get extreme CPU and motherboard combinations, we line up as many graphics cards in our system as the board will allow, all in the name of scorching performance. Many times, however, we overlook what the life blood of the system is and select one based on price rather than needs. Without a good, reliable power supply, even the most awe inspiring rig could mean nothing. The Thermaltake Tough Power 850 XT packs the power to manage just about any system. The Thermaltake Tough Power 850 XT features modular cabling and extreme caliber power output. The rugged build case houses the high quality construction of this modular power supply with full certifications for SLI and CrossFireX for extreme gaming. The Thermaltake Tough Power 850 also features excellent cooling to maintain stability under high loads."
Posted by | Fri, Jul 24, 2009 - 10:37 AM
GlobalFoundries Ready To Break Ground At Fab 2 in New York Today
Today is the day of much anticipated July 24th groundbreaking for Fab 2 in Saratoga County, NY! Once constructed, analysts expect Fab 2 to be the world’s most advanced semiconductor foundry. Its construction represents more than three-years of careful planning and collaboration and an investment of roughly $4.2B Our friend Ian McNaughton from AMD is at the groundbreaking ceremony this morning and sent us this picture of himself with GlobalFoundries Chairman - Hector Ruiz. It looks like some gold plated shovels will be in the ground very soon!
The technology in Fab 2 will be absolutely state of the art. Our current plan is to ramp it on 28nm technology in 2H 2012 and then make a quick transition to 22nm, in a similar fashion to what we did with Fab 36 for AMD in Dresden. Ramping on a mature technology generation reduces significant risk in bringing a new fab successfully online and into production. Of course Fab 2 will also come stacked with the latest generation of our patented APM software to ensure maximum automation, control and predictability in rapidly ramping production for our customers at mature yield.
Posted by | Fri, Jul 24, 2009 - 08:10 AM
MAINGEAR eX-L 18 World’s Most Powerful Gaming Notebook
MAINGEAR Computers has recently announced the world’s most powerful desktop replacement notebook, the eX-L 18. Featuring dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M graphics processing units (GPUs) with NVIDIA SLI technology, the eX-L 18 brings your games and multimedia to life with brilliant 3D graphics and movies in 1080p HD resolution. With powerful Intel Core 2 mobile processors, eX-L 18 delivers breakthrough multi-core performance and dual-channel DDR3 memory.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs are the fastest GeForce notebook GPUs ever. Built-in support for NVIDIA PhysX technology enables a new world of ultra realistic gaming effects from lifelike explosions to natural water. Watch high-definition videos come alive with sharp images and vibrant colors supported by NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology, which enables extended battery life so you never miss a scene. The eX-L 18 is chock full of expansion potential, with up to 3 2.5" SATA or SSD drives configurable in RAID formations. eSATA, HDMI, USB 2.0, and FireWire ensure that you can use the eX-L 18 just like you would a desktop and without compromise. Additional features include a 3 Megapixel video camera provides high definition video conferencing, and a full sized keyboard with a number pad, and programmable gaming buttons.
Posted by | Fri, Jul 24, 2009 - 07:35 AM
Dell Offers Services For Users To Transition to Windows 7
Worried about the transition to an older operating system to Microsoft Windows 7? Have no fear the management over at Dell has a few new services to help you out! Dell and Microsoft are tightly integrated and continue to work together throughout the development and testing of Windows 7. As a result, Dell services are tuned to address specific IT pain points of OS transitions. Dell is helping early adopters transition efficiently and cost-effectively to beta versions of Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2.
“Dell is already helping customers realize the benefits of upgrading to Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Many customers fear that migrating to a new OS can be time-consuming and complicated, requiring armies of consultants. It is our job to take as much pain out of the process as possible with a complete portfolio of fixed-scoped services. We have one of the tightest integrations with Microsoft and have spent literally thousands of engineering hours to help develop and test Windows 7 on the Dell platform.”— Larry Baldachin, Director of Microsoft Consulting Services, Dell Inc.
Posted by | Fri, Jul 24, 2009 - 06:39 AM
Powercolor Introduces GO! Green Video Card Series
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, announces a new series of products that is environmentally friendly and power efficient for the consumer. The PowerColor Go! Green series offers the HD4670, HD4650 and HD4350 Silent Cooling Solution (SCS), featuring stealth like silence and low power consumption, providing a cost efficient and silent gaming and entertainment solution.
The PowerColor Go! Green series consumes up to 38% less power than competing graphics cards and performs up to 36% better in benchmark tests. The products in the series offer an environmentally friendly solution to help consumers cut costs without compromising great performance for their home theater PC’s and gaming rigs. “The Go! Green series was designed with today’s consumers in mind,” says Ted Chen, TUL CEO. “The products in the Go! Green series are proven performers with the added benefit of low power consumption and silent cooling.”
Posted by | Fri, Jul 24, 2009 - 06:34 AM
ASUS Eee PC 1004DN Netbook - Intel Atom 280 and GN40 chipset
The first ASUS Eee PC 1004DN netbook reviews are out and it seems this netbook actually has a few features that will make it stand out from the crowd. The ASUS Eee PC 1004DN has optical drive and the new Intel GN40 chipset with X4500M integrated graphics card. That means that the ASUS Eee PC 1004DN that should be faster than the GMA950 that can be found in most netbooks when it comes to at least video oriented benchmarks. The Asus 1004DN makes use of the Super Hybrid Engine which reduces power consumption and extends battery life to over 5.5 hours though, so it still has decent battery life.
What makes ASUS Eee PC 1004DN different is new Intel chipset: GN40. Interestingly, there is not too much information on Intel’s site about this product. What we know is that it has integrated graphics X4500M and support for HD video reproduction. We can only guess that is it successor of GL40 chipset. Although Windows XP isn’t best solution for GN40 and its advanced features, we managed to play HD video successfully on Windows XP SP3 that was preinstalled on our ASUS Eee PC 1004DN. Windows Vista (or Windows 7) is much better solution. Nevertheless we managed to play 720p HD video with ease and 1080p after some tweaking. We always had a sense that problem isn’t in Atom CPU because it never reached 100% load during HD video playback.
Posted by | Thu, Jul 23, 2009 - 09:42 PM
Intel X25-M 160GB 34nm MLC G2 SSD Benchmark Review
Intel has moved to a more advanced, 34- nanometer manufacturing process for its leading NAND flash-based Solid State Drive (SSD) products and the results are spectacular. Read on to see how the Intel X25-M Mainstream 160GB Generation 2 SATA SSD does against more than a dozen other 2.5" SATA drives!
Intel informed us that while many specifications have been improved, that they do not expect many noticeable gains on application-based benchmarks. Targeted drive benchmarks and tests will show the differences however. It should noted that the X25-M will also support Microsoft Windows 7 when it becomes available. At that time, Intel plans to deliver a firmware update to allow support of the Windows 7 Trim command, along with an end user tool, to allow users to optimize the performance of their SSD on Windows XP and Vista operating systems.
Posted by | Thu, Jul 23, 2009 - 09:23 PM
OCZ Drops SSD Prices In Response To Intel's X25-M G2 SSDs
In a move that will make consumers happy, OCZ has announced that they plan on slashing prices on many of their SSDs that use Indilinx controllers. That means that the OCZ Vertex, Agility and Colossus solid-state drives will be seeing some rather nice price reductions here in the near future. Anand Lal Shimpi broke the news today and said that the OCZ Vertex 128GB SSD will soon be down to around $290, which is a big move as it is currently $385 shipped before a $30 rebate at Newegg.
"It has always been our intention to make SSDs more affordable for consumers and we have achieved some greater economies of scale now that we can reduce some prices without making any changes to the product and performance. It isn’t all about pricing however, while our goal is to put SSD technology into the reach of everyday consumers we are also accelerating development of cutting edge solutions and have a slew of new products coming down the pipe, and while these may not be as aggressively priced they will still represent an excellent total cost of ownership for our customers." Commented Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ technology Group, in regards to the pricing direction.
Posted by | Thu, Jul 23, 2009 - 07:29 PM
Intel pushes back Pine Trail-D platform and Clarkdale CPUs to 1Q10
Intel has decided to push back its Pine Trail-D platform for nettops from October 2009 to the first quarter of 2010, in addition to Pine Trail-M for netbooks, while the company's Clarkdale-based processors are also being pushed back to the first quarter of 2010, according to sources at PC makers. Intel recently set a strategy to push mainstream PCs in the second half of 2009 and will postpone most entry-level products into 2010, the sources noted.
The Pine Trail-D platform combines Intel's dual-core Atom D510 or single-core Atom D410 processor with NM10 chipset. Intel will launch two Core i3 processors clocked at 2.93GHz and 3.06GHz, and priced at US$123 and US143 in thousand-unit tray quantities, respectively, in the first quarter of 2010. The company will also launch a Pentium processor clocked at 2.83GHz and priced at US$87. Intel will also launch three Core i5 processors clocked at 3.2GHz, 3.33GHz and 3.46GHz with prices of US$176, US$196 and US$284, respectively. Intel will launch the Core i5-750 (US$196), Core i7-860 (US$284) and Core i7-870 (US$562) in early September, along with the low-power Core i5-750s (US$259) and Core i7-860s (US$337) processors.
Posted by | Thu, Jul 23, 2009 - 08:22 AM
July 23 News from Around the Web
MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC V3 Review @ OCC and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"When it comes time to spend your money on an upgrade, many people really want to feel they got their money's worth. With the N260GTX OC V3, MSI has hit a home run when it comes down to price as well as performance. Currently you find this card for 159 bucks online after a $30 rebate. A factory overclocked card with a massive heatpipe cooler that works for well under $200, is a heck of a deal. In fact I saw few reference cards far enough under the $159 mark to really pass up the value that the N260GTX OC V3 presents. As a factory overclocked card, the expectation is that it will out perform the reference versions - no surprises that it does this and does it well. In 34 out of 36 tests it performed better than the reference versions and in two the performance was even. When the card was overclocked even further, it started to play well above its price point. Speaking of overclocking, the N260GTX delivered an increase of 101MHz over the 'standard' 655MHz on the core, 104MHz on the shader clocks and 174MHz on the GDDR3 memory. All in all, pretty decent increases across the board."
Posted by | Thu, Jul 23, 2009 - 08:09 AM
Windows 7 Released to Manufacturing with Build 7600.16385
After months of testing, telemetry, and trials — and leaked builds and gossip galore — Microsoft has finally released Windows 7 to manufacturing. Release to manufacturing, or RTM, is the final build of the operating system before general release and general availability for consumers on October 22. The official sign-off was at 4:40 PM, a quirky time coinciding with the keynote speech at an internal sales and marketing event. For the record, the final build of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 RTM will both be 7600, with Windows 7's RTM build known as 7600.16385.
Microsoft notes that there aren't many big differences between the Release Candidate and the RTM versions of Windows 7, with the only the changes that were really necessary included in the final revision. Many of those have been highlighted on the E7 blog and the Windows team blog (such as the recent post on the changes to ClearType). These changes aren't ones most consumers will notice, and you shouldn't expect dramatic changes in performance, although the team has been making small but steady improvements in performance ever since the operating system first started running on real-world hardware, according to Mike Angiulo, manager of the product planning and PC ecosystem team for Microsoft.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 11:12 PM
A-DATA Announces Turbo Series SDHC Class 10 Memory Card
After the exciting release of its 600X CF card at Computex 2009, A-DATA Technology announced today another industry-leading memory card – Turbo series SDHC Class 10 memory card. It supports the new SD Association’s new Class 10 specification with a dramatic performance improvement in recording cameras on the market today. With high transfer rate of Class 10, the card enables digital camera users to easily capture sequential shots that used to be hard to catch due to the limitation of memory card speed.
Have you ever experienced the disappointment of missing an irreplaceable moment such as the first step of your child simply because your digital camera could not keep up with the act? Some consider DSLR the solution to the problem, yet the daunting price of DSLR makes it less accessible for entry-level users. With A-DATA Turbo series SDHC Class 10 performing at a transfer rate up to 22MBps on devices supporting SD v3.0, one could seize these important moments by recording every single move.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 11:09 PM
AMD WHQL-Certified Graphics Drivers for Windows 7 RTM Ready
AMD today announced the release of the company’s first WHQL-certified ATI Catalyst graphics drivers for Windows 7 Release to Manufacturing (RTM), an important milestone in the development of Microsoft’s next generation operating system. For ATI Radeon customers, the ATI Catalyst 9.7 driver is immediately available for download from game.amd.com. Simultaneously, the ATI Catalyst 8.632 driver has been made available for ATI FirePro professional graphics customers.
“As we approach the final release of Windows 7, possibly Microsoft’s most visually impressive operating system to date, we continue to improve upon the industry leading stability and reliability of ATI Catalyst drivers in order to consistently deliver an incredibly immersive, high performance graphics experience to our customers,” said Ben Bar-Haim, corporate vice president of software, AMD Products Group. “Today’s release of ATI Catalyst 9.7 and ATI Catalyst 8.632 drivers does exactly that, delivering incredibly stable and reliable graphics drivers.”
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 11:05 PM
Intel 34nm 160GB SSD First Pictures and Benchmarks
We got the Intel X25-M 160GB SSD built on the 34nm process (SSDSA1MH160G2) drive in this morning and have tossed up a number of pictures and benchmarks in the forums to keep you guys entertained.
Compared to its previous 50nm version, the new Intel X25-M on 34nm offers decreased latency and faster random write Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) than its 50nm predecessor. Specifically, Intel’s new SSD provides a 25 percent further reduction in latency, for quicker access to data, operating at 65-microsecond read latency compared to approximately 4,000 microseconds for an HDD. Random write performance has increased 2x for the 80GB and 2.5x for the 160GB to further separate the X25-M from other SSDs. By delivering up to 6,600 4KB write IOPS (8,600 IOPS for the 160GB) and up to 35,000 read IOPS, the X25-M continues to set the bar for SSDs, while leapfrogging HDDs which only operate at several hundred IOPS for traditional HDDs. This provides for markedly faster system and application responsiveness. Overall, gamers, media creators and technology enthusiasts should experience faster PC responsiveness. The Intel X25-M on 34nm therefore widens the performance gap even further over HDDs on all fronts, including latency, sustained reads and writes and random read and writes.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 04:59 PM
Foxconn Employee Commits Suicide After Losing Prototype Apple iPhone
Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, has asked Chinese police to investigate a case in which an employee reportedly committed suicide after being pressured over the loss of an iPhone prototype. Sun Danyong, 25, was tasked with sending 16 fourth-generation iPhone prototypes to Apple this month, but Apple only received 15 when the package arrived, according to Chinese media. Sun reportedly leaped from his apartment window last week, though police are investigating whether he may have been murdered, the Shanghai Daily said.
Allegations of trouble with Foxconn workers in China have bitten Apple before. The U.S. company and its relationship with Foxconn was brought to light three years ago when a British newspaper wrote about allegedly poor pay and long hours for iPod assembly line workers. Apple conducted its own review of the facility but found few violations of its supplier code of conduct. "We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee, and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death," Apple said in a statement. "We require that our suppliers treat all workers with dignity and respect."
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 01:42 PM
AMD Ships 500 Millionth x86 Processor
AMD today announced the shipment of its 500 millionth x86 processor, a milestone enabled by the company's 40 years of innovation. From the world's most powerful supercomputers to mission-critical enterprise servers, high-performance gaming PCs and HD-capable laptops, users have come to rely on the innovation, stability and power of AMD processors and platforms at work, home and play. I remember back in 2006 when NVIDIA shipped their 500 millionth processor.
Advanced Micro Devices is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home, and play.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 11:46 AM
AMD's first DirectX 11 GPU Rumored To Be Late Now
AMD's first DirectX 11 graphics chip won't appear in products you can buy before November, despite being showed off at a trade show more than a month ago. AMD first showed off its DX11 GPU - codenamed 'RV870' - at the Computex show in Taipei, Taiwan early in June. I guess this doesn't matter as game maker Codemasters has already said this month that DX11 games like DiRT 2 are also going to be delayed.
DX11 will be part of Windows 7 - due in October - and is expected to be retrofitted to Vista with a Service Pack update shortly afterwards. Windows 7 will make use of the framework, using the API's CPU-on-GPU workload shifting to accelerate processor-intensive tasks. DX11 also brings tessellation and with it the promise of much more complex geometries - essentially, more detailed models than we've seen before.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 11:39 AM
AMD Reports Second Quarter 2009 Results
AMD reported revenue for the second quarter of 2009 of $1.184 billion. Second quarter 2009 revenue was flat compared to the first quarter of 2009 and decreased 13 percent compared to the second quarter of 2008. In the second quarter of 2009, AMD reported a net loss attributable to AMD common stockholders of $330 million or $0.49 per share, which includes the net favorable impact of $86 million, or $0.13 per share, primarily from the sale of inventory written-down in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008. AMD’s operating loss was $249 million.
“The AMD Product Company successfully executed its product and technology roadmaps in the first half of the year, including introducing the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor months ahead of schedule. While we increased cash, exceeded our revenue plan and reduced operating expenses in the second quarter, gross margin was disappointing,” said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO. “New platform, microprocessor and graphics introductions planned for the second half of 2009 position us well to improve margins and meet our financial goals for the year.”
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 11:34 AM
Kingston Technology to Exhibit, Give Away Free Tickets to Blizzcon
Kingston Technology Company today announced it is giving away 10 tickets (worth $125 each U.S.) to Blizzcon, the two-day celebration of games including World of Warcraft, Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo, from Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
There is no cost to enter, and contestants may register at http://www.kingston.com/blizzcon. The contest is open to U.S. residents only. Blizzcon runs August 21-22, 2009, at the convention center in Anaheim, Calif. Kingston will be on-hand to demo the latest products in the HyperX memory line as well as give away other prizes in Hall C.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 10:19 AM
July 22 News from Around the Web
ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 Slim Sound Card @ Benchmark Reviews and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
You don't have to be an audiophile to appreciate the enhanced surround sound effects from Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio found on most Blu-ray Disc movie discs over the standard Dolby Digital or DTS formats found on standard DVD movie discs. The lossless audio compression formats and/or the two extra channels of sound output really adds a significant amount of realism to the whole movie watching experience. The problem is most HTPC owners don't have the ability to experience these enhanced formats due to a lack of sound cards on the market that can support these formats. Benchmarkreviews has the ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.3 Slim sound card that does just that. Benchmark Reviews have put it through a series of tests and have determined whether HTPC owners can rejoice or not.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 08:33 AM
Corsair Re-launches Dominator GT Ultra-Performance DRAM Modules
Corsair today re-introduced the popular Dominator GT line of memory modules. These modules had been removed from the market due to unacceptable failure levels of the Elpida “Hyper” components with which the modules are constructed. The Dominator GT memory kits are being re-introduced with updated part numbers, and will be available within one to two weeks. All Dominator GT modules are black with red fins, and include the Airflow cooling fan as seen below.
“The issue with the Hyper RAMs was discovered with the help of the enthusiast community, and we worked closely with them to solve it,” stated John Beekley, VP of Applications Engineering at Corsair. “Our lab was able to correlate the failures to specific batches of early material, we worked very closely with Elpida to determine the root cause of the issue and to define the associated corrective actions to take. We are confident that every GT module using the Elpida Hyper IC Corsair ships from today will meet our strict quality and reliability standard.”
Posted by | Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 07:00 AM
NZXT Announces M59 ATX Gaming Chassis at $59.99
NZXT has just announced the M59 gaming chassis. M59 delivers optimal airflow with five powerful fans with the option to station two fans on the top(side 120mm LED fan and rear 120mm exhaust included), side intake for GPU cooling, a mesh front panel and a bottom mounted PSU draws cooler air from the bottom of the case. The sleek aesthetics are highlighted by an all black interior and smoked clear window along with a 5.25” stealth bay gives a clean, but powerful presence. NZXT enhances the PC building experience with features that help make the installation process as painless as possible with pre-drilled water cooling holes and punched holes in the motherboard allowing for quick CPU bracket removal and immaculate wire routing. Additional advanced features include space for two SSD drives and higher end 10.5” graphics cards along with an ambient night light sitting over the 5.25” drives for constant visibility in dark rooms or at LAN parties. The m59 will be available in August at an MSRP of $59.99. We wonder if it is called the M59 since it is priced at $59.99.
“m59 will provide gamers with the ideal balance of performance and style with a wide array of features for under $60” said Johnny Hou, Chief Designer at NZXT. “The airflow, expandability, cable management, ease of installation, and sleek look and feel make this a very compelling option for the budget conscious gamer.”
Posted by | Tue, Jul 21, 2009 - 04:02 PM
Atlona Releases new RGB Video Fiber Optic Extenders
Atlona Technologies has released a new line of video extenders that transfer high definition video over multi-mode SC type fiber optic cable up to 1000 ft without any signal loss. These new extenders serve not only as a way for companies to send video signal far beyond the lengths of actual cables, but also provide a measure of security. Since Fiber Optic cable is immune to interference caused by electromagnetic fields (EMF/EMI), these extenders are perfect for medical imaging applications where a perfect picture is not only ideal, but necessary. Atlona’s new AT-RGBF30S and AT-RGBF30R are expected to start shipping by July 21, 2009 with an MSRP of $1,200.00 each.
Atlona’s RGB/YPbPr versions (models AT-RGBF30S and AT-RGBF30R) are capable of sending HD video signal, along with audio and RS232, through multimode fibers (SC connection) allowing any HD Display to extend resolutions up to 400 meters (1320 ft) at HDTV resolutions 720p/1080i/1080p. These UL/CE approved units are equipped with advanced digital fiber optic technology allowing for self adjustment with no compression, bit reduction, or signal degradation. Multiple signals can be run in a single conduit without crosstalk. The AT-RGBF30SR is CEC compliant and supports 12-bit color depth and has an 8dB input equalizer, which compensates losses over 5 meters (16 ft).
Posted by | Tue, Jul 21, 2009 - 01:45 PM
Klipsch Announces Image S4i In-Ear Headset
Klipsch plans to re-define the music listening experience with its new Image S4i, an in-ear headset that combines the company's acclaimed sound performance and amazing comfort value with a unique in-line microphone and remote. Available in a piano black finish with chrome accents, the Image S4i comes with a two-year warranty and includes a premium carrying pouch; small, medium and large ear tips; small/medium dual flange ear tips; an ear tip cleaning tool; and a clothing clip. Priced at $99.99 (U.S. MSRP), the S4i will be available for purchase at klipsch.com, Apple, InMotion and Amazon in August.
"Designed for iPhone and iPod users, the Image S4i is a breakthrough product that simplifies on-the-go lifestyles—you can take calls while commuting or exercising, as well as control your music library," said Don Inmon, Klipsch director of marketing and product development for personal audio. The Image S4i works seamlessly with the iPhone 3GS, third generation iPod shuffle, second generation iPod touch, fourth generation iPod nano and the iPod classic 120GB. The headset features Apple's advanced three-button microphone and remote system that easily handles the voice and/or music control of these Apple products. Furthermore, the S4i remote is among the first to be fully compatible with the Apple VoiceOver feature on the third generation iPod shuffle, which allows you to hear the name of the playlist, song or artist with just the press of a button.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 21, 2009 - 01:36 PM
Intel Launches Industry First - 34nm Solid State Drives
Intel Corporation is moving to a more advanced, 34- nanometer (nm) manufacturing process for its leading NAND flash-based Solid State Drive (SSD) products, which are an alternative to a computer's hard drive. The move to 34nm will help lower prices of the SSDs up to 60 percent for PC and laptop makers and consumers who buy them due to the reduced die size and advanced engineering design. The Intel X25-M on 34nm flash memory is drop-in compatible with the current 50nm version and will continue to be drop-in compatible to replace existing hard disk drives (HDDs). New channel prices for the X25-M 80GB are $225 for quantities up to 1,000 units (a 60 percent reduction from the original introduction price of $595 a year ago). The 160GB version is $440 (down from $945 at introduction) for quantities up to 1,000 units. The X25-M comes in a standard 2.5-inch form factor. The X18-M, in a 1.8-inch form factor, will begin shipping on 34nm later in the quarter.
"Our goal was to not only be first to achieve 34nm NAND flash memory lithography, but to do so with the same or better performance than our 50nm version,” said Randy Wilhelm, Intel vice president and general manager, Intel NAND Solutions Group. "We made quite an impact with our breakthrough SSDs last year, and by delivering the same or even better performance with today's new products, our customers, both consumers and manufacturers, can now enjoy them at a fraction of the cost.”
Posted by | Tue, Jul 21, 2009 - 12:01 PM
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